Sweet heart for my Sweetheart

It seemed appropriate on Valentine's Day to finish making this little trinket.

The pattern is 'Sweet Heart Birdies' by one of my favourite Australian designers, Marg Low. And it features a beautiful timber embellishment by Theodora Cleave Designs.

My Sweetness is one of those men who think Valentine's Day is a whole lot of commercial rubbish. But I made this for him, just to stir! Perhaps he'll hang it above his workbench in the shed!

My favourite 'leurve song' right now is 'Love you till the end' by The Pogues (click below to play). On Rachel's recommendation, I finally watched 'P.S. I Love You' in the holidays. Man, I don't remember ever having cried so much in all my life! Gorgeous film. But be prepared to be a blubbering, exhausted mess by the end. Happy Valentine's Day!

Aster Manor pillow

I have another tutorial up on Moda Bakeshop today. I have made a simple little pillow from 3 Sisters' latest romantic line called 'Aster Manor'.

The pattern uses one of Moda's precut honey buns, but you could use any 1.5" strips of fabric. I have incorporated linen, sweet pearl flower buttons, ivory ric-rac & some piping detail. A stitched band similar to that I embroidered for my journal cover tutorial would also look good.

I have used bows to tie the back closed (otherwise known as 'zipper avoidance')!

I do like the bows though. I think they almost make this pillow reversible!

I hope you enjoy the tutorial. I would love to hear what you think of it, and please send photos if you make a pillow of your own. Best wishes, Bloom x

The postman always rings twice

Actually, the postman doesn't ring at all at our place! I'd be happy if he'd just ring once, so that I didn't have to keep checking the mailbox when I am expecting something special! Good mail for me this week.

Delicious 'Nicey Jane' from Z&S Fabrics - I have a quilt planned for these.

And a copy of Material Obsession by Australian girls Sarah Fielke & Kathy Doughty. This has been on my 'must-have' list for a while and I found it for a bargain here. (Unfortunately, they have put the price up again). The book is every bit as inspiring as I expected from these girls.

I have discovered a nifty site for all you Aussie book lovers out there. It is called Booko and helps track down the least expensive price in Australian dollars for whatever book you fancy. Have a great week, Bloom x

Here we go again

School and all its busyness has returned. I seem to be drowning in books to be covered and questionnaires to be filled in. In amongst it though, I have managed to fire up the sewing machine and get some borders on my 'Barefoot Roses' quilt. It is such a pleasure to be sewing again after many weeks away from the machine.

The quilt pattern is a very simple one called 'Ava Rose' by Hatched & Patched. The fabrics are mostly 'Barefoot Roses', Tanya Whelan's very first fabric line.

Tanya's newest line 'Dolce' is sorely tempting, but I'm yet to succumb! It would seem not a lot has changed in the life of Bloom - frenetic chasing about after kids, growing roses, sewing roses & salivating over new fabric collections, battling the urge to purchase - life is sweet!

Today ...

I am inspired by ... Natalie at Cinderberry Stitches to post an occasional daybook entry to track my year.

Outside my window ... is a lone water lily that I have coerced to bloom in our pond.

I am thankful for ... bloggers who love to see photos of my roses & garden. I always worry that my 'bloom' posts might bore everybody. For those of you who want to see more of my farm garden, I will sort through some photos and put a post together soon.

I am loving ... eating juicy fresh lychees and watching tennis.

I am stitching ... very little!

I am hoping ... to at least turn my sewing machine on today, hoping to put the final white border on this quilt.

I am drooling over ... this gorgeous clam shell quilt that Jean (Linen & Raspberry) is working on.

I am seriously tempted by ... aforementioned Jean's suggestion to join a quilt-a-long to make this quilt by Michelle Yeo:

I am hearing ... the happy chattering of my 8-year-old daughter & her very best friend, who is here for one last sleepover before she moves to Mullumbimby.

I am reading ... more than I have in years, a New Year's resolution! Found a copy of Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes' on my Dad's bookshelf in the holidays. A bittersweet yet funny story of his Irish upbringing. Very enjoyable.

On my mind ... the dreadful tragedy of two young lives taken in a camping accident yesterday. They are ex-students of our school. My heart aches for their families.

From my picture journal ... proof that even grasses can be beautiful (purple fountain grass from my farm garden).

Midsummer roses

Thank you for the warm welcome back - you are all too sweet! I have sure missed blogging & chatting with you.

How cheeky was that seal in yesterday's post?! No, unfortunately I didn't take the photo. No seal or penguin would survive the summer temperatures where I've been!

I have returned from a month at our farm with a 'cocky's suntan' from many hours in the garden. Despite a hot Aussie summer, our garden is coping quite well, and my roses greeted me with their unparalleled beauty yet again. They are so resilient & undemanding. I hope these images from my garden warm your heart, especially those of you in the midst of a snowbound winter!

'Pretty Jessica' by David Austin

'Grimaldi', a Delbard rose

'Mother's Love'

The inimitable 'Double Delight'

'Seduction'

'Jubilee Celebration' by David Austin

Full nodding blooms of Rosa 'Crown Princess Margareta' by David Austin

'Camille Pissarro' by Delbard

'Perfume Perfection'

'Benjamin Britten' by David Austin

'Fame'

I'm back ...

... from a four week break at our farm, away from telephones & computers - so nice for a change! News soon.

Lazy days of summer

A very happy New Year to you. Our January is lazily lolling on by, with lots of tennis, swimming and gardening, late nights playing cards, and sleep-ins. So lovely to draw breath before the school term starts up again.

And lovely to have time to smell the roses ....

... to drink in the heady summer fragrance of orange jessamine ...

... to help the kids with some cute stitching ...

... and to play new games made in the shed with Dad ...

Our 11-year-old son loves to dream up woodworking projects to make with his Dad. The project these holidays was this Mancala board. Apparently, Mancala is one of the oldest of all strategy games, played in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, and now in a little house in country Australia!

I hope you are enjoying your lazy January days as much as we are. Bloom x

Peace on Earth

As a child, Silent Night was my favourite Christmas carol. When I was growing up, I would walk around the farm (probably while I was chipping Bathurst burrs for $1/hour!), singing it to myself, trying to hit every note perfectly. It remains one of my all-time favourites, and this version is delightful!

A very blessed Christmas to each and every one of you, as we celebrate our Savious Jesus' birth. Lots of love & Christmas cheer from my family to yours, and peace, health and happiness to you for 2010. Bloom xxx

Travelling north

We are just home from a 2400km round trip to a hot and humid Brisbane for a family wedding. And that's a relatively short trip in Australia! Here are some of my favourite images from the wedding, which incidentally was held at a golf course!

The nieces & nephews had a front row seat, but were more interested in each other than the nuptials!

Cousins, from eldest to youngest - a rare gathering.

Playing with rose petals after the ceremony.

At the end of the night - all that dancing wears a girl out!

I did manage to get a little 'something blue' finished (in the car on the way!) for the bride.

The pattern is one of Marg Low's latest releases, the delightful 'Sweet Heart Birdies'. It was a perfect gift for the bride - she wore it tied to her wrist at the reception - special!

The timber embellishment is one of many gorgeous designs by Barb of Theodora Cleave Designs.

Brisbane was hot, and since our accommodation was basic and pool-less, we spent a lot of time at South Bank keeping cool:

Of course, travelling north afforded me the luxury of taking photos of all sorts of exotic blooms that I never usually see.

I can't tell you what these blooms are. They are completely beyond my limited botanical expertise - feel free to educate me!

A long trip, but a truly brilliant one! Now, to get organised for Christmas?!