All that's left is a bag of scraps..........

A few posts ago I talked about a special quilt that I had been asked to make out of 

Men's shirts.

Well, the sewing is done and the top is about to go off to the quilter.

It also has 3 small sibling quilts; similar lay out with uneven nine patches around the outside.

Of Scissors.................

Any dressmaker worth their salt will tell you that there are 

material scissors

 and the paper scissors;  the ones that are used for everything else.

As tools of the trade a pair of scissors is well taken care of and anyone caught misusing said tool does so at their own peril.

In my home the rules are simple

*Scissors with plastic handles and those that are in the stein on the desk

(another collection - pens and pencils)

are OK to be used for paper, tape, eyebrows, and fuse wire.

*Kitchen scissors for meat

* left handed people must use the left handed scissors

(rule for the lad)

*Scissors that are in the sewing room are there for a very good reason - 

DO NOT REMOVE

My favorite pair are the ones on the right. I actually bought them in 

Victoria St, Richmond at an Asian grocer.

They're chicken scissors really but they are beautifully balanced and cut right down to the point.

The red handled ones are my serrated dress maker's, there's a pair of pinking sheers, scissors from my high school days and an antique pair of

 Weiss

 

I inherited these when my Nanna passed away in the late  1980's.

they still have a keen blade, having been well looked after for the best part of a century 

A collector of "Things".................................

I don't really know what the difference between a collector and a hoarder is.

 Some would say that the only real difference is that a collector is a bit more organised, categorizing possessions into groups. 

Probably it's all in the eye of the beholder as to which term is used.

I didn't see myself as a collector until recently when I started to sort the kitchen drawers and came across the wooden spoons that weren't in the utensil jar.

 I think at the time I pulled out the spares and put them aside so that there was breathing space for the other spoons, ladles, whisks, spatulas etc. The list goes on.

 (Our household is a foody household; the Lord has a background in the hospitality industry)

As I got more caught up with the sorting I saw collections of stuff, all very important and useful and very little of which I would be happy to be parted from.

There were the wooden spoons, ( and yes, I do have a favorite strangely enough)

these are the extras

Knives in blocks

there are more Special ones (japanese steel) in their boxes

Utensil jar

A spatula and whisk for every occasion

Cook books

the basic ones are mine; Andrew is more "Silver Spoon and Culinaria"

more cook books

ran out of room in the Cook Book bookcase

Travel books

where happy dreams are made

special tins  

Each Arnott's truck has a different number plate for the year that it was released - there's a few different models up in the bedroom cupboard

and then there's the bears, prints and last but not least, fabric.

My fabric is more catergorised than anything else in our home and I could tell you with a
98% accuracy where you would find the silk dupion, dress cottons, the stash from mum
 (kept for sentimental reasons just as much as anything else) or the retro/repro fabric.
Oh, I almost forgot
Scissors

What's in the box, what's in the box.......

The other day we went to an Auction Day for collectibles and antiques.

There were boxes of crockery, cutlery (old and new)

wigs, fur coats, all sorts of antique and retro furniture and even 2 chicken incubators!

We spotted a brass wood/fire box that would suit our fireplace nicely and the bonus was that it was full of "stuff".

I can hear you say that I don't need any more but it was full to brimming with
sewing things.

Ship on the high seas.

 After a wipe down with some warm soapy water the wood box came up a treat.

 

A thrifty person has built a tray with dividers into the top of the box to house all those little bits and pieces that a seamstress needs.

The tray had needles and pins, a darning mushroom elastic, shoe laces, buttons, hooks and eyes,

press studs and small scissors.

 

Underneath were wools and partly knitted jumpers, velvet cushion kits,

 

crocheted motifs, upholstery needles and a whole lot more.

A half finished tapestry as well as the magnifying glass.

 

Well kept pinking sheers and pins in mint condition

Alexander Beetle could 've lived in here

The local kinder is now restocked with wool, the charity shop has a couple of kits and tapestries and I'm the proud owner of a very serviceable wood box and various sundry sewing items.

I think we've all done pretty well.

Two sides to everything.......



A soldier and his mascot

The 25th of April marks Anzac Day for us.

Many get up in the wee hours to go to dawn services across the country and 90 odd thousand people go to the MCG to watch Essendon and Collingwood play Australian Rules Footy.

 

Footy crowds are always an interesting bunch; so many passionate, one eyed sports fans all mixed in together.

The great thing about a day like this is that we all stand together and sing our National Anthem, giving our thanks and respect to the Service Men and Women.

You can hear a pin drop as the Last Post and Reveille echo around the ground. The atmosphere is electric.

 

The siren sounds, the crowd erupts into an almighty roar and it's "game on"

Unfortunately, Essendon weren't at their best and Collingwood had their game plan well and truly sorted.
 

Happy Mothers Day to All....

I've had a very cruisy day so far.

 Apart from the things that just have to be done I've been able to put my feet up and be

 spoiled rotten.

 The Lord and Lad presented me with a breakfast of

 Toasted Panettone fingers,

Omelette on Sour dough

and

sliced apple and banana,

followed by a fresh cuppa made from leaf tea in my favorite Dunoon cup

 

YUMMMM.

It beats the dry raisin toast, boiled egg and an apple any day.

I believe that for lunch we're dining on Veal with Marsala/Cream reduction and roasted vegetables.

(Sorry - no pick here - I forgot the camera)

So....

This afternoon I'm being pampered some more with a fragrant bath , massage and facial.

 

 

To all of the mums out there whether you be of the biological kind or someone who takes on a mothering role

Bless You

Have a wonderful and deserving celebration



Things that make you go "Hmmmmmm"........

Hello all; 

I've been trying to get to the blog and things are just not working for me.

you know what they say; 

" the best laid plans"

I don't like whinging but each time I've come to sit at the computer 

I've had issues with machines not wanting to talk to other machines,

some sort of Trojan thingy and challenges in general.

Just how I'm feeling

Yes, I know that it's all about attitude.

I can hear the little leprechaun sitting on my shoulder yelling at the top of his lungs

"Suck it up, Princess; build a bridge" 

and for once he's probably right.

A little bit of tough love never hurt anyone so it's off for a walk, a coffee and then back to the machines to strike a blow!

Be back soon

LB

Mothers Day is just around the corner

"Mother's Day is just around the corner"....
Trying to think of something to make Mum feel

special this Mother’s Day?
Gift Vouchers are available at the clinic.

Simply email

 reception@achiro.com.au or call 9890 1740

 

 

A Good Book.........

I have a fairly extensive library when it comes to quilting books.

Another of my favourites is

Jinny Beyer's Quilter's Album of Blocks and Borders

 

 

I prefer to draft from scratch rather than using the design software. I feel that I understand how a block should look as well as how it goes together if I draft manually.

Jinny's book contains over 750 geometric designs and each block is sketched in black and white.

It also gives an insight into the possibilities of fussy cutting.



Hmmmm......

I don't have a huge amount of time for the computer but I persist and learn in the process.

You may have noticed that the format for the last post changed and as much as it's not a big deal I do like it to all look uniform; I'm a bit of a perfectionist that way.

I have just realized that all of the writing has gone in as caption and that's why the content is on a white background.

- I think -

Time will tell.

And another thing
If someone can tell me why the colour of the "preview" bar keeps changing I would very much appreciate it.

5500 Quilt Block Designs....

This beautiful books has over 400 pages of colour pictures and information on patchwork blocks. The chapters are broken up into circles and curves, geometric drafting and gridded draft patterns

Much loved and used - indispensable in my library

Oh those 3" squares.......

I've put in a solid effort on the memory quilt and half of the blocks are pretty much done.

The quilt pattern has 2 types of block, alternating; a 16 patch in medium and dark values and a "Lattice" or "Cross" block in light.

 

Chain piecing saves on thread and speeds up the process a fair bit.

The names have come from the book "5500 Quilt Block Designs" by Maggie Malone



The 16 patches are in halves until I see what they are going to look like when they sit next to their lighter mates

Idle hands............

Last year I didn't do a great deal of sewing.

With all of the study going on the last thing that I felt I needed was mess in the house. We don't have a great deal of room as it is.

I missed it sooo much.

I would buy a little and play a lot and then pack it all away again.

 I think I drove everyone in the household a bit crazy; I wasn't happy not being able to sew the way I have all my life.

In the end I picked up a counted cross stitch project that I purchased at the Sydney quilt show a couple of years ago.

It is a challenge to my eye sight but it fits the bill.

Easy to pick up, pack up and I can zone out when I stitch.

It's a beautiful piece based on Quaker heritage in red and faun hues.

I'm about half way through and am looking forward to having it on our wall.




Half way there

 As far as the counting of threads goes I must say that I am getting better

 (just typed batter! - ironic)
with practice.
However, I've decided that before I start the next one I will make a greater effort at the prep stage
 and include a few more grid guidelines with cotton instead of the usual
 one horizontal and one vertical


I love the monochromatic colour scheme of these - "less is more"

 

 

Cover page of the Cross stitch
 

Aren't I lucky.....

My dear friend Shirley dropped in for a quick coffee last week.

We've been like ships in the night, travel for both of us, study and a new job for me.

2 hours later I waved goodbye to Shirley having become the proud owner of a

Liberty Mouse, Tape Measure and a fine glass nail file.

 



Too cute to put pins in

A Special Quilt.........

I've been asked to make a memory quilt from shirtings.

 The past few days have seen the rotary cutter and board get a fair bit of use and I'm now ready to sew.

Organising and doing the prep for this type of project takes just as much time as the actual production.

The collection of shirts was sorted;

Light, Medium and Dark values, and other special pieces that should be included.
 

The pile is now reduced to

240 large light squares,

167 smaller floral squares,

480 small dark squares

and

960 small mix of light, medium and dark.

I hope to make a backing out of the leftover shirt backs.

 

All stacked up and ready to go

Vale Peter Gregory Cook........

Yesterday I learnt of the sudden and unexpected death of

our good mate and accountant Peter Cook.

Our condolences and sincerest wishes go out to Peter's family.

When Peter came to visit us we would always sit and chat about the places that we had travelled to over the past year, the reds that we had enjoyed and our dogs.

Rest in Peace, Peter.

Something in the air...............

Burning off and fuel reduction is in progress in Victoria at the moment.

The smell of smoke permeates my washing on the clothesline and it is very unsettling even though there's no danger to us in the metropolitan area.

I feel for those who have experienced bush fires.

 My whine over the matter may seem petty but hopefully the assault on the senses may remind those of us who don't live in the country that the threat of fire is always there 

Amelie.......

"Amelie"

 is the name of this year's Showcase Raffle Quilt .

It's a gorgeous quilt designed and made by three very talented ladies;

 Margaret Mew,

Irene Blanck and Jennifer Murray.

If you would like the chance to become the proud owner of this quilt

Victorian Quilters Inc. has raffle tickets for sale at $2.00 each.

This is a bargain investment considering the quilt has been valued at

the princely sum of

$11,000.

If you wish to be in the running tickets can be purchased at the

Australasian Quilt Convention or you can email an enquiry to

info@victorianquilters.org

 

 

The raffle is to drawn on Sunday, 29th of June at 4.30pm,

Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Southbank, Melbourne.



Australasian Quilt Convention

This year is the 10th year of the Australasian Quilt Convention

 to be held in Melbourne from April 10th to 13th.

The convention features local, national and international quilting experts as well as lots of

 retail and learning opportunities.

The  Best of Australia quilts will be on display along with memorable works from the last 10 years the show and a selection of pieces from the private collection of convention organisers

Gary Fitz-Roy and Judy Newman.
Very much worth the trip into the 

Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens

here in Melbourne. 

 

 

And then there were two..............

 

About half way through the year we had a visit from "Mr Fox".

He made a meal of Beth, took chunks out of Denise who stayed to protect and Lil

 - well -

 she bailed and left the others to deal with it.

(Lil is the only one who still naturally has her fighting spurs)

So, picture this -

3.45am on a very frosty morning, 3 people strolling around a back yard looking for

leftover chooks to re-house.

I did expect Big Denise to die from shock so had planned to offload Lil when this happened however Denise is such a trouper that she recovered exceptionally well and so Lil is still with us too.

Beth , a Buff Sussex - very gentle personality.

 



Doesn't time Fly..........

You'll all be forgiven to think that I've lost interest, disappeared into the ether or both.

This, however is not the case.

Last year I went back to school you see.

A very scary thing for someone who hasn't studied for nearly 30 years.

Having risen to the challenge I'm pleased to say that I now have a Diploma and have qualified as a

(DRUM ROLL) 

Remedial Massage Therapist.

 

 

I am at the Elgar Rd Chiropractic Centre with Dr Alex Baxter, Chiropractor, on Thursdays and Saturdays

and have a Mobile service as well.

Over the next few posts I promise to catch you up on the year of missing in action and look forward to being a regular Blogger once again

 

Thank you.....

Thank you to all the blog readers out there and especially those of you who take the time to place a comment or two.

You remind me that there are people out in

internet world and also prompt me to be a better, more regular blogger. 

Cheers.

Happy Birthday..........

It's my Dad's birthday today.

One of my fondest memories is of him singing "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen"

 to me as it played on the radio.

An amazing man!

 

Pa and the lad on holiday at Lorne

 

 



Slow and Steady.......

The back issue is on the mend with some expert attention from

 Dr. Alex Baxter and Mr. Voltaren.

As much as the Plan has been dumbed down to accommodate said back there is

no time like the present

 to begin.

SO each day there will be

* walking and stretching/strengthening,

* a squeeze of lemon juice with water

I can manage this; rain, hail or shine

*two shorter walks until the back is strong again and then I'll progress into the longer ones with inclines 

Part of the plan is to supplement the walking with pilates, swimming, bike riding and skipping.

Stretching and strengthening is a "must do" with the walking.

Sounds pretty good so far; stay tuned!  

 

The Plan.........

I've had a self imposed week off to re-evaluate, sort, catch up

and generally have a rest from books before it starts all over again at the end of July.

Yesterday I even went to the football and cheered on Essendon.

 Young Joe Daniher, who is a mere 202cm in height, played his 2nd AFL game and shows great promise in his football career.As part of the re-evaluation process I have decided to formulate

 "THE PLAN"    

a mix of stretching and strengthening exercises, smarter diet, and a timetable that leaves

time

for me as well as the books.

The plan has to wait for a little longer -

I woke up this morning and am unable to stand up straight.

My lower back is telling me that it needs more than a week.

It's a bit sad really.

I can't sit unless I'm bent over the back of the couch, any forward motion is painful and lying in

bed is boring and unproductive.

Oh well, back to the ice packs!

 

Study............

The last 5 months have been fairly intense around the home.

I went back to school this year;

 Certificate IV in Massage Therapy was the goal.

I'm very pleased to report that the log book, and all exams, both prac. and theory have been successfully completed with the only thing left to hand in being some reflective activities. 

It has been a challenge to go back to study after such a long time.

I still get desperately nervous with exams and funnily enough caught myself momentarily
 hoping that I'd be ill so that I could miss out on one!
Being a "mature age student" has had its own challenges but I would highly recommend it to any of you who are thinking about it.
Our approach to study is entirely different;
the focus being on subjects we want to learn rather than having to learn.
Years of practice at being employed, on time, responsible for one's own actions, and having better time management have made this an experience that is precious.
All this as well as the people that I've met and new friendships forged.
WOW!
So, get out there and do it; not because you have to but because you can.
You won't regret it.



Set up for Puffing Billy Run

 

 

Tillman and Adrein, waiting for the first runners to come in 

 

The runners were most appreciative of post sports massage