Today is the new day!

Well here it is- just a little quilt to tell a story.

The Photos

Here are a couple of photos of my trip and my quilts. The scenery in the outback was much greener than I expected! A couple of towns had the bottle trees as street trees and the castle is at Lightning Ridge.

Home again

Been to the outback! Long coach trip with a bunch of nice people, should be right for ideas for a long time! Caught up with lots of family and friends as well, all is well with my world.
Since returning home I have bound a quilt (home from the l/a) and have another to bind- will photograph them both when finished. Have also done a small amount of work on my Opposites Attract- but that is a secret.

The photos

This one is for CWA.

My friend's quilt.

 The quilting is not wonderful but the quilt is now finished!

Puttering along......

Have been working steadily through all my UFO's, trying to get stuff finished. This last couple of weeks I have quilted one of a friend's quilt and a quilt for CWA (third of three for them). Found a half finished quilt for the childrens hospital and it is well on the way to finish, then I made the top of my Christmas quilt for our group as well. No photos yet- I'll do them tomorrow.

Carnival taster

I have finished Carnival! Quite happy with my little piece of art work- you have to wait forreveal day to see it though! Chloe, Flrur and I had a lovely morning sewing our quilts- all coming along nicely...

Self Portrait Reveal

Reveal day for our self portrait today.
Mine is a bit of a cheat as it is not long since we did a self portrait and it was not really what I wanted to do again- so I  '"did'' my area. A very pretty area it is too, where cockies and galahs fly in their thousands enjoying giant meals of the cereals grown here - the canola shown plus wheat, oats and barley mainly.
I have also posted a photo taken nearby but I parked under a tree!! and there are not too many of them here.
I have called this piece "Here I am, happy as a cockie in canola".

Now - on to Carnival.

Nearly time to reveal the next topic

Today is the 29th- not long to reveal the next topic- want a hint? Think lots of colour!
I havent touched my quiltlet since before Christmas but tomorrow is the day for some additions which will be made seperately then quilted on. No photoes but I do hope you are very curious! Some lovely hints on our Art Quilts Around The World blog.

Try again- nearly time for our new topic!

It is nearly the end of December and so it is almost time for me to reveal the topic of our next little quilt! I will put this on Facebook so that only members will be able to access it. A hint?  Think lots of colour!

Some hospital quilts

Working on my new challenge today. Some edges (borders?) applied. Looking OK I think. Need to think of the new challenge topic for the end of the month - thinking ?? or maybe ???
Trying to finish a few UFOs at the moment. I collect scraps and make quilts for hospitals - not art quilts, just simple scrap users. Need to get a couple quilted and out of the house!
My local quilt group had our Christmas breakup last night, we handed 31 quilts to our local hospital for stillborn babies. Two representatives from the hospital told us about the very supporting role they play. Really sad.
Great dinner though! I ate lamb shanks, so tender! and delicious. Hope to go to that restaurant again.

A couple of my hossie quilts....top one finished, second to be quilted.

New challenge

It has been awhile since I communicated on my blog!
I am not so good on the computer, surprise, surprise.

A little tease about my new challenge - love the colours....got plenty of time to finish it.

Sweet Memories of Mum

This is Sweet Memories of Mum. I really like it but it is not really 'arty'.  The photo aws taken when Mum was 18.   

Another Art Quilt

Well, this one is arty! It is actually many shades of orange/tan inspired from a picture found in a newspaper mag many years ago- perfect for this project. I used paper peicing for the outside steps, then several rows of curved piecing then I appliqued the small creamy centre. I coloured the centre spiral and one other piece of fabric with my inktense pencils then added a border. I like it very much.

It has been awhile

A new reveal today for Art Quilts Around The World. Not really happy with my effort- far to traditional, not arty at all. A Victorian crazy style hanging 'Sweet Memories Of Mum', nice but not arty, no time to make another. Just two more in this series- i am hoping someone takes the group in hand and revs us up! Need to learn photos again with this new computer!

What have I been sewing?

Today I am very cross with self. I have been making a double 9 patch quilt for a friend who has been in a nursing home for a couple of years now. It started to be queen size but circumstances now mean large lap size is more appropriate. The colours are light and dark grey slahed with a cross of colour. The blocks are 8" finished made up into a 9 patch then there are 9 of the 24" blocks. The design was inspired by an art quilt I saw in a New Zealand quilting magazine article- so nice for a fella. I quilted several different patterns into the larger blocks and did them QAYG. Except when I got to the end I needed a block with light corners and I had- you guessed it!- a block with dark corners.
A nice matching cushion and back to making another 9 x 8" blocks and more quilting. Darn and blast... Next project is a bargello for a mentally disabled young man to be made in bright prints mostly supplied by his mother.

A photo or two

Some of what I've been doing. This colour is not true- the reality is deeper, this one is for my new gr/granddaughter. The teddy is one of a pair of twins which I will try to sell at my guild's show later in the year.

Self portraits

My local Art Quilters group- we are just five- meet irregularly! and get up to a bit of mischeif! This time we were to portray ourselves in fabric, the reveal is tomorrow and mine is not yet finished! I was not quite as enthused as the others as we had had that theme for Art Quilts Around The World for our last challenge. Of course that one could not be used so another had to be done. Photo when finished! I have been busy though with a couple of baby quilts (Oops! forgot a photo of one, will take a shot of the second.) First one went across the ditch to cousin in NZ. I've finally started Samantha's fortieth birthday quilt. She's nearly 47 now!! I made her a Hidden Wells as a 'clayton's quilt' you know- the quilt you have when you havent got your quilt. Fortunately she loves that one. The other couple of projects that I am working on are: a QAYG in greys with brights for a male friend who is in a nursing home and an Australiana for a cousin living in London. For this one I've used Jannie Lees' koalas from an old Down Under Quilts mag, and I think I'll bring it up to size with blocks by Margaret Rolfe. It is looking good so far- willattempt photos soon. The latest AWIAQ reveal is 31st March. 'Different' Mine is finished and I like it- always a bonus!

Stone Soup

Havent blogged for a while, get quite disheartened when I cannot put up my photos.

Our Atr Quilts Around the World Stone Soup reveal has been a bit slow- I had taken a final photo and...you guessed it! Will try here.

Today I appliqued 8 healing hearts for the New Zealand mine tragedy. On SCQuilters there was an appeal so that every child who lost someone in the disaster will get a heart quilt.

Anthony's Gift

This was the result of a Batik challenge between DD2 and myself, a gift for her husband's 40th.(5 months late)

Flora

With a bit of luck here is my Flora.