Scenes from my Week

• Straight line quilting on a project I'm making for my sister.

• Some of the treasures and mementos on display in my printer's tray, that has been the backdrop to my Ice Cream Soda blocks.

• A pile of beautiful books for weekend browsing and dreaming.  Also, who knew that String of Pearl plants got flowers?  I have also just finished reading The City Baker's Guide to Country Living, which was a delightful novel about food, friends and finding yourself.

• Beautiful lilies given to me by The Scout - he buys them for me when they are in bud, so I get to experience the beauty and surprise of what colour they will be upon opening.

• Another bird - only five to go now.

Have a fabulous weekend.

** No Cook the Books post this month - it just didn't happen.**

A Friday Finish

Well the first eight Ice Cream Soda Quilt blocks have been completed, I have another envelope of eight waiting to be started, and I think the next package of papers is probably due in the post very soon. I don't think I can pick a favourite block, but maybe the one with coral centre star and my latest with the orange middle star are just edging ahead. Luckily I have decided it's a slow stitching project, cos it's back to my Bird Dance project for the next couple of weeks.

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHARE

There is really not much to show from my sewing room this week, it is still in the same messy state I left it in before I went to Brisbane.  My mission this weekend is to clean it up so I can find what I am looking for, and actually have a clear cutting area and sewing space, meaning that maybe I will get back to some of my WIPs or be able to start a couple of the small projects I have on my to do list.

The small amount of sewing I have done since returning,  has been limited to snuggling up on the sofa, hand sewing ice cream soda blocks. One has been completed, there is one being worked on, and the fabric has been chosen for the next one.  That will see one month of eight blocks finished.

So what have you been working on over the past couple of weeks? Whatever you are sewing or stitching, link it up here, following these guidelines.

1. Link up from any post from the past week that features something you have been sewing or stitching,
2. Somewhere in your post, please link to this post.
3. Please comment on a couple of the other Sew,Stitch, Snap, Share links - it's fun to receive comments from new people, and we are trying to encourage people to read blogs and keep blogging too.

Thanks again for joining us.

Julie and Linda

Brisbane Happenings

Well I'm home.

Back to cooler temperatures, more  layers of clothing, the unpacking is almost done, and life is sort of back to normal.  Holidays go so quickly.

I had a lovely week in Brisbane with my sister and her family.  I have been over there a couple of times before, so we didn't need to do all the touristy things.  We shopped, visited a couple of quilt fabric shops (yes I got some fabric and other sewing supplies).  I still found time to appreciate the details on some of the lovely old houses we saw, and of course managed to find some beautiful flowers.

I ate exceedingly well, and had a fun last night at Eat Street North Shore, which was an amazingly busy place, with lots of different foods, entertainment, and fairy lights.

We did manage to find time to relax with some sewing projects.  While my sister was binding some quilts, I finished another bird and an ice cream soda block.

Now it's back to reality.  Have a fabulous week.

Here & Now

Loving // Cool nights, which give us beautiful sunny days, blue sky,  birds singing, pretty autumn leaves, and a vireya that keeps on giving me flowers

Eating //  Homemade Muesli  Biscuits - recipe here

Drinking //Glasses of warm water, I'm trying to cut back on tea

Feeling // Relieved, I have regained employment as a permanent part time library assistant.

Making // Another Ice Cream Soda block, birds and birds eyes

Thinking // I really should get my packing done for my trip

Dreaming // Of fabric colours and combinations


Linking up to Here & Now at Say Little Hen

I will be having a little break from my blog while I'm away, look forward to catching up on everything when I return.  Have a fabulous weekend.

Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHARE

Now that the Liberty Bloomsbury quilt is finished, and I've had a little play making some Ice Cream Soda blocks, it's back to my Bird Dance project.  I still have nine birds to make.

At this point, it is not looking positive for all  30 birds to be finished by the end of June, and the blocks pieced together.  The beginning of July is when my sister and I are meant to start the felt/stitching project of my choice, I suspect I may still be finishing both of them at the end of the year.

A blogging friend commented the other day that we quilters flit from one project to the next shiny new one - I had to agree, likening us to magpies. 

So what have you been working on over the past few days.  Whatever you're sewing or stitching, link it up here, following these guidelines:

1. Link up from any post from the past week that features something you have been sewing or stitching,
2. Somewhere in your post, please link to this post.
3. Please comment on a couple of the other Sew,Stitch, Snap, Share links - it's fun to receive comments from new people, and we are trying to encourage people to read blogs and keep blogging too.

Thanks again for joining us.
Julie and Linda

Then There Were Three

I rewarded myself for finishing my Liberty Bloomsbury quilt, by making another two Ice Cream Soda Blocks.  These are so addictive.  I am also  preparing some blocks to take away with me.

At this point I am not sure how they will all look together, but I figure scrappy generally always works.

Now it's back to finishing up some birds for my Bird Dance project!!

Liberty Bloomsbury Quilt - Finished

It's definitely purple, it's bright, it's beautiful and somewhat girly and it's finished!!

My Liberty Bloomsbury Quilt - started back in September 2015, is finally a finished quilt.  I made it bigger than the original pattern by adding the extra purple and Liberty border, so my quilt finishes at a large 80" square. The quilt was machine pieced, however the dresdens were all hand appliqued to their backgrounds. It is backed in a Tula Pink fabric which echoed the quilt colours and dresdens.

Bound in Liberty and hand quilted with a variety of threads (which unfortunately doesn't really show up in the photos).  A lot of the hand quilting I did last year I unpicked and re did after deciding it was too far from the edges of some of the large shot cotton dresden squares, I also had issues with some of the batting coming through with the thread when quilting.  I used a bamboo batting, has that happened to anyone else

I took this up to the Auckland Botanic Gardens for it's official photo shoot, so you get some pretty garden shots too.

Tonight it's on my bed, just in time for winter!