A Baby Quilt

Hello lovely lovelies♡ A beautiful welcome to you♡ Thank you for all your lovely comments last week. My husband and I celebrated Father's Day in the best of ways. Driving through glorious countryside, a perfect sunny, spring day, delicious food and coffee......and good company to boot. Well, me thinks it was excellent company, as for what he thinks......you will have to ask him. =)

I have decided to fashion a baby quilt!! I know!! What am I thinking??!! With two other quilts on the go, (well there were three, but I have finished my flower garden quilt....YAY) I really need to start a new quilt like I need a hole in the head!! But, a teacher at the school where my husband is a chaplain has just given birth to a baby, a sweet little girl; so he asked if I could possibly make a baby quilt as a gift. Why of course I can; just because I have so much time with not much to do. =) Seriously though, a baby quilt is always a delight to fashion, isn't it?? And, it helps that they are small and quick to fashion.

So, a new baby quilt is in the works. The teacher wanted  an Australian fauna and flora theme for her baby's nursery. Also, the nursery is neutral in colour so a lot of pink is not to be seen. Australian animals and flowers with a little girl aesthetic was going to prove tricky.  In my travels I happened upon fabrics designed by Australian designer Jocelyn Proust. She is one of Australia's most revered artists and is well known for her Australia Native Flora and Australian Birds collections. Her designs are spilling over with abstract prints of sweet wombats, echidnas, koalas, kangaroos, parrots, bandicoots, platypuses etc etc. Among the mix are pretty designs of Australian flowers, as well. These abstract and fun designs, will I think, fit wonderfully into a neutral coloured, little girl's nursery with an Australian theme. The fabrics are in hues of peach, orange, pink, mint green, aqua, turquoise, teal, blue and grey, all in varying tones. I can in my mind's eye see mother and child snuggled  under this quilt imagining many an adventurous story where kangaroos, wombats, kookaburras, and all their  animal friends get up to all manner of mischief  and boisterous fun, deep within the Australian bush. There is many an escapade to be imagined, curled up under this sweet quilt♡

But what design will I make?? As I want this quilt to be finished by November, and as I don't have a lot of time, because I still want to work on my other quilts, I thought I would fashion a cot size, QAYG hexie quilt......again! These fabrics will look perfect as small hexies, scattered here and there with not a lot of thought to placement. Each hexie will be bordered by a mint green and white polka dot fabric.  Quick, easy and pretty♡ 

'Tis late Sunday afternoon here. For the best part of the afternoon I have been cutting fabric and batting into the shape of hexies, then stitching the backing fabric to each hexie by machine. I used my little Bernina machine which I haven't stitched on for a very long while. This little machine is a dream to sew with. I am reminded as to why I do not use it more often?? Later this evening I will begin to hand stitch the hexies together and join the other lovely ladies over at Kathy's place for a little Sunday slow stitching. I will be absent from blogland over the next couple of weeks as my husband and I are going on a little road trip to Hobart. A little road trip always means a kit bag  with a little hand stitching, and perhaps a little knitting hidden within. Hopefully when next you visit there will be a lot to show for all that driving through the countryside.

May your day be a lovely one♡ May there be a little magic, sunshine and beauty sprinkled into your day♡

Until the next time..........

A Little Stitching, A Little Knitting; And A Little Spring Dancing♡

Hello lovely lovelies♡ A Sunday morning welcome to my little place♡ Here, Lady Spring is busily dusting the garden with magic, in the form of a host of daffodils♡ She has started to do her thing. And, I must say, doing her thing beautifully♡ Here in Australia when the calendar page quickly turns from August to September we consider it to be spring.  The first hue of spring down here at the bottom of the world is a sea of yellow. The landscape is bursting with the fluffy, yellow blossoms of the wattle trees. Wattle trees, of the genus Acacia, which are the national floral emblem for Australia, are all beginning to bloom in parks, beside the roadside and in gardens. They are the first sign that spring is about to burst onto the scene. Wherever we go in the car, gardens are bursting with daffodils, too. The magic of spring has begun. Yes indeed, here in Australia, if the calendar says 1st September, then we consider winter to be done and dusted. =) I am dancing with great joy about that♡ How about you?? Has autumn, or is it fall.....begun to sprinkle your landscape with those glorious hues that autumn is famous for??

Here in my little place, I have been stitching, but there doesn't seem to be much to show for it. I have stitched more octagons and squares to my cobblestones quilt. More octagons and squares are do-si-do-ing around the perimeter of the quilt.

I have been working on my flower garden quilt, too. The binding strip has been machine stitched onto my flower garden quilt, and I am now in the process of hand stitching the binding to the back to complete it. So excited.......my flower garden quilt is nearly finished. I cannot really believe that this quilt will soon be on the bed in all its floral loveliness. This quilt has taken me on  a very long journey; but a journey which I am delighted I started. To think I began this quilt three years ago, with the notion it was time that I grew up as a quilter; to become a big girl and cross over to the other side, to join those girls who always seem to fashion those amazing  applique quilts, of which one can only wonder "how did she do that?". I wanted to stitch a quilt completely by hand with applique flowers, birds, butterflies and itty bitty bees all over. I wanted to tackle hand applique. Well, let's just say I know a little more about hand applique now, than when I first started three years ago! As for the binding I used the same fabric that I used for the borders; a pretty hydrangea fabric (of course) as I wanted a seamless look. This quilt will be my very favourite quilt for all time. It holds a special place in my heart and the story behind it is precious to me. The story which I will tell in a little while.

This week I have also enjoyed a little knitting. My jacket has not grown exponentially....but growth is growth, isn't it, no matter how small. My friend, Trish (Holly's mother) and I have met a couple of times to knit and drink tea this week, but unfortunately there has been a lot of unravelling of knitted rows where little boo-boos snuck in. Trish is just learning to knit a cable pattern, so a little help in her lapses in concentration has been required. That's okay though, we can wait until next winter to wear our woolly pretties. Let's just say a lot more merriment than knitting  occurred. =)

It is Father's Day here today, so my husband and I are going to enjoy a long country drive, stopping for coffee and cake along the way. A celebratory kinda day♡ We will enjoy the glorious touches of Lady Spring; the wattle trees, daffodils and glorious scenery as we drive up hill and down dale. Why, I think I will knit some of my jacket as we drive along. Truly, it is a gloriously sunny Sunday♡ Then, this evening I will join the other ladies over at Kathy's place and continue stitching the binding on my quilt. I can see a spring photo shoot with my flower garden quilt as the star, in the not too distant future.

Have a lovely day♡ May it be one filled with beauty, love and a little dancing♡ Please take care, lovely ladies♡ I am off to dance with my husband through this beautiful spring  day♡

Until the next time.........

Octagons + Squares = Cobblestones

Hello lovely lovelies♡ A beautiful welcome to you♡ I am sitting here in the fernery gazing out the windows. My little place is beginning to awaken from the deep slumber of Old Man Winter, and Lady Spring (as I think spring must be a lady) is beginning to stir everything with her  magic. Day by day Lady Spring is sprinkling here and there a delightful preview of what is to come when she comes to stay in a little while. The daffodils are beginning to flower, and very soon they will be everywhere, causing me to smile.

Sitting here inside the fernery, even as I look at the peaceful vignettes which surround me, which embrace me, I cannot help but think upon this raging world in which we live. With every new day it seems another catastrophe rages on  some horizon, somewhere in the world. If only  'the world' would wake up one morning, and decide it was going to be better. To be kinder. To be gracious. To walk a mile in another's shoes. To be compassionate. To respect others, even though beliefs held tightly are poles apart. To treat others as one would love to be treated. A simple ethos really; but somehow, seemingly impossible. It's been one helluva week, hasn't it?? Is there a country in this world where all is well?? Thankfully, there are a crush of beautiful people, selfless souls who are graciousness personified, who with their everyday acts of  beneficence show kindness and humanity; show love to others as they go about their day♡ Thank you, all you beautiful people♡

But, as this little place's ethos is a cheery one, let us chat about other things. Pleasant things, such as hydrangeas, cobblestone patterns and mindful slow hand stitching, shall we?? As after all, it is Sunday where I and other lovely ladies from all over the globe enjoy a chat and a show and tell about what we are hand stitching. 

Besides sitting here pondering the state of this rather sad world with a sorrowful heart, I am stitching. My fingers are stitching along octagons and little squares in the form of cobblestones. A hydrangea-filled cobblestone path on which to skip along, if you like. When last you visited I was tossing up whether I would fashion a simple cobblestone pattern quilt, or a more complex one mixing the octagon shapes with eight-sided stars. Simple, won out. Just a simple quilt with hydrangea-filled octagons and little squares of another patterned fabric. The fabric I have chosen for the squares is leftover from another quilt I stitched ages ago. Both these fabrics evoke a vintage aesthetic. To me, these patterns remind me of a tablecloth that might have graced the kitchen table of my childhood....way back in the 1960's. I am not being finicky with the placement of the  hydrangea-filled octagons; just placing each one wherever they fall; perhaps with just a little tweaking. Some octagons are filled with full blown hydrangea flowers; others are just a wisp of a flower with leaves, or a butterfly or two, as the main focus. I am enjoying stitching these cobblestones. I am loving stitching the pretty blue hydrangeas. Blue is my favourite colour, and hydrangeas my favourite flowers. I haven't made up my mind as to the size of this quilt. I will just play and see what happens.

Alas, another photo shoot in the fernery. The fernery is my little cocoon from the big, wide, nasty world, these days♡

Another Sunday afternoon drifts by. Just sitting here, thinking, praying; stitching happy cobblestones. And....drinking tea, because somehow tea helps when pondering the world and its unholy messes. Tea, and stitching pretty pretties♡ Lovely friend, may you.....and I, this week, be a little kinder than is necessary♡ 

Until the next time..........

Hydrangeas In Winter....And A Little Knitting ❣

Hello lovely lovelies❣ Sunday has rolled around again. Actually, Sunday has blasted in with menacing skies and ferocious winds blustering everywhere. Goodness, it is wild and woolly here today. Thankfully my humble abode is still standing on its foundations, but there have been times when I thought we might be whisked high up yonder to disappear;  to be gobbled up by the storm clouds. Though,  I must confess, I do like a good squally storm; as long as I am safely cocooned inside my humble abode with a good fire crackling away. I love watching stormy skies where the clouds gust by at breakneck speed.

And, safely cocooned inside I am. Why, I have enjoyed a little knitting in front of a cosy fire. I haven't knitted for yonks. The last time I picked up my knitting needles was way back in 2018, when I knitted my purple, aran woolly. It certainly has been a very long time since I listened to the rhythmic clickety clack of my knitting needles. My beautiful friend, Trish, and I have decided that we will meet for a cuppa every week and whilst we chat and drink copious amounts of tea, we will knit. We are both knitting the same pattern, but in different colours. The pattern is a kimono-like jacket with a slather of cables. Love, love, love a knitted woolly smothered in cables. The wool I have chosen is a french blue with brown flecks scattered here and there. Such a pretty colour and so lovely and soft.

This week I have been quilting my flower garden quilt as well. It is coming along nicely. Hopefully when spring is dancing in pretty flowers, my little garden applique quilt will be dancing along as well in all its glory. Speaking of dancing flowers I pulled out the hydrangea fabric I purchased the other week.  A beautiful fabric with hydrangeas flourishing everywhere. Naughty I know, especially when I have my Flowers in My Hair, Flowers Everywhere quilt to stitch. But the fabric beckoned me and unable to resist I started covering octagon EPP shapes with the hydrangea fabric. I rather like the idea of a  cobblestone quilt with hydrangeas blooming allover. A simple quilt covered in hydrangeas. What's not to love about that. Besides, I could do with a little hydrangea loveliness right about now. Five months till the hydrangeas begin to bloom is just a little too far away for my liking. I need some hydrangeas.....now. =)  I also like the thought of perhaps mixing the octagon shapes with an eight-sided star as well. Gosh, my mind is always thinking, always designing. Sometimes I think my muddly brain will explode with all the ideas colliding around. But for now I will just pet my hydrangea octagon pretties. I will just play.

As we are in the car a lot driving to one place or another, I do like to have a hand stitching pretty on the go. Of course, I can knit and read a book, which I do a lot, but I wanted to throw an EPP project into the mix.  Too much choice is always a good thing.

A lovely quiet and stormy Sunday was enjoyed. Sitting by a fire knitting, was the perfect way to while away my afternoon. Knitting, drinking tea, while the clouds outside my window scurried by in the tempestuous sky, was indeed bliss.  Later this evening I will visit Kathy's place to see what all the other lovely ladies are up to. Thank you for stopping by my little stormy place. Hopefully when next we 'meet'  Old Man Sun will be high up in his sky, smiling down at me. May he smile down upon you this week, too❣

Until the next time............