The Funnest of Weeks♡

Hello lovely lovelies♡ 'Tis Sunday again♡ Did you enjoy a pleasant week?? I did. My week flew by in a whirl of birthday celebrations and surprises; and the piecing of the backing of my Hydrangea Cobblestones quilt. Birthdays♡ They are a big deal in my family. Birthdays are always a special event. All stops are pulled out to see that the birthday person celebrates in the way they desire. When my girls were younger they never went to school  on their birthdays. They were treated like princesses for the day. My two girls and I (Pete always went to work......how sad) always celebrated their birthdays however which way they pleased......(well, within reason....=D ). I always said to their teachers that life was too short to have to go to school on your birthday. The girls have fabulous memories of 'wagging' school and enjoying their special day to the hilt. It always involved going somewhere fabulous and enjoying delicious food, worthy of such a momentous celebration. My birthday this year seemed to carry over a few days; morning teas, afternoon teas, lunches, gorgeous gifts, flowers......feel totally spoilt♡ So blessed♡

Between much too many cups of tea in pretty teacups and much too many pieces of several birthday cakes, I actually enjoyed some sewing, too. I stitched the backing of my quilt. I used fabrics from my stash, and also the extra fabrics from the same line of the hydrangea fabric; at the time of purchase. The fabrics are the Cottage Bleu Collection designed by Robyn Pickens; so they all dance beautifully together. At the time of purchasing these fabrics, I had no idea what I was going to do with them, so I purchased 1/2 metre lengths of some of the co-ordinating fabrics. When my eyes first espied the hydrangea fabrics, I just had to have them with not a clue what I would make. Thankfully all fabrics have been utilised, so all's well that ends well.

I stitched together large patches of fabric together in a fairly haphazard fashion. When the stitching of the backing was finished, I then hand stitched hydrangea octagons along some of the seams to add a bit of visual interest. I am that gal who never really over-thinks the backing of a quilt, as to be honest, no-one ever really looks at the back.......do they?? Of course, I suppose those with judgmental, imperious and exacting eyes, who pick up a quilt and inspect the quilting stitches on the back do, but truly, no-one who has walked along the path of life with me ever has. =) They are always bedazzled by the front (at this point my tongue is fixed firmly in my cheek). =D In saying this though, I do try to back a quilt with a complementary fabric, but I have been known to use the odd old sheet or two.

Oh dear, I did get a little carried away with the happy snaps didn't I??!! But, put a camera or in this case, a phone, into my hands and I get lost in a gazillion scenarios of capturing that one perfect short....or two...or three...or...!! But you kinda expect that from me; right???? Who knows, by the time the next birthday swings around again, my enthusiasm for capturing happy snaps will have been curtailed.

Who says that flowers are the prettiest when in a vase?? Certainly not I. Me thinks beautiful gift bags, boxes and the like, are the perfect receptacles for a flower or two♡

Thank you for your beautiful visit and taking the time to have a bo peep at what I have been up to this week. Perhaps this week there will be less cake and a little less tea......but then perhaps I will just keep on partying....as there is still a lot of cake. Wish oh wish I could share a piece or two with you. But I cannot, so it just means me and My Pete will just have to see that it is not wasted. Goodbye waistline.....not that I have one! =) Have a beautiful week. May you bloom a little, each day♡

Until the next time.......

Linking this week to Kathy's, Slow Sunday Stitching, Judy's Design Wall Monday and Frédérique's, Quilting, Patchwork and Applique.

Summer and Hydrangeas♡

 

Hello lovely lovelies♡ How are you all?? Is this new year being kind to you?? Life has just rolled into another year.....much the same as the last year, really. War mongering, political intrigues and other such  world-shattering matters; such as gladiatorial battles in the tennis arena, where lies and subterfuge are being combatted, blow by blow, the likes of which has never been seen before. =) Sorry.......just my droll sense of humour. Us Aussies are a funny mob! Thank the Good Lord for my sense humour!! It truly keeps me sane......as does all things stitching. 

Down here at the bottom of the world me and my Pete welcomed the new year in by standing outside blanketed by inky darkness with only the spectacular theatre of the night sky as our witness. We stood awe struck with The Milky Way glistening just above our heads; The Southern Cross and The Saucepan (Orion) shining down upon us, too. Both of us silent, lost in our own thoughts.....prayers; awe struck by the beauty that is the night sky. If ever one feels a bit how's-your-mother, one only needs to step outside in the death of night, look up at God's sky and feel a sense of wonder and astonishment; a sense of majesty. Though, is it only 15 days ago the new year rolled in; really?? 

I love this time of the year in Tassie. Long summery days filled with sunshine and warmth that seem to go on forever, punctuated by cooler, rainy days for good measure. Fabulous lazy days filled with sewing, reading, gardening.......and more often than not, not much at all, really. Also, it is hydrangea time♡ The hydrangeas this year are spectacular! It looks as if my pruning regime in early spring has reaped amazing results. There are hydrangeas everywhere. So, so gorgeous. Truly, the mop heads are huge.....and some of the bushes are towering above me.  So many different blues, purples and a few pinks; all happily jostling for space. It always amazes me how hydrangea bushes can be planted next to each other but the hues are vastly different. 

My Hydrangea Cobblestones quilt top is finished. The last time you visited my sewing room all the EPP octagons and squares were sewn into a central panel and a pretty border fabric had been attached. I wanted to applique hydrangeas dancing around the border in a relaxed fashion, but this didn't quite eventuate as I didn't like the look of the flowers. Try as I might the several designs I came up with were not pleasing to my eyes. The flowers didn't look symmetrical, and though more often than not, I am perfectly content to live with assymetrical, this time the seemingly haphazard fashion in which the hydrangea flowers were placed didn't make me jump up and down with great joy. So......I decided upon a rather stylised design and I must admit I love the way the design finishes the quilt top. Not as free flowing as I would've liked but I think a good resolution. I think the border is a good fit with the EPP hydrangea cobblestones.  Actually, now I am jumping up and down with delirious joy. =) Gosh, it took an age, though. This mathematically challenged gal had difficulty working out the maths. I am afraid the very word 'maths' causes my brain to go into an apoplectic shock and shut down! When it came to the leaves I was going to embroider the veins with stranded cotton, but decided against this as I didn't want the leaves to stand out. Also, there was no embroidery anywhere else on the quilt. I machine stitched the veins and am happy with the look.

Now for the quilting. Some hand quilting to enjoy over the next couple of months. I have a few thoughts re the quilting but haven't decided on a final pattern. For the back, because I don't want to purchase fabric, I will piece together some fabrics from my stash.

Thank you for stopping by my little place to see what goings-on have been happening down here......not that there's a lot going on. =) Me thinks relaxing, summer days will be the order of my coming week. Oh...and there is a birthday, so that is a wee bit exciting. Sending some warm sunshine your way (because I have a notion some of you are in need of a little warm sunshine to shoo those wintry chills away).....and a basket overspilling with drop-dead-gorgeous hydrangeas. Cheerio from my  paradisiacal, hydrangea place♡ Have a beautiful week, lovely lovelies♡ 

Until the next time........... 

Linking up this week to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching and Judy's Design Wall Monday and Frédérique's Patchwork and Quilts.........when of course, Sunday and Monday roll around in my little paradise, once again♡