A wee quilt for a wee girl❣

Hello lovely lovelies❣ A beautiful welcome to you on this Sunday morning. Spring is unfurling it's loveliness down here. The fragrances and visual gorgeousness are intoxicating my little spring place. As I sit here I am drinking in the fragrant, visual delight. Drinking in the miracle of this new morning that God has gifted me. Drinking in the miracle of each exquisite flower that pops up in the garden; the daffodils, waratahs, rhododendrons, camellias, tulips......the diosma; these are the flowers that are making my heart joyful at the moment.

When last you visited I spoke of Maisie being well and healing nicely. Now, before you say "Oh no...what's happened?" let me say that Maisie is hunky dory but after my last post she proved once again that she is up there with Houdini, that great escapologist of old. Yep,  she decided once again that the grass is sooooooo much greener in dem dar paddocks  on the other side of the impossibly high fence. Yet again she donned her invisible wings and escaped! But all's good. After several days of me and my good husband searching high and low for her, to no avail, she turned up at our door, late in the  night, looking a tad woeful.  She was putrid,  exhausted and starving, and, by all appearances, it's safe to say there are exactly the same number of ducks swimming in the pond that were there before 'sweet' Maisie's adventure. No, my spaniel, which those in the know say is a hunting breed, didn't hunt any animals. I have a sneaky suspicion she might just well fail the doggy hunting school.......which is a good thing. But, after another couple of days filled with much needed rest and snoozing, a belly gurgling with doggy food, she is back to her 'normal' sweet self.

Let us hope that the memory of wandering kilometre after kilometre for two days, padding along dusty roads and paddock after paddock,  sleeping in freezing, wet grass and starving for two days, that she has decided that the outside world is not what it is cracked up to be; that the grass is not at  all greener on the other side of that very tempting fence. That life is so much better here, where she can sniff out the critters in 'her' beautiful garden, snoozing whenever she likes on her oh-so-soft bed and have a deliciously, doggy meal sprinkled with treats, every day. Let us hope that the only walks she goes on is with the safety of her very accommodating mistress. Fingers crossed! Let us hope she remembers she is getting on in years and much too old for such escapades! Let us hope that the memory of the sorest of paws which took days to walk on will be enough to prevent her from absconding again. We think some horses spooked her because this behaviour is unusual, even for her. I must say that this community in which we live were wonderful in letting us know when they sighted her. Social media and people sharing posts far and wide is a most excellent thing when it comes to tracking lost pets.

Besides playing detectives and putting my sleuthing abilities to use, I have been skipping along the merry hexie EPP path to once again play with triangles and diamonds, and other shapes to fashion a whimsical quilt for my lifelong friend's, two year old granddaughter, Lucy. A simple quilt filled with oodles and oodles of 1930 prints and a sprinkling of whimsical prints for good measure. I am reusing my papers from my Sweet Sunday quilt and fabrics from my stash.

This is a sweet quilt where little boys and girls play in meadows, frolicking with sweet kitties and puppy dogs, bunnies hoppity hopping through flowers, lady bugs, chickens, butterflies, school houses......so, so much whimsy to smile and bring much delight to a little girl's day.

I have enjoyed having a little break from my flower garden quilt these last two weeks. Oh, I will pick it up again very soon, but with Lucy's birthday on the horizon an opportunity to EPP a child's hexie quilt seemed to be a most excellent idea. As it is Sunday I am going to enjoy stitching some more sweet hexies. I am going to find a comfy spot and with lovely ladies all over the globe, join in with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching and hand stitch a little, joining this little pile of hexies to the quilt; quietening the worries and woes of this deafening and troubled world, if only for a little while. Wherever you are I pray that you may smile at sprinkles of beauty gifted to you on this brand-new day❣

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

Beautiful Things Come Together One Stitch At A Time

Hello lovely lovelies❣ How are you all?? Goodness me, more weeks have disappeared into the history of our lives. I wonder what has transpired in your little part of the world?? Some of you, I know are going through impossibly difficult days; I am so sorry. Some of you are being buffetted from pillar to post wondering, indeed what tomorrow will drop at your door. Wish oh wish I could knock on your door, gift you a bunch of flowers and give you the warmest of hugs; and perhaps, share a conspiratorial cup of tea, in a fancy teacup, of course.

Down here far from the madding crowd Spring is stirring. How do I know this?? Firstly, because the blustery winds of Old Man Winter have whooshed the pages of the calendar to rest on the month of September (YAY) for a while, and, I suppose more importantly, in the garden there are clumps of bright, yellow sunshine in the form of happy daffodils. One cannot be sad when one gazes upon muddly messes of rows of these happy heralders of that long awaited season I love so. Soon, the gloomy days of winter will be but a distant memory and months of happy and colourful flowers will once again begin the dance of the flower kingdom, each taking their turn in succession on the flower stage.

Maisie has recovered and is once again springing around, though under my watchful eye. Again, I have been embroidering my fabric flowers. As I sit here I wonder if embroider is even the correct word?? When I think of embroidery my mind imagines elaborate embroidered stitches so expertly stitched on those masterful masterpieces imagined by needlework connosieurs. The only 'embroidery' I have stitched these last couple of months is a simple back stitch, along with french knots. No fancy stitches here embellishing my fabric flower garden. No lazy daisy stitches, no chain stitch, no beads, or pearls; none of those intricate stitches that one would associate with embroidery. Whatever it is that I have been doing.....embroidery or just plain run-of-the-mill stitching; simple back stitching and a few....well quite a lot actually, french knots; my flowers (except the wisteria) are finished. After many, many hours and days, all the flowers now have the minutiae of their blossomy state.

Irises, tulips, poppies, granny bonnets, lilies, gladdies, water lilies, japanese anemones...........daffies......all are blooming in their full gorgeousness. 'Tis true, isn't it, with each tiny hand stitch, what seems like an impossibly drawn out task, where seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks ........indeed months pass into history, all of a sudden, the interminably slow stitching results in fully 'grown' flowers in all their beauty, are before you.  As I gaze upon each flower and the gazillion of stitches thereon, I am reminded of the patience and mettle that is needed to bring about what is in one's muddly imagination to come to fruition. Why, I believe a hand stitched pretty in all it's entirety is not for the antsy. So with that being said.....shall you and I stroll along my garden to see all the pretty fabric flowers blossoming in full bloom? Oh please do......I think they might make you smile, if only a little.

This week I will begin the begin of  fashioning oodles and oodles of tiny petals for each wisteria flower. I fear the wisteria will take a very long time but not to worry because I am a patient gal. I am not in a hurry. Hopefully in a couple of weeks the beginnings of wisteria flowers and leaves will be tangling their way across the top of the quilt in a pleasing fashion. But for now, I must be off,  as my good husband and my good self are lunching with some friends to celebrate Father's Day. Thank you so much for popping by my little place. As always your sweet visit has cheered my day and sprinkled a little ray of spring sunshine into my day. May you all enjoy the loveliest of days with sprinkles of beauty causing you to smile. Take care❣

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

Linking this week to Kathy's, Slow Sunday Stitching  and Frédérique's Patchwork, Quilting and Applique