Blue and Green Should Always Be Seen

Hello lovely lovelies♡ Welcome to my little place♡ 'Tis Sunday again, which meant a lazy kinda day. A very early, morning stroll through the garden was enjoyed, picking a flower here and there until my basket burgeoned with blooms. My pickings today were mock orange blossoms (oh....the fragrance ♡), ixias, hebes, love-in-the-mist, rhododendrons and roses; all plonked artfully arranged into vases. Truly, the fragrances wafting from room to room in my humble abode is divine♡

I spent a good part of my day in my sewing room. As I sat looking outside the windows, the thought occurred to me that the end of spring is nigh and summer will soon be floating in; in a rather relaxed fashion. I always think spring is an explosion of vivid and audacious colours; intoxicating all the senses. Spring always makes me giddy with the continual parade of heady colour and fragrances. I am always a little sad when spring begins to think about making its journey to the northern hemisphere, but the thought of summer waltzing in gently always perks me up. Just the thought that there will soon be a sea of blue hydrangeas everywhere causes me to smile. Throughout the garden the hydrangea leaves are flourishing and little flowers are beginning to peek from behind the leaves. Why, just outside  my sewing window, the hydrangea bushes have grown like topsy. They will be a spectacular sight when all those gorgeous blue mop heads appear. I cannot wait. It will make happy stitching days in my sewing room even happier♡

And....speaking of hydrangeas, let's talk about my little Hydrangea Cobblestones quilt, shall we?? A border was needed, but I was in two minds about two fabrics. A difficult decision as I rather love both. The first choice was a pretty Kona blue which looks lovely, but then I have a pretty green fabric with butterflies flittering allover. Being a gal who rather loves busy, busy, busy swirling everywhere in a quilt, I decided upon the butterfly fabric. It is actually a fabric in the Cottage Bleu line, as is the hydrangea fabric, so of course they would play together beautifully. I am in love with the blue of all the hydrangea cobblestones bordered by the green fabric♡

Do you remember the phrase "blue and green should never be seen without a colour in between?? It is a phrase I have heard all my life, but have never really taken any notice, because throughout all my days of playing on this sweet earth blues and greens have always hit it off fabulously. Together, they dance in rhythmic cadence and have always been soothing to my eyes. Why, here at my little place there is blue and green everywhere. Blue, blue sky and green, green trees. Happy, blue love-in-the-mist, with wispy green leaves.....blue granny bonnets and dainty green leaves.......forget-me-nots smothered in bright green leaves.....and then the queens of the garden, the hydrangeas surrounded by green, green leaves.  But, enough of the nonsensical notion that blue and green together are an aversion; let us have a bo-peep of the progress of  Hydrangea Cobblestones.

Stitching a thin green border around the blue cobblestones, I then stitched the green butterfly fabric to the quilt. To add a little unexpected interest to the border I thought octagon flowers flourishing around the border would look rather spiffy. So, today I have been making stems, leaves and octagon hydrangeas in readiness of appliqueing them to the border. How fun♡

Hopefully when next you visit the hydrangea flowers skipping around the border, will be finished. Love, love, love the blue hydrangea fabric dancing alongside the green with blue butterflies fabric♡ I had the best day today, whipping up a creative storm in my little sewing room. It was one of those perfect,  blue sky, kinda days, where sunbeams brightened the room all day. Thank you for stopping by my little place♡ 'Tis always a delight when you visit♡  May you, this week, look for the beauty in the little moments of the everyday♡ Sending you all a little love♡

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

Linking this week to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching

Judy's Design Wall Monday

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer

A lovely welcome to all you lovely lovelies♥  It's been a month of Sundays (quite literally) since I last  beamed happy snaps of flowers to you up there in the land on snow and sleet and all things pertaining to the chilliest of seasons. Though, if I am  to be truthful, here in Tasmania summer hasn't really made an appearance as yet. Oh, the calendar has swooshed from September, October, November.....over to December, the first month of summer, but to be honest Ol' Man Sun has been missing in action more often than not this last little while. It seems to me that when he does appear he is playing catch and chase with winds that could quite possibly uproot my humble abode from it's foundations. Yes indeedy, it is decidedly chilly here. But.......being the eternal optimist that I am I do live in hope that days of warmth and sunshine will soon come aknocking on my bright pink, front door and I can swap my woolly aran jumpers for summer dresses. Though, while Tassie is shivering with icy temperatures, the rest of Australia is fainting and melting from extreme temperatures. A lot of Australia is experiencing dreadful wildfires with many, many homes being destroyed and people's lives thrown into chaos....so very sad.

The weather down here might be a little 'how's your mother' but the garden has sashayed to the dance of Mother Nature regardless of  the befuddlement of the seasons. As always, spring was a delight to all the senses with the daffodils, irises, granny bonnets, lilacs, forget-me-nots, bluebells, clematis...........all strutting their stuff in their allotted time, but now that Spring has passed the flowers of summer are beginning to parade.....foxgloves, love-in-the-mist, sweet peas, roses, and soon the glorious hydrangeas, gladdies, cosmos, anemones, zinnias and dahlias. Aah....yes the summer flowers always triumph.

Oh dear, I have got lost in the deliciousness of vase after vase of flowers, I forgot to mention that I have finished my little, flower-filled, quilt top. Yes indeedy....'tis true. All 120 little hexden flowers have been appliqued onto 120 little floralicious squares and each gorgeous square is playing ever so nicely with the others. This quilt is a  joy to my eyes. Every square is dancing with an explosion of floral pattern and colour. In theory a quilt with a 'cast of thousands' of floral fabrics shouldn't work, but somehow it does. Besides I have never been a gal who follows the quilting rules that are set in concrete, and I don't suppose I will start now.

For the backing I found a pretty fabric with flowers dancing all over. There wasn't a great selection of fabrics that I thought would play nicely with my quilt but I am happy with what I chose...AND....it was half price so I am beside myself with great joy. =)

May I say the backing fabric complements a vase or two of flowers perfectly as well. I am always up for a photo shoot overspilling with floralicous delight.......so, so sorry. =)

It is a lovely Sunday morning down here. Why, by all appearances it looks as if Ol' Man Sun is going to cast his happy beams on my humble abode and the winds have swirled away to annoy folk in another location. Could it possibly be that summer might take up residence at my happy place, for a little while??? With this thought uppermost in my muddly mind, this afternoon I will put my little quilt in the quilting hoop and begin the begin.......some enjoyment of a little hand quilting. But for now there is a small matter of a little tea drinking in a pretty teacup, whilst I sit in the swing seat overlooking the pond. May you all enjoy a lovely day sprinkled with smiles and beauty. Wish oh wish I could tap on each one of your doors and gift you with a fragrance-filled bunch of flowers.....but this post oozing with happy floraliciousness will just have to do.

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

Linking this week to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching.

Happy Summer Days

A beautiful summery welcome to all you lovely lovelies♥ AND.....it's the weekend...YAY!! Though in saying this, the last month has seemed like one long weekend to me.

Life down here has been filled with happy summery days. Days of sunshine, days of stitching......spilling over with happy, flowery kinda days.

This past week  another birthday appeared on my horizon. Now, I would not have mentioned this auspicious and propitious day (well.....at least it is on my calendar) had not my daughter sent this little gem of a book all the way from the USofA.

I might say at this juncture, that this is the daughter who continually tells me that I have far too many books!! Each time she visits and raises her eyebrows over my burgeoning bookshelves, she is always at pains to tell me that upon my untimely demise she will have "to get rid of them all.....that I have too many books"!!! Really??? Has not my daughter heard of the word "library". =) Besides, my books are beautiful props with beautiful bindings; not to mention all terribly good reads. All my loved bibliophile fancies make my home....well......home. Let's just say my darling daughter whom I love with all my being has an aberrant minimalist and modern gene. She is of the modernistic ethic that less is more. I suppose on the subject of bibliophilia, she and me will just have to agree to disagree.

I must say that I am a bit surprised this sweet little book arrived in my letter box,  considering my daughter's thoughts on my little problem of hoarding collecting books; but I am so happy she decided to gift her dear ol' mum one more book to brighten her dear ol' mum's day. My youngest daughter is a bit of a book collector so I can rest assured that when my last breath is exhaled she will see that my books go to good homes.

But I digress......it is indeed a little gem of a book. It is a little book overspilling with floral happiness. Each page features a "pop-up" flower alongside a description of its symbolic meaning. 

When the dust cover is slipped off, one turns the flowers up and before you know it  a bouquet of happy, zingy flowers has popped up, sitting in a pretty pot to bring a little beauty and joy to my day.

Isn't this the sweetest, happiest little book?? My beautiful daughter knows her mother very well♥ All that floral prettiness cannot help but make me smile........oh.....and I hope warm your day,  especially each one of you lovelies whom are seeing day after day of wintry grey, grey and then some, as far as the eye can see. This sweet little book looks perfectly at home with my real blooms from the garden.

Flowers have been growing on my garden quilt this last little while. Stitching has been happening in all manner of places; in my sewing room, by the pond, watching the Australian Open tennis on the box, on country drives........yep.....those magical seeds have been slowly blossoming into flowers.

The view outside my sewing room has slowly changed, as have the bunches of flowers that I have picked and placed in a vase to sit on the window sill. Aah yes......I have watched the procession of  blossoms flower outside the garden in succession whilst I have slowly stitched each each petal, each flower.

Stitching is slow going but with each tiny applique stitch, Daisies have 'growed', more Hydrangeas have bloomed......Tulips, more Foxgloves, and even some sweet, dainty, little blue flowers have popped up near the pond. Oh....and I forgot another Water Lily has greeted the sunshine from beneath the lily pads. 

I am still loving stitching this quilt, even though the stitching is at a snail's pace. As I stitch each flower it seems to be mirroring what is flowering out in the garden. With the stitching of this quilt I am finding I am observing all the tiny details of each flower more closely to get a sense of each particular petal, each leaf.....vein, each stamen etc etc. I am amazed at the intricate details in the minutiae within each flower; details that I have never really noticed before.

We have a few weeks of school holidays left down here so I am supposing more applique and slow hand stitching will be enjoyed. I would love to see some Irises and  perhaps some Gladdies, perhaps a Tiger Lily blossoming on the quilt. The bottom of the quilt is nearly finished so I will soon be able to join the sky fabric and begin to design and stitch more flowers towering in the background. I think too, I might also start another scrappy quilt......just to mix things up a bit. To be perfectly honest I am hankering after a little machine stitching not to mention that I just want to play with some pretty 1930's scrappy fabrics once again....but I will see how I go.

Thank you for visiting my summery place. I hope you all enjoy a lovely week. May you find many moments to enjoy the beautiful, to appreciate the simple things of each day. As it is Sunday, I am going to stitch a blossom or two, embroider french knots as stamens on the Hydrangeas; but right this very minute, I am off to re-read my little gem of a book and play with the pop up flowers. After all a book has to be read and loved over and over again.

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


Linking up this week to Kathy Quilts, Slow Sunday Stitching