Hearts in Blue

My "Hearts in Blue" top.

I first started this quilt in 2002.

We were leaving on our first trip to Cape York and I wanted some handwork to take with me. Just because I already had enough handwork to sink the Titanic didn't mean a thing. I would definitely need more. So I traced all the hearts and packed them away in the caravan.

When we got back home and unpacked I found them again. Over the next four years I slowly (and I mean slowly) worked on the embroidery finally finishing last year.

Then I had the decision on how I was going to join them together. I didn't want it to be like the pattern. Just eicky I guess. I never want to play by the rules. So I decided to put them together in this zigzag fashion and not too use the same material anywhere in the zigging or zagging, but there was just one thing wrong, the quilt was too narrow and waaay too long but I thought it would be fine on a single bed as a topper. So I started hunting around for the borders. I found some really lovely blues and one in particular that I thought would go really well. So I cut out the strips and sewed them on and then it sat, because I wasn't happy with the final project.

The other day I bit the bullet and unpicked the borders and four rows of the hearts, finally found the right blue for a border, cut it 1½" wide and sewed it on. At last something I could live with, but what to do with the extra hearts that I spent all that time embroidering. Light bulb moment and now I have a top that is almost finished - again, I'm very happy with the result so far. I've now drawn in pencil vines with curly cues, leaves and hearts in the cream border. I now have to embroider them in the blue.

One quandry I have left to muddle out. Will I put another 1½" navy border on the outside or shall I just bind it with navy?

Different Kind of Mouse

Well its not my blue hearts quilt .

I had to get this ready to post tomorrow to reach a dear friend for her birthday. Nothing fancy but something that I know she will like and appreciate the time I took to do the work.

Tomorrow will be the 'Hearts in Blue"

Where Did This Week Go?

I'm finding it hard to believe that I haven't updated for 5 days. The days are flying by and we will be entering the third month next week.

Knowing me as well as I do I had better start looking at what I'm doing for Chrissie presents. Actually I did start — thinking that is — about the neighbours gifts, they have to be something small and I usually like to make or buy something that I've seen somewhere on our travels. Last year we bought them tea pot stands made out of the local marble from Chillagoe. We also brought home a great unpolished slab of it and it now adorns the top of the barbecue holding the lid down. Picked it up for free beside the marble factory in the rubbish heap.

Chillagoe is a marvellous place. The caravan park is in the centre of town and one night we walked down the middle of the road to the pub for tea. Not much traffic. We spent time exploring the caves which are out of this world. From the outside you would never know such beautiful, majestic places exist a stones throw under your feet . . . and then there is the local petrol depot run by Tom Price who would be in his late eighties/early nineties and is a Ford fanatic - he has most models from the T forward, most running and restored. The fellas (DH & DB) spent time with him while they crawled all over the place. Lyn (DSIL) and I took photos of everything and then settled down with a good book until the guys were ready to leave and then the darn blokes used US as an excuse to leave.

Anyway what was I saying - oh yes Christmas pressies. I think I have decided to make the neighbours (4 of them) each a set of 2 Christmas potholders this year. With everything else on my to do list this year a couple of potholders each is what I should aim for.

Last Friday I did a workshop on the Japanese woven bag. While I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, I was very disappointed with my bag. I was told to choose a small design which I did, but it was too fussy and with all the work of weaving the bag, I was disappointed to find that when you get more than 6' from it you can't see the weaving at all. So now I'm on the lookout for the 'right' material and I will try again.



DSIL Lyn and her youngest daughter Belinda are up here for the weekend, to see the baby and Lyn to also show me what she has done so far on DB's (another one) 50th birthday quilt. Lyn has even got material with an Alsatian on it. DB had a favourite who he sadly lost to cancer many years ago. So he should be thrilled with Lyn's part. Now to mine — I haven't got very far, exactly nowhere to tell the truth. It's been on the back burner while I sort out my blue hearts quilt. I pulled the borders off, I wasn't at all happy with them and while I was reverse sewing I was thinking how I should fix it and I ended up pulling off 4 rows of hearts which I will use up in the second border. I have the design in my head and finally drawn on paper and I think I can live with it. Have also changed the border material, the other was too light a blue, I'm now using a marbled navy and it looks fantastic. Tomorrow after Lyn and Belinda leave I shall put it back together again and take a photo for the next blog catchup.

Back on Track

The excitement is over, we have a baby girl so now we can get back to the more mundane things.

Last Thursday I started back at art and continued working on my pot pourri box for the loo. I'm painting sun orchids on two sides alternating with daisies with a butterfly.

See my huge Be Happy book, it's all of 2" x 1", I received it for my birthday from a dear friend and its got some lovely sayings in it and each day I randomly open it and read the saying.

Just before Christmas two friends and I went on a local shop crawl. We visited Patchwork on Pallas in Maryborough. The Craft Warehouse in Hervey Bay and Van Cootens in Howard. While at P on P I went into the back room and a couple of ladies were working on a 'stable bag', of course I fell in love with it and bought the pattern. While at TCW and VC I bought the material to make it. Tomorrow at craft I'm going to start the bag, so within the next week I should have it finished and up on the blog.

Ian and Pete are gone again. This time they're in Brisbane returning the huge clamping machine that was needed for the job in Townsville. While there they're picking up a TE tractor that Ian and another friend (Phil) bought in Imbil 12months ago and Phil (who is a boiler maker/fitter and turner - I think that's what they used to call them) has been fixing it up and repairing the broken bits. Between Ian and Phil I think they have all the implements that go on the tractor as well. Anyway its ready to go to Gayndah where Kym and Phil have bought land and are in the process of building. So my fellas are bringing it home with them and next time K&P are in Gayndah we'll take the tractor the rest of the way.

Spoke to my Dad and Mum tonight. Dad's printer died yesterday so this afternoon he went and bought a new one. This one (Cannon) scans and photocopies as well as printing. He's very happy with it.

My parents both turn 77 this year and Dad reckons he's falling apart. He has hearing aids arriving in 5 weeks and he's opted for the ones with the control on the back of the ear. My Dad has control of the remote at home and I suppose somebody should have warned the specialist about Dad and controls.

Sharing with my friends

I just received this from a dear scquilter friend, thank you Leonie, and I just had to share with you.
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Subject: Cat Lover or Not,

We've all had trouble with our animals, but I don't think anyone can top this one:

Calling in sick to work makes me uncomfortable. No matter how legitimate my excuse, I always get the feeling that my boss thinks I'm lying. On one recent occasion, I had a valid reason but lied anyway, because the truth was just too darned humiliating. I simply mentioned that I had sustained a head injury, and I hoped I would feel up to coming in the next day. By then, I reasoned, I could think up a doozy to explain the bandage on the top of my head.

The accident occurred mainly because I had given in to my wife's wishes to adopt a cute little kitty. Initially, the new acquisition was no problem. Then one morning, I was taking my shower after breakfast when I heard my wife, Deb, call out to me from the kitchen.

"Honey! The garbage disposal is dead again. Please come reset it."

"You know where the button is," I protested through the shower pitter-patter and steam. "Reset it yourself!"

"But I'm scared!" she persisted. "What if it starts going and sucks me in?" There was a meaningful pause and then, "C'mon, it'll only take you a second."

So out I came, dripping wet and butt naked, hoping that my silent outraged nudity would make a statement about how I perceived her behavior as extremely cowardly. Sighing loudly, I squatted down and stuck my head under the sink to find the button. It is the last action I remember performing. It struck without warning, and without any respect to my circumstances. No, it wasn't the hexed disposal, drawing me into its gnashing metal teeth. It was our new kitty, who discovered the fascinating dangling objects she spied hanging between my legs. She had been poised around the corner and stalked me as I reached under the sink. And, at the precise moment when I was most vulnerable, she leapt at the toys I unwittingly offered and snagged them with her needle-like claws.

I lost all rational thought to control orderly bodily movements, blindly rising at a violent rate of speed, with the full weight of a kitten hanging from my masculine region. Wild animals are sometimes faced with a "fight or flight" syndrome. Men, in this predicament, choose only the "flight" option. I know this from experience. I was fleeing straight up into the air when the sink and cabinet bluntly and forcefully impeded my ascent. The impact knocked me out cold.

When I awoke, my wife and the paramedics stood over me. Now there are not many things in this life worse than finding oneself lying on the kitchen floor butt naked in front of a group of "been-there, done-that" paramedics. Even worse, having been fully briefed by my wife, the paramedics were all snorting loudly as they tried to conduct their work, all the while trying to suppress their hysterical laughter...... and not succeeding.

Somehow I lived through it all. A few days later I finally made it back in to the office, where colleagues tried to coax an explanation out of me about my head injury. I kept silent, claiming it was too painful to talk about, which it was.

"What's the matter?" They all asked, "Cat got your tongue?"

If they only knew!

Why is it that only the women laugh at this?

Our New Arrival

She has arrived, fairly quickly, 5¼hr labour. Contractions started around 5.30ish and Taneesha Amy arrived at 10.45pm weighing 7lb 9oz and 50cm in length. Katie can't believe it's over andif so why am I still having contractions.

First hold, mother still in shock.

5 minutes old and already has her father completely enthralled.

Oh! is this earth?

My first bath.



My first nappy, but it's too late. I've already done my first wee and poop.




and dressed in my first designer outfit, courtesy of a doting granma. I'm not crying just trying to fit my whole fist in my mouth.




Here I am ready to face the world.

What Happened?

I took photos of the cushions and on the camera they looked lovely, when I transferred them to the computer they were way too dark and you couldn't see them very well at all.

I wish I knew what went wrong. Looking at the photos on the camera they looked good. If I put the lights or flash on then I had these white sections on the photo where there were too much light. Now I don't have the cushions here to retake the photo. Katie now has them and she is ever so happy with them. Next time I'm over there I will try again to get good photos.

Dylan loves them too. His Nanna told me today she and Dylan were sitting on the lounge yesterday with four of the cushions and he gives the horses kisses.

This is my very pregnant Katie with her birthday cake ready to blow out the candles. Her birthday was last Sunday 11th. 27yrs old.



Dylan has the best and tastiest part — the birthday bag that the cushions came in.


Ian and Pete are on their way home — again.

They left Townsville at 4.30 on Monday morning reaching Rockhampton when Pete received a phone call telling him that the reducer wasn't needed and could they please remove it. So they turned around and went back. This morning they removed and rewelded the pipe and finally left Townsville for home around 11.30 - 12.30pm. When I spoke to Katie at 6.50pm they were 130ks north of Rockhampton, so they should be home around 11pm.

Craft today and we started on the Churn Dash block — chaos! but we finally got everyone sorted out and most of them have now cut out their blocks and started the sewing. Some of the ladies didn't know how to fold their material to get the most out of it - or how to use the rulers - or how to chain sew. They do now.

I have scquilter Rhonda from Moore Park and her daughter coming over in the morning to collect their chickens. All silkies, some pure, some part. Looking forward to meeting them. Have said I'll make a teacake for morning tea. Have the best recipe.

Quick and Easy Teacake

Put in jug (I use Tupperware one)
1 egg
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk
add 100grams melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
mix together
add and stir in 1 cup sifted s.r. flour

Put into 7" round greased tin, sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar and bake in mod. oven for 25-30mins.

When its fresh and still warm out of the oven my DH (who will be home tonight - Yeah) practically eats the whole thing in one sitting.

What a Day

I finally finished my Saturday at midnight.

Why I do these things to myself I'll never know. I had two cushions left to make, which when I finally got around to them were done in 45mins, getting around to sewing them took all day with me finally starting at 7pm.

What was the holdup - I had decided to cook.
Now for those who know me know that this is not normal. I don't cook. But yesterday I decided to fill the freezer . . . . and I did.

I made . . . .
3 meals of meatballs with sweet and sour sauce.
2 meals of tandoori chicken.
2 meals of carribean chicken in the crockpot, so that was easy - it cooked itself.
2 bacon and pineapple pizzas.
3 bacon quiches.
2 meals of apricot chicken.
2 meals of tomato sausages.
2 meat loaves.

and . . .

11 containers of dog food, which will last for 22days.

We've got a storm coming, so I'll have to cut this short. I promise I'll catch up tomorrow. Have taken photos of the cushions.

Oh! My Goodness

Where did this week go?

Ian and Pete aren't home yet, so Katie hasn't had the baby yet. She's determined that one, the baby is officially due on Tuesday, well as near as they can tell.

I have been busy this week, bought my material for the February Cobblestone Swap and also for my club's Churn Dash block swap, so I somehow might be able to put the two swaps together into something fantastic. You never know whats around the corner.



It's Katie's 27th birthday on Sunday. Who can believe my baby is going to be 27.

This is a photo of the first two cushions that I have made for her present. They really aren't yellow, thats the lighting in the room. Plain calico with a multi coloured 1st border and then a solid second border.There is 5 altogether and each one has a different coloured second border and different horse embroidery in the centre.

The third one is made and ready for stuffing, it has a dark marbled blue for the final border. Nos 4 and 5 are still waiting, they have marbled muddy pink and purple for their last border, I've got them on my 'to do' list for tomorrow, just need to insert the zip in the backings and then sew them together.

Nothing like leaving it to the last minute.

Yeah! It's my birthday

Oh my goodness I'm 55 today. Why don't I look on the outside like I feel on the inside?

Today I fiddled with my blue hearts quilt. Have got it ready for the first border and finally got around to making up my December Card of the Month, thought I'd better because February's will be arriving next week.

Had lunch at Kate and Pete's place with birthday cake and candles. Received lovely phone calls, the first one at 10 past 7 this morning from my niece Lisa who also shares this birthday, she with her parents (my brother Ken), her sister and DH, a couple or four of friends - 10 of them in total are on a houseboat somewhere in the bay near South Stradbroke. Next was Kate, then my parents who are in their caravan at Woodgate (near Childers) and leaving there in the morning and heading to Rainbow Beach. My sister rang after lunch and my other two daughters plus grandchildren rang this evening. The only one I'm missing is my brother Trevor. Maybe he forgot. I'd better remind him tomorrow. Nicely of course. Yeah, he has just rang, that's everyone.

One good thing about this age - I can now access my super. Spoke to the financial adviser on Friday and he's going to organise the first drawdown. Not too much. Just enough to get my sewing shed up and running. By up I mean taking the bits and pieces from behind Ian's shed and rebuilding it and then somehow sorting out how I want my sewing room to work and then putting it together.

When Ian dug out the pad we thought we would leave it to settle through summer when we would hopefully have some good rain on it. Nope. All this beautiful rain they have had up north — we have had 10mm over 2 days. Not even enough to close up the cracks. Oh well, hopefully by the end of March we will be able to have the cement slab laid. Ian and Pete SIL and Kerry (paid concretor) will lay it.

Still Waiting

Katie is very uncomfortable and sore, but that little baby has its own agenda and its sticking to it - come hell or high water or quad bike rides or tractor rides.

I was supposed to start back at art yesterday at 9am, but Ken & Lyn didn't get away until after 10. I tried and tried to contact my teacher to let her know I wouldn't be able to make it but I couldn't get through.

Lyn and I were very busy during the two days she was here. Tuesday morning we went to Kraft and Lyn had oodles of Show and Tell for the ladies to drool over. Here is one of her tops (my favourite), this one she has left here for me to quilt, she doesn't mind when, which is good, because it won't be until the shed is up and operational and that won't be until mid year.

This photo is of the lovely house warming gift Lyn made me. She made two blocks and attached them to the canvas blocks you can pick up at any cheapie store. Makes a very effective hanging in my guest bedroom.

We spent most of our time together working out exactly which quilt we were going to make for my youngest brother's 50th birthday in November. We changed our minds that many times. In the end we went back to our original idea of 4patch scraps because we didn't have enough of co-ordinating fabrics without going out and buying some, which neither of us minded, but we really wanted to use up some of our scraps. But, then we found a quilt in a Patchwork and Quilting magazine from 2005, all using scraps and just 1½ metres of background fabric needed. I had just the right material in my stash. The pattern is large Ohio Stars made from scraps with small Ohio Stars intersecting in the sashing. We have now cut the fabric into the respective sizes and halved it so we can both work on the blocks, just have to have them made by Stitches and Craft in April/May when we shall place them on Lyn's design floor (no wall) and work out how they will go together. From there we shall work out how we are going to border the quilt.

Yesterday I left home at 11.30 for my appointment with Dr. Debbie in Bundaberg. I'm now down to fortnightly appointments. I also picked up one of my jewellery laybys - my new sleepers. Gold and large - not that large but certainly different, makes a change from my little ones.