March Photo a Day Digest 4

Fat Mum Slim’s daily themed prompts continue to challenge my creativity and make me more observant of the world around me.

Day 19 – A sign

On New Year’s Eve the traffic-patrol police abandoned this sign on the front lawn of our church, ready for later when they would block off the road. It made us smile because this is exactly opposite to the way we like to welcome visitors.

Day 20 – Clean

Thanks to a temporary plumbing arrangement by the builders where all my shower water spills out onto this path in my back garden, my neighbours in the high-rise next door all know that I’m clean.

Day 21 – Working

Working on getting some rest. I confess I’m burning the candle at both ends right now.

Day 22 – About you

Dust! That’s what’s all about me at the moment, from the building works. It covers every surface in the house, and you can smell it in the air.

Day 23 – What you do for fun

Spending time with my darling Princess is always fun!

Day 24 – Up

Looking up at the ceiling light in my dining room.

Day 25 – In your drawer

Several people who’ve seen this photo have complimented me on having such a neat cutlery drawer, so let me confess here and now this is not its usual state! It’s only neat because I’ve packed any utensils I won’t need for the next few months, leaving only the bare necessities.

 Di

St Mark’s Quilters in March

Our March workshop was certainly a busy one, with many of us working on bright scrappy bed-sized quilts for victims of the summer bushfires in Tasmania.

We’re using Amanda Jean Nyberg’s pattern from her book Sunday Morning Quilts (you can buy it from Amazon using my Search box on the right), and having a ball trying out different colour combinations.

Some are quite nicely colour co-ordinated, like Di C’s here.

This quilt’s blocks are being made from a jelly roll.

Another jelly roll beauty.

Others are just a gorgeous, exuberant riot of colour, using scraps from our SMQ offcuts box.

Doesn’t this finished quilt just make you smile

We’re never short of smiles at SMQ workshops. Here’s Moo binding a quilt for “The Marcia”, the kindy for autistic children that we support.

Perdita’s aqua and red kindy quilt was taking shape.

Gail helped Amanda to get started on quilting her latest little Blanket of Love.

The biggest smile of all came from Margaret, who was celebrating her 87th birthday, proving that quilting has no age barrier.

Happy birthday, beautiful lady!

To complete the smiles we even enjoyed an encouraging iphone Facetime chat, face to face, with Linda in Florida. That kind of technology makes me smile.

Such excitement! How can we top that in April?

{Maybe by being able to share some good news about Linda’s post-operative results. We’re all praying for this}

  Di

Aussie Creatures, Great and Small

Di B’s extended family has recently celebrated the arrival of a new little bub, Annemieke, and today I’m showing you the very cute wallhanging Di made for her.

It’s a Millamac pattern and it couldn’t be more perfect for the nursery of a little girl, with an Aussie Mummy, growing up in Holland.

I hear it’s pretty chilly and snowy in Holland right now, so who wouldn’t welcome some bright blue sky and sunshine, and some friendly Aussie animals.

Measuring 62 inches x 49.5 inches, it’s a riot of Australian animals, and Di has tweaked the design just a tad to make it as individual as she is!

Mr Kookaburra has chased away that big black bat.

 

Ahhhh, sometimes I know just how this koala feels

All those buttonhole stitches are actually done on the machine, though they look hand-stitched. Clever.

 

 

Instead of a big hole in the tree trunk, with eyes glistening in the dark (as in the pattern as designed), Di added extra gold-embellished Christmas beetles.

 

These honey ants are possibly my favourite part of the picture. Di B is not a fan of hand embroidery, but there was just no other way to create these little fellows than with lots of fat French knots. She’s done such a great job of making them look realistic that almost everyone wants to touch them!

I love the bright touches added by the scarlet gum blossom and a lush green fringe of gum leaves across the top of the picture.

Sue Rowles, of Sue’s Top Finish (02 9519 5907) quilted it superbly on her longarm machine with even more gum leaves and gum nuts.

The colourful backing shows off more Aussie creatures like emus and wallabies, and a friendly sulphur-crested cockatoo decorates the label (made by me, Di J ).

 

Gotta love it!

 Di

March Photo a Day Weekly Digest 3

Day 12 – In the distance

Sunset over Sydney’s city skyline, seen from the park where I walk Chester.

Day 13 – Sound

Hammering in the room next door.

Day 14 – Tasty

Scrumptious Sheppard avocadoes, my favourite variety, only in season for around 3 weeks in autumn.

Day 15 – Explore

Interesting to explore termite damage that’s been hidden in the ceiling, right below my shower recess . Uncovered during the current bathroom renovations.

Day 16 – 9 o’clock

Morning in my garden. It’ll be gone in a few weeks, but right now the sight of the old blue bath sitting in the garden makes me smile.

Day 17 – Green

Day 18 – Shoes

We’ve caught up now, and I think you deserve a couple of quilt-related posts before your next weekly digest of photos. Watch this space

 Di

Happy Birthday, Linda!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, dear Linda!

Happy Birthday to you!

Our very dear friend, Linda Hungerford, is having a very special birthday today – her 60th (though you’d never know it to look at her!).

From the day I met first Linda, on a visit to Sydney, I knew we would be firm friends. We met in the morning for coffee and a chat, but morning coffee stretched on and on into the afternoon without either of us realising, and we parted around 3 o’clock having discovered we had so much in common.

When she returned Down Under later in the year Linda agreed to teach a Stitchin’ Mission at our church here in Sydney, so far the only Stitchin’ Mission ever held outside the States, and the very successful St Mark’s Quilters grew out of this.

 

Di B and I (otherwise known as Team Di), as co-ordinators of St Mark’s Quilters, thank the Lord for bringing this generous, compassionate Iowan (now a Floridian) into our circle of treasured friends. She continues to encourage St Mark’s Quilters and I count her as one of my closest friends.

Linda should be partying like only those of us who’ve hit the Big Six Oh know how, but instead she’s chomping into a pit in life’s bowl of cherries.

Two weeks ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Why don’t you pop on over to her blog and let Linda tell you in her own words what she’s feeling. I’ll just say she’s an inspiration.

Then please join Di B and me in asking God to wrap his loving arms around her, give her peace and completely restore her health.

{And let’s stuff her Inbox with more birthday wishes than she ever thought possible}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA, from TEAM DI

 Di