I wish I could show you what I’m working on…

More secret squirrel stitching going on here today.  All will be revealed quite soon though
For now I’m just surfacing to share with you some more cleverness by my non-blogging quilting friends.
Like Sue’s version of Kaffe’s Bordered Diamonds.
The pattern is in his book “Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts” – see my Amazon widget on the right.
 See the pretty pink hexy quilt in this Good Housekeeping article?

Rae made it for her daughter Jane, the former Fashion Director of GH, who proudly showed it off as part of her very stylish – chic and cheerful -  London apartment.
It’s entirely hand pieced and quilted, as is Rae’s latest finished quilt, Whirligig (from a Sue Ross pattern).  Just stunning!

                              
                                          
Back to work for me now!

Roll, Roll Cotton Boll

Do I look like a quilter who would cut and sew more than 600 teensy, tiny half square triangles? No way!

I’m gobsmacked with admiration, though, for some of my patiently determined  and creative friends who’ve faced up to the challenge and won through!

Paddington Patchworkers Sue and Margie recently finished these two eye-catching versions of Bonnie K Hunter’s latest mystery quilt, Roll, Roll Cotton Boll.

And here’s a beauty that my talented friend Pennie made.

It’s her 4th Bonnie K Hunter quilt!

I think she’s on a Roll (…Roll Cotton Boll)    

…and now there’s Handmade for Christchurch

You have to hand it to our wonderfully supportive crafting community. When disaster strikes they waste no time mobilising to help in any way they can.

After the Southern Queensland floods Toni spearheaded a huge auction of handcrafted items, raising almost $100,000.

With Cyclone Yasi hitting just a couple of weeks later the Gum Tree girls have extended their New Beginnings cut-off date to 15th March for crafters to make sewing kits to be given to stitchers who’ve lost these items that we know give handworkers such pleasure (and welcome diversion in times of trouble).

Here in Sydney Retromummy is collecting quilt blocks to be made into comforting quilts for Queenslanders in the months ahead.

And as if this wasn’t enough upheaval, this week’s devastating earthquake in Christchurch has us all reeling with shock, and praying for our New Zealand friends and loved ones (the death toll has risen to 123) .

This time some compassionate (and energetic) Kiwi mums have created Handmade for Christchurch. You can read about them here on their Facebook page, and here on Trade Me, the New Zealand auction site where, over the next week or so, they will be auctioning over a hundred handmade items donated by crafters as far away as Germany!

The auction listings have started – they’re rolling them out in lots of about 20 at a time – but they are still accepting good quality new crafty items to auction.

Most of all they need bidders!

Can you please spread the word?

*****

My Gratitude post didn’t happen this week, but I’d have to say I’m grateful for compassionate people in the world, and it does my heart good to see the way we can reach out to one another in times of trouble.

Forget the stereotypes

Whoever said playing with trains is just for boys?

The Princess was fascinated by Papa’s train set when he unpacked it after 20 years in storage.

Have you ever seen a train driver wearing a tiara?

Baby shower

Remember this little tease of a photo last week?

I can now reveal that this cute little ladybug, and her friends teddy and elephant, along with a cupcake, are adornments on some baby singlets I made for our new grandbaby (due around 13th March).

The big reveal had to wait till after the baby shower yesterday.


In addition I appliqueed a ladybug onto a jumpsuit.

And even sewed ladybug buttons on this little red jacket I knitted.


The answer to your question is “No, we don’t know if this little bub is a boy or a girl.”  How exciting is that!

Busy hands make Quilts for Queensland

It was all hands on deck last Saturday when St Mark’s Quilters gathered for our first workshop this year in glorious air-conditioned comfort!

Sydney’s currently wilting under a blanket of warm, moist air – like Singapore but without the gin slings- so we were extremely grateful for the newly installed air conditioning in our hall.
Our group ‘mascot’ Matilda, in the fur coat, was particularly happy!

Di B (who I’m convinced never sleeps) had thoughtfully made a little surprise gift for each attendee – a fabric threadcatcher.

Heads were bent in concentration as, after a short demonstration by Di B, most of our dedicated quiltmakers were eager to try their hand at Quilt-As-You-Go blocks.
Never fear, though. There were the usual fun and games!

There was the added excitement of fondling and cutting beautiful fabrics donated over the holidays by Lilian and Rae.

We basically used the same method as Linda demonstrates in her illustrated QAYG tutorial, but we trimmed our finished squares to 10.5 inches.

With the KU Marcia Burgess Autism Specific Early Learning & Care Centre well supplied with our quilts for the present, and with enough quilts in the cupboard to keep the little ones happy for the rest of the year, we decided to turn our quilt giving to other areas.

We really wanted to do something to help our Queensland neighbours after their recent floods and cyclone devastation, so once we’ve made a few more QAYG blocks they’re going to the wonderfully compassionate  retromummy (make that ‘supermummy’) who’s mobilising quilters to sew quilts and quilt blocks for Queensland.

Secret squirrel stitching…