Quilt Group Meetings

This week was my week for Cottage Group meetings - Inner City Circle on Monday night, Sherwood Stitchers on Wednesday morning & Purple Paddo Patchers on Wednesday night - why am I exhausted? The photos above & below were from ICC girls - same pattern, different fabrics & both just gorgeous.

These photos are from the Sherwood Stitchers girls.  We support Linus Quilts & a few of these will be donated to that project.  Not this lovely brown one - who thought brown was dull - this was a delightful quilt.

Wendy had done a few small pieces of stitchery.

Olive made this for Linus Quilts - cute lady birds/bugs.

Gayle has been stitching this - mattress ticking, add ribbon & fancy stitches - not sure what it will be - don't think she knows yet, but it's good hand sewing to take to meetings. 

Another Linus quilt - the panel has a misprint or 2 - can you find them? It was sold off cheaply - makes a cute quilt so easily.

Purple Paddo Patchers is holding its exhibition "Glad Rags" on the weekend of 13th & 14th October at Gallery 159, 159 Payne Road, The Gap (open 11.00am-4.00pm both days).  Gold coin donation at the door with proceeds aiding Angel Care.  We were organising the event at our meeting so photos will come from the opening night  with all of us in our glad rags!  Wearable art, soft sculptures - in fact all manner of textiles will be on display.  Please join us for the weekend - we'd love to see you there.

Seen in Sunnybank

Visiting my parents in Sunnybank last weekend when HofM called out frantically - the magpies & noisy minors were going beserk trying to chase this python away.  It slithered across the road with the birds still chasing.

Thought it would go down the drain but it went for the safety of a neighbour's tree.  We think it was around 2 meters long - it didn't pay any attention to the paparazzi - it just wanted to get away. You can see the feet of the magpie at the top of the photo & it's shadow. Frist time I have seen a snake in suburban Brisbane - we don't get such things in Auchenflower!

Baby Quilt WIP

Another dilema - am making this quilt for baby unknown (nothing to do with me or mine!!!) can't quite make up my mind on the border - do I go with the bunnies (No:2 son's opinion is that would be appropriate for a baby) or with the checky look (which makes it a little more modern)?

Night visitors

We have a mother & 2 baby possums come across the wires each night & then walk along the telephone lines to the trees for their nightly meal.

WIP

Like most quilters, I have a number of WIPs (Works in Progress) - this one was started from a set of charm squares - now waiting to be basted and then quilted. 

Sorry, about the quality of the photo - taken around midnight at the Retreat after working to get these three rows finished before the creative flow stopped completely.  Will probably add something between each row to make the quilt a little larger - thinking chequerboard using a combination of the fabrics already used - any thoughts????? 

A number of orphan blocks surfaced & I had been given this luverley lime green & it is just right - still playing a bit with the stripes but really happy with how it's turning out.  Binding - might go lime green or use the stripe - any opinions on that?

Blooming Cactus

This cactus was completely under water during the flood & has managed to survive & now produced this flower for the very first time.

Aaaaaaah Retreats!

What a wonderful weekend away.  Six of us from Purple Paddo Patchers (PPP) Cottage Group travelled  to Highfields, just north of Toowomba,  for a weekend retreat.  It was freezing on Friday night, so a fire was called for. Glenys & Hilary gathered kindling & using their vast Girl Guide knowledge, lit the fire.

Yep - it's alight!

Success - we were lovely & warm in the sewing room thanks to the girls.

Aina & Suzanne toasted their success - they also found the wine helped their sewing skills! Jen & I took our sewing more seriously than these two........

Desert - nothing was missed, candles with dinner & wine, of course.

Sunday - time to head home, but we just had to make a stop at Precious Time www.welcometoprecioustime.com.au in Toowoomba - the wisteria was beautiful and the extensive range of fabrics beckoned.  We did help the economy of the district - just a little.

Lunch was at Forest Hill in the Lockyer Valley - about an hour west of Brisbane.  This is the Lockyer Hotel in the main street.  The Forest Hill Post Office www.foresthillgiftscafe.com.au is also a cafe & lovely gift shop.  The food was just great and it was fitting way to end a wonderful weekend with special friends.



Mug Rug

I have made a Mug Rug!!!!!  If you go into Blogland - they are taking over the world, tutorials, photos, Etsy shops - they're everywhere!  This is the prototype for a welcome gift that will be given to young Mums when they come along to the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at my church. Actually fun to make & I'll probably improve on the look OR not & am happy that it works.............. sadly made absolutely no impression on the stash.

Northern New South Wales

Last weekend we drove to Alstonville in the northern

  rivers district of New South Wales, about a 2 hour drive south of Brisbane.  What a lovely area - Friday night was dinner at the Federal Hotel in Alstonville - the food was wonderful & the place was brimming over with locals.  I did find a patchwork shop in Lismore - Rainbow Patchwork & added some stripes & white on white to my stash!  HofM was fascinated by the longarm quilter that was doing its thing on a white wholecloth quilt.  Kept him quiet for a little while.

It was quite windy but the views were stunning.  If one was a beach person, it would be heaven - this one isn't so I enjoy from a distance. We thoroughly enjoyed driving around the area.