Resilience in the face of hardship....

Every year I am blown away to see my Amaryllis belladonna's appear from the dry, dead end-of-summer ground and provide me and my garden with real evidence of the amazing things that nature does. I was almost sure that our weather had beaten the belladonnas this year, they seem to be late and I have looked longingly for those little bursts of life for weeks, with no luck. But, sure enough, even though we have only had ONE day of rainfall since September (fortunately 3 and a half inches at once) and temps of up to 46 degrees.... ensuring anything that had survived the past few years in my garden has nearly given up now.... up came the belladonnas...and with an extra surprise!

I pulled out a heap of dead things in the winter and left one space bare.. (or so I thought). A few years ago I found a bulb amongst fig tree roots near my MIL's and she assured me that there had once been white flowers there before the tree took over, white flowers from over 1oo years ago!! I planted a few, but have never seen results...until the other night.

Now, funny story, I found it going out to lock up the chooks and the next day was to be 40's and high wind, I was so worried it would blow away by morning I took excitement pics in the dark!!

I really love that picture now, but I took a pic the next day for you, with my finished "Fall back in time" table runner as backdrop.

I have talked before about how I am a "glad game" kind of a girl, I prefer to look at positives and silver linings and one door opening as another door closes. I can't honestly say i see positives in a worsening global economy but i am seeing a back to basics mentality that seems to bode well for society as a whole. I suppose in some ways, farmers always have to live with the uncertainty that now surrounds every industry. It is quite common for our income to halve...or worse...just from a night of frost or not getting that vital rain at the right moment-or, quite often, too much rain at once! So we learn to be eternal optimists and get back up and start the whole process all over again..

And making patchwork quilts can help us all get through this....

I can't remember where I once saw this quote from an early pioneer woman saying, "I made quilts quickly enough to stop my family freezing and pretty enough to stop me going mad." But it has stayed with me and is something for all of us to think about. Don't get sad and give up quilting, or blogging, because life is giving you scraps...now's the time to make quilts out of them!! Out of Op shop shirts and old blankets and chenille and garish eiderdowns! Why not??

I feel like starting a new internet group called "Getting through the global crisis one quilt at a time!!" Where economical quilts are once again loud and proud!!

On the ABC radio an expert was talking about this, I think in relation to crafters wanting to make fire victims blankets actually, I found part of what she says here, http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/02/18/2495263.htm?site=melbourne&rotator=true

Very well worth a read.

So, just as my belladonnas can make it through the hard seasons, so can we....perhaps the name for that quilt group should be the Belladonnas...true in more than one sense-doesn't it mean beautiful lady??

I'll finish up there,with some pictures of my pink belladonnas at sunrise the other morning...... Have a great day

...comment prize announced next post...pleased you liked Tag galaxy.....

300th post

Our close proximity to the coast is fabulous.....95 % of the time! It lets us swim in the summer and enjoy wildlife and crashing surf in the winter. But right now the fact that the coast leads fairly quickly to Antarctica means that it IS FREEZING HERE!!! The windchill is awful and it is well and truly patchwork weather. I feel like laura Ingalls locked away on the prairie...excepting of course, my heated floor, plasma tv and a freezer full of food...to name but a few. Well, okay.... I kind of feel like her-just humour me!

This is my 300th post. Blogging is a little like living near the coast, 95% fabulous and about 5 % not quite as much fun. I am well and truly up for something that is fabulous 95 % the time so that's why I am still here after 300 posts. I love the interaction, and as I have said before, this is the only diary i have ever fully kept. Well, except for in my heyday, between 19 and 22, when I had a lot to write, but that was the heyday-there were instances of more than one boyfriend at a time, a girl has to keep track!!! Don't hold it against me, I am very responsible now!

Well, back to blogging: 'cos i am having fun, you have a chance to share the joy. Drop me a line over the next few days....(before I yell "stop") and you may be lucky enough to score the prize consisting of chook or cow novelty tape measure (you choose which), a charm pack of Lancaster County fabrics, a plastic coated Moda purse made by me and a few of my patchwork cards. You can tell me something you have liked along the 300 or just say "hi". A big hi from me to the many emailers who have been dropping me a line lately, it's great to hear what non-bloggers think-and to mail out the odd card. You are all welcome to enter as well.

On a sewing note, I made a few more shirt blocks and played again at Quilters last night-here are some playing ideas for thei block......

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I decided on this arrangement. I have a few more blocks to make but this is how it looks this sewn together this morning.

Learnt how to make this fabulous little sewing bag last night. I can't wait to try a few out.

Have a great day, Tracey

Thanks

Today I have to start with a 'Thank You'.

I have really appreciated the support and concern from everyone, as has my girl. She says she felt quite special and it certainly boosted me up as well. I will get back to you all personally soon...
On that front, the surgeon was very happy with her progress yesterday. So we did not need to be in theatre today as was a distinct possibility. The scars are going to be major though, but the surgeon has a fair few minimisation tricks up his sleeve and we are looking into all of that next week. I am thinking a supermodel career may be out....(what a relief!!!)

So, hopefully the sun is setting on that chapter, just as it is on the crop sowing, though school has just rung and said she is complaining of the arm hurting and is sleepy-so who knows!
Close to 1000 acres of crop has been put in here in recent weeks, we have had a mild start to winter, so we are ahead of schedule, but a rain hold up would be a relief for our farmers. The radar says it's close.

Here is the tractor and air seeder at full tilt, I like the crow's appearance.
We have been doing a bedroom revamp this week for my girl (funny thing!!).
DH cut the bed in half with the angle grinder the day after the accident, neither of us could have ever slept again with her up high. Apologies to the woman who contacted me after the accident about advertising bunk beds through my blog....you got on the wrong boat there dear!!
She had been wanting a pink feature wall for ages. I have never painted anything uncrafty in my life but gave this my best shot. Has to wait a week for her pictures and posters to go up and we haven't quite finished relocating all her stuff, but I love the result. The quilts are all still layered in order of receival-her dad does that every night to particular instructions. They all got carted into hospital with her!
My sister imagines my girl probably gets a new one to match the wall-I was thinking about it! I am just so glad I still have her!

Picked up this cool thing a few weeks ago, anyone got one? It is a spinning sewing caddy. I am trying to work out how to liven it up so it is less "brown"!! I'll keep you posted.
have a great day, Tracey

Weekly roundup

First day at home for the week today. I was fully intending a day of bliss in the sewing room, but ended up called to the neighbors for a spot of playgroup storytime and now have to head to town for a School thing so not much progress.

Had great fun during the week though.....Tuesday i trekked down to a town where i borrowed the timber quilt frame from to return it and I caught up with the lovely Carol. I have now met 4 bloggers amazingly enough and they were all as great in person as on their blogs!! carol has some great quilts close to finished, i will be watching her blog for the finishes. She has also got the most fabulous book made from her scrapbooking layouts for her MIL for Mother's day. Believe me, she will be the favourite!!

Made a few op shop purchases-all these great cotton shirts for the shirt stash.

And this gorgeous double flanel baby rug-near new for 50 cents!! It will make up into quite a few little baby blankets in it's new life.

The chenille bedspread I spotted a lady bringing in as I walked out. I told her I would cut it up for quilts to give away and she said her Mum would be so happy about that. I told her to make sure she told her and she got teary and said she couldn't but she was really happy it was doing something useful.

I am happy too. I love to see things recycled to be useful again.

I found a pre-loved flannel shirt and had a little play with the new chenille to see how it went. Not bad for a boy baby I think.

I think I shocked and scared my quilting friends on Friday night...with applique pieces...and not button hole stitched either. This is where I am up to on my FSQS . I even tried the new yo-yo maker (fabulous thing!!). My daughter thinks the quilt needs more hot pink, my boy thinks it is far too girly and I think a few more leaves and flowers...what do you think?

I had better get to my school function but we finally found where DD's cat was hiding her Good Friday babies, so you get gratuitous kitten pics to close. It was very lucky the last of the old kittens was delivered to its new home Maundy Thursday. Anyone want these in the mail??

Have a great day, Tracey

Too much cleaning and not enough sewing!!!

A clean office is a clean mind. Well, something like that, second only to a clean sewing room really. THAT doesn't happen much but the office had to, it is shared, a fatal mistake that we would not make again, especially in the bad old days when my sewing was in there as well!

So, while a clean office...and walk in robe, were the main things I achieved this week, there are a few other things I can actually show pics of,( my WIR wouldn't excite you!)

Longer than I care to remember, Amy, the Calico Cat, sent me my beautiful Autumn season swap and included yummy cowboy fabric for my boy,with me reciprocating with a doll quilt, in Australiana. But as you may know from swap experiences I struggle a bit with thinking my work will be good enough and pleasing to my partner's eye, so Amy's quilt has taken a while for the inspiration to hit.

Here, it is, and I even used Atet's advice, with extra assistance from my quilt group girls, to do that neat mitred looking binding finish. A first for me.

So Amy, if you hate it, you better yell quick and I will find it another home!!
You can't see perfectly without clicking on it, but it is a kangaroo scene throught the window, with other Australian animals in the flying geese.

I took pics in the gum trees in our unique Australian light to add to the Australiana feel!

Does it match our colours?



While utilising the clolours for that quilt I thought I would show you my 2 quilts found at op shops in the past fortnight. The one on the left is partially quilted, I will be pulling that out, The one on the right is fairly ordinarily hand quilted, I may pull that out and play with it on the quilting frame.

-and the cost? 50 cents for the left, $4 for the right

-and what will I do with them? Don't know but I can't leave a quilt in an op shop anymore than I can pass an abandoned animal anywhere!-thay need to be loved, not dumped.



On the run tonight, all the kids want for Easter is my little wheat chooks! Have a few other nieces and nephews coming tomorrow as well, they will all get enough choc so I am making them chooks as well, better get sewing!

My other little niece was here yesterday, she got a few things in her gift bag, liked the bag (mostly chenille and chenille lined), not so sure about this little yellow chick!!!



A safe and happy Easter to all, hope none of my blogger friends are in trouble with all that Mid-West flooding we saw on the TV tonight, where on Earth is the Mid West? I should ring the station and say, we bloggers want state names please!!

Some sewing, designing and gardening.

With a Church Ladies morning coffee here next week, I am trying to get some more tidying done in the garden. We are also planning a trading table to replace worn Church carpeting so I jave a legitimate reason to sew...if I needed one! I have been playing around with some of this weeks' Op Shop finds and come up with this.....

I took the tab top curtains and i have made 2 large tote bags, here is one. One end of the curtains had gingham and the tab top didn't so the shoulder straps are from the end that did, half the top stitching work was done, I love that!

I had enough fabric left for 2 tea towels, they were a little plain until I added the embellished herringbone tape...recognize it anyone?

I figure I can sew that to something that I am keeping, I like recycling...though I am well aware that the fabric did not come from that company!

There was another Op Shop purchase that I missed the other day as blogger refused to upload it, it was this cot sized teddy panel. It has a good amount of hand quilting done to it and batting was attached. But the machine quilting around the outside border was all puckered and the batting was ripped and uneven around the edges. It was 50 cents so once again i had to rescue it.

I snipped off the border at the puckered quilting and evened up the wadding, added a pre-quilted part of bedspread to the back, used the border as the binding and here is is.

Should be good for the trading table, and easily worth $10 or $15 finished.

I made a few more blocks form my Judy challenge. I think these will pull it up and I like the on point idea, but what do we think of black between them, any better plans I could try?

And, to finish, we have this little helper that flew in to investigate the fuss, I love ladybeetles, we usually leave something floating in our pool so they have an out if they accidentally fall in.

Winners and Op Shop finds.

Thank you to the many people who commented in Blogiversary week. I will get the minutes to personally return each email....but until I do, thanks again!

The winning quilt ended up being Joshua's. I don't need to give it a prize as the love it is getting is enough! I am not sure if it was the quilt or the happy boy next to it, but it won anyway. Narrowly edged out Gratitudes. But nearly everything got a vote, which just goes to show that we all have out own preferences.

The winning commenters were just drawn by my girl, who is home as she unfortunately only got 4 days between bouts this time, rather than the usual 6-8 weeks.

Drum roll please, here are the results...........

So I will be getting in contact with loulee and Laurie Ann and something special just to suit them will be on it's way....this year!!

As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping...well, real retail therapy could get a trifle pricey if I hit the shops every time my daughter wasn't well, but op shops, well that's another story-and all going to charity of course!

Do you always round up at Op Shop/Thrift shops, even to the next $10.... especially if you know you have a bargain? It is a easy thing you can do that makes a big difference to charities.

I have picked up a few good bargains of late, so I had better share, I wont burden you with all the books, just the more interesting stuff.

Great blue check flanelette dressing gown, pink chenille bedspread, yellow chenille bedspread and big piece of vinyl that just didn't want to stay there, preferred being stored in my shelves for "just" when I need vinyl!!

The pink chenille was in the dog blanket section for $1.50 as it has a little stain-we'll soon cut around that.

Cute little expanding wine rack that will be perfect to hang up for strips. ($1)

Spotted a little zip lock bag in the remnant box, took this home and unpacked these blocks and fabric to match, all ideas welcome! (50 c)

At the last one I visited, I found this heavy cotton tab curtain, love the gingham edge. I am thinking about cutting it up into tea towels for the Church trading table in such a way that each has one gingham edge, but open to good ideas on that one too, over a 2 metre drop. The basket was a pick up there as well, girl can never have too many of them!

A few more shirts to top up the stock that has hardly depleted after 3 quilt tops, and a cute floral skirt that will cut up well for some shabby chic.

Have a great day, hope none of you Californians are getting too hot with all those fires on our TV, Tracey

Someone, please send Ark!!!
Isn't life funny, for almost 8 months we watched our livelihood fry and now we watch all our crops rapidly submerge! We couldn't sleep at all last night from the howling winds and steady pouring of rain, we had a couple of inches apparently! At 5.30 am we were saying, well, what does it matter, at least DD seems to be on the improve again. My brave husband is setting off in the motorbike to go and shift ewes and lambs to higher ground, I'll just have to help with the ute when he gets them out the paddock...thank goodness for small mercies because it is pouring!

Had quilters last night, we were all too exhausted on Friday so we changed it to last night, it was great, we could all be there and exchange our round robins. Only one more round, we are doing the unveiling at our quilt retreat in August.

I took the camera to share what some of the girls are doing, didn't think you would mind and they didn't!

This is Chris' crazy patchwork with silks she bought back from India on her last trip. It is her first go at Crazy patchwork, she does lovely quilts in traditional colours and did an excellent one of the mountains of Nepal, I will have to get a photo of that for you. She is currently working on embellishing this, I might get some closer pics in daylight at retreat.

This is Robyn's sampler, we were at her home. We did this for a play when the group first got going, I love the colours and the great border.

This is Robyn's rounds of friendship that she has been handquilting for a year or two, (she studies Arts, helps her DH run a farm, teaches and runs 3 kids as well!!!) I took it upside down and have turned it for you. This was the last group Round Robin, I was just starting out and the Flying geese were my contribution. The cross hatching is less than an inch, I took close-ups but will have to try again in natural light for you.

Here is how I spent the evening.

Start with one big container of Op Shop shirts, spend the next 6 hours cutting them up and the result is.....

This new neatly organized container of 4 pieces of each colour, folded and ready to cut into strips prior to our quilt retreat where i will see how many tops I can turn them into.

Only got home from quilters at 2 am, DH laughingly asked if I was seeing another man. No, I'm not sure I would be enthusiatic enough to let another man keep me up until 2 am, but quilters and cutting up shirts....well that's a whole other story!

Quilting bebbs needs to pick her Moda purse from those pictured above and email me please. I have had a few emails about these purses, yes, I will sell/ swap them; in Australia one will cost you a Moda-ish fat quarter and a stamp, overseas I will post one for two Moda-ish fat quarters. That is by far the easiest way!

Have a great day, and 4th of July to all of you US readers.