New Glasses

Picked up my new glasses today - naturally they are purple!


Not much difference from my last few scripts but any excuse to buy a new pair seems fine to me, haven't bought a new pair for two years so figure I deserve them.


Been working on my sisters' quilts and finally have both quilt tops finished now just have to quilt them both but will hang off because I want to put all my healing hearts together and quilt the three at once. Need to go to Penrith, because there is a great patchwork fabric shop there that I like, to get some fabric for all the sashing for the hearts.

Been working on the heart blocks that I was originally going to use in the heart quilt but now decided to make a separate one. It will be for my bed as the other quilts I have for it are now too big (I use to have a queen size now have a king single).

Off to get my hair done tomorrow - the regrowth is showing and it has grown a lot since my cut and platinum change! Ben has promised to look after Philip and I have a 7.30am appointment so all I need to do now is grab a book to read and remember to get up early.

I notice that we are getting close to the magic 2000 visitors. Remember if you add a comment on the day it appears you will have a chance to receive a small hand made gift from me.

Wordless Wednesday

More new ideas for projects

A friend popped in yesterday and brought a book for me to read - damn her!!

The book was Ricky Tims Convergence Quilts. Now its not as if I haven't got enough projects on the go or enough planned. She had to bring me a book with more ideas in it!

I had seen a couple of this style of quilt over the years but not really interested until I read the book and saw some of the quilts he and his students had made - WOW!

Now I have more projects planned - I love the freedom and the curves and colours. Now I am going to spend the morning going through the fabrics in my stash and see what 'speaks' to me.

I haven't tackled curved seams yet but he suggests a way that seems simple so I will give it a go.

Of course I still have the two quilts I am making for my sisters for Christmas on the go. I have finished one top and have only the final border to do on the other before they are completed and ready for quilting. I figured I can get that done easily!

I have a Can-Quilt quilting frame but won't do the quilting yet. I like to get a few tops done then quilt them all at once. Good reason to experiment with a new technique! Will keep you posted on how I go.

An update on my Healing Hearts - I have ended up with an amazing 85 hearts! Decided not to use the embroidered blocks in the quilt because I have so many blocks. Will probably either put the whole lot together or put them in groups of 12 or 14 and sash them together to break them up a little. Have been spreading them on the floor to get an idea of the colours together.

Magic Number - I notice I have had over 1800 visitors to my site so I think I should celebrate my 2000th guest! Will keep watching and when I reach the magic number I will send a little something to the person who posts a comment that coincides with the magic number. May have to send a couple because it may be hard to pinpoint the exact comment but you get the idea. So keep watching this space (as they say) and don't forget to leave a comment, especially when that magic number is getting close. Beside what blogger doesn't love receiving comments!

I note this lady who usually had her Mum and a friend or two read her blog - she then posted an item on ebay with a funny story attached and had over 300 comments left and over 597100 hits!! Gee I get excited when there are more than 3 comments left on mine - imagine over 300!

Wordless Wednesday

Blood Moon

Back in June we saw a blue moon - actually all this means is that there were two full moons in the one month and here in Sydney we had one June 1st and the other on the 30th June.

Tonight we will have a 'blood' moon - a total eclipse of the moon, the earth, sun and moon will be in perfect alignment; and if we are lucky the moon will turn anything from yellowish colour to blood red - no-one can predict what colour it will be until it happens, something to do with recent volcanic activity.

Anyway, it will be visible from anywhere in Australia this evening, early enough to take the kids out to see it and of course, much safer to look at than a solar eclipse!

Will have my camera ready and hopefully I can get some pictures but knowing my luck either there will be clouds at the important time or my photos will turn out black.

A few months ago I took Philip to see his parents in Newcastle and we stayed at a lovely motel in Charlestown. At dusk I was standing on the balcony and amazed to see hundreds of flying foxes (bats) so I grabbed my camera and took a pile of photos - guess what? Not one turned out!

I was so disappointed - don't know whether it was because it was getting dark or because the bats were flying swiftly - I wanted to show the family all the bats!

Anyway - tonight the moon will not be moving as fast ... lol - so I won't be able to blame non photos on that! If any turn out (don't hold your breath) I will post them tomorrow.

Degrees of Separation

I read with interest on Miss Frou Frou's blog her article on 6 degrees of separation and realised that I too have coincidences with people to brag about.

1. Many years ago I went to South America for a holiday (long before it was fashionable) and took a train ride and then a bus to Machu Picchu. There was only a couple of Indians, a dozen or two llamas and one other tourist there when I arrived and when meeting up with this person I asked him to take a picture for me with my camera. The person was an Australian and after many questions we discovered that he had gone to school with my elder sister!

2. My middle sister's husband joined the police force and in his class was the man I later married - not very strange but this is - Philip lived in Newcastle and when he came down to Sydney to join the Police he boarded in a house in Waterloo.

That house was the house my father grew up in and opposite the house my mother lived in.

There are other stories of strange connections that have occurred within my life but these two always stand out in my memory.

It really is a small world!!

Experiments with Sashing

Been experimenting with some embroidery to use as sashing with my 'hearts' - I have a lovely set of designs called That's Amore and not to be content with them chopped and hacked at them to make a border strip. What do you think of it? quilt

With groups of hearts then the embroidered sashing then an embroidered block then more hearts.

Been able to get back into sewing a little over the past few days, I am making a quilt for each of my sisters (2) for Christmas and have one top finished and need to get stuck into the other. I also want to put my healing hearts together and complete a couple of UFOs (very funny).

I have some lovely designs for quilts with embroidered blocks that I would like to try and a teddy bear made from calico with lots of embroidery on him. As usual I have more than enough projects on the go at one time. At the end of August is the Stitches and Craft show in Sydney (Rosehill) and my son has promised to babysit his Dad so I can go.

Of course, you know what that means - more projects!! Yea!!