Gorgeous Girls

Aren't they just gorgeous.

This is the work from the first week of my three week class at http://www.honeysucklepatchwork.com.au/

It's four gorgeous ballet bears by Rosemary McQueen (Teddyworks)

They are "nude" at the moment (and unfortunately I will miss out on next weeks class as we will be in Warrnambool for the three day racing carnival with our horse Menkaure http://www.horseracingphotos.com.au/racing-photos.php)

but they will have pink tutu's on over their bodies and will be finished with stitching. Rosemary also has a quilt pattern planned out with flowers to paint stitch and applique on in the borders, it should look adorable but they would be equally lovely framed.

Attack of the Rugrat!

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of my GD Isabellas company. What a good little girl she was, she is so funny.

How lovely it is to be a Nanna and not have ALL the responsibility of being the parent.

Tony and I picked her up from Bec and Brents house in Caroline Springs along with everything but the kitchen sink....even her own burnt CD of songs.......Maneater, Hips don't lie, I don't feel like dancing and Rock this party!!!!! So we had dancing (head bobbing and arms waving) all the way home.

We then put on the Wiggles as she especially loves "do the monkey" and sings the oohh oohh ahh ahh bit when I sing it to her. In the second photo she is "dancing" with Lukey watching warily nearby.

She had a lovely time patting Lukey our lilac burmese and he is even getting use to her squeals and lets her pat him now, he jumped up when I had her sitting next to me and stretched across both of us for a pat, she thought it was great.

The last photo she was making sure that Ted her constant companion is comfy and had a pillow! She loved playing cubbies under the quilt, maybe she likes that one as it has stars on it and she loves stars, especially twinkle twinkle little star.

Bendigo Spoils

The Scquilters Retreat

What a great time we had in Bendigo! I finally made it to my first retreat after 6 years as a scquilter. In previous years I had been to southerncrosscrazies retreats (which were local except the Canberra one)when I was into crazy patchwork and to the 2003 and 2005 Australian Machine Quilters Conference as I had to learn so much so I couldn't afford to go to the scquilters retreats as well. Well now I will have to make up for lost time.

What a wonderful time I had catching up with old and new friends. So many I can't name them all but it was really great to see some of the old "icq chatters" In fact we decided we missed it so much that we would like to try it again but we would have to try another way as icq is too complicated now with the new format. Unfortunately I didn't get many photos as my batteries died in my camera and then I just forgot to take it. So thanks to Wendy W for the longarmers photo and the one of Melody and me. In the second photo pictured are Rosemary (jezebelle old icq'ers) Dot and Gill from Bacchus Marsh and Sunbury.

In the angel/mortal swap I had a lovely angel Kim Brown from ACT who spoilt me with gorgeous fabrics and bits and pieces and made me a gorgeous blue and white floral bag. I got to know her a bit better on the shop hop on Monday, what a wonderful time we all had, me especially as I had waited all weekend, resisting temptation and walking past those traders stands without buying a single thing. Hmm made up for it on the shop hop!

I signed up for a new BOM, Girls Day Out by Libby Richardson at Attic Crafts, http://www.atticcrafts.com/ what a gorgeous shop that is if you love embroidery like I do. I bought a couple of patterns from Attic Crafts, the vintage dresden pattern and the cute fairy pattern Honeysuckle Fairy and Baby Bundle by Mayblossom and made with velveteen, perfect for Isabella and maybe the new baby.


One of my favourite shops for a different reason, Threadbare in Castlemaine had lots of gorgeous reproductions and civil war as usual lovely quilts, I couldn't resist buying the pattern for the quilt hanging in the front narrow room I think it was called Country Pathways. They have the most beautiful BOM from last year it was hanging in the back room and I am waiting for the pattern to come out so I can start that one, I voted for it in the Castlemaine show last year.

From Honeysuckle Stained Glass and Patchwork I got an Amy Butler bag pattern and some of the new Robyn Pandolph range (Empress Woo) which I thought I didn't like until I saw it NOT on the internet, I also loved it in the quilt that Nicky had made up so maybe that tipped me too anyway thats what I chose for my Amy Butler bag, the art deco rose and filigree print for the reverse side with the rose bouquet for the bow. http://www.honeysucklepatchwork.com.au/Robyn%20Pandolph.htm just have to make it now, and if all that wasn't bad enough, what did I do but go and sign up for a class for Tuesday mornings for the next three weeks. So tomorrow morning I am off up to Bendigo again. I couldn't resist it's painted and stitched pink ballet bears by Rosemary McQueen from Teddyworks just perfect for Isabella especially as her mother and aunty danced for years.

My mortal I had great fun with as I stayed with Wew (formerly known as Bubbles or really Wendy W) on Thursday night and on the way to the pre-retreat dinner she said she had to pick up a retreat virgin....and who did it happen to be but my mortal Melody. So it worked out very well as I got to meet her and sit with her all night. Di aka Nanna Bowles (aka Blessed or speedy to icq chatters) and Linni (Linnibea) had great fun telling her they knew who her angel was at dinner on Friday night after she had given them the clues she had, well done girls you kept her guessing. Anyway Melody "inflicted" herself on me at the shop hop, thanks Melody it was great fun. I will now be forever known as the floosie angel!!!

Some of us longarmers also caught up so it was great to meet those girls too that we hadn't met! Vanessa, Desley, Wendy, Lorraine (Madge) Jodie (the noisy one of our room lol) and Liz, Maree, Janine, Nic and a ghastly photo of me. Not that the one with Melody is much better as my eyes seem to have disappeared!