Monday, January 31, 2011

Not Quite a Log Cabin


This quilt was made by Leonie West of Westalee Designs fame using her rulers and one of her patterns.




She wanted lots of feathers, especially in the red, so she got them! Lots and lots of feathers!

This next picture is of the back - I can't decide which side I like the best as the back looks as good as the front. I really like quilting these very symmetrical and geometric quilts as the backs can look stunning.



And, school went back today after six weeks of fun and visiting with relatives, playing on the various gaming consoles and just relaxing.
Yay!
Enjoy
Belinda



Sunday, January 23, 2011

Baby quilt


My favourite travel agent has just gone onto maternity leave to have her first baby, so Kate and I decided to make her a small gift so she doesn't forget us!

Although these are not necessarily traditional baby colours, she knows we are a little different (!), and also I am hoping she will use the quilt and not be concerned about any marks which may make their way onto the quilt when it is on the floor being used.


I quilted it with an edge to edge by Anne Bright, but reversed it so that when you look at the back the letters and numbers go the right way and is readable. It didn't matter that everything was back to front on the front of the quilt because it is so busy.
Good luck Renee! Can't wait to see your little one!
And, speaking of little ones.....

Rock wall climbing at Cuboree!
Enjoy,
Belinda



Monday, January 17, 2011

Grape Technicolour Quilt


Well, I have finally finished (except for the binding) my Chris Jurd NYB quilt and it is still very busy. Actually its not too bad in the pics, though some of the backgrounds get a little lost as there is not enough contrast. I did the class to learn the technique, so I'm not to disappointed that some of the blocks don't stand out as they should - I've learned that I need to be much more careful about contrasting fabrics and what is and isn't going to work.



I really enjoyed picking different fabrics and not being inhibited about making things blend together. I am going to use it to cover my cross stitch makings which live beside my chair in the lounge room - my little four-legged friend (as in the pics below) thinks it is a good thing to chew on precious things left just for her on the coffee tables.....cross stitching silk threads are a little expensive to replace.....

Speaking of my friend, she is a little out of sorts at the moment because there have been 2 weeks with only one adult in the house, and now that the boys have gone to Canberra for a cub camp, there is still only one adult, but a different one. So she follows me everywhere..



She is not allowed in my sewing room, so finally gave up standing in the hot sun and took a rest in the shade of a pot!


This afternoon she had to sit on my lap as I was binding a quilt for my friend who is about to have her first baby - it is VERY hot here, so between dog and quilt, I was stitching very quickly.
Enjoy,
Belinda



Saturday, January 15, 2011

We're back...


We arrived back in Australia on Wednesday morning after a long and bumpy flight from LA - it was fine though. We had our eye masks, headphones, books, ipad, ipod, munchies and a 2 seat row, and we coped just fine. I managed to get some hexies sewn together too, which is unusual for me as I tend to get very motion sick.



It was lovely to catch up with our LA family again and there was a lot of Nintendo playing - sometimes the best place to play is on the bottom steps so you can help each other.

We went to the Lego Store in Glendale twice, which was Harry's version of heaven. The only problem is that they don't have seats for the adults who are waiting while every small and large box is examined extremely closely.

When we got home with our treasure, the kids had to sit on separate sides of the room so that their pieces didn't get mixed up! There was Lego everywhere, with teeny weeny little pieces making up the bulk of the mix.

Then it snowed.....



The kids had the day off school so we went sledding at a nearby slope. Of course we hadn't taken snow gear as it was supposed to be warmer than that... cold wet frozen jeans and sneakers. And, lots of snow balls thrown and stuffed down the backs of jumpers and coats! Great fun!!

So now we are back to the floods in 4 of our States, and a massive bushfire just put out in Western Australia. There are lots of places to donate and I know there are going to be quilts made. We need not to forget how long the cleanups are going to take. Months and years. We have had extended coverage on most of our main TV channels, and after not hearing much while we were away, its very distressing to see so much damage and heartbreak.

Belinda

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Snow in California

I am attempting to compose this using my iPad, so it is quite possible that only rubbish will appear for which I will apologize now!!

We have been here for a week now and having a lovely time with the cousins. They were due to go back to school today but it snowed yesterday and school today was cancelled. They are forecasting more snow for tonight so we'll see what happens.

We have done a little shopping - no fabric however,but some Wilton products and clothes and Lego. Harry was like a pig in mud at the Lego store in Glendale. I'm not entirely sure how it will pack up but we'll see.

I don't have any pics at the moment as getting this technology to work is a feat in itself! Home in a week, so I'll try and post before then.

See you later
Belinda