Day One...

While I am waiting for the others in the house to rise and shine, I thought I would share the results of Day one of my four days.
At first there were just 2 of us, and the other resident spent the morning complaining about how complicated the "easy" project that she was doing had turned out to be!! I might be making a bag with one block, and not a quilt she said!! I will add that this lady usually sews a full speed, so it was a shock to her for something to take longer. But she also doesn't like to let anything beat her, so she persevered! I forgot to take a photo of the first block, which was a platypus, but here you can see the frog in progress. (I will take more photos soon, as I think after her first day, we might actually see a quilt at the end of 4 days, and not just a bag).

And by 10am I had the first a my jobs done. I had made this quilt, back in about 2002, and had intended to custom quilt it. The blocks are panels, and I thought that if I ditched them, it would look like "real" applique! But many years later, I just wanted it done, and it went onto Max for a quick edge to edge. Here you can see it by the machine ready for the binding.

And then I joined the backs of 2 small items, which had also languished in the pile for many years, and loaded them as one on the machine.

At 11.30 I received a text message to let me know that the next guest was almost here, and we went to the rail station to meet the train, the Overland.

Val and I wore our "ears" to the station, not expecting there to be lots of people there. But we were brave and wore them on to the platform. This lady who we picked up tried to walk quickly past us and pretend she did not know us!! We did get a few smiles and waves from people on the train, so it was a bit of fun for Easter.

Raelene was traveling light on the train, and did not bring her machine. She has a hand project to work on, and got out her bees to stitch, but when I finished the binding, she soon took that project over, and is hand stitching my binding for me. I will soon have a finish!!!

This is the next of my jobs to do. This was made in a machine applique class, probably back in the late 1990's, and has also sat and sat in my pile, waiting, waiting. It hardly took me any time to quilt it, and then I noticed my awful job of the applique. You can see those little black bits that are coming through the yellow??

We did a bit of "brain storming" to work out how I could fix it, including ideas of covering it with braid, or ribbon, and I had picked out one, and then Helen came to visit, and she had a better idea for me, and you can see what I did next in the following photo. And I have to say, thankyou to Helen, as it turned out great, and gave it a whole different look.

It has been made into a cushion, and is just waiting for a "bit" of hand sewing to be another finish. I have to wonder why it took so long??

And here is my other finish, although the binding still needs to be hand sewn. Wonder if the Easter fairy will do this one too. I am a bit spoiled I think. This will be a wall hanging, and was started in a Michele Hill workshop, back in 2005.

I have picked out some more things to work on today, and will spend my time at the sewing machine. Will be back with another report after Day Two.

Blessings, From Jude

Decision time....

The angels have gone home after a day sewing, and I have finished the tree quilt that I had loaded, but I did not get any quilting done for the angels. A little unpicking job on the tree quilt slowed my progress, but it's done now.  Max is empty of a quilt, for now, and I have 4 days in which I can work on my own PHD's!!?? But there are so many to choose from, I don't know where to start!!

All these boxes contain a project, and on the side there is a Gloria Loughman, Playing on the Surface which has been crumpled up in a box for many years!?

Inside the boxes are a few projects, including a Lessa Siegele Fractured Circles, a crazy patch cushion, a Quick Curve Ruler and a HexnMore Ruler workshop, all in progress.

On this table are more works in progress, including my Embellished Ladies quilt, and an Amanda Daley, On the Reef project. And also a few tops in the "to be quilted" pile, that my quilter never seems to do any of! So where do I start? 4 days sounds like bliss, so I need to use my time wisely.

I have one guest here already, and she wisely said I should start on the one I will finish the quickest. I will let you know how I progress, and hope I have some photographic evidence in due course. And now I am thinking, and remembered there is another project I need to work on as well. Too many choices, and it's my choice I know.

And then I think about the world and all the turmoil, and realise that in the grand scheme of things, that my dilemma is not really important. This weekend I am mindful of the reason for Easter, and celebrate the hope we have in that.

Blessings to you,
From Jude

Wednesday words.......

I woke up very early (4.30am) this morning, and decided to get up and on with the day, although I will admit that I am still in my dressing gown! I have had my first cuppa for the day, worked on my Bible Study homework, in preparation for tomorrow's meeting, checked emails on the computer, paid some accounts with online banking, and inspected the contents of my freezer and pantry. So thought I may as well do a post before I head for the shower and get dressed.

This is my list of the freezer contents, and you can see that I won't need to do much shopping for this weekend's Easter retreat. A few fresh salad and veg items, and some milk will be all I need to buy. This weekend I have high hopes for some "timeout", and sewing time for me, as well as enjoying the company of friends.

The weather looks as though the days will be nice and sunny, so lunches in the pergola might be in order, although we might need some warmth in the evenings.

This is what is on Max at the moment, and I hope to finish this before the weekend with  simple custom quilting. I do have a bit of a plan, but will see where that goes, when I get started?? And tomorrow it is Angels day here, and there are a few of those quilts in the pile waiting for the quilter once again.

Just a few quilts to share in this post, as I see there are a few in the files yet.

This one used up a lot of scraps and was another challenge as there was excess in the centre. I asked if she had trimmed all the blocks to size before she stitched them together?? And the answer was, only the outside blocks!! Once again, the quilter will quilt that out!

This quilt, called Cherry and Chocolate, was made by Sherrel, and quilted allover with a pattern called Blooming Feathers.

This was made by Val, using up lots and lots of Half Square Triangles that were leftover from another quilt. I think she might have nearly used them all up now.

Another quilt made by Sherrel, called Seed Packets, which features hand embroidered flower blocks, and was custom quilted.

 I hope you have enjoyed the quilt show this morning, and I will be back later with updates on the weekend's activities. We have a smaller group in the house, although a few day trippers will pop in and out. One lady is coming by train, so I need to meet the train on Friday. After I finish the tree quilt, I will be looking at my long list of PHD's and trying to decide which one (s) I might work on.

 Sunday morning we will be attending the Easter sunrise service at the lake, which is always a special time. And in the midst of my busyness, I am conscious of, and in awe of, the real reason for Easter, and the sacrifice that was made for me.

Blessings, From Jude

More travel and the colour purple

It feels like winter arrived overnight, as it is raining, and today's temperature is forecast to be only 17deg, after a top yesterday of 32deg. The sun should come out again later this week, so there might still be a bit of autumn to come. It is probably time to find the winter clothes, and put the T shirts in the back of the cupboard.

I am having a quiet weekend at home, after all the travelling of the past week. Friday saw Pat and I head to the city again, to attend the Valuation panel meeting, and drive all over delivering and picking up quilts. We also took 2 more machines for services, and picked up 5 that were finished. I printed a map of the city and marked our journey, so you can see we covered quite an area. We had another stop on the way home to visit with mum and dad at Murray Bridge and enjoyed tea with them.

On Saturday I turned Max on and quilted an edge to edge, and loaded another one ready for Monday morning, and then unpacked the quilts that we picked up on Friday. They are then placed into storage containers, with names on them. Sometimes I take photos, so that I can think about how they are to be quilted, and locate needed patterns. Some need backings, and I look to see if I have something that will work. I also need to check the size and see if the wadding I stock will fit the quilt. Lots to think about before I even load the quilt. And then I got the calendar out, and looked at my "to do" list, to see if I should panic about deadlines, or if I can relax because the calendar looks ok! (I don't think I need to panic at the moment!) I think I mentioned that I was almost caught up with the bookwork, and now I can say it is done. Yesterday afternoon I printed a statement for this financial year to date, and I feel pretty good about that.

I have not posted photos of Helen's latest Embellished quilt, so will do that now. You can read about the quilt that Helen made recently, for her daughter, It's all about choices. This one was made for her granddaughters 21st birthday. You won't be surprised that Jess likes the colour purple. I look forward to what Helen will make next.

This was on the machine, after I had basted it, before quilting.

After the quilting.

Since I took these photos, Helen has added a bit of "bling", with charms, and beads etc.

We took this quilt to Adelaide on Friday for it to be valued, and you can see the concentration on the faces, as they discuss it.

Today I have plans to scan fabrics, and start working on the Pick a Case Mystery quilts, ready for the June retreat. June sounds like a long way off, but in reality it is only 2 months! Where is the year going?? Will be back soon with more quilt photos.

Have a good day, whatever you have planned.

Blessings, From Jude

Reporting in again......

It's time to head for some sleep after a big day today, but thought I would update the last few days, so that I can get straight into the quilting in the morning.

I have packed a lot into the last few days, since I said I was loading another custom on Saturday morning. I am pleased to say that I should get that finished tomorrow. The remainder of Saturday was spent sitting at the desk doing more of the bookwork, and I am so close to being up to the end of March, which is almost a record for me. Another hour or two's work and I shall be able to print off a financial summary for the first 9 months of this financial year! Another thing I can cross off my list.

Sunday morning I attended church and hurried home to pack a lunch and my "stuff" to work on for the afternoon. Our group were meeting with another group from the nearby town of Kaniva, which is just over the SA Vic border, about a half hour drive from here. We were meeting in a little hall in the small town of Lillimur, which is in the middle of both towns. Lillimur is one of those places that you could easily drive past and not realise it was there. It was once a much larger town, but now has many empty buildings, and a lot of history. I did manage a few photos, which follow.

It was a gathering of 19 ladies from both groups, the Gumtree Quilters of Bordertown and the Windmill Stitchers from Kaniva, and was hosted by the Kaniva group. As usual when quilters gather, it was a day of fun, laughter, sewing and sharing as the ladies got to know each other.

Jenny finished a scrappy log cabin quilt.

 Helen was sewing another purple quilt.

Val was sewing up scraps.

Pat was adding the borders to another candlewicked quilt.

Sue was appliqueing (sp??) names.

Kerryn was working on a One Block Wonder quilt.

Pat was putting the borders on a QAYG William Morris quilt, which is a wedding gift.

This is a group photo of all who attended, except Jenny, who took the photo. (Thankyou for the photo Jenny!)

It was a lovely day out, and I worked on more cutting of the applique for my blocks for the Dear William quilt. I have 1 1/2 blocks out of 9 left to cut out now, and then I can press to the background and start stitching.

Right next door to the hall where we were sewing was an old derelict building which used to be the local post office. It is sad to see an old building like this, and I guess it would have a lot of stories to tell us about bygone days if it could talk.

Before I left for Lillimur I received an unexpected visit from GS5, which was a lovely surprise. We did manage a few precious minutes as I was packing the car. His 2 missing front teeth are finally starting to grow!

On Monday I worked on the Oriental quilt, that has the cranes on it! And then it was time for our group committee meeting, where we are in the planning stages for our group's exhibition which is to be held in October.

 Today I have been up the highway again for the day. Last week I heard about a friend who had fallen and sustained a few injuries, which required an appointment with a specialist in the city. It so happens that I had been to this doctor before, and knew exactly where his consulting rooms were. So I offered to take her, and it was also an opportunity to deliver some sewing machines which needed to go for services and repair. We set off at 7.30am and stopped for a fuel and coffee break on the way. This lady has an eye for old cars, and couldn't help herself when she saw this one! And she also chatted up the male driver as well!

After we arrived in the city, and had delivered the sewing machines, I stopped on the side of a road, to check my street directory and work out the best way to get to the hospital. We must have looked lost, (although I wasn't)  and I can just imagine the scene, with 2 "older" ladies sitting in a car, holding the map book, and flipping the pages, and me with it held out further, as I did not have my reading glasses on!? A much younger man walked by, although we did not see him, and then came back soon after, and had noticed the sticker on the back of my car, which named a country car sales firm. He knocked on my window, and offered his help on the best way to get where we were going!   (At first I thought he was coming to tell me I was parked in his way!) He was very helpful, and admitted that he had come from the country himself and understood where we were at! With all the doom and gloom on the news, and the reporting of some terrible things, it is heartening to be reminded that there are some lovely people around.

We had left quite early in the morning, as I was not sure how the traffic would be, and we had to drive a fair distance across town from the sewing machine place to the hospital right down south. And because the traffic was good, we had quite a wait for the appointment, although that went quick enough as we chatted and had lunch. After we had turned onto the freeway on our way home, the traffic came to almost a standstill as we headed up into the hills. 3 lanes of traffic were crawling along about 3km per hour! We later discovered that there had been a truck fire on the freeway, and we were then diverted onto the old highway. It must have taken us about 3/4 hour to travel what should have taken about 10 minutes. And while we were driving so slow, we were entertained with a phonecall from a friend, and were able to have a good 3 way chat, connected with the bluetooth through the car! (The advantages of modern technology!!) Thankfully the accident was on our way home, and not on the journey down, but a good reminder of why it's a good idea to leave early and allow for delays.

(Edited....I have googled  for info on the  Truck fire and you can find out more by clicking the link. The photo comes from the Advertiser web page also, as we were diverted and did not see this.)

Whilst it was a long drive down and back, it was also quite relaxing, and a good opportunity to chat with a friend. My Sunday was also a lovely relaxing day working on one of my own projects. I have another day trip to the city on Friday, to attend Valuation Panel, and do some quilt pickup and deliveries. Also collection of sewing machines from 2 places that belong to 3 quilters. I am also looking forward to Easter in the company of friends for more sewing time. We are enjoying lovely autumn weather, and just maybe I can see some of that "balance" happening at long last??
Good night,

Blessings, From Jude

A winner............

The winner of the competition for the little shopping trolley, as pictured, is Joy of  Days Filled with Joy! Congratulations Joy, and I shall be in touch with you for an address to send your trolley. I look forward to seeing what you might make with those little squares of gorgeous fabric. If you click on the link to Joy's blog you will see that she is currently living in Arabia, and went camping in the desert recently. The photos she took are awesome.

Thankyou to all those who entered, and maybe next time your name will be a winner. I love to hear from you, and received some comments via email and text. I know some of you don't have a google account, and there was even one lady who emailed me and said she would get a google account one day! When I thought about it, and remembered she is on facebook, I told her she had a google account for that, and guess what, she can now leave a comment on the blog!

I recently heard from Flossy Patched Britches, who said she changed settings so that I could reply to her, but that has not worked. I would love to hear from you again, with an email address. And there are others who send comments, but are no-reply blog address' too.

Time to get back to spend some more time with Max, and the custom quilt I am working on. I had an "err derr" moment with this one on Saturday. It is made with oriental fabrics, and I took a photo of it, and hung it up on the back wall to "talk" to me. At a glance, I could see it had dragonflies, oriental fans, and gingko leaves on it. So went looking for the appropriate patterns for the quilting. When I was loading the top and checked to see if it had a "direction", I examined the "leaves" closely, and found out they had heads, and were in fact cranes!!!!!!?? Like I said, an "err derr" moment.

Be back soon, lots more news to come.

Blessings, From Jude

A finish, more quilts and a reminder.......

Firstly, a finish, after being on the machine for many days! (Although I do admit that there was no action at the machine for a lot of those days!!) I will post better photos after I take it off the machine.

This cute owl quilt was made by Kath for a "yet to be born" great grandchild, and was custom quilted.

Even the back has owls on it!

This quilt, called Oriental Lanterns, was made by Marie, using the Quick Curve Ruler, and was quilted edge to edge with a ginkgo pattern.

And a reminder that there are 2 days left to enter the giveaway of this cute little shopping trolley with fabric. It closes midnight on the 2nd April.

I am so looking forward to the end of daylight saving tonight. It is so dark in the mornings. The mornings have been quite chilly this week, and the days even cool, so maybe we have left those HOT days of summer behind?? It must be time to think about getting the flue of my combustion heater cleaned out, and ordering in a load of wood.

Time to get to the shower, and start my day. I have another quilt to load, which is to be custom quilted, and I am still to work out what to do on it.

Enjoy your weekend, what ever you are doing.

Blessings, From Jude