The Tasmanian Quilters Guild had their friendship day today. Quilters from all over Tasmania gathered for a day of friendship, food and stitching. I went along with my dear friend Leanne and worked on projects in progress and chatted with other people there. Several shops from different places had stands set up so we could buy things.
On arrival scones were waiting on all the tables. Lunch was soup and sandwiches and also some cakes and biscuits. Overall the day was really nice.
Scones with jam and cream for morning tea
One of the shops stalls setting up. This one was The Village Sampler from Lilydale.
Every now and then it is really nice and beneficial to just go somewhere natural. To be out in nature is for me something essential.
A long walk the other day to Tamar Island wetlands reserve was really refreshing and peaceful. Sounds of birds and stillness add to the experience of complete peace and serenity.
Flocks of geese on the plains calmly sitting and foraging through the grass. Although hard to see in the photo, blue wrens kept them company.
An old bridge or jetty rotting away, the sun just above the horizon before setting. Kormarants sitting on the posts spotting fish to eat perhaps.
Late afternoon as the sun sets to the west, black swans all settling down for the night on the mud flats. Only in pairs they sit as the tide goes out. True love and companionship between them.
A pair of swallows passing by me closely watching what I was doing on the bridge at that time.
the leaves slowly cascade down
to the ground
as winter turns slowly to winter
the wind blows them around
untill the cold freezes them to the ground
as winter turns slowly to winter
i return each year to find my leaf lying here
each spring it renews it's promise
this year i didn't wait! after the first spring storm
from its branch it was torn, it lied to me again
so this fall, before the free winds blew
i went to my tree and picked the loveliest leaf icould find
and kept it with mine
untill winter turned slowly to spring
It has been some time since I posted last. I get a bit slack when I have not really finished any projects :). I have been working on a design project so there has not been much time for stitching.
Today was a rest day and a drive to the great lake was taken. The video below is just a quick one that I made to show the beautiful scenery of the Tasmanian Highlands.
During the trip, a pit stop to Deloraine to a little quilt shop called "Fresh Fabric" which was nice. There was a lot of really different fabrics there and of course I could not resist and came back with some fat quarters :).
Another interesting purchase made was the other day in town. This book shown below which showcases some of the blue ribbon crocheted Afghans from American state fairs. They are really beautiful and patterns are included.
The lovely Afghan below is from the book and destined to be my next crochet project after I finish my granny square one that I am currently working on.
I was thinking that from now on I would like to put other things on this blog and not just quilting. Since I have been really slack in that department lately, I don't like leaving a long time between posts.
It will be May in a couple of days. That means mid autumn. To celebrate mid Autumn I took some pictures of the garden as it is at the moment.
It is the time of the autumn equinox, and the harvest is winding down. The fields are nearly empty, because the crops have been plucked and stored for the coming winter. Mabon is the mid-harvest festival, and it is when we take a few moments to honor the changing seasons, and celebrate the second harvest. On or around September 21, for many Pagan and Wiccan traditions it is a time of giving thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops or other blessings.
Yesterday was a great day although I thought I would be posting this post when I came home last night. Thanks to technical issues on Facebook I spent all night into the wee hours uploading pictures over there.
My friends Leanne and Erica and I went over to Melbourne for the Australasian Quilt Convention which was held at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens.
There was so much to see there in the way of quilting supplies and quilts that were on display. I cant put all the photos here but here are a few anyway.
Next post will be of all the stuff I bought :) overall a very productive and really great day.
After a long walk down from Carlton Gardens we stopped here for a snack before making our way back to the airport to catch our flight home. Melbourne is vibrant and full of activity late in the afternoon.
Leanne and Erica when we arrived in the morning or lunch time rather thanks to jetstar being late. Why would anyone expect any less from Jetstar, lateness and stuffing up bookings. Oh well nevermind. Lessons learned.
The entrance to the fair.
Some of the stalls or quilt shops with all their pretty things.
The building has amazing ceilings and features that you have to look up to see. It is painted with frescoes and floral borders.
This dragon quilt was gorgeous, representing the seven deadly sins etc all done with machine applique and 3D motif. Its really cute.
One of my favorite quilts since I love fairies. This was an alphabet quilt featuring flower fairies.
This was L for Lilac If I remember rightly
This one was gorgeous made by a Tasmanian lady featuring hexagons and applique.
Hand quilting in a frame.
Horse and carriage. Poor horses looked sad and tired. :(
Today and yesterday have been really productive days for me. I have been having fun with a layer cake and a moda bake shop free pattern (see the link in the side bar ----->).
It was really easy to do and fun as well. Now it just needs to be quilted.
The rain was pouring and pouring outside so for something different I decided to do something other than quilting or stitchery. .After seeing a website which is linked here http://www.theenchantedgallery.com/paperdolls.html I thought it would be fun to make a Goddess doll out of paper.
The Goddess In Neo-pagan Witchcraft the Goddess is the very essence or central figure of the Craft and worship. She is the Great Mother, representing the fertility which brings forth all life; as Mother Nature she is the living biosphere of both the planets and the forces of the elements; she has roles of both creator and destroyer; she is the Queen of Heaven; and she is the moon. She possesses magical powers and is emotion, intuition and psychic faculty.
I used a rubber stamp with gold glitter embossing powder and coloured with watercolours. This one will be used as a book mark.
This weekend was great for sewing. My friend Leanne http://lizzie-the-quilter.blogspot.com/ came over and we had a very peaceful sewing day spent talking and stitching and looking at each others projects.
I worked on one of my Down In The Garden blocks by Leanne Beasley and Leanne worked on the mystery quilt from the Vignette Magazine also by Leanne Beasley.
A recent purchase of mine was a pack of fat quarters by Fig Tree Quilts called "Butternut". This fabric is pretty and fresh and I am itching to use it.
Sunday was a nice warm day so I stitched outdoors and couldn't help laugh at this bug who thought my sewing was a real flower. He flew down and sat right on the yellow flower centre of my stitched flower and would not get off it :)
I have also started the Vignette Magazine Mystery quilt by Leanne Beasley. It will be great for the new fabrics pictured above. I am really looking forward to the next issue.
Hey hello I'm back. After watching all the Queensland devastation and tragedy on TV I found something very heart warming. This image shows comradeship during the worst of times even in the animal kingdom between predator and prey. Apart from that it is just a really cute picture.
Frog hitching a ride through the flood on the back of a snake.
Since it rained all day today I worked on some beading and finished this necklace. The heart pendant is Jasper and the other beads are rose quartz and various other glass and stone beads. There are crystals also.
