The Holiday

                                                        Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas

                              View from our hotel balcony, Cairns at dusk 

We have just returned home from a lovely week in Port Douglas and 3 days in Cairns. Ahh yes! Beautiful one day, perfect the next (as the slogan says). We were not disappointed. I didn't want to go (for many reasons) but of course once on the plane, one must go-with-the-flow. We stayed with our Tassie friends in their delicious apartment, just a stone's throw from Four Mile Beach. All we really did was relax. That was the idea, what is required. Relaxing brekkies in our just-around-the-corner cafes, relaxing walks on the beach and streets, relaxing lunches, relaxing swims, relaxing reading, relaxing dinners and yes ..relaxing ice-creams!!!
Ahh yeh, thats right, I didn't want to go.....
While our friends went home to the cold, we then had 3 days grace in Cairns. So different to Port Douglas but still wonderful. A must see, Rusty's Market is full of the most delicious fruit and veg. Paw Paw, pineapple, bananas, strawberries all of which we had to consume before coming back to SA. (quarantine). A day trip south to Innisfail to visit friends then back to Cairns ready for home. I wish I could've stayed for .....

                                             Jemima slowly blowing out Papa's candles.

Back with a thump, to the freshness (thats a 'kind' word) of the Hills, Kym's birthday dinner with all the family including the much-missed 'little girls' and my Garden (Applique) Club today @ the shop.
So much for a holiday....Still when the opportunity arises...

Hi to you all. I have been away from Blogland for awhile. Don't ask me why, I don't really know. Lots of things I guess.
....just out of the 'blog' routine basically.

I actually have been busy sewing. I resurrected this quilt to do something @ our 'Garden' Applique Club.

I have finished piecing my long time UFO, '1930's Dresden Plate'. I began this back when one of my girls had tennis training (handy to have in the car). The plates are done by hand and am planning to hand quilt it. In another 15 years time! BTW I have also finished all the blocks of 'Sylvia's Bridal Sampler', just have to arrange and put them together!!! Its huge, so it will be a big job.

While in my shop I now have a lovely supply of the much- awaited 'Tilda' products. There are fat quarters of the gorgeous fabric

 Giftwrap, boxes, stickers and cut-outs for cardmaking and scrapbooking, buttons,

 and beautiful tins.(set of 3)

I'll finish this blog with a pic of my Granddaughters. This is all I can find atm its when Chelsea was born, I will have to find another more recent pic....
cheers for now, Jane ***

Just a reminder.
We have Sit n Sew from 1pm tomorrow.
Come and enjoy a cuppa and catch up with a bit of quilting and a chat.

I welcome yesterday with much love, 'Chelsea Grace' as my newest grandaughter. Mumma and baby are well, as are Daddy and Jemima and all their family!
I'm sure I will have pictures to follow.

No.91

This is No. 91 of Sylvia's Bridal Sampler Quilt. My new favourite! Its called 'New Mexico'.

New Mexico

 This is the next one.... and below is the amount of bits to make this sweet innocent (!!!) 6" block. I'm not going through the book religiously (like some), at the moment I am picking and choosing.

 We must be mad. How many hours does this take, you ask? Don't.
Some can take like 3 days!!! No not really that long, sometimes it seems that long, especially when there is a problem...

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler Quilt is growing.... only 48 and a half to go.....still there is no hurry.

The Garden Club

We are starting an applique group called the 'Garden Club' beginning February.
We will meet the second Tuesday of each month, 10am - 4pm.
I think the first day (Feb.) I will show you a few patterns and we can have a 'meeting' on whether we all do the same or otherwise.
Look below for some inspiration.


What do you all think?
For more details and to register, please email me on info@patchworkapple.com.

Notepads

        New from Anni Downs, some cute notepads. 3 sizes, available now.

January 1st. 2012

January 1st. 2012

 Another year to look forward to...forget about the things we were supposed to do last year and look ahead. Its the only way.

2011 began with Kym having kidney stones, this year begins with him sick in bed with a chest infection....so much for New Years Eve! No, we didn't have plans anyhow... its just a busy time of year, workwise.
2011 we built a new room for The Patchwork Apple and moved in May.
2011 I did numerous quilt fairs all over Aust. as well as organising a quilt display of my own in Oct.
2011 a few 50th. birthday partys and heaps of (friends)new babies...(our second grandy due in Feb.!)
2011 Kym was asked to travel to USA and Chile, as he will also do in '12.
2011 Jessica and Sarah began their 'Red Cherry' patterns and now making lots of appliqued T Shirts. See their facebook page. They have a lot planned for '12, on the personal front. 
2011 Olivia worked hard all year and begins a new chapter in the new year.
2011 Cherries were quite good. We finished Friday..thank goodness...its now 41C today, so if there were any left they would now be shrivelled! As well as us pickers! These pics. are 'Rainiers', a sweet light variety which we often don't pick due to bad weather.

 So 2012...I'm not much on 'New Years Resolutions' except for the lose weight and get fit 'usuals' but as I previously blogged, I was going to plan ahead more, so I guess I have made a resolution for this year. yeh!
One thing I did plan, was to take Jemima to the Lobethal Pageant. The last couple years, we've missed, so now that Jemima is just old enough this was the Plan.  Everyone else 'piked it' but Sarah and I. It was a lovely warm evening and little Jem loved it all. It was perfect.
She's also very busy with our new chooks. She calls them the 'brock brocks' !! Think about it...what does a chook say?
As well as our veggie garden. This pic is just the peas and raspberries but do we have some tomatoes!!

So to all of you in blogland,  Happy New Year!
Sit back, enjoy life and don't forget to laugh!
cheers Jane ***