The pressure has eased...

Well the 'deadline' has been met and I can reveal the quilt. This is our Quiltaid 2009 quilt, which will be launched in June @ the Quilt Show in Sydney. Part proceeds go to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. 12 Aussie designers have designed blocks and 12 Aussie shops will have a block kit for you to purchase. The finishing kits are available too. If you like the way we completed our quilt, you purchase the kit from us. We have framed each block with a folded mini border, the sashings have a stitchery leaf and berry design, completing the quilt with a scallop outer border. Our block kit is by Rosalie Quinlan (bottom left corner) Go to here for ALL the info.
I have been actually sewing in my 'new' (I left and now come back) sewing room. Its lovely, my 'stuff' around me, with the radio/cd's on or the TV. I even found a board for my design board (I used to use the pool table board/cover but its really too heavy.) It does make a difference when you can see the project you're working on, easily. I leave things there and bit by bit, it grows. Photo isn't fantastic..ever tried to take a picture of a room? Well its a space for me at least. Now I just need the time to use it..

This little quilt has been finished. 'Sweet Dreams' is a Nine patch block with yo-yos in the spacer blocks.. using a honey bun roll. My photos aren't great in colour. I used the 'Sweet' range by Moda. It is young, fresh and retro.

Bookings are now coming in for our 'Christmas in the Hills' gathering with Rosalie Quinlan and Leanne Beasley in July. Don't leave it too long to decide. You will be in for a treat - this will be Special. Here is Leanne's sneak peek of one of her projects. We are so looking forward to this weekend. Both girls will have 2 projects for you with a Xmas theme. Starter kits included in cost.

Back on the home front, my DH is off to China on Monday for cherry business with apple harvest over and on Wednesday we have a visitor from France, staying for 5 weeks. She will be working for us (even with DH away...)...Good timing on his behalf! Our workmen apparently will be in charge. Thats a worry too!! Still lots of work to do, even with the harvest finished for the year. These cold, mild days are excellent for outdoor jobs which need to be done before rains (hopefully) in July. By the way, the only way you 'consumers' get good cherries is due to cold days. So we really need the winter chill.

On that note, I better get back to some more sewing using a 'Gypsy Rose' layer cake. This is so much fun! Photos of that next time.

cheers Jane *

PS Nice to see Kris and her family this afternoon, enjoying the beautiful day as well as their gelatos from bakery next door. Always good to see them.

News of 'Christmas in the Hills' gathering

Sooo 'Sweet' has arrived! I have been waiting for this fabric. I just love it! And I am making yo-yos from it for a quilt and need more fabrics. Although that project has been put on hold for the moment. Other pressing items on the agenda! see below (Pic: Quilt hanging is a kit with Jelly Rolls and Sweet rolls in 'Sweet' too.) ---sorry not sure why the underline, it seems to have disappeared off the toolbar? 1. 'Christmas in the Hills' is organised for 25 and 26 July with Rosalie Quinlan and Leanne Beasley. More info will be on my website. This will be a wonderful weekend, with 2 very talented young women who make and design the 'best stuff'!!

2. Have been madly sewing lately for a deadline in May. A quilt in the making for Quiltaid- an initiative of Helen Stubbings and Sue Daley, to World Vision for the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. More details soon in Homespun magazine June addition.

Had a few arrivals lately.

More cute stuff in the way of a 'Sweet Box'. 2 'honey bun' rolls of 10 strips x 1 1/2" wide. Includes a pattern to make a bag from one roll. These are a limited edition.

And some more gorgeous fabrics, 'City Blooms'. I know alot of you loved 'City Girl' well this is Kitty Yoshida's next range. Just a couple to show you the colours. Blue, chocolate, mauvey pink and green.

And @ home- DD3 (darling daughter #3) -someone asked me the other day, they presumed DD was darling daughter. Well, this one surely is (they all are really). She has just finished painting our whole house! What a fantastic job and well done too. The house feels so fresh and clean, which it is, seeing every cupboard (nearly) has been emptied and repacked AND with less going back in!

Even the kitchen cupboards have been painted, these were baltic pine!

Painting or any type of renovating brings with it the need to purchase and upgrade new fittings etc. don't you think? New bedside lamps are required, book shelf, duel flush toilets too, kitchen taps and probably a white or chrome microwave instead of an old 20yr. old brown version - how can the paintwork look so good with daggy accessories!!! I know they all still work and nothing is really wrong with them but the colour/style?!! But some things are necessary!! So we may need to visit here or here! Carpet is another thing but just because it's faded, doesn't mean it needs replacing or so DH says.... yeh ok..

I'll do a tour over the (my) long weekend. (TPA is closed on Saturday due to Anzac Day) and take some pics of the new joint! This will be in between my mad sewing!

Enjoy the rain, if you are local, it is sooo nice and welcome. Finally.

Cheers Jane

The house is in turmoil!

Here are some pictures of my birthday 'party'. My brother and family came with us to the pub for dinner and the girls made chocolate fondue for dessert @ home, instead of cake. (they've been wanting fondue for ages).

So instead of a hideous chocolate mud cake, I blew out my candles on the fruit for the fondue. Different but fun! The others hadn't ever had chocolate fondue before, so they enjoyed it too.

Here are just some of the gorgeous flowers I received from DH before disaster struck our house.

.... the house is being painted by our very Darling DD3,who is doing a fantastic job. My sewing room has been done, the lounge, 2 girls rooms, their bathroom and toilet. Our bedroom is next, then the ensuite, laundry, the 'big' room/pool room and finally the kitchen. (which will be a big job, cupboards to do). You forget how difficult it is (even though Im not the one painting!) but the moving and unpacking and rearranging and repacking and throwing out 'stuff' and talk about 'stuff'. Where does it all come from and why? Really.. I must say its good to have a 'spring clean' (in Autumn) with curtains being washed and carpets shampooed too. Its certainly been a few years! Too many really.

So our house looks like a bomb hit it, today. Two girls are sleeping in the lounge and the office, while everything from our bedroom is in the lounge even flowing into the laundry!!! Where we sleep tomorrow night is anyone guess! I will try and get some new lovely pictures to show you the new colours. The girls rooms colours are lovely.

The shop is open this Easter Saturday by the way. Don't be put off with the Oakbank Races traffic.

We'll be busy over Easter otherwise. DH will be picking apples some days, with pipes to lay for DD1 and finance's house, lunch @ home on Sunday (not sure just where?) and oh! ...perhaps a bit of .....painting!

Happy Easter,

Jane

Its my Birthday!

Flowers, chocolates and bubbles!!

A girl needs chocolate!! thanks Vick

Roses from the rows (of the vineyard)


Okay, okay.... thought I would let you know after all. Its my birthday today. Its my big birthday actually... 50... no point hiding it anymore... I can hear you all now... wow you'd never think!!!!
yeh sure.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my special friends for their lovely wishes (and gifts)... even the postie gave me a cherry ripe! Man.. word gets around!

My dear friends from Tassie even sent a huge arrangement of flowers, choccies and Moet!!!!!
Can't wait to get home and get stuck into that! Thank you ever so much Darren and Susan and hope to see you in August if not before.
I shouldn't really single out people but they are a far away....and we don't see each other much.

My 3 girls came to the shop for lunch. They also organised a special dinner tonight and another on Sunday, with family. So that will all be lovely.

Moments like this though I do miss Mum and friend Annette, who aren't with me now, to share my big day. I remember what they did for my 40th. wow! All I can do is remember the good times we had and enjoy what wonderful family and friends I have now.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

New Studio - in the making!

Well this is going to be my studio again!!!! DD1 and fiance have left home, cleaned up their room and gone to live in their beautiful newly built home. I am so excited to have room again but I must say, I do miss them, already... DD3 is going to be our painter extradinaire due to the fact she isn't working at present, so my time is ticking until the painting is finished. Notice the gorgeous honan matting? We bought that 30 years ago when we first built the house! Can't complain about the durablity of $1 sq ft. product back then! Nanna's rug and matting has gone straight to the dump!

I will fill you in as painting is completed.

Some lovely fabrics arrived recently. Above is 'Urban Flannel'

and Amy Butler's 'Midwest Modern 2'

'I Believe in Santa' by Nancy Halvorsen, this is just the panel

and 'City Blooms'. 'City Girl' was very popular and this is the second series.

My website has just been updated and I have most of these on there.

Paypal is now available for your convenience.

Well Ive unpacked from the AQC (Australasian Quilt Convention) in Melbourne and just about back to normal. A broken cupboard in transit, for the trouble, though.
Was lovely to catch up with so many customers and fellow shop owners.

My DD3 has returned from the US (yes, already) She was very home sick, so fine we're happy for her to return. She's back and running, raring to go. DH and Shayne got stuck into clearing some dead gum trees on the weekend. So us girls were the ones to clean up and drag/cart branches and wood, to the respective burn pile or wood heap. So much for a holiday weekend.

Got the girls working.

Boys having a break.

Our view from the house now, of the dam.

Here we are, at the Australiasian Quilt Convention in the Royal Exhibition Building in sunny Melbourne. If you were thinking of visiting, why not do-yourself-a-favour (as Molly's says) and come on in and have a look around.

Plenty of quilt shops and quilts for your eyes to feast on.

Speaking of feasting, while here we had a sensational meal on Lyon Street, last night. Man the choice of food here is incredible. Here are our desserts! If we keep this up, I will not be able to fit behind the counter!

Hope to see you there!

A Day on the Green & Shrinking Sheet

On the weekend we went to see 'Simply Red', Kate Cebrano and Dragon at 'A Day on the Green' in the Barossa Valley. It was a terribly hot and windy day but the change was moving in by the time the concert started making it a wonderfully warm evening. We amazingly found a friend in the crowd (Yvonne) and enjoyed a fantastic night. I loved 'Simply Red' and felt I could stay
forever.
A big crowd. (thats just the bar!)
We slipped in front of Yvonne, John and friends. How rude!

Have had a go at the shrinking sheet which has arrived in store. I cross hatched 3 layers, using the shrinking sheet as the backing. Then took it to the steam iron and steamed. And voila! it puffed up! Its fun! For little purses/makeup bags, or just bags would be great. Sorry pictures are around the wrong way. After and then before...Believe it or not, the fabric is the same colour too.

This is the after shot. This is the shot before the 'puffing' happened.

Victorian Bushfires

My thoughts are with all my friends in Victoria suffering with the horrible bushfires, still burning at present. These are the worst bushfires Australia has ever seen, with perhaps hundreds of lives lost, hundreds of hectares of land and hundreds of houses and animals gone.

Our hearts are with you all.

We're having a Heat Wave!

We are having a HEAT WAVE!!! Okay enough is enough, thats all now, it can rain now.... Is anyone listening - that can help me??? I guess not, theres no point whingeing.... We had our hottest day for 70 years on Wednesday (45C) and since then we have had 44 and 43 blah blah blah until next week. When its hot its hot, I reckon- whether its 43 or 45 it makes no difference...As you can see our usually busy street is even quiet. And the temp. gauge @ home shows the top mercury which was the maximum @ our place. Not much more mercury to go on the gauge! And we are probably the coolest place is the state of South Australia! I honestly feel for the rest of you guys, in hotter regions.

My shop is fantastic with the air con. but we don't have air con. @ home. Even with a double brick house with lots of trees, its just too hot now. Is there an air conditioning firm which can put in air con. today? not likely....then I suppose we will lose power...

Sorry is that enough of a whinge? To make it so bizarre my DD3 is in the snow in New Jersey. She has on 2 pairs of tights, 2 pairs of socks, 2 singlets, 2 jumpers, coat, gloves and a hat. Man I feel worse thinking about it!

Anyhow that is what is happening in our part of the world.

New fabrics 'Andalucia'

Must show you my new order. Designer Patty Young's new range 'Andalucia'. Pretty excited about these fabrics and colours. Just had to share these with you, due in March.

Thanks to Patty's blog for photos.

Another newsletter bites the dust!

This is our latest table runner class in retro fabrics, 'Hello Betty'. Made from a charm pack. Also a class will be ready for later in the year, using a Sweet Roll. I've used 'Sweet' in retro colours too. We are having a retro splurge at the moment. I just love the 'Sweet' range. Class photo is of the Market Bag. Very popular bag class.

We had the Tour Down Under ride past us on Wednesday. This is the flash of colour! It was a lovely day weatherwise. Almost made me want to take off.... not on a bike though.

Have finally done the Newsletter/Class List. It was lovely yesterday, Vicki and Sara were here to fold and fold and I got them in the mail. Otherwise it takes me forever....Special thanks to Vicki, who gave up her day to help. You can view it on my website.

There are lots of exciting happenings this year. This year is TPA's 15th. birthday so we are having celebrations all year. The big event of the year, is Rosalie Quinlan and Leanne Beasley coming for our July Gathering, 'Country Christmas in July' on 25 + 26 July. More details still to finalise. Names can be put on a list for us to contact later.

Sorry this is all over the place. I can never get the photos to match the writing.

DD3 is very homesick and has decided to head on home. Its a bit of a shame but we all feel better now we know she is coming home, knowing how she was feeling. She has a lovely family but its just not for her.

Such a busy time

Well finally I feel like writing something. Had a couple weeks off this year. Lovely but no sewing done (as would have liked) but lots of other 'stuff' happening. Firstly DD3 left for the USA on Monday as an au-pair. Very emotional build up, never lone @ the airport... She had a bad trip including missing the connecting flight from LA to New York (we knew 2 1/2 hrs. was not going to be enough time- airlines think they know better..yeh) And she's really missing home and wants to come home.. sniff...We are doing lots of positive 'encouragements' but it just tears my heart out knowing she's sad. Today her email is a little more positive and she is eating again. We are sure once she is with her family, she will be okay. Dawn (her surrogate mum) has been sending her lovely emails, so I feel (a bit) happier.

Last Saturday, DD1 and finance` had their engagement party. At least it took our minds off DD3 leaving. The party was a success and enjoyed by all. It was held outside on a balmy evening, for 90 guests (33 metres of table runners!!-good job mum has a quilt shop heh?) and with hundreds of twinkle lights overhead and on the tables, it was a fairyland.

December was so busy, we had 2 birthday dinners, DD3's Farewell party, an Engagement party, a cherry industry dinner, oh and Xmas x 2(with 2 families), New Years and a partridge in a pear tree!!! phew..
No wonder I am not in the mood for much. I think I need another holiday!

I now have to organise this year's program. Its in the head but getting it organised and on paper is another thing. One of the worst jobs, I reckon for a quilt shop owner- this one anyway. Im sorry that doesn't seem too professional but its the darn truth. Hey my emotions at present are very raw!!

BTW thank you to all who visit this blog, it is fun and I love being involved in blogland. Wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2009.

Jane*

Xmas 2008

Make a Smilebox scrapbook