This weekend I decided to change the quilt on our bed, and took this log cabin quilt out of the cupboard. I was keeping it 'nice' for what I don't know. I made this quilt in 1999. I really love the colours, and it has cotton batting and I hand quilted it.

A few months ago and friend rang and suggested we go to a local quilt show, about an hour from home. After having lunch - isn't that part of it :-)) we arrived at the show.

Straight away I fell in love with their raffle quilt, and as I had been wanting to make this block myself, took a few photos, and of course a couple of tickets. Must support the quilters!!

Well blow me down, I won the raffle. I can honestly say I can remember everything I have ever won, because there aren't that many things!! I have put a photo up so you can see it.

http://www.susannasquilts.blogspot.com

A Slight Change of Direction

Oops! He's missing the bottom part of his leg, but it still is a WIP

Even though at heart I am a traditional quilter, I also love small wall hangings, embellished with lots of machine stitching. I have just spent the last two days in the company of Pam Holland, world renowned quilt artist, learning her method of collage, although I couldn't for the life of me, get my head around making a grasshopper with pink legs, so after day one, I was back home, going through my fabrics once again. I loved my background and border fabrics, but they needed a jewel coloured grasshopper. I disappointed my friend Carol, although she said she wasn't surprised, that I had to be more realistic, so my grasshopper looks more like a native insect of New Zealand - a Weta.

Drat- wouldn't you know it, I just went to take a photo of it, and the camera batteries are flat. Never mind will take the photo and post it tomorrow.

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A few more photos of my trip to the Outback of Australia. One of the gals on the trip filled a water bottle from the Tasman Sea in Sydney and emptied it in the Indian Ocean. There were 5 Kiwis ( New Zealanders) on the trip and we had our photo taken at the half way point across Australia. One of the kiwi gals celebrated her 87th birthday.

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Whoops! forgot to say thank you to Julie in Alabama for shaming me into getting on with my posting. It's lovely to know other people are enjoying the blogs. Also thanks to all who leave comments. They are neat to read!

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A couple of photos from the 800 odd that I took on this holiday- at one of the Show & Tells. Not sure whose quilts they were, but as you can see they are great. Nothing much of my own to share this time, so I'd better knuckle down and get on with some handquilting I am doing on a queen size quilt.

Home to the Land of Water

I arrived home on 20th August after being away for 5 weeks. I went on a Quilters Outback Tour of Australia, then I finished off with a stay in Queensland with my son, DIL and 4 grand children. They are all teenagers, and my oh my that washing machine never stops.

The trip was so good, and it was lovely meeting up with old friends. I went on the 2005 tour and most of the people on the 2008 tour were the same, give or take 2 or 3.

24 of us included the coach captain and the organisors. We visited a number of quilt shops ( doesn't the bank manager know it!) and also met up with quilters for pot luck meals. We made little gifts to take with us, and these were handed out at the get-togethers we had with the host groups. A lovely idea, and people often form new friendships from this.

One of the highlights of the tour was where the Southern Ocean and Indian Ocean meet. Very windy spot, and I ended up with quite a wind burnt face.

I took a few photos of some of the wildflowers in WA, although most of them weren't flowering as yet. Sorry not sure of their names, so best to write nothing.

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The hexagons in my header is an on going quilt; one that has been in my grab and go bag - you know, one of those things you take with you when you are in a hurry and haven't had time to sort anything else out. I also did quite a few of them when I sat with my Mother in the hospital in the week prior to when she passed on. I had an engineer make me a template out of steel. The template has a whole in the centre so I can draw a cutting line and sewing line onto my fabric. I then match up the lines and stitch to my heart's content. It is such a pieceful thing to do, and I really enjoy the end result. I have to say Pinwheels, Logcabins and Hexagons are my most fabourite blocks.

A little sewing bag I made last week, to take with me on my trip.

Not much to report today except that for the first time in two weeks we are having a lovely sunny day. We have had rain, rain and more rain, in fact more than we need in Auckland. Hard to understand as we are only about a 3 hour flight from Australia and our cousins in some parts over there are desperate for it.

I've been doing some hand quilting on a log cabin and pin wheel wall hanging. I thought I would include a photo of a quilt I made in 1997 using fat quarters given to me by my friends for my 50th birthday. I was amazed at how well the different fabrics went together, and I was determined not to use anything else. A great friendship memory quilt.

Hard at it sewing at the retreat

A mighty storm is brewing again, as I sit here. Had a wonderful electric storm last night, thunder and lightening, but it soon went out to sea. My only worry always are the horses and dogs, but they seem to take it all in their stride.

I went on another retreat last weekend to a fabulous place on the East Coast about 40 minutes from where I live. The photos above, I took from the deck outside one of the sewing rooms.

I managed to go for a 40 minute work on Saturday morn, to try and make up for all the lovely food we had. This place has a full time chef, so we are treated very well. Lots of lovely baking for morning and afternoon tea, and roast beef and all the veges for Saturday night dinner.

I'm still hand quilting my large raspberry and caramel coloured quilt, and making some little gifts to take with my on my Quilting 'Outback Tour' of Australia in July. This afternoon managed to make some little Origami Bags. Will post a photo later.

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Had a great time at the retreat in Huia, West Coast in Auckland, last weekend, but would you believe it, I forgot my camera!! Never mind a friend sent me a few she took.

Beautiful weather made the weekend perfect. Rain was predicted, but for a change didn't happen. Plenty of food and wine, lots of jokes - (some a bit blueish) and great company.

As you can see by the view, the camp overlooks a small part of the West Coast of Auckland. The water was like a mill pond, and some of us more active went for a bit of a fast walk up and down a few hills to the local ice cream shop to partake. The walk was meant to make up for all the food we were eating at the camp.

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I am off in a couple of weeks to a 3 day retreat - Yey!!

Lots of eating, talking and quilting. The place is near the water so walking might be the order of the day also. One of the requirements was a challenge to make a small quilt suitable for the baby unit of the local hospital. I had 7 of the star blocks for the front, and the nine patch blocks on the back already made, so I thought why not combine them into one quilt. Once again using up stuff in storage!! Such a good feeling.

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I am still on a mission to break the back on my quilt stash, but I know it'll never happen.I started this quilt in 1997 I think, but after piecing about 25 blocks I just put it away in a box.I got it out again the other day and yesterday pieced another 4 blocks. I started to analyse it and piece it Bonnies way, i.e. 16 half square triangles for each block - just keep making heaps of them, then piece lots of blocks at the same time, instead of 1 block at a time.
have just had morning tea and eaten some of the most fabulous birthday cake ever. A friend of ours made this for DH's birthday. She bought a horse from us recently and has been coming here every day to train her little fellow. It is a carrot cake with cream cheese icing. The green stuff is coconut to represent grass, and you can see the little white buttons which are mushrooms. The choccy bickies are the fence to the arena. Aren't some people clever.I can bake pretty well, but have never attempted to ice a cake like that.

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Hello every-one

At last I have finished my CC Mystery. To border or not to border - that is the question. I am leaning more towards not bordering. Please give me your thoughts. I caused myself some unnecessary work by sashing with the same plaid in the quilt. I had to fussy cut one way, but then it wouldn't work the other way, so had to fussy cut in a different direction. Fortunately I had enough fabric. I think when I bought the fabric I bought about 4 metres to make my DH and myself western shirts, but never got around to it.

I have just finished peeling mushrooms, and stewing feijoa's.. My husband came in this morning with a huge bucket full of mushrooms. I got the fruit 2 days ago and thought I had better do something with them before I went out for a quilty lunch. Guilt!

I have banned him from picking any more mushrooms for a day or two - preparing them takes up too much of my time. Mind you I can make soup and freeze it for DH to eat whilst I am away on my 3 week Quilting Trip in July.

My DDIL sent me this photo of my DGS and DGD this morning. I know I am biased but aren't they adorable.

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Whew Its me again - On a roll

Here is a photo of my partially assembled CC Mystery Quilt

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I made this as a birthday gift for a dear friend in Arizona. Sorry its a bit late Sharon.

Hi there

I am taking a break from rushing around cleaning, cobwebbing? is there such a word, dusting and shifting furniture today, before baking tomorrow in preparation for the extended Italian family lunch on Saturday to celebrate my MIL's 90th birthday. . Shes a great old girl who still travels every 2nd year to Italy to visit her sister, although each time she says it will be her last.

I have been making amongst other things a cot quilt for the neighbouring farmers new baby. I have shown a photo of the front all squares and the back which are pieces of my stash sewn together. I am on a project this year to sew almost everything I make from my stash, so I am not AT THIS STAGE making the OC Mystery, as I would have had to buy yardage for it. Instead I am going to make Bonnies Stepping Stones scrappy quilt.

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My son in Brisbane Australia was getting married in January this year, so I asked him if he would like a quilt as a wedding gift. He said he was sure his new wife to be would love it, so I found a box full of Jewel Block blocks, which I had started in 1998, and thought I may as well use them and that would get the quilt finished quicker. I was thinking Queen size i.e. about 85" square. I was sewing merrily away, when he rang one night to say, oh by the way Mum we are getting a new bed. A large king size slat bed. That meant the quilt had to finish about 105" square! Boo Hoo! After slogging away I managed to get it finished in time, although I did send it away to be quilted.

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I finished this wallhanging late 2007 in time for our Calico Christmas Show in Auckland. Handquilted with black embroidery thread and the big stitch technique. I used the Baptist Fan pattern.

I found it quite hard not to stitch in small stitches.

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Gosh today has been a busy one, with DS, DDIL and 2 DGC leaving at about 10am and another DS arriving with his old fridge to put in our garage for a beer fridge.

I have also managed to plant some Daffodil & Freesia bulbs ready for Spring. While I was at it, I repotted some Bromeliads. Cut the pups off and planted them in the garden. I am so over my roses, and have decided to have a no effort, sub-tropical garden instead. I have just realised why today seems so long - we went back from our daylight saving, so even though it's 4.15pm, same time yesterday it was 5.15pm.

Here's a photo of Logan 5 yrs old and his sister Jenna 3 sitting on a rock with Grandpa.

Haven't managed any sewing today, and it's time I went and made the basil pesto for the spaghetti.

Being married to an Italian, we eat pasta alot, and the good thing is I have managed to try lots of dishes that he wouldn't have had as a child and he really enjoys them, even though he is very much a traditionalist.

Hi all

I have had visitors who stayed the night, then took us out to Brunch. They have gone and I am in the process of washing the sheets, with a new lot on the bed, waiting for DS, DDIL and two darling grandies to arrive for the night. Showed my friend, who is not a quilter, but enjoys making things, how to make the quilt I have shown here. She wants to make one for a new grandchild due in October.

I made it as a comfort quilt for my Mum when she was ill, but I think the brightness of it was a little disconcerting for her delicate eyes. She much preferred the double wedding ring I made 10 years ago for her 70th birthday.

Hi there every-one
I thought it was about time I stopped fluffing around and got this blog organised. I am really new to this so please bare with me.
During a very stressful time in my life when my Mother was very ill, I found quite by accident Bonnies site Quiltville. It was between visits to my mother, and it was just the thing I needed to take me to that space, that only quilters would understand. My mother subsequently passed away in January this year, so my CC mystery quilt will always be a reminder to me of the last happy but sad days spent with my Mother.
I haven't quite finished the quilt, as I am sashing it, and wouldn't you know, I unwittingly picked the hardest fabric to sash with. I am really happy, that this entire quilt was made from my stash including the plaid I decided to use as sashing. I had about 3 metres of this cotton fabric, as I was going to make my husband a western shirt from it initially, but of course I have had to very carefully cut and sew it so that it doesn't look too much like a dogs breakfast! LOL!.
I will post a photo of it when I have finished it. - Or maybe when the top is finished. You might get sick of waiting until I have quilted it.
I am going to handquilt this quilt, as I think it would look much better, as I hand quilt better than I machine Quilt. Way better in fact. I need more practise with the Machine Quilting.VBG!

Well as I do this the lawns are growing, must away and get on my trusty ride-on mower - vistors coming makes one tidy up. Blow I wanted to quilt this afternoon.