Back Tracking.....

....to February, when I had the opportunity to go to Canberra. DH was down there working so I was able to join him for a few days.
I went to the War Memorial. On temporary display is 'Remember Me - the Lost Diggers of Vignacourt'. Thanks to the generosity of Kerry Stokes AC, hundreds of glass negatives from World War One have a new home. These negatives were found in a large truck in a small French village. They had lain undisturbed for nearly 100 years. They have been carefully restored and some printed. The clarity is wonderful. You can't help wondering if the soldiers in them made it home. Find out more about it here
Our War Memorial building is very impressive, just a shame about its reason for existing.

Canberra, our National Capital is having its centennial birthday this year. Just for my overseas friends - Canberra is located where it is - in the middle of nowhere - because of a fight between Sydney and Melbourne at the time of Federation. Neither wanted the other to be  the National Capital. It was/is a very planned city. Walter Burley Griffin won the International Architectural competition to design it. It might be 100, but I don't think it was until the 1920s that the public servants started moving there to live. The reason I'm telling you this is to explain this photo.

Griffin designed the vista from the Parliament House to the Memorial to be uninterrupted. He wanted the Parliamentarians to be forever reminded of the consequences of their decisions. Appropriate then and now.

The other reason I went down was this.....Toulouse-Lautrec....at the National Gallery.

It was wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed meandering around the exhibition with the other hundred or so people there. We have started using the audio guides on offer.  We never used to bother with them, but have found them really informative.

The National Gallery is going to have 'Turner from the Tate' on from June to September. I wonder if I can get DH working down there then? I'd like to see that to.

 Afternoon tea at Koko Black, of course. Why, oh, why is there not one of these stores in Brisbane. Maybe that's a good thing...my waistline wouldn't survive!!!!!

Back soon with report on our day at Highfields last weekend.
Take care,
Kayly

First Bloggers Meet of 2013

Last Sunday, twelve of us were able to make it to Cafe on the Park, at Shorncliffe. Maree is behind the camera or I should say behind her pink iPad.

From the left - me, Helen, Marilyn, Sandi,  Noela, Lynda, Teresa, Susan, De, Deb, and Maria.

It was a great day, full of laughter, catching-up and show & tell.  It is wonderful to be able to sit with like-minded women and just share.
There was a turtle meet also.

Lovely quilts by De (hiding behind quilt), Marilyn (left) and Helen (right).

Some immortalisation in fabric.

Some of us even got to do a little stitching between the mouthfuls of food, sips of coffee and gabbing.
Thank you ladies. I thoroughly enjoyed your company.
Take care.
Kayly

Let's try that again...

I have downloaded the blogger app for my iPad. It recognises my photos but I don't know where it is going to put hem.

I have finished EPPing the 13 rings I need for Sue Daley's Square Dance. They are now ready to appliqué onto the background. I have to do the 4 border strips still, but secret squirrel sewing has to take priority. It's a red work swap and is going to test my ability to do stem stitch.

I had forgotten that my eldest nephew on my side was having a big birthday. I started patchworking after all his previous significant birthdays. He got an IOU I'm afraid. I have been researching quick but manly quilts. I have a kit I bought from the Quilter's Corner which would fit the bill, pattern wise, but not size wise though - he's around 6ft 4in. I have picked up a bright batik jelly roll that will help me make it bigger.
Hubby's still updating my lap top. I think I am a PC person. I prefer the buttons. I don't know how to hyperlink on this.
Let's see what it does with the photos.
February is here already. Let's hope this is not another year that flies by too quickly.
Take care,
Kayly.

Experiment Time

I am having a go at blogging from our iPad. It'll be interesting to see how easy or hard it, particularly with the photos.
Okay I don't seem to be able to get the photos I just took with the iPad  camera.
Any suggestion?
I'll wait to hear if one of you knows how to do it. Otherwise I'll post from my lap top when hubby is finished breaking, I mean, updating it.
Kayly

A Finish and A Current Project

I actually finished something. It's from the 2010 GDITC at Nundle - Anni Downs' Birdsong Jewellery Box. The embroidery was finished ages ago. Why do we procrastinate about finishing a project? It was not hard. If I was doing it again though, I would use medium pellon (ie something firmer) in the body section, not the lid or bottom.
This is what I meant when I was talking about going out of my comfort zone. I saw the original 'Square Dance' by Sue Daley at the 2012 GDITC. Sue also showed a brighter version done by her friend. I thought too hard, but it's not. It is very portable and quick using Sue's method. I'm just the slow factor in this quilt.

 The comfort zone bit comes when choosing the colours. I wear bright colours and use bright colours in the baby quilts I make. Quilts for me though are more shabby chic. I've collected in the past, ranges like Paris Flea Market and Seaside Rose. These are softly coloured. BTW, did you know that Paris Flea Market has been released again! Yummy. I wonder if I need to restock any holes in my collection. LOL. I DON'T think so. I have enough for several quilts. Still.....It's the the type of range you get out of the cupboard to play with, fondle and then put back.
So for this quilt I bought some Kaffe Fassett and Friends FQs and a finely spotted background. Perhaps a bit too finely spotted, but the bigger spots didn't look right. I wanted to keep it in line with Sue's version.

 This has not been sewn down but it will give you the idea.

Here are some of my other colour combos. The photos look a bit dull and not quite the right colour, probably the table colour.

  Putting the colour combinations together has not been easy for me. I am trying very hard not to be matchy-matchy, my usual style.
Also on my 'want to do soon' list are 2 quilts from the Material Obsession books.  I have the background fabric already for one of them. The rest will be stash. They are scrappy and out there quilts.
Coming up soon is 'Girls' Stitch In' at Highfields, put on by Quilter's Angel. I'm looking forward to three of us going up the hill for a girly day out.
Back to work tomorrow, so all craft on the backburner until I settle back into a routine again.

Take care everyone,
Kayly

Plans for 2013

Well I think it's time to get my head out of la-la land to make some definite plans for 2013.

I opted out of Chookyblue's SAL this year. Though, the projects planned are wonderful and very tempting.  I was cleaning up my sewing area and found way too many projects half done or bought for and not even started.  So I decided I really did not need to start a another whole set of different things. (I just re-read what I typed and found I had left out 'not' in the last sentence. Do you think that was my subconscious telling me I really did want to stay in it?  Message to self - Stay strong.)

In order to keep myself in check and on task, I have been able to join the  'Sew Its Finished' blog - a blog dedicated to helping you get all those UFOs finished. Nothing like having others encourage you to stay on task.

So with this in mind, I need to put a list together. Sadly it is by no means complete. I didn't want to scare myself too much!

 Layer, quilt, bind
*X-block baby quilt
*Paddington Bear baby quilt
*Circus Animals
*SKoW
*Sunshine table runner

Put together, etc
*Jungle Animal baby quilt
*Love in a Mist lap quilt
*Head Over Heels lap quilt
*Starburst table runner

GDITC projects
*Birdsong Jewell Box
*Sunglasses case
*Wool purse
*Clamshell table runner

Stitcher's Day Out projects
*Bits and Bobs Sewing purse
*Cuppa Time Mug Bag

Freeform Crotchet/Knit Handbag

Plus all the new projects I have planned.

Oh! Dear! And I haven't even looked in the last cupboard. Might leave that one closed a bit longer.

Other plans for 2013 include my mother's and her twin brother's 80th birthdays, a trip back to England, a reorganisation at work, and a redecoration of my son's old bedroom. He moved out last July into a share house with friends; luckily it's not too far away as he still needs Mum and Dad sometimes for transport and help. He has survived quite well, even doing washing, cleaning and cooking - things he certainly never did at home! I hope I haven't jinxed it, now I've said it out loud. I wish him (and his housemates) well.

I may be able to cross one thing off the list soon. I dug it out to work on while thinking of my list.

Take care everyone - particularly those in the fire danger zones and areas where the high temps are expected.

Kayly

PS- Sorry no pics this post.

When you have a ...

...lot of these,

 you make chutney.

Considering our odd weather, we have a good crop this year. So more mango smoothies, sharing with neighbours and anything else I think of using them for.
Ours is only an old 'common'. One of my walking partners is eyeing off the tree in my back neighbour's yard - it's a 'Bowen'.  For those of you who don't know their mangoes, a Bowen (or to give its correct name - 'Kennsington Pride') is the pick of the crop. She's a north Queensland born and bred girl and my old 'common' is just that, common.  ;-)

Take care,
Kayly