I’m not sure that saying applies to the Southern hemisphere, does it? Or maybe it does? I don’t know enough about the world to say.
The lack of rain has led to some gorgeous, crisp autumny days, and there are indeed many May (or June now) flowers around.
Because it’s so cold in the morning, the roses are very slow to open, and when they do, they just stay and stay. These ones are over a week old, with no signs of dying yet.
Gotta love roses, yes?
I seem to begin these posts with ‘I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long’, so let’s just assume as much and get on with it.
Life is well and truly kicking my butt in the time department and I do not know how other women do it all. Bugger these houses that want cleaning and children that want feeding…Makes mum a very busy girl. But it’s all good busy and I know one day I’ll be wandering round an empty house with no little people to drive here and there, and that will make me sad. So it’s good busy!
For those of you who know where I live (country SA – fruit-growing/grain-growing region), you would be aware that we have had no rain AT ALL for about four months. Things are quickly becoming dire, the farmers have dry seeded (planted their seeds before the rain with their fingers crossed) and are patiently waiting for something – anything! to fall from the sky.
But it’s eternal sunshine here.
May is the best month around my area (which is why I got married in May) with shows like these all around:
(photo above and below not mine – credit here: https://gswatty.smugmug.com)
My camera doesn’t do the leaves justice – it’s all so orange and red and yellow and I see quilt after quilt in my head.
I just need the time!
I hope you’re all doing well, keeping warm if you need to, cool if you don’t!. And I’ll see you soon!
I love the internet.
It’s brilliant for instant information, for making friends, for inspiration.
BUT:
Once you put something out there, it’s gone forever from your own personal grasp. You have no control over it.
It’s been like that with THAT quilt.
from my post here:
http://sillygoosequilts.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/an-update-on-that-quilt.html
I put it on my blog, I also put it on pinterest. It wouldn’t have mattered if it wasn’t me that put it on pinterest, someone else would have eventually.
So now there are lots of people sharing this quilt online through various ways. And without fail, every single day, I get at least half a dozen emails about it.
So here’s a final (probably blunt and probably rude) update on that quilt:
I wish there was a way to go back and write on every single photo out there that respectfully, IT’S NOT MY PATTERN. But by now it’s been shared thousands of times.
I’ve directed hundreds (I’m sure it’s hundreds) of people to their website.
I reckon half an hour a day of my time is spent returning emails about this blessed pattern. I don’t have that half an hour to spare. That half an hour is precious to me. I could be sewing!
Anyway. Blunt, rude update. We keep telling our kids that once a picture is out there, it no longer belongs to you. Funny that it took a quilt photo to teach me that same lesson!
I love my readers, I love that you come here by choice to spend some time with me and see what I’ve been up to. Writing posts like these isn’t something I like to do.
Have a lovely Easter. I’m hoping to be able to sew a little over the break, so maybe I’ll have something to show you.
Suzie
I know, I’m joking.
I have been systematically working through the pile of UFO’s and one by one I am crossing them off my list.
Years ago, I made one solitary little angel for my tree:
She turned out very well and in true Suzie fashion I decided I would make a dozen of them and give them out as gifts.
I put all the stuff together (and there was lots of little bits in this angel – reminded me of old shop days making kits for people). And promptly put it all away. Taking up room in my UFO cupboard.
So I took them OUT of that UFO cupboard, and over the last day or two I have finished them! Took me only a few hours work here and there, and lots of glue sticks.
I now have thirteen little angels, all set for either Christmas gifts or perhaps to decorate our lovely tree (which for the past few years has been a real one). But the bag of bits and pieces has all been put back into the right spot and I have crossed another job off from the list!
I also spent AGES sorting through bags of fabric in the spare room – I have a very well organised sewing room, all my fabrics are sorted into colours but as I use fabrics, I tend to chuck them in a bag and put that bag somewhere other than my sewing room. I spent AGES undoing all those leftover fabrics and resorting them back into their colour boxes. And once again I am reminded that I will never, ever use all my stuff.
But that’s a problem for another day. Hope you are all fit and well, and keeping cool if you need to, and warm if that’s your thing too!
Suzie
Hi all!
My computer is working okay today so I’ve given it a reprieve (I know I’ll regret it!).
Quick post today, busy busy but please share some photos that I have taken:
This is one of those ‘looks great in a photo, not so great in real life’ quilts. It’s from Bonnie Hunter’s Quiltville website and her version looked amazing but mine is not so special. The white in real life gets totally lost, my black prints are way too busy. But you live and learn. Busy black prints are not good for much at all.
In other news, I have a new nephew and it was a perfect opportunity to crack open a new ball of yarn (I brought new stuff because you can’t possibly use the stash for new babies!) and I’ve already made the back! And it’s not too mistake ridden either!
Despite all our 46 degree days, our roses are really pretty still. There’s not many left now but I did manage to pick these beauties. I do love our roses.
You know what I think is funny? We can be so precious in a quilt show, handing out white gloves or frowning disapprovingly when people touch our quilts (I don’t care, to be honest – most people are decent and clean and my quilts are FAR from works of precious art!) and this is the pile in the corner of my sewing room. It’s still there a week later.
It is just fabric, after all!
Hope you have a great day!
So I finally have a good week where I’m home most of the time and I can sew and update my blog and do all the fun things, and my computer is playing up.
!!
It’s working but it’s certainly telling me that it’s time to get another laptop. We only have one currently and as Eldest Girl is now in highschool, if we lost this one (and I know it’s on it’s way out) we’d BOTH be stuck!
I have been sewing:
It’s not real big – I don’t have enough of these lovely little florals to do much more, but I think I’m going to hand quilt it and it’ll be a nice table centre for one of my Singer machines.
I also finished this:
Which is displayed so lovely over the ironing board, but I need to get it pressed properly before I can hang it up to take a better photo. It’s going to be quilted straight away and used for our bedroom – not anytime soon as temps are still way over 35 right now (and I’m finding myself in ‘that’ time of life where heating and warmth is not needed!).
And I’ve pulled out a UFO from the cupboard. So it’s been a productive week!
Hi lovely readers.
In the week (and a bit) that it’s been since I last updated you, the temperature has been STUPID and HOT and everyone is very much at the end of their tether. Summer in South Australia really isn’t the best time, let me tell you.
But it’s back to a lovely 30 degrees again, and nights have been cooler so at least we can all get some sleep.
I’ve been working hard when I can on this:
Which has quickly turned into this:
And I must admit, I’m really rather liking it. It’s turned into an unusually light quilt for reproductions. I’ve already decided that it’ll replace the 20 year old quilt on my bed when it cools down.
In other news – not much to report. Highschool has started with a bang for our eldest, and she seems remarkably well adjusted to it considering how much a wreck her mother was. The youngest has slipped back into routines very well, and now wakes herself up with her own alarm and showers herself and dresses herself, all before I even crawl out of bed. So we are at the very least organised in the mornings!
I’m fairly exhausted though, which I know will pass when I have a little time to myself, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve neglected myself a little during the school holidays and now it’s time for all the checkups (you know, all the fun girly medical ones) and then maybe I can put my feet up a bit.
Hope all is well, and I will post again soon!
So it’s not 45 degrees anymore, it’s a lovely 25 degrees and we are all enjoying it. Let’s hope it hangs around for awhile (though it’s summer and I guess it’s meant to be hot).
Both girls are back at school now, and we are trying hard to get into our new routine. My first baby started high-school this week which means an earlier start all round. She’s very disciplined, she gets up early and is ready to go on time but I really struggle with the whole early morning thing. Already my week seems to be booking up, but as I keep reminding myself, the day will come when they don’t need me to fetch and carry, and I suspect I shall miss that, so I fetch and carry for now, and mostly do it without complaint.
I’ve had some time to sew, mostly hand quilting which seems to be exceptionally slow-going at the moment with very little to show. I have been sewing my star quilt:
I’ve decided I need to add more to the outer edge so that I don’t have the points of a star on the edge of the border – which means I will need to cut more squares.
I’ve also been doing some handpiecing after dinner:
I was in a Millenium swap years ago (duh, Suzie – 18 years ago) and I’ve got lots of these concord prints left over, and this is the way I chose to put them together. I am enjoying it, it’s mindless sewing which is sometimes all I need after a busy day. I’ve enough to make a small lap quilt, hopefully.
Hope you are all well, and enjoying some quilting time!
