The things you miss when you have a cold ...

The Attack of the Cold Virus struck with a vengeance last Thursday.  Not your common variety, but one of those nasty superior ones.  I guess on the cusp of winter it's to be expected, but it caused me to miss visiting the BrisStyle Twilight Market on Friday evening.

Images courtesy of Bec Hollis

Doesn't it look enchanting? What a difference a month makes.

This is what it looked like last month when we had to contend with a couple of wild storm fronts and a royal wedding thrown in for good measure.  Despite all the odds thrown against us, we did attract the crowds, but the weather left a lot to be desired.

 

Fast forward to last Friday.  This time from all reports it was perfect, with large and appreciative crowds snapping up hand-made goodness.

Wonder Woman market organiser Helen Berthold at Red Revival's store

Not a drop of rain in sight

However, I am busily stocking up for the next BrisStyle market on 9 July at St Augustine's church grounds, Racecourse Road, Hamilton.

 

In the meantime I've had a very busy week, with 10 dress orders coming in, including this little number which a client is giving as a first birthday gift.  Time to get back to the machine.

Ginger

When I was a little girl my mother always made us a special treat for Christmas: chocolate dipped crystallised ginger.  I've been a ginger tragic ever since.

 




















So I was really chuffed when the wall hanging I made for Melanie's curated exhibition a few weeks back took out second prize in the Small Quilts section at the Brookfield Show over the weekend.

This delightful show has the unenviable reputation of bringing in the rain.  In fact, it has been known to break droughts.  This year was no exception, but like the parson's egg, the weather was good in parts and the crowds weren't deterred by a little bit of mud.

However, it's time to do the Dance of the Sun, as this Friday evening BrisStyle will be at King George Square for their now famous Twilight Market.

This exciting event will take place rain or shine.  Shine would be better.

Let's go shopping: love is in the air

Yesterday I attended a delightful afternoon tea for a friend who is getting married next weekend.  It's her second marriage and I don't think I have seen anyone so serenely happy in a long time.

The comment was made by someone that hen parties for young brides-to-be these days are evening events and involve a fair amount of night-clubbing.  However, we at our more mature age are quite content to sit around sipping tea or coffee and the wildest activity was the creation of bride's dresses out of rolls of toilet paper.

It was quite obvious that the guest of honour (centre) was kicking herself that she had already chosen her dress for the big day.

So let's go wedding shopping.  Here are a few treasures from some BrisStyle designers.

Marcello Neckwear

The groom will look the picture of elegance wearing this lovely Liberty tie.

Angelene

But all eyes will be on the beautiful bride wearing these stunning earrings.

Retro Bird

The centrepiece for the table sets the mood.

3GIRLSandagoat

The guests will love this place setting.

Wicked Child Designs

And we will all toast the Bride and Groom of the Century (so far), William and Kate.

Why not pop over to BrisStyle and feast your eyes on some other lovely shopping temptations?

Library Tale

At the risk of showing my age, the previous library I belonged to was in the last century.  It had a card index system and we all spoke in whispers.

Move to 2011.  A new Council Library has opened in our area and I have a snazzy piece of plastic to process my borrowed books, and we're allowed to talk out loud - in fact, it's encouraged.

I love Kaffe Fassett's designs, both quilts and fabrics, so I was delighted to find this wonderful book which I could take home and cherish, albeit for a short time.  When I discovered a quilt in the book which I knew I just had to make, I keenly flipped to the instructions page.  In French.  Not the whole book, just the quilt I wanted to work on.  Of course. 

When the book was due to be returned, I mentioned the printing fault to the librarian, in case some future borrower equally fell in love with the quilt and would be frustrated (unless they spoke fluent French, of course).  I had taken a copy of the templates and knew I could work my way around the language barrier, so I wasn't too distraught.  I have a vision of somewhere in France where the same thing is happening in reverse.

Imagine my surprise on arriving home to receive a phone call my my new best friend, Neil the Librarian.  He had gone to the trouble to contact the Brisbane City Library Head Office and a search of all their libraries revealed several other copies with the French section.  My buddy Neil had procured the full English edition and it would be waiting for me next time I was at the library.  My - let's hear it for dedicated, modern librarians.

I've just completed a reversible dress with apples on one side ...

... and a contrasting reverse side with different coloured buttons to add interest.  Now that it's finished I can plan my lovely new quilt, which I know will take me FOREVER to complete, but hopefully it will be well worth the effort.  Stay tuned for progress!

Mother's Day

Wishing all you mothers both new and old a most happy day with your loved ones.

My daughter-in-law and I had the esteemed company of our children/grandchildren to make our day perfect.

Do you think there will be ... CAKE?

Of course there was cake.  Mr Fudge used is never-fail recipe - hop into the local cake shop.

After lunch the girls did some art work ...

... while the boys caught up with The Doctor.

I do hope your day was as happy as ours.

Green

Several friends have left over the past couple of weeks on flights to Europe, England and other exciting places.  Instead of tucking into comfort food, I took a nostalgic trip through my photo collection of our trip back in 2009.  Can it be that long ago?  Frightening.

Here are some images seen through green eyes.

Hanover

Hanover

Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris 

Parisian fashion

Paris flowers

London

Ancestral gravestone, Alness, Scotland

Orkney thistle

Scottish wedding, Orkney

St Stephen's Green, Dublin

Georgian door, Dublin

Glassware, Venice

Venetian liquorice

Roman building badly in need of a haircut

Roman truck, badly in need of a haircut

Roman boy, badly in need of a haircut

Roman transport, child

Roman transport, canine

And finally, Roman Second Breakfast ..... sigh ....

Tuesdays

Some folk love Fridays, as it's the last working day of the week.  For me however, it has to be Tuesdays.

On two Tuesdays every month, we eight Loose Threads gather at one of our homes for a day of quilting or hand-sewing.  Of course, the main object is eating lots of cake, sharing our news, good or bad, and expressing our opinions on how the world would be a better place if we ran it.

Two Loose Threads are currently in the United Kingdom. so watch out - perhaps our world domination is already set in motion.