I think I can ... I think I can ...

Well, I can see the station at the end of the line and I think I'll make it before I run out of steam. I have completed the machine quilting and have attached the binding, so now all that is left is to hand-sew the binding to the back of the quilt and do the label. This has to be the smallest quilt I have ever completed for Jems Quilt Sitters Exhibition in the twelve years I have participated, but at least it will be there, even if I'm not!

I can guarantee you will be amazed at the variety of quilts that have been created from the same three blocks and I challenge you to pick out the blocks in some of the quilts - they are simply stunning.

This is the place to be next weekend:

Of course, we cannot show these quilts prior to the exhibition, so you can't see the front (although I did show a tiny bit in my last post) ...

... but here's the back.

There will be a special treat on the Sunday, with Stitched Up Jazz Band playing between 1.00 and 4.00pm. That gives you plenty of time to take in the quilts, do some serious shopping at the sales room, buy yourself some freshly made sandwiches and/or scones, spread out the blanket on the grass and listen to some great live music. Bliss!

Oh, and I just remembered. There will be a fabulous lucky door prize and one of the quilters has created the most beautiful quilt which will be raffled. How good is that?

The sales room will be selling everything from quilts to the smallest of handcrafted objects. It's a very popular venue and the wise arrive early for the pick of the crop. I will have some of my Hot Fudge clothing on sale, as well as a quilt or two.

Now that the pressure is off, I can finally cut into some of this mouth-watering fabric which has been sulking away on my cutting table, waiting for my return.

With any luck I will be starting some new skirts and dresses tomorrow, in the vain hope that they will be ready in time to sell next weekend.

And then it's chill out (literally) in Sydney - can't wait.

Coming Up for Breath

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I do all this for fun. What I had planned to complete at leisure (ha!) suddenly became a mad scramble to finish before the hanging day - eight days away. What you see below is a small section of a quilt which was going to be queen sized, but in the event will end up a cot sized quilt.

Yesterday I took time out to spend a large chunk of the day with good friends at our monthly gathering of Jems Quilt Sitters. Most of the girls proudly displayed their completed quilts which were simply beautiful. Those of us who still had a fair way to go could only stand back and gasp at the work before us.

This is not your usual quilt show. Jems Quilt Sitters are given a block at our Christmas lunch each year and in the past we had the luxury of not having to complete a quilt using that block until the following November. However, this year there were some changes. Instead of designing a quilt using one block, we were given three to play with, all related but a little different from each other. It was also decided to bring the event forward to July - not such a big deal - plenty of time to plan, design, construct and have the quilt ready to hang in the time allotted.

So what happened?

This happened. An emergency trip to Sydney when our pregnant daughter was rushed to hospital. Her waters broke at under 32 weeks and she was kept immobile in hospital for around 10 days, when it was decided it was time to bring Daniel into the world on 1 June, looking so frail and tiny, but oh so beautiful.

Now, after over a month in hospital, he is home, being carefully watched over by his big sister and brother. And yes, he is man enough to get away with a pink bib, as was his brother before him.

So why am I even worrying about something as simple as completing a quilt? Miracles happen and all is well in the world. The quilt will be finished.

I won't be in Brisbane for the exhibition, as Mr Fudge and I will be flying back to Sydney over that weekend. My brother had so kindly bought tickets for us to accompany him to a performance of the Michael Nyman Band at the Sydney Opera House, figuring in advance that we would be in town for the expected birth of our grandchild. Should I mention mice and men? We are really looking forward to staying with my brother, attending the concert and, of course, to getting in more grandchild hugs.

But if you are in Brisbane over the weekend 25-26 July, you can't do better than visit the Jems Quilt Sitters' Exhibition. It will be held at the historic Brookfield Hall, Brookfield Showgrounds, located where else but on Brookfield Road, Brookfield!

The hours are between 10.00am and 4.00pm and apart from the stunning quilts, there will be delicious home-made refreshments and a sales room full of beautiful goodies made by the quilters. Some of my Hot Fudge clothing will be for sale. It's a good idea to get to the show early, as the sales room is usually rushed and things can get pretty ugly.

Oh, and I just remembered. One of the quilts shown yesterday was a fabulous African themed number using fabric from my fellow BrisStylette Georgia of Ogekko's stash. Nicky, the quiltmaker, had admired the fabric used in Georgia's clothing on her Etsy shop and I was able to put her in touch with Georgia, with happy results. If you have seen Georgia's wonderful children's clothing, you can imagine how stunning this quilt is. Here's a sample of her work:

However, Sunday at Brookfield has the extra bonus of Stitched Up Jazz.

Buy yourself some delicious refreshments, sit out in picnic fashion and be swept away by the sounds of jazz. All this and a quilt show to boot - how can you lose?

BrisStyle empties the streets ...

It's early Saturday morning. Where have all the people gone? Where are the crowds?

Here they are, at the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market. If you live in Brisbane, you were probably there, so you know what I mean.

The stall holders arrived at an unearthly hour of the morning to set up their shops.


Bec and Jade of Beckybean calmly went about the business of unloading and arranging their fabulous bags.



Sandrine (SM Boutique) and Sally (Flight Industries) found time for a quiet chat before the storm.

Lauren of Raspberry Pink had the most beautiful range of goodies.

Apart from us sellers inside the hall, there were just as many setting up in the grounds outside.

Lemon Ink's wonderful bags

Sophie of Strat Designs had this fresh, colourful collection of pendants, bracelets and earrings. Yummy!

Just as well I wandered outside before the crowds hit, because sadly, this is about all I saw as waited for my coffee. I foolishly decided that there would be plenty of time later in the day to take a leisurely stroll around the grounds, catching up with all the stall holders. Ha!

Meanwhile, the customers started drifting into the hall ... slowly at first ...

... until we were all inundated with eager buyers.

They were a well mannered bunch, as mobs go, and thankfully the minor scuffles didn't reach State of Origin proportions.

I discovered it was safer to stand back until the decision of what to buy was made. It was either that or get impaled on the clothes rack.

I was humbled by the lovely people who stopped by to say hello - some who had read of the market on my blog and others who had bought from my Etsy shop. I know some of the other stall holders had a similar experience and we all felt reassured that we are not whistling into the wind.

During the day I envisioned myself in a quiet corner, pigging out on one of the delectable designer cup cakes created by Tabitha's Place.




Imagine my shock, horror and dismay when someone broke the news that they were completely sold out! I have made a mental note that at our December market I will push all the little kiddies aside early in the proceedings and snaffle myself a cake.




Speaking of lovely people, this is committee member Bel of EmBelISH who, as you may observe, is very proud of her brand-new son, Xavier. He was such a cutie and was the youngest participant at the market. Bel was pushing a covered pram through the crowds towards the end of the day and, being a typical clucky grandmother, I gently pushed aside the cover to be confronted by what at first looked like an extremely "homely" looking baby, but it proved to be two huge bunches of flowers. They were being kept out of sight until the presentation at the end of the market, when they were presented to the two incredible work horses, Sophie (see her stall above) ...

... and the super Helen of Ruby 2 Go Go.

So if you missed out this time, take heart because we will be doing it all again in early December, just in time for Christmas.

The weekend was made complete on hearing that our tiny little grandson Daniel left hospital on Saturday and is being thoroughly ruined by his adoring big brother and sister. He had his first outing yesterday at the Sydney Good Food & Wine Show .

And now I will go back to stunned mullet mode while my brain is being recharged.

BrisStyle Indie Designers Market is coming!

Well, as I write it's only three sleeps until our BrisStyle Indie Designers Market hits Brisbane. Am I nervous? You bet. Am I fully prepared? Nope. Am I worried? Ha!

Some of us girls had our moment in the sun when we appeared on the TV show, The Great South East. If you'd like to take a look, here is the link. Strangely enough, talent agents have not beaten a path to my door, nor have the fickle fans. Still, I have my memories.

I spent a wonderful weekend at Toowoomba with friends from Schoolhouse Quilters. While they were creating beautiful quilts, I was frantically sewing skirts to sell at the market.

My poor Bernina will be so relieved to hear that I will not be sewing today, except for some finishing touches to a little girl's dress. Instead I will be in panic mode as I set prices, print out price tags, do some last-minute shopping for my shop display and generally run around like a chook without a head. Oh yes, and remember to breathe.

You wouldn't want to be anywhere else ...

If you will be within flying distance of Brisbane on Saturday 4 July, you would have to have rocks in your head not to be beating a path to the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market. To read all about it, hop over to the BrisStyle blog where you will see what all the excitement is about. I am a little behind with my sewing schedule and am getting a tad anxious, but breathing into a brown paper bag every hour or so seems to help. Quality, not quantity - that's my motto (or at least it is until I build up my stock again).

We returned to Brisbane on Sunday after a week back in Sydney helping out while our daughter recovered from the birth of Daniel. Thankfully our tiny little grandson is coming along very well and should be home from hospital in another two weeks.

Looking after two very lively children - a four year-old and a two year-old - is quite a challenge at our age. I take my hat off to all those devoted young parents who cope so magnificently with raising their brood. My only advice is that you forget all the difficult bits as time goes by!

Despite the miserable weather, we were delighted to be able to catch up with friends and also our Daughter the Artist, who is frantically painting away for an exhibition in a gallery at The Rocks in August. Obviously deadlines and anxiety run in the family.

Sharing the Love

Two lovely BrisStylettes, the talented artist Amanda of Twinkle Star Art and the incredible Helen of Ruby 2 Go Go, have honoured me with this award. Gosh girls, I am blushing.

Now this award is bestowed on blogs that are "exceedingly charming" and passed on to eight other humble blog recipients from then on.

These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.


7 things about me

1. I hold the record at my old school for being the youngest student enrolled, at the age of three and a half. Now this was way before pre-school, prep, or any such classes. The reason was that my brother, 18 months older than me, commenced school at the age of five and I was devastated to be left at home. So the head nun advised my mother, "Let her come along for a week and she'll soon get sick of school and will want to stay at home." I left twelve and a half years later.


2. I won a competition when I was 14 by naming the most items made from leather. I had picked up an entry form at the Royal Easter Show and over the next couple of weeks made up a list of around 400 items - yes, I know, I needed to get out a little more. But with a first prize of fifty pounds (shows you how long ago it was), I was determined to win and buy a horse.


3. I was horse crazy in my early to mid teens, as can be seen by what I had planned to do with that prize money mentioned above. The only problem was we lived in a beach area with a back yard not large enough to swing a cat, let alone a horse. My alarmed parents suggested that I use the money to take horse-riding lessons in lieu - such wise parents.


4. I spent nearly a year in Toronto, Canada sharing a house with four bachelors. OK, one of them was my brother, but what a fun year that was.


5. After I got over the horse-crazy period, the stage struck period set in and I joined a Little Theatre group in Sydney. This was before NIDA and many well-known actors trod the boards there before they made the big-time. I was not one of them.


6. My brother taught Russell Crowe at high school and, much to his horror, became something of a minor celebrity himself when Russ won his Oscar. They even sent out an American TV crew to interview him at school.


7. I am a grandmother of seven - my greatest achievement.

Now I know that I am supposed to pass this award on to eight charming bloggers, but most of them have already been tagged, so instead, please visit the blogs I have listed at this right-hand side of my blog - you won't be disappointed.

I have also received another award - One Lovely Blog Award - from the multi-talented Rebecca of Edward and Lilly, for which I am most humbled and grateful. Why are people so kind to me all of a sudden? I don't have an incurable disease or something that I don't know about, do I?

Excuse me while I chain myself once again to my sewing machine.

Shadow Shot Sunday # 56

I have to admit to SSS withdrawal symptoms, as it has been some weeks since I last submitted an image. Mind you, while we were away in Sydney I kept up to date with Tracy's Shadow Shot Sunday posts and greatly admired the most beautiful shots that were collated from the four corners of the globe.

There we were last Saturday having a cup of coffee while waiting to see a movie when I noticed these wonderful transparent orange chairs basking in the winter sun. And where was my camera? Sitting on the dresser at home. I nearly cried with frustration when Hisself reminded me that we had our new you-beaut whizz-bang mobile phones which boasted having a reasonably decent camera. Good thinking, Mr Fudge.

I know the image is not top quality, but it's better by far than our old phone cameras.

It's back to Sydney in the morning (Sunday our time) to once again help out with child minding and driving duties. What a chore, having grandchildren to hug. And of course, it will be wonderful to see how our latest little arrival is coping now that he is out of his humidicrib.

Memo to self: take the camera!

An early and dramatic entrance

I wonder what next week will bring?

Did I really end my last blog entry with that sentence? Serves me right. This is what it brought.

Our four year-old granddaughter in Sydney hit her head on a heavy timber coffee table last Friday week, resulting in a rushed trip to the casualty ward, where her scalp received a few staples.

Around midnight that night, her pregnant mother was rushed to hospital when her waters broke at a little under 32 weeks. The next day I was on a flight to Sydney to help our son-in-law care for their two children, a four year-old (she with the sore head) and her two year-old brother. Meanwhile, back at the hospital, our daughter was taken by ambulance to a larger hospital where she was to stay until she reached the full 32 weeks. Then it was back to the local hospital where her obstetrician and medical staff carefully monitored the situation in an effort to keep the baby in the womb as long as possible.

Trying to explain all this to two little pre-schoolers who just wanted the baby to arrive and for Mumma to come home was extremely difficult. Tony flew down on the Tuesday to relieve the flagging troops, thank goodness, and somehow we three managed to keep the household on a fairly even keel.

On Monday the baby showed signs of distress, so it was decided to deliver, as Justine had reached 33 weeks, considered these days to be fairly safe. And here is the cause of all the drama:




Daniel James was delivered by caesarian section on 1 June at 33 weeks. He weighed 1.805Kg (3lbs 15oz) and measured 41 cm, which is a little scary, particularly when we have had no experience of premature births in the family and our last grandchild entered the world a few months back at a hefty 11 lbs!

Now, I have a problem with weddings and births. I cry. So for the seventh time as a grandmother, I wiped away tears of joy and love.

Big sister Emily is absolutely over the moon, even if she had put in an order for a little sister.

Two year-old Chris is now the middle child, a position his mother and I know all too well. However, he's so happy to have a little mate and immediately introduced him to a model of "Daddy's car".

Mother and baby are doing well and Justine will be leaving hospital tomorrow, much to the children's (not to mention husband's!) delight. Little Daniel will remain in hospital for around a month until he reaches a reasonable fighting weight. He should be out of the humidicrib in the next day or so, which is another positive step forward.

Tony and I returned to Brisbane on Friday afternoon, swapping duties with our son-in-law's mother, who flew up from Melbourne to take over household duties for the next week or so. Then we will return to Sydney, as Justine will not be able to lift weights or drive for the next six weeks.

In the meantime, we were looking forward to hugging our four little Brisbane grandchildren today, but our son, a teacher, contacted us last night to advise that the school principal has "forbidden" teachers to come in contact with anyone who has travelled interstate over the last few days. Swine 'flu hysteria has now reached ridiculous heights. So we will have to keep those hugs on hold for another week.

To think that ten years ago I was lamenting the fact that I would never be a grandmother. And today we have seven beautiful, individual little darlings who bring us so much joy. What more could we ask for?