Preview

This ...

goes with this ...

and together they make this ...

It's turning out to be a very nautical season at Hot Fudge.  This is the first Mix 'n Match outfit which will be in my Etsy and MadeIt shops over the next few days.  I am working on some more co-ordinating tops, so stay tuned.

Tuesdays

What a time to be in Sydney.  I know it won't last, but it's a stunningly beautiful day today, clear blue skies, warm temperatures (mmm ... warm ...) and blossoms everywhere.  It's also my quilting day with St Ives Quilters which is always fun.

Today had an extra bonus - three parcels were waiting for me at the Post Office.  I can't show them all, because two of them were early Christmas gifts (I know - I can't believe that we are starting so early this year.  No doubt it will all end in tears and panic on Christmas Eve, but our intentions are good). 

 However, I can show you the third parcel.  I did the traditional Fabric Dance of Joy when I opened it, as it had one fabric re-order I had been waiting on and several new ones which I will use as samples for my new summer/Christmas range.  And there's another fabric bundle somewhere out in Australia Post Limbo waiting to land in my Post Box - hopefully tomorrow.

It's been a good week all round, starting off with Fathers' Day on Sunday when we joined our daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren for lunch at a delightful restaurant.

I think the children would have taken the cow home if there had been room in the car.

Most importantly, today is our granddaughter's sixth birthday, but as she is far away in Queensland, we will save up our hugs for our next visit.

Good things happen on Tuesdays.

The Darling Buds of September

It's coming, you can feel it in the air.  Spring arrived today fresh and clear, but the one element missing was warmth.  And I love warmth.

We had some good friends over for lunch on Thursday and one couple brought these delightful cornflowers, which with their stunning blue have to be my favourite Spring flowers.

  

With the promise of a new season waiting in the wings, August was a very busy month for me, with sales on both my Etsy and MadeIt stores.  Among the orders I had to make up were these heart garlands.  Spring weddings are obviously on the agenda.

I completed an order this morning and we headed to the Post Office to get it on its way.  What a delightful surprise to discover that these trees, which were bare a week ago, are now blossoming.

With a sky like this, it's hard not to smile.

The flower vendor in the mall had a glorious array of brilliant colour to tempt the passer-by.

But now it's back to the machine to make one of these ...

one of these ...

 and one of these.

Then I can start on my new season's range in time for the Christmas rush.  Did I say Christmas???

City of surprises and an exhibition

When the winds of August die away, we are left with days of perfection.  The air is crisp, the skies blue, and the vistas are spectacular.  Yesterday was such a day.  We travelled to the city by train, swishing past streets full of blossoming trees and over the Harbour Bridge.  I am constantly surprised at how, after all these years,  the Harbour view still takes my breath away, no matter what the weather is doing to it.

We were heading for the Art Gallery of New South Wales to see a particular exhibition - more on that later. After lunch, Tony (AKA Mr Fudge) took me on the scenic route to Wynyard Station for our trip home.  He steered me through some little back streets, promising an unusual surprise.

Bird cages - dozens of them suspended overhead, with the sweet recorded sounds of birds drifting down.  I cursed, for the sixteenth time within an hour, that I had left my camera at home.  However, I did have my mobile phone, so I clicked away, hoping that some would come out.

I don't know whose idea it was ...

but I am so happy they came up with it.

I love the element of surprise and the fact that it's off the tourist track.  It's simply there, waiting to delight those who come across it.

Stepping back a couple of hours, this is what brought us to the city on such a brilliant day.  The Art Gallery had just opened its latest exhibition, photographs of Old Paris by French photographer Eugène Atget (1857-1927).  It is an extraordinary exhibition and we spent an hour or so slowly taking in the beautiful images.  They are not glamorous, but rather a history of Paris as it was from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries.  If you have a love of Paris, history or photography, it's not to be missed.

This scene of children playing in the Luxembourg Gardens immediately reminded me of one of my favourite pictures which I took in the same spot three years ago.

I was taking shots of the passing parade when this little boy suddenly stopped in front of me, staring curiously.  He is such a typical little Parisian boy and I thank him for appearing before my lens.

Yesterday turned out to be a tale of two cities - two beautiful cities which I love.

Mail

What do I love about Tuesday?  It's the day I run off to play with my quilting friends.  

Add to the mix a perfect late winter's day with the sun gently warming the bones, and then to arrive home and find a parcel waiting for you; that makes it a perfect day.

I felt a little like Howard Carter discovering Tutankhamun's sarcophagus as one envelope opened to reveal another.  Peeling back the inner layer with a little more haste than perhaps Mr Carter would have preferred, the inner treasures were revealed.

Fabric.  Lovely fabric.

This little dress has proved to be a big seller, both on line and by word of mouth locally.  As a consequence I very quickly ran out of the sailing boat fabric, so I was desperate to replenish my stock.

 

While I was putting in my order, I noticed these two fabrics which I knew would make such a pretty dress.  Well, there was room in the envelope, so how could I resist?

To complete the theme, I opened my MadeIt shop this afternoon and discovered that I had sold this heart garland to a young bride-to-be.  It is to be used as a backdrop for her wedding photos in December.  

Ah Tuesdays.  Feeling in the pink.

August

It's the coldest month of the year in the Southern Hemisphere, but August is special in our family.  Three baby boys were born in this month.  In order of seniority they are my brother, my son-in-law, and my son.  Each in his own way has added so much to our lives.

Image: The Cook's Garden

The Spouse and I met up with my brother yesterday for a celebration lunch at a local restaurant.   We were blessed to have one of those crisp, clear, late winter days which added to the pleasure of the occasion.  It was through my brother that I met my husband when we were all teenagers, so there is a lot of history shared between us and we still delight in each other's company.

Our son's birthday was a few days ago, and it only seems like yesterday that he came into our lives - our only son after two girls.  And now he has his own beautiful boy, as well as three delightful daughters.

 
To complete our day, we helped our son-in-law celebrate his birthday last night.  As the father of our three remaining grandchildren he is, of course, perfect.  While he fired up the barbecue the rest of the clan eyed off the cake.

 The boys were so happy to help Dad celebrate his big day.

The weekend was special in so many ways.  The five-year-old grandson started it off brilliantly by leaving it to the last soccer game of the season to score his first goal.  And it was a real goal, not an accident.  Happy times and happy memories.

Colour

I don't know about you, but colour and fabric play a big part in my life.  So naturally I was thrilled when I received the latest fabric chart of Robert Kaufman's Kona Cotton Solids.  Who would have imagined that so many colours could be produced just for me to lust after?

There are 243 colours available and I want them all.

Look at these delectable shades.  So many foods included without the guilt of weight gain.

Cool palettes, warm palettes, so many shades to choose from. 

We had a fire alarm in our apartment building yesterday, ordering us to evacuate the premises immediately.  My first instinct was to throw all my fabrics and computer (in that order) over the balcony before leaping after them.  However, sanity prevailed and I followed Mr Fudge as he processed leisurely down the fire stairs, which was just as well, as it was a false alarm. 

When the all clear was given and the fire engine trundled home, I was able to finish off this dress which I had to desert so hastily.  It reminds me that a new season is just around the corner with the promise of Spring blossoms and new life.  And colour.