Merry Christmas 2021

 Hi everyone , Merry Christmas to you all 

Glenrose Cottage Retreat

 Well what a lovely peaceful place to go on retreat.  The  house is an old home renovated beautifully and  full of patchwork and quilted treasures. The shop is next door and it's a well stocked quilt shop with lots of beautiful things made to inspire you. The gardens are  show quality with lots to see.  If your not happy here I don't think you could be happy anywhere. The entrance welcomes you with a row of  barn quilts on the fence . I have not seen may of these in my travels here in Australia. We did have to provide our own food at this retreat but we were welcomed with a big bowl of fruit and tea coffee etc were provided.  We ordered the evening meal in and took some food for breakfast and lunch. I finished my Christmas attic window quilt I showed last post and also finished a quilt top for a friend who is a Vietnam veteran.  I will post a picture of the finished quilt when I hang it up next week.

The barn quilts 

Beautiful gardens 

The verandah and store entry

The entrance hall

My bedroom

Bathroom there were 3 

The girls 

Sheena's quilt same blocks different looks?

Jo was working on a table runner with a difference 

Preparing for our retreat at Glenrose Cottage Warwick

This weekend coming I am going on retreat to Warwick (about 200km away) to a place called Rose Cottage.  I have cut out this quilt, an attic window with a Christmas panel from Canning Town Patchwork  I have had a rough out with the fabric, at first I had white on the window sill but it was far too bright so I decided on this . You cant really see it but its a pale brown yellow colour. I also wanted to use what was in my stash and I did.  So we'll see if I can get it sewn and quilted this weekend.

It's absolutely pouring rain here right now and its supposed to rain all week so we may not even get there if this keeps up. I hope that is not the case. I feel bad for our farmers trying to get  their first decent harvest in years due to drought, now this. 

'm sorry about the photos,they are really not as true to colour as they should be, I will have to work on that. What ever you are doing take care and have fun...I really miss seeing all my southern friends. We can only pray this co-vid situation will be contained enough one day to let us travel again.

I'm also working on this folder from fabric I received in  a fat quarter challenge. 

the centre 

The cover 

Finally Finished My Favourite Things Quilt

After a few years in the UFO box I have finally finished the "My Favourite Things" quilt from Annie Downs'  "Some Kind of Wonderful"  book. It's amazing how once you get your patchwork mojo back you can get things done. I love this quilt and I don't know why it was on the back burner. The colour isn't as good as it could be sorry. I have used mainly fabrics deigned by Annie. 

The sashing strips are just a combination from my stash. Now just to get it quilted .

Love to travel

                                              Love to go in the caravan
 

            Had a pair of jeans like this when I was in high school

Quilt for a Friend and grandchildren fun

 My workmates and I made a quilt for a friends 40th . She was having an Arabian knights theme party so that's what we made.  We all contributed either by sewing , fabric or money for quilting . It was a nice project to do together. 

Couldn't help sharing the second two photos of me and the grandies having some silly time. Hmm may be  that's why I haven't done much sewing lately.

Serena's 40th quilt

Fun at his 5th Birthday- midnight snacks  

Our Sewing Retreat

 Last weekend we went to Stacey's at The Gap where our sewing group gets away every year. It's a great place we are well looked after by Leonie and Mal . It's on the top of a range we call "Cunningham's Gap" near Warwick. The fire was raging in the big hall  and  the cottage can be a bit chilly but we are only there to sleep.  It's a great place I love it.

I worked on my " some kind of wonderful quilt but not many pictures to show as I have to unpick a section. I whipped up a couple  of  Jelly Roll Races. Not sure I was good at it as I couldn't deal with the dinosaurs being upside down. I'll share those soon.

This was Di's, I really liked it. The simplicity and colours got to me. 

This was Penny's, she is a proud indigenous woman and sews a lot with those colours and prints

.

This was one of my blocks finished. 

My first jelly roll race.

I really liked this spotlight pattern for a toiletries bag by Narlean .

Now for some nature. This was in the garden , a bromiliad , I think. The flowers unopened looked like claws that open into sweet flowers.

A big carpet python decided to keep us company much to my friend Sheena's disgust or fear. He was harmless though. Very unusual for him to be out and about on such a cold day in winter. he was about 7 foot long.

This is the main hall where we sew and eat..

Scrub Stitch'n Baradine 2021

 Oh my gosh , so long since I've been here. I cant believe I haven't  blogged since January. I thought as you got older you got less busy , I seem to be busier than ever or just slower or something. Early April I went to Baradine quilt retreat with a lot of very lovely ladies. My room mate was Georgina who I have met a few times before so we got on very well and spent time reminiscing. 

I caught up with ladies I have met before and met some new people as well. Always good to add newbies to the quilting family. Donna was her amazing self,  organising us all down to the Nth degree but working so hard to put on a terrific weekend.. Thanks Chooky! What a great job you did.  Thank you Sandy from Shiralee stitches for the lovely EPP kits. and party favours.  It seems so long ago now and how I miss getting together with these ladies and my friend Chooky. 

The goodies in our retreat bag - how nice ( not the flowers)

My Lucky draw gift .. beautiful

My purchases from the retreat shop

Shiralee Stitches weekend project 

It's cuppa and chat time

Dress up for a little girls party - We always have one dress up and special dinner night.

The room 
 .

There were many absolutely beautiful quilts but these two belonging to Janis really took my eye