Sunday, March 17, 2013

Archie Williams,

Son of Graeme's nephew Jonathan.

Given to Jon when he came down for Papa's funeral June 2012


Jane and Angela Leech

Jane and Angela are daughters of my childhood friend Liz. I have known the girls forever!
Having run out of nieces and nephews to give quilts to (until they start having babies), I started on friend's kids! Most of my friends are quilters, and although Liz did a very early class with me in about 1983, she never finished it nor does she know where the unfinished item is!

Jane lives Tigers, I had a Tiger Quilt that needed a home!
Angela is an artist, Liz introduced me to Kaffe Fassett in his early days through his knitting patterns. I had a lovely bright Kaffe quilt needing a new home!

Hurrah, 2 more quilts gifted to loved ones, sometime during 2012.



Another quilt leaves the nest for a better home!

Cancer is one of the dreadful words we hate to hear, I lost a cousin last year and another has succumbed. It's breast cancer, which fortunately, if you have to get one of them then this is it!!!!
nyhow, all I can do is be on the other end of this phone, visit and give a symbol of my love in the hope that I will give comfort.
It's not fair, Fiona has 2 young sons, she has a battle ahead of her in 2013.

Not a good photo of the quilt, this is the top only, hanging over the balcony at Bayside, Camp Clayton.

Miss Maggie's quilt for her 3 rd Birthday 2012

Pis a quilt as you go Hexagon for Asherley's bed

Donated quilts the the Cancer Council

These quilts have been a long time coming. A few years ago our local quilt group made a lot of quilts for children with cancer. Most of the weren't suitable for teenagers so I decided that I would potter along and make some. The 5 black, white and bright colored quilts bred like rabbits and I think I still have enough blocks to make another 3. The Hamburger is the backing for one of the 2 Boy's I Spy Quilts,, lovely bit of fabric!
The 2 paler ones were samples that needed finishing when we closed The Quilt Patch.
The Kaleidoscope was an unwanted top made by a friend.

It felt good to give the 10 quilts to an organization that will hand them onto worthy recipients.
I lost a dear cousin to cancer last year and this year one cousin is beginning her journey with breast cancer and another has just had a nasty scare, there's to much of it around!

I can move on now I have had a mini clear up and start making more!





















Thursday, August 30, 2012

Catching up still

 
Kaffe and Friends Stars
Reverse

















Oh dear! Just when I think I have Blogger mastered it goes and changes!

This is a quilt I made just after we got home from visiting Granchildren in Palo Alto in April.
I always experience a huge let down when I arrive home, this one took me 2 months to get over. It was a combination of saying goodbye, jetlag, a favourite cousin with terminal cancer, a dear friend in UK for 4 months and final realisation that I didn't have The Quilt Patch as a daily place to visit after nearly 26 years. And it was winter!

I was down to go to Poatina for the Tasmanian Quilting Guild's annual retreat, so this quilt was an ideal "vegemite" quilt to make, something easy that could be done while talking for 3 days.
Certainly fitted the bill I can tell you, bright colours in lovely Kaffe and friends fabrics, friends and sewing soon helped me clambour out of the doldrums I found myself in.

I'm not sure where this quilt will end up, maybe opn a bed at the house at Bridport, with 6 bedrooms, I have rooms to fill! Mind you, I am working on SCQuilter Sig. Square quilts for some of the rooms. Friends covering friends, lovely!

My blues have passed, bookings have been made for a December visit to USA to check on the grandchildren and their parents, lots of quilts have been finished and new ones started (I certainly have plenty of fabric to keep me going forever!) and I am doing as much as I can for my cousin which makes me feel a lot better.

NB This quilt was given to Heather Woods in early March 2013

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

I'm on a roll! I have just remembered one more quilt given away this year, to my wonderful neighbours at Bridport, John and Doreen.
John has mowed the lawns for us for a few years now. It's lovely to drive into the yard and have a house that looks like it's loved, thanks John.

I began making this quilt as a Bridport project, one I did when I was there. Doreen is also a quilter and knitter and crocheter etc was always interested in what I was making. She seemed to love this quilt as it grew so I then thought that I might give it to them once it was completed. From then on it was always to me "Doreen and John's Quilt" . It finally became completed about a year later and I entered it into the quilting exhibition that is held every year in June at Scottsdale. I took it over next door for "Show & Tell" as I was a bit concerned that it might be a wee bit too flowery for the man of the house. Imagine my surprise when I got an email call the next day asking if they could buy the quilt. How could I sell it to them when it was already theirs??? :-)
I am not good at selling quilts, the money is nice but putting a price on them? I know how long it takes and exactly how much it costs, you just don't get your money back for any craft. (I am a crafter, not an artist!)

I prevaricated, said I'd think about it but first it needed to go to the Scottsdale exhibition.

The day it arrived back to me at Bridport, I unpicked the calico that was covering the label and took it next door. Lots of tears from all, :-) and two very happy neighbours. I love quilting and giving them away to loved ones, what more can you ask for? I still have an obscene amount of fabric, it will never all be used in my lifetime and neither of my daughter in laws are interested in sewing. Mind you, I am showing a young cousin the ropes, there may be light at the end of the family tree tunnel yet!



Everything but the Kitchen Sink, a scrap quilt.
I was talking Blogs to someone today and she asked me if I Blogged! Oh dear, I had to admit I was a very casual one now but I enjoyed hers a lot!

If nothing else is achieved on this Blog I should at least catalogue quilts finished and given away.


  July 2012. This one was given to my cousin Brigit Thomson


and this is the back.



July 2012  Cousin, Rachelle Bardenhagen


                                         Granddaughter Maggie Williams, for her big bed.  April 2012


                                                            July 2012   Cousin, David Thomsom


 May 2012 for Archie Williams, great nephew (I feel old!) Johnathon (father of Archie) and me.
 July 2012  Jessie Thomson, cousin


I have lots of cousins! I think the 7 on the Spotswood side all have one now and I have no desire to make one for the 30 off first cousins on the Bardenhagen side! One cousin and her 4 kids are on the list and that's it.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Lone Stars in Kaffe's


Fran Wlliiams - Lone Stars in Kaffe, originally uploaded by FranW.

I found out yesterday that one person _was_ reading my blog, thank you Jenny!!!!

I've finished off a few quilts this year, this is the latest. I began it last year at Tas SCQuilter's Retreat at Camp Clayton.
One star made and the strata sewn and strips cut to complete the other stars.
Of course I came home from Retreat and it languished in its box for months (and months!) The pattern is from the book "Jelly Roll Quilts" by Pam & Nicky Lintott.
This is the second quilt I have made from this book and I have at least another 2 marked - great value!!!

I had breakfast with a very dear friend this morning for her 60th. birthday and gave her a quilt - another one made from Kaffe's earlier last year. I had it marked for her when I was making it as it was through her I first "met" with Kaffe when he designed knitting patterns.


I found this unpublished blog from way back, sorry!

I'm back, until I forget again!

It's been so long and if I don't do something soon I may as well close the blog, except I like going back to see what I've been up to.
I have a few quilts that are leaving/left the house so I thought I'd record them for posterity.

This one was a raffle quilt for Launceston Patchworkers and Quilters "Girls Night In".
Members embroidered the panels, I made stars etc and assembled the quilt and Jane at Purrfectly Quilted quilted it for us.
Erica Davis was the delighted winner and we raised nearly $1500 on the night for Cancer Research.



The next one is a top I made many years ago when the first strip pieced designs came out using 60 degree rulers. It has to be about 18 years ago or earlier!
It languished in the UFO cupboard and finally completed. It will be given to my friend Lindy Lockhart who works at the LGH in Recovery. She wants a new thermometer and it costs about $500. I hope she raises enough money to buy it.



The next one I called "Blooms In The Valley" and donated to "Life Education Tasmania" to be auctioned at a Garden Party at Lalla this Saturday, 29 October 2012.
Graeme is on the board and it's a very good cause.
" Life Education is the largest non-government provider of health education to children and young people, Australia wide. Our Mission is to empower children and young people to make informed choices for a safe and healthy life. We work with and through schools."



That's enough for today. There is one more quilt to be given on Sunday to a nephew for his 18th birthday.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

RailsConf 2010


RailsConf 2010, originally uploaded by pabcas.

Nic in early July 2010.
I believe the beard has gone!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

A Willy Moment




From our home overlooking Launceston we have an amazing view of the rising sun and also when it sets against the mountain range to our east.
The sun was just hitting the top of the mountain and it looks like snow.
Yesterday, after a good dose of rain, Graeme grabbed my camera and took the perfect rainbow over Mount Barrow. Sadly he didn't step back far enough to get the whole thing in one picture !!! LOL

Not much sewing being done - there's a new bit of technology in the home and it's taking all of my attention. I don't do instruction books well!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

I have been waiting for many years to see this!

#2 son is actually vacuuming his car!!!!




I don't think the cleaner will recover!