Welcome to Maggie Lucia Williams

I have a granddaughter!

Maggie Lucia Williams, born 11.24PM, 20 May 2008

After 2 sons and one grandson I can finally buy "things pretty and pink", it's so exciting!

I will even make her a girlie quilt one day!

I'm a bit late posting this but I've been to Perth WA to our annual SCQuilter's retreat plus a few extra days tacked onto each end.

Magic or Disappearing Nine Patch

A very easy quilt to make, I am not sure who to give credit to as there are several people who lay claim to it. I am sure the first time I saw it was in a book called Magic Pillows, Hidden Quilts by Karen Hellarby printed in 2002. I can even picture the book - bright orange and blue. Not a lot in the content if you already knew how to make a quilt and add a pocket, which was one of the reasons I probably didn't buy it.
I _was_ going to join a 9 patch swap with SCQuilters but didn't get my blocks made in time to send off, and as I was really in love with the colours by the time I'd made 22 and cut out a lot more, I decided to keep them.
The Magic/disappearing Nine Patch block is easy. This is the 3rd one I've made and is an excellent mindless project for a retreat or just to think with while sewing. You also won't need to read any instructions if it gets left for a few months!
The brief for the swap was to make 12½" blocks, using strips of 4½" inches.
blue-yellow-blue, yellow-blue-yellow, blue-yellow-blue in the 3 strips.

BYB
YBY
BYB

Sew the blocks, cut them in half both ways and make them into blocks again, swapping all of the fabrics around in a random manner.

The pattern can be done in any size strips, I have done one in 8" squares and wouldn't go any bigger! The squares are too big.
I think this size of 4½" strips with a 12½" block is good.
I have also made an I Spy one using 6½" squares. By doing it using sqaues and not strips it's easy to get the direction of the fabric going the right way. (note to self - find quilt for photo - another note to self - finish quilting it!)

Mothers Day

A Mother's Day without children means that their father has to do the spoiling! Nothing new here of course, they have been living away from home for a long time.

I was rather spoilt though being taken to Stillwater for breakfast and then had a beautiful bunch of flowers delivered to me there from Nic, Nancy and Banjo. Thanks very much!

We drive past Stillwater at least twice a day as it's on our route to town and only 500 metres down the hill from home.

The rest of the day will be spent in relaxing pursuits - sewing, reading and leftovers for tea!

Autumn along the rivulet

I thought I'd better capture this before all of the leaves disappeared.

It's just one the great things about living in Tasmania - our seasons!

A lovely day today - weather wise and for productivity.

I've had lots of blue and yellow strips cut out for gaes to participate in a SCQuilters 9 Patch swap, I am too late to join in now, but today was the day to start. Lots of strips sewn together and I am now cutting them again.
It will all end up as a "Magic 9 Patch" - one day.

This is one I made last year using 8" squares of Oz-Dye Arts hand dyes plus Autumn fabrics. It grew really quickly. The fabrics in the quilt are not quite as bright as the photo, but doesn't it look like the colours I see from my front patio?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

New fabric arrived recently, isn't it gorgeous?
I know I could have made a smaller quilt with just the panel - leaf, caterpillar and butterfly, but the rest of the range was beckoning! :-)
The darker white triangles are really the same as the rest of the white, but they were done in the "flip'n fold" method, so there are 3 layers which makes it darker. Will be OK once the quilt is backed and quilted.
The top will be hung in the shop for a while before this gets done.

Here's a free pattern for this quilt. I made mine smaller using 6" cuts.

Goodbye Rob

My darling #2 son has left home in Tasmania and will soon be in Thailand and India for goodness knows how long!

It's not the first time he's travelled overseas and he's been back for 4 years. But he is the only child who lived within a few hours drive. The other, Nic lives within a few hours flying and then another hour's drive.

Rob , unlike Nic when he lived in India, will not live in a nice house with a maid and driver. I can't see us visiting this time! :-(

We'll see of course.

Safe travelling dear heart.

Below is a photo of Rob with my dad, who will be 87 in June.