SATURDAY 3.09PM

Hello my lovelies!

Do you like these quilts?  Aren't they just GORGEOUS!  I would love to say I made them, but I didn't.  I think I saw them on a blog somewhere - or perhaps it was Pinterest.  

It's been a busy week here in Kenneth Street.  Neighbours coming and going which is always lovely, plus outings to quilting and church.

Yesterday was the church outing.  Peggy asked me if I could help with the catering for a funeral for an elderly man who had been the minister at St David's a long, long time ago.  I can't remember his name, but he was 94 years old when he died so had lived a long life. So, work began at 8.00am when the army of helpers arrived to begin the preparations.  The army consisted for Peggy, Gay, Fay, Jan, moi and others who popped in with cakes and slices and offered help too.  We began by setting out the tables in the hall - two long trestles which we then covered with our sparkling white, Presbyterian ironed tablecloths.  Then, we placed side plates on each corner and off centre on the table.  Next, serviettes and flowers.  Then it was back into the kitchen.

Peggy had brought the supplies for the sandwiches - lots of soft, fresh bread, ham, cheese, eggs, lettuce, pickles...   I wish I had taken my camera to show you the hive of activity that took place.  Next, the two urns were filled, the one for tea and the other for coffee.  Mugs were put on the trolley which was wheeled to the hatch where we would serve the tea and coffee.  Little tables were put out with chairs around for the oldies to sit down with their sandwiches, cake, slice, biscuit and cuppa and lovely gingham tablecloths were place on these tables.  Peggy had also brought some flowers - white camellias from her garden.  She had made a gorgeous display and these were placed on a stand in the hall.  Fay disappeared into the garden with secateurs in her hand and came back with a few little red roses and some leafed stems.  She procured a lovely vase from the storeroom together with some florist foam and proceeded to make a lovely vase for the centre of the tables where the food was to be put.  We had everything organised by about 10.45am.  The service was underway in the church and the multitudes were to arrive at the hall around 11.30am when the service finished.  We surveyed the results of all our efforts and decided it was perhaps time to have a sit down and eat some of the sandwiches and cakes, tea and coffee before everyone arrived.

When everyone started trooping it, I think they were really surprised by how wonderful everything looked.  By the time it was all over there was still some cake left for Sunday's morning tea!  I was fair exhausted by the end and walked back down the hill around 2.30pm.

Today, we were going to go down to Auntie Emma's but things got a bit mixed up, so, instead, we took the dogs to Queens Park for a walk.  Papa met Ray, his guitar teacher and we chatted with him for quite a while.  He hasn't been at all well.  He is still recovering from a big operation on his throat.

When we arrived home, it was time for lunch and Papa made some toast with this gorgeous bread he bought this morning.  It's from a new shop called The Baker's Duck.

When Papa came back with the loaf he said that the queue was down the street when he got there!  We will take you there when you are next in Toowoomba :)  The place has a coffee shop too.

Tomorrow we're going out to Jenny and Don's for lunch.  Jenny has started a new business (with her daughter Katie) as a function organiser.  I think this includes weddings, birthdays etc.

Here's Jenny with her daughter Katie and here's the logo for their company - Forget Me Not Functions.

Well my dears I shall away, make myself a cuppa and sit down and do some sewing.  

Love Nanxxx

A NEW QUILT

Hello my lovelies!

Do you loik?  I'm not sure what to do with this material - perhaps a log cabin?  

But, isn't it just delicious?  All autumny with squirrels with little green jackets, acorns, nuts, berries and little autumnal poems.  What could be nicer to make into a quilt at this time of the year?

Love Nanxxx

SATURDAY AFTERNOON AT 4.43PM

Hello my lovelies!

Kerrie took this photograph the other day.  I am sitting on her front verandah.  Only the 'other' Kerrie and I were there for quilting so Kerrie decided we would sit on the front verandah.  I think I match the quilt I'm quilting!  Can you see the beautiful plane (I think) tree in its autumn colours in the background?

Toowoomba is looking very autumnal now.  The weather has been pretty much perfect this last week and is set to continue this week too.  I have moved the table on the back verandah a bit more towards the shutters so that I can get some of that lovely northern sunshine in the morning when I am eating my breakfast and doing a bit of reading.

Today has been a bit of a quiet day.  I did my usual chores then sat myself down at the table on the back deck and read the weekend papers.  After the papers were all read I proceeded to read the book I'm currently reading which is called THE BENEDICT OPTION which I am really enjoying.  Lots of underlining going on I can tell you!

In between all this Papa popped in and out to the church to help with some of the renovations that have been going on.  Someone has left the church a beautiful grand piano which has meant that in order to bring it into the church we have had had to alter things a tad.  Next week is the grand celebration of all the renovations completed and the piano's installation.

Girls from Fairholme College are coming too to provide choir music.

We have all been asked to bring a plate for the giant morning tea we are going to have afterwards in the hall.  I'll try and remember to take my camera.

Tomorrow we are having a baptism service when Ava and George are going to be baptized.  Ava was born at only 25 weeks - only half cooked - so it is a double thankfulness to God - one for her life and also her baptism.

I'll forward the church newsletter where you can see a photograph of her when she was born.

Did you go to church last week?  If you did, can you remember what the sermon was about?

Love Nanxxx

QUILTING AT KERRIE'S

Hello my lovelies!

Well quilting at Kerrie's began with morning tea and as it was a gorgeous day, we all sat outside.

Did I tell you I have new hearing aids? One in each ear!  At one point I had to say "Would everyone stop shouting!"  Can you believe it?  I can even hear when I have my head down sewing :)   

I managed to finish off all the little bits and pieces that needed to be completed on my Hebridean quilt and it is now up on the wall permanently.

In the evening, I pulled the blue log cabin over and gave some thought as to whether I would quilt it as usual with the small needle or try a different method - with a thick cotton and a longer needle. 

 This makes a longer stitch and after some sewing I think I will go ahead and use this stitch and cotton on the whole quilt.  I think it gives the log cabin a 'rustic' look.  I'm not sure if it's much quicker than sewing with the small needle and waxed quilting cotton as I can only do a couple of stitches at a time.

 Papa has headed up to the church to help continue with the renovation to the floor so that it will support our new grand piano.

There is a working bee up there as well at 3.00pm to prepare the church for the Good Friday service tomorrow.  When Papa and the other men have finished there is always a lot of dust to clean up!

I'm off to have some breakfast, give the place a bit of a tidy and settle down and do some more quilting.

Love Nanxx

IN THE GARDEN TODAY

Hello my lovelies!

I dragged this pot which is full of gorgeous smelling herbs around from Papa's 'pot garden' this morning.  I thought this little corner needed a wee pot.  Doesn't it look fab?

Here's a photograph of how our Pittisporums are going on the northern boundary.  We planted these after the builder finished next door and they are doing their job beautifully.  Almost up to the roof-line of the house next door.  I imagine too, the filtered light from the trees on the window must be lovely for those inside.

I'm just getting ready to head to Kerrie's for quilting.  The other Kerrie is picking me up as Papa is at his U3A class this morning (Shakespeare).  I'm taking the Hebridean quilt as I still have some finishing off to do.  I'll take the blue log cabin along with me as well just in case I finish off the Hebridean bits and pieces.

I imagine, as it is a beautiful autumn day, that we will be sitting out on the back deck while we quilt, chat and get some exercise going to the coffee machine now and again :)

Love Nanxx

PALM SUNDAY

Hello my lovelies!

Today is Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter Sunday and the Sunday we remember when Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts of "Hosanna!" from the crowds.  The crowds were so excited to see Jesus, they waved palm branches as he passed by on the donkey and they laid their clothes on the ground for him as he passed by.

Mark 11:1-11

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

We had a lovely service this morning up at the church and I noticed that the organist was wearing a tea shirt which had palms all over it.  I'm not sure she had planned to wear it because if was Palm Sunday or whether she didn't even think about it when she put it on.

After the service, we went into the hall and all shared a yummy lunch together.

Now we're home.  Papa is having a wee snooze in his chair out the back and I'm just about to start a bit of sewing.  I've prepared one of my log cabin quilts for tacking up at Robyn's tomorrow and I just want to check the batting again.  It isn't the normal batting I get and didn't actually fit the quilt top so I had to cut it in half and sew the halves together again in such a way that it made the batting wider.  The batting had to be joined by butting each edge against each other which was difficult to say the least and I just want to double-check it's not coming apart.  I think I'll go over it again with my zig-zag stitch to make sure it holds in place until the quilt is tacked.

Well I shall away and get started.  

Perhaps a cup of tea first!

Love Nanxx

I SAW THREE BOATS...

Hello my lovelies!

I've just about finished my Hebridean quilt.  Just have to quilt the two haystacks to the centre right of the quilt.

I'm so pleased with how it's turned out.

Love Nanxx

AND SHE'S AWAY!

Greer left after breakfast this morning.  She is now on the road, heading towards Bundaberg and home.  Her plan is to stop somewhere on the way for the night so that she can arrive home around lunch-time, fairly fresh with plenty of energy to empty the van and get herself settled again.

It's been a huge trip.  If I remember correctly, Greer said that since early December she has driven over 11,000kms!

We had a lovely couple of days together, chatting about 'old times' and when she came with us to church on Sunday, she felt as though she had travelled through the past and was sitting in our old church in Golden Grove again.

Andrew preached a fantastic sermon.  I'm sure there wasn't a sleepy eye in the place.  All backs were straight, hanging on to every word.  And the music too was wonderful.  The organist had prepared a Bach prelude and postlude.  I'm sure Opa would have loved it.

I'm off to Brisbane tomorrow to visit Auntie Emma and the family.  I think we are going to be doing a bit of sewing on her log cabin quilt.  She has bought some beautiful William Morris fabrics for it.  You can imagine us tomorrow taking it in turns sitting at the little lemon sewing machine, the cutting board and the iron.  Will take photographs for you to see how we are progressing.

Love Nanxxx

A SCRAPPY QUILT FROM THE BLUE BOX

Hello my darlings!

As you can see, I have emptied the blue scrap box on to the floor and am in the process of converting all of  the bits and pieces into a scrappy quilt.

Dear Robyn let me borrow one of her scrappy quilts - which is hanging, not very neatly, over Papa's chair to give me an idea of how I should begin this project.

I've made two blocks today and I think I need sixteen in total.   The blocks are all around fifteen inch square.  

You loik?

Love Nanxx

WAVES IN THE HEBRIDES

Hello my lovelies

Do you like the waves I'm quilting on the outside border of my Outer Hebridean quilt?  I'm very pleased with how they're turning out.  Not long now and the quilt should be finished.

I'm going to hang it in Papa's office.

Love Nanxx

SOME MORE BIRD BLOCKS...

I think I've made about twenty so far...

Love Nanxxx

AND DOWN THE HILL WE GO!

Hello my lovelies!

Thought of you both when I saw this block here.

Love Nanxxx

LOG CABIN NUMBER TWO - TOP FINISHED

Hello my lovelies!

Well, as you can see I have finished Log Cabin Number Two.  What do you think I should call it?  I used red centres, creams for the 'light' and scraps for the 'dark'.  I noticed when I was laying out the blocks, that quite a few of the 'lights' were a bit darker than the rest.  With the help of Papa, we put the darker 'lights' in the centre.  You may not see them clearly but they are there.

I made the first border from cream scraps and the second border from the darker scraps.  I'm really pleased with it.  I'll tack it for quilting in the New Year.

Love Nanxx

CHRISTMAS BREAK-UP AT ROBYNS

Hello my lovelies!

Here are some photographs from Friday.  

Isn't Robyn's tree just gorgeous!  I just remembered when I typed 'gorgeous' that Fergus imitates me by exclaiming in a loud voice and holding his hands to his head, "I don't believe it!  It's just gorgeous!"

This photograph is a bit blurry but you get the idea!

Bonnie's quilt which she has been working on for quite a long time.  All that applique has been done by hand.  

And the table set for our lovely lunch.

Love Nanxx

LOG CABIN NUMBER TWO!

Hello my lovelies!

Here are the blocks all laid out on the bed.  I've sewn them all together since taking this photograph and am now thinking about what colours to do for the borders.  Any suggestions?

Love Nanxxx

BIRD BLOCKS

Hello my lovelies!

I think these are blocks five and six.

Love Nanxxx

QUILTING THE FURROWS AND FIELDS

Hello my lovelies!

Friday was my quilting day with Robyn. As you can see, I took along my Hebridean quilt and asked her to draw me some quilting lines.  Aren't they just gorgeous?  Shall put up a post when I've stitched them.

Nanxx

TA DA!

Hello my lovelies

It's finished and hanging in Papa's office.

Love Nanxxx

PROVENCE STAR QUILT

Hello my lovelies!

Here is some of the quilting on the Provence Star quilt.  I'm just about there.  We're going to hang it in Papa's office when it's finished.

Love Nanxx