broderie

circles patchwork, party and my team

those of you have already purchased trish harper's 'camelot' pattern through this blog will be well on your way with the circles, so i am posting some close up pictures of the quilting and borders for you to see.

all these instructions are in the pattern, if you would like to purchase one, details are available on my sidebar. below is my version, please send some photos of your completed circles. it is fun to see how colour and choice of fabrics make the same design look so different.

now i did mention party and my team, well if you live in melbourne, australia or know about our afl football game, you will also know that there was a draw in the grand final yesterday between collingwood and my team st kilda ! well we all got together yesterday with traditional footy food

pies in the oven

hot dogs on the stove top, both served with tomato sauce ! and

cheese, apple, pear and fig paste and strawberry serviettes just to make it all look a bit healthier. we also had cake and lollies and tea and coffee, no beer which is also traditional. there has been two of us in the family that have had a bet going all year and that was that st kilda would not make the grand final, well i won that, but being of generous nature, i put it up for grabs again on the result of the game yesterday! at first my offer was rejected, but then after a lot of thought, my offer was accepted and rules twisted somewhat, but ok i would agree! i said i was generous, so now after the draw yesterday it will all be on again next saturday and the bet goes on, st kilda will triumph in the end !!! hopefully !!! help me and  wish me luck !!! so many occasions and dates of importance are all centred around the last saturday in september in my city of melbourne and beyond, now what will happen, there is another game on, the first saturday of october !!!

only two more weeks of my stay here in hobart, will be back soon with more of what's doing down here.

gardening on a hillside

hobart and environs is a city built between mt wellington and the river derwent and this garden is right down on the river, so gardening on the hillside has been made easier by a series of terraces, wood decks and steps all making for an interesting and lovely scape. there are lots of 'those things we have in common', in this case birds, real ones and others who live happily in this garden. come with me and take a look!

trees are bursting from their bud to small delightful blossoms

rental homes for birds !

and this bent wire heart, love the tones of the garden, lots of greens and blue and white predominate, it is an infant garden, keeps on developing !

there is a house in front, down the hill and then the beach and the waves roll in and listening to them at night is lovely, it must be in the genes, my mother was born here and lived across the road from the beach and always loved being near the sea !   

   

the road i travel

while staying in hobart, i enjoy the road i travel, it brings back lots of memories. though i have never lived here, full time that is, in the past few years i have been down her alot and always feel very much at home. the place and the people make me feel comfortable! today i travelled this well known road to battery point to meet a new friend for coffee and then up to the cottage and back 'home' ( my hobart home for the moment ). another beautiful day here, we did have some rain this morning, but the skies are blue and the sun has been beautiful.

this is what remains of the snow on mt wellington that fell last thursday.

loved this bare tree against the blue sky, there are many like it

i remember this little jetty at sandy bay beach from when i was really quite young, we used to go to the beach and my father's brother used to go down here flounder fishing. i can remember the sweet flavour of those fresh fish now. my uncle lived in derwent water avenue, just opposite this beach.

i remember this corner so well, lots of roast dinners and glasses of sherry were enjoyed in this street when the families got together in the good old days! now travelling along sandy bay road it reminds me of stories i have heard from long ago and i remember the houses and the water scenes, come with me !

i love these 'wedding cake' type houses, look at the pretty gates !

my mother always wanted an echium ( not sure if that is the correct spelling ) in our gardens because it reminded her of her childhood home, and in hobart there are many of these in different hues of blue growing along the road i travel !

  
  

 

lining up the liberty

i did bring lots of my projects from home with me anticipating i would get them all finished and it is more like being at home if you have some of your 'stuff' around you ! well i have been doing a bit of this

and a bit of that

and lining up the liberty's

from little piles to this

i am handpiecing these together and then will put the rows together, 17 elongated hexagons in one row and 16 in the alternate row. i think it will be a pretty finish and it will certainly make use of all the liberty bits i have been collecting for years.

then yesterday i, along with my cousins barb and paula who live down here, all started one of these, a desk top organiser ! paula almost finished hers, she works quickly, so here it is and no matter how you look at it, it looks just fine.

i am off now to join the girls to do some more crafting and chatting etc., show you what we come up with next !  
  

out the window

well out the window today it is raining and it is hard to see the horizon at times, there is a chill in the air and yes, there is snow on the mountain, mt.wellington, that overlooks the beauty of hobart city and the river. i saw the snow yesterday, a scattering, as i drove 'home' from one side of the river to the other. it was hairdo day yesterday, very lucky to have paula in the family for all sorts of reasons of course, but she also looks after all the 'hairdos'.

but i thought i would show you some of the other views from windows this week.

the miniature horses at paula and kevin's home were looking for a treat

view out one of the front windows at hobart cottage where the garden is gorgeous and there are lots of birds

and inside i have been doing

covering some buttons for hair ties

some tools of the 'trade', the half square triangle is nearly finished, i brought it down with me, a woman on a mission!

happy with the hairdo and this was an evening earlier in the week, the sun setting with the promise of another good day to follow, the sun is out now, 'out the window' !

what will tomorrow bring, there is a rainbow on the horizon as i finish this post

   

things in common

i guess why i feel so at home down here is the reason that there are lots of reminders of many things we have shared in common over many years as friends and working together.here are some pictures to share, those of you who know us both will understand, but others will just enjoy.

this little cross stitch picture gives a good message, we both like being at home, though neither of us are there at the moment

too much sun to get these in a good light, but they were samples in the shop we both worked in many years ago, all stitched by deb, many will remember these gorgeous gardens designed by liz turner diehl

you will see a theme over the next few posts, things of interest we share, things in common or a common thread. we also share 'words', as i also do with other friends, here are some to leave you with today

'this is a place i sometimes go to in my dreams.

it is full of light and joy, it makes me feel safe.'

i hope you all have 'a place' you go, whether it be in your dreams or a real place.

 
  

i sit and gaze and also sew

well alot of people go overseas to see beautiful scenery, but i am very happy here taking in the view and doing some sewing and discovering some new places. do you want to see too what i have been seeing? this is quite a long pictorial post.

i am used to having my big table at home, so i also have one here, but the view is slightly different, such gorgeous days we have had, the time spent here stitching has been so calming, but i feel also very snoozy sometimes ! i have started hand-piecing these squares together, very easy, but interesting. it is my version of 'persian garden quilt' by kaffe fassett from his latest book. so many talk of their design walls, i don't work that way, i just see it in my 'minds design wall' and go for it ! it works for me.

in this photo the squares near the little rose print show up as white, they are indeed aqua spot, and on it goes, all fabric i had in the cupboard, but of course the squares then go to 8 1/2 inch squares and so more fabric is needed, three rows of them and so will i have to buy some or not, hmmmmm!

yesterday we went to new norfolk, a little way out of hobart, to visit the drill hall emporium , i have been looking at their blog for sometime now and i was very happy to see this lovely shop for the first time. even though it is filled with gorgeous old bits of all kinds, it really shines and there is no dust there, everything just glows. so well done, i encourage anyone to visit the shop if you are coming to hobart, tasmania.

 my sort of steps, love those handrails ! and then inside

all the silver is polished, all the wooden items are waxed, as you can see everything just shines and the smell of beeswax is wonderful. the business is run by a family and the ones i met were so lovely, they were happy for me to take these photos to share with you

they had some beautiful old wood blocks, many different alphabet styles, hard to make a choice, but a choice i did make and purchased some.

and a closer view of those magnificent shears, loved those! i do love scissors!

and this beauty copes still in this time of such modern technology ! i really enjoyed my visit here, something for everybody. this town has many antique shops, we found also these parked near one of them.

this town was formally known for the treatment of the mentally ill in hospitals, but alot of the old buildings are now being refurbished hopefully to be used for other happier reasons.

out the windows here there is a different view wherever you look

all the new trees are getting ready to burst into leaf and blossom, an interesting time to be here as this garden matures.    
  

  

 

patchwork dog and lovely views

here in hobart this dear little member of the family is much loved and very spoilt, in the dim light receiving a much appreciated 'doggy massage'

and here in a favourite spot, obviously my cousins new quilt is approved by lucy, the quilt is still in the making. we girls were having a sewing moment on saturday afternoon and lucy was joining in

these daffodils were here to welcome me to my home away from home for the next six weeks

the house looks out over the river derwent and the changing moods are just lovely and so entertaining, today it is calm and blue and the sun is shining, far from the madding crowd ! i went out this morning and took some snaps of the garden.

we are having a sewing day tomorrow, so will be back with show and tell    

air traffic control

it is the beginning of spring and things are happening, the gardens in this part of the world are all bursting into blossom and new growth and it is gorgeous and we have some rain, much needed rain, water restrictions are not so severe, happy days.

the first three days of september have seen me and family and close friends all using airports and those big birds that fly us to where ever we desire to go. we have all crossed water, some of us more than others, melbourne to italy and france for some, hobart to melbourne and queensland for others, hobart to melbourne and france for more friends and all this brings me back to hobart, house sitting and acting ceo for their business.

so this bird has flown again down south

another recent addition to the 'bird' thing happening at my place! thanks !

i want to try and dispel the thoughts of most people who when you say you are coming to hobart retort 'oh you will need all your warm layers on down there'! day one looked like this!

sitting in the sun, catching up and having a good chat was the order of the day

it is not freezing and snowing, just beautiful blue skies and sunshine!

i came down with a few clothes, lots of sewing to do, i am here for six weeks, so will show you along the way what i am up to. you see i have to unpack all my stuff, but i did manage to cut out a new quilt before i left home and i started that while i watched the football last night. the saints won, whoo hoo!!! and started reading a book this morning!

'let us enjoy this fleeting moment' words from omar khayyam, i intend to enjoy my moments, and i hope that those who have flown further away will also enjoy their moments.