it's about time

It's been ages since a post so it's probably about time.
I've been reading but not commenting...Having spent the past 18 months concentrating mostly on the one quilt I found myself a little bereft once it was completed. Quilting still needs to be done, but that will be a small project compararatively.

basting

Once home from holidays, I leaped to the repair of the antique tumbler quilt top.  13 new tumbler pieces sewn in...can you see the repairs? I don't believe I could if I hadn't done them myself.  Working on the top and looking closely at the fabrics  was a joy - there are so many wonderful browns ... looking at Eileen Trestain (Dating Fabrics, a Color Guide 1800-1960) I found some very very similar swatches...its almost a charm quilt...maybe only two or three repetitions.

The workmanship is extrordinarily good, this girl could sew! her stitches are tiny, even and meticulous! Wish I could sew half as beautifully.

hand done overlocking?

The backing is a fun reproduction print commemorating the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and I am just quilting by the piece...loving it because I get to enjoy each and every fabric as I quilt them.

the back

As well I have started a new project - here's some little jockey cap blocks for one of the borders. I had the most wonderful time last Saturday raiding my friend Maree's stash for soft fabrics - mine all seem too bold for the look I'm trying to achieve.

So, All is now well in the world of empty field, the mini-culture shock of returning home from a somewhat indulgent holiday with bestest daughter has now faded...alas! so has the tan!

My long awaited kitchen renovation is complete...let me show you...ta dah! my fab new kitchen after living with a very-budget kitchen for 25 years.

new kitchen - woo hoo!

Also on the home front, over the past four weeks, our painter quietly worked her way through the house...never have I had someone paint for me before - we have always done it ourselves and it was a bit like the Sydney Harbour Bridge - once you work your way around every room it's time to start again, so I am absolutely loving having a real pro do it for us.

No tradesmen here for now, so it is blissfully quiet and I have my home back to myself. The painter will return to start the outside and finish off bits and pieces later in the year, but for the time, I feel I can get back to normal.

Spring is truely here, the trees are in blossom, the garden bursting with green, the air delightfully warm and the Koels already calling morning and night.

This pair of kookas greeted me this mornnig at the ferry
with their ridiculous laughter...

Happy sewing, whatever you are working on.
k