the downside of being neat

True story.

Last week I confess there had been some screeching quiet words at the fam to keep the house tidy.

My boss and the other two managing partners of the firm I work for were coming to dinner on Thursday night to celebrate Thanksgiving - not usual for Aussies but there is a US connection with one of the partners, his (grown up) kids are all still in Boston and times like now he misses them madly, so we have started a little tradition to celebrate Thanksgiving with him as his surrogate family.

So, visualise clean tidy house ready for the boss.
Onto the scene Thursday arvo comes a location scout wanting to assess my house for a film shoot - a short film to star Cate Blanchett, Richard Roxburg and Jackie Weaver - woohoo - star struck!! best of all it was only two days and paid $1000/day.

Beauty!! (we thought) here's a nice little Christmas bonus. Happily we convinced ourselves that the money was in the back pocket already....Not so, sadly. The location scout called back yesterday and they have decided my house is too tidy. So, I believe I will officially stop being neat - it's too expensive.

Better news was, my first ever effort of cooking Thanksgiving turkey was a huge success. Yay me.

The heat this week has meant the end of the glorious pink Peonies, but cheerily, I found these mad little things in the garden today, I assume they are from the (baby) Dogwood which flowered marvellously this year...nursed along with lots of water through Summer.

Still plugging away happily appliqueing the orange peel borders....

It's really hot here today - too hot to sew/concentrate/do anything - I've been faffing around most of the day - so I started playing, and stacking my little orange peel shapes. Cute. Hoping for the nor'easterly to kick in soon.

MO workshop tomozz. yippie.
have a great weekend
xo
k

broke, krinkled and played

No quilts have been harmed recently...weekend before last the hubster and I were out of town, so no stitching occured, but plenty of other fun things.

These young eastern grey kangaroos greeted us in the paddock leading up to our accommodation in Broke...they spook pretty easily though and bounded quickly away.

Our little cottage on the hill

 

 

Country vistas and an abundance of sculpture in the gardens surrounding

 

 

Saturday saw us attend the Krinklewood vineyard Spring Members Lunch - our first but most definitely not our last.

Beautiful Krinklewood

 

Feathered residents...

 

Another feathered resident checking credentials...can't have the wine going to any old derro.

Sunday saw us taking in Sculpture in the Vineyards in Wollombi but i'll post about that later.

Then back home for the Grand Finale...

I am a massive tragic ColdPlay fan.

From their concert at the Sydney Football Stadium last Sunday night...amazing, fabulous and F U N!! all those twinkly lights in the foreground are wristbands which lit up every now and again, controlled by the band....50,000 twinkling, flashing lights on 50,000 fans' wrists.  Best show I've been to hands down.  If you ever get a chance to get to a live ColdPlay show... don't hesitate.

'til later
xo
k

friday quickie

Progress on the next border

One side and one corner done! making one quarter of the border completed

I'm off for a 3 day weekend with Mr EF to Broke a smallish boutique wine area near the more famous Hunter Valley.
Enjoy yours wherever you are!
xo
k

little quilt on-line festival

Taryn from Repro Quilt Lover is hosting an on-line quilt show of little quilts or doll quilts. Do hop over and look through the many small wonders people have already posted...

"Small" and "quilt" are two words which do not often come up together in my language. The quilts  I make have a tendency to be on the large size, so the Crib quilt I am showing is not one I have made, but rather an antique in my collection.

 

There are lots of things to love about this little cutie, but the most delightful facet to me is that it is totally, charmingly wonky with 20 geese on the left row but 22 on the right!

The geese bars measure between 3.25" and 3.5" wide.

 

 

 

Circa 1900 from Snydersville, Monroe County, Pennsylvania this precious little piece of Victorian needlework measures approx 26" x 36". Bands of double pink separate soft pink geese with a white "neats" (shirting) print.

 Hand pieced, it's a top only, I am in two minds whether to finish it or just leave as is.

So, hope you enjoyed my "little quilt".
xo
k

the bird in the tutti frutti hat

 

My little applique birds have lately been reminding me of a certain Ms C. Miranda.
Can you see any resemblance?

I think they might need a little more accessorising, perhaps some jewellry...

or perhaps a floral garland? Perchance Melbourne Cup fashions have influenced me somewhat?

Some more details of the central medallion so far.

A Prince of Wales feather in each corner ...with the obligatory crown of course. Seeing as though the real Prince of Wales is in Oz at the moment.

 

 Botanically improbable flowers lifted from the inspirational pages of Dolores' book

More crowns..one could possibly never have too many crowns?

Progress so far...more borders to come.

Oh! 

and check this out... found at the ferry wharf this morning on my way to work... a little offering left by a Rainbow Lorikeet...probably drunk on nectar and shooting crazily from tree to tree in noisy boisterous gangs as they do...a perfectly formed irridescent  bookmark... an unexpected gift.

xo

k

it's all about the medallion

How was your weekend? Sydney enjoyed glorious Spring weather from Friday through to Monday ...it was very hard to go back to work today - I just wanted to be outside in the sun!!

Saturday was my eagerly awaited workshop day at MO...lots of loveliness to gaze upon. A small but very cohesive group this month - everyone was working on medallion quilts!

Susan has decided to go with a bold border for her version of Antique Baskets -

 

 

Our talented tutor Marg has been working on this medallion for quite some time - it's now being "renovated"

Marg's Antique Baskets ...last borders !

 

 

 Who can resist rabbits wearing crowns?

Inspired by Frances Hawkin's medallion

Sweet little blackbirds on a shelf emitting mulicoloured sunrays

 

Some time was spent working out the next few borders on Maree's interpretation of an antique English medallion

 LOVE the diamond/chevron border

Fussy cut pineapples! heaven on a stick.

And my medallion is starting to take shape... The zingy pink and orange border is exactly what I wanted! This might be one of those fabrics I will wish I had bought metres of.

  

And just to keep the medallion theme going. Two of Maree's best that I never tire of pawing and pouring over!

 

Maree does all her work by hand - insert many superlatives here!

On a fun NQR note - Friday was my wedding anniversary. Mr empty field and I have been wed for 27 years! Certainly reason to splash out on some French bubbles.

Cheers!

And on a more serious note...my thoughts are with friends affected by that most unwelcome of visitors Sandy. Hoping you and yours are safe and that your life returns to normal soon.

xox

k