Our Easter weekend

We have just had a four day long weekend here in Australia so I thought I would share a little of what the Hill household got up to. Good Friday was a 60th birthday celebration and then Sunday the family came to our place for brunch. The only thing I forgot was the maple syrup to go with the waffles and having just seen how it is done from our friends in Canada, the girls had to go and find some! These are a couple of photos from Paul showing how he has spent his Easter making the real thing .....and straight from the maple tree! (And it looks like the snow is finally starting to melt over there)

 Penny and Paul have sent the most amazing photos and also little videos to us for some time now. So I thought it was time I did it in return......quite a laugh really but I managed to get this photo of us at the computer on Easter Sunday trying to work it all out! Emily is to the right of me and Auntie Sophie holding Beau........sorry girls - I know you will been unimpressed with this image on my blog!!

Beau is still a little young for the egg hunt but he did discover this little chap in the garden......

 Brett and Emily made this amazing Easter cake........

And Beau decided that playing was more fun....he has started to work out that balls are for throwing.......

I have also been working hard over the break. This is the project that I am doing for Nicola Jarvis for the exhibition at the William Morris Gallery staring in June this year. You might recall this image from a couple of posts ago of one of Nicola's bird drawings.......

It has been a challenge for me working with someone's else ideas and it has also made me incredibly nervous! With much trepidation I have sent Nicola these photos. She had sent me four different bird designs and four different colour ideas so I went with doing the four birds. Nicola also sketched a layout which I have pretty much followed. Normally I would mirror image the same bird but it was very hard to pick just two of them as they were all just gorgeous! I am not sure how I feel about it yet - I do know that intensive feather quilting will enhance it and I do plan to bead parts of the appliqué as well. Nicola had sketched an appliquéd border but time is running out......from receiving the package to posting is only about 8 weeks. So my fingers are crossed that she likes it....I am still a little nervous! Let me know what you think.......

I hope you have had a happy and safe Easter in your part of the world xx