Adelaide Morris Event update

As I type this evening post it is very still outside with an eerie sense of unrest as we are about to be hit by yet another storm. Warnings have been issued all day for holiday makers to return home and flood watch alerts are in place with sandbags ready to protect homes nearby. This time they are saying it is a one in ten year summer event. We have our fingers crossed for everyone especially friends who recently had to endure no power for several days. This screen shot that I took a while ago shows it is not too far away from us.......

But life goes on and I thought I would report on the latest news with the William Morris events in Adelaide (and do you know I just googled "William Morris Event in Adelaide" and it came up straight away...wow - how about that?!!). Sophie has received about 60 completed surveys so if you registered interest and haven't already completed yours there is still time........just email me if you didn't receive the information and link. By Sunday evening we should be ready to put an itinerary in place and then I need to spend the next few weeks visiting all the venues and confirming dates. It is all very exciting and what fun we will have! 

 It has been a while since I've reported on how these two people are progressing and as you can see they continue to grow very fast! These photos were taken by Emily on a recent trip to Ikea where Miss Maisie decided to see if the shop props were worth tasting..........

Maisie has graduated to her big girl's bed now and Brett sent this image of her sound asleep the first night.........

We did have some concerns with Beau for a few days this past week with a rather intriguing rash which lasted almost a week. We still don't know what it was but he smiled through it all and had no ill effects.....

 I've been head down each evening hand appliquéing the initials and date on the Potter wedding quilt so that should be ready to send to the UK very soon..........

 And believe it or not I've been breeding those jolly rabbits again! Dot posted me some goodies to help me including this pattern which I had already bought online. It is just a scanned page from a 1955 magazine - I paid $7.50 and she only $2....what a way to make a living scanning old magazines and selling them online...not sure if it is legal though! We were both after the knitted jacket instructions but this rabbit is much larger than mine and reducing the size was problematic.....

 So why even more rabbits?? I was a little worried about the "undercarriage" of my recent models so tried two more versions...........

 But I have to say I am well and truly over them right now so they will be put to one side for a while waiting for whiskers and embroidered mouths! The other goodies that Dot sent me in the post did get me very excited though! This book is from a 1964 re-print of a 1934 book full of the most wonderful felt animals! I was very excited to see the donkey pattern as it it took me straight back to my childhood. My strict Methodist upbringing was that one should always give and not receive, so every Christmas we had to give a special one of our toys to children in need. We had an orphanage Lentara nearby and many children were the recipient of my toys but especially one very loved grey felt donkey. So I was thrilled beyond belief to find a pattern very like my original so now I can make my own.......

 And there are even rabbits and little ducks and so much more........

 And another delightful book full of knitted magic that might just suit little Maisie.........thankyou once again for your treasures Dot xx

The garden is changing constantly and at the moment we have the beautiful smell of the mexican orange blossom through the house. These shrubs run down the side of the house and never get watered so they are very hardy indeed..........

 The William Morris rose is beautiful but the blooms are still quite small.........

 The sweet peas are seeding and the cyclamen are preparing for the cooler months.........

 Those pesky blackbirds are depositing these seeds all through the garden and we have no idea what they are...........they certainly look like coffee beans in the jar........

 No peaches on the neighbours tree this year as it was suffering from leaf curl but the shade is very welcome.........

 as is my morning cuppa each day Helen!.........

 I was very thrilled to receive my copy of the C&T Publishing version of my book a few days ago. The colours are almost the same with the pattern pages on one pull-out page at the back of the book......... 

 But I was disappointed that an error occurred and some text was added in my binding method. So for international copies please note that on page 13, step 3 the last sentence should be removed. They have noted an errata at this link on their website.........

This is only for the international edition and not My Limited Edition version. I did send photos of the  completed quilt for that last minute extra chapter for their edition but they weren't used. So you will find detailed images of this quilt on the page at the top of this blog titled "Stitching with Beatrix Potter Book Projects"........

 We've been out and about during the week and the gum blossoms are amazing..........

 We also took the train to the city this week to meet a friend who had given me a David Jones voucher for my recent 60th birthday........

 I wanted Melody to be with me when I made my selection and after half an hour of wandering I spied the most wonderful pillow shams.........

 and how lovely they look with my very special antique Morris textile cushion that Helen of Whitecroft Tours gave me in 2013. You can read about that excitement on this post here....what a night that was!...........

While I was looking to spend my birthday voucher I came across this treasure in a corner that I just have to have! We are thrilled that we have recently achieved book sales to cover the book printing costs but I need to sell an awful lot more to make this a new home at my place!!...........isn't it wonderful to just drool over though??!!

Take care and especially to friends nearby - stay safe with the pending storm x