Mad March

As the season starts to turn we are welcoming the slightly cooler days and nights….still above 25C but much nicer than above 35C! So with the cooler weather comes a renewed vigour to complete projects…mind you I haven't been idle! I am on the final proofs of the book and am very excited at how it is looking. It is definitely not as large as my first two books and this time full of small projects that one might actually complete! I've used an awful lot of paper while editing but it will be put aside for little ones to draw on………

 I've also been working on the mystery class quilt for AQC….just a sneaky little peek!….

I am also formatting some of my previous block of the month quilts to be stand alone patterns for sale. Tim from Curzon Fabrics is sick of waiting….they should be ready soon Tim!…..

I've taken on helping out with our Quilters' Guild of South Australia's quilt exhibition committee as well so had quite a few meetings this past month…..why I put my hand up to do more is beyond me but they do say you should always ask a busy person to go on a committee! But family needs to fit in with the mix as well so last weekend we took Beau to Granite Island to see if we could find any penguins. "Auntie" Sophie joined us and it was indeed a lovely day…….

 When our girls were growing up we would often do this trip and would always see and count many penguins in their little burrows. Sadly there are very few now but we did see some in an enclosure…...

 And then instead of the long walk back (as it was rather hot), we travelled on the old horse drawn tram…..I didn't get a good photo of the tram but found an old one from the 1940's here where I discovered it is the only one of its type in Australia…..and it hasn't changed very much……

 and the image from the Granite Island website……..

Tickets are always a big hit with Beau……...

 Finally the family went out for dinner and just a few seconds after this shot Maisie grabbed my glass by the stem and gave me a wine shower…….I've quite forgotten how quick they can be!

 She adores her Poppa in an almost hypnotic way…she seems to melt in his arms and loves the whispers in the good ear……...

 Well I had better get back to typing these patterns and packing for a retreat….I am heading to the south coast of New South Wales on Friday which means two flights with one regional flight only allowing 15kgs! So 5kgs of notes were posted last week and thankfully they have all arrived safely. See you the other side of that x

Local talent

As always the Hill household is busy, busy. Larry has passed his 12 month anniversary of being back at work (after trying to retire!), and has had yet another request to extend but hopefully only until the end of May. Meanwhile I've been quilting the AQC Mystery class and assembling a large new William Morris sampler. But this time I thought I would share some local talent from Port Elliot - a seaside village only 40 minutes from home. It was a hot weekend for their quilt show but it was well worth the visit. They kindly allowed me to share some of their beautiful work……….'gotcha girls'!!…….

 Pam Ballard made this amazing doll's house quilt for a friend who is turning 60 and owns over 30 doll's houses! …I love the detail…..(what a lucky friend….now I turn 60 next year and own just one doll's house…hhhmmmm!!)

 Trish Rees's "New York Beauty" made in Kaffe Fassett fabrics from a Lessa Siegele workshop…...

 And my eye spied some of my blocks in this spectacular quilt and then of course I was asked to please oblige…. Lyn Egel hand appliquéd all the blocks and her machine quilting was stunning too……...

 And another of my designs from Sheila Worrall - hand pieced and hand appliquéd too! Beautiful work and a delightful girl from the UK to boot!………..

 I've known Norma for many, many years and at the show she was making the most gorgeous lavender wands and three of them came home with me…….

 There was a wonderful display of antique sewing machines and sewing tools……..

 I would love to share all of the quilts on display but I'm not sure the blog would cope with the entire 71 of them! So here a few more that caught my eye……….."Dear Dolly" on the left is hand appliquéd by Hazel Howard (a design by Jackie Harris) and on the right an Esther Aliu design "Heart's Desire" made by Elizabeth Koch…….

 This was the first prize raffle quilt all made in fabrics from Jason Yenter……..

 "Kaffe's Korners" on the left was made by Caroline Giles and "Surf's Up" on the right from Lyn Egel again…..a wee bit different to her Morris quilt but I loved it…...

 This is a 1930's quilt top that Jeanette Coombes purchased in the US ten years ago. She has now completed it for future generations…….

 The "Art Deco" quilt was made by Julie Kindleyside   - a combination of a modern dresden designed by Christa Watson and Cleopatra's fan by Sharlene Jorgensen…….

 On the left is "Heart and Home" by Libby Henschke from The Quilt Company and on the right "Lone Star" made by Sue Cleghorn…….

And while we are doing some 'show and tell' I am thrilled to share this photo sent to me a few days ago.  Ann is from New Zealand and she has completed "Strawberry Thief" and her friends are having it framed for her….maybe a special birthday coming up Ann? I have often thought of framing some of my smaller quilts - saves on quilting! Thanks for sharing your beautiful quilt top Ann………

I also forgot to mention that during the past week I did a class with our very own Rachelle Denneny making this wonderful bag….with a touch of Morris of course……..and do have a look at Rachelle's first pattern release here on Craftsy

That must be about it for now with some final images of a new friend who sits on the seat outside my window watching me type…dear little chappie…or maybe a lassie?

 Till next time…….take care x