It takes a long time to get used to local weather patterns. I’ve lived most of my life in Sydney and know how the weather works there; what to expect from a southerly buster, when the humidity is worst, and the direction of storm paths. The key to learning different weather patterns is observation and […]
Leaves and more leaves
It’s autumn here and there are fallen leaves throughout my garden. When I rediscovered this small quilt in my quilt cupboard today, it reminded me of the season. I fused hand-dyed leaf shapes to the purple background and machine quilted curved lines to indicate breeze. It’s a simple quilt yet it really captures the autumn […]
Black, white and blue
I really need to spend some time finishing the quilts I have piled on my shelves. Today I found some of the blocks I made for my version of Lucy Boston’s Patchwork of the Crosses quilt. My blocks are large – 12 inches across the diagonal – so that means the individual pieces are large. […]
Rachaeldaisy: three questions
Welcome to the ninth in my Three Questions series, where I ask makers about their creative practices. I’ve known Rachael since 2016, when I wrote an article about her and her quilts for Quilters Companion magazine. I’m so pleased to be able to feature her work here. Rachaeldaisy is a quilt maker with a playful […]
Two steps forward, one step back
You guessed it – after a couple of hot days, the showers came back with the added bonus of summer storms. Still, life went on. Monday 31 JanuaryMy Monday mornings always start by reading Grace Alexander’s email newsletter. Grace is a gardener in the UK and her thoughts are always valuable to me, though the […]
The week the sun came out
The clouds cleared and the sun gave us warmth this week. The showers didn’t completely disappear, of course, but there was enough sunshine to encourage dahlia blooms to open for the first time this season. I was even able to cut dahlias for indoors. It was a week to be happy in the garden. Monday […]
Fabric dithering
I don’t need to start a new quilt project. There are plenty of unfinished ones already on my shelves so why don’t I work on them instead? As usual, it’s because of the lure of different fabrics. In this case, a pile of Liberty lawns that I’ve been collecting for years. As every quilter knows, […]
Journalling my week
I thought I’d add a new type of post to these pages, to record the small things and the passing of days. You may find it interesting, or you may not but please leave a comment either way. I’d love your feedback. Monday 17 January My birthday was celebrated by the sun emerging after a […]
Ups and downs quilt
As soon as I saw a photograph of Sarah Fielke’s Ups and Downs quilt, I knew I wanted to make my own version. It looked simple to piece by machine and I immediately knew I wanted to hand quilt it. Then I remembered that Sarah makes ENORMOUS quilts and I don’t. How she does it, […]
Welcome to the summer solstice
I was asleep at 2.58 am this morning, when the Earth’s tilt placed us closest to the Sun. Funny how natural events like these don’t take any notice of what we insignificant humans are doing at the time, isn’t it? Celebrated by pagans as Litha, the summer solstice is a day to contemplate light and […]