Aussie quilt

I'm still thinking on what project to work on next ;-), but in the meantime I have started a quilt for Hugo's 6th birthday (February 2nd) with the Australian fabrics I got for my birthday - and a few I bought myself. I think it will be a nice memory of our time in Australia for him.

On my Dutch quilters mailing list this is known as an Aussie quilt, because a patchwork shop in Belgium sells a kit for a quilt like this with aboriginal fabrics (see here, scroll down a bit for the Aussie). Of course it works well with all sorts of fabric, especially large prints that you do not want to cut up. In Dutch this pattern is also known as 'floating blocks' (there will be strips of the light fabric between the blocks when the top is finished, so they appear to be floating). I haven't managed to discover an English name for this pattern yet - please tell me if you know it!

Tomorrow I am flying to Auckland. I look forward very much to this trip and hope to bring back some Kiwi fabric!

Hmmm...

The analysis indicates that the author of Q is of the type:

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

Want to analyze your blog as well? Go to Typealyzer!

(just as well that I have never aspired to a management position...!)

Postcards

Yesterday I received this postcard from Annica:



I traded an Australia postcard with her - you can see it here on her blog.

I also made 2 black and white selvedge postcards:



(the other one is on its way to the Netherlands already)

Apart from making some postcards I am trying to decide what I want to work on next. I have made a start on the rosy quilt, but am also thinking about a quilt for Hugo with the Australian FQs I got for my birthday (I've even started cutting some fabric). The stellar quilt for ATWI20Q is finished, but I'm not happy with it... Yet I do not feel like starting another one, especially since it has to be finished on November 30th and I will be away for 5 days next week (I'm going to the Australasian Tuberculosis Conference in Auckland and am really looking forward to that!)

I have the fabric for the 2009 Bunbury Challenge, but am not very eager to start on that one... The theme (A Piece of Paradise) nor the fabric really appeal to me (here at Margeeth's blog you can see what it looks like). Maybe I'll just skip that one.

What I really want to do is make another bird quilt - an owl this time. Maybe a bit larger than the other ones... And a self portrait quilt is high on my wishlist as well.

I just have to make a choice and spend my precious sewing time on that project!
Oh well... I'll keep you posted!

Art and Craft Display

Remember the Art and Craft Display to be held at my workplace? It was postponed for a bit, but was finally on this week - and a big success!



Beautiful quilts - I love that Christmas quilt!



This was my corner.



;-)



Seeing the magic quilt aways makes me happy!



Gorgeous felted bags



An amazing quilt made by my colleague Carmel and her family for her parents



One of my colleagues is a painter; this is my favourite among her paintings



Although this one is very beautiful as well



Carmel is an accomplished card maker as well.

We have decided to organise a display like this every 6 months - it completely changed the atmosphere in the office!

Selvedge bookcover

With the selvedge strips from my birthday FQs I made a cover for my diary for next year:



And some postcards:



I really enjoy making things from selvedge strips. Did you know there is a blog dedicated to these things? Check out the awesome projects shown there!
(can some native English speaker explain to me the difference, if any, between selvedge and selvage? Thanks!)
So if you have any selvedge/selvage strips hanging around and you're not using them... ;-)



PS After posting this I left a comment at Karen Griska's Selvage Blog, telling her about my selvedge projects (I had sent her an email twice after making the selvedge bag, but they never arrived) and she immediately dedicated a blog posting to me! Gee - I'm chuffed! :-)) Thanks Karen!

Award

Not only was I tagged, I was given an award as well! Wow, what a week. Thanks Corryna!

Here are the rules:
- Five people are allowed to receive this award: four dedicated followers of your blog and one who is new to your blog and lives in another part of the world.
- Please link back to the person who gave you this award.

Well... among my 'dedicated followers' (ahem) I award Sandra, Jantine, Sue and Lisette (who got another award last week - popular gal).
Someone who is new to my blog and lives in another part of the world is Chris in Wisconsin, USA.
Thanks ladies, I love reading your blogs!

I'll be back shortly with some finished projects! And here's today's pic; my youngest, Robbie (2), playing with the buttons while I am sewing - as I used to do with my grandmother's buttons, sigh...

Tagged!

Lindi tagged me! So I am going to be a sport and play along (although I think I have done this one once before).

The rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. List 7 things about yourself. Some random, some weird.
3. Tag 3 more players and let them know.

Here goes....

1. I was a premature baby, born after 33 weeks, and dysmature as well with only 1400 g. In 1969 this meant they weren't sure if I would survive. But as you see, I did ;-).

2. I grew up in a women-only household (my mother, grandmother and me) and now I live with 4 men (DH and our 3 sons). I guess it was meant to be.

3. I am extremely myopic (almost -10 D, which means I can see 'sharp' only about 10 cm without glasses or contact lenses). This is probably a result of being born so prematurely.

4. I hate pink, but love purple.

5. There is only 1 thing that I will NOT eat and that is peanut butter. Yak.

6. I hope to do a PhD in public health one day (when DH is professor and we can afford me being a PhD student ;-)).

7. My second name is Margreet.

Well, you really wanted to know all that, didn't you? ;-)

I'm tagging Dianne, Rens and Marloes. Hope you play along!

And to finish with a photo, here is a pic of the scarf I am knitting at the moment. Haven't knitted in years (did quite a lot of it as a teenager, after that only during my pregnancies) but suddenly felt an urge to knit! (very strange - no, I'm not pregnant!) I bought this yarn last winter and finally have started on the scarf - which I won't need for ages here, it's only November and already very hot and humid :-(.



In the photo it looks very pink but it actually is purple!

Yes they can - and they did!

This quilt was made by Denyse Schmidt and friends to raise funds for Barack Obama's campaign.
I think it's gorgeous and I am so happy that today (well, yesterday from an Australian point of view ;-)) the Americans have shown that they could!!!