Airing of the Quilts, Braidwood

bargello quilt

 Saturday we drove to Braidwood, on the Kings Highway between Canberra and Batemans Bay on the coast. Each year they have an Airing of the Quilts, always near our wedding anniversary. I have been wanting to go to this for the past couple of years, at the beginning of the year I put it in the diary so we would not put anything else on that weekend. Steve really liked the quilt above and now he is going to pick the colours and I am going to make a Bargello quilt.

love those eyes

 Don't you just love the googly eyes on this chook, and if you look closely you will read "no roosters" and "chicks day out" in the fabric. The whole quilt was the same block, but this one really caught my eye.

loved this quilt

This quilt was wonderful, I should have taken a photo in the morning when you could see it really clearly. By 4 in the afternoon as we walked back to the car it was in shade. I was fascinated by it, each individual block was strip pieced - 1.5" strips and approx 3" square. I took lots of photos and anyone knows the pattern I would love to hear from you.

St Andrews Anglican church

This Anglican church built in 1892, designed by Cyril Blacket is a wonderful building, there were quilts displayed all around the walls, across the top of pews and in the choir seats at the front.

Steve checking out the front of the church,
the stained glass windows and quilts

from Mrs Macquarie's road the huge cruise ship leaving Sydney

Sunday was our 34th wedding anniversary, we went to church at GracePoint, Randwick, had lunch at a nice cafe, showed another church GracePoints building and then we ended up at the Botanic gardens, going for a walk around Farm Cove, up to Mrs Macquarie's chair. You could see the huge cruise ship across the cove and as we headed back towards the car it was moving down the harbour and out the heads. A lovely weekend but by Sunday night we were both exhausted. 

Minnie QCA travelling stash

what I took

what I added

Samelia's Mum

Anorina over at Samelia's Mum is having a giveaway of wonderful charm packs. You can  see the giveaway here. Actually she has some really good  giveaways at the moment, go have a look.

SSCS

My parcel ready to be sent

This year I joined in Chookyblues Secret Santa Christmas Swap and my parcel was sent this morning on its journey over the sea. In my parcel there is a tree decoration for my swap partner to open and put on their tree, a hand scarf and a bag made from a homespun pattern. The bag has stitcheries as part of the front panel, now I'm sure my partner doesn't read my blog but that is all the clues that I am giving until I know that she has received it.

November QCA Bee#2

Polariod blocks

These are the blocks I made Janine for the QCA Bee #2, they are heading to WA this afternoon.

green and yellow charm squars

There is a Rainbow charm square swap group and these are headed to Sally who coordinates the group for swap 31. Each swap is different, there is a 2.5" with of fabric that is also happening at the moment, I have some charm squares and jellyroll strips at Sally's due to leave her place next week. Don't you just love getting fabric in the mail.

another charm square quilt ready to go

Kate came to visit this morning and we laid out another charm square pack Hoopla by Moda, no designers name. I have the main print in white (4th row from bottom, left hand side) bought from Hancocks for the backing. Need to go clean up sewing stuff that has all been dumped on the dinning room table so I can do some sewing. Might even watch some cricket while I do it and then cut 5" white squares to go with the  blocks above.

I've been busy

Here in NSW our end of school exams in year12 are called Higher School Certificate - HSC, I am a supervisor of these exams at St Andrews Cathedral School. Work is March for half yearly exams, August for trials and October/November the HSC. This Thursday 8th is the end of these exams and it my final shifts, I am actually working all day. The pay happens in early December and this year it is going towards Christmas in Melbourne with Elizabeth.
Some sewing has been happening and some surprises arrived in the mail. I signed up for a birthday giveaway last year and then promptly forgot about it, this arrived the day after my birthday from Leona and I have signed up for next year as well and will probably forget again, nice surprise.

birthday surprise

I signed up for a pay it forward with Catherine and it arrived last week from Ireland

pay it forward from Catherine

The facebook group Quilt Club Australia - QCA has a sub group travelling stashes and Drover is one that is travelling around the country at the moment. You can take any fabric that takes your fancy but you must replace it like for like, I took 10 fat quarters and 2 charm packs and he will continue on his travels tomorrow, he is off to Armidale.

Drover, travelling stash as he arrived

what I took from him

I have quilted the baby quilts from an earlier post, one completely finished, 2 just need binding and I need to make some more tops so Kate can put them in her shop