Versatile Blogging

I usually run a mile from any form of chain letter but this variation giving me an award has slipped under my guard.  It was sent to me by fellow blogger Brandie at abc.  So thank you, Brandie.

There are two things I have to do - to tell people some trivia about myself  (oh dear) and  to pass the award on to some deserving bloggers.

Trivia -useless facts about me.

1.  I grew up in a country town and though I now live in a city I'm still a country girl at heart.

2.  I love Cryptic Crosswords and Su Doku.

3.  I like words.  Don't anyone tell me that the word "girt"  as in "girt by sea" in the Australian National Anthem is out of date or silly.  Would you really prefer "encircled by sea" ?  Girt by sea..  Girt by sea.  It's just perfect. Is there something wrong with people having to learn a new word ? Anyway, my girdle girts my excess avoirdupois. :-)

4.  I've just read One Day by David Nicholls and enjoyed it so I don't think I'll see the film in case it's too much of a let-down.  But Anne Hathaway's face was in my mind all the time I was reading it and visually she would be perfect for the role.

5 The small quilting group I belong to is called Quilting Genies as originally pursuing Genealogy was the common link.

6. Family, in all its forms, is the most important thing in the world.

7. I didn't realize it  until someone pointed out recently that I do have a bit of a thing about gadgets.  If they look useful then I can't resist them, such a pins that are so fine they glide through the fabric as if it was butter, or my nifty little bias maker..  And recently a battery-operated bobbin winder so that I can sit there and wind piles of bobbins without having to unthread the sewing machine.

8.  As a toddler No 2 son brought the nozzle of the hose in to the hall through the back door, went outside and then turned on the tap.  I was in the kitchen ironing and the first I knew of it was when daughter called out, Mum, there's water all round me - she'd been lying on the couch in the living room reading and was now completely marooned !

9. Ambition - to buy out a whole movie theatre for a sad film then sit in splendid isolation and sob to my heart's content as loudly as I like.without having to suppress polite little sniffles.  Wouldn't it be luvverly ?

So now you know some of my secrets.  Tell me yours.

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And then there are the blogs I read every day. One of these days Google Reader is going to throw up its hands in disgust and call me a silly, selfish woman for wanting poor over-worked Google to keep track of such a horribly long list of blogs which I want to read. But they are all so interesting.  And every time I go to  Quilter Blogs the list gets longer.

So who would I choose as my desert island bloggers, those blogs which I would least like to do without.   Well I can hardly send one back to Brandie and make her go through it all again.   It's not only the sewing in the following blogs, or the frequency of the blogging, but the personality of the blogger which made me choose them.

So, in no particular order,

Marina at Maisieandtheboys  - lots of variety including embroidery, beautiful photos, and who could resist that cat in the opening heading.

Pirate at the Dread Pirate Rodgers  - I live in hope that one day she will take her 12 embroideries for Dress Me Up and actually put them into a quilt ! Her travel blog is fun too.

Lizzie at A House in the Country - the title says it all, Australian countryside, Australian garden and a dab hand with the camera.  As well as her sewing.

Melody at the House on the side of the Hill  - a place for picking up interesting ideas and a vibrant sense of colour.

Joanne at  Thread Head  - one of the places where I admire the work of a talented needle-turner and just dream.

Karen at the House of  Wilson - nice everyday chit-chat of a young Mum

Linda at the Quilter's Pineapple  - makes things I would like to make - fond of Schnibbles.

There are lots more, including blogs from stores selling fascinating collections of materials, but this will be enough from me.

I was amazed recently to discover a 7-day a week Post Office outlet at one of our large hardware stores.  Only a few blocks away from home and marvellously convenient with its times for posting off hexie flowers for  the Inchy Hexagon Swap.  So today I sent hexies to two more people and crossed my fingers and my legs and my eyes and hoped that they arrive safely as I've already had two international parcels go missing this year.  One of today's postings were replacements for a missing parcel.

So now I look forward to reading some of the trivia from some of my favorite bloggers.  Thanks again, Brandie.

A floral quilt with some help from some cross stitch

These six cross stich flowers, done on a nice fine embroidery linen, have been sitting in my bottom drawer for 3 or 4 years.  I wanted to put them in a quilt but thought the blocks could easily just look like white blobs dumped down on a  quilt.  But when I saw Back Home Again by Wilmington Prints, with its soft rural scenes I started to get enthusiastic, with the following result.

Also included are three fabrics from Luna Notte from Moda and other bits and pieces I already had.

Recently I had seen an image of this square and diamond layout- I think it was a free pattern in one of the newsletters I subscribe to.  But now I can't find it and so can't give my thanks.  The sample was done in  more contrasty fabrics and looked quite different.

I have really enjoyed putting this quilt together.  They really are what I consider "my colours" - nice and soft.  But I have had a hard time as I have been reading  David Nicholls' "One Day", so at times it has been a real struggle trying to decide which one I wanted to do most !  But mostly the quilt won out !