Look what can happen in 24 hrs

 I have been blogging since April and yesterday when I was checked my page I noticed that I had 798 visitors. It got me thinking I wonder how long it will take to reach 1000. 

Our garden in Spring time

Then about lunch time I had an email from Rhonda saying that she was kindly linking  me to her blog list. Thanks Rhonda.. http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/.. Well, since then I am amazed at how many people from all over the world have had a look at my blog. Thank you to everyone who visited me...  I just checked my counter and I have had 1501 visitors... amazing......

A bag I made to take to Classes

I hope you enjoyed what I have written over the last couple of months. Before I started blogging I never ready did a lot of writing, birthday and Xmas cards only ever had To .... and From Cathy in them. I have to say I do enjoy writing and leaving messages and posts for all to read. 

The first couple of posts I got my husband to read them first and he would edit them for me. It has taken a little while to get use to it all, and to always having my camera with me to take interesting photos. My husband urged/pushed me into the blogging. I never really knew what to write about, I just started out writing about what was happening in the Studio and my friends would tell me enjoyed reading the posts. I then started to write about my other interests, and things have progressed from that. 

A quilt I made for my Dad

Ann from http://annfergusonquiltopiadesign.blogspot.com/ also gave me some good advice, to help me find interesting sites and become a follower. I have encouraged my friends to also blog, and we are now having blogging nights. It a chance for us all to get together and help each other.

 

Still working on this quilt, hopefully I will have it finished this week

 I hardly read any patchwork and quilting magazine in the morning now while having breakfast. My routine in the morning now is turn the laptop on, put the kettle on, turn the radio on, make the coffee and start looking at the other peoples blog posts. Some days the time just fly's, there are so many interesting people writing about their patchwork/quilting, cooking, gardening, travels and personal life.    

Thanks again for visiting I hope you all have had a great weekend, and maybe you will visit again....

Cathy

A night out

 A night out at with friends to celebrate Jenny's birthday.......

Hope you all have a great weekend, we had a drizzly day yesterday so it's in the garden for me today.

Cathy

Hanging out with Helen

I have been very lucky in the last couple of years when it come to getting into workshop with Australian and International tutors. Many years ago I saw a quilt called Mekong Gold by Helen Godden, and was just amazed at the creativity and beauty. Over the years I have followed  Helen's creative path, I just love the Three Sister quilt, it is just so beautiful.

Anyway a couple of weeks ago I found out the Helen was teaching at Sew This n That in Morayfield. I put my name and Sandra's name on the waiting list, and we both got in to do the workshop. We had so much fun and I enjoyed listening to Helen chatting about her life, ideas and future plans. We also got to see some of her other quilts.

We worked on the 5 x 5 grid on black home spun, I can't wait to  get stuck into finishing it now....

I love doing feathers

My own design

Oh yeah that's right I have to do the shopping, a little cleaning, play in the garden and catch up with blogging. The quilting may have to wait until next week. 

Happy stitching 

Cathy

Brisbane Quilt Show

Well, what a day we had a the Queensland Quilt Show. My friends (Sandra and Margret) and I caught the train down to Brissy very early in the morning, and got to the Convention Center about a half an hour after it opened. After a quick pit stop and coffee we headed for the quilt display, 3hrs later still looking at all the beautiful quilts,  it was time for lunch break. We then took off into the retail therapy area and blew and few bob (spent lots of money). I had to get some rulers and parts for the longarm, so that was my budget gone. Mind you I did buy a little fabric also.   I found some fabric that has skulls and roses on it, so nice and so unusual. 

Margret was after monkey fabric for her soon to be grandson's quilt and Sandra bought fabric, a book and threads.  We had to recharge at about 4pm for another coffee before a final dash around the stalls before leaving.

We headed out to South Bank and went for a walk on the boardwalk while waiting for Mr J to drive down from the Coast. We had arranged to have dinner at Ahmets a Turkish Restaurant. The food is delicious.

To finish the evening we had ice cream while strolling the pathways in the park before driving back home.   What a great day. 

I hope you all had a great weekend,

Cathy

 

It's been a while since I have blogged, but life is busy. The garden is blooming and zucchinis are growing out of proportion. Lettuce is bolting and the grape vine is just going crazy. I didn't get a chance to cut back the vine again this year and now there be about 300 baby bunches of fruit.

This lettuce was so tasty it only took us a few days to eat it..yum....

This is the grape vine canopy two weeks ago

The canopy last Sunday

We have also be eating snow peas, cherry tomatoes, beans and lettuce nearly everyday. I tend to have a little taste when I'm watering in the afternoons. Eating a baby carrot just picked is (after it has been washed) what it's all about. I'm still learning  the gardening process and I have found that we will short on salads soon, as I have not replanted early enough. We have lost a couple of the iceberg lettuce because of the heavy rainstorms that we have had lately. It's all trial and error.

I finally got to the Permacultue Eudlo meeting earlier this month, what a great little group. This Sunday we are going to visit a member's garden, that we be interesting to see how they work their backyard. I got a couple of cutting and a bottle of worm casting liquid. We have our own worm farm but when Charlie was staying with us he drank all the liquid. I bought a box of garden light and set them around the vege plot, it looks a little like a fairyland at night time.

Pathway for possum's at night

News from the Studio, I have nearly finished doing the 3-6-9 quilt, for a 60"sq quilt I have gone overboard and used over 500m of thread in the top for machine quilting. I have also pieced half of the friendship basket blocks using a 3/4" nine patch with a mustard center as posts, it's looking good. My last post has photos of the blocks, post new photo's soon.

I have finished the log cabin quilt with a twist. The finished block is 20"sq, and the strip are 2" wide. I decided to do add school house quilting down the middle of each strip, and around the center block. It made for a lot of extra work, but I like it.

Last Sunday I was the gofer (morning tea and lunch lady) at the Textile Group in Caloundra; they were doing a machine-felting workshop with Felicity Clark from Brisbane. Oh boy is her work is incredible.............

Photos of the girls doing the felting workshop

At our last meeting we started a small challenge. We have two groups of six, and our leader Margie W from (craftygranma@blogspot.com) and Joan M cut up a picture for each group, so that everyone received a small piece that we have to enlarge and recreate in any textile medium we choose. I'm sure my picture has the most pieces in it. Anyway, it could be interesting...........

Not sure they were talking about textiles

This Fiona showing off her last piece fionajacksondesigns.com.au

Ellen's felted bag

Mollie's beautiful book cover

I hope you enjoy the photos in my blog.

Until next time,

Happy stitching Cathy