Where There's Snakes

There's kookaburras.

We had six of them spread out in our garden today ... luckily I could not see what the whole flock was looking at!

Almost Finished

A quilt isn't quite finished until it is labelled right?

So, I'm still contemplating what I should have on the label.  But other than that, my Sister's quilt is ready to gift for her sixtieth birthday.  Her birthday is next week but I think I can stretch this out until the party which is the week after. I like to embroider most of my labels so it will take a bit of extra time.  

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy seeing the unlabelled but otherwise finished quilt.  

My apologies for the yellow tinge to some of the photos,  I took them at night. 

This frill neck lizard is finished off in 3D. 

Kookaburra

Sturt's Desert Pea

Waratah Flower

My sister made the appliqued/machine embroidered blocks many years ago.  She gave them to me when I took up patchwork and quilting and I've hung onto them for some years now.  I hope she likes what I've done with them! 

I did some free motion quilting in the floral blocks and the rest was quilted in the ditch. 

Linking to 

Vintage Quilt With A Smidge Of French General...

Or...I Wish I Had A Quilter's Table.

I'm writing this post in between snatches of pinning my quilt layers in readiness for machine quilting.  

Pinning quilt layers must have to be the worst part of making a patchwork quilt!  

Do you agree?  

I can understand why sending a quilt off to a 

long-arm quilter could be so tempting. 

But apart from that, I think this quilt has been my most magical quilt of all so far.  I have been 'planning' it as I go along. Maybe that's a bit of an oxymoron. I don't have a pattern for it and the original squares given to me by my Sister were not identical in size posing a few challenges. 

There is a little story behind this quilt.  My Sister gave me six squares of blue cotton fabric masterfully embroidered and, or appliqued by sewing machine.  

One of the squares has been hand appliqued. (Sturt Desert Pea)

Some of the machined applique is layered and cut to produce a finished image using up to three prints of cotton fabric. (Sun Burst).

These were part of sewing class my Sister attended and she felt she had no use for them so passed them on to me.

At first the only way I could imagine to re-use them was as cushion covers but that is too obvious and I don't really like too obvious.

Shortly after I thought I'd make a quilt with them but life took over and even though I'd purchased a selection of fabrics to add to the squares the project was set aside for many years.

Until this year...

It's my little Sister's sixtieth year this year and I have decided to make the quilt using her blocks and gift to her for her birthday.

I hope she likes it!

The reason I would LOVE a quilter's table is because stretching and pinning a quilt is back-breaking when it's done on the floor!

I purchased my batting about a month ago. (Yes, life got in the way ... again!)

At that point my quilt hadn't quite come together yet...I was still contemplating blocks/sashing/borders but since I was at the quilting supply shop and I didn't know when I'd be back I purchased two metres of batting for this quilt. 

As you can see from the photograph above...it was perfect!!!!! Couldn't believe it.

And here is the quilt top.

Some of the fabrics are scrappy, some are stash busters, and some were purchased just for the quilt. Of course all were very carefully selected to complement the 70s-80s prints my Sister has used in the Australiana themed squares.  At the top right is a frill necked lizard and its frill is actually 3D.

Isn't she clever?

Oh...and the French General?  The four cornerstones were made from a fat quarter I found in my stash.  The colour is perfect. 

Now must get back to my pinning!

I'm linking to

Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday with Lee

Quite coincidentally Lee is having a vintage quilt revival at her blog spot...

Day 309/366

Life has been so busy lately.

How lovely it was today, to be able to pack a picnic lunch, drive into one of our national parks and spend a leisurely afternoon with extended family.

The plan was bring your own everything and I took along a yummy meatloaf and salad for lunch.

The meatloaf proved quite popular not only with the humans but with the kookaburras too.  They took the opportunity to help themselves when no one was watching.

I swear that a pair of kookaburras kept watch over us the entire time we picnicked.

Besides being opportunists, kookaburras know how to laugh at life.

Perhaps we humans could learn a lesson or two from their habits, not only about laughter but the value of family, for it's very rare to ever see a solitary kookaburra.  

Day 221/366

A friendly kookaburra visited our camp site this morning.

Day 166/366

This photo is probably a case of spot the kookaburra!  

At work today I decided to go out for lunch.

I needed to clear my head.

Prince Alfred Park was in full sunshine and I sat on a park bench with my sandwich and paper back. 

A kookaburra came and sat on the bench next to mine.

When a fire engine or two drove by with the sirens blaring, the kookaburra (joined now by a second kookaburra) became vocal and laughed along with the sirens.

When I was growing  up I was told that kookaburras only laugh when it's about to rain or if they have spotted a snake for their dinner.

Does today prove this theory wrong?

I only had my mobile telephone with me, and hence the sad photo result.

Post-storm Visitor.

There was a brief storm this afternoon and then the sun came out and we were graced with the presence of a pair of kookaburras.  One flew off before there was any chance of being photographed.

Kookaburra sitting in the old gum tree.