Hi, have you got time for a catch up?

Back again! I have been on a family holiday to Cairns, Queensland, I hope that is a valid excuse for my prolonged absence!  Home now all rested and relaxed.  It has taken me a few days to catch up on the blogs I follow and get my head around posting my own. 

Hmmm now where were we?  Before we went away I got the Animal I spy/spilt nine patch quilt back from Elaine Kennedy (of Pine Grove Quilting Studio) my friend and local  long arm quilter and finished the binding.  I am happy with it and hope to get it to its new owner soon.  I don't like to put quilts in the mail, so this one is going by Grandmother Express, which is about as fast as a pioneers covered wagon journey from Adelaide to Western Victoria was in 1911, but alot safer... no bush rangers!

 Before we left I forgot my mantra (about no new projects) and madly sewed up two mini backpacks for our boys.  I put new textas/crayons, drawing books, favorite soft toys (these are DS2's beloved "2 Tigers") and their favorite cars into their bags and they were full - I had to carry the snacks and drinks!  I string pieced various widths of vehicle fabric onto pre quilted calico (for lining) then made two straps out of scrapes, sewed on Velcro to close the tops (2 Tigers didn't like being in the dark though) and machine sewed the binding on, blue for DS2 and red for DS1.  They were a big hit, the boys referred to them as their "airport bags" and happy carried then on their backs during transit. 

While we were away I got to visit a patchwork shop - Button Tree Quilts in Cairns.  I confess to Goggling patchwork shops before we left, but what I didn't realise was that they are hosting a great sewing workshop with Leanne Beasley in early June...if I had know that when I booked our holiday I would have changed the dates, I just missed about by a week!  I did manage to accidentally coincide our day trip north to Port Douglas with their local quilt show, but it was at Mossman (further up the road) and we ran out of time and the kids ran out of puff.  While I really enjoy regional patchwork exhibitions I didn't want to do it with two grumpy kids and a unenthusiastic DH.

 I brought a bundle of fat quarters, four novelty prints, the lady at Button Tree Quilts kindly let me swap one print for the crocodiles, which I know the boys will love as much as they did seeing the real thing!  I also got a Monica Poole bag pattern.  I love her bag patterns and own a few, all of which I have made.  And at the bottom of the picture you can see a mini quilt hanger, with nicely turned wooden ends.  I think it was made locally because the packaging just had the size, type of wood and price on it, no business name or details.  So I am going to show this to my Dad, who is a keen wood turner, in the hope that he can make me some larger ones.  I also got some really cute buckles, but forgot to include them in the shot.  Not sure what they are for, but they were too lovely to leave behind!

Happy quilting Sue SA.