Back from the quilters = excitement

Just back from the quilters.    

I had some Prints Charming fabrics stashed away ages ago (collecting dust....  shhhh) and wanted to get them into a quilt.  I didn't really have a pattern so I based the design on 12 inch blocks finished. Mixed with a basic small dot of a mid and light pink and an orange and threw it all together without too much fuss.  I'm not really into orange however it was a dominate colour in the original Prints Charming fabric range and it just seemed to go.  Oh and my aim was to use as much of the Prints Charming fabric as possible so I don't have heaps hanging around except in the scrap box pile.

Originally I had grand aspirations of hand quilting with perle 8 cottons to match off on the quilt but you know.......  T I M E was a slight problem.  And you know there is always another quilt to be started.  The quilting is a dragonfly pattern from edge to edge, simple and elegant.  

I will be focusing on getting the binding finished and having another finished quilt for the year.  

The count is now 2.. in my finish year of 2014.  


Surf's up! Today.....  A couple of shots from my afternoon walk.

I love this time of day when the sun is setting over the mountains and the evening is creeping in. 

Someone said to me the other day that there isn't any such thing as magic, but you know I suppose you only notice the magic if you are looking for it.  Or if you want it in your life.

I noticed the surf rolling in tonight and the number of surfers out looking for their waves to end their day.  Talk about braving the chill.

Made me wonder if this was their "magic".  Pretty magical part of the day if you ask me.    

Not too long now for the shortest day of the year.     

Have a great week all.

K x 

Revisiting the Scrappytripalong

What else is there to do on a freezing cold Sunday....... I gave all the blocks a good press and laid it out and realised I was one block short. 

What a pain and then decided it needed another row.  So 6 blocks half way there and I might be able to finish this one off....  

I'm a bit worried about the colour choices from today but hopefully they fit in ok.

Happy sewing all.
K x

Queens Birthday - Queens everywhere

Well the Queens Birthday weekend has come and gone in the blink of an eye.  

My weekend was spent locally in Wollongong and Sydney with a friend up from Melbourne to share my world and what I get up to in the "Gong".

It all started at brunch on Friday for us with fresh coffee, a mezze platter and ricotta pancakes with raspberry butter at the Fireworks Cafe in Austinmer.  The Fireworks Cafe is a little hidden gem off the main street with a couple of quirky little shops where the cook was happy to share how to get the raspberry butter going.  

The pancakes where sensational and got us thinking that we could make our own.  So we headed in to the local Friday farmers market in Wollongong and bought the most amazing raspberries and found a ricotta pancake recipe from Nigella Lawson  and whipped them up for breaky on Saturday.   

Saturday was spent pottering down to Berry, NSW to explore and find some little hidden treasures. 
Camellias in bloom.

From Berry we headed back to the The School House in Gerringong for lunch.   Kirsten delivered her fresh handmade cheese selections and relishes which were absolutely amazing.  If you get the chance stop by for a visit the coffee is great and it is relaxing watching Kirsten working through her kitchen on the premises which is in full view of the dinners.  

  

  
 We grabbed some beef cheeks in Berry at the local butchery the staff are more then happy to assist.  3 hours of baking in the oven and sweet potato mash with broccolini for dinner.  You know it was fab.  

Really needed a big walk on Sunday.  Is there too much of a good thing?  too much good food, wine and company I would say.

Clear blue winter sky, Wollongong Lighthouse and harbour.

 As it goes...  Beautiful sunny morning in Wollongong to a rainy Sydney evening...  Not that it bothered us.  

Pre Dinner drinks at the Darlo.

Vanilla Rum with ginger - yum..  went down very nicely  

From the Darlo we headed down to The Food Society where it truly was choose your own adventure.  To start we had fried cauliflower with paprika & Suberec' fried pastry filled with pumpkin, sheep's milk cheese and sage.   Followed up with mains of crispy skin pork belly, fried potatoes and warm lamb shoulder, braised spinach and rosemary yoghurt.  Followed by honey cake and caramel vodka.  

As always the company was great and we celebrated friendships, life, personal triumphs and  just taking the time to catch up with each other.

The ambiance at the food society was relaxed with engaged friendly staff and live music.  The bar is well stocked with wonderfully flavoured vodkas to finish off any meal choices. 

 Very cute little jugs for the caramel vodka.  

We followed dinner up with Sunday night at the Stonewall Hotel on Oxford Street Sydney. OMG massive photo opportunity with the "Carlotta".  Who I would like to say looks amazing and who was gracious enough to have a photo with me.  Couldn't think of a better way to wrap up a  Queens Birthday Weekend.  

This quilt is finally bound and finished. Woo hoo and has gone off to live with it's new owner.  Thanks for giving it a loving home Jen Jen.  

Well that is about it.  A snapshot of a couple of days in the "Gong" with a 20 hour rush of life in Sydney.  

I'm looking forward to doing it all again sooner rather then later. But until then it's on with life as we know it in this neck of the woods.
Have a great week all.  
Kath  x x x x x

PS:  Things I've learnt this weekend?  
         1   Organic butter is the bomb - stock it in your fridge
         2   Ginger works well with Rum
         3   Even when peeps say NO CAKE...  they will heap you eat it & love it too.  :)