I’ve noticed a little problem with comments being made on my blog posts not coming across as an email into Outlook. Some come across, but not all. I’ve checked the settings and all is as normal. Sporadic problems are always the hardest to sort out.
Is anyone else having this problem, or knows of a solution?
I’m very much a hit and miss vege gardener. Last year I missed completely.
When we came home from our big trip I wanted to plant something and peas and spinach were about the only options at that time of the year.
We have been eating snow peas and spinach for a while, but have now started to pick real peas in the pod.
Some could have been pick last week, but life got in the way, so we picked them when we got home on Sunday. It’s hard not to eat them all straight from the plant as you go.
We picked a nice amount.
It was a lovely evening, so we sat on the back verandah and shelled them. Just enough to freeze for three meals.
We’ll be picking them most days now for a while. Yummo.
Mick and Biggles had a nice rest after it was all done.
There were some lovely quilts at the main exhibition in Braidwood. This one featuring Kiwi fabrics was so simple, but so very effective. It would be a great way to utilise a layer cake.
There was a challenge set by the local patchwork shop to make a small quilt using the fabric featuring English cathedrals. This one was my pick. Funnily enough, I bought half a metre of the same fabric in Canterbury while we were over there.
Here is the completed quilts. I always love the different interpretations that the quilters come up with.
There was another challenge on display as well. This one had the theme of Yellow and Purple and I think it was organised by the Quilters Guild, but not specifically for this event. Anyway, there were heaps of entries, and once again the array of different ideas was rather amazing.
I think this was my favourite quilt in the show. The colour selection was so very effective. A traditional design using modern fabrics.
It wasn’t needle turn appliqué. I was quite fascinated by the technique. It appears to have had the red background fabric completely quilted as a whole quilt with a quarter inch diamond in red cotton, finishing up with quite a thin dense quilt. Then, the design was appliquéd on using monofilament and a tiny zig zag. What a terrible lot of work.
I think this quilt must have been made by the same quilter, as the technique was very similar.
I just loved the scallops on the border. They were black on a fine black and white polka dot. The effect was quite striking. Just coming up with different ideas is half the battle.
Now this one is rather stunning. Beautiful work.
Earlier in the morning I purchased a “Little Twister” ruler, as I’ve seen some small quilts using them and love the look. After seeing this quilt I went back to the stall and bought the matching larger ruler as well. The colour placement on this quilt really makes it.
The colours are also spot on with this cheerful quilt.
That’s all the photos I took at Braidwood. The following quilts were in the exhibition at Bungendore, which was on a slightly smaller scale.
This is such a simple effective design with beautiful colour selection. You just want to snuggle under it, as it looks so warm.
This was a smaller wall hanging.
The machine quilting really set it off.
When you look closely at this one….
You see that it is all machine pieced. What a lot of points to match. Very effective.
On the stage of the hall this quilt was on display. It had won a prize at the Sydney Quilt Show.
No wonder, once you see all the detail in the appliqué and quilting.
There were quite a few quilts that had been made with jelly rolls and Bali Pops.
This design shows off the larger scale prints well.
There were only three different fabrics in the next quilt. A very clever design.
And finally, this one really stood out, being so nice and bright. A very effective design.
It is so generous of all the talented quilters to share their work. It certainly made for a very enjoyable weekend for us all.
I don’t know if it was clear in my previous post that it wasn’t ten women that went down to Braidwood, but five women accompanied by our husbands. We are all more usually at motorcycle events, but this time it was a weekend for the girls. Mick is getting used to being dragged around quilt shows without too many complaints, but for a couple of the men it was their first exposure to this sort of event. I think they were suitably impressed with what can be created and the work and time that goes into them. It was also just a good excuse for us all to get away for the weekend and have a lovely meal together. We are hoping to do it again some time, and hopefully we will actually get see the quilts on display in the street.
After planning for several months, the weekend finally arrived for a group of ten of our friends to visit the Braidwood Quilt Event. I shared our previous visit in 2009 here. I had also visited before that with one of my friends.
As you can imagine, we were rather disappointed when looking at the weather forecast last week. However, we all decided to go anyway, it was a good excuse for a weekend away.
It was rather a slow trip down with driving conditions like this all the way to Goulburn.
After Goulburn we started to see just a little bit of a milky looking blue patch of sky in the distance. It had actually stopped raining by the time we reached Braidwood and we didn’t need the brolly at all. What a relief for the organisers. However, it was too late to hang quilts from the balconies, which is usually a main feature of the day. The market stalls moved out of the park and down the main street. Numbers of visitors, unfortunately, were way down on our previous visits.
Was it worth the visit? You bet!! There was still lots to see. I think my favourite exhibition was “For the Love of Wool” by a lady named Caroline Ogilvie. Just lovely work.
There were just a few quilts hanging outside. Notice the colour of the sky now.
The museum hosted an exhibition of art quilt Waggas inspired by the make do nature of the originals. They were all made by a man.
There was a display of Asian Textiles in the beautiful Courthouse.
Just look at that sky!
A few more quilts made it outside.
The Anglican Church is a lovely backdrop for more quilts.
Isn’t this quilt gorgeous.
Next door in the Masonic Lodge there were more quilts.
There was even an exhibition of wedding dresses owned by a local lady at the Services Club.
After so many things to take in we all gathered at the pub for a well earned relax in the beer garden. There were a couple of these little fellows buzzing around. Does anyone know what it is? It was like an oversized, iridescent mozzie.
We finished off the day with a beautiful meal at one of the restaurants. I can’t believe that I forgot to take a photo of us all together.
While we were in Braidwood we heard that there was also a Quilt Show on in Bungendore on the weekend, so made a detour over there on the way home. We haven’t been to Bungendore in years and years, so it was a great excuse to have a look around.
The weather was so much more pleasant on the way home than yesterday morning.
Yes, I did take some photos of the main quilt exhibition in Braidwood and the one in Bungendore, but I’ll share them in a separate post.
I can’t believe it is nearly 2 weeks since I last posted. Time has just flown.
There has been a bit more news with my Dad. My aunt and uncle duly delivered Mum and Dad home safely last weekend with no further incidents. However, he had more pain on Monday night which ended up with trip to Sydney for him. He is now back home with a stent in one of his arteries. Other than one blockage, all looked fine. Here’s hoping that he will be all better now, once he gets his strength back.
In the middle of all these happenings I did manage to finish off a little secret sewing which is now winging it's way somewhere far away.
Phew! I’d have hated for it to be late.
Tomorrow we and four other couples are headed off to Braidwood to the Airing of the Quilts. We have all our fingers and toes crossed that the weather fines up. Mind you, we are looking forward to our weekend away regardless of the weather.
On Sunday I left Coonabarabran and drove to Dunedoo before stopping for breakfast. I’m just not a fan of motel breakfasts and nothing was open in Coonabarabran in the morning.
I was so pleased that it worked out this way or I wouldn’t have enjoyed the White Rose Cafe.
As you get closers you start to see the cafe’s heritage. Lovely original painted windows.
Once you enter you are greeted by this wonderful original decor. I just love the polished aluminium counter with the red laminex top.
Check out the chequered floor in the red and pink.
And there are even the old marble topped tables. Wouldn’t they be the best for making pastry on.
To top it all off they make a terrific egg and bacon roll and skim mocha, which really hit the spot.
It all reminded me a bit of Peters Cafe in Bingara that we visited recently.
As I continued on my merry way I saw a sign pointing to the Gulgong Swap Meet. Never one to miss such an opportunity to compare other swap meets to ours, I followed the signs. I’m rather glad that I did. The fact that I may just find some treasure was of course in the back of my mind.
It was a surprisingly big swap meet for the size of the town and really well set out.
There were all sorts of things for sale, as well as a show and shine for motorcycles and cars.
The old engine group also had a display.
Yes, of course I found some treasures. I saw an idea recently of storing all your electrical gadget chargers in a large biscuit barrel, so have been on the lookout for a large canister to store ours in, as they are so hard to keep tidy. This aluminium one will fit the bill perfectly. It just needs a bit of spit and polish.
I don’t buy much green glass anymore, but succumbed when I saw this gorgeous oval platter. It glows under the black light and will be American, going on the elaborate design.
The frosted bowl is actually from a second hand shop in the little town where Mum and Dad are. I loved the deco lines.
The oblong plate caught my eye, being that lovely 30’s cream and green that suits my kitchen so well. It is “Gracelite” hotel ware for Grace Bros Sydney, although made in England. I couldn’t leave it there.
And, of course there is always room for a few more old bakelite buckles.
I was still home in time for a late lunch.
So, all in all, a very enjoyable day’s travels.
