A quilt inspired by my friend Kate. She is the one who gave me the courage to get started and keeps encouraging me each and every time.
Her latest quilt “Twilight” has stars in my eyes and following her latest blog I thought it would be a wonderful way to tutor myself into making a similar one for myself.
Now believe me I am her ardent follower but by no means am I even close to her level of skill and expertise….
I started with the same window blocks but added another row. I have followed the patterns as best I can seeing as I have limited colours to work with.
I’ve planned this quilt the two jelly rolls I picked up at half price from spotlight… I had left over squares in blue from a previous project and it seems like it’s worked.
I’ve enjoyed making the blocks and putting them together… I’ve used a simple QAYG method and it seems to have worked ….
The border is in blue as I’ve run out of the pinkish colours in the jelly roll. The blue seems to bring out the pink in the quilt so I’m happy…
Well it’s time again and as I missed last month I simply could not miss this month …
The runner that I have made is called my 2020 WRAP… coz it has all the scraps from all my 2020 projects.
As I’ve made a fair few quilts and gifts over the year I don’t have them here with me to look at or feel. This runner will be a reminder of all things made last year.
I haven’t actually set it out making sure colours match … I’ve just pulled them out of the stacks of scraps I have now and free motion quilted them on the batting. It’s turned out bright and has a stained glass look to it which I love.
Well we are back again and before I post about this months ScrapHappiness I need to share a picture with you ❣️
As you can see my journey started four years ago and this was my first attempt at paper piecing … how I love the process 😍
Onto this months post ….
I’m off to Perth next week and I’m going to see a friend who I only see on social media as we always seem to miss each other when visiting…
She asked me to make her a bag a while ago and since I’m going there and stars are aligned and we are meeting after all these years I get to give her the bag 🥰
This fabric is a remnant left over from a previous project and ideal for my scraphappy post as well 🤩
It’s a simple piece and something I put together in half an hour as time is very limited these days for complicated sewing projects.
At the moment we are in Mansfield for the National Motorcycle Rally that Honda ST Owners have each year which Victoria is hosting … like I said time to see these days are limited 🤩
Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at).
“ Barwon Park is an authentic bluestone mansion and stables set in a sweeping rural landscape. Embarrassed by having to entertain the visiting Duke of Edinburgh at an undistinguished homestead, pioneer pastoralist Thomas Austin and his wife Elizabeth built this lavish 42 room mansion in 1871. Thomas Austin died just six months after it was completed, but Elizabeth lived at Barwon Park for many years and became a noted philanthropist. The house then passed into the hands of the Batson family who later bequeathed it to the National Trust. Visitors still marvel at the magnificent entrance hall and impressive room as did d I !!
Thomas Austin English born Thomas Austin arrived in Australia in 1831 and settled in the Western District of Victoria in 1837. Taking up land near Winchelsea of 12,000 hectares for grazing sheep and training horses, he named it Barwon Park.
A member of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria, which introduced new animals and plants to the colony, Austin brought from England hares, blackbirds and partridges.
In 1859 he also brought 24 rabbits to breed as game for his shooting parties. Although welcomed at the time, Austin is now blamed for introducing this serious pest to Australia
Royal Rabbit Shooting In December 1867 Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Alfred, visited Australia. He stayed at the Austin’s homestead and went shooting there. In three and half hours over 1000 rabbits were shot by the party. The Prince alone shot 416 and was so delighted with the shoot another was arranged for the Prince’s return visit to Victoria the following February. On that occasion he claimed 432 of the 1532 rabbits shot that day, although one reporter argued that “in such an indiscriminate slaughter we cannot see how any precise conclusion can be arrived at.”
It was having entertained royalty in their modest homestead that prompted the Austin’s to built at a cost of £10,000, the present Barwon Park mansion, more suited to royal visits.
Elizabeth Austin – Philanthropist Elizabeth Austin was born in England in 1821 and came to Australia in 1841. Four years later she married Thomas Austin and became involved in local churches and charities. After her husband’s death in 1871 she increased her philanthropic ventures and by the end of the nineteenth century was recognised as one of the Victoria’s leading benefactors.
She is best remembered for contributing to the establishment of the Austin Homes for Women in Geelong and the Hospital for Incurables (later the Austin Hospital) in Heidelberg.
She died in 1910 and The Argus Newspaper remembered her for bringing “into existence one of Victoria’s most useful hospitals —the Austin Hospital for Incurables … since the incorporation of the institution on January 21, 1882, it has won for its benefactress the affection and gratitude of hundreds of unfortunate incurables who were denied admission to the general infirmaries.”
The Batson Family In 1912 Stephen Batson purchased Barwon Park, including the 320 acre estate, for £6,716.
In 1969 his son Sydney passed away having bequeathed the property to National Trust but allowing for his sister to live there for the duration of her life.
The mansion was virtually intact from its Victorian era origin as this picture taken by John Collins in 1975 shows (State Library of Victoria Collection).”
I know it’s a bit long to read but the history of the place does bring it to life!!! I wish I had more comfortable shoes to walk in instead of motorcycle boots but it was worth the hour & 10 minutes going through each room of the house !
The Grand Staircase The tapestry Elizabeth made in the 1800’s !Rooms in the house The Stables
Last month I was getting ready to go on a holiday… this month thankfully I am home and can get stuff done ✔️
Again it’s a scraphappy post of pot holders & little place mats to be gifted next month to a group of ladies in Mansfield 😍
To give some context …. This year Victoria is hosting the annual St1300 Honda Motorcycle 🏍️ Rally.
The ladies in our group ride pillion with their husbands and we meet every month for an RTE ( Ride to Eat) 🤩
We ladies are heading the housekeeping committee and taking care of the Friday night Meet & Greet snacks & Sausage sizzle, along with other homemade snacks and cakes made by us.
To set us all off on the right foot I thought it would be nice to present each of the ladies with one of the mats pictured below.
Now these are bits picked up for a dollar at various markets and pieces left over from other projects. No better way to use left overs 🤍
3 made so far … another 7 to go 🤩
Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at).
I have been sewing but at a much slower pace these days
Babysitting my little bubba is first priority and helping your grown kids with their work schedules also takes precedence.
I have actually made a few bits and pieces over the last month mainly as gifts to friends visiting from overseas as it keeps me happy sewing something when there’s little time.
This idea of course takes shape only after I’ve actually made one block …. It then flows from there.
It involves machine sewing and hand sewing and as my RA fingers are doing well (to a point) I don’t overdo it as the pain later sets me waaaayyy back which I don’t want or like.
So in saying that the hand sewing obviously involves hexies which are a central feature to each block.
7 blocks done and two to go… I finished the last two hexie flowers watching a show last night and hopefully I’ll be able to finish the blocks today.
HAPPINESS IS..... 