Living on the (selv)edge

Too much activity elsewhere has meant I’ve sadly neglected you, dear reader, so here’s a sneak peek at one of the projects I’ve been working on… More soon!

Quilt display at St Mark’s this Sunday

At all services next Sunday, 23^rd May at

St Mark’s Anglican Church

Cnr Greenoaks Avenue and Darling Point Road, Darling Point (Sydney, Australia).

8.00am - Holy Communion

10.00am - Morning Worship

5.30pm - (Contemporary) Evening Worship

More than 70 quilts made by

St Mark’s Quilters’ Stitchin’ Mission

for the

KU MARCIA BURGESS AUTISM SPECIFIC EARLY LEARNING & CARE CENTRE

(opening in July at Liverpool)

* * * THANK YOU * * *

For your prayers, encouragement and generous donations which have made it possible for us to create these gifts of love.

* * * * *

In your dreams!

Last year’s Stitchin’ Mission, 5 beginner quiltmaking lessons taught by Linda Hungerford at St Mark’s, was so popular that quite a few ‘graduates’ wanted to keep on creating quilts long after Linda had returned home to the USA – and so St Mark’s Quilters was born.

For one Saturday a month our church hall becomes a wonderful creative space where laughter and chatter (and sometimes even music) mixes with the whirr of sewing machines as we stitch up colourful children’s quilts for the little ones at the shortly-to-open KU Marcia Burgess Autism Specific Early Learning & Care Centre.

In the midst of this happy activity I’ve often found myself wishing Linda could join in the fun of a Saturday workshop with us.

Then last Saturday morning, when the coffee was on, the machines all threaded up, we’d just welcomed Gail and Barb who were joining us for the first time, and we were starting to spread fabric across the tables - in walked Linda! After 3 weeks here on holidays she had hopped on a USA-bound plane on Friday afternoon, just a day short of being able to join us for our May workshop. 

Or so I thought. 

But unknown to me a potentially nasty mechanical problem had forced her plane to return to Sydney, giving her 3 more days here, and the opportunity to come along to a St Mark’s Quilters Saturday workshop. 

Di B (who had spoken to Linda after the mid-air drama, and is very good at keeping secrets) says my face was priceless!

Soon the place was hopping!  Linda and her granddaughter Celina sewed as a team. And almost finished this “Stairway to Heaven” quilt top. Moo did some hand stitching on her latest creation, “Noah’s Ark”. Di C finished the binding on this beautiful quilt in which she’s used a vibrant gold and orange vintage Marimekko print donated to our Stitchin’ Mission stash. Barb and Gail worked as a team on this New Life quilt with purple sashing.

Margaret and Cath were busy stitching at their machines too.

  

And Cath finished this “Noah’s Ark” quilt in just one day!

Michaela sewed the label on another finished New Life quilt.

Di B amazed us with her free motion machine quilting.  Even Matilda and Chester joined in the fun.

Go here for more words and pictures of this special day God gave us!

Mothers’ Day – for the “sandwich” generation

My morning was spent visiting my darling mother (and father).Then they were whisked off to a secret destination by my sister for a celebratory Mothers’ Day lunch. Then this afternoon my own children spoiled me with flowers and gifts – including 4 of the latest quilting magazines!!! – and our precious little Princess presented me with a beautiful card that she and her Mummy had made together. This smile just melts my heart every time.  Thank you, my darlings, every one of you, for all the joy you bring us.

[This was the perfect end to an unexpectedly wonderful weekend.  But you’ll have to wait just a little longer until I have time to tell you all about it.]

Showing Linda the (quilt shop) sights

When a good friend comes to Sydney you have to show her around.  Right?

And if that good friend is a quilter you’d be neglectful if you didn’t take her to a fabric shop.  Right?

And if she saw some beautiful fabrics she couldn’t buy at home in the USA and just had to buy them (are you with me here?…….)….Then surely you’d be obligated to demonstrate sisterly solidarity and stock up on a few fabrics for your own stash, even if you didn’t really need them right at this moment….

…wouldn’t you?

Saturday stitching

Whirligigs, hexagons, redwork - a day at the Sydney Southern Cross Quilters’ monthly get-together is always a treat for the eyes!

Here are Glinys’ beautiful blocks which she drafted herself.

These 1/2 inch (yes, I did say 1/2 inch!) hexagons are Pennie’s work.

  

And this cute little fellow was precisely stitched by Jackie.

For more photos pop across to Pennie’s and Linda’s blogs – believe me, it’s worth it!

The local wildlife

We celebrated Someone Special’s birthday over lunch at Catalina last Friday – complete with pelicans! Somehow our views of Sydney Harbour are always beautiful, even with leaden skies.