Day 5 – Under
Glorious, tall palm trees behind my home.
Day 6 - Chair
Day 7 – Fear
This retaining wall under repair beside my house looks pretty precarious.
Day 8 – Favourite
One of the favourite corners of my garden.
Day 9 – Faceless self-portrait
Of course I’m wearing pink!
Day 10 – I want…
…a relaxing night in, with dinner on a tray in front of my favourite TV programme.
Day 11 – Important
It’s important that Chester gets lots of exercise. We love our park!
I’ve been posting my Fat Mum Slim Photo a Day photos each day on Instagram, just as I ought, but my slackness in posting my weekly digests here on my blog has meant that I have a slight serious backlog and there’s just nothing for it but to send an avalanche of photos in your direction.
Apologies in advance, dear reader, if you read my blog for the quilts rather than the photos, but we’ll be all up to date in the next few days. I promise.
If it’s any consolation, some of my shots are quilt-related.
Day 26 – Quiet
The builders have downed tools for the day and all is quiet.
Day 27 – Playing
More father and son fun with Lachy and Mr J under the sprinkler.
Day 28 – Upside down
MARCH
Day 1 – Something beginning with L…
Labrador! My gorgeous boy, Chester, who guards me while I sleep and gives me a reason to get out of bed every morning.
Day 2 – I made this!
Ben and Sunny’s Wedding Quilt
Day 3 – Key
{The Home key} – There’s no place like home.
Day 4 – Lucky
I won this issue of Quilter’s Companion with Chris Jurd’s DVD in a giveaway on her blog. Lucky me!
Day 19 – I am …
…living with renovations. Dust, noise and adventures in plumbing. Uggggh.
Day 20 – Where you stood
On the Mount of Olives looking over Jerusalem, at this time last year.
Day 21 – Full.
My ceilings are full of holes right now. This one’s right above my stove.
Day 22 – Makes you smile.
My clergyman husband pointing out the sign to the “Sin Factory” when we were in Split, Croatia, in 2010.
Day 23 – A word
Coke! Probably the most recognised word in the world, no matter what language it’s written in.
Day 24 – Cloud
Day 25 – On your bedside table
Just call me a geek 
This was the jumbo-sized delivery that Di B, Margaret and I had the pleasure of giving to the Royal Prince Alfred (Sydney) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit last week, after a wonderfully productive year by our St Mark’s (Darling Point) Quilters.
Fundraising Manager Dahlia Brigham and Associate Professor David Osborn, Director of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, were excited too, as they unpacked our Blankets of Love.
Pretty humidicrib covers, like this one made by Gillian, not only shield tiny babies from the bright lights of the nursery, but help to make it look much less sterile for the families who need to spend so much time there.
The RPA Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery does amazing work helping tiny bubs, some born as early as 26 weeks’ gestation, to survive. I saw one little poppet so tiny her hands were the size of my thumbs and almost transparent!
As well as making quilts, Margaret knits tiny beanies and a visit to the nursery is always an opportunity for her to personally hand over these special gifts to any parents there at the time.
As you can imagine, there are always tears (happy ones!). It’s just so heartening to see how a small gesture like this can brighten the day for a mum of a newborn bub struggling with health issues.
Here’s sweet little ‘A’ (below) and her lovely mum with Margaret (above).
At one stage we looked around and realised we’d lost Margaret, but it was soon obvious where she was when camera flashes started coming from the other end of the nursery. A grateful family was taking her photo. She is such a star!
Our enthusiastic quilters make this all possible, and we’re ever so grateful for our supporters {you know who you are}.
Did I say we love what we do?
Day 12 – Where you ate lunch. At my desk.
Day 13 – Walking. With my boy.
Day 14 - Love is … Keeping his photo on my desk.
Day 15 – Inside your Fridge
Day 16 – Perfect. A perfect sunset over Vaucluse Bay, Sydney Harbour.
Day 17 – In your hand (actually my son’s hand). Facetiming with Sarah in Virginia USA
Day 18 – Something you don’t like. Heatwave days like this one a couple of weeks ago (that’s around 113 degrees Fahrenheidt!)
As the {self-appointed} promoter of the work of my talented quilting buddies I’d be falling down on the job if I didn’t show you some of the gorgeousness they’ve been creating lately.
Anne is making progress with “The French General’s Mistress”, a pattern by Australian designer and teacher Lyn Alchin, and I’m loving those clamshells (and admiring Anne’s patience).
Robbie designed and made this fun cot quilt for her new grandson.
Those elephants’ 3D ears really flapped when they heard that this little fellow was home from hospital, even before his original due date!
Rae is our queen of fussy cutting, and these are her latest, to be added to a stunning quilt she’s making as she tries to use up her stash. Ha! As if that will ever happen.
Lyn’s Sue Spargo woollen houses are so vibrant against that background.
Janet’s reproduction sampler positively glows with those rich reds and cheddars. Well worth the handwork she put into making it.
Sue’s Dresden Plates {work in progress} again show what a stunning effect a darker background can produce.
Jean was hand quilting this fresh and simple little quilt she made up from a jelly roll – and I couldn’t help smile when I saw how her blouse co-ordinated with her quilt!
15 abandoned sewing machines? Don’t worry, our St Mark’s Quilters were just taking a breather from making lots and lots of scrappy 12 inch blocks.
We’re going to make them up into several bed sized quilts for victims of the recent bushfires and floods here in Australia.
This is our pattern, from Amanda Jean Nyberg’s book Sunday Morning Quilts. Doesn’t it look bright and cheery?
How could you feel any other way looking at all those creations. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – I have such talented friends!
