Moda Love Quilt - The Sewing Pouch Edition...

(*yes I'm rather behind in the diary keeping here, oh well you get that sometimes).

Last Year's (2023) Scrub Stitching "if you want to play along" project was the Moda Charm Love Quilt...a free pattern from Moda that has instructions for the various sized pre-cuts - layer cake, charm pack, mini charm pack.  I had a mini charm pack bundled with a fat quarter that I had bought at the Cobar Quilt Shop the year before, just because I liked it, and perfect project for it and being a mini charm pack of 2 1/2" squares achievable by hand (I very rarely take a sewing machine on retreats, just hand work).

 

By hand it "should" have been easier to get it exact than with a machine but for some reason, even using fine Auriful thread and the stitching line being exactly where it should be the squares I sewed by hand were not to size! What the?  By then I was down with he Covids so I didn't really care about much at all.

 

When I got back home I re-stitched the few blocks I'd done - on the same line! - by machine and hey presto perfectly in size! Don't ask...it had me baffled and still does!!! Consequently, the rest of blocks were sewn by machine.

The finished top...

A mini version...now what to do with it?  I really didn't feel much like making a mini quilt then the idea came that it be more useful as a sewing pouch...I conducted a snap poll at my quilting group as to whether to use it for the back or the inside and the consensus was a resounding as the back so it wouldn't get lost when the pouch was filled with bits and bobs...

I had just enough left of the fat quarter that I used for the background fabric (I love that fabric) for the lining/backing whatever that would show through the plastic front of the pouch.  The flowers were just for decoration...

I was still under the influence of the Covids residual effects so, in hindsight, I should have quilted it differently and the binding should have have been hand stitched to the back as for a quilt but hey, it's just for me and it is no less useful for being a bit dodgy in the making.

Happy Stitching...

Snail...

Finally, after many months of it patiently sitting on the sewing table waiting, the gorgeous snail pincushion gifted from the lovely Sylvia at Baradine this year has a log to sit on...

A piece of dead apple tree branch, which has been hanging about indoors for a while so it was nice and dry...a bit of a sand to tidy up the scraps of bark etc...a couple of coats of clear varnish...and...ready for the hot glue gun...sits up nicely and fits perfectly into the little nook that is part of what was the fireplace in the sewing room...

I just love it and it reminds me of Sylvia which makes me smile...

Happy Stitching...

Bordertown Quilt Show...

Saturday 21 October saw a trip to Bordertown for the Gum Tree Quilters show...I had intended to go for the weekend but life got in the way and that wasn't going to happen so some Stawell Quilters friends offered me a spot in the car I was glad to accept.  A treat to spend the day with friends and not have to drive for once!  A first stop at Dimboola Ag Show so the driver could fulfill her judging commitment and we arrived at the Bordertown venue ready for lunch - the first person I saw when I walked in was Jo! They were finishing lunch before heading out for a while...they came back as we were having afternoon tea prior to leaving...good timing both ways!  It was lovely to see Jo, Tony, Jude (and B) & Pat...

This embroidered clock grabbed my attention straight off at the entrance into the show area...

Jude's churn dash quilt (Chooky's challenge) and Moda Love quilt (which I didn't get to see at Baradine)...good to see them in real life and not just on zoom...

Wide variety in the quilts on show...

Best in Show - congratulations Jude!...

Hexies...

Arty...

Mini quilts created for a SA Quilters Appraisal Panel members professional development exercise...

There was a second display of past winning quilts...was this one stitchery/embroidery/applique?

Up close it was the most amazing surface embroidery... 

Great show Gum Tree Quilters, congratulations.

 

Happy Stitching...

On the Road...from Mildura...

My few days in Mildura sadly came to an end all to quickly and it was time to head south again...I pretty much did a straight drive back with only quick stops...the first being some field bin art in Woomelang...too good not to stop for a squiz...On the way into town...

On the way out of town...

I did see there was another one further down the road but by the time I realised I was past the turn...Woomelang is noted for a longer stop another time...

Heading on towards Donald as the next stop and get a late lunch but a pit stop called so I swung into town at Birchip to find the facilities and what did I spy on a corner wall as I came up the main street...

You know it was a no brainer that I was going to stop regardless after seeing a kelpie on a wall! Then on the other side of the main street on the building next but one from the facilities building...

Got to love a bit of unexpected very Aussie street art...

 

After a quick stop in Donald at the Kooka's factory to stock up on some fresh bikkies (my favs) and grab a pie at the bakery for a late lunch and then it was straight back...a short break but worth the effort...

 

Happy sewing...

Sunrayasia...Mildura...Monday Afternoon...

After spending the morning indoors on the Monday I headed over the river to the NSW side and spent the afternoon outdoors...at the Inland Botanical Gardens...

There is a "rule" that a copy of the gardens map is obtained from the coffee shop before taking the one-way self-drive tour (I hadn't seen the sign so luckily the ladies in the coffee shop put me right when I went in for sustenance first off)...the gardens are large at 124 acres with parking spots so area can be explored along the way.

I walked around the Nature Trail Walk (1) and the Mallee Flora area (2) and Sturt Desert Pea Display (4) before hopping back in the car and heading onto the park circuit...I was ridiculously excited to see flowering Sturt's Desert Peas...

It was quite a warm (OK veering mighty close to hot) day and I was starting to get a bit tired so once back in the car didn't get out in all the areas...

There was one big foray out of the car...I parked near the Rare Fish Habitat and found this fellow by the ponds...

The point of the walk in was to find the WOW Tree...a 2,500 year old mallee tree!...

...while this particular tree (Eucalyptus oleosa) is estimated at 2,500 years old it's oldest stem is estimated at 700 years old...the tree will have withstood many many fires and regrowth of its aboveground stems from its 2,500 year old lignotuber...all the generations that would have benefited from this one tree!...

 

After a few hours I'd barely touched the surface of these gardens! On Saturdays at a particular time there is a tractor train ride guided tour...something to remember for another time...

Happy Stitching