Tasmania and Victoria. A fabulous holiday!

I joined a group of nineteen other quilters, and our fearless leader Dianne, on an exceptional trip to Australia.

The first morning In Hobart I was up in time to catch the sunrise looking out over the Harbour.

After a free day to explore on the Hop on, Hop off bus, we headed out to Port Arthur.  One of the many places in Australia that was home to convicts in the 1800s.  The tour included a lot of history as well as stunning scenery.  The next day we went to the Female Factory in Hobart, where women convicts were housed.  An informative tour, making me extremely glad I live in the 21st century.

Off to Bruny Island, and a tour along the coast out into the Southern Ocean to see the seals.  I know some of you are amazed that I was willing to get into a speed boat on the Ocean.  Well, it was a large speed boat, and the Ocean was fairly calm that day.  The scenery was stunning.  I was so happy I went.

The West Coast Wilderness Railway was probably my favourite part of the trip.  The steam engine that pulled us up the mountain was 120 years old.

The car we road in was the premium car.  Champagne to start, Canapés, scones, lunch, cheese and fruit, and then a sweet.  We never stopped eating, while admiring the fabulous scenery going through the rain forest.

Who wouldn't love this?

The room at Strahan at the end of the train trip had this for a view.  Are you a little jealous yet?

We did go to Cradle Mountain, but it was too fogged in to get many pictures.  However, back at the resort this little Wallaby posed for his picture.  My one and only encounter in the wild with native animals.

After settling into our room at Launceston, we headed to the Beaconsfield Mine.  The historical society has done a fabulous job of preserving the history of this site.

A quick flight to Melbourne, and another bus to Ballarat.  Our bus drivers took us to a local park and offered to cook us a barbecue supper.

We agreed of course.  Beef, Chicken, Sausages, and a little Kangaroo were served.  I did try the Kangaroo, but I'm not anxious to eat it again.

Ballarat had a local wildlife park, so we went to see some of the native animals.  We attended the Sovereign Hill Dinner and Light show, and then we were back on the road again.

The Tarndie Heritage Sheep Farm with it's seventh generation sheep farmer as our host.  During lunch they gave us a little of their farm grown wool to knit with.  Of course a little of the wool had to come home with me!  We spent an night in Warrnabool to see the Flagstaff Hill show. Another look into Australian history.

The Great Ocean Road!  It will leave you speechless.

A tree top walk anyone?  Nearing the top of the tower the tree frogs sang a chorus for me.

Melbourne was the last stop.  Our hotel was in an ideal location, close to the downtown core. After a couple of days of exploring, home we headed.  I'll post the quilt side of the trip shortly.

Thanks to Dianne of Diversity for organizing such an amazing holiday that surpassed my expectations.  Also, a shout out to Perdita from Travelwise for making all the travel arrangements for us.  Both of you are incredible.

What to quilt, what to quilt?

I'm often asked what to quilt on a quilt.  My answer is whatever you like.  Recently I was quilting a quilt that had twenty five strips with a sashing in-between.

To challenge myself, I quilted something different in each strip.

I did use writing twice, but one says love and the other says hello.  Different enough for me.

Challenge yourself and try a new design on your next quilt, you might like it.

Deco

I just had to share this quilt!

It was pieced by Sylvia, using a pattern called Deco.

The pattern is from this book.  The quilts are just like the book says, surprisingly simple.  The results are stunning.

I marked a grid on the grey heart and quilted my funky orange peel design in it.

The yellow heart has paisley hearts on it.  The background was quilted with my usual doodle design.

Thanks to Sylvia for letting me play on this one!

This is my Splendid Sampler Simple Simon block.  I used Mon Ami by Basic Grey.  I just love this little bicycle print.  The rest of the Sampler blocks will have to wait until I return home to my sewing machine.

Kaleido-design meets Flow by Zen Chic

I have had a lot of fun designing and making quilts for my newest class called Kaleido-design. My favourite has to be the medallion style quilt using the line "Flow" by Zen Chic for Moda.  The fabric will be released to stores in March!

I used the Marti Michell Kaleido-Ruler to make the quilt.

I started with the centre medallion, inspired by several mini quilts popping up on Instagram lately.  I was going to stop at thirty six inched and then decided, what the heck, I want a big quilt.

The next round was a block that I picked out of a discarded doodle for a quilt.  The layout was a bust, but this little gem just screamed to be made.

The last round is the simple Kaleidoscope block that we all think of when we think of Kaleidoscope quilts.  I am in love with every part of this quilt.

Recently I taught the class for my local guild.  This is the quilt that Sandy designed and pieced.  I am so impressed with her creativity.

Blocks 3 and 4 are done for the Splendid Sampler Quilt Along.  I am going with a very scrappy quilt, using what is laying around my cutting table as each block comes out.  Block 3 is a mash up of Flow and For You, both by Zen Chic.  Block 4 is a little Me and My Sister fabric, set on a piece of First Crush by Sweetwater.

Linking up with Finish it up Friday.

Groovy Satchel

I had previously made a "Groovy Satchel" for a friend.  Happy to say that she has used it so much that it is almost wore out.  Sooooooo, it was time to make another one.

This time I used a Hoffman digital print.

The pattern is in the book "Style and Swing."  I have made a few bags from this book.  They are fairly easy to make.

The last time I made this bag I used interfacing as suggested in the book.  After a few washes, the bag had lost all of it's shape.  I wanted something a little more substantial, but not as heavy as the soft and stable that I used in last weeks bag.

I had read somewhere that car headliner (available at upholstery shops) was an option.  I went to Rosemarie's shop and ask her husband if he thought it would work.  He only slightly rolled his eyes at me, and then pulled out the headliner to compare to the soft and stable.  Both have foam with a polyester layer.  Soft and stable has it on both sides, headliner only on one side.  The headliner, in grey, was slightly thinner.  I took a piece of both and threw them through the washer and drier.  They both came out fine.  So into the bag the headliner went.  The bag isn't as firm as the one last week, but I'm happy with the results.

I have decided to try and make the one hundred blocks that are going to be presented for The Splendid Sampler.  There are so many quilt alongs happening on line, it was hard to decide which one to do.  This one won out, because of all the fabulous designers that are taking part.  If you haven't checked it out yet, click here and see what you think.

Linking up with Finish it up Friday!

"Hey Mercedes" Bag

I finally had a day to spend making my "Hey Mercedes" bag from my favourite Cotton + Steel fabric.

The bottom and side panel tapers to meet the side seams.  I was a little worried about the sewing but....

It worked out fine!

Zippered inner pockets and a snap closure to keep everything safe.

The square rings for the handles were purchase through Emmaline Bags.  She is a Canadian distributor of bag hardware out of Alberta.  I found her delivery to be fast and without those cross border fees and shipping.

The pattern is from the book Windy City Bags.  I met Sara in Houston and had a hard time waiting for this book to be released.  Now that it is in my hot little hands I may have to make a few more from the book.

Linking up with Finish it up Friday!