Wow - Is that Ice cream?.....

This weeks Work in Progress has been what to do with 5kg of Strawberries we brought home on Saturday.  (See last posting) They were sold as 'Jamming' berries - so a small batch of Conserve was on the list, as was some Homemade Strawberry Ice-cream and not forgetting the Lactose intolerant one... Strawberry Sorbet!
The advantage of making your own Ice cream is that you know exactly what ingredients are in it - and are able to adjust the sugar content or use Lactose Free Cream and Milk.

My other project was to work on the backing for my 'Under the Aust. Sun' Quilt.  As I mentioned last week I discovered that I didn't have enough fabric - so it was suggested that a pieced back may add some Pizzazz as well as save some money.
I had enough of the feature fabric to make 3 blocks similar to the ones on the front...with a few tweaks of my own.

All that was required then was to cut off just a 2" strip the full length of the feature fabric.
I always use my RULE STEADY when I cut my fabric. It is a fantastic tool and one I have never regretted buying.  I just wish they would invent one I could use in the kitchen!!!!!

If you are curious check them out at www.keepquilting.com.au

Family Day......

The weather was far from conducive to going out .  The rain was miserable but it was 'Family Day' and they wanted to make the most of it despite the weather.

I normally love driving on Eastlink but yesterday it was horrible and I welcomed the approach of the tunnels if just to get out of the rain for a few minutes. But enough about the weather.  By the time we got to the Mornington Peninsula the rain had cleared and I wondered if there had been anything but a slight drizzle here.

This time we were heading to the SUNNY RIDGE STRAWBERRY FARM and with a treat like this at the end of the trip - who wouldn't want to brave the elements!

This Parfait is what we came for....

Marinated freshly picked Strawberries

topped with a scoop of Home made Strawberry Icecream

with a companion scoop of Strawberry Sorbet

Then there were the

Belgium waffles 

with Poached raspberries, 

Fresh local cream 

and Dark chocolate dip.

And ....

Hot pancakes

Maple Syrup

Beautiful Vanilla Ice-cream

(made with local ingredients)

And if that wasn't enough..... One of their Giant Chocolate covered Strawberries.

Yes, that is a 'normal' berry on the teaspoon and a 5c piece for scale!

The only problem I have now is.....
What do I do with THESE?????









PS:  There were FIVE of us and we shared!
www.sunnyridge.com.au

The Promise of Summer....

.....outside it was a glorious day.  Warm, yet with a cool breeze. Just the kind of day to take a book out on the veranda and do absolutely nothing!

But, sitting outside on a quilt reading about quilting is not doing quilting, so I dragged myself away from starting the next chapter and decided to prepare the backing for my 'Under the Australian Sun' Quilt.

This went well, until I discovered the quilt was 10" wider than my fabric. So, instead of sitting outside, or sewing my backing, I found myself dragging out the leftovers and working out how I could put a pieced panel in the back that was not going to give the quilter nightmares! (Oh yes, I am not going to quilt this beauty myself - it is just too big).

But, being the easily distracted one that I am, I couldn't resist going back outside to investigate what sounded like the faint squeaking of a swing.  

No swings in our back yard, so it could only be the soft chatter of a young Lorikeet.  

I was rewarded by the sight of someone peeking out at me.

And of course, where there is one - there is always another, so look for it's mate as it won't be far away.

It is always good to see the native birds coming back into the suburbs especially so close to the CBD.*  

These guys will come back and may even bring their friends and family too.  Then it won't be such a soft chatter!





*Sorry for 'non locals' -
CBD = Central Business District

"There and Back Again"

is the alternate title to JRR Tolkien's novel "The Hobbit".

It is also the title of a new mystery BOM I thought I'd check out.  

One 7" block down and 12 to go!

This block is "Gandalf" and I chose to put a fireworks sky behind him

OK so the original pattern didn't have the tree in the background - but we thought it was a bit stark - It can stay or go depending on what the finished pattern turns out to look like!

WOW - I made a resolution...

....to finish at least ONE Heart's Desire block before I started an new project!
I was hoping to then get sidetracked into finishing off the remaining 2 Love Entwined Blocks.
So far so good.  It is really satisfying to see the set completed.

The next step is to either finish off the centre block with the additional leaves or start on the remaining "Flowers for Me" corner blocks....I'll keep you posted!


In the meantime I found a nice little adventure to get me sidetracked.

A new Paper Pieced Block of the month mystery with a Hobbit Theme.
First block is 'Gandalf' - Oh wow some of those pieces are tiny.
Will I make it "There and Back Again" or will I fall to the many perils along the way?

Black & White plus One is.....

FINISHED!
The great thing about challenges is that they have deadlines.

 I always work best when I have a deadline, especially a short one.
So, I have found that it IS possible to put a quilt together in a couple of weeks.
Whether the design has worked is open to interpretation.
It looked OK on the EQ6 drawing board - and if you are wondering - Yes, it is a variation on the Parquetry Quilt I made for my Dad.



It was supposed to have an Art Deco feel to it and is quilted in a circular design taken from an image of a fence railing of the era.
Here's a shot of the back, which shows off the stitching (such as it is).  I thought it needed something else, so I added a few extra rounds in the more open areas, just to keep the batting in check.

Closest to God in the Garden.....

..Than anywhere else on Earth....

I remember my Grandmother writing to me as a child once and quoting this old saying.

Looking back, she is certainly not going to be one of God's Gardeners - now If the Angels needed knitted socks..... that would be another matter!  If I close my eyes I could see her as part of the Heavenly Knitters Association - grabbing wisps of clouds and knitting them into blankets to warm the mountain tops.

The Pink Tipped Callistemon (a variety of Bottle-brush) in the nature strip outside our house is absolutely covered in blossom at the moment.  The new growth leaves are tipped with pink - not the flowers, which are pale lemon, and loaded with pollen.

The tree was literally buzzing with activity as the bees had a feast.  

They will certainly make the most of it while they can, as the flowers don't last very long and will be blown, like a yellow snow drift down the street and into corners of the garden with the first strong wind. 

With the start of Daylight Savings I thought I would add a new page to my blog... Pop over and have a look at what is happening in My Aussie Garden.  I will try and keep the photos changing on a regular basis as new things pop up and out!