Quilts on Vacation - Part 1

Welcome to Sewmiriam!  I am so glad you dropped by. My usual weekly blogpost is a bit late this week because I took my quilts on a mini vacation. Last Friday I had the immense pleasure of meeting the RedBerry Quilters and sharing my love of quilting with them. Thank you ladies for making me feel so welcome. I even had the opportunity to see their ' show and tell.' What a talented and inspiring group of quilters! 

Evan and I decided to stay the weekend in the Southern Highlands. On our journey home we went to Mt Gibraltor near Mittagong . The views were spectacular. I could think of no better place to take some holiday snaps with my just finished 'Kakadu Dreaming' quilt - pattern by Kathy Adams. 

My good friend Jo Anne Philips machine - quilted Kakadu Dreaming and you can see the wonderful way the swirls complement the quilt design to perfection in the next 2 photos.

This quilt would make a luxury picnic rug too!

but I think Evan has found its ultimate use!!! 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx 

A Quilt Gathering

My quilts are coming home! I love making quilts and giving them away. But this week, I have been calling them back home. Why? Well for a very good reason. Next Friday I am traveling down to the South Coast to show my quilts and share their stories with the RedBerry Quilters.

Here is a sneak peak of just some of them. How exciting to have them back for a visit. It is wonderful to see them again. It is like looking at them through fresh eyes. 

I am a bit nervous. Will the RedBerry Quilters like the quilts and their stories? I hope so. I am looking forward to meeting them all. Lucky for me, it is their first meeting for the year, so I will be able to see their 'show and tell' too. I feel very honoured to be asked. Wish me luck! 

And , to top  it all off the Southern Highland Quilters' Guild Fourth Biannual Quilt Show is on the 27th and 28th of February at the Mittagong RSL Club, so I can go to that too. What a splendid weekend to look forward too. 

Happy sewing, Miriamx 

Liberty Love

I have had a delightful time over the last few weeks working on something really special. It hasn't been a rushed project, or a project with a deadline. It has been gentle and it has been a pleasure  every stitch of the way.

After her mother passed away, my dear friend Elaine gave me a tablecloth that her mother had embroidered and edge-crocheted. I fell in love with it immediately. Being of a certain age, this tablecloth had a few rust marks and a couple of wear holes. What to do to make it into a special, meaningful piece ? 

Being white on white embroidery, it needed a gentle touch. I chose to finally use my Liberty pieces that I had been squirreling away for years. I mixed these with some modern fabric pieces. 

The pattern I used is called Joseph's Coat.  I hand - pieced the rounds and then joined them together. What I adore about this pattern is the wonderful rounded edges that are formed if you work it in a circular fashion. To cover minor imperfections in the tablecloth I chose to make fabric circles and appliqué them on. Repairs were made to the crochet border.

I love the way this tablecloth has turned out. Thank you Elaine for sharing this tablecloth with me. Your Mum was a wonderful sewer and I hope that it honours her memory. 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx 

Meandering is Marvelous!

Phew! Who else feels the pressure already this year?  ENOUGH I SAY!!!

I don't want to feel pressured this year with my creative endeavors. Our lives are brimming over with things that need doing, things that need fixing, pressures from family and friends, demands of work and so the list goes on. .... Time slips by and we loose the joy, calm  and peace that comes from our creative time. Relax. Pause for a while.  The world will not end if you do. In fact, the world will look a whole lot better if you do.

I don't know where the belief came  from that a busy, stressed life is a better life, a more worthy life, our best life.That belief is just wrong. I see quilters and sewers do this all the time. 

Slow down. 

It doesn't matter if you have several projects in progress.

There is no race.

 Dip in and out of projects. 

It's okay ! 

Be generous to yourself and you will find yourself being generous to others. 

Quilting is a precious process.

Enjoy it to the full.

You can be a wanderer. You may even surprise yourself by what you discover along the way. 

Happy sewing, love Meandering Miriam x