mystic eye1 & 2

I was looking at a quilt I made a few years ago and decided to make another version with completely different colours, different quilting and a different shape.  I still really like the first version but I think I like the new version better.

First version



Second version

progression

I had an appointment with my neurologist yesterday.  She confirmed what I had suspected - my multiple sclerosis is transitioning from 'relapsing-remitting' to 'secondary progressive'.  Not really surprising since I've had it for more than 25 years.  It's probable that it will still be quite a slow progression, which is good.  I thought I'd be upset at this new stage of the disease but I don't really feel that way.  Resigned to the fact that it was inevitable, accepting that there will be more 'stuff' to adapt to, thankful that I have support from my family and a few very close friends - mentally I feel like I'm in a pretty good place.

And to finish, here's a photo coz I don't like posts with no pictures - and this one makes me laugh!

keryn's quilt

Here's some photos of the quilt I made for my sister Keryn.  It was meant to be for Christmas last year but I didn't get it finished till June this year.  Better late than never, right?  I did some more stitch-in-the-ditch and  freehand feather practice and was quite pleased with the results.

africa quilt for my sister

When Mr Stone House Quilter and I went to the big quilt festival in Chicago in 2007, we picked up quite a few different bits of African fabric.  I also had some ordinary quilt fabric with African inspired designs which fitted in with it.  When my sister Rose saw them she really liked them so I decided to make her a wall quilt for Christmas last year.  It is a sort of design-as-you-go quilt.  You know the kind - if a piece of fabric is too short, sew something else on the end of it; if a piece of fabric is too long, chop a bit off.  Great fun!  I pieced all sorts of wonky blocks into it as well as odd shaped strips of varying lengths and widths.  The quilting was mostly just a freehand spiral.

Sorry about the blurry photos...

the old tulip quilt

In June 2009, I posted a photo of a quilt top I made over 25 years ago.  I did actually end up quilting it but never did show any more photos.  Here's a few just to prove I did it.  I keep meaning to go back and quilt something in the  middle of the feather wreaths but haven't got round to it yet.

shattered nine patch

This is one of the quilts I finished last year.  Yeah, I know I've been a bit slack in getting the photos up!  I started it in a shattered ninepatch workshop with Fran Williams from The Quilt Patch in Launceston.  The fabrics are various Japanese styles in blues and purples.  I modified some of the blocks so I could add the applique designs.  I gave it to my Mum for her 75th birthday.   Oh wait, that must mean I finished it the year before last.  Wow, I have been slack with the photos!

south africa part 3

I loved the different markings on the giraffes and zebras.  The first photo was taken in Zambia.  We stayed at the Royal Livingstone hotel which is right at the top of Victoria Falls, and in the grounds they have giraffe roaming around (as well as a zillion monkeys).  This giraffe was so comical - the top of his head must have been itchy and he was trying to scratch it on a tree branch.  The giraffes we saw here were quite a different colour to the ones we saw in South Africa.

Our driver in Kruger told us that giraffe can be really curious, and we noticed that whenever we saw a group of them there was always one or two that watched what we were doing.  We thought they must  have been the group's lookout.  Apparently this does play a big part, but some of them are just plain nosey!

We saw lots of giraffe and zebra.  Of course everyone on the tour took heaps of photos, which amused our tracker enormously.  "All this excitement just for a couple of zebra" he said, shaking his head.