nesting and 100th birthdays

I was in my sewing room all day yesterday and watching a pair of birds frantically building a nest. The poor little male bird had to keep resting, with his beak full of twigs and threads, on a stake nearby I have for my tomatoes. I was thinking they have chosen an ideal place, really, sort of like an ocean front apartment. They can scratch up the garden for worms, then attack the tomatoes as soon as they ripen, right at their front door. They do it every year!

We have been busy while Christine is away. She sounds to be having a great time in New York, so I hope she comes back! I have set myself targets to have completed while she is away, most of all, the summer school sample quilt cut out. I have a friend who offered to help me do some of the sewing, so I am trying to make the most of the offer. Meanwhile Jan has also been getting things ready for summer school, cutting up fabric for kits this week.

I discovered a great new product last week "Best Press". It is an alternative to spray on starch giving a much crisper finish, no flaking and the bias I made did not unravel one bit. It is my new best friend! I am allergic to spray starch so I am very pleased about this new product.

Yesterday was my great aunt's 100th birthday. She is a close aunt in the family, my mother was her flowergirl 73 years ago. Yesterday her children and my parents spent the day with her for a birthday afternoon tea and on the weekend she is having her party. Last week mum decided to repair the old flowergirl dress and washed it and then I took down the "Best Press" to starch it with, as it is acid free. Mum took the dress over for her and her children to see. It looks brand new. I took a photo, will have to get that off the camera. I chased my mother for a photo of her with it but no luck!

something very spooky happened over this on Sunday night. I had stayed at my parents on Thursday night, went to Warrnambool for the weekend and left my mother a cookbook to look at that I knew she would enjoy. When I got back we were discussing cake recipes and I said I thought she had one in a particular old book. She said it was down in the back of the cupboard in a storage box, so with a bit of effort got out the box and inside along with the recipe book was an old Kodak envelope with a picture of my mother aged 6 years old at aunty Doris' wedding. So she took the photo over to her yesterday and got her to sign it on her 100th birthday. Mum didnt remember the photo, but we are still amazed that she should find it just a few days before the event.

baby news

After a busy past few days, I have found a minute to update the baby news. On Friday morning, Saturday evening New York time, Christine became a granny again to a healthy baby boy. He was born at home as planned, and Christine and Bob have left this morning, for two days in san Francisco and then on to New York. As of late yesterday afternoon he didnt have a name. Getting everything ready for Christine's three weeks away has been a rush. She gave me a quilt late Friday afternoon to get quilted for Saturday and a after a few frantic phone calls Sunday afternoon, she was ready to go.

The response to summer school has been overwhelming this year, with just a few places available. Now I just have to get the work done. I have completed two of the quilts ( still appliqueing one but glue is a wonderful thing) but more than a little work to do on the last one. I have made the hexagons and that is it. I am feeling well now though so no stopping me, head down and steam ahead until Christmas.

Meanwhile I have started a new quilt that I just love "The Browne Sister's Sampler". It has lots of applique blocks around a centre piece.

This weekend I am attending the retreat at Fragrant Cottage, and I thought I would start the quilt using one of the blocks for a small project.