Scenes From Singapore

Finally uploaded pictures from my camera. Took long enough... hehe :)

It's been raining lots while I've been back. My family thinks it's my fault.

Domo Kun!!!

A new-to-me shopping mall... it's so empty because my dear mother insists on going to lunch at 11am.

We went shopping for what we needed for Chinese New Year.

I found these very expensive fruits from Japan. (Edited to add: S$49 = US$39)

Very VERY expensive! (Edited to add: S$99 = US$77)

There's been soooo much eating. So so so much eating.

I've pretty much drunk my weight in coffee since I've been here... Love it!

Hi Mum! Isn't she cute? :)

Hello there :)

My sister Aurelia says hi too :)

Hello From Sunny Singapore!

I got to Singapore yesterday, a little over 24 hours ago, and it's been soooo much fun being with my parents and sisters again :) I spent most of the day with my Mum and younger sister Aurelia, eating and shopping -- the two great Singapore pastimes! I can't go on about the food too much because I believe the hub's head will explode. He's already annoyed enough of about the onslaught of snow, and he doesn't need me being evil.

But FYI, it's SO good. Just sayin'.

I told my Mum that there's a quilt shop I wanted to go visit and she even knew of the place! Wonder of wonders. We went and she got a bunch of fat quarters because she'd seen the photo wall hangings I'd made my sisters (pictures to come... I'm trying to figure out this new fangled computer) and wanted one of our 'silly' faces. Mum always knows the right words to make you feel good :)

I also brought my sisters each a quilt (again, pictures to come...), and now my Dad wants one. Which I'm delighted about because I want to make my parents a quilt but Mum's just a wee bit picky when it comes to colours. But while we were at the quilt shop, we saw a quilt hanging that I thought would be great. Sort of like this... like squares in squares in squares?

Something like that, but in browns, creams... and maybe blue if she gives the okay. It may be my Dad's quilt, but my Mum has to look at it :)

Picture courtesy of Peoniagialla

Leaving On A Jet Plane

I'm leaving for Singapore tonight and I'm so excited! But I'm going to miss the hubs... it'll be a little strange without him. I've cooked so much food the last few days to freeze for him to take to work for lunch. His mum will hopefully take care of his dinners hehe :)

The quilts for my sisters are finished... I even made a smallish one to hand quilt on the plane. If I'm not sleeping, that is :) I loved how the trimmings from that small quilt looked in the bin... pretty pretty!

I'll have to show you the quilts when I get to Singapore... I have yet to finish the binding on them.

Ahh I'll miss the open skies here. Singapore's all skyscrapers so you don't really get sunsets like that. Not that you have time to think about sunsets, what with all the food and shopping that's everywhere :) Man, I'm going to come home 10 lbs heavier...

I'll be updating from Singapore in between food intake and shopping excursions. I can't remember how to dress for summer anymore... not sure I remember how to wear a sandal or flip flops!

Skulls For Christmas

I totally forgot about this! I made this wallhanging for a friend in Singapore for Christmas. The same person this quilt was for... you can tell she likes skulls and this particular colour scheme :)

The pattern's from Whip Up Mini Quilts, designed by Boo Davis. It took a bit of figuring out and would've been a little easier had I not dropped a whole bunch of them after I'd figured out where everything went. All thumbs, I tell you.

Sewing Is My Therapy

I've been sewing and sewing and quilting and sewing this past week. I cannot tell you how much it's saved me from melancholy. I'm really not sure what I'd have done if not for quilting... probably in foetal position, humming to myself, eating baked beans straight out of a can. Maybe not, but you get the idea.

Also, it's keeping me from packing. Which I hate. I always over-pack and end up buying a tonne of things wherever I visit then I have the wonderful problem of taking it all home with me. I need to pack soon... maybe I can bribe the hubs to do it for me? Probably wouldn't want to, huh? He'd pack things I haven't worn in five years...

Anyway, I've started quilting my little sister's patchwork quilt and am currently halfway through. She asked for colour... she got colour :)

My other sister's quilt top is finished... I'm hoping to have that basted and start quilting it by the end of today. I'm going to slap the binding on both and finish them in Singapore, in front of the telly. My family watches a lot of telly and we will not apologise for it!

In any case, I'm doing a whole lot better now. I have the occasional sad thought, but it's mostly happy and funny moments that play in my mind. Like when my grandma asked me if I could break a $50 and I said I only had 3 $10s and she said "Ah, good enough." When you're 10 that's awesome. Oh let's face it, at any age, that's awesome. And like the time she ordered pork noodles without the pork and confused the hell out of the waiter. She was adorable. You'd have loved her. I sure do :)

The Calm After The Storm

The last few days have been filled with friends, family and every day-ness. I needed to do ordinary things like the cooking and laundry, and sewing, of course. I didn't cry all of yesterday. I haven't cried today.

The hubs has been great, making me laugh when I needed a laugh, holding me in silence when I needed a hug :) And also, he's addicted to Angry Birds. That's the face of pure frustration, my friends.

We went over to a friend's place for pizza and TV over the weekend. A bunch of friends came by too, and all we did was eat, chat and watch TV. It helped more than they could imagine.

And I've been keeping myself busy with a quilt my sister asked for. I figured if I could finish it and bring it to her when I visit Singapore, that'd be aces. And if I can finish my other sister's quilt too, double aces. Plus I'd probably finish the binding in Singapore so I have something to do.

(Umm please don't look too closely. It looks like a bomb went off in my studio...)

Again, I thank everyone for your emails, txts and messages of condolences and prayers. You're my people, and it means so much to me.

A Touch Of Rosie

The day after I got the news of my grandmother's passing, I needed to get out of the house because I'd had enough of moping around. I was feeling upset for not having been there before she passed... It's always been a hazard of living far from family when emergencies arise.

So we were at a bookstore... I wasn't really shopping, just kind of poking around. I know every quilting book in stock since we go all the time. I was just about to walk off when I spotted something I'd never seen there before... A Touch of Rosie.

Rosie is my grandmother's name.

It could've been sheer coincidence, but I like to think that it was her saying hello. Because she knew I needed her to. Because she knew I was feeling guilty and horrible about not being able to say goodbye in person. Because she was an amazing person who would do such a thing.

Call me crazy, but I felt better after that. I'm still prone to burst into tears and scare the crap out of my husband -- that's to be expected -- but I feel more calm.

I've been trying to keep my hands and mind busy... spending time with people I love. We went over to a friend's place and a bunch of people came by... we talked, ate pizza and watched TV together. And they did more for me than they'll ever know.

And to everyone who sent their condolences and prayers my way... I thank you. I can't even say how much it means to me that you care.

At Peace

My grandma went home to her Lord today. My heart is broken and I can't believe I won't see her smiling face again. But my grandma was a good Christian woman who put her life in the hands of her Lord. She never feared death, and I know she'd rather we celebrate her life than dwell in her passing.

Last night I was trying to find a flight to Singapore that left as early as possible but ended up going to bed, tired and furious. I woke up early to start my search again when I got a call from my family.

"Are you sitting down?", my mother asked. And I knew.

I take comfort in knowing she had returned home and passed peacefully in her sleep, in her own bed. I can't make it for her funeral but I'll be heading to Singapore in a week's time to be with family, and to pay my respects. I wish I was seeing everyone under better circumstances, but I need to be around them.

In the meantime, I know she's back together with my grandpa. Having been apart for ten years, I'm sure they have plenty to catch up on :)

Happy (Belated) Birthday Dad!

I had a supreme brain fart and forgot to do a post on my Dad's birthday! I didn't forget his birthday... just with a lot of stuff going on, my brain isn't functioning right. Sorry Daddy!

Here's Dad doing what he loves and does best :) Whenever I wish him a happy birthday, I tell him I hope he gets to golf.

When I was a kid he tried to get me interested in golf but I'm pretty sure I started crying and acting like a spoiled brat. But seriously, can anyone imagine me being outdoors voluntarily where shopping was not involved? Me either.

Anyways, Dad I hope you had a great birthday and that you have many, many more. I love and miss you dearly.

Hey, Snow? You Can Stop Now. Thanks.

It snooooooowed. And then snowed a wee bit more. I'm just glad I did all my food shopping and didn't need to go out. (Although, just wait... I'll start cooking dinner and find I'm missing ingredients...)

The poor hubs spent hours outside clearing the driveway and walkway. "So we can run out of the house in an emergency", he said. Umm, I think I'll stay here where the non-snowness is happening.

His duck boots have come in pretty handy... very glad I forced him to buy them :) Good job, LL Bean!

Tada! We have a path!

It's pretty ridiculous how much snow we've gotten. You'd think not having grown up with snow that I'm completely thrilled with this. But no, I am not amused. Not one iota.

Ahhh the driveway is all clear. For now. Because it's still snowing. Where's spring already?? I could be in Oz where it's summertime now... goddammit.

Simply Sweet

My first finished item for the shop in the new year!

I had these half square triangles all sewn up months and months ago, but I'd set it aside to do something else. I found them when I was cleaning -- and I use that term loosely -- my studio a few days ago and thought I'd better finish it lest I forget them again!

The fabric is from the Simply Sweet collection by Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup. I love the gorgeous colours... so pretty and bright. Wish I'd had the foresight to have gotten more of it for my stash.

I quilted it with a rose pattern with the help of a quilt stencil. Tracing it was like pulling teeth (I only had white quilt pounce powder) and quilting it was far easier.

You can sort of make out the quilting a little better on the back.

The quilt ended up being 40" by 46" and is currently available in the shop SOLD.

I think it turned out pretty flipping cute :)

I Almost Feel Bad...

Last night I was on the couch, snuggling with one of the cats while the hubs was sleeping on the other couch.

Me: "Hello my little pie... you're so cute... I love you."

Hubs: "I love you too, honey."

Me: "I was talking to the cat."

Hubs: "Oh..."

Haha poor guy.

Greenfield Hill

My Greenfield Hill fat quarter bundle arrived today!!! The hubs took in the parcel since I was on the couch feeling icky (I'd taken my multivitamin over an hour after breakfast and the nausea punched me square in the face)... He handed it to me and I held it like a baby lol Pretty sure he thinks I've lost the plot. Can't say he's wrong there!

Behold the pretty!

I don't know what I'm going to do with them yet. I still haven't even cut into my Hope Valley bundle! I had an idea for the Hope Valley fabrics, but I might use the Greenfield Hill ones for that, and do something else with Hope Valley. I'm just babbling now because I'm so excited :)

Okay, I'm going back to petting the fabric now.

The Weekend In Food

I like cooking at home. It's cheaper, you know what you're eating, and it's always great to have leftovers the next day.

Last night's dinner was a last minute thing... Some prawns (or shrimp to the Yanks!) with homemade Cajun seasoning, served atop rice pilaf. I usually would throw in some broccoli or whatever veg I had on hand, but my fridge was pretty bare. Whoopsies.

I've taken to making a pork roast every other week or so... It was a lot of experimenting with cook time and I've finally got it :) I had carrots and corn for sides. It's insane how much I love corn... the hubs thinks it's cute but I have a feeling he's making fun of me...

For brekkie tomorrow, I'm going to try this baked oatmeal recipe. I'd seen it done on an episode of Unique Eats and felt the need to make this. I'm going to mix it all tonight so I can just pop it in the oven. Or if I'm being realistic, the hubs will pop it in the oven then wake me when it's done... HEEHEE!

Still Plugging Along

Worked a little more on the Stonehenge quilt last night. I was asked to make a quilt using the strip tube ruler, which is a really speedy method of making blocks. I laid them out on the design wall last night and started sewing a few of them together.

Definitely different from what I usually work on, but in this case, different is very good :) Can't wait to slap borders on and see it all quilted!

By the way, I've decided to start up another Twitter account. I started one on a whim ages ago, but I immediately hated the username I chose, so I kind of abandoned it. So if anyone's interested, I'm @sewaudrie :)

Day Off = Day Trip!

The hubs starts a new job next Friday, and decided to take a week off before he starts to unwind and just hang out. His week began today, so of course we headed to Northampton :)

He's so obsessed with horchata that it's become equal parts cute and creepy.

The hub's cheese enchiladas... so good. I wish I were as adventurous with ordering food as he is. He went up to the lady at the counter and asked what her favourite dish was, and ordered it. I pretty much order the same thing constantly.

The evil, evil display at Bakery Normandy. It's ridiculous how delicious everything is.

We spotted a cardinal in the backyard this morning, sitting in the bushes. Then we spotted this pepper shaker cardinal at the bakery :)

Waiting in line at the cafe for our coffees. Hello :)

I am in love with this wall. We walk through this alley everytime we visit Northampton and I finally took a picture of it.

Boot love :) When Bean Boots Met Doc Boots... *chuckle*

Stonehenge

I would never in a million years have made a quilt using Northcott's Stonehenge fabrics. But I was asked to make one for work, and of course I obliged. I opened the jelly roll just to look at the fabrics, and before I knew it, I had all my blocks done! Whoopsies.

The colours are just amazing together. I'll show you the quilt top when it's finished but I was excited enough about them that I had to blog about it asap :)