Hello Splendid Samplerites.
Welcome to block 97! You are almost there and I must say I am in awe of all of you who have been able to join in and complete your blocks each week.
My block is a reminiscent of a small purse that I once made as a child. It was one of the first projects I made. The original purse was crocheted with plastic handles. I think I was about 9 when I made it and I remember the pride I had on completing the project. I took it to church with me that weekend and I thought I was very cool! That is one of my earliest memories of the joy and delight of making something yourself. I was very lucky that my Mum taught me how to sew at a young age. Mum made all of my clothes when I was younger and I remember the excitement of choosing the fabric and the pattern and then waiting for Mum to make it. One of my favourite possessions when I was young was a patchwork quilt that Mum made. She made it from scraps of my flannel pyjamas. It wasn't quilted - just backed with a flannel sheet. I absolutely loved it and wrapped myself up in it on the lounge during winter each night while watching TV. Another of my childhood memories is playing in Mum's button tin, which contained a beautiful selection of buttons that were mostly one of a kind, left over from previous projects. It was a royal blue tin with a lovely red rose on it. I loved playing with them and my own children have also found the same enjoyment while visiting their Grandma.
My block is a combination of the above memories. A purse design, tiny patchwork blocks to represent the quilt Mum made for me, and I've added two buttons to my block in memory of Mum's button tin. I have been using the fabric range called "Fleurs" by Brenda Riddle for Moda.
The downloadable pattern can be found on the Splendid Sampler website
I am very fortunate to be able to work in the Patchwork and Quilting industry. I am a sales rep for 2 distributors in Australia, which means I spend my time in Quilt Shops showing the owners the latest fabric ranges that are available for purchase. To be able to spend my days surrounded by creativity is such a pleasure. I absolutely love my job. It is a joy to go to work each day. There is nothing more exciting than receiving a box that is full of samples of the newest fabric collections. The area that I represent is the state of Queensland in Australia, and this entails quite a lot of travel and our state is quite large - 3 1/2 times the size of the state of Texas in the USA! I really enjoy the traveling as I can be driving the scenic route along the coast in far Nth Queensland or driving in the outback in western Queensland. The countryside can be quite diverse but I enjoy all of it. I especially enjoy visiting the shop owners. I am very lucky to have such lovely retailers in my state. Working with such warm and friendly people makes my job so much easier.
Below are some of the scenes that I see while on the road traveling around the state:
Emus crossing the road in outback Queensland
Sunrise near Biloila
Crossing the Alice River near Barcaldine
The scenic road to Port Douglas
The Atherton Tablelands near Cairns
I hope you all enjoy making my block. I will be checking Facebook and the website to see all of your interpretations.
If you would like to see more of my crazy life, I am on Instagram.
Take care....Di
