If you are not doing what you love, you are wasting your time-Billy Joel

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Sunday 18 November 2018

2019 Tasmanian Local Hero

Well, what a journey the last three days have been! I am still in total disbelief, honoured and very humbled to have been awarded the 2019 Tasmanian Local Hero title at Government House in Hobart. Congratulations to all the inspirational nominees and category winners, with each and every one working tirelessly to enhance the lives of others in some way.

What a thrill it was to have my good friend of many years Brenda Hodge give the Welcome to Country at the beginning of the ceremony. on Friday. I don't know who was more emotional when I was named the winner.


It was very hard to try and gather my thoughts and speak in an intelligible manner. Although we had been briefed on what to expect the minute we sat down in the ceremony, everything flew out the window.


I will work very hard that over the coming year as I continue to honour the legacy of baby Bridie Connelly. “A person is a person no matter how small”, is the quote from Dr Suess that I use on the little card that accompanies each Bridie’s Blossoms package. Each little soul deserves to be wrapped with love, however brief their time on earth may be. Anna and Steven rest assured that Bridie’s legacy will continue to grow and expand as long as I am able and a succession plan is put in place.

The real heroes here are the heartbroken parents trying to piece back their shattered lives following the stillbirth or miscarriage of their much long for child. Although I did not have the opportunity to speak about it at the Tasmanian Australian of the Year Awards ceremony in Hobart on Friday equally important heroes to me are those women and children at the Warrawee Women’s shelter who flee family violence and are trying to piece their lives back together and the women diagnosed with gynaecological cancers as they fight to regain their health. More recently my fidget quilt project is making a real difference in our hospitals as they provide a calming activity in a strange and stressful environment.

A big thank you to my Mum, Betty, and my wonderful husband Philip. Without Phil I would not be able to do what I do. There are many friends and family who will not think twice when I ask them if they can deliver quilts and packages for me. People, many I have never met, have been very generous with their gifts of fabric and more recently bits and pieces for the fidget quilts.
Many many thanks to those who have sent me messages of congratulations. I know I haven't replied to you all but please know that they mean the world to me.

Thursday 8 November 2018

A Flurry of Fidget quilts


There has been quite a bit of stitching over the last few weeks. This flurry of fidget quilts for people with dementia will be delivered over the next few days. It was humbling to deliver some to a local hospital yesterday and learn how they have been impacting the experience of patients in hospital as in patients and also in the 
emergency department.  Some of these have a more feminine theme with items such as lace and doilies.


We also delivered some Bridie's Blossoms packages to the maternity department of  a hospital
I have also been very busy making Remembrance quiltlet sets for parents of angel babies and these are just two of them.


Friday 12 October 2018

Flamenco BOM complete and all instructions written

I have completed the Flamenco BOM quilt top and ALL of the INSTRUCTIONS for the BOM are now in the download folder.

Please re download Block 3 as there was an error in that. The folder will be removed on October 31.

Flamenco BOM


You can access the folder HERE

I am working on another big collection of fidget quilts for our hospitals using the pattern template that I created and you can find under the pattern tab at the top of this page.. There will be approximately 10 with a feminine theme in this lot and they will incorporate doilies, lace etc.


Friday 28 September 2018

Latest lot of quilts for women's shelter

My latest lot of 16 machine embroidered and pieced quilts that were delivered to the local women's shelter here on the NW of Tasmania earlier as part of my Bridie's Blossoms and Blessing program.
I was very lucky to have some help from the charity sewing group at the local sewing machine centre who pieced some of the tops for me after I had embroidered the designs and then cut all the pieces. I have taken the week to sandwich, quilt and bind them. The pieced quilts were quilt top donations from the charity sewing group that I have sandwiched, quilted and finished off this week. My neighbour was kind enough to quilt one of the larger quilts for me.







Sunday 23 September 2018

New Blocks in the HIA Flamenco BOM added

Blocks 2 and 3 of the HIA Flamenco BOM are now complete in the upload folder. Row 1 is also complete and stitched together.


HIA Flamenco BOM Block 2
HIA Flamenco BOM Block 3

HIA Flamenco BOM Row 1


You can download from the link HERE

Last Friday we traveled to  Launceston for one of my scheduled 6 monthly post cancer check ups and I am very pleased to say that everything went very well. Whilst there I personally delivered some remembrance packages to parents of angel babies.
Angel baby remembrance packages


I also delivered 21 fidget quilts to the Launceston General Hospital and a local aged care facility to be used by their clients suffering from dementia.
Fidget quilt



It is such a pity that our spring flowers are with us for such a short time. We have had a glorious display this year. You can even catch a glimpse of my husband mowing the lawn.








Sunday 9 September 2018

More fidget quilts

This morning I delivered four fidget quilts to a local dementia day care facility. Was heart warming and heart breaking at the same time to see them being used immediately by the clients


Along with my love of penguin I also have a love of meerkats and of course whilst we were in Perth Western Australia went the the zoo in hopeful anticipation of seeing meerkats and was not disappointed.

 This bird called a darter was catching his breakfast just as were catching the ferry across to the zoo.



Saturday 8 September 2018

New BOM starting

We are well and truly back from our holiday and it seems like we have never been away.

I have been busy with my various stitching projects since being back with one of them being a new BOM using the Flamenco Sets of designs from Hatched in Africa. I have just posted Block 1 in the upload folder. The remainder of the block instructions will also be posted in the same folder. The link is HERE

Our charity sewing group has also been assembling some quilt tops for me ready to quilt for the local women's shelter. I embroider the designs and cut the pieces with the ladies then assembling them for me. A big help. These are some of the ones they have finished to date. Once they are all complete I will have a pop up quilt show on my fence before they are delivered.




I have also completed and gifted two new quilts in the past few weeks to welcome a new little girl and a little boy into the world.

At present I am also working on another set of fidget quilts and the first of these will be delivered tomorrow.

Tuesday 31 July 2018

Fidget/Activity Quilt tutorial uploaded

I am really ashamed that I do not post here more but for those that follow me on Facebok you know that I have been busy. 

Another 10 bags for women undergoing treatment for gynaecological cancer here in Tasmania have been delivered ready for filling with care products before being distributed to ladies around the state.



I have also been just finished writing the long awaited tutorial for the fidget/activity quilts that /i have been making for use by dementia patients in our hospitals.  
Fidget quilt



You can download the tutorial from HERE

I also got up early on Saturday  morning to watch the lunar eclipse. Not a wonderful photo but you can get the idea.

Thursday 12 July 2018

HIA Critters in The Garden Quilt- Tutorial added

I know it has been  a while since I pasted but I have not been idle. I will make a longer post soon with updates of everything that I have been doing.

I have just completed a quilt top using the Critters in the Garden sets from Hatched in Africa. This quilt is  a gift for a new baby girl of a family friend. The quilt measures approximately 54 inches square once it is quilted and I have written up a tutorial for it.




You can download the tutorial from HERE

Wednesday 4 April 2018

Kindness Care Handy Tote Bag Free Tutorial uploaded

The first 21 bags I have made for care packages to be put in for women undergoing treatment for gynaecological cancer here in Northern Tasmania have been completed. The bags have embroidered key rings, attached tissue holders as well as a little companion teddy to accompany them. All bags will be purple /teal and red/black at this stage. The designs on the pockets are a combination of Fashion Divas and Kaleidoscope from Hatched in Africa. The key ring is from Show me Bowtique. The little teddy is a combination of many designs that I have merged.





I have written a tutorial for the bag which I have called Kindness Care Handy Tote Bag. You can find the tutorial which includes the pattern HERE.
When the page opens click on the downward facing arrow in the middle at the top of the page to download.