Yesterday at the Blue Gum started off... just a little bit silly! See what you think of this!

 It all started here with this sign arriving.

 More and more SCQuilters are branching out from Quilting and into Crochet, Knitting, Embroidery and even Tatting! 

Now when a certain person is silly enough to make a bold statement such as... 'I like crochet but I don't ever want to learn how to  do it.'   or...  'I will never sew another Hexagon!' 

This 'silly' person is just asking for trouble isn't she!!!

Yes she is!!

Now it just so happens that this 'silly' person celebrated a birthday a couple of weeks ago so there was an underground push to surprise this 'silly person'... and it was a great success!

 This 'silly' person received a pattern to CROCHET a set of Babushkas!   Then this same person received a Babushka bag which contained a packet of stick on hooks and a chain of woolen crochet and strict instructions to give the bag back and to stick the hooks on a window and thread the chain through the hooks.

Now this 'silly' person didn't know how to react!  It felt very very weird but after some encouragement from the author of the instructions this 'silly' person did as she was told!

When she arrived back to her seat the bag was back and inside was...  

 ... a beautiful little Crochet Babushka and a wooden peg...  with instructions to peg the Babushka onto the chain on the window...  and so the saga continued... The 'silly' person had no peace, every time she pegged a Babushka onto the chain and returned to her seat the bag was back with yet another Babushka in it

 Others at the Blue Gum wondered what the heck was going on and I was the last person able to tell them...

 This is the last bag full of Babushkas...

 Here is the aforementioned  'silly' person just loving her new Babushkas!

 And here are some of the Culprits who set up, what will be now called...

 'The Great Babushka Surprise'!!

Now I know for sure that Annie Schulling made these three little sweeties but as far as the others go I'm still trying to identify the makers...  

I returned home with strict instructions that each and every Babushka had to be named by David who is learning Russian.

 So my Babushkas have been named by David, without the help from Wiki!  So how did my husband  know 25 Russian Girls names I may well ask...

 Meet Anouska, she is a little bead.

 Here is Sasha, she is supposed to be a Pin Cushion... I don't think so, I could never push a pin in to Sasha!

Now... I have a suspicion that these were all made by the same Crocketer... they are all stuffed and backed!

 Were these made by the same person??

 And these... same person do you think??

 What about Luba, Bela and Olga... they all have the same green in them....???

 Tatyana? Maria? and Yulia?  Same maker????  They all have red lips....

 Elena and Sveta both have ribbons around their necks... Same Crocheter??

 Here you go Annie... Petrushka, Filomena and Ekaterina!  Very nicely named :-)

 Similar crochet... am I right?  are Natalya and Irena sisters?

 I think I've become a bit confused here... have I doubled up on naming these pretty little ladies??

Now if you do not know me, have not visited my home and are wondering why the heck these lovely people are Crocheting me Babushkas... See SOME of my Collection below... it is most of my collection but not all by far.

So who came along to the Blue Gum this month?

Who was this Mystery Woman??????  

I really love her style... I think I should be brave and think more like this Very Interesting Person!

This Mystery Woman fits in very nicely with the carpet doesn't she  :-)

If you would like to have a guess... I will send a a lovely Prize from my Stash... 

to the first person to guess correctly!  

Email me privately at  pennie@iinet.net.au

(you cannot guess if you were at the Blue Gum yesterday... okay!! )

My friend Meg and Lissapoo.

 Annie and Marilyn.

 Stephanie, Annie and Marilyn... up to mischief I'm sure!

 As would be these three as well... Becky, Ruth and Erica.

 Sue and Emma.

 Christine and Robyn.

 Heather and Cath.

 Penny and Lynne.

 A Champion from the 'Happy Hookers' Gang...    It was Gillian hiding there...

 Irene and Emma.

Penny and Lynne.

 Rita and Sharon.

 Pennie and Stephanie.

 Selina, Lucy and Claire.

 Ruth and Erica...

 Oh!  here is that Mystery Woman again...

 Liz and Becky.

Many Appologies to Ann-Maree and Joy, my darn iPad just doesn't have any manners and flipped it's self to Movie instead of photo!  I decided to put it us instead of leaving you out!!

39 Photos of Wonderful, Inspiring and very Beautiful Show and Tell... Enjoy! I decided to put these quilts up Alphabetically from the bottom up!

 I started the Show and Tell... At last I've finished my 'Mick Aston'!*    Well maybe it could be a little longer in the body, this will teach me to make up a pattern as I go! 

*From the TV Show 'Time Team'.

 I'm knitting Remembrance Day Poppies for about 10 of my Family who fought in WW1.  See further down for more information.  It is very easy.
Cast on 120 stitches, knit 4 rows, decrease 3 at at time in next row, knit 4 rows, decrease 2 at a time in next row, knit 4 rows, decrease 2 at a time in next row and thread wool through stitches and pull to close the center up, sew side and sew on button, but there is a crochet pattern further down.

 Sue has finished a quilt she started many years ago, so beautiful.

 Check out the detail...

 ... Especially Sue's machine quilting.

 Sharon has gone bright and bold...

 ... and Beautiful!

 This is the hand work that we usually see Sharon working away on... I can't wait to see this finished quilt!

 Selina has a way with colours and fabrics, I love this 'Wonky' Star quilt, so fresh and pretty.

 Rita was very brave and asked our advice on how to border this quilt... when she finishes the blocks that is... it won't be as small as this!   Rita had a selection of fabrics to show us so we could choose... we unanimously thought a red peeper with a bright plain blue border... which didn't go down well because Rita has already spent this months allowance on fabric and will have to wait till next month to buy more of the Blue!   :-)   But she did agree with us.   Hey Rita1  It's only the 3rd of August, you must have been busy at some quilt shop!

 This quilt is for one of our Aussie Soldiers, Rita asked her contact to find a Soldier who drove these great big trucks so she could use this panel on his quilt... one was found.

 Another lovely quilt from Rita with the back below...

This is Meg, she is a relative of mine, Meg is my ????  Start again... This is my DD2, Gwilym's MIL.  What relation are we I wonder??  Anyway.... Meg...  is visiting from Brisbane, Meg quilts with Karen Barrett of Quilters Store making charity quilts from donated fabrics and she bought down three little beauties.

 Meg is learning to machine quilt, check out her feathers... just fantastic aren't they!

This happy looking panel will be loved by a small child...

 One of the labels used on these quilts... just lovely isn't it.

 Liz is holding up Lynne's pretty little drink coasters.

Here is a much better photo of Lucy's lovely quilt, I asked Lucy if she had a better photo, she did and sent it to me ... so I deleted the crook one I took.   

 I'm so sorry Lucy, I broke my camera this week so I took my iPad that I don't use to take photos with very often... and this beautiful quilt got diddled!  The colours are just too faded, this lovely quilt is bright and bold with hand appliqued flowers and hand quilting underway... I've written to Lucy hoping she has a better photo... so stay tuned!

 Liz is always up to the most interesting and amazing embroidery's ... and of course I've forgotten the  details of the above work!  My brain can only keep so much detail in it in one day... maybe I need a Secretary to make notes for me  :-)

 I do know this is Liz's Blue Gum Challenge for July... it being 'Curves'!  She's keeping on top of this Challenge... not like me who is in a real mess with my blocks.

 It was Irene's Birthday today!  Happy Birthday again Irene...  This little quilt is for a friends Grand Child... it's the 5th quilt she's made for her friends Grandchildren, now that's Friendship isn't it!

 This is Heather's WIP... it's an Esther Aliu Block of the Month.

 As usual Heather's handwork is amazingly neat and just beautiful.  This is going to be an wonderful quilt and I look forward to seeing it grow.

 Gillian with her most amazing crochet rug for her daughter.

 Can you believe this!!!!!  Emma is Tatting!  How pretty and beautiful is this work  Wow!  I love it but I can't see myself having the patience to actually have a go.

 Emma bought a couple of lovely quilts for Show and Tell...

 I'm fascinated by this one... I just love the simplicity of it.

 Christine showed us her Table Cloth... Wow!  That's some Tablecloth.

BTW... this is a first... Christine was on the phone most of the time she spent at the Blue Gum... and at the end of the day... she'd SOLD her home!!!!!!    Wow!  I don't think anyone can top this!  :-)

 Just some of the 27 SCQuilters who came to the Blue Gum for the Day.

 Becky had lots and lots of Show for us all today... a little quilt made from a pack of fabrics that had been in her stash for far too long.

 This is wonderful, a child's jacket made in one piece!  Bec had a pattern for an adult jacket made the same way.

 Another one of these wonderful Crochet Rugs... I am absolutely in love with these.   Looking closer at this rug I'm sure Bec has folded it in lines so it looks as though it really is Zig Zag.

 Last... but not least... A lovely frilly scarf all finished and looking stunning on Bec herself!

 I'm also in love with this Crochet Rug... This one was finished yesterday by Annie.

Here is a detail of Annie's Rug showing the way she put her squares together, instead of sewing them as she usually does she Crocheted them together... I like this better than sewing.

 Here are Annie's Remembrance Day Poppies, some are Crochet, some are knitted... Annie started me knitting them by sending me this site...  5,000 Remembrance Day Poppies.

Wellll.... at last we have made it to Ann-Maree.  Here is her version of Bonnie K Hunters - Easy Street!  Brilliant isn't it, this is the one of Bonnie's Mysteries that I didn't make, I was just too busy last Christmas... but I have the fabrics all chosen so stay tuned!!  :-)