to quilt a spring moment in brisbane
2009
Thank you so much, dear folk, for the lovely and generous good wishes you sent my way on Monday regarding our very imminent move to Melbourne. I know there will be moments of homesickness and loneliness, but I am confident that not only will we Boots make our way, but that you will be there with me. Be it from across town (Claire!) or thousands of miles away, your friendly good cheer and and amazing support will be a source of happiness and optimism even on a bleak day. Thank you. :-)
That’s what I did today. There is much sorting, packing, tidying and organising to do. Not to mention the little painting workshop that has appeared downstairs, where all the furniture that I’ve been GOING to paint all year, is now being frantically painted before the removalists come. (Odd you might think, but I have four litres of paint that the removalists will not take, for insurance reasons, and I want the furniture looking beautiful and peaceful when it arrives in Melbourne :-)
But after working so hard all week, I pushed all this aside today, took a freshly washed vintage woollen blanket from the clothesline – full of the sweet warmth of a Brisbane spring morning – and hunted down all those yellows that I was working with much, much earlier in the year – do you remember? Julian’s white and yellow quilt?
Well – I just wasn’t thrilled with what lay in a tiny heap on the table before me. The only thing to do was start again – with this beautiful blanket, metres of crisp white linen (a fabric that sings of Brisbane summers), the scraps of my earlier efforts, and a couple of metres of divine Lakehouse yellow.
I also found the yellow dresden plate I made AGES ago. And the wee white one that sits on top. Perfect to form the centre of the new quilt – the rich, honeyed, brightness of a Brisbane spring sun as well as the velvety, fresh white of the frangipanis that are exploding into leaf and flower all over our neighbourhoods.
It was bliss – sitting on the back porch, the three juvenile magpies that are currently living somewhere in the back corner, warbling away in their jolly, mischevious voices; the flamboyant lorikeets refusing to be intimidated by the cranky noisy miners and feeding to their hearts content on the vivid pink flowers of one of our rainforest trees; the doggles sprawled, sleeping and snoring in the sun, and that beautiful, beautiful sea breeze caressing my arms.
I will miss this so much. It is truly Brisbane’s most perfect time of year.
But I have quilted my happiness to be sitting here, right now, into this quilt which will lay across our bed in our Melbourne home, keeping us warm and snug during the long, grey Melbourne winter. Every morning, the cooler southern sun will sparkle off the dresden plate’s radiant yellows, and I will feel the warmth of the spring sun on my arms. The crisp white linen will rest softly against my skin, just as the sea breeze that brings me so much peace.
The wee flowers in each corner, will remind me of the thrill when the bare, coral-like branches of the frangipani recognise that spring has indeed sprung, and fill our backyards with flowers.
And I will be happy to have this little bit of Brisbane with me as we make the most of our new adventure. .
18 comments
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So very beautiful, words and Julians quilt.
Those wonderful yellows and crisp whites must be able to keep the Brisbane spring in your memory — I can nearly feel it by looking at your wonderful quilt and reading your gorgeous words! So glad you found time to work on the quilt!
A beautiful post, Lily, and a beautiful quilt.
Oh, Lily, I love that quilt! it just radiates.
Happy thoughts (and happy quilt) to take to your new home!
Wow! That is SOOOO beautiful!!!
Oh, how beautiful it is! Hope you’ll have a good move. Exciting and exhausting times ahead… Take care.
Gosh that dresden plate quilt brings back memories. My mom used to have one on her bed. She would lay me down for a nap and I would smuggle a toy car in bed with me. Instead of napping, I would park my car in all the pedals to the flower. It looks beautiful!!
That’s such a lovely sunshiny quilt – yellow and white looks so nice together, and the border sets the dresden plate sun off so nicely – just like rays of sunshine. This will surely warm you in more ways than one in your new home.
What a beautiful quilt! You are an excellent writer and quilter. :) I am so happy to have found your blog today!
Jennifer :)
Beautiful, sunny Quilt!
I don’t know how I came upon your blog, but I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed browsing it the last several nights. I went all the way back to the beginning! Love your yellow quilt. It’s absolutely beautiful.
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So warm. I love it.
I’ve been offline for 4 weeks and come back to find you’ve managed to find the perfect home and are moving in three days. WOW! I’m so excited for you :-)
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Welcome to Melbourne! I hope you get settled in nice and quick and then find lots of us crafty Melbournians to sew and chat with! Looking forward to reading more!