February 3, 2013

Buckets of Love


Many Australians who had been evacuated from rising flood waters are now able to go back to their homes - or what is left of them.  The devastation has been overwhelming and so many people have lost everything.  Some houses were completely washed away so that there is not even a chance of rescuing some of their treasures. It is really heart-wrenching to see it on TV. As usual, Australians are opening their hearts and hands and pouring buckets of love into the situation.  

And "Buckets of Love" is what I had entitled my wall-hanging which is in the latest issue of Australian Country Threads magazine, Vol 13, No 9. That's it in the centre:


And here it is in the magazine:


I don't know whether there are other people like me, but I really enjoy eating strawberries, but I don't like strawberry flavoured anything, so I avoid, for example, pink icecream!  Maybe I just like the real thing! Here's some big fat juicy strawberries in one of my buckets with a fancy handle:


Of course there are some flowers in another bucket:


and here's the love reminder:


This one is my favourite - a bucket of vegetables. You can almost pick this one up with its handle hanging down.  That's one of our Queensland Blue pumpkins next to the bucket!:


Yes, it uses the Butterscotch and Roses fabric range. The left-over bits and pieces went towards making the 2013 free Block of the Month quilt "Apples of Gold".

 We had planned last week to travel to visit our daughter who lives about three hours from us, but it had to be called off because of impossible driving conditions and roads cut due to the cyclone and floods. So what was I to do with three extra days in my week???  Make roses of course!

Fabric ones: 


and if you look closely you will see some embroidered ones too:


Now we're hoping for good weather later this week so we can go and spend some time with our family. Meanwhile, I need to be disciplined and write up all these new patterns that I have sewn!

Happy stitching!
Val


9 comments:

retdairyqueen said...

Loved thBuckets of love when I saw it in the magazine
On my to do list

Kate said...

Val, love those buckets and your roses. Sorry to hear about the extreme weather that's hounding parts of Australia.

StitchinByTheLake said...

This is simply gorgeous Val. I so wish I could get this magazine where I love but it's nowhere in town that I can find. :( blessings, marlene

Rian said...

Hi, what an awful idea: losing everything. 60 years ago, 1-2-1953 something like this happened in the Netherlands too. "Waternoodsramp 1953". Older people who were part of it remember it as it was yesterday.

Greetings,

Christine M said...

Your Buckets of Love quilt is lovely Val. I'm like you and don't like strawberry flavoured things. I don't like strawberry icing. I never eat pink donuts, it always has to be chocolate! LOL!

Susie said...

Val, I think I'm going to have to go out and buy this mag tomorrow. I have just the fabric in mind and the recipient. Thanks for another beautiful design.

Ondrea said...

What a lovely quilt! You are always coming up with some lovely designs. I am frantically knitting facewashers to put with soap for charity and also stitching up knitted rugs. Hopefully these will contribute to helping those in the floods and fires .Angel blessings.

Wonky Girl said...

Such pretty stitching you do!
Sad about the flooding. We went thru flooding of the Mississippi River many years ago. Just about had to start over. My prayers to all affected in Australia.

Gina E. said...

Hi Val, glad to hear you haven't been personally affected by the flood situation, but my heart aches again for all those people who have lost everything for the second time. Bad enough once, but twice must be unbearable. We have some friends up there and they are all okay which is good to hear.