Hello ALL hope you are all enjoying your summer in the northen Hemispere while winter has come to us all Down Under even her in the tropics its cold!!!!! I think its to cold if it goes below 20C but the last two mornings we have had 12C and I’m soooo cold. I need to be sitting under a quilting hand quilting not sitting at a computter frezzing LOL This last week has seen me finish completely Laures quilt and hand it back to her so another finish for 2017 I’m very very happy. This week I’ve been concentrating on my Diamond Hill Blocks by Esther and trying to solve a few probelms I have had with the sizing.
Where I was up to last week.
On my journey to make seminole blocks for my sqaures in a sqaure blocks all 300 plus of them!!!!! Cutting and cutting 1 7/8th strips
pinning and sewing those first two rows to make my sets
My first 3 sets made and I like the look of them but you need to sew a perfect 1/4 inch seam to get those wee blocks to fit perfectly.
I do like the look of how these wee less than 2inch squares nestel around the DH block.
Trying out spacers for between these little squares in a sqaure blocks! I wanted just black but do not have enough black fabric.
May be it will work will wait and see I have another 3 blocks to add the flan and extra black fabric to before I can move to the next stage.
It’s difficult to photograph this black floral fabric in real life it looks a lot nicer than in the photo here.
Laying out my cut strips to make in to 10 “sqaures in a sqaure” blocks to frame the 4 blocks of DH
Lying Waitng for the outer borders, I need more black fabric before I can make these up though.
Love how these colours glow even in the night time.
It seems endless LOL near to completion on the first rounds and the sceond border of them, around 160 plus another 160 for the first two broders thats 300 then another 200 plus!!!!
I start by making sets of two then join them in to sets of 4 this keeps them pretty even with and straight.
shot taken this morning after ironing 6 more strips last night still two more strips to make just to frame the blocks my goodness this is a challenge for me who hates sewing by machine LOL
I have also this week started on my sqaures for The Secret Garden designed by Esther also I made a sampler to see what problems I might run in to. Main problem I see with this wee block is if we are to join them together the outide end of the petal has to be perfectly set in the centre of the outer edge as when these wee blocks join those points must meet perfectly or it is going to show up so clearly if you are off centre. I was concentrating on them sitting perfecly in the centre instead of that outer edge.
These are the colours I’d like to work in but not these fabrics as they are both heavy brocade silks and not easy to work with, I think i will use my back ground fabric for the crosses and I need to find a lighter but same colour or tone for the background and I will use mixed leaves instead of the one colour.
My first 100 leaves for SG Blocks pile of washaway frezzer paper, finished needle basted leaves, and a pile of waitng leaves LOL only 140 more to make up LOL
This might help some of you who are still trying to choose colours for those wee blocks for SG
Cut out a 4 1/2 inch sqaure from a piece of waste paper
remove cut out square
Choose your fabric that you amy use
lay your cut out 4 1/2 inch sqaure over the fabric of your choice
Add a finished strip across from corner to corner to make your cross.
Place your petals or leaves in place.
Now you can see what your finished block will look like with out having to cut up all those pieces
A cold fresh morning but the sun is shining so it’s OK
Grandies sand pit and fish pond.
Becoming a quiet place in the summer time.
First blooms of the deep pink catus
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White catus is about to busrst out all over in bloom.
Bougainville needs to be planted out in to the ground now.
Birdbath been cleaned !!!!!
On the left were it is just soil the bush turkey dug out all the young heliconies this morning Grrrrrrrrr.
Sweet breath berries such a stunning colour.
Sweet breath bush is covered in berries this year.
Thank you for dropping in and taking the time to read what I’m up to. Cheers Glenda
OMG your DH is looking stunning. what a lucky mistake cutting two of the blocks too small as the pink sashing makes such a statement, I love it. Your diamonds look great too, know the feeling of not having enough background fabric but your floral fabric for the spacer is brilliant. Took note of your comment re lining up those points so have marked my center lines before placing my petals. Hugs Jenny
Oh Jenny I’ve been side tracked this week, I just wanted a break from thinking LOL and have pulled out Esther’s scrappy diamonds I made a couple when the pattern came out then put them away as I wanted to work on my 17 UFO’s for this year but 2 days ago I pulled them out and its been so much fun not thinking just pulling colours from piles of strops of fabric and colour that catches my eye and sew its been like a child colouring just picking up any colour pen and colouring, funny thing it does not matter what colour I use they are all working. They do take ages to make LOL but they are such fun its worth it. Found 8 is a good number to make up at once and that many is doable each evening if I stay up till 1am LOL Thanks for dropping in Hugs Glenda
G’day Glenda.
I do have to agree with Jenny – your Diamond Hill is looking spectacular and the hot pink flange just sets it off nicely.
Cheers Wendy.
Hi Wendy thank you glad you liked my solution on my DH blocks. Are you tucked up inside under a quilt doing your sewing, its even cold up here and we have had the fire on the last two nights its been down to 12C and this morning just below 10 which is freezing for us in the tropics LOL I will have to go out and visit DS for some firewood for tonight. Thank goodness for lovely quilts for the nights Hugs Glenda
That bright pink flange adds such a crisp tiny border to separate the centers from the seminole piecing. So many units to sew!!! That kind of sewing always seems endless to me, but i chant slow and steady and eventually it gets done.
Dear Anonymouse!!!! LOL I’ll call you Mouse! It took some thinking how to solve my mistake but hopefully the diamonds will work around them now, I will not use the 1/2 triangles but all seminole blocks as the 1/2 triangles looked scrappy with the flange. Thanks for stopping and commenting but sorry I can not send you a reply. Cheers Glenda
Wow Glenda your diamond hill looks awesome,love your garden xx
Thanks Shez, my garden is looking so nice after the long wet drab seasons were every thing looked and smelt damp. I hope we don’t see any more rain for months and months LOL It’s turned very very cold even for us up here in the tropics so it’s lovely to sit and hand quilt in the evenings under a quilt Cheers Glenda
well I think going from sweaty tropical heat to 53-68 degrees would feel chilly to me too. Especially if it stays humid. Love your quilt. So nice and bright. I love that sandpit/fish pond – so pretty and a Christmas cactus blooming so nice. I always love to see the variety of plants that you have – so many that we do not have growing here
Hi Karen it was below 10C this morning and my legs were aching from the cold, I’m about to go visit my DS who lives on a block of land about 7 mins from us to pick up some fire wood for tonight as we have burnt all our wood the last two nights not often we have a fire usually for about two weeks in August so this is very unusual for us. Thank goodness Jon has lots of dead wood on his block. Kiddies love the fish pond sand pit as they can play with sand and water at the same time and its such a lovely spot to sit and watch them as I never leave them alone by water even though it has a heavy wood cover on it. Off to get some wood now and get warm, my dad always said firewood warmed you twice once when you collected it and when you burnt it LO Hugs Glenda
Wow! That is a lot of strips to be managing and then to cut! Looking fabulous!
We had 12C this morning too – and it’s our summer! Mind you, it is warming up to 17C now, so I won’t complain!
Hi Plum hope you are now enjoying sunny warm days were you are now, so many places its still cold even though summer has arrived. We are having extremely cold days for so early in the winter here in the tropics, we have even put the fire box on several nights the last week. I love sitting under a quilt and hand quilting it when it’s this cold. Spent the last two days working on my SG blocks trying to find the right fabrics and colour!!!!!!! Making up my leaves in lots of different greens so they are no problem LOL Hugs Glenda
Dear Glenda
Your DH is looking beautiful. I have stopped working on mine. Still looking for the contrast colour fabric. Instead we are outside in the garden enjoying the warmer weather.
Thank you Maggie I’m loving working on those 4 centre blocks but it is going to be a struggle to make all those 100’s of squares in a square!!!!! I just have to make them up in groups rather than try and make them all at once or I might turn tail and run LOL I’m stuck on my squares for SG I know what I want to do but bit worried I may not have enough of my backing fabric for the rest of the quilt, think I will wait till end of the month after the next part comes out then decided I will just make up all my 240 different green leaves instead LOL Beautiful days here now that it has finally stopped raining and colour is popping up all over the garden which is lovely but a bush turkey as decided to visit and is digging up a lot of our bulbs which is very sad and now my herbs!!!!!! Hugs Glenda
Your Diamond Hill is looking so beautiful. You are doing such a wonderful job. Thanks for the garden tour. It’s green now in Indiana too. I’m assuming you don’t have a heater of any kind since it is usually so warm, you just have to bundle up? Happy sewing!
Dear Gretchen we do have a big fire box in our home and when we have very long wet wets I bless it as I’m able to put it on and dry every thing out which saves many of our things from having to be thrown away from mould. Also helps the asthma if you can keep the house dry. But for about 3 weeks of the year we light the fire when the temps drop below 16C thats around August but this year we have had this very very early snap of very cold weather down below 10C so we ahve had a fire for the last 4 nights and another one to night by the feel of things. I worry about the wee tropical birds as they will die of hyperthermia if it gets to cold. Hugs Glenda
So much work for your Diamond Hill blocks, but they look amazing!
When I first saw the design Audrey I thought for some reason those outer borders would be a piece of cake, i really did not look closely as my eyes were drawn all ways to those lovely centre blocks and now!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m counting all those squares in a square blocks LOL Several 100 I’ve just got to thing of the ones I’m working on not the next stage or the next or the next LOL I must be getting old as I have a lot more patience now than I use to have. Cheers Glenda
Wow so much work Glenda, are you sure your days only have 24 hrs in them, if so then you must spend 24 hrs sewing. Loving what you have achieved with DH and good tip for SG as well. Super exotic plants, lovely visit to your blog thank you xx
Dear Ellie thank you, but I’m sure I only have 15 hrs in a day as it all ways goes so so fast for me. Have not been doing any of my SG or DH this week been playing hooky but back on track now LOL My garden and house cleaning have been calling me and now DGD is home for a week from UNI so may be even less sewing will get done. But it is so cold it is great weather for sitting under a quilt and hand quilting.
Hugs Glenda
I was thinking how vibrant your colors are in the applique, then was reminded of your for real garden!! You get to look at vibrant colors all the time don’t you? Wish we lived closer, I think we’d have a grand time looking through fabric and enjoying real gardens and chatting! LeeAnna
Yes we would have fun together LeeAnna and I think we would get in to lots of mischief together also LOL I all ways come away from visiting your blog with so many ideas, and motivated to pull out WIP’s I have and work on them. Hugs Glenda
Thank you for sharing your fabric auditioning technique. What a winner!
Seminole! Such a great shortcut! Gee, you are keeping up really well Glenda. I have heaps and heaps more to do! Hee hee.
Enjoying it all the same!
Thanks for dropping in Lorraine like you I have lots of hand and machine sewing to do on my DH blocks but I’m trying to keep up with the assembly line as the patterns come out LOL I do know I’m not going to get all those squares in a square made before the 15th of this month but with luck I might get enough finished for go around the 4 blocks, I’m not doing 1/2 triangles because of the flange will use all squares instead. Cheers Glenda