I’ve been fighting a nasty cold the last week not enough to keep me in bed all day but enough to stop me from sewing. Plus my Janomie that has the appliqué stitch for appliquéing top tension keeps jamming and Im spending more time unpicking than sewing, a cold and this problem is not the right combination for trying to sew. I did manage to sew up 7 more wee SG blocks so I could hand sew on some small leaves but have only managed to sew 11 leaves so far LOL
I have managed to make 2 more wee 4 1/2 inch blocks for The Secret Garden Mystery BOM now I only have 11 more left to make!!!!! I need 40 of these !!!!
My first Completed little 8 1/2 inch block for The Secret Garden 3 more to go. One has to be very very careful on cutting out the templates every thing has to be very precise but what a lovely lovely block . I cut just inside the lines on my templates I draw on my washaway freezer paper to allow for the wrapping of the fabric around each template. Some of these fabrics are silk like the centre leaves which is a fine silk so the washaway freezer paper gives it body. Lime green is a heavy silk, and the outer rings is a fine silk and wool fabric same weight as my background fabric of the vase blocks.
My DGS has a wee kangaroo called Roo, well Roo developed a hole in his tummy and could Nanna fix him please, Roo has become Kanga as she now has a pouch to cover the hole?????
This Giant throw came in to the shop looking very bedraggled and may have even been used as a dog blanket, after several washes it now has a lovely soft feel to it, but needs lots of repairs, Ive decided to make it in to two throws and they will still be big but more practical.
Cleaning and repairing an old woven and brass box I found, it will finally be a sewing basket> I have added some vanilla bean pods inside and been leaving the box in the sun to try and remove the heavy mouldy smell inside it.
close up of the basket weaving and brass butterfly. There is a lot of rust and old age stains but Im sure it’s repairable.
I’ve removed the first layer of grime with soapy water and elbow grease!!!!!
This is another box Ive rescued, it is a hand beaten stainless steel box from India that had a lot of rust on the top and underneath, I used a lot of fine abrasive cleaner and elbow grease to remove the rust, it has left a grey shadow but looks a lovely wee box again.
To cover the stains inside I could not remove Iv’e lined the box with soft wool felt.
Quilters see designs in every thing!!!! I picked this leaf of the driveway this morning, sadly I can not capture the lovely green colours in this leaf and the stunning bacteria rings but in real life it is so beautiful and I can see a quilt top here
Back of leaf you can see the bacteria spots are killing the leaf .
All though we dont get winter as most people around the world do any thnig below 20C is cold to us here in the tropics of Northern QLD my usually cotton cane furniture is now winter decked LOL two quilt tops, a crochet throw, sheep skin for my wee dog to sleep on at night and even a big thick hand knitted pure wool sweaterLOL
Some spots where I sew!!!!!
This is where I do my machine appliqué.
I do my pieced sewing work here
My evening hand sewing area.
Well thats it from me to you this week nothing exciting, hope your week was much more successful. Thanks for dropping in. Off to link with Esther and enjoy visiting and travelling with some of you. Cheers Glenda
Hi Glenda, love your box, that will make a super sewing box for you. Maybe washing it with Bicarb of Soda will remove the mold smell, its magic stuff, you might call it Baking Soda and then leave the tin open, hope it works, if not, you have my address lol
Ellie
Hi Ellie Ive added Baking soda to the box 1/2 cup I buy very very large bags of it here as I use it for so many cleaning jobs. I love it to take the worst of the grime off silver if it has not been cleaned for years I have a very large aluminium saucepan specially for cleaning silver that comes in to the shop. I’d forgotten about adding it for removing odours so Many thanks Ellie. Hugs Glenda
I love your sewing basket box! Hope you are over your cold.
Thanks Pamela, the weaving on this basket is so fine and intricate a pleasure to just look at and run your hand over it. Brass area now needs cleaning and buffing then I will line the inside which I will use wool felt for. Happy Sewing Glenda
your boxes look so lovely and I love the second photo you show of your applique – such pretty colors and such precise work! I feel for you for your cold weather right now – I imagine when you are used to warm weather that anything under 75 must feel chilly to you – our house is usually 68 degrees all winter and I have a sweater on most times in that time period and not unusual to toss a quilt or crocheted blanket on top in the evenings.
Hi Karen we’ve had rain on and off all weekend its becoming rather depressing this constant rain when its meant to be our lovely dry season. My favourite temps is around 77F to 82F That wee block you like is for Esther’s mystery BOM this year I need to make 4 of them they are VERY time consuming LOL Glad I only need to make 4 of them!!!! I have used the silver box to keep passports papers in as it will stand some fire!!!. I wanted to make up my 2 1/2 inch blocks in to a quilt this month but it is flying by and I have not even pulled it out of the draw!!!! May be next month???? Cheers Glenda
Dear Glenda
I discovered Windex brings back the shine to stainless steel. I spray it on the object, use newspaper to buff it and with just a couple of swipes, it shines like a mirror again. Years ago when we watched the movies, Grumpy Old Men one and two, the one guys said he use Windex on stains on his clothes. LOL, I tried it one day and now keep a spray bottle of Windex in the laundry. Amazingly it works. Our sewing machines know when we are under the weather, they misbehave on purpose. Relax, get better and then you will enjoy your sewing, before you know it, all your projects will be done. Love the box with the brass.
LOL Maggie I threw out my Windex only weeks ago!!!!! I use Enjo products now and so have not used any window cleaner for years!!!! Will buy some and keep it for cleaning will even try it on my clothes LOL Stopped trying to do any sewing machine work and concentrating on my hand blocks much more relaxing too! Hugs Glenda
Those boxes are lovely and will make wonderful sewing boxes if you can get the smell out. Sometimes it just takes a long time to be completely aired. The Secret Garden block looks very pretty. Kanga was an easy rescue and now you have a very happy granddaughter. Hope you feel better soon. Blessings.
Hi Gretchen I’ve just been looking at your beautiful beautiful finished Churn-dash quilt!!!! It will take a lot to pass that exquisite quilt on to some one else??? How stunning it looks draped out side. I will miss seeing this weekly growing> my silver box is been used and the brass woven one is in the sunshine with Baking Soda inside it!!!!! I have 4 of 40 left of the small blocks for SG left to appliqué leaves on to, its been quiet a challenge to keep making them and not get side tracked LOL Hugs Glenda
Hope you get to feeling better. Love your new treasures.
Thanks Kyle yes I was very lucky on the two boxes, one I’m using for my papers and the other will be a sewing basket to keep may be the quilt pieces I’m working on at the present time or one of them LOL Cheers Glenda
G’day Glenda,
So many interesting things you find and bring back to life to be enjoyed again!
Can’t credit it has been a year since we were ‘up your way’ – Time flies!!
Cheers Wendy
Hi Wendy is it a year???? Its been a horrible wet dry season you are lucky you did not come up this year. Have so been enjoying the two BOM’s Esther released this year both so so different but both challenging as usual and lots to learn from making them. Cheers Glenda
Look at all these treasures you find Glenda, I love your idea for fixing up little Roo 🙂 You’re very patient to save that afghan, are you going to knit a border on or just stitch it down? Now as for you, get some rest – you do too much and need to fight this cold you’ve picked up! I’m still going strong with my Chinese tea and Manuka honey (touch wood!) and haven’t picked anything up although there’s lots going round.
Dear Esther , thank you for the get well thoughts, I am taking it quietly as not able to do much else LOL Have been quietly working on my 4 1/2 inch wee blocks for SG and only have 4 left to complete now so very happy about that. Keep up the manuka honey our farm in NZ was covered with Manuka tea tree so we had the honey before it became famous LOL Hugs Glenda
How wonderful to see that your lovely steel bottle bringing back to life with your idea!
Your sewing place looks comfortable giving you seasonal garden,That is your own space!
We have quite opposite weather. Now I am fighting a hot humid weather.
Enjoy your weekend!