Midway through Feb??? Time is flying be this year, I can not keep up with which day it is any more LOL
today the second part of Diamond Hill will be released this is Esther’s free BOM for 2017 and started on the 15th of Jan 2017
Esther Aliu’s Diamond Hill BOM 1st block of mine does not look any different to last week but I have machine appliquéd my leaves on, just don’t look to close as Im just learning to do Machine appliqué LOL
My challenge to my self on Diamond Hill is to learn machine appliqué!!!! It is painful but if I only do 30mins at a time I can cope.
This week I have been working on My memory quilt to women in War.
A memory To Women in War
I had it ready to sandwich but it was TOO big for my two tables pushed together I did not realise it was so big, so I need table number 3 but it had 21 blocks waiting to be sewn for my ANZ quilt, they have been sitting on that table for over 8 months!!!!! They are now sewn together as I need the table LOL I have not made any progress sandwiching my Memory quilt as the table is still down stairs but I did finish my ANZ quilt top.
backing was not big enough so have had to add some fabric from another cotton kimono but it blends in OK Hopefully I can show this sandwiched next week?
To get another table to make a work space big enough to sandwiching My memory quilt I had to clear this table???? so this week I was working on completing my ANZ quilt. Its called that as family when travelling to NZ and around OZ over the last few years have brought me home lovely NZ and OZ designer pieces of fabric and Ive just used those in this quilt top.
Ive just completed the last 3 rows and joined them to the main part of the quilt, just need to add the two side red strips and the top is finished then I have the fun of adding appliqué to it.
While looking for the circles Id made to be applqiued on to the ANZ quilt I found two strips of Bargello, one around11 inchs wide and one 17inchs wide roughly as they were very squwif, lopside!!!!!! I wanted to amke a quilt for our bed 35 odd years ago and loved the look of the Bargello quilts and so I was going to make one after all it was just sewing straight seams wasn’t it? This was my first attempt at machine pieced work how I wanted to make that quilt for our bed What was I thinking? I could not have chosen a more difficult design to make for a beginner. I was in tears when I saw what I ended up with LOL I did not know about bobbin tension or top tension in those days just how to sew a straight line after all how difficult could it be they are all just straight lines Well it was a great lesson in tension.
Those two strips of Bargello look at the end of the pieces and see how distorted they are? you can not see it in this clearly but the centres bow to the right LOL all the last row on the left of the big strip are almost diamond shape they are meant to be square thats how distorted it became.
You can really see the distortion of the fabric pieces here.
These two pieces have been travelling around with us for the last 30 years tormenting me LOL Today I attacked them and sliced the bottoms and tops to make them straight and cut the sides so they now don’t bow LOL May be it will become a quilt after all. I like them on the black background?
After cutting and slashing those two pieces of Bargello today I have something that might make a single bed quilt, thinking of sashiko quilting the black in off white thread for a strong contrast. I can not wait to try the sashiko quilting on that black space now. Quilt size 40inchs by 70inchs.
Backing taped down ready for cotton batting.
Cotton batting rolled out on top of backing.
Quilt top in place but is this the right way up or
is this the right way up LOL
From two horrible misshaped pieces of pieced fabric I now have a quilt LOL were there is a will there is a way!!!! I have started sashiko quilting the centre black panel.
So instead of my Memory quilt been sandwiched this week it is still in 2 pieces the front and the backing , may be this weekend ?????? but I have one quilt top finished and and one new quilt top made and sandwiched in a week a first for me LOL
I have been humming and haring over my flowers for TSG all month Ive coloured in pages of flowers but was not happy with them, then Monday night some thing remind me of some beautiful fabric I had, it was given to all most 20 years ago. I just found it difficult to cut in to this fabric for pieced work but it would be perfect for my SG keeping the flowers as flowers. So here they are on the sheets of A4 orange printing paper to give me an idea how they will look. Now Im happy LOL
On my front entrance last night????
I forgot but hubby didn’t, they are sitting in a brand new dust pan LOL He has been talking about a dustpan with a handle so I don’t have to bend down??? well here it is LOL But full of flowers how lovely is that?
In my garden this morning.
Palm fronds picked up yesterday and this morning its a never ending task but worth it to have them around the pool. We place them on sheets of plastic and then drag them to the rubbish pile down in the trees and it all goes back in to the ground.
large stag-horn plants that love this tree from one there are many now.
Baby stag-horn plant growing on a 1ich stem of a palm, it will not survive here!
where ever you look there needs a lot of cleaning up to be done, kiddies sandpit covered in leaves.
First thing this morning NO rain thank goodness but very high dry temperatures been 32C here but over OZ records have been broken up in the 40’s I feel for the people down south were they are having fires and terrible high temps.
Then out of the blue at 11am the rain came down on top of us. while the range was till bathed in sun!
Then 5minds later it is all gone and we are back in sunshine!
I have sons who surf so we even have a garden seat from a surf board LOL
My only patch of nice lawn and it takes a lot to keep it in the wet tropics.
A wee herb patch my DGD and I made
My tiny clean patch of grass it reminds me of our homes in NZ
Thank goodness for the pool in these high temps.
The 3 wise men
Some of you have suggested I use vinegar to kill the mould as I often talk about it, Ive just started cleaning the patio which is covered in mould the mould here would just laugh at vinegar, this has to be cleaned ever 4 months Those pavers on the right are meant to be pink also!!!!
I nearly stood on him last night. They are not scared of people. Caught in my torch light.
will now go and take some garden photos in the mean time I will link up with WOW or WIP’s over on Esther Aliu’s blog. Thanks for taking the time to drop in happy sewing every one Cheers Glenda
Wow, Glenda, you have a lot going on at the moment! Love what you did with the bargello pieces (my spell-checker thinks I wanted to type “Barbarella”!).
What an ingenious idea with that 30 year old bargello!
I have a few partially made tops that I might pull out and see if I could do something “modern” and “improve”. Maybe.
I would love to sit in your garden and see what you see.
blessings,
Chirs
Wow Glenda you have been busy! I love how you have altered your bargello, it will look stunning with Sashiko quilting 🙂
I love your plan for the 30 year old quilt! you have been so busy – between quilts and garden you give us so much to look at. I love your pool area also would be so relaxing and that surf board bench! love it.