PatchworkDreams

What happens when colour value and contrast are not there?

These are the little 9 patch blocks all different sizes and wonky as seams are from 16th to 1/2 an inch.

close up of two tiny blocks.

I have just placed 4 tiny pieces of fabric over 4 dark pieces of the patches to show contrast, I would not choose these fabric if I was sewing them from start just showing contrast.

I sat and unpicked all the little blocks last night took me roughly 2 hrs while I watched a DVD

Now if I lay those black tiny fabrics on a strong contrast you can see the design is a 9 patch and each little piece of black fabric stands on its own.

Dawn breaking this morning.

Using the same pieces of dark fabric with 3 different colours neutral fabrics.

Same dark pieces but I have added some more little pieces from the same original 13 wee blocks,   we now have contrast and better value so we can really see those 9 patches now.  I will play around to day with them and may be start hand sewing them back in to 9 patches and add some more of my own fabric to make up around 20 then make a tiny doll quilt for my DGD for a Xmas present.

Finished sewing on my leaves on the 1st border panel of my PNG quilt, I added a few berries to for a shot of yellow!!! have added a stem and pinned the leaves to number 2 ready to be appliquéd this week hopefully, to day I have finished basting my zig zags to one border, now I have  removed all the pins I don’t have to worry about them going rusty in the silk.

Sun is coming over the top of the range around 6.30am

This is all fresh clay that has been dug out of another part of the garden, to help stabilise it we have planted it up in Broms last Sunday

This area that we have just planted with Broms is just off my kitchen window.

Found these hiding amongst the ferns as I walked up my path.

A bunch of bannas picked on Sunday they will take about 1 week to ripen, here the fly fruit bats can not get them?

Palm blossoms floating on a corner of the swimming pool.

New folds on the stagfern such a beautiful soft green what a fabric colour it would be.

Here you can see the shape of the antlers on the stag-fern.

Stunning colour on the fangapani tree.

Mini water lillies

Desert Rose

Broms throw very very unusual coloured flowers these two colours are stunning together this is one very unusual flower LOL.

See how the tiny purple part comes out of the side of the the main flower?

Circles Im playing with now?

This is what I had in my mind when I finished my circle as I wanted to use green as this is the chosen  colour the recipient would like.  But it just does not jell with me.

May be if I use the pink that my centre was lying on when photographed on my last blog?

No I’m still not happy.

Hmmmmm which one?  They look like wooden wheels with spokes to me now LOL

OK try some thing else: this is just NOT working I think Im trying to be to conventional and it will not work with my centre I have to think out side the box here?

I went looking for some yellow fabric and found some left over drunkard Path blocks instead!!!!!    OK it is working again!!!!  These black and red pieces were left over from a Drunkards path quilt they were 4 1/2inces so I just managed to fit the shape on to the block.

Back of my finished circle after  Part 2. was sewn to my centre,  I will leave the freezer paper there till I add my Part 3.

Part two completed 5th March 2016!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A beautiful dawn breaking earlier in the week.

prepping these fun wee blocks.

My first 90 sewn together. I plan to make mine up in to lots of 90 that means I will end up with 4 sections if I make it to 365 days LOL.

Circles Im playing with now? This is Esther Aliu’s free BOM Little Hazel  part 1 and part 2.

A stunning sunset last month off the front veranda.

My first 90 blocks completed.  3 more like this to go LOL

Here I have my next 40 Quilty365s laid out ready to be sewn and this is where Im at now. In the far corner a pile waiting to be appliquéd, in front a wee pile ready to be hemmed and the ones laid out ready to be sewn together.

In my garden last week.

A lovely surprise this morning from Heidi in the USA how wonderful it is when some one sends you a unexpected gift and hand made? This little owl is a potholder but far to nice for that so will use him as a place mat instead on my workstation table.

This wee postcard has to be seen to believe she is so so adorable, lots of added cute applications have been added all very personal I LOVE it.

I cut out a window using some A4 paper in the star shape and I could then see what I was going to end up with.

I wanted each star to have different fabrics but be in harmony with each other

Having fun making up 4 different coloured strips 10inchs long  to cut out  8 star shapes, 10inchs gives me lots of length to play with.

Starting to place my diamonds together, this was late Sat evening and I was to tired to make any more so took this photo at night time, interesting how night light changes the colours so much.

I have a star?

adding a corner stone using parts of a 6 1/2 inch 16patch block left over from a project.

a circle is forming will it work????

Looking interesting!

After all that I thinking it worked LOL

I will use green in the next stage so laying it on a green back ground.

What a difference the green back ground makes????

All my leaves and hearts to make the flower are basted ready for me to start appliquéing this morning after I have visited some of the links on Esther’s blog.

Still appliquéing those zigzags on my LE may be this week I will start appliquéing my Dutch Pixies?

Looking up in to the canopy.

All photos taken early this morning around 7.30am

This is where I was up to last week; all sewn at this stage.

I felt my PNG quilt now needed a border to tie it all together, I had just enough of the main fabric to make a 7inch border all around this is not sewn on yet.

Last night I was thinking my PNG quilt still needed more! May be some leaves in the border so made up a wee sample.

Went to bed and thought What if???? I add a large flower in the corners then the leaves, so out of bed this morning and made up some flowers and made this sample up, yes I like that?

Final border is not sewn on just lying there with the flowers and leaves lying there too, Im having fun this morning.

Zooming in on the corner with the flower and leaves

close up you can see the flower and leaves are just lying there.  These are just randomly placed. I will number them now I like how they look.

I have been working on my NZ machine sewn quilt also but it is slow going as I find it difficult to use the machine for more than 30 mins at a time or day.

That is an old woollen blanket I have on my work table it stops the pieces of fabric from been blown off by the fans.

Here I have my next 40 Quilty365s laid out ready to be sewn.  a pile of 30 waiting to be hemmed, a pile waiting to be appliquéd on and some freezer-paper circles ready to be ironed on to more fabric? Oh yes one of my LE borders I’m working on too????

Our tree frogs are finding the dry season very tough on them, but last night we had a huge storm and lots of rain so they will all be happy now.

Every thing looks so clean after the storm last night. the trees at last have had a good drink.

Living here in the tropical rainforest means endless cleaning, we have at least 3 piles a week like this, some fronds are around 1 metre long up to 4 metres long and they constantly fall.

a peaceful spot all year round.

This has been flowering since Xmas? when it finishes flowering the whole plant will die.

These leaves were meant to be the small kind, I wonder how big is big????

The unusual even for us.

One of my boys left an old surfboard here so I have turned it in to a seat in a quiet place in the garden!!!!!!!

trying to work out how to add these sections

all pieces laid on the floor to see what to do if any thing??? These corner pieces do not have the fans sewn on I needed to appliqué them on.  I never added these sections as I was new to quilting and was been self taught and those bias seams scared me?

Zooming in, main fabric is a beautiful woollen fabric from a kimono I unpicked. Purple fabric is also from a Kimono and wool but very very old and fragile.

Close up of the centre, silk flowers I have blanket stitched to the quilt

These are the corner blocks to the PNG quilt one block was finished now I need to appliqué the fans on to the next 3 blocks.  here you see the different stages of adding the fans. These fans were made from scraps of fabric, there were no sewing shops or even a book shop in PNG to buy a book on quilting, if you went back to Australia for a visit then you would buy fabrics and sewing items till you dropped or the budget ran out LOL

Here you can see that the purple woollen fabric is so fine and has been patched over and over again. The lady who wore this was a mum after WW1 this was her only garment good enough to wear out side her home; she lived in the country, times were tough and she made an existence for her children from cleaning other peoples Kimonos which had to be completely unpicked washed set and then remade again all by hand stitching. it would take several days or weeks depending on the fabric !!!!! All though the fabric is so old and worn I had to use it as I wanted the story told, so this quilt is to all mums who go with out to feed their children.

Some how I’m not sure how I managed to sit still long enough to appliqué those fans on and join the sections to the main part of the quilt with NO hassles!  now to think of a border, if I have enough of the blue kimono fabric I might try that I think it would pull it all together?

90 little squares all sewn together at last I need 4 of these to complete the challenge?

When working with silks be careful, this small piece of silk was 11inches wide, it was badly stained so I washed it, shrinkage is huge.

Ironed and is back to 9 1/2 inches only;  this fabric was hand woven a very very special piece and I wanted to use it so it had to be washed, but you could not wash the quilt if you add silks that shrink like this?

This is the view from my unit this morning sun is about to come over the top of the range.

My dog and I wait for the sun to pop over the range in the distance this morning

Sun has climbed over the tree tops on the far range and a new day started for me today.

I have huge a kingsize grandmothers flower garden quilt over the windows to keep out the 6am sun that streams in to my bed!  Then I’m using it also as a design wall LOL

Then when the sun goes I use a swimming pool pipe to lift it out of the way and it looks like a exotic butterfly????

On my work table this morning where I sit and sew and enjoy the time passing?

Close up of the last few Quilty365s to make up; and add to  my first 90 blocks all joined hopefully this weekend; if not there is all ways next week!  I’m adding  tiny green circle to the red large one as there is a tiny moth hole that needs to be covered.

I have unpicked all 500 plus inch squares and have resewed them but I have added lots of my own fabric to them; as the same tone was used originally and the different brown fabrics all looked the same from a distance, now I have lights mediums and darks in most of these tiny 6 1/2 inch blocks and it is giving them more depth and movement.  I now have all the blocks ready for there sashings, first two rows just been completed. I’m using an old well washed woollen blanket on the table and my goodness it makes a great cover as the fabric does not float off when the fan blows.

My DGD made this cloak for her final piece of art in her last year at college she is now off to do graphic art at UNI

There were so many of these wee fellows on the ground 4 nights ago I had to watch were I walk, they only grow to about 1 1/2 inches.

Not often you can see these tiny bats up close, these two roosted on my curtain the other night, if you can zoom in look at their dainty wee feet, they are like miniature hands.

This time it is dusk 4 nights ago.

Its a dogs life?????  She keeps me company all day every day.

Nothing done on my lovely LE last Jan will I find the energy this month?

I finally worked out there was not enough red fabric or the strange greeny colour!!!!! to finish this quilt as is; I would have to add another red or reds to have enough for the frames so first I needed to unpick the two panels that had been sewn,  several hours later I had little piles of the quilt.

After unpicking the panels I realised that I had a major problem none of the 16patchblocks were the same size,  all the seams were any thing from 1/4 inch to nearly 1/2inch and they were all around 5 1/2 inch blocks to a 6inch block NONE were 6 1/2 inches.  They had been sewn in to the panels with 1/2 inch seams plus to make them all the same size which was a 5 1/2 inch square!!!! This is were I get crazy I started to unpick all the wee blocks and resew them? first I unpicked the 16patchwork blocks so I ended up with 4 rows still, press these seams so I can resew them, took these to the sewing machine and resewed the seams to a 1/4 inch, then sat and pulled all the original threads out pressed the strips and resewed them back in to 16patch blocks, I have 6 made so far over 3 days LOL  I have made some new ones up adding fabric of my own to give a lot more contrast in the blocks as there were many browns but in the same tone and lots of repeats in the one block.  AM I crazy?  

Recently some of my family went to NZ and brought back some NZ fabrics for me, and last April DH also brought back some fabric for me, all 6 pieces are NZ designs they will work together and last night a light bulb went off I could use these fabrics to work with these wee blocks, as I just could not live with the original contrast fabric the original quilter had chosen and there was no where near enough fabric to make up 3 panels let a lone 9.   SO here is my lay out of the first 4 rows to be?????  bottom 16patches are completed, top 7 are still to be unpicked and resewen?????  SO after 3 days I two panels ready to be sewn together back were I started?????  But these are all 6 1/2 inch squares LOL

On Tuesday a lovely lovely parcel arrived from Maggi in Canada, what a treat I was in store for, Maggi has made me these delightful we scissor holders and pinchusion, both pieces of art and such a joy seeing them on my work table in front of me every day now. Not that that was enough Maggi had wrapped them in two pieces of fabric, one fabric with frogs on as I’m alwasy showing frogs on my blog that live in my garden, and the other a gorgeous piece in pink with a Fassett look to it.

Close up of my sweet wee treasures.

Kasuri circles I mixed these in to my next 40 Qulty365 circles I’m sewing together now.

Made these circles up mid Jan 2016

Kasuri circles mixed with my other Japanese fabrics ready to be sewn together. I’m sewing them in to blocks of 40.

Taken this morning where I sit and sew. a set of 40 sewn together on back of lounger.  40 laid out on the table which I’m working on now sewing together. in the front is a pile of 40 which I will sew together next and on the left a pile of 40 waiting to have the circles turned under and sewn to their little squares.

Taken just before pinning them to the wall.

Pinned to my wall but to much showing around it and distrating from my wee circle blocks

much better now we just have circles and more circles LOL

Photos taken this morning after pinning them to the wall. My first 90 Quilty365  I hoped to have these all sewn together by 1st Feb but did not quiet make it.

Dawn breaking this morning.

So quiet and peaceful as the dawn breaks over the range in the distance

These broms are amazing they all flower at the same time every time.

One of my favourite places in the garden

I bought  these little blocks on EBay from the USA about 20 years ago.  They had been unpicked and washed but not ironed and they are still as I received them.  I did not do any thing with them as I felt the cotton that was used back then on machines for quilting would put far to much stress on the fabrics.  Now we have bottom line and fine needles I’m going to give it ago.

ironed and looking pretty firm and crisp fabric is not as fragile as I first thought.

Close up of those little piece of of 1930’s feed cloth fabric

Pinned ready to quilt on the machine using bottom line top and bottom!!!! I’m using a look alike 1930’s fabric at the back I will use different piece of scrap fabric but 100% cotton. Using a wool batting inside.  This will make it lovely and warm too.

First part quilted around each little piece of fabric no problem at all.

Doing a 1/4 inch grid in the centre

Doing a 1/4 inch grid in the centre.

My finished block 1st of 28?????

There has been a 1″ shrinkage in this block, from all most a 12 1/2″ block I have a square 11 1/2″ block. A lot of shrinkage but it is all 1/4 quilted and will last another 100 years now!

OK this is what I have been thinking of for nearly two years but I just was NOT happy with the light spacer.

I went in to my sewing room to get the fabric for the 2nd border and saw this pink silk kimono  and thought what if????

now what if???????? I use this pink also in a border may be I will have enough fabric to complete the quilt!!!!!

If I choose to use the pink for this border I do have a problem; I have made my ovals in pink as I was going to use green for this border. !!!!  Where there is a will there is a way though LOL

A silk pink Kimono in the middle of been unpicked and the sleeve of a green one.

My pile of fabric is now 3 little piles ironed ready to use. Left brocade silk middle silk lining right silk green brocade All from Kimono’s I have unpicked to use in or on a quilt. Now that I want to work on my LE I want to have it some where so I can look at it any time and move things around where to find that space?????

Found my space, this is a old filing cabinet for surveyors maps now it is all done by computer, when I saw them about to be throw it in to he skip I thought it would be perfect for storing Kimonos in?????

Perfect storage for Kimonos

Now plus it will be perfect for been able to keep my LE flat for the next few months!!!!!

Lovely kingsize quilt that was handed in to the Op Shop I have just washed it as it was soiled in a couple of spots. It had been heavily quilted in strips and nothing in the other strip. Sadly when it was washed the un-quilted panels the wadding is starting to break up and roll in to balls. SO SO much work and we have a problem all most impossible to fix????? It will still look pretty though on as a bed spread. 

Looking North. I usually go here each Wed morning early.

Down at the beach yesterday looking South. I had lunch down there, so so lovely.

This is a rather a large BROM flower; it will last up to 3 or 6 month then die!!!!

Close up of the large Brom.

Our local tourist train that comes up twice in the mornings and back down in the after-noons. It is just a tourist train to our village from the city down below.  Ride takes around 2 1/2hrs and is a big attraction  here for the tourists.

My Beautiful LE has come to a stand still again as I’m not happy with my Oak leaves so once again it was put away till just now.

Taken this morning.  OK this is what I have been thinking of for nearly two years but I have just not been happy with the light spacer around the centre.

I went in to my sewing room to get the fabric for the 2nd border and saw this pink silk kimono lying right in front of me, so I have unpicked the Kimono and cut 3 1/2 ” strips now we are talking>

Now what if???????? I use this pink also in a border may be I will have enough fabric to complete the quilt!!!!!

If I choose to use the pink for this border I do have a problem I have made my ovals in pinks as I was going to use green for this border. !!!!  Will the softer pink ovals be OK??????  

I’m still on track with my circles as far as making them but way behind where I would like to be with sewing them together.  I was hopping to have these first 40 blocks sewn together by the end of 2015 but did not quiet make it.   I’m very very happy how they are just blending in together.

I have started sewing my wee blocks in to 4 blocks

I’ Then in to 8 blocks and then 16blocks and finally I join these and I will finish with  a strip of 40 blocks.

Orange and red Kimono fabrics

These are some of the circles I had made by Dec here I’m adding my orange silks and I’m starting to think am I making a mistake not staying with just the blues??????  BUT it is working now that they are amongst so many other squares and to be honest I want to use all my Japanese fabrics not do repeats.  This is to show Japanese antique fabrics in just one quilt.

My first few circles. Using only Japanese fabrics scraps left over from Kimono’s I have always loved there fabrics and collected them for years and it is wonderful to be using them many are tiny scraps and to see them been given another life is wonderful.

4 circles on background squares This is where I started.

This is my Love Entwine quilt centre that I can not work on at present and the lovely tiny Quilty365 are keeping me sane LOL

In my garden New Years day he and his mate came back to nest in their nest from last nesting. What a lovely way to start the New Year,

Yes can I help you she seams to be saying. This was on the 3rd of Jan and she has been filling the inside with tiny feathers and cobweb, she is actually wriggling her bottom to make the shape before she lays her eggs.  She does most of the work at this stage he is NOT allowed in the nest LOL.

Plant life is very exotic where I live this has been blooming for 3 months now.

One of our biggest tree frogs they are so beautiful .

Crazy exotic.

Playing with colour art, I loved colouring in as a child and enjoy it just as much now after 40 years or more of not doing it LOL It is helping me also just now.

Healing Heart almost ready to be sent on its way.

Here he landed on the car offside mirror in front of me about 1/2 metre away .

I’m so handsome

Yes can I help you she seams to be saying. She is not such a bright yellow and does not have the vibrant purple under her throat as he does.  She also does most of the building inside the nest he is not aloud inside LOL

My personalised carry sewing bag, I just LOVE it.

It opens to look like this so so beautifully made with love I know.

Straight away I add my little carry purse of sewing items from pins to thimble .

Then my piece of appliqué I’m taking with me at present when I rush out the door!!!!! It fits so snug in the centre; that piece is over a 1 1/2 metres square

Here it is ready to go and light as a feather. Isn’t it lovely? THANK YOU Esther you sure spoil your moderators. 

Love white orchid slowly opening and a dozen red roses!!!!!

This is for you Jenny my Ghecko

These are amazing frogs they just curl up any where and don’t care how close you get to them they won’t move.

I’m still on track with my circles as far as making them but way behind where I would like to be with sewing them together.

Playing with colour art, I loved colouring in as a child and enjoy it just as much now after 40 years or more of not doing it LOL

I’m so handsome

Yes can I help you she seems to be saying.

She is fluffing the feathers and cobwebs she has collected inside ready for laying her eggs

Female dropping in feathers and cobwebs to line the nest.

He tried so hard to chase that refection bird away LOL

Male

Female

Here he landed on the car offside mirror in front of me about 1/2 metre away .

I have been sneaking a little sewing on my Quilty365  blocks

I’m hoping to have my first 4 rows all sewn together before the New Year.   I’m sewing them in to 4’s then 8’s  then 16 squares then 32’s,  plus another 4 blocks which makes 10 blocks across wide.

All the little squares  are sewn in to blocks now for the first 4 rows just have to sew the blocks together now.

Working on these today. My first 40 little Quilty365’s squares  nearly completely sewn together.  With a little luck they will be done before 2016!!!!!!

A rather large white tailed rat. we relocated her!!!!!  This is the biggest rat I have ever seen??????

Found in my sheet when I brought it in of the line to fold up??????

A lovely large fat Green tree frog curled up on Hubby’s car back fender, for 3 days in a row he was there each morning.

DGS with a green fractured arm with my wee dog .

Merry Christmas ALL

Chrismas tree up at last. My DDIL and DGS put it up today for me.

This little manger is VERY old past its use by date but I can not bring my self to let it go. To many lovely Xmas past wrapped around it.

Close up inside the manger.

Some memories from our Xmas days spent over seas.

Orange and red Kimono fabrics

My first two units of 4. sewn together. I had to cut every square to a 4 1/2 ‘ square as I had aloud an extra 1/4″ all round for shrinkage when appliquéing on the circles.

4 units of 4 sewn ready to become one unit of 16?????

4 units of 4 to become 16, I need to trim these 4 units first then sew them together.  This is how I will make up my squares and when I have enough of these units turn them in to a quilt top. I’m sewing these squares together by hand it is quicker for me than by sewing machine as I don’t like the seams sewn down, by sewing them by hand and NOT sewing down the seams the sit so nice and flat where 4 seams join.

Christmas cake waiting to be eaten????

Hubby put up the flyscreen around the pool shelter this morning the wet is coming and so are the mossies?????

A new stem of spider orchids just opening

An amazing flower

After 2 months this brom flower is still looking incredible !!!!

4 circles on background squares I made in the middle of the night while I could not sleep,  I decided  to make a cup of tea and sit up in bed making a few circles?????  Great thing to do when you can not sleep LOL

Orange and red Kimono fabrics

As you can see I’m still playing around with placements of these little blocks and there is more orange added,  orange is not seen to often in the outer garment on women’s Kimonos and red usually only used as a liner of a Kimono.  Only some of these are completed many need to have the edges rolled around the freezer paper and then appliquéd on to the squares of fabric.

My 12 Days of Xmas wall quilt designed by Esther.

Making a racket in the garden last night, his body is about 6″long.

One of our biggest tree frogs.

My Beautiful LE has come to a stand still again as I’m not happy with my latest oak leaf????  SO it is has just been sitting this last week.

These are some of the circles I have cut out of my taupe japans kimono, not many of them are completed I try and have at least one completely appliquéd a day, I just choose one to complete that takes my fancy.  I started making them about a month ago after seeing Karens lovely fossil fern ones.  Back ground fabric is a kimono that I’m unpicking as I go.  I will be unpicking some more this morning.

My first few circles. Using only Japanese fabrics

4 circles on background squares I made in the middle of the night over a cup of tea as I could not sleep very unusual but what I way to not be able to sleep making circles and a cup of tea LOL  Circles lying on the purple fabric I have just cut out this morning.   Pile of wee squares on the right front need to be appliquéd on to the blocks. left pile need to have a running stitch around the edges to pull over freezer paper and then press to be ready for the next stage which is to be appliquéd on to the squares.

Another flower ball!!!!

Crazy exotic.

Beautiful white lilies in my neighbours garden.

Last weeks bud is slowly opening

He’s a bit like a wetter a little scary.

These are amazing frogs they just curl up any where and don’t care how close you get to them they won’t move this one is sitting on the ironing board?????

He was not to keen on me photographing him LOL

Rather large spider?????

These fellows are flying around the place at night time by the dozen so I’m glad we have fly-screens but they still manage to fly in one land right in the middle of my chest two nights ago they have lots of hooks on their legs so not easy to just pluck off LOL.

Tiny ground flowers so sweet and old fashion, they are a local ground plant.

Found this tiny beautiful beetle floating in the pool this morning, I rescued him and when he dried out he flew away!

The old boy who has spent the last 2 week making a Turkeys nest.  See it piled up behind him.

Stick insects a whole family has moved on to a small fruit tree.  The branch in the middle is NOT  a branch but a stick insect??????

This one has a baby one on its back? If you a re able to zoom in or enlarge the photo you cans ee the large ones eyes quiet incredible.