PatchworkDreams

My lovely pile of 9″ log cabin blocks

Close up of the last strip in the dark that bleed so so much

Yes that dark blue stain is from that last strip Horrors of horrors???

SO I decided to remove the last strip and see how much it would bleed,  just that 1 1/2″by 9″ strip turned that dye catcher that dark??????

There was no way I could leave these strips attached as they would bleed in to the rest of the blocks no matter how many dye catches I put in.

I sat and unpick the last two strips from the log cabins one evening.  These were after I and washed them twice and pressed them dry.  Rather hairy edges now  but not to bad.

You can see the first lot of dye catches then the second lot in the second wash!!!!!!  At least I will be able to use these wee strips  again on these log cabins with out a HUGE dye bleed now.

A very very dark blue black sink of water

All the last two strips removed and ready to be washed.

Pile on the right ready for the first strips to be sewn , middle pile waiting for the first strip to be pinned pile on the left I have to unpick the next two pink strips  as well as they are to small to make a 9 1/2″ block. I will unpick the last pink strips and resew them with less than a 1/4″ seam and they will just make a 9 1/2 ” block I hope?????

I think I will start the centre like this but if I twist the blocks I get a dark look instead of the light soft pink look

A very dramatic look instead of a soft feminine look.  Which way will I choose????

Have finished quilting all these  wee log cabin blocks on the front of this shoulder bag to be????

I cut a 1  1/2 ” bias strip from very colourful cotton fabric for my bias strip and it is pinned ready to sew down here.  I stitched it down with a 1/4″ seam.

After sewing the bias strip on I pin the right side so I don’t get any tucks when I roll  the bias over to pin to the back of shape. 

I have turned the bag shape over and have ironed a 1/4 seam, you can see where I have started to pin the bias down. 

A nice neat finish to the bag shape. 

This also gives added strength to the bag when I sew the gusset in. 

Now to find time to hand stitch it down!!!! 

Sea was very dirty and rough this morning  but one lone swimmer braved it.

After I had breakfast the sun was trying to push its way through the clouds.

As I was leaving  the beach the sun had finally arrived much to the tourists delight.

When I arrived at the beach the sun was peeping throughout the clouds then disappearing but it was so warm about 25C.

When we left an hour later it was becoming very somber  moody and beautiful.  There were no swimmers this morning.

My friends front garden, no rain-forest trees but lots of tropical palms.

We all had a fruit breakfast together which was so nice.

One of the nice things about living here we have fresh fruit all year round.

Sunbirds nest they are small like a humming bird and like to build their nests in peoples porches where it is safe there are babies in there now.

I bought these fabrics about 8 years ago and have been using them only for my bags since, I mostly make my centre with a bright yellow and this seems to make all the other fabrics glow.  I cut these fabrics up in to 1′ strips and keep them in a small bag ready to grab when I go out.

This bag is only about 9″ by 6′  has a good gusset and can carry a lot of strips,  a thimble, pair of scissors and some needles.  So it does not matter how long I have to wait any where time goes quickly with this little pile of fabric to play with.   In the middle of the photo you can see a tiny block developing.  I sew these with a running stitch and do a wee backstitch now and then, I don’t mark the seams as they don’t have to be perfectly even as they are scattered randomly and on top of each other not sewn in to strips.   I do try to remember to make light and dark blocks but some times I just forget as I get carried away sewing.

You can see in this photo the wee blocks are just scattered an over lapped. I try to put the light ones in the centre and the darker ones on the edges. I cut out my lining usually using a lovely piece of 100% cotton or silk then cut out a piece of batting, lay the two together and place the log cabins on the wadding, I then tack them in to place now I can carry this around with me and quilt the wee logs when ever I want too.

Close up of those wee logs been quilted, it is not necessary to quilt around each one but this bag will never wear out LOL and I find quilting so relaxing I get carried away on these tiny projects.

Start of a Healing Heart, found that the back cream fabric was to small so I will  have to pick another piece. My hearts are drawn on to washaway freezer paper and I will leave it in.

Not really happy with the back ground fabric it looks a little dark???? It is meant to be a light beige!!!!!  Stiched the hearts to the background fabric cut away the fabric behind the hearts and now do blanket stitch around each heart.

My little healing Heart block finished. It is bigger than 6 1/2 ” but I will let the recipient cut it to size when required.

I parked the car and there in front of me was this stunning tree with it’s leaves changing.

SO I drove around and took a close up of it in all its beauty

I’m making a tie shoulder bag. I make these over and over as I love making the tiny log cabins, First I make a dozen or so of tiny log cabins then sew them down on to a piece of wadding and backing  in the shape I want  the bag to be.  I  want these wee blocks to look jumbled so over lap and twist them before tacking them down.

Close up showing the hand quilting around each log which ends up 1/2inch wide; I find this very relaxing, the quilting locks all these wee blocks together.

Back of the little log cabins and this will be the inside of the bag. Bunny sent me this wonderful fabric several years ago.

Found this when cleaning up the other day.  This was my very first attempt at  hand quilting,  I did a wonderful session (if some what frustrating ) with a Hawaiian lady quilter, this was plain cream calico and I splattered it with paint using a tooth brush as I thought the cream boring 30 years ago LOL. I made my sample in to a fusion cover and it is still going strong if rather washed out now ????

I picked some pine cones up from the side of the road this morning, they make wonderful fire starters

Cleaning the Grandchildrens play area down stairs you can see where I have not cleaned it was so black with mould not healthy at all.

Now working on the path down the side of the house you can see where I started to play LOL

I have put in some big paves connecting two paths a short cut the grandees were using LOL  This path was black with mould on Sunday????

A local flower grower gives the shop second grade flowers for us to sell when she has to many, to day she gave us gerber’s and I bought 3 bunches,  one for a friend and one for my lovely DIL.

Looking out in to the front garden area to swimming pool

Looking out the back veranda early this morning below photo was just taken midday.

Where ever you look you see washing trying to dry?????

Chaos in my washing area after new washing machine was installed Sunday night.

I thought it would only take an hour to sort out the washing area and side veranda but it is now after midday but chaos has been removed and you can walk down the side veranda again.  Towels are all hanging out in the sun now and the light is streaming in. 

back of quilt. Using hexagons as my binding.

Quilting around the tiny hexagons I have just added to back of the quilt as a binding. It is slow as there are 5 thicknesses to quilt through.  But it will give a nice sharp edge tot he finished quilt.   Last week I received some more wash away freezer paper so able to get back to working on this lovely old quilt.  I find it very rewarding to finish this lovely old quilt and so relaxing.

Chaos in my sewing room and I don’t think I will get any thing done here today as it has taken me 3 hrs to do jus the side veranda this morning, so Esther you are not the only one with chaos in their sewing room.

For the first time I noticed that this tree was growing out of this large rock!!! There is no soil here ?  where there is a will there is a way????  I noticed how lovely the roots were then realised it was growing out of the rock!

Lots of children on the beach early this morning it is school holidays here for two weeks.

It iMy girlfriend and her mum,  we have just had out wettest June on record to day the sun came out and the rain has stopped but it is still very overcast but so lovely to be able to walk along the beach again

Kiyo  and I all rugged up, in the back ground on the beach is a tourist from down south where it is snowing she is in her swim wear and has been swimming. For us 22C is cold LOL.

I went up to the cliffs after my friend went home after we had been walking, there is a large flat rock up there were I like to sit and look out to sea I never see any one up there early in the morning and it is so peaceful.

Looking down on to the beach we were walking along at 8am this morning

Looking out to sea from the cliffs above the beach

Stink toadstool.  It might look good but boy does it smell you can smell it from 100 metres away.  The rain has damaged it and the skirt has collapse but the flies don’t care and just before I took this photo the head was covered in blowflies?????  It is now in the rubbish bin inside 3 plastic bags to try and stop the smell!!!!!

Rodger !!! a 1980’s Teddy bear from Yorkshire UK that I just bought at the Opp shop for $1.00.   Sadly we get so many soft toys handed in to the shop, many you can see have been so so loved.  Many are purchased for peoples dogs which hurts me to see that they are going to be chewed up, this is why I brought this chappy home I could not bear the thought of that happening to him.  If there is any one out there who would loveeeee to have him please contact me.

He has the most adorable face, I hope no child is missing him.  I will put a big red Bow around his neck.  If there is any one out there who would like to love him for the cost of postage please contact me.

Finished quilting this block and now having a rest from quilting as this has two layers of batting in it one wool and one cotton and was hard on the fingers to do this much echo quilting through all that thickness .

A friend of mine was given this 1/2 made wee bag that was to be a tissue box by her friend who’s mum made it,  she showed it to me and I said I would finish it off but as a wee pull string bag not a tissue box.

I added a double thickness 31/2 inch wide strip ran a stitch an inch from the top of one side added two button holes close together  on this area and then added the pull cord through this area.  then stitched this piece to the bag . See below finished project.  Susan was so thrilled and happy when she received it back it was worth all the time I spent on it.

Working on machine appliquéing the wee lambs for Sara Jeans quilt to be.  It s very slow as I can only sit at the machine for short times but I think it will be OK when completed.

Working satin stitch around the wee lambs

This will go along the bottom of the quilt.

A beautiful double africian violet.

Poincieana it was twice as big but my DGS road in  to it on his bike; the plant came of second best.

My delightful front patio the only dry flowers in the garden????

Looking North

Looking South

Cloudy but so lovely and warm and it is mid winter LOL  If I had taken my swim gear I could of gone for a swim.

Huge storm on the horizon.  That is a cruise ship sitting off shore.

Called snowflakes

Poineseana

I Must find out what this tree is called.

Laura a Hawaiian quilter taught me to quilt in Tonga which is in the Pacific Islands.  Before we started the lessons she told us that she would share with us how she quilted then it was up to us to practice and she warned that it could take up to 8hrs of practice to get the rhythm !!!!!!  Of course it looked so easy watching her none of us believed her!!!!   It took me 3 hrs sitting with her helping me then 4 1/2 hrs in the after noon before I GOT IT>  Of all the 10 people that took the course only 2 of us became hand quilters LOL   I have never forgotten that thrill of getting the rhythm  and to this day still love to sit and hand quilt.   It is the most relaxing thing I can do.

I have nearly completed this block, with luck it will be completed at the end of this week or earlier?????

Taking the tuck in before quilting another area that is very baggy.

Taking a tuck in before quilting this area that has stretched over the 10 year or may be has not shrunk as the rest of the quilt has??????

One of the local flame trees has been in full flower and over  the last few weeks, and  has started to drop it’s beautiful flowers and there is a carpet of red all over the lawn below.

Giant Helaconia in flower also known as the giant bird of paradise. This is higher than a two story house and is beside our house we had 3 here but cut two of them out as they were leaning over the house. Not a good thing to land on your roof.

This shows the full fan shape of the giant Helaconia or as many people call it The Bird of Paradise

My bench flowers have burst out in to flower again; these flowers are 4 inchs across and this breed comes from the highlands of Papua New Guinea When we lived there I saw these growing under the the forest canopy high up in the rainforest of the highlands, I had been walking for about 5 hrs came around a corner and there was this Huge clearing of undergrowth and as far as you you see was this carpet of these giant flowers blooming in so many different colours.  They are now used as a commercial pot plant down here in OZ.

I love walking in to my wee patio now with these beautiful flowers greeting me each time they are growing so so fast.

Our local little green lipped frog

I have just had a birthday and came home to this lovely clean and tidy walk way it was very over gown and my DS and his beautiful wife and 6 year old son cleaned it up while I was out at breakfast having sourdough pancakes at anthers sons home, I was very very spoilt.

This beautiful flame torch was another birthday present.

This is why we have fly-screens as they are called in OZ not for the flies up here but for the night creatures that can be up to 6 inches plus long plus bats?????

This is who visited me at 2am l8 nights ago for those who did not see my update on last weeks blog.

Hmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!

Not a pleasant sight he’s a good inch across!!!!!

This is who visited me at 2am last night in my bedroom, he is very much alive I have just gently lifted the lid to take this photo and then quickly closed it again.  I will pass this fellow on tot he UNI.

Not quiet finished but only a few more stitches.

Another one block quilted.  This block had a couple of wee stains on it which would not wash out so added a couple of bullion roses????

Close up of baby stag horn see how beautifully it wraps itself around this lemon tree

A very young stag horn plant self seeded from the bush I just noticed it this morning, things grow so quickly here one moment they are not there then they are and well developed????

DS put this path in a year ago now it is disappearing in to the bushes that tower above me in less than a year old all self grown local plants from the bush.

A small patch of mini helaconia’s that grow wild here.

It is drizzle ring out side so rather bleak looking in the front orchard

Slowly turning red

last week these were just buds????

Still flowering after 3 months

Around 12 years ago I brought these shapes from the USA they are a quilters from the 1930s UFO ??????  Nearly all the shapes had been cut out and penciled marked with a 1/16th seam allowance??????

I finally put them together like this but felt there was meant to be more to this block and went searching the net. I found lots of  Rose of Shannon blocks but nothing quiet like this one 12 years ago on the net.  But the below were the closest I could find.  Most I found had some green leaves in them.

Another 1930s block in pink and green, but small points that were in my collection were dark pink not green.   So I then decided that may be they were to be buds and I needed a green shape for the tip of the bud to be showing??????

Pinks and green 1930 block  May be this is how it was to be but I just did not like the shape of the green and how it stuck out of the heart!!!!!!!

So I finally designed this shape for my green.   I was sure green was in the original block but it was not with the pieces any more.

One completed block.  I did not like the bud sticking out of the hearts so set them like the above.  I also added a little yellow to my centre.  Now to finish some more why haven’t  I????? because I can not find the fabric I used for the backing 5 years ago!!!!! sound familiar   LOL I use to say   There are not enough hours in a day to do all the things I want  to do, and a friend said to me “yes there are, BUT there are  is not enough time to do the things YOU want to do and the things you NEED to do”  very very true so now I just get one and do what I can.  

My snow white cacti  is about to burst in to flower another week and it will be beautiful.

My front porch is almost back to normal after the septic problems

He was in my bedroom last night his body is about 1 1/4 inches long,  all though he is missing 4 legs one side you can see one is growing back and the other 3 will also, when I released him just now he scurried off like a piece of greased lightening so is has not slowed him down at all.  Yesterday I found a nest of ants in one of my quilting draws, these ants are about 1 1/4inchs long but very docile so was able to carry the draw out side with out them swarming over me, I guess they didn’t  want to spend the winter outside in the cold !!!!!!

One block with the quilting completed

I have just started adding more quilting to this block.

I have removed blue ovals from the corners  which were appliquéd to the green silk which has sadly perished and now have to replace the silk and appliqué the blue ovals back on.

One completed quilted corner.

Top cream calico panel for some reason over the last 1 2 years has stretched by a 1inch so have taken a tuck in it. This has happened to two corners, I have sewn the tucks in with very tiny stitches so when I quilt over this area you will not notice where the tuck was I hope??????

We had major septic problems as we have had so much rain,  garden bed here has just been completely emptied and we will put an underground drain under it to take away the heavy rain falls from building up near the septic and hopefully this will solve some of the problems.

There is still colour around in the garden.

First of the desert Rose flowers.

Mandarins are nearly ripe enough to eat.

In a few  months time you will not recognise this area

Bottom end of quilt that I’m working on.

Repair work on this seam then I need to quilt over it.

Another area that needs to be repaired and then quilted

Opposite corner repaired and quilted. I did this corner in 2014. It is difficult to quilt as it has two layers of wadding in it, one is cotton and one wool . When I made it about 9 years ago it was for a very cold area in the winter in Japan so my DS wanted it to be very warm??????

I now have almost two arm warmers for DGD

Not what you want in your bedroom in the middle of the night?????

This is the last photo I took of it be fore I finished it!!!!

Arm warmers for my DGD for UNI next year. A bag of small balls of wool were dropped off tot he shop last week lots and lots of colour and I thought my DGD will loves these made up in to arm warmers, she will be doing art at UNI next year all been well.

this is another sewing project I’m working on while just sitting, I was going to use some hexagons but they did not look right so back to using more Yo Yos.

I just love the colours here.

In the garden 3  mornings ago

IN the garden this morning, there rare now 3 orchids open, one is hiding behind these two.

Paw Paw tree has a male and female tree, female flowers are attached to the stem of the tree .

Male flowers are well away from the stem of the tree and in mass at the end of spindly branches

This is a very fragile lilly and it has the most beautiful perfume but sadly only last a couple of days.

This is my view of the rainforest trees with the sun shining through them as I sit knitting this morning in-between chores.

Close up of a selections of fabrics this person had available  to use in and around 1920 1930. I have had to restore three new piecesof fabric in here I’m so glad that I’m able to complete her quilt for her and it will be loved by persons in the future

All though I’m doing the same stitch over and over around these gorgouse little scraps of material I never tired of doing it. I find it extremely soothing and I wonder about who this person was who spent ages making all these crazy patch work blocks there are 6 1/2 blocks and these have been made in to 6 panels . I bought the panels as it from USA many years ago and finally because of Julie from the USA sending me some fabrics from that era or similar I’m able to finish restoring the damaged patches;  then I’m stitching around each patch before joining all the panels in to a quilt top.  I only have one panel and 1 block to go.   I’m getting excited now  I’m seeing how close to completing this quilt top.  It will not be quilted as the fabrics are just to fragile so it will end up as a coverlet not a quilted bedcover.

I decided to take the panels out side to photograph them, they look so different in natural light. I was disappointed to see I still have 2 panels to work herring bone on around all the patches. But only one panel to repair thank goodness. this si the hard part restoring those patches that heve completely fallen off or shedding fabric each time I open them. I store them rolled around a very large cardboard roll. 2 centre panels still to be completed but slowly we are getting there.

I finally found the hexagons I was going to use on the collar of this top but they just did not look right so I have decided to add the Yo Yo’s here too. Ready to pin them down and I need to choose the buttons.

This was inside the parcel, I was so excited as Maggi had told me the history of these fabrics and they are very similar to the indigo die fabrics in japan that I have loved for 4 decades now!!!!!  That tells you haw young  I’m not  now doesn’t it.  LOL.   I first went to Japan when I was 20 and fell in love with the culture people, countryside, and their amazing crafts.   Since then I have been back there many many times and seen so many changes, some for the good and some not so good. Fast food has been so hard on their health, but then it has for all countries including ours.

This is a piece of hand woven silk fabric that was used in a Obi belt. It is off over seas to a lovely quilter who I think will enjoy it.  I brought this back from Japan many years ago.

Jersey as it arrived last week week. I was looking for some hexagons and found these  Jo Jo’s instead.

I felt it was to dark for winter I love colour LOL So I added a touch of colour???????

Now add a few buttons to tie down the centres!!!!!

All sewn down ready to wear finished doing this last night it took me 4 hrs would you believe to sew them on???????

Close up I sewed these on using Bottom line and used very tiny stitches as this is a stretch material and this way the stitching won’t snap so easy. I wore my top this morning and every one who saw it commented on it!!!!!! so it must look OK.

Modern Indigo shibori whole cotton cloth from Japan It has a sort of blurred look to it as it is hand tied then died not machine done.  SO so beautiful.  I will try quilting it with a bigger quilting stitch than I normally do as it is a heavy weight fabric than our quilting fabrics.

Top side of night Kimono all sashiko hand stitching is done before sewing it in to the kimono . This is a warm night kimono which would have been worn after a bath like we wear a dressing gown over our bed wear.  Note that there are 4 panels making up the Kimono  they have alternated the clam shells, first and third panel the clams are going up and the other two panels they re going down??????? But the seams are so good you don’t notice this!!!!  

Indigo hand died lining of the night Kimono, this is done very like tie dyeing , most of their indigo dying for a kimono is much finer but most bedding was bold like this, this fabric would also have been used to cover their bed quilts too

Well some one thinks its nice and warm!!!!!! All panels completed now and 1/2 way through joining them all together.

My Easter plants are growing so quickly and have never stopped flowering which is so lovely seeing them each morning.

Pool looks lovely this morning this is the end where there is a waterfall it is switched off at present. Kiddies are still swimming even though it is the start of winter for us, but it is still so warm in the late 20C still.

A new stag antler plant, they attach them selfs in different palms and trees in the garden. This one started last year and we moved it to here and seems quiet happy.

Some older ones here the eldest is around 17 years old and then down to a year old. They will just keep growing if we have rain , so I have to water them through the dry to get the new pups coming.

Hubby made me this parsley stand a couple of weeks ago, if we plant any thing like bulbs or herbs in the ground the wild turkeys dig them up over night, that is not a real cat in amongst the parsley. LOL

What is it??????? my mum use to say look at nature to see the weird  and wonderful.  Here we have limes, grapes, a banana, pawpaw and a buddha lime.  Some times called a buddha hand lime as some fingers grow the same length and hang down from the base of the fruit.  This one is grown locally. It is believed to come from Northern India or China.  A very very old citrus fruit,  it actuarially has no juice but the zest of the fruit is used and it has a lovely perfume.

Another surprise to me each year is this flower, how unusual is this for a flower and the colour combination??????

Still sewing those QAYG blocks I will be sad to see them finished as I have so enjoyed playing with these lovely fabrics in wool and silk

Back of quilt, it will be a very very warm quilt as there are 5 layers of fabric and the batting!!!!!

Hunting for the Easter eggs

Look Nanna

It is Such a pretty wee entrance now.

Centre panel completed right panel over 1/2 way left panel not started yet those 20 blocks are  in a draw waiting ?????

DGD cleaning the patio pavers for me they are covered in mould which has been worse than normal this wet. Instead of racking up leaves where I live it is cleaning the mould off  all pathways and paves LOL. Thank goodness at present I have a DGD who is saving for UNI next year.

Happy Easter every one.

These lovely old hand embroidered doilies from around 1960’s came in to the shop, I brought home a pile of them to wash and press,  we will sell them on our cake-stall  which we have once a month. These ones haves small  holes in the fabric or the crochet is coming undone,  but i thought that I could still use them in my crazy quilt as patches this way they will live another day.

28th March. Well I have been working on that last row of QAYG blocks, unfortunately I have run out of high loft wadding for the last 3 blocks ; isn’t that Murphy’s Law for you??????  I have completed one of 7 and hopefully will have a few more completed by Wednesday.

Final 7 completed. yesterday. Now I have to decide on how to arrange them and sew them all together.

I have completed restoring panel 4 now embroidering around each piece of fabric this is the first block I have done herring bone around each patch.  I enjoy embroidering around these tiny pieces of fabric pulling threads at random and sewing.

I have just started resorting panel 5. this panel has a lot of patches that need to be replaced, but I have the fabrics now and time I hope LOL  First block here needs 3 pieces replaced,   I have cut the green pink and white pieces ready to hem then appliqué on.  You can see my first doily I have cut to use, the embroidery is so so good I thought it was machine done at first.

I sewed these 3 pieces together first as they all had to be replaced and they were all next to each other, then hemmed around these 3 wee pieces of fabric except where they were on the seam allowance of the block, I unpicked the blocks here and then machine sewed them back tucking the new seam allowances in, this gives a neat look and finish to the added wee patches, now I will go and sit out side and appliqué these 3 patches down. Green patch is from Julie, pink a very very old silk tie from Paris, and the white is from a doily?????

How is that for a colour combination??????  Flowering in my garden at present.

A beautiful tree frog he came in to the veranda  two night s ago. His body  was about  4″ long and he was not scared of me at all, just sat there and let me get up close and personal. LOL

19th March 2015 1st panel on the left and last two panels on the right have been restored and I have embroidered  herring bone stitch around each patch.  So I’m 1/2 way now.  I will  start another panel today.

19th March 2015 Two blocks I have prepared with patches to replace damaged ones. block on the left has 3 new patches and the other block two.

23rd Mar This is a no no in the patchwork world , one it is white and will show up as a hole from any distance rather than a white fabric, 2 Peter Rabbit is machine embodied a long time after these old fabrics were been used, but this is my wee signature,  I grew up on Peter Rabbit books my children and now my Grandchildren too. So I’m breaking rules and he will stay there LOL.

23rd Mar Another problem in this corner short by over 1/2 an inch on the seam so I will add another wee patch here also.  When I add these last few patches this panel will have all it’s patches fixed and then I can sit and embroider all around each of these wee patches

23rd Mar My last 2 and a 1/2 blocks on the 4th panel I’m restoring.  I have cut out 3 new patches for  here this morning, the blue fabric, white Peter Rabbit fabric and the brown fabric in the top right hand corner now I need to cut out two patches to fix the edges that have no seam allowances then hem them all and finally appliqué them on to the blocks. .

Lets see what happens when you add two different pieces of fabric to the same fabric

Same fabric but what a difference when it is hand woven from the front and the back.

Woollen Kimono fabric front and back which is the real front????? Piece of the right was how the Kimono was made up.  I was hunting for some thing and found a orange woollen kimono in one of my stash piles!!!!!  I had wanted some more orange for my quilt as you go blocks and there it was, so I have unpicked a sleeve which has given me two more blocks and enough there still for 15 or more and I only need another 6 so it looks like the end of the tunnel is in sight now for this quilt??????  By making the blocks up with the right side and the reverse side I have two different looking fabrics to play with .

23rd Mar Well I made all those extra blocks but I feel that it needs another row so your feet don’t peep out the end even with a border added so it is back to making another  7 blocks Oh well may be next week it will be finished?????

Catlya found in garden just before cyclone Nathan was to come back in so Rod picked it rather than it be damaged over night.  So very beautiful.

He has wonderful colouring when you are up close and personal.

A rather large brown hopper eating my oranges and the leaves.

Coffee grinder on the right is my wedding present from my aunt who let me grind her coffee grind when I was a tiny tiny wee child??????  One on the left is a copy and holds pepper corns and it is wonderful to have ready at hand when cooking.  Plate on the wall is an old delft plate.

My DGD trying to walk in clogs for the first time

Dragon fruit it has a mild sweet flavour and every one in the family enjoy it so it is a race to see who picks it first LOL.  I and one for breakfast this morning .  This photo is a old one.   But not as far back as 2006 as it says,  this camera had a mind of it’s own and resets it self to that date so I finally just left it as is!!!!!! Now it is in the fix it draw?????

Ohhhh the joy of fabrics,  I have spread some of the fabrics beside one of the panels you can see how they belong to gather, I now have enough fabrics Julie to finish the next 5 panels and start another crazy patchwork quilt LOL.  There are 6 1/2 blocks in each panel and I’m embroidering herring bone stitch around each piece of fabric and replace any fabric that has disintegrated mostly the fine silks have broken down all most to cm pieces.

Playing with these fabrics makes my heart race just look at those velvets I can not wait to start adding them to the panels.

More fabrics; Julie you are a very very generous quilter My fingers are itching to start work again on my panels, you can guess what I will be sewing this week?   Such scrumptious  colours, and the velvets are to die for; they will just add that X Factor to the panels.

Quilt As You Go to be single bed quilt. I have made up 18 blocks since I pulled these out of storage last Wednesday and need to make another 9!!!! May be next year LOL.

At last the sun has come out after several weeks of torrential rain so I can take a more detailed photo of the quilt as you go block.  This is in silk and wool fabrics.  Frame is a fine wool form a Japanese kimono fabric and the windows are Kimono silk.  By using a high loft wadding you get a lovely 3D effect.

10 of these blocks would make a lovely wee shoulder bag

During the week this fellow ended up in my bedroom, not a nice thing to have flying around while you sleep. I caught him and relocated him out side and took his photo.

Last night while ironing Hubby’s shirt I looked up and there was this fellow above me on the ceiling, Its a stick insect  the wet is sending lots of creatures in and around the house trying to find shelter.  Because he was above the light it has thrown a reflection which makes an interesting photo, he is about 8 inches long small compared to some we can get which grow up to 16 to 18inch and the body as thick as a mans thumb.  Quiet impressive LOL.

At last the rain has stopped and the sun has come out first job to do is water blast all the paths and pavers. Before and after is seen very clearly here water blasting off the mould from the path,  when wet they are very very slippery.  all our pavers and paths have to be done after the big rains and it takes a week or more to do, an easy job but very very slow to do it properly.  I enjoy doing it as you see great results straight away. We even have to do our roofs this way every few years.

9am I couldn’t help my self LOL It is only 9am and i have cut in to my first lovely velvet !!!!!!!  It is pinned and ready to sew when I sit down?????

12.15pm I thought I had better show you that I did go out in to the yard and do some water blasting after playing with my fabrics from  Julie this morning LOL, you can see where I have cleaned,  not much to see for 2 hrs water-blasting !!! but it sure smells a lot better.  I came in covered with dirt from top to toe.

12.45pm This darling wee red body Dragon fly just flew in and landed on my desk, I took him out side again and snapped the photo before he flew away.

11.20pm Just completed the last two blocks on the second panel; I did 2 hrs this after-noon and 3 tonight on them, herring bone is slow but it is such a lovely stitch to work.  Now only 4 panels to go LOL.

10 would make a lovely wee shoulder bag

Those fun wee blocks.  I’m making mine in soft loose woven wool  fabrics from Japan most are hand woven kasuri fabrics. Because they are a loose weave they are easy to stitch through when it comes to the quilting.

We are now ready to finish our wee blocks  This was where we left off yesterday.

Last stage of making the wee blocks for my Cathedral Windows

Close up of the cross stitiches in centre to lock those points in to the centre

Close up of the first window just pined at this stage

You can pin the windows you are not quilting closed with some pins to help keep the block square. Now I  have quilted the window opposite the first one by doing the opposite one it helps to keep the block square.

Finished block now to make another 50 !!!!!!

These are the blocks I have been making since last Wednesday and showing you how I make them, 4 completed and 4 in different stages of quilting.  I have another 4 14 1/2 ” square sitting beside the sewing machine to make in to pockets then after making those up and quilting them I think I will have had a week of them and may be I will feel like doing some thing else?????  I have so many WIP’s I can have a change in what I’m doing every week for a year LOL

These were a couple of quilts I made I for my son and his wife when they lived in Japan around 9 years ago using calico and cotton fabrics a double and single quilt hanging from the eve of their home way back then and these quilts have been washed and washed since then and still look as good.  These are quilt as you go also but another constructed block.  This is were it all started from.

Then there are Hexagon quilt as you go  I wonder what happened to these? I have forgotten all about them!!!!!!

Back view ?????