PatchworkDreams

For Xmas I have added a few wooden tulips to the pot plants and snowball lights!!!!! Taken very early this morning.

I spent nearly two hours yesterday after-noon cleaning the lamp on the left, these lamps had been dropped off at the Opp Shop, I think they may have been a gift and have never been used but ended up in some ones out shed as they are covered in dust and to clean them I had to take it all apart, washed the glass 1/2 dozen times in strong soapy water and used a steel wool to bring the stainless steel parts back to life by removing corrosion. Now I have to do the other one??????

This old rocking chair was dropped off to the Opp shop it was so filthy dirty with grease and dirt and lots more???? years of neglect no one wanted to even touch it and it was about to be thrown in to the rubbish when I weakened and said I will take it home, well it sat there on our side porch and I kept turning a blind eye to it and then last week I took the bit between my teeth and took to it. I tried soapy water but nothing moved so finally I sprayed all the wood with exit mould which is a very very strong bleach and left it for 20 mins and then went back with the hot soapy water and lots of rubbing, finally success a few hours later I could see the clean wood again, I left it to dry and then applied the varnish and I could not believe what came up such a lovely golden wood. Now it is Back to all its glory after hours of elbow grease.!!!!

My chair now????

Old stained black oak tea trolly, another drop off that was so dirty and even had burn marks from candles and cigarettes I think and covered with candle grease, very little varnish on the top shelf, I even thought it may be beyond help, but because it was oak I could not have the heart to throw it in to the rubbish skip, so home it came and here we are after 2 days work of cleaning and rubbing with sandpaper then varnishing. She is ready to be put back in to service again. My Grandmother owned one very much like it. SO it has lovely memories for me. Hers was also stained black oak.

Last but not least a restored wee table for DGS turning 5 in Jan for his school home work when he starts school in Jan 2014?????

Young Kookaburra who dropped in over the week-end.

This Young Kookaburra sat beside the fish pond to be, he is a little early for the fish LOL. but he sat there for 3/4 of an hour he was so hopeful!!!!!

Now if Mr kookaburra comes to sit beside the fishpond there is some water and life to look at but still no fish. Taken around 6am this morning, I really must reset my date and time on my camera it is saying 2006!!!!

These two orchids burst in to flower on Monday such beautifies as we have had no rain so no damage and the insects have not started to eat them yet?????

Damaged afghan squares and new ones ready to replace them. I'm using 100% 1ply mohair. Wish I had some lighter colours but this is all I have been able to find here in OZ in 1 ply 100% wool or mohair.

Fish pond view from the roof.

Swimming pool from the roof.

Looking across the river to the rainforest from the roof.

River from the roof

I found this lovely afghan in an Opp Shop it is made up of 2 1/2 " squares mostly 1 ply wool there are 650 squares to make this King size throw and the squares not made from wool are breaking down and it is mostly these squares I'm replacing at present roughly 30 need replacing and yards and yards of seams I need to resew. A very slow but very rewarding job. I just love love this throw it is full of colour and so soft and cuddly. I use it on my bed every winter.

I have just replaced the square right in the middle.

Designed by Esther a few years ago as a BOM called 12 Days of Xmas. It was such a lot of fun to make over 12 months. Thank you Esther you are a very generous lady.

I added more parcels to my quilt plus large red candles each side of the tree. You can see Esther's original design on her WOW or WIP's blog today.

I also placed my 3D tiny appliqué ovals on the side not on the tree these were such fun to make. I added a large star at the top of my tree.Finally I added my 3D bird of peace on my tree.

Night beetles start flying from now till Xmas, some are incredible beautiful in colour, others like this fellow rather large and hiss when they are frightened??????

Who's hiding in my pot??????

Not I said the big green tree frog!!!!! after I had removed the candle I found this large fellow, I'm so happy when I see them around the place as they eat the mosses.

Spider Orchid in full flower now.

Red ball lily in flower again, we have 5 flowers this year, so from one I now have 5. This lily flower fascinates me.

Fish pond to be has a sand pit around it now and the DGchildren love it.

Wonderful sand pit for the DG Children.

A cross stitch kit of Australian wild flowers threads and black adia cloth included. Free to a good home of a Dutch quilter????? LOL.

Free to a good home LOL>

First quilter Dutch quilter who sends me their postal address will receive this kit set. Its a thank you for all I have learned form you Dutch quilters.

Finally my first flower arrangement almost complete!!!!

I have started making my next border of Zig Zags so when I get to this stage I wont be just making zig zags for weeks LOL>

I'm adding some beautiful old Kimono silk that Jenny sent me in between my Zig Zag borders.

I have remade my Calla lilies as I felt the heavy embossed silk would not wear well. Small Calla is made for the same material I'd used before but not so heaverly embossed. Large Calla is from some very tightly woven lightly embossed silk and I have added some padding behind the white before adding the yellow spadix which I stitched down through 3 layers to try and get a 3D effect here. . I need to add the stalks to my right hand cherry branch.

A few weeks ago I told you my DS was making a fish pond with his son and when they finished that day the old bust turkey moved in and built him self a dust nest to help get rid of his fleas.

Front of my Tie-shoulderbag to be?????

I found these in my bag I had my strips in for my log-cabins. they are all around 6"square; I enjoy working on small blocks. Little Sunbonnet Sue is a left over from making 32 of them for a swap I was in while living in PNG 15 years ago. I loved dressing her up in some different clothes each time I made one.

I'm embroidering a capital letter G here on very fine but tightly woven silk. I use to make these and frame them for birthday presents. I hope I can find the time to finish this one before Christmas this year LOL>

I showed this photo of a beautiful chrysalis in a previouse WIP's day with Esther.

On Sunday morning this incredible miracle happened for our DGS reason we saw it was because his mum was reading a book about how butterfly develop and she took him out to see the chrysalis and there she was hanging drying her wings, I was not able to take a photo of her spreading her wings as we were due some where and had to leave, she would have had a wing span of 6 inches. It is hard to believe that this large butterfly came out of that tiny chrysalis. Males are bright emerald green and are called Birdwing butterflies here locally.

He's about 24' long and his body 2'wide a beautiful creature but he often gives you a scare as you just see the tail and you straight way think OH!!!!! snake !!!!!!! He has been here so long he is not scared of us any more. He eats insects and lives in Hubby's workshop and keeps the spider and insect population down

Spider Orchid is just starting to flower, these orchids never cease to amaze me.

Added the last two pieces of log-cabin to complete the puzzle!!!!! you can see the back of the bag above the log-cabin shape cut out waiting for me to decide what or how I will make it; will it be the lining too or the back of the bag, I do love the design of this material, red on black with gold Ginkgo leaves printed over the red and black fabric.

Close up of completed log-cabins ready to be appliquéd. I worked on them tonight and have 80% appliquéd down and then I will add the binding, after this the real enjoyment starts quilting in the ditch around all the logs. These bags are all made by hand not machine.

All most enough blocks now to cover the bag shape which is roughly 15'' wide and 13" deep. Sorry it is blurry but you get the idea I hope?

Have started turning seams under that will be soon ready for appliquéing on. Strips for the log-cabin are cut 1"

Looking more like a bag now I need to make another Log-cabin then cut this in to two triangles and I will have enough to complete it.

Choose the shape of your bag then cut out two linings for the bag shape, I always allow an extra 1/2inch for shrinkage when quilting the log-cabin blocks to the wadding and lining of bag.

Red is my pattern shape and I have cut out two linings from some black Japanese cotton Bunny gave me. Many thanks Bunny it will look lovely for this bag.

Sadly this photo is to blurry for you to see the lovely design. But you get the idea?

Turn lining with backside up and cover with your choice of wadding, I like to use 100 wool as it is so lovely to hand quilt. Top lining has wool batting added.

My log-cabins are made up with 1' strips. Now start placing your tiny log cabins, I find starting from the centre is the easiest way to get a balance of blocks, plus you can place your favourite blocks in the middle as the main focus.

Keep adding those tiny log -cabins

Add some more and then you find you are several short so back to making more Mini log-cabins LOL

Keep playing with the placement of your tiny squares till you are happy with them. I now need to make at least 3 more blocks then will pin them in place and sew them all down like appliqué pieces over lapping each other.

One bag finished. One in the back ground all the log-cabins Have been stitched on to the wadding and lining shape; recut and a bias binding added around the shape. Centres of log-cabin blocks have all been quilted around but the rest of the log-cabins need quilting, I do this by hand.

Finally settled for a red circle rather than another colour on my vase and added yellow colonial knots using two threads of DMC thread to make my peep holes in my hearts.

Close up of leaves which I have padded as well as leaving in the wash away fabric. I'm still thinking about replacing the lilies with a tighter woven silk so they are not sewn down yet.

I just have my cherries and two leaves to add now and then make up my mind about the lilies.

Some books that were my mums I brought down from the attic this morning to read about gold work

While looking for the books I came across this photo of DS wearing a double sided blanket it I made him 20 plus years ago, when I gave it to him he wanted a slit in the middle so he could wear it as a poncho!!!! it was hard to do than make the blanket. When I look at it now I realise it was the first quilt I made I knew nothing about quilting then I made it out of old woollen and mohair coats from Opp Shops which I cut up in to squares and joined them all together to make a front and back blanket like great gran use to make; to keep him warm when he used to go kite surf in the rivers of NZ and he would come out frozen. It sure kept him warm but it weighed a ton, it saved him several times from freezing when he was caught out during the winters when camping he kept it in his car always.

He has been coming in to the front porch the last 5 days since the rains came, he is not so big but he sure makes enough noise to wake the dead. He is a tree frog and I'm very found of them. There are many more like him in the garden!!!!

I started to get these beads ready to restring this morning red ones are glass and gold hand blown and the mauve ones made of a plaster similar to femo; but now running behind as I lost my original blog for today and then was side tracked researching about antique gold work after learning from Jane this morning that rabbit glue was used on antique stump, gold-work and embroidery to hold it in place, so using glue for appliqué pieces is not some thing new just rediscovered????? LOL> If you are interested in learning about antique gold-work check out http://www.needlenthread.co I found this site wonderful for myself as a beginner.

Huge pile of old timber on left of photo over grown with vegetation became a fish pond see below photo's?????

Whole area has been cleaned up and now we have the start of Sai's fish pond!!!!! DGS is only 4 but he helped the whole time he even knows how to mix and smooth concrete.

DS who now lives on the same property 2 weekends ago with his 4 year old DS they cleared this spot of trailer loads of old timber, last Sat morning his D S said he wanted a fish pond for some fish and turtles????? they started making the pond around 7.20am it was going to be just a large very large commercial cut in 1/2 gas bottle but DH had other ideas for that so this is what they ended up with Sunday night rather larger than a what was first planned LOL. I will keep updated as he plants up around it.

I had to add the wooden duck that I had just bought at the Opp Shop he just belongs there.

From a pile of rubble to a road see below?????

All done by hand, oh to have the back and the strength to work like our DS does. Thank you so much dear.

Bunny this photo is for you I found this wee wooden cardinal at the beach Opp Shop last Wednesday and thought of you so he will be part of my Xmas decorations this year. Sorry it is a blurry photo but my good camera for close ups needs a new battery.

I have finished making all my tiny pieces for my Zig Zag border number 4 and now making them for the next time around I need about 100 I think so lots of tacking over the next 3 months LOL.

Where I'm up to on my first Vase of flowers.

This is a complete round white ball with these fine bright pink strands covering it like a hedgehog!!!!, it is so soft looking.

Creeper

This is the local hibiscus you see it all over the local islands of the Pacific

A vine that stops you in it's tracks.

so exotic.

Our local wild passion flower vine which has no fruit you see it covering the bush all around you.

It pays to look up, these trees are so tall there canopy completely covers the road and keeps the road in shade all day long. They can grow up to 60 metres tall and there canopy even wider. Taken on full Zoom

Rain-trees in flower fruit and seeds all at the same time, it is a wonderful time for the bird life now, so nests are been built and the male bird calls are loud and very melodious a wonderful time for all bird lovers.

Wild banana palm bunch of bananas in centre of photo these are not so nice to eat.

Flowers, Fruit, pods, and seeds all within a metre of each other a cassowaries delight.

At least 40 metres above me lots of fruit but not for humane consumption.

Some ones breakfast about to drop, palm fruit comes in all sizes and colour from greens yellows reds to deep purple

Heliconia and wild passionfruit flower.Commonly known as the torch flower and used in large arrangements in the local hotels as they last for week

Rescue helicopter in front of our home coming in to lift some on out of the falls.

I'm all ways sad when I heard the search and rescue helicopter as it means a tourist has had a fall on the Barron falls, they are dry now and tourist can not resist climbing down them, come the wet they are quiet majestic.

Standing in the foam just before it rushes back out to sea.

SLowly my flower arrangement grows. I made a mistake in my placement of the oak leaves and I'm not able to add the other two oak leaves so I have left them out and I will add two tiny hearts below the bottom oak leaf.

First I cut out all my iron on washaway fabric shapes for the border, then these are iron to my silk fabrics, once more lots of cutting but this time allowing a 1/4inch seam around the template. Finally I start basting them one by one.!!!!!

At the top where I start with two shapes ironed to my fabric to the final Zig Zags appliquéd to my LE centre. I sew lots of pieces in to twos then in to sets of 5 then join these up till I have enough for a border and then appliqué these to my LE where I have marked it with large running stitches.

Thimbles I have bought over the years as I sew my quilts by hand not machine and also quilt them by hand I still use many of these ones; plus some have been given as thank you gifts..

Left my silver thimbles given to me by friends when they ended up with their mums thimbles and none of them were sewers!!! My first thimble is in here too. Right thimbles brought back by friends who were travelling over seas.

This antique carrier from China is full of thimbles!!!! Collections that belonged to several friends mothers who knew I would love them and look after them.

Surprise?????? So many tiny wee treasures.

I have some on display all the time they give me a lot of enjoyment and I actually use many of them when quilting for my bottom thimble.

Desert Rose in full bloom today.

More pink???? you can see why my LE is full of pink!!!!!

In my garden to day there are splashes of colour from deep red to pale pale pink. Just like my LE Vase

Each year these pop up and delight us. SO far the Bush Turkeys have not dug them up and eaten the bulbs. I will now go out and put some heavy stones at the base of these flowers to help protect them.

Looking South to the city.

Looking North

Where I sat and had my breakfast this morning from 9.30am till around 11am so peaceful and enjoyable.

I'm transfereing some fabrics in to small containers hoping this will make it easier for me to find that special fabric I need????? I think we all have this problem.

As you can see I'm still working on Parts 2 3 and 4 LOL. I could not wait to start Part 4 so I have made a promise to my self one flower then a couple of Zig Zags, so far it is working well as I have nearly complete the 3 border of ZIg Zags LOL>

I have my first two polka dot leaves pinned and I hope to sew them and the vase on today.

I made about 6 circles for my vase before I finally settled for this one?????? I think LOL.

Each morning over the last week I have spent an hour tying this quilt, I was going to machine quilt is but it looked so ghastly on this backing I unpicked it and decided to tie as the silk design on this one piece fabric can still be seen in all its glory a very old silk piece from China around 1946.

I bought this ruler-cutter around 15 years ago it was my favourite tool for cutting; then it bowed which meant it only cut each end clenaly, so it became a shelf item, last week hubby was telling me about a paper-cutter that was now available same principle as this ruler; he brought one home for me on Friday but it was difficult to slide the material through the throat and only 12inches wide and then the fabric moved when you tried to slide the cutter, the idea was great but it needs lots of work to use for material, in the end I showed him my ruler which by this time was in 3 pieces as the slide part which the cutter ran along had become unglued. "oh I can fix this " he said. and there you have it my favourite tool back in production and I'm a very happy chappy. Hubby's are wonderful.

I bought this succulent from a garage sale about 10 years ago, the people who had it were moving back to Sydney 3000 ks away and could not take their potted plants with them, I have never seen another like it. Yesterday I repotted it in to this exaircraft part!!!!!! It was completely pot bound and I could almost hear it give a sigh of relief when I gave it space to move in LOL.

Who does not like a splash of old fashion flowers????? and it has an extra plus as it is a herb also. Burner in bottom right hand corner is to keep the mosses away, they will come when the wet arrives soon.

Summer is coming the Kookaburras are back in the garden March-flies that sting, the wood-pigeons are back which puts a smile on my face, and the wonderful exotic Ulysses butterflies.

They are lovely to have around but can be quiet nasty if they are hand feed as some tourist do.

Update on Mr Turkey, he has made his nest and today is doing a little dance around the rim of his nest which is a metre deep in front of him. there is a young female looking so we may have eggs yet. It is very hard to get a clear photo of him as he is very shy at present and moves away when ever I try and sneak up close enough to get a photo.!!!!!

He is a Grandpa of Bush Turkeys He is on the rim of his nest and if he walked forward and down in to his nest you could not see him.

Making tiny peepholes with colonial knots instead of reverse appliqué.

Still making my colonial knots and hope to finish some more of them today. Have added another flower to my arrangement it is slow but so enjoyable. My tiny wee circles in this last flower I have satin stitched.

Very slow and time consuming but so so relaxing.

A beautiful Crucifix Spiders web, the cross bars are around 3inches long.

Back of cross with the spider in the middle.

Start of the rainforest beside the house our local Bush Turkey has decided to make a nest for a hopeful mate to lay her eggs in. He is on the left of the photo. He has so far cleaned up all the leaves from the end of the path this whole area was covered in a thick layer of leaves at 6am this morning.

Here he is scratching back all the fallen leaves he will clear all the leaves for about 20 metres from his nest they are usually 5 to 6 metres across and 3 metres high!!!!!

This fellow is pretty old as you can see by the size of his yellow

Surprise surprise !!!! This is where he is putting them all??????? I took this photo on Monday morning he spent 3 hrs raking up all the top leaves Monday morning from 6am till 9am.

An Extremely fine spider web. You need to Zoom in to see how fine, I only saw it because the light was just right to catch the strands.

At my front gate this morning.

At the lookout around 8.15am looking out to sea, early morning sun is reflecting off the ocean. It is about 800 feet above sea level here.

Going down the range

This time of the year there is colour every where.

I was lucky to see two wee bush hens they are so cute all ways in two's and they are very very shy.

Taken out my window as I drove over the bridge.

Our silver palms are beautiful at the moment.

Where I parked my car.

The sea was so peaceful this morning.

Parked near me, I just had to take a photo of it!!!!!

Look closely and you will see around 40 kangaroo's having there late morning siesta LOL

I spent 5 hrs yesterday cleaning the garden around the waterfall of the swimming pool, now off to cart all the vegetation away in my swimmers so i can jump in to the pool when I get to hot!!!!!

I still have not finished my Zig Zags but after appliquéing a flower I do some more Zig Zags then another flower!!!! LOL>

You can see here I have a whole row of Zig Zags to make almost, but I do enjoy making them so thats OK it just takes time. Then I will have 500 more to make !!!!!!

Vase and lilies just pinned, I will add them last.

Local orchid, it is very small but so pure white beautiful and always puts on a wonderful show for a few days only. Zoom in close to see how beautiful they really are?????

Dancing in the breeze

7.30am off my front veranda this morning

8.30am what a difference an hour makes????

9.30am this morning!!!!!

10.30am tourist train just arriving from Cairns at the sea it is a slow 2 hr trip up to our village in the rainforest 1000 feet above sea level.

It's a quant wee train with 13 carriages and all open carriages, I love to ride on it. Jane these photo's are for your hubby.These wee train comes up twice a day bringing the tourists up to visit our tourist village in the rainforest?????? SO this morning you are seeing the rainforest and trains instead of the sea and boats.

Tropical fruit trees in the foreground bananas, blueberries, and Brazilian cherries ripe now.

I never get tired of looking at the river.

Instead of going to the beach this morning I decided to spend the time in my own back yard looking up in to one of my tree ferns

These tree ferns were one of the main reasons I wanted to live here.

Looking out of my sewing room side window near the top is a large new tree ants nest

A freshly made tree ants nest up close these balls are made all from leaves that they carry and stitch together, if you disturb them they will just drop off the tree on to you in the 100's and they pack quiet a bite.

Not a cloud in the sky just blue blue glorious blue every where.

To day it is The Pink day in the garden!!!!!!

I brought this plant back from my cousins as a 3inch cutting about 3 months ago now look at it??????

This is a umbrella stand I made, the pot is 3/4 filled with concrete and on top sits a desert rose with strawberry plants around the sides??????

This is a native Hoya which grow wild here I love it and thank it each year for growing in my garden.

More pink !!!!!!!

7am just back from there early morning jog!!!!!!

Any age can make a concrete path if you want too if you all have a trowel each!!!!!

How delightful is this Painted by Amelia Jane Murary Painted when she was around 20 in 1820. What skills she had at seeing every day things made beautiful, a Sea Saw made out of a needle an thimble with even her initials on the thimble. I just found this book by chance a few weeks ago in the Opp Shop where I work as a volunteer

Starting to add my bias cotton stems and I'm loving making them not sure why but I find it very relaxing sewing them. I think I will go with my paisley vase as my spacer is going to be cream and it will be toned down with this around it. My tiny Pink heart fabric is from Bunny so she is now part of my LE too.

This gives you and idea what my corner will look like with the cream border and then back to my green back-ground fabric. You can see I'm been very naughty playing with my vase and flower arrangement when I have not finished my Zig Zag border or part 3 yet LOL.

My stems completed now time to play with the flowers LOL. For each flower I add I have made my self a promise to sew down a couple of more Zig Zags I'm now off to make 4 more hearts.

Bias stems in cotton. all completed I found it very very peaceful doing the stems now the joy of appliquéing my first flower down. You can see those zig zags are NOT sewn down yet LOL>

Just having fun!!!!!

I left for the beach just after 7am this morning Wed 25th Sept 2013 it was around 15C sunny and clear day 3 mins from home it was thick with rainforest mist over the river you can just see a car the others have disappeared in to the heavy mist. I parked the car here and walked out on to the bridge as I guessed the river would look very misty and beautiful.

As I walked out across the bridge I passed over the local tourist track a lone person was walking to work or back home?????

I think there is some thing magical about rivers and mist. Looking west

Through the thick rainforest mist the sun was trying to penetrate but all you could see of it was the reflection in the river this was about 7.20am Looking East of the bridge.

7.25am At the lookout near the top of the range looking South to the city of Cairns at about 700 feet.

From the look out, looking out to sea where I was heading for.

7.35am and finally here I am walking along the beach in the waters edge. temp around 25C just perfect. Looking North

After i had had my coffee the beach fun area was up and running 8.30am it is school holidays at present looking South

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

Number 6 May be????? I was playing with this at 12.30am this morning when I should of been sleeping????????

My sewing room since I started LE every thing else is on hold and my room is a mess.

Thank goodness i have tables all a long the front terrace so I can find a spot to work on my Part 4 pattern of LE when my sewing room tables are full LOL.

Vanda's in their full glory.

Miniature cymbidiums.

Dancing moth orchids in the breeze.

First I printed several patterns of Part 4 then made one set up and rotary cut all the stem lines

Then I gently folded back the paper and lightly marked the steams with a soft coloured Japanese Karisma Fabric 0.9 lead pencil so lightly it was hard to see.

I removed the pattern and then straight away tacked the steam lines before they brushed off

May be flowers???? I cut a vase shape out of Press & Seal this stuck to where I placed it and showed me what the vase would look like????

what about a bird????

May be just a nice plain woven fabric

Hmmmmm?????

May be a combination of two of them??????

Hmmmmmm??????

Close up ?????

I think may be!!!!!!!

I love these colours I don't choose fabric for this quilt it does????? LOL.

To my left so so beautiful

to my right when I arrived I was the only person there having coffee, and left 1 1/2 hrs later because it was full.

Right beside me, it was so tranquil a perfect place to sew my Beautiful LE.

This beautiful soft grey pigeon came over to my table repeatedly hoping I had dropped some crumbs then would go back for a drink and preen himself!!!!!

One does not except a huge bird like this to visit a coffee shop in the middle of a Huge Gallery complex but he was quiet at home there preening himself.

But this fellow was the biggest surprise of all he was about 30" long and was freaking many of the ladies who were having coffee and cake there LOL I see his cousins often in my garden but did not except to see him in the middle of the city art galleries???????

Hotel balcony, not an exciting setting but lovely and warm and a lovely view across the city at 7am in the morning till 10.30am

At the river mouth of Nossa with son kitesurfing in the back ground?????

Sons sunporch Nossa QLD where it was so peaceful and warm at 7am,

End of a beautiful day with Jarrod and Sandra

First I tacked where my Zig Zag border was to stitched down then pinned the Zig Zags on these points I'd tacked.

SLowly working on appliquéing on my ZigZag border.

I'm appliquing the Zig Zag border down at the top and bottom of the ZigZag at the same time using two needles it is much easier this way and the threads do not get caught on the pins.

Close up of the two needles been worked as I go across the Zig Zag border. These are number 12 needles shorts. I'm removing the basting stitches I used to baste the fabric around the iron on washaway if you zoom in you can see on the right it has been removed I'm also stitching down the centre of each join like quilting so the middle of the Zig Zag is not floating.

This is where I'm up to now and today I will be making more Zig Zags for the other 2 sides of my Centre. My hearts are not appliquéd down yet i have to make the reverse peep holes first then appliqué them on to the backing fabric.

Baby spiders just hatched out waiting for a wind to come through and carry them away on it????

Spiders nest on the end of a builders crow bar, not something you really want there??? LOL

two tiny insects, they a attached to each other and move around like this, one goes forward and the other follows it backwards then the other one goes forward and the other follows backwards, they are the funniest wee creatures to watch, both are around 1/4 of an inch long and so so colourful. I found them in the grounds when cleaning up it is only the second time I have seen them in 17 years.

One morning you can walk around the grounds and there is no colour then the next there is colour all round you.

A wet miserable day this morning from my kitchen window.

This is a cross stitch wall hanging which is in the waiting room of the local Cancer clinic. I asked if I could take a photo of it this morning.

Every time I visit the cancer clinic I stop and admire this beautiful piece of art, I don't think many people realise it is all done by cross stitch. It is a thank you to the staff from a family who attended the clinic

1/2 of the fabrics from Patricia they are beautiful. Thank you so much Patricia.

other 1/2 of the fabrics from Patricia; they are roughly 14'' by around 3' so plenty to use for my flower arrangements. I have been very spoilt.

Hearts, border, and lone star are not appliquéd on to back ground yet. Lone star is made from some fabric I just received from Patricia. I love the idea that lots of pieces of fabric in my LE are from other Quilters from around the globe who are making LE.

I have just started to make my polka dot leaves and oak leaves; I'm still think they may be to light but I will leave them till after I have added my vase and flowers and see what they look like then. I will add the same brown behind the polka dot leaf peepholes too when I appliqué them to the back ground fabric. Have made up one set of hearts to appliqué down, but need to add two wee flowers either side first. SOme one has just learnt to crawl so Nanna will have to put gates up to keep her away from pins and needles!!!!!

Papua New Guinea doll from the 1960's Given to me last Friday by one of my Opp Shop costumers who knows I lived there for 6 years. She found it in a Garage sale and to day I have just dressed her again after cleaning her out fit.

Taken this morning Looking North. I'm Just back from lovely time with my friend who I meet every Wednesday morning for a walk a long the beach but over the last 4 weeks I have not been able to meet her due to pulling a tendon in my foot. So we meet and had coffee instead of walking the beach.

Looking South it was cloudy and showers coming through but a mild 27C but few people were swimming.

I found this amazing charcoal sketch on white silk at the Redcross Opp shop this morning, because it was of another women sewing I just had to bring it home, she has such a beautiful serene look on her face as she draws the needle and thread from the fabric.

These perfume containers also came home with me for my DGD!!!!! Plus 1/2 dozen pressed glass pieces from around the 1930's

Orchids are flowering here there and every where in the grounds around the house at present.

In the wild of PNG the locals call them the moth flowers as they dance like moths in the breeze.

I have just been out and taken some random photo's of the tree's beside out home.

One of our lovely old rain trees.

This is a native creeper that final will smoother huge trees and they die then it all falls down????

We don't have a lot of flowers in the rainforest but it is always full of exotic birds and butterflies of multi colours.

Now I'm going to curl up with a good DVD and do some more quilting on this ever going WIP's of silk on silk called the 4 seasons.

Kay and her hubby arriving this morning around 10am they had driven up to meet up with friends from Japan they live about 500ks from where I live.

Kay's lovely LE centre she brought up to show me, Kay is using a lovely cream shantung silk background.

Cream silk Kimono fabric it is woven 14inchs wide this is a close up of the design that is repeated every 12 inches and is about 6inches across in gold and silk threads

Real close up of the delicate chrysanthemum flowers.

Just had to share another photo with you of the blue orchid that is flowering in the garden at present.

Now that is what I call Yellow. LOL.

A couple of tips on washing silk. I learnt these from a friend who was an artist who painted on silk and did screen printing on silks. she washed her silks by hand with hair shampoo and rinsed them with hair conditioner. rolled silk in a towel to towel dry then ironed the fabric dry with a iron. If you do it this way you can remove nearly every wrinkle, if you let it dry first then try and iron out those wrinkles you never will completely remove them. see photo above top 1/2 I let dry natural and the bottom right hand 1/2 is ironed dry. Hope this helps some new quilters to using silks. Remember crepe silks shrink a lot but if you iron it dry it will come back to almost the same size before you washed it.

DGS building a marble track in the sand with his Pappa. He lives below us. We are so blessed having them live here now.

My latest sewing find which was nearly thrown in to the rubbish at the Opp Shop yesterday. It is made of plastic is 2 inchs long the silk tassel was lovely colours once but is very very dirty now and I'm sure it will disintegrate when I wash it????

Inside is this wee cotton reel which has two wee thread holders thimble caps the needle case which can hold a dozen quilting needles.

How delightful is that it has been very much used and it is a small brass thimble.

3 nights ago I unpicked all my tiny wee emerald green leaves these are the large leaves of the two on the wee stems. I was not happy with the ones I had done. I had not used wash away and I felt they were just too flimsy so I have remade them all bar one using the washaway and now I'm happy, I have 6 more of the small leaves to make and then my centre of part 2 is finished. SO it has been a lot of unpicking this week.