PatchworkDreams

Taken late this after-noon at Nossa one of my DS is kite-surfing out there how beautiful is that.!!!!!

Yellow and red poinsettia in the same pot I love them when they bloom together..

Blue orchid with rainforest trees in the background this is on the side of our home.

Yes there is such a thing as a blue orchid, these grow out side here in the tropical rainforest .

One of hubbies bromeliads in flower, many of them have very exotic flowers.

A bunch of the same kind of bromeliads in flower living up a large tree fern.

Preloved dolls I rescued from the Opp Shop where I do volunteer work, today I'm redressing them after washing and repairing their clothes, repairing the dolls and hopefully they will be bought by some one who will love them again.

DGS 4 years old and his lovely mum practicing soccer ball skills in the driveway this after-noon while Nanna sits and watches after gardening you can see my wheelbarrow full of rubbish.

And this is where I'm up to on my LE centre is all stitched down now and tonight I start on sewing down my petal star flowers and I need to finish making my tiny tiny leaves then 3 more borders!???? . My marble rolling pin is a wonderful weight for holding my material in place as it is silk and slithers I also use an old heavy iron.

So this is part of what I have been doing today, gardening and having fun.  All the these photo’s are from today.  What ever you are doing on WOW or WIP’s I hope you are having as much fun as I am. Cheers Glenda who is now going to link over on Esther’s blog.

Finally found some time to add photo’s and drop a line. It feels like I’m going backwards with my LE as last time I blogged I showed my centre completed with the petal stars around it, but nothing was sewn down,  this is really where I’m up to now with just 4 wee flowers sewn on, I’m trying very hard to have my cones and wee flowers all attached by the 15th of August before Part 3 is released.

Finally I have my compass pinned and sewn in place. But I could not make up my mind about the centre circle?????I tried many different ideas??????

I've added this photo as it shows the silks in there true colours and the background is this soft green.

First I stitched every second cone and then started to add my wee flowers and the second cone. I thought if I did it this way I would not get tiered of doing the same thing over and over if I just added all the stems then the flower heads and so on????? So far I still want to make another complete flower and then another. I finally settled for a pink centre in my compass as you don't notice the wonky last star so much LOL?????

I ended up making my little leaves by pressing them inside tinfoil. This works perfectly for the tiny pieces of silk as they don't slither like they do when trying to needle turn them.

you need tinfoil, a template made of 4 layers of freezer paper ironed on top of each other of your tiny leaf and I have used very very fine silk

Cut Tinfoil a good 1/8th wider than silk, silk 1/8th of an inch wider than template. Now fold tinfoil over on to the template with silk between the two; fold firmly pushing firmly around the edges so that you will have a nice smooth edge.

Hmmm it looks a bit strange but thats what you end up with, notice that the point end is not folded under you need to do this when you appliqué it on to your background fabric. Now iron with a hot iron both sides.

Allow the tinfoil to cool then remove tiny leaf from tinfoil.

Now gently remove template from inside of the silk and you have a nicely shape wee leaf with a tail 1/2 long 1/4inch wide ready to be appliquéd on.

One completed wee flower stem and two different coloured leaves !!!!!

SO Kay thats how I use the tinfoil. this is not my idea I saw it on the web or may be UTube, I just wish I could give the person the credit for this great idea for quilters who read or use this idea????

Cheers ALL Glenda

Where I'm at now nothing is sewn on I need to baste my background fabric with the line placings first. I worked to day making my background fabric, it is made from Japanese silk kimono fabric which is only woven at 14 inches wide. I allowed 4 inches for shrinkage but it was not enough so I need to add a couple of inches to two sides. then do all my line stitching for placement of my appliqué pieces, hopefully I can start appliquéing them down this week-end.

Where I came from first???? LOL. I liked the lemon star but the points disappeared in to the outer green I wanted to have????? SO I stopped before sewing them in completely and unpicked again LOL

Then I went here!!!!!! I liked the navy blue but felt it was going to be to strong for my backing and for my outer colours coming!!!! I have just placed the navy points here over my 4 1/4 ers.

Cotton ribbon on the bias given to me a few years ago when I was in Italy by a lovely generous lady. Date on it says 1973!!! I have been procrastinating for weeks over making my stems, I just could not find the fabric that would work, yesterday I discovered a 2 metre by 1 1/12 metre table in my sewing room, it had been buried under piles of STUFF that I now have in draws, I found this ribbon amongst the stuff...and today worked at making my stems finally..

I have cut the ribbon down the centre . Now I have two folded pieces only 1/4 of an inch wide

I have stitched down the two raw edges down to a sample fabric this is how I will attach them to my centre LE

I then rolled the folded edge over the raw edges and stitched it down,Finally One very narrow stem at just under 1/8th !! ! Now to work out how I'm going to make those tiny tiny leaves??????

My finished compass ready to sew on to my back ground fabric. If my top star looks lopsided to you don't worry it is, if I had unpicked that star again the fabric would of given up, I do not want to make another compass so it will stay a wonky star LOL. This is my first and I think may be my last compass ever???????

Compass finished and ring also. now to put the two together. ?????

Then they were together LOL. My tiny circles are bullion roses I have used two threads of DMC cotton thread to make these.

I have started making my diamonds for my first border. Im using two similar tone silks, there is a subtle difference but I want a soft look here as I'm thinking of strong colours in my flower arrangements.??????

My camera is down and I have used my phone camera and DH leant me his camera to take photo’s today, I took my chip out and put it in to his camera and I have been able to down load the photo’s but oh boy what a nightmare trying to down load those photos  from a camera I don’t know and my phone that we had to buy some software to down load the photo’s, DH came to the rescue when he came home and spent roughly 40 mins getting them all down loaded so I could blog to day??? Aren’t hubbies wonderful????

I did not get to the beach today as I have pulled a tendon in my foot so no walking the beach for a couple of months. Boo Hoo. Garden is not looking so good as it has been so wet. Hopefully next week I will have my own camera and will have some thing to show from the garden.. Off to link with Esther on her WOW today. Cheers ALL Glenda

Had 3 wonderful days of laughter with my cousin who I had not seen for 17 years. Im on the right.

I have been away enjoying a rest with family and friends the last 2 weeks. while visiting DS number 2 I repaired his quilt

Side of his quilt I like adding candle-whickling panels around my sample quilts.

I made 20 years ago and I think it has slept under it ever since, and has been machine washed every 3 months so it is very very faded but the quilt is fine except for the lining.

Close up, I also like to add a butterfly or bee to my quilts some where?????

A happy bee?????

I always try and do a 3 ” both sides plus double thickness binding this one was thread bear and the wadding was falling out. It was the first sample quilt I ever made!!!!!

My first block was a paper pieced grandmothers garden and I assumed all blocks were made like this so in my excitement I made number two block before our next group meeting to be shown it was machined sewn very fast ?????? LOL I also might add I was living in PNG when I made this quilt, no book shops so no patterns to follow, no material shops so it was made from clothes only!!!!!

From a sad looking quilt to a bright new quilt

I managed to find so vintage clothing and purchased a gathers skirt in cotton which I unpicked and ended up with 3 yards . I might add there are no fabric shops any where near I was staying?????

With completed new binding

We walked the cliffs and watched the surfers.

I dreamed as I ambled along the cliffs

more dreaming while gazing out to sea

DS wee car I ran around in and had lots of fun.

Visited the village in the Hinterland and all the houses had been done up in to shops, this is an old Q.L.D.er.

Found some 2ply Alpaca wool here to repair my antique afghan so I was extra happy.

I had some great company when I had a rest??????

Beautiful native Australian bush flowers.So so beautiful

My cousins daughter has Koala Bears in her trees beside her house?????You will need to Zoom in as I just had my wee camera with me. He is the little grey blob right in the middle???? LOL

I did finally finish all my Bullion roses, if I had realised how long it would take me I may not have made them LOL

AND I even managed to complete my rose bullion's for my circle of LE now I need to finish my compass and catch up to part 2!!!!!!!

I did manage to quilt 6 windows too!!!! I must be 1/2 way there now?????? These are made with silk and wool fabric.

I have just started a new Candle wicking panel for a wedding quilt I completed the first pattern.

I managed also to complete one design on a candle wicking panel for a wedding quilt, have 7 more large ones to go?????? When I look at my blog I see I did manage to do quiet a lot of sewing over the last two weeks considering the quilt repair took me full 4 days as it was all done by hand.

Take care ALL Glenda who is linking to Esther’s WOW

http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com

Morning every one NO Beach to day we went down on Monday morning instead; but we have a lovely sunny day after an amazing full moon the last week, it is so nice to have the sun back again after months of rain. My photo’s say 2006???? it needs resetting yet again for some reason it keeps jumping back to 2006 !!!!

Some times we acquire things we had no  intention of collecting, like these thimbles of mine. When my second DS was 10 we visited the Tower in Sydney and he spent a good deal of his pocket money on some thing he thought  I would like a souvenir thimble, of course it was precious to me as he had spent

Hubby brought home this old Gnome aircraft holder it was used to place turbine blades in and asked could you use this ???? I thought it would makes a perfect holder for thimbles from one that was given to me 30 years ago I now have over 60 and NONE i have collected LOL.

a lot of his money on it instead of some thing for himself so it was all ways on my display area.  Now 30 years late this is part of a collection that I DON”T collect LOL.

Gnome thimble holder now on the wall and I have two more small holders waiting to join this one LOL

Last Friday I attended a Bernina sewing course

I choose a red and white stripped fabric and black thread as I could visualise the end result in my mind and I wanted a strong contrast, I choose a very light weight as I wanted to really see what the starch and interfacing would do.

on using the 83 attachment as I thought it might work for quilting by machine as I’m hopeless at machine quilting,

This is one of my class with her almost completed block, the starch and interfacing made this project a dream to sew, but will it work on a quilt block I have yet to find out LOL.

more frightened I think even after watching endless DVD’s I have brought of friends given me to help LOL.

Thank you Wendy for allowing me to take photos.

As this was a sample and I was meant to be learning i kept on adding to the circles to see what would happen LOL.

One of the other girls was making her block for her son and did not want a flower so did her circles randomly with out a pattern

One thing I learnt was my table was far far to high and my chair also, now my feet sit flat on the ground and my  sewing table  is 4″ to 5 ” lower and not causing a great deal of my back pain  after 2 hrs sewing!!!!!!!

No beach to day as it is school holidays and Grandies came over this morning to help me out ????? they can make pocket money this way LOL .  DGD is water blasting the pavers for me a very very boring slow job.

How lucky am I to have this job under way while I write my blog ??????

DGS asked if I had any jobs for him,  so another problem solved for me, he replaced the old lining cardboard on the bottom two shelves under my sink, I can not get down there any more to do it LOL>

My DGS buried under the kitchen sink LOL

Sadly my quilt I was about to start machine quilting is back on the table and I’m going to have to pin baste it as well as tag it, my machine does not like the old antique silk under the quilt I have used,  and it pulled all the tags out instead of feeding the silk through.  I will have to leave this project for a month now as I’m going away next Tuesday for 2 weeks.

My quilt I was hoping to have finished before i leave on Tuesday buried under other projects I'm working on now LOL.

My DDINL's bag I have been repairing, the bottom of the bag pulled away it is fine chiffon, I ironed on some fussing to give it strength so I can sew it back in to the black satin bias binding. I also needed to add strong support where the tie handles joined the top of the bag she loves it and used it constantly so now needs this TLC. LOL. Handles have been strengthened where the mens ties join the bag???

Back of bag where I have used Japanese kimono silk obi fabric

Last week I saw a pinky mauve silk Kimono

A very sad looking kimono, silk lining has shrunk when it was washed causing the outer fabric to distort, but it can be restored back to it's original beautiful glory. Now I need to continue unpicking it; this takes several hours depending on the hand sewer who made it, they are all hand sewn and some seamstresses are very very good and take no short cuts these are the ones who back stitch every few inches so you can not pull the threads in these long seams. LOL. Kimono's were traditionally unpicked then the fabric was washed and stretch to set the fabric while it dried then was sewn together again a very costly clean, so one was very very careful when wearing them not to eat any food so when you took it off it did not need to be cleaned and could be packed away till it was worn again.

for sale on eBay when searching for some plain fabrics, it had no bids on it as the Kimono looked rather sad, but I recognised the  fabric and took a gamble that I could restore it, it arrived yesterday and I was right some one had washed it and the fabric had dried distorted.  I unpicked part of it yesterday and soaked it in hot water for 20 mins as fabric has a memory and then towel dried it  iron pressed it dry and it has come up Beautifully and it now measures the correct measurements and is square, I’m now thinking of using this for my back ground fabric instead of the pale green silk. Time will tell when I see the the final pattern.  I can not believe the fabrics I have pulled are so close to Esther’s beautiful pencil drawing on her blog this morning, my heart is racing thinking about it.

This is the piece of kimono I have soaked and reset it has a soft design on it but I'm looking at using the reverse side so it is all neutral but the weaving pattern will show still with out the painted Crane birds.

Reverse side of the silk panel which is 14 1/2 : wide All kimono fabric use to be 14 " or 14 1/2 " wide depending on the weave.

I have been slowly working on my wool Kimono  fabric cathedral windows this week and now I need to make another pile of pockets so I can make more windows, I can see the end coming finally as I found the red wool kimono fabric I was looking for to add a wee splash here and there?????.

I finally found my red wool Kimono fabric I have been searching for to add a touch of red to my black cathedral windows I'm making so now I'm a lot happier I can see this quilt been completed now.

Yesterday I have Finally finished repairing the lining on this 1960's sheep skin coat for my DDIL who has moved from the tropics to a cold climate and is constantly cold when she goes out side so I hope this helps to keep warm ???????

Help need please?????

My next big project of restoring is this lovely old 2ply afghan I need scraps of 2ply wool only wool to replace many damaged squares.

Help needed if possible If any one has some scraps of 2 ply wool and would like to swap them for some silk fabrics please please contact me. You can see some of the tiny wee squares that need help. each square is around 2" !!!!!!! I live in the tropics so I have NO wool in my cupboards LOL.

Happy stitching every one; I’m now off to link up with Esther’s WOW CHeers Glenda

This week Anna Marieke and I have been mainly answering emails over 600 of them have come in the last 2 weeks????? In any spare moments I have been sorting boxes of sewing gear that has been stored for the last 18 months and I’m now putting in my swing room or on the shelves again. As I was sorting I kept thinking about the Love  Entwined quilt and putting fabrics aside that I might use, I ended up with a very large plastic box full and only may be 1/8th will be any good or else I will end up with a quilt like Jacobs coat of many colours if I use all the fabrics LOL. I have also pulled some Kimono’s that I may use too.  As I don’t have much to show this week I will show you some of the bright colours in Kimonos fabric

A jumble of silks before folding, I have pulled some of these colours for may be LE

This is silk goldthread and silver threads very very tightly woven and used as a belt over the Kimonos.

My jumble of silks fold ready to put away. These I pulled for may be LE they are all full kimonos at this stage if I use them I will have to sit and unpick them!!!!!

Pile on the right I wear they are short kimonos.

Waiting to be unpicked maybe????

Then we jump to the other end of the colour scale the Taupe’s

This is an extremely finely woven wool fabric used to line mens kimono jackets. I tis so fine you can see through it if you hold it up to the light.

I will show you more of these colours next week may be??????

I have been working on a sample quilt this week, one of the sample blocks the fine silk I used around 12 years ago has perished , using such fine fine silk was a bad bad mistake but I did not know as much then as I do now LOL.

Honey Bee block I'm repairing, green fabric was a bad mistake silk was to to fine and has perished, I have cut the blue silk away and will replace it and replace blue appliqué pieces. This block is made up of silks on a calico back ground.

Close up of damaged silk square?????

I also found a small quilt called The Seasons while sorting my boxes, I had forgotten all about it, I loved it when I made it and still do so I wonder why I never finished it years ago??????? I’m enjoying working back on it now. I’m hand quilting it.

Summer Autumn Winter and Spring.Silk on silk.

Elaine these photo’s are for you, I found this boys Kimono to day and thought you might enjoy the satin stitching on it.

A boys Kimono worn on Boys day when he is 4 I think. Fabric is silk then hand painted and finally embroidered with gold and silver satin stitching Zoom in it is amazing,

Close up

A very close up LOL

My other project I’m looking at this week are 42 blocks; these are very old are made from a fine muslin and are very very off plumb,

Not what you would call a square is it??????

I have to work out how to make them in to a square with out cutting in to the coloured baskets??????

I have a set of 42 blocks I bought on EBay 15 years ago as no one else bid on them and I hated the thought that they would be dumped if I did not buy them ?????? here are 16 of them laid out so I have a secondary pattern in white.

I know fabric has a memory so I soaked these two wee blocks in hot water for 20 mins and then drew up a 9 1/2 " square on a old pillow slip and made a mini ironing board out of it. I them towel dried the wee squares and reset them on the drawn 91/2 " square and ironed pressed them dry, this did make a Hugh difference to the blocks but you can see there still is a big 1/4" missing and some of the others are worse than these two.

I’m thinking of backing the wee blocks on a iron on very fine backing like you use for embroidery to stabilise them so when I quilt them the stitching will not tear the fabric. First though I have to get them in to a square, I’m thinking of crazy quilting ????? adding pieces of fine muslin to the sides then cutting it back to the 91/2″ square ?????? Any ideas quilters??????.

What I FINISHED  this week!!!!!!! a decorated JoJo bra????? it is for fundraising; for the breast cancer research here in OZ. I could not find the black butterfly I wanted for the right hand side of the bra and finally I found it in one of the boxes yesterday and I sat and sewed it on last night, now I can deliver it today.

Bra for Cancer research made from blue cotton Jo Jo's and lots of beading, plus the Black moth for new life or a new beginning.

Happy stitching All Cheers Glenda

I’m still trying to sort out my boxes before putting them in to my sewing room,  as I pack a box of goodies I’m writing a list of things that go in to the box and then glue this on the outside of the boxes and hopefully this will save me many frustrating hours now when looking for some thing??????  I keep coming across lovely WIP’s I’d forgotten about !!!!! Many of you will know what I mean?????  Like these lovely vintage blocks

There are 44 blocks but two of them are made many years later and do not belong to the set. None of the blocks are square!!!!! I'm guessing I'm going to have to really put my thinking cap on to join them all again. May be wet them and set each one in to a square shape while wet then iron them dry???????

There are the 6 different colour blocks and 7 of each which makes 42 blocks all up??????? plus two that were made many years later and the backing is the same but the colour blocks the fabric is much later and have not faded at all and they are quiet a different dye and weave of fabric.

I bought on ebay about 15 years ago.  No one bid on them and I could not bear to think they would been chucked in to a rubbish collects bin!!!!!!  My idea was to may be reconstruct

I started playing around with lay out

them again as they has once been a quilt and washed many times and unfortunately the red bleed, it is the only really bright colour now as the other fabrics are all very very faded

zoom in and you can see how bright the red still is and the bleeding sadly.

so it makes me think they are older than I first thought 15 years ago when they arrived. Some one had painstakingly unpicked all the blocks I guess the quilt was disintegrating and only the blocks were worth saving.  They are made of very thin muslin.

OK now we can see a secondary pattern forming in the white fabric

15 years ago I did not have the knowledge I have now on what to do with them as far as making them in to a quilt,  we also have some lovely very fine light weight iron on fabrics for backing red-work embroidery which would stabilise these fabrics and allow me to quilt them also with out tearing the fabric with the stitches.

Now I can see a large white square on points with little star points white oblongs and small squares on points too.

I first just laid them in colour piles this did nothing for me, turned them a few times then knew there had to be a secondary patten there some where I would like??????

OK I can see the secondary pattern now clearly , make 3 more of these and we have a quilt cover??????

I have soaked two of the blocks in hot water for 20 mins as natural fabric has a memory and it takes at least 20 mins before you can reset this. It did make a big difference to the line up of the pattern as I was able to set the square on my drawn 91/2″ square I had drawn on an old cotton pillow slip then I iron the blocks dry, but after cutting the blocks to as close as I could to a 91/2″ sqaure I still have 1/4 or more missing in many of the corners, I was thinking of tea dying some fine muslin and adding pieces of fabric like a crazy quilt then cutting them back to a 91/2″ block. ????? any suggestion would be very much appreciated.

Two blocks I have reset by soaking in hot water for 20 mins, then ironed dry in a 91/2" drwn square on my ironing board. It has sure made a difference but you can see there is still a large 1/2" gap there?????

Well thats what I have been playing at the last 2 hours instead of sorting more boxes????

Yesterday I pulled this one out

The 4 seasons silk on silk

and I wonder why I never finsihed quilting it as I still love it as much as when I first started making it???????

Cheers Glenda

Colours for Esther’s new BOM 2013!!!!!?????  I have been looking at Georgian fabrics and clothes ever since Esther gave us the tip!!!!!!  These are the colours I have been drawn to so far, I love the soft yellow for the back ground but will I find it in my stash I don’t think so, but I will have to pull out all my boxes from the attic and see!!!!!! I did not find the soft pale yellow I want but I have found a soft dove grey green that may work as well, it is a silk Kimono and there is about 7 yards at 14″‘s  wide, I wonder if this will be enough fabric for my backing fabric??????  I now need to sit down and unpick the kimono, it is a heavy silk so I should be able to work with it and use cotton as my applique.

Georgian colours I have fallen in love with. This is a photo I took of a French crewel embroidered linen skirt 1790!!!!

Change of topic, last night I was watching Antique Road Show and they showed this stunning crazy quilt made around 1860 or before, there was also a tea-cosy; it was given to a servant who worked in a Big House by the mistress when she left her service due to been pregnant, after the child was born and adopted out the mother moved out to Australia to start a new life and she left the quilt with her family as she did not know what lay ahead of her.  A sad story.  I took some photo’s of the quilt.  They valued the quilt at about 15pounds and the tea-cosy the same?????? To me that seems soo sooooo low!!!!! Just look at all the work that has gone in to this quilt, it would be lovely to find out what happened to the lass who went to Australia???????

Mid 1860's Crazy quilt England York.

More of the same quilt.

So many small pieces of beautiful fabrics and so many hours of stitching.

The Tea-cosy

Close up of Tea-cosy

During the week-end I worked at preparing a quilt for tagging, this is the first quilt top I have worked on in my new sewing room area. This is for a special friend; she sent me a beautiful salmon silk sateen  panel for me to cut up for my patchwork after her last visit, her mum brought it many many many years ago when she visited China but never did any thing with it and my friend ended up with it when her mum died. I could not bring my self to cut in to it, it is exquisite even though it has some tiny moth holes in it,  I’m glad I never cut in to it as it is now going back to her and she will have this memory of her mum on her bed.

Silk sateen panel I'm using for the backing of the quilt to be?????

I used some iron on webbing on some fine silk and then ironed this on to the back of the silk panel where the moth holes were, it has not made the silk panel stiff as the silk and the webbing I used are both very fine.

Silk patch covering moth holes

I’m using an old white board for my table 2metres by 1 1/4 metres which is resting on a small table. I use Paper clamps to hold the fabric and wadding in place.

Ready for the quilt top to be added.

Ready for tagging then machine quilted!!!!!! All clamped to the white board. I have just enough room to move right around the table.

I had to completely rearrange on sewing room from the first lay out as I just could not fit every thing in my first draft, My 1st must is to be able to move around the floor on a rolling chair from sewing machine to ironing board to draft table, plus to the window so I can sit and do any unpicking besides it or hand sewing and look out at the rain forest and sit by the big open window.

I have a sewing machine either side of the large window, I have 3 sewing machine set up, one with grey thread one white and one black it is WONDERFUL!!!!!!! If you zoom in to this photo you can see the kimono on the back wall I will use for my back ground in Esther's new BOM.

On the back wall I have The Kiss this is my quilting inspiration, in real life they look like they are wearing patchwork cloaks they are unbelievable he used lots of silver and gold sheets.

My ironing board can be placed beside the table and lowered to make it an extra 18' wider if I want extra width.

I still have weeks of fabric to sort out and put some where handy, NO books are to go in there as I just DON’T have the space.

Elaine these photos are for you???? some Chinese embroideries I have, they are not that old or that good but the colours are beautiful, they were given to me framed but I have toiled with he thought of adding them in to a quilt one day!!!!!!!!  Thanks so much for sharing your embroidery lessons on Esther’s WOW last week.

All in satin stitch, Opps one of the frames is upside down LOL.

Close up silk thread on silk fabric.

Stunning colours

Incredible colour bleeding all satin stitch

Photos are not so clear as these embroiders are behind glass.

I have managed to quilt several windows during the week but have not had enough time for any new pockets.

It will roughly be 1 3/4 metres by 1 1/4 metres when finished.

I just noticed my camera is reading 2006!!!!! I really must reset it to 2013 LOL. I’m off to the beach in 8 hrs so I had better go to bed!!!!! and hopefully will remember to take some photo’s and will update when I come home in the after-noon.

Update 2pmJust managed to take a photo of the Kimono out side in between showers!!!!!! to give you more idea of the true colour, of course it needs ironing as you can see the light shows all the crease marks too LOL.

Fabric I'm considering to use as my back ground fabric for Esther 18 month BOM this year.

Update 6pmI just picked up this beautiful Ulysses butterfly wing in the drive way, I wonder what happened to the rest of the poor thing. Nature can be cruel at times.

An unbelievable electric blue with black, it reflects light like silk does; in flight is is magical.

Cheers Glenda

Have 40 mins before taking off to the beach!!!!!  I started putting the things I want in the back bedroom to be able to machine sew in there yesterday.

This will be the first quilt I will work on, it needs to be sandwiched and I will machine quilt it in the ditch.

It’s far from big enough for ALL the things I need but at least I will be able to leave the machines up all the time,

No one in the family wanted this music stand so instead of moving it on I will use it in my sewing room for any sewing magazine I'm reading or small quilt I may be making?????

I just need the big sewing table now with my trusty Bernina sewing machine on it plus a cutting table and I’m set to sew???? DGD’s mattress is not far away so when she comes over she can just frag it in there and sleep on the floor, some of her clothes are still in the cupboard so she can just come straight from school if she wants for a night or two.

Windows have grown from 7 to this???? I spent the week preparing the last lot ready for quilting, there are 15 there not quilted but it is slowly looking more like a quilt.

I emptied one box of fabrics to day in to the sewing room, one of about 12 and this one was all pieces of silk and I was so happy as I found the piece of yellow silk I knew I had that I have been hunting for , I wanted this to make a couple of windows to give the other colours a boost, will show how this does make a difference next week.

I’m off to the beach so will do an update and finish my blog when I get back this after-noon.

Well I forgot my camera again so no beach photos so I will show you some of the silk and wool fabrics used in japan for Kimono’s.

Beautiful beautiful silk fabrics

Finest wool you can find hand painted!!!!!!!!! would have been used for a mens jacket lining!!!!!

Close up of the wool fabric

another close up of the wool fabric

This design of grass bunnies and the moon has been around for 100s of years in the Japanese clothing fabrics and is adorable, bunnies are only about 1/2 or less

.

Very time consuming woven silk breath taking when seen in person, I get a thrill out of looking and feeling silk fabric as I do if standing in front of a Monet painting of the water-lillys you have to see them both in person to see their true beauty.

A repeat length of fabric hand painted or printed drawings are lovely 7 different ones in all and the soft grey is beautiful

Close up of one of the little sketches about about 4"by2 1/2"

Well I have shown the fabrics today instead of flowers as the garden is waterlogged and no interesting insects this week.

I must go to bed what happens when you have a sewing room you forget to go to bed???? I have 4 mins before it is another day Down Under!!!!!!

A creepy crawly just visited my screen???????

Creepy crawly just visited my?????

I have updated my link on Esther’s WOW

Happy stitching and linking every one. Cheers Glenda

A couple of more days and it will be June 1/2 way through 2013!!!!!! we had a lovely morning down at the beach, it was cloudy and windy but warm. water temp was around 25C perfect.

a small dot in the distance is Sai running down the beach to join me finding Pipies, we spent an hour surfing the waterline and found enough for him to have for his dinner tonight. Nana ended up with a very wet bottom as the waves kept getting her. I stay out in the waves between Sai and the beach as we often have a rough wave that catches you off guard.

We had a lovely breakfast, it is a very old wee restaurant run by a family who treat their regulars like family.  It’s a little sad as the owners of the building has sold it to a commercial builder who is going to pull the old building down and make it in to a large commercial building and a upmarket restaurant will be open there by the end of the year. No more bacon and eggs on the side walk!!!!!! So we have to make each visit special.

SAi is only 4 but all ready is doing the male thing pulling faces instead of smiles????? The beach is just behind Tomoko.

Our view while having our breakfast this morning.

During the week I drafted a pattern for a x and – block after seeing Julie’s on her blog www.myquiltdiary.blogspot.com hers is a real stunner and I just had to make a block if not a quilt!!!!!!! Julie lives in Japan and has just been up to teach some of the Tsunami women survives how to quilt you can read about it on her blog.  I’m sending you some fabric and scissors Julie for your next visit up there. One of Julie’s quilts “To every thing there is a season”  is in the  quilt show competition this week it sure is a tough choice this week I’m glad I could vote on 4 quilts.

x and - my first 5' block Julie, if I carry on making them I will added the sashings like you have as I think it makes the individual colours stand out more. Your quilt is so so beautiful.

I like to work out how to make blocks I do this instead of doing crossword puzzles!!!!!!  If I carry on making these wee blocks I will use the plain calico as sashings and red and navy blue cornerstones through out the quilt. I bought these funky trouser

Funky trousers that never sold I wonder why LOL. but the fabric is cotton and a very good cotton fabric so will be perfect to use in any x and - blocks !!!!!!!

at the Opp Shop yesterday $2.00 a pair lots of cotton fabric there LOL, a shop in the village closed down and these ended up in our shop, I will use them if I make any more         x and- blocks!!!!!!  I buy a lot of my fabric this way it saves me going down in to the city to shop!!!!!!

I have been finding time to sew some of my pockets ( I have been using my wee Singer222k

Singer 222K I have not used her for years but true to form she sewed like a dream once I remebered how to thread her. Such a trusty wee machine.

to sew the first part of these pockets it was so long since I have used this wee machine I’d forgotten how to thread it, thank goodness for the internet as there were tutorials by quilters how to do this LOL) to make more blocks of my quilt as you go cathedral windows,

It is starting to look like it might get to a single bed quilt before it becomes a WIP's again in the back of the cupboard LOL. These blocks are about 7" square. I have 10 pockets in the making, 6 blocks ready to quilt and then I will start joining them all together. These quilts are so warm and light when finished.

for those of you who have not seen my older blogs the pockets are made from kimono wool fabrics and the window fabric  silks from kimono fabric. I’m very addictive to making quilt as you go blocks and have made many quilts over the years like this.

I need to deliver my Bra for Bra’s for Cancer next week, I finally finished it a month ago.

Lots of beads attached it was fun to make but sad also as I was thinking of my friends I have lost through breast cancer as I worked on it.

Some of us have been talking about Kaffe Fassett lately, I did a pictorial knitting course with him in NZ over 3 days about 30 plus years ago!!!!! and while we were busy following his lesson he would work on a large table cloth tapestry using our threads we had taken to the course many we had spun and dyed. I was fascinated by this as he was just doing the stitches randomly and the shape was weird, but he told us it had started out round and he would wash it and set it back in to a circle to dry!!!! I bel;eived him and did the same with the back of a  waist coat!!!!  This got me thinking and I would bag the wool scrap yarns that were swept up after each session and I took them home, cut out the shape of the back of a waist coat out of tapestry fabric and started stitching, just picking up any wool or yarn in my left over yarn box, this was to be for my second DS who was doing fine arts at UNI Wowwwwww this was fun but it took for ever to fill that waist coat back LOL.  I found this in one of my boxes this week, it is THE back!!!!! it is back to been just a back as the front wore out and I cut it back to the back again and one day will remake it!!!! !!!!!!!!!

This week a treated my self to a new cutting board, and rotary blade-cutter ready for Esther’s new BOM LOL. It looks like we are going to be challenged again this year with Esther’s new BOM so be prepared every one?????? I have to blame some one Esther!!!!!!! I also have a new desk for it to set up in the back room and I’m planing to set up two sewing machines in there with an ironing board, plus hang a large piece of felt for a design wall. I wonder if it really will happen LOL. Well it has been fun dreaming about it any way.

Off to link up with Esther.

Happy stitching all Glenda

A very quiet sewing week as our darling wee girl 4months has bad eczema and scratched so much she has an infection. They had to put her on antibiotics she was so bad, to day she is a happy wee girl and it warms my heart to see her smile again.I have made lots of tiny wee mittens but it is amazing how quickly she manages to get her hands out before we know it she has scratched her self again.

I did manage to sew a few more of my windows but did not get any more prepared but may be today as things have calmed down!!!!!!

Over 1/2 are completed so that makes me happy I need to find some yellow silk to make it sing????

This morning I have been playing with Mousie

April from Peek-A-Boo blocks he is adorable if you would like more information email me. When ever I look at him I mentally start singing " rain drops keep falling on my head" LOL I'm making this block with felts and cotton fabric. Isn't he so cute Please remember this has a copyright on it.

who is one of my friend Michelle’s  babies, he is so cute and this series is called Peek-A-Boo  Michelle sent me the pattern early in the week and I just had to have a play!!!!! yes I do know I should be doing 100 other things but he is soooo cute!!!!!!!

Yesterday I was driver for some elderly friends so no beach, but I did take a photo of the mud flats off the city?????? LOL.  It does look lovely when the tide is high!!!!!!

Water front off Cairns city FNQLD OZ

While Pat and I waited for Bill we sat looking out over the sea instead of in a waiting room, besides where we sat is this Hugh skating rink by the time we left there were 20 or more school kids there, have no idea why they were not at school????

Local skating rink right on the sea's edge a beautiful place for the kiddies to play.

Oh guess what I found yesterday when hunting for a sewing machine to use,  they are all so buried under thingsLOL my wee singer 222K

I found my 1956 SInger 222K But no Bernina yet???? LOL

Do any of you have one of these wee machines, they are so portable and sew like a charm for piece work patchwork. Mine is well used and perfect for the tropics as they just don't rust or have electronic problems LOL

Update 2pm

I have just received two beautiful gifts

A beautiful runner from Vietnam Thank you Chrystel I love it.

Close up of runner, embroidery on silk it shimmers as it moves Just beautiful.

I’m a driver for a lovely couple who live about 20 mins from us and this shawl is from their daughter as a thank you!!!!! It is a cashmere shawl from India and so so beautiful and warm, no cold arms now?????

A Paisley Cashmere shawl from India, so so so soft and warm this is only 1/2 of it as it was to long to photograph. 1 metre by 3!!!!

One from a young friend in France has just visited Vietnam and saw this beautiful runner and thought of me and my patchwork!!!! A truly thoughtful and beautiful gift. THANK you Chrystel.

Cheers ALL Glenda

8.30am this morning Ohhhh so beautiful

Swimming nets back up and water so warm.

Where we went to collect the pipe's after breakfast and swim.

She was so sweet and slept through our breakfast of Bacon and eggs beside the sea then woke as we went down for a swim and joined us!!!!!!

Bacon and eggs taste so much better in the open beside the sea???????

Sewing wise I’m happy with my progress as I found enough time to complete quilting 6 blocks prep 4 ready to quilt and 12 ready to sew the corners have 4 pockets ready to sew and unpicked the sleeves from a woollen kimono to make 4 more pockets so a very good week for me at present.

I'm happy with the way they are growing at present.

My big bonus this week was picking up 30 plus  sewing kits each one a different embroidery package with needle and thread enclosed?????? I will do these while I wait for appointments or for my Grandies if they want a sewing project. ????

Oh what fun there is in the pile of candy????? even enough to make a quilt??????

Life never ceases to amaze me specially in the tropics.  this morning I saw this unusual leaf on the paves about 2 1/2 ” long

Fallen leaves on the pavement or are they ?????

Looking up close we now see one leaf has feelers and antennas???????

Gently picking him up with the other leaf we can start to see what he really looks like!!!!

I'm not sure if that nasty looking rear end is for show or use????? So I decided to gently relocate him!!!

Nature is Amazing

Last week Cynthia uploaded a photo of a quilt she was working on and it reminded me of one I had as a WIP!!!!! Well I have not found it yet but did find a photo taken before I put it away?????? I had no idea what the pattern was called I just started making these whirls and joining them with triangles, I had no pattern just drafted them to fit????? After seeing Cynthia’s I did some research and I think it’s called a ballerina?????  SO this is for you Cynthia!!!!

For Cynthia. I made all the whiling disks then put them together with red and yellow triangles?????

Off to join up with Esther now at http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com

Happy stitching all Glenda

Well I have found time to do some Patchwork this week but not much to show for all the time I have spent on it. NO I have not been cleaning up my sewing studio or room or space like some of you have LOL. I have been preparing lots of  Cathedral Window blocks which I found out I did not make as I thought I had, I had to unpick one of them to get the pattern?????

Cut a square if fabric then fold it in 1/2 and sew both ends with a 1/4inch foot. My square is 14"" as the width of a piece of Kimono fabric is 14" wide normal, I'm using wool for the pockets.

Pick up both pieces of fabric where finger is pointing and pull each piece to the sides.

When you pull the two sides out you end up with a open square l;ike the above; now sew these two sides together but leave a 1 1/2 " un-sewn to turn pocket inside out.

Those two sides sewn together and now to turn the pocket inside out?????? Tip I sew from one end to the middle seam back stitch then lift foot and fold seam under and start sewing again on the other side of the seam. I don't sew my middle seam down this makes the middle of your square when turned inside out sit nice and flat.

Completed square turned inside out sitting nice and flat

Wadding added and coloured fabric ready to pin

First set of pins I now sew down the the centre points then each corner points.

Second set of pins ready for the quilting around the petals.

Completed square !!!!!!!

now I have to sew them as once I pin anything it can NOT be put away as the pins even the very best of them will rust within 4 months if left in the fabric. Part of the down size of living in the rain-forest in the tropics!!!!!! I have made up 25 during the week, now don’t ask me when I’m going to find time to sew them LOL

I bring washing home to do every Tuesday from the Opp SHop I have a special very larg bag where every one throws some thing nice but it needs cleaning, it’s like a lucky dip when I come to fold them up to take back as I never know what is in there. This week when I was ironing the linen there were these small hand towels with embroidery on them;

This is done on the finest of muslin like fine old handkerchief linen, and measures around 3" !!!!

when I looked closely they were made up of embroidery and the tiniest patchwork

Plum petals are around 1/8th of an inch and Padded!!!!!!!!

and stump work I have ever seen??????

Lantern is 1/2" by 1/4" very heavily padded then embroidered with black cotton??????

My DJ’s have not moved much sewing wise as Hubby gave me a new apple computer for Xmas and DJ’s EQ was on my old computer.  For a couple of weeks I have tried and tried to down load the patterns and then it dawned on me that the files were not on my apple. Finally Hubby down  loaded the soft wear for me last week-end and this week I have printed off  all the patterns from A row to the end of M row,  just to be on the safe side, why did I not print them all off?????? I ran out of paper LOL.

Sunshine Beach Noosa QLD Where one of my Boys and his partner live. I'm hoping to visit later in the year for a break!!!!! Photo was sent to me two days ago by email and I took a photo of it with my camera then uploaded it . Modern tecknowledge???????

Sai in Uncle Jon's new Go Cart??????

It is 7.50am and I’m off tot he beach, it is raining but the beach is the beach in any weather for me. Will upload some photo’s if I remember to take any LOL. as I always take my camera but leave it sitting in the car more often than not.

1.20

pm and I’m laughing as I did forget to take any photo’s down at the beach LOL it was quiet stormy and the swimming nets up pulled up so no swimming again this week.  Visitors will be so disappointed as the water temps around 27C so perfect for swimming.  But we had a lovely breakfast beside the sea; I took one of my DDIL’s and our 3 month old DGD who behaved beautiful so we could sit and enjoy our breakfast and chat!!!!!  Garden is looking water logged as we have had rain on and off for a couple of weeks now.

Only beautiful flower in flower at present!!!!!

In a months time or 6 weeks this Pointsanna will be red all over??????

Copper frogs I could not leave in a Opp Shop LOL. I have a thing about frogs so could not leave them behind!!!!!! I will find some where in my garden for them.

Off to join up with Esther’s WOW or WIP’s  http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com/

I’ve just realised it is the 1st May!!!!!!!  Happy May Day every one?????

Last night I pulled out a UFO

First 7 squares are completed; then the next 5 I have done the 5 stages I go through to complete a square; I did these to day to show you how I do them?????

that has been on the go for too many years???????  I often wonder why it never gets finished as I really enjoy making up these Quilt as you go squares. I have made many of these quilts over the years but this one never seems to go any where???? hopefully I will at least get these 5 squares done before it again disappears in to the back benches!!!!!!

I usually use kimono fabric when making these, it can be wool, cotton,  or silk. Kimono fabric is usually 14inch wide

Kimono fabric comes on a roll when new and is usually 14" wide and 7 metres long

so I cut off 28″ of fabric fold this in 1/2 and sew around the 3 sides leaving a tiny opening and then turn the pocket I have made inside out and I have a square which I fold  like the photo below, which ends up around  6 3/4″ square.

Roll of Kimono fabric 14" wide. I have cut off 28" and finally ended up with a 6 3/4" square ready to turn in to a quilt as you go completed square, I end up with 5 thickness of fabric and the wadding when each square is completed so they are very warm if I use a wool fabric for the pockets and silk for the colouring!!!!! In the first square you can see a wooden bead I have slid in to the part of the seam I left unstitched to turn pocket inside out.

This after-noon I have been preparing 5 of these squares to  quilt may be tonight??????

First 7 squares completed, 8th waiting for the filling, 9th wadding added, 10th silk coloured fabric added, 11th flaps pinned down, 12th pinning back pinned down flaps to show fabric under neath which forms the petals of colour.

One completed quilted block

Centre of these blocks is first stitched down firmly.

Each petal is stitched through all 7 layers!!!!!!! so it is quilted as I make them this is not so easy been done by hand but I find it very relaxing, I have seen them sewn by machine too.

It has been wonderful to be working on something that looks like a quilt again??????

I did manage to make it twice to the beach today, for breakfast with my DGS 4 DGD 3months and beautiful DDIL. then lunch with a special friend. No garden photos to day as I have run out of time!!!!!

I’m off to link with Esther Alui at http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com

Happy sttiching every one Cheers Glenda

PS Is there any one in OZ that is after Kaffe Fassett’s book

“Family Album knitting for Children and Adults”?????

This is a giveaway

I have a copy to give away, postage will be quiet a bit though as it is a hard back and heavy??????

Well I still have nothing to show in my quilting world BUT I do have a lovely bag to be in the pipe line!!!!!. Bunny has spoilt me big time???? she has sent me an embroidered saying on a black piece of fabric “The Beach Fixes everything”!!!!!!! Bunny knows I love the beach and I try and go to it every Wednesday morning for a walk for an hour. She has really spoilt me,

My treasured beach bag to be, I have cut the shape now need to find time to quilt it and a backing then put in a gusset and shoulder ties of course I will use mens ties for this as usual. LOL

Below is a photo of my DGS 4 helping his Uncle Mower the lawn???? It’s OK to mower was not going but he was very proud helping his Uncle still!!!!!!

DGS helping his Uncle to mow the orchard!!!!!

I have managed to cut out templates for 3 more Dear Jane’s and have them in separate snap-lock bags ready for any spare moments!!!!!!

WIll try and finish my blog tomorrow. !!!!!!

Cheers Glenda who is linking with Esther’s WOW or WIP’shttp://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com

very very little sewing done this week but we have the darlingiest wee DGD 3 months with us now and her beautiful mum. They are safe and sound in their wee Ozzie unit with the rest of their family.

Indi 3 months in her new bouncer enjoying the Ozzie sun 25C after the cold 8C in Japan

Back of B-2 again I have made this block up so that I did not have to sew those con curves LOL

Front of my 1/4 squares ready for my circle of 1/4 squares!!!!

I did cut 8 of these out using freezer paper and then joined them but the freezer paper kept dropping out so now I will make a circle out of freezer paper iron this to the back and run a running stitch around the outer edge to pull in to turn the edge over and then appliqué to my 1/4 squares.

Front ready to be hemmed the appliquéd on.

I was hoping to get the circled hemmed this morning but I have to go to work at 11am so hopefully I will complete this wee block B-2 of Jane's this after noon!!!!!

Not sure what has happened but my Maiden fern has grown soooooo much the last 4 weeks??????

Pink ginger

This lilly does not flower often; at night time the perfume is beautiful and is very very heady.

DGS 12 new toy????? what fun it is to watch him race in it, it is a beautiful wee Go Cart.

Back doing my Dear Jane’s?????? I’m not able to use my sewing machine at present as there are lots of people coming and going so I have pulled out my Dear Jane and will see how many I make before she is put away again!!!!!!

I’m doing them random, choosing the one that takes my fancy the day I make it, and of course the colours are chosen the same way??????  I do look up and see what others have done in the past then go from there.  Have finally realised they are meant to be 4 1/2 inches when completed in to a quilt  not 4 1/2 each block waiting to become a quilt. so now cutting them to finish at 5 1/2 inches!!!!!!!  so several will have an extra wee boarder around them like Jane did???????

G-1 Hattie's Hen House I choose the pink and white fabric as it had a bird on it!!!!! he's upside down in this photo???????

H-13 Farm FIelds I choose the stripy fabric as it reminded me of paddocks been turned for planting.

E-10 Five and Dime???? I just had fun with fussy cutting for this block.

G-5 Poof Variation Pale pink fabric is the back of a darker pink fabric which had a pattern on it and I just wanted a neutral fabric so turned it over and used the back ????? My tiny 1/4inch strips are made like bias but on the straight grain of the fabric, they were sewn on first , then I cut from behind up the centre of my stitches so the back fabric has no tension and the front wee strips are sitting much flatter. Finally I added my Poof!!!!!!! cut away the back to remove the freezer paper and may add a little padding when it does end up in a quilt if that day ever comes!!!!!!

B-3 Mirror Image I made this up my way??????

First I made a 5 1/2 inch square out of 4 3inch squares to start with!!!! I'm sewing them all by hand using a tiny running stitch following Jinny Beyers teachings. It is fast and NO sewing machine required or constant ironing.

See how flat the seams lie and the centre I have not used the iron once to this stage. This is following Jinny’s construction.

I then used freezer paper and cut out my 1/4 circles and sewed them together to make a circle next I ran tiny stitches around the outer edge of the circle pulled both ends of the threads to make the edge roll over and around the freezer paper, hey presto finished neat circle ready to sew on to my square and they lined up perfectly!!!!!

Seam has curled over perfectly, I pressed it set with the dry iron then matched it up with my squares and stitched it down, I cut the fabric away from behind the circle and removed the freezer paper.

Finished back of this sweet block of Dear Jane's

Finished block centre is slightly puffy so is a little 3D. Having trouble taking these last two photo tonight as the lights are playing up!!!!!!!

Off to join up with Esther’s blog at http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com

I have not been active the last few weeks just to many people in and out of our home and we love it.

Cheers All Glenda

Well I missed yesterday when I was meant to have this up, but at 5am I was getting ready to go and meet my 3rdDS and my DGS4 at the airport as they flew in from Japan, then at 10am I had to chair a general meeting till 12 from then till I went to bed it was all about DGChildren!!!!!!!

All I have to show is my wee Easter quilt I made for my DGS4

Esther's Easter quilt stage 1

using silks felt behind moon circle stage 2

Stage 3 stems are ink . I have used iron on fusing through out.

Finished quilt was 61/" but I added a red border now 71/2" Leaves are tiny tiny 5/8th by 1/4" in silk. I loved making this wee quilt.

I found this on my desk during the week it is 1/4inch long and is just a skeleton now???????

He is Only 1/4" long!!!!!!!!

Off to link up with Esther’s blog

http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com

Happy stitching every one. Cheers Glenda

Still no sewing done really, drafted my healing heart to sew in paper piecing but then life again got in the way!!!!!!

Healing heart I want to make!!!! It is a free pattern from Carol Doak's blog. I have made my drafts up and after several hrs found my red and white stash of fabric but life has again caught up with me??????? may be this week will see it made and on it's way!!!!!!

While looking for my red and white fabric stash I found these hearts I have been working on over the last couple of years and decided to work on these if nothing else while my time is not my own at present. I’m making these with a pile of blue DMC number 5 threads which are quiet thick and were my mums many years ago, I love doing these hearts as I just draw them up as I go so each is drawn how I feel at the time of making them.

Using threads of number 5 DMC that were my mums all in blue shades these are for my new DGD so she will have something of her great-grans and her Grans to keep?????

I took off to the beach this morning for my Wednesday walk along the beach with my friend we met at 7.30am as usual. We have had tremendous rain the last couple of days so every thing looks so clean. Following photo’s I have taken to day. I will up-load them as I took them.

Looking out to sea and there is a HUGH storm on the horizon 7.30am

Walking South before we had to run for shelter and a coffee!!!!!

Walking North after the rains passed

On the way home I decided to call in to a small beach that use to be difficult to get too so I stopped going there now there is an easy access to it!!!!!!!

Easy access now but still warning against the crocs?????

Mangroves. This is what you use to have to walk through but they have now put in a HUGH culvert and covered it in sand and it is like a bridge to the beach, much safer feeling LOL

Looking South, it is a tiny beach and was not used much but by the footprints it is well used now by the locals.

Looking North around the point is the beach I go to. On all our beaches you will see these steel stands with vinegar bottles in them, they are incase you get stung by the jellyfish.

High tide mark was covered in these beautiful flowers as it had just been raining they still had drops of rain on their petals.

Just before I arrived home 4 doors down from my home was the last flowering ginger torch

Bush turkeys nest beside a rubbish bin that is about 1 1/2 metres tall. The nest is made by the male turkey and is about 2 meters across and 1 1/2 high??????

Top of turkeys nest where the turkeys access the eggs, they are laid in the middle of the mond and the male turkey uncovers and covers them daily depending on the temperature???? he does this till they are hatched. their worst enemy are the snakes who will lay their eggs in the mulch too and if they hatch out first they will eat the eggs.

Jardiniere I rescued last week has found a place in the garden but no pot plant on it yet?????

Finally we ahve cleared this area that is beside the house it was sooooo over grown now to lay down some black plastic to stop the vegetation growing there again and then cover with stones. Rainforest Vegetation grows like weeds over night here.

Another area I'm clean up!!!!!! there is a paved path under all the vegetation LOL. SO far I have pulled out 6 wheels barrows!!!!!!

Even my maiden fern is growing like crazy with all the rain we have had in the last 10 days.

Happy sewing every one. Cheers Glenda who is off to link with Esther at  at http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com