PatchworkDreams

Finished corner all but the stems waiting to be hand appliquéd down, doing all my stems with hand made bias and machine applqiue.

My mitre bias corners

I may change my outer circle pieces with this green as the yellow is fading in to the background to much maybe. I will wait till the block is finished to decide.

Bias stems all machine stitched down, took me 2 hrs plus to just make these bias strips and machine them down.  I’m learning to machine applqiue and with these stems I’ve used 3 different stitch patterns for the applqiue!  Interesting what a different the different stitches give to the look of the fabric edge!   As I these stems are bias strips not raw edge I could play and not think about the raw edges.

Where I was up to last week playing with the lay out since then I have ironed on a light weight backing to the backing to stop the fabric from shifting its a medium weave 100% woo. Competed one corner on Wednesday.

Finally made all my bias strips and machine appliquéd them on.

Starting to make up the leaves and I can see that the green ring around the centre is to strong with them.

I will go back to my yellow outer ring but change my outer big leaves in the centre ring they are fading in to the back ground fabric to much I need more contrast there.

Where I am up to this morning around 7am with Lucie’s help I made new soft salmon petals to replace the soft green ones in the centre

Taken in day light colours are very true.    Lots of needle basting still to do then start to applqiue them down.

Close up of my centre

What my flowers will look like when appliquéd down. 

How I mark the back of my templates.

Lucie helping change the centre leaves from soft green to soft salmon very early this morning .

Ready to fly home.

Time to go home Bye bye Lucie.

a splash of red’

8 inchs across magnificent.

Hoya local wild flower here self planting.

These tiny flowers would make a stunning applqiue flower !!!!

Note the blue pot plant its flowering

Here is a close up of the flower head from the blue pot-plant container  a good 1 1/2 metres tall !!!! about to burst in to full flowers

this tree fern trunk is covered in the Hoya vine and there are masses of blooms the perfume is heavenly.

Passion Flower does not have eatable fruit

In the garden SO exotic!!!!

These were just given to me!!!!  Pink ginger flowers

It looks like wax but is a real flower

Following my wee dog.

around the garden

this morning  before going home.

My little visitor looking for fish !!!!!

My goodness she was such a joy to ahve in the house .

walking in my new crocodile scuffs in Australia at Mamie Glenda’s place!!!!

Was helping Glenda clean the car!

Cars clean whats next to do??????

7min car ride from the wet lush rainforest were I live and you are in dry gumtree land. Much better for ones health but much hotter to LOL

On uncle Jon’s block were there were kangaroos and horses lots of fun things to see and do????

Where I’m up to on my SG Centre today.

This avo I had 2 1/2 hrs where I could sew so made up some bias strips and machine appliquéd them on to one corner so the first of many pieces appliquéd on to my centre of SG  I need to needle baste those 6 petals and 6 yellow drops before I can hand applqiue them down but first I will add all the bias stems.   I had fun trying out different machine stitches to applique the stems down.  

First I choose my centre flowers similar to what i had used in my vase blocks.First I choose my centre flowers similar to what i had used in my vase blocks.  I needed to join to pieces of my background fabric  to get my 20inch block it’s only 20 3/4 inch one way and 22inches the other but I’ll make it work LOL

I have added iron-on fussing to my flowers I have shaped  pink flowers  ready to iron on to backing.

Printed m pattern and made it up for my draft pattern and started to play.

My template pinned to my backing fabric ready for marking. I first stitched all the stems on this template by machine using a very tight straight stitch

All my stems tightly machine stitched

It was then easy to pull the paper apart mark the stem lines on to my fabric. I do retape the pattern as I go.

Remove paper and all my stems are very accurately marked. I call these my fish corners LOL

I placed my background fabric in the centre of the first border we made these wee 4 1/2inch blocks earlier in the year My corner petals are the same fabric as I used in my triangle blocks we also made earlier.

I’m making my centre petals from some silk on washaway freezer paper and needle  turning my edges under, my centre circle and bands are cut from one piece of fabric and will be fussed on.

my pink flower is also iron-on fussing with the centre cut out to show the yellow of the outer centre.

This is a Daylight photo true to colour but I work around 10pm so no day light then LOL

Adding leaves is always fun, making these up with washaway freezer paper also.

Where I was up to late last night but took this photo early this morning in daylight!  4  of green leaves turned under 12 more to make and 32 petals to make up to with washawayfreezer paper good thing I rally like making leaf shapes LOL  and lots of bias to make up for my stems.

My yellow centre I fussed on to my heavy cotton iron cover that now has a hole in it LOL

We have colour every were at present it so nice.

Chyrstal gave me a new colour to add to my collection; you can see why I use strong colours as I’m surrounded with strong colours.

Chrystal’s mum gave me my first Lilly just hope the turkeys don’t dig the bulbs out they love them.  I have put a cast iron fry pan next to it and heavy stones so hope this stops them?????

Hubby gave me two flower orchids for the patio this week they grow so well out side here.

What a colour.

These are often called moth orchids as they dance in the breeze like moths.

Incredibly beautiful

This amazing yo yo’s jerkin was at the opp shop yesterday WHAT a find?

Think of the hrs of work to make them all then sew them together it fits me and I LOVE the colours.

How luck was I these are not quiet an inch across!!!!!

The start of Lucie’s quilt. These blocks were made in a swap group 9 years ago, and I decided to make them in to a quilt for Lucie and have called it Lucie’s friends having a party.

I had a lot of fun adding all these strings and balloons  I hand sewed all the bias ribbons by hand one side and machine appliquéd the other side down.

I couldn’t find a nice piece of soft fabric for the backing in my pile of fabrics so took a soft piece of calico spray painted it with some dyes I had from Japan then turned the hose on it all while it was hanging on the clothes line LOL

Close up of Lucie’s friends, I have sashiko quilted Lucie’s quilt it was quick and fun to do.

Back Of Lucie’s quilt I have all most finished quilting it now.

Close up of the sashiko quilting but difficult to take a photo that will show it clearly.

An all most completed quilt I have 2 days to finish the quilting.

I started this quilt years ago made from a lovely old linen table cloth that was my grandmothers.  It was badly stained and I could not get it out, I was able to get this many squares from the good areas.  I love circles so here are some more, I came across these while looking for some miss placed triangles for my Secret Garden BOM I’m doing this year!!!!!!

SO another block finished and only 9 to go now LOL

I have also been working on these wee triangles for my Mystery BOM for 2017 of Esther Aliu’s Secret Garden  I have missed placed 4 of these so may have to remake them if I don’t find them soon !!!!!!

I also pulled my Hearts Desire quilt top by Esther Aliu that I started 9 years ago and have it lying on my spare double bed, have not doing any thing to it but it’s lovely to see it there waiting for me LOL. I had to put it away again as visitors are arriving and need the bed LOL

I also bought some more black fabric for this piece so it has grown by adding the black corners.

I did finish the last panel of my crazy 1930 panels in Aug.

Plus I did more joining of these quilt as you go blocks!!!!

A misty morning which means a sunny day

A very calm river as we have not had rain for a long time in the tablelands.

This has just burst in to flower the last 2 days

Such a beautiful colour

Wouldn’t Esther love these for one of her flower quilts????

A new little water lilly opens each morning such a wee treasure.

Glorious.

Planted 4 weeks ago and I have 2inch long beans all ready LOL

splash of colour in my very over green garden.

Vanilla flower the vine is covered this year.

Patio were we have our meals in the summer time with family and friends.

I started these blocks so long ago Ive forgotten when pulled them yesterday when looking for some thing else LOL I showed you these last week well I did fill in one using the pattern block of part 7 of The Secret Garden by Esther Aliu’s 2017 BOM!!!!!

SO another block finished and only 9 to go LOL

Still plodding along on my part7 triangle, not sure what it is about these wee blocks but I get so much enjoyment out of making them which is just as well as its been a couple of months that I have worked on them at night time.  I still have not found the first 4 I made????

Bottom 1/2 of Lucie’s quilt top waiting to be appliquéd by hand and machine I only have 14 days left!!!!!!

These are the two quilts that need to be finished this one is a double or King size almost.

Number 2 quilt top single or small double quilt top.

Here we have the very large quilt top and the double duvet cover that was handed in to the shop ?  It will be perfect to back the double quilt if I unpick it, slightly smaller than the quilt top BUT the back can be used for the single quilt and the left over can be added to front green.  I will make them covette’s so no batting required my solution is solved bar time and I will just have to fit that in some how.

My piece of fabric was a 30inch square of plain calico when I started to learn the rocking motion for Hawaiian quilting. It was just a piece of blank calico but I tooth brush painted it after I’d finished quilting it all. I learnt to do this before I started to do patchwork.

Close up of those small stitches I had to learn?????  I drew this simple design as I wanted to learn to do very straight lines and curves in the one lesson LOL

Last week a lovely piece of synthetic silk fabric was handed in to the shop  when we opened it we found it had either been left in the sun or some thing had been spilt on it. Been silk like  it is very difficult to photograph.

This is the other 1/2 of the fabric .  I brought it home as I will cut out the flowers so it does not matter that it is bleached in parts those flowers will still be OK to use.

Back of fabric see all those lovely rainbow colours they used in the weft of this piece of fabric..

these flowers will be so lovely to use in Broderie Perse

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I spent a day cleaning up this area last week.

Even the back of tropical leaves are fascinating.

and dead leaves even fascinate me.

All Ive really managed to do sewing wise is work on my triangles of part 7 and then unpicking them!!!!! and   iron on the bias srtips for the ballon strings to the bottom 1/2 of my Golly top.

Found Mumma Golly last week amongst some quilts!!!!!! I will make her in to a wee pillow case with straps so Lucie can carry her quilt home inside it on the plane.  I again have spent time searching for the designer of these sweet Gollies and I think it may be  Lynn Hyland.  Ive seen her quilt top finished and shown in many places but not once has she been given credit which is very sad.  I think I bought the pattern around 2017?????

DGD brought this wee dress up to be mended on my sewing machine but have decided to let her do it her self next Friday that way she will learn to mend her own clothes.

I started these blocks so long ago Ive forgotten when pulled them yesterday when looking for some thing else LOL Ive all ways loved making circles I think many of my quilts have them some were LOL

The white fabric is from a very very old linen table cloth that had some bad brown stains, but the fabric was so lovely I rescued it to make up this quilt top to be.  May be I will added some more flowers to those centres or may be I won’t be fore putting  it away again!!!!! LOL

How beautiful are this old mans hands tying a rope around his firewood he has collected made from camel hair in Mongolia. But notice the beautiful white stitches on his sleeves. very very similar to sashiko stitching in Japan 

I saw these sleeves with sashiko type stitches on a Mongolian mans sleeves in a documentary I was watching!!!! 

This quilt top is very striking and deserves to be made in to a quilt and raffled to help a charity in need.  But I just honestly don’t have the time.  I hope I find a quilting group who will finish it and pass it on to some one in need.

This one does not appeal to my eyes but some one else may love it!!!!!!!

My DGS helped me plant out these Broms 2 years ago as pups now some of the giant ones are nearly as tall as me!!!!

Close up of one of the Brom’s flowering all ready

Looking down to the river from my sewing area this morning not sunny but not raining thank goodness.

My hanging baskets I repotted last week are very very happy with fresh soil full of minerals and have doubled in size.

love the colour of these flowes, such a lovely splash of colour in a very green green tropical garden!!!!

My tiny patch of lawn,  which takes a lot of time a water to keep alive in the dry season!!!!

Yes it’s swimming pool season again

Plants in my valse wall area are thriving there.

This is a baby birds nest fern about 12inchs wide and high

This still a young birds-nest fern around 2 years old and about 1 1/2 meters wide and tall.

An extremely hardy plant has survived all the dry and wet seasons we have been through. stunning leaves and very few insects will eat the leaves.  Great cut flower leaf.

But it still looks the same !!!  But when looking for my miss placed triangles I found 12 round cut out shapes for my balloons here so thats a plus!!!!!

Still have 8 to finish all triangles cut out and applique in different stages !!!!!

I made 4 about two months ago and when we did so alterations I put things away quickly and now still looking for them very very frustrating.

These were my first 4!!!!! miss placed some where!!!!!

I sit here at night time the only space I have sat in this week.

Sewing machine cover has not been off for weeks!!!!

Nothings been cut for weeks except bias strips for my part 7 of SG

I have to be honest and say I have read 3 books the last week!!!!!!

My days are just NOT long enough my Hearts Desirer languishes on my spare guests bed but will have to be removed by next month for guests LOL  I will just have to stop reading!!!!!

My find this week two lovely hand towels made of heavy linen and lovingly embroidered by hand.

Such lovely soft colours pink, blue and green.  Ive just washed them and they ahve come up like new now to iron them.

My hoya is in full flower again such a beautifyl flower yo have in any garden and it grows wild here.

close up of one of the flower heads.

My herb stand is over flowing with herbs now and its so lovely to go and pick some of them each evening for dinner.

My PNG plant keeps growing and flowering and brings me so much joy.

Beans that Hubby brought home to plant out last Friday are tripled in size and I will have to add another row of string to support them as they grow I just hope I don’t just get stalks and no beans LOL  which does happen if it gets to hot here in the tropics but I keep been hopeful LOL

Some other tomatoes planted out at the same time they also have tripled in size in 5 days!!!!

These are air-ferns will keep growing long after every other fern has died, they grow in to HUGE ferns around a tree trunk 2 metres deep and 1 metre wide and are locally called birds nests when they do this.

miniture native cymbidian orchid it flowers every year for me some time one stem some times 6 !!!

My area in the garden I made last week looks like it has all ways been here even the ground iris’s have flowered for me in this area.

Stunning colours these are wild iris and are like weeds in my garden.

What a colour combination?????

Having fun in the sun playing with potting mix while the sun dries my clothes using my sundeck patio table for my potting table I did put some news paper down first!!!!!  LOL

Repotting my last hanging basket I could almost hear the roots saying thank you to the new soil LOL

7am this morning.

Now we are bathed in sunlight and a stunning blue sky 12midday.  

Working on my wee triangles for TSG I still have 8 more to make!!!!

I sew my bias stems down first they make me laugh as they look like science fiction aliens to me LOL

Playing again with my cone flowers finally have some new black to add, this will become a square not sure what will happen after I add the black??????

Love how the outside black pops my centre right out.

Clenaing out a draw two weeks ago and found these wee treasures amongst a lot of things I no longer need.

This was my mothers and she called it a fanny hoop?????  You slide the kidney shape between your legs and under your bottom and then you don’t have to hold the hoop!!!!!! My hands are so sore now I’m going to try it!!!! Will let you know the out come!

Behind my new false fence!

Monday I added this large piece of plywood, a mirror,  and the wooden gate on the side boundary as my neighbour has been clearing so much from her garden we had lost our privacy around the swimming pool area as we also lost a HUGE tree from this area that left a big exposed area.  It use to be so private you did not realise there was a neighbour so I’ve added this false wall to give us the illusion again of been lost in the rainforest!!!!

Yesterday while at the shop some one had dropped off 6 steel very very rusty frames that they were going in to the tip, I grabbed them and brought them home thinking to clean them up and paint them to use for climbing frames for plants, when I looked closely at them they were made with pull down hoops attached for pot plants so yesterday I screwed them to my false wall as is all rustic which softened the gate and huge piece of plywood. When you are in the swimming pool area the mirror reflects the pool area and gives the illusion there is another pool area!!!!!

We need to keep this ground area clear all the time as a lot of water rushes down here in the wet.

Now with false wall in the back ground.

Before !!!!

At last the concrete path is safe to walk on as the mould has finally died.

New tomatoes’ and beans waiting to be planted out today, DH brought them home last night.

My herbs just love this planter box that DH gave me in June.

A few orchid flowers there should be clumps of around 20 or more but it’s been so wet!!!!!!

Even my red and yellow poinciana’s  are struggling as its far far to wet for them.

Today I’m digging up a soak hole area as it’s become clogged with palm seeds, I have removed the stones now need to dig out all the seeds and small stones then replace stones for the next wet, this is one of the runoffs in front of the house.

My Rose in full bloom!!!!

This is like the old fashion roses that I use to grow.

My box of fabric that all ready has the  fussing ironed on, I keep it all in one box.

Ive pulled some colours

pretty close need more contrast.

Needed some more pieces so ironed on the fussing to them.

That piece of deep mauve is far to dark.

Have made up some templates out of an old Xmas card to draw around on the back of the fabrics.

I start from the out side using my printed pattern to get a feel.

Start adding more pieces then eliminate the fabrics that don’t jell for me.

That fabric with what looks like an arrow in the middle of it will have to go!!!!!

Gone much better.

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No I don’t like the colours in the centre trial and error LOL

Daylight much closer to the true colours.  Nearly there I would add yellow and green bullion stitches in the very centre of these roses.  That’s  how I would and did  make the flower .

While on my week away I sat and worked on me 6th panel of my 1920 30 crazy quilt completed all the herringbone around every patch but still need to add two new patches after about 9 years all the panels are restored and stitched around all the patches.  Im very happy.

I need to add a pice of velvet here.

and a pice of velvet here. Then its on to joining them all together in to a quilt top finally after around 90 years in a draw some where in the USA

For Anne Marieke

Every time the water is incredible weather it be sunny or wild weather.

It is all ways moody and beautiful.

Every now and then you come across a beautiful wee bay full of golden sand .

Look how clear the water is even with it rough.

Stunning paper bark trees every where.

River mouth look at that colour!!!!

Sunsets and dawns are the best time to visit the beach or sea.

SO much beauty

love these colours.

Sea is rushing in to the mouth of the river at high tide.

Stunning colours.

So beautiful.

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Rod is standing on the above terrace reaching out to cut off the dead fronds from our giant palms there were 9 of them hanging down blocking  our view

here you can see the saw the palm is so tall now it is a very hard and difficult job to do.

All the dead fronds one would not want to be hit by a falling one it could kill you.

Block from hearts Desire by Esther Aliu her designs are incredible.  All ways challenging, different, and beautiful.

My first attempt,  I felt the bias stems were to wide making them look heavy and I don’t have enough of this fabric for all 16 blocks.

I found a fabric that I had enough of for all 14 blocks and thought if I machine appliqué them it would be so much quicker and just hand  the petals!!!!! so I did one but was disappointed with the look it was to flat and harsh it needs a much much finer edging and as I’m very new to machine appliqué it is back to hand appliquéing those stems down for now.  I have to learn how to adjust my machine stiches so will spend some time looking at internet videos.

These stems are appliquéd down by hand a much soft look.

these two blocks have different fabrics but are very close in value

Happy with the new colour I’m adding.

Plus my other purple block colours.

Slowlyyyyy  getting there.

Where I’m up to this morning One little triangle on the right with its pieces almost all appliquéd on, just 6 wee yellow drops to do.

Love how the pieces of fabric pop and roll like real shapes when I pull the basting threads out after Iv’e appliquéd the shapes on.

Quilt that went home with my DGD 4 1/2 last week. I’m so so happy she has it as it was one SHE wanted not one I just gave her.This  friendship quilt swap was made with 32 other quilters in PNG

Centre of  friendship quilt.

This fern grows all around me it is a native fern and it influenced me when I made my leaves for block 3 of SG

Close up of the leaves

Here you can see those leaves in my SG block I’m machine appliquéing those leaves down today

Just finished machine appliquéing all the leaves down, now need to finish the stems and the cat, will do the cats eyes and the flower heads by hand applique.

Wet and miserable day! Glad I can stay inside and sew.  16C out side.

This is what it was like yesterday a picture perfect day 22C !

cuttings my DGD and I planted out two months ago!

Scraggly  poinsettias we have jus thad to much rain for them this year.

I counted 7 different ferns on this stump all local self seeded ferns.

My quiet budda

How red is that?

Shhhhhh

Those bare branches belong to the fig tree in 2 days it will be covered in soft new leaves.

My fish pond but it is becoming the frog pond LOL Have spent the last week raking up leaves every day around it from the fig tree.  Leaves can make the water sick for the fish if to many fall in to it.

Sunday I pulled out another UFO from 2011 to join in with Ellie who is starting this design of Esther’s called Hearts Desire. Anne Marieke said she might pull hers and keep Ellie company and I thought that was a good idea too.  These are all my blocks and some borders nothing is joined it is all just spread out on the bed not even placed in the right places I’ve just noticed LOL

My challenge when I started this quilt top was it was to be made mostly in black and white!!!!!

I nearly always add some yellow to my quilt tops so here is the main splash of yellow in the vase.  Those wee pieces of yellow in a S were a real challenge and a 1/2 to make in to wee appliqué pieces!!!!!

I LOVE this block I changed my wee bird to look more like a Birdofparadise after living in PNG for 6 years and seeing so many up there and having one here were I live now.

Found these wee pieces for the border today!  but need about 50 or 60 more LOL

Part 7 of Esther’s mystery BOM for 2017 The Secret Garden.  1 down 15 to go LOL

I brought these panels from the USA around 12 years or more ago and have been replacing all the silk patches as they had all disintegrated even though these blocks have never been used.  Just age and the dies I guess.  Some would be around 80 or 90 years old.

All but one panel I’ve repaired and done herringbone stitch around all the patches.  this is the last panel to do.

Ive used silks from Japan and some lovely old velvets sent to me by another lovely lady quilter in the USA so I could keep the old look.  But Iv’e taken licence here and there like this Peter Rabbit patch LOL

and this daisy from and old hanky.

On Monday night I sat doing herringbone all night and managed to 1/2 a block, each panel is made up of 7 1/2 blocks.

Lots of satin fabric and rayon were used so thats why it is so bright.

Look at all those wonderful threads from silks to a full box of red and pink DMC threads all wound on to cardboard they were my mums. Even a lovely old hand made lace hanky?  A box of hexagons I was sure i had made but could not find for my 1930 Grandmothers Flowergarden quilt I’m finishing of for an unknown quilter.  I made another pile of about 120 so I have a pile for some thing else now LOL

Two mini round robyn’s I was in around 9 years ago!!!!

Centre of the pink Round Robyn these were a postage Round Robyn

Centre of the green using a Ginny Beyer fabric making 6 wee triangles I had no idea what I was doing way back then about 15  years ago but I was having fun>

There was a tiny bag of around 24 4 1/2 inch blocks and I’d only embroidered 7 of them but they are to be all hearts I just draw them as I go no pattern.

These logcabin blocks I rescued from a local Opp shop several years ago they must have been made by as new quilter as the strips were not cut perfectly and the seams were very irregular, they were made up quilt as you go and each block ended up a different size, I’m guessing the new quilt was so disappointed she never finished making them in to a quilt top.  I unpicked many of them and redid them on the machine added the final dark fabric and another dark pink to be able to cut them all one size blocks.  I pulled these out again  and have been joining them in to panels and now sewing those panels together, have one join and working on the next then I will ahve two left and the top is complete as far as the logcabins go, I’m thinking of a black and pink wide border rather abstract!!!!! to finish it off.  No quilting to do as its a quilt as you go quilt top.  Loves these as when you finish the top its quilted!.

This gigantic throw came in to the shop in need of a lot of repair work, many squares are badly damaged, they were going to sell it as is as a dog blanket!!!!!  Well it would ahve had to be a gigantic  dog to use it LOL  any way I brought it home and decided to make it in to two throws so it could be washed at least..

One throw gigantic throw becomes two big throws!!!  now to find time to do some of the repairs !!!!!

3rd panel from the left is the one I need to finish all the others have been repaired and had herringbone stitched around every patchThere are 6 panels here none are sewn together, this is how I bought them from the USA around 10 years ago from eBay there were many completely disintegrated patches so its been a long slow progress restoring these panels.  These fabrics are a real mixture from cottons , silks, velvets, and lots of rayon and a few polyesters.  I love all the bright colours and all though there is no rhyme nor reason how they go together they all just look great in this one big what will be a quilt top one day!!!!!!

No herringbone Stitches added to any of these blocks yet.

I’ve repaired mainly with velvets, silks, some rayons, and even a cotton Peter Rabbit!!!!  Many of the velvets and rayons were sent to me by a wonderful lady in the USA to help me keep the antique look.

Taken licence again and added some embroidered daises from an old cotton handkerchief!

These need the herringbone to be complete.

Will start on this missing panel tonight while watch a movie I wonder how many hrs this will take me!!!!!   All these panels are uneven so I may add a black strip to join them rather than cut back the original panels as some I’d have to cut to much off to make them even seams.

My DGD has been learning about speed control using the foot treadle on my machine,  she pressed the treadle foot and I guided the quilt through  the machine. finally last week it was finished and she had her afternoon nap under it and took it home with her she was SOOOO happy and proud of it.

Just completed hand appliquéing down the flowers and some of the leaves. Great to have a finish on this lovely block of The Secret Garden by Esther Aliu .

I completed making these wee 4 1/2 inch blocks part of The Secret Garden 2017 BOM

Plus Completed this little 6 1/2 inch  block for The Secret Garden 3 more to go before the end of the month which is in 3 days time LOL  you are right I will not get them finished by then.  they are very time consuming but oh they are sure worth the time and effort.

Last month I received a wee parcel for Prue with over 5o wee scraps of green fabrics to help me finish making up my leaves for my wee square blocks for Secret Garden quilt how wonderful to have these lovely clean bright colours to give some more verity to those dear wee blocks, I had lots left over so the last week Iv’e been making up 126 more leaves for Diamond Hill  by Esther I’m 1/2 way there on those.

Another finish but this time machine appliqué.  I ahve arthritis in my thumbs and it is getting worse so decided I needed to learn machine appliqué so that when the day comes and I can not hold a hand needle I will still be able to make quilts so I’ve been learning how to sew a straight line and curves on my machine by making Esther Aliu free BOM this year.

Last night I pulled out another UFO and I don’t think this is on my list either LOL This was a mystery BOM by Esther Aliu about 6 years ago!!!!!!!  I’m a great starter but life gets in the way often!   One of our Sons and their family returned from over seas and stayed for several months with us so all my sewing was put away and this one never came out till last night?

Look at all those wonderful threads from silks to DMC box of threads that had been my mums!!!!!  Those hexagons I’ve been looking for as I was sure I’d made them to finish my 1930’s antique hexagon quilt.  an antique hand made hanky, thimbles, pincushions, and a wee pile of diamond english pieced blocks waiting to be basted LOL

Two mini Round Robyn’s I was in around 10 years ago!!!!  They are so pretty I must make them up in to mini quilts .

Centre of the pink mini. My first mini Round Robyn we had to start with a different log-cabin, even back then I was adding embroidery to my quilts LOL

Centre of green Round Robyn using Ginny Beyers fabrics to make my fussy cut centre, I had no idea what I was doing but I was having fun back then in 2007.

There was also a small bag of 6 1/2 inch calico blocks with some hearts I’d embroidered!!!!  I was just making these heart blocks up as I went, its a lot of fun.  Using  8 ply pearl cottons.

I saved this from the rubbish bin a few years ago it is a HUGE throw and so I decided to make it in to 2 large throws before repairing the damaged crotched square which there are many.

I unpicked this week. Now there are two big throws !!!!!

I finished appliquéing this flower down and embroidering inside it during the week but it looked odd to me with out any base leaves !

SO I found some leaves added so iron on fussing to the back of them.

Much better it looks like a happy flower now.

Finally completed block 1 of TheSecret Garden this week!!!

Close up of completed flower and leaves block 1 of SG.

Close up of blue flower from SG block 1.

I added the last machine appliqué 2 a block for Diamond Hill last night 2 down and 2 to go!!!!

I rescued these blocks from the rubbish in 2015  as I loved the colours. I unpicked 50% of them and resewed them adding the dark  final panel and a extra pink to make the blocks all the same size as all the blocks were different sizes.  These are all made quilt as you go blocks, I made up the centre two panel but I made a mistake and must have lost interest LOL   On the weekend I unpicked my mistake and sewed theses wee blocks all together in to 4 panels. Two panels I’ve joined and the other two are ready to sew together then I just have the centre seam to do.  I will make up a pink and black wide border abstract may be!!!! But not today LOL  There were 2 more blocks but impossible to fix to fit with these blocks as they had been cut 1/4inch  shorter on all the strips .

Indi and I planted these cutting around a month ago and they are now flowering!!!!!

A little old fashion flower till the wild turkey rips it out!!!!

Just saw this termites nest they grow so quickly will have to get rid of this quickly now.

Wee new foot stool I’ve just rescued and restored.

On Monday it was cleaning the front Patio of the mould from the last wet it was very bad this year.  We need to clean the paves like this every year.

When I got this far I ran out of steam so will have to do the rest of the paves another day , this was another day I did no sewing LOL

I have managed to make 2 more wee 4 1/2 inch blocks for The Secret Garden Mystery BOM now I only have 11 more left to make!!!!!  I need 40 of these !!!!

My first Completed little 8 1/2 inch block for The Secret Garden 3 more to go.  One has to be very very careful on cutting out the templates every thing has to be very precise but what a lovely lovely block . I cut just inside the lines on my templates I draw on my washaway freezer paper to allow for the wrapping of the fabric around each template.   Some of these fabrics are silk like the centre leaves which is a fine silk so the washaway freezer paper gives it body.  Lime green is a heavy silk, and the outer rings is a fine silk and wool fabric same weight as my background fabric of the vase blocks.

My DGS has a wee kangaroo called Roo, well Roo developed a hole in his tummy and could Nanna fix him please, Roo has become Kanga as she now has a pouch to cover the hole?????

This Giant throw came in to the shop looking very bedraggled and may have even been used as a dog blanket, after several washes it now has a lovely soft feel to it, but needs lots of repairs, Ive decided to make it in to two throws and they will still be big but more practical.

Cleaning and repairing an old woven and brass box I found, it will finally be a sewing basket> I have added some vanilla  bean pods inside and been leaving the box in the sun to try and remove the heavy mouldy smell inside it.

close up of the basket weaving and brass butterfly.  There is a lot of rust and old age stains but Im sure it’s repairable.

I’ve removed the first layer of grime with soapy water and elbow grease!!!!!

This is another box Ive rescued, it is a hand beaten stainless steel box from India that had a lot of rust on the top and underneath,  I used a lot of fine abrasive cleaner and elbow grease to remove the rust, it has left a grey shadow but looks a lovely wee box again.

To cover the stains inside I could not remove Iv’e lined the box with soft wool felt.

Quilters see designs in every thing!!!!  I picked this leaf of the driveway this morning, sadly I can not capture the lovely green colours in this leaf and the stunning bacteria rings but in real life it is so beautiful and I can see a quilt top here

Back of leaf you can see the bacteria spots are killing the leaf .

All though we dont get winter as most people around the world do any thnig below 20C is cold to us here in the tropics of Northern QLD  my usually cotton cane furniture is now winter decked LOL  two quilt tops, a crochet throw,  sheep skin for my wee dog to sleep on at night and even a big thick hand knitted pure wool sweaterLOL

This is where I do my machine appliqué.

I do my pieced sewing work here

My evening hand sewing area.

Finally a sunny morning to wake up too!!!!!!

First I cut my Clam shell shapes and made up one 1/4 of the pattern to see if my colours were OK

stage 2 was adding more pieces. Yes I’m happy with it!!!!

I need to amke up 4 of these blocks for stage 6 of The Secret Garden pattern.

Needle basted all the clamshell pieces and one rose bud.

this is my clamshell pieces laid on the pattern for placement.

two rose buds its getting there basted ready for appliquéing down.

Deciding on my background fabric????

These wee 8 1/2″ blocks have to work with my 24  4 1/2″ tiny wee blocks??????\

I cut out the flower shape from my pattern and laid it on my background fabric and worked over that.

Close up of the petals appliquéd to the clam shell.

4 completed clamshells been appliquéd to the background fabric.

close up of rosbuds from the abck so you can see where I cut away the pink so I would not have so much bulk when I wrapped the green leaves at the bottom of the rosebud.

Back of rosebuds when needle basted.

Ready for appliquéing to the back ground.

So far so good???

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All most completed

Completed little block!!!!! 

We have had this tiny waterlilly for around 5 years now and it throws me a new flower every day it is a wee blessing in the garden.

My herb garden is thriving though!!!!

skimpy looking Poinciana’s Yellow one is doing better than my red!!!!

Indi’s cutting s are growing well to.

Lovely bougainvillaea.

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I ahve been doing more to my ANZ quilt so making progress on it.

Pulled out this 1930’s quilt top to may be baste and start quilting it but put it away again I’m so over committed LOL

1930 quilt Have put it away till next month and hopefully manage to do more hand quilting on it.

A wee get well art quilt for a very very dear friend who has been very ill

Back of Cotrina’s quilt

Finally I have made my 24 little squares for The Secret Garden squares for the centre of it.  This is one of the BOM’s I’m working on this year and I’m on track with this at the moment.

Some thing else that has side tracked me!!!!!!

Making 100’s of these to make squares in a squares for Diamond Hill borders

one block of 4 of Diamond Hill by Esther Aliu’s it is her free BOM for 2017

A finish and gone to its owner!!!!

My arthritis in my hands is getting bad so have decided to teach my self to machine appliqué and to do this I’m machine sewing and appliquéing Diamond Hill free BOM by Esther Aliu this year,  my goodness there is so much to learn but by going very very slow on the peddle I’m learning!!!!! plus I keep my seam ripper close by LOL

DGD 4 saw this in one of my boxes and loved it, played eye spy with it, so we are turning it in to a wee cuddly quilt for her, she has learnt how to use pins when we sandwiched it, then she has been learning to use the peddle on the machine she is very quick at picking things up.

Next time she comes up may be it will be finished so she can take it home.

I had a birthday this month and Hubby gave me a wooden planter plus all the new herbs such a wonderful gift

Hopefully the bush turkeys don’t dig them out from Here!!!!!

These wee chappies have moved in to our pond area, tonight I nearly stood on them there were about 20 of them all sitting looking up waiting for food to fly past LOL

Beautiful bush fungi this is how wet it still is and we should be in our dry season?????

Where our frogs hang out!!!!!

Block 4 of The Secret garden by Esther.

Learning to thread paint oh it is sooooooo slow LOL

Ants are in heaven getting all the nectar.

Wrapped in her wee cuddly quilt June 2017

She’s just big enough LOL  May be next week she will be able to take it home.

Last Wednesday avo I received a wee parcel for Prue with over 5o wee scraps of green fabrics to help me finish making up my leaves for those  square blocks for The Secret Garden quilt how wonderful to have these lovely clean bright colours to give some more verity to those dear wee blocks. Quilters are wonderful at sharing.

Washaway freezer paper been ironed to the back of those wee pieces of fabric, I even managed to get two out out of a few pieces so have around 60 new leaves to baste. I have now 20 blocks completed, I need another 20 but now have plenty of leaves  for those last 20 blocks when I make them up. !!!!

Finally I have made my 24 little squares for The Secret Garden squares for the centre of it.  This is not how it will be I just want to see how the colours of those wee blocks go with my 4 blocks.  I still ahve not finished appliquéing down all my pieces on these blocks yet!!!!!!

Same flowers but one is appliquéd down with a contrasting thread, what a difference a little contrast thread does!

I have made up all my DH blocks but not appliquéd them down yet, this is the first one I’ve machine appliquéd down. I’m not very good at it and using this quilt to learn how to machine appliqué. Now I need to add the little square in a square blocks  around it.

I’m very slow at machine appliqué as I’m not use to it, lucky for me I have a control speed on my Janome and can turn it right down so I can go very very slow on those corners.  LOL

These leaves seem to go on and on, I first appliqued the underneath 1/2 of the leaf down then the top 1/2, this seemed to work the best.  I used different thread for the two halves to make the shapes stand out more.

Added a small lollypop flower next, but made a mistake by trying to add some  fine extra wadding at the back and this just made the flower too stiff and hard as I appliquéd around each sew spiral shape,  then around the outer edge.

Slowly does it, I used a lighter thread on the pink and a dark thread on the deeper pink.  I’m having trouble seeing where the needle is entering the fabric??????

I was finding it very very difficult to see where I was sewing on my Janome as the clear foot I’m using had a bar across in front of the needle and I had to guess 1/2 the time, then a light bulb went off and I pulled out my wire cutters and cut that bar off!!!!!!  Now I can see so clearly and I’m working at 4 times the speed I was!!!!!!!

One lollypop flower done 2 to go!!!!!!

Machine appliquéing those blue bells down again slowly does it !!!!!

Only two lollypop flowers to go!!!!!! then add the pink flange and the final black strips to end up with a 18 1/2 inch block I hope!

What it will look like when those last two lollypop flowers are appliquéd down.

Sadly I packed these up for another day as I want to put the flange around my other 3 to small Diamond Hill blocks before the next 15th of the month comes around.  So I won’t be showing these for a while.

This rail is specially coated against mould??? It’s mean to be mould resistant? but the mould up here does not know that ?????   You can see the mould on the painted wooden veranda rail also.

After cleaning away all the mould I set up a chair on the entrance veranda so I could sew here in the afternoon winter sun, such a cosy wee spot in the winter.

Have even started to use this spot in the afternoons this week.

This is my next big job cleaning the mould from these rafters on the front veranda before they get to bad.  These we painted with special mould resistant paint last year?????  I will do this soon as it will drive me crazy sitting in my new spot and seeing it every afternoon.

We had a belt come in to the shop on Tuesday it looked far to gone to be of any use, but I decided to try the apple cider vinegar and salt method on it.  I used a tooth brush to scrub the salt and vinegar in to each piece a lot of time and elbow grease but worth it.  You can see it worked, it now is waiting to be polished with Brasso (Brasso is a brass and copper polish here in OZ)

Beautiful bush fungi, shows you how damp and humid it still is here and its meant to be the dry season??????

These wee chappies have moved in to our pond area, last night  I nearly stood on them there were about 20 of them all sitting looking up waiting for food to fly past LOL

I’m not moving I was here first LOL

I love mosquitos!!!!

This is what I woke up to when I looked out my window a bleak very damp day and i’m happy I can stay inside all day and sew LOL

This was a challenge and I made it just after I started to do patchwork I had no idea about how you make or joined them but I sure learnt a lot,  Challenge was to use the same shape through out the quilt and no fabric more than once except for the borders!!!!!! Challenge was called Where the rainforest meets the reef!!!!!   I call it ” The Unfinished Symphony”  LOL

Slowly my wee blocks for The Secret Garden mystery BOM by Esther ALiu  are growing I have 15 completed 13 waiting to have the leaves appliquéd and 12 more blocks I need to make and add the leaves,  10 days left before the next stage is released!!!!!!

I’ve chosen to use a full shape of fabric and sew my strips to it.  I’m not good at using a sewing machine so this is easier for me.

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I cut out the centre so I could mark my fabric quick and perfectly every time.

sewing on my first strip

flipped and press first strip now next strip waiting to be pinned and sewn on

second strip in place.

Just keep picking up a scrappy strip and keep sewing it is soooo much fun.  No planing just adding a pice of fabric you like at the moment.

3 triangles placed together

Just keep on adding triangles in to hexagons and then join hexagons up in to a quilt the size you want!!!!!

Trim back to edges.

One nicely trimmed and other been trimmed.

Slowly or quickly it grows.

They remind me of shattered stain glass

I’m having or was a lot of fun, I ahve put them away again and now back working on my SG wee blocks.

I think i will add black triangles to form the outer border?

After 5 days my birthday bouquet looks like this all blooms have opened and the room smells divine!

My new planter assembled and full of herbs.

Planter and two free standing pot plants holders full of herbs

Lots of heavy stones added in the gaps to stop any turkey from digging out every thing IF he gets up on my planter????  May be the cat will scare them LOL

flowers every where now.

cascade of cactus flowers

One of the Broms

They never cease to amazes me.

these are self seeded cosmos and I love to see them each year as they add so much colour to the garden.

Now you know what a tree frog looks like from underneath LOL On our lounge window.

Where it all started making a sample for my SG wee blocks.   BUT it’s to dark.

Background is to strong!

Cross is to deep!

To much going on in the cross!

Just not working for me!

Its OK but not right for my 4 blocks thats another colour element that purple!

Just to much over load on the light background fabric. !

Ahhhhhhhhhhh  finally we get there LOL

One little treasure completed and I’m happy LOL. Taken in day light so true colours here.

At last we are there and on the way to making 40 of them finally!!!!!.

I start by cutting my fabric up in to 4 1/2inch blocks. Cut these in 1/2 .so you have 2 triangles,  cut strips of my cross fabric in to 1 1/4inch strips then cross cut these in to just under 7inch cuts,   add a strip to one of my square triangles and sew this on.

Press seam and then press it open and add the other 1/2 square triangle.

I can not sew a straight seam so the 1/4inch foot with a guide is my saving grace.

I now have a square with a strip down the centre of it my first 1/2 of my cross.  Cut this in 1/2 and you have 2 1/4 triangles again, ready for another strip to be added. I press my seams to the centre it makes for a neater finish.

Sew strip to one triangle press seam open and add other triangle.

last seam sewn and pressed and we have a finished block but not square trim to a perfect 4 1/2 inch block then add leaves and finally appliqué on your needle turned leaves Walla one finished block LOL

I make 6 or 8 blocks at a time doing chain sewing and find that enough for my back to sew at a machine.  Hope it you are able to follow what I just showed you and it helps some of you.

Where I was up to last week.

On my journey to make seminole blocks for my sqaures in a sqaure blocks all 300 plus of them!!!!! Cutting and cutting 1 7/8th strips

pinning and sewing those first two rows to make my sets

My first 3 sets made and I like the look of them but you need to sew a perfect 1/4 inch seam to get those wee blocks to fit perfectly.

I do like the look of how these wee less than 2inch squares nestel around the DH block.

Trying out spacers for between these little squares in a sqaure blocks!  I wanted just black but do not have enough black fabric.

May be it will work will wait and see I have another 3 blocks to add the flan and extra black fabric to before I can move to the next stage.

It’s difficult to photograph this black floral fabric in real life it looks a lot nicer than in the photo here.

Laying out my cut strips to make in to 10 “sqaures in a sqaure” blocks to frame the 4 blocks of DH

Lying Waitng for the outer borders, I need more black fabric before I can make these up though.

Love how these colours glow even in the night time.

It seems endless LOL  near to completion on the first rounds and the sceond border of them, around 160 plus another 160 for the first two broders thats 300 then another 200 plus!!!!

I start by making sets of two then join them in to sets of 4 this keeps them pretty even with and straight.

shot taken this morning after ironing 6 more strips last night still two more strips to make just to frame the blocks my goodness this is a challenge for me who hates sewing by machine LOL

These are the colours I’d like to work in but not these fabrics as they are both heavy brocade silks and not easy to work with, I think i will use my back ground fabric for the crosses and I need to find a lighter but same colour or tone for the background and I will use mixed leaves instead of the one colour.

My first 100 leaves for SG Blocks pile of washaway frezzer paper, finished needle basted leaves, and a pile of waitng leaves LOL  only 140 more to make up LOL

Cut out a 4 1/2 inch sqaure from a piece of waste paper

remove cut out square

Choose your fabric that you amy use

lay your cut out 4 1/2 inch sqaure over the fabric of your choice

Add a finished strip across from corner to corner to make your cross.

Place your petals or leaves in place. 

Now you can see what your finished block will look like with out having to cut up all those pieces

A cold fresh morning but the sun is shining so it’s OK

Grandies sand pit and fish pond.

Becoming a quiet place in the summer time.

First blooms of the deep pink catus

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White catus is about to busrst out all over in bloom.

Bougainville needs to be planted out in to the ground now.

Birdbath been cleaned !!!!!

On the left were it is just soil the bush turkey dug out all the young heliconies this morning Grrrrrrrrr.

Sweet breath berries such a stunning colour.

Sweet breath bush is covered in berries this year.

All sewn together but put away again to finish another day week or year LOL

I have been doing a little on these rings but not much!!!!!

She wanted to learn cross stitch!!!!!   and my goodness she picked it up striaght away?????

When looking for something the other day she saw this swap I did about 20 years ago with 9 other quilters and was fasanated by it,  so we are now busy turning it in to a wee quilt of hers, she calls it her Eye Spy quilt, we have added some wadding and backing fabric and found out how difficult it was to push pins through and pricked her self constantly but would NOT give in, she is now with each visit doing some thing to it, yesterday she pushed the foot of the machine and I guided the quilt through, she has all most two side sewn and she picked up the speed control so quickly.  So she now knows how to sandwich a quilt????

My 2017 first  4 Secret Garden mystery blocks by Esther Aliu

My 4 Diamond Hill centre blocks of Esther Aliu’s free BOM this year.

Block 4 of the Secret Garden

Another reason I’m behind I have been mostly handquilting this quilt for my DDIL  most evenings so she can have it back for this winter.  I made the quilt as a challenge 20 odd years ago when living in PNG but never did any thing more than quilt around all the shapes but if it is to be used as a cuddle rug and washed a lot it needed to be more densely   quilted so I have echo quilted around the dresden plates and the butterflies and fish. plus added another 7inch border all around to make it a little bigger.  I finally finished it last night so Laure will have it for this winter.

Another distration!!!!! Learning to do thread painting with my machine this bird is for block 2 of The Secret Garden This took me 4 hrs to do so I don’t think I’ll be doing to much of thread play LOL  as I hate machine sewing.

One of my finishes quilt tops from a couple of months ago has also been pulling my attention away from working on a new Ufosin2017  I’m addicted to this sashiko hand quilting!!!!!  I put this aside to work on my DDIL’s  quilt and I’m missing doing it, but will pull it out tonight as I  finished Laure’s quilt last night.  .

My last block of Diamond Hill which I accidently cut the back ground fabric to small and did not realsie till I’d finished the block?????  I’d accidently cut two of the blocks to small so to fix the problem I cut all 4 blocks back to 17 1/2 inches added the flan in pink then added a 2 inch strip of black this has solved my major problem LOL  plus I think  it looks better than just a black edge?