Sewing Again

I've dusted off the sewing machine and started to sew. I had in mind I would make this for my nephew Daniel, but first I will see how it turns out, I think. If it isn't too girly I'll give it to him. I have a lot more blues and yellows and greens to go in it, so maybe it will be ok.

This is Bricks and Stones from the Quiltville site and as you can see I have only just started really. But I plan to not muck around with it and get it finished without delay. On that note though, I have 2 nights of work now, so next week I will finish it, I SWEAR.

Hope you all had a nice Christmas - I had a low key day which was very nice. Caught up with all the rellies over the break. Mum and Dad gave me a $50 voucher for my favourite quilt store, so that will be fun to spend.

Otherwise nothing to report - the weather has been quite pleasant, not too hot for a change. We have also had some rain, thrashed the Poms at cricket, and I am still plodding on with the hexagons...

Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas from Australia - here is a shot of the weather taken at o7.30 - it is going to be hot and fine with a storm this afternoon.

I am off to my Sister's place on the 08.30 Waterbus, so the fun hasn't started yet. I can hear some kids screeching with delight down the road - obviously getting some good stuff! It was very windy here last night, but Santa obviously didn't get blown off course.

Hope you all have a nice day, and just know we are dreaming of snow here!

Cane Toads

Well, somebody asked to see one... They are awful looking things, and so well camoflagued that you almost step on them before you see them. Shudder shudder.

I'll put the link only so you don't have to look if you don't want to. Cane toad.

Otherwise on I plug with my hexagons. I'm getting there. I have my 7 yo nephew staying the night tonight for the first time, so I have been busy keeping him busy. I have never had any kids so it is all a bit different for me. As for when I was a kid, all I remember is Mum getting on with whatever she had to do and we kids amusing ourselves. It isn't quite the same these days.

We have been for a quick dip in the sea - the tide was going out - had his alloted 1 hr on the computer, been for a walk with the dogs, eaten morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, had a bit of tv time, and then it was bed time at 7.30pm. I'm going to go to bed early too, as apparently it all starts again at the crack of dawn. Much smarter to have a nice beagle I think, but we are having a good time.

Sanity has prevailed re the birthday quilts - I'll do it in my own time, not for the Jan 8 deadline. And Daniel, bless his little heart, told me today that he really likes my hexagons, especially all the nice patterns on the fabric. He told me he thinks it is my best quilt yet! I might make his quilt first just for that comment, sweet child. I asked him what colour he would like, and he said he would have anything as long as it wasn't pink. So I asked him what his favourite colour is, and he said he likes lots of colours. Red, blue, yellow, green - primary colours. But did I know that green isn't a primary colour, as of course you use blue and yellow to make green? Yes he is 7.

Non Quilty Stuff

Today I plan to watch the cricket and do more hexagons - I'm on a roll. But before I sat on the couch and stayed there all day, I thought we would go outside, fiddle in the garden and go for a walk. I started planting this bit of front garden 12 months ago, and it is starting to get going now. The purple cordyline in the front of the photo has about tripled in size. That's a 5 foot fence.


We had storms and lots of rain yesterday and overnight, so there will be more new growth in a week or so. I have just put my little pond in, so I will get some little White Cloud fish to eat the mosquito larvae. The first day I filled it up I came home to find a cane toad relaxing in there, unable to get out, so now that I have put some plants in there, I will plant tall grassy plants around it too, to try and keep them out. Horrible things.




See the Crow's Nest going yellow in the centre of the leaves - it really needs more shade. Hopefully next summer the surrounding plants will have grown up enough to shade it. Last summer when it went in it had a chair over it draped with shade cloth.



Then we went for our walk... This is Swampy who jumped in the mud today. The mud around here is very black and sticky, and does not come off. As children when we spent a lot of time in the Bay on a boat, our Mother spent half her life (or so it seemed) saying "don't get your clothes covered in Moreton Bay Mud, as it won't come out". It doesn't. We would head off with Dad to the nearest mud bank to pump yabbies, stand in the wrong spot and next minute would have our t-shirts covered in black mud. Oh and it smells too.



Swampy has had a wash under the hose but it has only half come off. She is currently outside with her bone and bowl of water. And there she will stay. I'll have to try and find some dog shampoo somewhere, or she will be an outside dog til it all falls off.


Yes, she looks very proud of herself. She must have been in full flight with her tail in the air when she went in, as her tail is clean.

Anxieties

Check this block out. Don't you like the name? As good as Death Penalty from my last post. Anxieties are what I'll be having working this one out. Those stripes are very thin. It's a 6 inch block.

As for Blogger, I tried a number of times to do the word verification thing and it still wouldn't come up. I don't know if you've noticed, but Quilt Junkie has gone over to Typepad under a new name Thee Handworks, so I'll be watching with interest. I also notice that some of the really nice blogs I look at are Typepad blogs, like Soulemama and Posy Gets Cosy, and you never see them complaining about blog problems. I had a look and it's US$50 per year...

Otherwise, off to bed for me. The aircon man came and fixed the machine. At 4 pm I went to turn it on and grab a few hours sleep before work, and guess what? The power went out! Aah you gotta laugh!

Blogger on Blink

I have just been trying to visit some blogs, but on many of them Blogger won't show me the letters to type for the verification! Hopeless - I give up. We might go for a walk if I can wake the dogs up.

Gift from the States

My friend Di has just been to the USA on a short holiday (with her husband on a business trip). She knows of my fabric obsession and asked if she could bring me something home. What do you say to that? Di is not a quilter, but one of the friends she stays with in Oregan is a quilter. Where to begin? So I asked her if she would get me this book which I haven't found here, and it would be much better value for money if she bought it, then there would be no postage to pay.


I am very lucky to have such a nice friend. Here it is. I have been looking at it, and realise that some of the blocks look quite complicated (to me), and it looks like I will have to have a go at foundation piecing eeeek! Look at this block which is 6 inches finished. What you see here is the sum total of the instructions
I have discovered a Yahoo group run by the author, who each week gives advice on the order of sewing a block using the foundation method. There is also a CD which will run on EQ5 which I suppose would allow me to print out a foundation sheet? Of course it is US$10 for the CD and US$9 for the postage! I know it isn't that much money, but it really irks me to pay that much for postage. Then there is the exchange rate..


In fact it is quite an expensive business living on an island - postage from the only place that has any exciting quilting stuff (US) to this island (Australia), and the $220 I will be paying the aircon man tomorrow for coming to 'this' island to fix my broken aircon which is UNDER WARRANTY! Oh yes, I have to pay for the barge, then compensate him for the time he has to spend while sitting in the fresh air on the barge reading the paper. The I have to pay for the time he spends driving from the factory to the barge and home again. And all of this is contingent on whether or not his girlfriend has a baby today!

Sorry to whinge, but to me the bottom line is that if their inferior product didn't break down less than 12 months after being installed, there would be no need to come out at all.

Back to the quilting... Any advice on foundation piecing? I was interested to read about Tazzie's post about freezer paper templates. The link she gave was good too. Maybe this would work. All experiences gratefully received. I imagine the Dear Jane-ers would know too?

Hexagon Photos

Here are the photos I tried to post yesterday that blogger wouldn't allow. I think there is a bit of a hexagon trend rippling around the world. The latest Patchwork Tsushin magazine that I have features hexagons, so the Japanese are into it too. These photos are from that magazine. Isn't the bag nice with the hexagon quilting and then what looks like the hexagons sewn on with raw edges? The quilt is pretty amazing too - I like how the centre section is a big hexagon.

I buy my hexagon papers too as I would rather spend the time sewing. They are quite cheap really, so I'm quite happy with that. I do recycle them sometimes too.

I have been out nearly all day today "doing lunch with the girls". I have one friend on the island here who I see a few times a week - we walk the dogs together and talk about gardens and work and stuff (she is also a nurse). I went to her place today and she invited 2 other women who I don't really know. One lady I had never even seen, and the other I say hello to when I see her, but haven't been introduced to. We had a lovely afternoon sitting on the deck eating beautiful Lebanese food and talking about all and sundry. I was there for over 5 hours! The dogs came too and cruised around with Neddy and Lucy.


We all have an interest in trees and plants and not cutting down every tree on the island, and the lady I've never met before was an art teacher and has a lot of arty crafty interests. She told me today she is interested in antique/vintage fabrics which was cool. So we talked about fabric for a while and both agreed that the internet was going to be our downfall! She is a bit scared to start looking on ebay for more fabrics as she is worried she won't stop. She doesn't really sew, but just likes to have them - I can relate to that. I feel the same way about buying antique quilt tops - I'd love to own some, but fear that once I started I wouldn't stop.

The other lady lives a simple life with no electricity and is a vegetarian. How could you manage? No internet or sewing machine? I think she plays the guitar and listens to the radio a fair bit. She also has a kayak. So, it is taking a while, but I am meeting some interesting women here, which is nice. But I would still like to meet some quilters.

Anyway enough rambling. I did some hexagons while I was there, so some sewing was done these days off!

More Hexagons

Sadly blogger isn't playing tonight, as I was going to put up some hexagon photos I took from the latest Patchwork Tsushin Magazine. I'll try again tomorrow.

As for the hexagons, they are quite large ones - I thought I would get too discouraged if I started with tiny ones. They are 1 1/2 inches along each straight side. I have a template that is just a bit bigger so as to add seam allowance. It can be used with the rotary cutter, but I find I just trace around the template with a pen onto the wrong side of the fabric, cut it out and then tack it to the paper. I have tried to tack it so that the needle and thread don't go through the paper, but I can't seem to get it straight.

I don't have a method as such, it depends on where I am. I will often cut out fabric and baste while watching TV at night as this requires less precision. Sometimes I will cut out and baste, then sew the hexagons one by one. I usually only cut a couple of each colour as I go. This is a slow way for sure, but I think the whole method is slow, so what the hell? Anyway, this is the first time I have done them, so as usual I am just making it up as I go along.

I am quite surprised that so many people said 'no border'. You know - I have never made a quilt without a border! What a thought. I take the point about not having too stark a border against the mellow repro colours. I was thinking of a dull purple, but maybe a 'natural' looking border by just gradually sewing random colours getting darker as they go out? Or I could break with tradition and have no border. The problem with this house is that it is very 'casual', and if I draped the quilt over the couch the dog would sit on it, so we can't have that. It is pretty silly really making these lovely things that either won't get used, or will get abused. I've been thinking of getting a glass front cabinet to store quilts in.

As for Alex's quilt, I bought 6m of lime green plain for the sashing today - just because I bought it doesn't mean I have to make it asap. This is what I tell myself. I could have it done in a flash if only I applied myself to it...

Ruth - have you tried to email from the profile page?

Hexagons

I haven't posted much lately - been a bit slack. But I 'have' been sewing hexagons. I have been glued to the TV the last few days watching Australia THRASH the Poms in the 2nd match of the Ashes Series (that's the cricket for those who don't know). So I have managed a few hexagons while on the couch. I have about 6 or 7 big groups sewn together, but they are all uneven around the edges, so I have been trying to square them up for joining together. Probably next time I will make more of an effort to keep them organised as I go. Anyway, this is a photo I just took (had to use the flash) of the groups layed out on the table. The table is 35 inches wide, and the hexagons stretch 60 inches up the table.

I started sewing the hexagons with no real plan, or even confidence that I would get the bug, so now I have to decide where to go from here. Maybe make a square quilt that would just sit on top of a queen sized bed. Or maybe just make a quilt with no intention to use it for anything in particular?

The other thing is borders - originally I thought about a plain straight border, but now I am thinking a dark one colour hexagon border with a single different colour hexagon evenly placed (separated by a hexagon of the dark colour) in the centre of the border. Does that make sense? It would look like a coloured spot border all the way around in the centre of the dark border. But then how long would this take? Long long time. Hmmm. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I have to stop trying to make huge quilts all the time (or aiming to make huge quilts). This is why I don't get much finished, then feel like I am not accomplishing anything much.

I might go back downstairs and rearrange them to make something more square, then rethink the idea. I would have to buy more fabric from the States to have enough of one colour for the border, as all the fabrics are 1800s repros, and I wouldn't be able to afford the fabric if I bought it here. It would probably take a long time to arrive at this time of the year. Or I could make a border of random fabrics, but making them all dark fabrics...

As for everything else, I am a bit stalled. I have been toying with the idea of making a quilt for each of my 4 nieces and nephew for their birthdays in 2007. The only problem is that Alex will be 14 in the first week in January. I know what I would make for her if I decide to go for it, but this is probably a silly thing to start now. I could probably make the top pretty quickly, but then I would have to quilt it, which would be the problem. The thing is I have to decide pretty quickly as I would need to buy the sashing fabric tomorrow. Decisions decisions!

More Things Japanese

My Mum recently went to Japan for a holiday - she is into Ikebana (Japanese Flower Arranging), but can be relied upon to look out for interesting fabric. These are some of the pieces she brought home. There were a few others, but I seem to have left them at her place.

Mum went to a Shibori factory, where the 4 blue and white pieces and the red and white piece came from. The solid red piece seems to be quite large - I just love the way the Japanese package things, so I haven't undone the thread to see how big it is.


The metallic pieces are scraps from Obi, I think. So beautiful, but what to do with them all?

I think I will just own them for a while, and see what comes to mind. I love the pack of small striped fabrics in the top photo too. I folded the top ones under so all the colours are visible. The texture is like that of a fine seersucker.

Feeling a bit more with it now. I will work a short shift tonight which is a pretty easy one, then I have about 5 days off, so hopefully I will get some sewing done. As my airconditioner in my bedroom has broken down again and won't be looked at for another 2 weeks, I have moved into the spare room. I have my old bed in here, plus the sewing machine and computer, so I lie in bed right beside the design wall. I have been looking up at the Aqua and Lime wallhanging, and have been thinking about it again. I will tackle that this week I hope.

I have also been having network problems with my laptop, but I think I've sorted that out today by disconnecting everything, turning everything off, and starting again from the router up. It seems to be ok now, so fingers crossed.

I miss blogging, so have to get going again.

So Boring

I have been very boring and slack this week. I had a lazy day today, the only major thing was changing to BetaBlogging, so no-one is probably reading this anyway! I expect I've dropped off Bloglines, so I can probably have another week off before anyone notices.

I won't ramble on - next week some definate sewing (promise to self). I'll just do some vicarious sewing instead while sitting on the front deck with the laptop. To those of you on the other side of the world, have a great weekend and Thanksgiving Holiday.

Kids have Germs

So much for my days off spent in the sewing room - so far I have spent them in bed with some vicious stomach bug, no doubt picked up from one of the vomiting children at work on Sunday night. Little wretch. My hands are nearly raw from washing them, but that doesn't seem to help. They have their dirty little mits all over everything...

Sorry to those that have kids, but I've been really crook the last 24 hrs. It isn't too easy to get to a doctor from here, plus I tend to just ride it out. But at 8.30 this morning I got the most excruciating pain in my chest and and stomach that I broke out into a cold sweat, and nearly passed out! But anyway, it went away totally after about an hour, and apart from a temperature, I'm fine now. Made me think about hiding a key somewhere, because if they had to come and cart me off to hospital they wouldn't have been able to get in.

But I'm good now. Thanks for the tip on the .jpg resizer Ms Jan - hopefully my little Fairybread photo is there for all to see. As for you Tracey, I'm SHOCKED that you would make fairybread in such a haphazard way. Pizza cutter? Have you no respect? Jodie isn't quite so bad, but still...
The FBPolice will be on their way if you're not careful.

No photos I'm afraid - if I'm well I will be going to the local Craft Group Christmas lunch tomorrow - it can't be Christmas yet, surely?

Look What I've Got

Hey, it's not much of a photo - the blurry shot goes with the blurry eyes - but this is my latest arrival from Hancocks. It was on backorder for a while and I sort of forgot about it. It is a sample colour card of all 169 Kona Cottons. Perfect for the internet fabric shopper.

All the little squares are actual fabric, and there is a larger piece on the back that you can feel. So many colours to choose from...

Glad you enjoyed the Fairybread Tutorial. There were a few questions:
No we don't tend to put 100s and 1000s on icecream here, but they do go onto icing on little cakes. They are also on Freckles, which is a whole other story.

I would call the long skinny coloured one Sprinkles, but when I was a kid all we knew was 100s and 1000s.

I quite like the way they taste - they are sweet.

I tried to put the last photo as my ID photo, but Blogger won't take it as it is too big. It will only take a file below 50, and it is 60 odd. This is already the reduced size for emailing. I must confess I don't know how to make it any smaller. Suggestions gratefully received.

As for the mini disaster day last week, all is well now. Except for the aircon man though. He was to come on Friday, but got a better offer, and is now supposed to be coming in the morning. We'll see. So I'd better go to bed so I can get up in the morning. I have 4 days off now, and I am determined to get some sewing done, so watch this space. I also plan to do my tax this week which is overdue, so that should be a good incentive to sit at the sewing machine!

Fairybread Tutorial

A few people have asked lately "What IS fairybread?"
I think it's time for a tutorial. Aussies and Kiwis can look away now.

Fairybread is traditionally eaten at childrens' partys, however I don't know a single adult that will knock back a piece of fairybread. Now while we all know that there really aren't any Quilt Police, there are, I'm sure, Fairybread Police. Therefore strict rules apply when making it.

I have been meaning to have a little fairybread photo as my ID photo, but I have been reluctant to do so, as I usually don't have one of the main ingredients in the house, and didn't want to risk a visit from the FBP. I would like to make it quite clear that what you are about to see is not "real" fairybread, as a result.

INGREDIENTS:
White bread, preferably from a square loaf
100s and 1000s
soft butter

In this photo we have a piece of multigrain bread. This is not allowed, ok?

METHOD:
Cut off the crusts, making the bread square. Then liberally butter the bread, as close to the edges as possible. Cut the bread into triangles. At this point, I would recommend transferring the bread to the serving plate. This is traditionally a white paper plate.

Sprinkle the 100s and 1000s over the buttered bread, using a clean finger to gently press the 100s and 1000s into the layer of butter. This is an important step, as when you pick it up you want to minimise the number of 100s and 1000s falling off.Try to get as close to the edge as possible.

Once ready, artfully arrange the Fairybread triangles on the plate, ready to be eaten.

Don't they remind you of little flying geese, or star points?

When a Slump is Not a Slump

I'm not in a slump, per se, but I don't seem to be getting much done. I think it is work's fault - work seems to take up a lot of my spare time! Then there is the sleeping getting over work. Then a day or two to re-decide what I'm going to do with the UFO's, and suddenly it's time to go back to work again.

But, the good news is that I'm still sewing hexagons in stolen moments, and while sitting and waiting. Sometimes even while at work. I'm getting quite a bit of it done actually. Soon it will be time to start thinking about how to finish the quilt off. Plain borders? An inner hexagon border? Try to hand quilt for the first time? Do another class on 'how' to hand quilt?

It all seems too hard to think about at the moment. I have come home today after being away for 2 days working. I stayed at Shane's in the city and he stayed here and spent some quality time with the dogs. The morning staff was late this morning, so I got off late, which meant that I didn't get to go to the shop before getting on the ferry. I was nearly home when Shane rings and says the island car has a flat tyre. So I started walking while he changed it, then I got a lift for the rest of the way. Then he lost his sunglasses - left on the grass while changing the tyre? He couldn't find them. Meanwhile it is getting very hot and muggy as a big storm was coming down the coast. The dogs were in the car, and Simon was shedding white hairs all over my navy uniform. Then Shane missed the boat to go and pick up the lawnmower which broke last week, so we come home here to a house FULL of dog hair that hadn't seen a vaccuum cleaner since before I left. Then I had to drive him back to the boat with the tyre to get fixed.

Now I should really be in bed, but the aircon is broken!! I rang the man who installed it today, and he will come on Friday, but he is already trying to say it isn't his fault, when the man from the Aircon company said it sounds like he has not tightened it up properly and its gas has escaped.

And so it goes on. On a positive note the storm has gone around and out to sea, as it had strong wind warnings with large hailstones! Enough of everyday life, I think! If you have read this far you must have too much time on your hands!

The Bum House Postcard

Here is the Bum House Postcard underway. A fair bit of the background will be trimmed away at the end. I have to tell you that it is giving me plenty of entertainment, so even if Daniel doesn't laugh, it has worked it's magic. Did you all notice the black circle between the cheeks?

I used a scrap of fusible web I got from Helen, and have done a little bit of top stitching so far. I learnt from my first card to do all the top first before getting excited and fusing it all together before I was finished. However, I am still not able to get the mirror image fusible web thing. Luckily the letters are all able to be turned upside down or over. The green bit of the house had to be cut and pasted to get the shape though.

Speaking of Helen, she has started her cross-stitch, which is the main thing. She'll get into it I know. It is light-hearted pestering, so don't worry. She won her old-fashioned mother and daughter apron pattern on ebay, so that will be fun.

I'm on my way, Helen...

I'm going over to see my sister Helen this afternoon to check on the progress of her cross- stitch. She is in a crafting slump, due to feeling like she has to make things to sell, thereby not having any FUN. I bought her a little cross-stitch at the Craft Show last month to try and guilt her into doing something for herself and getting back into it.

She told me on the phone yesterday that she had started it finally, so I'm going over to check the progress - look out Helen! I will take my camera to take a photo - maybe it will give her some Blog-type incentive to crack on with it. I will also see Daniel, who was shocked to see a photo of the Bum House on my blog. Apparently he said " That's the Bum House! What's it doing on there??" Wait til it arrives in the letterbox! I'll get some fusible web today to try and get it done.

Heavens to Bettsy knows Helen, so I'll get her to email Helen and give her a hard time .. sorry I meant "some encouragement". Look out Helen I'm on my way!!

NEWS FLASH! Blogger uploads 3 photos!

Shock Horror! Blogger plays nice today. Here are my HSTs that I made last week from the Triangles on a Roll. I have used Thangles before which I like, but this method was good for making a big heap of triangles from the same fabric. From this piece of triangle paper I made this many HSTs. They are 1 1/2" finished. See them all sewn together on the wall - that's about 3 yards of border. In the Collaborative Quilting Style I was very casual with the seams etc, and they didn't turn out too bad.


This many triangles came from 2 pieces of fabric, each 22 x 10" - that's the size of a fat eighth isn't it? There are all these arrows on the paper telling you which way to sew, but of course I didn't bother with that. I think next time I will bother, as they seem to be there for a reason (grin)!

See also the bright coloured blocks and strips I found when sorting my bright fabrics recently. I remember making them now. I bought a pattern (only one in my life) to make the star blocks - it was one of those ones where you stack up all the squares of fabric then cut the pieces using a paper pattern on top, then shuffle the pieces and sew them all back together. I only got these ones done, as I found it surprisingly difficult to get them all back together accurately. The pieces for the other blocks are floating around the place and pop up all the time.

Then I remember thinking that I would do some strip piecing with the left overs and make a quilt out of the parts, but obviously didn't ever get around to finishing it. So it is up on the wall, and I plan to use them all, along with some extra parts to make something.

Quick Post

This is my first post from my new baby - it isn't that easy typing while lying on your stomach in bed I've discovered! Here's hoping it works. I have had some technical support from the router people today and all is well I think.

Heavens to Bettsy emailed me and said she couldn't leave a comment on my last post - I went in and had a look and found that I couldn't either, but that I had also had the same error message yesterday when trying to post a comment on someone else's blog. Is it me or Blogger? One wonders whether blogger is not coping and worse is to come.

At work last night I discovered 2 quilters - quite exciting. Monique said she is a fairly new quilter but just loves the fabric and would like to be a fabric designer (she'll do), and Helen the ward clerk is right into it. So we are doing a bit of show and tell tonight and each taking in some books for the others to look at. Quilters are lurking everywhere. We need a secret handshake I think.

Otherwise the only exciting thing that has happened here is that we have had some good rain, which if you are an Aussie you will know how big that is. In some neaby rural areas it is the first good rain since 1999, and has probably saved a lot of stock, farms and farmers.

Better go back to bed and try and catch a bit more sleep for tonight. Days off after tonight so hopefully I will get some sewing done.

The Bum House

This is the Bum House, taken (fittingly) from behind. Daniel thinks it is hilarious - go figure.

This is the Barn House, as it looks like an American Barn.




Then there is the Stonemason's House, for obvious reasons.

And the Yellow Sun House, which you will notice is much the same as my house - kit houses. There are more around the place with names ie the Tobacco Barn, but I didn't want to overcrowd Blogger with more than 4 photos - you all know how it gets. Also I didn't want the word to go out that I was "casing a few joints"...

The Tank House

This is my house, which I believe is called The Tank House by some people on the island. Why? Well I suppose it is the curved corrugated iron roof, which looks like the side of a huge water tank. I love that photo of just the ground floor frame and the roof - looks like it is going to take off. Or the Flying Nun.

As you can see it is a high house. It is built to the maximum height that the council will allow here, which is 8.5 metres above the natural level of the land. The 2nd photo is taken from the landing of
the house across the road, which is also high. It is hard to get a photo of the roof. The Electricity
company wouldn't hook the power straight to the house from the power pole across the road, as the roof is higher than the pole.

In the 2nd photo you can see my own personal property pole to the right of the house just inside the fence, which I had to have installed so that they could hook the power cable to that, then I had to run the cable underground through the yard to the fusebox. MORE money! I want to get a Pelican to put on top of the pole, but I still haven't seen one I could put up there...

Tomorrow I will take a photo of The Bum House. There are a lot of individual type of houses here - anything goes. There is an American Style barn house, as well. I'll snap a photo of that too.

1st Postcard

I have made my first postcard - here it is. Not too special, but I thought I'd have a go. I have been trying to post this photo for about 24 hrs. It was taken side on then flipped, which is why it looks kinda funny.

I posted it to my 7 yo nephew Daniel, who is into art. He takes an art class one afternoon a week, so I am trying to turn him into a fibre artist! I have a sneaky plan to snare him - there is a house here on the island which is known as The Bum House. The roof is very funny - it has 2 humps on it like the cheeks of a bum. Being 7, and very amused by toilet humour, Daniel finds the Bum House very funny. So my next postcard will be of said house - see how he likes that in his letterbox!

I haven't been doing too much else quilty as I have been working nights and have been very tired. I slept right through the night after sleeping in the day yesterday, so of course I woke up at 03.30 this morning. I got up before dawn and caught up on my bloglines. I also made some HS Triangles with Triangles on a Roll. I have only used Thangles before. Heavens to Bettsy - they are 1 1/2 " finished, not 3", so they won't be much help to you for your project.
I made them out of black and white prints so that I can do a border ala Collaborative Quilting.

Then I made some scones, and went to the Craft Group. I know - shocking isn't it to have done all that before 09.00hrs! Did some hexagon work at the Craft Group, then have been over on Russell Island this arvo looking at land to buy, with a friend. Busy busy busy. I know I will sleep well tonight.

As for the Aqua, Lime and Orange quilt, it is still up on the wall. I have made a few changes to the blue and green to lighten it up a bit, and I think it is ready to go. I have bought some batting and plain white fabric for the back, so will get onto it soon. The way I'm supposed to be constructing it is a little different from a normal quilt. I will lay the squares on the batting and backing, then apply the strips over the top as cover strips. My main concern is getting the strips straight, so I think I will draw some sort of grid on the batting first. Maybe later in the week LOL!

Which One?

Thin strips and 2 different fabrics, or thick strips? A poll will be conducted - no fence sitting please!

Happy Dance!

It's a Happy Day. Not only am I on days off, it is pay day (makes it all worthwhile), and this big blue bag was waiting for me when I got home this morning! Could it be my parcel of Kaffe Fassett fabrics from Hancocks...?? Never before has it arrived in a big blue bag - usually in cardboard envelopes.

Maybe the edges have split really badly this time and some considerate French post master has put it in a LA POSTE AVON bag for me. Nice man.It has left Kentucky with a blue tag on it
saying DOUANE Peut etre ouvert D'office,
described as Printed Matters (Imprimes) worth $5-00. Then on the 12 October it was in France, PRIORITARE France La Poste. Then on the 19th October I think it departed from ROISSY CI (Date de la depeche) bound for SYDNEY (AUSTRALIE). Finally it arrives here today on the 25th. My fabric has been on a world tour.

Perhaps it was placed in the blue bag by the nice French Post Master as it looks like a couple of kilos of heroin, not fabric.

Then...ooh lucky lucky me! Kaffe, Kaffe and MORE Kaffe. And a couple of reproductions I couldn't resist that Blogger won't let me post. Maybe later. Now I am off to fondle my fabric instead of going to bed.

I have had a rethink of the other WIP - I am in the process of making the pink and orange strips thinner, which might lessen the impact a bit (see last blog entry). I think they might be a bit too overpowering. I might also take out the big flower in the middle and replace it with the same thing but in a different colourway, which has a white background. Lighten it up a bit. Watch this space...

Cutting and Pinning, Not Sewing

I have been cutting and pinning on the design wall (bed sheet) this morning trying to make this quilt happen. I decided that today was the day and I wasn't going to think about it anymore, just DO IT. I spent 5 minutes trying to plan it on a piece of paper, then thought "stuff it", and just went for it. I was quite ruthless and ended up using the scissors in the end. I played around with it then took the first photo and went away for a while.

I was fairly happy with it when I came back to it, so I started cutting random strips for the ...well... strips! I just cut a bit off here, and stuck a bit up there, and this is the final layout still up on the wall. That bit up the top is for something else.

I think it is going to be ok - don't the pink and orange strips change the look of it? I think (or hope) that when it is all together and bound with more pink and orange, it will look better. I started off with the idea that it would be about 36 in x 48 in, but I think it will be a bit smaller in the end. I'm going to hang it on the wall above the computer if it looks ok.

I'm quite exhausted by the burst of energy, so I think that will be enough for today. I'll have to recut that piece 2nd from the left on the bottom to make it a bit longer. The bottom right hand fabric came out of the reject pile for that spot - hopefully it balances it a bit.

Any suggestions anyone? It's still on the wall....

63 out of 150

Not having been to the States puts me behind to start with, so it is lucky I had a bit of fun when I was young...

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa - closed for a wedding that day
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Collaborative Quilting Style

I read a fair bit of the Collaborative Quilting book last night in bed, and I was struck by the similarity to the syle of 2 Australian quilters. You may or may not know of them in the States, but Judy Hooworth and Jan Mullen both work in a similar style.
I have the Judy Hooworth book out from the library at the moment. Listen to this quote in her 2001 book entitled Razzle Dazzle Quilts (That Patchwork Place, ISBN 1-56477-322-1).

In Exercise 3 she says... "Now let's add a zinger. Black-and-white fabrics contain the two extremes of contrast - the lightest light next to the darkest dark. Used in small amounts, black-and-white prints sparkle and add movement and rhythm to the quilt surface. Choose a variety of black-and-white prints, and cut them into 2 1/2 inch squares. Arrange them with the colour squares and rectangles as shown in the photo on p18. These black-and-white squares provide a place for the eye to rest, although it doesn't linger because all the squares are different."

Also have a look at Jan Mullens patterns from Stargazey Quilts Stargazey Quilts . Interesting isn't it?

When I posted that photo (of the scraps from the quilt I haven't made yet!), with the black and white centre, someone mentioned that it reminded them of Collaborative Quilting style - I was thinking more along the lines of a log cabin with stripes or a string pieced block inspired by Judy Hooworth.

It is likely that they have all drawn inspiration from the scrappy blocks or the 1930s, but isn't it interesting to see how they have all developed along similar lines?

Fun at the Fair

Well I obviously need saving from myself, as I have come home from the Craft Show with some Japanese fabric! Do you believe it? I can't. It is only a small piece with these animals on them though, which will keep, I'm sure. I also bought a pale pink stencilled sashiko piece with cherry blossoms on it. I had a bit of a brain snap - it was very late in the day. There was a fantastic panel with the Japanese alphabet on it in a sort of vintage style - I would have loved it, and 'nearly' bought it, but held back. What would I do with it?

Otherwise, I was VERY GOOD. I did not buy any other fabric, but I did buy some books, and the latest Japanese Patchwork Tsushin magazine, which features hexagons. I bought the Collaborative Quilting one, and some Fast2Fuse as I am going to try some postcards. I bought a few little things ie snips, scissors, hexagon papers, and a present for my sister Helen (won't tell you what in case she is listening...) I also got a brochure for a sock knitting class.

I will show you some photos of the books and stuff tomorrow - too dark now to take photos of books.


I had coffee with Heavens to Bettsy which was fun, and also ran into my Mother (you can't go anywhere). My Mother's favourite saying is "My eyes and ears are to the ground, and my spies are all around". Truer words have never been spoken.

Anyway 'tis after midnight so I had better go to bed, especially as Simon and Swampy have a date with Neddie and Lucy at the dog park at 10am. Sadly I am required to attend, or else I could sleep late.

Waaaay Too Far Ahead of Myself

I wish I could actually do some sewing. I think about quilts & fabric ALL the time, but do I sew? Not much. Here is my next idea - I thought I would use the scraps from the Aqua and Lime quilt to make something for my niece Alex (she is 12). I thought I would do a string pieced block on the diagonal with the black and white in the centres. It is one of those prints that makes your eyes go funny. Then I could sash it with a different black and white or something...

Q. Now can anyone see the problem here?

A. Yes, correct. I have yet to make the other quilt so as to generate scraps to make this quilt.

I really must crack on with something. I think the thought of the 500 or so 3 inch blocks required for the 4 patch has taken the wind out of my sails for the moment. Well, that's my excuse anyway. My other current excuse is that the Craft Fair is on this week, and what if I start something now, then see a better idea on Wednesday, and get all cranky that I've already started?

It happens...

The other good news is that I am planning to meet up with Heavens to Bettsy for a coffee while I am there. She has emailed me and is going on the same day, so that should be fun. Now I don't actually know H to B, but she knows my sister Helen, so it is a small world. I'm sure we will be face to face friends as well as blogger friends. We can encourage each other to max out our credit cards!

Friday the 13th

And not a black cat to be seen.

You've all seen far too many hexagons, and that is mainly what I have been working on. The other thing I've been doing is reading my EQ5 book. I've had the program for a while, but I never seem to use it. Why, I wonder?

Maybe 'cos I do a lot of my quilt planning while lying in bed? Plus I'm a bit into making things up, and I haven't got to that bit in the book yet. But I thought I would see if it could help me figure out the number of blocks I will need for the 4patch quilt, and how much fabric I might need for the plain alternate squares.

Well I had a play with it, and finally worked out that I need 224 x plain squares (I don't know if that includes the half triangles around the edge. Probably). So that means I am over half way there with my 4 patches. I have done 140+. As for yardage, I made the outer border the same as the plain squares, so that gives me nearly 6.5 yds of that fabric. But apparently that is enough to do the borders without joining them anywhere. Maybe I should recolour the border so that I can work out the yardage required for the plain squares, then work out the borders separately. Hmmm.

I really must get into the program and use it more. The instruction book doesn't seem very logical to me, so I will have to go through it from beginning to end. I'm not really into that - too boring. I prefer to look up the bits I want to know, get started, then learn the rest as I need to know it. What does that say about my learning style?

Got night duty over the weekend so will be laying low. My bloglines is telling me I have 109 items to read - it can't be so!

What Next?

I can show my laundry without too much stress, as it is too small to collect much mess. It is really just a corridor - the back door is at the right (where I took the photo of the bulldozer from), the living area is in the distance then the front deck, and I am actually standing inside the door of the downstairs toilet to get this photo! I just have a tub, washing machine and a freezer. The dog water bowl lives on the floor, and the dog door is directly opposite the freezer.

This house is 15 months old, and I still haven't even put up a shelf in the laundry. The detergent just sits in the tub.

The real mess is in the bathroom where the dirty laundry basket is!

Orange, Lime and Aqua?

Here are the lime and aqua fabrics that are most likely to get into the quilt, with a few orange and pinks as a trial for the strips. I just remembered the yellow and orange fabric that came from Hancocks recently - that could go in maybe?

I also took a photo of the "instructions" so you can see the method of construction. A few people said it sounded like a Quilt as You Go, which it sort of is, but the way they have done it is to have the batting and backing cut to the finished size before you start. Then you just lay the rectangles or squares onto the batting and move them around. I suppose you could even spray glue them onto the batting (I'm starting to like this idea even more!), then pin the strips on and sew them on. In fact you could just slap some fabric down any which way and then put the strips on! But then it might get crooked...

When you think about it, it should be quite a quick project. Deciding where to put things would be where the time comes in.

As you can see I'm from the "Work Smart Not Hard" School of Life, so this kind of appeals to me! Any thoughts or ideas?

Aqua and Lime?

This is the photo of the quilt I like in the Japanese Patchwork Quilt tsushin magazine that I thought I might make in aqua and lime. But then I quite like it in the retro florals too. The way it seems to be constructed (my Japanese isn't too good LOL), is that the rectangles are cut out and tacked to the batting and backing fabric. The the thin strips are put on as cover strips to cover the gaps between the rectangles. The blocks are then quilted, using the flowers as a guide. The thin strips also have sewing/quilting on them - mainly fancy stitches sewn down the centre of the strip. There is also some blanket stitch on the edges of some of the strips. So you could adapt it to anything, which is my kind of sewing! These are the fabrics I am considering for this project. Some probably won't make it in, if it all goes ahead. I have all these Amy Butler fabrics that I bought so cheap with some birthday money, with the idea of making a quilt for me. But I think I will only use the pink and brown ones in the quilt I was thinking of, so all the green and orange ones are still available. I could even use the orangey ones for the strips on this - too out there? But definately a summer quilt...
















As for the rest of my weekend, this is the progress on the new house next door that was made with a bulldozer, between the hours of 10am and 3pm yesterday. This photo is taken from my back landing which is under my bedroom window. Sleeping on night duty is a challenge... When that tree went over I thought it had crashed into the house it was so loud!