4 Patch Disaster

Oh it's a disaster! I just haven't been paying enough attention. I sewed and sewed at one of the corners of the 4 patch, then I looked at it and thought 'hang on - something's wrong!' How did I not notice? The longest row I had added on had all the 4 patches pointing the wrong way, and some of the ones below it were wrong too. So I took off the long double row, took off the end bits with the triangles, thinking I just had to turn it around. I turned it round, and it still wasn't right! Huh?? I look again, turn it again, scratch my head, look again... What I've done is sew all of those blocks you can see in the corner bit turned 90 deg compared with the blocks in the rows I've already sewn. So to cut a long story short, the whole corner bit has to be dismantled and the 4 patches turned 90 degrees! Sob sob sob. What was I thinking? Or what was I thinking about, as it obviously wasn't the quilt...

I'm so mad at myself. The whole project has gone like this - maybe I ought to put it aside to 'rest', and work on something a bit less complicated (what could be less complicated than a 4 patch one might ask?) Perhaps the string quilt that still hangs on the wall?

Or maybe I should just get changed and go to the shop and buy a big bar of chocolate and forget about the whole lot. I could look at fabric sites, but I have already put the Scarlett Sturbridges into and out of an online shopping basket twice this week, giving myself a stern lecture about the sad state of my budget and the need to buy Christmas presents, pay the Car Rego, phone and internet, and my parking bills. Too depressing for words!

I have already done some gardening today, and we have just had an afternoon storm so everything's wet, and I finished my book last night. What a state of affairs!? I think I'm leaning back towards the chocolate idea...

Picked some long beans today (some call them snake beans), and I've given some away as I have a bumper crop. The cucumbers are producing, I have a few pumpkins that have come up out of the compost, and I have some lettuce and rocket growing under shade cloth. I have 1 passionfruit on the vine, and some more cherry tomatoes coming on.

I'm trying to encourage good bugs to the garden with the flowers that you see there. I buy seeds from Green Harvest, and they have a mix called "Good Bug Mix" which has marigolds, cosmos, queen anne's lace, coriander and all sorts of plants that encourage bees and the good bugs to eat all the bad bugs. We only like the 'right sort' of bugs to visit here!

Chloe is doing well - we went to Dog Training Class last night, and the Training Lady was quite impressed with her progress. She has a lot of experience with beagles having been a beagle handler at the Quarantine Service, and she likened the white tip of the tail visible in the grass to a beagle version of giving the owner "the finger". I had to laugh - so true. Chloe showed up the smarty pants Border Collies, and that is always an achievement!

They each had a large bone today, so all is well in beagle land, and they are now both fast asleep in the room with me.

Well, off to get that chocolate I think!

I Can't Believe It - It's Raining Again

It's such a lovely day today - showers coming across the Bay all day. Such a great day for being inside with the light on. I've spent a fair bit of time on the computer, quilted and sewn the binding on Chloe's little quilt, and made some ricotta cheese. I've never done it before, but thought I'd give it a go after reading about it in a magazine. It's funny how you see a group of things that relate to each other now and then. Mum gave me a yoghurt making kit recently, and then I saw this article which talked about making ricotta, yoghurt and soft cheese from yoghurt. As you are away from the shops here, it's good to be able to make stuff like that occasionally, so I gave it a go.

I now understand why fresh ricotta is so expensive, as you don't get much cheese from your milk. This is what I got from 1 litre of low fat milk, but I think that I could've maybe got more if I had added some more vinegar/lemon juice. I had a look in my vegetarian cookbooks and in a Hare Krishna one I have it said I should add more lemon juice til the whey is clear, whereas mine was still a bit milky. It was really interesting reading, as it talks about why cows are sacred in that religion, mainly because they produce milk which is a major protein source, and that milk is good for your physical and spiritual health. A cow that feels happy and content because she knows she will not be killed once her milk runs dry, gives better sweeter milk, so they say. Interesting stuff.

Anyway, the next thing I'll try is to make it from LongLife milk, which would be ideal. I also want to make some yoghurt cheese, which is just yoghurt with the water drained out of it. You can add herbs and spices to it, or use it as the base for dips and so on. I feel in the mood for cooking - must be the gloomy day, but there isn't much food here to cook. I have a bit of a tomato harvest from the garden, so I might cook them up. The egg or Roma tomatoes look great, but they're a bit floury inside which I don't like that much, so I've been baking them along with the cherry tomatoes with some olive oil and herbs to make a sauce for pasta.

I have been doing a little sewing today too, and have finished the quilting on Chloe's little quilt. It's a really quick job and I've put the binding on too. Just the hand sewing to do now which I might get done tonight. My eyes, my right eye in particular, has really deteriorated lately, so I may have to start using my reading glasses more often. I'm still a bit in denial about it, as I've always had perfect eyesight, and can't get used to the idea that I'm getting old. Plus I prefer to not have the house brightly lit - mood lighting works for me - so that doesn't help with night-time sewing. I'll have to get a lamp just for sewing I suppose with a 100 watt bulb in it!

It's starting to get dark now as it is 6pm and still raining. The dogs are both asleep here on the spare bed, and I could have a lie down too, but I'd better not - too late in the day now. Better think about dinner and have an early night I think.

Bored With Me

I'm feeling a bit bored with me - not bored - just bored with me. It's very hard to write on your blog when you don't want to do the things you normally do (quilt), not to mention when you don't want to talk, think or write about yourself. I did try to blog a few nights ago, but blogger was so uncooperative that I gave up in disgust.

I don't feel like cooking, and have been living on strawberries and raisin toast, with the odd banana, glass of milk or olive thrown in. I truly love olives.

I've even gone off the garden a bit, as I took some photos the other day, and was disappointed when I was reminded that the camera doesn't lie. I see the vision, the camera doesn't. I'm trying to keep at the vege garden though, as the price of veges here is so scandalous that I really must try to grow some.

I will show this before and after shot though of the front garden to show that things are growing. This is 10 months growth. I had to move the waterpot and put a plant there instead, as the cane toads were jumping in, and I couldn't take the stress of having to get them out. Too low to the ground.

The other problem is that the wretched Holly (grin) from And Sew It Is has got me hooked on Geocaching. I promise not to turn this into a geocaching blog - Holly is doing really well with hers, mainly because she is actually quilting as well, unlike me!

I'm quite enjoying it - who'd have thought I'd enjoy sneaking around in the bushes so much? In fact what I really enjoy, is sneaking around in urban areas - I think I missed my calling. I should've been a burglar. I've met a few local people that are also into it, and find that everywhere I go I have some caches planned 'just in case I get time'. I think that's a bad sign.

I took Chloe to dog training class tonight, and managed to squeeze a find in on the way, but on the way home there was a big storm hitting, and Chloe and I were so traumatised that I resisted... She was fitted with a head collar tonight - like a Halti or Gentle Leader for those who know dogs, but with a little spring adjustment so that it fits better. Nevertheless, dogs usually hate them when they first wear them, and Miss Chloe was no exception. She tried to get it off, rubbed it on the ground, refused to walk etc - rather distressing, but I know that they usually get used to them, and even by the time we got home she was a little better.

Still, I worry that she has only been here a few weeks and is just starting to settle in, now I torture her with this.

But if she will wear it, walks will be more enjoyable, which means we will go more often. We'll see how it goes, as there is an alternative harness type thing, and if need be we will swap to that.

She is so pretty, and is a perfect dog considering that she has been pushed from pillar to post.

Another Slump

Just can't seem to get into the sewing at the moment. I am still doing some sewing to try and keep the many projects alive, but nothing exciting to show. I am still sewing pink squares to 4 patches, still doing the pink/orange and lime/aqua string blocks (19 now) and not much else to be honest.

I read a comment from Elin today about my Civil War Diary Quilt, which she is about to start, and that made me think that maybe if I made another block for that it might get me doing something different.

The canine visitors have gone home, but may be back this weekend. Another pair of dog lovers and I are sharing the responsibility this week, so I am to ring on Friday and see if they need a rest from it all. Chloe is doing well, and we are starting some basic training classes next week to see if she will walk better on the lead, and just be a bit happier and less anxious if she knows exactly what she is supposed to be doing. She is in the room with me at the moment, moving from bed to floor, trying to find somewhere cool to sleep. She has a warm cushion on her bed, so maybe I need to make her some cool cotton quilts to lie on. She is a nest builder, so likes to have a few layers to puff up.

Other than that I am trying to keep the small vege garden alive as the cost of vegetables here is absolutely scandalous at the moment. The boring old round tomatoes were 3 times the normal cost this week, so I refused to buy any. I have cherry tomatoes in the garden so I am eating those instead. I have some more cos lettuce coming on, and the snake beans are up, so as long as I can keep the water up to them all should be well.

I put a birdbath in some weeks ago, and am pleased to report that I have finally had some visitors. I'm told I was being tested by the local birds to see if I was going to be a good birdbath owner and keep the water supply constant - it seems I have passed. Oh the responsibility of it all!

While my sewing is in a slump I might take some garden photos and bore you silly with those. You have been warned.

Repairs Only

This is the only sewing I've been doing this week I'm afraid to say. This is Chloe's squeeky toy, which didn't last very long at all. She squeeked it for about 20mins til the squeeker was puntured, then started to rip the poor dog apart to get at the insides. I took it off her and got the squeeker out, and she was most upset. Then the stuffing started to be pulled out, so I will sew it up and see if there will be any more life in it, or if it has lost its appeal.

Chloe is doing well. For a 3 year old who has had 2 homes and ended up in the pound, she is a very good dog. She has dug up the garden a few times today to bury her bone, right where I had just planted some seeds, the little wretch! But she is out in the yard with me when I am gardening, and loves a walk. She is keen to play with other dogs as well, and has a great time with Neddy who lives up the road, when they get together.

Someone asked to see the Ute we hired to move some stuff. There is nothing too exciting about it, but here it is.

I've mainly been gardening this last few weeks as the weather is starting to get hot now even though it's only the 3rd week of spring. I've got to get as much done as I can before it's too hot to do it - it's going to be 31 deg C today. I've been planting things, and trying to grow a few veges. I've put a birdbath in but I haven't had any visitors in it yet. I've even put some bribery bird seed out, but no bird has fallen for it. I'm told that the birds will make sure the water source is going to be permanent before they start using it, so the pressure is on me to keep it full. They're testing me.

Tank Photo

I know you're all sick of hearing about my rainwater tank, but as the last word on the subject, here it is, the photo taken during a brief period of sunshine. I emptied the rain gauge too, and I have had 145mm (nearly 6 inches) of rain during this storm. The green tank is the new one - it is 4500 litres, and the cream one is the one from when the house was built, and it is 3000 litres I think. You can see the lovely mud. I am standing under the corner of the deck, and the rain drips down through the deck to make the mud. The actual house starts behind that metal post on the left. I might put a photo of the house so you can see what I mean. The cream tank is full, and the green tank is just over 1/3 full. This is a photo of the house still under construction, and the photo shows the back of the house. You can see the old tank under there if you look closely. The new one is to the right of it.

I was on the Mainland all day yesterday so nothing was done here. I had coffee with my friend Di - we were there 2 hours and only got half way through catching up really. I bought some more plumbing supplies and went to the RSPCA as I have in my mind that I might get another dog if Swampy is going to spend a bit more time at Shane's. Just looking - not rushing into anything. I was surprised that there weren't more dogs there for sale, but of course this is a good thing. Years ago I volunteered there, so I know there are lots more dogs behind the scenes. I didn't see anything suitable, but there was a lovely girl there called Rosie who was a cattle dog x kelpie type of dog, and she looked very sweet. But I wasn't tempted. There was also a rough coat Jack Russell who looked lovely, but I watched him springing up about 5 foot into the air with excitement, and I thought he would be a handful!

I did get started on the pink and green string blocks, and I'm pretty convinced I would have to cut down the 3 inch centre strips which would be waste of fabric. That would leave a heap of 1 inch strips, which is pretty skinny to do much with. Lily made a comment on my last post about the perils of using large scale patterns as strings, and I have taken this on board too. If I go ahead with it, perhaps I should make sure the strings are not too wide, and make sure I use the brightest colour fabrics for the centre strip and the paler ones for the diamond.

The other thing I thought I might do is cut some of the setting squares of my lovely new double pink for the 4 patch, and try and get a start on it by making it a leader ender project.

So as you can see there is lots of thinking and not a lot of sewing. What's new?

It's Been 9 Days

I can't believe I haven't posted for 9 days! Can it be true? Maybe - I haven't really been sewing much, instead I have been in the garden. What's different about today? It's RAINING. A miracle. We have had 2 inches and my rainwater tank is full and overflowing, so I have been outside this morning in the rain watering the garden. "What?" you say? Well if the tank is full, the extra water just goes down the overflow never to be seen again, and I can't handle that. So the idea is to water the garden from the tank while it is still filling up so that you get every last drop. The rain doesn't always penetrate the mulch, so it isn't as silly as it sounds. The thing I'm really peeved about is that I've bought another tank, but it hasn't arrived yet. If I'd had it in I could've half filled it overnight.

As you can see we are a bit obsessed about water here. The major dam is at 17% and the fish will die at 10%, so you can imagine water is a hot topic. If you want any sort of garden you must have tanks, and then pray that it will rain so that there is actually something in them.

So yesterday when the rain started I came upstairs and sat at the computer and the sewing machine for a while. I am way behind on my blogs - 1750+ to be read on my bloglines - and the sewing is going very slowly. I have been doing a few things though. I had to cut all the threads off the Over-Pink Flowery Number, which took quite a long time. Then I somehow got conned into darning a jumper (like I knew how to do that!). Anyway, a bit of google later, and what I don't know now about darning could go on the back of a postage stamp. I finished that yesterday, then made a couple of string blocks to send in the parcel to Heartstrings, as there is plenty of room in the PostPak.

The first one will probably not be sent as I stuffed up the trimming without thinking, and now the red stripe is not in the middle. I didn't even realise til I was trimming the 2nd one, but I'm onto it now. The dud can go in the Orphan Block container - I'm determined to have Orphan Quilts like some of you bloggers, one day.

I haven't done much more on the Zig Zag Quilt. I have finished all the strip sets and have started to cut them up, but there is a long way to go. Other than that, not much happening. The jumper finally was finished and Daniel was more excited to get a parcel in the post than he was to get the jumper I suspect, but he had it on when he rang up to say thankyou, so what more can you ask for? Apparently the sleeves are too long, but as winter is nearly over here, it will be good for next year I'm told, as boys grow taller and arms grow longer.

In beagle-related news, Simon has made a full recovery from his traumatic 2 weeks wearing the lampshade. I decided not to take him to the Vet for the suture removal, so my friend Jettie and I took them out on her back verandah. I tried to get a photo, but he sprung off the table so fast, that this is all I could get. This shows Jettie rewarding the patient with some liver treats.

Simon and I are having some quality time alone together this weekend, as Swampy has gone away to the beach. We've had a lovely time. Simon has been able to relax for a change, as he is constantly monitored by Swampy when she's here, and he can't do a thing on his own. We had a little play together last night, and he is now asleep on the spare bed while I sew and use the computer.

I might try and make a few more string blocks, then the day is nearly over.

5 Days in the Tub

You know what? I think I'm going to have to throw this fabric in the bin. It has been in the laundry tub for about 5 days now. It has been treated with salt and with vinegar a number of times, to no avail. You just couldn't trust it, so I think it will have to go.

I've never had such a problem. I bought it from the shop I usually buy my plain colours, so I'll tell the girls it is a dud next time I'm in there. I also bought some egg yolk yellow, and it ran a bit but quickly stopped.

I have not done any sewing since my last post. I have been nursing the invalid beagle (this really involves trying to keep him from springing on the beds and tearing up and down the stairs), and gardening. The winter days are really nice - in fact quite warm really. It was 26 deg C the other day, but down to 4 overnight. There is a place near here called Indigiscape, and once a month they open the nursery where they sell tubestock of plants native to the area. It is a native botanical garden, and usually if you go there you can see a koala way up a tree. I went on Saturday and got a heap of plants, so I have been putting them in. The soil here is fertile red soil, but it is clay and like a rock. A lot of time is spent digging a hole with the mattock, adding gypsum, organic matter, fertiliser, soil wetter etc before the tiny little plant even gets into the ground.

I have been nursing a little Lilly Pilly that came up from a seed, and the other day went to check on it and it was out of the ground roots and all. It is possible that a kookaburra pulled it up looking for a worm, but somehow I suspect Swampy who charges through the gardens to bark at all and sundry at the fence. So today I am calling the Steel Man, and I will be erecting a temporary fence around my new little plants.

There is very good news about Simon's lump. The Vet was very negative about it, suspecting a Mast Cell Tumour, which would involve toe amputation etc, but it turned out to be benign, so I am very relieved. You get so attached to them - especially we lonely single women who have noone else to come home to! We had to go back to the Vet yesterday to get the dressing taken off and the wound inspected, but the young lady Vet was so timid she gave me the scissors and I had to do it myself. Could have saved a trip over on the boat. Above is Si on the jetty looking into the boat - I couldn't get a very good photo as he wouldn't stand in the right place.

As this is supposed to be a quilting blog, I will put in the photo of the pink flowery number which is nearly finished. Just 2 borders to add. It has turned out better than expected, I think due to the borders. It is still a bit too pink for me though, so to Heartstrings it will go. I am a bit (very) behind on my blog reading, but hopefully I will catch up soon.

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.