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.

Dog Sleepover

We are having a 4 day dog sleepover, and frankly it has been semi- chaos. Neddy and Lucy belong to my friends on the island who have International visitors, so have gone away for a few days. It's school holidays so you'd never get them into a kennel, and anyway, nobody likes sending their dogs to the kennel, me included. So I offered to look after them, and now that we have sorted a few things out, all is well.

Lucy (the big brown kelpie) is the top dog, and likes to make sure that Neddy doesn't have too much fun. Neddy is a maniac, who wakes up at 4.30 am and seems to keep on going til bedtime. I didn't quite believe them when they said he would be bringing me presents at 4.30am, but now I do. My fluffy slippers, Chloe's toys etc. Then failed attempts to get on the bed, then successful attempts landing on my head. So last night Ned and Chloe slept in the loungeroom, but I don't think Chloe was impressed being sent down there with him. They are friends though, and play together like fools part of the time. This is Chloe and Ned, with Chloe on Lucy's bed which I don't think she wants to give back.

Lucy and Simon slept with me, the first night it was one on either side with me squashed in the middle, but last night I insisted on having my own side, and there were no problems.

Feeding time rivaled the zoo, but now we have one feeding time for all dogs - no chance to be precious here! Then to cap it off, I walked them today. Ha ha ha. The good thing is that Lucy walks off the lead, but this means you have to be watching for the dog catcher. The other 3 were a joke, so it will be 2 dogs only tomorrow.

As for sewing - who has time after supervising this lot? Plus it's getting hot now, and all I feel like doing is lying down having dozy afternoon naps, which isn't good. The day's nearly over and I've hardly done a thing. Oh well, I suppose I should enjoy it while I can. Maybe I could do some sewing tonight. Maybe. If you have come this far, sorry about the lack of sewing content.

Heartstrings Blocks

It is pink month at Heartstrings, so today I made a couple of blocks to get me back into sewing. As the end of the month is rapidly approaching, it was a good motivator to get started. It's amazing how once you start something you soon feel like moving onto something else.

As I am cycling around between 3 projects at the moment, it isn't very thrilling to keep seeing more of the same everytime I make a few more blocks of something.

I really enjoy making the string blocks - the big String Quilt I made some time ago I did without a foundation, but this method isn't really that much extra work. It certainly makes the blocks stable, whereas the long panels of strings were a bit stretchy.

Nothing much else happening really, just the little trials of life. I went to the Mainland yesterday as I was feeling a bit stircrazy, plus I really needed some petrol for the Island car, and I wanted to register Chloe and to do this I had to go into the Council office. You only keep the minimum petrol in the Island car, as it isn't uncommon to have it siphoned if it is down at the jetty at night, and I tend to run with the fuel gauge on empty, just below empty, half below empty, getting pretty empty, and SH*T it could run out any minute. Well it was on the latter.

When you bring petrol over on the WaterBus the deckie puts it on the front deck as it isn't allowed in the boat. The big risk then of course is forgetting to get it from them and off it goes to the next island. I often sit there saying the "don't forget the petrol" mantra, but yesterday I met Kirsten on the boat and as we were getting off we were talking and I was offering her a lift. We got in the car, got a bit up the road, and the car stutters and stops. It's dark, and my first thought is sh*t I've run out of petrol, closely followed by SH*T I've left the petrol on the boat! Aaargggh.

It could have been worse - I was quite close to the jetty and the car did actually start again so I was able to go back. Poor Kirsten had to walk, and I had to wait 40 mins for the boat to come around again to get my fuel. I must get sewing, but Kenny is on TV tonight which is a must watch Australian film, so you know what I'll be doing...

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.

Chloe

This is Chloe, our new beagle girl. We are both exhausted having driven 11 hrs (including brief stops) on Friday and Monday, combined with the stress of staying at someone else's house (I'm much more comfortable at home). She was very good in the car though, and slept most of the way on her cushion in the crate.

We got home last night on the 6.40 pm Waterbus - she shook a little on the trip, but was starting to relax by the time we reached the island. Simon doesn't understand how Swampy could have changed so much in one night. He is behaving as though she were Swampy, and Chloe is doing her own thing. She slept part of the night on the bed and part in a dog bed, and had a growl this morning when she obviously thought to herself "how did I get to this strange place?"

For a rescue beagle she is very good so far, so I am waiting to see if there is a skeleton in her closet - as long as it isn't the ability to scale a 5 ft fence, the ability and desire to dig under it, or excessive howling and separation anxiety, I will consider myself very lucky. She is a pretty girl and very soft, she loves to play and likes squeeky toys.

We are having a very quiet day today. I'm doing the washing, a token amount of housework, and seriously considering an afternoon nap.

Simon is sitting back and watching to see what happens next. I've had a message from Shane - he and Swampy are out and about today, so that's good for her to get some stimulation. Hopefully all will be well...

Getting Late

I should be in bed - it's getting late and I have a big day planned for tomorrow. A friend and I are hiring a ute and will be picking up furniture, birdbaths, terracotta pots, 25kg bags of dog food, gypsum, downpipes and so forth to bring over on the barge.

Then on Friday I'll be driving down to Newcastle which is a 9 hour drive so I will be leaving at the Crack of Dawn. It's a fair way - I plan to make it in a day, but if I get tired I'll stop for the night. I'm staying the weekend with some friends and catching up with some others who will be driving north to see me, then all going well I will be coming home with a new beagle who will live with us. She is a rescue dog and is 3 yo. Swampy the cattle dog is going to move back to live with the Ex (she is his dog), and then I will have 2 beagles.

All paws crossed here for a compatible relationship between Simon and his new sister, but having spoken to her foster mother this week about her behaviour, I am hopeful.

So lots of organising going on, and not a lot of sewing. I have been making a few more of the string blocks from the previous 2 posts - I have done 17 now, and I have been working on the Repro 4 patch. Here are a few blocks pinned up. I like the pink, and realised after I had quickly snapped the photo that the quilt will be on point, so please turn your heads 45 deg to one side. I can see you doing that!

Better go to bed; I will be away 4 or 5 days, so will catch up then with all the exciting dog news (we hope). She has to like me I'm told, so she may choose someone else. But I know The Secret Way of the Beagle, and plan to have tasty biscuits in my pocket at our first meeting...

PS it's raining and my tank is over half full. Knew that would make your day ha!

Cheryl's Idea

Thanks go to Cheryl for the idea for the blog banner. I've thought before about doing one, but have never found a photo I like. I had this idea of making this really long piece of fairybread, but then I'd have to eat it.

I'll try it on for size for a while and see how if fits. It's very bright.

Where's This Going?

Please excuse my total lack of humility, but I'm really loving this string quilt. As you can see I've finished 12 blocks, and now I'm not sure where to go with it. The original project using this fabric was to be a wall hanging for above where I sit at the computer. My walls are cream with a pale green feature wall in front of me here, and I thought it would be good there.

I'm not really a wall hanging person you know. I have decided to hang the doll quilts in this room, but never before have I made a wall hanging. But as I am really liking this, of course I want to make it into a quilt.

Then comes the "how big do I make it?" dilemma, and of course my answer to that question is always "huge". There are only 2 beds in the house and both are queen size. What's the point of having a smaller quilt?

I can't see one. It's not like I don't have enough fabric, because surprise, surprise, I do...

The blocks are untrimmed in the photo, but they will be 9 inches finished. To keep the pattern going that means multiples of 4. The top of a queen size mattress is about 60 x 80. I don't think it needs a border, so to cover the top of the bed and keep the pattern that means 72 x 90 inches, which = 8 x 10 blocks, which = 80 blocks! 12 done. Oh why does it always get so out of control?

Here it is from a bit of a distance - even as a wallhanging the pattern will be incomplete, unless I added one more row to the bottom and made it square.

Or other options to the left for a quilt with an odd number of blocks. It doesn't do it for me I'm afraid. Any suggestions or experiences gratefully received.

Short Attention Span

What do you think about the bottom two string blocks? I made the centre strip as bright as I could and used the less bright pink/orange for the diamond. I think it might work OK if I do it that way. Thoughts?

I was asked about my house being up on stilts - it is a pole house, and it's so high to get the view and for coolness, also helpful for looking for termites. Plus one day someone will build right between me and the sea, so I wanted to be as high as I could for that eventuality. I'm currently planting tall shrubs and trees in front of that fenceline in preparation. Ages ago I did a post on some of the different houses around here - I'll put a link to it. Also here. All the houses are very different, as it has been the sort of a place to have your beach shack or weekender in the past, but now more people are living here permanently. The land has been very cheap and the place attracts people who tend not to want to live in a 4 bedroom brick house with a family room. Also due to the difficulties of getting stuff over here, my house is a kit house that came on the back of a truck ready to be put together, as it was impossible to get a builder at the time.

I have also started on my 4 patch blocks. I'm a bit hopeless with my attention span - I need 3 projects to do at once or I get bored with it. So I make a string block, sew a few 4 patch blocks, cut a few Zig Zag strips and round I go. I look at a few blogs as well and play a couple of games of Freecell.

Today the sun is shining, so I'd better go and wash some clothes too. I hardly have anything left after the week of rain.

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?

New Fabric

My new fabric has arrived today. This is the fabric bought with the proceeds of the ebay sell-off of boring stash. This is much nicer. The photo is taken under a slightly yellow light without the flash, so the pinks are a bit pinker than shown. All those lovely double pinks - and see the big piece of pink to the left at the front? This is to finish the 4 Patch UFO. They didn't have quite enough, so I will use the new Charleston IV pinks when the other runs out. How unlike me to actually have fabric in a quilt that has not been bought on sale? The Charleston is the first full price fabric I have bought in a long time, but it was so lovely I just 'had to have'. That's it at the front, except for the big piece, which was on sale.

What an exciting day I've had - water is going into the new rainwater tank, and I get fabric in the post! Obviously I have to get out more, and that isn't the first time I've written that on this blog.

Otherwise today it has been housework, then a quick batch of scones when a friend came over to marvel at the tank (we're weird, I know, but when you love your garden...), then fabric fondling, and a couple of string blocks.

While I've been making these string blocks, I've been looking up at the pink, orange, aqua and green 'thing' on the design wall, which has officially gone from UFO to abandoned project in the last UFO census. I was just going to put the bits of fabric back in the scrap box and forget about it. But then I thought maybe I could use it to make a string quilt? I could use the pink/orange pieces for the centre stripe, the greens and blues on either side, then maybe a pink/orange triangle at the end which would make a diamond when the squares were sewn together. I had a look at the pink strips, and they are all cut 3 inches, so I might make a test block with the 2 1/2 inch stripe in the centre and see if it looks too wide.

Now how many quilts does that make underway? Lets not go there, ok?

Extreme Weather & Red Mud

Not much sewing, just one more string block. What is happening here is some extreme weather with winds to 90km/hr, and a bit more rain thank goodness.

I have been under the house in the red mud trying to get the new rainwater tank hooked up. It is now connected in a dodgy sort of way, but connected, as I was desperate to get some of this rain into it. It's a big sucker (considering where it had to go), and as we tried to tip it from its side to an upright position, it looked like we weren't going to be able to do it. But on the last try, we moved it just enough to get it to clear the roof. No photos of it today as it is dark and gloomy under there and it's pretty miserable outside, and I tell you what - I'm not going down there into the mud to take a photo, blog or not! I will share my shoes with you so you can see what I have been playing in.

Unfortunately the weather system is now moving north, taking most of the rain, and just leaving the wind. I tell you it's pretty exciting down on the jetty, and I saw someone's back verandah roof which had blown off today.

Think I will do some sewing tomorrow, as the weather will still be miserable.

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.

Double Pink Alert

For those reproduction fabric lovers, have you seen Charleston IV? It has a great range of double pinks, which I often find hard to source - maybe that's because I'm cheap and like to buy things on sale, and these fabrics always get snapped up... Anyway, have a look at this range if you are interested. I bought a few yesterday when I had to scratch a shopping itch with the money I made from selling my unwanted stash. They have them cheaper at Z & S, but they must have sold out of some as they are no longer showing the full range.

As I said, I did a little bit of BUY NOW button pushing yesterday which was fun. I bought some of the double pinks, and also a large piece of pink to finish off my 4 patch UFO. I will use the big piece for most of the setting squares, and add some of the new pinks in as well. I bought some other repros too, so I will start watching out for the Post Man in a weeks time. Oh and I bought 1/2 yard of Kona Solid red to replace my red fabric that had to go in the bin, so hopefully the dye will not run as I expect the quality will be a lot higher

I also bought these brights at the only local shop I buy from who were having 25% off their already very low prices. Thought I'd make some string blocks.

I'm still going on the Zig Zag quilt. I haven't finished the strip sets yet, but I'm getting there. Of course I'm making the biggest size quilt (is there no hope for me?), and I have been thinking about how I am going to most easily do the next step. Once you finish the strip sets you cut them into 1 1/2 inch pieces, then sew them together offsetting them by 1 inch. The original size of the yellow strip is 1 1/2 inch, so with seam allowance that makes it a smidgen bigger than 1 1/4. I wanted to figure out a way to eyeball it, not have to draw a line or anything, and I think I've figured it out today.

The bottom one is right but the top one is a bit off. It might seem like I'm being fiddly, but when you have all the strips together, you have to slice off the points of the yellow 1/4 inch from the edge of the coloured bits, so there isn't a lot of room to manouver. I am thinking positively, as there are a hell of a lot of the little suckers to sew together!

By the way, the maroon jumper is finished too - good on ya Mum. Mum sewed it together and we posted it from her place yesterday so I don't have a photo of it. Myabe my sister will take one when it arrives. I've decided that I like knitting, but I don't have the staying power to finish anything that takes a bit of time.

Finished UFO

I have finished the Over-Pink Flowery Number, as it has come to be called, and off it goes to Heartstrings. Maybe it will suit an elderly lady. It is a real relief to just have to finish the Flimsy then put it in the post. I will have to spend a fair bit of time trimming the threads though, as these strips have been cut for about a year and are all fraying.

So the good news is that now that's finished I have allowed myself to start the 1930s Zig Zag Quilt. This photo is from the magazine's kit page, but I am using my own fabric. I see there is only one kit left so they may take the photo down soon.

I've had the fabric for a while now, but felt a bit guilty about the UFOs. Now one is finished, my guilt level has dropped considerably, and it is exciting to start something new. I have started the strip sets, then they all have to be cut into 1 1/2 inch strips and sewn back together off line. Might not be so excited about it all by then!

Otherwise all is quiet here. Simon is back to his normal self, but still has the lampshade on. I'm supposed to take him back to get his stitches out on the weekend, but if the last visit was anything to go by I'll probably end up doing that too, so I think I might just take them out myself. I have a friend here who is also a nurse and dog mother, so we will do it together. Save another trip over on the waterbus. Still trying to catch up on blog reading, and the red fabric has gone in the bin.

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.

Busy with the Beagle

Poor Simon has had an operation, which has kept us busy. We went to the Vet on Monday for his vaccinations and to get his 'old dog' lumps and bumps looked at, and we were back Tuesday morning (with an empty stomach!) for surgery. I spent the day on the Mainland and didn't get home til late, and then with a drugged and dazed boy who needed supervision.

His beagle instincts were not affected, as he tried to follow a lady off the boat at the wrong island as she had a BBQ chicken in her bag. Typical. In the 10 years I have owned him he has never once been off his food.

So we are trying to stay downstairs as much as possible, because otherwise he is up and down, then jumping up and down off the beds. Sadly the sewing machine and computer are upstairs, so I feel mean spending more than half an hour up here.

On Tuesday I managed to con Mum into having a go at sewing up the jumper - I'm so bad. But she is doing some thing with a crochet hook, so I let her go for it. SOON it will be finished, and soon it will be summer.

As for sewing, I have nearly finished the pink flowery number, and frankly it has turned out better than expected. I just have 2 borders to put on, which I may get finished today, but I have promised it to Heartstrings, so off it goes. Then I think I'll reward myself by starting the 1930s Zig Zag quilt. I have my big string quilt in the washing machine at the moment, and I am hoping it won't run. I've had half a yard of plain red homespun in the laundry tub for 24hrs now trying to get it to stop running. I have put salt in, but still it runs. What to do? I don't think it will ever stop.

DQS 2 Flickr Photos

Photo of my Doll Quilt on the DQS 2 Flickr photo album.
Closeup photo.

I would suggest having a look at the Flickr album for the swap if it interests you - there are some lovely little quilts.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/dollquiltswap/

Can't Think of a Title

There were quite a few horrified remarks after my last post, with some people thinking I took no photos of the Doll Quilt I made for the swap. I did, as you can see, but I forgot to take one once the binding was sewn down. This one is of it all finished, except the hand sewing on the binding, which is sitting toward the front. If you wanted to look at other progress photos, I have my Labels visible on my blog, so you could click there.

I haven't been doing much sewing this week as I'm in a bit of a general slump. I don't even feel much like reading blogs. I have done a little bit on the hexagons, but it is too bulky now to do in front of the TV- I really need to sit at the table to do it.

I'm in 'intimidation mode' about sewing up the jumper I have finally finished for Daniel. I have read the mattress stitch instructions and had some advice, but....

As for UFOs I have been doing a bit of work on this flowery number. It has been a real struggle to sew something that you don't really like. I have also figured out that one of the fabrics smells funny, which makes me feel yuk. I have been at a bit of loss what to do with it, but today I have finally decided to make this section 40 inches wide, then put some sort of border around it of the same strips, so they will be going in the opposite direction. I would like to put a plain strip before the border, but I am struggling to find something that will match. I do have a pale mottly cream that might do, but I'm not sure if I have enough fabric.

I just want to finish it to Flimsy stage, then pass it on. I was reading the HeartStrings blog, and they might take it. We have a coordinator in Austalia, so that would save going through the Terrorist Interrogation at the Post Office.

The winter days are so lovely here at the moment, that I have been spending more time outside. I am about to buy another rainwater tank which will go under the house in a 'system' with the other one - this is to save on plumbing and digging. I have checked out the downpipes, and I can't see why I shouldn't be able to divert some of them into the new tank myself. "Have hacksaw..." In preparation for its arrival I have been cleaning up under the house. When the builders left, they chucked everything left over under there, and I have gradually been supplementing the firewood with the offcuts. I have now reached a point where anything useable has been used, so a general sorting out was required. I did 2 trips to the Tip, and came home with more stuff! Only plants though, so that's ok. I took some cuttings and brought home some nice green banana leaves for the compost.

Now I just need to dig a bit of a level spot, then get them to send some crusher dust with the tank to sit it on. I have also been gardening and moving some plants to new spots. I had a salad of Cos lettuce, rocket and herbs from my vege patch last night, so it makes it all worthwhile.

Ooh Ooh Lucky Me!

My Doll Quilt arrived today! It is gorgeous! Sorry about the excessive use of the exclamation mark, but nothing else does the trick!

I am Ms Jan's ...recipient..., and how lucky am I? It looks much better in real life than my photo, as it is a bit of a gloomy day here today. Jan has hand quilted it and washed it, and it is all crinkly and beautiful. Lucky me!

Here is the label - I put a piece of paper over Jan's last name as I wasn't sure if she would want her name on the internet.

I love 1930s prints, and have a whole stash of them but have never really made anything out of them. The Zig Zag quilt that I am planning to make when I have made a little dent in the UFOs will be the first major project.

I have had an email from my Doll Quilt recipient Jennifer, but I don't think she has had a chance to put it on her blog. I'm counting on her to take and send me a photo as I didn't take one before I sent it.

I've really enjoyed the Doll Quilt Swap - nothing like a deadline to get you moving, and because it was a small project, it was do-able. I'll be signing up again.

New Fabric

I have been buying new fabric - not much, but a little bit. I am in the black though, as I have also been selling some of my stash on ebay. I hope you Stash Busters aren't too shocked, but that is my way of getting rid of it. Then I spend the proceeds on more fabric. Perfect!

I used to sell fabric on ebay as a bit of a sideline, as it is so expensive here, and it can be bought so cheaply from the US. My aim was not to really make money, but I would buy a yard, sell half of it for what I paid for the whole thing, and then get half a yard of free fabric for me. I quite enjoyed it, and got quite a little customer base going. But then they put the fees up in a huge way, and it was no longer worth it, so I stopped. It was an interesting experience though, as I was continually surprised by what would sell, and what wouldn't. I would have something that (I thought) was great, and it would sit there and sit there, then someone would pay big bucks for something that I thought I'd never get rid of . I quickly learnt to only buy fabric I would be happy to be left with, or could make something out of for someone.

Anyway, lately I have been going through the remaining fabric from that time, old stuff I have bought, and have sold A$230 worth since May, and I have a little bit more to put up. I had a few kids panels and stuff like that that I would never use, and it is amazing how much they go for. I have this fabric that has animals and the letters of the alphabet on it in individual frames, and each A - Z is 12 x 22 inches. The first one I put up (for 99C) went for $18! Crazy. Now the remainder are selling for a few dollars as I expected. I have been quite ruthless, and cleared a lot of fabric that I knew deep down I wouldn't use, and it feels good.

There is one local fabric shop that I buy from. They sell seconds and odd bolts quite cheaply, and I have made friends with one of the ladies there who is also a quilter. She tells me when the next shipment is due if I happen to be in there, but you have to be quick. Yesterday I bought 2m of this 50s kitchen scene that I have no idea what I will do with, and these 3 (0.5m each). You can never have too many black and white spots, and the other 2 will go in with the repros.

I also couldn't help myself when I saw these 2 Michael Miller prints. I bought some to sell. The Cowboy one is always a good seller, especially I find if you put some coordinating fat quarters with it. The other one is nice too, so I hope it goes. It's nice to see some cute things for boys.

Otherwise, I have done a bit on the pink UFO, which I was amazed eveyone liked so much. It's good that we all have different taste. I have found a pink floral border print in the cleanout, so if it is big enough I will use that up for the border, maybe with a plain green skinny border inside it. I have a friend who might like it, but now I'm thinking about the quilting. I vowed not that long ago that I would not quilt another large quilt, but is it worth paying to have done? I would rather have the Japanese quilt done. I suppose I should cross that bridge when I come to it.

The knitting continues - I picked up the ball of yarn yesterday from Mum, so soon it will be finished I hope. I have been working on the hexagons in front of the TV at night in the meantime. I think it was good to face the UFOS, and refocus.

Found Another One

I have found another UFO. I found these strips in a plastic bin. I have a vague recollection of doing this - they are 2 1/2 inch strips sewn end to end then cut into equal lengths, so I must've had a plan. I remember wanting to git rid of this fabric as much of it was bought early on in my stash building life, and as you know we don't always make the right choices at that time, not having been exposed to all the options!

So I will try and finish it too, as it will be easy. As I was ironing it all, I was trying to think what I will do with it. It will have to be given away, as it is not my thing.

As to what I have been doing? Not much really. After finishing and posting the Doll Quilt Swap quilt, I have had a little lull, apart from the knitting of course. I realise that I did not take a photo of the finished DQ, which was stupid of me, and after I'd posted it I had to have time to get over the feeling that I must be a terrorist. Australia Post has really cracked down on sending parcels overseas. I had to show ID, sign customs forms that they kept a copy of, they won't let you put it in a post box (no post office here), I got a lecture from the 1st post office lady for not having everything I needed, then when I went to hand it in at another post office, I got a lecture there because the first lady had put the wrong sticker on the envelope, and on it went. Quite traumatic!

Never-the-less it is on its way. As to the blasted jumper, Mum finished the top of the 2nd sleeve, but did not get around to doing the 1st one, so I have it back. I knitted away and came to the end of the ball and realised that the last ball of yarn is at Mum's place! What a comedy of errors. BTW, I found out when researching International posting that you are not allowed to post wool to the USA. I bet there are plenty of knitters and swappers that didn't know that.

Anyway, it is nearly finished. Half a sleeve to go and the neckband and sewing it all together. It had better fit! I have been doing it while sitting up late at night watching Le Tour de France. Did you know that the Tour will be going past the end of Clare's road in a week or two? She told me she is going to hold up a sign, so we might get to see her.

Name & Shame

QUILTING UFOs

1. Repro 4 patch - queen size. All 4 patches made, but don't have the fabric for the setting squares.

2. Wagga - queen size. Started this last winter, but I'm not too sure if I want to go on with it. On hold ? to abandon.

3. Denim quilt - huge. Quilt as You Go method, and all done except for top and bottom borders, which have been cut out, and the binding. Started this some years ago, but have had mental block about finishing it. However I have now decided to keep it when finished, and have actually got the borders out of the cupboard, which is progress.

4. Raggy edge small quilt - already decided to sew along edge and give it to the dog. Started right back when I started quilting and the fabric is average, and I don't like it.

5. Aqua, green and orange largeish wall hanging - started last year from photo in Japanese quilt book. Pieces have been hanging on design wall since then, and really I'm not sure if I want to go on with it either. Positive is that fabric could easily go back into scrap bins.

6. Hexagon quilt - about double bed size, by hand. Top nearly finished, but current winter knitting craze has taken over hand sewing time. Concern for this quilt is what am I going to do with it when I finish it? It really needs to be hand quilted, but I am not competent.

7. Civil War Diary Quilt (see photo album in sidebar) - 8 blocks made, 113 to go - ha ha ha.

FLIMSYS

8. Japanese Quilt - queen size. Have backing fabric, batting and top finished. I'm going to have it quilted professionally one day.












9. Doll quilt - small. Need some batting. Have backing sewn.

PIGS

10. Zig Zag Quilt - queen size. Have 30's fabrics cut as per pattern, have green and yellow setting fabrics not yet cut.




I do have fabric for other projects that are really just in my mind - no concrete decisions made or fabric cut, so we wont go there.

I hope this is all there is.

I think I might tackle the Denim Quilt first.