Leafy inspiration

The centre panel of Autumn Rhapsody is done.

The fabric on the sides is the bed sheet laid over the slightly rough wire fence, to protect the quilt.  Because of plants and rocks it wouldn't ~quite~ hang straight, but you get the idea; just two borders, a narrow inner and a wider outer, and the top will be done.  It's been good therapy while my damaged bits have been healing, so yay for me!

Earlier today I was tootling around in EQ7, when I came across a project I had forgotten about.

Many (many!) years ago I saw a similar quilt at a show.  From memory its blocks were fairly small - possibly three inch finished HSTs - but the thought popped into my head that those 78 leftover HST blocks would also work with this design; the finished block size was enlarged to four inches which, with borders, will make a quilt.58 inches square.  That means only 66 more HSTs are needed so just 33 squares to be cut....that's not much, is it....it isn't as though I lack for fabric, after all!  This colouring uses batik fabrics (that, too, must have been part of my original brainwave) and one background, but my autumn fabrics will have mixed backgrounds.  The twisted pole design which was my original idea for the leftovers can wait its turn, this design will use up those leftover blocks very quickly.

Since we moved here 14 years ago we have had surprises in the garden, one of which is these bluebells which pop up every now and then.  They don't flower every year, but are pretty when they do; they share their spot with the white snowdrops which flowered a few weeks ago.

The binding on my blue and green quilt is almost all sewn to the back; one more evening's TV viewing should do it then it, too, can be photographed in the garden, with a bit of luck before the bluebells finish flowering.....because they, too, are blue and green.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn by hand and by machine.  Exercises have been diligently done each day.  Songs have been sung and notes plinked, a little shopping so we don't starve, and that's been our week.

Speaking of songs....our choir director, Bill, is a very clever musician.  He has written plays and musicals, some of whose songs have been sung by the choir at concerts.  For a while now he has been talking of his latest musical based on a famous Australian book 'We of the Never-Never' by Jeannie Gunn.  (I'm ashamed to say I have never read it, but plan to do so in the near future.)  Since late last year we have been learning songs from the musical, and really enjoying it....and now it is to be performed, with the choir in the cast.  Its first performance will be a concert performance so there will be no scenery, no fancy lighting or costumes; singers playing the leads will wear performance black, with their character being shown by a hat, or a costume prop to set the scene.  We in the chorus - the 'ensemble' - will wear black pants with bright tops or shirts, one single colour each.  So....in mid-November we will take part in a World Premiere Performance, how amazing is that!  It's a great honour to be part of such an occasion.

Nights and mornings are still cool enough to have a fire which we let go out during the day ,before lighting it again in the evening.  Rain is forecast for later in the coming week, we'll see if it falls.  From the various forecasts it's going to be fairly widespread and, in some places, quite heavy.  Some rain would be welcome as things are currently a bit dry, but we don't want a flood.  This evening is the spring equinox, so - like it or not - we can look forward to several months of warm, if not hot, weather.

Concluding Conduct in an artist's studio:

"A visitor should never stand behind an artist and watch him at his work; for if he is a man of nervous temperament it will be likely to disturb him greatly."

To which I might add, don't stand behind me when I am sewing and creating.  Even though I wouldn't describe myself as being of  "nervous temperament" it still puts me off.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Visitors

We have had visitors popping round lately, but not human ones......

 Ever since we moved here we have been entertained by kangaroos and wallabies on the hill behind us.  Sometimes they come fairly close to our fence, as they did earlier this week.

It was late afternoon, as you can see by the shadows.  Rain is badly needed, so the roos are coming close to fences in search of grass.

Occasionally we have seen two males roos fighting, and I wouldn't like to be nearby when they do as it looks quite vicious.  They balance on their tails while raking at their opposite number's chest with those powerful back legs and claws, while their heads are held back out of the way.

It's been an interesting time lately here at Chateau des Wombats.  Recently our main computer displayed a message that our virus protection wasn't working and suggested what to do about it......Kevin duly followed the suggested steps......computer told us that any added apps would be removed......right-oh, he said and pressed the 'run' button.......

......and all my bookmarks have gone, EQ7 disappeared into the ether, as did many other programs.  All are being slowly re-instated, the wonderful technical support folk at EQ helped with re-installation, and I am slowly becoming a happy woman once more.

Sigh.

The green purse only needs handles and an internal base to be finished, then a new guilt-free project can be started.

According to some people - not me, I hasten to add - today is the first day of spring.  Many years ago a bright spark somewhere decided that the first day of the months of September, December, March and June would arbitrarily bring a change of season, but you and I know that a new season doesn't suddenly happen overnight; it's a gradual process over several weeks.  It would make more sense had the first day of the following month been chosen instead, i.e. October, January, April and July, because that's when there is a noticeable difference in weather.  So every three months I yell at the TV when the announcer says "Today is the first day of a new season"......"No, it isn't" I say loudly.......

So spring is coming and that means the weather will get warmer, and before we know it summer will be upon us with its heat and I don't do summer very well, so will be hanging out for autumn to arrive......it's no wonder my life is flashing by before my eyes, is it?

My Winding Ways quilt is hanging in an exhibition at an art space in our local council building, the exhibition is of work by volunteers at a local gallery so there will be textiles, and paintings, and all manner of interesting works.  I shall endeavour to view it, for the thrill of hanging in public, before it closes; it only opened today, so there will be opportunities next week.  Fame at last.......

"Public mention of private matters.
Do not parade merely private matters before a public or mixed assembly or to acquaintances.  If strangers really wish to become informed about you or your affairs, they will find the means to gratify their curiosity without your advising them gratuitously.  Besides, personal and family affairs, no matter how interesting they may be to the parties immediately concerned, are generally of little moment to outsiders.  Still less will the well-bred person inquire into or narrate the private affairs of any other family or individual."

When I was growing up family affairs were never spoken of outside one's family, they were regarded as being no one else's business, and while this seems to have changed (reality TV, anyone?) I do my best to ignore other folks blathering on about their own and their family's private life.  I mind my own business, and expect others to do the same.

Enjoy your days!

September in the rain

Wouldn't that make a good song title?  Oh, wait.......okay......

However it is September, and it has been raining, and many roads hereabouts are closed and the river which flows through town is flooded.  There was a flood a couple of months after we moved here, they happen every so many years; I can remember some really bad floods when I was a child.  We're surrounded by hills, so the river gets a lot of water coming down.

Meanwhile, here's some of our soggy garden.  Our lovely little plant had its name changed some years ago; it used to be called eriostemon myoporoides, but no sooner had I learned to pronounce it than some learned botanists put their heads together and decided it wasn't that at all, it was something else altogether.  It's apparently related to citrus, the leaves smell heavenly when rubbed as they have a lot of oil in them.

 Our somewhat pricey standard grevillea, which makes quite a statement in the front garden.

Hardenbergia, fortunately not the variety which takes over the universe......this one is more discreet.

 Another grevillea, 'Robyn Gordon' - birds love these flowers.

 As promised, the green chair.  It's more turquoise than green, and is so much prettier than when it was an old person's chair!

Don't worry about the mess in the background, I'm not the world's best housekeeper.  Just admire the chair.

Had a good time at the craft show last weekend, even though it was small.  I did buy some fabric for the next hand-pieced project which has started percolating in my brain; those Flower Basket blocks which have been 'on the go' for over ten years will soon be too unwieldy for a portable project, but my fingers will still need something to do.  After much deliberation and cogitation I decided to make a tumbler quilt using my stash of repro fabrics, some of which go back nigh on twenty years, but they needed more neutrals.  This morning I ordered a tumbler template online. and have been fondling my repro fabrics a few times to get acquainted with them.  At this stage I have no idea how big to make it, so I think I will just start sewing and take it from there.

The black and white blocks are coming along nicely.  The whole quilt may or may not be done for the Big Reveal at the end of November, but who's worried?  Not me......it will be done when it's done.

At the Annual General Meeting of our small but quite serious quilt group last year I put up my hand to be our Charity Quilt Co-Ordinator and so far my services haven't been needed.  Recently Madame Presidente contacted me about providing a design and block instructions, and much to my surprise she said she really liked my BOM (last month it was my turn to provide a BOM sample and instructions) so much that she would like our quilt for a Good Cause to use the same block design.  I had fun putting together a few layouts in EQ7, and the diagonal setting was a hands-down winner.  Her mantra is "it's gotta be BRIGHT......make it BRIGHT......it's not BRIGHT enough......" and, while I also like bright colours, there is a point when bright crosses over into garish.  Hopefully any somewhat quieter bright blocks will all play nicely with the louder bright blocks to make the cheerful quilt requested by a children's cancer organisation.

What is it with blokes and the TV remote?  Are they congenitally incapable of keeping their hands off the thing?  Even Euan, who won't turn two for another three months, keeps playing with theirs.  Obviously his grandfather's remote fiddling genes have passed to his father, who has passed them in turn to his son......it is so irritating when one is watching something and, as soon as an ad comes on, the household bloke starts scrolling through the alternatives.  Makes one think that the cultures who chop off a hand for certain misdeeds have the right idea, they could add TV remote fiddling to the list of crimes.

I bet the good folk of the 1880s would have had something to say in the etiquette book about fiddling with the TV remote when one's wife is watching a program.

"The true gentleman.
Politeness is benevolence in all things.  A true gentleman must regard the rights and feelings of others, even in matters the most trivial.  He respects the individuality of others, just as he wishes others to respect his own."

Doesn't that sound to you as though it means "keep your hands off the remote when your wife is watching her program"?  I don't change channels when he is watching sport, sport and more sport, much as I feel like doing so.

Enjoy your days!

Hey, rain.....

....rain coming down,
On the cane, on the roofs of the town......

From a poem by Aussie Bill Scott, and very apt today because we are having some very welcome rain.  It's not so welcome in Queensland, they are having tornadoes and floods, but it has been so dry here lately that we will take whatever we can get and be grateful for it.

It rained the day we visited Kincardine, too.  That's Lake Huron in the distance.

 Don't you love the different colours of autumn?  It's not all orange, or gold, or red....there is such a mix of colours.

Just taking a coffee break from sewing blocks together for a charity quilt.  The blocks were made by group members and when I measured them I found that some folk were rather creative with their seams.......one in particular was not well made, it had equal sides but wasn't square, more of a parallelogram and the sides may have measured equal but they weren't straight......but I was determined to use it because there were nine blocks and if that one wasn't used another would have had to be made in its place.......so its sides were trimmed as straight as possible, and all blocks were bordered with 2-1/2in borders of cream fabric.  Then, genius what I am, I made a paper template 9-1/2in square and used it to cut all the blocks on an angle to get wonky squares.  They are now in the process of being sashed with pale blue solid, then bordered with mid and dark blue solids.  The block design is a bird, a swallow, hence the blue borders - and because they are wonky they look as though they are darting round the sky.  A pic will be taken when it's all together, I promise.  Those blocks have been taking up space in my sewing room for well over a year so it's time they were moved out.

For the border design and measurements I used EQ7, drew it up , used their measurements to buy the border fabrics, and to cut them, then wondered why they wouldn't fit the by-then-trimmed-to-size blocks, and realised that although I had cut the fabrics to the measurements given, I had put the wrong size into my design in the first place.  Fortunately the error was easily fixed as I had put in a bigger size and the sashings and borders needed a little trimmed off them; it would not have been good had I put in a smaller size.  So if you would like 24 pieces of light blue solid fabric each half an inch by 1-1/2 inches, speak up now.

We have been enjoying some of the festival music, even though it's called a country music festival I wouldn't call all the music we have heard 'country'.  Why put music in boxes?  You either enjoy it, or you don't.  We spent yesterday afternoon at a pub on The Other Side Of The River......yes indeed, we crossed over......listening to a musician we have heard play at folk festivals in past years, Andy Baylor.  Great music, really danceable; some people took to the floor, and we enjoyed watching them dance as much as they enjoyed dancing.  We came home with three new CDs and are looking forward to hearing them.  Next month Andy will be playing at a jazz festival - see what I mean about boxes?  Folk festival, country music festival, jazz festival.....who decides how these genres are defined?

Unfortunately my healing foot didn't allow me up on the dance floor, but I would have if I could have, and if I had a partner.  But it is getting better, the swelling has nearly all gone down which makes it easier to move, which in turn means that I move more.  However, this year was to be the year that my torn shoulder was fixed, I had psyched myself up to Going Under The Knife and was looking forward to being pain-free, until Kevin (being a tough Aussie bloke and not asking for help) hurt his shoulder loading a suitcase into our car at the very start of our Canadian holiday last year, we hadn't even left home. He has now found out he has torn two muscles in his shoulder, so bang goes my chance to be fixed....I only have one torn tendon, even though it was done a few years ago and it is uncomfortable and sometimes annoying.....can you blame me for being slightly miffed?  I was told that immediately after the operation I would have to keep my arm in a fixed position for six weeks, then limited movement while having physiotherapy, all of which would take at least three months; I had been hoping to have it done before next summer, as having one's arm strapped to one's body could be uncomfortable in hot weather.  Being one-armed means depending on one's partner for help with tasks like hair washing, so the aforementioned partner needs to have two working hands, arms and shoulders.  By the time Kevin gets to see a specialist (probably in the Big Smoke), and arranges for his operation, and goes through his rehabilitation of at least three months, it will be getting on for summer again......so there goes my chance to be fixed this year.  I am peeved, and more than a little resentful.

Ah well.  No doubt these things happen for a reason.  I have yet to decide what that reason is, in this case.

"In society, everybody should receive equal attention, the young as well as the old.  A high authority says 'If we wish our young people to grow up self-possessed and at ease, we must early train them in those graces by giving them the same attention and consideration we do those of maturer years.  If we snub them, and systematically neglect them, they will acquire an awkwardness and a deprecatory manner, which will be very difficult for them to overcome'"

If we were both to receive equal attention then we could both have our shoulders fixed at the same time.....but how would we cope, with both of us being one-armed for a while?

Enjoy your days!

Finished.......just before we go away!

Yay for me - this year's challenge quilt is finished, several weeks early!  The final stitches were taken on the binding yesterday evening.  Here it is, "Plastered Pinwheels" in all its glory.

 There were three pinwheels left so, not being one to waste fabric (hah!) they were used on the back, which is a soft yellow check.

 A corner of the quilt so you can admire those pretty fabrics and the quilting.

 The back, so you can gasp at the skilful use of those leftovers.  As the backing had to be pieced, it was easier to make a feature of the join than to pretend it wasn't there.

The label, which tells how the quilt came to have this name.  A word of advice from one who has learned the hard way.....do not use white-on-white fabric for a label.  It is not easy to write on and doesn't look great when it's done.  But it is done, and that's the main thing.

Just to recap:  on our last visit to Canada in October 2009, while strolling along Kingston Road, Scarborough, looking for a coffee (unusually there wasn't a Tim's in sight) I rolled my ankle on the uneven surface and went down.  Broke my left arm - both bones at the wrist end - and sprained my right wrist.  Not fun, and rather painful.  Once we came home and the pain had receded it was just a matter of waiting for my wrists to heal and for the plaster to be removed.  Having a plastered arm is rather boring, you know.......couldn't knit or crochet (believe me, I tried), couldn't hand sew, I could read but couldn't hold a book so reading had to be done at a table.  But those little squares left from another project were in my sewing room, and although it was quite slow and painstaking they could be fed through the machine.  So 128 little pinwheel blocks were made, and some are more beautiful than others because the centres don't quite line up on every block - but it was about the achievement rather than the accuracy, and it was an achievement at the time.  Those little blocks (2-1/4in each when finished) have made a quilt measuring over 60in square, and it was designed on EQ7.

Only two more sleeps until we fly to Canada!  It's Thanksgiving weekend over there, so best wishes to my Canadian family and friends and we will see you on Tuesday arvo.  It will be so good to see our son and his lovely girlfriend again, we miss them.  We're glad he's happy, but a little sad that he had to go all the way to the far side of the known universe to find happiness.

So today is being given over to packing, and cuddles with Binky (The World's Friendliest Cat) and Bianca (The Beautiful but Slightly Brainless White Cat), and cooking something nice for dinner tonight to share with our house-sitters who will arrive sometime this afternoon.

Today's quote seems apt in view of events in the Australia media recently.  Aussies will know what I mean, and if you don't - just enjoy the quote.

"Dogmatic style of speaking.
Never speak dogmatically or with an assumption of knowledge or information beyond that of those with whom you are conversing.  Even if you are conscious of this superiority, a proper and becoming modesty will lead you to conceal it as far as possible, that you may not put to shame or humiliation those less fortunate than yourself.  If they discover your superiority of their own accord, they will have much more admiration for you than though you forced the recognition upon them.  If they do not discover it, you cannot force it upon their perceptions, and they will only hold you in contempt for trying to do so.  Besides, there is the possibility that you over-estimate yourself, and instead of being a wise man you are only a self-sufficient fool."

Have you ever met someone who is so 'special' that they are not on the same planet as the rest of us?  They don't have to wait to be served but can go straight to the head of the queue, and they don't need to join a line of traffic because they can push in further ahead.

For the next six weeks I may not have much of a chance to keep up with blog reading and updating, because we will be having a wonderful time with our family and friends in the land of the maple trees.

Enjoy your days!

Border choices

These are the fabrics which will border the pinwheel quilt, the blue inner border will be one inch wide and the floral one will be....oh....about five and a half inches, from memory.  The EQ7 plan is in my sewing room, not here with me at the computer, and I'm too lazy to get up and fetch it.  The binding will be in the same blue.

The fabrics are 'Nature's Notebook' by April Cornell for Moda and I don't know if they are still available, as I bought them nearly two years ago before we left Sydney.  It was a very pretty fabric range in yellow and blue.

You will be pleased to know the Dreaded Lurgy is slowly becoming a distant memory, although as well as a lingering cough it has left a feeling of continual tiredness; hopefully that soon will fade away too, and the wombat household will be back to what passes for normal.

During the week we headed off to the main street of town to soak up the music festival atmosphere, and soak it up we did.......it was raining.......while I'm sure those camping in caravans and tents could do without it, our garden is loving it.  Three blocks of the main street are given over to buskers who range from really very good to perhaps a wee bit more practice would be a good idea........a group of five teens, none of whom looked a day over 15, were really terrific and have made the finals of the busking competition, according to the local paper.  Good for them!

Today I am toodling around on the sewing machine making small Friendship Star blocks of the month....while I don't mind making them because they go into charity quilts, making 4.5in finished blocks is much more fiddly than making larger blocks with more pieces.  My contribution of six blocks will hopefully be finished today and I will go back to thinking about borders on the pinwheel quilt....plain is easier, but I think they will end up being mitred because it will look better.....and doing some more quilting on the piece which was started in last year's workshop.  I'm not feeling love for it but am determined to finish it.  I can tell you one thing though, it won't be hanging on the wall when it's done.

"In receiving morning calls, it is unnecessary for a lady to lay aside any employment not of an absorbing nature upon which she may happen to be engaged.  Embroidery, crocheting or light needle-work are perfectly in harmony with the requirements of the hour, and the lady looks much better employed than in absolute idleness."

Should you happen to call there is every chance you may find me engaged at my sewing machine......but I will lay it aside for an hour or two, and pick up my light needlework so as to be more sociable.

Enjoy your days!

Pretty Pink Nerines

This is the one and only Nerine lily in our garden, isn't it pretty? There are a couple of plants together, but only one is flowering at present.

The whirligig blocks are together, and I am very pleased with my EQ7 design! Now to make border decisions. These blocks are 12in finished and there are 12 blocks in the quilt, so it's only 48in by 36in. I am thinking a 1in border in a leafy green (darker than lime but lighter than olive), then a 2in border in rich purple, then a 6in border using the bright diagonal stripe that inspired the colour scheme. That will bring the quilt up to a decent size, 54in by 66in, and it looks good on the computer screen. And what's more - the borders will be mitered.
Even washed the floor before I laid the quilt out for its pic, isn't that dedication? It (the quilt, not the floor) has been dry pressed, but needs another pressing with steam to flatten it and make the blocks sit better. But that will get done. After making the first block I was concerned that too much background fabric was showing, but when all 12 blocks are together and the secondary pattern emerges the background seems to recede more.

Last week was very musical. On Thursday I was asked to sing at the craft group's annual Cancer Council fundraising morning tea, so I sang a song about the Rajah Quilt written by my friend Cathy Miller. Neither the song nor the quilt were known to the group, and several people told me afterwards how much they enjoyed it. Then on Sunday two choirs I sang in won their sections at the local eisteddfod, which pleased us all greatly! I gather that last year they were beaten by a school choir, and so with this year's win honour was satisfied again.

We had some rain a few days ago, and very welcome it was too. Yesterday I planted the lemon balm and sweet pea seedlings bought at the recent monthly markets. When we brought them home they sat on the kitchen bench for a few hours, but unfortunately Bianca The Beautiful (but slightly brainless) discovered them and chomped some sweet pea leaves. Then of course she heaved them up again.......as cats do........fortunately not on the carpet. One poor little seedling I planted looked slightly bereft of leaves, hopefully it will soon recover and we will have a pretty display of sweet peas in spring.

Did you know, in the language of flowers sweet pea means "departure" or "delicate pleasures"? Nerines are part of the Amaryllis family of lilies, and Amaryllis means "pride" or "splendid beauty". In days gone by people would choose their flowers according to their meaning, so a bouquet conveyed a message.

"Bring one of the commonest field flowers into a room, place it on a table, or chimney-piece, and you seem to have brought a ray of sunshine into the place. There is a cheerfulness about flowers. What a delight are they to the drooping invalid! They are a sweet enjoyment, coming as messengers from the country, and seeming to say "Come and see the place where we grow, and let your heart be glad in our presence."

I wonder what message a bouquet containing Nerines and sweet peas would say? Possibly nothing quite as flowery as the sentiment contained in that quote from 1885.

Enjoy your days!

Whirligigs and stars and pinwheels

How is everyone this fine day?

I have been sewing, as you can see! Lots of different bright colours to make whirligig star blocks for my challenge quilt. Here are some more ready to be joined.

And here is the first completed block. One block was assembled so I could work out the piecing order, because this is My Very Own Design and not from a book or magazine. Just me and EQ7.
Each 12in finished block will have a different coloured star in the centre, and the lavender corner triangles will make pinwheels when the blocks are joined together. Can't wait to see how it looks......seeing it on the computer screen, and seeing it in real life, can be two different things.

Still have one applique block to made for my group quilt, the next raffle quilt is to have both pieced (made mine already) and floral applique or embroidered blocks. Because I don't have an embroidery machine mine will be be machine appliqued because it's quicker than by hand. I will be glad to have it done. I have no idea which flower design I am going to do......

This week we had some rain, but as they say on the news more follow-up rain is needed. Still - I'm sure the gardens were thankful for what they received. We have a couple of things to be planted so hopefully they will go in the next day or so. This afternoon I noticed some pretty pink things in the front garden, I think they are Nerines. Nerine sounds like a woman's name from years gone by, doesn't it? Those old-fashioned flower names seem to be making a comeback, names like Rose, Lily, Daisy and Violet. My paternal grandmother was Florence, which is nearly a flowery name. She had a sister called Adelong (there is a town in New South Wales called Adelong), and one of her brothers was named Australia. Before Australia became one federated country in 1901 it was a collection of different states, although federation had been talked about for quite some time. As it drew closer some people became quite patriotic about many things including children's names, and Australia was not an uncommon name.

Several years ago I remember a friend telling me that when an elderly member of her family died his name was also found out to have been Australia. He was always called Ozzie, so it was generally thought by family and friends that his name was Oswald. But not so.

Makes you wonder what people will think about the current choice of names in a hundred years or so, doesn't it? To say nothing of the somewhat creative spellings that some children have to carry all their lives, just because their parents felt like being different.

"With some it is customary to name children after some renowned person, either living or dead. There are objections to this plan, however, for if the person be still living, he may commit some act which will bring opprobrium to his name, and so cause both the parent and child to be ashamed of bearing such a disgraced name. If the person after whom the child is named be dead, it may be that the child's character may be so entirely different from the person who formerly bore it, that the name shall be made a reproach or satire."

My parents chose my first name (so I was told) because they liked it, and my middle name - Grace - is after a cousin of my mother's who died young. But I am still here, and I hope I am graceful. Not disgraced.

Enjoy your days!

It's all go here.......

How are you all recovering from Christmas and New Year? We had our older son and his girlfriend visiting, then we had a lovely catch-up with friends on their way back to the Big Smoke.

Since Christmas My Lovely New Bernina has been powering along like a little steam engine.......two new pairs of pyjamas are now gracing my wardrobe, a quilt block has been made because Kiera-Oona and I are making blocks to swap - we decided on Dresden Plate for our first block - a friendship block is finished for one of my quilt groups, and I took a look at this year's challenge for my other group. This 12in block is called "Lotus Flower" and is to be set three across by four down as shown below. I drew it out in EQ7 then started playing with it, because I have to say it didn't float my boat when I first saw it and I was hoping for Inspiration to strike. In fact, I was somewhat underwhelmed.

However......by some judicious use of colour, and by eliminating some of the lines inside the block, this is what it turned into.
Any resemblance to the eponymous Lotus Flower is purely coincidental.

I am thinking a small black-on-white print for the background....teeny stars or small dots, something like that.......with bright tone-on-tone fabrics for the large whirly stars and a slightly paler fabric for the pinwheels. Deep in my stash is a fabric printed with cheerfully bright narrow diagonal stripes, each edged with a fine black line. I think. It's been a while since I dove that deep into the stash, however it would make a great border for this quilt so I shall mount an expedition, pack a lunch and hunt for it. I was hovering between a black solid or black and white print with more black than white for a narrow border, but that looked somewhat gloomy on the screen, so I am thinking one or two bright narrow inner borders might be more suited. We're talking cheerful here, folks. Not gloomy.

This will be the year I will tackle quilting some of the tops in my cupboard. I am encouraged by my recent machine quilting efforts, so have decided that I will pin one together and have a go at quilting it. When that's done, I will pin another together and quilt that. I am not in a race to see how quickly they can get done because I still intend to be working on other piecing and clothing projects in the meantime. But if I feel like quilting then there will be a quilt waiting to be worked on.....if I want to piece, there will be a project to be done too. If I want to make clothing there is also plenty of fabric waiting to be used.

I am not making resolutions, just trying to set a few goals. By the end of this year I hope to have more things to show for my time.

"Idleness a source of misery.

Perhaps the greatest cause of misery and wretchedness in social life is idleness. The want of something to do is what makes people wicked and miserable. It breeds selfishness, mischief-making, envy, jealousy and vice, in all its most dreadful forms."

My goodness! Does this mean we are not allowed to go to bed and sleep? Because I don't know about you, but I think I'm quite idle when sleeping.

Enjoy your days!

The table runner is done!

Here it is in all its glory.....this is Christmas fabric from about 12 years ago, when The Fabric Designers decided that Christmas would be soft and muted rather than primary and bright. The cream setting fabric and pink binding are new.
Here is a close up of the quilting, the centre is quilted with a continuous curve design....very easy with the walking foot and just eyeballed, not marked on the fabric. But I want you all to take a close look at and be gobsmacked by the amazingly outstanding quilted- not embroidered, but quilted - holly leaves. This is done by someone who avoids free motion quilting because she doesn't do it very well. The cream setting triangles looked a bit stark when the runner was together and the centre quilted, so I found a suitable sized holly leaf picture on the interwebz, traced it onto lunch wrap, pinned it on and quilted through it - then decided the cream borders on the ends looked bare, so they were given similar treatment. Then I stood back, looked at what I had done, and gasped in amazement.
Here it is again all dressed up for Christmas, with the little silver tree matching the silver metallic on the pink and green prints. That's my sewing room through the door on the left, wherein this masterpiece was created.

Those of you out there in blogland who can quilt a king-sized quilt on their DSM in an afternoon and still whip up a dinner party for 20 people that evening wouldn't understand why I am so excited, but for me it's an amazing achievement. Might even spur me into trying again. Table runners are a good size to try a new technique, aren't they?

Last weekend the rivers and creeks rose again, we had a flood which was deeper than the one in late July. According to the long-range forecast we are in for a wet summer so we may yet have more floods. My Canadian and American friends and family are freezing in their winter, while we are having a soggy summer.

This morning the new reading glasses were ready and I am wearing them as we speak.......OK, type.........while not yet quite as comfy as the last pair, I'm sure they won't take long to get used to. They do not have skinny rectangular lenses. I am not that trendy.

And the computer seems to be working, the problem of the missing doo-dad was solved by plugging things into different holes. And other technical stuff like that. So I have my EQ7 back again, woo hoo! And the wombats can come back, yay!

We are being entertained or assailed, depending on one's point of view, by Christmas music in shops now, have you noticed? Aren't some of the versions dreadful? I do wish some of the singers would remember that it's not a pop song they are singing.

"The Christening.

The christening and baptism usually occur at the same time, and are regulated according to the practices of the special church where the parents attend worship. As these are quite varied, it will be sufficient only to indicate the forms and customs which society imposes at such times."

So far this month I have attended several Christmas parties, but no christenings.

Enjoy your days!

Clinging WOW

Well, what do you know.....blogger uploaded these pics in order, not in reverse order as it usually does.......that's too much for my little brain to take in. Taken a couple of weeks ago at sunset with storm clouds rolling in, looking across the valley from our front verandah - the little light on the left horizon was the last of the sun's rays bouncing off a structure that may have been a silo. We get some wonderful views from our verandah.
Today's little wombat has feet that hang on so he is trying to climb my sewing desk lamp, nice person that I am I tilted it down to make it easier for him. My sewing room needs a few wombat friends, yes?

I am not a happy little vegemite today. Yesterday I went to a doctor about something that had me slightly concerned, and what a waste of time that was. I don't think we were on the same page, in fact I don't think we were even reading from the same book when it came to communicating. I don't know where he learnt his English but it certainly wasn't at the school I attended. Anyway. So this morning I dutifully trotted along for a blood test (having fasted from last night as required, and starving without my breakfast) only to be also told that the request form also included an ecg which required my stripping to the waist. Never again. I was also supposed to have a chest x-ray but I cancelled it because it also meant stripping. I value my personal space, and my privacy, and my dignity, and don't like having them invaded or trampled on. When I rang the specialist's office this afternoon as requested, the receptionist started to say "he wants you to have a stress test....." - "no I will not", says I, "I will not have any test which requires getting undressed". The nice receptionist said the message would be passed on. I don't want to hear platitudes such as "leaving one's modesty behind at the door of the doctor's room" because I don't feel that way, I cringe the whole time. My husband thinks I am being precious, but it's different for men; a man does not feel the same as a woman does about stripping in front of strangers while they attach sticky things to her personal bits. I hate it. I will not do it.

We have a new computer! And I can play with EQ7! Just need to negotiate our way round Windows 7.....so far, so good.......working out how to do the monthly fabric downloads because I couldn't get them at all with the old computer.

Last week my name was drawn to be the lucky person to have friendship blocks made by the members of the Thursday quilt group. Much as I would have liked to I didn't choose "Coronation" because the fact that a 12in block has 58 pieces (although it's not difficult at all to make, I have done so) was enough to give some people conniptions, so I played safe and chose "Jacob's Ladder" instead, to be made 9in finished in different green fabrics on a plain cream background. I have always liked two colour quilts, and have I ever mentioned that I really really like green? One day I will make myself a Coronation quilt, it makes an interesting design when several blocks are set together without sashing as more stars form where the corners meet.

We are seeing and hearing birds which are familiar and some which are not - although it's from Canberra, this site has several of the birds we see and hear each day. Several of the pages have the bird calls as well as pics and information about the birds, so if you would like to have some of the sights and sounds of Australia on your computer feel free to click away! The noisy friar bird is a bird we had never heard until we moved here.

"The importance of trifles.

Some people are wont to depreciate those kind and tender qualities as trifles; but trifles, it must be remembered, make up the aggregate of human life. The petty incivilities, slight rudenesses and neglects of which men are guilty, without thought, or from lack of foresight or sympathy, are often remembered, while the great acts performed by the same person are often forgotten. There is no society where smiles, pleasant looks and animal spirits are not welcomed and deemed of more importance than sallies of wit, or refinements of understanding. The little incivilities which form the small change of life may appear separately of little moment, but like the spare pennies which amount to such large fortunes in a lifetime they owe their importance to repetition and accumulation."

Well said, the folk of 1885 knew a thing or two about human nature didn't they? Now I am going to ponder deeply on the outer border for my challenge quilt, I did take a pic but it was so bad I deleted it, so the world will have to wait a little longer to see my work of genius.

Jennifer

WOW Coming and Going

One of the many kits I have bought over the years.......I have often wondered what to use these for, but now that The Age Of Table Runners has arrived perhaps they could feature on some table linen. In my not-inconsiderable stash there are some Aussie fabrics which could be used to set off these two to perfection.

Sydney (not the rest of New South Wales or Australia which couldn't care less, just Sydney) is going nostalgic over the Olympic Games which were held there ten years ago. Like all Olympic Games they had their daggy official mascots based on Aussie animals and birds the names of which have completely left my mind, which tells you how memorable they must have been. The wombat was not one of them.....not until Fatso The Fat-Arsed Wombat was chosen by a TV program as an unofficial mascot. Fatso became more beloved than all the others put together and to find one now would be as rare as finding hen's teeth; I don't have Fatso in my collection but would love to. We went to New Zealand for the duration and the games completely passed us by; we even met some people we knew while we were there, as New Zealand was full of Aussies like us who were also sport refugees. And everyone we met there knew about Fatso.

But I am finding the nostalgia vaguely sickly....the way the media is going on about it nothing good has happened in Sydney since then, its glory days are behind it, it was such a wonderful time, nothing will ever be as good again etc.....come on people get over it, life has moved on and we are all ten years older.
Now that spring seems to be sprung there are many surprises popping up in our garden including these daisies which grow in dappled shade, so they are a darker colour than the ones in bright sun -which are paler purple and even white. I don't know what they are but they open up on sunny days, close up on dull days and grow like weeds. Perhaps they are weeds......they are quite pretty......the back garden has a small tree which lost its leaves just after we moved here in autumn, now it is covered in tiny buds two of which are about to flower, and it looks as though they will be pink. I have no idea what it is. And we have bluebells, and white May bushes in flower. May bush flowers in spring - September - in Australia, not in May as it does in the Northern Hemisphere, but of course it is still called May bush just confuse everyone.

The sad and sorry saga of EQ7 and our computer continues. We thought it was fixed last week, but no.....it lulled us into a false sense of security. Last October, two days before we flew out for our Canadian holiday, we had a severe electrical storm which hit j-u-s-t as I switched off the computer. The storm fried the modem as well as doing some damage to the computer but we knew not what. After we came home we bought a new modem and had some work done to the computer but it seems that the damage done then is causing problems now, to the extent that we are thinking that a new computer may be in our near future. At least we have a new keyboard and mouse. I am getting very good at sighing.......

At least I worked on my challenge quilt while the computer was back in hospital for several days. The blocks for the centre are all laid out and some are joined. It will have a narrow inner border of dark blue but I am a little undecided about the outer border, so I will sew as far as the blue border then listen to what the quilt has to say about what it wants.

And joy of joys, I have found someone to play music with - a local bloke who likes lots of the music I like - I am so happy.

"Your children will form habits of evil-speaking if they hear you deal lightly with the reputation of another - if they hear you slander or revile your neighbour. If you wish your children to show charity toward the erring, you must set the example by the habitual exercise of that virtue yourself. Without this your teaching will be of but little avail. If you take pleasure in dwelling upon the faults of others, if you refuse to cover over their infirmities with the mantle of charity, your example will nullify your teaching, and your admonitions will be lost."

Now I have just finished a cup of most excellent coffee so back to the sewing machine. Have a lovely week!

Jennifer

Serving WOW

If you visit our house you might be served something yummy on a small wombat tray....perhaps it might even be chocolate so as to co-ordinate with the colour of these wombats?
Some more golden gloriousness, or glorious goldenness, at the local botanic garden last weekend. The taller wattle on the right is Silver Wattle named for its silver-grey trunk, and I'm sorry but I don't remember the name of the other. As you can see, not all wattles are the same colour - Silver Wattle flowers are deep gold, the other is lemon yellow, and they don't all grow the same way either as some are trees and some are bushes. Others are ground covers. This was taken on a dull rainy day (much like today) and you can see how bright the wattle is.

Speaking of dull rainy days, we have had more than our share since moving here. According to the local paper this is the best year for rainfall in this area for 15 years....the drought in some parts of Australia has been bad........perhaps we brought the rain with us!

Some good news: EQ7 is now working! Seems the problem was the interaction between our mouse and keyboard, which is why it would work in the computer shop but not here at home. One new mouse and keyboard later, and everything is going along beautifully. It has also sorted out a couple of other issues, so the mouse must have been a bit of a problem for a while but we didn't realise it. So if you have EQ7 and were concerned by my experience that you might have problems too, fear not. All will be well. Many thanks to young Kieran at the computer shop for his help, and to the lovely folk at Electric Quilt who were also trying to sort it out for me. Now I can have some fun playing!

Some not-so-good news this morning, a folkie friend died recently but we only just found out. We were not surprised as we knew of a bad diagnosis, but it is still very sad. Our annual trip to the big folk festival at Easter will be poorer without his good cheer and music. When we moved here we were only an hour from his home and had hoped to get together occasionally, but it was not to be. Farewell, friend.

Lately my mind has been turning to knitting, goodness knows why as the weather is heading for summer......definitely not knitting time here, and definitely not weather for wearing knitted garments! Perhaps it's all those lovely blogs and sites from Canada and the US, because they are going into autumn and some of the designs are so lovely. Perhaps I should give in to it and knit a scarf.

"The saddest of all ceremonies is that attendant upon the death of relatives and friends, and it becomes us to show, in every possible way, the utmost consideration for the feelings of the bereaved, and the deepest respect for the melancholy occasion."

Now I think it's time for a play with EQ7. Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A Nice Sunday Drive on Wednesday

Last Wednesday we went for A Nice Drive to Apsley Falls, about a hour north-east from here, not far from a small town called Walcha where we had a very nice lunch at one of the pubs first. We made a new friend in the car park while at the falls, this beady-eyed currawong, who is obviously used to scrounging from anyone with food - as a young tourist couple in a hired van found! Despite that nasty looking beak he/she was quite friendly, although I didn't hold out my hand.....I'm not that silly, I don't trust that pointy beak.
If you click on this sign it tells a little about the falls. We didn't see any peregrine falcons.
The falls start from a very benign river then tumbles over this cliff. You can see some large chunks of rock that have fallen in the past, they would have been nearly as large as a small car. Because of the rain over the past month or two there is quite a lot of water; we visited here a few years ago and there wasn't much more than a trickle coming over.
Down....down....down........to the pool at the bottom........
.........until the water flows away along this gorge, where it eventually joins another river then flows to the ocean. Compared to the volume of water at the top there seemed hardly any water down the bottom! This is part of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

We took a detour on the way home via Kentucky, a small village where the general store serves very good coffee and extremely nice cakes, white chocolate and raspberry cake for me and banana walnut cake with caramel icing for Kevin. No one seems to know why Kentucky was named, but in the Walcha district there is also Ohio, so perhaps an early settler had ties with America. I can remember visiting Kentucky as a child with my parents, we visited an apple orchard and bought a crate of fresh apples. The fruit industry is much smaller than it used to be as fine merino sheep growing has taken over in the district.

Then we drove home.

On another note I have been working on my nine patch challenge quilt and have three yellow blocks to make, then lots of blue water/ocean/ships blocks. While it will never win a blue ribbon I am pleased with it, some of the fabric has been in my stash for a long while so it's about time it was used. Perhaps it will be called "Anchors Aweigh".

The saga of EQ7 is continuing, but I don't want you all weeping on my keyboard so I will save it for another time.

"To Remove Sunburn.

Take two drams of borax, one dram of alum, one dram of camphor, half an ounce of sugar-candy, and a pound of ox-gall. Mix and stir well for ten minutes, and stir it three or four times a fortnight. When clear and transparent, strain through a blotting-paper and bottle for use."

If that doesn't remove your sunburn I don't know what will!

Best wishes to all the dads for Father's Day today - have a lovely day! And to the mums too, because without them there would be no dads, would there.

Jennifer

Normal service will resume as soon as possible

Recently I bought the EQ7 upgrade and have been having great trouble getting it loaded on our computer......took it to the Nice Young Nerds at a local computer place who waved their magic wands and managed to load it, but now it will not open. It opens in the shop for the nerds but not here at home for me. Let's face it, the nerds don't want it - and I do! To make a long story short, the computer has been going back and forth to the computer spa to try to get the problem sorted out. I am also in correspondence with the Electric Quilt folks in Ohio, they have been helpful too.

Thank you for listening, taking you back to your normal programs now.

Jennifer