I can now rule a line under those place-mats. They were wonderful to try out new quilting patterns, but,
the finishing of the binding really taxed my sore wrist.
I think that I like this swirling pattern the best because it suits the pattern printed on the fabric.
Lots learnt from this exercise.
The weather has been just beautiful. So beautiful that I haven't had anytime to write. Plus, on Monday I decided to work in my garden, got bitten by something and have had a terrible reaction to it. It is still giving me grief but having been bitten before by this thing in my garden I know that the reaction to the bite will pass.
It has been school holidays here and with all the fares on the ferry being 50c we have been inundated with day trippers along with others who came to fish.
It makes a wonderful day for a family with the great weather and beautiful sandy beaches but is terrible for parking on the mainland. I have to admit I stayed at home for the first half of the week because I knew I wouldn't get a parking spot for my car if I moved it. When I did travel it was on the barge along with the other locals because there was no room on the ferry.
Beside the day trippers people have moored their boats off the beach and stayed here. One group of men had all made their boats themselves and each one was perfect.
Just a delight for the eye.
It has been time for the migrating birds to return from Siberia and they have flown into the bay in huge flocks. It quite takes your breath away to see them arrive.
And the whales are here on their migration down to Antarctica. The big ones stay in the deep water.
But the smaller mothers and babies have come to within 50 metres off the beach at the front of my house.
The whales had been hunted almost to extinction, it is wonderful to see them returning. Mother Nature has put on a show for spring.
The binding of the place mats is not my favourite task but it has to be done. I had a false start when I thought I would use an orange binding, it was horrible. So, I unpicked it and have settled for a dark blue.
I have stitched a different quilting pattern on each one. I started with a regular grid and then started playing.
I thought I would only do the six for my niece, but, then I couldn't decide which six!
So I am now binding all of them and will pick the best six for her. I picked up this lovely fabric 2nd hand and didn't waste a scrap using every piece to make the mats. (I know there are 7 here.)
They look good from the back as well. It's' the hand sewing that is taking the time but hopefully they will all be finished by the end of the week.
They have kicked the teenagers out and have another batch.
Just balls of fluff at the moment and I love how Dad takes the rear and Mum leads.
Only 4 survived from the last batch, there are 12 here, it will be interesting to see how they go.
But for now they sure are cute.
It is really spring now and although the weather did become cold for a bit, I am starting my spring cleaning. That means emptying every cupboard and draws. Washing the contents, sorting those things that have to go out and getting ready for summer. I have set myself 2 draws a day in the kitchen and 2 draws a day in the sewing room, to start. Now that may not sound a lot but I do need time to sew, draw and read.
For the sewing part I am doing the hand stitching of the bindings on the place mats, there are 18 in total.( I can only manage one a day with my lack on movement in my wrist.)
And I am in the planning stages for a new Donation Quilt. This one is for a teenage boy.
I am reading another Marjory Allingham novel. I am up to No 15 of the Campion series.
As you can see we are now in the 1950's, mid century modern. I would like to get back to some embroidery but one thing at a time.
All finished and ready to donate.
I was going to quilt it with a pinwheel design but I got distracted when measuring the pattern and ended up with a large diamond. Still, it will do the job. The Pinwheel design might be somewhere in the future!
I wonder if I added the the boards to the end of my IKEA trolley, which looks like this,
Could I make it to look like this?
These ideas are always good to start with but then reality steps in, but it might be worth a try.
ALSO
I have signed up for this years "Sketchbook Revival". It's free and I took part in this a few years ago, time to have another shot at it.
It is a taster. You could buy the classes each tutor offers, but I have used it just to get inspired again. There are lots of great tutors. Carla Sonheim is one I have bought classes from and I often use her "free stuff" with my grandchildren. Actually I'm looking forward to this.
Every day I walk past my friend Hayley's home and look at her duck pond. It has a Crepe Myrtle beside it, which makes for wonderful reflections.
I think this would make a great fabric design.
And she has a new puppy called 'Banana' who is a little terrier.
Watch out you chickens and ducks.
I am off today for a birthday party in Toowoomba and then to overnight with my daughter. This is going to put a big hole in my stitching time. I have decided to do a stock-take of my fabrics. They were tidy but are in a mess again. That means folding sorting and ironing every piece. A big job!!
And I am quilting a baby panel that was given to me. This will be a donation to Kits for Kids.
I had choosen a pin-wheel pattern to do an all over design but I didn't concentrate on getting the measurements right! So now it's a large diamond.
The other problem is that the fabric was cut a bit short on either side. This meant that I would loose the green border. Solution, use green fabric for the binding . It isn't exactly the same colour but I think it will do.
The other task is to use my new computer for all my work. I'm still not comfortable with it. I have to set up all my passwords again and it keeps telling me they are wrong! I am not wrong, it's the computer that is wrong. The problem is our bad reception. A friend sent me a text this week, it arrived 3hours after she had sent it. I am just going to have to live with this.
One thing I did do last week was go to the Laidley Spring Festival. I looked at the quilts which were many,
all hanging in the Lutheran Church which had an old tractor display out the front.
All this area was settled by German people who were fleeing persecution back in the 1800's, so there are lots of Lutheran Churches. (The first missionaries to come to Q'ld were Lutheran, back before people were allowed to settle here.) There were so many quilts, all on top of each other, but this one caught my eye because the patterns for these embroideries were published in the newspaper back in the 1940's and 1950's. The maker had found buttons to decorate them, like the ducks on the wall.
This was the first day of the fair and the official party were having morning tea out the front. I know those tea pots came from the CWA. Every CWA in Australia have the same ones.
This valley was completely destroyed by floods just a few years ago. It is so good to see them bounce back.
Then I headed for the gardening show. Paul West was speaking, and this bloke can talk underwater! (You might remember him from A River Cottage TV show.)
I loved the gardening pavilion. I could only buy one plant, because that was all I could carry, but I bought a face for my old tree out the front,
I always knew there was someone living inside this tree, and, I bought a little dragon to scare away the mozzies.
But I think he is too cute to scare anyone!
Then we drove down to Forrest Hill for lunch, which is a very small town in the next valley, but it does have two pubs and some rather nice places to eat at.
This was a trip organised by my patchwork group. A lovely day with lovely people.