Camellia Season

Outside my sewing room we have a hedge of about one dozen sasanqua camellias in cerise, white and pink/white which is the one pictured here. They don't really have what could be called a perfume more of an earthy smell to them, however I just adore them, especially when the petals start to fall they carpet the ground and look amazing. When they have just about finished the bigger japonicas take over and we have a number of those in the back garden along the fence line. Looking forward to their flowers!

The hibiscus here is flowering away for us, the blooms are about six inches or more across. They love the humidity in Auckland  it's semi-tropical and can rain quite a lot.

As Nancy J has mentioned in her moving post today we have a public holiday for Anzac Day and if you would like to know a little more about our special day just hop over to her blog. She is on my blog list on the right of my posts - All Points of the Compass.

Been busy making blocks for 15 Minutes Play and really enjoying  this new venture, it's addictive! If you have time go along over and have a look at what everyone is doing.

In a "previous" life I was crazy about Shibori, and worked with silk, a beautiful fabric to work with and takes the dye so well. The piece here was made a number of years ago using the Arashi form of Shibori and I had an exhibition of work in a gallery here in Auckland, Shibori pieces and quilts and I had a great review in the Art Section of the Auckland Herald - our daily paper. I was so pleased. This one is called "Touched with Fire". No quilting of course. It's not the best photograph I seem to have straightened the middle out along the flannel wall more than the top and bottom. It really is correctly proportioned.

The hanging on the right is also a few years old

and was made with graded dyed fabric from Alaska Quiltworks,  beautiful soft cotton and a joy to work with. Sorry this is another photo taken in a hurry and not positioned well at all - note to self to take my time when photographing.

I am rushing as we are expecting our daughter and her two over for a meal and I really want to finish sorting two more of my wire baskets holding heaps of quarter metre pieces before they arrive, I'm working my way slowly through fourteen large baskets from my sliding stack units, already done four with Kaffe Fasset/Philip Jacobs and about four with batiks, I also have the larger pieces on a long shelf under my sewing table and  I need to get all these done and fit in my quilting before May 27th when I am due to have my carpal tunnel release on my right hand, guess who will not be doing housework for a little while! The quilting also will be on the back burner for two or three weeks.

I have just bought the newest edition of "Studios" and I hope to be able to sit down and look through this later tonight, I had a quick flip through and how I wish I had a room the size of some of them in the magazine, it's quite a tight squeeze in a 9' x 10' room, my husband is always saying that I have tried to fit to much in here and I suspect he is quite right. Must rationalise things.

Enjoy the rest of the week,  have a good weekend and happy quilting!