Friday Favourites - on Sunday!!

Yes, missed the Friday post this week, busy, busy and achieving not much at all!

Quilting on Jacob's quilt - simple straight lines

given that this is for a five year old and needs to hold

up well.

Not a very pretty sight, threads waiting to be dealt with and the

lines just eyeballed so the resulting squares are never quite 

the same size!

Made a start on section 8 of Gypsy Wife

and deciding on fabric for the outer strips

of the block to fit underneath.  Still playing.

I'm going to have a break now until the end of the year
or the beginning of the New Year, lots of plans including

working on the blog. I already have a new photo for the header, the centre

piece of Northern Lights - albeit not yet quilted. Grateful thanks to Melody of
mixitupmel for sorting out the size, lettering and centering for the new header.
More work on a better set up
in my tiny studio is also on my list of things to do.

My clumps of Hellebore  finished flowering a few weeks ago
but suddenly last week up popped this

and isn't it a delight!!

I'll end this post with a view from the beach last week

I feel another quilt coming on!!!!

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy Christmas
and New Year!

Maureen

Friday Favourites

A few photos to show you here, only one relating to quilts!

Our favourite restaurant down by the beach

The Windross

sit under the trees by the parking area at the side of The Windross

after your meal cross over to the beach

and you have a perfect evening!

Speaking of food I tried a new recipe this afternoon

from a book by one of our New Zealand cooks

Chelsea Winter, this one is

Homemade Happiness and here we have

Cheesy Courgette and Relish Muffins

absolutely delicious, and very moreish!!!

Who can't love Sweet Peas

grown in our garden,  cream with lavender edges and a perfume to

die for!! Two little pottery birds keeping guard on the sweet peas.

Not forgetting a quilty picture, I came across my stars

begun early this year as part of RSC 2016 and forgotten in a drawer.

I fell in love with them all over again and they'll be continued on

in RSC 2017.

5.45pm is a bit on the late side for photographing on my 

design wall, in my tiny studio,  the light is not great in here at this time.

All for now, hope you all have a great weekend and I'll

be back next week, probably have a break after that over Christmas and

back in the New Year. Lots of fabric sorting and working on my

blog to be done.

Maureen

A Magic Carpet Ride and Friday Favourites

It's worked out that this week I've rolled two

posts into one.

The Kaleidoscope quilt is now a flimsy waiting to be quilted, I'm thrilled

with how it looks. You might remember I wanted

to create the impression of an old Persian carpet and I think

I've achieved that. So, here is

Isfahan

photographed early this morning in the back garden. I had to

maneouvre the display board down there to catch the light.

Measuring 48" x 64", the colours are a little lighter in this photo

due to the sun.
No border going on this quilt.

Isfahan draped over my much loved old bench seat

My Friday Favourite is an old Royal Doulton jug
from a pottery range made under the header
Under The Greenwood Tree

This jug belonged to a dear old Aunt of mine, her collection of pottery
came to me after she died. She was the Aunt who was born in 1903
and went into "service" at the age of 13yrs - shades of the downstairs
maids in Downton Abbey. I wish now we had been able to enjoy
more conversations about her early days. 

I'm way behind on replying to comments left on my
blog last Friday, apologies to those bloggers, it's been a funny old week made complete by two broken
teeth and two visits to the dentist.

One bright spot was a package of fabric received

I love artichokes but only to look at, not to eat!

and

I couldn't resist the colours in the fabrics below.

I think that's all from me this week but I'm off  to link with

Ann  and Cathy
at
Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

Maureen

Friday Favourites

So Friday has come around again, due to a very messy week

I wasn't able to post on my quilting. I missed the chance to

say a very Happy Thanksgiving, so a belated wish

that you did enjoy the day.

I collected a new book today, it was ordered quite some

time ago but it's only just flown into my hand!

This is a real treasure!! I have followed Mandy's blog

ever since I first began blogging and last year I bought three of her

small collage pieces and had them matted and framed. I

wrote a post and photograph of all three together but was asked by a few bloggers

 if I could show a full shot of each - here they are - sorry they didn't crop well.,

 but I'm sure you'll love them regardless.

Love the turkey reds in the one above

soft mushroomy shades with that hint of maroon in the flower

and this one was a win, win with the scissor tape.

Mandy covers materials, process, fabrics and lots more in the book.

My favourite section is about making collaged books - I have already gathered

a few laces, buttons and old embroidered pieces together!

If textile collage interests you go along to Mandy's blog

at

http://threadandthrift.blogspot.co.uk

it's a delight.

 Gotta have a favourite flower of the week and coming up to the

Christmas season here we have the

Pohutukawa aka The New Zealand Christmas tree

and mine, here in the large pot, needs a little TLC I think.

Have a happy quilty weekend, back during the week.

Maureen

Friday Favourites

Two items this week, neither quilt related!

First up here is Leila

resting today due to a traumatic day for her at the vet clinic yesterday!

I found a lump two weeks on her left hind leg, grew a little bigger so off to the

clinic Tuesday, yesterday it was removed. She's now home with

a greatly shaved back leg, eight stitches and the dreaded

eCollar. She solved that one during the night by removing it.

There it was on the floor of the doggie crate, one of the fasteners

had been well and truly chewed. A rethink required tonight.

Second - still life - not staged at all.

A small vase with three cream gerberas left on the kitchen

bench two weeks ago along with two tiny silver pieces in desperate need

 of cleaning (still not done).

The poor gerberas had long since lost their beauty

but I hadn't removed them, yesterday I did, these lovely seed heads 

were on the bench, to me they're as beautiful as

the flower in full bloom.

I will, as asked, post a photo of the quilt from last week

but given all that's been happening here I'm a bit behind.

Thank you to all who left messages following  my post on the earthquakes.

If you would like to read more here is a great post

by Nancy J, there is mention of the International help

from warships presently in Auckland.

Enjoy the weekend.

Maureen

Another day of aftershocks in New Zealand

I have a photo of my Tula Pink star quilt to post

but yesterday was spent in front of a screen, TV primarily.

The South Island is once more suffering

 from earthquakes. These have been felt also in the North Island.

Over 800 aftershocks reported.

Kaikoura, on the East Coast, is a scene of absolute devastation.

The town is completely cut off. Roads unusable, railway lines gone,

 horrific land slips. No power, no water, no sewerage. People seeing their homes destroyed.
The only way in

was by helicopter but I believe now that they will try and get in by sea. 

In the mist of seeing all the heartbreak for folks down there I
needed some time at the machine.

Background story is HERE but following the layout suggested  didn't work
for me so I changed it. After fiddling around this was the result

still  didn't look good so, not helped by being placed haphazardly on the flannel

which is covering my Gypsy Wife pinned underneath!

I decided to add a 3/4" sashing which I think unifies
all these blocks and gives a better look overall.
No borders but I'll use the same sashing fabric for the binding.
This can be used in Summer out on the bench seat in the
back garden.

 Back in a couple of days hopefully feeling not so sad.

Maureen

Friday Favourites

I've been thinking of writing posts on a Friday

showing some of my favourite "things".

Perhaps a treasured piece of china from my cabinet, quilt,

fabric or flower, anything which is special to me. 

I hope to write a few lines on the story of why

I post that particular item on my blog.

No time like the present so - first Friday Favourites post.

The book title says it all, my favourite colour, or perhaps I should say one

of my favourite colours.

This book is sub-titled 

A Chef's Travels in Turkey, 

 mouth-watering recipes and photos of spice markets,

fruits and vegetables and stories of people met along

the way. I just fell in love with the dust cover.

My quilting bookcase is turquoise (photo rather grainy I know), I have a

small "washed sea glass" vase, a turquoise/verdigris green candle

holder - always loved these - and all (apart from the bookcase!) are sitting

on a quilt made around 1993. Alaska Dyework fabrics coloured

from rich purple through turquoise and jade green.

This is my hand quilted Trip Around The World - I was into Amish quilts

in a big way back then. 

Oh, perhaps a quick photo of the last blooms on

one of the Wisterias - just because I love them.

Maureen

A birthday with a difference!

I've been missing in action for two weeks, not by choice.

Thanks to all who left a comment and emailed their best wishes to me

for my 70th birthday on 26th October. Yes, I did have a lovely day until

9.30pm when I was taken to the Emergency Care locally and then on to

 hospital by ambulance. I'll not go into the detail, just let's say it was a GI problem

which floored me!

Luckily it wasn't too long a stay, just 24 hours,

 I was discharged on condition I took it easy for at

least  a week, it's taken me longer than that to begin to feel

more like my usual self.

 I did no quilting until two days ago, 

couldn't face Gypsy Wife  nor Kaleidoscope with my concentration span

being low, so something easy with no real mental input was needed.

The sum total of my achievement over the past two weeks below

all the fabrics are from the newest Tula Pink range, 12 blocks in total

and a super size at 16" finished. Just what the doctor ordered!

One of our newest roses is blooming

Princess Alexandra of Kent 

Princess Alexandra fully open

 The scent from this rose is unbelievable.
Apart from all the above I've been catching up with reading newish books,
more on that in a later post.

The other consumer of my time has been the election in the U.S.A.
My iPad is practically glued to my hands, I will just
say I certainly know who I don't want to see as President.  My stress levels
are growing by the hour.
The TV will be switched on Wednesday lunchtime here in New Zealand, it will stay that way until the final result comes through.

I guess some of you will have a great week, some not so great, but
happy quilting anyway!!

Maureen

Kaleidoscope and Cats - warning top heavy on the cats!

A funny week spent fiddling around and not really

making a heck of a lot of progress.

A post  heavy on photos - have patience please!

OK

Rainbow Safari for one of our grandsons all basted and ready

for me to quilt - this is the very last time I shall baste

a large quilt, it almost finished me off!!!

This is the pieced back and I'm thinking of this multi thread for quilting.

Choosing two more fabrics for my Kaleidoscope and you may wonder

where on earth will these be going

so a quick view below.

Just a few blocks in this pic with only 4 sewn together.

Remember this is my take on an old Persian carpet, it's not intended

to be the usual kaleidoscope block of light and dark, these

are pretty mixed up blocks!

 All be revealed at the next link-up for Kaleidoscope of Butterflies and I need to

get a move on at the machine over the next few days, I shall be celebrating my

70th birthday on Wednesday next so I may be doing a little
relaxing.

Moving on  to cats - Leila and her new friend:

I photographed these out of my little studio window, hence reflection

watching John gardening

? battle stations

into battle

time out

and

time for a tea break in the overgrown area by the veg patch.

These two are great buddies, this little barred cat lives over our back fence and calls

around every morning for Leila! We hear the bell on her collar tinkling

and Leila heads for the cat door.

Before I go this was the sight at the beach two days ago at low tide

Time to go I think!!

Maureen

Colour My World - Gypsy Wife (section 7) and more

 If you should want to head to Gypsy Wife first
you'll have to scroll past the pics below.

Speaking of colour

this is one wonderful, wonderful book!!

I spotted it originally on Amazon, read a little review and

as it sounded just my thing I ordered it from

Minerva in Wellington.

What a treat when it arrived to see that it differed slightly from

the cover photo on Amazon, this zingy orange

elastic is attached on the back of the book, presently holding

the whole book but can be used to put over the current

page as your bookmark. But look at the effect of that orange!

Colour in the early morning

Colour from my garden and two cherished pieces from my cupboard

Colour in my quilts
Gypsy Wife Section 7

This had three partial seams to work through.
Only three more sections to go, 8 and 9 are quite small and the blocks are a good size,
section 10 doesn't look too complex.

And now before I put fabrics away time for a little black and white

Leila - not too pleased at being photographed!

Hope you all enjoy a happy quilty weekend!

Maureen

Kaleidoscope - one more block to go!

The original size of my Kaleidoscope quilt has shrunk!

I'm going with 6 across and 8 down  - I think.

For this size I need one more block, the one I had in place

bottom right just didn't fit colour-wise.

Then I wondered if I should move out some of the

lighter blocks and go for a darker look - on reflection I've

decided to just get on and sew another block.

This is not the final layout, I want to play a little more

before I make a decision.

Fabrics for the back of the Rainbow Safari quilt for our grandson

have been cut

and fabric with cats - same colours as the kiwi fabric -
has been added to the mix, also multi coloured dragonflies
on a black background. Top is sewn and I'll post next time.

More from the Spring garden

Bluebells

Clivia

Babiana

It's been so very wet her, we desperately need
 a few sunny days to dry everything out.

Linking up with  Cathy and Ann
for




also linking up with
Judy at Patchwork Times

Now I need to get sewing that last block!

Maureen