A happy find on Sunday and other matters

I'll come to the happy find shortly but first

I've been slowly cutting and sewing my Chain Link Fence

quilt - I have to say I'm finding this addictive!!

I'm time poor at the moment otherwise this quilt top

would be all sewn up.

Only a few rows complete at the moment and other bits

pinned on the design wall, I was going to write 'pinned haphazardly'

but I see that this actually means

'in a manner lacking any obvious principle of organisation'

and I do like to think there is a small amount of organisation here!

I've deviated slightly from the pattern in that I am creating stars here and there, this will be

more obvious as more rows are stitched.

On my agenda for tomorrow is the putting away of all the fabric below

consisting of pieces at the bottom of the tub and basket

from recent projects plus new fabrics on top - guess whose fabrics?

You may have seen in my profile at the top of my blog

that I come from Lancashire UK. I spotted on

Instagram a quilt pattern with the name

'Lancashire Spin',

this I have to make, hopefully this year.

My happy find is below.

 A fused piece made all of 15 years ago, I had hunted on and

off over the years to find where on earth I stashed it away.

Yesterday I found it, next step is a little quilting.

I needed my very best pair of embroidery scissors to cut around all

these little bits of coral and so on. Pretty hard on the fingers I can tell you.

Size of 17" square.

I think this was a McKenna Ryan pattern.

Finished with fabric now and should like to show you this photograph taken 

on Friday, there is a brief story that goes along with this bird, if you care to read.

A stunning looking magpie - I have a love/hate relationship with these.

Many years ago I was attacked by a magpie whilst walking through

a Christchurch park, noted for an abundance of magpies at certain times of the year in the

magnificent trees. Not a problem.

I was aware briefly of something brushing past my head, didn't really attach

any importance to it, perhaps a sparrow disturbed by my walking under

the trees. A moment later I felt as if I had been hit with a hammer on the

back of my head and was knocked to the ground. A magpie

had taken exception to my presence and decided to leave

me a reminder with a hole in the back of my head. 

Boy, did I put on some speed (yes, I could do that years ago) to reach home followed by a

visit to the doctor for cleansing the hole and the necessary tetanus jabs.

I can tell you they do leave a pretty big hole and an extremely sore head!!

On that note I shall take an early lunch, have a nap and then

back to the machine for more sewing.

Have a happy week ahead.

 Maureen

Another squirrel and Colorwash 360 Online Course

No sooner does one squirrel escape my little

studio than another appears!

I've begun a quilt using pretty large half hexagons, pattern by

Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession, featured in a copy of

Quiltmania Simply Moderne.

Some of the fabrics are coming from large scrap pieces, others

from fabrics awaiting storing in their respective places.

Just playing with the pieces here on the design wall.

I took the plunge and bought the Hex N More ruler

by Jaybird Quilts, I didn't want to spend the time

copying the pattern pieces from the magazine and cutting from those, the

ruler is fantastic! 

The pattern is called Chain Link Horizons.

I've enrolled for the

Colorwash 360 Online Course

with

Wanda at Exuberant Color

lots of you will be familiar with her stunning

colorwash quilts,  couldn't pass up on this chance.

The nearest I have come to trying to create a blended feel in

a quilt is the one below,

Red Sea Sunset, an HST quilt along a few years ago.

Inspired by sailing through the Red Sea in 1962

on our way to New Zealand from England.

Using mostly batiks and the reverse side of many fabrics

to achieve the b lend from one colour to another.

My Kaffe Fassett and Philip Jacobs fabrics will come into play

with Colorwash 360. first module is on Monday.

Somehow I need to fit in actual quilting and headed for a Tula Pink

quilt top, made last year and basted and backed all ready to go.

Opened the drawer of neatly folded quilt tops and had to take a 'phone call,

when I arrived back someone had found a cosy spot to relax.

I'd like to finish off with a photo yesterday of one of my 

favourite early morning sights at this time of year, the moon with Venus

sitting high above.

Whenever I look at the dawn sky and see the moon, in whatever quarter,

I think of my favourite few lines by Isak Dinesen /Karen Blixen in

'Out of Africa'

“If I know a song of Africa, of the giraffe and the African new moon lying on her back, of the plows in the fields and the sweaty faces of the coffee pickers, does Africa know a song of me? Will the air over the plain quiver with a color that I have had on, or the children invent a game in which my name is, or the full moon throw a shadow over the gravel of the drive that was like me, or will the eagles of the Ngong Hills look out for me?”

Maureen