One down.....

.....three to go.

The four border strips have been assembled for Autumn Rhapsody; they were laid out on the design bed to keep them from being creased.  I'm pleased with the fabric choice for the inner border; it had already been rejected for other parts of the quilt, perhaps it was just waiting for its perfect spot.  The design bed is, of course, not flat, but this was enough to give the idea of how it will look.

A short while ago the first border was sewn to the quilt, then pressed......I am more than happy with the result!  The tan/gold/brown inner border is a good buffer between the different background fabrics and the bright border.  

Three more borders still to be added, then the corners will be mitred.  Mitred borders have a higher fiddly-diddly factor than straight borders, but sometimes they are just what the design needs.

How has everyone's week been?  Ours has been fairly quiet; some of my regular activities cease during school holidays, so there is still another quiet week to go.  The following week it will be a case of hitting the ground running, I suspect.

The big thing here is probably the start of daylight saving, which was at stupid dark o'clock this morning.  We set the clocks before we went to bed so at least, when we stirred, we could look at a clock and say "ah.....so that's what time it is!"  There has already been a whinge on social media about it, as there is every year; I'm not bothered enough by it to wail and whine, because that won't change things.  Must admit, not being a morning person, it was nice to have a darker morning again.  Many years ago we were visiting a state which doesn't have daylight saving; after 30 years we were already attuned to it, so having the day start very early (it was getting light at 4 a.m.!) was quite a shock to the system.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn by machine and by hand, diamonds have been made into hexagons and more diamonds have been cut.  Exercises have been done, although not as diligently as a few months ago.  We hunted and we gathered, doing our best to avoid school holiday crowds.  Songs have been sung, practice for our world premiere is coming along nicely, and all is well with our world.

A couple of years ago some areas on the north coast were hit by very bad flooding.  Even though one of the towns, Lismore, has a well-deserved reputation as being flood-prone the waters surprised everyone by how high they rose, even higher floors in buildings which were thought to be safe turned out not to be so.  Mind you, it is a low-lying town at the junction of two rivers, and no doubt flooding over many years has brought down silt which has raised the river bed level - so flooding is higher than it once was.  

On some of our trips to Canberra we have visited the Woodworks Gallery at Bungendore, a short drive away, and been amazed by the work on display, none more so than the Hannah Cabinet.  We have seen other cabinets made by Geoff Hannah, but this one is really special - and is worth well over a million dollars.  The people of Lismore raised funds to purchase it and it was, until the last big flood a couple of years ago, in the gallery.  Despite being on a higher floor it suffered a great deal of damage, and having seen up close how beautiful it is, we found that heartbreaking.  (Yes, I know people are more important than 'things'.....but this is a truly exquisite 'thing' of amazing beauty)  A few days ago I read that it is to be restored, the restoration will be overseen by its maker, and it will be beautiful once more......and this time, hopefully, out of flood reach.

"Where gentlemen may keep their hats on.

At garden parties and at all assemblies held in the open air, gentlemen keep their hats on their heads.  If draughts of cold air, or other causes, make it necessary for them to retain their hats on their heads, when in the presence of ladies within doors, they explain the necessity and ask permission of the ladies whom they accompany."

I can remember my maternal grandfather, a man who lived all his life in the country (he was born in 1885) raising his hat to a lady when out and about, and always - always! taking it off inside.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer