Dangly WOW

It has occurred to me that these wombat earrings haven't yet had their turn on the blog, so here they are. Back left are wooden - right are titanium, they're a purplish-brown colour and are incredibly light - and the little ones in front with the bead trimming are pewter. A little bit of fun for when I'm feeling wombatty and frivolous!

The floods have subsided although there is still a lot of water coming from upstream. According to the local paper a few people were stopped from driving onto flooded roads by the police and fined......jolly good, say I. Not only do they put their own lives and those of any passengers at risk, but also the people who attempt to rescue them.

Today I baked some pecan brownies.....recipe is here......this house has an electric oven and cooktop, but for the past 20 years I had a gas stove so I have to re-learn cooking again. If you have ever used both you will know they are different! The oven seems to bake well, a few weeks ago I made some little cupcakes to try it out so today I was a bit braver. I had a piece of brownie with my coffee a few minutes ago (can't serve it to Kevin without trying it first, can I?) and it was delicious. But I wish I had a gas cooktop, so much better than electric hotplates, more instant control when turning the heat up or down.

I have started making my new bag and will take a pic soon, hopefully it will look very elegant. The book I ordered to help me make my maritime challenge quilt came from the UK today - "9-Patch Pizzazz". Great service, 10 days from there to me, and a good price too. As soon as the bag is finished that will be my next project, I have already started thinking about it and am looking forward to making it. Some of the fabrics have been in my stash for a long time, they should be matured by now - like fine wine and cheese! Colours are lots of blues, with some red and gold.

Today has been lovely and sunny, a good afternoon for a walk - only problem is, today the locksmiths keyed all the locks in the house to the same key, and he left the new keys with me because I was home and Kevin was out playing lawn bowls, so if I go walkies taking the new key with me and Kevin comes home........he won't be able to get in!

I have had EQ6 for some time now, and the new update for EQ7 is out - I'm debating with myself whether I really need it - while EQ6 is handy I don't use it to its full capacity, but does that really matter? So long as I can use it for what I need. I might debate for a wee while longer.

The Only Choir In Town is practising for a concert next month, we will be singing some songs from Gilbert and Sullivan, and some Elizabethan madrigals, and some hymns and sacred songs. And a chorus from an opera. If I am singing opera does that mean I can be a diva and throw tantrums if things aren't to my liking?

Must share this with you, the 1885 etiquette book has a chapter titled "Toilet Recipes" of which this is one.

"Wash for the complexion.
A teaspoonful of the flour of sulphur and a wine-glassful of lime-water, well shaken and mixed; half a wine-glass of glycerine and a wine-glass of rose-water. Rub it on the face every night before going to bed. Shake well before using."

Some old recipe books use "a wine-glass" as a measure, I wonder what size glass those Victorians used? If anyone is brave enough to try this, don't come crying to me when your face falls off.........

Jennifer

Plastered Pinwheels

After trying several different designs in EQ6 I have decided to use this layout for my little blocks. The pinwheel blocks are 2-1/4in finished, so by using them in nine patch blocks they will look more important. This layout needs 125 pinwheels and I have 128. The blue and yellow border fabrics may not be the final choice, and the pinwheel blocks are made of lots of different blue and yellow fabrics - I did these in one fabric just to get the design finished. Would you believe that such little blocks will make a 61-3/4in finished quilt?

Now I had better get on and press the remaining pinwheel blocks. When I have a chance (it may be a little while yet before I can drive) I will go to a quilt shop and buy fabrics. Some white on white for the alternate blocks, setting triangles and first border to start with. Then perhaps a pretty yellow and blue print for the wide border, and blue for the narrow inner border, it depends on what's available at present.

Last night I was able to touch the tip of my left index finger to the tip of my thumb. That might seem like much to most of you, but it's more than I have been able to do for over six weeks!

"If by chance anything unpleasant is found in the food, such as a hair in the bread or a fly in the coffee, remove it without remark. Even though your own appetite be spoiled, it is well not to prejudice others."

Jennifer

Slowly sewing!

No wonder it's called "Fall"....all those lovely coloured leaves on the path! These pics were taken at Scarborough Bluffs.
I love this one with the different tree shapes, sizes and colours. The sign you can just see says...........
We photograph signs when we see them, it's a handy reminder of where we were at the time.

I have been sewing! Much cause for rejoicing! In my sewing room was a box of squares, each one made of two half-square triangles, the trimmings of star block corners from a quilt made some years ago. (it's still a top, but what the heck.....you can't rush genius) The fabrics are blues and yellows with white-on-white backgrounds. I found out that I can feed them s-l-o-w-l-y through my Singer Featherweight, four of those little squares makes one pinwheel block. The blocks will only be about 2-1/2in finished but there will be 128 blocks. Setting them on point, using alternate squares and borders, will make a quilt nearly 50in square; I have been playing with a few ideas on EQ6 for layouts. I can't sew for too long at a time as my left arm (the plastered one) doesn't like it, but you have no idea how much I am treasuring this small achievement. When the blocks are all made I will go looking for fabric to complete the quilt.

Yesterday we endured a dreadful day, the temperature was 39 degrees C here - that's over 100 degrees F for those who use those numbers - today is milder (mid 20s), but tomorrow is forecast to be another stinker. Let's hope it's not quite as bad as the forecast indicates. Anything over 25 degrees C is too much for me when Sydney's humidity is taken into account.

"Never turn a corner at full speed or you may find yourself knocked down, or may knock down another, by the violent contact. Always look the way you are going or you may chance to meet some awkward collision. People are very rude and vulgar who do not look the way they are going; it annoys others."

Enjoy your weekend.

Jennifer

First WOW for June

A garden wombat, so I thought it should be photographed outside! Bought this little feller a few years ago at the local hardware/garden shop and photographed it this morning between rain showers. None of my garden wombats live outside....yet......

Yesterday a friend asked me how many wombats I had, and to be truthful I have no idea. Since I have been selecting one each week to have its turn in the spotlight, I am beginning to realise I have many more than I thought I had. A couple of people have suggested contacted the ABC TV show "Collectors". One day perhaps, when I have a clean tidy house with my collection beautifully featured instead of jumbled everywhere.

Over the last few days I have been cutting into some of my lovely autumn prints to make "Bears Paw" blocks. Some of the prints were bought in autumn 2007 in Canada, so they are ridgy-didge fall fabrics! Much as I love autumn leaf design quilts I didn't want to be obvious and use my autumn prints for one, so I am going to make an autumn Bears Paw quilt instead. I have been playing around with EQ6 for layout ideas but haven't settled on one in particular, so it's time to make a few blocks and see where they lead.

Today is a cold, cloudy, showery grey day and would be a good night to hunker down indoors with my knitting or sewing. But it's Monday, which is choir practice night, so the hunkering will have to wait until I get come at 9.30pm.

While waiting in line at the supermarket the other day I picked up a magazine to leaf through..... makes me glad I don't spend good money on these. They are full of stories on people who are supposedly rich, famous and fabulous although quite a few pics were of the less fabulous variety, such as a well-known actrine caught in public in her daggy casual clothes. As for the outfits - let's just say, definitely proof that having money doesn't guarantee having good taste. And I have never heard of many of these "well-known" people, have you?

I bet they've never heard of me, either.

Jennifer