Progressing along

Is that a real expression?  Or should it be 'making progress'?

Either way, some progress has been made sewing the binding down on 'Weeds of Grace'.  It's a very warm quilt to have on one's lap, let me tell you.  That plus a shoulder and neck which have been somewhat bothersome of late means it's not a quick job, but there are no prizes for getting to the end first, are there?  Except for the satisfaction of finally finishing.

The binding and inside border are from the same fabric, a different range and designer from the leafy stripe, but both by Moda.  They hold hands and play nicely together, don't they?

When I am hand-sewing binding to the back of a quilt I start a little way up from a corner, keep sewing......turn the first corner, keep sewing.....repeat.....which means that, by the time the last corner is turned, there isn't much binding left to be sewn.  Works for me.

There has also been progress on the Canadian quilt.  Four blocks have now been quilted then joined in pairs, now those pairs have been joined into a panel; the sashing on the back is next to be sewn down - more hand sewing - a couple of parallel lines of quilting through the sashing to hold everything together, then another block can be quilted and joined.  The bothersome neck and shoulder have a lot to answer for lately; it would be much further along if not for them.

This week's houses.  I can hear you all singing "Autumn leaves" from here: "the falling leaves drift by my window....."  A light purple house, or should that be lavender or lilac or some such colour?  It has teeny yellow stars on it, and a garden, and apples on the roof.  The doors for both houses were cut from the same fabric which shaded from lime to sort-of-aqua/turquoise.  There is none left now.

How have you all been this week?  We have had some stormy weather, but we fared better than a town just an hour away which had a tornado go through which left, as news reporters love to say, a trail of destruction in its wake.  (reporters do love a good cliché, don't they?)  The following night we had quite a wind storm here with rain and in some places hail, but fortunately it blew itself out fairly soon.  I read somewhere that when summer coming in meets winter going out, the results can be volatile......which they certainly have been, this year.

The nightly news has mask-wearing people being interviewed, and we can neither hear nor understand what most of them are saying.  I don't know who decided that interviewing someone who was unintelligible makes for good television, but let me tell you - it doesn't.  One woman interviewed was wearing a black mask covering much of her face, reflective sunglasses, and a floppy hat covering the rest of her face.  She looked like a scary faceless alien, and for all we know....because we couldn't understand a word she said.....she may have been one.

We are now being told that, because our state has reached a high enough number of double vaccinated people, that more freedoms will be allowed rfom tomorrow.  Whoopy doo.  I am waiting until the powers-that-be say we can leave off the masks, then I will be a happy woman again.

We are also required, as well as doing the sign-in thingy with our phones everywhere we go (which my phone doesn't do anyway) to show phone or paper proof that we have been injected twice.  I am waiting for "them" to require us to sign away our first-born child as well......

At least the ukulele group has been meeting again!  We gather here each Monday afternoon and have, hopefully, two upcoming gigs, so that's an incentive to pick up the uke at other times too.  I have also discovered a fun song called "Let the mermaids flirt with me" which we will probably put into our repertoire next year.

"There is less formality at a kettle-drum than at a larger day reception.  The time is spent in desultory conversation with friends, in listening to music, or such entertainment as has been provided.

Gentlemen wear the usual morning dress.  Ladies wear the demi-toilet, with or without bonnets."

I don't know about you all, but it has been some time since I wore a bonnet.

Enjoy your days!

All is well......

Turns out Kevin has an issue which is being treated by antibiotics, and nothing has fallen off.....everything is where it should be, which is a relief.

Getting older is not really wonderful at times, is it.

'Weeds of Grace' has come home after its trip out into the world to be quilted; it is now bundled up on the table in my sewing room waiting for more of the binding to be attached.  It's quite a large quilt and manhandling - er, womanhandling it through the machine is not quite easy.

It is truly gorgeous, and I love it!

This week's houses......every neighbourhood needs at least one spotted blue door, don't you think?  And butterflies, our world needs more butterflies for sure.

We have some pieces of coloured glass in our house including the light fiting in our bedroom, made by a local glass artist.  Last week we bumped into each other - not literally, fortunately - when I arrived for choir and Linda and her husband were waiting to go inside for their play rehearsal.  During our usual chitty-chatty I asked Linda if she could make me a leaf from one of my Canadian photos, she said yes......and a week later, here it is!

I sent my photo and Linda used it for a pattern.  It reminds me of our trips in fall; my original photo had different colours but I really like this.  Linda hadn't made a maple leaf before but she enjoyed doing it so much she asked if she could use the pattern to make more.  It was pinned to the sheer curtain in the dining room for this pic, we have yet to decide where to hang it so we can enjoy it.

There's something about light coming through coloured glass that I really like, I have several pieces hanging around the house, stars, diamonds.....you name it, even a wombat.  Some people might find it a bit hippy-dippy - that's their problem.  The world needs more fun, and coloured glass is fun.

We are a week into daylight saving and I am enjoying darker mornings again.  Before we went to bed last Saturday night Kevin trotted around the house changing the clocks, and when I woke on Sunday morning and looked at our bedroom clock I thought to myself, I thought......"my goodness, that's a long sleep-in!" I thought.  The clock read 9.30 a.m.  Computer said 8.30 a.m., I thought it hadn't updated itself as it usually does......but no.  Kevin had moved the bedroom clock forward two hours instead of just one.  It was a bit of a shock to the system first thing in the morning, let me tell you.

Some folk have very strong opinions one way or the other about daylight saving.  City folk generally like it - but not everyone does, while many people living in the country don't - but once again, many country folk do.  Being retired we can pretty much set our own timetables, which we do.  There is a woman living in a smaller town an hour away who used to write to the local rag every year bitterly complaining about daylight saving - I don't know what she expects to happen, have it changed just for her, perhaps?

Today is quite warm and windy, with lots of rain forecast to fall over the next few days.  The washing has been hung out, dried and brought back in already......I had visions of my undies being blown all around town which would never do, would it.  We haven't had a frog croaking in the drainpipe for some time, but last night there was one - a big green tree frog, quite a large one - just outside the back door.  I suppose that means we don't have a snake outside the back door; our poisonous snakes are much worse than frogs.  Perhaps we will serenaded by Drainpipe Froggy once more when the rain starts.

"Five O'Clock Tea, Coffee and Kettle-Drums.

Five o'clock tea, coffee and kettle-drums have recently been introduced into this country from England.  For these invitations are usually issued on the lady's visiting card, with the words written in the left-hand corner.

No answers are expected to these invitations, unless there is an R.S.V.P. on the card.  It is optional with those who attend, to leave cards.  Those who do not attend, call afterwards.  The hostess receives her guests standing, aided by other members of the family or intimate friends.  For a kettle-drum there is usually a crowd, and yet but few remain over half an hour - the conventional time allotted - unless they are detained by music or some entertaining conversation.  A table set in the dining-room is supplied with tea, coffee, chocolate, sandwiches, buns and cakes, which constitute all that is offered to the guests."

In my world a "kettle-drum" is a large musical instrument used in an orchestra, but in the 1800s a "kettle-drum" was an afternoon party invented by the British in India.  A large drum was sometimes used as a table for a large informal party, hence the name; a search for "kettle-drum party" will prove most edifying.  Perhaps we need to bring it back.

Enjoy your days!

More excitement than we really wanted

Which is what happened during the week.

Kevin was feeling a bit "off" on Monday, but felt slightly better on Tuesday morning.  By Tuesday evening his left foot and calf were swollen and red - from what, we don't know; a bite, perhaps?  A spider or a snake?  He has no recollection of his skin being pierced and there don't seem to be any puncture marks.  Should I take you to hospital, said I.  No, it's fine, he said, I'll ring the doctor in the morning.  Rang the surgery on Wednesday morning to see if he could be fitted in, but no......because of so many people having their injection for the plague they are quite busy at present.  Go to hospital, they said.  Could have already done that......hospital was puzzled, but after pricking, spiking, prodding and doing other medical stuff they were as puzzled as we are.  He was given an intravenous antibiotic and sent home with a prescription; there is obviously an infection of some sort, from what we do not know.  So far, so good; nothing has fallen off, leg and foot are still firmly attached, and although it is still swollen and red it isn't as bad as it was.  

That is more excitement than we have seen at Chez Wombats for quite a while, and probably more than we need.  

Quilting has happened on the Canadian quilt, two blocks have been quilted and are joined, a cause for much rejoicing!  Eleven more to go.  Quilt-as-you-go works well for this project, even though I have never done it before.  There will be no stopping me now.....the plan is to have it finished by the end of November.  We can but hope.

This week's houses.  I like the striped house with its flower garden, and both black and white prints are interesting.

This is the blackwork table centre mentioned in the last post.  The fabric is a brighter yellow than it looks here, the wooden table underneath has shadowed the colour.

A close-up of the leaf and berry design, each repeat uses four different filling stitches.

It's wonderfully repetitive work, very soothing to do.

We are being told that some of our world can open up from next week, how wonderful that will be!  Thursday night choir started up again this week and, considering that we haven't sung together for three months, we were all in fine voice.  The concert for which we were preparing will, unless the bottom falls completely out of our world, still go ahead at the end of November, something to look forward to.  The ukulele group will also - hopefully - be playing, although our numbers are down (there has been a slight fall off in interest due to nothing happening for so long) and I will be doing a solo, yay for me!

Our forecast "rain event" wasn't very eventful but we did get some rain, for which the garden is thankful.

Pondering on Stuff in general, why does it take me so long to start something new?  Witness the quilt-as-you-go; I have watched countless videos, and read as much as I could, and thought long and deep, before actually making a start - only to find it was easier than I had thought it might be, and I actually did it well.  It probably stems from a childhood of feeling (and, indeed, being told) that, unless I was absolutely the best at something the first time I did it, it wasn't worth doing.  It would have been nice to have been boosted up instead of being knocked down so often, but that's not who my parents were.  You came first in your class - good.  You came second - do better next time.  You came third - you have to do better than that.  Below third.....well, that usually led to a painful beating so is it any wonder I didn't finish high school, let alone go on to further education, because what was the point of trying when the result was never good enough?  

Ah well.  It was a long time ago, but some things just stay with you, don't they.

"Sunday hospitalities.

In this country it is not expected that persons will call after informal hospitalities extended on Sunday.  All gatherings on that day ought to be informal.  No dinner parties are given on Sunday, or, at least, they are not considered as good form in good society."

Sundays are informal here, too.  We do strive to keep up our good form.

Enjoy your days!

Hi ho, hi ho........

......quilting as we go......

The first block in the Canadian quilt has been layered and quilted, yay for me!  Pics will be taken as more are quilted and joined.

This week's houses.

One surrounded by crawling caterpillars - that's what the fabric reminds me of; the reverse colourway is also in my stash - and a house which flew all the way from Missouri, now enveloped in a cloud of dragonflies.  Do you have dragonflies in Missouri, Sally?

Fiona has been showing her pretty blackwork embroidery of late and I have been promising to find mine, a stitch sampler from long ago......here it is, Fiona.  It was never intended to become anything, just a sampler of filling stitches which I found interesting.

The colour on the bottom left was also an experiment, one which I took no further.  From memory they are all worked with cotton floss, mostly one strand I think; it was a long time ago, after all.

Some of the stitches look 'the same but different'.  This is because an empty space in the first sample was filled with a cross stitch in the second, or the second sample was over more or less threads than the first.  A few designs are also made with pattern darning in which the thread is carried over a specific number of threads on both the right and wrong sides of the work; say, over three threads on the front and two on the back, with every row or second row being moved over by one stitch.

Blackwork embroidery is a technique which has been around for a very long time.  In the 1500s in Europe it was used to trim fine linen chemises and cuffs, worked in silks - usually black, but sometimes red or blue.  If you had a garment trimmed with such fine embroidery you were probably a person of some wealth and discernment.  I haven't made any garments, but I did make a table centre with a design of oak leaves and acorns worked in a warm brown thread on a yellow background.

How have you all been in these times of plague?  It has been another quiet week here Chez Wombats; we had our promised return visit from winter early in the week, and a very chilly visit it was too.  Snow was falling just an hour from us, while some people on the Other Side Of The River even had flakes of wet white stuff falling on them - a rare thing, indeed; last time snow fell here was back in 1984.

Now that we have passed the spring equinox we are heading into storm season, which officially starts on 1st October - next Friday - and continues until April.  There is a 'rain event' (great description, that) forecast for later in the week to usher in the storm season with style and panache, and get it under way.  Daylight saving time also starts here next weekend which will please me somewhat, as mornings have been far too light lately.  When one is not a morning person, as one isn't, one does like a later start to one's day without being blinded by sun shining into one's eyes at far too early an hour.

A few days ago I was entertained by some of the outfits worn on the red carpet for some award or other, I think this time the Emmys (or should that be Emmies?) - oh my goodness.  There was one frilly purple number that reminded me of the spare toilet roll cover of yore. There was a lot of boobage on display, not all of it flattering.....that tape must be pretty strong stuff, that's all I can say. One shorter green frock (most frocks were long) had a twirly skirt and fitted bodice and I absolutely lurved it, I covet it greatly although it would in no way fit me, and as for the shoes - it has been a long time since I could climb that high. There were, as usual, a certain number of frocks with vast amounts of sweeping skirts held up by tiny shoestring straps worn by slender little things; how the skirt doesn't drag the whole thing backwards off their narrow shoulders must be one of the mysteries of the universe. Blokes were being more adventurous with their clothing choices which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes......well......

We don't know who won. We have probably never even heard of the shows or people who won. We just look at the frocks.

"Parties in the country.

Morning and afternoon parties in the country, or at watering-places, are of a less formal character than in cities. The hostess introduces such of her guests as she thinks most likely to be mutually agreeable. Music or some amusement is essential to the success of such parties."

Well......we live in the country, and I could provide some ukulele amusement.....

Enjoy your days!

Spring is sprung

The grass is riz, and all that......

When we moved here back in 2010 there were a few plants in the garden that we couldn't identify, one of which was a bushy shrub just in front of the house....a camellia, I thought.  Kevin wanted to park the caravan on that side of the house and the shrub was in the way so he hacked into it somewhat severely, only to find that there wasn't enough room to wiggle the van past the house anyway.  Fast forward a few months and we noticed it sported masses of unassuming little flowers with the most heavenly scent, so I took a sample to the plant nursery to be told it's a Port Wine Magnolia, a slow-growing  - and very expensive to buy - plant, so he probably hacked several years and goodness knows how many dollars growth from it.  I have since said that judicious pruning is allowed; hacking is not.

I had to stand on our verandah to take this shot, the shrub is much taller than I am.  The neighbours' house is two story, to give you an idea of scale; and it's also taller than our caravan which you can just see at the side.

The leaves are not really as yellow as they look here, it was late afternoon on an overcast day.

One sprig was picked to bring the fragrance inside, sadly it only lasted a day before wilting but the scent hung around for longer.

The smell is fruity rather than flowery, and is a little reminiscent of apples.  Sort of but not quite......

This week's houses, one surrounded by tiny yachts.  I like the starry print on the green house.

Some people make a quilt by making one block a day.  For mine I am making two houses a week, plus one or two strips of greens for the setting triangles.  It's being nibbled at, rather than bitten into.

More work was done on "Imprismed", but there's no hurry to finish as it will be one of next year's projects.

A few days ago the dreaded bag over the head mask was donned, a brief visit (see what I did there?) paid to a shop which sells undies, and a purchase was made to keep dignity intact.  While out and about I called at the closing-down quilt shop and asked advice about my quilt as you go problem, which hopefully is now sorted.  There isn't a lot of stock left in the shop now but I did manage a purchase, all that was left on the roll of a lovely autumn leaf print.  Sale price is 50% off fabrics, 60% if you buy what's left on the roll.....so I saved more money that way, yes?

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.......

Kevin also managed to get his hair cut.  We have to grab opportunities with both hands when they present themselves in case there is another sudden snap lockdown, which is the way of our world at present.  My hair could also do with a trim, but it can wait a couple of weeks until after the school holidays when there won't be so many people out and about.  Let's face it......when your hair is already below shoulder length a bit longer doesn't matter, does it?  

This morning we woke to heavy fog with our expansive view completely gone, it has turned into a sunny afternoon - but winter is coming back in a couple of days with a very cold change, just to remind us that it hasn't, after all, completely left.  Just as well we haven't used all the firewood.

"The dress at a musical matinee is the same as at a reception, only bonnets are more generally dispensed with.  Those who have taken part, often remain for a hot supper."

Perhaps that means one could wear ribbons, flowers, feathers or some other such frippery in one's hair instead of the bonnet?  I have flower hair clips in many colours......except for pink.  I don't do pink.

Enjoy your days!

On to Plan B......or C........

No progress has been made on the Canadian quilt, because the corners have me stumped.  I have absolutely no idea how to make them quilt as you go unless the corner design is changed, and I don't want to change it.  I like it as it is. 

On Monday 'Weeds of Grace' was taken to my quilting friend, and as we sat in the sun enjoying a cuppa and a nibble I asked her advice on said corners.  "Well, you could......no, that wouldn't work.  Or you could perhaps......no, that won't work either" she said.  I have another person to ask for advice, fingers crossed she may have a workable suggestion.

Never mind.  A brilliant idea may pop into life into my brain one day.

Meanwhile, 'Imprismed' has been exhumed from its box.  It's not a big quilt (49 in by 56 in), it's just that I find foundation piecing a wee bit tedious although it's not difficult.......but now that its box has been re-opened (a bit like opening an Egyptian pyramid) work will continue on it.  These half-blocks are laid out but not all sewn together.

This week's houses, very bright and cheerful; one bright pink with tiny black spotty circles, and one teal with a bright orange door.

Back in the 1970s people were buying older timber or fibro houses and 'doing them up'; sometimes 'doing up' included painting the house a bright colour.  Pink was popular, so was purple.  (Well, it was the 1970s......)  The problem was that when there were only one or two bright houses in a street they really didn't go with other houses which were dark brick or the always popular white or cream paint, so the visual cohesion of the neighbourhood suffered as a result.  My neighbourhood won't have that problem, for sure, because nothing goes with anything else.

Gilbert and Sullivan's opera 'The Mikado' states in one song "When everyone is somebody, then no one's anybody".  My houses will all be somebodies so no one will stand out from the crowd.

Our world is opening up again.  We are now allowed to talk to other people although we still have to wear a bag over our head when out in public.  Kevin is hanging out for a haircut while I may have a chance to shop for undies, even if it means wearing the dreaded bag over the head mask.  Hopefully I will be able to get it done as quickly as possible, take off the mask and breathe again, because I certainly can't breathe while wearing it.  Which is a bit of a bother, really, because breathing is probably a good thing.

We may even be able to get together and play music again, and sing, and go back to choir!  The choir is due to perform at a concert at the end of November at which the ukulele group will also be playing and I will have a solo (yay me!), but we have missed over two months of singing since lockdown started which means we may not be ready to perform......and there is still no guarantee that the concert will be able to happen, anyway.  Sigh......

Earlier in the week Bianca had a trip to the vet because we were concerned about her.  She needed some fluids under the skin which she was given and has been fine since, but we know at nearly 19 she is on borrowed time.  We will just try to make her remaining weeks/months as comfortable and pain-free as possible for as long as possible.  When we moved in together over 47 years ago my grey and white cat Smokey came with me, and we have had at least one cat ever since......it will be a very quiet household indeed without Bianca.  

Continuing from last week's quote:

"It is the duty of the hostess to maintain silence among her guests during the performance of instrumental as well as vocal music.  If any are unaware of the breach of good manners they commit in talking or whispering at such times, she should by a gesture endeavour to acquaint them of the fact.  It is the duty of the hostess to see that the ladies are accompanied to the piano; that the leaves of the music are turned for them, and that they are conducted to their seats again.  When not intimately acquainted with them, the hostess should join in expressing gratification."

In other words - when at a musical entertainment of any sort, sit down, shut up, and listen.  Clap enthusiastically or politely at the end, but clap.  That is all.

Learning what not to do

Sometimes lessons learned from doing the wrong thing are as valuable, or more so, than learning how to do something correctly the first time you try.  

During the week five of the blocks for the Canadian quilt were joined with their black sashing strips......then taken apart again.  The plan for this is to quilt it myself, quilt-as-you-go style, something I have never attempted before.  Yes, folks - without a safety net!  It occurred to me that quilting one block at a time then joining it to its neighbour would be easier than quilting a larger panel of several blocks, so that is what will be done.  

Here are four of the blocks joined, before being taken apart again.

They looked so good together......sigh......never mind.  It is hoped that quilting will start this week.  Still have to work out how to do the borders, but no doubt inspiration will strike with the help of You Tube.

This week's houses, similar in colour but quite different when finished.  I like them both.

I'm fairly sure that's about half of the houses with the black and white borders completed, and about half to be done.  A couple more green strips were also made.

'Weeds of Grace' with its backing is being delivered to the quilter tomorrow.  We had a phone call a few days ago; she would like to get it done while things are quiet for her, while I am looking forward to having it finished.  We enjoyed our conversation and are looking forward to catching up tomorrow, it will be so nice to chat with another woman again!

So......things are moving along in the sewing room.

After a taste of spring we are now back to winter, and even have a fire going today.  Bianca is pleased about that, she enjoys lying in front of the fire.

Today's 'Shutdown Sunday' earrings are blue stones in a gold setting.  I don't know if it's real gold (although I think it is) and I don't know what the stones are, but I think they may be Amazonite.  They are pretty, anyway.

Today is Father's Day.  Kevin had a phone call earlier and we will also have our Sunday night online quiz with the family in Canberra, so there will be good wishes passed around and all will be jolly.

My father was a distant man, not always a kind man when I was a child, who walked out on my mother after 25 years of marriage and three children; he never made contact with any of us again before he died nearly 20 years later.  His death certificate says no previous marriages (he had re-married a few years earlier) and no children, despite by then having three adult children and an ex-wife, so the new wife was probably never told about his earlier family.  He never met Kevin and never met his four grandchildren - my sons and my brother's daughters, although he was at my brother's wedding.

It was quite a strange thing for my brothers and I to read the information on his death certificate (we obtained a copy in case there were medical issues we should know about, for our own health information) and to read the word "None" where it should read "Three", under "Children of Deceased".  Perhaps we never really existed at all......

An old saying in Australia, if someone is being gloomy and downcast, is to describe them as being "as happy as a bastard on Father's Day".......a saying which never fails to make me chuckle.

"Musical Matinees.

A matinee musicale partakes of the nature of a reception, and is one of the most difficult entertainments attempted.  For this it is necessary to secure those persons possessing sufficient vocal and instrumental talent to insure the success of the entertainment, and to arrange with them a programme, assigning to each, in order, his or her part.  It is customary to commence with a piece of instrumental music, followed by solos, duets, quartettes, etc., with instrumental music interspersed, in not too great proportions.  Some competent person is needed as accompanist."

Many people in those days had a 'party piece' which they used to perform at gatherings.  No doubt there were some very talented people on the programme.....and perhaps some less so, but at least they had a go.  Sadly, I think, the advent of recorded music on radio and records, and later TV, has deprived many people of the pleasure of making their own music because they don't consider they are up to the standard of professionals heard on those media.  It takes confidence to perform in public......it's not an easy thing to do.

Enjoy your days!