Hanging in an empty night

All finished, quilted, labelled, bound and photographed!  At last!

 Close up the colours are brighter, as you can see below.

 The back, with the extra piecing not as obvious as I had feared.

 A panel of stars was inserted to make the backing wide enough.

 The title, "Hanging in an empty night" is a line in a song written by a friend, Cathy Miller.

One of the first quilting books I bought a long time ago, and still a favourite, is "Star Quilts" by Mary Elizabeth Johnson.  It's wonderfully inspirational and, although I have never made any of the quilts whose instructions are in the book, my collection has a few star quilts including this one.

Last weekend the final stitches were taken on the blocks to make "Gumballs" from a pattern in McCalls Quilting way back in 2008.  I laid them out on the spare bed (AKA the design bed, I still haven't gotten around to getting a design wall) to see how they looked.......and I love them, they are just what I hoped they would be!

A bundle of blue/teal/purple fabrics was won in a giveaway on Linda's blog a couple of years ago, and when those fabrics arrived I looked at them......pondered......looked again......added a few more blues from my batik stash, and some orange and gold for contrast.......and this is the result.  When we return from our holiday those blocks will be joined into a top.  The colours make me think of flower petals floating on a tropical lagoon.......getting a bit fanciful here, folks.  I'll try not to let it happen again.

Next Wednesday we will be hitching up our little caravan, climbing into the car and heading south to Canberra to see the family and no doubt marvel at how much Young Euan has grown, and to enjoy the folk festival and some Canberra shopping (Canberra is the Medium Smoke so there is more choice than here) before going east to the south coast, then back to Canberra for a few days before returning home.  This week I found out that there will be a craft show in Canberra on our last weekend there, how fortuitous is that?

When we come home the repairs to the house can start.  The insurance company has finally approved a builder to fix the kitchen cupboards and replace what seems like several acres of floor tiles, after which the new carpet can be installed.  Once that is done we may - gasp - have to visit the Big Smoke to purchase replacements for the furniture which was damaged by water, then our books and treasures can be unpacked again.  I miss my books so much; all my sewing and quilting books are packed, nearly all my music books, nearly every cook book......a few favourite fiction books......my own library, built up over a long time.

While we're away it may not be possible to comment on blogs because we will have limited internet and we will probably have exciting things to do, places to go and people to see.

"No lady worthy any gentleman's regard will say "no" twice to a suit which she intends ultimately to receive with favor.  A lady should be allowed all the time she requires before making up her mind; and if the gentleman grows impatient at the delay, he is always at liberty to insist on an immediate answer and abide by the consequences of his impatience."

Well, I didn't say "no" at all.  Not once.

Enjoy your days!

Choofing along with the binding......

This is quite a large quilt, each side is two metres long so that makes eight metres of binding to be sewn down with tiny stitches.  Perhaps they don't need to be as teeny as they are; taking teensy stitches just comes naturally and I actually have trouble taking big ones.  It's looking quite good, if I do say so meself (she says modestly).

A minor conniption was had, however, when piecing the back as the fabric had a row of holes across the width!  The correct size pieces had already been cut and partly pieced, but fortunately there was enough left to be able to cut off the holey piece (possibly caused by machinery when it was wrapped round its cardboard core) and add a new pieced piece, so there are a few more seams on the back than I had originally planned.  At least there was enough fabric......the conniption would have been major had there not been, let me tell you.

A little corner of the not-quite-finished quilt bundled up on my sewing room table out of Bianca's way, as cats do love a nice soft quilt to snuggle into.  The binding is more than half done, and the Cunning Plan is to wave it around at quilt group on Saturday for show and tell.  Which will still happen, even if it's not quite finished.  Tonight is choir practice so it will be staying home for a couple of hours, it would be difficult to sing while bearing the weight of what has turned out to be a fairly heavy quilt on one's lap.  A few wrong notes might just be hit.......even wronger than usual.

Nothing to report on the house repairs, although we expect to be told very soon which builder the insurance company has selected to do the fixing.  As we are going away in less than two weeks it will have to wait until we come home in mid-May.

My toe is still attached.  It is tender and sore, but it hasn't fallen off.  The bursitis is still hanging around in my hip and driving me demented at times.  Older age is not for sissies.

Ms 64 has gone, and no one here is grieving. Her roaming cats have gone with her, for which the neighbourhood is thankful

Last Sunday we went for a Nice Sunday Drive (on a Sunday, something we seldom do!) to a small village an hour north-east of here for lunch at the local pub for our 41st anniversary.  Walcha Road Pub (it's pronounced wolka) is over 100 years old and bounced back from a major fire several years ago - the charred edges of the bar are evidence of that.  The food is excellent, unexpectedly so in a settlement of about 20 people, and it's a popular place for a weekend lunch.  We have been before but haven't visited in mid-winter, perhaps one day we will brave the snow and go there!

We have also had some excellent rain, after our dry February it has been very welcome.  Our garden is now smiling again, and the weeds are shooting up like you wouldn't believe.

"Proposals of marriage.

Rules in regard to proposals of marriage cannot be laid down, for they are and should be as different as people.  The best way is to apply to the lady in person, and receive the answer from her own lips.  If courage should fail a man in this, he can resort to writing, by which he can clearly and boldly express his feelings.  A spoken declaration should be bold, manly and earnest, and so plain in its meaning that there can be no misunderstanding.  As to the exact words used, there can be no set formula; each proposer must be governed by his own ideas and sense of propriety in the matter."

Well....I can't remember the exact words, but I'm sure they were indeed bold, manly and earnest.

Enjoy your days!

Where has the time gone?

Do you ever feel as though life has been flashing by while you sit back and watch?  That's been us recently, life has been very busy but we don't seem to have much to show for it.  Ah well.

Nothing to report on the home repair front.  When all this rigmarole first started Kevin thought it would all be sorted and we would have new floors within a week......blokes can be very naive, can't they?  He is now starting to believe me when I say it won't be finished before it is cold enough to light our fire, something I have been saying for a while thinking I was talking to empty air.  Looks like it is starting to sink in.

The ukies had another moment of fame and glory at the Seniors' Week concert early last week.  There are no more gigs on the horizon but we keep playing together, just the same, because we never know when another call to fame will come.

My hurt toe is quite sore and tender but so far hasn't fallen off, which is a good sign.  I am still keeping it strapped to its neighbour; even slight pressure from the edge of a sandal strap is very painful so the tape gives a little padding and protection.  Hopefully it will be healed by the time the weather is cold enough to wear closed-in shoes.

My blue and yellow star quilt is quilted, and it looks truly gorgeous!  In the few spare moments available lately nine strips of binding fabric were cut and are now starting to be pinned together, however nine may not be enough.  When they are joined into one long strip I'll measure it, there is plenty of fabric if I need to cut more because when it was bought all those years ago - more than I can remember, actually - I bought one whole metre, and would you believe it's green, dark mossy green?

Many of the fabrics used are florals with touches of green, hence the choice of green for binding.

Here it is between the top border fabric and backing fabric.  Green is a difficult colour to photograph - it seems to be affected by lighting more than any other colour.  The actual tone is somewhere between these two pictures.  My goal is to have it bound and finished by Saturday of next week, quite achievable in the time frame if it weren't for so many other commitments.  Oh well, we can only do what we can do, can't we?

It seems there is a bonus to the bare shoulder fashion that I don't like.  A nurse friend is now giving flu shots and said that makes it easy for her because the women wearing them don't have to roll up a sleeve!  But I still don't like it.......

"Extravagance in dress.
Dress, to be in perfect taste, need not be costly.  It is unfortunate that in Australia too much attention is paid to dress by those who have neither the excuse of ample means nor of social culture.  The wife of a poorly paid clerk, or of a young man just starting in business, aims at dressing as stylishly as does the wealthiest among her acquaintances.  The sewing girl, the shop girl, the chambermaid, and even the cook, must have their elegantly trimmed silk dresses and expensive cloaks for Sunday and holiday wear, and the injury done by this state of things to the morals and manners of the poorer classes is incalculable."

Nothing wrong with an elegantly trimmed silk dress, I would have thought.

Enjoy your days!

Ouchie......

Back in October 2012 while visiting Canada I kicked my right foot, which was eventually found to be broken.  It duly healed......without any treatment, I might add, because I thought it was just bruised so didn't see a doctor about it for a couple of months and by then it was too late to do anything......one of several such injuries during the course of my life.  I said at the time "It's not the first time I have done this and I will probably do it again before I die"......

......well......

......I have.

A few mornings ago at stupid dark early o'clock I was paying my customary bathroom visit (it's a bugger getting older, isn't it?) when I managed to kick my right foot very hard on the tiles around the base of the shower.  On the corner of the tiles, of course, where it would do more toe damage.  I suspect that my second smallest toe is broken; it is certainly sore and bruised, a technicolour bruise, a veritable prince of a bruise, and the skin is broken.  I haven't been to the doctor because, even if it's x-rayed and found to be broken, it will just be strapped to its neighbour for support which I am already doing.  I will be probably told to rest it (been doing that) - ice it (ditto) - keep it strapped (see above).  It has been giving me a certain amount of grief and pain, but hey......it hasn't fallen off yet.

On to happier things!

Last Saturday evening's concert went off very well, the audience said nice things to us and about us, and on Thursday night we had three new ladies turn up to join the choir.  One of them said to us "you all looked as though you were having a lot of fun and I wanted to join in!"  Next Monday afternoon we will sing a couple of songs, and the ukies will sing and play a couple of songs too, for the annual Seniors' Week concert.  Striking while the iron of fame is hot, as it were.

My quilt has been delivered to the long armer and I feel as though I have sent an orphan child off to boarding school, but no doubt she will be beautiful when she comes home again.  The ugly duckling will have turned into a swan.

Recently the second row by row brought home from Canada had all its applique finished.

Top is from Vancouver Island, B.C., bottom is from Ontario.  They are both supposed to be the same width - this is what happens when you don't read instructions.  The strips on the Ontario row were to be trimmed to 1-1/2 inches before being sewn together so they would both finish up the same width, and I didn't - however, I quite like the wider result.  The Cunning Plan is to border each with a narrow border of brown, possibly the brown peeping through in the middle although it's a bit redder than I had hoped but there is enough in my stash to do the job, then a wider border of dark green which may or may not be in the stash, and they will become table runners.

Cutting has started on the next hand-pieced project, 3 inch tumblers made from my stash of reproduction fabrics.  When those fabrics first started appearing way back when (it would have to be nigh on 20 years ago, wouldn't it?) I succumbed and bought some because I really liked them, and every now and then would add another one.  Or two.  Or so........now it's their turn to shine; so far two tumblers have been cut......only two, because my toe hurts when I stand for too long.  Hopefully one or two more may be cut today.

There was a story to those repro fabrics, I remember reading about it in a quilt magazine at the time - may even have the magazine, but it's packed away with all my magazines and books so I can't check.  However, if you are interested to read about it I did find this article.  A result of the controversy was that the Smithsonian agreed to give quilt historians and fabric designers access to quilts in their collection so their antique fabrics could be reproduced for all of us to use, and some of those fabrics are in my repro stash; one could also acquire (buy or be given with a purchase of a certain amount of fabric, I forget which) a label to use on the quilt made from said fabrics, but I don't have one.  An image search for "Smithsonian quilt fabrics" will bring those fabrics up.

There is no progress to report on the house repairs.  The second builder has come and gone and hopefully reported to the insurance company, now we are waiting to hear from them.  It will all be fixed in due course, and no amount of worrying on our part will hurry it along.  So we don't.

It is raining!  We had good rain in January, twice the monthly average, but February let us down - barely one quarter of the monthly average.  March is, at least, starting well.  Temperatures are lower, too; the severe heat of summer has, hopefully gone never to return, but I wouldn't count on it.  It will be back again next summer.

"Ostentatious display of knowledge.
In refined and intelligent society one should always display himself at his best, and make a proper and legitimate use of all such acquirements as he may happen to have.  But there should be no ostentatious or pedantic show of erudition.  Besides being vulgar, such a show subjects the person to ridicule."

Probably.

Enjoy your days!

Soon there will be a back side too

A few days ago the backing fabric for the quilt in my last post was spread out, measured - all 6.4 metres of it - stroked and fondled, and now it has been cut into backing-sized pieces.  It was bought in......oh, about 2004, give or take a year or two, when we spent a weekend on the New South Wales south coast with friends.....in Milton, from a quilt shop which may or may not still be there.  Google tells me there is still a quilt shop in Milton but I wouldn't know if it's the same, the name doesn't ring even the tiniest tingle in my memory.

 As soon as I saw it I knew it would be Just The Very Thing to back that blue and yellow quilt, what do you reckon?

To make the backing big enough it will, of course, have to be pieced so I whipped up three more star blocks using some of the leftover fabrics from all those years ago, and set them with corner triangles to make them wider.  This is how they look lying on the backing; a strip of backing fabrics with stars inserted will run down the centre back.

 A bit like this one, although the strip on this quilt is off-centre - my preference -  but those maths don't work for the bigger quilt, so centred it will have to be.

After so many years I am really looking forward to having that quilt done, dusted and finished.  Binding will be a deep mossy green.

The worst of the hot weather seems to have well and truly gone, for which we are thankful.  It's much easier to sleep on cooler nights.

Today I am trying to decide which of my sumptuous creations to wear for the choir/ukulele gig on Saturday night.  Our performing "uniform" (which isn't a uniform at all, really) is black bottoms, pants or skirt, and a bright solid colour top; solid, because 35 or so people wearing patterned tops would leave the audience cross-eyed.  I have black pants and a calf-length flared black cotton skirt and tops in green, yellow, green, red, green, blue, green, orange........and green.  Considering it is still summer it will probably be a skirt with, perhaps, a beaded yellow top and sparkly earrings.  Nothing like a bit of tizz at night, is there?  The ukulele players will follow the lead of the choir, so those of us who perform with both won't look out of place with either.

One thing it won't be is bare-shouldered......I thoroughly completely dislike (hate is a very strong word, but I really don't like them at all) the current fashion for tops with a hole over the shoulder.  Is it supposed to be sexy or what?  Probably or what......it seems to be popular with older women, worn very loose so it appears to be falling off the shoulders.  Who told them it looked good, I wonder?  It certainly wasn't me.  That fashion will probably disappear when colder weather arrives and, with a bit of luck, won't be revived next summer.  It's lasted two summers already, that's two more than it should have.

Ms 64 will be moving, hopefully soon, as her house has been sold.  We hope she takes her wandering cats with her.  Not a neighbourhood tear will be shed when she goes.

We have had a builder call in to assess the damage to the kitchen cupboards, and he said the cupboard under the sink will have to be replaced.  Good news though - the damaged cupboard can be pulled out and another slotted in its place with the door re-used, so the kitchen will look the same as it does now.  The kick boards will be taken off and either replaced with new ones, or sanded and re-laminated.  Another builder will be coming to do an assessment, and the insurance company will make the choice.  Then we sit back and wait......all the floor tiles will be taken up and replaced.  All.  That's the entrance hall, family room, kitchen room......it's a big area......even into my sewing room.  Not looking forward to the noise, dust and mess with that.......we might move out for a few days, we can set up our little caravan at a local camp ground for the duration.  Bianca will be going to visit a cattery, because it would be a very traumatic experience for an old puss.  It won't be all that great for two Olde Phartes like us, either.

We are just drifting with the flow.  Not much else we can do.

"Dress for lecture and concert.
For the lecture or concert, silk is an appropriate dress, and should be worn with lace collars and cuffs and jewellery.  A rich shawl or velvet promenade cloak, or opera cloak for a concert is an appropriate outer garment.  The later may or may not be kept on the shoulders during the evening.  White or light kid gloves should be worn."

We won't be wearing gloves.  I haven't tried it, but I imagine it could be tricky trying to play ukulele while wearing kid gloves.  I'll pass on the lace collars and cuffs, too.

Enjoy your days!

It's about time

Last year I decided to finish all my quilt tops, even if it meant paying to have the larger ones quilted.  The first step in that process was taken yesterday when my star quilt was booked in with a local long-armer, and you have no idea how good it feels.

 Even though it has just been a finished top for umpteen years and would probably be considered old-fashioned now I still like it.  How many other quilters went through the "French Provincial blue and yellow" phase, I wonder?  Sadly it's just too big for me to quilt without pain and discomfort, much as I would love to do so.

Now to make the backing from another pretty blue and yellow floral print, also bought many years ago and patiently waiting ever since.

All those cut-off triangle points weren't wasted, either.  This was made from the leftovers.  I paid good money for that fabric, and I wasn't going to chuck it out.

It's not as big, so I was able to quilt it without too much difficulty.

The proper applique continues slowly.  It has only been worked on at night while watching TV, one tree is finished and two more are still to be done.

The cortisone injection two weeks ago seems to be kicking in and my hip is nowhere near as bad, for which I am thankful.  Kevin probably is too.  This morning my regular masseuse said one of her clients, a big burly bloke, was in tears on her table one day with bursitis pain; we decided it was something we wouldn't inflict on our worst enemy.  Then again, perhaps we would......

The latest on the house:  last Friday two people from the remediation company came in to remove the last of the dead carpet and to unpack every cupboard and bookshelf in our living room ready for when new carpet is laid.  One was the female half of our first nice young couple, the other was guess who......yes, The Bloke referred to in my last post.  I hung around barely long enough to be sociable then went shopping, and by the time I returned he had gone.

So now our house is darker because grey concrete is deeper toned than beige carpet, and the rooms echo because they are emptier.  All my quilting, sewing, music and cook books, and all our music CDs, are packed in boxes in the garage.  I did keep out a few music books and some CDs, but I miss the packed-up ones.

We also found that we will need to replace our big computer desk and a wooden filing cabinet because of water damage to the bases.  Another bloke is coming tomorrow morning to look at the kitchen cupboards and assess any damage to them.

Last week's heatwave has ended and gone, thank goodness.  Each subsequent day broke new heat records, and the town recorded its hottest ever temperatures.  It was quite unpleasant; last month we had really good rain, but recent heat has dried everything out so much that any benefit from the rain is gone.

Never mind - one day autumn will happen.

"Squint-eyes and cross eyes.
Parents should also be careful that their children do not become squint or cross-eyed through any carelessness.  A child's hair hanging down loosely over its eyes, or a bonnet projecting too far over them, or a loose ribbon or tape fluttering over the forehead, is sometimes sufficient to direct the sight irregularly until it becomes permanently crossed."

Bet you didn't know that, did you?  Just think of all those little eyes blighted because a careless parent allowed a loose ribbon to flutter......

Enjoy your days!

Oh, boy

The stress levels here have been rising, but I am trying to keep a lid on mine.  Kevin is starting to wonder "what if......what if......." and I am saying "don't worry about it.  What happens will happen."

More remediators have been, and we are now two large bookshelves less than we were before The Flood.  The timber end grain soaked up water like a sponge and, as they weren't solid timber, they can't be saved.  Bugger......they were 30 years old but there was nothing wrong with them.......so long as they didn't get wet.  All the books they contained have been packed away.  Everything else in every cupboard in that room will be packed away tomorrow to facilitate laying of new carpet when the time comes, and we don't know how long it will be until it can be accessed again.

Oh well.  What happens, will happen.

Our first two remediators who removed damaged carpets and set up the noisy fans were a cheery young couple who worked like Trojans, but I didn't warm to the second two, a younger bloke and an older bloke.  The younger bloke was fine, also a cheery young feller, but the older bloke (and he isn't as old as we are, he just seems older) is one of those blokes who comes storming in like a bull at a gate.  We haven't been through this experience before so are not sure of what happens, and a little gentleness goes a long way.  His voice was loud, his personality was loud.  I don't want him in my home again.  The remediation company is sending people again tomorrow and, if that bloke walks in the front door, I will be walking straight out the back, into the car and down the road and not coming home until he has gone.

Yesterday the insurance company sent an assessor to check out the kitchen cupboards and floor tiles, and his recommendation is that all the tiles be replaced as so many have come loose.  If the flood hadn't been hot water they would have probably stayed stuck down, but the glue under them has dissolved.  The cupboards are, as yet, a still unknown quantity - until someone can get under and behind them we won't know the extent of damage or mould.

On to happier things......

Get a load of this!  Proper applique!!

 Nothing lick 'n' stick about this lot!

Love those fabrics......

I suspect my sewing room will become even more of a refuge than it usually is for the next few months.  That might bode well for a few UFOs......or I could say I am off working on my PHD, Projects Half Done.  Sounds good, doesn't it?  Especially for one who didn't finish high school......

Last Thursday night at choir Carol and I were chatting to a new member (who was slightly appalled to find out that we don't use music, but she'll soon get over that) and Carol and I, who hadn't sat down and chatted before although we have been sitting a row apart for six months, worked out that we had been at school together. Fancy that.  I have never kept in touch with anyone from my school days, they weren't the best days of my life and don't need to be revisited.  Carol was asking the names of girls in my social circle and I couldn't remember.

In a couple of weeks the choir is performing at a charity concert and our leader has asked if the uke group can perform.  There are five members of both choir and uke group but two won't be available, so we're calling in reinforcements.  It seems to have fallen on my shoulders, woo hoo!  Oh, the power......I'm not picking any songs that I don't like, they will be oldies because our concerts attract an older audience who probably wouldn't like heavy metal goth headbanging ukulele music - if so, they will be sadly disappointed.

"Introducing yourself.

If, on entering a drawing room to pay a visit, you are not recognized, mention your name immediately.  If you know but one member of the family and you find others only in the room, introduce yourself to them.  Unless this is done, much awkwardness may be occasioned."

Exactly.  Don't go barging into someone's home saying, "G'day, where's the toilet?"  I don't care how long you have been driving.

Enjoy your days!