Beyond the Cherry Trees - Block 6

Well, I consider myself totally up to date with this project now.  It was published once then redone with some extra layers.  I ignored the extra layers and just went with the original drawing.  I am not overly keen on this block.  The cream fabric on top of the yellow looks a bit drab to me.  I changed it about a little, and added more red.

The flower on the upper left, I did the centre with reverse applique to show the yellow underneath.  The flower on the upper right, I added the extra red fabric, and cut away at the back.  There were 4 layers in all!

Autumn is here

A few weekends back John and I went to the Clare Valley for the weekend.  We stayed over night at Burra

at Paxton Square Cottages.  We stay here every year.  They are the first public housing built in South Australia.  They were built for the early copper miners.  The miners lived in dug-outs in the river and got washed out and drowned when ever it rained.  Anyway, these cottages are great.  There are walls build of stone a foot thick, lovely comfy beds, basic furniture, no TV or radio, and big open fires in the winter.  Plus, a pub across the road!  What more could we want.

In the back yard of the cottages is an ancient fig tree.  We raided the tree!  The fruit was just hanging off and falling to the ground.  We gathered up a few plastic bags, and picked until we could carry no more.

When we got home on the Monday I made a great batch of fig jam.  The recipe - from my dear departed mother in law.

1 lb of fruit

1 lb sugar

cut off the stems of the fruit, cut in half and cover with sugar overnight.  Next day start to cook, boiling until the jam starts to set.  Can't tell you the temperature - I just know what it looks like.  It gets sticky on the wooden spoon, and gets crinkles in it when you put on a plate.

I had 7 kilo of fruit, which gave me about 20 jars.  Enough to last the family for a year

this is the fruit covered in sugar, melting.

All cooked - see how nice and shiney it is.  This is a good indicator it is ready.

Some of the 20 jars - I had to do them in 2 batches.  Too much for one pot!

The other nice thing about autumn is the Bella Donna lillies.  You see them growing were nothing else is alive.  By the side of the roads, and in my dry little patch by the front gate.  Each year I think they are dead, then these arrow heads appear - and there they are!  They are also called Easter Lillies as they appear around Easter time in this part of the world.

Sampler No 2 all finished

Samper no 2 is now all finished, and ready to be delivered to the shop.  It is a hand piecing workshop at Patchwork By Sea, Brighton in South Australia.  I am only presenting the top at this stage, as I want people to be able to see the back of it, where I have made the markings, and how I have worked the stitches.  Once the class is finished, I will make some more blocks, and turn it into a proper quilt.

Feathered Star - part 3 - all finished

The feathered star is now all finished!  The 4 blocks to complete the class sample are now ready to put together

To set in the corrner triangles, pin at the inner point and the outer point.  Take two backstitches at the outer point and stitch to the centre point.  two more backstitches, and pivot the work around.

Start stitching from the inner point to the outside edge of the work, finishing with two backstitches again

Stop at each of the seam lines as you come to them, do a little backstitch and take the needle under the seam and out the other side

Now that the block is finished, trim up the seams, turn it over on the ironing board and start pressing the seams so that the lay flat.  Press the seams over and under so that they are nice and flat.

this is what it looks like all finished!

New Quilt from Quilters Newsletter Magazine

Today I received a copy of the Feb/March Quilters Newsletter Magazine.  On the cover is the most gorgeous quilt made by Linda Cordell Wilkey, from Texas, and a member of the Patchwork Divas.  The quilt is called Hawaii Sunset.  I know a number of the members of this group personally, and they make outstanding quilts.  I am going to make this quilt!  I just love it.  I am not even put off by the 600 Flying Geese that are needed.  Yikes!  I have been looking for a sewing machine project, and this is it.

So here is my first block. Does anyone have a name for this block?  It is a bit like a Fox and Hound.  Normally I would choose my own colours, but the choices made by Linda are so perfect that I have made mine the same.  It is a great scrap quilt.  Just need to have plenty of double pinks for the FG backgrounds, and poison greens for the corners.  Only 24 more blocks to go!  Well, maybe I will only make 20 blocks, or even 12 blocks.  It took me about 1 1/2 hours to make the block and press it, so I might plan for one or two a week and it will be done in no time.

The last time I took on a big machine project like this was for my Flying Fancy quilt.  Every time I made a block, I also made a strip of Flying Geese.  It did not seem to be such a big effort that way.