A Bee and a Garden

First the bee 

I've joined one, which will be my first ever. I read about it on Wellingtonian Adrianne's blog. I think I maybe a bit mad, given the number of things I want to do next year, but it'll be fun. I've signed up for the Australasian bee (but there are also ones for other continents including the UK), which means postage won't bankrupt me and it's for solid fabric which will be great as I'm always drawn to solids. I think we only need a couple more in the group, so if you're keen you can read more about it here.

And then the Garden

My initial confidence with my courgettes seems to have been misplaced as they really aren't thriving. I don't know what I'm doing or not doing but the flowers have all come to nothing and the leaves don't look happy so predicted gluts seem impossible.

My friend Liz is not only a sewer, but also a gardener and tho' she says veges aren't her area of expertise, she was not full of optimism about my courgettes either. Possibly the large tree next door, or the small lime tree in the middle of the vege patch are taking the nutrients, or it's not sunny enough? Whatever... things have never thrived there despite our best efforts. So...

Liz and my youngest son and I laboured away last Friday in the heaviest rain we've seen all year and built a new garden. We've sited it at the back in a spot which gets at least 6 hours of sun a day, except the other day!

It was wonderful to have the use of Liz's dad's ute to collect the supplies to build this garden as the rain poured down.

I was buoyed by Liz's confidence and enthusiasm for the whole project. And Alfred was a tireless worker, seeing the project through.

Liz and Alfred mattocked too but no photos unfortunately...

I've cropped you out of the pics Liz, since I didn't have your permission to post you to the world in drowned rat format!

We've planted corn, silver beet, lettuces, spring onions, capsicum, aubergine(eggplant) lebanese cucumber and courgettes and two sorts of beans. We can grow the beans up the fence, they've sprouted, so roll on bean glut!  We've mulched and watered and will do our best to look after it, but I am doubtful given my past lack of success on the garden front. But Liz reckons it'll be great...!

A finish- finally and some fabulous fabric

I have finally finished off my table runner!  I was feeling indecisive about making a facing, but ended up deciding a binding would finish off the stripes, rather than leaving them hanging. Tho' I did like the wine red idea, suggested in the comments on my last post, I'm a sucker for green and happened to have enough on hand. So green binding it was.

I absolutely love this Wrenly pattern with its greens and small and large detailing . The red spiky flowers like the one below towards the right totally remind me of the Pohutukawa and rata flowers from home in NZ which flower around Christmas near the beaches. I decided to quilt some of the patterned areas with some free motion outline quilting. Not only because I was sick of doing short stripes!

I deliberately didn't make the striped piecing ruler straight, but am not entirely sure about the quilted stripes accentuating that. I might make a different decision next time, but overall I'm pleased and think it's happily Christmassy without having to be hidden away for 11 months of the year.

In other news...we have been receiving various exciting packages to put under the tree and for our younger son who turns 14 on Sunday; but one came today which I could open already!

I have really fallen for Carolyn Friedlander's Architextures range. Believe it or not I did exercise some restraint and there were a few I didn't get, but I've always loved maps, so these were irresistible!
I'd love to make a bag, but they'd also make great little pouches, cushions and some are destined for my low volume text/ crosses quilt.

The white on white  is hard to photograph with the others and reflects the light quite trickily, but I think these will be great blenders, as well as stunning on their own. The cross hatch on the bias is a nice change. As is becoming my standard, I got 1/2 a yard of each, but a yard of the black and white as I have a project in mind for the future.

Joining in at My Creative Space today

Cutting and Sewing

Despite not having a lot of time for sewing recently, I did finally get my courage up to cut into the Valori Wells and have managed to make the top and back and get them basted. The whole process is SOOO much quicker than a quilt, it probably took me 5 minutes to pin baste, if that.

I did consider spray basting but thought of my lungs and, only having done it once before years ago, did wonder how much give there is if the layers stick down too soon?...Can you lift it up and re-place it? Would it work with such a long piece? (It measures 205cm or 80 3/4") I've been a faithful pin baster to date, but would love to know how you find spray basting, if you do and the hows, whys and wherefores.

I've decided to straight-line quilt it across the width, but I must say it's tedious to do...There's a lot left to go... I'm using a light gray Aurifil. I've read a lot about this thread- seems good so far. I let you know how I get on. I'm hoping to finish it this week and meanwhile debating about a binding, and if so what colour? I'm a bit of a sucker for green; or alternatively doing a facing like this. Let me know what you think.

Also I thought I'd show you what my friend Liz has been doing. She made me the lovely black needle case for my birthday and lately she's been busy making one for my daughter and finally, one for herself.
Nice use for her vintage button collection too, though she may just have enough to make a few hundred more! The process of making these is very exacting in terms of getting everything straight.

Aren't they beautiful!

Courgettes

Now I know this isn't really a garden blog, but I hope any quilty followers will forgive a brief diversion.

Louise is doing regular posts about her zucchini and I thought it might encourage ours to grow if I joined in! Now I don't think it's healthy to compare courgettes, but I must say that I can't believe how big and flowery your zucchini is Louise!

I have put in 4 courgette plants and am mildly surprised that they all seem to have not only survived but to be growing reasonably. Some even have some flower buds- I think that's them in the middle? A couple of them are beginning to look quite rangy. You can't tell here, but I dutifully planted them on a mound according to the label, but since we mulched the birds rummage about and I think have reduced the mound a bit. But I don't mind if they eat any snails and slugs the blitzem hasn't got to. I hope birds don't eat blitzem...?!

You can see our embarrassingly hopeless beetroot in the background and really our winter veges were altogether fairly hopeless. I don't know if we planted too late or what, but nothing much did that well. I'm going to pull out the leeks soon which are about the size of  spring onions and now have flowerheads! We did use a few of the celery stalks but they were really thin. Even the rainbow chard didn't really grow well- I thought that was supposed to be failsafe?!

 I have a feeling that 4 plants will take over our patch, but I wasn't optimistic of success and I can always move one or two into a pot. Can I? Should I? Will that work? Just to have it trailing down the side?
Given that this is my first ever time of growing them I feel it's a little premature to be posting recipes for my crop, but as soon as I see a baby I'll share a recipe- how about that?

This is to prove that our cucumber recovered from being eaten by snails. I have never seemn a snail or a slug in the garden, so I don't know where they hide in the day, but I should've heeded my gardening friend's advice more expeditiously, you were right Liz! One has been eaten never to be recovered, but one seems to be doing OK. But I digress from courgettes now.

 I am starting to believe we will have edible tomatoes. This is a cherry variety. I have seven plants, only 5 staked so far. The 2 littlest are to the left and right of the last one on the right. I hope I haven't planted them too close together? This is a nice warm wall and I thought maybe their leaves might shade each other's tomatoes?  Or maybe I should move the two smallest somewhere else? Advice please experts...

We went for mainly the garden centre man's recommendations- Mighty Red; but also one cherry tomato and one Tommy Toe I think it's called.

This is a promising looking mighty red-green so far...

So I'll link up with Louise and hope for her Garden Glut!

Study Break

I have an exam this week and it's not as though it's been wall to wall study, but somehow I haven't done any fun sewing in ages, so I decided not to study today.

This wasn't a project I'd exactly planned on doing, but figured I'd better do something with my sewing time today other than rearrange piles of fabric in pleasing combinations!

This stack (above) is going to be table runner and so is this lot (below) if I ever get brave enough to cut that piece of Wrenly...

If I ruin it I'll just have to try to buy some more!

I cut and sewed strips of grey green and red, but somehow I didn't manage to cut it today, so it's going to have to wait until after the exam now!

Linking up with Kirsty again.

Blog Tag

Thanks to Carla for tagging me!

A great to chance to get to know some new bloggers. It's been great to find lots of new people via the Bloggers Quilt Festival recently.

Here are the rules:

• every tagged person has to tell 11 things about themselves

• the person who tagged you asked 11 questions, answer them

• ask 11 questions for the 11 blogs you're going to tag (the people you tag should have less than 200 followers)  

• mention the blog that tagged you, but don't tag them back.

11 Things about me:

1. I'm not too good at these things about me! I don't know if others struggle a bit with how to be really be themselves in a public forum?

2. I'm sometimes indecisive- I think?...

3. I'm exactly between E and I on Myers Briggs

4. I lived in England until I was 10

5. I consider myself a NZer

6. This is my second stint living in Australia

7. I love my work as a counsellor- helping people to make sense of their lives and find better ways to live and grow.

8. I used to be a high school English teacher, now I prefer to save my teenage energy for my own 3 teenagers

9. I love the great outdoors-Beautiful wild and desolate places refresh me

 10. I once had to urgently kick a goat out of a toilet on an Indian train in order to make use of the facilities-such as they were! (No time for photos!)

11. I do better with deadlines

I've been asked:

1. My favourite city to visit- Well there are so many the world over that I'd like to explore and so many I've loved, but an easy place for me to get to, and one I do enjoy for a break and to spend time with friends there is Melbourne.

2. My music taste is pretty eclectic! My kids always roll their eyes when I answer these type of questions with "it depends on my mood" -but that could mean Ella Fitzgerald or Chet Baker on a Friday night chill out time through Reggae/Dub like UB40 or Fat Freddy's Drop, Alternative Rock that my son's introducing us to, or the whole spectrum of Classical. When no-one's home I'll often put on Liszt or Chopin

3 My favourite place to link up is hard to say since I'm fairly new to all this, but I do often link to My Creative Space which I enjoy.

4. I think time and money aren't really the issue with stopping my crafting-not that they're limitless in any way-! But in fact being creative isn't ever easy and even if those things were limitless I'm sure I'd somehow find another procrastinatory excuse. I need to make time and choose to spend it (and $) in ways that are significant, because otherwise it's frittered or squandered.

5. Tools/toys/machines- I have no idea what I'd buy-well actually lately since making a triangle quilt, I've thought that a die cutter like Go Cutter or Sissix might be handy!

6. I don't really watch TV- the occasional doco on SBS

7. My best bargain find is the one I'm going to trip over next week!

8. In NZ my favourite season in my hometown down South is winter which is quite cold but generally clear and crisp.

This is from a particularly snowy year

Here in Australia my favourite season's probably early Autumn which is lovely and warm and sunny.

9. I can't say I've ever succeeded with gardening- I never seem to get past the weeding stage and plant my veges too late, but I'm tending tomatoes and courgettes lovingly this year and hoping for the best..! So I don't really like to garden, but I'd like to like to...!

10. I was inspired to start blogging to be a bit accountable (mainly to myself) to being more creatively active. I'd been reading so many inspiring sewing blogs and was starting to feel that I was living vicariously on other people's creativity. I wrote a bit more about why I started blogging here.

Reading back over these answers I see that I haven't really been definitive about any of them, so you see that's something else about me!

My questions for you are:

1. What is one of the best places you've been to?
2. Where would you like to travel to, even if not possible at the moment?
3. What's the best thing you've made?
4. What do your family/friends think about your blogging?
5. What else do you like to do in your spare time other than make stuff?
6. What's the last good book you read?
7. What's on your "to read" list?
8. What's your real job?
9. Would you choose it again? Why or why not?
10. How many places (different towns) have you lived in since you were born?
11. If you weren't living where you are, where would you live?

I'm tagging:

Knotted Cotton
Bespoke Bites
Cynthia
Garden Glut
Fabric Engineer
Blackbird has Spoken
Jegs Pieces
Quilting at Square One
Anne
Julie
Sunshine and Paradise

Nomination

Exciting! I've been nominated in the top 5  in the Favourite Quilt photographer category in the Bloggers Quilt Festival!

You could hop over by clicking this link and vote for your favourites in each category.

Voting is easy, no registration needed, just click on the star below the one you like best. If you click on the picture that'll give you the opportunity for a closer look at each entry. You have until Friday to vote I think.

Stashing

A few new delights arrived this week, mostly with a view to the text fabric based cross quilt I'm planning. they were bought with a 25% off deal which made it excellent value. 1/2 Yard of each...

Clockwise from 12 o'clock there's Riley Blake Superstar Cheery Circle in Blue; Tim and Beck Bungle Jungle Crossword in Grey; Riley Blake Polka Dot words in Red; Moda Sewing Guide in Concrete, Cream and Black and Cream and Apple; Michael Miller Pencil check in Navy; Moda tiny Houndstooth in Aqua; Jay McCarroll Center (sic) City Boston in Midtown and Jay Mc Carroll's Center City Los Angeles in Uptown


And a bit of a close up so you can see the indeed tiny houndstooth!

Linking up with Fiona at Finding Fifth.

Gifts

Recently we had the pleasure of having the youngest son of some friends to stay for a couple of weeks, while his parents finished their holiday in Europe. He's 12 and a great mate of our 13 year old. They are regular visitors at each other's homes and as parents we have many values in common, so it was easy and fun.

While the others followed sporting pursuits- you know-visiting Lord's Cricket Ground and watching Chelsea play soccer(!), I don't think Julie minded having a day to herself in London! She visited some famous places too and brought me back a treat!

 I haven't come up with a worthy plan yet, but I'll let you know when I do.

I have a couple of shot cottons which I'm thinking might combine well to highlight some or all of these beauties. (Should've given them a quick iron tho'!)

The other gift I've received lately is a wonderful belated birthday gift from my Best Beloved. I confess to dropping some pretty heavy hints on this one a while ago, when I saw this featured on some design blog somewhere (though I can't quite remember where). It wasn't quite ready in time for my birthday and they didn't ship outside the States, but luckily Peter has some work colleagues who kindly shipped it for him.

It's a beautiful limited edition wooden scrabble set whose tiles use many different typographies.

The six pieces of the board click together with recessed magnets and slide away into their own little chest, with a larger drawer below for the letters and metal racks, when not in use.

Makes the pleasure of playing a game even greater!

Designed by Andrew Capener

Random bee and flower shot! Aren't euphorbias amazing?