I wish you all the best for 2012.

It is too early for me to reflect on 2011. I just plan to be a bit more active this year and enjoy it.

Again Phil and I packed the old LRover with the Cleo, Bear and the bikes and headed to South Australia and Booleroo to have had the best start to the year.

We brought all the essentials; bike, bathers, a couple of books (I’m not even one-third of the way through Wolf Hall but I love it), DVDs of The West Wing-we’ve been rationing ourselves and keeping them just for summer holidays; and I brought with me less fabric than usual and it has been OK!

One small project I started in the last month is a group Flickr site  “from booleroo”.

The Booleroo Centre Community Development Association and Mt Remarkable Council are promoting the area for tourism and particularly to cyclists and I have set up the site to gradually accumulate some photos of the area in support of this initiative.

The area really is wonderful for cycling. The roads are quiet and the bird life is fantastic (but I need a better photographer to catch those birds). Some photographers from a Port Augusta photography group have very kindly contributed some photos  to the site and I hope to enlist some more local photographers in time.

Last week it was 40-44 degrees celsius and my routineconsisted of a very early bike ride starting before dawn, meeting a small group for a swim at the local pool at 8.30 am then just a very gentle shuffle of  baking, dog walks, letting Bear out for a run because he requires supervision, papers and coffee (complete fail on my half-hearted resolutions from last year), reading, sewplay and sleep.

Heaven.

I’ve nearly finished the blocks for the Civil War quilt.  I will do a very simple sashing without posts but I will start looking for a border fabric and I might make a few more blocks to make the quilt a bit bigger.

I can’t do any more until I’m home so I am starting something new and simple.

Progress report.. very soon.

In the last few days we’ve had plenty of rain which has been great…

it doesn't take us long to feel at home in the country

Mid Winter Rose

When I looked at my last post, I realized it was really  half-true and half-truths are not too much use for furthering one’s understanding of the Universe!

Mum had a 4th major stroke in May and surgery did not help her the recover as we had hoped.

For most of the last six months Mum did not seem distressed but she was an awful situation and  we could not have prolonged her life further.

So it has been a time of just doing the best we could do and remembering her at her feisty best.

The funeral was wonderful; she would have loved the warmth and laughter and  that it was ‘roses’ time in Booleroo.

I sewed these together while I was with Mum and my sister Lyn at the hospital. We arranged the rows together and talked about favourite roses.

There is a  way to go yet but I can see what else I need now.

The inspiration and pattern were from Kerry Dear in an edition of Quilter’s Companion Magazine.

The only other things I have done are a few blocks for Amy.

.. and then nothing.

I wasn’t expecting it.

Why?

Mainly because I haven’t finished anything for months.

Also the usual question of priorities not least about which quilts I really want to make or even finish .

Yesterday though, I finished this little quilt to send to Japan.

I nominated this as the back but effectively front and back are the same single piece.

I was hoping that it could be alright for an elderly person or a baby.

Effie is sending this lovely quilt. So cute.

Thank you Margaret Smith for doing the lovely binding.

There are so, so many quilts to like.

I am going to try to focus .. on quilts I really would want to live with.

There isn’t a lot of information on the web so this  may be helpful for someone else.

The quilting will hold the batting in place so I use quite big stitches.

The method would work really well for patching a damaged quilt and batting. I used my coffee mug and just marked the ‘damaged’ piece and a patch the same size.

I feels great to transform the pile of not quite big enough pieces of batting and I now have a few bed quilt sized pieces ready to go.

Meanwhile Bear naps in the ‘ not quite big enough’ now  day-bed.

It was the start of a week of musings.

For most who drop by this blog, sewing and the feel of fabric really helps keep little birds twittering around near our heads.

For me knitting….. doesn’t….at all!

It was with much relief that I was able to give Rob his beanie a few weeks ago.

I believe it is the end of my knitting career and Rob kindly offered to model my’ last gasp’ effort. I do think it looks good in pure merino baby wool  4 ply black and gold 5 ply Bluebell.  Actually I think the model is making it look good.

The beanie is a ribbed  all over into the back of the stitch.

Knitting a scarf was suggested but I demurred!

I am finally up to dated with the Barbara Brackman ‘Civil War block of the week project.

 One of the first books I borrowed from the library when I started quilting about 6 years ago was Barbara’s Book  Quilts of the Civil War . I love this book.

I loved the more utilitarian masculine quilts with stripes and plaids and shirtings and sombre cooler colours shown in the book and the unfussy simple blocks, and  scrappy quilts.  A lot of the little bits and pieces and scraps and fat 16ths I have collected since poring over the book  I now realize I  have chosen directly because its influence.

Now those pieces  just go straight into the blocks and I have scarcely purchased a thing.

I have posted the latest blocks on Flickr. It was obviously a little more sombre week.

I have a deadline to finish the Lions in Flowers II  quilt this week and hand quilting (pictures next week) and so much else, but  I’ve been drawn into the threads of many issues this week and spent happy hours not sewing but reading books and papers and blogs..and thinking.

I asked a friend weeks ago if he  thought that with the smaller size of the world, better communications and travel, a global economy and the unifying effects of a vibrant international patchwork and craft and blogging  community (I actually didn’t include this last bit) people may come to work more closely together.

He replied “No chance. Have you seen the way siblings fight”.

Dispiriting.

Phil forwarded me this little video  snippet which is spreading about what the speaker calls Empathic Civilization. It  is a little more uplifting.

Science has proven what we all instinctively know. What binds us all together is greater than our differences. But what to do?!!

Also I had the opportunity to see Geraldine Brooks talking about her books  this week.

My limited understanding of The Civil War era comes from reading her book March,  Charles Frazier’s ‘Cold Mountain’ and Barbara’s quilting books.

Ms Brooks discussed very similar themes ( the commonality amongst people across ages and cultures) based on her historical research and years as a foreign correspondent.

It was so comforting and inspirational to find her so  positive and balanced.

I also tried some sashing and I think I will use the Denyse Schmidt ‘Library Stripe’ blue. Originally my thought was to just put all the blocks together but I do prefer the blocks with a ‘frame’.

It will help to know the sashing because some of the blues I’ve used are a bit are standing out a bit and look ‘wrong’ with this fabric. I’ll leave them for now but if they are still standing out at the end I’ll change them.

The ‘Sampler Class’ has been really fun.

We’ve all been choosing sashing at the same time as we all decided on sashing rather than butting the blocks or having setting blocks.

Lyn has put some photos on the shop blog but I thought I would put a couple of larger photos here.

The class participants have chosen all of their block layouts, sashing; everything themselves, and for a couple it is their first ever patchwork. I think they have done an amazing job and the quilts and tops will be even better when they are finished.

Dianne’s

Fiona’s

Mary’s -choosing sashing with some blocks

Half of Theofani’s quilt top

Definitely 2011 is Sampler Year!

My sister in Adelaide has been wonderful doing so much visiting and work talking to doctors and such. I  been travelling and trying to help.

As usual the needle is my friend and comfort as we sit bedside.

It is just great to be ‘told’ what to do and not have to think so the  Civil War Blocks have been a godsend!

Also I have done some real ‘sew play. Dustin Cecil has organized the collaborative add-a-border block swap group where we add to foundation blocks started by other people. I really love this type of challenge, being given a fabric; a shape; a block (civil war) and working on it.

The original 6 inch Friendship Star was by Dawn Derrick

The second starter block was by Dustin Cecil

I have not been keeping up very well with bloggy things but have been inspired Pratima’s  Trip Around the World quilt  is just the most gorgeous quilt I’ve seen for ages!

Finally I’m on to the last border of my epically slow Medallion quilt.  I’ve used greens in the 2nd last border and I’ll try to take a full photo when I finish the last border .

Modern Relief -once the deadlines were halted, I’m embarrassed to admit, so did I.  I’ll keep moving slowly, as I usually do without a true deadline and I’ll give it somehow.

This little thing looks little more than a concept plan, but believe it or not I have spent some time drafting and rethinking my plans for the featured remnant of fabric.

I purchased the last 60 cm of this beautiful piece of fabric by Megumi Sakakibara

Yes, that’s right-just little nine patches of random fabrics is what I came up with!

Tomorrow I finally give away the 2 year Beanie. Hopefully I can get a photo!

Thanks for still being around, Kathy.

This fabric was the first of my collection, bought about five years ago not with a  project in mind but because I loved it.

It has now finally found its way to a feature place in the Civil War Quilt blocks.

Like most of my favourite fabrics it made its way into my medallion quilt as the setting triangles in a border with another Japanese fabric, the green and purplish-red flowered Yuwa.

So, so many of my treasured fabrics are from Japan.

Thinking of Japan. Thinking of the Japanese as I sew their beautiful fabrics.

Hoping that the courage of the brave, brave engineers and workers at Fukushima will be rewarded with good fortune.

I have been reading about some of the history of the American Civil War and in particular the history of textiles of the time on Barbara Brackman’s  ‘Civil War Quilts’ blog.  The  blocks appearing on the  Flickr site are all so interesting and beautiful and different and intriguing that  I belatedly started to play along.  It didn’t take much to tempt a partner in crime Ms ‘speedy pieces’ to start  it as well. True to form, Ms speedy has done about 6 blocks in 4 days. I started  few days earlier so I had a head start.

I really like  the fabrics designed by Denyse Schmidt and love the way they work in quilts. …so I was looking for a …little project  to use some of the Greenfield Hill range.

(A shirt out of ANY of the voiles this would be gorgeous wouldn’t it ( think the green floral)? I’ve become so quilt obsessed, however, I hardly care what I wear.

I found myself googling to find out if Greenfield Hill was an actual place?

Yes, an historic district near Fairfield Connecticut.

What part if any the district would have played in The Civil War?

Apparently ‘ The New England state of Connecticut played a relatively small, but important role in the American Civil War, providing arms, equipment, money, supplies, …’ Wikipedia

The hospital in Greenfield Hills looked after soldiers  afflicted with smallpox during that war.

My recent history education is quilt and textile driven. I’ve learned  bits and pieces about the history of the Amish, the Mennonites , the life in the southern cotton plantations, the westward migration and life in America, England and Australia, particularly for women in the 1800′s.  Northern England, Wales and Provence, India and Africa  have also featured-anywhere with quilts and textiles- so it’s not just about the sewing is it?

Then there is colour and cameras, computers and programs!

“I’d just use Adobe Illustrator..” a family member innocently replied 2 weeks ago in response to the question “how would you put a picture of a block in a Word document (for hand outs)?”  And I innocently embarked on the slowest learning curve ever.  (PS  happy to share any of the block measurements from the sampler quilt with diagrams)

It really is fun doing a ‘sew along’ with so many quilt driven benefits. The applique block  is really slowing me down but I was able to draw it out really quickly,  if you don’t count the 2 weeks it took to get to this stage!

I’ll put my blocks so far on Flickr.

Thanks for dropping in.

16 blocks finished but I do like a big quilt I’ve decided so I’ll make some more. It will probably have to be 5 blocks by six so that’s another ..14..gulp.

It is very traditional, perhaps old-fashioned but I am really happy with it so far particularly the really simple blocks

From one extreme to another.

This top is now difficult to hang, to photograph and to gauge the overall effect.

This border really wasn’t my finest I don’t think. I wanted some definition with the pieces but for all the work involved I should have had a bit more. The places where I used  fabrics other than the main block fabrics I think are better. Oh well it’s no big deal.

Last year I was fortunate to visit London for a few days. I was too late for the V&A Quilt exhibition (it was still great but no quilts at all by the time I got there).  I did manage to visit a wonderful shop in Hampstead run by Christopher who has collected quilts for 30 years. Christopher has sent me photos of some of his wonderful quilts, mostly very old and beautiful chintz quilts and is happy for me to share them on my Flickr .

Also I’ll post a couple of photos of Adrienne’s latest masterpiece here in the next few minutes.