Morning every one I hope you have all had a wonderful week of sewing and sharing. I have done very little more to show this week but I did find two UFO’s LOL
Where my morning started at 7.30am as I started my walk around the garden.
On Friday when I was looking for some winter jerseys I found two quilts in the attic I had forgotten about?????? they are sandwiched ready to quilt!
My friendship blocks from Papua New Guinea 1990’s there were around 40 odd of us who were transferred to PNG by our companies from Banks, Aviation, Testra, tourism, and Embassies. mostly on a 2 year contract. there were lots of groups for one to attend when we first went up there and it was safe to drive around. I joined two quilting groups one with 6 very keen quilters and the other with about 40 people mostly they liked the social gathering and it was some where to go safe, there were only 2 coffee shops in the town but parking and security were not a good thing so it was better to drive in to a large compound and meet in ones units. Several of the banking girls were very generous and opened their units up for these gatherings and their units were very very large with glass frontages the whole length of the dinning and lounge areas which gave lots of good lighting for every one to sew with. Of the 40 odd 32 of us decided to make friendship squares so that was 6 1/2 inch squares with the same pattern made 32 times. Well it was such fun to start with but after 10 weeks it was not so much fun for many of them. I was happy as I made a little girl same shape but dressed her differently each week and it was fun for me. In the end most were calling them the Bl…y 32 blocks, but we all made it to the end and I made mine up by adding strips of fabric much like a log-cabin but I was short of enough squares to make it this size and colour so made a few extra blocks.
I don’t even remember finishing this top I do know that I kept putting it away many times unfinished as I was just learning to quilt and this seems such a huge task and such a problem getting those squares square and all the same size no rulers and rotary cutters then. ????? It was all trial and error no books just what if I try???? I wanted the squares roughly 10inchs at least so it would make a bed quilt not a lap quilt? I did not know about logcabin but I liked the effect of adding strips of colours. even then I liked masses of colour LOL
Batik whole cloth back of PNG Friendship group quilt. 1990’s backing was given to me by a friend from Indonesia she had bought several of these with her from her country. I did not know what to do with it then needed a large piece of fabric for my PNG quilt backing!!!!! Now I will have her memory for a long time.
It was difficult for me back then to know what to do with 32 6 1/2 inch blocks LOL
what I did know that if I just joined them together they would make a very small quilt LOL. So I started adding strips of fabric till they were bigger than 10 inches. but I wanted the strips to make up a pattern too????? All trial and error.
This was my little block and I made her with different out fits ever week for 32 weeks LOL. For me it was so much fun from gumboots and rain coat, to evening dress, and sun dress and umbrella.
This was my favourite I could not believe that she was sewing these 1/4inch squares and making these perfectly little quilts week after week. Remember we were all new comes to quilting most of us had never quilted till we went to PNG
An extra one I made for fun.
I had never seen such fine stitiches and have never seen them since. I had to look with a magnifying glass to see the stitches she used to make the thread for the needle, the shape was her state of Australia.
Some times we make a quilt then years later we have forgotten about it till some thing triggers the memory; this is one of those onesLOL All Japanese cotton fabrics except for the yellow and black.
Back of USA star and heart block quilt. This quilt is made from Japanese cotton fabrics. this backing is made up of mostly cotton summer kimono panels the red would have been used to make parcel wraps and covers for Duvets.
In the garden this morning.
We call these ferns birds nests and can grow up to 2 metres across around a tree branch or trunk.
This has been flowering since Xmas, when it dies the plant will die to and a small side shot will be left behind you can see it at the base of the plant and we will wait 5 years or more for it to grow and flower?
Still flowering what a stunning combination and unusual flower we are all ways amazed when it flowers twice a year. ???
Nature shows us what colours work well. Same plant taken face on a close up of the wee purple blooms.
Looking up in to one of the canopies this morning right beside the house.
A beautiful new fern that has just started growing in the garden, I have never seen it before, unusual part of it is the size of the fern leaf I have never seen a soft fern this big before, bracken is a fern I know but it is a hard stem this is very soft from the leaves to the stem.
This is a stunning foliage plant, stunning markings and the florist love it. the underneath is even more striking.
Back of the leaf.
Thank you for dropping in to visit please say hello so I can visit your blog too.
Cheers Glenda who is off to link with Esther Aliu
http://estheraliu.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/wow-week-so-soon.html
her WOW or WIPs on Wednesday.
Hi Glenda
You certainly must have got a big surprise when you discovered those two forgotten quilts! But didn’t they bring back lots of memories of times past.
I’m working on UFOs too – have more than I really want to count. So I haven’t! Listed 6 (only) and throw a dice each week to decide which one to work on for that week. This method seems to be working well for me.
Hi Jenny I do like that idea of throwing a dice to see which quilt to work on LOL. I have 4 piles in my room looking at me, one pile to quilt, one pile of pieced quilts on the work table waiting to be finished, one pile of applique to work on and a pile of BOMs to finish. I need another 24 hrs in the day. I have been working on my Healing Heart today for Esther and Sashiko quilting a small quilt. This is been a new challenge for me and I’m thoroughly enjoying it Cheers Glenda
the last plant you show looks like a house plant I used to have years ago – referred to as “prayer plant” as the leafs turned up at night like a praying hand – of course we could only grow them in the house as they were tropical – I wonder if it is the same as you show. What wonderful memories you have of your group in the 1990’s that must have been so different living there on an island and that you forgot about the quilt already sandwiched – better get busy now and quilt it 🙂
Hi Karen not sure about the plant closing up at night time, I’ve never looked at it during the night LOL even though it has been there 20 years!!! I will try and remember to have a look with a torch tonight? I have left the quilts out hoping I can find time to do some machine quilting on them, just in the ditch so will try my walking foot to do this, even went and found the walking foot so may be at least one will get quilted!!!! Hugs Glenda
Dear Glenda
I have heard a similar thing by a group of ladies doing Dear Jane quilts. Love the Log Cabin frames for your blocks. It is great when one discover just what one is capable off, when one try something new for the fist time. We finally had some warm weather, the sun is shining and I for one are a very happy bunny! No more snow, yippee!!!
Enjoy the happy memories as you work on your forgotten quilts. That makes them even more special. I always enjoy the tour of your garden. Spring has finally arrived in northern Indiana. Green grass and spring flowers are starting to bloom. I just finished mowing the yard, (dressed in long johns, wool socks and hooded sweatshirt!) and hope to finish planting the early garden this afternoon. Blessings, Gretchen
G’day Glenda,
Lovely to have a trip around your garden again – ours is such a mess! Not enough water to make it flourish but slowly I am putting in more Native plants that take care of themselves and bring the birds in too!
Cheers Wendy.