Hand quilting and repairing a sampler quilt. 16th June 2015

Laura a Hawaiian quilter taught me to quilt in Tonga which is in the Pacific Islands.  Before we started the lessons she told us that she would share with us how she quilted then it was up to us to practice and she warned that it could take up to 8hrs of practice to get the rhythm !!!!!!  Of course it looked so easy watching her none of us believed her!!!!   It took me 3 hrs sitting with her helping me then 4 1/2 hrs in the after noon before I GOT IT>  Of all the 10 people that took the course only 2 of us became hand quilters LOL   I have never forgotten that thrill of getting the rhythm  and to this day still love to sit and hand quilt.   It is the most relaxing thing I can do.

I have nearly completed this block, with luck it will be completed at the end of this week or earlier?????

Taking the tuck in before quilting another area that is very baggy.

Taking a tuck in before quilting this area that has stretched over the 10 year or may be has not shrunk as the rest of the quilt has??????

One of the local flame trees has been in full flower and over  the last few weeks, and  has started to drop it’s beautiful flowers and there is a carpet of red all over the lawn below.

Giant Helaconia in flower also known as the giant bird of paradise. This is higher than a two story house and is beside our house we had 3 here but cut two of them out as they were leaning over the house. Not a good thing to land on your roof.

This shows the full fan shape of the giant Helaconia or as many people call it The Bird of Paradise

My bench flowers have burst out in to flower again; these flowers are 4 inchs across and this breed comes from the highlands of Papua New Guinea When we lived there I saw these growing under the the forest canopy high up in the rainforest of the highlands, I had been walking for about 5 hrs came around a corner and there was this Huge clearing of undergrowth and as far as you you see was this carpet of these giant flowers blooming in so many different colours.  They are now used as a commercial pot plant down here in OZ.

I love walking in to my wee patio now with these beautiful flowers greeting me each time they are growing so so fast.

Our local little green lipped frog

I have just had a birthday and came home to this lovely clean and tidy walk way it was very over gown and my DS and his beautiful wife and 6 year old son cleaned it up while I was out at breakfast having sourdough pancakes at anthers sons home, I was very very spoilt.

This beautiful flame torch was another birthday present.

This is why we have fly-screens as they are called in OZ not for the flies up here but for the night creatures that can be up to 6 inches plus long plus bats?????

This is who visited me at 2am l8 nights ago for those who did not see my update on last weeks blog.