My Creative Space

Yet more MMQG bee blocks, this time for Marg.  I was a bit scared of the task set - to incorporate flying geese, squares and half square triangles but was provided with a set of good tutorials that would produce a block of the required structure and size.  Naturally, I picked the what I thought was the easiest but it only had three fabrics and I had to try and fit in five.  So I adapted the tutorial for the final block, having done a practice version in red, and instead of a single centre square, pieced a four patch square to squeeze in the other two fabrics.  But all of those seams were a challenge both for me and Grandma's jolly Janome.  This has been posted back and I hope Marg likes it.  Assuming it arrives safely, unlike Rachel's blocks!

Gonna make you a star

On my last "creative space", I was doing a lot of thinking but not a lot of doing.  That changed over the course of the following weekend and I finished off Rachel's wonky stars for the "Oh Beehave" quilting bee. I was quite happy with how these turned out.

 I did get off to a poor start with these.  Initially I had misjudged the sizes of the pieces required for the blocks and ran out of fabric.  I got more from Rachel but as a result was running a bit late in sending the blocks out. But it seems like my bad luck has continued.  I posted them nearly two weeks ago but hadn't heard from Rachel via the Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild forum that she had received them.  Maybe she didn't like them?  So late last week, I sent her an e-mail to ask if they had arrived and they hadn't!  She was going to see if her flatmates hadn't passed on some mail, but as she still hasn't posted pictures on the forum , it's not sounding good.

The Great Outdoors

After moving back home in December, I made up a mental list of things that we wanted to make the house complete.  These ranged from the prosaic (new chair for the study) to the unnecesary but desirable (some chairs for the living/kitchen area).  Over the last few months, the list has nearly been ticked off, with the only outstanding item being a new outdoor setting for the deck as our existing table and benches didn't fit.  I started the hunt very enthusiastically but as the Melbourne summer fizzled out (or didn't really kick off), my interest waned.  However Stos has been keeping an eye of ebay and struck gold this week on a 9 piece setting for $300.  Our deck now looks complete and all ready to enjoy some afternoon sun.

My Creative Space

Most of the creativity at STLT HQ has been more thinking than doing:

- Thinking about finishing Rachel's Wonky Stars for the MMQG "Oh Beehave" block swap
- Thinking about starting Marg's Flying Geese for above swap for April
- Thinking about what to do with this gorgeous piece of fabric that I got from Retro Age Vintage Fabrics.    

Actually, I've know for a few weeks what I am going to do with this; make a quilt for my baby sister who is having her first baby.  However I was going to cut it into fussy cut squares and use coordinating solids to highlight but have now decided that that will result in too much waste, so will use the whole piece and edge and/or back with a black and ivory spot.  I hope the finished product looks as good as my vision.

For more creative spaces, head over to Kootooyoo.

Day 377: The End

Today marks the end of the project.  The painters have been to finish off the outstanding bits and pieces, so are the last of the scheduled tradies. and I think this seems like an appropriate point at which to draw a line under the construction phase. The job today was touching up the interior paintwork, completion of the garage and painting the rendered contrast wall on the side of the house.  It was a cold day and not aided by the front door being open so the guys could go in and out.  The dogs were confined to the deck as there was work going on out the back as well, and they were not happy.  On top of that, I was trying to work while freezing, putting up with noise, questions and having to move every so often. But  the reward for a day of inconvenience is the prospect of using the garage to house the car (novel, I know) as we can now put up shelves and move all the "garage stuff" off the floor.  The external render has come up well and Stos has decided that he's going to plant red salvia down the side of the path as a contrast.

As it is the last day of the project, I should say something profound.  But not tonight.  I've just got home from squash and it is late.  Not the right time for meaningful musings other than to say that there's a garden to create and an interior to finalise, so the journey will continue.  But hopefully at a more leisurely pace.

Day 376: Cool change

I was tidying up in the bedroom tonight, packing up shoes that were worn over the last week, when I had a sad thought - I think this is goodbye to the sandals for the next six months.  A pity as I haven't worn these cute shoes much since buying them at the beginning of the year.

There's a chill in the air and daylight savings has ended.  I pulled out a pair of boots today and wore a serious jumper to brunch this morning.  Time to learn how to work the new hydronic heating system.  The only upside to this (and this is pushing it as I hate the cold) is that the panels in the bathroom double as towel rails, and warm towels might be nice.