Celebrate, a Quilter is Born.

When a person starts to learn a new craft, it is fun and exciting when they finished their first project.  This is a rewarding and creative journey.  When do you call yourself a Quilter?  When you have finished, your very first quilt.  When it is pieced, quilted and the binding is on.  It is the first one you have finished, many more will follow, this is the one which you will remember.

 This Healing Kitty Quilt, is a first quilt.  What an amazing effort!

 The Quilting up close.

The Binding stitched on, the back all vibrant and happy.  This is the moment one help celebrate a Quilter, joining generations of quilters, in keeping a craft alive and finding a new way to create, works of art.

 365 Challenge:

 

All the blocks for the first six months of the year is done!

Love Entwined: Orange Flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                    Summer Growing

The Thistles are growing wildly with all the hot weather, some of them are over six feet tall!

                                                          Long weekend here, enjoy!

Summer quilting adventures.

Quilting a quilt by hand in summer, with humidity is not something I would recommend.  Even with the AC working.  I had two Bargello's which needed quilting and binding.  Here they are:

The Blue One.

The Black and Cream.

365 Challenge:

 These are the light blocks, from June.

 They are six and a half inches.

 There are still a few to do.  With the hot weather, they are getting done.

 

Over the weekend, One Walk to Conquer Cancer had a Bake and Garage Sale.  On friday morning, I got settled in the kitchen for a spot of baking.

 Melktert (traditional custard tarts from South Africa)

Koeksisters (they are a kind of dougnut, which are very sweet).  When we all give a bit of our time and love, a community comes together for the good of all.  Volunteering can come in many shapes and sizes.

 On our walk this morning, Cheerio joined us for a walk, he followed us from his house, every now and again he walks with us.

 On the path,  we encountered an unexpected bunny.

 The bunny was quite happy to do its thing, while Cheerio, could not contain himself, trying to leopard crawl towards the bunny.

The Bunny was quite relaxed and just ignored the cat.  The birds was not so forgiving, they squawked until Cheerio left to explore the forest some more....

Esther Aliu, creater of this historic pattern, Love Entwined 1790 Marriage Coverlet!

 Love Entwined is such a lovely quilt, thanks to Esther Aliu, for spending years drafting the pattern from a grainy photograph, which appeared in Averil Colby's Patchwork book in the 1950's.  It was a free Block of the Month for eighteen months, if you missed it, you can buy it from her here.

My berries is all stitched down, my focus shifted to the flowers and those little hearts next to the vases.  I discovered LE a while after it started, needless to say, I have started mine and I am savouring every moment.

This is not a journey I want to rush,  part of the joy of this quilt is allowing yourself time to let the quilt show you which colour's should go where.  I knew I had to add two very different yellows, while playing with those little hearts, the yellows found their place.

 This burnt orange, flower, which added a bit of zing to the applique needed a blending in balance, the little hearts and the right shade of a orange peach is just the thing.

 The elements and colours are falling into place.

 The little hearts appliqued in place.

The yellow flowers stitched in place.

 Calla lillies, this one had to get the right shade of cream, this is a piece of fabric, which I used the back of, instead of the front.

Then some berries found their friends.  Only had a strip of this fabric, it was leftover from binding of a quilt a few years back.  A bit was used for the lollipop flowers around the centre.  On two corners is some more berries, this is where the last bit of fabric will be used to create a balance.

As I play with fabric to find where to place some elements, others find their place.  It took a while, which was the frustrating part, now everything are falling into place.

With all the hot weather, even our stream has dried up.  On the river bed, a field of Forget-me-knots have sprouted!

The Heat is On!

This quilt Heather made for her Dad in the UK, it is quilted all over with leaves.  Those Maple Leaf blocks she had to design herself, as those blocks are not square, instead they are rectangles.  They look square, amazing.

We are in the middle of a heat wave, 36C which does not even factor in the humidity, with it, it feels more like +46C.  When your thermostat shows 29C, with the airconditioner  being on 24/7 you just know it is HOT! (The AC was not well, it had a problem!)

 Snowy cat, this was her on hot days, she created a bit of spectator value, for those who did not know her. She would sleep on the windowsill, on the hottest days.

As for cats in the wild?  Lions do the same, just love the way they sleep, in a ditch on their backs.

 Sunrise in the African bush.

 Sunrise at the beach, along the Indian Ocean.  The current heatwave reminds me of days like this.

Going to the beach, nothing like walking across the hot sand and cooling down, while going for a swim in the sea.  Hout Bay, Cape Town.

 Remember this parcel which has been on its own adventure?

It took the scenic route, the treasures inside....

 365 Will be getting some very special blocks, there is some amazing prints in this collection, Thank You
Glenda.  Your circles inspire me every time I see your quilt, maybe one mini with some circles, just to remind me of your beautiful work of art.  The coral is going to find a way into my Love Entwined!

Popped in at The Hobby Horse, came home with my Row by Row kit:

They included a lot,little novelty buttons, fabric, pattern and The Hobby Horse, Logo, printed on a piece of fabric.  How neat is that?  As for activities, everything is on hold, staying cool is the best to do!

At the end of the day, going for a walk along the vineyards, enjoying the soft breeze and shade of the trees.
Making memories with love ones and enjoying special holidays together.