Good cheer in the mailbox

We've had days of rain, and almost everything else lately the weather can throw at us, apart from snow, and further north, there was a tornado, pretty much unheard of in Australia, that caused a lot of damage and injury to people. I'm not complaining about the rain, it's so badly needed, and some of this system has pushed west and north, where they've been hit hard by the drought and really need the rain.  It's just cold, colder than spring in the sub-tropics should be, and a bit miserable.

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Fog

Hail...... more than once

Supercell storms

So it was a lovely surprise today, dashing out between downpours, to discover a little parcel waiting in the mailbox.......another F2F swap squishie. It was from Robin in Canberra this time, and as she's been very unwell with pneumonia,  I was doubly impressed that she'd managed to make...and get to the post office to send.....4 beautiful blocks.

hexies

And look at this gorgeous fussy cut teapot.

Baskets with ric-rac handles

Double hourglasses ?

Robin said she loves blue, and has so many blue fabrics she found it hard to choose which to use. I can well believe it, there's certainly plenty in this block!

So I thought it was time to put them all together for a look. Not in any particular arrangement, just as I picked them up off the pile.

Too many for one photo, so here's the second half.

Such a lovely array of blues and pinks, I think they're going to come together nicely whatever I decide to do with them.  There's still 3 to come from the Netherlands, and then two more to make for myself, or however many I decide I need /want.  

So I'll leave you with this crosspatch, who's not at all bothered by the incessant rain, but rather was peering over my shoulder, wanting to be fed, and rather cross that I stayed at the computer and didn't immediately jump up to do her bidding. 

Time to pull on boots and raincoats......yes, Mirrhi has one too......and go stretch our legs and put the chooks to bed.

till next time........

The things we do

so the cat is happy!

This is Neesa.  I know, a sweetie, hey?  Well, yes and no.  Neesa had a really bad start in life, I took her at 4 weeks from the people who had her and her mother and sister. Four weeks is really too young for a kitten to leave it's mother, but Neesa was so cruelly treated I didn't feel I had any option. If I could've, I would've taken her sister and mother as well, but the little girl who lived there refused to let them go.  Watching this same little girl smack and shake, choke,squeeze, poke sticks into and throw those poor babies was heartbreaking, and more so because her mother stood by and watched. The child became even more cruel if I tried to stop her, and when I suggested taking the other kitten, she squeezed her so tight her little eyes popped, so I grabbed Neesa and ran, hating to leave her sister and her mum behind. I did go back the next week, hoping the mum might hand over the others when the child was at school, but they'd been living in a caravan in a friend's yard and sadly, had moved on).

Neesa's 5 now, and has settled well into our home with 2 older cats already here, and luckily they all tolerate each other, and then attached herself to Mirrhi when she joined the household 4 years ago. Neesa's very affectionate to me, but hates to be picked up or held.  Memories I think of other hands that held too tight, poked and teased.  So I don't pick her up, and she comes to me for a pat and a smooch, but is very ready to use claw and teeth if she feels you've overstayed your welcome. She's a fierce one, this girl, and I love her to bits!

Lately she's decided my worktable's the place to sleep,  it's nice and high, catches the breeze and if she stays awake long enough, she can watch the birds out the window.  I left her there because cats are fickle, give her a day or so and she'll find another place to nap, ......not so, 5 days later and she's still there, and I wanted to use my table. I tried gently moving her along to the end, but she was having none of that, and would move straight back into the middle, snapping and snarling. It wasn't worth it to keep moving her, she was getting so angry and  upset and I was getting worried for my safety, and as I quite like her (slumbering) company, a plan B to keep both of us happy needed to be hatched.

So, a stool up on the table, a doubled cloth, because a kitty has to be comfortable...and then all that was needed was the cat.  At great risk to hands and arms, I quickly scooped her up and placed her on her new bed, with all digits surviving intact, no scratches anywhere and best of all, no teeth firmly embedded in my flesh. After a good deal of growling and hissing she had a wash and settled down.

Not the happiest !

Everyone's happy....cat has a comfy place to sleep, up high, and I can use my worktable at last.

 Well, not entirely happy, that's a very displeased back she's showing me, and the madly swishing  tail says it all!

Oh well, back to my F2F block making now with a table all to myself.

More scrappy blues

too hot to do much sewing, but enough to feel I've accomplished something........

Week 3, more wonky log cabins, linking up again with RSC15  (rainbow scrap challenge 2015) with 6 new blocks.Making these is a bit like eating potato chips, it's hard to stop at just one.  I'm running out of ' 'just blue' blue scraps though and have used some pale and dark blues to finish off blocks.  I have a plan for next week to start some blocks in the aqua shades to begin a quilt for a friend's birthday.

All 14 blocks, hey that's quite a start!

And what to do with all the teeny pieces trimmed off the edges and left over threads.....or orts as I've seen them called, which just means scraps......pile them on some wash-away( solvy) and make some more fabric of course!

Scraps on wash-away

            after being stitched in a net or grid pattern

after washing

close-up of 'new' fabric

This forms a pliable but firm 'fabric' that can be used for embellishment, or cut up to make shapes. I'm going to use it to make a gift for a friend's birthday next week, have a few ideas about what to make with it, there'll be stitching and beads for sure.

..........and an update on Walter's quilt......coming along nicely 

 blocks sewn into fours, and one long strip sewn 

I'm going to need to add borders or it won't be wide enough so I followed Kate's example and have been auditioning fabrics.  I think this brick red works well for a first border, but as I don't have very much of it, there'll be a trip to the fabric store very soon.  Not sure about the second border, something blue I think, but I'll wait and see until the red is on.

Molly!  too hot to snuggle close thank-you

'til next time.....

Pass it Forward - Handmade

When Kaite asked for volunteers for Pass it Forward- Handmade, I quickly put my hand up.  The idea is that once Kaite had her pif partners she had to make a gift for each of us, and in turn, we will Pass It Forward too. Well, my gift has arrived!

........prettily wrapped in pink, with a cheeky card...

and look, the most gorgeous little basket, knitted from fabric strips.......... 

a look inside



see the pretty beaded embellishment....

Then I popped it on the bed to answer the phone and turned round to see this......

my baby checking it out........





must be something in here for me?

She didn't hurt it, just sniffed and looked and loved it up a bit, tried to get her head in there.....perhaps she could smell your little dog, Kaite? 

Thankyou so much Kaite, I love it.  You couldn't have chosen a better gift to make.....I love baskets, but I also love tiny things....this is tiny.....fits in the palm of my hand, is about 10cm across (3and a half inches)  7cms high, and the colour is perfect too, these berry shades are my favourites, it feels lovely, soft and tactile.  Kaite did ask about our preference for something personal or for our studio/sewing room and fave colours etc. and went from there.   See the other gorgeous gifts Kaite made here

Now it's my turn to fulfill my promise to pass it forward (PIF).  I'll send a gift to three people who comment here and agree to play, and who also promise, when the time comes, to pass it forward to 3 more people after you receive your gift from me. Those 3 will send on to 3 more, and on and away it will flow. All being well, I would hope to have your gift to you in 3-4 months.

It was lots of fun getting to know Kaite, and I feel I've made a new friend,  then there was the anticipation of knowing a gift was being handcrafted just for me and the teases on her blog.

Come on, come play too.