A lot of unpicking but it is done

Well a while back I shared that I was using some Asian Taupe materials to do some hand patching using a stretched hexagon block. I finished the patchwork a long time ago but it took until last night at the girls get together to get on with turning it into my new wallet.

The inside. Hidden zip, lots of pockets for cards etc.

I am really happy with the result. Though my mind took a bit of getting around how I was going to make it and I had to unpick about 5 times, which is not like me at all. But as you can tell from the lack of blogging I have had a pretty full week and I think it caught up on me. I have meant to make this for about two years as my old wallet (also made from asian taupe fabrics) was totally worn.

I link to these places and to Crazy Mum Quilts

Oh the deliciousness...

Drop one in your mouth and the explosion of flavour makes you immediately want another.

I decided to use my big pick of tomatoes in an experiment. I made semi dried tomatoes and they are to die for. Before I could put them in the container Aaron and I had munched our way through a tray full. But that's OK as it is healthy.

How to: Cut piles of tomatoes in half and put them in a tray cut side up (where the juice cannot flow over). grind on black pepper, be really generous with fresh thyme from the garden, grind on salt to taste and sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar per tray.

Put in a normal (preferably not fan) oven at 180 deg C for an hour and half. Turn down to 120 deg C and leave in the oven 3 hours. Turn the oven off and allow to cool inside. Pop into a container and keep in the fridge. These will only keep for about two weeks.

Eat at room temperature. Ooooh yum. Put into a salad roll, eat by themselves with a pre dinner drink. They are so moorish that it is hard to stop eating them.

I made this recipe after looking at HEAPS of different recipes. I did not peel the skin off the tomatoes as that is too much work and low ovens for 8 hours or overnight just drive me mad.

I link to these places

A rather extravagant animal

Yesterday I finished this dyed wool and velvet pig. I love him. Eli wants him and I have said "I don't think so". He is sitting in pride of place on the top of the fire at the moment. He is made of dyed wool, velvet, sequins, beads and lots of stitching.

another angle of piggy extraordinaire

sequins and stitching

This pattern is designed by Jane van Kuelen - who runs Stash Palace. She comes to Kaiapoi twice a month and anyone who is available can go and peruse her wares and sit and stitch and chat. Loving it.

A Treasure Trove

Oh how lucky am I!! On Sunday I felt that I had Aladdin's cave before me. Val who is a crafty friend of mine has moved and downsized considerably. How do you fit three bedroom and four car garaging worth of stuff into a two bed one garage place? You give it to ME!!

 I enjoyed opening the bags to see what was inside. I got a lot of huge pieces of flannel that are now all washed and ready to use as backing for my charity quilts. Enough blocks I think to put together to make another quilt. A huge assortment of material for scrap quilting and more. Beatrix Potter by the metre........ oh the list goes on. Even my boys started oohing and aahing when the dupion silks came out. Waistcoats are requested.

Thank you so much Val. Loved seeing your new place. Eli came home to tell Dad that your garden was just the right size and so lovely to sit in.

Finished - the Orphan Block Quilt

I have just had a three hour stint at the machine to finish this. The boys are having their party and they certainly do not need Mum when they are XBoxing. So I got onto the sewing machine. I had thought the quilt was too small so I added another row. Now it is large!!. But it has used up ALL my orphan blocks. 10 years worth. There is not one block left in my bag and as you can see on the top right corner I had to put a piece of material in to finish the row. Yay.

This is the what it looked like last time I did a show and tell.

I even used a leftover binding that I had unpicked a couple of years ago. I used black and white materials to try and give it a cohesive look with such disparate blocks. And it was gifted to me so therefore free. This will now go into the pile of "need to be quilted".

Thrilled to be linking this to these places, and Crazy Mum Quilts.

Junk Food and XBox

Yes turning 11 has made parties easy. All he wants is junk food all day and to play XBox, computer games and watch movies. Well that is easy to cater to!! Food all ready and waiting for the friend to arrive.

I must be organised today as it is Saturday and I am not normally out of bed by now. But I have hung out washing, completed the party prep, picked tomatoes and put them in the oven to "dry" them. Better stop soon as I don't want to be an over achiever!!!

An Origami Bukuro - Fabric bag

Yesterday I went to the quilt and craft fair in Christchurch. And at a Make area this is what I made.
It is a fabulously simple pattern and quick to make - 45 minutes at the most if you are used to sewing.

It was free making and pattern if you had your own material. As I had purchased material at the Fair I thought that was the way to go. The area had Brother sewing machines for you use and it was really a promo for them. The pattern was given away by Brother. I have to say I loved two things about the machines 1.the way the speed was regulated 2. the automatic threader. Now I have a Bernina and never thought I would change, but I did enjoy sewing on the Brother machines.

For those of you who have not yet gone it is still on tomorrow from 10-4.30. I really enjoyed it. I took quite a different approach this year as the last few quilt shows or fairs I have been too I have been a tad disappointed. This time I focused on any free tutorial or class and anything new that I had not seen before. I had the best time ever!!

The other hands on class that I did was with a pattern making system and I really enjoyed doing that. I came away with a vest pattern that fits me. Now vests are not particularly In at the moment but some can be very funky. So two hours of my 5 hours there was in hands on classes. There was so much more I could have done. I am pleased with my new approach.

I link to these places and especially Finish it up Friday over at Crazy Mum Quilts.

Love in a lunch box

This is the first time I have ever done anything for valentines day. It wasn't the hit I was hoping it would be as Eli told me that I was a mean mum this morning when I wished him happy valentines day. I did laugh. He wanted to watch a Youtube item on his IPod before school - I Don't Think So!!!!

Last night I made cupcakes and buttercream icing to put on the decorations that I made earlier in the week.

Everyone got two each in their lunch boxes. That is one more than I would normally do - but I saw it as a treat.

Their sandwiches were cut into heart shapes with a cookie cutter. I was also going to cut apple like that but there was no room left in the lunch boxes. 

I link to these places.

Lots on the go..

Well I am procrastinating by writing this blog post as I should be writing some Job Descriptions. In spite of that I have been very busy.

Strange photo to put on I know. But this is some beading board that I am undercoating. Yes I am painting again. I feel as though I have been painting for the last 14 months (which I have on and off). It has saved us money on our Earthquake claim (as their cost is definitely lower the actual cost) as intended but it does take time!

I have been making fondant decorations for something edible for Valentines Day. I figured that while I was not working much that I could put a bit of effort into that day. We have never observed Valentines here in our house so it will be a first. 

Over the last three nights I have put more blocks together and made two more borders for the orphan block quilt that I started here.

When I have been too tired to concentrate or have been watching the Winter Olympics then I have been knitting this. I started while camping on the Molesworth Station. This is a rabbit wool and incredibly soft and amazing, but sheds like crazy. I am going to follow the trend and make a cowl. This wool was a jersey that I bought at an Op Shop (Charity Shop) and unpicked, washed and rewound it.

Last night I knitted a bit of this. It has been on the needles for over a year. I am using my stash of homespun wool that has been spun and dyed by my mum. It is a Kaffe Fasset pattern and quite slow to knit. Major concentration is needed as each row is different, so I only knit it occasionally as I can't watch TV or anything else while doing it.

I link to these places.

What is in the Trug for dinner tonight.

Carrots, rainbow beet, zucchini, broccoli florets, butter beans, french beans - add a little bit of fresh ginger and some thin thin slices of meat and we will be having a lovely spicy stir fry on rice (mixture of brown and white). I think the tomatoes will just be snacked on.

Is it a new project or finishing an old one?

Hmm I can't decide. I am trying to use all my bags of stuff that have been organised into projects. Now I have three shelves of unfinished or planned projects and yet I also have tons in my head ready to start. This is a bag of orphan block - the photo is not good sorry.

sorting all the blocks on my bed

 Every-time I make a project and have bits left over I put them in this bag. I can see my taste change just through this bag. Last night I decided it was time to get rid of this bag. The main block of green half square triangles (hst) I made about 12 years ago. The square blocks were a quilt I started but from all my scraps about 10 years, but no progress was made and I decided to put them in the orphan block pile. Then lately my scraps have been a lot brighter and more white based from slightly more modern quilting.

looking coordinated now but maybe not later!!

So last night I sewed some of the blocks together and now it looks all coordinated - that is the end of the blocks from 12-9 years ago. Now I have modern bits and bobs to put around it. I think the quilt could end up looking quite confused but at least it will be another quilt for the charity I support - Hope Homes International.

So do I classify this as finishing something or starting something? As you can see, I am good at starting and not so good at finishing.

I link to these places and especially WIP Wednesday and Anne at Domesblissity.