Greenery

Because I finished January's project early, I gave myself permission to start another one, and work on it for the rest of the month. So after two days, here is the background for what will become Alex Anderson's Birdhouse quilt:

Alex is running classes in various applique methods on YouTube for this quilt. Hers looks like this (although I think this is a progress shot, rather than her final layout):

I'm making mine portrait orientation, so I can hang it in my hallway once it is finished.

Today also involved some unpicking:

This is a project that has been hanging around in my sewing room for I'm not sure quite how long. It is a try-out of a summer dress pattern, that I was making in some inexpensive fabric. I made a mistake in putting in the pockets, and stopped. The issue was that the invisible zip in the side of the dress had to extend past the top of the side-seam pocket. I didn't know how to fix it so did nothing. However, I recently found an amazing Russian YouTube video on how to do this. (If you are interested: it's here.)

I'm not sure there is enough seam allowance for me to do the Russian technique. I might just remove that pocket altogether. But either way, I needed to unpick the very securely sewn on pocket bags. It took me about an hour, but it is now done and the dress can proceed.

 

This afternoon we visited a new (at least to us) nursery that our next-door neighbours told us about. 

It has a great selection of indoor plants, as well as interesting native plants, a coffee/snack van and lovely gardens to enjoy.

It is called Birdsong Nursery, and is apparently in Smythesdale, although Google maps says it is in Scarsdale. Apparently it has been open for a year, but as it is not on a main road we never would have found it on our own.
 

 

WOOFA - Oops

Thanks to Cheryll and her WOOFA encouragement to make some progress on unfinished projects (Working On Or Finishing A ... UFO), I have finished my Frolic quilt! I completed the binding this afternoon, then took the quilt out to hang up and photograph:

Fortunately there was a little break in the rain for me to do that. 

 

Here's the back so you can see the quilting:

As I photographed the back, I noticed something that was not quite right... Look between the circles at the top right.

I missed quilting this bit! How did I do that? 

No worries, it is done now, and the quilt really is finished. Hooray! Linking to Cheryll's January WOOFA Party.

I guess now I need to choose a February WOOFA project. I'll post about that on Monday.
 

The Week So Far

On Monday Dot returned to the vet for a check-up on her eye. It was still looking bloodshot, and it turned out the reason was that there was still a large grass seed in her eye. Poor Dot! We are continuing with the same medication regime for a bit longer, but after only two days her eye looks normal - not bloodshot any more.

My car when we got home:

I had my camera ready to take a photo when it clicked over to 100,000 (after pulling over to the edge of the road, of course!). I'll probably forget about it next time I go out, so this might be it.

I don't know what to say about Tuesday's breakfast:

Someone has bought a lot of quirky stuff online recently. 

Today I moved one step closer to meeting my sewing goal for the month. I finished quilting Frolic yesterday, and now I have machined on the binding:

If I hand sew down one side each day, I could just get it finished by the end of the month.
 

Bucket Head

Dogs enjoying the sunshine:
 

Poor Dot has her head in a bucket because she scratched her eyeball while we were out walking on Sunday. Hopefully the combination of a drug for the inflammation once a day, antiseptic ointment three times a day, and wearing the bucket so she won't rub her eye, will all do the trick and her eye will heal OK. In the meantime, she is not impressed.

The Garden in January

Let's start with a plant that really shouldn't be blooming at this time of year, clivias:

That might be a clue that this is a very strange summer. Today was cool and rainy. The sun came out in little patches, then another shower would come over. Some of these photos look like they were taken on a warm summer day, but in fact our top temperature was 16.4, and I think it only touched that briefly and then dropped. These photos were taken over quite a period of time, as I had to keep going back inside to avoid the rain.

Here's something more summery, a dahlia:

Some of the dahlias haven't flowered at all yet though.

Garlic:

Penstemon:

And around the edges there is a hint of the green kangaroo paws. I completely forgot they were there and didn't photograph them.

Echeveria:

This plant, xDisphyllum 'Sunburn', is a hybrid with Australian and South African parents:

Glad I finally remembered to work out what it was, as previous times I've included it in my garden round-up I've just said that the tag was hidden under it somewhere.

Red hot pokers seem to show up every month:

 

An eremophila:

Melaleuca nesophila, which I bought at Kuranga Native Nursery in February last year, flowering for the first time since:

Although it looks a bit bedraggled with the rain.

 

Daylilies:

Cornflower:

 

Buddleja:

 

Lots of salvias are flowering, including this one which I love the colours of:

While I was trying to find a nice fuchsia to photograph, I noticed this dragonfly hanging out on the bush, sheltering from the rain:

And then I completely forgot to get a flower photo.

In previous months I have said that the abutilons are always flowering, but today there are no flowers on a couple of them, and only 2 on this orange one:

Hebes:

And I missed a few, between dodging the rain showers. There are a few roses, gladioli past their best, lavender, and probably a couple of others I didn't notice. But it is interesting that January is not a great time in the garden. Last January was also not very floriferous.

Actual Large Branch

Four and a half years ago a large branch snapped and fell in a storm. It didn't make it all the way to the ground - it ended up balanced between two trees quite high up:

 

It has been up there, and I've been avoiding walking under it, ever since.

 

Until now!

Preparation

Not a new project - just yet. These pieces are not sewn, just pinned up for me to see how they would look:

Not my own idea, this is Plaid-ish, a free pattern you can get from here: Kitchen Table Quilting. I may have done some cutting out, but I've put it aside for later when I want some simple piecing to do. It will become a donation quilt at some point this year.

 

My only actual sewing today was joining the strips for Frolic's binding. I was planning to use this dark blue fabric for the binding:

It was given to me from the stash of a lovely quilter who is no longer with us. I used some of it in the blocks of Frolic, and was saving the rest for the binding. However, you should always put the binding fabric with the quilt, so that this doesn't happen:

Oops! I obviously forgot I was saving it for binding when I was making masks last year. 

Fortunately there was still enough for me to cut the required binding strips (note to self: I cut the binding 6cm wide). They are now joined and pressed and ready to be attached once the quilting is complete.