A gift...

I've been meaning to share this wonderful gift that was made for me for my birthday by one of my clever friends.  It is one of the most original gifts I have ever had and made even more fab knowing she knows me so well.  I have raved about this particular stamp before and now it graces my hallway wall (where it was very difficult to photograph!)

I can't tell you how much I love it!

Berries...

There is a race going on in my garden.  I am resigned to the fact that I will not be making jam from my own crops this year.  I am unsure of who the culprit/s is/are: crows/nicer birds/mice/squirrels/rats?  Eeeek!!!  Not hens, I might add, they are penned in while there are such goodies to be had.  I have learnt my lesson there!

All I do know is that I want to get to these jewels first and there are so few, they usually get eaten on the way back to the kitchen.  With a quick stop at the outside tap for good measure.

They taste good, warm from the sun and straight from the bush.

Learning as I go...

Spookily, Tracey wrote about the very same post as I had read some weeks back and posted about it today.  I am more than hopeless at joining in stuff around Blogland but I was intrigued by the idea.  I particularly liked the notion of sharing the moments of indecision.  I am not a prolific quilter or sewist so I do often post about WIPs and more often than not, there will be many mentions of quilts or other projects long before I reveal the finished item.

You may remember me referring to an order a few weeks ago for a new cover for a food mixer.  Not having a pattern to follow other than being rather unceremoniously handed an ancient cover, I decided to record the process in trying to replicate one that would please my customer.  It pleased me because I used a lot of one of my favourite fabric ranges - Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt, plus some Carolyn Gavin Wild Thyme.

I decided to chain-piece some strips of fabric together.  I think they were about 3" wide and I sort of had in mind how much 'total' fabric I'd need to reproduce the cover.

At some point I realised I needed more fabric and so added in another strip.

Once they were joined into one panel, I sliced it in half and joined the two halves together.

Then repeated that process again so that I was left with 2 1/2" squares.

Still with me?  The original cover was thin and flimsy and so I thought a sturdier, quilted cover would be easier on the eye.  I used some off cuts of wadding and quilters muslin as a backing.  I decided this was a manageable size project to have my first attempt at machine-quilting.  Nothing fancy, just 1/4" either side of the seam, but I really like the effect.
 
 

 
I then used the original cover as a template and cut out the pieces to form the cover.  I wasn't sure whether to bind them together or sew seams.  I tested a scrap of off cut to make sure the seams wouldn't be too bulky but I didn't think they were so I opted to sew seams and then played with the zigzag stitches on my machine to prevent the seams from fraying.
 
 

 
It was simply constructed from just three pieces - 2 sides and a panel running up the sides and along the top.
 
 

 
I finished the bottom edges of the cover with some binding and here it is:
 
 

 
 
Even with all the indecision, this was a relatively quick project and hugely satisfying to go in blind, as it were.  It gave me the opportunity to practice some techniques that are given in tutorials all over the quilting blogosphere on a much smaller scale.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll machine-quilt a whole quilt...

WIP...

As predicted, I have spent the day outside working on my current project. 

Moving around the garden in search of a shady spot in which to sew. My fingers are sore but I am nearly finished.

The forecast is good...

...so you'll find me here:

No surprises there then!

Is it flying ant day where you are?  It is here, they keep landing on me and they are crawling all over the deck... yuk!

Repurpose...

A lovely friend of mine gave me three of these old wooden crates.  I can't tell you how pleased I am.  They have been waiting patiently in my garage for me to put to use in my garden.

I dug out some tools from my toolbox and a spare roll of membrane from my vegetable beds and got to work.

I stapled the membrane inside the box to form a liner, not too neatly, I might add!

Then filled them with compost and positioned them in some gaps around the deck.  I have planted one with some lavender plants that I had since last year and were looking for a new home.

And filled the other 2 with some sweet-smelling nicotiana, bright surfina and a couple of spare busy lizzies from the front garden.

In the evening, when the sun is going down, these nicotiana open their petals and fill the air with their scent.  Another perfect ingredient to a summer's evening.  I am really liking how, this year, my deck is feeling like an outdoor room.  It has been helped by the warm weather, of course.  I think I only sat out there in the evening once or twice last year in that sorry excuse of a summer we had!

Waterlily House...

I took my Mum and Dad to Kew today to see what July had to offer and I have to say, it all looked a bit parched!  Look at that strip of grass between the lavender beds, it's as dry as a bone!

My highlight was the Giant Waterlilies in the Waterlily House.  When Kristina and I visited in April, these magnificent leaves were nowhere to be seen, but now they are well and truly living up to their name.

They are dwarfing the stunning waterlily flowers which have been out for some months now.

Hibiscus flowers always remind me of summer holidays - wherever it is hot and sunny, there are usually hibiscus flowers.

The chillies were also relishing the warmth and humidity of the Waterlily House.