We're supposed to have some relief from the heat today, it's predicted to be 28 degrees, but I'll believe it when it's happened. It was quite unbearable in the workroom, so I thought I'd quilt at night, but the lights heated the air instead. I tried turning the overhead stand lights out, but found that the machine was then a magnet for all the bugs in the place, and after nearly stitching over a few and having flying ants shedding their wings all over the customer top I gave up and turned the big lights on and the machine light off. I couldn't see as well, but at least there was no night life quilted into the top.

I spent the weekend at home with the air-conditioner on, but it was quite bearable inside until about noon. I happily pottered in my sewing room and weeded out huge piles of fabric to cut into backing squares and 2 1/2" strips for a new project. As it is impossible for me to cut unironed fabric I had to heat the room up a bit until it was all pressed, but I was determined to see it gone.This isn't all of it, some went into other projects, but that is nearly 20 metres of fabric dealt with. It doesn't look much, but four of those large squares is a fat quarter of fabric, so it does mount up. I stripped up half metres of fabric to make bindings for donation quilts, 2 metres gone there, and the strips for the new project ate up lots of nibbled at fat quarters and trimmings from quilt backings. I would like to say that I have an empty shelf, a space in the cupboard, a gap in the drawer, even an empty container, but no. I can't even see where it all came from. And Jenni wonders why we didn't buy fabric at the show!

And now for something that I've been looking forward to for a while. Long time readers will remember the first Scrap Castle, and then it took nearly a year to make the second. Keryn told me she thought it looked a little loose, and that I hadn't packed it down hard enough. Determined not to be accused of that again I've been compressing the bin enthusiastically every time it gets full, and this weekend saw it jammed solid. There wasn't a bit of 'give' and the new pile of trimmings had to overflow and rest on the floor. Finally, the time had come.....

Ta Da!!! Scrap Castle the Third, and one of my best yet I feel. But can you believe it takes me a year to fill this bin up? I think that proves how little I throw away. I cut 1 1/4" strips for a tiny log cabin, so most of the scraps are less than that. If the pieces are bigger they have poly in them, have vleisofix on them, something spilt on them, or are otherwise unuseable. I waste Nothing! (Keryn sighs and rolls her eyes heavenward...)

Is it wrong to be so taken with this? Have I invented a new art form? Compressed Fabric Sculpture perhaps?

And before someone points out the large blue strip, I have one word to say to you.... Poly. Blechh.

In the interests of scientific research I decided to weigh my little creation.
Holy moly, three kilos! Now if you concede that a metre of fabric weighs roughly 125g, then allowing for wind speed and relative humidity, that works out to ..... 24 metres of scraps!! If I choose to collage them onto a wall, which I don't care to.

Art, science, sewing, I explore it all. I must be a renaissance quilter, what an enquiring mind I have- either that or the heat has got to me!