Okay Jan, here's a post about Curtis, just for you and his other fans.
Curtis by the way, is a cross between a golden retiever and a brittany spaniel.

Elisa assured me that he'd remember me, but it's been a long time since he saw his grandma. But when he realised that it was me standing in the front yard he went mad. He jumped all round me, raced off to tell Rob, ran around the car, back to me, leapt and spun and yipped and yelped and barked with excitement- yep, he knew who I was!
That afternoon we went to the dog beach, which is always an entertaining couple of hours. I think it's wonderful, dogs of every description running around having a great time, and amazingly I didn't see one sign of aggression anywhere. There were purebreds and mutts and designer dogs like Curtis, but they all had one intention - FUN!!This puppy was a cross between a chocolate lab and a rhodesian ridgeback, and he was huge. He had a really pronounced ridge and was a lovely reddish colour with greeny-yellow eyes. The day was so bright I couldn't see the camera screen so I just pointed and clicked and didn't realise I was at the wrong angle to see his back decoration, sigh.
I love border collies...

Curtis had to think twice about going after this piece of wood that was floating out of reach, but he finally swam out and retrieved it.
Got it!
Once he got wet he was in and out of the water, and racing around with the other dogs, collecting a vast quantity of sand in the process. His fur is so soft and doesn't have guard hairs, so he was really soaked.
When we got home Elisa decided to bath him, and he looked ridiculous sitting in this tub. He was so good natured about it, and very patient. When he was allowed to get out he shook litres of water everywhere and ran around the backyard like a mad thing, all nice and clean. He took hours to dry off, so a trip to the dog beach is quite an undertaking really.

Collapsed, too much excitement for one day...

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When I was looking through the archives on Sujata's blog The Root Connection, I found a photo of this quilt, which I think is absolutely wonderful. It is the same pattern as Keryn and I made for the bushfire quilts, but the blocks we made were 8" finished.

Sujata's quilt used pieces that are a lot smaller, and that makes it very appealing to me. I could literally make hundreds of these blocks! Mine finish at 4" and they are very cute and blindingly quick.
The reason I was so pleased to find this inspiration is that I had a little drawer full to overflowing with precut 1 1/2" by 2 1/2" pieces already. When I'm cutting up 2 1/2" strips, sometimes there's a little bit left over that I can't get a square from. I cut these bits into 1 1/2" pieces, and there are a number of ways I thought of using them. Chinese coin strips, borders for mini quilts, or blocks like Chunky Churndash from Bonnie's site.But I knew these Spinning Rail blocks were so easy (as long as you remember to have them spinning all in the same direction) that I decided to make them my Leader Enders for a while.

I can make the whole block without ironing, just finger pressing as I go, so they seem to mount up in a very satisfying way.

I thought I would make as many as I could from this little drawer, but it's taking longer than I thought. This was so full I couldn't shut it properly, but I've made 60 complete blocks and the components for probably another ten and there's still some left. It's much emptier to be sure, but I wonder if it's ever possible to use things up entirely. There's some sort of magicking involved here, where the drawer refills overnight and I'll just keep sewing these forever....

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I received a copy of the latest Homespun magazine in the mail yesterday, and inside there was my four patch quilt! For some reason it looks like it has blue sashing in the first photo, but the next page is closer to it's real dusty green colour. Hmm, it would look nice with blue sashing, now that I come to think of it....
These photos are terrible, my camera didn't like the shiny paper, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like. I think it came up very well, and the pattern was lovely and easy to do. It used up a whole heap of scraps and I'm tempted to start another one soon. perhaps with that blue sashing this time!

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While I was away I was tempted to buy some precuts at the markets, and stopped myself with the thought that I just don't use them. I have a number of charm packs already, the remains of a layer cake that Keryn gave me and a jelly roll project that I'm not enthused about. I don't want to add to that little pile of guilt if I can help it.

I love seeing all the fabrics in a range, but there are always ones I wouldn't choose to work with, I hate the pinked edges and and I don't like the feeling of constraint that I 'shouldn't ' add any other fabrics. That's my silly perception, but it does affect my enthusiam. So I bought the fat quarters instead, which I know I will use.

Determined to use the charm packs I did have I started making sawtooth stars. (This block is square by the way, but I rotated and cropped a photo so it looks out of whack.)

These finish at six inches, and use four squares each, so I'm not going to get a lot from one pack, but I don't care. I've stopped trying to keep charms separate from the rest of my stash, and I'll just find similar fabric to make more stars.

From one square I cut four 2 3/8" squares and then cut them on the diagonal. These are the light triangles in the flying geese units that will make the star points. From another square I cut a 4 1/4" square and cut it twice on the diagonal. These will be the 'geese' in the flying geese units, and the background of the star. Hardly any wasted fabric here.
Then I cut four 2" squares from one charm; these are the corners of the block and a 3 1/2" square for the centre of the star.
There is a little bit of waste, but I can live with it, especially as I cut those larger bits into 1 1/4" strips for my little log cabin. So for me there's no waste at all.

I'm having fun making combinations of four squares, and I've picked out some other fabrics which will go with these. I have no idea what this range is, it was a generic charm pack of assorted fabrics (made by some shop because it didn't have pinked edges) and seems to have a variety of reproduction prints in it.
I'll have fun making more of these; I'm thinking perhaps a medallion quilt with these as a border, but I've got a lot more to make before I decide anything.

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I can remember watching Di and Charles wedding on tv and then Sarah and Andrew's. My son John was about three and a half when the latter were married, and this is an excerpt from a letter I wrote to Keryn at the time.

"Did you watch the Royal Wedding? Or as John puts it, the "Oil Wetting."

I let him stay up to watch it, and he was fascinated. He loved the horses and carriages and the church and all the people, but I had a hard time explaining what it was all about. I pointed out Sarah in her carriage and said "That lady's going to be a princess!" He stared and asked "How are they going to make her a princess?"
"Well" I explained "She's going to marry a Prince."
"No she's not!" said John firmly.
When Andrew and Edward came on I said "That's the prince she's going to marry, and the other man is a prince too."
"No, they're not Princes!" protested John. "Where are their swords?"
I pointed out that they did have swords on their belts, but he still wasn't satisfied. "Where's their hats?" he asked.
"Do you mean crowns?" I said.
"Yes, those hat-things they wear on their heads!"
I couldn't anwer that so I just said that they left them at home sometimes. He watched very intently for a while then asked "What are majesties?"
"They're Kings and Queens, you have to call them Your Majesty....."I said, hoping the questions wouldn't get any more complicated.
"Where are THEIR crowns?" John asked, obviously quite sceptical until he saw at least one crown amongst all the fashionable hats.

Eventually Sarah got there and started to walk down the aisle. "What's that thing behind her, that bit of dress?" he asked. Inwardly I groaned and said "It's called a train." John fell about laughing, then said "That's not a train, what's it called ?" It was a while before he'd accept that it was indeed called a train, but I could see him thinking all this was getting weirder and weirder. "Where's HER crown?" he asked, looking critically at the wreath in her hair. I ignored that and said wasn't she pretty etc etc.

During the service they showed the man conducting the choir, making trembling passionate gestures and frowning at the singers. I turned to look at John, and there he was, throwing his arms around, glaring at the telly and generally being a temperamental Artiste. When he saw I was watching him he was quite embaressed and explained "I'm conducting, but you really need a stick!"

After Sarah had signed the register and came out I quickly spied the tiara and said to John "Look, Look! She's got a crown now!" He stared at her open mouthed, then turned to me with huge round eyes and breathed "She IS a Princess!" After that it was sealed. Sarah was a princess, Andrew a prince, her train a train, it was all true because Sarah had a crown."

Ah me, that was a long time ago. I think I'll go and make a pot of tea and wonder where all those years went...

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I spent four days in Newcastle, catching up with Rob and Elisa and little Logan. He's five and a half months old now and terribly cute; I had the best time getting to know him. I took quite a few movies of him so that I can watch them at home and remember all his little winning ways. I'll just have to make more frequent trips to see him, he's changing so quickly now.

Although I took some hand sewing to do I really preferred to spend as much time as I could gooing over him. He's such a good happy baby and very much like his Dad, except Robert had pale blue eyes and Logan's are dark. He's certainly got a big voice like his father and plenty to say about lots of things, but as it's all good natured chat it's just funny to listen to.He likes books at bedtime too, just like his Nanna.What a little dear.

Rob took me to a local market and as we were walking round he said "The fat quarters are over here Mum," and showed me a little patchwork stall. I've trained him well!

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When I made this Irish Chain top years ago, I spent quite a while working on a checkerboard border to go around it.But when I laid it out the top absolutely rejected it, too heavy, too overpowering, wasn't having That, thankyou very much! I packed the bits away in a drawer and every now and then I'd try them against some other top, but they were just too ....red.
Then I decided to mix them with other four patches of all different colours, and that toned it down somewhat. It's still horribly bright compared to my usual tastes, but at least all my work hasn't been wasted. This will be a donation quilt too.
That blue is so intense it throbs!

Once that was off the design wall I got out my Scrappy Trips blocks and sewed them together- another bright and cheerful top. These colours are so not me, but I've enjoyed working with them, and it's nice to move them out of my stash. I'm not quite sure how I ended up with so much fabric that isn't my style, but I won't be replacing it, that's for sure.
I've still got some bright blue, perhaps this will get the border treatment too...

I can't believe how big Pippi is getting, she's as tall as Dolly, but not as muscled. She'll fill out like a good staffie should, but that adorable puppy shape has gone forever.
I love her personality and she's such good company, I can't imagine life without her now.

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The rail fence top is in one piece, I rather like the basket weave effect in this one. So easy to do and it gobbled up quite a few strips in the process.The strips that were too small for the rail fence were made into these four-patch puss in the corner blocks, which have been set together into another top. I'm going to put borders on this when I get the chance, hopefully this weekend. And there are still 2" strips left over; I think this is the fourth or fifth top I've made from this container. It doesn't do to think of how many actual quilts are lurking in the stash, does it? I might get a bit overwhelmed.

And one of the good things about finishing tops is now I get to choose the backings, which will use another pile of fabric from the shelves. Oh, and bindings...!
Every evening Keryn and I take the dogs to the golf course, which is mercifully free of golfers at the moment. We keep threatening to take a thermos of coffee and just let the dogs exercise themselves by chasing mice and rabbits while we lean against a tree and relax after some very full work weeks.That would make a nice end to the day, and if I rigged up a doggie backpack we could even get out of carrying the thermos.
When we are walking the streets to get to this lovely spot we see many dogs who never get out of their yards, ever, and I wonder if our dogs realise how lucky they are? It doesn't take much effort to make these two really happy, and sometimes it's only half an hour there and back, but it makes their day.

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I've been jealous of Keryn finishing her old projects, so I thought I'd tackle one of mine. I hadn't really decided what I was going to do with these rail fence blocks that I made some time ago, but I was sick of them taking up space in my project drawers. I made another ten or so, and now I have enough for a charity quilt.

They are ready to be sewn together but I got sidetracked by the four patch blocks I'd been making at the same time and suddenly I had piles of them, and thirty blocks made for another quilt.I'm never quite sure how I manage to get so far off track sometimes, but I don't really question myself. If I'm enthusiastic and want to keep sewing, that's enough for me. I never know where I'll end up, but I'll probably have enough bits and blocks for three donation quilts, so it's all good.

This is another log cabin made from 1 1/4" strips, and it's queensize.
I just love it, and I've been pulling out my container of strips this size and rummaging through it, wanting to start one of my own. If I was honest I'd admit that this is my second drawer full of 1 1/4" strips- when you cut scraps down to the very dregs you end up with a lot of these little bits. They are calling me quite insistently, but I want to do the charity quilts first.
Patience, my little strips, patience...

Pippi's trying to be patient too, but it's sooo boring when I sew. She flumphs into this chair and groans and sighs theatrically. Every now and then she comes and stands on her hindlegs next to me, so that she can lay a beseeching paw on my arm and whine "Can we go and play with Dolly now?!!" Then trails back to the chair again, sighing. It's quite heart-warming to see how well she and her big sister get along, it would have been catastophic if they hadn't liked each other!

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I've started a Scrappy Trip Around the World, using Bonnie's pattern, and as usual I think it's just great.
These blocks are so easy to whip up that I'm finding it hard to stop. I'm using deeper toned fabric, no lights and shirtings here, and it's going to be quite intense. I want to donate this one too, and thought it would be good for a guy quilt, not florally and sweet like the Scrappy Bargello.

I have the strip sets sewn for ten blocks and I intend to sew the last long seam to turn them into tubes and then leave them for a bit while I go on to other stuff.
I can slice them into 2 1/2" strips later and sew one block at a time when I feel like it, whenever I can.It's so annoying when you want to push on and finish a project and then other stuff, (like earning a living) gets in the way.

But I have twenty blocks finished or in construction, so the remains of this group of fabric can be packed away and the table cleared up, that always makes me feel good.

I quilted this little Log Cabin this week and the strips are 3/4" finished. I'm itching to start one of my own, this is the third one I've done for other people and I just love them.
This one has clever sashing to make those stars, a really cute idea and so effective.

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The other day I investigated strange sounds in the garden and came across this.
AWWW, isn't she cute?A Pippi in a Pot. Just ignore the sad remains of the plant that she'd chewed earlier in the day, stuck hopefully back into the pot next to her.

But the sounds had included splashing and snorting worthy of a small hippo....
Whaat? Disgusting gross stinky black water and my puppy smack dab in the middle of it.
Sigh, another bath coming up. If she wasn't so darn gorgeous....

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When I decided to use my strings I looked through my photos and found this one. I can't remember if it was from ebay, or a blog, but I was immediately intrigued with the possibilities. I decided to make it from the "strata" I was constructing , sewing the strings into larger pieces of fabric.
This maker has thrown in some crumb type piecing as well, but I didn't want to confuse myself too much.

I began by cutting the strata into strips, in this case 4 1/2" wide. I just cut until I couldn't get anymore, and then set aside whatever was left. It helps to make several different strata pieces before making the blocks, and then you run less chance of having the same fabric combinations show up together.
I tidied up the ends of the strips so that they were straight- this meant I could sew them together to make longer strips as needed.
I had a selection of 4 1/2" squares already cut, and I sewed one to a strip; in this case I jogged the ends a bit so the seams wouldn't fall where I wanted to trim them up square.
The smaller cut-off pieces can be sewn together to make more strips; this is useful at the start when you only need the piece to measure about 5" anyway.
Sew another strip onto the other side to make the centre of the block and trim. It will be 12 1/2" by 4 1/2".
I made several at once to simplify the process.
Then you can add a longer strip across the top and bottom, trim and square it up, and that's it. You can move the strips along to make sure fabrics aren't repeated top and bottom, and flip them around to distribute lights and darks in a pleasing arrangement.
The leftover bits can be sewn together for more blocks and to add more variety, turned into a strippy border or just go back into the string box as 'seed' material for the next top.
I enjoyed making these and once the strings are sewn into one piece they're really simple to put together. I'd like to try and make them more wonky and perhaps put some crumbs and tiny bits in there too. I'll definitely go back to this method, but I've made twelve so far and the strings have run out. I'm too impatient to wait for more to build up, so I'll probably set these as soon as I get the time. I don't think I'll use the strip around the outside of the block, as the original quilter did, but you'll have to wait and see.

Keryn was looking at some blogs the other day and said "Oh look, there's your block". She was reading The Root Connection and Sujata has a beautifully pieced block as her profile picture. It's much more vivid and contemporary than mine, and dare I say made out of nicer fabric than the old scruffy stuff I used, but the method is the same. And I pinched it from the older quilt, it's amazing how these things go round and round.

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