Upcycled And Finished

My summer quilt is now complete.

I am very happy with the end result and although I'm very tempted to keep this for myself to use as a lunch cloth I've decided that it should go and live in Western Australia and so I am gifting it to my Daughter In Law for her birthday this month.

Even though it's a very simply made quilt, I think the fabric gives it lots of personality so I do hope our DIL will like it.

Plank Method, As Opposed To Planking*

I discovered basting a quilt using the plank- method last year when I was making a quilt for the latest addition to Mr HP's side of the Family.

 I love how quick and easy it is and I had this whole cloth* quilt basted in no time and with little back breaking antics.

 Never before have I made a whole cloth quilt and only decided that this one would be because the fabric I have used has been rescued from land fill and is heavy weight curtain fabric, one hundred percent cotton or linen and originally from a decore store samples book. 

 The end result is a bold stylish quilt top that is 1.25 x 1.25m, large enough for a lunch cloth, lap quilt or picnic rug.

The weight is such that it's thick enough to use as a picnic rug but lightweight enough to use as a lap quilt in the warmer months.

Since the samples were free of charge, the only cost has been the backing fabric, which I paid $8 a metre for plus some leftovers from another project. The binding will be leftovers from Youngest Son's 21st birthday quilt.

I'm so in love with it, I haven't decided if I should keep it for myself or gift it.

* Seems I have my info. wrong here...this is not a whole cloth quilt but rather a 'summer quilt'.

*Planking, a brief history

Linking to Freshly Pieced ~ pop over to see what Lee and others have been up to in the quilting world in WIP Wednesday. Click on the button below to take you there. 

This Month In The Garden - April - Chilli

I have had two worthwhile crops of chillies this year.  I don't normally use chillies in my cooking, simply because Mr H.P. doesn't like spicy food. As you can see in the above picture, I've had to net the one plant I have because the possums treat chillies like delicacies.  On a nice hot sunny day I picked all the red finger chillies and using a needle and canvas thread, I strung about 20 onto the thread and allowed them to dry in the hot sun for a few days before bringing them indoors to completely dry. 

My first strand was exchanged at Crop and Swap for a yummy piece of blue pumpkin.

My second strand went to a friend I have made via an online garage sale and in exchange I received some kefir milk grains.  I gave the kefir grains to my daughter because she has been coveting some for a while now.  

Kefir is a fermented milk drink probiotic.  I must admit, milk is not one of my favourite foods and the closest I come to consuming milk is homemade natural yogurt which I religiously make about ever ten days and add to my porridge or smoothie at breakfast.

Tonight we used yogurt in our pumpkin soup instead of sour cream.

I think I will wait and see what kefir tastes like before I decide whether I will make it or not.

In the meantime, the weather has become very damp and humid and my chillie plant has been infested with aphids.  I'm hoping that a spray of soapy water will bring them under control.

It's not unusual for Sydney to be hot and humid over summer, in fact, it's quite normal.  But the past three or four summers have been so dry that I must admit I've forgotten how unpleasant the humidity can feel.  Unfortunately, the bugs have revelled in the return to more normal conditions.

This Month In The Garden - April - Indian Summer

The Blue Mountains has sort of been experiencing an Indian summer this autumn.  Technically it's probably been too wet but the combination of warm weather and high rain fall has seen some extraordinary things happening in my garden.

I have a potted echinacea purpurea by the front door which had a second flush of blooms late last month.  I honestly didn't think the buds would mature but I was wrong. 

Echinacea is also known as the coneflower because the seed head left after the 'petals' drop looks like a cone.

The 'cone' then continues to grow taller and taller.

What an amazing example of the Fabinacci spiral!

The pink petals of this echinacea are not true petals but bracts.  The many flowers grow from each of the spikes (eventually seeds) growing in the cone.  Sometimes a spectacular display happens when each of the spikes flower simultaneously.  This hasn't happened this year but if you look closely at the third picture from the top you will see three tiny, yellow, flowers growing to the top right of the cone.

My most favourite characteristic of this plant is the wonderful perfume produced by these tiniest of flowers.  I honestly believe the perfume rivals that of a rose.

Echinacea is commonly used medicinally to treat the common cold and boost the immune system.

Even though I've had this one plant for around six years I have not used it for making a tea simply because I felt the plant was not mature enough to cope with being harvested.

  Soon, it will die right back leaving only the seed head which is a favourite of florists to use in their floral displays.

Once the new shoots appear in spring I plan to split up the roots to start off some new plants.

I have under-planted the echinacea with runuculus so that over winter the pot continues to produce flowers.

Echinacea is a culinary delight to some of our wildlife and for this reason I have chosen to grow it in a large pot which I place close to the front door.  The possums and wallabies dare not venture this close to our house and so the plant survives long enough to produce flowers.  On a warm day, the perfume is glorious and can be appreciated every time we use the front door.

In the garden it works as a bee attractant too so if you are fortunate enough to not have to worry about what might eat this versatile plant...consider growing some in the vegetable and herb garden to help pollination.

Autumn Already

Summer is almost over, here in the southern hemisphere, and I'm beginning to already feel autumn in the air.

My favourite season is most definitely autumn.  This February has indeed been the season of mists because of the many days of rain so far.

None the less, we've had the odd sun shower and much humidity and the gardens are seeming to thrive on this unlikely mixture of weather.

Yesterday afternoon, Little Miss Seven danced in an afternoon rain shower while visiting her uncle at his new house and picked an exotic assortment of flowers. 

She left them at our house last night and this morning I couldn't bear to throw them out so arranged an outdoor bowl of flowers. 

 

But now I'm facing a dilemma; I love to have decorative bowls around the garden, filled with water.

This one catches drips from the garden tap on our front verandah. I know water attracts snakes to the garden but I haven't worried too much about this as in our fifteen years living here we have seen maybe one or two. I've figured that the benefits of having water for other wildlife outweigh the risks.  That is, until today...when I spotted the largest, sleekest, blackest, red belly black snake in my entire life(and believe me, I've seen a few) in my front garden. Now I have to rethink this practise - at least until the weather cools. 

Charging The Batteries

Mr HP, our Daughter and Grand Daughter and myself managed to get away for a few days to refresh our batteries before the school year is in full swing again.

It's been a tough start to 2015 and I've been feeling very tired.  It was a great few days of relaxing, walking, eating, and simply having fun. 

It's so hard to believe that our Grand Daughter is now in her third year in school.

Her favourite pastime is reading...a girl after my own heart!  We travelled everywhere with a small library of books!

Her preferred book at the moment is The Big, Big, Big Book of Tashi and it creates quite an impression tucked under the arm of a seven year old, let me tell you. Since it's a collection of Tashi's tales, Little Miss Seven allows herself little breaks between stories to read other books.  As you do.

Day 336/366

Only 25 day to Christmas and the countdown begins.

In true Australian fashion, December's weather has been sweltering.

My poor Grand Daughter's ballet school had their concert early tonight and had to perform in 38 oC temperatures.  Luckily their usual venue (which does not have air conditioning) is out of action for renovations. Today's venue was air-conditioned but it was pre-set so it only just managed to to keep everyone comfortable while outside it was reaching scorched earth proportions! 

Unfortunately,photo opportunities were not great and the only photos I was able to snatch was of the school group.

The school has organised photographs so I'm hoping to get a pretty shot of our Grand Daughter in her blue tutu.

After the concert we came home to a oven-like house, threw open all the windows and doors with security screens and then went to our Daughter's for coffee, tea and snacks which was also attended by a multitude of beetles, spiders and what ever other bug could squeeze through the tiniest gaps around windows and doors. 

  

Day 142/366

Red-browed Finches are newcomers to our garden.  I don't recall ever seeing them before last summer.

Over the past few months they have been regular visitors and frequent our southern birdbath, along with Bulbuls and Eastern Yellow Robins.

The finches are very shy little creatures and I have attempted, on many occasions, to photograph them.

This is the best result so far.  Perhaps they are becoming a little more comfortable with sharing the garden with us humans.

The Bulbuls like to dive bomb the other birds so at times we witness quite a bit of competition for the use of the bath.

Although there are three birdbaths in the garden, this one seems to be the favourite and I have to check it regularly to ensure that the birds haven't splashed it empty.

Both Mr Honey Pie and I love to sneak into a camouflaged position to observe the antics of the feathered creatures.

Sometimes we can come within a few feet of the birds but, for some strange reason, when a camera is produced they seem to sense its presence and dash away.

The robins seem to be the friendliest of the smaller birds that frequent the garden and at times even seem to follow us around as we do our gardening chores.

Day 141/366

I didn't expect these still very small cyclamen seedlings to flower so quickly; so when I spotted tiny buds in the hanging basket they took me by surprise.

They were sown last year from seeds gathered from an old plant given to me as gift by my neighbour some years back.

By the size of them, I think the flower heads will be miniature.

Mr Honey Pie and I spent a lazy day about the garden.

The weather was quite wishy-washy so it was the perfect day for doing jobs like setting up the new compost bin, establishing a worm farm; and feeding the struggling natives growing along the driveway with home-made compost.

After all the rain dumped on Sydney and its surrounds over summer, this May is turning out to being distinguished for having the driest start in over one hundred years.

Day 94/366

Perhaps summer has finally arrived.

Day 74/366

Banksia Serrata.

This photograph is from January.

I have spent the day in bed.

I'm suspecting food allergy as a cause.

No photography today.

So as autumn draws in here is another reminder of summer.

Day 73/366

Reminders of Summer.

This Month In The Garden.

December

Banksia cones never fail to intrigue me, no matter how many times I see them emerging.

This summer is shaping up to be a wet and cold one.

So wet and cold in fact, we could be having a Northern Hemisphere Christmas.

Wash Day.

Woke this morning feeling like cr*p.  Feels like a head cold coming on.
Summoned  up enough energy to do some laundry, while the sun's shining.
This summer has certainly been one of extremes.  When the sun's come out it's been HOT.  When it hasn't, it's been WET.
It's not my common practise to take photographs of my laundry piles.  Neither is it common for me to sort into so many piles.  Usually I sort into lights/whites, darks, and hand-washing. For some strange reason, this morning I sorted into lights/whites, blacks, reds, and blue/greens. (As well as one load in the wash of mixed colours). Suddenly I was struck by the colours...perhaps there's beauty in everything.  Or, as the saying goes...'beauty is in the eye of the beholder.'
I might just add...it's not the laundry I find beautiful...just the colours!