The weather has been most unusual lately, not like our normal summer at all. It's cool and rainy today, and it's been more than a week since the temperature went over 40. I'm definitely not going to complain, it's been lovely to have a break from the intense heat and dryness. The rain is taking care of the garden, and excusing me from any outdoor chores, so it's a sew-day for me.
I don't think my plan of a double row of 2" squares was very clever; I sewed together all the pieces I had, and it made enough for 1 border. It's going to take a lot more time than I thought; it's back to the cutting board this afternoon, amassing enough squares for the other three sides.
I'm sewing them together in sets of five; each is 10" long, making it easy to calculate how many I need. I'll mix them up on the design wall so that I don't have all the same fabrics in one spot. It's going to take a while. And I thought this quilt was as good as Done!
I quickly sewed together another 20 pairs of triangles and I will have to find time to iron them, and recut them for the Scrappy Mountain blocks.
I should need only another 10 pairs of squares after this, for a lap quilt. Once I have them all on the design wall I'll decide if I want to make more of them in this collection of fabrics. The block is so fun and easy that I could see me making another straight away, in blues and browns and greens.
Three years ago I planted two blood plum trees, and watched them grow, trying to be patient. Last Spring they set their first fruit, admittedly not much, but for two weeks I've been able to eat a Satsuma or Mariposa plum, fresh from the tree.
It's been a delight; you would have to threaten me or my family with bodily harm before I'd eat a European plum, but Satumas are divine! The Mariposa is there to pollinate the Satsuma, it's OK but not as good. Hopefully next year I will have enough fruit to eat and share with family, before the birds realise there's a new tree on the block.
2 comments:
A lovely palette of fabric, and I can almost taste that fresh fruit. We had a small orchard as a child; miss it. Enjoy your summer; we just had three literal feet of snow, a new record.
The birds talk to each other, so once they find your tree they will be back every year! We tried netting trees individually by throwing the nets over the tree, but found the rosellas got caught up in the netting (perch on the outside to eat the fruit growing against the netting) and if they didn't die of shock when DH tried to untangle them, then the neighbours cat would get them. This year we netted the whole orchard properly and not killed any birds. We got wide netting from a ag merchandise store in the Adelaide Hills....it was cheaper by the metre then quilting fabric! Just need 4-6 star pickets and black poly pipe that is wide enough to fit over the picket. Then throw net over that and a few half bricks to weigh it down on the ground. Do it early once fruit has set. Sounds like a lot of work, but nothing more frustrating then watering to find the birds have robbed you of your feast! I am up to my armpits in fruit - but nice to have fruit to eat, give away, make jam, bottle and even dried!
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