I said in my last post that I was a Gadgeteer, and today my biggest gadget purchase arrived.

I've wanted one of these for ages, but I couldn't really convince myself that it was necessary, or an economical way to cut shapes. Then I saw that there are new die shapes that combine the pieces with very little wastage, and that decided it for me. The die that comes with the cutter is OK, but I don't know that I'll use it much, once my other dies arrive from the US. It's very wasteful if you cut all the shapes from one big piece, and too fiddly to position individual scraps of fabric over each shape.  However, it's all I've got, so I'm playing with it.

I cut enough pieces for 12 HSTs with each pass, and built up a satisfying stack of pieces in no time at all.

  Now I'll sew them all, and see how accurate they are.  I'm quite erratic with my rotary cutting at times, so all I'm looking for is an acceptable degree of accuray; I'm used to fudging.  Mereth took a stack home to sew on her machine; if she likes them we'll have a big scrap cutting session one weekend.

A year ago I was tempted, but didn't buy the Accuquilt Go; 12 months later I'm thinking that it can save my wrists from the pain of a lot of rotary cutting, make life easier on my hands and eyes, and get me off my feet during long cutting sessions.  Some days it just hurts all over to stand at the cutting table; I must be getting old.

A die cutter can't replace a rotary cutter in my sewing room, but I hope that it will be useful for all the repetitive fiddly bits that are so tiring on the hands and eyes.  And I certainly hope it helps reduce the stack of scraps laying around!

I've been doing a bit of sewing, trying to find the perfect measurement for the elongated hexagon quilt.

This is close, but I'll try again with an extra 1/2" in the height;  It probably won't make a lot of diference, but the proportions will be closer to the original in the book.  It's lots of fun to sew, I'm looking forward to getting this underway soon.

I've decided to pack away all the distracting bits and pieces that I use as leader-enders, and just sew some 16-patches.  I've always wanted to make this quilt, in a 1985 Ladies Circle Patchwork Quilts.

It's so simple to whip up the 6" blocks, I think they will work well as a secondary project.

The weather is cold and rainy again, which makes working in the garden undesirable.  I limit my gardening to picking the latest flowers, including lots of daffodils and jonquils.  Pulling up weeds can wait for a nice sunny day.

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I'm torn between finishing some longterm projects or starting something new, just for fun.  My conscience is telling me to deal with an existing project, and yet I'm relentlessly drawn to working on a new pattern.  It doesn't help that I've been shopping online for all sorts of things, templates and rulers and books and gadgets.  I'm a Gadgeteer through and through.

I've wanted to do this quilt for years, (in Massachusetts Quilts) but I knew I couldn't face doing it with flippy corners.

The other day I came across this ruler, and I couldn't resist.

I got mine from here, but there are Aussie sellers as well.

It will make short work of cutting these blocks, and the test blocks I made were super-accurate.  It's all I can do not to abandon everything else and start cutting like a mad thing. I need to fine tune the dimensions so that they are similar to the quilt in the book, skinnier and longer than the trial ones. I don't think I'll be able to relegate this to a leader-ender, it will have to be centre stage. 

I have lots of other things to use as leader-enders, the problem is I keep changing them, so I don't make much progress.  I need to buckle down and concentrate on one thing.  Bonnie has just started a new quilt and I love the antique quilt she's reproducing.  I save  all my 2.5" scraplets too, and I think this would be a great way to turn them into blocks. I think I"ll be adding this to my list of ideas.

But before I do any of those things I must clean up my sewing table and cutting table; I'm overwhelmed by the mess, so I wouldn't really enjoy pulling out more fabrics with the room in it's current state. A tidy up is in order. 

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There are Jacob's Ladder quilts all over Blogland at the moment; I originally saw Lucy's and had to make my own, then Quiltville's  Bonnie put up the instructions for her Florabunda quilt, and then lots of people made one. Yankee Quilter  has one, and so does Lynn, and Subee as well.  This block can look so different when it's coloured in different ways, and there are even more variations when the colouring is reversed in half the blocks.

One thing that can really annoy me when putting blocks together side by side is the way the seam allowances build up.  I took care to press the seams a certain way to eliminate that problem, and when the time came to put the blocks together there wasn't a single seam that didn't butt neatly together. 

I had to draw a little diagram and leave it by the ironing board, because I forgot what I was doing every single day.  I found the idea for this little note holder on Sew many Ways blog.  She has a ton of good ideas on how to use everyday items in the sewing room or office; just click on the Tool Time button on the side. 

This is a double-sided photo frame from Ikea, but it's also useful to display notes and reminders on a crowded desk.  I slipped my diagram into the frame behind the photo, so whenever I needed to check what I was doing I could just swivel the frame around.

I'll have to do a series of posts on how Ikea has revolutionised my sewing room; everywhere I look I see something from that store!  It's one of my favourite places to visit.

Basically what I did was press the dark chain blocks one way, and the light chain blocks the opposite way.  I made sure to position all the four patches so that both seam allowances that touched the outside edge went to the dark fabric.  It was no extra work to position them like this, and it certainly paid off when I put the blocks together.  I just hate having to mash seam allowances flat and hope they stay that way.

Bonnie's instructions show how to fan the seam allowances so that they match up at the edge of the block; I didn't bother with that, because on this block the fourpatches can be positioned so that the seam allowances mesh together anyway.

Because I didn't add a border I ran a line of stitching around the outside of the quilt, so that all those seams would be held tight.

My tops tend to wait a while before they get quilted, and if they don't have a border and are handled too much  the seams can start coming apart.  It was the work of minutes to stabilise the edges, and now I don't have to worry about those seams unravelling anymore.

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Finally I have time to write a post, and I've finished something and I have the photos.  It's so hard to get all three things lined up, that's why two weeks have gone by since the last entry.  This year is going so quickly, everyone I talk to says the same thing.  It will be Christmas before we know it.

 The Jacob's Ladder is in one piece and I love the way it turned out.  I made 63 blocks, which was quite enough.  It will make a nice large single bed quilt, and I enjoyed them enough to think that I will one day make a larger quilt from these blocks.  I think a blue and white one would be really stunning, so that will go into the ideas file for later.

I love all these fabrics together, I tried to use ones that I treasured and hadn't cut into before, but I also used up the very last scraps of some of my favourites.  That material in the top right of the photo was bought in 1981, and I have eked it out over the last 30 years.  This is it's last time in the scrap drawer, all gone now!

My garden is putting on a brave show in this cold, rainy weather.  Everything is rather waterlogged, but the pansies are battling the conditions to put a little colour into my life. 

I just love these antique ruffled ones, I will definitely look out for them next year.  I love the plain ones, but these look to be straight off a Victorian postcard. 

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Life has been insanely busy just lately, and this weekend will be no exception.  I'm just taking a moment to post a few pictures before I go back to work.  I have a monthly digital pattern club that is due out in two days time, so I have to get all those designs tidied up and ready to send.  Busy busy busy.

I have done so much travelling lately, and that cuts into my time in a big way, but it's unavoidable.  I've had to take both computers to the computer guy, in two separate trips, and he lives 45 minutes away.  Then there have been trips to drop things off for customers, and shopping excursions for essentials.  I love the scenery and and the actual driving, but it means I have to stay up late catching up on work.  I'm seriously sleep deprived.


We popped into an op-shop the other day, in between other chores, and I spied a couple of handmade cushions high up on top of a set of shelves.

I had to climb up and get them, but I'm glad I did.  I can't believe all the work in these, and the colours are just wonderful.

Someone took so much trouble to stitch the needlepoint, but then not so much trouble to finish them.

  Very dodgy way to make a cushion cover....

But for my $2.50 I got a huge section of needlepoint, a pillow form and a metre of cream homespun that is very good quality.

Bargain.  The other cushion was put together with a bit of sheeting and a commercial pillow from the '60s, that was stuffed with shredded stockings and underwear.  EWWW!! That lot went in the bin quicksmart.  I will block the needlepoint to square it up and get rid of those ripples, and then I think I'll have both pieces framed.  I know it will be a loong, long time before I get to stitch any needlepoint pictures of my own.

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My girl is settled in at her new job, and my house seems very empty without her.  She has started a blog, which is a great way for her to record her time up there, and to keep her friends updated as well. If I can get her blogging, I'm sure that I can get her quilting soon...

I'm busy with taxes right now, but hopefully the end is in sight, and then I'll be able to spend a lot more time sewing. 

I'm up to 21 of the Jacob's Ladder blocks, with another 10 just waiting to be sewn together.  I figured I'd need 63, so I'll only be halfway once all the kitted blocks are sewn up.  I'll try and cut out a heap more tonight, because its such a help to have all the pieces cut and waiting.

I need to decide on borders for the plaid quilt, so I can get that quilted and into use.  I think I have to start another one straight away; I opened a drawer and found 8 blocks that I'd put away for safe-keeping.  The drawer was even labelled, so there is no excuse for forgetting they were there.  I think I'll just kit up another set of blocks, they were brilliant leader-enders and used up so many of my scrap strips.

I really miss keeping track of my yardage in and out, so I'm going to start that again.  I really have no idea what I've used this year, so I feel like I'm getting nowhere.  I've bought a fair bit, but probably not as much as I think.  Instead of discounting what I've used, and blowing my acquisitions out of all proportion, I'd like to  know the actual  figures.

It's time to choose another UFO to finish, and I think it will be my blue and green tumbler quilt. 

Seonaid admired it and said she'd like it, so I have a reason to get it finished now.  I love it when I can make a quilt specifically for someone, it's lovely to know that it's going to someone who wants it.  It only needs another two rows and a border, so it shouldn't take long.

I know someone else who misses Seonaid;

Dolly searched for her when I came home, but there was only me.  I'm better than nothing I guess, but Seonaid was the light of Dolly's world there for a while.  There will be much excitement when she comes to visit..

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This is the hotel at Parachilna, a typical old Aussie pub. 

We arrived at dusk on Saturday, and had a drink in the bar to unwind.  It was a good drive, but right at the end there were a few kangaroos with no road sense.  The wildlife is always a hazard on out back roads, luckily we managed to avoid them.  If I lived out here I would probably drive a great big 4WD like the one in the photo.

The decorations in the bar were decidedly rural, including this magnificent skull. 
Once it was dark they lit a fire out the front, and everyone stood round with their drinks, toasting themselves in the heat and admiring the night sky full of stars. Two of the guests were setting off the next morning on a 6 day bushwalk, which sounded wonderful.  The scenery is magnificent, and when you cover it on foot you have  time to admire it properly.  There are two pilots based here who offer scenic flights, and they were interesting to talk to as well.

One of the features of this pub is the food, which features 'feral' meat; goat, camel, emu, kangaroo and rabbit.  Seonaid has always been a cautious eater, so the menu was a bit daunting for her.  We settled for antipasto, which was unadventurous, but delicious anyway.

In the morning I wandered around by myself while Seonaid was touring the whole place and learning more about the job. 

I watched the pilots fussing over the planes before the first flight of the day; if I was brave enough I would go up in one of these tiny planes, but I'm a chicken.  About 10 years ago I had a very scary flight in a little 16 seater, and once it was over I vowed I would never again fly in a plane where I could touch both sides at once.
I was reading this information poster when I noticed something interesting.

 At first I only noticed the men, railway workers from 1905,

then I saw there was a child in the photo as well, and when I looked closer there is a dog curled up at one man's feet.  It really brings those times to life, to think of the family life behind this image.  In those days it would have been a rare privilege to have your photo taken, and some mother was probably tickled pink to have her child in the photograph.
We were on the road again by lunchtime, and had a good trip home. It's great to get away from everyday life and visit some place new. 

Seonaid was impressed by the hotel and the people who run it, and decided she'd like to give it a go, so this weekend we'll be going back to get her settled in the staff quarters.  I'll miss my girl dreadfully, but I'm sure she will have an amazing time working in this incredible spot.  And I'll  visit as often as I can.

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It pays to be flexible when planning long weekends.  You just never know what opportunities are going to come along.  Seonaid has a few job applications in the works, and was invited to visit one place to see what it was like.  So that found us on the road Saturday afternoon, intead of in front of the TV or sewing machine.  As much as I would have loved to spend the weekend at home, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to visit a true outback pub.

We were headed for the Prairie Hotel at Parachilna, a mere 300 kilometres away, which isn't really all that far.

What makes the trip memorable is the isolation.  After Port Augusta there are only two small towns, Quorn and Hawker, and then just miles of empty landscape with the occasional sideroad leading to a homestead.
Luckily the scenery is spectacular,

and we were constantly exclaiming over the hills of the Flinders Ranges, and the ruins left behind from the 1870s.

One spot I really wanted to visit was the ruined Kanyacka homestead.

We made many trips up here when we were in high school, some with school camps but mostly with our older brother, who loves this area and has explored most of it on foot.  I wanted to see how the ruins were holding up, it's been nearly 40 years since our last visit.

They have been tidied up, and for safety's sake some have been fenced off, but overall they were the same, a monument to a time when this area was a thriving sheep station and home to 70 families.

We went down to see the sheepshed, which in the 1860's was shearing 40,000 sheep; it's hard to imagine the activity this place has seen, and the number of men who must have worked here.

We had a laugh over this sign; the poor little pictogram guy was having a bad day.
Seonaid demonstrates how to fall over in style...

Have to go to work, will be back with the rest of the photos soon.

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It's yet another long weekend, this time for the Queen's birthday.  It's not actually her birthday on Monday, but we'll have the holiday anyway.  It's so nice to have that extra day off, it makes the weekend so much more enjoyable.

I finished all the Plaid blocks that I had cut out, and now I have to sew them together and decide on borders.

 I don't know where this quilt will end up, it could be a donation quilt or I might just use it myself as a utility quilt.  With two dogs that have free reign of the place I need to change out the quilts often, and they need vigorous washing.  I'm just glad our dogs are so short-haired, I'd hate to have clumps of long fur everywhere.

I'm leaning towards a couple of simple borders just to frame these blocks, and then I move on to another project all the quicker. 

I'll probably work on the Jacob's Ladder blocks that I kitted up, as I don't have a lot of space for cutting in my sewing area.  My office work has taken over all available space recently, I need to sort it all out; after I play with my kitted blocks.

Seonaid is busy cleaning up the kitchen, which is so nice to listen to.  The work is getting done, and I'm not doing it.  That's luxurious in my opinion.

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On the weekend we went for a drive in the country.  It was a lovely day, not like winter at all, and I decided it would be better spent out in the fresh air rather than locked inside working. 

\We visited a little seaside town not far away, which has an antique place I've wanted to see for a while.  It's one of those shops so full of things that it's difficult to move around in, which is just the sort of place I like.  It was every bit as interesting as I thought it would be, but there was an added bonus in the quilts that were on display.

  Unfortunately, there was so little room that I couldn't unfold these beauties to hav e a proper look at them. 

It's so nice to see antique quilts up close, something that we don't often get to do in Australia. 

I loved the fabrics in this kaleidoscope quilt,

some of them have been reprinted as reproductions and are already in my stash.  I could spend all day examining this one.

This quilt was made entirely of ties, and in a strange co-incidence another quilt like this showed up on a blog I read the very next day.  It's an interesting way to use the whole tie, and the quilt was very heavy and textured,  it felt quite luxurious.  The owner of the shop made this quilt. and she said it was very quick to do, just weaving the ties together and some straightline quilting to hold it all together.  People come up with good ideas all the time.

Another strange thing in this shop was the baby grand piano, painted green with raised Oriental motifs. 

The odd thing is that I have photos of it on my computer, so I recognised it straight away. 

Four years ago a friend took Mereth to an old Post Office in a little ghost town not far away, to see the incredible piano that was in pieces in one of the rooms. 

She sent the photos to me, and wondered how on earth such an exotic musical instrument ended up in a ruined building in an abandoned town.  I was able to go home on Sunday and tell her the next chapter of that piano's story, and how it's being renovated to it's former glory.

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When I'm really busy it's amazing how much I can achieve by using every last scrap of time.  I sewed most of these plaid blocks in my coffee breaks, or waiting on hold on the phone, or before I went to work in the mornings.

It helps that it's a simple pattern, 8 seams per block and it's done.  I've really cleared out the 3.5" strips, which was my aim.  The next step is to go through the stash drawers and weed out bits less than an eighth of a metre and cut them into more of these blocks.  It's always therapeutic to thin out the stash drawers and make room for homeless fabric.

And I have a bit of that, after succumbing to the latest free shipping offers from Hancock's.  I need to get this lot put away, but first I have to make room for it.  I'm thinking of making a plaid quilt like JulieK's, and that should clear out the drawer where  I keep my small stash of plaids and stripes.  Well that's the plan, but I could probably make 4 or 5 quilts from that drawer before they are all used up.  Anyway, it will be progress if I can fit them into a smaller drawer.

Here's a picture of Seonaid and Dolly, at the start of our walk. 

The dogs have to start out on the lead, just  to have a bit of discipline before they are let go; once the leads come off then they're off like the wind, racing each other over the expanses of grass.  It's a pleasure to watch.

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My DD arrived 2 weeks ago, and there hasn't been time for any sewing or blog-related activites ever since.  It's wonderful to see her, after 4 years apart, I'm so enjoying her company.  Her neat freak tendencies are a blessing, she's organised my kitchen and bedroom, and is eyeing off my ofice area now.  So long as she shows me where everything is I don't care what she does; I'll just go along with the new system.

My sewing area is overwhelming though, so she's not tempted to touch that; with any luck I can spend a few hours in there this weekend and sort out the stacks of fabric and things that have no home.  I've been working non-stop just lately, and I need a good rummage through my things to restore my sanity.

We wondered how Dolly would react to DD Seonaid (we pronounce it Shonnad, which isn't the Gaelic pronunciation, but she's named after a friend of mine and that's how her name was pronounced).  From the moment Seonaid got out of the car Dolly was in love.  I'm just background noise now, it's all about sitting with Seonaid on the couch, or at her feet, or trying to get on her lap.  When we go for walks Dolly trots next to Seonaid, gazing up adoringly. What makes this astonishing is that Dolly is not friendly to anyone normally; after a long acquaintance she might wag her tail for other people, but she won't let anyone touch her.  She just doesn't trust other people; but Seonaid is instant family.  Tha's so cute!

I was going to add a picture or two, but it will have to wait.  I'd forgotten what it was like to have kids around; my internet usage tripled and used up all the monthly quota in a week, which means my service is slowed down, so it's taking forever to load an image; I give up.  I've gone to a higher plan, but it will only take effect from midnight tonight.  Oh well, I will spend today in the sewing room and taking photos, and tomorrow I may actually be able to load them.

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