Wednesday 8 February 2012

Mobile Library and More wips!

But first, I have been moving things around in the house - out of necessity of course!

This is where I usually have some flowers and if it is going to stay I think a new or at least a clean pot will be required!

I am not a fan of pot plants but I have a friend who used to live in a block of flats........but that's another story.  Anyway she dumped kindly gave me a dozen or so plants she had rescued.......

With my customary benevolent neglect, two of the plants that she put into my bathroom have just blossomed, figuratively speaking.  This one was a dead looking stick.


I think they both need occasional watering and no direct light.







This one was somewhat cramped under the pedestal wash basin - I think it's enjoying spreading out.


Now the reason for their change of scenery is that I am about to have some renovations in the bathroom, said pedestal basin is badly cracked - and has never been level; and the huge cast iron clawfoot bath is a waste of space now that my granddaughters no longer want to spend hours in bubble baths, as well as being a glutton for hot water and a monster to get in and out of - so the lovely Debra who also designed the renovations for my minute kitchen, has come up with a great design to accommodate the best elements of a bathroom plus the laundry space which was the original toilet......  Debra is also a very talented quilter!

The funny thing is now that I have removed the pot plants and all the bits and pieces from the tray over the bath, it looks so much nicer!  Clear, clean lines - I shall hold that good feeling when the builders start dismantling everything next Monday morning at some ungodly hour!

There has been quite a bit of talk lately on Kiwiquilters - (I tried to put a link in but Yahoo is not responding) about giving quilts away - and sometimes getting them back, or not.......

I told earlier of a quilt I made that my son admired, but didn't really want and didn't ask for it, I just gave it to him and a few years later rescued it from his airing cupboard and now use it as a curtain - well, previously when he was flatting I had made two very basic, big squares quilts from curtaining fabric,  machine tied which were used to cover the old sofas




........fast forward to a meeting at Pinestream quilters when a request was made for a quilt to put on the floor of the Mobile Library bus, so that's where it has ended up, a win-win situation!



Here's another example of a win-win situation, teaching at Arohata.  K. has a love of paisley patterns, so we searched out as many as we could find, she put them into simple four patch blocks which she then sashed and added just a narrow border - to great effect -


Next time I shall have to get a chair for my friend to stand on!

I mentioned earlier that I was making zillions of four patch block from my tin of squares and I had an idea what I wanted to do


I like the strong zig zag effect and the contrast between the 'pretty' blocks and the plaids, many of which have a pinkish blush to them.

I have been sewing while watching a dvd I borrowed from the library but which I shall return with a few words......"Shroud for a Nightingale" one of the PD James collection, with the lovely Roy Marsden as Inspector Adam Dalgliesh - and the darn thing kept freezing in the last scene!!!&$%#   I tried gentle cleaning in the approved direction on several occasions, but no, it would not finish the scene!  How frustrating is that!

I am enjoying reading through Webster, dipping into it - and finding so much that reminds me of earlier, more formal days.  As for the quotes, well, according to Thomas Haynes Bayly, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." but Alexander Pope writes, "Say, is not absence death to those who love?"


Nice talking with you, enjoy the lovely weather today, I think a walk is on the cards.

June

2 comments:

Lisa said...

I love the photo of the littlies on sitting on the quilt in the mobile library.

Had a chuckle at your toilet turned laundry. We had that situation in a former house and I thought it was perfect - just enough room for everything you need, no room for junk. But when we put the house on the market the only negative feedback at the open homes was "the laundry really lets the house down". I guess different folks have different priorities.

Linda said...

Love your little quilt in the background. So cute.
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