Yesterday was one of those days that was just so fun I didn't want it to end! Amy came home, and was just soooooo excited to meet kitty. She just adores her. Last night Amy did let Madaline sleep on her bed though, she doesn't want her to feel left out. What a honey.While watching the tennis in the afternoon, I made up my last three DJ blocks for this month. The green one at the top is H11 - Piercing Rays. A cute block with many Y-seams. Bottom left is H5 - Michael's Motorcycle. This is the first time I've made this block, it was made by a DJ friend in my other quilt, it was super easy to make. Bottom right is I8 - Pete's Paintbox. Last time I foundation pieced this block in five sections, but this time it was much easier to use freezer paper piecing. This means I've achieved my DJ goal for this month! Yay!
Next on my list of things to do was to make up another batch of preserves. My new(ish) Fowlers Vacola unit can only take 8 jars at one time, so I have to plan a little if I have a lot of fruit. The four jars on the left are ground tomatoes. We have a few tomato plants and I freeze the tomatoes as they ripen and when I have enough, preserve them with a bay leaf and some basil. Super yummy for making pasta.And on the right some more peaches ... and the tree is still going, so there will probably be more to come. The smaller size 20 jars are one pint, and I've run out of them entirely now, the two in the back are about one litre (which I think is around one quart). I'll have to get busy labelling the jars, or I'm going to get the peaches mixed up with the apricots that I made last month. They look kind of similar.
And last night while I was watching yet more tennis, I started assembling my USA memories quilt. This is going to be a beauty, I can tell!The block in the centre is by Sue, the two together top left are by Donna and Karen. Top right are blocks by Linda and Lynn. Bottom right is made by Liz and one by me. Bottom right are made by Linda and Gerri. There are still three more blocks that the girls made which will be added to the quilt, and I will make up one more block to even it up.
After working on DJ blocks during the day with tiny pieces, working on this quilt in the evening was so funny. It felt like I was working with huge bedsheet size pieces!
A big HI to Linda and all the Quilt Batts. Thank you so much for making blocks for me, I really love them, and they're just the most wonderful memory of my fabulous trip to the USA.
12 comments:
Your USA memories quilt is great. I have a friend in Adelaide who came here and gathered fabrics for a similar idea... I wonder if she ever finished it. She gets the credit for encouraging me to start quilting. I was thinking of it, and she told me to go for it. After she went home, I turned into a quilter!
You are just a Dear Jane quilting machine. You put me to shame. Way to go - your blocks look wonderful.
So now that you're done with your DJ blocks for the month, are you going to work ahead so you're ready for the short month coming?
*eg*
Just teasing. The fruit looks scrumptious. I'd be tempted to want to show it all off, and display the jars on clear glass shelves with a light shining thru to make them glow. :)
You're going so well on your DJ blocks. I only did a few and decided it wasn't for me, which is funny because I love teeny quilts! The USA quilt is coming along very nicely too - a lovely special reminder of your great time overseas. I'm coming down to Seacombe Gardens in March - are you anywhere near there?
Wow, what a busy woman you have been. I love that you can. So many women over here don't do that any more. I used to do *tons* of canning and jelly/jam-making, make my own bread, etc. Now I don't have any storage space, so I can't do that. But someday, I will again, because it's such a pleasure to see the jars lined up, isn't it?
The DJ blocks are coming along so well! You are already done for this month? Are you going to work ahead, or wait until Feb. 1 to do more?
I love the way that US visit quilt is going. That's a great print you are putting with it.
Your Dear Jane blocks are just wonderful...hmmmm, fresh tomatoes and pasta and fresh peaches for dessert...I may take you up on yur offer and show up at your front door :) They sure look yummy!
The DJ blocks look amazing! and I know I've probably said this before, but seeing the Fowler unit brings back so many memories of preserving with my mum in Perth.
Sounds like you had a great weekend.
Love, love, love your Dear Jane blocks--just beautiful. And your USA memories quilt is wonderful. It seems funny to hear of canning fresh produce right now--I have six inches of snow on the ground around my house!!!
Your DJ blocks are so cute!! I agree with KCquilter - can't hardly think about canning now. I'm just about to run out of tomatoes and I thought I had enough to last through the winter.
Judy L.
Gosh! I've been busy and am just catching up and look at the canning and DJ blocks, and the memory quilt and the strings and oh gosh everything!
Tazzie, you get so much done in one day, makes me look so lazy in comparison. Those DJ blocks are so cute. Congratulations on getting them done. And the canning. And getting more progress on your USA memories quilt. You are right, it is a beauty. I too have some adjusting to do when I move from the DJ to the Lilibeth's garden which has 12 1/2 inch blocks. They are so different from each other.
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