We have just had a long weekend here in Australia, this weekend celebrates the Queens birthday.It has been an extremely wet weekend but I have not been perturbed one little bit as I have spent a good deal of it sewing with a clear conscious as I could not do anything outside.
I have finally finished the centre of my basket quilt (hexagon rosettes and stars) it is time to start constructing the borders appliquing baskets filled with flowers and leaves.
I think the best approach to constructing the borders is to applique all of the baskets then to fill all of them with the flowers and leaves rather than doing one basket at a time.
I need to have loads of stems for all of the flowers that are going to grow from the baskets , I figured that it would be beneficial to make a selection of bias stems before I start then I can set up a production line when I am ready to start appliquing all of the flowers. 
A long weekend affords a little cooking time , we always have plenty of friends and family calling by when we are at our weekend shack so I enjoy offering something sweet to have with coffee.
Following on with my addiction to sewing Hexagons I made yet another little sewing purse. This time I did not cover papers. I used 3/4 inch size but any size would work depending on how big you wanted the purse to end up.
I did a little book shopping this weekend, this is a book I have admired for sometime and the local Angus and Robertson were offering 30% discount over the long weekend. I have to say I feel really sad that the bookshops here in Oz are experiencing hard times. I know that times are changing and we can purchase from overseas for a lot cheaper than we can here , we can also download soft copies so that eliminates storage space however if we don't support our local stores we won't have them. I enjoy nothing more than strolling into a bookstore and perusing the shelves and flipping the pages. I am still trying to get my head around soft copies of books, it just isn't the same looking into my computer for a book as going to my bookcase and pulling out a book. I am trying so hard to embrace the changes and I am very aware that I could fall into the Dinosaur category if I don't keep up with the times. What are you all thinking about this.
This is the Tea cosy that really inspired me to buy this book. I am not sure whether it is the colours that have attracted me although I do think the whole thing is rather funky. I will probably never get around to knitting it , I don't even drink tea but I have some friends that do , and can you believe that tea making can involve such a ritual, milk in the cup before the tea and the water needs to be fresh boiled, you cannot boil the same water more than once. !!!!!! You know who you are.
Until next post happy sewing
j
16 comments:
Your blog is always such a treat! I'd love to see the inside of the basket quilt. I so love that design -- had to buy the pattern even though I don't tend to quilt anymore. lol! That book looks wonderful as well. Yes, I find the same problem with books and ebooks. I actually love to read on my iPad and don't miss the feel of reading from a book all that much. But I do sorely miss going to a bookstore and browsing and buying books that way. We still go to the local bookstore (which is unfortunately a big-name bookstore -- all our local bookstores have passed away a long time ago) but it's not the same somehow. My daughter (college age) is all against ebooks, interestingly enough. She wants to go into the publishing industry (at least that's one of her ambitions) so I suppose in a way she's the one to talk to.
Great to see you back posting Jean. That purse is very sweet and I love your baskets. A great idea preparing all your stems first.
I think I will become a dinosaur with books too. I love books! There is nothing like sound and smell of opening a brand new book and turning the pages. No computer can do that....not yet anyway!
Sorry to hear about your weather at Queensday, here QE enjoyed the Trooping of the Colours in the sun for a change:))
Your baskets are so gorgeous! and the colours fabulous:)
I do agree with you on the demise of bookstores, same here, the E-readers and downloads are not my favorite:)
Have a great week.
Just love the striped background for your baskets. I think your quilt will be so wonderful and different! Your little bag is cute. I love the access on the internet but prefer real books over e-books. I love to browse through a bookstore also. Times they are a changing.
Great to see some baskets developing Jean, absolutely love the colours of your stems so far!
After such a productive weekend I didn't want to go back to work on Tuesday! Rain does have some advantages :o)
Adore the tea cosy author Grand Purl Baa's blog - she is a funny funny girl.
Love the striped basket handles. It gives the same feeling I got from the embroidered handles on the original quilt.
I totally agree with your feelings on the closing of bookstores. We love visiting bookstores just to browse and we almost never leave empty handed. Our daughter spent lots of a childhood in bookstores and left her career as a lawyer to go to library science school. She loves eveeything about books including the feel and smell. I hope we never go exclusively to ebooks.
I've coveted that book for a long while but just couldn't justify buying it as I don't knit, not well anyway! I am a tea drinker (it's the Pommy in me) 'though and am always horrified when anyone says they have to have the milk in the cup first..! Has to be the tea first then the milk, otherwise it scalds the milk...yuk!
Lizzie
xxx
well i agree with the last lizzie who made the comments about tea ! of course the water has to be fresh each time we boil the kettle and the milk goes in last !!! mr twinings also says it must be fresh water !!!
oh the pleasure of 'a nice cup of tea' and a pile of books to thumb through and one of your sweet treats would also be nice ! i also love that tea cosy, you will have to find a friend who can knit it for you !
Your hexagons are adorable! I very much enjoy your blog!
The hexagon purse is just beautiful! I think I might have to make myself something similar!
I just bought a hard cover book - I don't think cook books will ever be as good as hard covers... sewing looks great! Glad you got my charger in the end - silly me,
Oh dear, I am a milk first person and a nice cup of tea is one of lifes great pleasures.
Jean, your baskets are going to be spectacular. I am in awe of your work.
I must be a dinosaur too, but I don't think real books will ever become extinct. It just wouldn't be the same curling up with a e-book.
Missed you!! Ohh but you have been so busy hihi!! Love the idea of the stem production line!! My baskets are in a drawer, waiting for more time, but In my Garden has priority number 1 hihi! And all because of you!!! Love the little sewing purse!And I don't mind being a Dinosaur, still treasure my bookcase!! A nice cup of tea in the afternoon hmmmm the Champaign/Truffel flavour gorgeous!!!! But knitting the cute cosy hihihi, I think I better buy one, mine would fit a barrel LOL! Not that much of a knitter! Hugs, Daniëlle
What an interesting background for your baskets quilt - I wish I could be as brave - it's going to be spectacular!
Heello Jean, Oh yes I do agree!
I love coming to see what you've been up to... always so inspiring.
How are you?
Didn't make it to the Quilt show this year, so missed seeing you.
Love the tea cosy book.
hugs!! xx
Love your applique basket and the knitting book - I may have to buy it...
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