12 Blocks Finished.

Yesterday I completed the 12 Blocks for the 2nd Bandanna quilt. My 12.5 inch square ruler is useful for squaring and trimming blocks. Here with the 2 short sides attached it get it's first trim up.

Then with the 2 longer sides added it gets trimmed and finally squared. By rotating and trimming it gets all 4 sides right and finishes up 11 inches square.

Once again I have to decide which layout I am going to go with.

This first one is in rainbow order.

This second one is random and is only one of many random placements I could make.
 What do you prefer?
I think I will then add a very narrow white border and a wider plain black border and binding.
I also got another large patch of garden weeded, mainly in the shade below the big oak tree.
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Sadly the elderly neighbour ( 88 ) who we helped on the 3rd of February after she fell, died in hospital last night. She got pneumonia and finally went into a comma. She was a sweet kindly old English lady and we will miss her cheerful voice on the phone.

16 Blocks Completed.

I spread the 16 blocks I've completed out on the floor to see how they look together.Generally it doesn't seem to matter which go by which, it still looks okay. No doubt I will experiment more before I sew them together, but that won't be till I have finished them all. ( going for queen bedsize ) So I am currently back cutting more strips.

In the second photo 4 blocks are laid near each other so the secondary patterns they make are obvious to see.

Now the 3rd photo is something that hasn't appeared on this blog before - knitting! I learnt to knit when I was 6 so have years of experience, but I just haven't had the need to knit in the last few years. So why now? Well it "fitted the bill," of very portable, a bit mindless, but would keep me busy, while sitting around for hours waiting at the hospital while DH had his operation. Actually I took 3 projects with me that day, some hand quilting, some of the above blocks to pin and the knitting bag, but never got past the knitting.. I am now on the 3rd prem size beanie ( very simple ), so will hand them in at the maternity hospital next time I make some little SANDS quilts to donate.

DH is making very good progress, he's better ( as in less pain and swelling ) every day. He only stayed in hospital( a fabulous new one ) till the following afternoon. Consequently I have had plenty to do, doing his jobs as well as mine and cooking him tasty things to eat - at no stage did he lose his appetite. We chose this time of the year for us as we don't have to be busy with the orchard. Gudrun we missed feeling an earthquake on Friday morning, as the new hospital must be so well built it doesn't move. DH was mad at missing it as he loves natural phenomena . I did feel another on Friday evening when I was home on my own so glad it was only a small one.!

Yesterday I began mowing up the 1000s of leaves but got rained on so only did half. Today is fine but there is a chill wind, so it must be Winter.

( note to new Spainish commentor - how do I put a translator on my blog ? - I might try if I knew how. I enjoyed your blog! ) Anyone else out there help with that???

Arranging Quilt Blocks.

Thank you all for your comments. Gudrun it wasn't a Bernina Club ( but I know what they are ), It was my local Patchwork and Quilting Group in Tauranga that has about 110 lady members. Tauranga is the small city quite close to where I live and only about 13 kilometers away. Julieq I agree Jelly Rolls would be very suitable for this quilt.The first photo here shows how secondary patterns emerge when the blocks are laid together. Here only the block at the top left is completely sewn; the others are laid out so I can see how they look and move them around till I like them.( still in 4 smaller sections) There are 6 blocks here. ( each 15inches square ) I have more made but just laid out that many.

The second photo shows how a quarter of one block is constructed.This is the second time a diagonal cut is made.The 2 parts shown are a diagonal half of 2 different blocks. By swapping the part blocks around the colours and fabrics are mixed.

The 3rd photo is to show that Inky is quite recovered thank you friends. He is sitting up on our garden table referred to by us as the Trojan Horse as it has 4 wooden wheels and can by moved around the garden. He likes to sit and supervise if I am hanging washing on the line or gardening.

The Luculia tree smells wonderful at the moment and this morning had bumble bees, bees and butterflies all in its midst. ( couldn't get them to all pose together though ).Finally the last photo shows 2 fat native pigeons - Kereru observing me from the top of the Copper beech tree.