Post 415 Stitching all the way.

On Wednesday friends came to lunch - quite an event. The street is now open and, although there were a lot of workers on the building site and parked in the street, there were spaces! Makes quite a difference.

Margaret bought me a birthday present - a lovely Hardanger ornament in an exquisite bag, both worked by her. Wow! The bag fabric is so soft. I've been stroking it while watching TV. So satisfying to have been given such a beautifully worked item.

We had a very pleasant afternoon catching up. Time got away from us - just lovely to be able to do this. 

Thursday began with the dentist and hygienist. My 20-something hygienist has just accepted a job in Western Australia at the end of this month. She was very excited. She has cousins and friends in Perth and was trying to decide between two accommodation offers, one an apartment on her own in the city, the other a shared house near the beach. She plans to drive over (!!) because she is nervous of planes in Covid times, leaving her dog behind with her mother until she is settled. She also has a sister in Adelaide who is 31 weeks pregnant and has been diagnosed with Covid. Her sister's gynaecologist thinks the baby may have immunity from the mother's vaccinations, but if she has any signs of pain, or labour, she needs to drive across the city to Flinders Medical Centre, where there is the only Covid birthing ward in Adelaide!  So Rosie plans to come back to visit when the baby is born. By Saturday, Western Australia had once again closed its border. I don't know if Rosie qualifies for an exemption - but it's an example of the impact on ordinary lives. It's a hard time to be starting in a career.

Alison needed some cushion covers, so on Thursday afternoon we decided on fabric from photographs and I ran these up, posted them Friday and here they are in situ today. I'm so glad I had years of working in online education. Nothing can replace being together, but being at ease with online communication goes a long way to keeping me functional and happy. Photo by Alison.

Susan and I sat and stitched on Friday, both of us are working on knitting projects - Susan's larger (and rather more successful) than mine. She is up to blocking the 5-6 strips for her blanket. I am struggling with the pattern for my bag. The instructions are that each line of the graph represents two lines of knitting - the same pattern row on the right and wrong side. It is evident, however, that the bag in the kit photograph has been knitted with only one row per graph row. I've followed the instructions, resulting in a much longer bag. I'm now adapting. I stopped when I reached the given bag measurement - two patterns short of the graph. I cast off loosely, which may be a mistake, but the bag is lined.  Now I have to knit the other side.

Saturday was the first Certificate Course Workshop for 2022 - Chican Embroidery with Barbara Mullan. I really enjoyed it.  Barbara eschewed the PowerPoint, showed us her books and examples then plunged into the 8 stitches she'd decided we could manage in the time.

I thought I had some cotton muslin, but when I looked on Friday night, all I had was some very fine muslin I'd used for an RSN class which I'd abandoned, so I unpicked it, beads and all, washed, dried and ironed it.  I worked  6 of the 8 stitches in one of the motifs Barbara gave us. It is photographed here on top of some pink lining fabric.

Following a suggestion from Margaret Adams, I turned the sample into (surprise!) a bag, using the lining overlaid with the muslin both inside and out.  

To finish off, I made a twisted cord and added some cowrie shells as stoppers at the end.  I'm pretty pleased with it. The mauve colour is closer.

I also finished off the Hearts and Roses bag. The outside leaves got attached to the double base and a bias strip added, the sides were hand stitched together, then a gusset added for the cord.

This is  the finished product, in various views.

It is quite a piece - but I have no idea what to do with it. I don't think I will really use it - but it's very pretty and I'm pleased to have made it.

Our book club met on Sunday. It was a very engaged and informative meeting - a lot to catch up on - in spite of one of our six members being unable to attend because they are close contacts of a Covid case.

It's been a wet few days in Adelaide and quite humid. Adelaide usually has a dry desert heat. I like the humidity, but most locals hate it and complain loudly ("like Sydney!"). 

I've been concerned about the cover over my Vergola filling up with water. The abseiler came on Monday morning and emptied it. He tells me there's not long to go on the work.

I captured the water-laden clouds just after sunset on Sunday. There are actually 3 bats in the photo - returning to roost in the big Morton Bay Fig on the left.

On Monday my new Kobo arrived. I was a bit concerned it might be too big. It is great! I like the design. The corners fold back so you can see the status, place and page very quickly. The colour is much mauver than the photo. The back light works, it plays audio books, AND it links to Overdrive! Might even rival my Kindle.  My pack of Kim Diehl's Applique Freezer Papers also arrived. 

In between a good phone catch up with my brother, and another with Vivienne, I managed to make this top which I hope will fit Brigid. I'm nervous. It looks as if it will fit a 4 year old but it should be right from the pattern size I used.  I bought the red-back spider fabric from Missy Rose  on a whim- a preorder, then  couldn't think of a anyone who'd like it. 

Brigid rescued me and said she'd wear it as a top, so I found a pattern. Just before posting I received the good news. It fits!

Today I've been to the hairdresser, dropped my portable lights off at the Guild to be tested and tagged then dropped the top off for Brigid. The hairstyle is a little bit Nicola Spurrier, our much loved Chief Medical Officer who has fabulous greying hair - apparently people now ask for hair like hers! I wish.  

Two more Christmas cards arrived today, both from the USA. 

I need to decide on my next embroidery project. Do I return to the Aesop Frame or work on the two Dijanne Cevaal guardians holding koalas ?  I'm tempted by the latter, but am a bit conflicted about a very European spirit figure in an Australian context. Hmmm.

It's still humid in Adelaide, currently 30C.  I've had two messages while finishing this post, one letting me know a friend in NSW is home from a long stay in hospital, and one from an Adelaide friend cancelling dinner tomorrow because one of them has Covid.

A very strange world at the moment.

Post 141 Repairs

I thought I should look in on the Western balcony spider. The old web in the pot plant has deteriorated. It seems the spider has moved on to the balcony rail. Perhaps she likes the view over the square.

Meanwhile, on the Eastern balcony Turtle made himself at home with the seed. He was jointed by Myrtle for a few minutes, until they both took flight. Myrtle was back a couple of times- and both times chased away by the Noisy Miner. I, however, asserted my domination of the territory by hanging out the washing. The Noisy Miner had to concede the territory to me.

Eventually, I plucked up courage to ring the crash repairer whose name was given to me yesterday at CMI Toyota. I was pleasantly surprised by the open and friendly response, so drove there straight away. The managed took many photos and insisted that, even 5 months after the accident, and not having reported it to the police at the time, I should contact the insurance company. He is convinced they will accept a claim - and this is why I pay insurance. The bill is likely to be around $3000, although the quote is not completed, and they will need the car for at least 5 days. I am nervous of contacting my insurer, but have worked out the dates and tomorrow will take the plunge and ring.

From the crash repairer I dropped some wool off at my daughter's place and called at Officeworks to buy another box of face masks. I haven't used any of the box I bought a week or so ago, but it has occurred to me that it would be useful to have a box in the car, in case South Australia has a further outbreak and I find myself in situations where distancing is difficult.

I managed to read about half of the Agatha Christie book that arrived yesterday. I'm enjoying it, especially with the introduction by the 80 year-old  illustrator, Tom Adams, who illustrated the covers of her paperbacks from the 1950s onwards.  I mostly read, from preferenee, on a Kindle or Kobo, but this slim volume is really lovely to hold and the cover is beautiful.


I spoke to Jennifer late this afternoon. She is still in the RAH and will return home tomorrow morning for what the doctor describes as  'home hospital'. She still has fluid on her lungs, but it is reducing. It seems all her doctors are agreed her heart is not ready for an operation and she has an appointment to see the  physician and surgeon at Calvary next week. She was in good spirits and happy with the position reached by her medical team. She is on a mission to see better press coverage of the ongoing impact of the virus on those who have had it. I have a couple of stories from friends of doctors assuring non-Covid patients this is 'just a flu' - inexcusable ignorance.

I made soup today, from chicken bones, vegetables and barley.  It made a good dinner tonight.

I've made some progress on the shawl, finishing the next band of  the main colour.  From this point on the balance shifts to the dark colour and lace bands. I have completed just under two thirds of the rows - but of course, the rows are getting longer, so I am probably more like half way through. It is, however, taking shape.

Post 129: Edges

I spent much of the morning catching up with emails, ordering the Caterina kit (the one on the cover of the current magazine) from Inspirations and reading the book Junette loaned  me, Friends in Stitches about the making of the Australian Quaker Tapestry. I am finding it very interesting. I will hold my comments for another post.

After lunch I put some lamb shanks on to cook slowly and took my SLR, set with the macro lens, out to the front balcony and played at taking photos.



This is a selection of those I liked. I'm not sure yet if any of these will end up as embroidery but there is potential. With the exception of the spiderweb they are all close-up sections of leaves.

I had a lot of fun and thought taking these and editing them. I haven't done this in a while.

I had dinner at Katherine and Anthony's place - a very delicious pork roast. It was a most relaxing evening.







I went back this morning, and overlaid the double thread edge of the second Muncaster Orange with a single thread layer. It really helps (thanks Phillipa Turnbull). I find it very difficult to get a tidy, smooth effect with double thread. The purple circle marks the area I had worked with the single thread overlay. You can see the rest of the circle was a bit ragged. I have now been over the whole edge and it is much improved.
















As I had hoped, I finished the second Orange today.

On to that tricky ribbon and bow tomorrow.

Post 80 Autumn in Adelaide

Adelaide was at its best today as I drove to North Adelaide Village to get some milk and fruit.  I love the way the bones of the trees begin to emerge.

One of the reasons the city looks so good at this time of year is, I think, the mixture of deciduous European trees and non-deciduous natives.

Even the building work can be framed in leaves.
The Village was not crowded so it was easy to distance.











Romeo's had fresh Coffin Bay oysters so I indulged in half a dozen. They are at their best right now and plentiful, though not cheap, because restaurants are not open. Delicious.

I spent the late afternoon on the front balcony tacking hexies.








This is where they need to go, to cover the edge of what has been my Winter quilt. I am slowly covering the black edges. I have the rest of this side to go, and the bottom edge. I almost have enough to finish this side, but decided to get on with covering the papers for the rest of the edge.









I have quite a few to go.





Jennifer asked me how the spider was going, so I took note while I was on the balcony this afternoon in the sun.

The spider isn't visible, but her web is still beneath the frangipani and being looked after and renewed. I am playing with a couple of ideas for using these web structures in my embroidery.

Today's Create in Stitch newsletter published their timetable for resuming classes, beginning on 10 June with classes limited to 8. It is good to see businesses making small, cautious beginnings.

I have a Zoom meeting of my new bookclub tomorrow morning at 10 am. That's an early start for a bookclub - and for me!