Home is where you are

… if you make up your mind to it.

Sixteen years ago, I emigrated to Australia by myself, leaving behind friends, family, job and everything I knew. It wasn’t that I wanted a fresh start so much, more that I felt that in Australia, I’d actually come home. I brought very few things with me (5 cubic metres, 20% of a shipping container), but what I brought was the core of what made where I lived home. And home has come to be… just where I am, rather than linked to heritage, memory, family, nation or geography.

The Husband’s lovely niece is leaving home very soon, to go to University. She’s looking forward to it, and many of her friends are going too, but still, it’ll be different, not her home town, the home she shares with her family. I wanted to give her something from home, of home, so she can begin to form a core of things to surround herself with, the germ of ‘home is where I am‘ that I brought with me. It’s a quilt, of course.

She loves purple. And I had all my F²F³ blocks, the Amethyst & Slate colour scheme that I hadn’t done anything with yet. So at dinner on Christmas Day, I asked if she’d like a quilt for her new home, and I showed her photos of the blocks. She’s keen 🙂 I was short by three blocks, so I’ve made one and have two more to put together, and then I can make her quilt. It’ll need a wide border; the blocks only make up to 60×72 inches, and it won’t make up to full queen size, but it’ll be a nice bed topper and a generous snuggle quilt. I’ll put it together the usual way; I’d like her to have it sooner rather than later, so hand quilting is not on the cards here.

The layout may change. I’m not in a rush, it can fit in around other things. But I’d like to give her a gift to start her own personal core of stability. It’s a good way to start her independent life.

It’s going to be called Heaven for Beginners because of this quote:

“Home interprets heaven. Home is heaven for beginners.”
Charles Henry Parkhurst

F²F³: last ones, and worth the wait!

A surprise squishy arrived the other day.

I wasn’t really expecting anything, so it came as a lovely surprise to realise that it was from Sue of From the Magpie’s Nest, and it was my last F²F³ blocks of the F2F 2018/19 session. Poor Sue has been suffering from an injured shoulder which is taking ages to heal and is cramping her sewing style dreadfully, so I’m very grateful that she made the effort on my behalf.

So, without further ado, here they are:

I love them all, but the last one really tickled me! Sue knows I live in the tropics of North Queensland, Australia, and have just moved to a new and smaller house, so she’s created me a tiny tropical cottage (the sort of thing they call a chattel house in Barbados) with a palm tree outside. Even better, the dark strip at the top is the purple version of a Kaffe Fassett design called Aboriginal Spots. It’s a perfect fit 🙂  I have to decide whether to integrate this into the quilt, or make a special cushion cover out of it, but that will have to wait until I can lay out the blocks out on the design wall and can decide on a layout.

So it’s into the Amethyst & Slate project basket for now.

 

F²F³: three more beauties

I got another squishy this morning 🙂

The package was from Moira, who has sent me three really beautiful blocks for my amethyst and slate colour scheme. Aren’t they lovely? And what gorgeous fabrics and perfect colours. I particularly love the white-on-white pineapple print, perfect for its new tropical setting!

Click on any image to enlarge.

She also sent me a piece of wonderful Kaffe Fassett fabric as a bonus. I love this so much that I’m going to save it for a garment or accessory of some sort, so I can see and enjoy it all the time!

Two more sets of blocks to come and two more of my own to make, and I’ll have the full set. Then, of course, it’ll be time to start planning the quilt. I think this lovely colour scheme is going to be perfect for a quilt for one of our new bedrooms. Hmm… I’ve never tried wool batting, but it would be lovely and cosy for those cooler nights.

And now, back to my packing list!

F2F3: January round-up

January was Kathy’s month in F²F³.

Her colours were sky blue, a sort of cornflower blue, and gray, from silvery gray to as dark as charcoal, with white as the neutral.

She said: “I don’t see having a dash of other colors in a print being an issue, but would prefer they be more on the cool side. I am seeing the sky blue, grays and white being the main focus with smaller bits of the darker blue. I made a Pinterest board with some photos, here’s the link: https://pin.it/5niixxhyxvfpb3“.

If you want to see all the finished blocks, go to the F²F 2018 gallery here. F²F reference and finished block images are maintained on a separate blog from Tall Tales From Chiconia, due to their image-heavy nature, and the home page is here, if you want to bookmark it or follow it. The galleries are a useful library of colour and block designs, and the previous F²F session is also stored there.

And finally, we’re into the home stretch. February is the last month of this series, and all the blocks are for meeeeee! I’ve chose a palette of soft greys and lilacs: amethyst and slate. The effect I hope to achieve is a soft vintage look, nothing very bright or strong. You can see my colour references at the bottom of the Members/ Colours page here.

Note to all participants: although I’m moving house halfway through the month, I’m requesting that you send the blocks to my current address; we aren’t moving right away as lots of renovation is needed first, and in any case I’ll have mail forwarding in place. If you’ve already changed my address details and want the old address, email me. If you’ve already sent it to the new address, don’t worry, the current owners will put it aside for me till settlement day.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what you all come up with 🙂

F²F³: December round-up

December was Esther’s month in F²F³.

Esther had a lovely and unusual colour palette for her, based on a photo of the plants and pots in her garden. There were shades of soft green, blue and grey to play with, lots of fun and a total change from the brights of the month before.

She made a couple of her own blocks and got them up in the gallery in time to give the rest of us an idea of what she was thinking, always helpful when faced with colours and combinations you wouldn’t have thought of yourself!

Because of Christmas, we’ve all been really busy, and I was amazed and delighted when we ALL finished on time 🙂  Congratulations, all of you! By the day after Christmas, all photos were up, a stellar achievement.

January is Kathy’s month. Here’s what she said about her colours:

My colors are sky blue, a sort of cornflower blue, and gray: from silvery gray to as dark as charcoal, with white as my neutral.  I don’t see having a dash of other colors in a print being an issue, but would prefer they be more on the cool side. I am seeing the sky blue, grays and white being the main focus with smaller bits of the darker blue.    I made a Pinterest board with some photos, here’s the link:
https://pin.it/5niixxhyxvfpb3

I think I’m going to enjoy working on this one, I ♥ this cool palette of greys and blues!

If you want to see all the finished blocks, go to the F²F 2018 gallery here, and if you want to check out all the colour palettes, go to the Members/ Colours page here. F²F reference and finished block images are now maintained on a separate blog due to their image-heavy nature, and the home page is here, if you want to bookmark it or follow it. The galleries are a useful library of colour and block designs, and the previous session is also stored there.

F²F³ has been great fun so far. I wish everyone a great start to 2019 and the final two sets of blocks to complete it!

F²F³: November round-up

November was Robin’s month in F²F³.

Robin’s colour palette was cerise and a rich royal blue with orange on a white background, and she provided a photo of a camellia in a blue vase with a mandarine for reference.

It was also great that she made one of her own blocks ahead of schedule for the gallery, so the rest of us could see what she was thinking, and she gave us quite a lot of freedom about how muted or intense the colours could be.

This month has been a busy one, and we didn’t all quite manage the stellar delivery performance of last month, when we finished ahead of schedule. There are still three sets of blocks to go out, and I still need the photos of these for the gallery. I’m sure it’ll all be done very soon, and I’ll load the images into the gallery as soon as I get them.

November is Esther’s month. She’s chosen a variety of soft shades of green and grey, based on a photo of plants and their pots in her garden. If you click on the Members/Colours page link given below, you can see what this slightly vague description looks like, and it’s a very pretty palette. I sincerely hope I’ll be able to find suitable fabrics, as the shops are currently full of Christmas-themed prints and colourways!

If you want to see all the finished blocks, go to the F²F 2018 gallery here, and if you want to check out all the colour palettes, go to the Members/ Colours page here. F²F reference and finished block images are now maintained on a separate blog due to their image-heavy nature, and the home page is here, if you want to bookmark it or follow it. The galleries are a useful library of colour and block designs, and the previous session is also stored there.

Now, let’s see what I have by way of muted greens…