Dear Reader – I have been thinking of you but unable to do anything about down-loading pics and commenting – we have been relly visiting in Tasmania and are now catching up with Perth Western Australia – dear people important to us in each place. However getting pics up on line on the computer here has proved impossible despite working perfectly fine a few months ago. Which is a shame, I have a couple of beauts for you, but they will need to wait another week or so it seems.

While in Tas we spent a couple of days up in the far north east of the state – former tin-mining country, rich in many aspects of cultural heritage. Now cattle and sheep are produced here. Spent a couple of nights with BIL and wife and family in thier shack in a delightful area near Musselroe Bay – long empty beaches loaded with shells, in the hinterland we saw kangaroos 6 feet tall and more, didn’t see the dreaded snakes but did see wallabies, goannas, echidnas and wombats. No TV or radio – just good family company and hanging out. In the shack there was a toasting fork leaning up against the fireplace – being summer, it was not in use. The handle caught my eye – indeed the whole construction shrieked “handmade” in confident bushie construction. Despite being totally aluminium heavy guage wire, the handle has the appearance of being knitted – garter stitch comes to mind. How it was done I have no idea but pormise a pic at the first opportunity, next week, when we return to Montevideo, Unless a miracle intervenes.

Better, quicker, this one is the one on which all of them will be modelled – each will be a bit different but clearly part of the same set. So, I’d better get moving….

Hmmm- using a textured looks-like-leather fabric, which did not glide well under the machine ( fixed that with Sewers’ Aid) – at least it meets most of the criteria, but it was not quick to do, and, so, it’s a sample only. I am actually very pleased with the edge which. although it looks crooked in this pic, performs really well for what I bought it for with something else in mind – and fortuately have over 1 m left, and am sure I can find more around here, if I really get carried away with this type of edging. 

We have just arrived back in Montevideo from the family visits up in the US.

The recently finished quilt was well received, with GS#3 rolling around in it, carrying it around folded, sleeping under it, and clearly very happy that at last he has one of his own.

GS #2, different family, is rather miffed that younger #3 has one already, and I hope this might be enough to push him over the hurdle of sleeping in his own bed, consistently, and thereby qualify for one, too. Fingers x – I’ll start it pretty soon, just in case.

I found some more lovely fruit and veg pattern fabrics and am now ready, mentally and logistically, to whizz off a couple of picnic quilts in time for the northern summer. DD bowled me over with strongly expressed desire for a quilt of her own, after all these years, so I have a fullish looking program ahead. At the same time I am going to really focus on more of the wool and leather ideas, with a particular fibre deadline in view much later this year. 

Saturday’s warm muggy morning with sunshine chasing clouds warned of the stormy weather which broke out early this morning and continues to rumble around overhead. We did the sensible thing and headed down to the port for lunch, sitting out under awnings and umbrellas catching the breeze and crowd watching. To make this textile related, these were two very eye catching shirts I saw yesterday – and unusual for this part of the world. I am guessing both are from Thailand….although their wearers aren’t. Yesterday there were quite a few tourists around, although it is high summer season and for Montevideo residents and uruguayans generally “summer” means “Punta del Este”