All very well in theory, this transparent piece , constructed in blocks, and bound with a beige silk organza binding, has never been shown. Why? Hanging difficulties – caused by my ignoring the advice I have given to heaps of other quilters that hanging arrangements must be considered in the initial planning. I ploughed ahead with what was satisfyingly challenging, and experimental, piecing and quilting, probably thinking a hanging solution would just bob up in time. It hasn’t.

It is so reversible that it is difficult to tell the front from the back, or irrelevant. An acrylic or glass rod through the top binding (and possibly the bottom) would overcome those aesthetic difficulties, but glass of course will break IDC , and acrylic sags with time, and even faster under lighting. To me, a brass rod with knobs sticking out each side doesn’t appeal.

I’m going to treat this subject again sometime soon, so any advice or comment you have would be welcome ……

postscript tuesday august 2nd
Several comments, by direct email and on this blog, are encouraging, so (1) next transparent piece I will design probably with an opaque border, which might look very interesting anyway, (2) maybe this piece is a useful sample, really, or a throwover for the al fresco luncheon table (3) next time I will consider the motifs from ‘Afterglow’, and finally, rethinking this all gave me (4) great stencilling idea….. (5 ) and a further idea, cut out the blocks, discard the sashing line things you can see, and ‘insert them’ into a new framework – I have some interesting gauze stuff, I just remembered, perfect for this… but that will have to wait, since just now I am using this same motif on a natural coloured fabric and have appliqued leather bits, with view to quilting using french knots, stemmed knots and large/long stitches. It’s large, and there’s a looming deadline, so I’m off now to do more on it, to the strains of the recorded book Blue Horizon by Wilbur Smith.

A major part of the quilting has now been done, although it’s been a bit stop and start. A recorded book helps keep me focused. Dare I think that tomorrow might see the last of it complete? I love the effect of hand quilting with the metallic thread. It’s not fast, although the stitches are big, as thread needs to be eased through carefully so that if it twists it doesn’t break

Postscript: tuesday 26th – all the quilting was finally finished last night and this morning the quilt will be bound, sleeved and signed, by lunchtime. I really enjoyed all the hand quilting and have plans for something more, in this genre, soon.

but it may not be what you want or need just now. I have commented before that you find the most amazing things for sale down in the sunday market, and these rolls of Made in Uruguay labels ( a la Cash’s woven name tapes) were just sitting out in the sun waiting to be snapped up by some garment manufacturer, I guess. … I’d have bought some if I could think of anything to do with it … well now that I think of it, I probably could have at least put one on every quilt I make while I’m here….well, next time we go I’ll keep a look out, if the stuff is still there I’ll take it as a sign and buy some to do something with. Perhaps something creative. Of course, if I go seriously looking for it, it won’t be there, may never appear again, things are like that here, quite often. Even in the regular supermarkets, things come and go from the shelves, sometimes reappearing, sometimes not. I suspect it is mainly fairly recent expats who really fuss. (We’ve got a pretty good stash of Vegemite, and sufficent hot english mustard to last for 6 months or more, probably) I have become progressively less bothered, and find myself shrugging my shoulders with out-turned palm gestures these days. There will always be something, it might not be exactly what I want, but it will probably do. Asi es Uruguay.

Wandering through some of my photos weeding out some not so good ones, and so on, came acrosss this other textile related one , taken down at the sunday market on Tristan Navaja recently. It shows just part of a veritable mountain of 1-3m hanks of bra elastic, various widths, basic colours of black, white and several skin tones, plus an odd pale blue and an awful green which hasn’t been in vogue in undergarments for decades, to my knowledge. Still they do say if you wait around long enough any fashion will come back again. So, is green the coming colour for bras and knickers, perhaps?

Someone said it got down to -5C this morning, I believe it, a strong cold wind and large heavy clouds racing across the sky greeted me as I stepped outside. All day the wind has blown, patches of blue appearing and quickly disapearing, a few spots of rain but not enough to wet the ground. We have very dramatic interesting skies here, which as a sky watcher I find thrilling at times. These are not this morning’s clouds, but those that preceeded a noisy wet windy storm we had a 2-3 weeks ago.

Sorry, these pictures will just not arrange themselves as I have directed them, I must have some finer points to learn yet. The other pic, of a sea mist rolling in over the city on an otherwise sunny day is something that happens quite often here, too. Sometimes it sits there a few hours and then evaporates or blows on, other times, especially winter, it becomes a fog that sits around all day. One time we were flying out, as we boarded the plane we were urged to hurry and be seated as a mist was rolling in and could prevent our scheduled take off. Another interesting plane/departure event was the night a few years ago when a cloud of mosquitoes came aboard with every passenger, it was terrible; people were swinging and swiping at them with papers and magazines, the cabin was not a pretty sight! and the hosties ran out of insecticide before the doors were finally able to be closed for departure. No pic, leaving that one to your imagination.