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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Quilting Along

I read an article by name "Quilting Thin Strips" in a quilting magazine.

This quilting technique involves stitching strips of cloth onto batting.

I tried out this technique recently. This is a very good way to use our scrap fabrics.

First cut the batting and backing for required shape. For a small project like this, we can take batting and backing with same size. Also, take thin strips of fabric for the quilt top.

To get the above design,place the first two strips right side together on one diagonal of the rectangle as shown below. Then stitch with 1/4th inch sewing allowance.

Then press/iron them flat.

Add another strip to one end and stitch along.

Continue till the whole batting is covered. Then trim the edges.

Now attach a 1 inch binding tape to edges of the placemat.

Complete the edges.

The placemat is complete now.

This is how the back looks like.

I did a similar placemat by attaching strips vertically.


I am planning to make two more to complete the set. :)



Monday, September 23, 2013

Lillikoi - Searching by Image

I came to know that it is called lillikoi flower or passion fruit flower...

And yes, there is a way to search by image. Click here to know more about it. 

This opens up so many options for me to search. I have loads of photos of birds and flowers whose names I don't know of. I will be having more fun with this "Search by image" option in the coming days!!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

What's its name?

On the way back from temple, we saw these flowers. Violet is one of my favorite colors and may be that's why I could not go ahead without taking a photo of this beauty!

I do not know the name of this flower... Does this belong to lily family or daisy family? I wish there was way to search the internet based on a picture!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

An encounter with emergency

On the way to office, we see lot of police cars blinking their blue, red and yellow lights. We wonder what it is. Far away, we see a giant fountain of water!

We move ahead... The two lane is merged to one...

We drive through the slush... There is so much water on the road...

Probably a water pipe is broken... But the gushing water is higher than the electric wires strung across the poles...

Water coming out with so much force!

But by the time we return from office, everything is gone... And if we did not see in the morning, we would not believe such a thing happened. The road was dry and clean!



Saturday, September 14, 2013

Strippy Spools contd..

As I said in my earlier post, I cannot get my eyes off this wall hanging... 

A more clear view of the strippy block...

Ain't it beautiful? :)

Friday, September 13, 2013

Strippy Spools

As part of Craftsy Block of the Month 2013 with Laura Nownes, I learnt to make Spool block using fabric strips. 


I loved the block so much that I made more blocks and joined them to make a 25" X 25" wall hanging!

I love the color combinations. I used fabric quarters only and then some unused fabric for binding and backing.

I hope to try out the other blocks learnt in the craftsy class soon.

But for now I can't seem to take my eyes off this wall hanging!
For now, click below to head over to craftsy site and give my project some love :)







Appa in IIT

First things first... I am so proud to say my father gave a lecture in IIT Mumbai on rural community development.

I have not spoken much about my father or his contribution to rural development in Andhra Pradesh... But today is the day!

My father started working for an NGO (Non-government Organization) called ARTIC since 1980. Ever since then he has been working on the betterment of people in villages in Srikakulam Dist. He lives in a small village called Kotturu in Srikakulam Dist, A.P. near to tribal villages. He has spent his entire life trying to improve the living conditions of people like providing basic necessities such as water, sanitation, health, education, micro-financing etc. He gets funding from government or from other bigger NGOs.

More on his projects later... 

Let me now bask a little in his glory! :)



Monday, September 9, 2013

Thoranam

Using Sizzix : Sizzlits Die Set 3PK - PAISLEY SET, I tried to make a thoranam(threshold hanging) for our kitchen threshold.

Used two different shades of paper. Pasted one pattern on the other to get each leaf. 


This was for the Vinayaka Chaturti. Happy Vinayaka Chaturti!


Gingerbread Girl

Anishka and I made this together during my short visit to Boston.. Oh! How I miss her!


Saturday, September 7, 2013

On cloud nine

One long phone call... and I am back to my childhood days... My mama is still my mama! 

His visit to Srikakulam when we cut cake, sang and danced for him...
"eh dil muskil jeena yahan..." recorded in his voice
Playing dashing-cars in Appu-garh... 
The deal to get an ice-cream only if we sang for him...
Buying me my first black-forest pastry...
Helping me understand Multi-threading during my MCA...
Telling me to be more close with Thatha during his last days...
We all singing Antakshari in Mehdipatnam home...
His "Laka Laka Laka Laka"...
He lifting me up during mala-maatral in my wedding...

All the loving gifts he showered upon us...
the gundu bommai... the 64 shade crayola crayons... the stencils and color sheets... the magnets and gyroscope... the heart-shaped silver earrings... 

His voice... His laughter... and the way he talked about places he had been... And I still can't believe the fact that I live in the same street as he did (long time ago!) 

I felt I lost my mama somewhere down the line... but now he is back... or may be he was always there... and I was the one who was absent!

One email and one call... All the years of silence melted away... and I do not remember the last time when we spoke for this long...

My incoherent sentences says everything... I am on cloud nine... I am so relieved... and so happy!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Wavy Lines

In this picture, I love the image of tree trunks on moving waters... 
They look like wavy lines on a blanket...

This picture was taken at Donner Lake from a canoe

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Monday, September 2, 2013

Blue waters

Stick by my side while I pass through these blue waters... 
Soon things will brighten and the sun will shine...
Days will come when I will be fine...

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Sun and Water

The play of Sun on water always amazes me... I never cease to get tired of capturing photos of the sun with any water body... I love the effect of sun rays on water... And the way the colors of the sea/lake change as days passes... Here are some of the photos taken at Lake Tahoe with Sun in the background...

Happy Birthday Thatha! :)