For those of you who commented on Flo’s slip down the drive…. No, that wasn’t rehearsed.!!!
Yesterday was a day of concern as a Bush fire ignited just a few kms away. The sky was full of acrid smoke, and there was the constant noise of the air bombers and helicopters. Our dogs were quite distressed. Houses  were evacuated and roads cut.
Son Benny was out with the CFS. We had purchased tickets to take him to the Soweto Gospel Singers and unfortunately he missed it. After making sure the house wasn’t in danger we ended up taking friends at short notice.

I put the borders on the little portrait and I’ve begun to quilt it.
Last year (or was it the year before) I was in the country and my host gave me an antique grapefruit spoon to use when I close the pins on my quilt…. it is one of the best tools I’ve had when closing pins.

You hook the pin into the small serrated edge of the spoon and of course the bowl of the spoon allows you room to close the pin.

I recently had students pinning a quilt in class and I am surprised at the variety of pins used. A number of the girls used really large pins. The said that the quilt shop owner said these were correct. However, if you use large pins,  there is inevitably  a large gap at the ends of the pins, it allows the fabric to move.  Use nickel-plated 1 inch or 1 and a half inch safety pins.  These won’t leave rust marks in your quilt like the brass ‘quilters’ safety pins.  I try to pin about every 2 inches.

This was my helper today…. lucky me.