June news

 We had a great long weekend,King's birthday weekend just gone. Brad and Sophie came up on Friday evening, Saturday while the husband was at work Brad and I made some green tomato chutney and a lemon meringue pie. Sunday we went out to a friends sons property to help clear a huge pile of wood, that's how nice we are... firewood for us. 

It was freezing, Winter was definately here. While we were there we had a little target practice, which was fun.

This was Month 1 of Pick  Petal, then my trial block for Month 2, I have decided to do Month 2 on the machine I have cut all the pieces, all 260 to make the 20 blocks of this design.

This is my EPP set up in the lounge room, I'm doing a BOM from 2015 I may get all the blocks done this month and I may not.

I'm making another batch of pasta sauce today and that will be Chicken Cacciatore for tomorrows dinner.

I am now going to tidy my sewing table it's a mess.

 

May summary

 OMG May is over today I cannot believe how fast the months are flying by, always a sign of old age I know, never mind I will stay old rather than dead.

So May was bag month for me but I have been doing a lot of my Hugs N Kisses epp so I have been doing something. I have got a pouch and a project bag made and made steps on my By Annie Divide and Conquer bag.

Deanna has drawn the Chookshed Challenge number for JUne and it is number 5! My quilting goal won't get done as my machine isn't stitching nice so no quilting till it's service, my sewing No 5 is EPP which I have been doing each nightand maybe I will finally cut the side pieces for my Smitten so that it will be straight along the sides.

What has been happening in the garden? the tomatoes have finally decided to start producing along with the Rosellas and oranges and of course massive zucchinis.I have madfe 5 pots of tpmaot sauce in the past few weeks and zucchini pickles and 12 jars of Rosella jam, this is a new favourite, and a large pot of pasta sauce and a few jars of basil pesto. I am getting ready for marmalde and lemon butter. 

May is bag month

 Deanna has drawn number 8 for this month, my quilting goal is to quilt my panel quilt and my sewing goal is to make a bag or better still 2 bags, I have cut By Annies Divide and Conquer, but I also want to make a Catch All Caddy and All Aboard train case, you can never have too many bags can you. 

I made a new project bag yesterday after a zoom session with the chook sewers, because tomorrow at Coolah sewing morning I am starting Jen Kingwells Pick a Petal quilt, so it is only right that the project bag be made from Jen's fabric.

It is a beautiful autumn day here, we are off to the club for the meat raffle and then going to the local football game, which is across the road.

April is over

 Well April certainly went quick, Scrub Stitchin was a great weekend with friends, lots of sewing, chatting, a few drinks and lots of food. Below is a pic of the women from the cabin I was in, minus Chooky.

I got a lot of sewing done, not a lot of photos but never mind. I finished my Springtime quilt top which was my March Chookshed Stitchers Challenge. The blocks are for the scrub stitchin quilt organised by Raewyn and chooky.

 Above is a photo of all the lovely scrub stitchers, does that make us scrubbers?.....

Since getting home I have been sewing everyday like a good non housework person I have made 4 Farmers Wife blocks, the 4th isn't pictured but it is done this was my April Chookshed Challenge to do some foundation paper piecing. It is only a small block but takes ages to sew, for me anyway.

My night sewing is an old EPP project from way back I think around 2017, it's a Hugs and Kisses pattern, certainly not the fabrics I would be using if I made it now.

The garden is going great after a bit of rain and some cooler mornings and nights. we have flowers on the Rosella bushes, I plan to try and make some jam this weekend and the Lilly Pilly and lemon trees going well too
Work is settling down to normal after the public holidays, so all good here Bring on May

April !

 3 more sleeps until Scrub Stitchin, for me anyway.I have things sorted way too many projects but better to have too many than not enough.

This months Chookshed Challenge number is 4. My number 4 is FPP, I have prepped 10 Farmers Wife blocks to do this weekend at Scrub Stitchin. 

Projects that I have packed are 1/ a table runner to make, 

                                               2/ my March Chookshed Challenge

                                                3/ The Farmers Wife blocks

                                                4/ A tilda kit with a sewing roll and pouch

                                                5/ A Ruby Star Society braided table runner

                                                6/ A Frivols kit to make a 50 x 50 quilt top

Thursday 17/4/2025

I'm back from scrub stitchin, as usual it was a great weekend, wonderful company loads of inspirational women and sewists, heaps of fun chat and friendships forged, and a Show and Tell to rival anyone.

My ususal failing is not take photos on the way over the entire weekend. 

My sewing tally..... March Chookshed Challenge done

                            Farmers wife blocks got out but not done , it was early in the morning and i didn't have my brain with me.

                            Table Runner top done

                            Tilda kit.. the outside is done but I can't get my head around the instructions for the inside, I have contacted the Facebook group and I haven't seen any finished yet except one with a bad photo.

                            Frivols kit started on Sunday morning and one of four blocks done.

I have a busy day today at work I have been loaded with clients that normally have services tomorrow as well as my usual Thursday people so pictures will come later. 

March! a draft and update

 Well hello March and Deanna has drawn No 2 for March, my Number 2.s are to quilt Grant's quilt

and the sewing side is the drangonfly and butterfly applique quilt, It is all ready to be sewn so we will see how we go.

Not much happening in the garden the late burst of heat has frizzled most of the plants, the grasshoppers are happily chomping away.

Update 31/3/25

Well March is away tomorrow is April, my month.

No new finishes to show, I have been doing a bit of fluff sewing (fluffing around getting nowhere). Below is the bag and needlebook that I made last month, it got  3rd at Binnaway show. I have been making postage stamp blocks as leader and enders.

This is as much of my Sprintime quilt that I have done, it is my Number 2 for the Chookshed Stitchers Challenge, I will take it to Scrub Stitichin and see how much I get done.

                 

I have been channeling my inner Anorina and done some hand quilting on a cushion kit that I bought at scrub stitchin last September. I did enjoy the quilting I'm not sure if I would ever finish a quilt. These are the blocks for Raewynn to make a donation quilt for Macquarie home stay.

I did a quilted jacket workshop at Coolah I love my fabric and Catherine did a beautiful job of quilting everyones fabric, I just have the pockets to attach and then bind the whole thing, Catherine always tells us to clean our machine before a workshop the last time I did the rotten thing obviously didn't go back together properly and an hour or so was spent trying to get the thing to sew nice, well this time I took a photo of how the bobbin space sits and I was a bit horrified how much fluff there was.

We got onto a property and got some wood, it was all branches that they had cut to stop them falling on the fence so there were no rotten pieces which is good. Sadly how little gentle Tiny puss had a huge argument with the road and is no longer with us, the week after we got him desexed , we have these other little terrorists to keep us amused until we find homes for them.

              

My windowsill garden is thriving I need to find some pots and places to put them now.

We had over 125 mils of rain Friday and Saturday so the tanks are all full.

Well that was March.

A bit after mid February

 I am pondering what to do.... I haven't done any of the Chookshed Challenge for this month, I thought I would have started the Quilt Fusion applique but I haven't and I don't want to start something new, so I won't. Rosie's stars is not a top yet so I may get it ready this weekend. February is the hottest month and I have done a bit of sewing but not them.

I am doing some things to put in the local shows, I made a cute little bag and needlebook it is in Binnaway show this weekend and I don't have a photo of them, never mind.

I have made 3 covered coat hangers that were in the Advent Box that I got from SEW FAB. These are very cute.

I have finished a small quilt that I started 2022 when I got my Accuquilt, it is quilt as you go and I machine sewed the binding which I might unpick I'm not happy with it.

I have been binding and more binding.