Lemons!

My lemon tree is groaning with so much fruit.

So today I have made:

Lemon Curd/Butter

 and Lemon Hand Scrub

 This was the first batch

The lemon tree doesn't even look like it has been touched!

I had better make some more...

....hopefully, the Bingo ladies will buy lots off me tomorrow!

I have also been busy quilting customer's quilts in between batches!

Until next post...

Jewells

Out with the old & in with the new!

Yesterday, Stew, Casserole & T-Bone (we have owned them for 2 years) were sold at the Dungog Cattle Sales and they brought in the highest price for the day...even beating the top price paid for a cow & calf... we were happy with that!

It was the first time I have been to a cattle sale...interesting!

I went to the pen where they were being held before the sale, to see them and when they heard my voice, they turned around and looked at me, as if they were saying "what are we doing here?"

Then again, when they were being sold, I was in the front row (so I could hear & see what was going on) and they saw me and kept looking at me.

I wasn't sad about seeing them go, as in the last few weeks they have been pushing & shoving each other, and that was upsetting me...so I asked Bruce (my "husband"!) when it was time to sell them...he said that it was time and he was afraid to mention it to me, as he thought it would upset me. 

So off they went to the next market.

Now...meet Sirloin, Mince, Fillet & Rump... they arrived yesterday morning and will be keeping us company for about 2 years.

I had forgotten how small they are when we first get them!

 Now I have to train them to come when I call.

Until next post...

Jewells

A Perfect Day!

Well here is the first photo of Bruce & me on our wedding day.

It was drizzling rain in the morning, but an hour before the midday ceremony the sun came out and stayed out with no wind. The weather was perfect..not cold or hot.

My dress was silver satin & lace with a matching silver jacket.

The ceremony was held outside & the meal was on a verandah overlooking lush green paddocks & mountains, with an occasional kangaroo hopping by.
The rain came again, just as the last guest was leaving.

PERFECT DAY!

Until next post..

Jewells

Cheats Quilt

I came across a Santa panel in my stash, only to realise I have two of them.

So I decided to just quilt one of the panels without adding any borders:

I used a Christmas Holly Stitch.

I even used left over binding to finish it off.  It is about 35" x 42".

I will tizz up the other panel...can't be lazy with both of them!

Oh! how I LOVE my quilting machine!

Until next post...

Jewells

Cross Stitch to Patchwork!

Over the years, I have worked on quite a few cross stitches, (not now as my eyesight isn't as good as it use to be...even with glasses!) I framed some (not many) and just filed the others away in the cupboard to do something with them later on...

So what do you do with little cross stitches like this?

I had plans on making them a middle feature in a patchwork quilt, then I came across this idea, and ran with it:

.. I was so impressed with the first attempt, I got a bit carried away..

 

..then I thought...why not fussy cut something?...

...needless to say, I have made quite a few.

 

While I was making the above bags, Mum was sewing this together:

 

It is a single bed sized quilt, using a Jelly Roll I bought in the States a couple of years ago, then we had to go to the local quilt shop to find something for the 2 outside borders... even with all the fabric I have here (and trust me, I have hundreds of metres!), I just couldn't find the right colours to make the quilt "pop". ... $50 later, I found just the right fabric.

Until next post...

Jewells

 

This time next week...

 As my wedding is in a week today (YIKS!), we went to where we are getting married at the same hour the ceremony is to take place to check out the position of the sun etc... then onto where the photos will probably be taken.. I tried to take a nice photo of Bruce while there...I hope he doesn't play up on the professional photographer, like her did with me!

 Meanwhile, it only took one attempt to take a reasonable photo of me!

Onto a different subject now...

 When I was at the Sydney Quilt Show in June, I signed up for a BOM with Kidsquilts which started this month.

 ...and here is Block 1... I made it straight away, instead of putting it away for another day.

Now that Block 1 is finished, I will probably will start on this next...

It was gifted to me from a friend in America.

 So cute... great presentation too!

 

Well it is too late to start now...maybe tomorrow...

Until next post...

Jewells

Lemons, Lemons & More Lemons

The second lemon tree (click here to see what I did with the first lemon tree!) is groaning with the weight of lemons, so I thought I had better get in and do some preserving.
  
I made one batch of Lemon Cordial

and then I made one batch of Lemon Curd/Butter

and after that I made a small batch of Lemon Hand Scrub (no picture).
I will be trying the scrub to decide if I make a bigger batch.

Even with all this cooking, the lemon tree doesn't look any less loaded!

Until next post...
Jewells

Christmas Quilt & Cute Washers

I saw this cute pattern called "Little Joys Quilt Along"  on The Jolly Jabber Blog and couldn't resist it.  So, as usual, I cut, ironed, quilted and bound and Mum did all the sewing.

As I don't like waste, I made half square triangles out of the cut off corner pieces, while making the Christmas Trees and decided to enlarge the quilt a bit by added them to it.

The pattern I quilted it with was a cute "Bauble" stitch.

 Did you notice this sign above the quilt in the first picture?

It says "A Quilter Lives Here"

  

As I don't like putting small pieces of fabric away in my stash, I used it up as a panel down the back of the quilt.

 Meanwhile, at night time, while the quilting & sewing machines are at rest, I enjoy sleeping knitting in front of the TV.  I just love Down Cloverlaine's Blog (listed on "My Blog List") as she writes WONDERFUL cloth patterns.  She adapts all cloth patterns to baby bib patterns too. 

I just LOVE her blog...but I repeat myself.

Here is a Starfish Cloth...

 ...and here is a Whale cloth.

SO CUTE!

Well, I must get onto quilting a customer's quilt.

Until next post...

Jewells