Still Here and Sewing

 I've been fortunate enough to squeeze in a few extra sewing hours this last week (add in a couple late nights) and have managed not 1 but 2 completed tops.  The first is "Mother Goose" by Kookaburra Cottage, a quilt for grandson no. 4 who will be turning 1 in early January so I've been pushing to get this one done and off to a quilter.

Next I only needed the borders added to "A Merry Christmas Garden" after finishing block 6 and joining them together. This one goes into my stash awaiting quilting ... maybe 2021 will be my quilting year.

So today instead of making a start on a wall hanging for a Christmas Swap, I pulled out the fabrics for November block of the Murder Mystery Quilt and hey presto ... a pyramid.

Looking back I haven't shared a photo of the finished beetles for September or October's borders.

Just one more block to bring this mystery to an end. Of course I couldn't help myself and had to sign up for next year's Murder Mystery in the Caribbean.

FNSI Wrapped Up

 Tonight was the night for a sew in hosted by Wendy HERE. I signed up last minute and managed to make this vine block for A Merry Christmas Garden.

Busy day tomorrow mustering so I'm off to find my pillow. Hope to pop back tomorrow evening and see who else has been sewing.

FNWF Early Start

My Friday night began as a Fri-Day With Friends when 2 lovely friends came to visit me in the craftavan. A lot of chatting including grandson P who wasn't shy for long, and some hand sewing, I worked on block 6 of A Merry Christmas Garden.

Then I spent the rest of the evening reading the latest Elm Creek Quilt novel, "The Christmas Boutique".  Can't get enough of this series.

Thank you Cheryll for bringing us altogether each month ... happy sewing.

Yep ... Still Crazy Busy

 SIL has had his first knee op so we're one step closer there. A little evening stitching goes on and I have block 5 now complete. Tick for 1Xmas and WOOFA ... little goals are achievable.

We had our first sleepover baby sitting with Grandson M (7 1/2 months) and his big brother Grandson J ... all went well. This was the same weekend Chooky had another zoom stitching so sadly I missed out and this ... hopefully next time.

Just breath deeply and take that next step.

Driving home from town yesterday afternoon ... fire season already?

Crazy Busy Times

By end of June I did manage to finish block 4

and made a start on prepping and stitching block 5.

In the school holidays I managed a sewing day with friends and completed June blocks for a Murder Mystery Quilt.

My treasures 💙

Especially in these uncertain times ... make time to care for yourself so that you can continue to care for others.

FNWF .. Tonight!

It dawned on me today that it's the first Friday of the month so ....

Time to click over to Cheryll's and sign up ... I've already started with a little bit of prepping.

May I Please ...

May I please have a chance to catch my breath?  A full household and crazy at work and I'm exhausted by evening. It's taken me way too long to finish the binding on Flynn's quilt but last night was it.  Photo shoot this afternoon.

Older brother joined in with his quilt. Not much grass cover ... It's forgotten how to rain.

Block 4 of A Merry Christmas Garden should have been finished too but I've only managed the final prep.

Can I please tick off for OPAM, WOOFA and 1XMAS ... follow the links on sidebars to share the love of creating.

Friday Night Sew In With Friends

I've been slack and not made it back here after our 2nd FNWF to share my big finish.  So to use "2 for the price of 1" ... after last Friday Night ... and Saturday ... and Sunday ... I put the final stitch to 'Little Maccas Farm'  aka  'Little Flynn's Farm'

Thank you Cheryll for hosting our 2nd night with friends, was just the motivation I needed.

Now it's time to get ready for a FNSI with Wendy and I've been busy prepping on block 4 of  'A Merry Christmas Garden' ... which just also happens to tie in with WOOFA and 1XMAS.

Staying home ... staying safe ... and enjoying sewing with wonderful friends.

FNSI and a WOOFA

Before the insects drove me away from the sewing machine, I managed to give sight to 3 farm animals. Then reteating to the lounge my Christmas Garden grew ... green stems.

Saturdat night the leaves sprouted ...

Today the berries ripened ...

A little trim, a few seems and block 3 of A Merry Christmas Garden is complete. Thanks Wendy for a lovely Friday night sewing and I have good progress on my number 1. WOOFA

FNWF Reporting

My plans changed a little and some prep and stitching happened on A Merry Christmas Garden...

Before that I finished my February block for a Murder Mystery Quilt ...

The evening was rounded off with a little knitting to finish a much needed dishcloth.

Thank you Cheryll and friends for a lovely evening.

WOOFA and OPAM January

It's always good to have that little push to get things done.  Being on school holidays, I try to make the most of spare time. Sadly not a lot of that while surviving through this drought but sewing is always my sanity. A couple of finishes for OPAM ... thanks Kris.

A tote bag for Grandson J's farm animals.

A portable change mat for DIL

and a couple of neck scarves for working in the dusty cattle yards.

I also got to spend a day with good friends at our little patchwork group and worked on a WOOFA ... thanks Cheryll.

A few blocks of needle turn applique towards block 3 of A Merry Christmas Garden.

Please click on my sidebar links if you'd like to know or see more from these two inspirational circle of friends.

FNSI and Mail

I very quickly and at the last minute signed up with Wendy for some sewing on Friday night. After a busy day in town it was good to sit and work on something I'd prepared earlier.

These are parts of my Merry Christmas Garden Block 3 ... 1 Star, 2 Circles and a Present with needle turn applique.

Some mail arrived last week so now I can sit with a cuppa and browse 2015 at Pins and Whiskers.

At the beginning of each year I have the previous year made into a Blog Book ... 2015 being the eighth and smallest book ... I really need to try and post more often. It's always lovely to look through each book and remember the projects, the finishes, the UFO's (that's a bit scary sometimes) and those wonderful occasions as well as the trials.

Maybe I'll have a sewing day today ... how about you?

A New Year and FNWF

Looks like this new year is off to a flying start and I've almost been left at the starting gate ... but I'm not going to let that faze me ... I'm just going to jump on in when I can!

Starting with last night and all the Friday Night Friends over at Cheryll's cubbyhole. I only had to applique the 'Blessings' block to the background and the circle 4 patch, then finish sewing together Block 2 of A Merry Christmas Garden.

Scary to think I started this block 12 months ago ... Block 3 has also been coming together and it's time to get back into some needle turn applique big time!

If I may retrace my steps a little ... this is what we were doing just before Christmas to spruce the place up a bit.

This highchair was made by my dad and my children used it when they were babies ... ready now for GS Master J

After Christmas and our guests had returned home it was a quick dash into town for 'stuff' and on with a full muster.  New Year's Eve was a quiet night in with my parents visiting to help ... DS and Master J joined us New Year's Day and lunch consisted of roast chicken sandwiches up at the cattle yards and a cuppa in a pannikin (tin cup) with fruit for after and lots and lots of cold water to beat the heat.

(Trying to be creative)

So now that I have one more week to make the most of before heading back to off-farm work ... I'm off to make the most of it with some tracing and preparing applique pieces. This quilt is going to be my project for 1 Xmas Item A Year. If you'd like to make a head start on a hand made Christmas check it out.

I am looking forward to many more Friday nights with Friends and Sew-Ins and maybe some CTTY if I can squeeze in some Christmas gift making through the year.

Have you heard? Wendy and Dawn are revamping 'Sew Its Finished' ... I know I have plenty of projects that could/should be finished ... but so many new ones that I should/could start too.

One seam at a time ... Happy New Year

Wrapping Up 2015

As 2015 comes to a close, I have a couple of finishes to share. The first is a design by Michelle Ridgway which I had been working on for a while. The stitchery had been done and waiting for a sewing spree which finally happened... just in time to wrap for my Christmas Swap Gift at our Patchwork Group Break-up on December 14. Loved making this tote and needle case.

I also finished the second red Santa Face knitted dishcloth but there was no way I could get my camera to take a reasonable picture. There was a little reverse knitting required at Patchwork Day. Then to use up the remaining blue and green cotton, I knitted up this cloth for a spare for myself.

With all the gifts wrapped and feeling organised for once ... I decided to check out where I'm up to with 'A Merry Christmas Garden' ... hoping to focus on this quilt for 2016.  Block 2 is almost finished and just needed the rectangle and square pieces cut out and a star made before sewing together. So then I spread out blocks 3 to 6 and cut all the fabric for these to make sure all my fabrics were distributed as evenly as possible.

Block 2

We have also had some very noisy visitors. Twice a year a large flock of Black Cockatoos fly over our house in the late afternoon and again at early morning. The sky can be almost black with them and a few stop off to chow down on trees around our house.

Christmas Day was a relaxed day with family ... some we hadn't caught up with in quite a while. Gorgeous Master J was busy trying out his new trike from Aunty L.

Looking forward to a new year with wonderful new memories to make and lots of crafty finishes too.

FNSI and My June

With an early start on my Fri-day-Night Sew-In and a close call with my beef stew (just caught it before it reached the point of 'too caramelized') ... I finished off the night with a browse through a couple of magazines ... sewing ones of course.

I began by finishing the last big block and giving my ladybugs some detail for NJ's June blocks. Then pressed and trimmed.

This centre piece is for block 2 of AMCG ... now finished, pressed and trimmed.

Lastly I cut and placed the fabric to piece together for the centre block background of NJ. The sewing happened this morning so now I'm ready to select scrap fabrics for the appliques.

Waaaayyy back at the beginning of June hubby and I traveled about 4 1/2 hours south where I planned to meet up with this lovely lady for our annual stroll around Farmfest and all it's agriculture displays... but really it's about catching up, enjoying a coffee and yummy treat ... thanks Fiona, time went far too quickly.

An extra special treat this year with Lee Kernighan performing.

Homeward bound and then off again to help this gorgeous little man celebrate his first birthday. Every man needs a work vehicle.

As well as the usual driving to and from work, housework etc, we carried out a full muster and weaned any older calves.  Millie might travel to and from the cattle yards in style, but when she's up there, she likes to hang out with the working dogs and watch the proceedings.

Just one more week and then school holidays ... can't wait!

>^..^<