Sometimes I wonder

 I pulled out a project to make a push to the finish the other day, counted the blocks I had made, and then panicked as I thought two were correct and the other 15 were wrong and I had to unpick them 😢. I moved them this way and that

I even turned them upside down to see where I had gone wrong. Later in the day I had another look and thought what if I matched up the four patches and duh, realised I just had them sitting the wrong way!! Boy did I feel silly! Anyway all is good and no unpicking is needed!!

The all the same way stack!

This is a kit I bought from Jude, I think it might be two years ago now! Jude and her fairy helper make up kits each year and sell to raise funds for breast cancer research, they come ready cut, all I have to do is sew! The is a Scrappy Nine Patch.

I have more four patches ready for their side blocks to be sewn on

This is todays job to be done, but it is muggy and hot and I am just not in the mood. Might have to go and get the fan to move some air around in the sewing room.

We have been forecast thunder storms the last day and a half which have not arrived but today there is some cloud building up out to the west

Hopefully we get some rain from this and it doesn't just scoot around us.

I have been doing a lot of reading

I finished this book a few days ago, was a good read

and am working my way through this one, the last in my bag of Michael Connelly books I bought at the Rotary/Lions book sale in November.

I am off to get the fan and to try and get sewing.

Happy stitching.

PS.

The weather has gone around us and is heading for Melbourne, I can see some rain falling over the bay and hear some faint rumbles of thunder. 

Zooming into 2022

 Yesterday Chooky has a zoom gathering, ladies from Aus, NZ, Canada, UK, the US, Germany and Norway sat and chatted and stitched together. People came and went throughout the day depending on their commitments. I had prepared some half inch hexies and managed to get quite a few done

I have to admit I appear to have an issue counting to six.....

One short when I came to sew them together! 😊

Never mind that can be quickly fixed.

Yesterday as it was a bit cooler hubby planted some new plants into the pots at the front door, fingers crossed they like living there!

Same same but different!

Today the lovely Jill dropped off a bag of her left over bits for me to stamp and sew into the cropped diamonds

Lots to play with here.

Between Christmas and New Year I wanted to do some sewing on the machine, it had been for a service so I wanted to see how it was working

I sewed together these two beautiful pieces of summery sunshine fabric the lovely Michelle sent me for my birthday, I think I am making a bag. One side is quilted, the other is yet to be done. So much for my no new projects until I finish something! I have two on the go already!!

The machine is running beautifully, no more pulling to the left and the thread cutter is working again, as is the sensor that tells me when the bobbin is nearly empty!

Happy stitching.

Christmas is done and dusted

 I arrived quickly this year and disappeared as quickly!

We had Christmas dinner at Adam and Beth's place down the road, no long drive this year!

Young Tira has found a great observation post to see what is going on!

I got some special Christmas dog bikkies for Hank and Tira, Tira decided to get into the box

Making good progress

Then she moved on to some wrapping paper!

Boxing Day was here, luckily it was a cooler day as we had a roast plus ham. We all enjoyed ourselves and had a great time catching up. Of course there was the compulsory family photo, which took several attempts

Oops

Much better, only the dogs were not paying attention!

I received a new sewing chair, which the boys very kindly assembled for me.

I am hoping this will inspire me!!

David's statue aka lump of concrete is happily installed under the gum tree, it took 3 blokes to lift it and carry it down the yard! David is very happy with it.

Chooky organised a zoom day yesterday, I didn't realise until later in the morning as I hadn't checked my emails

Lots of ladies popped in and out through the day, it was lovely to catch up with everyone.

I sewed several cropped diamonds together, then sewed into rows and then sewed the two blocks together, then a few more rows were done. By then it was after 6pm and dinner had to be sorted.

Yesterdays progress

It is a lovely day today, I have been for a bike ride, I started along the walking track but it is super busy so decided to go along the back streets instead, very few people there. When I came back I watered the plants in the old aviary

checked on the runner beans, we had these in Tauranga when I was growing up, so I hope they grow well.

I think it is time for another jigsaw, Ingrid gave me this one for Christmas.

I had better head off and get some lunch, the sewing room needs a good tidy (again) but then the jigsaw is calling!!

Happy stitching.

Christmas Eve

 It still hasn't sunk in it is Christmas I don't think, feels like a normal Friday night, pizza has been consumed and hubby is watching a movie about a robot Western. Kind of strange.

The hearts are all done and a quilt top is together

I still need to take the papers out of the back of the blocks, I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

I haven't been doing a lot of sewing this last week

a few cropped diamonds were sewn together over the last couple of nights, I have been doing a lot of reading. I came across a Rotary book sale and got a bag full of Michael Connelly, so have been working my way through them.  

This afternoon I decided to make a table runner for Christmas, yep last minute!! I have had this fabric for years, I got it at a department store in Dusseldorf, Germany, several years ago. It is very simple, just folded in half wadding on the outside, sewn around the edges and turned in, then a row of stitching around the edge and quilted. It is a lovely linen fabric so a really good weight.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, we are going to #1 sons place tomorrow and then having 8 come here Boxing Day. Will be great to catch up with everyone.

Wishing you a very happy Christmas and a safe, peaceful and creative New Year.

Happy stitching.

Heading Home

The time has come to head back home, the air temp is a little different today, a cool change went through over night, we had some thunder ⛈ hopefully no lightening as the bush around here is so dry.

a different road view today

we stopped in Avoca

some great old buildings here

How cute is this one and so nicely painted and cared for.

Back home, all unpacked and away, decided it was time to get back to the hearts, we will need the dining table at some stage 😁

so some sashings to sew on today

we just had a shower of heavy rain and gusty wind, I am happy we are home! 

Off to sew

Happy stitching.

Out west

Friday we drove via Meredith to St Arnaud.

the history centre in Meredith

street library

gum lined roads

St Arnaud has beautiful old buildings

Silo and building paintings, this was a local man who ran a bus and taxi service, his son has now taken over.

fire-fighter

images of famous Australian boxers on the walls of the gym

I found two caches, it was too hot 🔥 to keep looking for them today (Saturday) as it is 34 deg c here today.

We drove to Murtoa to collect David's garden sculpture, as he said, it was a long way to drive for a lump of concrete!!

We stopped briefly in Rapunuyp for a photo stop

I'd like to say I made a friend but he didn't chat much 🤣.

We stopped here as hubby fancied this building as a painting subject.

This one too. I had a browse at the local Art Gallery and found a hand made bird cage for the aviary,  it will have a hanging plant in it eventually.

Back to the cabin now for a cuppa right underneath the air con.

Home tomorrow.

Happy stitching.