Tuesday

 And no kitchen started. Yesterday one of the builders was here and he completed the shower units, the kitchen might now start on Wednesday, we shall see.

finished floors in the lounge, kitchen dining area, the bath has now moved to the dining room 😀

Shower units are complete, this on in the ensuite, the one in the bathroom looks exactly the same.

Hubby busy painting the window frames in the bathroom.

I joined in Chooky's zoom session on Saturday

I pinched this photo from Chooky I hope that is ok?? You can see the beautiful fabric she was cutting on Saturday, and the lovely zoom ladies. I think Chooky said 30 odd bloggers dropped in and out over the day, was so good to catch up. Thank you very much for organising these days Chooky.

I spent the day sewing Tea and Cake, some of this bottom section where the hexie flowers join onto the row of four hexies. I laid it out Sunday morning and realised I have left out two purple hexies that should be beside the aboriginal fabric hexies. So some unsewing happened and now they are pinned where they need to go. So frustrating getting the little stitches out! I should have realised when the pale green row wasn't straight.

We had a beautiful sunset on the weekend, sadly the camera didn't pick up the amazing colours in the clouds.

I was waiting on labels to come in the mail, as the ones I have are of course packed away. They arrived Friday so now three quilts are ready to be sent to a family in Lismore. Two I have made and one Margaret from Gisborne made and Tracee quilted.

I had better away I am getting cold sitting here in my jammies and dressing gown and I am hungry for breakfast and it is after 10am!! 😃

Happy stitching.

This and that

 Not a lot of sewing has been happening here as my sewing room is packed up. The flooring man has been here since Tuesday and has been working like a mad man and the flooring is getting done.

sewing room before the flooring, this room caused a few blue words as apparently it is not square!!

main room with new sheeting laid and levelled,

first few vinyl planks down.

both ensuite and bathroom have been levelled again, plus we have a little ramp between ensuite and walk in robe as one floor was higher than the other.

Thursday evening, half of main floor done, kitchen and pantry done

sewing room and hallway to back door done,

and the spare bedroom done. Fingers crossed it will be completed today and then the builder can come Monday and start putting the kitchen in.

I bought this lovely wool when we were up in Gisborne, so have been knitting in the evenings. Did you know knitting can be a dangerous activity?? Last Sunday I was rushing out the door, my canvas knitting bag caught in the door jamb and knitting needles went through the bag, through my jeans and into my leg! I had to pull the needles out, one went in about an inch. There wasn't much bleeding just me in minor shock. Monday I went to the Dr had a tetanus jab and was given antibiotics, the punctures are healing well - I will be a lot more careful in future!! Lesson learned 😊

I am working my way through a pile of books from the library, this is the current read and I am enjoying it, past and present in a small Australian town that had Chinese gold miners. 

Tomorrow is the 10th birthday of Chooky's Chookshed so a zoom will be happening, I shall ready some hexies and join in with the celebrations. Might see you there?

Happy stitching.

Catching up once again

 Seems to be the story of my life at present...catching up! But not to worry.

The upstairs is now packed up, the furniture gone so when the flooring people come next week they can get a clear run at everything and nothing will be in their way. 

So what has been happening...last week I was on retreat up at Gisborne with some of the current and past Bellarine Quilters members and Marg who lives in Gisborne came along to make up the numbers

Two Anthology blocks joined the collection.

Some of us spent the retreat time making things from fabric, strips, orphan blocks from a lady who was an avid quilter and dressmaker, who has recently passed.

A quilt top made by Maria and Carleen, orphan blocks and strips, they had been sorted into the same colour group

Maria made the backing, not a scrap of blue was left over.

Floral cut into squares and rectangles but no pattern with it, Judy made this quilt top, the darker strips also from the stash. Judy made another quilt top in yellow and blue from orphan blocks but I didn't get a photo of that one.

Sunset on our first night in Gisborne out the back

and from the front porch. Such beautiful colours.

Maria and Carleen started on a second quilt with orphan blocks, the patch block with the red in it was taken out and kept for another quilt.

Judy started on a strip quilt, inspired by Marg finding the floral centre fabric in the retreat scrap bin.

I made a scrap strip quilt, the green was from the stash we were using plus a few other fabrics, the rest from my stash. Sadly even though lots of strips seemed to be used the bag seems to be just as full! On the right you can see a tiny view of Maxine's quilt blocks. I didn't get a photo of them either!

Judy's scrap strip quilt finished and on the back of the chair you can see some fabric for backing.

Lots more was made but I didn't get photos, I was too busy sewing and chatting 😀

The second Super Hero's quilt is finished and ready for delivery to the quilt group and then on to the Southern Cross Kids Camp,

it has a bag to go in,

Furniture gone, I had to do a vacuum to get up the dust, stray pins, popcorn and nuts I found where the couch had been 😮 the place look strange without furniture.

Undercoat painting happened last week, top coat started this week

The final coat goes on tomorrow. Painting starts at 8.30 I am told, not sure I will be awake and functioning by then I replied 😄

Monday I went shopping with #1 son, we had a giggle over what his teenage self would have said about shopping with his mother now, or any time for that matter!! We did well though. I bought these winter vege grow bags and have them at the back of the house, hopefully they grow well. I like 

these lettuce you can take pieces off and they keep growing. Kale I am not so fond of in a salad but kale chips are excellent.

and last but not least the tree dahlia is in bloom and the flowers are beautiful. The plant is three years old and this is the best year yet. We have had a few cold days so I am hoping we do not get frosts, we don't usually but last year we had one right when this plant flowered and that was the end of the flowers. Hopefully they last a bit longer this year.

That is enough from me I think for now

I hope everyone is well out there in blog land

happy stitching.

May

 Where have the last few weeks gone?? Time for yet another catch up.

We got back from Baradine to find the builders had been busy

Bathroom gone, toilet door gone and frame in for the new wall

Kitchen gone, not every day you find the bath in the kitchen!! (I hasten to add it will not be staying there) 😄

Ensuite gone, new shower base in.

Not much has happened since Easter, the plasterers are supposed to be coming this week sometime.

Last three weeks Anthology blocks.

One I spy Quilt is finished and taken to quilting group.

I started sewing some blocks I was given , I made quite a few but they are now back in the bag as they are all odd sizes and I do not know what the owner of the blocks was intending to do with them, so they will wait for another day.

More of the above

and more, hard to work out a pattern with these ones, they might end up in blocks of four with black borders with all the colours mixed together.

Chooky has a few zoom sessions, it was wonderful to join in and have a catch up when I can.

I was pottering away the other day, binding a quilt when I remembered a sheet I had with churn dash blocks......the squirrel popped in and this happened!!I have been using up charm packs, some whole, some with bits missing, the blocks finish at 13 inches, so I figured 4 x 4 blocks would make a nice quilt

I was sewing away happily and then realised I had done this, so some umsewing had to happen

I got to the last block and realised I had done this on both end pieces 😡, I was not a happy camper I can tell you!! More unsewing happened and I finished the block, happy in the knowledge 16 blocks were done and today could be joining together day. But no, on checking the blocks I find I have 15 😖 so today I need to make another one, of course most of the fabric from the charm packs I have been using is gone, so I will have to find something else.

This photo does not really show the colour in the night sky as I made my grumpy way downstairs!! It did cheer me up a little.

The Superheros quilt is finished and has gone to quilt group, it will be given to the Southern Cross kids camp next month.

And The Cat in the Hat is finished, it is going to the Ukranian Church and community centre, either to be used as a fund raiser or to be given to a child who is being relocated to Geelong.

Ok I am off upstairs to make that last remaining block.

Happy stitching.

PS

Here is the seal who made the local boat ramp it's home for a few weeks. Sadly it has gone now, some of the fishermen who launch their boats here did not like the fact that one ramp was closed off to keep the seal safe and demanded he/she be taken away. The day people from the Zoo arrived to collect him/her, it was gone, hopefully swam away into the bay and safety.