Catching up

 My efforts at the Chookshed Stitcher's Challenge have fallen by the wayside this last month

I didn't find time to do July's challenge

so it has returned to the shelf, maybe I will get time later in the year??  After doing the Kathy Doughty class I am a little more confident to tackle this one.

This month the challenge is #7 and that means

trying to get the Daylesford quilt finished.....I have fabric for the backing on the back of the couch, that is a start isn't it??

I am off to do some more on the quilt top from the Kathy Doughty class, or I might go back and read some more  😀  I have a good book!

Happy stitching.

End of the month

 And challenge #7, the quilt top is finished. Yippee!! I did have a few hiccups on the way (again)

something looked wrong here 😁

Mmmmm another woopsie

Phew, many hours later!!!

the quilt top is finally finished - this is based on the Daylesford Quilt pattern by Jen Kingwell.

We had some visitors to the garden, first time since we have lived here, the cockatoos came and were munching on the wisteria - they picked flowers had one bite and threw the rest on the ground!!

I do love to see them in the garden but not when they eat the flowers I like to have around. I went and told them off, they flew up onto the roof and clumped around up there for a while and then flew away.

Yesterday I went to Torquay to do some geocaching, it was raining and cool when I left but as the day went on it fined up and warmed up

coastal view near Bells Beach

Limestone being slowly worn away by the sea

Looking over Torquay, the rain heading to Melbourne

Bells Beach - a huge surf carnival is held here  around Easter, Sunday things were quiet.

I had better be off and get some dinner.

Happy stitching.

Progress

 on challenge #7 has been slow here as I have had a cold and cough that has laid me out for several days. When I returned to the Daylesford quilt I needed to do a Pinwheel border, that wasn't happening as my brain was too foggy, so instead I did a strip border

I was happy with that, the next border was a straight strip and I managed that.

Today I sat down to make a 9 patch border, not too hard, I needed 3 strips of the main fabric and 2 of the contrast as one strip of contrast was used to separate the 9 patches. Yep, got that I thought as I happily sewed all the strips together and then cut another to go in between. It wasn't until I started to cut into one and a half inch strips that I realised I had mucked up, you only need three strips for a 9 patch

 

so, I just sewed the strip on!!

There are no quilt police here and the quilt can be how I want it or make it I have decided!!!!

Fortunately the next few rows are plain strips, hopefully I can  do them ok!

Spring has come in the garden, along with very windy and sometimes wet weather

the orchids are inside to stop them being destroyed by the weather

the have new hazards now, small boys and dogs!

The wisteria on the back deck is beautiful and the perfume is amazing, the back door has been open today and the perfume is blowing in on the breeze.

the ornamental peach tree is now in flower, the dark blossoms are the ornamental, the light pink is the fruiting peach that has come from the root stock and produces the most tasty Queen Ann type peaches.

If we can get then before the birds and possums!

progress so far.

I am off to try again!!

Happy stitching. 

September challenge

 

A new month and a new challenge - #7 for me is to finish the Daylesford Quilt.

Started on a whim - I don't remember when, but it wasn't that long ago, maybe it was last year? I just looked back it was June 2023!

I think I need to make pinwheels for part of the next border, but I didn't write down the size - the book has been returned to the library so I am going to guess!!

Happy sewing.

Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge

 

I joined in a zoom yesterday organised by  Chooky, and decided to join in this challenge organised by Chooky and Deana, each month Deana is going to choose a number between 1 and 10 and that is the project we work on for that month. 

My list will be

1. Guild mystery Quilt, as I need to catch up on Month 1 and 2. I am behind already!!

I might have to work on this a little each month to keep up.

2. Oncology quilts - I have been given several unfinished quilts, they need to be finished and quilted and bound before they can be delivered, so this is a time to get one/some done.

this heap on the bed will be 6 quilts once I get them done.

3. is EPP month, several other people are making EPP this month, I am wanting to do more on the Tea and Cake quilt, maybe even head towards a finish - maybe that is too ambitious, but worth a try!

this poor top has been scrunched in a bag for months and not seen the light of day.

4. Is a panel quilt, several people have chosen to do something with a panel for this one, mine is a panel of Flinders Street Station I have had for ages and ages!! Will be good to get it done.

5. This will be some slow stitching for me, a kit I have had for 3 years I think, bought at the Guild exhibition or Quilt In

If I get this done then I will do some stitching on Anthology as well. I need to make some filler blocks and do the sashing.

6. This is the time to make last years Scrub Stitching bag

7. I am hoping to finish the Daylesford quilt I started months ago

I am a bit concerned this one will not sit flat so will have to press it and see how it goes before adding more borders.

8. Another time to work on the Oncology quilts.

9. Make up the Winding Ways quilt - it will be good to make it up instead of putting it on a shelf and thinking one day I will do that!

10. Make Finns Christmas stocking - it didn't happen this year

I realise the numbers will be random and my putting the Guild challenge at the top of the list doesn't mean I get to work on it in Jan, but maybe I can fit it in somewhere along the way.

I haven't' done anything like this before so will be interesting to see how this all goes.

We are off to the beach for a swim now

Happy New Year and very happy stitching.

Here and there

 I have been visiting Finn and his family and having walks with them when we time our walks together

we have had play time at home

and watched Finn venture into eating solids!

We have had hot sunny days, some even went in swimming, a bit cold for me yet

the pelicans enjoyed the bits from the fish cleaning station, I think the pelican on the right might have been eating squid

I had a walk along the sea front in Geelong one day and enjoyed the bollards again

these two are looking a bit the worse for wear sadly

we have had some cooler and wet weather too.

Today I delivered my quilt to West Geelong for the Quilt Exhibition of the Guild starting tomorrow

the bookcase quilt is all finished.

I had a walk around and in the Botanic Gardens on the way home

Well blogger has moved these all around so they are mixed up!

back in St Leonards walking

on the walk around the Botanic Gardens the fruit bats are snoozing in the pine trees

a bit of a fuzzy zooming in photo 😀

a big old tree I liked 😀

beautiful flowers in the dry garden section

in one of the hot houses

and again

they had a kowhai tree in flower in the gardens, although it was labelled a tree from Chile, the nectar feeding birds love these flowers

part of a sculpture in the gardens, sadly I chopped it's head off!!

seed pods from an interesting tree, no seeds though

this beautiful stag fern? was in the fernery.

I am currently working on an Aussie Hero quilt, the request was for Staffordshire terriers and the ship  crest - hope he likes blue!!

the next one is for Tank Evans from Surfs Up. This requires a large applique - next weeks job!

A little progress has been made on the modern triangles, a challenge at the Bellarine Quilters

these were mostly foundation paper piecing

A little more has happened on the Daylesford quilt top

and the cropped diamonds are coming along slowly

I called in to Heights sewing centre after dropping off my quilt, I had a voucher to spend ( lucky me) and found these plus some quilting templates to have a play with

went to the bike shop and got a comfy seat for my bike ( I hope!!)

and I have started reading this book...phew are you still awake??

I am off to continue on the AH quilt.

Happy stitching.