Challenge for October

 This is the last one on the list - I have changed the list a bit as things were done, but this month is Finn's floor quilt.

I got this panel from Tracee at Hummingbird quilting in Gisborne, Finn loves the birds and animals

starting to sandwich on the back deck when we had a fine day this week

this panel is about 3 metres long, so it takes a bit of wrangling under the machine.

I have started on the quilting

I have outlined some animals and birds and outlined feathers for a bit of texture

the images are beautiful.

Today I planned to get lots done but the quilt has not gone near the machine, I dropped of quilts for the local group exhibition at the end of the month, came home and then went to help Beth with Finn for a while, came home to find 2 metres of mulch delivered so after a quick lunch went out to spread. A friend of Davids came to help, David filled the wheel barrow, his friend delivered it to the garden and I spread. I have several muscles that are complaining this evening!! Later this afternoon, once I had cleaned up and cooled down, I had a very becoming bright red face, I went back over to play with Finn for a few hours - a storm came over with lightning and thunder, but we also had a double beautiful rainbow - Finn kept me busy walking to different windows to see the bow!!

Tonight I am too tired to do any sewing, might go and soak in the bath! 

Tomorrow hopefully will be a sewing day!

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.

August Challenge

 Here it is nearly the end of August, my challenge has gone well

My EPP finish was in my last post

I have also completed two Aussie Hero quilts, the second will go in the post today

the requests were for the same thing, blue, yellow, green, islands, water, tropical flowers, the Rising Sun badge and other badges. The Rising Sun is machine embroidered by a lady in Sydney, and the other badges are created on the computer and printed on fabric ready to be sewn in,

#1 quilt

and #2 quilt. Very happy to have them done and in the post. I wonder what next month will bring.

Happy stitching.

August Challenge

 

My first part of the challenge is completed

This quilt was started June 2021, it was a challenge from Ingrid. The hexies are all sewn by hand, the border machine appliqued on and binding sewn by machine too. It was quilted by Tracee from Hummingbird quilting, I am sure I said that in the last post! I am very happy to have it completed.

I have also finished 2 blankets, sewn the squares together and finished off with a crochet edge. One more to do and then they will go to KOGO.

That is me up to date, I hope to start on an Aussie Hero quilt tomorrow afternoon, but there is a call to the garden, David is putting in a wooden edge and the weeds have to be removed first and guess who needs to be going that! So far I have spent 6 hours out there - good to do when it is fine and sunny but think of all that wasted sewing time!!!

Happy stitching.

End of the month

 This is the last day for the #1 challenge for the Chook shed Stitchers challenge.

as seen in my last post the scrap quilt top is done, 840 two and a half inch squares, plus op shop fabric plus fabric from the scraps box at retreat.

The scrappy batik strip quilt top is done, mainly at retreat, all from strips left from other projects.

a scrap cushion cover is in production, this has left over piano key border pieces from last retreat,  I think I am going to try big stitch quilting on this one

and this cushion is finished, my first with a zip in the top. Made from scrap strips of Japanese fabric.

One of the ladies at Guild has asked people to make a cushion to enter in the Geelong Show in October, so this is my effort!

I am happy with my results for this months challenge.

Wonder which number we will have for the month of August?

Happy stitching.

# 1 challenge progress

 I have seen sewing away with the many squares and fabric pieces

I still have this mess, but it is organised mess!!

all of the four and a half squares are sewn together, I used rectangle pieces I found in the box to add the border.

the fake hexie quilt is now quilted, just more endy bits to sew in and then the binding,

the last bag of squares from KOGO are sewn together and the crochet edge is done, the 4 blankets have gone for delivery to KOGO.

a little progress has been made on the mosaic, I have run out of glass pieces so a trip to Bunnings has to be made today

Earlier in the week we visited Finn and family, he had fun giving Tira pieces of wood to chew.

We had the dogs for the weekend so long walks were in order so they would sleep at night!!

one of the mosaic pieces made by one of the ladies already in place in the garden, love the frog on the top

another piece in place.

Right I am off to get ready to go to Bunnings before the day is over!

Happy stitching.

Chook shed challenge

 Another month is on us and it is July already!!

My #1 has been completed so instead I am going to try and make some headway on using up scraps I have been given

Well this is upside down, but you get the idea, a heap of 2 and a half inch squares, a heap of 5 inch squares and some at 4 and a half.....hope to have the bags emptied by the end of the month.

Also by the end of the month I need to finish a mosaic pole for the garden at the Drysdale Seniors building - the quilters were asked if we were interested in helping with a community project, making these poles to go into the garden. I finished mine, or so I thought, went back after the holidays to start the grouting only to be told mine was too dangerous to go into the garden as some of the glass chips I used had sharp edges. I was miffed as I had asked about using the chips and was told yes go ahead. So I brought my pole home and on Monday scraped all the chips off, today I have sandpapered it and another day I will stick on more chips that are user friendly, and complete the grouting.

I have been told I also need to find a top for the pole to seal it off, maybe a plate from a microwave as it is heavy glass and safer!! So I will go explore one of the Drysdale op shops next week.

I am off to sew little squares together after I have made a cuppa.

Happy stitching.