FNWF

 Here I am rather late in the day, but tonight is FNWF where we get to sew along with like minded friends courtesy of Cheryll 

The blue pixilated heart is finished, I might do some free motion hearts in the white squares.

I have prepared some epp diamonds to add to the stars

Reading Fiona's blog this morning I realised I hadn't written about my gift here, I too received happy mail, a mini made by Ingrid, the block I chose was Paths to Friendship, appropriate for us all sewing along together on this quilt.

 

I have been cutting for the next blocks on Betty's Medallion, 40 four and a half inch squares and 40 Sawtooth Stars, that should keep me busy for a while.

I was a day late with the Anthology blocks, 

but made two this week.

I am off to sort our what I am doing tonight for FNWF, I have some more cutting to do so will start with that.

Happy stitching.

Here I am

 once again catching up. I don't know where the days go, now we are free from covid restrictions groups have started up again and days just seem to be busy and go by super quickly.

Some things I have been doing

Last weeks Anthology block

I decided to make a poppy mini quilt, I don't know why, maybe because it was ANZAC day coming up, although poppies are more for Remembrance Day I think. I just had the urge! I am happy with how it turned out. I have a lot of poppy fabric bought over time for Aussie Hero quilts, one day I will get to use it.

Four Schoolgirl Sampler blocks were made last week, I am still way behind but will get there in the fullness of time!

Two Saturday's ago I went over to the Leopold Library to but the book Dear Mum and meet Samuel Johnson, at one stage he rode his pink unicycle around the car park, he is still fundraising for breast cancer which took the life of his younger sister Connie.

He is such a friendly person and has a chat to you in a very quiet voice up close, he said he was a bit of a goose in his younger days and now makes much better use of his life.  The whole atmosphere is one of happiness around him, his sister and partner and anyone working with him, when I said that to him, he replied well no one wants to come and see a miserable person!

We had a laugh and then he moved on to the next people in the queue. I was impressed how Samuel gave everyone what felt like their own private conversation.

I was speaking to one of the library staff who was in front of me in the queue, it turns out she went to Gisborne Secondary College where I used to work, although I don't' think we were there at the same time and she didn't often use the library. Another staff member came out to have a chat and she used to manage the Gisborne Library for the Macedon Ranges Library Corp and knows the woman I used to job share with, it is a very small world!

This week I put together a pink pixilated heart quilt top

Put a border on Bettys Medallion

Finished another row on Sylvia's Bridal Sampler

Yesterday I cut and laid out a pixilated heart blue top

and by last night it was sewn together. Today I need to cut backing and wadding and do some sandwiching, but first the washing need to to be hung out, it is sunny here today and windy so drying should be no problem.

Happy stitching.

On the road again

Today I left Chookies and started the long trip home

My first and only tourist stop was at Gulargambone, this bullock and wagon piece was made completely with wire

The bus stop shelter was painted at one end, how cute are these paint soaked birds?

And this on the back wall 

And then I passed the water tower, one of the stops on the Silo tour. 

My next stop was at Forbes and the photos are on the phone, so will get them at home.

Well this has popped in out of order - I took this to show the dust and dirt gathered on the car after the trip and before I went and washed it, not surprising as the round trip was about 2248.5km!

I stopped n Forbes and had a walk around the lake to wake me up a little, I also found a cache on the way. Love how caches are often at stopping places.

I passed a family of ducks, Dad duck had a few hisses at me as I took the photo!

I stayed over night at Wagga Wagga and leaving the next morning I got lost and ended up on a different road, the views were beautiful though. It was a cold morning which gave beautiful blue skies.

The countryside was so different this time after last trip when this area and further north were in drought.

I got home about 3pm after taking the car to the petrol station to fill the tank and go through the car wash, some of the dust still stuck after that.

Yesterday I finished a book I was reading, and then read another and made this weeks Anthology block

This block is called Woven.

I enjoyed this book, it came highly recommended, I thought it was ok.

This one I enjoyed a little more

This one I found very moving, a story of a young woman visiting a friend in hospital in 1986, she passed a door painted red, food trays piled up on the floor outside the door and no one would go inside. She did and found a young man dying from AIDS. She became the only person willing to help men in the early days of the panic when no one understood how AIDS was caught. She lived in a southern state in the US in a very church oriented area. Very moving book.

Well I had better make a move and get myself organised for what is left of the day! I think I have caught up with blogs, I see there is another change coming, no more email notification when a new blog post happens. Yet another thing to deal with!

Have a happy day.

Last day

 Sunday arrived and it was the last day of retreat 

Saturday afternoon I decided to buy a kit and make a Drunkards Path quilt even though I had plenty of other projects to do 😁

Annette's final pile of blocks for her Ruby quilt

Mary's applique blocks

 

Miranda finished her quilt top, after some hiccups and some time spent unpicking. Chooky,  Miranda and I spent some time in the afternoon having an Amish unpicking session.

 

One happy and proud Miranda, her first quilt top.

All my drunkards path blocks together.

Kate's blocks laid out 

Epp umbrellas, how cute are they?

And one block that goes in-between the umbrellas. Such cute fabric.

Helen and Diane, instruction time. 

They are making the same quilt,  Bloomfield I think, this was what they had finished by Sunday morning. 

Chooky also decided to make a Drunkards Path and these are her blocks , not in finished order as yet.

The sign at lunch sign put out by the lovely Ronnie who cooked out meals all weekend. 

Sunday afternoon we headed off to Chooky place,  we stopped for a view to the Warum Bungles 

Last time I was here there was no green, as they were still in drought 

We have a convoy 😄😄

One last view of the mountains. 

Time for a g &t at Chookies. 

Happy stitching.