This and That

 Just the mundane ... housework, cattle work, town days and winter blahs ... with some sewing thrown into the mix.  I have 3 more months worth of triangles cut out for my historical temp quilt and plan to get to the machine today.

Chookshed Challenge May #1 was completed in the first week of June. I was determined to finish it before the crochet hook came out. EPP Wall Hanging designed by Fiona Ransley ~ 12" mini

Chookshed Challenge June #7 ~ Out came the crochet hook and wool eventually. Now I have 2 patterns I was planning on crocheting but then last week while scrolling FB a new design presented itself and hey presto ............

I worked on it yesterday at our Patchwork Day ... knowing we would have nearly a full house, machine space is tight so it's nice to be able to just grab a hand project, sit back and relax/chat.

Time for a couple more mundane chores and then you'll find me in the craftavan.

Fun Weekend

What more can you ask from a weekend than blue skies, sunshine, friends, family and sewing 😊

Saturday I spent most of the day in the craftervan on Zoom with lovely Chookshed friends. It's always lovely to have the company and chatting while everyone is working on their project of choice ... I was sewing 6.5" blocks into 12.5" blocks ready for a small quilt as you go quilt with sashings between blocks.

Saturday/Sunday was Show Day at a local town ... mum and I decided to gather some entries this year and were both lucky to have some wins and placings.

Mr B. Bull also won Reserve Champion and Grandson J had a nice surprise when he looked through the pavilion. Mum had five  1sts and three 2nds in the pavilion while Grandson J won Champion Junior Exhibitor with his game chickens in the Chook Show.

When everyone has just a few entries in our local agricultural shows, it all creates a great display and something for all the visitors to see ... wins and placings are a nice little bonus.

Hope your weekend made you smile 😃 

May Finishes

Maybe I need to "Lock it in! Eddie" or I guess that would be "Lock it in! Rebecca" now ... someone might know that phrase. Time is passing by between blog posts and visits to blogland, however I am making headway on some projects.

My Chookshed Challenge #10 for April is 100% finished. I'll be entering it in our local show next weekend along with another couple of items.

This quilt will be another entry ... One Block Wonder Panel Quilt. Grandson J only knows I've been working on it so he should get a nice surprise when he wanders through the pavilion. Mr Brahman Bull is a record breaking quilt as I started it this year and it's DONE!

Mum came to stay for a week before the weather got too cold she said ... lucky she's not here this week! We made a quick trip into town (one of several for me over a fortnight for dressings of a minor wound), anyway we bought a ball of variegated wool each and proceeded to learn how to crochet a pair of fingerless mittens each. I could use them now but they are another show entry, the more the merrier.

"Butterfly Dreams" is my second record breaking quilt ... also started this year in February and I completed it at the start of May ... just waiting to make delivery now to it's new owner. Then I used the leftover fabric to run up a quick pillowcase to pop the quilt in.

Row 2 of my Birth Year Temp Quilt was finished over the last weekend and I've started cutting fabric for Row 3.

I'm off to take some photos of finished projects so I can finish this post and then sew a temporary binding on a 2nd quilt to enter in the show ... enjoy your week.

May Challenge

My Challenge #1 project for May is an EPP Wall Hanging - design by Fiona Ransley 

I'm also going to be making a start on a crochet rug but there'll still be plenty of crochet to go when that number comes up ... I'm no speed crocheter. The heart crochet is a wash cloth to try a C2C design.

Update on Sashiko wall hanging:  I've since trimmed the border back and will use what I trimmed off plus some leftover for the sashing ... much happier now ... thanks for your thoughts.

I haven't even had time for visiting around blogland so hopefully I'll get a chance to hop about and see what lovely projects everyone has been working on.

Have a lovely and creative weekend 🌹                                              

Challenge Met in April Chaos

 Chookshed Challenge for April ✅️

Amongst the chaos of a busy April, I have just today finished the last seem on my Sashiko Wall Hanger. 

The Sashiko Panel I purchased and stitched last year...remaining fabrics from my stash. I am thinking I should maybe trim the border back some, it's currently 4" but would it be better as a 2" or 3"?

For the school holidays we had Grandson M the 1st week and then both Grandsons J and M part of the 2nd week. Always jobs to be done including some stock water bore maintenance.

Then they were back over the Anzac weekend to measure and mark out ready for some new fencing around the house. 

Smoko under the tree.

Somewhere in between I completed Row 1 of a new Temperature Quilt. This one is historical temps for my birthday year.

No sewing this week until today's effort squeezed in. DS is here constructing the fence and the boys are also staying here and I've been doing the school bus run.

Time to check on dinner and start the night time routine. I think that's it ... wonder what May will bring.

Farewell April

Chookshed Challenges

 More and more I just want to go and hide away in my craftavan and sew.

March Chookshed Challenge #2 - ABC Wall Hanging

Pattern name is "Little Letters"  This UFO goes back to 2014 when I found it a little sew along and made it through to the letter "K" ... after some online searching I found the instructions on "Temecula Quilt Co" sight and headed for the craftavan.  Finished on the weekend.

April Chookshed Challenge #10  -  Sashiko Wall Hanging

I'm excited to get started on this one ... I've been holding off until its number came up.

Happy Easter 

Success By Two

 After yesterday's post, I searched once more for a pattern for my ABC Wall Hanger and success!  It helped that I had also found a slip of paper with the shop name.  "Little Letters" Wall Hanger by Temecula Quilt Co. Luckily for me they keep a Journal (Blog) and I was able to search back for the instructions.

Success #1 ~ My FNSI was spent cutting out the pieces of fabric for each letter ... now packed ready to take Monday to our Patchwork day.

Success #2 ~  Quilt top finished for Grandson J's birthday in June.  When he saw the panel he asked very politely if it could be a quilt for him ... his family breed brahmans.

A One Block Wonder Panel Quilt has been high on my 'to do' list for a while. When 'Kadina Craft & Sewing Centre' was having an online clearance sale, opportunity knocked. Now you need 7 panels but I could only get 4 of the Brahman Bull panels so I made them work by pairing 2 sets of triangles for each hexagon. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and even hubby was impressed ... now on with the quilting.

Have a lovely weekend 🌺

FNSI and A Long Shot

FNSI tonight ... not sure what I'll work on just yet ... hoping to finish a quilt top today.

This month my Chookshed Challenge was my ABC Wall Hanging. I shared a blog way back in 2014 where I had made the letters from 'A' to 'K' and I can remember it was like a sew-along where we received the instructions for maybe 2 letters a week. 

After taking the packet out and looking through the contents, I don't have any instructions for the letters after "K". I'm trying to track down the designer/shop and see if I can still get the pattern ... in the mean time I've started to draw up some designs for more letters.

EDIT:  Think I'm on a winner and have found Temecula Quilt Co. which is now an online only store.

Happy Friday 🧵

On the Sunny Side

After the rains, the sun shines once more ... sadly leaving many dealing with devastating floods. Thankfully we are high and dry but won't be going anywhere, anytime soon. Of our two ways to town, one bridge was 12m under water and the other way a causeway over the Burnett River was 19m under. Both will take a while to go down. It's the Burnett that runs out to sea through the centre of Bundaberg and is causing major flooding there. 

We lost power for 36 hours but I'm lucky ... the craftervan plugs into the same power box that we hook up to a generator so I just kept on sewing.

My Meadow Mist Designs mystery quilt is a finished top. I really enjoyed this project, especially as all the cutting out was done in the first month. This next pic shows the colours best.

I've been waiting for a nice sunny day to take the butterflies outdoors. Excuse the bumpy look as the grass needs mowing ... and the wind started up so I had to be quick.

Just have to wait now until I can get it to the quilter. Onto the next project ... for Grandson J this time ... and playing with March Chookshed Challenge.

Stay safe xx 

Hello March!

 "Marj ... the rains are here!"  Who remembers seeing this advertisement on the TV? 

Well the rains are here!  I've had to cancel the car going to the mechanic on Monday and won't be able to attend our patchwork day either ... there's no way I'll be taking on our dirt roads and creeks. So I'll just sit and sew at home. I was out in the craftervan tonight sewing on my Meadow Mist Mystery blocks but even with the screens, little flying insects managed to invade so I've given up on that and will get back to sewing in the morning.

Almost completed now

These blocks were also what I was working on for FNWF. Yesterday I finished the Butterfly quilt top and am just waiting for some backing fabric and it will be off to the quilter.

While I was sewing today I played a game of bobbin roulette ... gotta love a win sometimes.

Chookshed Challenge for Feb was #8 A Merry Christmas Garden. With the Butterfly quilt being a priority, I decided to put it on hold and will squeeze it in sometime soon. 

Now March is upon us and my challenge project for #2 is "ABC Wall Hanging".  I'll take this one out to the craftervan where I can leave it out to work on when I need something different.

Time to go for a visit around blogland and catch up with what everyone's been creating lately ... see you soon xx