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

Short and Sweet

 Jumping in quickly for a very short and sweet catchup ... life is just full of the mundane everyday stuff this month but there is some sewing going on behind the scenes.

End of last year I was asked if I would make a double bed quilt for a 7 year old girl ... butterflies/pinks/purples ... the design is whatever I come up with but I think it's coming together slowly. These are 4 of the 14 x 12.5" butterfly blocks and I have 10 x 6.5" butterfly blocks ready to sew today.

I've also been watching the Winter Olympics and finished off these 2 card holders while watching some bobsledding ... they'll find their new home with the other grandsons.

It's just occurred to me that I haven't shared my latest blog book. After blog2print closed down I wasn't sure where to go next as I love having my blog books on the shelf to browse through from time to time. Occasionally the kids will look through them and 'remember when'.  I had looked around and not followed through on anything so last month I 'bit the bullet' and placed an order with PixxiBook ... you can't edit as much as you could with blog2print and hardcover is the only option but I am still very happy with the end result.

Well that's my short, sweet update ... there's another load of washing to peg out ... cuppa to make and then it's back to those butterflies.

Have a great week.

FNWF, Challenge and Mystery

Days are flying by already and January magically turned into February before I knew it.  Not to mention this extreme heat has taken my every ounce of energy ... bring on Autumn ... my favourite season.

Chookshed Challenge ~ January #2 ~ Basket Bag

I did open the kit, read through the instructions and even started cutting out but that's as far as I got. Now if January had 39 days I would have scraped in. With yesterday being FNWF, I finished the cutting out and started sewing. Determination got me through and this afternoon I finished hand stitching the binding for a FINISH! I had the bamboo handles and opted to use them instead of the fabric handles as per pattern ... to be honest I was struggling with the heavy bag wadding in narrow handles.

February #8 ~ A Merry Christmas Garden

February project is a Quilt top I finished in 2020 and my hope is to have it quilted and bound ready to gift for Christmas 2026.  Chookshed Challenge 2026 List

Murder Mystery 2025 ~ Peru

Last patchwork day I took my almost finished rows, joined together and added the green and black borders. Since then I've cut the piano keys, joined into strips and added to finish off the top. Another to add to my pile of 'to be quilted'. All fabrics except for the blue background are from my stash.

Patchwork again this Monday and I'll be taking my other mystery quilt from Meadow Mist Designs ... time to start joining all the pieces.

Happy Saturday