Mudgee Weekend Away

 The weekend after the long weekend was Coolah Country Patchwork's weekend retreat in Mudgee. They rent a 6 bedroom house and off we go. 

This is the tables and machines set up in the main living area, The tables were very sturdy borrowed from the local primary school, when we packed them up they were each so heavy, so no bouncing from the sewing machines. The food was supplied by the shop owners and we all brought something for morning tea or afternoon nibbles..... there was so much food.

Each year they organise a little make and take and tell us the fabric requirements before we go, last year it was coasters, which I need to make some more of, this year a rotary cutter holder or sunglass case.

I took my Christmas table runner to quilt and put the binding on, I am no expert but there were a couple of ladies who had never tried

free motion quilting of any kind so they had a go and enjoyed it.

After I finished that I had a machine melt down , honestly I don't think I am ever going to clean my machine again, both of them play up after a deep clean. Anyway I had a quilt in a box that I had cup out at home, the fabrics and quilt pattern were chosen at least 12 years ago and never cut so I got it out and got it laid out on the design floor then on Saturday I got the top sewn.

This was to be a quilt for the eldest son but then he said he would like a blue one oh well someone will like it.

After that I started another Camille Roskelly design that I had cut out it is Dwell it had a lot of bits to cut out but it goes together beautifully, I did a couple of blocks before leaving on Sunday and then got back into it at home, it still has a long way to go.

I haven't done any RSC blocks this month yet but there is still a few days left of the month.

September stuff

 September was a bit busy-ish, Spring scrub stitchin' was great, there was some great quilting there to see and some amazingly talented women there. I sat near Karen from Cobar and my word she was organised I think she got 15 things sewn, she had a heap cut and some half sewn but she was pedal to the floor the whole weekend. Brenda celebrated her 90th birthday and showed off some of her amazing bears and mice. Janice was busy making donation quilts.

I pieced a top that I started at SS in April, and then made 2 table runners from a layer cake that I had, I cut the first one wrong so it is narrower and with a border. This was my Chooky challenge for September and I am happy to say they are both finished, one just landed on the table and the other has been sent to Sydney to Sophie's grandmother.

I love the backing that I used it is a wide back so there was no need to join it.

I didn't get around to doing my RSC blocks in brown or black but I may do them both this month. I have been inspired by Karen from Cobar and I have been cutting projects for future sewing, small and big kits that have been sitting in the cupboard so far I have 9 cut. I have a sewing weekend in Mudgee with the Coolah ladies in a fortnight and I am off work this week as Brad was here on the weekend and his car broke down so he took mine so that he didn't miss work.

I found and tried a new recipe it was delicious and made a huge amount.

This month for the Chookshed Challenge it should be number 8 which is a Christmas project yay!

August catch up

 Chookshed Challenge No 7, Deanna drew number 7 which is a braided table runner not started yet, I want to make a table runner for DIL Sophie grandparents,they have gifted me a lovely timber tray and dish, that I haven't got yet, and Brad suggested that I make them a quilt ..... well no thanks there's a bit more work in a quilt .

What have I been up to? 

August Challenge for me was EPP so I have been sewing my Smitten little filler blocks I have 2 left which I will do this afternoon then I just need to join the blocks together, it's only been 7 years since I started this quilt.....

The last week the weather has been lovely so we went for a short drive to get photos of the canola crops just out of town, I love the colours.

I have been very good in doing my 30 minutes of sewing each day, it has all been hand sewing almost nothing on the machine.

The husband is home for good now after finally selling the business in Wollongong, now we are going through the fun job of closing accounts, phones registered to the business, email accounts etc. We have to decide on a new internet provider I want proper NBN he doesn't it goes on. 

I didn't do my orange scrap blocks this month but I may do them tomorrow. 

The garden is going nuts I have been shelling and freezing peas, picking and freezing asparagus I want to find a pickling recipe and bottle some.

Next week I am off to Baradine for a weekend sewing retreat with Chooky and some other ladies I can't wait, I know I will take to many projects but it is better to have too much than run out. I am a true overpacker. 

That's it for now

FNSI August

 I don't recall if I have ever remembered to join in with FNSI, I have had some good intentions but then nup. So this last Friday I did remember.

I have glue basted most of the last lot of the pieces for my Smitten quilt, I am using Eppliplex templates which I like but you have to remember not to glue to tight or you can't sew them.

This block is the last of the big blocks somehow I missed making it, these butterflies are very pretty left overs from a quilt panel quilt that I made last year.

I was very lucky to have Livvy keep me company on the chair.

I have a few more (see lots) of small blocks to do and then join them to make bigger blocks then put the whole thing together. My number 3 for the Chookshed challenge is EPP so I am hoping to get more done. I would be happy with all the blocks done.

July Goodbye

 Well July is almost doneand Oh My it has been cold especially this last week.

I went to Sydney and stayed with the youngest son at Caringbah, right across from the railway line, and I went to the Sydney Craft Show at Darling Harbour. It was smaller than what it used to be but I saw a lot and caught up with a few people. 

The man from Accuquilt remembered me from last year when I bought my cutting machine from him, and he helped me by carrying it across a park to my car, I was going to catch the carpark shuttle but I missed it so I started lugging it myself. He said his arms were sore for a week haha and he has been telling people all year about this poor woman that he helped he didn't know how she would have got it to the car if he hadn't stepped in. I told him as much as I appreciated his help and still do I would have got there eventually (probably without a box). 

I did a scan n cut workshop and also a Janome M17 workshop. This is the same machine that I used last year and made a book cover, this year it was a fabric bowl

There was a quilt display at the show a lot was a visiting display from the States. This quilt was my favourite from the Quilt NSW display unfortunately the name card and descrition photo didn't turn out, I have been having trouble with my phone.

I spent a bit of money there was a new online shop Hab Fab that had designer metres for $10, $20 for Tula Pink and Kaffe, I unburdened him of a few metres

I really wanted to do the workshop with Kasia Jacquot, I love her folky style embroideries and it has been a long time since I have done this sort of embroidery but she cancelled her workshops and only had a few kits.

CHOOKSHED STITCHERS CHALLENGE 2024

This month was no 1 in the challenge which is my version of Sarah Fiekle's Down the Rabbit Hole. I don't think this will ever get finished, although the next few months of the BOM from 2014? is machine piecing so I like that. I have sewn down most of the flowers and I still have a couple of days to go.

Also I have been needleturning this quilt called Blue Baskets

I have finished to crochet rugs I need to sew in the ends and give them away somewhere, they have been keeping me warm at night

We picked our first Pineapple and it was delicious

That was my month.

June news

  It has been so cold!!!! I don't like cold.The only crafting I have been doing is my crochet rug and a bit of cutting. 

I have been doing a lot of soup and stew cooking with the husband going away Monday - ThursdayI cook on the weekend and send him with food and freeze some for a friend that we feed and have enough in the fridge for me for the week as well, I couldn't be bothered cooking just for me.

This years crochet rug is finished, I'm not sure who it's going to but I have enough yarn to make another one.

I think I have truly gone mad, I have decided to do a postage stamp quilt from my scrap bins, I started cutting 1.5" squares and then I bought an accuquilt die which made things a lot easier

This project could take a very long time, I have emptied one bin that's all.

I haven't done any of my June Chookshed Challenge project, I just haven't been feeling it. I also haven't done much of my Blue Basket needleturn quilt

I decided at the end of May I was not going to buy any fabric for the month of June seeing as I'm going to the Sydney Craft Show next week and I will need to save some money, but then I got an email that Gnomeangel was selling off her fabrics at 60% off if you bought a metre, now I went through her shop and made a huge cart and deleted it but then the next day I got a text from my good friend Anorina and I had another look at Gnomeangel's shop and the picture below left was the result it's all very beautiful.

Then last Wednesday a text from Spotlight told me that all quilting fabric was $15 a metre, including wide back so I had to go and have a look seeing as I was in Tamworth for work, I also got 2 new memory foam pillows for the hubby and me for $10 each and also there were cushions @$5 each great as a cushion insert. You should have seen me trying to carry it all as I ran out of the shop after the cushions scanned at $15 and the assistant changed the price but the fabric price also changed to $5 a metre, no guilt here.

I have some mending to do this weekend jeans to hem and a couple of tops to take in.

Well hopefully whatever number Deana draws next week will get worked on.