January Mid Month Update

 My Chookshed Challenge is going great I have the top made and I used some of the blocks for the backing so it will be a reversible baby quilt, this is for my soon to be daughter in law to gift at her friends baby shower, I am hoping to start quilting this weekend.

I have been keeping up with doing 30 minutes sewing or stitching each day so far. Work has been busy as the other girl in town has been off as her husband had a fall through a roof!, hopefully he will be fine. I have been covering Gunnedah clients and aslo going to Tamworth clients as a few staff members have left for different reasons.

My eldest son Grant came and stayed for a few days it was great to see him and he helped Dave put new shock absorbers in the car. Yay! I'm not getting any better with selfies.

We have had some very hot(40C) days and now a cold change is here what a relief.

The garden has suffered with the heat the corn didn't form cobs so it will be de husked and frozen the tomatoes are starting, the blackberries are loving the heat though. We grew golden nugget pumpkins this year and they went nuts crowding the zucchinis but a few split in the heat so I made a big pot of pumpkin soup for the freezer.

I have finished the top of last years mystery workshop and I love it!. I have also made a block roll from my Sew Fab advent box. I will definately be getting another of these this year. I am going to start the Tilda quilt from the box next.

My Chookshed Challenge 2025 List and List of Goals

 Deanna has made this lovely badge

So I think I have my list sorted I may have two lists one will be projects to sew and hopefully finish the other will be my quilting list.

Quilting list 

1/ Vintage Roses

2/ Grant's Quilt

3/ Leilani's quilt

4/ Fuzzy quilt

5/ 2022 Mystery Quilt

6/ 2023 Mystery Quilt

7/ Green donation quilt

8/ Panel Quilt

9/ Whirligig Quilt

10/ Rosie's Stars

I also have a few that need to be quilted professionally as they are huge.

Sewing List

1/ Free Wheelin' Single Girl- there is 3 blocks sewn I think.

2/ Sprintime- butterfly and dragon fly quilt all applique ready to go

3/ Oh My Stars- cut ready to go

4/ Foundation Paper Piece- Im not sure which one yet but I have a lot ready to go.

5/ EPP - possibly Cherish Quilt

6/ Layer Cake Quilt

7/Blue Baskets Quilt- needleturn quilt will take years to finish

8/ Bag month- Running with scissors and A place for Everything

9/ Scrappy Crossroads- using my stash and I have cut a heap of squares with a navy background

10/ Quilting Fusion quilt -Applique ready to go

Each month I hope to do the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and do a couple of Lori Holt tulip blocks and the monthly colour for a teapot and tea cup block

Friday and Saturday will be hand sewing days

A monthly Project Bag in the colour of the month

I am not planning on buying any material until I have used at least 20 metres that is in my stash.

I vow to move more- wether that is a walk around the block or whatever

December Catch up

 It's almost Christmas and I don't have a decoration or light anywhere! I have been suffering with allergies for over a month, Zyrtec doesn't really work for me, and now I have had a cold for the last week, I have rat tested twice so it is nothing sinister but it is very draining and annoying. I hate wearing masks especially while I am working but it is necessary or I stay at home which won't fund my fabric problem.

Anyway, I went to Coolah for the sewing group Christmas party on Monday and found out that I had won a prize in a local raffle, A lovely basket of Beerenburg sauces and jams, I love Beerenburg Worcestershire sauce and there was a bottle of it so YAY! 

This weekend I am going to compile my list for the chookshed challenge for next year, I think it is going to be mainly getting tops quilted and maybe some needleturn projects, they are the ones that I struggle with and so I put them off.

It has been so hot here until yesterday when we got a southerly, the garden can't cope with the insane heat and so Dave made frames for the garden beds to have shadecloth shades, the temperature is at least 10 degrees cooler under them.

Luckily Zucchinis like the heat, I have been making Zucchini pickles and pickled cucumbers, everybodies favourites. The kids are coming up for a few days after Christmas and they have orders to take pickles home to Daves family.

This is the only sewing that I have been doing this week, The first is a little basket kit that I got from My Sewing Supplies, the other photos are a cute little thread roll that was in my Advent box from Sew Fab in Narrandera.

Part 2 

Merry Christmas It is very quiet here, a couple of gardening friends have been over for a visit, the Tiramisu for dinner tomorrow is made and in the fridge, the Turduckin is about to come out of the freezer for tomorrow when Brad and Sophie arrive. 

No tree up because of the cat but lights outside and a few decorations inside.

November Catch up

 I've had a busy month, the other girl from work had 10 days off so I covered her clients as well as my own, I was buggered.

We have had a few showers and then sunshine so the garden is going nuts although with hubby working it has not had the watering that he gives it I don't stand there as long as he does.

The tomatoes are going nicely, the Asparagus is going nuts and the raspberries are booming.

The blocks below are for my Bee group for December, I just need to send them.

I went to Sydney for a couple of days last week, then down to Wollongong for our nephews wedding.

The wedding was lovely in a beautiful park with an amazing garden and pond

Daves second cousin from Newcastle was there with her beutiful daughter. We haven't seen each other since her 21st, she's 50 next year.

My sister in law can't remeber what was said to my boys but it was funny, and then a pic of my two younger boys and thir lovely partners, It is so good to see them both so happy.

 I did just a little bit of retail therapy at.My Sewing Supplies in Sylvania, lovely shop and lovely ladies. Then I went to the new Spotlight south of Wollongong and then Hobbysew and surprised Anorina while she was teaching a class.

While I was at Brad's I got my Smitten quilt laid out and started joining rows. I have caught up on my bee blocks and posted the last 4 months, I have read a few good books, all goes well here.

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