On a Go Slow

My body is in go slow mode at the moment. Being continually tired is hampering my sewing efforts, not to mention the housework. I'm looking forward to the easter break when I hope to get some down time and regenerate.

As for sewing I'm still working on the 4 and 9 patch floral. Tonight is "It Takes Two" night so i'll either be burying threads or joining more of the english hexagons.

We've had no landline telephone now for 2.5 weeks and it's been very frustrating to say the least. To make matters worse, mobile reception is almost nil. Thankfully I can still talk with daughter away at uni via the computer and satellites.

Snow's chick is out and about now with everyone else.

Chicky thinks it's very clever, perching up on the third rung about 1m off the ground. "Chicky" will have to do for a name until I can tell if it's hen or rooster. I'm still not sure about the previous two chicks yet but pretty sure one atleast is a rooster. The other morning there was the funniest sound coming from the henhouse, something like a sick owl. Young rooster trying to crow.

Off now to make a coffee, find a snack and do some sewing.

Quilting Progress Proof

Some days I can add images to my blogs, and other days it just aint going to happen. So here are the photos I wanted to share with my last blog. Proof that I am progressing all be it slowly.


I decided to ditch stitch around each 6inch block first and then do some quilting in each block. The ditching is done and i've quilted continuous hearts along two borders so far.

If anyone has any suggestions for quilting in the 4 patch and 9 patch blocks, I would love to hear from you.

And here is two of the finished english paper piecing medallions. Still six to go but I intend to work on these tonight while watching "It Takes Two".


I'm also very excited to be part of the Four Seasons Quilt Swap - 'Spring' and have a couple of ideas to start work with.

Happy Sewing

Quilting Progress

Finally I've started the machine quilting that I was hoping to start last Friday. As it turned out I didn't get as much time at patchwork so I just took along some hand sewing. I've been working on some English Patchwork medallions for the queen size bed quilt border. Eight in total with two down and six to go.

Saturday after the doing the dishes, the washing and the floors, I started reading Jennifer Chiaverini's "The Quilters' Homecoming" and couldn't put it down. Fantastic reading. So this morning I finished reading the book before setting up the sewing machine and now I have finally started what I had intended to start on Friday.

Happy Sewing

Fabric Found

Just a quick blog before 'Home and Away' and 'It Takes Two'.

Today I managed to find and purchase enough horse shoe fabric to add the next border to my horse quilt. I was beginning to think I wouldn't find it as it was a while ago that I first purchased some. I only decided at a later date that a border of the fabric was needed.

I always seem to buy some fabric, start the quilt, see what I think it needs and then build on. One of these days I'll purchase the whole lot of fabric required to finish the whole project.

No quilting yet on the 4 and 9 patch but Friday is getting closer, unless of course I decide to add the border to the horse quilt instead. Nothing like having several projects on the go and working on which ever takes my fancy. (Please excuse the blury pic, I was in a hurry)

Time Flies

First it rains so much that the creeks flood and I can't get to work. Then the last few days have been soooooooo hot. Meanwhile time has flown so fast, I can't believe almost two months of 2008 have gone by.

Hubby and I got home late this afternoon from an 800km round trip in 36 hours, taking daughter back to Uni. She didn't really need us there, being the independant young woman that she is, so I guess it was me who needed to be there. And it was nice to get away even if only for the weekend. Now I have a zillion jobs around the house to do tomorrow so sewing once again gets put on the back burner.

I have managed to baste the 4 and 9 patch floral and will be machine quilting it on Friday when I get to our patchwork day. I keep thinking that I will be able to get into a routine shortly, but now I'm beginning to wonder if my routine is having no routine at all.

Pictures At Last

OK, so I don't really know what's going on but pretty sure it's something to do with my computer and blocking pop-ups. I've found a way around it for now but am thinking it's time my computer went to the doctor or atleast to someone who knows what they're doing.

So here are those before and after photos of our pruning that I had promised, which seems ages ago.

The way the rain has been falling, it will be no time at all and we'll have to prune again.

I've also been told that you need to have the right environment to have green frogs around. Well we must have the perfect environment because the frogs live like royalty around here.

This fellow has made his home between the sugar bowl and milk jug and hides behind a bottle of omega 3 capsules. At night he comes out and dines on moths and climbs back into his hidy whole by morning. My nephew thinks it's heaven when he comes to visit as he just loves frogs.

Yesterday when I put my rainproof coat on, I discovered a green resident in one of the sleeves. I'm not sure who got the bigger fright but I'll be looking more carefully in the future.

Need Help Adding Images

HELP! I'm hoping there is someone who can help me out with a problem I'm having adding images to my blogs. When I click on the 'Add Image' icon, nothing is happening. I'm afraid I only know enough to get myself into trouble with these things. Obviously I've done something to disable this feature and now I can't find how to undo it. Of course there is always the excuse that my computer did it.

I'm tempted to just start a whole new blog and not mess about with the settings next time but if someone can give me a helping hand, I'd like to sort it out.

On the news front, patchwork has been almost non existant in this household. I did get the border on the 4 and 9 patch and purchased the wadding for it. Now to sandwich, baste and get quilting.

We've had quite an eventful weekend so far. Yesterday it was time to milk the new milking cow. Her calf is now old enough for us to share her with. Her name is Barbie and with a little persuasion, she finally stood in the bale and allowed hubby to milk her. Luckily she has a lovely quiet nature.

On a sad note, we had an accident with a couple of young dogs being out of the kennel at the same time as the chickens were out. Ella the brown silky hen wasn't so lucky so now we are one less hen in the henhouse.

On a happy note, this morning another of our dogs had started to whelp. We are at present on the count of three newborn pups. That's life on a farm.

Gardening Time

Over the long weekend I allowed some pruning to be done in the garden. It's amazing just how much things can grow in twelve months, expecially after the lovely wet summer we've been having. Several ute loads later we can once again look over the garden and I've also found a couple of plants that had disappeared into the overgrowth.

I seem to be having a bit of trouble loading photos so the before and after pics will have to wait.

This past weekend I was able to weed the rose bed and tidy a couple of spots that were missed last weekend.

I completely forgot to include my chicken news in previous blogs. My little white hen 'Snow' has been sitting on a couple of eggs. She now has the sweetest little cream coloured chicken under her wings. I don't think the other egg was fertile as she has now cast it out from the nest.

I have had good intentions of getting the border on the 4 and 9 patch quilt today but seem to be dragging my boots. Just haven't had the urge to sew, so I keep doing other jobs and sewing a strip now and then. I will have the top complete before going to bed tonight as I want to get some wadding tomorrow in town and get it sandwiched and basted before next patchwork day.
I have a recipient in mind and will need it finished by mid March so fingers crossed.

Pay It Forward

I've signed up to Pay It Forward on Caity's blog, and now I pass it on.

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I can't say what that gift will be yet as planning it is half the fun, and you may not receive it in a flash... but I promise you it will arrive!

The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I await your comments.

As I haven't had a photo to show for a while, here is my first shirt I made in a workshop. More shirts are on my wish list but they have to wait their turn like every other idea.

So Much To Do; So Little Time

Ain't it the truth. As the time speeds round to start of work again, I have so many things to get done and no drive to do much at all. The weather remains damp which is excellent but I need my dose of sunshine to regenerate.

Thanks to a visit from a good friend, I have started machine quilting on my rainbow quilt. She came down for the day and brought her sewing machine so we both got a lot of sewing done as well as plenty of chatting.

I've also been at the bookwork playing catch up and have a big day in town coming up where I plan to fit in some patchwork shopping in between appointments. Then it's back into the swing of things for another year.

Hopefully I'll get some more sewing done over the weekend as now that I've started quilting, I'm keen to try a few new things. Also while browsing a patchwork magazine today I read a tip on saving thread when sewing so I'll be giving that a try out. Better do some more bookwork too. It's hard to find a balance sometimes.

Works In Progress

A work in progress sounds more promising than an unfinished object or item don't you think. I think so, and to keep myself on task, maybe, I've decided to add a WIP list on my side bar. Here I can keep track of the projects that are waiting to finished and there's less chance of them being forgotten about.



Of course this list will more than likely grow as I have a tendancy to start new things rather than finish off. I have to be in the right mind frame to get something completed. Perhaps my list will be sort of like a deadline without the pressure. We'll see.

Using Up Squares

I've been using the rainy weather as a good excuse to stay indoors and more precisely in the sewing room. Using up some 2.5" and 3.5" squares, I made up some 4 patch and 9 patch blocks and have alternated them with 6.5" squares. How fantastic was it to go to my containers of neatly cut squares and simply start sorting colour combinations.

All I need to do now is choose a fabric for a border and binding and this will be my first quilt top for 2008. Not necessarily the first quilt finished in 2008 because I am still progressing slowly with a couple of WIP.

Yesterday I basted a small sampler using a technique posted by Wanda as I've been having some trouble with fabric movement. It's looking more secure already. The sampler is for some machine quilting practice, can't wait. Thing is today is a nice sunny day and the grass is growing so much it means the mowers are coming out so sewing will have to wait.