9-patch hanging.....

A poem for keen quilters!

Here is a cute poem I have been stitching up lately......

Great sentiments I thought!!
It's a kit from my favourite quilt shop, a Brandy Gully design, nearly finished - just needs another border and some fancy buttons attached, and so on.
I've been fairly focussed on trying to get my 9-patch swap quilt ready for this weekend's exhibition....but I did pop out to feed some animals and found some treasures — this... my first strawberry of the season - yum (didn't last long!)

..and Mother Chook has come out of hiding...look what's trailing behind her —

here's my quilt; still a few too many pins in it for my liking!!

 I know, I should be sewing, not blogging, but I think I'm suffering from withdrawls - just got the urge to do a quick post!

I missed One Flower Wednesday totally this week,
here is a substitute!! Just love the colour!!

Red letter day....

It was a "red letter day" (good news day) today so I made a red rosette (hexie-flower) to celebrate!

The reason — my much awaited new sewing machine has arrived and I cant wait to play!! (yes I should have been machine sewing tonight, not hand sewing!!).
I have a total of 44 flowers so far - I haven't been making many more new ones lately as I'm concentrating on joining a few together; I'm doing them in groups of four, then they get pinned to my wall. This is what I've done so far (please excuse the radio aerial strategically  taped up for best reception).

It's also a good chance for me to decide which colours I don't want to use again, there's the odd one I have discarded.
Has anyone read any of Margaret Rowe's quilting novels? She's a relatively new Australian author and I've enjoyed both her books so far. I ask, because she has a new one published, 'The Caroline Challenge Quilt' [I have her email address if anyone is interested]. I've put in my order and am looking forward to receiving and reading it.

I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday and thank you for visiting,
happy stitching,
Raewyn

Slow progress

I'm feeling like I'm spending a lot of time getting nowhere at the moment!! However, after the excitement of joining up for the Friendship Stitching Round the Block over the weekend I have knuckled down and got a bit of sewing done.
Trailing down the garden path is a picture of what my 9-patch will look like - all 144 blocks are framed and trimmed to size, which took a lot longer than I expected but now I am able to start joining them.

A couple of those blocks look positively white but I assure you, they're not!

I took this one below to show how big it will be - 12 squares x 12 squares makes a HUGE quilt - I'm starting to worry about quilting one this size, and it's not long until The Exhibition when I want to have it done by!!

I lie when I say I haven't got much done, as I have made these blocks below for the Quilts for Christchurch Kids - Cat sent me some fabric she'd been given, so I made a few more to send back to her.

:-) Actually, they look fairly impressive laid out like this!!

 And on a totally different note, YD went fishing in The Bay Of Islands this weekend ---- this is one of what she came home with - Yum - but I'm not sure if I like that eye staring at me!!

This was the biggest of the snapper, but even the littler ones tasted good!

Happy stitching everyone!!

Cant resist...friends wanted!!

I've sat on my hands for a while now, smiling at the various Christmas swaps and mysteries, thinking what fun they would be but not signing up for anything new.... but I think I may be crumbling!!!
Have you read about Helen's (Hugs ‘n Kisses) free friendship project? This is like a round robin, with groups of 4 participating...... Sounds fun, and she promises that its only a few nights stitching for each round. But the catch is, if I want to take part, I need 3 friends to join me - preferably NZ-ers. That way postage, time, etc won't become an issue. Go to the above links to find out more.

SO PLEASE, please, please...will you be my friend???


Yahoo - I now have some friends ... looks like Leanne, Nicky, Janis and I will have some fun!!
We have a SECOND GROUP!!! Leeanne, Cat and Kerryn and Kerry are teaming up!! 

This and that...

Last week my sewing time was spent completing my quiltlet for The Country Yard Exhibition challenge later this month....
This is all I'm showing...for now —

A sneak peak - just a tease shot!

Every year about now the MOML and I try to have a weekend away, to have a bit of a rest after the busy calving period and before the next onslaught of farmwork. Milking cows is a 7 days a week job so a break is always most welcome.
This weekend we travelled south a bit to the east coast at Leigh.
Highlights —
Fine weather to enjoy lovely little bays and beaches. We didn't get our feet wet, but enjoyed some lovely walks around the edges of the bays, over rocks, or through bush, etc. Saw some lovely sights - didn't always have my camera with me, but got a couple of 'ok' pics.

 

Best laugh of the weekend - ED and her friend joining us for Saturday night dinner in a beautiful 'cafe' we found; we ate and laughed till we nearly burst from both (thank you girls, for your company)

Biggest let down of the weekend - discovering a new quiltshop tucked away up a sidestreet; it wasn't overflowing with inspiration or fabrics - much to the MOML's relief, I guess.

Best food of the weekend - all of it!! We ate well

Best giggle of the weekend - the MOML trying to manipulate his farmer's fingers around a tiny little teacup at lunch one day

Best thanks of the weekend to YD for doing the calves, and the neighbours' boys for milking

Best adventure of the weekend - tikki touring and finding the Waipu caves. The MOML was all for 'going caving'... I recognised this as the spot I had been on a Leadership Weekend years ago - and recalling 4 hours of making our way through caves, crawling, climbing, swimming, (with a guide) wouldn't let him even consider it!! We went about 60 metres in....

Best feeling of the weekend - coming down the drive to Home Sweet Home.

Kowhai yellow

I went with a yellow theme this week....

...as I knew it would be time for the MOML and I to make our annual trek 'out the back' for our viewing of the Kowhai trees in flower.
The flowers are absolutely beautiful and the huge trees make a stunning display. It was impossible for me to get a photo which shows the immensity of the sight.

I was also unable to get a photo of the birds feeding on the flowers, Tui and Kereru (wood pigeon) being the main feeders. The bird song and whooshing noises as they fly from tree to tree are wonderful to hear.

And this morning I have sewn another of my tiny hexies.. that makes two...

...and two hexies sewn together make... 

...a scissor fob :-)

Cute, huh? Its amazing how much stuffing can fit into such a tiny space!!

Hope you're all having a great week, happy stitching!!