My quilting thoughts and inspirations sprinkled with a glimpse of life down on the farm

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Puppies, catching up, and pops of yellow

Karen of KaHolly recently put a call out for some Dog Gone Cute blocks as a way to help raise funds for Animal Shelters after Hurricane Harvey. I loved these blocks when Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts had a QAL for them a few years ago so I was more than happy to jump in and offer to make a couple.
Here are the two I've made, pressed and ready to send away. I hope they don't look too much like I dived to the bottom of my scraps ~ hehe ~ I'm sure they will work well with other blocks sent in!
*Here* is the link for the wee dogs I sewed...Dog One...they are fun to sew up :-)
As well as this I've sewn a few more hearts —

I got a little distracted when cutting the fabric for the lower block below, so had to remake it.....!
I've also completed some applique (if not the whole block) for September's A Holly Cottage Christmas SAL

And another bit of applique —
So I'm chipping away at my projects.However I want to chip away at some more so I'm going to be bold and join in with Patty's One Monthly Goal again this month. I haven't joined in for a wee while; a couple of goals I've had this year have obviously been too ambitious and resulted in no-shows! So this month I'll keep it straightforward. I'd like to add to my Scrappy Sprouts blocks! This has been my Rainbow Scrap Challenge project and the last time I joined in with this was June with the yellow blocks. This month is Pink, I should be able to find some of that!
The last time I added to these was in June..that was a few months ago...
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The end of September is when we start keeping an eye on the bush out the back for the annual flowering of the Kowhai trees. There are pops of more accessible yellow all over the countryside but I do enjoy the trek to visit 'our' trees. 
Spot the Yellow!
You can see from these photos how tall and old these trees are..reaching up for light above the other natives. We fenced off this area of bush a few years ago and are starting to see young trees growing which is very exciting.
I had hoped for better bird life photos this year as I have a new zoom lens but because the trees are so tall, the camera is pointing directly into the sun still making decent photography difficult.
There are two tui here..they spent the whole time I was down here chasing
each other. The one on the right was being very terratorial.
There was some lovely bird song from the Tui though plus the whoosh of flight as the Kukupa/Kereru (Wood Pigeon) flew from tree to tree.
Rather than get at the nectar, the Wood Pigeon eat the whole flower. This one
(upside down) was having a real feast!
Just beautiful
As you can tell, I had a thoroughly enjoyable time ♥
(Blogging friends that I've swapped with and sewn for over the years may recognise this flower. I try to use it as a touch of special kiwiana.)

Time for bed now, till next time,
Happy stitches,

26 comments:

  1. How cute are those Doggy Blocks.. Lots of lovely hearts and you'er getting lots of your other blocks done too.
    Such pretty yellow flowers and its great to see the birds enjoying the blooms as well.

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  2. LIke those scrappy blocks. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and good luck on your project.

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  3. cute blocks I'm sure she will love them. I always enjoy seeing the birds and plants from other countries - sometimes we of course have a lot of the same plants but then others are quite different and same goes for animals/birds

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  4. The yellow flower is gorgeous - not one I have heard of. Must be a lovely sight to see. Great work on all your projects - I especially love the applique. xx

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  5. Really fun doggie blocks!
    The applique is looking really nice. I want to see the whole block when it is finished. These blocks are so cute.
    I love seeing shots from around your farm. Yes, I do recognize the yellow flowers. :)
    Great photos of the birds and flowers. Gotta love a camera with a good zoom!

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  6. Cute dogs--are they housebroken??? thanks for making those to help others!
    and love all your little projects you are working on--like the hearts and the color ones--
    and birds are hard to photograph-they are either up too high in a tree or
    they won't sit still long enough for the camera to focus--as they love to fly!!!
    love that little yellow flowers--different!!!
    enjoy the moments, di

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  7. Cute dog blocks. Magic photo's of the Kowhai's.................

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  8. Love the puppy blocks, I am sure they will fit in no problems. Your heart blocks are lovely too, you sure had a little woops there!! The kowhai trees are beautiful and the tui great to watch, I didnt knkw the wood pigeon ate the whole flower!! There were loads of tui around last time I was in Tauranga, had never seen so many before.

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  9. cute puppy blocks - and lots of other works in progress going on.... your trees are lovely and I love the picture with the mountain in the background - you live in a beautiful area...
    Hugz

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  10. Love the dog blocks Raewyn and what a good cause you are doing them for!! Making great progress with your other projects also as this is a busy time of year for you!! Love spring and all that it brings even if we have had a bit too much rain!! Hugs xx

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  11. Those dog blocks are just so expressive - surprising considering that they are squares, rectangles and triangles! Hopefully farm life has started to settle down a little bit...

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  12. Raewyn, seeing the beauty there, makes my heart swell with such love for this wondrous but fragile world. Gorgeous kowhai trees and that wood pigeon eating upside down?! Love. This on a day when my heart is full of sadness for the right whales who have died, 15 this year off the coast of Canada and US, leaving their numbers around 450 worldwide. The six they studied who had died were all but one man-caused, and that one they can't determine the cause. So thank you for sharing photos of your corner of this planet. Speaking of connections (I was, sub-text right?) good to know someone else leaves ongoing projects for a while and then comes back to them, as well as your dog blocks are so cute! I just love the background on the second one. I have started cutting pieces for my two, they are my OMG!

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  13. The dogs are lovely. I am sure they will make the grade without any problems.
    Lovely to see the other blocks you have enjoyed working on.
    The trees look wonderful with the vibrant yellow flowers. I can well imagine the bird life having a great time.

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  14. The puppy blocks are so cute....love your hearts and applique. I love that you have fenced off that special piece of bushland.....big hugs to you! What a gorgeous flowering tree. No wondered your feathered friends love it so much xx

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  15. Loveable doggy blocks!! It is so difficult to get close up shots of tuis isn't it - I've tried and failed many times. What can I say about your patch of bush and the Kowhai trees, just glorious and the Kowhai look huge!!

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  16. Raewyn, you are the best! Thank you 'sew' very much! Hey, I dove to the bottom of MY scrap pile to make my Pups! Love all your work, esp. your applique, something I adore seeing but never got the hang of. Such pretty Nature pictures of your area! Thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend! XO

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  17. Love the doggies... and you're doing well with the SAL. I'm hoping to catch up when I get back in a few weeks.. Let me rephrase, I NEED to catch up!! those trees are just gorgeous... xx

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  18. You've been a busy bee! Love the doggies, they're really cute.
    I love that you've got a patch of native bush, we have lots of trees at our new home and I'm loving all the bird life! Enjoy your weekend.

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  19. Very cute puppy blocks! I've never had any luck taking Tui pics either!

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  20. You are making great progress here and I am always grateful for the the scenery shots. The flowering trees are lovely.

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  21. lots going on here o keep you busy..........love seeing the pops of yellow........reminds me of wattle season here..........the flowers are so pretty..........

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  22. The doggie blocks are so cute and I love the scrappy sprouts.

    The yellow in the trees looks so pretty.

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  23. Love your doggy blocks Raewyn - I have seen these on a couple of other blogs that are sending them in also. I think its such a great idea. Your kowhai trees are magical ... when I saw the first photo I thought to myself what wonderful birdlife Raewyn must have. And then came your other photos !!! I try really hard to appreciate the birdlife at home here & not take it for granted.

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  24. I have an infant Kowhai in my garden and it brings yearly joy, I mean the colour is so grand. A Tui has been sitting in one of my big Idesia Trees but every time I rush off to get my camera, attach the zoom, it flies off. So I am only enjoying it's song. You would love Kaka Beak trees, I have them in Red and White.

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  25. Cute blocks. Love your doggies. But your hearts are gorgeous as well as your applique, and sprouts. The trees are beautiful, and the yellow flowers are wonderful.

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