A new goal and a little progress...

I had a lovely peaceful day in The Palace yesterday and managed to tick a few things off my list. One of the things to-do was to hunt down a long forgotten project for this month's One Monthly Goal. Last month's goal still needs the binding but I did sort that yesterday and I'm so excited about finishing it that I know it will be done soon :-)
{I don't know about you, but when I go for a hunt in my sewing room, it's a lovely rummage through cupboards and boxes - it can take some time as I get lost in all my dreams!}

A few years back I led a 3-D cushion class...the sample was finished but I started on another one to demonstrate the blocks and techniques during the class.
I brought it home and worked on it a little, then stowed it away.
Now it's time for it to see some daylight!

Here is the centre

Some 3-D flying geese for the border

Have to find the pattern - cant remember if I need more of these bow-ties or not.

And definitely need more of the pinwheels.

Luckily the fabrics were all stored with these blocks, plus a small bag of bits - hopefully it won't take me long to work out where I am at with it and get a finish. This year seems to be turning into the year of the cushion for me!

Proof that I'm also making a little more progress on last month's goal.

I'm linking up to Elm Street Quilts for the OMG link up and to the Finishing Stitches link up over at Days Filled with Joy.

Yesterday I also assembled a couple more borders of my Evandale quilt... there are two more large-ish borders to go on this. The next border is the main event, I have a couple of blocks made for it but cant find a photo of them to share this morning so you'll have to wait and see!

At this stage it measures about 46 inches square.

As I'm hoping to start A Holly Cottage Christmas soon I thought I'd better catch up on last year's BOM, Anderson's Farm. The end of the year came so fast I didn't quite get it all finished. Close enough, but not quite! So I completed one more wee block that I'd missed :-)

This was one photo I shared last year but I haven't taken a more recent one.

I have it all up on my design wall and am gradually filling the gaps. I have a foal's head to find - I know I made one at the time but it dropped off before I could sew it on - and then the top panel to make. A friend and I realised it had no cows on it so thinking about adding one or two of those slowed me down a bit!

Tonight is Friday Night with Friends - I'm popping over there now to sign up... I know I have plenty to do for it, deciding on exactly what is my problem!

Happy stitches,

Bunnies, Bears and Foxes

I've finished the latest two Anderson's Farm (aka Barge's Farm) blocks...block 8 is joined to block 7 as it is made...first of all, the bunnies from Block 7 —

then the fox from Block 8 —

Here they are together —

There are just two more blocks to do now and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all finishes up.

I know that some of you will shake your heads in horror when I tell you that I couldn't resist joining a quiltalong.... there are more than enough projects joisting for attention in The Palace and just as many floating around in my head but I could not resist Lorna's design and her QAL. I've had an yearning to make a Bear's Paw quilt for a while and this one with 'a modern twist' proved irrestible.
It took me a while to decide on my fabrics but a wander around my favourite lqs inspired me...

Not a good photo sorry, but it's blacks and grey-blue tones.
A bit different for me but also probably a typical Raewyn pick of fabrics.

After some snatched moments of sewing, I have one block made.....only 27 to go :-)

When I realised how many Half Square Triangles were needed for the blocks I nearly had a fit I remembered a tutorial I had pinned which I wanted to try. It makes 8 HSTs at once...I thought it was worth a go!

*Here* is the tutorial but I'll briefly talk you through it as well....

I used  the guidelines in the tutorial  to calculate the size squares needed....I laid my two fabrics right sides together, cut them together and kept them together. It meant they were lined up beautifully. 

Next was to draw diagonal lines on the back of the lightest coloured square ... and to sew along these ... slice the square four ways —

Then it was a case of pressing the  HST open and trimming them to size. Perfect. Eight made in one shot!

I really enjoyed using this method so will definitely be doing more this way.
Lorna has a linky up on this post so if you are interested in seeing what other quilters are doing pop over and have a look.

It's currently school holidays here in New Zealand and this week we have had a houseful of children. Plenty of extra help with feeding calves and stockwork and naturally there have been lots of opportunities to go outside to play and 'do adventuring'. The kids have got a lot of mileage out of the stack of silage bales....

Two step-grandies and a nephew at play :-)

And tonight they cooked dinner -

Well done kiddos - great team work!
Dessert disappeared before we got a photograph!

We had a downpour out of nowhere the other night and the river came up really fast the next morning. We haven't had a flood for a while, this was pretty minor but exciting for the children all the same.

Just an hour before I'd driven along here to feed the calves!

Half of their paddock was under water.

But they didn't seem to mind... it was quite nice sleeping by the edge of the lake!

We're lucky, the water doesn't hang around for too long here but it makes a fair
bit of mess regardless - debris in fences etc.

There's been more rain since then but luckily no more flooding for us...although a wet day is always a good excuse for a sew-day....!!

Happy creating and thanks for visiting,

The weekend with friends

We've just had a wonderful weekend spent with friends; It started with Friday night with Friends, our monthly virtual sew in hosted by Cheryll. After a day at work and a trip to the supermarket, I only just made it!! I didn't sew for very long as bed was calling but I did make a little progress on the rabbit in the latest Anderson's Barge's Farm block.

Thankyou Cheryll for hosting us all. You can visit the link-up post *here*.

Below shows the result of my work day - it was mail out day for our Block of the Month, etc, programmes. Lots of wrapping.

I barely touched a needle for the rest of the weekend as the lovely Sue and her hubby (from Melbourne, Australia) came for a visit and overnight stay. Kiwikid Sue and I have been bloggy friends for a while now and it was so nice to meet her in person. We enjoyed our time chatting, eating, and looking around the farm.

Part way up the hill; Sue and her hubby posing...

..then Sue and I had a turn. Photo opportunities are a good excuse for a rest!

Sue showed me how she is doing her Clamshells; I'm very tempted to give this a try now!

Sue has written a lovely post about their visit *here*.

After we waved Sue and hubby goodbye YD and I did some horse work with my two horses. YD and her hubby have been working with my young horse while they've been living here. She is 5 years old and not yet broken in..... her hubby has saddled her recently but this was the first time she's had a girth on (so the saddle was actually buckled up!). Not bad - great work guys!!!

While she neighed in the stable ("where's my buddy?") with the saddle still attached, YD and I went for a ride - actually I rode and she opened gates :-) It's been a while since I've ridden my boy and it felt so good. I have a suspicion that exactly 24 hours after that ride I won't be feeling so good - that seems to be how long it takes for my muscles to realise they've done something they're not used to!!!

I've also made these blocks recently - I love this fabric, some from a Kim Diehl range - and I'm pleased with how these are looking :-)

(The lighting's probably not the best, I took these photos at night.)

All in all a wonderful weekend! I hope your's went just as well and you have a great week lined up ahead of you :-)

Happy stitches,

 

Feeling —

I'm feeling a little behind at the moment; August has come, there was no OPAM finish for July nor a July OMG completion either. There has been plenty happening though —
Feeling the fun —

I pattern tested these two cute blocks for Juliet of TheTartankiwi... she's now running a QAL for this new Woodland series - click *here* if you want to find out more.

Feeling the love —

Our Australian family has just been out to New Zealand for a visit to celebrate our wee grandies' first birthday. My how they've grown; they're such lovely little girls - not that I'm biased of course.

We do have to share them with other family members so are always so pleased when they get to spend time on the farm.

Our son and Saydee.

Kaliah enjoyed having her hand sucked by the calves.

Let's explore! We'll try our best to make farmgirls of them!

Feeling pleased —

Part 10 of Mandala Madness completed - whew this part took a while!

Feeling the rain —

How a lot of our time is spent at the moment.
On this wet and cold day the neighbour had offered to help us,
not be the official photographer!

Feeling ready —

Yesterday I managed a sew day and prepped the next Anderson's Farm block. 

Feeling frustrated —

On the same day, I was having a fun time quilting...for some reason this part
fell off. When it's not inserted properly it feels like you are stitching
with a shovel, not a needle. Off to the fixit lady, shame, I was on a roll!

Feeling proud —

YD finished her dog jersey.
Considering the pattern was a weird one to follow, this turned out ok.
She's onto another, and is making up the pattern this time!

Feeling cold — off to heat up some soup and stoke up the fire :-)

Happy stitches, and thanks for stopping by,

Pigs and Gifts

First of all the pigs - this week I completed another block for my Anderson's Farm Barge's Farm mystery button club. I'd missed out Block 3 when I was away on holiday so some catch up stitching was needed.
This block stretches the imagination just a little but is rather cute all the same.

Block 3 - Joyride!

Again I decided to do some needleturn rather than stitching so the big pig, off on a joyride, is in fabric.

Lynette has showed us an assembly diagram for what we have done so far so I sewed mine up too - here are all the blocks together; this is the half way point.

And on to the gifts.... last week I celebrated a birthday (another case of saying "where has the year gone"!).

I had to make my own cake this year, but I made sure it got a candle!

In amongst the lovely birthday fuss, I received a couple of gorgeous handmade gifts.
Kerryn put this together for me...such a sweet simple runner, one of those fancy ones you have peeking out over the edge of a shelf or ledge :-)

Isn't it beautiful?

{I think this style of runner was inspired by Pam Buda's Tucker *here* on a Heartspun Quilts; a sewalong last year}.
And Kerry knows how I like practical gifts too with this lovely set of kitchen goodness.

Pom-poms and ric-rac add to the yummy-ness :-)

Thank you both very much, Lovely Ladies.

Below is what happens when you train your husband up to do (one fingered) emails and check out facebook when you go away on holiday..... he saw this t-shirt advertised on facebook and decided I needed one!! Isn't he a thoughtful (and understanding) chap?!

Hehe very appropriate, do you think?!

And no birthday is complete without a bit of grandbaby time.... it was lovely to skype with my son and follow the babies/toddlers all around the house!!

Into everything. The chair was serving as an ineffective barrier...!

On the quilty front, this week I basted my two Fabulous Friday quilts - looks like I have a bit of quilting to do, doesn't it?

I am needing some long uninterrupted quilting time over the next little while, although I still haven't decided what I will do on them!

I hope you have a happy and creative weekend,

and thanks, as always, for reading along,