December Day Twenty-Six

I didn't do very much sewing for Christmas gifts this year. My main achievement was making 'reading cushions' for all the (younger) grandies.

These mostly all started life as test blocks for Juliet of Tartankiwi when she was designing her "Grumpy series".

Here is the completed line-up —

And the backs —

(I put the pockets on the backs of these as I didn't want to cover up the blocks on the front! I also concealed a zip just below where the pocket came up to, to make laundering easy.)

Miss Tammy is still learning how to be the perfect photo bomber for me. Just two weeks into life with us, she hasn't quite got the knack yet.

I didn't ask her to stand right in front of them —

Nor do the paw-test —

And when I decided they might look quite cool as a cushion stack —

She decided to be in the wrong place at the wrong time —

In other news, we weaned the last three calves today!!!!!!!!!!!

The last few mornings, they have been very slow to come over for their morning feed. So we decided today was the day. 

They had their last feed, received their vaccinations and a drench, were loaded into the trailer....

(Yes, that's blindy-boy closest to us)

and toddled off down the drive....—

The MOML took them to the small paddocks next door by our son's house. There are a few other calves there and next week we'll get them in again and take them to various locations. 

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Raewyn

December Day Twenty-Three

And then there were six!

After a trip to town this morning, I had some time to sew this afternoon.

And I completed the cushion I started yesterday :-)

I didn't spend a huge amount of time hunting through my fabrics but I think it came up pretty well.

And managed to find a recycled zip to use- it's probably one Mum unpicked out of a dress Years Ago!

I inspected the old plum tree again this morning hoping for some fruit for breakfast - it's laden this year. In spite of the splashes of red everywhere, I couldn't find a single ripe one!

Wee Tammy is doing well. She's making herself at home.

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Raewyn

December Day Twenty-Two

I did something today that I vowed and declared I wouldn't!!!!!

I decided I needed to make ONE more reading cushion (for Christmas!).

I decided I couldn't miss Odie out even though I had thought he wouldn't be too worried.

He Loves his books and Loves keeping up with his older cousins.

Last minute sewing is not what I wanted. Mum didn't discourage me.

Cutting before dinner—

Sewing after dinner —

The pattern is Harriet the Hedgie by Beverley McCoullough of Flamingo Toes.
Here's to smooth sewing tomorrow!

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Raewyn

December Day Seventeen

Here is what I have been doing with the Grumpy blocks. 

(I had to put that photo first otherwise it would look like yesterday's post all over again!)

I am making them into cushions for the kids.

I have put a pocket on the back and inserted a zip just below the top of the pocket. That way it stays hidden.

The pocket is deeper than it looks in the photo below, it comes halfway up the cushion.

I've always wanted to make reading pillows for the kids so when these set of blocks came along I used fabrics that would be suitable for them. Most reading pillows have the pockets on the front but I didn't want to cover the Grumpies! It might be more of a hiding place for wee treasures, etc!

I'm sort of going strong with my post a day - just finding the time to write them is the difficulty!

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Raewyn

Sew what have I been sewing?

My last post was all about what the grandie kids had been up to in the sewing room aka The Palace.

I have actually had a bit of time in there too!

Previously I have shown a photo of these blocks I was working on. 

I said they were some sneaky sewing for the New Year's Launch of The Country Yard. We actually moved the date back a month after Cyclone Gabrielle visited. Good in a way as it gave us more time to finish projects but it did seem to make the whole process drag on a little!!

Anyway, I didn't take many more photos of this project, which was to be a cushion, after the above one.

But I do have a finished one —

For the back, I decided to practise the webbing technique as outlined by Bonnie Hunter in *this* tutorial. I know lots of people do this but I have never sat down and worked it out before.

I considered 9 squares to be a good place to start!

Haha not very exciting progress shots but the process worked beautifully and I'll be using it again. Just got to stop and think about what you're doing, and I can see that it will save a lot of time when putting blocks for a quilt top together.

The cushion went together quite nicely...it did have piping and a zip around the outside edge which went ok but I don't think I will do a zip AND piping together again!

The cushion was from the book "Soft Spot" by Moda All-Stars. Three of us at work each made a sample cushion from the book - it's quite neat how different all the designs are!

This year The Country Yard turns 20. Considering I was around for the 10th anniversary, it's hard to know where the years have gone!
We are having a fun wee challenge to make a set of blocks for our celebratory exhibition later in the year.

Every three weeks we are given a theme to inspire us to make a 12" block. We've also been given a small piece of challenge fabric to use somewhere in our quilts. Not necessarily in every block.

The first theme was sewing. 

About that time Heather Briggs of My Sew Quilty Life  released a block pattern which I took a shine to (actually I absolutely loved it!) and decided to use for my block —

The second theme was friendship so these little ladies from Quiltmaker 100 blocks Volume 10 found their way into the block. It took a bit of maths and thinking to get them to fit but I got there in the end!

The dress fabric of the lady on the right is our challenge fabric. I've used it only once so far.

Both of my blocks together —

It's fun to see the variety of blocks everyone is making....and fun making the blocks too!

Nearly time to be cooking dinner....

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Family Time

Before I get on with the rest of my news, I'll share a couple of sewing photos, then you can skip the rest of the blogpost if you're not interested!

These two pillowcases are the only real finishes I have for January. I had pulled the fabric and had it was sitting out for nearly a year waiting for some sewing time!

So even though it was January (and not December) it was time to sew them up and get them onto a different pile!

Cute Christmas fabric - I'm not even sure how it came to be in my stash, but it's out of it now —

You may remember that last month I declared my Boxer floor cushion finished. Of course it was - except that it had no inner. I have now made an inner and yaay the cushion is now properly done. It's perhaps a little over full but I think it will squash down with use —

Here is a line up of other cushions I've made over the years —

The Boxer is a decent size; it really was like making another quilt —

I haven't counted up this month's blocks just yet so will need to do that asap, before I forget.

On to other news. Today marks 10 years since Dad died. To commemorate it we arranged a family weekend down at Taupo.

We drove south through heavy rain on Friday. Little did we realise that there was a trail of destruction behind us - flooding, slips, accidents. It wasn't until later that night that we learnt of the horrific wet events unfolding in Auckland and surrounds.

It was wet (but not as wet) in Taupo too but we all managed to have a great weekend. There is a lot of geothermal activity in Taupo so the swimming pools at the resort were delightfully warm and well used by most family members. Indoor activities out and about were frequented too. 

For the most part, umbrellas were the order of the day —

Visiting Huka Falls with the MOML and YD —

Hard to see from my photos that the falls are quite impressive! The colour was beautiful, too.

This was not impressive! We paid to go for a wee bush walk to see the geothermal activity. Considering Taupo produces about 20% of NZ power by geothermal power, we were expecting more than this!

Sunday was our 'official day'. We all went through to my hometown (Tokoroa) and visited Dad.

My siblings, Mum, and I (You can possibly see that Tokoroa has a very colourful cemetery. Bright flowers/colours Everywhere) —

We went to a local park where there is a plaqued parkbench and a grove of Hazelnut trees planted in his memory. As you can see it was getting wetter then. The planned picnic was canned but we did take over a coffee shop for lunch!

Quick visit to Pinetree Man - Dad was a driving force behind this (and a supplier of the shed space for it's construction!) —

 That evening we had a private buffet dinner in the resort, which was a lovely way to end the weekend. 

Nephew getting hounded by his (second) cousins!

It was amazing that most of our family was able to attend, aside from my brother-in-law who spent the weekend pumping water out of his orchard, and my brother's US family stayed home awaiting a new arrival - any day now.

And we all had so much hanging out time, just chatting and catching up with each other. Just fabulous and a great way to commemorate Dad.

It was a long holiday weekend in the Waikato, Auckland and Northland so none of us had to leave until Monday. Us Northlanders were a little concerned about the road closures and detours on the way home so we all took off pretty smartly in the morning. But everyone got home safely and without too many dramas.

Another wave of this atmospheric river is due to hit the northern part of the country tonight and a State of Emergency has been declared for Northland in preparation for anticipated rain overnight. [I have just heard that we will not be getting quite as much rain as they feared.] Here on the farm the river is already well up and our pastures are very sodden so it will be interesting to see what sort of flood we have tomorrow.

'til next time,

happy stitches,