A chilled day —

Day 20 of my August blogpost a day challenge

It was a fairly relaxed sort of a day today.

We started with another frost!!! That's our third heavy one in the last few weeks; it's a bit of a record for us here in Northland!

But it morphed into a lovely day - I enjoyed my lunch in the sun —

These 30 oldest calves moved into the ranks of Big Calves today as I put them on once-a-day milk feeding. 

They're eating lots of grass now and I get the problem that if I'm feeding them twice a day, that some are full of grass,etc, that some don't drink, so the others drink too much and then they get poo-ey tails and it's a bit of a messy cycle. Easiest to put them on once a day which also encourages the grass eating. They get a more concentrated milk feed so don't lose out that way.

Anyway, that's 30 less to feed in the afternoons now - yaay!!

Our calving has really slowed down in the last week, 3 calves in 5 days I think BUT last night 8 new calvers came in so I had 8 babies to teach to feed this morning! That took a while and all of a sudden the calf shed seemed overflowing. (When it gets to 40 it starts to feel a little crowded.)

These are the new ones —

I had some lovely sewing time this afternoon. I continued on with the Summertime Quilt I chatted about yesterday; I laid out another new block and sewed yesterday's unfinished one in conjunction with the new one and got them both finished. 

The family so far —

I need 2 more of these blocks.

And I had time to tidy up a few more leader-ender HST for my as yet undisclosed quilt! Very scrappy and nice easy sewing —

Funniest tail of the season award goes to this calf —

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Raewyn

The Summertime Quilt

Earlier in the year, we at the shop started a Summertime Quilt sewalong. It began because three of us liked the pattern (by sew.be) and starting up a sewalong gave us a good excuse to make it.

We each started with a different fabric bundle and because it's essentially a scrappy quilt, we had the freedom to add other bits and pieces to it.

Here are our very first fabric pulls, one pile each (mine on the right) before we played around with them, 'borrowed' each others fabric, added more, and so on.

We then decided it would be fun to make the Summertime Dilly bag which uses blocks from the quilt - 

I got tied up with visits to Australia and Hawaii and have lost momentum on mine. I made a couple of blocks initially but haven't touched it for ages.

My first blocks - 

While the other girls got moving on their versions, I stalled and really needed to pull it out again.

In the last week I've grabbed moments in between calves and feel like I've finally made a more decent start.

I realised I didn't have enough medium value fabrics so raided my stash and threw a few more in.

Two more blocks - 

It wsa only today that I realised I placed some fabrics wrong - I have mediums where I should have lights and lights where I should have mediums (grey/white and yellow/white)! However I'm not changing it now and those two can stay and remind me that I just aren't perfect after all.

Another nearly finished block with correct fabric placement -

There are 8 of these blocks in the quilt so I'll continue on with these while I'm on a roll. There are lots of wide open spaces between the blocks (the 16-patch block in a previous photo) and I can see it's going to be quite a fun one to make if I can keep going!

Well, it's bedtime,

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Raewyn

On the run again

Day 18 of my August blogpost a day challenge

It was another cross country day today. Last week was the combined rural schools event. Today both of the primary schools our grandies attend had their school cross country events...luckily one was held in the morning and the other was in the afternoon!

Again all the kids ran well.

Kokopu School is the smaller school; it is great fun for the kids - they run and cheer their friends on, and I'm sure they've all run at least 3 cross countries by the time the event is over.

Such a lovely setting for a school!

This is typical; sometimes you can't tell who is in the official race and who isn't! Xavier running with his two sisters and cousin Odie running alongside him, to encourage and cheer him on -

Dad and sisters waiting for Xavier to run around the paddock of the farm next door-

This was the fun final race - adults vs senior children. Our son (in the black) was one of the four adults who ran-

And again, an energetic cheering party; his three kids making sure he lasts the distance - 

And accompanied by his kids, he's on the home straight and on his way to the wrapped chocolate as he passes the finish line - 

Then I had a quick lunch at ED's and her and I went to her kids school for the next round of cross country.

Maungatapere is a bigger school and the kids were all kept under control while they waited for their turn to run-

I couldn't get a photo of George running (only a distant one that shows nothing) but I was pleased to see Lily run as she didn't (want to) run at the Taniwha Challenge last week. She said that when she saw her Mum and I cheering her on, she felt like a Panther on Roller blades!

And went on to have a fabulous sprint to the end! -

So that was my day. It's quite exhausting watching the kids run!

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Raewyn

Mum's quilts

Day 17 of my August blogpost a day challenge

Mum always sewed and knitted (and crocheted) as we grew up but as we started getting older she really got into her embroidery.

She loved the quilts I made but only ever made four (that I know of) herself.

The first one was a quilt she made when she was expecting me - a VERY long time ago.

It was a traditional quilt - dressmaking fabric scraps, an old flannelette sheet on the back, and used woollens on the inside. I wouldn't call it beautiful but it is treasured all the same!

And I like to think it kept me, and my siblings, nice and cosy ♥ ( I do remember it on my bed when I was quite young.)

No quilting at all, but it's held together very well.

Lots of 50s and 60s fabrics - very retro I guess you'd say??? I do recognise some of the fabrics - I have an old apron of hers in one of the black/brown fabrics, and she made me shorts from old dresses in a couple of the other fabrics.

When she started having grandchildren she made her second quilt. As each child was born she cross stitched an initial and DOB piece, as well as numerous cross stitch pictures.

(Mum stopping it from flapping in the wind about 11 years ago!)

(Today's photo isn't any better!)

She hand quilted this one; stitching in the ditch around the squares and hearts in the plain blocks.

Two of my kids —

Unfortunately Marco, who was born 13 years after the next youngest cousin, didn't make the quilt which my sister was disappointed to discover recently. Neither did two step-grandies so I guess he's not alone!

Mum finished this quilt, and the next two, off as duvets. Very light batting for the quilting but then another back so an inner could be inserted. She thought it would make them more washable/useable. And she used sheets (new this time!) for all the fabric in the quilt, aside from the cross stitched pieces.

Mum also made two quilts for two of the grandies - one went to YD, and the other went to one of my brother's daughters. Both were crazy patch style with lots of dressmaking fabrics again. I know she intended to make more but never did - I have a box full of cut pieces and one day I will make ONE more of them - maybe when Marco has children???? Our one is tucked away right now (as a few things are when our son took over the downstairs room), but I'll pull it out one of these days for a photo shoot.

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Raewyn

Holly Jolly Christmas

As I pressed a finished stitchery this afternoon —

And prepped some more —

I realised that I had barely mentioned this project yet.

This is Holly Jolly Christmas, a BOM by Lisa of Fig 'n' Berry.

I started it towards the end of last year and have been working on it in fits and starts, but I'm now up to month 5 (of 12).

I decided to make it using the Tilda Christmas range which was released last year. Of course I bought way more than what was needed but I like the thought of having more of those pretties to use in another project :-)

The pattern is available through *the shop* but not in my fabrics. We put together a simple selection of Christmassy coloured fabrics to give people an idea, so I sewed up on one of my blocks in one of those fabrics.

I didn't have the persplex templates when I made my block - it would have been a lot more accurate if I'd had them then, but I made it work!

(The pattern advises to make the hexagon shaped block first, and then to stitch in the centre of it, but I prefer to stitch first.)

The final effect (off the pattern) —

Interestingly, I was chatting with Mary at Scrub Stitching and she is doing the 'same' design...Fig 'n' Berry has another pattern which uses the same setting, but is called Birds of Liberty with different stitcheries (birds, etc) and using Liberty fabrics.

This morning we sold another 12 calves - we sell all our beefy girls, and just raise the beefy boys plus the dairy girls. 

It will feel like I am on holiday when I feed the remaining 68 rather than 80 tonight!

That's 36 sold altogether - all of them were between the ages of 5 days and 2½ weeks when they went.

'til next time,

happy stitches,

Raewyn

Cutting on Day 15

Day 15 of my August blogpost a day challenge

Years ago, my girls painted up a sewing room sign for mum. It hung on her door for a long time and became another homely feature of the family home. It came back with me when we were sorting out her place - I'd taken it not knowing quite what to do with it - but recently realised there was really only one place for it....under the sign YD made for me —

So I smile every time I enter the room ♥

With the finishing of my leader-ender project *back here*, my sewing time has become disrupted as I don't always have something to lead or end with (!). I've started making these blocks for a project that is slowly percolating in the background (more on it another day).

The trouble is that it uses squares that are nearly 4" for the half square triangles and I don't have many already cut to that size - nor triangle offcuts hanging out in my scrap bins, so I do last minute cutting when wanting to use a leader-ender 😕.

I decided to solve my problem by having a good cutting session today and pulled out my Accuquilt Go! cutter to help me with the job.

Now I bought this second hand a couple of years ago and have barely used it. It came with some basic shaped dies but I've bought the odd fancier one when they've been on special -  Curved 9-patch and Drunkards Path.

One I ordered and had sent to Sue's place in Australia, to bring home after Scrub Stitching. I didn't realise how big it was and had fun and games trying to get it into my suitcase!!

Anyway, I pulled out the cutter this morning and had a merry old time - I'd forgotten how quick it is to cut a pile of pieces using that gadget.

I cut the fabrics just a little bigger than needed, piled them up and rolled them through. 

Not too much wastage —

Then I got busy with scrappier pieces, carefully overlapping them before rolling them through too —

Wow - in no time at all I had a decent pile of triangles to use for my blocks. They should keep me in leader-ender heaven for a little while.

I have another silly animal photo to share - the Silly Chook Photo of the day —

'til next time,

happy stiches,

Raewyn