Showing you my "busyness"

My last post in November was a quick summary sharing my "busyness". So today I'm bringing you up-to-date with photo's.

Here are the "heart swap blocks" that we swapped in our local patchwork group. On the yahoo DJAlternateGroup, they had a "heart-to-heart" swap at the beginning of the year, which I didn't have time to join in. When our patchwork group talked about what swap project we could do this year, I suggeseted "hearts"!! Which they all liked.

Every two months we swapped them out.

The first month was machine pieced hearts, the second was applique hearts,

the third was embroidered hearts and the fourth was crazypatch hearts.

Each lady gave their preferred colours. It was just amazing to see the same hearts done in different colours. Everyone just loved this swap and want to do something similiar next year.

The next two posts I share about the Centenary Quilt and my daughter's knitted blanket.

Town Centenary

My town will be celebratings its centenary next year. So the local patchwork group I belong to, have decided to make a quilt as a gift to the town.

We've commenced the "fun work" on this project. At the moment I've been making the birds. You can see one example below of our "Splended Blue Wren". The ruler is to show you the size of it.

Also some of our local buildings.

The old Dingup Church is just up the road from us (southerly direction).

The Balbarrup Post Office no longer exists, it was on our road, but in the northerly direction.

I have loved making these and there is more to do. Everyone is making a different "snap-shot" picture block of something historical or modern, which will be placed over a large background scenic picture, that represents much of the scenery around here.

Knitted Blanket

I posted a whilte back "Licorise All-Sorts" about my daughter learning to knit with her class at school.

The "squares" they made I helped crochet together to be given away to someone who lost all during the bush fires at the beginning of the year. The next town north of us, Bridgetown, suffered a terrible bushfire a week before the devasting bushfires in Victoria. Thankfully no lives were lost, but at least 7 homes were completely destroyed.

One of those homes belonged to a teacher from my daughter's school. After much thought, they gave her the blanket. She was so overcome and very appreciative of the children's efforts. It meant a lot to the children as well.

As a result of this knitting, my daughter wanted to make a blanket for herself. She knitted a couple of blocks, but I knew she needed help, so her great-grandmother, both her grandmothers and myself, knitted extra blocks. It is now complete and on her bed. She loves it.

The photo shows her "modelling it" on my bed. She wants my bed, says it nice and soft!!!

Basket Case Quilter's - Part 2

I'm very pleased to have gotten another couple of my "basket blocks" completed.

This month's block involved learning how to make "ruche flowers". I had enjoyed researching about this unique style that came to be used in the Baltimore quilts.

Busy-ness

Even though I haven't posted much recently. I have been busy!!!

We have had wind-ups of different church ministries.

Keeping up with some swap block commitments.

Working on Christmas gifts.

Keeping the household running, while hubby is committed to an 8 day fortnight at head office, meaning he's away from the family.

Now commencing involvement in a community project - making a quilt, with other patchworkers, for our town's 100th anniversary.

So I am here. I do keep up with blogs of my friends.


GIVEAWAY

Elaine is having a "Thanksgiving (Quilting) Give-A-Way." Pay her a visit, you maybe thankful you did!

Pay It Forward

A couple of months back I joined in the "Pay It Forward" cycle going around on crafty blogs.

Jeannette has safely received my PIF. Here is what I sent her. The amigurumi cup, cupcake and the needle case. (Everything else are just props to make the photo look nice!!)

Some days are

"Some days are diamonds, some days are stone" goes the line in a song. My days haven't been completely stones, just not my days.

We had two weeks school holidays; then my son home very sick once again, for over a week. Poor kid, he wasn't a "happy chappy." He's been sick and home more time this year than nearly all his early school years combined. Hubby has commenced two months of an 8 day fortnight working at head office in Perth, as a Project Manager in records management.

So days I thought I'd have to work on blocks and things, haven't been as I wished.

However, I've been working on the "Ten Virgins" sampler, a free x-stitch pattern from Gigi. The photo's show my progress.

The second photo has been added because I now have glasses, just for close work. I began to notice I wasn't able to read the small print on jars and packages, when listing the contents, preservatives etc. When reading a book or doing fine hand sewing, I began to see things bit smeary and blurry. So I have to look like a "granny" as we often have described, when reading through glasses then looking over the top of them at everyone and everything else!!!

I'm adding extra to the "Ten Virgins" sampler. I put the Bible reference of the parable as spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll also add below the alphabets, the whole of the verse Matthew 25:13 "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day not the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." A very serious message to take note of.

"Dear Jane" Quilt

I love the Dear Jane quilt. I started my journey back in 2005. I completed all the centre squares earlier this year and just have 40 odd triangles to complete for the border.

So you can image how proud I feel with when my fellow DJ'er friends complete their quilt. Have a look at my friend Julia's completed quilt. Isn't it just beautiful?! I meet Julia in her own home, Christmas a couple of years ago, after finding each other on the DJ email list.

Here is a part of my own DJ progress, with another DJ'er, Irene, from Perth.

"Basket Case Quilters"

I think the name "Basket Case Quilters" is a rather humourous name for a yahoo group I'm with!!

It's a free basket BOM, which has officially started this month, however, some of us were "biting at the bit" to make basket blocks sooner, so links to some free blocks on the internet helped "wet the appetite."

These are the blocks I've done so far. I'm using different basket weave fabrics for each basket, and using different background fabrics, as if they were "wallpaper prints".

I've used foundation piecing, hand piecing, machine piecing, applique and broderie perse so far.

Triplets now!!

I've been posting over the last few weeks about our lambs. Our first lamb was "Floppy Ears", the next "Tan Leg" then two weeks ago, "Cloudy". Don't you love the names!!! All females as well.

Well we doubled our lambs with the birth of triplets two evenings ago. My daughter was out taking photo's of them yesterday.

One of them is already named "Brown Coat" because of the brown marking around it's neck and shoulders. I see spotty and such like names for the other two, going by the markings they have!!

"Among the Gum Trees"

There is a wonderful new blog - Among The Gum Trees. Check this one out!!

In a (gum) nut-shell, this it’s what we’re all about:

A merry band of Australian designers sharing a few of their original and varied designs freely for your personal use!

Among the Gum Trees is the brainchild of Jenny of ELEFANTZ, who has brought together nine established and emerging designers to offer something new and exciting to the world - their own original designs – to download free of charge!

Free of charge?! Are we mad?! Well, no we’re not insane, but we do affectionately refer to each other as “the nutters”, and we look forward to sharing our designs, our news, and our ‘nutty’ journey with you along the way, and among the gum trees!


So when is all of this happening?

Starting on Monday 5th October and thereafter on each subsequent Monday during October and November, there will be a FREE Christmas-themed design for you to download. Nine free Christmas designs!!

Ranette's Giveaway

Ranette is having a "Truly Scrumptious" giveaway. It really is!!!!!

Free BOM and Giveaway

Dorothy Baker is starting a free BOM stitchery "Sweet Nostalgia" - it looks just beautiful. She's also having a giveaway to launch this BOM.

My view now

A few posts back I showed a photo from my window. This is the view end of last week, as more of the buds opened up. However, it's been raining "petal confetti" so now the leaves are starting to show.

The second photo is a bit more to the right which shows the huge over 100 metre tall pine trees we have.

The third photo is taken in a different place, to show the "petal confetti" we've got around here at the moment.

"Licorise All-sorts"

I have been busy working on all sorts of other things, so patchwork and my DJ quilt are sitting on the back-burner at the moment.

I previously posted about my daughter and her class knitting project. I've been going in every Tuesday and helping with this, then two weeks ago was asked if I'd finish joining all the "squares" together. Which I willing said yes to. I also crocheted a border all around it.

While working on it, not only were there all sorts of holes, but lots of dropped stitches, that would "run" more and more when used. I picked up each run and pinned a safety pin through the stitch. My mind raced with ideas as to how to deal with this problem. Especially one square which had over 25 dropped stitches. The idea of "fish" came to mind, which grew to other ideas for other squares that had dropped stitches. The following is the result.

Other squares had lollies; sun and moon; snail and butterfly; flowers and basic shapes - circle, squares, triangle and rectangle.

I showed my daughter Monday afternoon after school. She loved it and wanted it for herself!! Yesterday I took in the completed blanket for the kids to see. They just loved it!!! Different ones asking if they could have it!!!

WOOL WEAVING

They are now doing different weaving projects. I have completed the circular one, as follows.

Why Swaps and Giveaway?

I've been pondering for a while, why we like swaps and giveaways.

One reason, is some of us, make many things and give as gifts, but often don't have friends or family who do the same in return. So swapping is one way of getting a "special hand made gift" we haven't made, but someone else has invested time into. We therefore appreciate the time and effort gone into it. Whereas when we make something, we're with it the whole process until it's complete - so getting a completed swap/gift in the mail is something special.

I'm swapping in different ways. In our local patchwork group we're swapping heart blocks every two months. We've done machine pieced hearts and appliqued hearts; the next swap is embroidered hearts and finishing off with crazy-patch hearts. I've swapped DJ blocks for fabric and other things.

You can read and see a photo at the bottom of Pam's post here of what I sent her recently.

Sometimes I reach out to someone just for the pleasure and offer to do something, maybe because it's something they can't do or would like to finish.

Then giveaways, there are so many wonderful and generous crafters and bloggers, so many things I would love to have, but the "dice" hasn't fallen my way yet!!

Giveaways are another form of giving, almost a "Pay-It-Forward" thing. Talking of "Pay-It-Forward" I've been working on my gifts that I promised. But I can't show any pictures yet.

Tell me why you like swaps and giveaways. Or if you can think of any other ideas as to why swaps are appreciated.

GIVEAWAYS

So here are two more giveaways.

Frummie is have a "Two 2 yard Giveaway"

********************

Lurline is have a "Regency Dandy Giveaway"

View from my window

After seeing Pat's view from her window. I thought I'd show you a photo from my window, taken today. It has been going from showers of rain to sunshine all day. The cattle in the paddock belong to our neighbour.






Now you know that my "header photo" is in fact from my sewing room, taken in winter time. We have rainbows showing across the valley all the time.

I also decided to put in a photo of our other Golden Retriever, "Sam". He's getting on years - he's deaf, has an old husky bark and is 13 years old (in human years). "Kelly" has rich golden reddish fur, whereas "Sam" is the very blonde fur.








GIVEAWAY



Khris is having a "50,000 visit" giveaway on her blog. She will give/make one of her dolls. There are so many talented ladies around in blogland.

Pet photo's

I showed a couple of my daughter's photo's yesterday of our lambs. Today I thought I'd post a photo my son took the other week, on his digital camera, with it set on "sepia". It's of one of our two pet Golden Retriever's - "Kelly", taken on our front verandah. I just love this photo.

GIVEAWAY

Quilt N Quilt Things is having an amazing giveaway on her blog in celebration of her 100th post.

Another Lamb

We had another lamb born this week. This is a photo my daughter took of the lamb and mother.

The lamb born last week, now known as "Floppy Ears" is such fun to watch as it plays and runs around. This is "Floppy Ears" also a photo my daughter took.

"Civil War" give-away package

Elaine is once again hosting a giveaway this time a "Civil War" giveaway package. Those of us who love Civil War fabrics would all dearly like to be a part of this one.

Fungus Doctor

I'm sure you're surprised to know that such an occupation exists!! A "fungus doctor".

We required his knowledge recently. My daughter noticed this very interesting fungus growing at the base of our retainer wall of our new extension. My son took a photo of it and wondered if his uncle would know what it is, who knows a lot of our native flora and trees, also does dieback mapping in the jarrah forrest here. However, he hadn't seen it before, so told my son that we'd need to send the photo to the "fungus doctor".

Here is a photo of it:

And this is what it is called: a cup fungus, Aleuria rhenana or the stalked orange peel fungus. The "fungus doctor" commented that it was a nice photo.

Giveaway

Karen is having a "giveaway" on her blog. There are so many wonderful and giving ladies in blogland. Karen comes up with some great "Tool Time" ideas!!!

Friends across the world

It's amazing how friendships develop across the world, from sharing common interests and hobbies.

Rosa is one of those friends. She is celebrating her "250th blog with a Giveaway". So pay her visit and see what happens.

Treasure Box of Memories - Part 2

This is the progress I've made so far for the items for my Nanna Hill. If she was still alive - she'd be 105 years old, amazing to think of it that way.





The "Heart" booklet is based on a design from Bunny Hill designs. It's a free pattern for a Bunny Hill Needle Case that could be given as a valentine's gift. I'm not going to use it as a needle case, but will add cloth pages to write the family tree of my Nanna, some interesting facts and information about my Nanna and other things I think of as I go along.

She was widowed for 50 years, being widowed 13 years after she married, and was left with three children, including my Dad, who was 3 years old at the time. Nanna and Grandad had talked about emmigrating to Australia from England. She continued to think on this dream and made plans to set about fulfilling it. She worked hard to save the money to bring her family to Western Australia. It took her another 11 years to do this. I think she was an amazing women.

I will make a needle case as well and will use the Blackbird Designs "French Souvenir with the Eiffel Tower" as Nanna was fluent in five languages including French. Funnily enough I'll be able to put a needle in that needle case of my Nanna's.

About a month ago my mum was going through things she had been given from my Nanna's things, and there was some incomplete embroidery items, including a crinoline lady apron by Semco (details on it - R890 "Maid's Apron"). Threaded at the bottom and not even rusty, was the needle she was using. It still glides in and out of the fabric smoothly.

Treasure Box of Memories

I loved seeing the different projects on Blackbird Designs using their Petites Lettres Rouges sampler. So decided I wanted to make a treasure box of memories for both my grandmothers and my mum, who all were talented at hand work, as I referred to in a recent blog.

The treasure box will include:

- a small sampler for each, personalizing with their own name
- a heart needlecase which will turn in to a “cloth book” with details of their ancestory, lives and their interests and some important facts
- a pincushion with design done by myself – after playing around with a “Cross-stitch program” I have on my computer – I found it was quite easy!!
- Somes photos of them as young women and their marriage photo
- Plus anything else I think of along the way.

Here is what I’ve started for my Nanna Hill, she passed into glory in 1989. I'm using "Duck Egg Blue" throughout the projects. She had her lounge room painted with this, had it in the upholstery fabric and on a floor carpet. Also a round mounted plate with an "old fashioned girl" in it on the wall.