ELEFANTZ Giveaway

It's been awhile since I've entered a giveaway. I've been unfruitful in all. However, Jenny of ELEFANTZ is having one, I just had to enter. I loved the fabric and her designs.




Here is what to do:


1 entry: leave a comment on her blog post and be sure to leave your email or blog address for her to contact you.
3 entries: leave a comment on her blog post PLUS put the button below on your blog and link it back to ELEFANTZ! To make it easier for Jenny to count please leave 3 comments for your 3 entries. Please be honest!!!

If you enter this giveaway from learning of it here, please mention my blog in your comment.

http://seasonsforsusan.blogspot.com/

I really really would like to win some of that beautiful fabric!!!

Centenary Quilt revealed

This afternoon we had the unveiling and presentation of the Manjimup Centenary Quilt. It was held at the Library/Gallery part of the Manjimup Community Centre.

A good gathering of over 50 people, men, women and girls. There will be an article in our local newspaper, which will make more people in the community aware of it, plus the many visitors to the library and gallery, where meetings and functions are held.

A great group effort from our local patchwork group involving 14 ladies. Also another lady who hand-dyes her own fabrics, she donated a lot of the background fabric.

Completed x-stitch samplers

I’ve completed the Mary Poppins SAL designed by Ralina. It is now framed and hiding in hubby’s study, as it will be my “home made” Christmas gift for my daughter this year. Read here and here about our family "homemade" Christmas gifts.




I’ve also completed the Ten Virgin’s x-stitch by Gigi. It was stitched one thread over one thread. It's very fine and a bit difficult to run the finishing thread through stitches on the back to snip off.

The first photo is of the back:

The second photo is of the front. I have the frame, my sister-in-law is cutting the cardboard mat for me, then the project will be ready to hang up.

Chicken Doll??!!
What’s a young chicken and a teenage chicken to do, when the daughter of the house treats you like a doll?

Just sit there looking pretty!!

Spring Fever Bingo

I'm going to join in with Spring Fever Bingo. I haven't done anything like this, but it seems like it will be fun!!

Although it will be a bit tricky for the middle two weeks of June, as my daughter has to go into hospital and we'll be away for that, for two weeks. So hopefully I can access someone's computer while I'm away!!

Nima's Hat Pincushion

Nima has this cute crocheted hat pincushion pattern on her site. She is encouraging any of us that are willing, to make one and then post a picture of our complete hat pincushion. It is very quick, cute and pretty.

I actually added one more row:- sc, 2 ch, miss one sc, sc into next sc, all the way around to give a little frill. I was thinking of making a "ribbon" of chains in a finer pink thread to weave in out of the frill, but with the thread colours I have, it would be better if my hat was pure white, rather than the cream in this photo.

Here is mine:

Hearts and Crazy Quilting (CQ)

I blogged last year about the heart swap blocks we did in our patchwork group. One month, we swapped crazy patch hearts. I didn’t do a really “proper” crazy patch, although I did use different coloured fabrics for each section in the different colourways that each participant wanted, but it was foundation pieced really!!!

I have all the blocks put together including two special ones. One from Rosa and one from Cyn. I have a few hearts from Rosa and Cyn that will go into some pillowcases as part of the bed linen set.

I needed another row of hearts to make the quilt the size I need, for my bed, so have made the following batch, although I need two more. Another applique heart which is prepped at the moment. And a friend has offered to make the other crazy patch heart that is required.



This time I did do a “proper” crazy patch heart….and I loved doing it!! So I have discovered I want to do more CQing!!! It’ll be one of those projects I can sit and work away on at night, like I do x-stitch and eventually get through the fun embroidery and techniques. I now know I want to learn ribbon embroidery as well!!

I’m reading up on the history of CQ and more specifically, trying to learn the choice of motifs and meanings they have. So I put an anchor on my heart which represents ‘faith’. The spider and spider web have become a popular motif, which represents ‘good luck.’ I didn’t put that on my heart as one of the other crazy patchwork hearts done by a friend here, had the spider and spider web. I believe it’s walking in the steps of my Lord and His Word, that will bring peace, contentment, direction and blessing in my life.

The butterfly on the heart was using what was on that piece of fabric, it had a number of butterflies over it, so embroidered it and used the colourings for a specific butterfly from Tibet. I looked up butterflies in an encyclopaedia, for that one!!

"Home Alone" - Part 2

Well six weeks have gone by with my husband and son being away overseas.

They had a very successful time finding our son’s birth parents, also his siblings (older and younger), grandparents and many uncles, aunts and cousins. A Romanian Baptist Pastor, that we came to be in contact with weeks before they flew out, was such a great help. He went and found them before my husband and son got to Romania. This Pastor took them to the village and was also able to do all the interpreting, which was such a blessing.

They have been through Turkey, seeing many Biblical places and enjoying wonderful friendships, hospitality and helpfulness from the locals. They also got into Syria, though it was a bit difficult at the border and organizing the visa.

Fortunately their airflights into Europe were before the Iceland Volcano, so didn’t get affected by the events of that. They were moving around on land by then, in trains and buses. They did however, get held up at Athens during the 24hour strike, which delayed them a day from getting into Egypt and thus they missed a connecting train, tour and flight previously planned. Hubby wasn't upset about this, as he had decided, financially, the train and tour would be a bit expensive. So they just stayed in Cairo. Here's a photo I got. My son is standing in the centre near the "wire thing".

They have also spent some time in Naples and Rome and now flying to Spain.

Quilt block for 60th birthday
I’ve mentioned the patchwork group I’m with, in regards to the centenary quilt. One of the ladies has just had her 60th, so all in the group made autumn blocks, as she loves those colours. This is the block I made for her

I did raw edge applique around the cornucopia, leaves and flowers, seeing as that was a new technique I learnt while doing the centenary quilt.

Next I filled in with some embroidery.

Finally filling in with yo-yo's using the Clover Flower shape yo-yo maker.

She was presented with this quilt last week, which looked absolutely wonderful, with the blocks done by everyone else.

The pattern was from an Australian Country Threads magazine.

Shooting practice
My brother is a registered shooter and he invited, my daughter and I, out shooting one night on his friends farm. We since have gotten together and had another afternoon, this time target shooting. This is the first time I’ve done this and was quite pleased with my efforts, as you can see in the photo. My daughter did very well also.