GRANNY SMITH'S QUILTING: May 2020

Sunday, 31 May 2020

SEWING ON SUNDAY - LATE MAY.

Well I know I've not done one of these for a while, so thought I'd do a quick post of a few things I've been trying to do on the sewing front. With hands red raw from chilblains & having to use sanitiser whenever we venture out to grocery shop etc., its been slow going as everything takes much longer & I get so clumsy with swollen & itchy fingers.
I've quilted my QAL that I'm doing with Sandra over at MMMQuilts, have the binding attached & will hand sew it slowly & have it ready for the linkup on 15th June.
This is my new project.

I pulled these fabrics from my stash after I started crocheting my dahlia rug (here) from Attic 24, as I loved the fun bright colours & then designed something for them. They have been sitting waiting for motivation & it has finally come today.

These are a few of my flying geese & actually I've got the bottom row pieced, but the light wasn't good enough to take another photo.

This is what our gloomy sky looked like from the sewingroom window.

As I was looking for something else last week, I found these blocks lurking in a container. I'd not been able to get them to quite be the same size, but have decided 4 will be enough with a couple of borders. I'll pretend I'm doing a round robin quilt by myself, so watch this space.

Yesterday we had to pop into Aldi to get a few things we always buy from them & lo & behold, they had a British product sale & I came away with a few naughty goodies.😊

OK, as I said, just a quick post & still not being able to do much my next post may be another UK trip catchup. Off to serve up our evening meal.
Take care all, stay safe & huggles from down under.
Susan.

Friday, 29 May 2020

MAY PHOTO SCAVENER HUNT - 2020

Joining in once again with Kate from I live, I love, I craft, I am me, for the scavenger word hunt.
Wow, did I find this one difficult and not because of the words, but more than likely these unreal times we are experiencing. I had high hopes for the words to start with & it just fizzled, so have had to go to the archives yesterday & scout around. Hope it doesn't disappoint.
1. TRIANGLE.

I think I've shown this before, but it looks triangular shaped to me. We see many of these teepee type structures on the beach at Inverloch, I guess made by visitors, from the flotsam that gets washed down from the river & the scrub that lines the shore. This beach has been getting badly eroded over many years & the native plants are succumbing to the battering.

2. CIRCLE.

Thinking about this one, I'd just heard something about the cancellation of the Olympics, which got me thinking about rings & circles and I remembered this photo I took at Lake Wendourie in Ballarat a few years ago. My Dad spent a few weeks here in 1956 for the games, relaying messages across the world from the rowing venue on the lake. He was a telegraphist & I was all of 7 years old & so excited when he came home to hear all about it.

3. SPLAT.

I had to scan this one from an album. When we belonged to the Morris Minor Touring Club, we had many adventures across much of this wide brown land. We had been travelling along the Sturt Highway between Mildura & Euston & went into a service station & realised we had a bad case of BUG SPLAT. So much you could barely read the number plate. This photo was taken in the late 90s.

4. SQUARE.

Lovely mosaic squares on the wall in the park at Thornton-le-Dale in North Yorkshire, which I posted about earlier this year from our holiday in 2019.

5. STAR.

Notice the the star in the background of this bit of paving at York Gate Garden, in Adel, a suburb of Leeds. I took this photo in 2016 & if you click on it, there is also some writing around the edge as well as the shamrock compass in the centre. DH did point out that I could have used this for circle too.

6. MY OWN CHOICE.

Using my older small camera the other day, I found a few odd photos lurking on it & thought I'd use this one for my own choice, as I really could not think.....
This is a beautiful stained glass window on Flinders Street Station in Melbourne with the old clocks denoting times when trains are leaving for the different lines fanning out over the suburban rail network.
Well, that is my lot for this month & although tougher than usual, I'm pleased I've done it.
Maybe things will get easier, though I know life will never be the same as before. I suppose life is more about what lies ahead of us & the past is a bank of memories & at least I've got photos to go with those memories.
I'll be looking in on the other hunters later.
Have a great weekend, take care, stay safe and huggles from down under.
Susan.

Tuesday, 26 May 2020

HAPPENINGS.

Days have been passing by in business & sometimes nothingness. I'm still finding this whole thing strange & although I'd like to sometimes be out & about, there are some who don't know the meaning of "d i s t a n c e" & we are still avoiding most things unless necessary. Life is ticking over in a slow manner & we are getting used to it.
1. ON THE CRAFTY FRONT.

These two baby quilts are now at the forever homes, after a quick pass over at a distance.

My Centred quilt that I've been doing with Sandra from MMMquilts is now actually on the machine.

This is the backing which I've pieced from this & that, as we have limited access to buy anything other than necessities.

Playing with one of my own designs because I could. It did end up having a few reincarnations due to some of my bits being too small. It will now reside in the tub till I get it quilted.
2. GARDEN.

This is the corner I spoke of when I acquired the blister on my thumb. Those 2 big shrubs on the right hand side have now gone to reveal the silly space that existed behind them. We have plans to put in, a nice paved area surrounded by pretty flower beds & the bench we are going to restore. I showed the bench ends in an earlier post.

Most of this massive hedge is going to come out, as in winter this area is still very wet after heavy dew or frost late into the afternoon and is where I want to place my new raised veg beds. We are also finding trimming harder as we get older. I've actually go some wacky ideas.
3. TODAY.

Installed and ready to be lit..............exciting.
And while it was being installed I got to play with these two...........

This is an 8 week old Jack Russell puppy who belonged to one of the plumbers.

And this lovely lady, a border collie belonged to the other one.
Not the best photos, but they will have to do.
4. WALKING.
Even though we've taken some very quick walks since there has been a couple of dry days, I often forget to take my camera. On Monday as the weather started clearing late in the afternoon we popped out & I remembered to put the small camera in my pocket. Not much to see on our rather mundane route till I saw these.................

Ibis near the linear walk & the photo is not good, because I forgot my glasses. Oh dear, take one & not the other.
OK, that is enough from me, but all my musings are keeping me hanging in there.
Wonder what tomorrow will bring?
Please take care all, stay safe & huggles from down under.
Susan.

Friday, 22 May 2020

5 ON FRIDAY - GRATITUDE.

Joining with Kate from I live, I love, I craft I am me, for this post on "gratitude".
Before I even start, I want to THANK everyone for saying they'd like me to continue posting, after I mentioned to a few other bloggers, I didn't think I'd keep on blogging and for all my lovely comments on my Wordless Week.
Grateful for..............

1. Having a clever hubby.

See the little table he fashioned for my chair in the family room.
2. A garden.

Finding buds on at least 5 of my different hellebores.

And being able to pick a lemon from our little lemon tree to make this slice earlier in the week.

3. Having a stash.

The cupboard where my stash belongs after a good tidy up. Doesn't quite look like this now.

Because I've been rummaging to make quilts, like this Quiltalong I've been doing and not having to go anywhere to purchase fabric.

4 Anticipation! Is that something to be grateful for?

Our new wood heater awaiting the plumber to come, so it can be installed. Ooh I can't wait. Next week, as long as it doesn't rain.

5. And for an odd one.......
After creating a big blister on my right thumb from helping cut up small branches to go in the green waste bin after we'd removed a couple of very overgrown shrubs, I'm so glad to be ambidextrous. Just changed hands to finish it.😌 So "grateful" for that. I was actually left-handed as a child, but it was very frowned on in those days, so it best to learn to use your right, but some things come naturally to my left at times.

This is probably somewhat disjointed, but then that is just me. Thanks if you take the time to read & I will be replying again, as it isn't a wordless week.😊
Take care all, stay safe & huggles.
Susan.