Tuesday, 9 May 2023

MY QUILT VILLAGE...............SO FAR.

 

I'm linking today with Sandra from mmmquilts in Canada with what I have achieved so far with my take on her Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL.  Mine is to be a quaint village, reminiscent of English villages and will be going to the Special School to hang on the wall.  

I'll start with an overall photo on the design wall and then each individual building.  Two still need to have embroidered letters for School & Library.  Wonder if you might guess which 2 they are?  Here goes..........

I've completed 8 of the 9 so far.


Trying so hard to put 2 photos on side by side so they don't take up much space, but cannot work it out.






These 4 above are my houses.
Next we have..................
The garden Pot Shop or maybe even an actual pottery.
Next comes.................
The Post Office.
I will see if anyone can guess what the next 2 might be.

I mirror reversed this one which will be in the centre of the 9.

Last of the eight I've done.
If you look closely or click to make the image larger, there is a giveaway hint in the windowpane.
The last building to come is something I think my friend Jo will probably guess before anyone else.
After nearly spitting the dummy, this will have to do for the layout of this post.  Maybe one day I'll learn the easy way of popping 2 photos side by side.

One last note of a funny day out on Sunday.  I was talking to someone at the Car Club on Saturday who just happened to mention his wife (not met her yet), was at a small local Quilt Show that was on the weekend, so off we headed on Sunday, only to find it was on Saturday ONLY.  So what did we do?
Went for a drive and ate some lunch looking out over Bass Strait & came home on some back roads.  A few photos follow.  I might add that the day was strange weather wise, with strong winds, cloud, a bit of rain occasionally followed by snippets of sun.
Taken from the car as it was so windy.
Kilcunda.

Driving through Mirboo North on a street we generally don't go down I noticed this gorgeous mural.

                                Not really the best photos as it was just starting to rain again.


OK, that's my lot for today and I'm posting this as is and must sort out a few more posts of catching up with our meanderings of late, The Silo Trail and other trivial bits.  The weather is absolutely foul again today, cold and wet and we have the woodburner lit.  Trying to dry washing too & have to do the grocery shopping this afternoon.  

Take care all and big warm hugs from down under.
Susan.






   




               






Tuesday, 2 May 2023

LINKING UP WITH TWO CHALLENGES.

 Today I've linked with 2 other quilty bloggers.

The first is with Cheryl from Meadow Mist Designs for the Favourite Finish.
Magic Triangles ( my own design).

These blocks were made many moons ago & sat waiting for inspiration to eventuate.  I finally decided on a setting, made it up, then it sat waiting in the tub of shame till last month.  I did a  very simple custom pattern on it.  

The second is with Patty from Elm Street Quilts & is a monthly goal plan to at least work on "something" you need to get done.
Deco Delight (my own design too).

I have shown this at the end of last year when I was slowly working on it after my silly fall.  Now I've decided it is time to get it quilted and bound, ready for the May Favourite Finish.😉  Wish me luck.

Other than the above, things have been quiet and strange, though we did have a nice walk on Tuesday along the Great Southern Rail Trail, so one more section done.  It was one of our only nice days for the last 3 weeks or so and has been cold, grey and raining for a good part of today.  At least this morning was dry so we could start cutting more wood for the coming winter months.  Below is the view from where we were working.


Not often I show what I've been cooking so here is what was made late last week.
Some buttery Yo Yo biscuits in both a flowery shape & ordinary round ones.
Our eldest granddaughter used to love these.

A lemon drizzle cake too.

Well that is a short post today and I really must finish off the Silo Trail this month.
My lovely friend Sandra at mmmquilts is hosting a QAL which is keeping me some what engrossed with rummaging through my scraps and...............mine is going to be a village.  More to tell as we progress on this.  Motivation has been hard lately.  The garden is looking sorry for itself too.

OK, enough from me now.
Take care all and hugs from a cool, damp down under.
Susan.


Wednesday, 19 April 2023

A BIT OF THIS........A BIT OF THAT.

 Oh dear, here I am on catch-up once again.  Let's just say it's been a stupidly hectic month so far with all sorts & Easter holidays thrown in as well, which seems to throw us into disarray for some reason.

I'll start with a bit of craft I've been doing.

This is what I've done so far for a QAL with Sandra from mmm.quilts in Canada.
It is Rainbow Neighbourhood Houses quilt, which I'm putting a little twist on.
More of that later.

My Dune crochet rug from an Attic 24 pattern.
DD gave me the pack for combined birthday/mothers day gift last year.
Enjoy doing this of an evening, along with below.

I do enjoy embroidery too and these kitty kats were in a very old QNM magazine which I kept, because DD loved them.  They have been keeping me amused lately & I have an idea of my own for the final quilt.

The Silo Trail continues..............

                                                                   COLBINNABIN


These were amazing and I took quite a few individual photos too, but we were surprised when this pulled up in the car park...............
We'd seen this before, when a gentleman gave a talk at our Car Club one morning and it always amazes me when you run into someone from near to your own town, when you are on the other side of the state.
Both the photos below were still in Colbinnabin.
A beautiful carved platypus on the log.

I love some of our older churches in country towns too.

                                                                            ROCHESTER.
I captured the art on these silos with I'm afraid a lot of background.
A possum and a kingfisher.

This time we have a painted platypus.

We've been hoping to get into the garden & do some tidying plus get in some good walking around & about, but the weather just hasn't been playing along.  I was hoping for lots of photos of quilts etc., in the wild and just get out in the fresh air.  There will be a few more posts containing the rest of the Silo Trail and hopefully lots more craft/garden etc..  One more pic for today is this......
Corellas sitting all over the roof of one of the houses behind us.  They come in huge flocks, flying around & squawking.  One of the little girls in the house directly behind us was amazed & we heard her say OMG & giggling.
Just remembered something I said I'd show once finished.
The framed jigsaw I wrote about last month.  To have it framed professionally, would probably have set us back around $200, but a very nice second hand frame purchased from a vintage shop cost all of $50 and looks great.  We are ever so pleased.


OK, I'll finish up here for today.  The sun tried valiantly to shine a few minutes ago, but is dreary again now.  
Take care all & hugs.
Susan.








Monday, 3 April 2023

FAVOURITE FINISH for March & more.

 

Joining in once again with Cheryl from Meadow Mist Designs link up for a favourite finish, but.....deary me, I couldn't make up my mind as I'd actually got a few finally done.

Two are actually patterns from Cheryl, one as a QAL recently and a freebie she had on her blog.              The other one was from one of my UFO baskets from a few years back.  Not too sure about the photos as we've not had the best weather for photography, so yesterday being a little sunnier later in the day, I snapped away the best I could, though no "In the Wild" shots as we are still one car down & MM isn't up to long journeys at the moment.      

Board & Batten, which I did post for the final link up, but unquilted at the time.
This quilt will be given to one of our car club members who has just become a grandfather for the first time.  (a granddaughter)

This was the freebie pattern called Candy Circle, which I made from a leftover jelly roll and backgrounds from my stash.

The backing fabric purchased as a remnant from Said with Love, earlier this year.

Lastly I'd found some half cut & made blocks from a layer cake purchase that I'd started many years ago and just wasn't sure they were OK, but then thought if I finished it as a lap size, it may be gifted when I needed a more boyish type quilt.  The pattern was from a book by Pam & Nicky Lintott from The Quilt Room in the UK.
I've called this Coffee to Go, as the fabric depicted coffee cups etc., and I used a chocolate print for the borders.


A Few More Silo Trail Photos.

                                                                     SEA LAKE.





                               
                                                                         NULLAWIL.



                                                                            AVOCA.
This one actually glows at night.
OK, my lot for today and I've still got catching up to do on a few different things, including finishing up the Silo Trail holiday.
Hope everyone had a great weekend and hopefully our big car will be home this week after it's little incident and I'll be able to throw camera and quilts in back for photo shoots in the wild.

Take care all and hugs from Susan.

Monday, 27 March 2023

CATCHING UP.........ONCE AGAIN!

 This will be a quick post with a quilt and more silos.

We've had a hectic few weeks.....again, so I'm way behind on getting to the computer & very few photos have been taken as although we need some rain, it's been so overcast and nothing happens, though it has poured down in some places.  Ah, the vagaries of weather.

I'm joining in with my friend Sandra's DrEaMi once again, as the one thing that I did start & get to flimsy stage, was a quilt which I designed some time ago & then did the "naughty" thing of a purchase of fabric on the way home, back in January, from our little trip to see our granddaughter before she left for UK.  It caught my attention in a quilt shop in Goulburn, as I'd used it some years back in a different colourway and I'd had it for some time then.    I'd had no intention of starting another quilt at the time as I have quite a few that need quilting, but they will get done hopefully.

I've called this one SHIRALEE.
Once I've quilted it, I'll explain about the name.

Now I'll show a few more photos from our Silo Trail trip with just a caption of where they are.
Sheep Hills.

Rosebery

Patchewollock.
Couldn't help but put a "patchwork" quilt in one of the snaps I took.
I had it with me as I'd been handsewing the binding whilst away.😊

These two corrugated iron birds were also at Patchewollock.


The silo above & the pretty rubbish bin were both at Lascelles. 


We also visited the most amazing shed.  I'll see if I can put a link on about it's history.
The exterior of the Stick Shed at Murtoa.
The next two photos were hard to take for good exposure, but you should still be able to be amazed at the size.
Interior photos.

You may see the full history of the shed here,  https://www.thestickshed.com.au/

OK, that is my lot for today and I must get to the PC more often to catch up.  We try and stay busy, but lately just seems to have been hectic with all sorts.  Hope everyone had a great weekend and a good week ahead.
Take care all and hugs from Susan.