FINAL LINKUP PARTY X 2.

 Linking up with Kate from I live, I love, I craft, I am me and also Cheryl from Meadow Mist Designs for the end of 2020.

WRAPPING UP 2020........................literally in quilts.

Not the best year I've ever had and feeling quite down at times, never seeming to know what would be around the corner and not being able to see family was very trying.  Over the last month, I've been at a loss to think about much at all and had decided several times to close my blog.  Somehow I've managed to hang in here & then wondered what on earth I'd actually done all year.  I picked up the notebook I keep beside the big machine (Bubs) and went through the 2020 section & realised I had achieved more than I thought, so this is a rundown of what has been quilted & also made & quilted this year.

At the beginning of the year this old quilt came off the machine and then bound & finished in February.

I actually pieced this quilt from a QNM in 1999, the year I was made redundant from the bank.  As you can see from the pic on the right, mine wasn't quite the same.  I took the photo of it yesterday while we were out on a "photo shoot" in the countryside.

As February drew to a close this one below came off the machine.  One of my own designs using fabric on hand, one which was some my late Mum gave me years ago that she came by from a friend.  It depicts the Tour de France.

I called this one Third Helping, after recolouring & rearranging it several times in my Quilt Wizard program.

Come March, I decided to use some leftover scraps from a quilt I'd made from a book, that had very odd shaped pieces cut from the sides of blocks.

Both of these quilts will donated to charity or given away as gifts.

April saw 2 old quilt tops come out of the tub and finally finished.  Both were made when we lived near Nowra, N.S.W in the late 90's early 2000's.

Made in 1996 in a class at the local quilt shop and awaiting a good home.

This one was made from a book in 2001 & I really can't remember which it was, but it has already moved on.

In July we got new neighbours in the rental property next door.  A lovely young couple with 2 children and they are refugees from Iran.  I've heard a little about the horrors they encountered and decided that the 6 year old little girl and her baby brother, who was born this July would have a small quilt each.  I happen to know they get well used.  I'm so glad.

In May I made 2 more baby quilts.  One for the lady across the road who had a girl in January & another friend who had her little girl in March.  I used the same pattern for each, which I'd again designed on Quilt Wizard as an introduction to new quilters, which has happened yet.  They make up quick which was a bonus.

I call this pattern Easy Peasy.

May also saw me quilt a QAL I joined in with Sandra from mmmquilts.  I really enjoyed this challenge.

Centred.

In July I quilted a very small quilt made from a set of stars I stitched way back.............and a couple of stitcheries from a few years ago, though I'm not sure what I was thinking about at the time.  I found both these when I was cleaning out a tub of UFO's.

I took the photo this morning out in the garden, though I've just realised that you can't see the stitcheries and I've not named it either.

Another 2 done in July (ooh, I did get a wriggle on this month), both my own designs from Quilt Wizard.

Named Eureka, after buying the fabric at a quilt shop in Ballarat by this name a few years ago.  It has also sat waiting in the tub a couple of years.  This was taken yesterday on our little outing. I do have fun at times with "photos in the wild".

Although I love the pattern I designed for this one, it was made when we were in "severe lockdown restrictions" and I couldn't access a plainer mauve fabric, so used what I had.  A bit of a disaster really, although I don't dislike it.  I called it Sonora.

Onto August and 2 more hit the machine. 

This quilt came about as the Pandemic hit after I'd been playing with fabric in the colours of a rug I'd crocheted.  I do a lot of designing with my easy to use Quilt Wizard and I couldn't help taking a second photo the other day on the verandah amongst my crazy obsession of pot plants.

As a flimsy on our back steps & I called this one Gee Whiz.  Not sure where I got that from.

And below, shown on an old car belonging to friends who immigrated from Zimbabwe and brought this beauty with them.   We met them through our car club.

Onto September and after participating in a QAL with my friend Joy from Days filled with Joy, I finally quilted my pandemic quilt which I called Panademia.  Yes a slight spelling mistake happened, but I'd already labeled it when I realised.  

I also quilted something for my DD who'd started this she told me before Master L was born & he is now 15, so I'm not the only one who can take their time with things.

Along come October and 2 more baby quilts need making and quilting.

The first one is for a blog friend in UK who found having her first baby in the middle of a pandemic very stressful.

I called this "Luv from Oz" and designed it on graph paper to use the 3 lovely panels depicting our native wildlife.  It took it's time arriving but is now in residence with a beautiful little boy.

I made a pink version of this last year to send to a friend in the UK for her new baby girl, then discovered some more of these fabric panels in mauve & made this version for my doctor who also had a girl.  It was also designed in my graph book.

Also onto the machine in October was this quilt from a  block I'd playing with on Quilt Wizard which became a reality quite quickly.  I called it Up Hill and Down Dale after the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, an area in UK I know well being married to a Yorkshireman.  

Taken yesterday whilst out and where I had wanted to capture this quilt in a hilly setting.

This is some of the beautiful scenery we get in South Gippsland.

OK, that is enough from me and sorry it is so long and possibly a bit disjointed.

It's been a long and trying day of battling my pesky blackbirds from trying to destroy our blueberry crop.  We think we've stopped them getting into the net enclosure, but after 5 times this morning I was losing patience.

Thank you Kate and Cheryl for your linkups throughout this very trying year.

Hope the New Year is kinder to everyone, take care, stay safe & hugs from the land down under.

Susan.

SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS..................

MERRY  CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY LOVELY BLOGPALS.

 Yesterday was spent with DD & family for our celebration as her hubby had to work today, so it was just the two of us at home today.  It dawned sunny, but very cool for this time of year (jumpers were in order for most of the day) and we decided to take a picnic lunch to our favourite spot when we are alone.

JINDIVICK CRICKET GROUND.

         The view over the cricket pitch towards the Strzelecki hills in a rather hazy distance.

            The undercover picnic tables & barbecue area with the play area in the background.

                                   Keith eating his lunch, but notice we still have warm tops on.

After eating our lunch we wandered across to the Community Garden & had a leisurely stroll around, with me taking lots of snaps, some of which I've put on this post.

                                Some very colourful large flowers residing in part of the garden.

Mosaic stepping stones with a lovely rabbit & duck & not so lovely spiders.  Note the second one, a huntsman which are quite large.  A little story following.................

This morning 2 of my magpies came for some breadcrumbs, so I went inside to get them & when I came out they were looking at something on the underside of our verandah roof.  To my horror, there was a big Huntsman spider up there & roaming around.  We then sprayed with insecticide as this is one spider that scares me.  Most smaller spiders I can deal with & the really little ones I talk too & put outside if they are in the house.  My trusty magpies do look after me.

         At the end of the community garden there is an outdoor gym & we took advantage & used it.

                 Just a little....... & have decided to try & use these more often, when we get up that way.

The view from the Community garden looking back across the cricket pitch to the clubrooms & picnic shelter.

Next we took the long way home via Blue Rock Dam.  Again a few snaps were taken.

                                          Many tree ferns among the tall trees in the forest.

                     Trying to capture the height & straightness of the trees along the roadside.

A view of the very back end of Blue Rock Dam with the Great Dividing Range looming in the                                                                                           background.

                                                 Looking down the length of Blue Rock.

Home again this afternoon & I ran around with the camera to finish off the day.

Keith's Christmas present.  A new thicknesser planer.  He'd purchased a second hand one a few years ago & it decided to die on us & the cost of having it fixed was nearly double the price of a new one on special till the end of December, so it became his present this year.

                                           Doing a quick bit of painting on the extended shed.

               I've another 2 flowers on my water lilies.  I did think they'd finished for now.

A lovely gift left on our doorstep today.  I'd given a punnet of blueberries to everyone in our court as a little gift, as we'd had such a horrible year & a couple of have thanked us with a card, some shortbread & this strawberry plant.  I've still got 2 more to catch up with as they haven't been home when I've called in.  There are only 14 houses in our court.

                                             This was my lovely gift from DD and family.

Talking of blueberries..............picked this morning & weighing in at 850gms.  Total so far is 8.5kgs with lots more to be picked & ripen.

And can you see the cheeky blackbird in the right hand corner trying to peck through the net to get a                                                                                    feed.

Well just thought I'd pop through a post wishing you a Merry Christmas & to show what 2 oldies get up to when on their own for the day.😉

Also a very Happy Birthday to our son-in-law today.  Pity you had to work.

That's all folks.  Take care, stay safe & huggles from Susan.

CHRIMBLY COUNTDOWN 18TH DECEMBER 2020.

 Linking with Kate from I live, I love, I craft, I am me once again for December & the word for today was Christmas Tree.  As I missed last weeks due to I'net problems, I was determined to join in this week.  I must admit to still not feeling very festive, so have had to go to my archives.

Here are a few from past years and yes, they have all probably been shown before at some time.

The floating Christmas tree on the bay at Geelong and which comes out each year for display.  I took this photo in 2014.

                                                                     Making Do...............

Trying to celebrate Christmas while renting  in between house moves and all decorations are packed & stored away.

Two of DH's woodwork creations depicting trees.  The one on the left as decoration  for the Christmas tree & the one on the right to stand atop the desk or dresser.  I painted it green, then added glue & glittered it, to represent tinsel.  

My lot done for this part of the countdown.

Take care all, stay safe & hugs from a mild down under.

Susan.💖

WHOOPSY!!!!!

 Now what on earth might this be?

A little explanation about those beautiful colours first.  DH turns acrylic pens sometimes & has quite a few leftover bits & as some were residing in my fruit bowl (wonder how they got there?), I happened to mention they'd look nice stuck together.  They disappeared up to the shed & were turned into this......

A quick unpick and awl that we'd purchased at a woodworking show as a kit.

And what have they been doing over the last week?  Why unpicking of course.

What quilter doesn't know the joys of unpicking.

I'd decided to join in another QAL with my friend Joy who was doing it with a friend on FB mainly & as I don't have this social media, she was sending the instructions through as videos on my email.  I then chose to do a Christmassy one the same as Joy had decided.  The instructions got a little mixed & I'd made an error, we thought.  I'd also decided to use my stash & instead of a feature fabric, background & 2 coordinating fabrics.  Thought I'd make mine scrappy.  That wasn't going too bad until I realised I'd missed one of the steps, so Joy sent me a photo of finished quilt.  

Now this was how stupid all of this got.  I'd actually made the exact same quilt as a mystery from a book back in 2013/14 & gave it to my sister-in-law in England.

Then making it scrappy meant lots of unpicking to get the whole thing to have at least some form of cohesion, hence lots of "unstitching".  It has also been made smaller because I now didn't have enough background fabric.  All the above is what you can probably call winging it.

Not the full reveal as I'm still putting the rows together, but am now happy with how it has turned out, although it did my head in this morning.

And what do you do after a hard morning?  Why go to the cinema & see a really funny movie.

We've not been to the cinema for about 6 years, but DH fancied seeing "The War with Grandpa" & it really was worth it & I've not laughed as much in a long time.😊

Weather the last few days has been very weird, with howling wind, lots of rainy spells along with moments of sunshine & oh so cold for summer.  We even thought about lighting the woodburner.

We didn't.

OK bored you enough with my waffling, so take care, stay safe & hugs from down under.

Susan.

CHRIMBLY COUNTDOWN 4TH DECEMBER.

     Today I'm linking with the lovely Kate at I live, I love, I craft, I am me, instead of our usual Photo Hunt and am hoping I'm not too late.  We've somehow or another had a busy week in some funny ways.  Shed finishing, picking blueberries, having a day out to visit someone & now car club newsletters which were running late & threw me off course completely.

OK here goes.  Today's lot are DECROATIONS...............................

The wreath I crafted & I know it's simple (been told a few times), but in a country that can have scorching weather around this time of the year, I think it's sensible.

The wall hanging I put in the hallway near the front door which I designed & made many years ago, called Criss Cross Christmas Geese.  I should think about another one that I could put up on alternate years. 

My sleigh which I bought then filled with Christmassy bits and comes out each year to grace the table, except it was being used yesterday for the newsletters, so is shown atop the piano.  I realised later that the baubles have all moved around, so must remember to fix.

Seeing our woodburner doesn't need lighting at this time of year, I've placed this beautiful timber ornament on top with a lovely red rose from my garden.  This particular item was bought in an arcade in Skipton, North Yorkshire back in 2016 when we were over visiting family & friends.  I was surprised to see Christmas decorations out in September for sale.

My lot done now and off to "hopefully" still be able to link.  I think I've already visited everyone & really appreciated all that have joined in with their lovely decorations.

Take care all, stay safe & huggles from down under.