SATURDAY SNIPPETS.

Once again I'm posting way after I'd been going to, so this is some of what has happened since my last post.

Last Sunday, we headed out to find a circuitous route to take to a coffee shop for the Coffee & Cake Run with our car club.  Hmm!  Not a success, but we did see this.......

Two wedge tailed eagles in a paddock.  Not the best photo, but we have one in the foreground and another on a fence post in the distance.  Anyone who knows me, realises I have a fascination with birds of prey.

ON THE WALL.

The wall hanging in the hall has changed for this month.  Made a long time ago from a Quiltmaker magazine & called Square Dance.  It's nice & bright for drearier days of Autumn.

OFF THE BED.

ON THE BED.

We've changed the quilt on the bed from the dahlia to some brown stars.  I'm trying to ring the changes every few months, so that I actually use the ones I still have (many) & enjoy them.

I quite often talk about quilts I've designed using my Quilt Wizard program, which is software I've loaded onto my laptop many years ago.  Below is the packet it came in with CD enclosed.  Just a tit-bit for those wondering what I talk about sometimes.

ON THE MACHINE.

Another one of my UFO's that has been waiting for years to be quilted.  It is made up of a feature fabric purchased by both my late mother & myself, because of the bookshelves.  To make it stand out, I designed this as a sampler of 8" blocks from a Marsha McClosky book.  Part of the quilting I showed last post on the Photo Scavenger Hunt.  DD thinks I should call it 'Bibliophiles Anonymous'.
Does that sound OK?

OFF THE NEEDLES.

A scarf I have just finished for myself, which will look good with my rain jacket.  This wool & pattern were bought in UK last year.

ON THE NEEDLES.

Aaaah!  Does anyone know what I am attempting here?  So far so good.  The book in the background is new to me and I'm finding it very interesting, though now I want a wood burner.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST.

I showed some wee flowers in a previous post called Arisaemas & told how I was allowed to dig up a little bulblet.  I planted it in a pot with just the one leaf.  Look what happened during this week....

A flower has appeared.   How wonderful is that!!!!!  I just hope more little bulblets are forming below.


OK, enough babble from me.
Have a good weekend all and take care.
Susan.

SCAVENGER PHOTO HUNT.

Linking up with Kate for another photo challenge.  Quite a few this month were a bit out of my comfort zone, but they are all here in some form or another. 😊

1.   NEW

Some new patterns I'm playing with on my big machine (Bubs), that I have cobbled together & am quilting on a pieced top I made many years ago.  Just one of the many I still have to quilt, but I'm having a little fun on this and even though it is 'custom' quilting, most people wouldn't agree, as it's not all fancy feathers, swirls etc.  It's just quirky old me.

2,   RUST

This is part of a sculpture at the Canberra Arboretum taken a few years ago when visiting youngest son & family.  Just the thing for rust.

3.   BOX

Taken on the way back from the Lakes District in 2014.  I was looking for something in the archives & stumbled across this & thought, "oh box!"  I'd been stuck with trying to find something different for this one for a while.

4.   INGREDIENTS

The ingredients for a stash busting quilt I'm working on at the moment.............

5.   BEGINS WITH.......D

DRESSER.

6.  MECHANICAL

PIANO.

The above two photos were taken at McCraes Homestead last weekend, which I posted about earlier this week.  I saved these 2 for the Hunt.

7.   SOMETHING SEASONAL

The start of autumn here in Australia.  Hubby took this photo on his phone for me.  The colour of the trees is so pretty & in Spring they will be covered in blossom.

8.   RECENTLY FINISHED

I think I showed a few bundles of fat quarters I discovered I'd bought many years ago when I started thinking about "stash busting".  This is what became of that lot.  It is called "Sugar & Spice" and was something I designed on my Quilt Wizard program & is just so easy.

9.   BEGINS WITH.......R

RHINOS'.

Taken last week at the Werribee Open Range Zoo.  Whilst loading the photos onto the compputer, I suddenly thought, "ooh", I have something for R.

10.  MY OWN CHOICE

SISSINGHURST CASTLE.

Taken from the tower at Sissinghurst, giving a wonderful view of part of the gardens & house.  Taken again, in 2014.

My lot for this month, some of which I found hard, but then they seem to fall into place as the month goes on.  I do take my camera and list most places & also browse my archives.
Hope you enjoy and may the month ahead be a fun one for all.  Thanks again Kate for our words.
Take care, Susan.

WHOOPS!!!!

Where has April gone?
 I 'd not realised that it has been 2 weeks since I posted.
This month has been ever so busy, what with all the holidays, ie.  Easter & for us here in Oz, also Anzac day, which is actually today.  I've had all sorts of appointments with doctor, physio, podiatrist, dietitian and X-rays, which are just all sorts of fiddly bits that happen from time to time, but not necessarily on a regular basis.  We've also had a little bit of grandie minding, which makes a change for us, car club meetings & an outing, ferrying a friend to hospital for a cataract removal, then home again, and a couple of other days out. I'm also dealing with the new Disability Scheme interviews, etc., they are bringing in over here, for my brother.  So much to take in.   All in all, I don't feel that I've been home much either. .  Need to catch up with photos for the Scavenger Hunt, plus general type bits of house/garden stuff & my sewing, which is terribly behind on what I set out to achieve recently.
After that bit of twaddle, let's see some photos to go with above blurb.

We'll start with a second day out to McCraes Homestead on the Mornington Peninsular which belongs to the National Trust.  This time I took photos.  Above is the house, which was built in 1844.
Now for a few pics I took inside & in the  garden.

The main room above, where they ate, relaxed & entertained.  There is a central hall with 4 rooms leading off, this being one of them, with 2 bedrooms, plus another smaller bedroom, which has a storeroom behind.  The kitchen was in a separate building a short distance from the house, in case of fire.

In the main bedroom, the bed is sporting a very old quilt, with the papers still in tact.  There is also a lovely timber cradle and another single bed.

This is the storeroom, where they kept valuable items, so they weren't stolen by bushrangers or strangers.  This was in the very early days of settlement, with not a lot widely available, so everything was important.

An assortment of lovely old household items, toys & games.

 The outdoor bread oven, behind the house.

And what else did I find outside, but a beautiful bed of Arisaema.  I didn't even know you could grow these in Australia. I saw them in the glasshoue at Harlow Carr once & thought they were so pretty. They are a native of northern USA, I've discovered & I came home with a small bulblet, which I've planted in a pot.  We'll see what happens and 'yes', I had permission to take one.

Another day out was with Master L & Missy Moo over Easter when we looked after them for a day.
We went to Werribee Open Range Zoo & took a ride on the Safari Train, then wandered at our own pace for the rest of the afternoon.
Before we did go out, DD had baked some fancy biscuits for Missy & I to decorate.

A  little icing, squeezy stuff & few decorations, we ended up with 2 trays of pretty biscuits.

The Safari Train.

Camels

A medley of African animals.

Sleeping Hippos.

And what can we see here?  A Meerkat.
They are very hard to photograph, as they run round like mad if they catch a glimpse of movement. 

I had so much to tell & have had a hard time trying to fit it all in.  I know I had a photo of the quilt on the big machine, but for the life of me can't find where I saved it.😒

Now we knew we had frogs in our pond, but can never see them.  But, to hubby's surprise yesterday morning, he found one in a bowl that we keep to soak pots in occasionally.  Poor little mite couldn't get out because of the straight plastic sides, so we took him up & put him back in the pond.

Enough from me, as I will be back on Friday with the Scavenger Photo Hunt & hopefully be a little more organised.  Too much has happened this month & I'm exhausted.
Take care all and huggles from Susan.

A WINNER & A REVEAL.

First, I would like to thank all who commented on my last post, as we have been busy of late with at least another 2 weeks being fairly full on, with all many of happenings.  I'll possibly update with some.

Next is winner of my little giveaway.

A bowl of paper squares (not many).

I held the bowl aloft and hubby swished them around and then pulled one out.
Voila!!!
And the winner is............

Gillian from Tales from a Happy House.
I'll be in touch.

Now for that reveal of what I did with the blocks I've been working and showing, a couple at a time.

This is what they've become.  Not the best photo, as I took it outside with the sun shining through it.  Not quilted yet & nowhere I could show it all, unless I took it on the floor & sometimes you don't get a very good angle.
Next time you see this, it should be finished.

Below is my new portable design wall, which I can fold in half & store away neatly in another room, so I can get to the fabric & speciality rulers in the cupboard behind.  Much better than my old one. Those blocks have been put to bed once again, as I still can't get them the right size.  Need something less complicated at the moment to work on.  There are plenty on the computer (Quilt Wizard), in my graph book & my head to keep me going anyway.  I'll be working on another stash busting design plus some leftover pieces from a quilt made some time ago, to be another charity quilt.  That will be a post soon.

Last photo for tonight is what it looked like here in West Gippsland for most of last week till we got some lovely wind from the south-west.

The  lingering smoke, taken from our backyard, looking out over the houses across the road.
The CFA (Country Fire Authority) have been doing "controlled burns", it being a way to keep the undergrowth of our forests under control & not too much of a hazard for next summer.
It wasn't so good for my sinus or if people have asthma or hayfever, but is what happens each autumn.

Enough from me now.  I'm off to watch Charlie Luxton in Homes by the Sea, which I love.
Have a good week all & I'll be back either through the week or at the weekend with some catchups.
Take care, Susan.

APRIL.....ALREADY!!!!!!

A quick mid-week catch-up,  with not much at all really.

I've made the rest of the blocks for the last quilt in the grand-daughter series & here they are.

We have 4 of them both and they are actually different.
Being a stash busting exercise, I found that I did not have enough of the background fabric, hence a
few different cream fabrics have been used. 

4 of these will be in the corners of the border.

I'd like to think I can get most of this sewn up over the weekend for a show and tell on Monday.  It won't be quilted, but at least you'll be able to see them all fit together.

As I spoke about our wedding anniversary last post, I've a few photos to show of how we spent the day, but silly old me, forgot to take some of the best photos of a wonderful old house, that we plan to visit again soon.  The history was fascinating.  We made good use of our National Trust cards on the day.

First we went to Mulberry Hill and had a quick self guided tour, but as they had a bus load in and another lot already viewing, it was fleeting.  They still have quite a bit of work to do on parts of the property, so "may" go again one day.

We then headed further down the Mornington Peninsular and went to McCrae Homestead, where I forgot to take photos.  This has a fascinating past & I'd like to share more about it once we've been again.

Off to the tip of the peninsular to see the lighthouse.

Lighthouse and cottages.

Great view of the coast.

Closeup of the lighthouse.

The Assistant Lightkeepers cottage.

Last, but not least, a view of Port Phillip Bay from a view point on the road from Arthur

s Seat where there is a chair lift up to an even better view, I believe.  I've never been on it. We ate fish & chips for tea as a treat, which we don't have very often.  For once, I quite enjoyed, as the fish wasn't heavily battered & the chips well cooked, but still soft inside.  I am very fussy.............

Port Phillip Bay.

OK, that was just a titbit, as these photos, keep rearranging themselves, and I might just lose my cool.

Hope to be back Monday with a winner for the "giveaway"

Take care all,  Susan.

FINISHING STITCHES - MARCH

AND A FEW OTHER BITS!

OK, I'm actually joining in with Joy this month to show that I am finishing a few UFO's & stash busting too.

But, before we start, this calendar will be turned over tomorrow & one of my favourite places will not be in front of me as I walk into my sewing room.  Wonder what Aprils' will be?

First finish photo.

Kansas Dugout from a Mary Ellen Hopkins pattern.

I pieced this top back in "about" 2001 I think and finally quilted it in October last year.  It was the first thing I put on the machine after our UK trip.  The binding went on in February this year & was finished in early March.  I'll possibly either sell it or give it to charity.

Second and third.
I know these have both been on recently.  They  both now have binding & are finished.
They come from my stash busting efforts.  One jelly roll, white background fabric, a beautiful rose fabric I purchased as I loved it, and plenty of black leftover scraps.

I'm trying to be creative with the photos.  Have I been successful?  Not too sure about that, as I can't seem to find anywhere to photograph them.

Fourth.

The Fish & Chip table runner.

I told the story of this in my last post & voila, binding on  now too.

Fifth.

The cupcake crochet rug from Attic 24 finally finished.  DD bought me the pack of wool, last Mother's Day & when it arrived all the way from Wool Warehouse in UK, I was so excited, I nearly hugged the parcel delivery man. (I didn't).  It came along slowly until the hot weather hit, then I slowed to halt at the border.  Just too hot over the lap, but as our nights have cooled, it came out and, yes, it is done.  Closeup so you can see the dainty striped edging.

Sixth.

Hubby made this little sign (trying to tell me something I don't do well), & I said I would paint it.  Oh dear, it languished colourless for a couple of months till last Wednesday, when out came my paints & now sits proudly above a photo collage frame of my blogging friends who keep watch over me whilst sewing.  Thank you all for being here for me.

Seventh.
Well sort of a finish!!!!!

Blueberry Muffins.

Remember the recipe awaiting "baking" on the book holder in my Scavenger Photo Hunt this month.
They were made this morning, using a combination of 2 recipes, due to lack of buttermilk & vegetable oil. We tried one each this afternoon & Hubby announced they were yummy & light, so I'll write the recipe down, so I can use it again.

Maybe not all stitching, but definitely all waiting to be done.

FINALE.

I am having a little giveaway to anyone who comments on my blog between now and Sunday 9th April.  I will draw a winner on the 10th (grandson B2's 11th birthday).  It is to celebrate my 4th blog anniversary,(Jan this year), 40th wedding anniversary & also my first quilt made 40 years ago too.

Whilst sitting here composing this, there has been more news of the devastation cyclone Debbie has left in her wake as she now travels down the coast of New South Wales.  Definitely a big storm which has hurt so much  Queensland & NSW.

I'll leave it there for now.
Take care all,  Susan.