JULY PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT.

Wow, has anyone else thought this year has flown by?  It is time for another photo hunt, where I join with Kate at I live, I love, I craft, I am me, to use a set of words, to find photos for & think outside the box in the process.  Here we go...............

1.  CLUTTERED.

My garden at No.4 which was full, cluttered for most of the year and a joy for me to work in.

2.  PADDLE.

My tootsies getting wet on an outing to Wilson's Promontory the summer before last.

3.  PINK.

Again a photo from No. 4 of a beautiful sunrise which I could see from our  front verandah.  I found this accidentally while looking for my cluttered photo.😊

4.  STARTS WITH "E"
OK, I do have two for this.

Above is a small vase of Eucalyptus flowers which I could have had for 'pink' too.  We usually refer to these as gum blossom & after the flowers, they have huge gumnuts.

Another photo from our day out at Wilson's Promontory are these two Emus, blissfully unaware of me taking photos.

5.  ROOF.

Do you see it?  Ah, the roof of a derelict building now resting on the ground on a day out in South Gippsland one weekend earlier this year.

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

I do have a 'thing' about trees & have many photos in my archives.  Taken in 2006 (not the date on the photo), whilst on a trip along the Great Alpine Road in the Victorian High Country.  I do think trees can be so amazing in form, where they grow at times & their timeless beauty.

My lot done for this month & all from my archives, except for the vase of gum blossom, which was picked & photographed early this month.  They last for a good 3 weeks.
I may be a little quiet for August with some family commitments coming up, but you never know, a blog post could pop up.
Thanks Kate for hosting these & it keeps my mind sharp when out & about or sometimes a quiet time on the computer looking through the archives.  Look forward to seeing what the other Hunters have chosen.
Take care all, have a great weekend & big huggles from down under.
Susan.

NONSENSE!!

Just a little catchup for mid month with some finishes by DH & myself.  A few mischievous bits too.

THE NONSENSE.

My little heat bear just popped out of the microwave & sat waiting for me.  Actually DH had warmed him up & pulled him out quickly & I couldn't help but take this photo as he looked like he was posing.  DH calls him cyclops as he lost an eye many years ago.

KNITTING.

This jumper was started a few years ago & finished late last year, but sat in my work basket waiting to be sewn up & the neckband done.  It happened this week.  Never sure whether I like all that purl work on the outside or not.  Not been worn yet.

Ah, those socks I started way back when, on two needles, now sewn with a seam down the back & of a size to fit a giant.  Not bad as a first effort, but I wonder who'll wear them.  Way too big for me.

CROCHET.

A very odd crochet rug I made up as I went along to use some of the wool from my late mother's stash, which I brought home many years ago.  I will donate it to a nursing home as a knee rug.

WOODWORK.

 I showed these in the making last month and now they are finished & waiting to go to a local craft shop for sale.

 These tea light holders were a surprise for me.  Aren't they sweet.

The experimenting with pens continues, but this is one I snatched early on & it lives in my graph book folder.  I'll have an exciting one to show soon........watch this space.

QUILTING.
I've been waiting for some nice weather, but alas, it hasn't happened, so I took these inside and although not good photos, they'll have to suffice.

Cafe Culture.

Many years ago I purchased this very French cafe type fabric (around 2004/5) & designed a small quilt/wall hanging to feature it.  I'll admit that it has been finished for a long time, but never shown on my blog and it will soon be off to a new owner as a gift.

Tweet Tweet.

Another of my designs featuring bird fabric.  I know I showed this in the making whilst living in Ballarat and again never showed once finished.  This will be staying around for a while longer.

The two below were made from magazines in the very late 90's, early 2000's, but only quilted last month.  I'm trying to make a dent in my UFO pile.

Eternal Spring by Beth Hayes & probably from McCalls Quilting mag.

Yuletide Surprise by Mary Jobe Mason & also from McCalls Quilting mag. using a Jinny Beyer border print.

These two will probably be gifted as well.
I had tried to capture some photos of the garden, but with all our gloomy days this month, not much has been happening,, so that could be a post later this month depending on the vagaries of the weather gremlins.😖
We've a very busy month or so coming up with lots of appointments, car club AGM & car boot sale, little brother's yearly review for NDIS, which is a lot of work, so may need a blog break to fit all this in.  Enough from me, but I will catch up again for the photo hunt next Friday.
Take care all & huggles, Susan.

PORTABLE DESIGN WALL.

Recently my blog friend Joy, from Days Filled with Joy,  talked about her new design wall & a couple of people pointed out that with rental properties there were limitations to what they could use.
Hopefully my design wall will be an interesting alternative to something permanent.  Mine came about, as where I sew is quite small, being the third bedroom and measuring approximately 9'8" x 11', including a built-in robe.

 In it's usual position in front of the wardrobe doors.  It is easy to move out of the way, by folding & placing somewhere else.

                                                               Shown partially folded.
HOW IT WAS MADE.
We used a slim core board, sold here in Australia under the brand name Corflute & was purchased at Bunnings a big hardware chain.  The pieces were 900mm x 600mm x 5mm thick.  We used 4 which cost us $31.40 ($7.85 each).  They are extremely lightweight.

 Next we taped them together as above using general purpose cloth tape measuring 5cm wide.

A close up of the taping.  Under the felt on the front, I think it was over the join lengthways, but on the back we put it both sides of the join so it will fold nicely.
Next came the felt for the front.  This was purchased at Spotlight (another big chain store here) and comes on a roll.  It is quite fine & wide enough to cover both boards & I must have bought about 3 metres to cover the length.  Again we used the tape to secure it on the back after pulling it quite taut.  I had tried a thin batting, but found it awkward and it seemed to stretch out of shape.  The felt has stood the test of time over 4 years so far. 

                                                                The tape in position.

The board folded in half and easily moved out of the way.  It is lightweight enough for moving & as I'm only about 148cm tall, I don't have any problems & most blocks, etc stay in place.

I also have a small design wall made around 1997 which has moved all over the place with us & has always sat not too far from my sewing machine .  I use this when piecing individual blocks or as is shown below, for contemplating bits 'n' pieces I may be playing with.😉

The little table beside my machine desk is a recent purchase from........ ALDI, of all places, & I'm sure everyone has heard of them, not just here in Oz.  It extends both sides, and is great when attaching borders or binding, as it supports all the weight of the growing quilt.

Excuse the messy sewing space and the quality of the photos, but the sun was in & out whilst trying to snap the room.  I really wanted to get this post done for someone who was interested.
Today is very miserable with gusty high winds, biting cold, gloomy grey skies and the occasional showers and we have been told there is more to come over the next 4 days possibly.
Hope this post helps any quilty friends who need an easy design wall solution.
Hope to be back with a bit of crafty catch up from DH and I before too long.
Take care all & huggles.
Susan.

FAVOURITE FINISH FOR JUNE.

 I'm linking this month to join with Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs for the favourite finish.  Although some may have seen this quilt shown in June, it is the one I liked the most.

                                  

                                                                  SWISHY STARS.

It all started many years ago with an outline sketch in my graph book.  It sat there just waiting for the right time to be started.  I had the pansy fabric ready to go, found other bits to go with it, then the background fabric & put it aside in a basket.

I'd thought about doing it as a mystery quilt on my blog, but just don't have the confidence.  I even looked to see if I could find the block in books, but none quite like it.

Come the beginning of 2019 and I decided to make a start.

The first block on the design wall after trying to do a tutorial for it.

Next came more blocks & the sashing stars.

Finally done & ready to be quilted.

And .......voila!  Out for it's photo shoot.

Hope you enjoyed it's journey from start to finish.    Thank you & there are lovely quilts to be seen for June over at Cheryl's blog linkup.
Take care all & huggles, Susan.

JUNE PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT.

Time again to link with Kate over at I live, I love, I craft, I am me, for the photo hunt.
Our words were a good mix & I found it hard to stick to one, so have doubled up on a few.

1.  NOTICE.

I took this photo many years ago at a Museum in Broken Hill, thinking how my Dad was a proficient morse code operator in his youth.  He started work at 14 as a telegram boy, then was promoted to learn the above.  As time went on he saw much technology come & go.

Now this sign (taken last year in Queensland), tickled my sense of humour.  Again I thought of Dad in his latter years with dementia & wondered how many of us can relate to these circumstances with family or friends as we age.
2.  SPOTTED.

Last Thursday, DH & I had a lovely small walk & spotted a lady out with her young pups in the park.
They are Pointer pups & have ....SPOTS......  There were 3 in this group & another 6 curled up together too.  Now that makes 9...whew, a lot of puppies, but the Mum actually had 12 & three had already gone to their long term homes.  I'd not had my spotted photo, so as well as being able to cuddle one of the pups, having my camera with me meant I had my last photo too.

3.  STARTS WITH A K.....

This photo & the one below were taken many years ago at No.4, our previous home in this suburb.
                      The kookaburra shown in our Maple, visited regularly for a number of years.

4.  COBWEB.

                                          Cobwebs on a misty morn on our small Magnolia.

5.  STEP.
Another 2 for 1 moment.

Stone steps jutting from a beautiful stone wall, to make climbing over easier.  I remember this was in a village called Sawley, Lancashire, where we had a wander through such pretty scenery.

Not being able to make up my mind, I had to show this old trolley bus at the Ballarat Tram Museum, which we visited earlier this year.  The steps on the outside to the open top are interesting.  I remember trolley buses in Sydney when I was a child & always found them fascinating.  There were very few places where they ran in the 50's, but we were lucky to be able to catch one to a great aunt's place.  Not quite the same as this one.

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.
Sunday & Monday mornings this week just gone.

Around 10am on Sunday, after eating a crumbly biscuit, I went outside to shake off the crumbs, heard a most unusual sound & looked up to the sky.  What did I see, but this hot air balloon drifting right above my head.  It was amazing & I've never seen one here before.  They fly over Melbourne & the Yarra Valley, but not this far east.  I ran inside, got my camera & took a few photos & this was my favourite with the moon.  It was even in our local free paper on Friday, so must have been a real "one off."

4 good frosts in a row, have made for very cold mornings with our pond freezing over, as in the photo above.   Brrrr!!!!!
Well, I know I'm running a bit late, but do hope you enjoy.
I'm off to link up & hopefully see what the other hunter's have come up with.
Take care all, huggles Susan.

QUILTY CATCHUP

Ah............finally catching up on some quilt related bits.  Taking photos has been really hard outdoors, due to the weather.  I've taken a few with me each time we've hopped in the car for any reason, but gloom, precipitation & wind has been against me.  A few of these have been taken around the house or yard & a few on an unexpected fine day.
We'll start with 3 quilts that have left home.  I donated these to the hostel of our local retirement village.  They like to give new residents a gift with quilts & rugs being accepted as good candidates.

The one on the left was a mystery quilt from a magazine, the middle one from a book by Judy Martin & Marsha McCloskey & the one on the right from a magazine.  All these were made many, many years ago & have lived in my linen closet & never used, except for a brief spell after finished on one of the spare beds to admire, till I made something else.
Next we have 2 quilts made from one of my own designs in different fabrics & placement of the colouring.  One I made a few years ago & the other very recently.

The design I called Country Casual & I do have another I may do in a very bright colourway.

Some time ago I showed a jelly roll bundle I was going to work with to do three different quilts.  One is finished, one ready to be quilted & the last awaiting to be started.  I quilted No. 1 using a spotty wideback fabric, which accommodated 1 more wall size quilt & a very old table runner.  Here they are below.

                                   Table runner made from a book to test out border type fabric.

The people who follow my blog will know I had a quilt pattern published in an on-line magazine. They send a copy of the instructions etc. to you of how it will look & to make sure the it's all OK.
I decided to make one of my blocks again to test it & then made 3 more to end up with the above.
I am quite pleased with it & except for one tiny error (my mistake) which they fixed before it was published, all was right.

Next up is the one I hope to have a published in an upcoming issue, if I can find the time to write up the pattern.  This is my downfall, in that I tend to fly by the seat of my pants, when designing & constructing.  I've called the quilt above Jelly Jumble.  The other two made with these fabrics will be Jelly Jive & Jelly Jazz.  Me being Jelly silly.😊

And this is how I work.  I first designed the one on the left on the flight home from UK in 2016 on a scrap of paper.  I do quite a bit of scribbling whilst travelling.  The one on the right is pieced & awaiting quilting.

                                A closeup of the quilting.  The pattern is Jacks by Dawna Sanders.

 The old flower fairy panels I showed a while back, finished & quilted with a pattern called Angel Wings from Willow Leaf Studios.

Crystal Geese

This again is one of my own designs from my Quilt Wizard program awaiting to be quilted.  I will be donating this as a Christmas Raffle prize to the organisation who helps with my younger brother. 

A day out in May saw  me take a few quilts with us to hopefully get some lovely outdoor shots.  The weather behaved & here we have 2 that have been quilted this year.  Both are my own designs, one from Quilt Wizard & the other planned on graph paper.

Dripsicle.

I think I posted about the making of the one above, but never took photos once finished.

Swishy Stars.

I may have shown this earlier in the year on my design wall & now it is completed I really like it.  It was designed many years ago on graph paper.  The pansy fabric is of an age too.

I'm sure you are all "quilted" out by now, so next time I pop up here it will be possibly be Friday for the Scavenger Photo Hunt. 
I just want to thank all my blogpals for giving me these chances to show one of my passions.
Take care & huggles from Susan.