Max and Whiskers

 Love this range by Basic Grey.

I bought two charm packs last year to make a quilt for my youngest then decided as at the time he was 4 yrs old that the quilt would probably be on the small side for him.  So it got tucked away, quilted but not bound, for the 'gift cupboard' in case I needed a baby quilt for a gift at any time. 

Mr Busy became a great uncle last week for the 6th time so I bound the quilt on the weekend and sent it home with his nephew (uncle the new baby) to deliver in the next few weeks. Mr Busy really liked this quilt, nice to know he likes some things I make.

Love the backing fabric!

When Mr Busy's nephew was here, the screen sliding door came off and bumped the table, which smashed. It was good to have another set of hands to help with the clean up because these are not easy to clean up, especially when your verandah has gaps between the decking  for water/rain drainage. 

Our first glass topped table smashed only weeks after purchasing it, 11 years ago. That time a strong wind knocked the umbrella standing in it, which was enough to smash the table. We had the table replaced but it stayed boxed up until four years ago when we had somewhere to put it under cover; so it has lasted a bit longer than the first one! 

Glass top tables are not a favourite with us, that's for sure! We still have the frame from the other day and Mr Busy will make a top for it in the future.

Here is Lucy, she belongs to Miss Busy (8yrs old).

She asked about getting a pet guinea pig for a while but dad kept saying no, we've had them and they die.

However just before Christmas Miss Busy came with me to pick up a Wessex Saddleback sow that I had bought and the seller breeds guinea pigs to sell at hobby sales. Miss Busy very quietly asked if she could nurse one. She did. Then she asked if she could have one. I didn't agree with Mr Busy, as Miss Busy has had no pets of her own and I felt she needed to have something to call her own. So we brought Lucy home.

Miss Busy told dad that we bought TWO PIGS!

To date, she changes Lucy's water everyday, tops up her feed, moves her cage a bit and carries her around for a time. No reminding needed from mum or dad. Do you reckon she will take care of the calves that need marking without us too???? LOL.

Down in the Garden

The main stitchery from block 2 of "Down in the Garden" by Leanne Beasley.

This took me about two weeks to stitch and I wasn't working on it everyday.

 Most of the small stitcheries for block one.

 Small stitcheries for block two.

 All the stitcheries for blocks one and two, including two not started and the birdhouse that is nearly finished.

Stitcheries for other blocks, mostly blocks three and four I think.

I have started using the gorgeous bag Vicki made me for Christmas to keep the 'Down in the Garden' patterns, threads and stitcheries in. This makes it easily transportable from the coffee table to the dining table or outside. I have put each blocks pattern along with the traced or finished stitcheries into a plastic sleeve, this makes it easy to see where I am up and what needs working on. 

LOL, the working lately has been slow due to life taking over but I am still enjoying this quilt.

If you are waiting on an email from me, I am hoping to empty my inbox in the next few days (there are SO many emails there needing replies!). I have been using hte computer a lot less lately, only checking emails a couple of times a week and posting/scheduling my blog posts ahead of time (fantastic to be able to do this!). This is for better time efficiency and to help cut down on power usage, really the computer does not need to be running 24/7!

Babies on the Farm

Berkshire piglets born just over two weeks ago, this was taken when they were less than one day old. Below they are feeding off their mum who is a first timer and so very placid.

A Wessex Saddleback sow that we bought just before Christmas who was in pig to a large white boar. She had her 13 babies a couple of days ago. This was taken today.

The electric wires that separate the pigs doesn't keep the piglets apart, earlier today we found all the white ones snuggled up with a few black ones!

The pigs are in the paddock but have separate access to the shed for feeding, water and shelter. Here is the daddy boar on the left and mummy is feeding some of the Berkshire piglets. Mr Busy is enjoying being with them. Mummy pig is so placid the kids can pick up mega squealing piglets and she isn't bothered, she grew up with us since she was a baby and I think this counts towards her easy going nature with us.

Daddy pig is up close for a look! Miss 8 yr old took this photo, great one!

Another daddy, this time Jerry the goat. He is lots of fun, doesn't hop onto cars but don't leave the door open because he does like to hop inside them! He is very nosey and Mr Busy has to continually chase him away when he is working in or near the workshop because Jerry being nosey usually involves his mouth!

All of the children ride him, no equipment necessary except a long branch with leaves if you want to direct him about. LOL Mr 11 yr old often 'hitches' a ride to the pig/chook yards or back to the house!

Jerry is a Melan breed of milking goat and he has a twin brother the other side of town called Tom.

Here is 'mini me jerry', born early Dec; this little fulla has such a beautiful nature.

Here is his twin sister who looks just like their mum, who is a British Alpine milking goat. A real shame is that this little one has a very flighty nature.

Also not in the photos are baby ducks, some born Christmas day and some born in the last few days. 

Mr 11 yr old had baby rabbits born just before Christmas, he has four still here out of nine (sold the others).

You can usually find baby calves, lambs and chickens here most days as well.

As you can see from the photos it has dried off a lot here in the past few weeks, prior to that we were having unusually mild days with some lovely rain (not heaps but rain that we don't normally get this time of year). So the feed in the paddock is drying off but it varies from being waist to shoulder height on me. LOL makes it not so easy to find things such as piglets and calves when you are doing a head count!

I will show you my DitG blocks in the next few days.

Butterfly Garden

A few weeks ago I was able to put my Butterfly Garden top together, lol I only started this quilt top late January 2008! I can't recall the number of times I have put this quilt aside to work on other projects. It was so exciting to finally get it together. It just needs a really good press and basting so I can quilt it.

I had planned to start either An Angel's Story by Anni Downs or Polka Dot Girls by Red Brolly but found when I finished BG that I couldn't pick these quilts up to work on. Down in the Garden by Leanne Beasley was really appealling so I have been working on it. I actually did start DitG nearly two years ago when it was released but I got overwhelmed with the amount of stitching in it alongside all the other stitching I had to do (BG and A Gardeners Story quilt) so it was put aside and I didn't think I  would pick it up again so I started using the fabrics to make Sue Daley's 'This Goes With That' paper pieced quilt.

I had a dig around and aside from ordering a couple of Lecien basics FQs I was able to use either fabrics I had originally intended to use or substitutes that I am happier with. I am close to having two blocks completed for this quilt already so An Angel's Story and Polka Dot Girls might not have to wait too long after all!

Quilts

The above quilt is HeMingHos that I actually finished a number of months ago but didn't have a camera at the time to show you. I made it using only two jellyrolls and backing fabric. The centre squares are pieced with two JR strips and the binding is a scrap binding. I had very little left from the two jelly rolls which was fantastic. Even better I bought the JRs on sale! The quilt is SB size and is on our lounge at present.

This one is ready for me to stitch down the binding. It is a baby quilt to put away for when I need one for a gift. I used two American Jane charm packs to make the dissapearing nine patch, then sashed it with white. The quilt size is about 50" square, so a generous size for a baby/toddler.



Another baby quilt to have the binding stitched down and be put away for when I need a gift. Another dissapearing nine patch quilt, this time using Basic' Grey's Max and Whiskers range. Size is about 38" square.



The Friends in Stitching online group that I am in has been doing pieced block of the months the past two years, with one person choosing a block per month for everyone else to piece. This is the BOM from 2010, I didn't start last years because I hadn't finished the previous years quilt top, and I when I decided to put this quilt together I didn't piece the four blocks that I was behind on, so it is 55" square, lap quilt size and not single bed size. I used my stash of pretty Holly Holderman fabrics to make this. 

A quilt top to quilt and put away for a baby gift. LOL It seems like I am  building up stash of these, but with two nephews and one neice being born within a couple of years and me being as slow as I am at getting their quilts made I wanted to be a bit prepared from now on.

I used the Verna quilt pattern and Pure fabrics to make this one. It's about 40" square.



This quilt top is a project from last years Fig Tree Club and once quilted it is a gift for my neighbour who went through breast cancer and a masectomy a couple of years ago. The layout of this quilt was quite simple and basic, and to start with I was a little dissapointed with the design; but once I started piecing it I fell in love. It is so much prettier in reality than the computer image. I feel a little reluctant about giving it away! I am sure my neighbour is going to treasure it when she recieves it. I think it's about 68" square.

This is a SB size (78" by 50") dissapearing ninepatch, lol I think I have made enough dissapearing nine patches for the time being! I used two ranges, Farm Fresh and Fox Trails, both by Riley Blake Designs.

This quilt is for our new baby, lol it was meant to be cot size as I haven't any patchwork/quilted cot quilts but as wanted to make as much use out of the charm squares I had bought the quilt has ended up being much bigger! Before I quilt this for the baby I have set myself the goal of finishing off quilts for my other children as I have only finished quilts for two out of five children. Luckily don't have much to finish the remaining three quilts, provided I can manage better with this all day nausea that doesn't seem to be going away.

This is Floral Bouquet and it is for my eldest daughter, made with a JR of Sunkissed that Kerri sent me as a thankyou for when I helped her out last year. On the back is one of Heather Bailey's Fresh Cut fabrics. This is one of the quilts that doesn't have much to go on it; and I need to get it quilted so I have pins to baste some of the quilt tops I have recently finished. Don't get me wrong here, I do have quite a pile of basting pins so I don't need to purchase any more. I also happen to have a QS quilt that is also full of basting pins at present too; AND I need some motivation to get these tops quilted!

Belated Christmas

Above is what Vicki made me for Christmas in the Friends in Stitching Secret Santa swap.

The bag was the main present, this is a Red Brolly pattern and Vix has made it for me in reproduction fabrics (love these). Vicki also made me a Red Brolly purse in the FIS purse swap late last year, so they both go together very well! The gorgeous gifts in the other two pictures are what Vicki sent for the advent part of the SSS, we had to purchase or make a small gift to open for the five days leading up to Christmas.

Thanks so much Vicki!

I made for Peg in this swap, and you will have to  look here to see what I made her as I didn't have a camera up and working prior to sending her gifts.

My friend Lynda sent me this gorgeous ornament that she made.

Thanks so much Lynda!

Golly Gosh!

I can't believe it has been more than two months since I last posted! Guess I have a lot to update you on!

Last month I spent four days with Aunty in QLD, it was busy busy as our time was cut short due to dh having to take his mother to a solider reunion for the company that his dad was in, and also due to a change of exam date for my studies (got a distinction for the exam). The kids loved the beach and had a fantastic time. They bought prawns straight off the boat, walked a waterfall hike and visited an aquaponics place. The girls went wedding dress shopping with me for aunty, no she hasn't decided which dress yet but she did say that we helped.

We weren't home long from QLD (our first trip away in twelve months from the farm, aside from day trips) when had a trip through Sydney to dh's mothers surprise 80th. Coming home we had car trouble which ended up being costly and time consuming to fix, and the car drives better now than it has done in years.

I have spent a lot of time in bed the past three months but with some changes (from the naturopath) I am up and about. We have a baby due in April that we are all very excited about! Due to being so sick I wanted to have my scan and make sure everything was alright before letting too many people know; everything is fine. After Christmas I will start shopping the op shops for baby things as most of my stuff has either worn out or been passed on/lent out.  

With the new baby coming I ummed and ahhed over the quilting baby books, didn't need them but I ended up purchasing Anna Maria Horner's 'New Beginings'. I LOVE this book! It has so much more in it than I expected. Maternity and breastfeeding clothes for mum; clothes, toys and quilts for baby; toys and bags for dads and siblings etc.

I got my new camera last week, after not having one for a number of months. It's not up and running yet but will be soon. I have lots to show.

Just before going to QLD the older two children went to leather work and MrZ made leather thongs and JessieGirl made leather sandals. They are fantastic and the kids are so proud of their achievement. Miss Busy went to leather work last weekend by herself to make a belt and she ended up making her own sandals too! Her sandals are more suited to her tastes, one sandal has red straps and the other has blue!

During the winter we bought a second hand industrial sewing machine from the leather work teacher; dh has used it to repair his bee gloves and I have visions of HIM (not me) making some good canvas tarps for the farm with it! A very handy addition to have!

I have been busy sewing (in fits and starts) on my machine. I have completed five quilt tops ready to be quilted, my Friends in Stitching secret santa present, a few smaller things for Christmas gifts and a number of things for the children (dolls, bags etc). I am STILL stitching Butterfly Garden, only have 2 blocks left to stitch and then about five to machine applique. I started this quilt January 2008!

Our milking goat had twins last weekend, a girl who looks like mum and a boy who looks like dad! I will have photos of these soon, they are so gorgeous! We also have two Wessex Saddleback pigs, and Peking duck eggs in the incubator. Two weeks ago, in all the rain we had, one of the four milking cows calved and lost her calf to the weather before I got her in. It's nice to have fresh milk again but not so good to lose the calf. I am hoping to get a poddy to foster onto her soon.

Bec xxx