A Mother's Day Gift and a Block

My local Craft Group are running a raffle this year for Mother's Day... We have a washing basket and between now and the 9th May we have the challenge of filling it with ''handmade gifts and things we think someone special (Mum) would like"... Last week I made four pot holders ... but forgot to take a photo before I took them to town... oops... this week I have made a cover for a A4 paper file....

This is so sweet and I can see that I will be making some more for friends or family... it was quick and easy once the hand embroidery was finished... you will find the pattern in ''Australian Homespun No.45 Vol 8.2
You could make this for any occasion and personalise it with the recipients name... inside the cover are pockets in front and back... the front inside has a hand embroidered piece that says ''this book belongs to''... the only thing I did have trouble with was the binding... it says to cut strips 1 1/4 in and fold in half... I would do a 2 inch strip... I had mine already cut so I just modified mine to fit...
An Olympic Snowman???

The second block in the BunnyHill Bom for this year... I am using different light blue backgrounds for all my blocks... I thought this snowman was quite appropriate seeing it is the Winter Olympics happening at the moment... I have really enjoyed watching them so different seeing all that snow and watching the kids play snow angels in the background...

I still have my toothache and popping painkillers... bring on the 8th March to see the dentist... such a pain living so far away from medical treatment... trying not to chew that side is a feat and trying to think of thinks to eat that don't take a lot of chewing is hard... especially when there is two of you to cook for............

Luv T xxx

Another Block and a Finish...

Geez bloggerland has been a pain to get into these last few days... is anyone else having trouble?? I have tried most of this week to put a post up!!!!

I finished Vicki's 2nd ''flirting with flowers'' block... very sweet Vicki and thank you for the free patterns also... If you head over to Vicki's blog you will see she has posted a few more finished blocks from other girls... they are all different and all wonderful..

I had these four blocks left over from a memory quilt I did for a friends 40th birthday... they have been hanging over the back of my chair for months and months since I dug them out... wondering what to do with them......... so I sewed them together and they sat there for more months hahahahahaha
Then I was surfing around blogland and was checking out Bev's place at Kainga Happenings and the first thing you see is the big beautiful sunflower... so and idea is formed... not that my flowers that are machine appliqued on look anything like a sunflower...
Now those four spare squares are a table topper and I think that it looks quiet good and I am so glad that it is not still hanging over my chair.... into the box of finished projects it goes ready for some one's birthday or Christmas pressie or just because....
I machine shadow quilted around the flowers then stippled everywhere using a variegated thread...
It has been very hot here again... yesterday while in town my car was telling me the outside temp was 46.......... yep hot....... plenty of cloud around but no rain
Luv T xxx

Stitchery... Goats and a Cake...

This lovely little tea cup I am doing with a group of friends... I think we are doing nice teacups altogether and I am going to make a table topper for my Mum for Christmas... OMG I am thinking that far ahead already and it is February......... scary.......... I had been saving that fabric for so long for what reason I have no idea... it really is a beautiful fabric...

Yesterday I needed to make something for lunch and thought while the oven was on and there is plenty of room in there I would bake a cake... and I have been truly avoiding putting the oven on in this weather... yes as you can see i did sample the cake... It is an apple cake of sorts made with sour cream which gives it a light fluffy texture... topped with apple, cinnamon and sugar... very nice.... yes there is still some left today........

These two little pretties are the latest BOM from the Australian Homespun magazine... last year they did a BOM ''Breast of Friends'' with funds going to breast cancer... this year they are supporting ovarian cancer with their new Bom titled ''Life Is A Celebration''... some of the Australian designers who have lent their time to this years BOM are

Monica Poole

Janelle Wind

Kellie Wulfsohn

Natalie Ross

Gail Pan

Marg Low

Majella Rush

I even subscribed to the magazine so I wouldn't miss out on a single magazine with the blocks haha... and I think this months is in the mail... tomorrow is town day can't wait to see the two new blocks...

208 goats all loaded up on Saturday... all up we trapped 557 goats and they left here on a road train (truck) yesterday afternoon.... phew and I glad to... until next time hahaha... but hey good money they bring in.....

Luv T xxxx

Today I Was Out The Bush...

This is me driving behind the truck on our way out the bush to some trap yards that are set up to trap goats at some windmills... very dusty road this was but it got worst when we got off the main road onto the windmill run road...

Didn't see any wild life around and it was windy as well
This is a lake that we drove through... yep empty and dry... you can see the bank in the distance with the row of trees around

The goats all trapped in... once sorted into billies, nannies and outies we got about 50 sized goats from the mill..... outies are the ones we let go as they are either to small, very pregnant or have weeny babies...

mmmmmmmmmmmmm funny looking goat!!!!

mmmmmm more funny looking goats!!!

Some of the wildlife that was looking on as we were working..

Pink and grey Galahs...

I tried to get really close for this photo but the kept flying off... up and down the guide wires of the windmill tower were about 100 Zebra Finches... they are so cute...

And This Dropped By....

Just as we were about to leave the big fella dropped by for a drink....

He was very big and very fat Bungarra and he let me get quite close for a photo...

Luv T xxx

I Finished This Today... No 14

I did make one of these for my ''Stitching Angel'' partner Vicki... when I was making hers I decided to cut out enough for two... I loved the large letters so much easier to applique with satin stitch no fiddly little corners or turns... it is really long and you could use it as a table runner as well...

With this one I added a large button on the heart and also around the sides... and I am going to give it to my local craft group to hang in the rooms to welcome visitors...

Today it has been so cool... 34c and tomorrow they say 32c... may need to find jumpers hahahaha... Hubby and I are mustering or should say trapping goats this week... we have had no summer rain at all and the place is so dry... the goats are making such a mess of the land and hubby is having to cart water daily to windmills as they can't keep up with the amount of goats at each one and they are really there for our stock not the darn goats... we are hoping to get at least 500 this time... more if we can...

Luv T xxx

TaDa.... Finished

My first attempt at ''colourque''.... I am sure I will improve over time once I get used to using different attempts at pressure while using the coloured pencils and using the little brush to apply the medium to fuse the colouring in....

A closer look... I do think it is quite cute really....

My friend loved her oven mitts.... but............ they are not thick enough for the big heavy bread baking trays... she is using them for the cake tins though.... so back to the drawing board and I must get some of that heat resistant stuff ''insulbrite'' I think it is?

I am having so much trouble with my Internet server... most of the time we aren't connected or it drops out while on line... I have been onto the ''telecommunications Ombudsman'' as I have put around 30 complaints in with no satisfaction... and Active8 say ''do this do that pull this out disconnect that'' and you get a different person each time with no help at all... ''call us if you still have problems''... so over calling them!!!!!!!!!! Apparently they have until this Friday to act and if I get ''no action'' then I am to ring the Ombudsman on Monday and let them know... and the real pain is that we are paying for this service???? Not good enough.....

Luv T xxx