Merry Christmas!

Handmade and Homemade Christmas

 I like to try for a handmade and homemade Christmas as much as possible and have finished a little blue hexagon quilt and another origami bag. Tomato Relish and Mint Chutney come from the kitchen and some potted plants from the garden. Next is the wrapping and the sorting and all my usual contributions to our family Christmas lunch.

Christmas Sewing

I have been making some fabric origami bags to give to some of the ladies in my life for Christmas. I chose the colours and patterns with the individual in mind, so I hope they like them.

A little Birdie has finished her Christmas sewalong banner,  it is the first one I have seen completed and looks great on their mantelpiece. Mine is getting there and I have also been working on a little English Paper Pieced doll's Quilt as a Christmas gift. Lots to do and time is running out. 

In The Garden

"Wedding Day"

"Wedding Day"

"Cecile"

"Elina"

"Apricot Nectar"

Little English Paper Pieced Quilt

I have finished my little quilt for the Sew Mama Sew competition. It is all hand sewn apart from attaching the binding. I used 1/2 inch paper pieces and it measures  about 10" x 12" [25x30 cm] Now all I have to do is work out how to load the photo on to the website. Hopefully, a little birdie can help me.

Christmas Sewalong

My Christmas Sewalong is nearly up to date. I cannot believe how quickly the weeks have gone by and I have enjoyed participating in this project very much. Instructions for the finishing off will be published this weekend.

I have been making this little Quilt as well to participate in a competition at Sew Mama Sew using my favourite tiny prints. I always enjoy the transformation the quilting makes, adding depth and warmth.

Chocolate Cupcakes

I have a recipe for Persian Chocolate Cupcakes with persian fairy floss as decoration that I have wanted to make for some time now. I finally located some and bought it the other day, but found it too difficult to use neatly, so I put little pink candy hearts on the top instead.

"It was the time of Roses"

I picked three different bunches of roses from the garden on Friday and we have been enjoying them all weekend.

"It was the time of roses" is by Thomas Hood.

In The Garden

In The Garden.

Copper Beech

Crepescule

Buff Beauty

Crab Apple

Lamb Tales

As Spring goes on and the weather improves, it is time on the farm for lamb marking. We have about 260 ewes, divided into 3 mobs. Each mob is herded into the yards and the lambs are separated from the ewes via the drafting race. Ewes go in one pen, lambs in another. It is very noisy with all the ewes and lambs bleating for each other.

Each lamb is lifted up and secured in a specially designed holding cradle. They are inoculated, earmarked [hence "lamb marking"] and an elastrator ring is put on it's tail. This cuts off the bloodflow and the tail eventually falls off. The ram lambs are de-sexed using the same method. Doing this ensures a low risk of flystrike during the warmer months. By counting the number of tail rings used, we are able to work out how many lambs we actually have.

The whole family gathers for this annual event and their help is greatly appreciated.  They make a great team working together to get this essential farm work done. It is also wonderful to have everybody at home sharing tea breaks and meals and spending some time together.

"For every Bird a Nest"

We have a large garden with an abundance of places for the birds to nest, so why has this one built in Tom's farm coat that is hanging up on the back porch not two metres from the back door? Nique discovered it on the weekend and tells me there are three eggs in it. I haven't been brave enough to look too closely because an angry little bird flys out and chatters very crossly at me if I get too close.

"For every Bird a Nest"  is by Emily Dickinson.

Fun Weekend

I had a lovely weekend with Amy and we went to a store called Daiso that sells a huge variety of  Japanese products all priced at $2.80. This Maneki Niko Cat was the first thing I picked up, but not the last! I bought some great craft supplies as well as Bento accessories and kitchen gadgets. We will be going back there again soon.

Christmas Stitchalong No 3

No 3 is finished and I can't believe we are already up to No 4 this weekend! The weeks are going by far too quickly.

A Wedding

My nephew was married on Saturday under a very blue sky beside a lovely calm Phillip Bay. A perfect day for a very pretty and happy wedding.

Christmas Sewalong No 2

I have finished Christmas Stichery number two! Hello Little Birdie is participating as well and she taught me how to do the french knots on the weekend. Thanks Amy.

Grand Final Jelly Slice

Guess who I would like to win today?

Christmas Sewalong

I have finished the first part of the Sew Happy Me Christmas project and I am looking forward to the next one due tomorrow. If you are interested click on the Sew Happy Sewalong button on the left.

"Fly away home"

After hanging about for a couple of weeks, Walter pigeon has gone. I hope he went home and did not meet a sinister end. There was a cat about and something spooked our rooster and hen the other night so badly they will not go in their own shed at dusk. Bruce has to catch them and put them away after they have gone to roost in a tree.

Zorro, our rooster.

Jolly Elf Boots

I have been stitching for a legion of elves this last week. This Jolly Elf Boots pattern is from Australian Homespun Magazine, No 90 [Vol 11.11] I have sent one of each colour to my sister and I hope she gets a nice surprise when she opens the parcel.

Lamb Tales

Bruce picked up this abandoned lamb yesterday. It doesn't drink very well yet but I will persevere. The poorly ram twin died last night which is a bit disheartening.

In the Garden

Lamb Tales

Ginger

The wind has been cold lately but we have not had a lot of rain. Hopefully there will be some fine weather this weekend so the lambs can go in their grass pen in the garden. They have lucerne chaff as well as their milk and they are growing well. I still have one in a coat and the ram twin is not thriving as well as the others. The ewe twin is quite a tubster and had her first stubbie of milk this morning, finishing it with ease.  Walter pigeon continues to loiter in the machinery shed eating hayseed and will soon be too fat to fly.