Bibs for Baby

I have found some great free patterns for bibs on the Internet and have made some for a friend's newest little granddaughter. They are quick to make and have a soft cotton backing.



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"What a pretty name!"

(Sergeant Wilson, Dad's Army, Series 4, Episode 35 )
Violet May is a new Granddaughter for two very good longtime friends and I have made her a quilt. Because of the SIDS guidelines I know she won't be tucked up in her cot with it, but hopefully it will be useful for tummy time, visiting and perhaps to snuggle under when she gets older. The family are on the land as well, but a different type of farm to us in the Riverina District of NSW.



Sometimes I build quilts based on the fabrics rather than follow patterns and a coordinated range is great to work with. This one, called 'Home to Roost by Heather Du Pont for "In The Beginning" Fabrics, is very happy and busy. I bought the full collection of fat quarters from The Nauvoo Quilt Company , my favourite place to buy fabric. Since my own little Grandson arrived I have discovered the wonderful children's fabrics that are available and added a few to my supplies.

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Land Girls

"I'm not getting out in front of all those landladies!" Corporal Jones, Dad's Army, Series 5, Episode 48.




With our eldest son's wedding rapidly approaching, the men had a camping weekend away and the womenfolk enjoyed an afternoon tea in the garden for the Bride. But there were calving cows to check, recalcitrant ponies to shift, late lambing ewes to watch and one poor cow with mastitis to be treated. The girls are all, of course, quite used to the farm work. It was a busy and very enjoyable weekend.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

This morning our front paddock looked like this.




This evening it looked liked this.





This machine, and its operator, are amazing!






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Windmill, Pinwheel and Flutter Blades

This particular block has a few different names and is another one I like very much. I have been experimenting again with the cutting machine and my sewing is becoming more accurate. It might be time to attempt something larger.



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"Tahiti looks nice"

We didn't make enough money to go to Tahiti, but we had an enjoyable day. Hello Little Birdie and The Witch on the Barn had a stall at the Open Drawer annual de stash market in Camberwell. It was a well organised event and we met some lovely people interested in many different crafts. We even managed to cover our costs and make a little profit (very little!)

"All the lovely lilting things of Spring"

"The Loud Halo" by Lillian Beckwith.

Miss Beckwith has a lovely turn of phrase about nature and people. I am still enjoying any more of her books I can find. Our garden is doing the best it can at the moment and the roses are showing some promise.

Quick Sunday Post!

It has been quite a while since we have had a Koala in the yard, but I could hear one today and it took me some time to find this young male. They like our Oak Trees, which are 20 metres plus high, and he was a long way up and hiding.



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Details

Here are some details from our youngest Son's recent Wedding. It was a beautiful day that was gone in a flash. That's the trouble with Weddings, they are over far too quickly!

Halloween

I just had to have a Halloween greeting on a Blog called "The Witch on the Barn!



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Back in the Office.

Our annual farm work of marking the lambs didn't go to plan this year. The family usually gather on Grand Final weekend to accomplish this essential part of raising our fat lambs for market. The weather beat us and it was left to the two farmers and me to get the job done during the week. It has been quite a while since I have actually taken part because usually I am feeding everyone. This year I came out of retirement and worked in the yards. After two very frantic days we have all the lambs done and the percentages are looking good. And despite the pressure, it's a pretty attractive workplace.
























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Blue Haze

We have a large Ceonthus hedge bordering one part of the garden and at the moment it is covered in flowers and full of bees. I will give it a good cut back this year and take a few cuttings to plant more. There are Forget Me Nots, Violets and Grape Hyacinths growing nearby and I can see a lovely blue haze from the kitchen window.










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Pour la table

I made this set of placemats using the fabric I bought earlier this year at the Craft Depot in Sydney. They are for my farmer son and my (very soon to be) daughter in law.







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Visitors

We had some Yellow Tail Black Cockatoos in the trees around the house yesterday. They are very entertaining creatures with their squawking to each other and their lazy flying action. A visit from them usually means bad weather and they were right. We are back to cold and wet and stoking up the fire.





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"It would appear Spring is a little late this year"

(Sgt Wilson, Dad's Army, Episode 2, Series 3, )

The daffodils have been blooming for a few weeks now but I always rely on the trees to let me know Spring is here. Our Weeping Cherry and Golden Elm have only just started to flower. Winter was very wet and cold, so some warmer weather is very welcome My other farmer tells me we may be heading into another El Niño which is quite worrying. Hopefully we will all be better prepared this time.


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Homemade Muesli

I find bought cereals far too sweet so I make my own muesli. The ingredients are:

1 bag rolled oats
1 small box allbran
1 box low salt cornflakes
1 bag puffed wholegrain rice
1/2 box weeties
2 cups natural bran
1/3 bag raisins
1/3 bag dried cranberries
1/3 bag chopped dried apricots
1bag toasted coconut flakes

This makes quite a lot and fortunately I have a very large stainless steel bowl to mix it in. Store in airtight containers.


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One Hundred Lines

A glorious bundle of fabric arrived in the mail today and I am itching to dive into it. The colours are a new departure for me, being orange, lime green, chocolate brown, aqua and a bit of yellow. I have a quilt in mind but "I MUST NOT START ANY NEW PROJECTS" until I have finished another two I have nearly completed. Perhaps if I write a hundred lines I won't be tempted?

All my sons are getting married

We are having quite a year for family events. Our little Grandson arrived in January, our younger Son is getting married next month and our older Son's wedding is in January, 2013!





This Quilt has been quite a while in the making. I always intended it for our older son and his partner, but I couldn't get any further than the middle. Eventually I realised the thought of quilting it was putting me off. So I did a bit of unpicking and changed to "quilt as you go" and managed to finish it in time for their birthday's this month, (which are only 4 days apart.)

The fabric is the Serenity range from Moda




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