Caring with Quilts update.............

Caring with quilts is going very well.............it's been getting some other media coverage as well as what we have all shared online and I am getting people contact me about more quilts.............

Quilters are amazing people there is no doubt about that............

Nicky (New Zealand) and Maree sent these yesterday

Last weeks mail was from

Yvonne, Brenda, Margaret, Patrizia, Marc, unknown lady, and Lynda sent 7.............

Someone else arrived the other day - Peg and Dale.................they now have a passport and travel bag......these girls have luggage - probably since they went to Japan as they did come back with some serious luggage.............of course they had to check out the quilts............

And when I add all those to the pile I have 

50 quilts.........

this is an amazing pile............

The Googy Girl has organised the Traditional Nine Patch Swap.....

....my 14 blocks for February are done....I had to start with blue........... 

OK crawling back into my hole until we get some rain................proper rain....

.....I could be gone for awhile........they keep forecasting it and we get nothing........that's worse then when they don't forecast any rain - you don' t get your hopes up..........

Catch you later..............

Chookyblue

Far out!!!!!!!!!

Once again people are being flooded along the coast and we get a miserable 6mls which does NOTHING!!!!!

I hate driving out in the paddocks.....hungry stock looking for food!!!!!

Chookyblue...

some things change - some stay the same.........

Wow 6 years ago I tried something new...

this was the first picture on my blog....

Some things change -the tree is bigger.....

Some stay the same - still dry in the background..........

Who would have thought my life would have been so affected by blogging......

I have made some wonderful friends both online and in real life....friendships in so many different countries and so many parts of Australia.........

I have tried lots more sewing things - inspired by others.....or seeing something and wanting to do it too......

Thankyou for visiting and leaving comments............. if we didn't have the interaction it would be SOOOOOO boring....... If your reading this and not a blogger take the plunge and start blogging....... it's not hard.....it's a whole new amazing world......... it doesn't matter what I share.........it is my blog........so I write what I want here... BUT...... What do you like to see..........what silly, random, crazy, odd post have you liked........or is it one of my more sensible ones...........actually not sure that is possible........... .........take care til next time.....Chookyblue.........

PS Still can't believe i've been here for 6 years.....OMG......

prezzies and quilts.........

Thanks for all you lovely comments on my last post.............it's friendships that keep you going............

Last week in the mail I received these goodies from Loz..........the charm pack is lovely...........can't wait to make something from it.........

Also when Jenny came to visit she brought me some presents..........funny thing is we met in town and she found a great bird brooch at the shop and I had looked to see if they had any chooks but no.............then I open this parcel and look what was inside..............love the chook brooch.........some great fabrics.........and also some binding clips..........which came in to good use on the weekend binding marathon.............and Jenny had to borrow a couple of mine since she forgot to bring hers...........there are actually 10 clips but some were on a quilt at the time...........

But the best thing Jenny brought with her is below..............

Yes that's is an air conditioner you see...............she replaced some with split systems in the house so gave me the old ones...........this is so exciting..............I was actually testing it out on Monday afternoon when the fires struck.............it won't be big enough on a stinking hot day but it was 35 the other day and it was fine for me............I had it sitting through the window testing it out............my shed is such a "hand me down" "recycled" shed it isn't funny....I am so lucky Jenny thought of me..............with the week that's been it seems like Jenny was here weeks ago but it was only on the weekend.........such a nice time together.........

&&&&

2 more quilts for Caring with Quilts....................thanks Kerri.WillowGrove Quilts.......it's not to late to help out........don't forget quilts can be dropped in at The Home Patch Bathurst and Cottage on the Hill Nundle.....

Catch you later..............

Chookyblue

Caring with Quilts +9...........

Thanks to Kymberly USA, Susan,  Julie (6) and Shez for this bundles of gorgeous quilts for Caring with Quilts..............

&&&&&

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.      Elizabeth Foley

We had such fun together, made some great memories..........and drifted off in different directions....but it was like we only saw each other yesterday when we did catch up........you are gone way to early in life my special friend........you will be missed Tanya but your no longer suffering...................

Catch you later..............

Chookyblue

fires, rain, lightning.............

Happily working away and I ended up here.......not the post I was planning for today and you never quite know what's going to happen next when you live on a farm............

thankfully it was stopped at the (very dry) creek...........

.......usually I am on the phone and radio organising the neighbours but today I was struggling to get onto people so I called Mr Chooky home and I hooked up to the fire cart with the car and met him along the road to save time............

a whirly wind on the burnt ground............

another whirly wind..........

dry cow poos smouldering........these are troublesome smouldering away........

several hours at the fire Mr Chooky dropped me back to the car and I came home..........he stayed there for an hour or more and then headed off to another big fire that had started about the same time as this one.......

storms were cranking up with lots of lightning........I was thinking here we go more fires............and then a storm came in.............dumping rain and hail..........blowing in everywhere..........the gauge said 4mls but it was twice that if not more.............

(yes that's the very long ladder I climbed up yesterday)

puddles all around...........

then more storms were brewing around..........

we caught some lightning in the photos..........

Fairy Girl got this one while I was dealing with calls for another fires.............

between the lightning and the little tree you can see some smoke going up..........
then we got another 6mls of rain..............

As I start to write this post yet another fire call out.............
...a tree burning from a lightning strike (UPDATE 2 trees burning)........

i'm tired I want to go to bed...........Mr Chooky went on his own this time but there is a neighbour there and another one coming so surely they can sort it out..............

I am soooo pleased we got some rain but OMG I am over the fires.............

Catch you later..............

Chookyblue

binding marathon @ snake farm.....................

I had a special visitor this weekend..............but it meant a binding marathon..............too hot to stitch in the chook shed we sat and bound on the lounge in the air con.............Cardygirl where are you we know how much you LOVE binding..........

Another friend called in and she did some on the blue one...........

2 quilts finished this morning so off for a photo shoot..........

the ladder was leaning against the tree so I couldn't resist hanging the quilts over a branch......

....it's pretty high up.........thank goodness Jenny didn't snap a pic of me climbing up the ladder.............

they don't look very big up there but they are both big quilts.........

then onto the combine...............

"Cops" (Curly Pops 1st baby) came for a look............

very kindly Jenny left this one for Caring with Quilts...........

mine hanging on the line.........I think this was the second quilt I ever started..............it's been many years in the making.........probably about 10ish............it got to a top............finally I got the borders on............then finally it got quilted and I started on the binding and stuffed up a join and couldn't find the left over bit which I finally did but it got put in the too hard basket...........then I dug it out and fixed the bind up the other day and it will go to Caring with Quilts too...........I am so pleased it is finally done and it wasn't hard to give away as I have always had in my mind it was for someone but hadn't decided who..........it was a pattern from Country Threads............i'll try and find the mag and add the details here........it's a pretty big quilt...........

once we got sick of binding we traced off the SAL stitchery for Feb and made a start............

These quilts arrived last mail...........thanks...........Marilyn, Fiona, Lea, Michelle for Caring With Quilts

a neighbours cow got it's head stuck in a tree base........goodness knows how......Mr Chooky got it out for them..........

It required a chainsaw, axe and being towed out but no cows were harmed in the incident - just staggered a little when it hopped up.........lucky it didn't die there.......it's been a hot weekend with no water..............

As as for the name of our farm I have renamed it today after the week we've had..............4 snakes in one week is 4 too many.............so now we are "Snake Farm"...........

thanks for a great weekend Jenny.......see you in 6 weeks........

Catch you later............

Chookyblue...........

sewing kit, drought feeding, Fairy Girl Sewing.........

Last weekend was heaven..................Sat especially was max 27..............hasn't been that cool for 3 months............and the night was great too......coolest for 2 months.............no fans, no air cons, just a gorgeous day (well if it can't rain) So I got some time in the chook shed sewing...........

I made up this sewing kit for the people affected by the Dunalley Fires. 

We had some essentials to include in the parcel (top left pic) plus a stitchery not included in pic and then add something extra.........

I included some cards and other sewing bits and bobs...........

While some parts of the country have had rain in crazy amounts causing much devastation we haven't had any........well 2.5 inchs in 6 months won't do anything....

..especially during the heat we have had.............except lots of drought feeding.............

hungry cows following the hay bale.............until they discovered the one already out for them and then they took off..............

For long time blog readers that's Curly Pops (the red one) in the middle............

then it was onto the sheep..........

big clear skys with no rain...........

it's pretty depressing out in the paddocks..........

another mob running into the feed cart..............

just waiting for the stragglers to come in..............

happy now with oats to eat.........

I caught my leg on the feed bin..............you should see the bruise - actually I won't scare you with it............

Fairy Girl got some sewing done last weekend too..........she made these for her friends.........

they can put little bits in them............hair bands etc............

love the owl fabrics I got at spotlight........

.....wished I had more it's so cute but I only have a fat quarter............

have a great weekend................I have a special visitor coming............more on that later..........hoping we will get some sewing done...........but right now I have no power for 2 hours so I better get off here as it's going off in about 10 mins..............

But thankfully it won't be off all day cause it's supposed to be 36 here today............

Have a great weekend.............

Catch you later..............

Chookyblue

First quilt hand delivered............

The gorgeous lady on the left is a fellow stitcher and she was thrilled to receive a quilt from the CWA "Caring with Quilts" project........

She is an embroidery and stitcher and lost everything................

They are not going anywhere and will rebuild there lives.......

.......their little patch of paradise will be paradise again...........

I gave one to her husband also since I know he would appreciate the time and effort involved (being married to a stitcher) and he was thrilled.............

Catch you later..............

Chookyblue

Caring with Quilts......+7.....-3......

Here are some of the CWA ladies at their meeting with the quilts earlier in the week..................They were amazed and can't wait to see more of the quilts...........they also thank you all for being so kind and generous........and are so excited about taking this project on board..............

I did tell them that I already knew my blogging quilt mates are amazing, kind generous people..........

Don't forget to let me know if you can make a quilt or get a couple of friends together to make one.........I will collect quilts over the next 4-6 weeks...........I know one sewing group is having a sewing day next Saturday to make quilt/s for this collection........

They can also be left with 

Anni @ The Home Patch Bathurst 

or

 Kerry @ Cottage on the Hill Nundle

&&&

The mail has been good this week so far..........

This gorgeous bundle of 7 quilts was pulled out of the parcels................

thanks so much  Teresa, Maria and Maxine Vic

THE MOST EXCITING BIT IS...................

yesterday afternoon I gave 3 quilts to be delivered to a our first recipients..............

I made contact with a lady and she is going to visit her friend in the next day or so and has taken quilts for them and a neighbour.............she said her friend has been wanting to get into quilting and hasn't had a chance in the last few years but she knows she will be so pleased about the quilt......and the delivery friend was so amazed that you girls were so caring and generous.......passing on a HUGE THANKS on behalf of her friend who lost everything...........

&&&&

Please spread the word online................the more quilts we get the more people we can support.........

I can't imagine losing EVERYTHING.......

Catch you later..............

Chookyblue

PS if you listen to ABC radio in NSW and get Statewide Drive with John Morrison (4-6pm) they are broadcasting from Coonabarabran this afternoon and will be talking to a CWA lady about the quilts..............

OMG Peg and Dale got a passort........

The adventures of Peg and Dale continue............check it out they have got passports and are in snow in some far away country................

.........take care til next time.....Chookyblue.........

scarred for life???

Poor Fairy Girl..............have I psychologically scarred her for life??????...........I pulled out some English paper piecing tonight and she said "you know Mum were not on the road" 

All this brings to her is memories of being on the road droving the cattle - which she didn't really like at all...........then she says "do you think you could make me a quilt from it?????"

So I guess maybe not scarred for life but holds a deep life long memory.......

OK back to the EPP.....hopefully I will have show and tell tomorrow..........

Catch you later..............

Chookyblue

5 more for "Caring with Quilts".........

Wow when Maree said she had popped a parcel in the mail for me I had no idea it was this big..............

5 quilts...........OMG this is wonderful..........thanks so much Maree.........it travelled very fast............

All going to Caring with Quilts.......

.....leave a comment here if you can help out............

the more quilts I get the more people we can help out............

And last week Shez sent me these great hand towels.............funny cause I had been looking at her blog thinking I need to make some of these...............perfect for me...........chook fabric and a chook and cow button......she included some treats for the chooky family too.............the chocolate was very soft and got popped into the fridge to set..........surprise surprise it is still in one piece............i'm sure it will get broken up and disappear on the weekend.............thanks so much Shez.........

The temps this week have been a bit nicer............I wouldn't say they are cool but much better then 40+

Catch you later..............

Chookyblue