Goodbye 2017.........

wow what a year.........

went to the 10th and final GDITC.......

Pushed myself in March Charge.........

started a new job full time in town........

we fed for 11 months of the year........

moved a whole property.....

finish a student with Distance Ed........

Survived to the end of Distance Ed..........

lost two immediate family members..........

barely rained less then 1/2 the average annual rainfall.............

The beauty of the end of a year.........it was stunning in real life........

its been a challenging year in many ways..........

A few highs lots of lows............

emotionally and physically draining.........

Good riddens 2017......2018 can only improve..........

Catch you later.....

Chookyblue.....

Blueberry Pie......

Seems I may have confused a few of you when I was talking about baking Blueberry Pie..........sorry............

Started way back here and worked on it again in the next month here................

the bottom row of pies were ready for the oven just not baked........

Had I not had the neighbours over swimming, drinking and eating this may have been finished last night........

I had to remember how to make these suckers..........I needed another 12 of them..........

Thank god I had these pics in an old post...........god saver as I forgot how to make them and I had remembered I may have used some special rulers.........OMG where are they...........anyway found the rulers and made the blocks.........

This is where I was up to this morning............

TA DA................

Pattern Butterscotch Pie hence my name Blueberry Pie

My love of blue and the blue in the pies..........

Designer Margot Languedoc Canada

I could not find it on her website. 

Started Nundle Retreat 2007................ouch that long ago.......scared myself with that detail............various fabrics.......

70x85 inchs

Used paisleys in the centres of the pies.......nice rich colours but a bit lighter then in this pic.............

Used the Tri Rec Tools to make the point blocks...............

OK so how is the list going?????

1. Ruby Red Lips
2. Churn Dash
3. Pretty in pinks/pastals now name Friendship Kisses
4. Blueberry Pie
5. A New Quilt (FG)
6. A New Quilt (Pretties)
7. Another one in a plastic box I can't remember the name
8. Nine Patch

Now you all want to know whats in the mystery box no 7 so thats whats up next...........after a 10 min nanna nap............

Catch you later......

Chookyblue.....

Come on down no 3

No 3 pretty pink/pastals started life from a Fat 1/4 birthday swap.................clearly I asked to soft and pretty..........gorgeous fabrics I received............

Here are most of the fabrics when I received them.....good memories.......only a couple of the girls blog now...........

I just can't find the post with the blocks............I know I'll look in my blog book from 2009..........I know I was thinking of using pink chenille with the blocks..........ok looked and only found a post that showed a glimpse of them finished in June 2010 blocks were made and I took them on a retreat but clearly did nothing with them.......

this is what I started with today - blocks that needed to be squared off at 14.5in..........

DOES ANYONE KNOW THE BLOCK NAME?

I decided it needed sashing and cornerstones............

found that in the stash............I think it from Aster Manor...........

initially I was only adding sashing to the inside then the border but I decided it needed them all the way around too..............before the border...............

Love this border print............found it in the stash too..............

Needed another thin border of the cornerstone fabric before the final border..............

LOVE IT.............
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Needs a name..............help.........any ideas????

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Decided looking at all these old projects I sucked at putting details in quite a few of them........so it's a bit of a mystery what I was thinking at the time..............

there are scraps from cutting these blocks but no idea where they are...........lol.............

This was to post last night but I fell asleep while typing it.............
Anyway suns not up and I am in the chookshed......it's a beautiful cool moring which will not last long enough....36 today..........soon as I hit publish I will be baking Pie...........Blueberry pie to be exact..........it's coming along very well............wait til I well you how long it's been baking for.........scared myself............
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Anyone keen for a Fat 1/4 birthday swap..........Aussies only...........too expensive to send too many parcels  over seas........2 fat quarters only needed in the package............nothing else at all...........are you interested?????

Catch you later.....

Chookyblue.....

Thanks and HELP!!!!!

OMG thanks for all the lovely comments...............feels great to be achieving so with that in mind I went to the Chookshed to find another project in progress.....but with a million projects on the goooooooo I can't decide.........I went looking for a couple and found way to many more........So please choose what you like here and I'll work on the one with the most votes.......

1. Ruby Red Lips
2. Churn Dash
3. Pretty in pinks/pastals
4. Blueberry Pie
5. A New Quilt (FG)
6. A New Quilt (Pretties)
7. Another one in a plastic box I can't remember the name
8. Nine Patch

Woops that list grew way to fast............

Quick tell me what you think................

What number quilt will I work on??????

I'm in bed crusing thru some blogs then off to sleep.........then I will be in the Chookshed sewing away hopefully bright and early............if no one disturbs me..........or wants something..........

Catch you later........

Chookyblue........

Stop the press.......

BREAKING NEWS.......BREAKING NEWS.......

BREAKING NEWS.......BREAKING NEWS.......BREAKING NEWS......BREAKING NEWS.......BREAKING NEWS.......

BREAKING NEWS.......BREAKING NEWS.......BREAKING NEWS........BREAKING NEWS.......BREAKING NEWS.......

BREAKING NEWS.......BREAKING NEWS.......BREAKING NEWS.......

Crazy lady is out off control and gets 2nd quilt tops completed in 24 hours.......

Framed is done......

great colours must find the range name for you and me...........

Do you use Clover forked pins...............I love using them especially when joining rows..................the seam sits nicely and they are a fine pin...

Just love this pattern...........Framed by Bonnie and Camille.............

Will definitely be making this one again...........

OK that's enough shock for one day.......this body needs rest.............

nighty night..........

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

Chookyblue.........fre

When push comes to shove.....

When push comes to shove maybe I should say gentle encouragement...........no actually she was talking whip cracking to keep me on task so lets leave it is was..........

I was laying on the lounge in the Chookshed looking at the design wall with bits  of a quilt on it................I text Kris @ Tag Along Teddies about a parcel.............the long and the short of it is she got my A%$#$#SE moving and I got motivated to sew..............I kept sending her photos of my progress to remain accountable........

The fabrics are from Washington Depot by Denyse Schmidt and I got mine at The Next Stitch ..............I used the Moda Love pattern that I have made previously and I love it as a quick effective design...........I didn't quite have the right size blocks as I wasn't using a layer cake so I cut everything 1/2inch smaller.............I think it will measure about 68x68in now.
So here is Christmas Star as named by Kris............
this is my second quilt using grey and surprise surprise I am really happy with the quilt........

So after all that sewing I was very motivated and pulled out Framed (my first grey quilt)..........I started this one back in June? God knows why I never got back to it..............Fairy Girl packed it up from the design wall when we were cleaning up the chookshed..............loving how this is coming together too and I'm running out to the Chookshed to get a little done before I head to work.............

Not sure whats wrong......boxing day my machines even did something unheard of.......never knew it was possible.......I actually mended 3 items.......inbetween my 4 nanna naps..........

Catch you later.....

Chookyblue.....
PS after a 1000 texts back and forwards thanks heaps Kris but how is the pattern writing going?????

SSCS Received and sent..................

Look at this gorgeous wall hanging...............Dagmar @ Quilts and More in Germany excelled...............she sent to me in the Secret Santa Christmas Swap (SSCS) this year............

She sure does follow my blog doesn't she.........you must check out her photo shoot with the quilt here.......looks like she had fun.......

"Lamby and friends"..........

I'm pretty sure is it Lamby, Goatie and Lamby's lamb.............

some Christmas serviettes which were put straight to use............and a fat 1/4 of Paris fabric...........thankyou so much..........

&&&&&&

And onto what I sent for the SSCS to Gail @ Gail' Place in the USA..............

Gail is making a Lucy Boston quilt too...........so I got some 1/2 inch pieces and made a block...........and then made it into a needle book and hand quilted 1/2 and 1in Lucy shapes into it..........

Then I made a home for Lucy............while she is growing she needs a home.............I've had this lovely elegant print for awhile now and thought it would be perfect for this bag.....Lucy is very special......I fussy cut two big vases (front and back) and added some linen............

Now once Lucy starts to get joined she can live in here...........

Thankyou once again to both Dagmar and Gail for being part of the Secret Santa Christmas Swap............and to all the SSCS girls I look forward to seeing all your posts of gifts............i'll be calling around soon.........

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue.........

Boxing Day dust storm.....

#####UPDATED SO VIDEO WORKS######

Boxing Day .............hhhmmmm..........I'd been keeping an eye out to the south as a storm was down that way............

Lightning had been going down so was keeping an eye out for fires.............

"smoke" had gone up a few times then disappeared.............

we were watching this develop and to start thought it was "smoke" but then the red came into it and we knew it was dusting picking up from winds in the storm..........phone calls to another fire brigade captain revealed they were in the thick of a storm and during another call them I could hear the hail hitting............

5.55pm

6.03pm

6.04pm

6.05pm

6.11pm

at this point the light went really dark and weird colours the dust was so thick.............

6.19pm

thought it was all over but started blowing from the left of the photo but nothing like what had been blowing................
Boxing Day involved cleaning after this.............thankfully I remembered the 5 loads of washing on the clothes line before it hit..........
heres a little video I took when it hit.................

I was a bit out of breath in this video running around putting things away.........
Back soon with Christmas news..............
got to download photos from my big camera........
Catch you later.......

Chookyblue......

Dark clouds.....

It feels like ground hog day almost.................

2 years ago we fare-welled my sister today..............

yesterday we fare-welled Mr Chookys dad...........

both gone to cancer.........

snapped this pic on the way home the other night..........the cloud was very circular........wished I could get sucked up into it and disappear for a little while........so once again it is a low key Christmas here..........

extremely stressful time with other complications thrown in for us too........

Catch you later......

Chookyblue.......

(I debated whether to allow comment for this post or not but I know I am frustrated when I want to comment and can't so I have left them on but know I will appreciated but not able to respond to them at this time.......)

Crutching and shearing

stinking hot and stormy..........

shearing rams and lambs..........crutching ewes..........

Good job done..........thanks to my family for stepping in when extra support was needed..............

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

Chookyblue.........

SSCS ornament sent...............

Gail receives my parcel this year in the Secret Santa Christmas Swap..............

you can find Gails blog here @ Gail's Place...........

Always wonderful to know your parcel has arrived.............

No peeking in that main present yet Gail............hope it is safe under the Christmas tree.............

Thanks heaps to Janice @ Jannimary who showed me how to make this little beauty..............It was fun making our ornaments together..........and I only just realised she showed me how to make mine to send to Gail and Gail was her Secret Santa..............

Life is a little out of control........stinking hot (run of 40deg) and super busy..........

So now I will say Merry Christmas my fellow blog readers just incase I don't get back here............And apologise in advance as I cannot see myself having time to comment on your Christmas posts even if I do get to read them........But know I am wishing you all the best no matter what may happen I hope you have some special time with family and/or friends...........

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue.........

Sunrise......

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

Early start for drafting......

Needed to help draft a mob of sheep before work......
Hope you have a cool spot......
40 plus degs forecast for the next week.....so while summer took some time to arrive it has hit with a bang......
Catch you later......
Chookyblue.....

SSCS participants.........

this year we didn't have any new people..............everyone has done the swap previously......many numerous times..........some every year.......so makes it easy for organising.......slightly challenging for organising swap partners......but it worked out well.............

the list of girls is up above on the page link tabs.......

or I added it here SSCS 2017........

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

Sscs ornament.....

My Secret Santa Christmas Swap (SSCS) arrived in the mail all the way from Germany...............its always terribly exciting when your parcel arrives...........and mine arrived in two separate boxes............

Dagmar @ Quilts and More sent to me...........

Look at this gorgeous ornament...........

sorry not the best photo but it kept spinning around and the mozzies were biting me..........this is the best of the pics.........

no decorations out here yet.........with life a little overwhelming its difficult to get into the Christmas mood...........but what a burst of joy this little parcel brought............

now i'll keep my main present safe and there are a couple of extra parcels in the box...........thankyou so much Dagmar............

Catch you later.....

Chookyblue......

Last weekend's rain...........

thought I had published this post but no.....so here it is..........

more pics from last weekend's rain............

full dams...........best sight ever..............

the creek above and below...........

some of the catch for the big dam...........

What wasn't full in these pics filled up by dark............

the only sewing has been secret stuff..........

to be revealed soon.........

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

Chookyblue.........