Merry Christmas......

 You always know you need to blog when you get an email "you're MIA again. Hope all is well".........

I'm fine.......life's pretty hectic....we all have those patches.......I got one of my courses finished.........still working on another one......it will take some time yet.........my "me time" just after Christmas has now been stolen so I am unsure what to do now for some me time..........it's not the time of the year to take me time in my job.........you could get a sudden random Chookshed Stitchers zoom if I can fit something in some time between Christmas/New Year............

I'm not even going to try and say I will get around your blogs as I just don't have the time at present.........

I did hang some tinsel at work but that's as good as the Christmas decorations are at present.......see what the next day brings.....I've been annoying them with Christmas carols on all day........

Christmas is at home so I need to do something fast..........

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas........

Have a wonderful New Year......

Catch you in 2023......

lots of love and thanks for all the fun times and inspiration from 2022.......

Chookyblue..........

PS I have a quilt to share too...........it needs binding but it only arrived back yesterday.........

confessions of a bad blogger.........

I must confess that I am so far behind on blog reading it isn't funny...........

I think I am now 2 months behind on most.......so if I comment on several at once that's why.........i'm catching up....very slowly........the days are flashing by way to fast......

I had a quick zoom last night my time...........apologies about the time for those it does not suit but I can't change the clock.........having said that we had about 17 pop thru in a couple hours..........mostly Australia but also one from Germany, UK, Norway and USA........

I managed to do limited sewing but I did get 6 white hexies attached and quit when I got a knot in my thread..........

the days have been glorious.............

the plants are blooming and the bees humming.............there is a mass of white stamens under this cadagi tree........

Enjoy the rest of your weekend........

off to a 4th birthday party.......

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

Chookyblue.......

bad work life balance.......

Sorry I haven't had time to do zoom. I have been busy with some study, work and farm stuff - we've been doing lots of sheep work and I took this photo the other day. Thank God for the dogs, they help........

Hope everyone's going well and busy sewing and you're probably all getting ready for Christmas cos blink and it will be here. Hope to get a zoom in before then, but I'm not really sure if I've got a morning free. Maybe it might need to be an evening session which doesn't work for the US and Canada, but we'll see what I can do.....

Was hoping to show some progress with my churn dash quilt also but just have not had a chance to get to the chookshed.... I need to round up all the sewing gear that's been dumped in the house from my trip away at retreat.....

Ok take care everybody

Catch you later.....

Chookyblue........

Flood water......

 

you can read the article here on Weatherzone news but if you were on the last Chookshed Stitcher's gathering on zoom when I was talking about the flooding in NSW here is a satellite map showing the river systems......all the blue veins are water.......flooded rivers, creeks, flood plains etc

The blue water line on the bottom of the map is the NSW/Victoria border........

This was taken 18/11/22 

The water at the top of the map takes months to filter down thru the system to the bottom left...........so the flood situation will require work well into the new year and that is without any more rain.........

Map of Australia to show you how big NSW is.........

And considering we are still in LaNina' not likely to be turning dry soon............

Catch you later......

Chookyblue.......

final wrap......

Well the posts didn't happen again until yesterday..........Thursday was a big day.........packing the car up and heading off..........I was to tired Friday after work to make sense of words.........

the gardens at Glenrose are beautiful............

you really can't see the cottages as they are tucked away in the gardens...........

love the old milk drums........

nearly forgot to add this top in that I made........I loved this panel and when I saw it at the shop I had to get it..........

there was mention of a Christmas tree farm and Christmas shop on the way home.........

so we met Susan and Maureen there and had morning tea on the way home...........

I've never been to a Christmas shop and it was gorgeous..........

it was a great week away catching up with friends..........

thanks for inviting me girls.....I had a great time and So did Miss Jules.......

Lynda, De, Susan, Me - Sandi - Helen, Miss Jules and Maureen

Toowoomba lookout............Also caught up with a girl friend at Laidley.........Love driving around those intense cropping areas......so productive...........

Since we had some quilt tops finished and he was on the road we stopped in and checked out Jacksons new shop.....He only had his official opening a few weeks ago in his new a bigger building..........House of Jackson...........We also caught up with Annette there.........got talking to much and forgot to take a photo..........

we stopped too much on the way home, caught every red light on the roads works and we were a bit to late but it was a great day...........Miss Jules pick up was not where he was supposed to be so 40 mins later I had dropped her off.......

It was just on 11pm when I crawled into bed..........but so worth the effort.........

numerous delicious food options and meals with friends........6 patchwork shops (some 2-3 times) and 1600kms later we arrived home and hadn't doubled over any roads...........

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

Chookyblue.........

fun..........

with the success of my first block I made another one..........

 it looks wonky on the right left but it's just the wavy design sheet behind it............

Miss Jules got her Kaffe top finished..........she started the blocks at Scrub Stitchin'

Wine and nibbles was enjoyed...........

Decided on my sashing for the Churn dash quilt.........it looked much better in real life........

De was holding up a option for setting triangles.........still undecided.........

not decided on the cornerstones either..........

We had some delicious lunches out...........

Of course I was with Sandi and Helen so I had to have coffee and cake............

Here we are at lunch........that's not a table cloth it's the table painted..........

Sandi and me..........

Sandi, me and Susan.........

Maureen, Sandi, Miss Jules and Susan.........

Helen and Miss Jules.........

So much to see in Glenrose shop............

OK that's it for now........

Got to go do some cattle work with Mr Chooky.........

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

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

churning away.....

Churning away on the churn dash blocks........ Got all these done now.......

a few wtf moments...... Found sashing........ Could have had more progress but lots of talking and other bits and pieces........

This is the pile I had so it's now doubled and I even have a couple extra cause I am so good at maths..... 

No Helen I am not going to make a 4th quilt top use them...... But great suggestion....... Lol

Had to buy this fabric......

tested out a new block to see if it was going to be epp or machine...... Machine it is..... Long slow project I think.......

Ok best go sew......... It's very early but they are not really morning girls....... So I've had coffee and breaky off to sew now.......

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue......

seriously.......

seriously sometimes you wonder why........ In the first few hours I ran out of bobbin 1/4 of the way down a long seam..... Sewed the border on the wrong side - in reverse stitching that I started reversing the wrong seam also..... Ran out of bobbin again.......Put a nick in the quilt cutting a thread....... OMG there way more...... The sewing gods were not on my side.....

Finally I got the white border and outer border on this quilt .... The centre is Fairy Girls project from a few years ago at Scrub Stitchin'............. Thanks to the chat on zoom that got me to finding the range and Susan @ Susan's Sewing Space for finding the border fabric........

Found a great backing at Quilt Craft.......

Onto the churn dash blocks then......

They were partly in progress.....

I'm a slow sewer but here's progress last night

Delicious lunch out....... Gorgeous gift shop....... Isn't this Christmas tree so pretty......

Seems I'm not the only one who buys alcohol by name or picture...... No I didn't have to search for the chooks they were the first bottle I saw in the fridge..... No idea what it is but I had to have it...... Maybe rosee.......

My friend Miss Jules' project......a crazy quilt she started at Scrub Stitchin' this year.......

A little prezzy from Sandi @ My Forevermoore......

Churn dash show and tell..... More on that later........

Coffees hot so I best get moving and go sewing.......

Catch you later......

Chookyblue......

PS going to bed Qld time and waking my NSW time is not good.......

OMG they let me in........

 OMG they let me in........I made it to Queensland finally with no Covid disruptions.........

The morning started early and after a hair-raising trip to the neighbours to pick up my partner in all things quilty we were on our way......... Had to wash the car on the way as it was covered in mud.......

( Those tracks in the mud are at least a foot deep)

8.5hrs later we were walking into the first quilt shop..........

Sale box of bolts.....

the one on the front right may have become a backing for my French General quilt I made with the big blocks/arrow..........

Dinner last night at a Turkish restaurant..... First time for me...... Very nice but ate way too much......

Fiona, me, Miss Jules, Kris, geek boy and Maree.........thanks for taking the pic Dave.....

May have had to buy some of the middle fabric on display in the front window at Quilt Craft.......

crap pulled out everywhere in the motel room...... Convinced Maree to get papers for Lucy....... Leant her one of my Lucy templates.....

show and tell......

All three patchwork shops conquered.......The Sewing Room, Quilt Craft and Precious Time......numerous times......

The gorgeous quilt above is Patrinas at Precious Time...... Emma Jean Jansen design.......

I may have had to buy the pattern for Chapel Street.....Anyone made it?......EPP or machine peiced?

OMG the bank account is dying but we've had so much fun, inspiration and I've got 4 quilt backings too on my loot for specific quilts..........

About to get ready for Italian tonight with some friends........

At this rate I might need a holiday to get over the this holiday/retreat....

Catch you later......

Chookyblue.......