A few things happening in April.

 I have a finish and it’s ready for Scrub Stitchin’. My binding is sewn. I love it too.

it looks so lovely laying on the green grass. The colours are so pretty.

I also have our sew along ready to piece together for Scrub Stitchin’.

too. Chooky and my adjusted Simply Serene.

And I have some secret sewing for Scrub Stitchin’.

too. Mmmm I wonder what is going on here!!!!!

I have been busy but I managed some PINK sewing for April.

too. This is a project I will work on soon. It will become a project bag with a clear plastic window front.

And I have these flowers popping up in my garden.

As for the Chookshed challenge # 10, mine was left as to do anything. This worked well and fits in perfect for Scrub Stitchin’. I have picked up a few new projects and a couple of old ones. I’ll choose at the end of the month to share more on my progress.

I am really looking forward to next week.

I’ve quilted my quilt.

After finishing the latest Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt.. LUPINE and LAUGHTER it sat in the bag for a while. I booked in to our local quilt shop Lesley Mays to quilt it. They hire out the quilt frame and you can quilt it yourself. 

They load it for you, set it up, fill the bobbins, stitch the ends and you’re ready to go.

I am happily quilting along

And 4 hours later I have my quilt quilted. I chose the Baptist fan design to soften all the straight lines.

This measures 80” square and is made of all scraps.

Now I just have to trim it up and get the binding on.

Oh happy days.

Bonnie Hunter Mystery borders & reveal

I have been working on my Bonnie Hunter mystery… Lupine and Laughter.

All my blocks are done. I am loving these colours.

I have prepared the pieced borders. Lots of flying geese

Now to sew them all together.

Well what a day. I put my audio book on and away I sewed. I was determined to get this beauty together. And I did.

This is one of my favourite mysteries I have done. I found it to be an easier one. Maybe because I am home so much and have the time to focus on it stress free and I have plenty of fabric scraps. I have worked on it a lot during Chooky’s zoom days. Thanks ladies. So the top is done…..

Sorry about the colours. My sewing room hasn’t been photographing well and outside it was a very hot, cloudy and gloomy day. It is a pretty quilt though.

Hopefully I can hire the quilt frame at the shop and get it done soon.

It measures 80” square.

 

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY, zoom & GREEN sewing for Betty

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

last night Chooky held a zoom session and continued today, AUSTRALIA DAY.

https://chookyblue.blogspot.com/

It was so hot here today so it was best spent inside and under the air conditioner.

I think we got to 45 degrees Celsius, 113 Fahrenheit.

Tomorrow is supposed to be 48 Celsius, 118.4 Fahrenheit.

I finished the day working on my Bonnie Hunter mystery, Lupine and Laughter, border.

I started Sunday night and continued on Monday with my sewing for Betty @ https://rainbowconnectionquilters.blogspot.com/ for her charity rainbow row quilts. I decided to jump ahead and do a green row of terry Roland blocks. These measure 4.9” finished.

And here they are all joined together in a row.

Now, on the blogger, google and apple (iPad & phones) front for doing posts and adding photos. What a nightmare. I have spent hours trying different things. Signing in and out, a different log in, emailing to blog and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. So if you see a photo know that I have been pulling my hair out.

So cheers to everyone for a great AUSTRALIA DAY.

 

Lupine & Laughter mystery clue 8

 I was up to date with Bonnie’s mystery but a special project took over. I am now back to it. Clue 8 which is the last clue and reveal. I feel that this quilt has been easier than a few of my others I have done. Maybe because I am no longer working I have managed better.

Anyway, next pieces are all cut.

I have started sewing the assembly of my blocks. Just taking my time. 

Block ‘a’ is half sewn. No to iron before the next sewing day.

Clue 7. Bonnie Hunter mystery

Mmmmmm, there was an update with clue 6. We needed an extra unit. The first bits had been made so just needed assembly . So all done….

Next up was clue 7. Around 100 units. 

All done.

The sew and flip extra bonus units have been sewn. All these HST units measuring 1/2” cut have been completed 

I’m ready for clue 8.

Lupine and Laughter Bonnie Hunter Mystery

 I love sewing along with Bonnie Hunter over at Quiltville Inn. This is a mystery that starts at end November and goes through to mid January. I have made about 5 others and it was time to do another one. They have lots of pieces but I manage to enjoy making them. 

So for clue one we had to make hundreds of hour glass blocks

Clue two we had to make hundreds of flying geese

Clue three we had to make hundreds of half square triangles

in 3 different sizes.

Next up was clue four. Yes hundreds of half rectangle triangles

Oh boy, that was some work. This brought us up to the Christmas week. Bonnie gave us an easy clue five this time. Cutting more squares and assemble with blocks made in clue 1.

These didn’t take long at all 

Clue six was another story. Assemble parts from clue 3 & 4. Sounds easy.

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had trimmed my 100’s of hst to the finished size and not the cut size so I had to make them all over again.

Thanks to Chooky having a zoom session on New Years Eve and another one all New Year’s Day I made progress.

and they are all completed

Ready for clue seven on Saturday. 

A new Bonnie Hunter mystery has been started.

I have started a new mystery. I like making Bonnie Hunters quilts. They use up scraps, have lots of small pieces and look beautiful. If I saw the quilt design first I would not make the quilt. I like the mystery idea.

So first up was to make a heap of 3 coloured hourglass blocks. I followed this tutorial instead of cutting lots of triangles. 

3 colour hourglass blocks

Here are some sewn and ready to iron then trim.

They are all ironed and trimmed.

Now ready for clue 2.

If you want to join in now click on the link below. Bonnie leaves the instructions up for a short time .  Around the end of January 2026 all instructions will be removed and the pattern will need to be bought.

Lupine and Laughter mystery 

FINALLY IT WORKED ......... Photos of CHOOKSHED September Challenge to no. 7

 I did it. My September challenge is done. No. 7 … a good number….

Bonnie Hunter Frolic is completed ready for it to be gifted.

I had so much trouble uploading these photos. Anyway, after getting onto the laptop it worked.

Frustrating...

Thanks, Deana, for the push to get some UFO's done.

CHOOKSHED challenge progress

 I have been very busy with work and spending a lot of hours at the hospital with my husband. There has been slow progress with him but it is better than none. He is now taking some steps with staff by his side. Small steps are progress. It will be a long road. 

I take my Boro sewing in but no photo yet but there will be soon. Boro is a technique that requires not much concentration. It can be picked up and put down at any time. Just what I need.

Anyway. This months challenge is for me to hand sew the binding down on my Bonnie Hunter Frolic 2019 quilt. I had already machine sewn it on and now I just need to hand sew it down to finish it. 

I have had it out of the cupboard for 2 weeks sitting on the couch.

So tonight while I watch mindless tv late at night I have picked it up and started sewing. One side is nearly sewn down. Progress is progress no matter how small.

Linking up with Deana

End of month reporting

 It’s the last day of the month and I had my challenge item sitting on the couch, waiting to be worked on, until 2 days ago. My En Provence Bonnie Hunter 2016 - 2017 mystery quilt needed its binding. I actually stuck with it and finished the top in January 2017. There it sat until I finally got them Quilted in 2023 by Judy.

 Then it was trimmed and the binding machined on to the front. Once again, it sat in the cupboard.

But thanks to the challenge it’s number 1 was drawn out to be worked on in July. And I did it. The hand stitching is done.

It is finished and beautiful.

I have also put a hanging sleeve on and the label. So when I gift it everything is ready.

So cute all rolled up.

I am linking up with Deana over at

https://dreamworthyquilts.blogspot.com/2024/07/july-chookshed-linky-15-minutes-phd-and.html

Bonnie Hunter - mysteries. En Provence & Frolic

 Over the past lot of years I have followed along with Bonnie Hunters yearly mysteries. Bonnie https://quiltville.blogspot.com/ releases them at Thanksgiving and they go through to NewYears. Bonnie releases clues weekly with lots of  instructions and different cutting instructions for various methods. I have been following her for many years. I have just recently had 2 of my mysteries quilted byJudy at.. http://newsfromjude.blogspot.com/ . They have both been quilted with an edge to edge pattern and I am extremely happy with them.

En Provence

Frolic

Since I have been home I have trimmed these quilts ready for the binding. I have cut the bindings ready for my next sewing session.

Frolic being trimmed

I love fabric with glitter. Look at this blue fabric. Look at it sparkle.

Can you see the edge to edge quilted design.

Sorry Judy I cant remember the design name. But I am very happy with the open, comfy, cuddly look and feel.

En Provence being trimmed

Look at the quilting design. It is just perfect for what I wanted.

This purple paisley has a bit of glitter too.

Quilts are trimmed, binding and hanging sleeve is cut, now all is needed is for me to attach the binding and hanging sleeve. Then a label and hand stitch everything down.

Thankyou Judy for a wonderful job with quilting.

http://newsfromjude.blogspot.com/

Thanks to Judy delivering them to me at Scrub stitching.

Scrub Stitching is a yearly Australian retreat organised by Chooky in outback NSW.

This year we were lucky enough to have a total of 35 women and 6 husbands all join up at a beautiful spot, Camp Cypress,   in a town called Baradine, NSW. http://www.campcypress.com/

Chooky has done a wonderful job over the years with online swaps, SAL’s and organising these yearly retreats. She does it because she loves it. She also introduced zoom sessions, which are now held mostly once a month, sometimes sooner. There is no set time. An email is sent out and if you are available you join in. But you must have a blog. 

https://chookyblue.blogspot.com/2023/04/scrub-stitchin-why-do-i-do-it.html

Anyway, this year we had a retreat that was extra special as we had 11 bloggers join us from.

Gail… https://gailhickamfines.blogspot.com/ USA 

Chris … https://holycowchris.blogspot.com/ CANADA

Deana & Tracy … http://dreamworthyquilts.blogspot.com/ USA

Sylvia …https://flickenstichlerei.blogspot.com/ GERMANY

Raewyn…http://stitchingfarmgirl.blogspot.com/ NZ

Lou … https://loulee1.blogspot.com/ NZ 

These were the internationals that made the trip down under but we had ,30 others that travelled/drove up to 15 hours to get to Baradine. We also had 6 husbands join this year and they went sight seeing in the area while we sewed away until it was late in the night.

We had some from South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and NSW. 

So what I really want to say, wherever you are in the world there is always someone out the to connect with. Wether it be close or far there are ways to keep inspired and connected. 

Our group of bloggers owe this to the wonderful blogger/organiser CHOOKYBLUE

https://chookyblue.blogspot.com/2023/04/scrub-stitchin-why-do-i-do-it.html

This is the group that Chooky brought together this year in Baradine 2023.

Thankyou you Chooky and everyone that made this retreat so special.