"I did a bit of gardening....no sewing..

some marigolds

On the weekend I bought 2 grafted tomatoe plants and 3 normal plants to see how they go.  I don't usually have much luck with tomatoes so i haven't bothered with them for a few years now.  When I go on holiday to my mum's wayne has to look after the animals and everything else but is not really keen on gardening so if it rains a little he thinks it's alright not to water the plants .... so then they die...some men don't get it. (I know he will never read my blog  hee hee!)

grafted tomatoes

Houdini (on left) and another chook having a dust bath

other tomatoes (still have to weed this area)

"Houdini"

 I got a new chook called "Houdini".  She kept escaping from her old owners chook run and she got fed up  with her as she eats all the garden....so I put my hand up and brought her home. My fence is nearly 6ft high so she shouldn't escape or so I thought...... She figured out how to get up on the wire fence and over she went into the neighbors paddock!  I went and caught her and locked her in the'broody cage' for the night.  When I went to feed the 'girls' the next morning she had layed me an egg so I let her out but expected her not to be home when I came home from work....but she was still there!  I'll have to see what she does tommorrow.....

a table runner pattern

tweezers and p.piecing  1/2"hexagons

1/2" hexagons to play with soon.

My friend Mandy  and her son jamie,came with me to a quilt display up at Kumeu in Auckland.  Grandmothers Garden take there big red van around the country all during the year selling there goodies. I saw a really nice clamshell bag i would like to make later on, I bought myself a cute pair of over locking tweezers with a lady painted on them, a small bundle of doggie prints , a couple of  cute  tape measures,  some 1/2 " hexagon papers to play with as I want to make a small purse. a pattern for a table runner with chickens on it. We had a good day out in the country and it only took about 15 mins to get there!  We saw quite a few strawberry gardens with shops ....tempting to stop but we will do that another time.

close up of the lady

some cute tapemeasures that came home with me.

cute doggie prints for the stash.

I never had time to sew as the weather was really sunny and warm...to nice to be inside. Sewing can wait for another day!

a little more stitching...

I did a bit more stitching on the back of my tape measure but forgot to do the centre of the flower so just have that to do ,then it is done . I blanket stitched the back piece on . I don't have good close up light when I did this while watching tv as I usually go in my sewing room but it's come out ok I think.

herringbone stitch on the edge.

doing the centre of the flower.

blanketstitch 

This is a pic I took of my clivia bush . It is flowering now quite well this year and the sun was out too ....unlike today as it is pouring with rain!!! Yesterday was nice but not today and just because it is a day off tomorrow it will probably decide to rain too.  It is long weekend here in NZ...labour weekend.

my clivia bush in flower.

We are extending the chook run up in the bush a bit so I hope it stops raining.  Wayne has the week off next week so will probably get it done one of those days. Well that's all for now so I'm off to sew something or just fluff around in my sewing room for a while.

chippy having a rest .

Just for a change...

close up of the bee.

the bee is made up of bullion stitches close together.

I have been doing a little more work on the fusion blanket but felt like a change so I decided to make one of these.  It is a small retractable tape measure .  It is made using some wool fabric , then I drew up a design of little garden creatures and flowers, then I transferred the design to the wool that was a bit tricky to see so it is mainly just stitched free hand  and I just roughly followed what I had drawn and added some bees to the flowers . I haven't done any stitcheries for a couple of years i think as I have been teaching myself  to crochet   . The stitching is the fast part but sewing this up takes a bit longer .  When it is properly finished I show you it.  I have to  put the back piece on and join it carefully all around.  I like doing these. I have lots of ideas buzzing around in my head too . I have started to draw them roughly  in my book so I don't forget about them so when I want to make some more I won't forget.  I want to do some bunnys!  I love doing bunnys...so cute! here are a few pics. (sorry that some of the pics are a bit dark).  Well that's all at the moment.  

Joining up the fusion blocks.

I have finally started to join my fusion blocks up.  First I layed them out on the floor and took a pic so I can refer back to it. Then I joined them one row at a time .. I'm joining with the same mushroom colour and then I will do a couple of rows around the whole thing and think  I will do a dark brown edging of some sort.??? not sure exactly yet .

blocks all laid out before joining up.

three rows joined up one way

I'm working on some other stuff but can't tell you  or show you just yet as it is secret!  All I can say is it is coming along nicely!

I got 10 new chooks last weekend and they are settling  quite well, laying plenty of eggs too, so nice and fresh and yummy too!

2 of the new chooks .

I did a bit of baking on sunday and made this really tasty caramel slice. I had it years ago in a really great coffee shop that made slices a little different from the normal stuff they all seem to make. Saw the recipe in a book and tried it out....very yummy and quite morish.  It is caramel with walnuts chopped and sprinkled over the base and some of the base mixture is chilled and  crumbled over the top and it all cooks and comes out like this!

yummy caramel slice...mmmm..

'chip' with her bandana on her head!....

well nothing much else happening just yet so i'm off to do some sewing.
p.s.  It has taken me ages to figure out  where my drafts were on  this new interface on blogger!  It is hard to find where everything  is ....

"The pile is growing"

only this many left to do.

about 35 sqaures done.

My little pile is growing ...s l o w l y...I haven't done much on these this week and hoped to have them done so I could start joining them but work got in the way... I will definitely get lots more done this weekend....I only have about 7 to do! I think at a rough count I have done about  35out of the 42 charm pack.

the beautiful kowhai flower

he's  almost saying "what are you looking at"?

they look so calm!

eating my poor tree!

look how fat they are...

beautiful greens and purples.

The other night as I was cooking dinner Mr wood pidgeon arrived for his evening  feed of my Kowhai tree. They have almost demolished the top half of the young spring shoots and all other foliage. They just sit and eat...moving carefully down each branch  and trying not to fall off as the branches really bend under there weight. They are almost the size of a small bantam chicken and hop from branch to branch. I got about 2 feet away from him and he didn't seem to mind.   My cat hurley has his eye on them though....thought he could camoflague himself and have pidgeon for dinner...it was really funny watching him edge closer and closer up the tree towards the bird!  It just sat there munching away happily not paying any attention to the cat. The bird  left with a full belly and not the cat!  . I didn't know they actually eat the flowers too till I saw him scoff a couple down, but much preferred the leaves .

"I'm invisible" !

Mmmm...pidgeon for dinner!

bird is at top left corner

getting closer...

More fusion blocks done.

Last night while watching the rugby...Our All Blacks  'winning'  against the  wallybys( australia) for Bledisloe cup,...I managed to get a couple more of these squares done.  I now have 10 completed.  I have worked out I get four out of a ball of the cotton and have a few grammes left over which I put aside. I'll use this to join them around then I should know if I am going to need to buy more cotton or not.  Last week I went to spotlite store and they had a 30% sale of everything so I saved a bit buying the rest of the cotton I am using. It is by 'moda vera' called 'gelato'...50% acrylic  50% cotton  so I  think it will wash up quite well when it needs to be washed. It is nice and soft, not to stiff when crocheted up.

Today I am meant to be making 5 coat samples for "Paula Ryan' , very trendy but not my cup-of-tea really, they have lots of inverted  pleats  (7) all around on the panels near the hem.....I  Suppose they will look much better when properly pressed and finished fully.

close up of the crochet round the edge.

the pile is growing slowly.

fat Norbitt having a lounge!

Last night after the game I found a circle granny to make that is really easy to do.  I will make some of these in between doing everything else. Maybe just a cushion but...it could turn into a blanket...not sure  , I'll see how it goes.I found a tutorial over  HERE  at wisecrafts blog,   It's really clear and straight forward. .No pic of mine  yet sorry. but one on her blog of course.

And this ''Norbit" he is fatter than ever!  ..he looks like a pregnant female but I know he is not coz he had  the 'chop'!  I think he travels the  neighbor hood and eats every other cats food he finds. bye for rnow. sue.

"At last some of these".

Well I been looking everyday when I go to the chook house to feed my 'girls' to see if they have started to lay us some eggs.......and they have, yay !  been hanging out for some decent eggs and especially fresh ones.  There was  just 1 the first day then none the next but on friday it was dark when i got home so they didn't get feed but there was 3 nice brown eggs sitting  in there box for me.  It is warming up now and winter is nearly gone so they will be busy little girls now.  I only have 4 layers  left and 1 old thing that is just living out it's days.  I am on the look out for a couple of new 'girls' to join them.  This year I might try and keep count of how many they lay seeing as there is only four left. I'm off to eat these for breaky now.

Fresh eggs.

The first four eggs.

A little progress on the fusion blanket

I have done 2 squares on this new project so far.  We were watching the Warriors(league) get thrashed then changed channels to the Olympics and were watching the mens walking race.  Loved seeing the kayak ladies race and winning the 'Gold' !  Good on her.  We will be back to normal viewing tomorrow sometime.

the edge crocheted around

the block rows done.

Doing these squares is fairly straight forward . I don't have to follow a complicated pattern so it should come together quite well....maybe not that fast but fairly easily.  I have crocheted the edge instead of blanket stitching like I said  I would.....changed my mind  again!  I thought it would be to hard on my hands but I just did about 8 at a time then crocheted around them.  They are all crocheted with the chocolate cotton yarn now so just the other colour to do. then join them  and it's done.  I weave in the few ends there are as I go so that pesky job is done also.  I have't got back to the quilt yet, just not been motivated much but must try and do a bit . I've had a cold thing and it is still hanging around a bit.
 The weather was rotten yesterday and poured all night but the sun is trying to come out today and the rain has stopped!  We have to clean out the spouting as it is blocked up with manuka leaves and branches from all the wind. The chook s are nearly on an island in the yard so i have to do something with them and get them out of the mud and slush!  They have't started to lay eggs yet but should start any day now i think as there combs are starting to colour up.(turn a bright red) and it is getting warmer for them.  can't wait for some fresh eggs!
I want to watch the closing ceremony of the games tomorrow too. so hope you have a great weekend.