Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge Update

I have been a bit slow in posting the last month my update, but have been away a lot, but now the summer break is over for me I am back into the grind.  I thought I better post my January update where the number was 6.  

On my list it was "Work on my Civil War Love Letter quilt".  I have not worked on this for a long time and is amongst one of my long time WIP.  It was good to do the fours blocks I did.  

I would have done more but I can not find my CD with all the paper piece templates.  It is in a safe place.  I however did have some printed out from putting it away safely so could do these ones.

Tents of the Enemy

Steamboat

Fall of Richmond

Lonesome Place

Paper piecing I feel uses up more fabric but I do enjoy how the points match more evenly.  Now I must find the CD to do some more.  

There is a link at the top where it shows other blocks done a while ago. That I will add slowly too.

Onto February and the number is 2.  

For this months challenge I have down to  "Sew a Christmas table topper".

I have the pattern and I have the fabric, so on to make it.

RIP Rab's

Rabs 2003-2012

Heartbreaking day today.  I had to get our rabbit named Rabs put down.  Poor boy had a horrible infection in his eye and was not getting any better...only worse and nothing was working.  It was a hard decision to make but he will now be at peace and pain free.  Miss 15 and I started bawling our eyes out when the vet nurse went to take him away.  She must be use to it as out came the tissues and another patting frenzy.  He lived to a grand old age as a rabbit...approx 8-9 years old. The vet said 7 years is average.  My son rescued him from the SPCA many years ago.  Rabs was also a rabbit that made us run.  When ever he got out we all ran to get him and living on a farm he had a big wide world to run in when he could.  We even learnt to sprint up hills and jump fences.....electric ones too..... when he got out.  Must have been why he lived so long, he was fit, and amazing the cats never got him.  We would come home and there he was hopping around the lawn happy as Larry.  Luckily the cat was too lazy and never saw him...lol.

RIP Rabs

Rabs and Snowy

Now onto a happier note.

I finished these blocks from 'A Civil War Love Letter' a couple of weeks ago but have not yet got around to publishing them.  So without further ado

March to Winter Quarters

Liberal With Furlough

I also finished this little UFO last week and you can read about it here on my other blog called Michell's Cross Stitch.

It's Boxing Day

Well Christmas Day is over and done with and my parents are currently driving home, back to their farm.  Yesterday all it seemed like is we ate and tried to miss getting shot at by Master 14 year old with his Nerf gun.  Now who decided to buy him one of those, I wonder????...lol.  Good day had by all and today we are still eating......leftovers.  Well what else is there to do on Boxing Day apart from going to all the sales in town which I am keeping away from, though Miss 15 is itching to go...to late now anyway as it is nearly 4pm here.

Each year we try and get a photo of the kids in front of the Christmas tree at some stage and we managed yesterday morning and it took quite a while as Miss 15 thought she would be a smartypants and play up.  No one was impressed, especially Master 14 who was an angel throughout it ...Nerf gun came later on.

Xmas 2011

I was lucky enough to get for Xmas a number of things I liked and amongst it all was this book. Yay, I'm part of The Farmer's Wife club now!!

Now to decide what material to do it in.  I have heaps of civil war fabric from my Civil War Love Letter Quilt I am doing currently.  Maybe I will use that too.  The decisions I have to make.

I also opened the last of my advent gifts from my Advent Xmas Swap I was participating in over at Our Craft Forum.  Sandra (Fay17) has sent me so many lovely and useful things in this swap.  An earlier post list some of the items and since then I have received a number more which are:

Tin with buttons on it

Rolls of trim

Hand soap

Satin ribbon

Quilters circle

DMC/Anchor/Madeira thread

Tape measure

Seam ripper

Pins

Handmade Xmas decoration

Buttons

Mirror Compact

Emeryboard

Moisturiser

Totebag

Servittes

Then yesterday I got these two lovely framed hexi coasters.  Very very nice.  

Thankyou very much Sandra for everything

Xmas Advent swap 2011 - 25th pressie

Now for my partner, I made for the 25th present a set of placemats made out of a Meadow Friends charm pack, but silly me in my eagerness to post them off, forgot to take a photo.  My partner Sandy (Quiltn'sandy) is aware of this and will take a picture for me.  Big thank you Sandy.

Christmas day here also would not be complete without the scent of Christmas lilies and I found some a couple of days before Christmas.  Love the scent, though my dad got sick of them after a while. I don't know why because my mum usually always has them.

And talking of my dad, here he is after a big lunch relaxing,

love ya Dad!!

Dad Xmas day 2011

and here is Anthony having a feed off one of the hams.  As I type, he has just finished of the last of the pavlova we had last night.

Must not forget the furry family either.  The cat and dog have come to an understanding.  Well the dog has had to.  The cat just sleeps either with him, or on him....lol

Blocks, Blocks And More Blocks

In the last few days I have been doing some sewing and have made some more Civil War Love Letter Blocks and this months Mystery Charm BOM we are doing over at Our Craft Forum.  With some left over material I have made a Pinwheel block and will probably make a heat pad with it. Also I have being making some items for a couple of swaps I am in, which I won't post pictures of, until I my partners have them.

Civil War Blocks

Healthful Region

Jersey Boys

No Serious Fighting

Pleasant Campaign

Skirmishing, Cannon Firing and Uproar

Virginia Military Institute

Mystery Charm Square BOM

Block 5

Pinwheel Block

I thought I had posted about this one but see I have not.  This is the lovely Fabric Basket I received in a swap last month.  Isn't it gorgeous?

Also I have been receiving lots of lovely fabric in the mail.  Here is one package from Two Bees which is a lovely little site. Go and have a look I am sure you will love it too.



Designer Swap - Vicki Tucek

Our Craft Forum has just finished another swap.  This time we had to make something designed by our lovely forum moderator and friend Vicki Tucek of The Pickledish Patch.  I used the pattern of her freebies page on her blog called 'It's A Lot Like Christmas Table Runner' and changed it into everyday use fabric instead of Xmas fabric.

Then from Geniene I received this lovely table runner and coasters also design by Vicki

Ain't they lovely

 

Also last week I received some more material for my Civil War Love Letter Quilt from

Autumn Rose Quilting

 

Some More Blocks Completed

 I had some time on my hands earlier in the week and now have my Civil War Love Letters CD to print out the foundation templates, so decided to sew up some more blocks.  Though not a fan of foundation piecing, it is slowly growing on me



Enthusiasm



March In The Mountains

Severe Fighting

Sorrows Of War

Also I have completed Block 4 of the Mystery Charm Squares BOM being held over at Our Craft Forum

Two More Blocks and A Bag Received

Well I have made another two blocks for A Civil War Love Letter Quilt.  This did not take me as long as the first as I chose two easy ones

Sweet Pleasure

64-pound Shell

 Also over at the Craft Forum we have just finished our Bag Swap.

This is what I sent Lucky1 filled with some goodies

Domac sent me this lovely bag.

I have had some lovely comments from people who have seen it.

It has already been used well.

What a Wedding And A Fantastic Basketball Game

It was a lovely wedding and the bride was gorgeous.  I stayed up and watched most of it only falling asleep for about half an hour but didn't miss the important parts, especially the not only one but two kisses.

The offical wedding photos are fantastic too.  They look so great together.



And also on the same night the New Zealand Breakers played the Cairns Taipans and won the Australian NBL Grand Final.  Well done boys.

 There was a lot of flicking between the channels to watch both the wedding and the game

Now to the sewing.  I have started and completed my first block for The Civil War Love Letter Quilt.  This block is called The Secession Ball.  So one down and 120 to go.