Gum Valley Patchwork

Smiling again

It’s been over a week since my last post, which is embarrassing, but I have been ill for the past 5 days and only today have felt like getting back to the computer and emails. So my apologies to anyone who has been waiting for a reply – I’m making my way through the list, and also to anyone who called in to the shop on Thursday or Friday when I was closed. I only lasted 30 minutes on Thursday morning before I had to close up and head back home to the couch for a lie down. A visit to the doctor yesterday morning confirmed what I suspected – Sinusitis….... I’ve only had it once before about 12 years ago. I’m now on antibiotics and cortisone tablets and feel 100% better than I did yesterday. I even made it back to the dairy this morning…...something I haven’t set foot in since Tuesday morning! But I haven’t come to the worst bit yet…..…….I didn’t even feel like sewing……...ahhhh………what a waste of four days…..….I did about one inch of back stitch and that was it! I endured 4 days of daytime television which I haven’t watched for about 10 years I think……….and I can honestly say I’ve had enough to last me another 10!

I will back soon…..I promise…...to announce the lucky winner of my Pattern of the Month special giveaway of Gail Pans book – ‘Baskets in Bloom’. I know that there are quite a few ladies out there hoping that it’s them.

Linda   :) again

Dairy Farm for Sale

Some of you may already know that Russell and I have decided that we are going to sell our dairy farm. We have been talking about it for the last few months and have decided to start advertising it. There are quite a few other farmers who are also choosing to exit the industry – what with the poor milk prices…. getting paid 21.5c a litre when production costs are about 33c a litre certainly doesn’t help. However that aside, after 25 years on the farm our main reasons for selling are: Emma and Hannah are both settled and doing very well with their lives; Russell’s motorcycle accident earlier this year has taken it’s toll on his physical capabilities (farming is very physical and if you are not 100% it can be a hard slog); I’m busy in the shop and can’t help out as much as I need / want to; and there’s so much more we would like to do together. You will notice that I have included a new photo album titled – Dairy Farm for Sale. It is a snap shot of our farm for prospective buyers to look through…….it will be funny having farmers log on to my blog to check it all out……

Linda   :)

PS. Heard on Wednesday from Rhys (my rep for Moda) that the 'Astor Manor' and 'Wiscasset' fabric ranges have been delayed and won't arrive for at least another 3 weeks.

Always look on the bright side

It always happens to me…….whenever Russell goes away and leaves me to milk on my own something always seems to go wrong! This past weekend was no exception. Russell headed off to sunny Horsham on Saturday morning to steward at a go-kart race meeting…….this meant I had to milk on the Saturday evening, Sunday morning and Sunday evening as well as running the shop. No problems……..I can be Superwoman for the weekend…….how wrong could I be…… Being the optimist that I am, I have tried to put a positive slant on the weekend’s mishaps….so grab a cuppa, sit down and read on.

Okay shut the shop race off home – it’s 4.15pm – get kitted up in overalls, rubber boots and beanie it’s off to feed the calves……..I tipped most of the milk into the drum, turned the pump on and……..nothing…….the pump didn’t work. Oh well I still had one bucket of milk – the calves weren’t really happy but they did get a feed and I gave them extra grain.

Next lets get on the motorbike and get the cows……..well they were so happy to see me that they pushed through the gate and one cow got over the gate somehow and then bent the s**t out of it. Oh well at least she didn’t break her leg or squish me in the process and the gate can be flattened out with the tractor. By this stage I was worried as the old saying goes "Things always happen in threes" – what could possibly go wrong next! Milking went okay……no hiccups……I’m just a bit slower than Russell……but that’s okay Lister (the dog) kept me company. Mmmm lets fix that fence at the bottom of the hill while I’m in the farming mood…….nothing went wrong with that either…….I did swear a bit but that was due to my poor skills in fencing. Food was next – late tea – just sit down to eat it and the phone rings……. ‘There are some calves out on the road and I think they’re yours" the voice said………THAT’S IT……number 3! There is nothing like chasing calves around on a main road at 9pm and seeing the headlights of a B-Double milk tanker coming to get the heart racing and the hands shaking. Oh well at least none where hit by cars or trucks and I got them back in the paddock with the help of a neighbour.

Sunday…….a new day a new start….….okay let’s crush the grain and fill the feeders……push the button slide the button…….Ahhhh nothing…….turn it off start again and again……then success. That wasn’t too drastic. Motorbike, cows, into the yard, on with the machines and away we go. No problems……..so far so good…….finished milking……tanker arrives, about to run the water through to clean the milking plant and……….. bang…….the power goes off. The auto wash cycle stops…….luckily it was only off for about 5 seconds and when it came back on the wash cycle continued where it had left off…….phew! Oh well it could’ve happened half way through milking and all of the cups fall off the cows everywhere……gee I really hate that when it happens. Okay I’m all done and it’s off to the shop for a day of playing in fabric…….the best therapy for a lousy weekend wouldn’t you say. I had a lovely time playing around in Rosalie Quinlan’s new fabric range and made this new version of my chenille shoulder bag for the Material Girls to make.

 
The Sunday evening milking was pretty much uneventful (so fabric therapy really works!) and Russell arrived home in time to help with the last few sides of cows and the cleaning up…….I did ask where my chocolates and flowers were………

Hope your weekend was full of fabric therapy.

Linda   :)

The rest is in

For those waiting the rest of Rosalie Quinlan's 'Grandmothers Flower Garden' fabric range has arrived. The box was still at the main freight depot in Melbourne and hadn't reached our local courier in Camperdown. So the panic and angst has gone.........and now 35 lovely bolts of fabric are sitting on the table. The Material Girls Club project is almost complete and I will post a photo soon.

Linda   :)

Grandmother's Flower Garden

Another delivery today has seen the arrival of Rosalie Quinlan’s new range of fabric called ‘Grandmother’s Flower Garden’. Unfortunately the delivery guy left one of the four boxes at the depot so I have only got 25 bolts so far. The other box of fabric should be delivered tomorrow and will be unpacked and ready for Thursday……so if you have been eagerly awaiting it’s arrival …… and I know there’s a few of you out there…….pop into the shop and check it out……..$22 / metre.

 
And check out the fantastic selvages with the cute flowers….....

 
I’ll definitely have to save some of these for my planned Selvage Quilt.

Linda   :)

PS. The girls that are coming for the Material Girls Club on Monday will be making their next project out of it.

'Warnie' turns 50

Last night we celebrated Russell’s brother Ian’s 50^th birthday with a party……….a fancy dress party……..the theme was ‘W’…….we all had to go as something starting with the letter ‘W’. There were witches, a werewolf, a Wally (from Where’s Wally fame), a wabbit and even Willie Nelson made an appearance. Then there were lots of Wiggles of course………including Hannah as the red Wiggle. She decided to round up the rest of the gang and here they all are…..

 
I made her a red skivvy (which she ended up wearing to bed as it was sooo cold last night when we got home). I also made a purple one for Russell and I have decided that I definitely do not like sewing that stretchy stuff anymore..…..give me patchwork fabric any day. The guest of honour came as Warnie – complete with mullet wig, cricket whites, ciggies and the infamous mobile phone.

 
That’s me, dressed as a wench and wearing a blonde wig, trying to get Ian to look at the camera. We all had a great night....a local band played and they were fantastic. Becky sings in the band......she made a Magoo (Max) at our Monkey Madness night all those months ago. She certainly is a young lady with loads of talent.

Hope your weekend was filled with lots of fun.

Linda   :)

 

Lots of show and tell

Well I have just finished mowing the lawns and my fingers are slowly regaining feeling….it is very hard to type when you can’t feel the keys! I haven’t been able to get on to mow them as it has been so very wet, but as we really haven’t had much rain in the last week I took the plunge and did it. No marks, but lots of grass poking up everywhere and it looks very messy indeed….I’ll leave it a few days and do it again…..hopefully it will look better after a few more goes at it.

As promised I’m back with some photos of finished and some not quite finished projects. Hannah requested a table runner for her new table for her new house. Hannah made the decision earlier in the year to build her first home – the first home owners grant and low interest rates made it an ideal time to do it. So on the 9^th Sept 09…..Hannah moved into her new home…..

 
She is now the proud owner of a mortgage which she hopes to have paid off in 10 years…….all this at only 18! Back to the table runner……..colour requested – green and red – not for Christmas but because she has green and red in her kitchen. So this was the finished runner…..

 
Now I have to make one for the coffee table!

The next project that I would like to show you is Gail Pan’s free Christmas Block of the Month. I have had my 9 blocks finished for about 3 weeks so I thought that it was about time it was completed so tadah……

 
I decide to use sashings instead of the blocks that Gail used in her completed quilt.

 
I am really happy with the way it has come up and can’t wait to hang it on the wall. Thanks so much Gail for sharing your lovely stitcheries with us…….it’s not too late to make one for your very own – just pop over to Gail's blog and download the pattern sheets.

Finally this is my not quite finished White Sheep from Melly & Me . I just need to buy a zip and then I will be able to get on and get him done.

I also have a cute idea for another sheep but I’ll leave that one as a surprise for another day.

Hope you have managed to get some projects finished (or started) this weekend.

Linda   :)

A quiet afternoon.....not!

What started out as a quiet day turned in to a "where did the last 3 hours go" afternoon. I am on a mission this weekend to get some of those ufo’s completed as well as a new table runner that has been requested by Hannah. I will show the photos tomorrow so stay tuned. This afternoon I had a lovely surprise……a visit from Lenora and her daughter Amy. I usually find that when Lenora comes for a visit I am that busy in the shop that I don’t get a chance to have a sit and catch up but it was different today. We even managed to have a cuppa and a yo-yo before the rush hit! Amy was excited as she is heading off on a school camp to Canberra on Monday and will be leaving at about 6am……she (and Lenora) will be up before the birds…….I hope you have a great time Amy!

Linda   :)

Pattern of the Month - October

It’s the start of a new month and that means a new Pattern of the Month…..purchase any of Gail Pan’s patterns (on their own or in a kit) during the month of October and you will be put in the draw to win one of Gail’s new book - ‘Baskets in Bloom’. (Don’t worry Kathy I’ve included your name!)

Linda   :)