Cow Paddocks Patchwork

Sneak Peak - only

Hello just a quick sneak peak for you on my "arty" stuff. Hopefully if I ever get them finished they will go in for selection to the next Dogwood Gallery Exhibition - so here's hoping 1. I get them finished and 2. they are accepted.

I shouldn't be so skeptical I know, but there is not alot of textile art in Rural areas so it does always concern me a little after a previous experience at an agricultural show a few years back that people are "up with" what's happening. But at least I know with the local gallery they are usually excellent in keeping up with trends etc so it should all be fine! And the response to Mr Mundell last year was just so wonderful and overwhelming that rural areas are becoming more open to all things "art".

Anyway, I have a few totally different ideas and techniques I am working with - so it will be varied - the theme is "water equals life" the Murray Darling Catchment and "displacement" associated with it. Something along those lines - I have to keep referring back to the guidelines and the pampleset to confirm.

 

 

So alot more to go yet but at least the idea has started for real!

Merry Christmas to everyone and we hope you all have a lovely happy, safe & wet Christmas

Keep stitchin

My special Visitor

The other day a very special friend came to visit who unfortunately due to time restraints on the both of us doesn't happen all that often. BUT she did stay overnight and we caught up and had a really lovely time and of course little H looooved having her as Little L was having a sleep over at DH's parents. So there was a visitor who was female, and one who stayed overnight - so centre stage was little miss H's.

And so we talked - oh yes and we both can talk!, we seem to be on the same wavelength most of the time if that makes sense, polished off some wine - the lovely Browns Brothers Moscato - and yes I can HIGHLY recommend it! and just caught up. AND she bought me presents! - yes I am so spoiled - so here is a photo of one of them and she has the link on her blog and I have added it here for you also - so you can be spoiled just like me.  She doesn't know it yet but I have been working on a little something just today also (it did get started a little while ago though) just for herself the quilt diva!!!! (well she might when she reads this but she still won't know what it is - will she?)

It is soooooo cute.

http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/blog/?p=1920

Enjoy!   and thankyou so much to my friend - I think handmade gifts are just sooo special!

Wonderful goodies & gadgets

Yes more has arrived and yes just like Christmas again! This time we have a few new products in stock. They are the Westalee Adjustable ruler that many of you no doubt saw on the ABC Inventors Show. We have at the moment the 24" and the 12" plus thumb screws if required. I haven't had a huge chance to play as yet but I will let you know once I do. But on the whole so far they look like they could be a winner! Once you select your desired width to cut you just screw tight the position and keep cutting!!!

Gridded Vilene - is here and is fusible and available in the 1", 1.5" and the 2" squares. These are fantastic for art quilts of squares such as Mr Mundell, colourwash quilts, and also for chequerboard borders and the like. You just fuse your pieces on and then fold it on the line and then stitch with your quarter inch foot and get perfect joins all the way!!!

More Batik Packs - these are the absolutely gorgeous 4 x 1m piece packs. They have four different batik fabrics of the one colourway in each pack and these are selling for $79. Great value at this with a good size piece and the perfect complementing pieces to match!

  They are so yummie the photos just don't do them justice!

Keep Stitchin

Visiting Wet Injune

Hi Everyone,

yes I have made it back just before Christmas but probably won't be back til a bit after Christmas - but just had to tell you of the happenings!

The trip to Injune was wonderful and again the lovely ladies never fail to make me feel right at home. We ate yummies, had a lovely lunch, shared some pressies, enjoyed each other's company, had a few beverages and then we had a mini workshop wet felting!  All this in the Injune Pub!!! As I said before - only in the country! I must admit that we did get a few looks as we made the felt on the footpath outside the pub and a few 4WDs I think did the circle of the block a few times. But we rolled and we bashed and we played in soapy water and splashed just like kids and had huge laughs!

So it was just wonderful and the ladies have their felt piece made and so now we can convert it into some unique personal treasure!

Thankyou again to Fiona for putting me up - putting up with me! and yes I did bring the rain again - the only problem being I can't seem to drag it home!

I promise some photos when I track down a few for you all to enjoy!

More to come!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Just in case I don't get back to the land of blog - MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A SAFE, HEALTHY AND WET WET WET NEW YEAR!

We will be around over the holidays at this stage so if anyone is wanting to drop in over the Hols or in the new year just give me a call and we will be happy to oblige as best we can. Alternatively we will be no doubt be heading both Roma and Chinchilla directions if anyone wishes to have items dropped off or mailed out!

Don't forget the many specials we have at the moment and the wonderful gift ideas or gift vouchers that would make great pressies! Next year is shaping up to be another busy one so get in quick to book your ideal dates for workshops.

Teaching Schedule for 2009

February 7/8  -     Chinchilla Patchworkers & Piecemakers - Convergence Art Quilt

March 25 -             St George Biennial Quilt Show & Guest Speaking

April 4/5                Hannaford Twisted Bargello & project to be advised

May 16                Craft in the Country at Dulacca

July 17/18            Mitchell - Kenniff Country Quilters - Portrait Art Quilt/Rose Art Quilt

I will be sending out the next quarterly newsletter just after Christmas with more info on the Craft in the Country plus classes here at Toomba so stay tuned.

 Thankyou so much to everyone for their ongoing support of our business as we continue to aim to provide you with old fashioned helpful, pleasant service at very competitive prices! We pride ourselves on our personal service and providing a service to people in rural areas while keeping up with the latest in patchwork, quilting and dabbling in textile art!

So thankyou again! and we look forward to catching up over the hols and in 2009!

Julie, DH & little L&H - Just keep stitchin in Udder Chaos

PS Don't forget our Clover Club which meets here at the Cow Paddock Shop the first Wednesday of the Month from 9.00am to 2.30pm for great company with like minded ladies!!!!

Some more little projects for the Holidays

Here are a couple more free little projects with their links to make for last minute Christmas Gifts or just something new to try. Enjoy!

    Blue Wren's Nest Tote   by Natalie Lyner of Cinderberry Stitches

This Thread Catcher  by Sue Daley of Patchwork with Busy Fingers 

So don't forget to check back for last minutes gifts located on the blog, or even a gift voucher! Be quick for the specials are they are going out fast!

Keep Stitchin in Udder Chaos

Julie

Criss Cross Class for 09

Here is a snippet of a project I am working on and will be offering as a class in 09. It is based around strip piecing and uses a special little gadget - but more on all that later - I can't divulge everything at once now can I? I am just doing a little wall quilt for a shop sample and to match my cream/green/timer decor but you could make this into a quilt top and the design would also suit something for those "hard to make for" men/boys. I will show you more soon but it gets a twisted/woven look which makes a lovely effect!

 

 

Visitors to the shop and mail orders going out for Christmas - off to Injune who have kindly invited me to their Christmas break-up and a Wet Felting Workshop - this will be fun! Felting, good company, beverages, home cooked lunch and we will even be sewing at the local pub!  Now you don't get hospitality like that in the City!

Christmas is Coming!

Yes it sure is coming fast. One of my problems at the moment is trying to keep the 2 little ones from eating more than 1 chocolate a day from their advent countdown calender! We have the tree up now with help of course! and I am putting the lights on the house tomorrow. The Chrismas cake is cooked, Christmas letter typed up, Christmas cards done - just have to be posted. Have been cooking madly to get some yummies back in the freezer for when visitors drop in and so some yummy choc caramel slice was in order with both milk or white chocolate - yum!

I have been madly planting cuttings and kikuya runners that Mum sent in and have finally got them sorted. Just waiting for more of the dogbane (thanks Fiona) from my sister in law Wendy to grow a bit more before I plant those out. Fortunately we have received a whopping 40 points - sorry for the sarcasm but at least it will water the garden for a day or two. I must add 8 points of this fell after "all the rain has gone" I quote from DH and proceeded to spray 3/4's of the lawn for the khaki burr which has decided to take over in the part I don't water and a bit in the good lawn - so in less than the recommended 4 hours without rain and then a measily 8 POINTS my spraying of weeds was totally wasted!!!! Not happy Jan!  Not to mention the painful sprayer to which I used to put it out!!!!

Anyway, visits from the inlaws in the weekend and the Jack Russell brought our attention to ANOTHER BLACK SNAKE at about 8pm just near its kennel adjacent to the house yard. I am pleased to inform you that we "relocated" the snake and I can assure you we are much happier now - maybe not the snake.

Our lovely neighbours that own a block that joins us on the diagonal corner who live far away in Bowen dropped in the other day and gave us a lovely surprise of yes Mangoes - and yes it is true that if DH and I owned a mango farm we would be broke due to us eating everything we grew - so these are like gold bullion to us - yummy - we just have to wait until they ripen!

The kids were to go on camp at the Columboola Environment Centre (this seems to be a ritual as DH went there about 25 years ago, his nephew 10 years ago and I think it is still the same programme!) Anyway I came down with a bit of a stomach bug and so we bailed from the 38 degree heat sleeping in tents on the ground and cooking and cleaning - yes upset wasn't I? Maybe it is from the years of sleeping in a swag or is it the taking the kids too thing - not sure but anyway - next time. Instead the kids got to go swimming the next day and have a day out in town eating goodies!!!!!

So now this week with all the good things happening with the end of the school term - little L has come down with conjunctivitis - it has been going through the school for some time now and I thought we had dodged it but NO - so we have missed the swim carnival today, the concert is tomorrow night and break up activities on Thursday - so even if he gets over it no doubt little H will be the next.

Anway must go and do another post for you all, respray the lawn, cook tea and think about what I'm going to cook - main, dessert for the concert in case we make it tomorrow night and shared smoko on Thursday - Oh I think it is 5pm already!

  It looks a little sad doesn't it - well they did pick what they wanted to use and wouldn't let us help - so it is an original!

Mystery Garden plant for December

Yes, we have another mystery plant for you this month - and another prize for the first one to guess correctly what it is! I think this may be the last month for a while as I think most of my other plants are fairly easy ones - but you never know what might pop up!

So here it is - it is another one from my wonderful Mum and we are not sure whether it came in from the "Nickavilla" garden at Quilpie or the garden on the Kumbia "retirement" property. But it likes it here and is spreading quite well. At the moment it is about 4 feet around in a dome type shape and sends out long type tendrils with the waxy nearly succulent leaves on it.  So there are some major clues for you! Now to be in the running you must post your guess on the comments on the blog!

 

Good Luck!

Here are a few more of the roses coming out in flower - but with the heat we've had this last week it has been a battle!

This is the Hybrid Tea - Perfume Delight and it does have a gorgeous scent! I did take the photo a little late though as it had a lovely shape when it first came out!

This rose is Patricia (Jeff's mum's name) and it looks quite different this week as it usually looks an allover corally pink. But yesterday it looked two tone!

This is the Cabana that was just planted about a month ago - it is actually a floribunda not a hybrid tea like I first thought but it holds its shape quite well. I have seen it striped with a really hot pink and now with a really soft baby pink to candy pink stripe.

Just Keep Waterin!

WINNERS FOR NOVEMBER

Yes we have the "blog follower" winners for November!!!! They are Gwen  for purchases of products advertised on the blog and the winner of the mystery plant is Fiona.

So congratulations ladies - there will be a little goodie heading your way very shortly!!!!!

Thankyou to everyone to has been involved this month and stay tuned for more of the latest in December including more giveaways!

Things have been very busy as we have been vaccinating cattle for the last 4 days, mowed the lawn late yesterday afternoon just before dark and have been doing housework at night plus we have more lovely visitors to the shop for the whole day  tomorrow so I need to go and get a little more organised!!

Ordering more fabrics for you all to enjoy plus some little goodies. So will hopefully get back into some sewing and have some other things to show you soon!

Keep Stitchin in udder chaos!!!