Cow Paddocks Patchwork

SPECIALS!

    You may have seen a few of these before but I have just a couple of specials for your now at ONLY $11/m - minimum cut 50cm. But be quick as you can imagine as they have been discounted there is not much left on them at all.

 
 

These are both off white - this one is just darker because of an annoying shadow
 
 

 

Thankyou again for your ongoing support of our business!

Vignette 3 has arrived

Yes the next glorious issue of Vignette has arrive in issue 3 - for those of you who have not preordered I am still able to provide you with this gorgeous mag. They are $17.95 plus $2.50 P & H within Australia.

 

New Pin Cushions

Well after much searching for "decent sized" pin cushions - we have found some - and what better in that they are made by a country lady with REAL Australian Merino Wool - they are a great size, hold lots of pins and are beautiful and soft and good for your pins too!

They are just $12 each and I can guarantee that I wouldn't sit down to make them for that - here is a pic of a few. Let me know if you would like any - they make FANTASTIC GIFTS - and have that unique country appeal!

 

Quilpie Visit

OK back to craft!!! What  a FANTASTIC trip to Quilpie - this time I had the lovely Fiona as my travelling companion and another lovely Lady Jane - who travelled from Bollon to spend the weekend with the terrific Quilpie Ladies!!!

The weather was beautiful and we even did a few touristy things while we were there - see pics. We went and looked in the opal shops, the amazing mural, the Lyn Barnes Gallery, - oh how I wish I could buy a rather large painting of hers with a young man on a horse with brahman cattle in the background - just gorgeous!!! May need a small bank loan though! - the opening of the latest exhibition at the Shire Gallery, admired the cattle cut outs up the street, looked in the museum and attended the pub! - for sustenance and medicinal purposes only of course!!

AND had a mini family reunion with Ma & Pa who sought of travelled out after us to help Pete with the muster and then we caught up with Pete as he was in town for   Wild Dog meeting! Just a shame we didn't get to see Wendy and the kids who were at a mini school camp for Distance Ed!

So thankyou again to the lovely Quilpie ladies and we will see you again next year!

Thankyou also to you all for making the 3 of us "ring ins" so welcome!

Also thankyou to Jane for the pics! I couldn't find my camera!

 
See Dad I did go to church!!! Here is proof! - well ok it is OUTSIDE - but wait there is more!

 

Here is Fiona & I IN CHURCH - thanks to Jane for the pics - see she was there too! Plus thankyou to Janelle for the tour!

My brother Pete and his wife Wendy were married at St Finbar's by the iconic Father Scully!

So I have already ooohed and ahhed over the opals - but Jane & Fiona had not seen them!!!! Very impressive!

 
 

Jane K's stunning Zig Zag quilt

 

Jane T's gorgeous zig zag - definatley a black white and red thing happening

 

Fiona worked on her own thing on the weekend and was very proud that she was able to complete th top of an outstanding UFO - well done!

Now I can't share much more as we had a bit of a "mystery" thing happening so if I show the mystery it will ruin it.

I do also have a little surprise that has a connection to Quilpie - so all being well I will have some more info for you soon!

 

 

Live Cattle Export

Now this may be a bit of an odd subject for this blog - but it is something I feel strongly about. No doubt I may have some people against my views - but I am going to share them as this is my blog and it is a free country - I think this is half the problem at the moment - we are all too scared to say what we think for fear of retribution, being called "racist", sexist or the like just because we share our thoughts - well in advance if you do not wish to read this - please don't but I am going to have my say.

I have never written a letter to the editor but after watching Four Corners last night - well some of it - some of it I just had to look away from - I am reeling!!! It has not led me to write a letter to the country life - yet but I am sure going to have my say somewhere and being My Blog it is going to be here!

For those of you who read this but do not know us well this is a bit about us - we are Beef Producers - we may only be little fish in a big pond so to speak but we are proud Australians Farmers who come from families of farmers since they arrived in Australia and probably before that too! We take pride in looking after our land and our livestock and make a living from it and so logically it would pay to - wouldn't it?

I am so so cranky with what is going on with the live export industry - and I do feel sorry for the small family companies in the north where there marketing avenues are restricted HOWEVER we all make choices and I can GUARANTEE you that if we knew that our cattle were being slaughered in the manner in which they are in Indonesia - WE WOULD NOT SEND THEM!!! Yes we may get a couple of cents less BUT we could sleep at night.

DO NOT be under any doubt here - the big companies in the north that were mentioned on the TV last night are fully aware of what is happening and what has BEEN HAPPENING FOR over 10 years!  THEY have visited these abbatoirs and what really makes my blood boil is that the MLA has even spent money there - our levy money that everytime we sell cattle we have to give them for "marketing" Aussie beef - well if that is the job they are doing they should all be sacked NOW!

The "Boxes" they have put in Indonesia with a cost of I would estimate of in excess of $500 000 plus the "training" etc is a disgrace  - the only thing the boxes may protect is the cruel $#@% men that are practicing cutting these animals throats - and believe me I would have loved to see a few of those yak cattle get away and really give it to them!

You may think that I am going a little over the top with this seeing I am usually a reasonable, logical and "diplomatic" person but as Allan Jones said - Evil takes hold when good people do nothing.

Well if anything this story on Four Corners unfortunatley will be detrimental to the meat industry in Australia in general which is WRONG. Australian slaughtering is a totally different ball game - just as well and a very important industry. Please don't boycott beef but DO get behind the push to stop Live Export to Indonesia until they can slaughter cattle in the same way as us.

Don't be tricked into believing that they are making inroads with their training etc - they have been doing this for over 10 years and are still atrocious at it - not to mention it is clear that they don't really care about the cattle at all. Their  women are treated worse than dogs in some cases so how  do they expect them (the Indonesian Men) to treat cattle better overnight?

If for the case of Halal kills - let them come over here and bless whatever they need to bless but we should be slaughtering the cattle HERE and if the meat is so in demand - well gee whiz - maybe we can ship the meat not the animals to them!!

As for the MLA the whole board of directors - should be all sacked and funnily enough isn't it amazing how the more cattle you have the more votes you get - so guess who has all the clout - the big companies involved in all this mess.

Our levy dollars are clearly being wasted on so many levels and having the MLA involved in this is just another rort with these large companies and  their cronies! It makes you wonder where else the revenue collected from Australian farmers is going with the MLA controlling it - it is clearly not used for "promotion"

If Australia stops sending cattle to Indonesia will the MLA take back their "Boxes" or do they stay there to assist in the cruelty by the Indonesians to some other countries' cattle?

So remember continue to eat your favourite cut of beef = just be picky where you get it from!

 

 

 

 

Toomba Update

Well as usual between the non fun things of housework, bookwork and the like we have been attending football games on Saturday mornings, a campdraft, clover clubs, more bookwork, seeing LOTS of new Accuquilt bits coming in including lot of new dies, cooking for school things, working at sports days etc etc.

We have pony club on Sunday, seeing the accountant in Dalby on Tuesday - (Jeff says it's like going to the principals office) - even if you don't get a huge tax bill you will get a huge accountants bill!

Wednesday footy/netball training,

Thursday packing the car,

Friday leaving for Quilpie,

 Sat/Sun teaching at Quilpie &

 Monday travelling back from Quilpie (with a lovely friend to keep me company)

then unpacking on Tuesday,

 Wednesday clover club and tupperware party,

 then a day in Roma on Thursday,

Cleaning  and Washing - no doubt on Friday

and football on Saturday - and that has me up to the 29th May - where has the month gone!!!

Thought I would share a photo of you from the Condamine Campdraft a couple of weekends ago - Miss H used the digital camera and so did well to get any of me in the pic but she did however miss the steer - however as you will see from the dust as we went "flat stick" across the arena there wasn't much I was going to do with the darn thing!  I think I was considering pulling up just about at this time as we were not going to have much success on this one! The only consolation was that I was about of another 85 people that had them coming out straight across the arena too!!! They just would not be bent! They were large frame shorthorn steers and I think there were about 5 rounds out of 90 odd participants!

 

This was on my new mare "Sylish" that I had ridden about twice before the day - so my number one aim was not to fall off - so that at least was accomplished and we got a 20 cut out which wasn't too bad considering I wasn't letting her do as much as her capabilities would allow as I was so new to her!

But we had a bit of fun - and there is nothing like going absolutely flat out that gate - it is a real buzz - sorry Mum!!!!

Sugar & Spice - and all things nice!!

Sugar & Spice is the name of this amazing new range of fabric by Riley Blake Designs - and I have ALL OF IT - yes I think about 20 bolts in total - so a big deal for me! I just love it and while it has only been here about a week there has been lots of oohs and ahhs over it! Now these are only smaller bolts so they won't last forever and I know there are a few ladies organising patterns so that they can use it in them so my advice would definatley to get in quick so you don't miss out on this one!

 

 

It is one of those ranges that could me made for any age group and would freshen up any place in the house!

Clover Club

Well the clover club ladies have been very busy - all of the groups of ladies have been visiting lately with their beautiful creations - so I have put them all together in one spot for you to have a look at. Now some you may have seen before in stages and we may be showing the more"fininshed" product!

 

This is Virginia's gorgeous quilt which has been quilted by her mother Karen. Karen has just purchased a fantastic Long Arm Quilting Machine - and while she states her quilting is still in the learning stage (she has only had the machine around 2 months!) we think she is doing amazing things!!!

 

Here is some of the glorious detail!

 

These are Virginia's oh so trendy pyjama pants! Notice the cute little ruffle on the bottom using her new hemming technique on the overlocker!!!

 

This is the lovely Kate's quilt which she is hand quilting - she is from Warwick and popped in for a visit the other day with her also lovely sister Anna!

 

Here is Kate (owner of the above quilt) with her cutesy yo you clown she is working on as a gift!

 

We also had a visit from the Injune girls with Miss Mia holding this fresh quilt by Debbie!!!
 

Here is a notehr Karen creation using the ranges of Verna & Sunkissed from Moda
 

This is the pretty n pink quilt by Neitta just soooo nice!
 

And we are so proud of one of our new members Megan in completing her first official quilt top - and what a top it is ! "Out of Africa" uses Brandon Mably fabrics which blended in perfectly with fabric that she brought back from Africa when she and her husband "Lethal" travelled there for the Codgers Rugby tour last year! Set on point she has done a fantastic job and really speaks of her travels!

So as you can see we have a very industrious lot that visit us here and we love seeing what they are up to.

I am at present working on some submissions for the up and coming "Quintessential" Gallery Exhibition so I will show you some sneak peaks soon!

Keep Stitchin!