Another Busy Day Off.

Another day off, and somehow another busy one full of chores and crafting. Tony headed off to work at 7.10, and as soon as he was out of the door, I got started.

First job: slicing a courgette and getting it seasoned and into the dehydrator for chips.

Eggs were cheap in the supermarket yesterday — usually they’re over a dollar each, but I found some for less than fifty cents. I bought two trays. They weren’t short‑dated, but I wanted to use some anyway, so six went straight into a batch of keto egg custards for Tony.

He loves them, and he had one after tea. Good job I hid a few in the freezer.

Next up was a cheese and onion quiche, using keto wraps instead of pastry cases.

I had a slice for lunch after a very long walk through the scenic reserve — but not before making another batch of my chocolate slice and doing a few domestic chores.

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I was out of the door by 9.30. It was a beautiful day for walking. I passed the old schoolhouse, now the art society club rooms and the meeting place for my local patchwork group.

Then down the hill and on and on. I could bore you with photos, but I won’t. I did enjoy seeing the trees changing colour though.

After just over an hour and a half, I was home again, had a quick early lunch, then wandered out into the garden. I sucked up the leaves on the lawn — the machine mulched them nicely — and spread them over the veg beds. Then I planted some Ixia bulbs in with my pansies and had a general tidy‑up.

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Incidentally, I came across this wee plant hiding under the hellebores a few years ago and have watched it grow very, very slowly. It’s creeping this way and that, but I still have no idea what it is.

Any ideas?

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By 1.30 I was back indoors showered and refreshed, with a cup of tea nearby and settled into my chair. I pulled out the kiwi quilt and stitched on the last of the legs — it didn’t take long. Then came the batting situation. I had two largish offcuts, neither wide enough, so a bit of cut‑and‑shunt was required. Once that was sorted, the quilt went onto the frame.

I chose a new‑to‑me quilting design, one of the Meredith England patterns from the bundle I was gifted many years ago.

I managed two passes before Tony appeared looking for his tea.

More about that tomorrow.

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Retro Rescue.

 So here we are again — more days off, and today has been a busy one.
I had a list of chores to get through in town, plus the grocery shopping, and the day started under a blanket of thick fog. I couldn’t resist snapping a quick photo from the rooftop carpark.

Somewhere under all that grey is Caroline Bay — the gardens, the play area, the dunes, the fairground. Autumn fog has arrived right on schedule.

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One of my missions in town was to hunt down more of that dark, chocolaty brown yarn I’ve been using for the latest scrappy crochet project. If you remember, I found a bundle of granny squares in an op shop a few weeks ago. The colours all play nicely together, though you can tell they were made by different hands. After joining them, I started adding rounds… and then spent two full evenings tidying yarn ends. None of the original squares had been finished off, and of course there were all my joining threads as well.

That job is finally done, and once today’s chores were out of the way, I curled up with a movie and my hook. I’ve added a few more rounds, as you can see. I showed a progress photo to my daughter Kaiy the other night, and the moment she saw it she said it looked like something straight out of the 70s. She’s absolutely right — so this piece now has a name:

Retro Rescue.

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That’s my progress report for today. I’ve got two more days off, so hopefully I’ll get the last of the kiwi legs stitched on and make a decision about those maple leaves. In four weeks and two days I’ll be on my way, so the kiwis really do need to be finished before then. Plenty of time… as long as I stop getting distracted by other projects. I do enjoy having a cosy project on my lap on these cool evenings though.

A Quiet? Weekend at home.

My little retreat is all over, and I’ve had three days back at work. They were good days, but the weekend off was even better. Saturday was a mix of a few chores, a walk in the sunshine, and then settling into my chair to see what might catch my attention, until it was time to prepare a potluck for an evening get-together.

I’ve been thinking about gifting my RSC Kiwi quilt top to a colleague who will be visiting her pregnant daughter in Canada in July.

The baby is due while she’s there, and it feels like a happy destination for this quilt. I briefly toyed with the idea of adding some maple leaves to the top or bottom, but I think it might already be big enough. I might still do it, I'll see how time goes. And that golden Kiwiana fabric. Do I have enough? Can I get more? Either way, those kiwis needed legs — so that job began.
Out came the embroidery hoop and some brown thread, and I stitched on legs and added little French knot eyes.

There was a fair bit of wrestling and some cursing involved: manoeuvring the hoop, shifting the fabric, and trying to keep the rest of the quilt top from sliding everywhere. I got about halfway before deciding I was well and truly over that particular exercise and went looking for something less cumbersome.

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A few weeks ago, I found a bundle of crochet granny squares in an op shop and brought them home. It didn’t take long to dig out some similar colours from the scrap basket and come up with a plan. I joined all the squares using a rich, dark, chocolaty brown.

As I worked with them, I came to the conclusion that they’d been made by at least three different hookers. The yarn colours, although similar, are all ever‑so‑slightly different, and the finished squares each have their own ideas about tension and size.
I managed to convince them to play nicely for me though. I’m not planning to enter any competitions with this piece — it’s destined to be donated and keep someone warm — so if it ends up a little wavy here and there, I really don’t mind.

The plan now is simply to keep going around and around until it’s big enough. Big enough for what… I’ll decide when I get there. For now it’s something simple and mindless, perfect for cool evenings, as it will keep my lap warm while I work.
I did a little more on it this morning before the children arrived. We had a fun few hours with them, and now I’m planning to spend the rest of the day in my armchair, probably working on my crochet while Grandad plays his game on the PlayStation.

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Yesterday was ANZAC Day, so of course I had my ANZAC nails on — a little pop of remembrance every time I looked down at my hands.

Lest we Forget.

Today was much lighter in spirit. We loved having the children here, and Master Torstein managed to convince Grandad to add a new game to the PlayStation. A simple game, perfect for his 5 year old brain. I have never seen anyone so lively and animated while gaming; as his character leapt about on screen, Torstein was bouncing around the lounge, controller in hand, in perfect synchrony. There were exclamations of glee and frustration, the visual and sound effects in my lounge were better than the game itself to this Nanny. It was exhausting to watch, but so much fun.

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After we said goodbye, I turned the leftover roast pumpkin and chicken into a soup for the next couple of days’ work lunches. Now I’m looking forward to putting my feet up and pulling out my crochet while Grandad continues his game.

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And dare I start a countdown?

Five weeks until we fly to the UK… just sixteen more working shifts to go.

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A Gentle Retreat Into Autumn.

While the Scrub Stitchin’ ladies were gathering from Wednesday through Sunday, my own little retreat ran on a slightly different schedule. I had the weekend off work, then Monday and Tuesday as well, so while everyone else was travelling home, I was still happily tucked into my stay‑at‑home version.

Monday, however, was mostly claimed by chores and kitchen duties. I popped a huge piece of corned silverside into the slow cooker, made a batch of cheese scones.

Apple crumbles

And a tray of hot cross buns.

— all keto, of course.

I did sit down for a while with the intention of stitching, but I made the mistake of putting on a movie before deciding what to sew… and naturally, the needle never made it into my hand. Never mind.

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Today I was back at my quilting frame, and what a beautiful autumn day it was. There was snow in the mountains last night, making it feel pretty cold this morning. My frame sits in the sunniest room in the house, which also made it the warmest room in the house. A good place to be.

I took a moment to look out through those big windows.

The wedding cake tree like Old Man Tree at the front, is starting to look autumnal.

There aren’t nearly as many leaves as there were — most of them are now on the footpath waiting to be swept up.

Looking out the other side,

the cherry trees are changing too, taking on those beautiful golden and red tones. The lawn is looking lovely; with luck it’ll dry out enough for Tony to get the mower out soon. It was lovely to see the blue sky, though the breeze was from the South, so very cold.

Enough of the weather— on to the quilting.

I had pulled out a quilt that has been waiting in the “to be quilted” pile since February last year. It uses some of the scrappy triangles I made in 2024, along with three Sunbonnet Sues I’d stashed away… who knows when. I chose a pantograph called Flutterbys by Urban Elementz, and it really didn’t take long to quilt.

Even with a break for a walk and some lunch.

I did have one frustrating moment when I lost at bobbin chicken

So frustratingly close to the end of the row. 

I had already set the binding fabric aside with the top, so I got on with preparing it right away and sewed it on. No concerns about running out this time — I knew that I had plenty.

I had the binding closed by the time Tony got home, so we dashed outside in the last of the daylight for a quick photo. The sun had gone behind the neighbour's house and it was cold!

We didn't want to linger but while I was out there, I couldn’t resist popping it into the tree for a shot.

and grabbing a picture of my pretty pansies while I was at it.

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As the trees outside shift into their autumn colours, my own little retreat comes to an end. A few days of making and doing, of a warm kitchen and a sunny quilting room, have been a lovely pause before the routine starts again. Back to work tomorrow, but with a hand stitched label, three Christmas ornaments, two finished quilts and a quieter mind.

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A Stay‑at‑Home Retreat.

While patchworkers and quilters from far and wide were making their way to Baradine for the annual Scrub Stitchin’ retreat — and Susan was starting her “Claytons’ retreat” — I was busy at work. But come Saturday, I finally got to join in. Hooray!

It was club day, so I packed up a few bits and pieces and happily made my way. Not quite the same as a trip to Baradine and hanging out with my blogger friends, but full of fun and inspiration all the same.

I took along the label for Kaiy’s quilt, got it stitched, and then sewed it onto the back.

With that, Fynoderee’s Fields is officially complete.

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Next, I pulled out some secret sewing. I’d taken the makings of a few Christmas ornaments — three of which will be travelling with me in six weeks. They were almost finished by packing up time, and I completed them once I got home.

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This morning I had planned to walk early but I could hear torrential rain hammering down as I opened my eyes. A quick change of plans was required.

So I wandered into my sewing room and continued working on the I‑spy quilt top. It didn’t take long to finish joining the rows. Then I shopped the stash for a border. Maria had suggested a blue, but I found a neutral that worked beautifully with the homespun I’d used for the sash strips.

By then the weather had improved, so off I went for my walk.

Once I got back, I shopped the stash of fleecy backings and set about loading the back and top onto my frame. I selected a quick and easy pantograph — Peaks, by Meredeth England.

I usually select patterned fleece for backings, but this grey one made its way into the stash somehow. And now it's been used. 

After lunch I set off quilting. It didn’t take long at all. Then I pulled out the leftover binding box and found a selection of black‑and‑whites. Fingers crossed, I sewed them all together and started attaching the binding to the quilted piece.

As I worked my way around, I began to wonder if I had enough. But I kept sewing…

When I was close to the meeting point, I laid the quilt on my worktable and eased the two ends into place. Oh my goodness, I thought — if I’m lucky, very, very lucky! And I was. After joining the ends, everything lined up beautifully even if the selvedge is visible. Those black‑and‑white leftovers were meant to be on this quilt.

Next I sat down and closed the binding by hand, and then — wanting to give it another try — I sat at the machine, switched to a zig‑zag stitch, popped on the ditch foot, and had another go at machine binding. Yes, I know it’s kind of cheating when it’s already sewn down, but hey — it worked, and I’m happy.

By the time I finished, the weather was turning poor again, but I persuaded my lovely Tony to dash outside for a very quick photo shoot. The wind was getting up, but I managed a few images.

Though he is still mostly green, Old Man Tree is getting his autumn colours, and the wind was knocking golden leaves down onto the lawn. I couldn’t quite capture the golden snow, but I did get another view of my latest creation.

I spy with my little eye… a quilt in Old Man Tree.

So there you have it — my stay‑at‑home retreat project is done.

 I’m very much looking forward to reading all the blog posts from Scrub Stitchin’. I love seeing what everyone was working on, catching up on the chatter, and especially scrolling through the show‑and‑tell photos — they’re always so inspiring and full of ideas for whatever I might stitch next. I wish everyone safe travels on their journeys home.