The longer you leave it, the harder it gets

Oh dear, it seems to be the same old tune here.... far too long between posts.... but hello anyway and a happy New Year to you!   I haven't even managed to get a post done in January, now we're in February and I am woefully late in sharing some beautiful Christmas swap gifts made for me by my lovely friend Leanne.  We did three swaps last year, Easter, our birthdays and Christmas, and it seems Leanne knows me so well, even though we've never met!!

Leanne made me this beautiful Christmas wallhanging with a redwork stitchery, it is gorgeous, and was admired by everyone who visited us at Christmas, truth be told I have now moved it to hang in my sewing room, it's far too pretty to only have on display at Christmas time!  And of course it's in one of my fave fabrics 'Scrumptious'.

She also made me this sweet little pin pillow... isn't it cute with the little orange flower..... and a cute pattern and magnetic closure to make a little hexagon purse.  Thank you so much Leanne for another great swap.....  xx

   

This is what I sent to Leanne, a Thimble Blossoms mini Spools quilt and a journal, both in Scrumptious fabric(both of us using the same fabric was not planned, but great minds think alike!!)

And now tilt your head to the left, this is the journal, a Melly and Me kit, and some Tilda braid I sent.  For the life of me I can not get this photo to stay turned around the right way in Blogger!

I have done almost no sewing in January, and February hasn't started much better, I am heading to the sewing room this afternoon to make the binding for my Scrappy Trip quilt, I really want to get that baby finished, and soon!  As usual January has been crazy busy on the farm, so much stock work to be done, and I am only now catching up on the several hundred blog posts I was behind on reading.  I have missed the signup deadline for OPAM for 2014, but I'm still going to try and get something done each month anyway..... last year was my best year for finishes in a long time, I think the Stitch-Along projects being small each month helped my cause.  So here's hoping 2014 will be a good stitching year for me..... hope you're finding some 'you' time too..... Nicky x

Beautiful gifts & Scrappy stars

Last week I was thrilled to receive a surprise gift in the mail from Clare, a lovely lady who I have 'met' through blogging.  Clare started her blog Craftlady in Kiwiland late last year and she does the most amazing stitching and quilting, and now I've been so lucky to be able to experience it firsthand...... a most welcome and very much appreciated gift, this gorgeous bag, and matching blockroll.  The bag is now filled with the little hexies from my recent post, which I have been working on now and then, it's nice to have them close by in this sweet little bag, when I have a few spare minutes to stitch. 

I've never used a block roll before, but what a neat idea, this will keep my little Butterfly Garden miniblocks together and wrinkle free while I finish the rest of each block.

Isn't this fabric so cute, couldn't help but make you smile to read those cheerful words.... thank you Clare, you absolutely made my day, your workmanship is faultless, and I am so grateful to be the recipient of your wonderful stitching.

I have been getting a little stitching done, and have picked up my Butterfly Garden blocks again. Here are some newly finished miniblocks ..........these bring me to 28/81 completed.

Recently I spotted some scrappy stars over at Terry's blog Terry's Treasures, where she is co-ordinating a Scrappy Stars Sew Along.  In a desperate attempt to tame my scrap bin, I have joined in the scrappy fun.  I think there are meant to be two blocks a month starting in August.  I am late joining, so I've made my first four blocks .........each block is 12.5" unfinished.

These are so much fun, a little addictive, and I've decided to have no rules whatsoever, no fabric will be too ugly/loud/wrong for these blocks!  So who knows what the next ones will look like .........

I hope you've had a great weekend............. Nicky

This week down on the farm ...

This week has been a busy one, I worked at my part-time job on Monday, Tuesday and half of Wednesday, and spent Thursday and Friday working with sheep. We were dagging and innoculating our two-tooth(rising two year old) ewes in preparation for shearing and tupping. It is a slow and mindless job, but they certainly look a lot tidier once they are dag-free. The vaccine we give them is to prevent a couple of different diseases that can cause the ewes to abort in the early stage of their pregnancy, so is definitely worth doing. In the evenings I have been spending some time on my Pin Pillow exchange piece. It is coming along slowly but surely.

I took a few pics in my garden, it has been taking a bit of a battering with wind in the last few days, and has also got to that stage at the end of summer when everything would benefit from being cut back and tidied up. Maybe next week.

Look at the little guy I caught enjoying the lavendar, it smells heavenly, and is full of bees at the moment.

Pansies and violas are my favourite flowers, and I usually let them self-seed wherever they please. Here are a few in my herb garden.

This rose is called 'Trumpeter' and I love it for its longevity, the buds open and the blooms seem to last for well over a week before they start to look straggly. The colour is brilliant, and a lot brighter than what I usually go for, but I really love how it lasts and lasts on the bush, without dropping petals everywhere.

We have some friends coming over this afternoon for a visit, they have two girls about the same age as ours. The two Dads are taking the two eldest daughters away on a motorbike ride. Both the girls have a motorbike each, and are gaining in confidence all the time. So at school this week they hatched a plan that they would get together on Saturday for a ride around one of their farms, cunning aren't they! I think their Dads are looking forward to it just as much as the girls are. The two younger girls are going to ride their pushbikes back at the house with the Mums. So I guess I had better go and have a tidy up, and make preparations for a BBQ dinner to follow. Whatever you are up to this weekend I hope you have an enjoyable one.