Scrub Stitchin' why do I do it?????????

 Scrub Stitchin' and Chookshed Stitchers have never been more entwined...........I love gathering people together and sharing the same interests.........

This retreat started when another gathering ended and there was a big group of bloggers connected wondering how we would meet up again........and there was a few extra friends connected to the bloggers too...........

This was the 6th Scrub Stitchin' with 2020 held online on zoom due to "C"..........

following the Scrub Stitchin' online day I went onto to hold the Chookshed birthday online also a short time later.............previously it had only been sewing virtually with everyone doing a post during or after the weekend showing there progress..........

from then on I kept hosting zoom gatherings and eventually Gail named us the Chookshed Stitchers...........

But lets get back to the retreat...........I love to make the room look good and get everyone in the sewing mood when they walk in the door.........lucky we have the ability to hang quilts on the walls very easy......it really adds to the atmosphere......

the tables always have flowers of some kind........

there's even a vase of flowers in each cabin.......

This year with the Australiana theme I was able to get some natives and thanks to Brenda we added some more bits from her garden to make all the vases look great...........

Mum always makes us scones but this year one of her friends helped out also and they are always a hit with the girls............we did have to educate those Americans that they are scones and NOT biscuits.........and the only way to eat them is with jam and cream on top...........

the whole group........just two missing I think from this photo.........

such a diverse amazing group of women that I am privileged to call friends..........even Tracy who I had not met (virtually or in real life) prior to her arriving with Deana.........she slotted right into the group...........

they are a friendly welcoming bunch and it ia wonderful to see everyone just mixing with everyone.......enjoying seeing what each person is making..........the cheers when someone has a finish........and the photos also required at that time.......

the beautiful comments I get from everyone esp from those new to the group saying how lovely the group is..........

(I don't even have to tell them to mix each meal time now - it just happens)

Above if you join the Chookshed Stitchers these girls have all joined in at times and most are bloggers still..........

(Tracy USA, Me, Lou NZ, Gail USA, Raewyn NZ, Deana USA, sitting Sylvia Germany and Chris Canada)

I am always so excited about SS each year..........I can't wait to catch up with everyone coming.............this year was a little more special and we had a few more make the journey from overseas...............

Raewyn was finally able to join us again.......finally all the "C" travel restrictions have been removed and she was able to cross the ditch............Lou was finally able to use tickets she had to Oz that she had postponed during "C"...........

SOOOOOO exciting to meet all the girls............most friends with for so many years..........never thinking we would be able to meet.............

Tracy although you maybe have "been told" lucky you "made the right choice" lol........

Back to the goody bags............

once Scrub Stitchin is done I am working on the next one.........thinking of ideas.....With the scrub and the local area always in mind..........

This year I found gorgeous Australian native flower mugs.......I ended up with Sturt's Desert Pea, But there was also waratahs, banksias, gum blossoms, wattle and bottlebrush......

I popped in chocolates and the kit............

this year the designer was Anni Downs from Hatched and Patched..............

out of kitty as an extra this year I got some bags printed............this is the front........the other side has all the girls names etc who attended this year........

Very kindly a couple of the girls made a gift for everyone........

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie fabric pin cushions/clip holder and the heart and the star have magnets in them and will hold things onto the fridge.........

they fit into the theme perfectly........thankyou to the girls who made them..........

the saying is "No matter where they are......friends are never far" (Lea's finished bag)..........this is so perfect for this group...........lets take out the international girls cause that's a given it's a long way to get here BUT the Aussie girls travel long distances to get here too.......we come from NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.......thousands of KM's travelled to get here......

I even had an extra couple of trips this year to get all the gear over.........wasn't just me in the car this year.......

A few hiccups in the setup and over the weekend but we all just made it work...........

thanks also to everyone who helped set up and pack up.....

I just want to say thankyou to everyone for making the long trip to join in Scrub Stitchin'

you are what makes it great.....

I feel blessed......

Catch you later.....

Chookyblue......

PS this is just post one from Friday........

zoom party time and shock.....

PaRtY tImE.............

are you ready for a big session of sewing.......you better be.........

tell the husband/kids/dog/cat to bugger off you are busy.......

find their own food......(and maybe delivery service for you if you are lucky)

sort there own issues........

DO NOT DISTURB........

Well really it's my Chookyblue blogs' 15th birthday but we are celebrating much more then that.......RoseMarie started a few days after me on the 22nd...........Lou a few months.....(I linked there first post on their names)....there are others before and after.............

SOOOOOOOOOOO

We are celebrating that fact that we are still here blogging.....

plenty have come and gone but we are still here.......

still building and making new friendships..........all because we started a blog..........

left a comment.......replied to a comment.........

braved it and actually met up with another blogger somewhere maybe.......

You know the drill........find your time zone........

leave a comment if your want to join in with zoom.........

new bloggers welcome

Now don't drop dead with shock........

BUT I started and finished a project in a day.......

My first finish for the year....its only February....

This cute pouch for Fairy Girl.....terrible photo but it was a last minute snap OMG I nearly forgot before it disappeared.........it's made from a lovely linen.......

she found the fabric at The Home Patch............

Catch you later..........

Chookyblue.......

Scrub Stitchin' project................

This post is so over due........but now I can finally reveal..............these plans and projects were all planned mostly in May last year...........hence the date on the bags.........

These star mugs were perfect.............Baradine is in the Warrumbungle Shire .....the Warrumbungles National Park which is very close by......it is the only dark sky park in Australia.............Siding Springs Observatory on the edge of the Warrumbungles is very important to astronomers..............
so stars around here are even brighter due to the lower light pollution levels..........
The mugs looked so good in the dishwasher when we gave them a wash...........

Onto the project..............
ta da............
Scrub Stitchin' Bucket Tote designed by Sonia and me.............

Baradine is in the Pilliga Scrub............its got a lot of White Cypress pine hence the pine trees..............the star is the sky.......and there are heaps of birds......

Sonia and I had so much fun planning the projects and weekend..........then the photo shoot with our bags...........

love it.............

Maybe a champagne or two was consumed in the planning.............
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NOW for the winner of the giveaway.................
the general consensus was a smaller project but the chatting and friendship shared while at the retreat is as important as the sewing..............
Sounds like some of you have also enjoyed amazing times at retreat.....
the winner is Lou @ Manxgirl - get your self off to a retreat...........
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so much fun and heaps of pics i'm not sure where to start.............but I will be back with more............
I am way behind in replying to comments too...........but hope to catch up soon..........

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue.........

SSCS Received and sent..................

Look at this gorgeous wall hanging...............Dagmar @ Quilts and More in Germany excelled...............she sent to me in the Secret Santa Christmas Swap (SSCS) this year............

She sure does follow my blog doesn't she.........you must check out her photo shoot with the quilt here.......looks like she had fun.......

"Lamby and friends"..........

I'm pretty sure is it Lamby, Goatie and Lamby's lamb.............

some Christmas serviettes which were put straight to use............and a fat 1/4 of Paris fabric...........thankyou so much..........

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And onto what I sent for the SSCS to Gail @ Gail' Place in the USA..............

Gail is making a Lucy Boston quilt too...........so I got some 1/2 inch pieces and made a block...........and then made it into a needle book and hand quilted 1/2 and 1in Lucy shapes into it..........

Then I made a home for Lucy............while she is growing she needs a home.............I've had this lovely elegant print for awhile now and thought it would be perfect for this bag.....Lucy is very special......I fussy cut two big vases (front and back) and added some linen............

Now once Lucy starts to get joined she can live in here...........

Thankyou once again to both Dagmar and Gail for being part of the Secret Santa Christmas Swap............and to all the SSCS girls I look forward to seeing all your posts of gifts............i'll be calling around soon.........

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue.........

extra SSCS swap..............

Caroline @ Caro's Blog contacted me after the SSCS had closed and she has done the swap for many years now..............she is a old blogging friend...........

So we decided on a direct swap............
is this not the cutest bag ever.....I adore the chook on the bowl stack........and the red/white border print is a traditional print which makes it more special..............

On the back is the cutest little chook poking out of the pocket.........

you can never have enough bags............I use them all all the time.............

thanks so much Caroline for the gorgeous gift...........

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I was posting this last week but with work and a quick trip away and a head cold/sinus/chest crap thing for the last week I am a regular snot machine.........I have not had a cold for YEARS.........and this one sure is hanging on..........

OK bookwork is calling.............and it i hot and unusually humid today......

air con is my best friend.........

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue.........

SSCS Swap received...........

My Secret Santa Christmas Swap partner was Josie @ Dilly Dimple 

Oh I so wished I was a fly on the wall when she told her sewing friends she was in the swap and that she was making for me...........LOL............

Boy oh boy did she do well................the bag is just gorgeous...............I love it.............pockets everywhere.............perfect needleturn.............

lots of tiny detail...........

even on all the pockets...........

and look a chook christmas ornament...........its so cute...........

Josie also included the Scottish Farmer since I'm a farmer and I can see whats happening in agriculture in her part of the world............

since I have some belted galloways she sent me a beltie calendar..........how cool.......and a few other treats including some chooky fabrics..............

Thanks so much for being a great partner Josie.........

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue.........

christmas and other bits..........

Christmas has come and gone........and yes I have a few posts going up today as I want them in before then end of the year and OMG thats today...........

Here's the Christmas tree........we had friends come and stay from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day........and another couple joined us for lunch..........no extended family here for Christmas...first time ever.........everyone off in different directions...........

the most exciting thing about Christmas was my Mum actually sewed me a present............

my Mum doesn't sew or craft........the only time I remember her sewing was when my siblings were babies and one was walking and sticking their fingers in the needle and the other one was crawling under the table pushing the foot control.........she packed it all up and I don't ever remember her getting it out again......so this is a major effort.............she was so proud of herself.........she made me sit down to open it incase i died of shock...........lol.......

She even has a chook on it........just for me.........

this i am sure is the first and last hand made present from my Mum so I will hang it up somewhere special........she even put a hanger on the back............

the table for Christmas day...............

I spray painted some sticks silver and put them into the bottles..........

I had some candles in the glass jars.....

breaky we always have some neighbors visit and sit out on the front verendah...........

(actually the Bird on the Border flew by this week and we sat out here too.............)

the weather for the Christmas period has been beautiful..............the house all open.........nice breezes.........no air con needed........nice sleeping weather....amazing for our part of the world........

higher in the 30's for the next few days...............

This is a bag Fairy Girl made at school..................

no yabby salad on the christmas dinner list this year..............with the dams be so low or empty for so long there aren't many in the dams.............this one we caught we put back..........

such interesting creatures..............

a boring job the other day......escorting a tractor and sowing thing Mr Chooky was moving...........top speed 30kms/hour...........traveled like this for hours..........only passed about 12 vehicles............

was enjoying seeing things green while driving along........the rain before christmas made everything nice and green for Christmas and we sure are starting the New Year much better then this time last year................

I won't be disappointed 2014 is over.....the start of it was the most difficult period of my life.......

drought is soul destroying........makes dealing with anything else so difficult...........

our back packers spent nearly 4 months living with us...........I think it was the only thing that kept me going there for a bit..........sadly they left but we still keep in touch........they are like my foreign children......one day I will see them again.............

Boy Wonder started doing school at home........not a choice for everyone but it is the best decision I have made for him.........wished I did it earlier...........he got 4 awards at the end of year presentation..........he's only 6ft4in now........and works like a man even thought he is far from that age.......not many kids do what he does at his age.........

Fairy Girl is growing and maturing.........doing well at school.....I am now the shortest person in the family........I say we need short people to make the tall people feel tall..............

so proud of both of them..........

Anyway

onto bigger and better things in 2015..........green grass sure is a good start...........

First up is the new SAL..........

no new year resolutions...........they only get broken just live life as I believe...........

live today like it's the last............

if you can't say something nice don't say it at all...........

I don't understand how people can be nasty.........I just cant do it.........

friendship is precious and treat it that way..........

I love blogging and will be here for quite some time yet...........the friendships formed thru blogging are so special............pictures only say so much........its the words and interaction that go with it thats special...............thanks to my blogging friends.........keep blogging.............its how we connect...........

Catch you later

Chookyblue

Fairy Girls bag............

Fairy Girl had been busy during the holidays..............

Finished this bag off...........

Lou Lou by Natalie Ross..........

we changed the handles as we didn't have any rings.........and pieced the outside differently due to the fabric pieces we had............

Made a pencil case for school..........she survived the zipper lessons and did very well........

She loves the Prints Charming fabrics........she still has a bit more to play with...............

Catch you later

Chookyblue..............

there's always a first...............

I know some of you may not believe this (well anyone who has ever been to a workshop with me) but I went to a workshop and finished the project at the workshop..............

now don't fall over with shock...........

Carol from Cherry Pie Designs had a workshop..........

you could do a bag or a needle book - Carols Felted Wool needle book............

why oh why did I put this pin in this spot on the bottom side.............

must remember to change the needle.............goodness knows how I didn't break it...........

But LOOK.......I made this gorgeous bag............."Katies Bag" by  Cherry Pie Designs

the workshop was heaps of fun...........I learnt even better handle making tips............we used a more stable bag lining which I will definitely be using again..............it's a great size.......I will be making this bag again for sure..............love the scallops.....learnt how to make them too..........

ta da...........love the fabrics,,,,,,,,,

some of the goodies on sale...........

it's great seeing the samples with the patterns............I missed taking a photo of the yummy fabrics she had with her...........

OH and was I in heaven going thru Carols English Paper Piecing papers and templates..............

so much choice in one spot..........I got a few more shapes that will go with what I have.........

also a little bit of shopping.............

what a fun day..............

Thanks so much Carol for travelling out west..........everyone enjoyed the day............

Catch you later

Chookyblue

Secret Santa Christmas Swap 2013 - sent and received..............

I made for Annik in Norway in the Secret Santa Christmas Swap..............

This is what I sent to her..............A Natalie Bird Red Home bag and a table runner.............the table runner pattern is available here for a donation to Cystic Fibrosis

a full pic of the table runner...............

and my ornament..................I wanted to put a wooden star button in the centre but it was missing when I went to get it and shops are not close so it missed the star button..................

Now for who sent to me..................I was totally spoilt.........

Karol Ann @ Sew Kalico in the UK sent to me...........

well all these goodies were wrapped in parcels in the stocking.............

needle book, little zipper purse, tissues, key fob..........

Karol Ann made hats for herself and her Mum when they went to the tennis in summer............the hats are reversible

Fairy Girl modeled mine for me..........

She even included a parcel for Fairy Girl..........needle book and tissues in this little pouch.........

not the best pic but this is on a coat hanger........so I will hang it in my cupboard for stocking or the like to keep them together...........

And this wonderful bag.........it made it a bit heavier fabric.............a great size..........

and she even stitched my name on it................how special.................

just a reminder of the ornaments she sent to me.........

thanks so much Karol Ann for the goodies you sent to me.............love it all............
thanks to everyone for being part of the swap I am hoping to have the pics up in the next day or so of all the gifts exchanged........
I am really behind in checking out all your posts too but it's been a little hectic and stressful here so have not had time to get around yet........BUT I will get there....promise.......

Catch you later

Chookyblue