Spring is Here

The floods have receded and the ground is finally drying out. We had no casualties other than a 6 ft long brown snake which had been washed up near the house, by the floods, and it was killed by the rider mower when DH was mowing the lawns. It was obviously still in hibernation mode and after every flood we've had at least one snake which decided to take up residence near our house and we've had to relocate it.
It must be spring as I've been busy purging the remainder of my quilting and craft magazines. It means that I've made a real mess of my sewing room but eventually it will give me more space for my WIPs and fabric.
I received a lovely bag stuffed full of cloth bags which have been donated by a lovely lady from Noosa Heads Qld, and these will be sent to East Timor to be used as rice bags for people who are given rice to supplement their food supplies. Under-nutrition is a huge problem in Timor due to the difficulties with growing enough food for their population.
I also thought I'd show the 4 blocks I've finished for my Civil War Bride quilt. I'm pleased with them and will work on the next one as soon as I have it prepared for applique.
We're off camping with friends for a few days so I plan to take some hand sewing in case I get time to sit and stitch. I forgot to add the number of hats I'd knitted and was happy with the 36 I've made so far. I've also shown the week's supply of finished QAYG quilts on my other blog at Oz Comfort Quilts.
Take care,
Jan Mac

Flood Waters Gone and Stitching...

We were very lucky and the flood waters didn't enter our home and as we were stranded I spent the time quilting. I finished 2 tops as shown here and also 5 quilts which I'll post on the other blog at Oz Comfort quilts. One of the tops was made from 2 separate sets of donated blocks and the white, red and blue top was also donated in parts. It was possibly a beginner's quilt and it was impossible to match the squares in the design. I didn't use sashing as I didn't have anything which looked good with them and the size was large enough without adding sashings and borders, so I made an executive decision and just joined them together. Someone will appreciate the warm hug even if the points are nowhere near matching. I did manage to put another 3 QAYG quilts together and the pile of blocks is diminishing.
I also decided I needed to work on some of my WIPs too so I have some finished quilts to give to my kids eventually. The floral block is from my Civil War Bride quilt and the other blocks are from my Tribute to Mrs Williams quilt. Both of them are from patterns drafted by the talented Corliss Searchy of Threadbear quilt shop in Castlemaine. They are based on my favourite time period of the American Civil War and they are based on quilts from that era.
I am really enjoying doing some hand work and find it is very relaxing which is just what I needed for a stressful week.
I also want to sincerely thank all of you who sent messages of support and sent prayers and good wishes. I have decided to add my address details on the blogs again at the request of some of my followers. I'm still amazed that anyone takes the time to see what I've been doing. I love reading other people's blogs and when I know that people are also reading mine it does encourage me to blog more often. On the other hand I also need to limit my computer use so I get enough time to make the donation quilts.
Have a great day.
Hugs Jan Mac

Flooded But Holding...

Here's a few more photos of our flooded farm. We are still surrounded by flood waters but they are holding at the moment. It will be a few days before they recede and we're praying that the rain predicted for Thursday won't be a problem.
We expect to be stranded for about a week but I'm hoping for a good night's sleep tonight.
In the meantime I'm almost finished a block of hand appliqued flowers and leaves for my Civil War Bride quilt.
I find hand stitching to be the best stress reliever so at least my time has been productive.
Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes. It looks like the river has peaked and our house will stay dry. I may even get some more tops quilted for the next shipment to Pakistan tomorrow.
Take care, Jan Mac

Anxiety

We live on one of the rivers which are currently in flood in Victoria. Actually at the moment we are living surrounded by the river and the flood waters are still rising. We've done as much preparation as possible and have gotten enough food and supplies to wait it out and now we just hope and pray that the water won't come into the house.
The river flooded in 1993 and at that time we had 12 calves to feed and the kids thought it was a big adventure to be living on an island. Ray and I are the only ones at home this time and we're grateful that we don't have any animals to feed.
Dealing with the uncertainty about how high the waters will rise is the most stressful part of living on this beautiful river but at least it's not as life-threatening as bush fires.
To help to pass the time between checking the water levels, I decided to bring out my hand sewing and have been working on one of the blocks for my Civil War Bride quilt. We'll probably stay up overnight in case we need to move things higher in the house so I hope to get more done and will show my progress soon.
In the meantime keep us in your prayers that our home won't flood, especially as I have a large number of boxes of finished quilts which are ready to go in the next shipment. I have raised them all but don't want to have to have any quilts go under the muddy water.
Check out my other blog for photos of more finished quilts at http://ozcomfortquilts.blogspot.com.
Take care, Jan Mac