Hat making

 Spring and summer are nearing and so I have been asked to make hats again. Last season I apparently made over 300 hundred hats, I wasnt counting but it seemed some one was and almost all of them have been given away. Time to build the stocks again.

I have become faster or possibly just more effien

ent with my time. 

I cut the fabric in strips. The crowns take the least amount of fabric and instead of a pattern, I have a glass dish which is the right size and with several layers pinned together, I draw around the glass in texta then cut out in bulk.

Then cut out the head piece and the brim. The brim needs a wide piece.

I cut them double when I can.

I have three baskets, lined up, with the crowns, head piece and brims.

First step is to attach the round crown to the head piece, then the brim is sewn on.

At this stage, I usually stitch two at a time then one is fitted inside the other, sewn around and pulled through a space left.

Then I do three rows of top stitching, its a good way to use up odd colours of cotton.

Then the finished product

The hats can be worn either way. Sometimes, they have one colourway but I usually match them up in different fabric. Uniforms for kuds meet this week and I will have fifty hats to deliver. I spent an afternoon cutting out and another one sewing the sides together, once thats done, one hat takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Gladstone

 A new parkrun has started in Gladstone. Warren needed a 3 for a challenge so we travelled up to obtain that.

As its a five hour trip towing the caravan, we did it in two stages. Thursday afternoon to Maryborough, staying in the showgrounds and then we stayed in Gladstone shiwgrounds as well then did the reverse on the way back.

The marina. The course is on a spit of land and went up one way, then around the back to a set of gates, back again, then up the other way. All the time water was on one side, Lucy and I walked some of it.

Just to prove he was there, this was after the run and he was in the 37s.

Lucy trying to locate him as he ran past in a group.

We took a short cut track through the bush, getting out of the way of the runners and at first I thought it was a slippery slide but no, it was toilets built into the hill. Not sure if hill was natural or man made, but a neat idea.

Baringa

 Not such an early start, needed to leave at 5.55am and we arrived at 6.30am. Parkrun was around sports grounds and there was a wide bike path that was used as well.

Lucy and I walked out to the furtherest point on the bike path, then made our way back and through the shopping centre, checked out where we could have coffee.

Runners were coming on the path before we made it to the shopping area and to Lucy's del8ght, her boss came past and stopped to give her a pat. Luckily there was a bend a few metres up so once she couldnt see him any more she was content to continue walking with me.

Different spring flowers coming out

Pale bottle brush, usually they are red but this plant has pale lemon flowers

Similar but flowers were a mauve.

We were only twenty kms south of where we had been the week before with the yellow wattle but flowers and shrubs were quite different.

Wattle

 Seeing wattle flowers c9ming out is a good indication of spring on its way. We travelled to Brightwater on Saturday to walk/run around a lake.

First wattle flowers I saw.

I walked over the road bridge while the runners run underneath and up the other side.

A different wattle tree, still with yellow flowers

I know its not wattle but its yellow and pretty.

Met and photographed these two after the run, it rained slightly for most of the run but I was nice and dry as I had bought a puffer jacket a couple of days earlier. I was surprised to see how much/many rain drops were on it and I didnt feel it.

Samford

 Warren needed an S to complete his snakes challenge with parjrun so that meant a trip to Samford to do their parkrun. 

Alarms set for 5.15am, leav8ng at 5.30 or 5.40, down the highway, not the usual way to go but we knew it would not be bysy at that time.

Lucky me, there was an adventure lab just across the road from parkrun, however as sometimes happens, I ended up in the middle of the runners as we ended up using the same pathway.

I did my thing,chatting to a couple of marshalls alo

Breakfast at Harry Potters.

Couple of tables at the cafes, very tired looking,

ng the way only to find that Warren was back before me and looking for his jacket.

Out on the parkrun track, mist on the paddocks, this is about 7.30am.

Chinchilla bush park

 We have stayed in Chinchilla a few times, mostly on our way west to sonewhere else. Furst time we stayed at the caravan park. It was a very small park, probably only room for about 20 vans and they hadfive motels rooms. I remember it as it was the first park that was over $30, at the time possibly eight or nine years ago, it was $40.

The next couple of times we stayed on the same road at the showgrounds. Quite basic but power, water, toilets and showers.

We needed to stay for parkrun and Warren discovered a new park, opened a couple of years ago. Wow, $30 a night, all toilets contained a shower as well and if needed the washing machines were free to use.

The sites were big and although there were quite a lot of vans there, it was quiet and only a couple of kms from town, parkrun and where our Sunday event was to be held.

I was surprised at how big Chinchilla is for a country town.

A seat in the park

Some old farm equipment

Vans were to park on the gravel roads

Warrens first CITO.

Rubbish collected at local park.

New pattern

 I have been making pjs for uniforms for kids, bit over them so I found a pattern online for an all day play dress.

Very simple.

These are four that I made. The pattern is in four sizes so I made one of each, 4,6,8 and 10.

It is stretch fabric so no need for buttons or zips.

I came home from U4ks and cut out four more of them. One has the police blue running from shoulder to hem, a second one has an incert around the waist, the other two will have pockets. 

Going away for the weekend does curb my output but having them already cut out will help.