Quilt Quack 13

It's time for a Quilt Quack Chronicle!

This is the back of my hand sewn hexie table runner.

You see the circle in the middle?

It's a template made out of freezer paper.

The little hole is to help make it easier to remove the papers.

I'm glad I read that tip just as I started this project.

Sorry about the bad photo.. but you can see how I removed my papers.

I poked each paper with an orange peeler.

It worked really well.

The pile of papers that were removed from the perimeter.

I had already removed the middle ones before I started attaching the border.

Now my hexie table runner top is done.

Woohoo!!!

It took me roughly two years to hand sew this.

I should say I started it two years ago.
It took so long because I didn't work on it all the time.

A little here and little there.

I really enjoyed this project.

I find it relaxing. I love that it's portable too.

I intend on starting another hand project just as soon as I pick a new one!

For now this project is going in the "to be quilted" pile.
I've got another project that's in line to be quilted first.

:)

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On to the ducks... actually it's more about the chickens this time.

I did throw in a couple of duck pictures because it is a "Quilt Quack" post after all.

We finally got around to adding a second run to our yard.

We needed a second one for several reasons.

One of them was being able to confine the chickens in their own pen when needed.

The two runs are next to each other along the north side of our property.

We're excited to have more options for our animals.

I'm mostly excited that I can keep them off my porch!

I despise the chicken bombs. 

They have a bigger pen than the ducks.

We may switch them someday in the future.

The chickens aren't too happy about the new arrangement.

They pace the fence and run to the gate if someone shows up.

The white one will try to run past you to get free.

I did't have the gate secured enough the first day and five of them got out.

It's been fixed and they haven't been out since.

Eventually they will get over it.

I'm also hoping the egg production will increase.

We seem to have several free-loaders!

This is a rare find in the duck coop.

They are very consistent in laying by 8 AM.

Like clockwork. That's why we don't let them out until after 8.

However, they are not so consistent in a nice neat nest. That's a chicken thing.

Ducks are very messy.

We get about 8 duck eggs a day.

We have 11 hens but not all of them lay every day.

This is how we typically find duck eggs.

Usually only part of an egg is showing and you have to dig to get the eggs.

Sometimes you can't even see the eggs at all until you start digging.

They are almost always buried. At least they put their eggs in the corners of the coop!

Then there's the occasional "oops" egg laid somewhere in the yard.

It's like an egg hunt every day.

I'm not so sure what is so good that they all forage in the same spot.

They have been doing this frequently in various areas of the yard.

I'll look out and they're doing this.

Usually they're scattered while they forage.