Peaceful Threads by Fiona

A Quilter's Brain!

2012-02-01T14:16:00.000+11:00

A friend in the States just sent me an email with this ......... it's a worry ..... I can so see myself in this picture!!!

Blogging Journal Arrived and One Happy Winner!!

2012-02-01T09:43:00.004+11:00

I can't believe it is February 1 already!! Where did January go?? I was really pleased to receive my Blogging Journal in print yesterday afternoon and less than 2 weeks after I had ordered it!! I ordered my past year of blogging through Blog to Print which is based in the USA. It's great to have a printed journal of what has been happening over the past year and this is my third journal of my blogging journey! The cover is a bit different to my previous ones - I chose the "memories" cover ..... and on the front is one of my canvas work creations!

And on the back cover are my four treasures ..... Elliott, Chelsea, Ashleigh and Sam!!

I love that the pages are clear and the pictures are great and I had a great time last night looking back over my 2011 year and what filled in my time!

If you have a blog, this is a great way to keep your diary as a family keepsake!

I'm sure there were more than 365 days in the last year .... I seem to have packed a bit into it!!

And it was really nice to receive such a lovely email from JANE yesterday who was really excited about having won my giveaway .......

"Oh what wonderful news, lucky lucky me.

I'm thrilled to be the winner of your lovely giveaway and will certainly put all the items to very good use. I've watched your progress on 'Tis the Season and love the finished quilt, I can't wait to have a go myself. Your stitching skills are wonderful and I admire your talent of matching fabric colour and designs so perfectly, I will be very honoured to be the proud owner of such items.

I live in England, I hope that will be okay to send to."

I am happy to report I have wrapped up Jane's parcel and it will be winging its way to England today! Congratulations again Jane and many thanks to all who commented and entered ..... it's great to "meet" so many of you!

Giveaway Winner!!!

2012-01-31T07:15:00.001+11:00

Congratulations to the winner of these gifts in my giveaway to celebrate 3 years of blogging! 49 people entered and the giveaway closed at 12 midnight last night (Australian time) ....... this morning I have drawn a number out of a basket and that number is .........................

Number 5 !!!!
Congratulations Jane!!
Jane please send me an email with your postal address so I can post off these little gifts to you!! And thankyou to everyone who entered and to everyone who reads my ramblings and makes such lovely comments! It's lovely to have "met" you all!! Have a great day!! Fiona x

Morning Beach Walk with Nala and "My Favourite Things" Quilt

2012-01-29T15:39:00.000+11:00

Whilst I'm on a bit of a roll with "My Favourite Things" quilt, I prepared and ironed on the blocks for March - all ready to pick up and stitch when I feel like it!

Had to stop doing that quilt above because I'm also working on another little project with these beautiful fabrics and large ric rac braid!

7am this morning on a beach somewhere on the south coast of New South Wales ..... a gorgeous man (my husband) and our dog taking a walk ...... just a beautiful morning down here and not a soul on the beach!

She's a water baby and a true labrador .... loves to swim and chase her ball through the water! However she does look like a drowned rat when she gets out!!

Giveaway Gifts!!

2012-01-28T14:39:00.000+11:00

I have gathered together 3 special gifts for my 3rd anniversary blogging giveaway! Natalie Bird's "Tis the Season" is a quilt I have just finished and when putting away the book, I discovered I have two - hence one part of the giveaway!! I also made a pincushion with matching needlecase and scissor pocket with some Nancy Halvorsen fabrics and design. And thirdly a Nancy Halvorsen tea towel which I have appliqued with a basket of fruit! All useful and hopefully well received by the lucky recipient! Remember ..... the giveaway closes at midnight on 30th January (Australian time) and the winner will be announced on 31st January. For a chance to win ..... leave a comment here.

I loved making this "Tis the Season" Quilt and the book has some gorgeous little projects also!

Blanket stitching on applique is soooooo relaxing ..... another simple way to adorn an ordinary tea towel!

And this little set was fun to make and I loved using the Nancy Halvorsen fabrics! So ....... hopefully someone will be excited to received these special gifts! Good luck to all who enter and thank you to everyone who has left such lovely comments and sent gorgeous emails over the past three years! I didn't fully appreciate how far and wide this blog goes and have enjoyed receiving lots of lovely messages and comments from near and far! Hopefully I will continue to inspire and provide some interesting reading for others with likeminded interests!! Have a great weekend .... wherever you are!!

My Favourite Things Quilt

2012-01-27T17:48:00.000+11:00

My new little friend "Bliss" has been humming along nicely today while I stitched together the December, January and February blocks for "My Favourite Things" quilt .....

And because it is such a long piece when stitched together, I took it next door and hung it on the line to photograph!! Now I'm more than up to date !!

Belated Christmas Get Together & Blogging Anniversary Giveaway Reminder!!

2012-01-27T08:40:00.001+11:00

Just a reminder of my celebration of 3 years of blogging and a special giveaway which closes on 30th January at midnight!! Remember to leave a comment here to be part of the fun!! We celebrated a late Christmas get together with Bruce and Sylvia the other night and Sylvia made me the most gorgeous Christmas Pillow ..... beautiful applique with Theodora Cleave buttons on front! This will sit on my sewing shelf for a while .... I don't want to put it away until next Christmas!

A close-up of the cute Theodora Cleave buttons!

And my gift was wrapped with a beautiful little Christmas pudding tag!

And more spoiling for me .... a divine Royal Doulton Christmas tree decoration!

And some lovely little notepads designed by Anni from Hatched and Patched! Feeling very spoilt! Thank you Sylvia!

Here we are enjoying our Australia Day beach walk ..... something they can't do in Canberra!!

And my gifts for Sylvia were this fun little Christmas stitchery hanging decoration! It was lovely to stitch using a variegated red thread and some Lynette Anderson fabric to frame it! The pattern is from a Kreinik design which had metallic thread stitching, but of course, as usual, I changed it around a bit!

And when I saw this Lynette Anderson pattern for "Sunflower House Slippers" I just knew Sylvia needed a pair! I thought she would enjoy this pattern!

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!!

2012-01-26T18:45:00.000+11:00

Happy Australia Day to everyone celebrating in Australia! We have enjoyed a lovely day with friends Bruce and Sylvia from Canberra! The morning started with a walk along the beach! Lamingtons for morning tea!! For those who don't know - lamingtons are a bit of a tradition in our house on Australia Day - beautifully light sponge, covered in chocolate and coconut - delicious!! Love the Australian serviettes!!

Prawns (or shrimp for the Americans) for lunch! Washed down with a nice white wine!

And a walk along the beaches .... again!!

A little bit of stitching and a lot of talking also!!

And Nala trying to hide behind an Australia Day hat!

Canvas Work Sheep Scissor Fob

2012-01-24T08:10:00.001+11:00

I finished off this little canvas work scissor fob or hanging last night! This is the front view!!

And this is the back - note the sheep facing the other way!! I added some glass coloured beads which I have had for ages and am pretty happy with the end result!!

And when downloading from the camera, I found this photo I took on Sunday when the girls were heading back to Sydney - Chelsea and Ashleigh - really wanted to sneak Nala into the car with them - and they thought I wouldn't notice!!

Needlework Preparation and Nala at 10 weeks!

2012-01-22T11:42:00.001+11:00

Although we have had a full house for the weekend I managed to get a little bit of stitching done yesterday afternoon and some organisation in progress for the coming months of our Needlework group! I nearly finished the front of this little canvas work scissor keeper which we will be stitching in February - with thanks to Sylvia for sharing her design with me for my ladies!!

Canvas and threads ready for stitching on top of my sewing basket!!

I also organised some applique for the next month of "My Favourite Things" quilt! All ready to blanket stitch and assemble!

I put them into my sewing pocket which I love!

Adorned with beautiful stitchery - this was a gift from Sylvia a few years ago and I like keeping my most current project in it!!

And this little cutie was 10 weeks old yesterday - she has kept everyone amused all weekend with her antics and the girls can't believe how much she has grown in the past two weeks since they went back to Sydney! They tell me they will be coming down every two weeks now to check on her progress!!! Let's see if that happens!!

Another Anniversary !!

2012-01-20T18:22:00.000+11:00

34 years ago today .... this gorgeous man invited me out on blind date for lunch !!! And the rest is history!! Little did I know on that day that we would spend the rest of our lives together, have four beautiful children and have a truly blessed life of love and laughter, and lots of fun and adventure! We both looked a lot younger than we do now (obviously) !!! We are celebrating at our favourite local cafe this evening with a good bottle of red!!

And the girls are arriving home late this evening for the weekend ..... pretty sure they aren't coming to see us .... but rather to see our puppy, Nala!! One of my favourite photos of the children ...... this was their idea of a nice family portrait for me!! I think they have their father's sense of humour!!

My Sewing Room, Blogging Anniversary and a Giveaway!!

2012-01-19T16:37:00.001+11:00

This afternoon I have been tidying up my sewing space - as you can see I have a bit more to go - but as I tidied I recalled where and when all the little pieces that adorn my shelves were created or given to me!

I'm loving using my new sewing machine .... so I had to make room for her on my table!

And there are lots of little bits and pieces I treasure or use on my shelves .... so here is a photo collage ......a favourite canvas pincushion, a teddy to watch over me, a wineglass of threads, a little purse covered in suffolk puffs, some stitchery bags, canvas work scissor keepers, jars of buttons and charms, and needlecases! If I surround myself with creativity ..... it has to rub off!!

And on the shelf are my printed books of my first two years of blogging as a reminder of what I have been doing! And this has reminded me that yesterday was my blogging anniversary .... three years ago yesterday I started my blog .... and what a great journey it has been!! And so today I have ordered my past year of blogging to be printed and decided to have a special giveaway!! Three years equals three special gifts so if you would like to be a part of my giveaway please leave a comment on this post!! If you have a blog and would like to mention it on your blog, you will get another entry!! Good luck, thanks for reading and looking forward to the coming year and whatever it may hold! The giveaway will be drawn on 30th January 2012!!

January Blocks for "My Favourite Things" quilt

2012-01-17T08:35:00.000+11:00

I have finished the stitching on my January blocks for "My Favourite Things" quilt! I'm really enjoying the simplicity of blanket stitching!!

The February blocks are already prepared and ready for stitching .... I'm trying to keep on target in between doing other stitching!!

Sewing Case

2012-01-14T16:12:00.001+11:00

I have been trying to sew some things together which I had stitched a while ago .... hence all these little finishes within a few days!! So this is what I stitched together today - with the help of my new Bernina - "Bliss" (and with some interuptions from a little puppy!!)

And this is a favourite ..... Anni Downs "Sewing Case" from her "Some Kind of Wonderful" book! I love the size and the fabrics and the stitcheries and just about everything about this great little sewing case!

The back of the sewing case is just pieced - no stitcheries.

And the zipper opens up and inside will soon be some of my little sewing bits and pieces! I can hardly wait to use this little gem! After buying the book and the kit for the fabrics (because I love Anni's choice of fabrics) I stitched the small stitcheries and then haven't had time to put it together - I have no excuse now that I have such a great new sewing machine! Hope you are enjoying your weekend wherever you may be! Hope there is some stitching involved!! xx

More Precious Things

2012-01-13T08:21:00.001+11:00

I have finally sewn together the needle case which goes with the sewing bag I finished off the other day! The stitching has been done for a while but it's the putting together that holds me up!! Now that I have my new Bernina "Bliss" I'm a whiz at putting things together .... she just hums along so quietly!

The needlecase fits in packets of needles and pencils or pens if you wish!

And the finished set with my current scissor keeper for this project - all matches nicely!! Now .... off to work and then onto the next unfinished project!!

Precious Things

2012-01-11T12:15:00.000+11:00

I have finally put together my "Precious Things" sewing bag from Leanne's House by Leanne Beasley. I stitched this ages ago after a stitching day at Glenharrow in Melbourne with Leanne and Rosalie Quinlan. I loved stitching with the Cosmo threads and this is the end result!

The finished bag .... with a few of my favourite sewing things!

Now .... just to finish off the Needle Bag which matches .... if only this pesky little puppy wouldn't keep distracting me .... she is chasing a cotton reel around the sewing room floor at the moment!! Isn't it great that she loves my sewing room nearly as much as I do?

Back to Work!

2012-01-08T21:18:00.000+11:00

I spent this afternoon browsing again through a beautiful book the children gave me for Christmas! It is a photo book filled with lots of photos of all our family and is really the most gorgeous gift!

When we weren't home and the children were down a while ago, they took lots of photos off my computer and made it into a photo book!

Something to treasure always .... I love family photos!

And the last of the children left this afternoon to head back to Sydney and so it's just David and I with our new little addition Nala! Back to work tomorrow morning for me .... all good holidays must come to an end!

But at least she is well enclosed with the fence we have built to keep her in! I have done a little stitching, but can't show it yet .... maybe in the next couple of days!

New Year's Eve fun!

2012-01-06T17:59:00.000+11:00

We are normally in bed well before midnight on NYE - but this year we went to Sydney the day before to attend a Big Bash Cricket Match at the Homebush Stadium, then had a lovely breakfast out on New Years Eve with my sister and her husband on the northern beaches. Then we headed into the city and enjoyed a magnificent Italian meal overlooking the water at Walsh Bay .....

Then had a wander around the harbour foreshore as everyone was gearing up for New Year's Eve! What a spectacular backdrop is the Sydney Harbour Bridge??

And then my Christmas gift to David was tickets to the Sydney Resolution Concert at Glebe Island and one of his favourite bands were playing ... The Pet Shop Boys!! We had a great night .... this was before darkness fell!! We had great seats right in front of the stage!! What a great way to see in 2012!! I am now trying to get to my new Bernina sewing machine ... "Bliss" .... but fencing and a puppy are getting in my way!!! I hope you are enjoying the early days of 2012!!

I Choose

2012-01-04T09:51:00.001+11:00

I did share this last year ..... but it is a good reminder for the year to come ...... by Max Lucado from "When God Whispers Your Name" ....

I CHOOSE LOVE...

No occasion justifies hatred;

no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.

Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY...

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.

I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...

the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see

people as anything less than human beings,

created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as

anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE...

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE...

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.

Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll

invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the

wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment

to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new

assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS....

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.

Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to

the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS...

I will go without a dollar

before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked

before I will boast. I will confess before I will

accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...

Today I will keep my promises.

My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates

will not question my word. My wife (husband) will not

question my love. And my children will never fear

that their father (mother) will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.

If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.

If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.

If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...

I am a spiritual being....

After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.

I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.

I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.

I will be impassioned only by my faith.

I will be influenced only by God.

I will be taught only by Christ.

I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To these I commit my day.

If I succeed, I will give thanks

If I fail, I will seek His grace.

And then, when this day is done,

I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

by Max Lucado

My Favourite Things Quilt

2012-01-03T12:32:00.000+11:00

Here is my finished homework for December for the stitch a long group! I finished the first panel of "My Favourite Things"!! It is a bit hard to photograph because it is soooooooo long !!

Here is the top section ... a little closer !!

And the bottom section!! I'm now onto my January homework (amongst other things) and am enjoying a little bit of stitching ... between fencing, playing with the puppy, cooking, cleaning, washing, and entertaining the visitors!!

You've Got Mail!!!

2012-01-03T08:36:00.001+11:00

My daughter Ash and her boyfriend Tim "babysat" Nala while we were in Sydney for a couple of days over New Years! Tim had a great time photographing her in various locations!! He sent this to me in Sydney with the caption "You've got mail"!!

Secret Santa Christmas Swap Gifts

2012-01-02T17:28:00.000+11:00

We have been building fences for the past 2 days to keep our new little addition inside the garden! I'm now over the fencing bit and I'm just playing catch up on my Christmas gifts and this is the beautiful mini quilt which I received in the Secret Santa Christmas Swap (organised by Chookyblue) from Deb in Ontario Canada! It is simply divine! I love it!! Thanks Deb - and thankyou also for all the other little surprises you sent with my package - I have been truly spoilt!! Thankyou!

Deb's hand quilting is just superb - and she told me she had been looking at my blog and secretly finding out what I liked so made me this beautiful mini quilt! It is really something to be treasured!

I sent to Kornelia in Hungary and this was my decoration which I sent to her - a little Christmas biscornu!

And her main Christmas parcel contained this lovely handstitched and appliqued tablecloth which I made!

A close up of the detail on the tablecloth! I have heard now from Kornelia that she has received my parcel and is one very happy girl too!

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T20:48:00.002+11:00

Happy New Year everyone! I do hope 2012 brings you much joy, peace and happiness in all that you do! 2011 was full of amazing times for our family .....

January saw us spending time at the beach and enjoying family time ... one of our favourite things to do!
February meant starting to get projects together for the coming year!
March saw us back in the Solomon Islands for a week doing work towards the pre-school we are hoping to build there ... March also saw a change of job for me, semi-retirement and lots of cheer!
In April we spent a weekend away with friends ... amongst other things ... a bit of stitching was done!
May is my birth month ... hence the flowers ... and a visit to Anni Downs shop was a real treat!
June saw us trekking in the hinterland behind where we live .. a beautiful day in mid winter!
July saw me piecing together my "Tis the Season" quilt for the Stitch A Long organised by Chookyblue!
August and some more projects were finished off for Stitching Days!
September ... and David and I were in Nepal climbing over the Thorung La Pass at 5,500m!! Whew!!
October arrived and Stitching Days were in full swing!
November and I was counting beanies knitted by my Needlework ladies for our troops serving overseas (one of whom is my son) ... it was with a grateful heart for the kindness of my ladies that I sent off 10 boxes (at last count 167 beanies) overseas .... to be warmly welcomed by our troops!
December and we were back in the Solomons for 5 days chasing up paperwork and meetings for the pre-school .... farewelling our son ..... enjoying a family Christmas in Sydney .... and welcoming the cutest addition to our family .... Nala ..... the chocolate labrador!!

I pray your year was eventful and happy .... and I do hope 2012 brings you all that you wish for and more ..... take time to smell the roses and may all your stitches be worked with a peaceful thread!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T17:39:00.000+11:00

We have been without internet for the past four days which has been very frustrating - again!! Christmas Day was spent in Sydney with my family at my brother's house - on the water at Manly! A gorgeous day weatherwise as you will see! My beautiful girls and I enjoying a celebratory champagne!

The girls and David and I enjoying the view!

My younger sister Beth (left), Robyn, Mum, me and Wendy !

And Mum and Dad with almost all their grandchildren!

We drove back home on Christmas afternoon and the next day we picked up this beautiful new addition to our family - Nala (as in the Lion King) - the cutest chocolate labrador puppy! She is nearly 7 weeks old and is full of mischief already! Here she is with Chelsea!

I think Ash and Chels would move back home from Sydney now that we have her (if they could)!! She has been an amazing time waster for us all over the past 3 days - but very enjoyable time wasting it has been!!

O Come All Ye Faithful

2011-12-23T10:53:00.000+11:00

My Christmas gift for you .... is to sit and have a cup of tea and listen to this beautiful version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" by the Celtic Women. We are heading to Sydney to spend a couple of days with almost all our family - we have one son serving overseas and our hearts will be with him this Christmas! May your Christmas be wonderful! Enjoy .... and have a most blessed Christmas!

My Favourite Things Quilt and Christmas

2011-12-22T07:29:00.000+11:00

In between wrapping gifts, shopping, Christmas stitching ..... oh ... and work .... I have been stitching a bit of "My Favourite Things" quilt by Anni Downs. I opted for the blanket stitching option rather than needleturn because I enjoy blanket stitching and like the texture of the applique! Here are a couple of my first row of blocks!

I enjoyed stitching all of these blocks! Mmmmm ..... cup of tea as I write this!

No need for the umbrella today here!!

Another stitched decoration on my Christmas tree!

And a cheery Santa near the top of my tree!

I love this handpainted Christmas decoration from my sister - from Big Sky, Montana! I hope all your days are filled with Christmas peace at the moment!

Secret Santa Swap

2011-12-21T07:43:00.000+11:00

I can happily share my Christmas decoration which I sent off in Chookyblue's Secret Santa Christmas Swap - I sent to Kornelia in Hungary and she has finally received her gift! This cute little biscornu decoration was fun to stitch!

I can't show you the rest of the gift because it is meant to sit under her tree until Christmas Day when she gets to open it!! But here is a side view of the decoration! Happy Christmas Kornelia - I hope you enjoy your gifts!

"Tis the Season" Quilt Finished!!

2011-12-18T16:08:00.001+11:00

Finally yesterday afternoon I was able to stitch the binding around my "Tis the Season" quilt .... another project to tick off the list of things to complete!! This was a fun project to stitch and now I'm able to continue with the next Stitch A Long project - My Favourite Things quilt by Anni Downs!

Chookyblue will be happy to see I have labelled the back (Merry Christmas Shirley H) and have now completed! I have gifted this lovely quilt to Shirley because she helps me out with the Needlework Group and I really do appreciate all her help .... so enjoy Shirley ..... you deserve to be spoilt this Christmas!!

We spent yesterday looking for a real Christmas Tree - finally found one in a nursery north of where we live .... so I also spent the afternoon putting the decorations on the tree ..... this is one of my favourites which my sister had made for me in the USA with all our family names on it!

Peace ..... it's what we all wish for!

Cute Christmas Stocking with cinnamon sticks and buttons attached!

Joy .... something else we all wish for at Christmas!

Loved these patchwork blocks in cross stitch!

And this was given to me in my first swap years ago!

A beautiful Anni Downs decoration made by Sylvia last year!

Another simple favourite! And our house smells simply beautiful with the fresh scent of pine tree!!! Mmmmm ..... it's beginning to feel like Christmas!!

Christmas Cheer!

2011-12-16T21:32:00.000+11:00

I have now received my gift in Chookyblue's Secret Santa Christmas Swap - all the way from Deb in Ontario Canada! Thankyou Deb so much - I have only opened the little decoration and here it is - it is just gorgeous and all held together with tiny safety pins!! The rest of my gifts will go under the tree (when we get one tomorrow) and wait patiently for Christmas Day!

I received another beautifully made decoration this week from Shirley - onto the tree tomorrow too!!

And Norma has blessed me with this beautifully made little bag - to be used as a pincushion I think!

And Jenny made me some cute little Christmas baubles with beads and sequins - will there be enough room on my tree??

And I was fortunate to win this cute little Christmas Elf in our gift swap at Needlework!

Another package arrived this week - with the latest issue of "Vignette"!! This I love!!

I love the centre blocks for the Vignette in Stitches quilt - not that I'm up to the centre blocks yet!!

And I loved this thought - "May your heart be full of love and your home full of happiness" !! And even though for most of you the next week will be a little bit hectic (if you are anything like me) ... try and take time to smell the roses and enjoy the true meaning of Christmas!! xx

Beautiful Solomon Islands

2011-12-12T10:55:00.000+11:00

This is the first opportunity I have had to sit down and post some photos of our time here. We have been running around having lots of meetings and chasing people who work on "Solomons time" - no watches and no timetable really! Hence we are making slow progress with our quest to build a pre school in the Koa Valley .... however we have made some progress which is good!! We have managed to find time to get down to the markets to purchase fresh fruit and flowers ....

These are some of the smiling children from the Koa Valley on the steps of the St John the Baptist Church there.

More beautiful and colourful flowers in the markets in Honiara!

Absolutely spectacular colours - perhaps they would make a fantastic embroidery!

And David took his Ipad for work while we are here and took some photos of the children and then showed them the video - they thought it was great fun to see themselves on film! Such gorgeous children!!

Christmas has come early at my house!!!

2011-12-05T07:41:00.001+11:00

How exciting!! Santa has visited a little earlier than planned - and I couldn't wait to get it out of the box!! My Christmas present is a beautiful new Bernina Sewing Machine - I've nicknamed her "Bliss" !!! Now I can say farewell to the freight train that I have been using ..... this one just hums along so quietly!!! Thankyou Santa (aka David xxx) and welcome to my sewing room Bliss!! And by the way, I picked her up from Steph's in Moruya! I can thoroughly recommend a visit to her beautiful shop!

I am off to the Solomon Islands for a week of meetings and trying to get the final approval through for the pre school we are trying to build! Wish us luck and fingers crossed and lots of prayers as we try to work our way through the red tape and get used to working on "island time"!! I have some stitching with me, but not sure very much will get done!! I'll leave you though with a couple of photos of the beautiful quilt which is now on my bed!!

How lucky am I to have this beautiful quilt on my bed? Thanks so much for all the beautiful stitching to my Needlework ladies! I love it!!

Christmas Lunch Celebration

2011-12-01T07:36:00.000+11:00

Our Needlework Group enjoyed a beautiful Christmas Lunch yesterday at the "Grapevine Cafe" in Batemans Bay! Situated in the "Bushy's Bloomin Things" Nursery, we enjoyed a beautiful lunch, great friendship, and as you can see from my last post, some wonderful surprises!! Here is one end of the table of ladies holding up some of the beanies we have made for our Australian soldiers!

And the other end of the table! These beanies will be posted off next week to our service men and women! Thanks ladies for all your efforts - it will certainly be appreciated when they reach their destination!

Some lovely gifts were exchanged - Sheila made this beautiful felt decoration!

Claire and Shirley catching up!

Our venue for lunch!

Stella, Sue, Shirley and Sheila looking at a beautiful decoration!

Lyn, Jennifer and Nola!

Olga and Pat!

Evelyn, Betty and Doris !

Joyce, Val and Jan!

Lois, Yvonne and Margaret!

Margaret, Sue and Julie!

My beautiful dessert - mango panacotta! Mmmmmmm ....... delicious!! A great day was had by all! I am truly blessed to stitch with such a lovely group of ladies each Wednesday. We are now in recess until the beginning of February to allow us all time to rest and enjoy the peaceful holiday season (and to give me time to start creating for next year!!) A very happy Christmas to all my Needlework ladies and their families!

Look What I Won Today!!!!

2011-11-30T18:23:00.000+11:00

How very exciting (and somewhat embarrassed) to share that I won our Needlework Raffle Quilt today at our Christmas Luncheon! We had a gorgeous lunch at the "Grapevine Cafe" and I asked Deb, the lovely waitress, to pick out the winner out of thousands of tickets! And guess whose name was on it ???? MINE!!!! Yay!!! Having bought lots of tickets in our quilt raffles for about 10 years, it was such a lovely surprise! I know I am the envy of all the ladies .... but I really believe this was our most beautiful quilt yet! And thanks to Jenny of Elefantz for letting us use her designs for this raffle quilt! Jenny on the left and me on the right holding up the beautiful Shabby Roses Quilt at the nursery today!

I was also very spoilt with some beautiful flowers and a gift voucher from my ladies! Thankyou all so much!

Here is Jenny, Shirley, me and Mary Rose on our way out through the beautiful nursery gardens at "Bushy's Bloomin Things" (the home of the "Grapevine Cafe")

And all the ladies enjoying a beautiful meal at the "Grapevine Cafe"! Will post some more photos tomorrow, but I just had to share my beautiful quilt with you all!

What a week!!

2011-11-30T08:05:00.002+11:00

What a busy week we have had! Trying to get lots of Christmas stitching finished so I can't show some things - because they are surprises!! Here are some beautiful little birds made by Jenny!

Some of the many beanies that have been made by my Needlework ladies for our Australian soldiers!

A busy week .... a sad funeral followed by a beautiful wedding - congratulations to Lalaine and Sam!

A welcome to baby Indiana - so terribly cute - and I got to have a cuddle with her between the wedding and the reception!

Good friends Maree and Dave - parents of beautiful Indiana!

Off to Sydney for a quick one day trip for a family reunion - my Aunty (in pink) with her new husband Roger, and my parents!

My sister Wendy on the right, my cousin Margot and I having a celebratory glass of champagne!

And then the Christmas parties started ..... beautiful gift .... thankyou ladies .... I'm blessed to stitch with you and call you my friends!

Tuesday night Needlework ladies celebrating our Christmas dinner last night - some of the ladies have beanies on which they have knitted for our soldiers! Back row left to right - Diana, Robyn, Beth, Asta, Renate, Lynn, Cheryl, Dale, Carol and Helen. Front row left to right - Fiona, Helen, Wendy, Chris, Leslie, Shirley, Lynne !!

Maree has taken my place on the bottom left of this photo - thanks Maree for taking the photo above (and have a happy birthday this Friday!!!) Thanks ladies for a great year at Needlework! I look forward to getting together again in 2012! And to those who weren't able to join us last night - Merry Christmas - your homework is in the mail!!

Secret Santa Gifts Sent Away!!!!

2011-11-22T07:57:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was a big day at the post office!!! I posted off a few things - among them were these gifts winging their way around the other side of the world as part of the Secret Santa Christmas Swap organised by Chookyblue!! I can't show you what I have made because it's a secret until after Christmas!! I hope they make it safely to a far distant land!! How is your Christmas stitching going???

"My Favourite Things" Quilt

2011-11-17T22:11:00.001+11:00

I love it when you get organised to start a new project!! I have joined with the "Stitch A Long" group again to work on Anni Downs beautiful "My Favourite Things" quilt from her new book "Some Kind of Wonderful"! I love everything in the book and want to do it all !! So ...... I had a big empty box .......... and a couple of spare hours this evening .......

And I filled it with my fabrics and threads and this most beautiful book!!

And tonight (while I waited for David to arrive home from Sydney) I decided to prepare the first few blocks! Love the patty cakes block! And then I just had to start stitching!!

And the cup of tea block!

Singing in the rain !!

And old blue jeans - some of my favourite things too!! I am working my quilt with applique and blanket stitch (just because I love to blanket stitch) so I have reversed some of the blocks and put the writing on the other side of the block .... so it will be a little different from the original ..... mmmmmm ......... what a lovely evening .......after a busy day at work ......... preparing and stitching with a cup of peppermint tea!

Needlework Ladies and Beanies for Soldiers

2011-11-16T17:01:00.000+11:00

Great to be back at Needlework this week - with lots of finishes to show from some of the ladies! "Christmas is just around the corner" says Shirley F !!! Here is one gorgeous Santa who stands about 2 feet high!!

And here is Shirley F showing the three Santas she has made! Very productive and just gorgeous!! (And Shirley is just saying a quick hello to her beautiful daughters who read my blog!!) Hi girls!!

Julie has finished off her candlewicked cushion which just looks fabulous!

And here are two versions of the embroidered pencil case we did a few weeks back - Olga and Julie have finished theirs off!

Still in the Christmas spirit - Audrey has finished this lovely plaited wreath to hang on her door! How very festive!!

And this festive season we are remembering our Australian soldiers who are posted overseas and with someone in my family heading off shortly, all my ladies are madly knitting beanies to keep the whole battalion warm as they head into the very much cooler weather! Thankyou ladies - I am deeply touched by your generosity of spirit and your willingness to support and care for our men and women! They will love this huge box of beanies when it arrives overseas! If anyone else wants to knit a beanie or two for our soldiers, please email me for the pattern and details.

"Tis the Season" Quilt

2011-11-13T18:48:00.000+11:00

Well finally the internet is back on and I can share my "Tis the Season" quilt with you! I put this together on Friday and now it will be heading off to be quilted this week! So nice to have it finished finally!!

I had to be creative with piecing the border fabric as I only had just enough to go around the quilt! I have stitched this with the "Stitch A Long" group and am anxious to get started on "My Favourite Things" quilt by Anni Downs with the same "Stitch A Long" group!

And as it is nearing Christmas, I hope you all "gather Christmas joy in your heart"!!

Tis the Season Stitch A Long

2011-11-11T17:53:00.000+11:00

I have spent this afternoon putting my blocks together for Tis the Season ! Unfortunately my camera has decided to have a flat battery and is currently charging so I will have to show photos later! Here is the work in progress!

I'm glad I took some photos as I went along!

I have enjoyed doing the stitchery with the variegated red DMC thread!

This was the view from our hotel room in Sydney - straight up the harbour towards the Sydney Heads - spectacular!

And if I pressed my face to the window and looked around to the left I could catch a glimpse of the Opera House!

So while I'm showing the sights of Sydney - the Japanese meal I had with the children the other night was to die for!

All beautifully presented and absolutely delicious!

Remembrance Day 2011

2011-11-11T11:23:00.000+11:00

Today is Remembrance Day - the day that marks the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and the day we remember our fallen soldiers - the Flanders poppy has long been a part of Remembrance Day - take time today to remember!

Sydney Harbour today!!

2011-11-09T09:46:00.000+11:00

I have been lucky to accompany my husband on a business trip to Sydney for a conference for a couple of days, and we are staying at a beautiful hotel by the harbour! And I have to say ..... even though I used to get the ferry into this city to work each day when we lived in Sydney ...... this is still the most beautiful harbour!!! After amazing storms in Sydney yesterday afternoon, this was the day we woke up to ....... on my morning walk around the foreshore and botanical gardens ...... the spectacular Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Looking back from the Opera House to Circular Quay where all the ferries come and go!

View from the botanical gardens back towards the Opera House with a glimpse of the Harbour Bridge in the background!

In the botanical gardens looking up to the city buildings!

And the Manly ferry which we used to catch leaves Circular Quay! A beautiful sunny day in a glorious city! I do have some stitching with me ..... I wonder if I will get any done today!!

"Shabby Roses" Raffle Quilt

2011-11-03T07:27:00.000+11:00

Each Christmas I give our Needlework ladies some "homework" to complete over the holidays when we are not meeting! Last Christmas I gave them some designs from the "Shabby Roses" quilt designed by Jennifer Reynolds of Elefantz (with her permission of course) and the result is a beautiful quilt to raffle for local charities.

This quilt was put together by Jenny, one of our members, who used the same design as she had with her redwork one (a few posts ago) - it looks great Jenny - thankyou!

A few close up photos of the individual embroideries - beautiful flowers!

Love!

Smile and dream!! Just gorgeous ladies - beautifully stitched - let's hope we make lots for local charities! And thankyou to Jenny of Elefantz for allowing us to use her design!

Needlework ladies

2011-11-02T17:37:00.000+11:00

As I always say .... I am fortunate to stitch each week with lots of clever ladies ..... here are some of this weeks finishes! Diana has made this wonderfully bright and colourful crochet rug - aren't the colours spectacular?

And Chris has been very productive and bought to show us the three "Pink Girls Night In" projects for the past three years! Well done Chris!

And Shirley H has also finished off her "pink" pincushion and another canvas work pincushion which we made at a stitching day a while ago!

And even though you can't see the embroidery too well (my camera ... sorry!) this quilt which Shirley F has just finished looks gorgeous!

Shirley has made 30 stitcheries all in pale blue and put them together in a quilt surrounded by a gorgeous print similar to a Liberty of London print! It looks so beautiful!

Getting better with the close up photos!! A little more detail here, and you can also see the lovely quilting by Debbie! Well done Shirley!

Blackwork and a surprise package!!

2011-11-01T07:15:00.000+11:00

Finished off this little free blackwork pattern with some gold stitching on it. It is a free design from Patricia Wainwright which I have had for ages and decided to stitch! Another Christmas decoration to add to the collection!

I was very excited when David bought the mail home last night - I had a big package from "Hatched and Patched" at Bathurst!!

And inside was the beautiful fabric kit for Anni Downs "Some Kind of Wonderful" quilt! How exciting!!

The fabrics are so gorgeous and I kind of wish they would just make themselves up into this gorgeous quilt overnight!! I am going to be stitching this with the "Stitch A Long" group (but not until I finish off my 'Tis the Season quilt - which is nearly done!)

Love the fabrics and the threads and would really like to be starting this today! I do have lots of other things on my list to complete first though!!

Christmas Hexagon Decoration

2011-10-30T14:08:00.000+11:00

This week at Needlework we will be stitching this Christmas Hexagon Decoration which Sylvia had designed for our Stitching on the Lake days recently. The colours are fabulous and if you love hexagons, you will love putting this together! The front has a cute bird appliqued on it!

And the back has a Christmas Star! And it is pouring with rain here this Sunday afternoon with a little hail, so I am off to find a nice spot on the lounge and stitch for an hour or two! Hope you find time for a stitch or two today!

Happy Birthday to my Mum !!

2011-10-27T13:50:00.001+11:00

My beautiful mother is turning 81 today so I just wanted to wish her a very happy birthday! Even though we aren't together today, you are in my thoughts and prayers! Enjoy your birthday dinner Mum! Here is mum with her five daughters recently celebrating Susan's 60th birthday (bottom left) and Robyn's 58th birthday (bottom right) - they were both born on the same day two years apart! My younger sister Beth (top left), me, Mum, Wendy (top right)! We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Ripples at Chowder Bay in Sydney!

The three birthday girls together!

And on the same weekend, we celebrated the 90th birthday of Frank - David's dad! All the children were there to celebrate with him! Here is Chelsea, Elliott, Frank, Ashleigh and Sam after the celebrations, relaxing on the balcony of our accommodation for the weekend in Sydney!

And a nice family shot as the sun went down over the ocean - beautiful!

Show and Tell

2011-10-27T09:53:00.000+11:00

Some great finishes have been shared at Needlework over the past few weeks! This is one version of our french knot or punchneedle Santa decoration from last week!

And Lois has made a number of these beautiful "Noel" quilts for all her grandchildren! What a great idea!

Jenny has completed a beautiful redwork quilt and then quilted it herself with her new machine! It looks fantastic!

I love the quilted flowers in red!

And although you can't see the close ups of all the stitcheries in this photo, they are beautiful! And with clever placing of fabrics, this finished quilt looks fantastic!

Chris has completed some little Christmas bags ready for their gifts and a cute cross stitch card to send overseas!

And Lynne has finished putting together this bright and colourful felt purse from a kit she had purchased! Love it!

The Colour Pink!!

2011-10-26T14:10:00.000+11:00

Heavenly cupcakes were on the menu for supper last night and this morning as our Needlework Group celebrated and raised funds for Breast Cancer Research at our "Girls Night In" and "Girls Morning In"!! Dressed in pink and "thinking pink" we enjoyed a few laughs and a bit of stitching and fabulous supper and morning tea!! Thankyou to Brooke for the cupcakes too!!

Diana and Narelle got into the swing of things last night!

Some of the night ladies celebrating "Girls Night In"!!

The morning tea this morning was beautifully pink, complete with pink flowers and musk sticks!!

Lyn missed out last night, so came to visit this morning! She was joined by Shirley W, Shirley F, Julie and Pat!

Lyn, Shirley W and Jennifer !

Betty, Evelyn, Audrey, Doris and Margaret!

Yvonne x 2 !!

Lois was wearing this nice pink bag!

And Nola too!!

Olga and Carmelle !!

Helen, Marianne and Inge !

Shirley W, Joyce, Mary, Jan, Claire and Shirley H all enjoyed pink morning tea! I'm happy to report we raised $300.00 for Breast Cancer Research! Well done ladies!!

"Think Pink" Pincushion

2011-10-25T08:14:00.000+11:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and our Needlework Group is hosting a Girls Night In tonight and Girls Morning In tomorrow morning to raise funds to support this very worthy cause. This pincushion or scissor keeper is a "Gift of Stitching" pattern which I have modified and changed a bit to make my pincushion! Let's all get behind Breast Cancer research and fundraising and "Think Pink" not only this month but every month! We will be stitching this project tonight and tomorrow!

And in keeping with the "pink" theme, we will be enjoying "Heavenly Cupcakes" beautifully handmade by Brooke!! Yum .... maybe there will be photos of that tomorrow!!

And further in keeping with the "pink" theme - here is a finished project from a previous stitching day which one of the ladies showed us in Canberra on the weekend! Beautiful stitching and gorgeous colour!!

Stitching on the Lake Week 2

2011-10-24T08:37:00.001+11:00

We had another fabulous day in Canberra on Saturday at our second Stitching on the Lake day! The ladies were very keen to stitch ... and eat ... and chat!!! Thanks to our fantastic caterers Maree and Lynne for the beautiful food .... it was sooooo good .... but I didn't take any photos of the food this time (obviously in far too much of a hurry to eat it!!) Here is one of the finished Christmas decorations - beautifully finished!!

And Laurelle managed to finish off her canvas work on the day too - great colours!

Here is part of the Hobbysew display which Terrie bought along so that we could do some retail therapy!

I spotted this beautiful mat on the Hobbysew table - which I now know was stitched by my dear friend Sylvia (and not Najelle - sorry)!! And she does beautiful tiny stitches too!!!

Table 2 were ready to go with their Christmas Tree and munchies!!

And while this mum stitched .....

The terribly cute Patrick slept the day away peacefully!!

Sylvia and I enjoyed the day immensely and even managed to get our photo taken at one stage!

Jane - quietly stitching !

And Jenny really enjoyed learning about canvas work!

Here is her work in progress on the day! It should be finished by now - is it Jenny????

Jan, Donna, Sue and Jo enjoyed the day - here is Sylvia helping Donna master that stitch!! We did have a fabulous day and look forward to doing it all again next year! The exciting news is that we have planned a Weekend Retreat for August next year which we are really looking forward to! Hope you all are too!!

A Collage of "Stitching on the Lake" Projects!!

2011-10-20T10:36:00.000+11:00

For those ladies coming to the second "Stitching on the Lake" day this Saturday in Canberra, here is a collage of photos of the projects which I forgot to include in my post earlier today! For a closer look you will need to go back a few days to last week to have a look at the larger photos!! Sylvia and I are looking forward to catching up with you all on Saturday!! Be prepared for a day of fun and laughter, tempting food and a touch of creativity!!

More of Stitching on the Lake

2011-10-20T07:25:00.000+11:00

I thought I would share a few more "Stitching on the Lake" photos! This is a nearly completed hexagon decoration! Aren't the Nancy Halvorsen fabrics gorgeous?

The colour in the gorgeous native flowers on the luncheon table was a favourite of mine!

One of the lovely things about the stitching days we hold is that there is a time to share finished projects from previous stitching days, or something which may have been recently completed! Apart from being interesting in terms of the different fabrics and threads used, it is inspirational for others to hopefully complete their unfinished items! This lovely stitching bag, painted and embroidered biscornu and canvas work pincushion were from the last stitching day!

Another lovely pastel shade of the stitching bag!

And lemon tones for yet another stitching bag and biscornu! Beautiful work ladies!

This lovely collection has a bit of everything (including a gorgeous Leanne Beasley pincushion from a recent issue of "Vignette" magazine!

Although not a stitching day project, these cute stitched Christmas Stockings were on display also!

Stitching on the Lake

2011-10-16T16:09:00.000+11:00

It has been over a week since I posted our Stitching on the Lake projects! I had been told to rest for a week and get better!! So that's what I did!! I'm pleased to report I was well enough to attend our Stitching on the Lake day in Canberra yesterday! As always, we had a wonderful day of stitching and friendships - with more than a dash of food!!! I can't believe I took no photos of the beautiful food created by Maree and Lynne!! I'll remember to have my camera on hand for next weekend - the food was exquisite!! Here is the room all set up before the ladies arrived - Christmas trees, red bags full of projects, Christmas hanging decoration and the anticipation of a great day!!

A couple of our projects - hexagon decorations!

Felt decoration, cross stitch decoration and a tiny little Christmas Santa!

Canvas work decoration and a beautiful embroidered cushion! Is that two partridges in a very ornate pear tree!!

Another view of the room - ready and waiting for the ladies to arrive!

And finally ... here they are hard at work!!

Having fun and all working hard on their projects!

Sylvia having a chat with Margaret and daughter Danielle!

They do look busy don't they??

More happy faces!

Sue and Lee quietly stitching and enjoying their "time out"!!

Pene and Shirley taking a break from stitching for a photo!!

Stella couldn't drag herself away from her stitching ... so smiled as she worked!!

Penny (in the front of photo) travelled all the way from England to join us for Stitching on the Lake!!
She wins the prize for coming the furthest distance for a stitching day!!

A room full of busy ladies!

Najelle from Hobbysew at Belconnen bought a lovely stall to tempt us!! And tempted we were!!

Some "works in progress" !!

And hexagon decorations in progress!! A great day was had by all!! We look forward to doing it all again next Saturday at the second Stitching on the Lake day in Canberra!!

Stitching on the Lake Projects

2011-10-07T10:26:00.001+11:00

Not long now until "Stitching on the Lake" which Sylvia and I organise in Canberra throughout the year! We have two days coming up - Saturday 15th October and Saturday 22nd October 2011 - and from all reports, you ladies are excited about the prospect of a day to yourselves - stitching and chatting (with a little bit of eating!!) Speaking of which - the caterers are organised and excited too!! The projects are ...... this canvas work decoration (which I have made into a bookmark)!

A tiny Santa Bear Ornament!

A Christmas Joy Decoration!

A Felt Decoration!

Christmas Hexagons!

And more Christmas Hexagons!

And a gorgeous Oh Christmas Tree stitchery! We hope something here "tickles your fancy" and we look forward to seeing our first group of ladies on 15th October!! These photos are just to give you an idea of any colours or fabrics you might wish to bring along with you - don't forget to bring your cameras for some more close up photos of the projects and of course your stitching friends!!

Browsing .......

2011-10-06T16:27:00.000+11:00

Well I have finally opened all the mail that accumulates when you have been away for a month!! A big job which has taken a few days!! I was so excited to find some lovely stitching bits and pieces in the mail (makes a nice change from bills!!). Issue 4 of "Vignette" arrived while I was away and I have spent time today browsing through it! I love Leanne's photography and projects and am now inspired to keep stitching on my "vignette in stitches" quilt! Love the cover too!

"Be grateful for simple blessings" - a stitchery project from this issue of "Vignette"! Another something to add to the list of things to do and it uses the lovely Cosmo Seasons Threads.

Another gorgeous stitchery using the Cosmo threads!

As I'm just resting up at home today I have enjoyed a really good browse through Anni Downs "Some Kind of Wonderful" which I had bought before I went away but hadn't really had the time to delve into! I love just about everything in this book!!

I have already looked at my fabrics to work out what I might be able to use for the "Some Kind of Wonderful" quilt. I'm going to stitch with the Stitch A Long group again - very motivational and it makes me accountable for finishing the projects! I just have to finish off my last Stitch A Long project - Tis the Season - first!!!

I have stitched the small embroideries for this bag - but am yet to put it together!

And I have nearly stitched the outside of this pincushion too!

And maybe I'll add this to the collection also!

And yet another lovely project I received in the mail whilst away was my Block 3 of the Saltbox Farm quilt from The Birdhouse!! I'm thinking the next few months could be very very busy!!!

Nepal

2011-10-04T22:47:00.000+11:00

Back to work today .... but here are some more photos of our trip ..... some spectacular scenery along the trail we walked!

Around every corner there was a beautiful view and some amazing history!

As it was the end of the rainy season in Nepal, we came across many waterfalls, and even had to walk through and under some!

The sky was so blue and the mountains so high!

This was a view out of our bedroom window one afternoon!

Having embroidered hollyhocks for years, it was lovely to find such a gorgeous display of "real" ones along the trail!

Love the contrast of the ancient building and the brightly coloured flowers!

And who said women don't multi task?? This lady was enjoying the harvesting of potatoes in Jharkot village! For about 6 hours some of the villagers harvested potatoes and carried them into a storage shed - the tiny baby on this lady's back didn't stop her from getting stuck into the job at hand!

And this magnificent display of colourful orchids was in the hotel foyer in Bangkok!

Back Home !!

2011-10-03T17:36:00.000+11:00

Finally we have arrived back home today on the very beautiful south coast of New South Wales! We flew in early this morning from Bangkok and gee it's so nice to be home!! Travelling certainly makes you appreciate the cleanliness of your own bathroom, the fresh vegetables and the barbecue which will be cooking shortly. We took lots of photos and I thought I would share some - many of you have written to find out where I was and then again to check on my health - still not 100% but on the road to recovery!

Here we are at the top of the Thorung La Pass in Nepal at 5416m! We made it!! Bitterly cold and freezing winds - stayed there just long enough to take some photos and then head down!!

The day after we crossed over the pass - in a gorgeous little ancient village called Jharkot, Nepal!

It was as though time stood still in this village - on this morning we watched the locals harvest a whole field of potatoes with two oxen - and then they cooked some up for us - absolutely delicious!!

This is the Fishtail Mountain outside of Pokhara in Nepal!

Celebrating our return to Bangkok where we caught up with our youngest daughter who was also heading south to a beach somewhere!!

So this is where the rest and relaxation began - Hua Hin - in a pool villa - I did spend lots of time in our own little pool!

I also spent lots of time lying on the day bed shack and reading books and recuperating!! I'll share more photos in the next few days .... when the unpacking and washing is complete!! Back to work tomorrow .... where did that month go???

Thailand ......

2011-09-27T10:48:00.000+10:00

Hello all .... Trekked only for about 10 days then succumbed to a nasty upper respiratory chest infection along with my fellow walkers! Flew out to medical attention in Pokhara, Nepal and rested! Then decided the best medicine was to fly back to Bangkok and spend some time in the sun at the beach south of Bangkok! So .... Here we are in Hua Hin doing exactly that! Still no stitching done - just relaxing and recuperating! Back home next week and back to work!!!!

TREKKING IN NEPAL ......

2011-09-16T20:59:00.000+10:00

TO EVERYONE WHO HAS ENQUIRED AS TO WHERE I HAVE BEEN AND IF I AM OK ..... I AM TREKKING IN NEPAL FOR ONE MONTH AND WILL BE BACK ON AIR AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. HOPEFULLY I WILL BE ABLE TO POST SOME PHOTOS ALONG THE WAY!!! \

Stitching by the Waters Edge Retreat

2011-08-24T17:01:00.001+10:00

I took lots of photos at the Retreat on the weekend - so here are some more .... These gorgeous little holders for your shelf were really bright and colourful! These are from "Pieces of Me" by Janelle Wind.

"My Favourite Things" quilt by Anni Downs - just beautiful in real life!

Lots of gorgeous colourful designs by Janelle and Natalie!

Great Christmas gift ideas!

Loved the fabric range in this collection by Natalie!

A handy shoe bag with one of Anni's designs!

From Anni's "Some Kind of Wonderful" book - these samples reminded me why I loved the book and how many gorgeous things I am planning on making!

We were fortunate to be able to purchase some of Anni's new fabric range and she had made up some gorgeous samples to tempt us!

This lovely wool felt scarf is so cute - Sandy was wearing one on Friday night when we arrived! If you have a look at her blog she is having a great giveaway! Just click on her name above! Good luck!!

Show and Tell on Saturday evening after dinner was just amazing - here is Sylvia showing one of her many Anni Downs quilts!

And this won the Viewers Choice award on the night - it was my favourite!

Tutor Natalie, Jukejema Quilting Barn owner, Kim and Kate sharing a laugh!

Kate's table of clever ladies all finished a project on the weekend! They are looking fairly pleased with themselves and so is Tutor Janelle on the far right!

Tutors Anni and Janelle!

And as I hadn't quite finished off something completely ... I didn't really think Anni would mind if I claimed some of her finished projects as mine!!

Our patient and kind Tutors Anni, Janelle and Natalie with Kim! Wow ... what a fabulous weekend! What a shame it had to end! And now I have more unfinished projects to complete!!!

Stitching by the Waters Edge Retreat

2011-08-21T22:13:00.000+10:00

I have just returned from a fabulous few days at "Stitching by the Waters Edge" Retreat at Waterslea on the Shoalhaven River. Run by Kim and Carol from Jukejema Quilting Barn in Nowra, this was a really special weekend with guest tutors, Anni Downs, Janelle Wind and Natalie Ross! Exceptional!!! These little gift boxes awaited each of the ladies attending - and held a cute little gift for each of us!

Our bags were beautifully decorated!

Anni's projects were this gorgeous Christmas mat and an equally gorgeous woollen bag!

Janelle made beautiful bags with retro flowers!

And more retro flowers on a journal cover!

Natalie's projects were a "retreat seat" and a block holder!

The "retreat seat" had great pockets on the sides for all your stitching bits and pieces!

More of Anni's projects - lovely felt Christmas cones!

Friends and tutors - back row - Karen, Sylvia and Janelle Wind (Tutor) and front row - me, Natalie (Tutor) and Shirley!

Not sure what happened to the colour in this photo - but I met up with other blogging friends - left to right - Syvlia, Sandy, Kate, Shiree, me and Sue! Lots of chatting and laughter took place with these girls!!

And the tranquil scenery - the view outside! Spectacular!

What have I been doing???? And a weekend away ....

2011-08-19T08:43:00.001+10:00

It seems a long time since I have posted ... times are busy and hectic at the moment! I have been finishing off some things and making some kits for our upcoming October Stitching on the Lake Days in Canberra. Some things I can't share ... but some I can ....

This cute little face peeking out from underneath a pile of fabric might give you a hint of something we are planning on doing at our Stitching Days in October!!

I was excited to receive my first block in the "Saltbox Farm" block of the month from Natalie of The Birdhouse fame!

I love the muted tones of the fabrics and, again, I love incorporating embroidery with patchwork!

A tiny glimpse of a canvas work project for our Stitching Days!

And this morning I am packing my bag for a weekend of stitching and fun with lots of other like minded women! We are off to the Jukejema Quilting Barn Retreat on the river at Nowra on the south coast of New South Wales. I went last year and had a great time and am looking forward to meeting up with lots of blogging friends - some are even coming from New Zealand!!! Our teachers for the weekend are Anni Downes, Natalie Ross and Janelle Wind - looking forward to that!!

So .... this is my stitching bag for the weekend ....

I could be taking a basket .....full of goodies ....

Pretty sure there will be lots of cups of tea!!

And did I mention ... there will be lots of good friends there ....

Yep ... another cup of tea ....

Button collection better come with me .... I always need to embellish!!!

And of course a pincushion ... this one was recently made by Tricia ..... so I thought I would take it on it's first trip away ....

And you can't stitch without red frogs .... it has long been a stitching tradition with my group of friends .... will 2 packets be enough though??? Hope you all have a great weekend ... and hope you get to fit in a little bit of stitching time!!! Enjoy!!

New Stitching Projects

2011-08-10T16:04:00.000+10:00

With all the troubles in London at the moment, it is nice to hear our youngest daughter has arrived safely in London (from Portugal) before heading off to the Greek Islands tomorrow! As I know she may well check my blog on her travels, I'm wishing you safe travels and happy times Chelsea!! xx

For those who are attending our Stitching on the Lake days in Canberra, please note that Saturday 22nd October is booked out!!! There are only a couple of places left on Saturday 15th October so don't forget to register quickly!!

Here are a couple of the projects we are working on over the next few weeks at Needlework (with thanks to Sylvia for sharing her designs). This lovely stitched case is a different version of one I made a while back - this one is worked on lovely ticking fabric and with rows of embroidered flowers and stitches! This will be a great project to practice your stitches!

A bit of a closer view of the stitching!

And the zipper has a lovely tassel of buttons and threads!

Looking down from the top - and please note the beautiful orchids out on my back porch at the moment!!

And this other great project can be made into a cushion or a bag - decorated with beautiful handpainted buttons from Up in Annie's Room - it is well worth a visit to Larraine's beautiful online store. Larraine cuts the most divine laser cut buttons and designs!

A cute bird - we painted ours blue!

And some lovely flower buttons - also painted! So this will give those ladies who are doing these classes an idea of the fabrics and colours used! Please remember I have some of the ticking fabric available for a kit so you don't have to buy that! Now I am off to finish off some more stitching projects - I am feeling a productive afternoon coming on!! (I have to utilise my day off to the max - and make sure to include some stitching!!)

Visit to Perth

2011-08-05T08:07:00.000+10:00

Have been so busy this past week! Last weekend we spent three days in Perth visiting our son and his girlfriend! This was the closest thing I got to "crafty" last weekend - we enjoyed a fabulous brunch with Andrea's parents, who also live in Perth, at "Wild Poppy" in Fremantle! What a great place! And outside they have decorated a cold winter tree and wrapped it with gorgeous knitted squares of bright wool - doesn't it look great?

The chairs and lounges inside were covered in the most beautiful fabrics - how gorgeous is this?

Elliott and Marley!

So very windy - so what's a boy to do - kite surf!

He's out there somewhere in that choppy rough sea and howling wind - attached to the bottom of the black kite!

Amazing food - pancakes with poached pears and stewed berries!

Olive bread with spinach and tomato for breakfast!

Olive bread with goats cheese and roasted tomato bruschetta! mmmmmmmmmmmm!

Mussel Bar in Fremantle provided a spectacular meal of mussels!

David and I at Mussel Bar!

Elliott and Andrea at Mussel Bar! What a great weekend we had - no stitching - only a little on the plane on the way over and back! Must get back into it this week! Enjoy your weekend and the beautifully sunny weather we are having here on the east coast!

Table Runner and Christmas Bags

2011-07-28T07:19:00.000+10:00

Following our recent Stitching on the Bay day, Tricia has finished off her table runner - doesn't it look great? Both ends are embroidered beautifully and her choice of colours for the patchwork is lovely!

This could be made as long or as short as you wish! Great project and a great finish Tricia!

Next week we will be making these two cute little Christmas Gift Bags! The idea is to give a gift with a very cute wrapping - and here is the idea!

These two samples have been worked on sandcastle fabric - the top one has an embroidered angel and the bottom one has an applique Christmas tree! Can't believe we are thinking about Christmas already!! But it will be here before you know it!!

Works in Progress and Floral Abundance!

2011-07-24T08:06:00.000+10:00

I have been trying to finish off some of my projects which are "just for me"!! Have managed a bit of stitching on my Vignette quilt!! Not as much as I would like to have finished - but working through it anyway! It is just lovely to pick up and stitch a little bit every day!

I'm loving the colours I'm stitching in and of course the Nancy Halvorsen fabrics which border the design! Wishing I had more time to stitch!

I'm drawing some inspiration from some of the flowers in my garden at the moment! These orchids have absolutely no love and attention all year and suddenly spring forth with these beautiful flowers! Amazing!

And the colours in this orchid are just divine!

Finished off a couple more of my Tis the Season blocks - ready for borders!

The vibrant colours in these bottle brush are so lovely - now the rain has gone and the sun is trying to come out!

The grevillea are flourishing!

And the proteas are waterlogged but surviving nevertheless! It was nice to get out and about yesterday after the rain - a 6 hour training walk was just what was needed - up and down mountains! And off we go again today to the same thing! Not much stitching - but maybe an hour or two tonight as I rest my weary legs on the lounge!! Have a great Sunday!

A Giveaway at Gabi's

2011-07-24T07:35:00.000+10:00

Gabi is having a wonderful giveaway to celebrate her blogoversary! A $100 gift voucher to spend at Anita's online store! Go over to her site and enter if you wish! What a lovely prize!

Ashleigh's Quilt

2011-07-20T16:45:00.001+10:00

Our beautiful elder daughter Ashleigh turned 25 recently and I gave her the top of a quilt for one of her gifts and then had to take it back home to have it quilted! This is Ash and her gorgeous partner Tim who has now been a part of our family for over 10 years! Happy belated birthday to our gorgeous girl!

I made this quilt "Bali Dreaming" out of lots of different batik Balinese fabrics which are some of Ash's favourites! She loved the colours and the quilt! This was made in a class I did with Debbie who also quilted the quilt for me. I thought she could use it as a lounge quilt and wrap herself in it and dream about the many trips to Bali she has enjoyed! She is a bit like me - in fact I think we bred "summer" children in our house - no one likes winter - we all love the summer weather!!

A bit of a close up of some of the fabrics and squares! I just have to sew the binding on which I stitched together last night and it will be finished when I make the label - hopefully in time to give to her this weekend! Only 2 weeks late! Not to worry! Been a little bit hectic with Stitching on the Bay, work, class samples, family, etc. etc. Can't think of any other excuses at the moment!!

Candlewicked Bags

2011-07-19T07:02:00.000+10:00

These two candlewicked bags are our project for this week at Needlework! It is always fun to explore this age old form of needlework! Such great results can be obtained from one simple colour!

This first one is stitched on calico and is really lovely with the lace around the top to finish it off!

And this one is stitched on a printed patchwork fabric which gives a nice result! Thanks to Sylvia for sharing her design with me!

More Stitching on the Bay

2011-07-18T08:06:00.000+10:00

Sharing some more Stitching on the Bay photos with you ..... we had a lovely day and there were some beautiful projects which ladies had finished off from previous stitching day! Maria had made this beautiful canvas work Christmas stocking from our last Stitching Day before Christmas last year! Beautiful choice of colours!

Jan had completed her Santa star decoration!

Dzintra had completed her folder cover from a previous stitching day!

We were very fortunate to have some lovely things to purchase from the "My Patch" shop at Milton! This is the new Cinderberry's book "Cotton Floss" with a couple of the projects made up!

Another of Val's lovely samples on display!

Lovely bag - lovely fabric!

This gorgeous little princess bag is another of Val's lovely samples!

Very bright and colourful owl cross stitcheries with bright surroundings!

Maria had made this lovely felt case from a pattern purchased at "Stephs Patchwork" at Moruya!

And seeing this little pattern stitched on white felt made me want to come home and finish off my green version!

Another of Maria's gorgeous felt creations! I think this was done in a class with Theodora Cleave!

And did I mention the food ???? This was dessert after lunch!

And afternoon tea!

And more afternoon tea!! Thanks so much to the wonderful caterers and to all the ladies who made it such a special day!

Stitching on the Bay

2011-07-17T20:18:00.000+10:00

We had a great day at "Stitching on the Bay" yesterday! We stitched, we laughed and we ate very very well! Thanks Maree and Lynne for the beautiful food! After setting up the hall on Friday, we enjoyed lunch by the waterfront in Batemans Bay - a perfect venue - me, Karen, Maree (caterer) and Sylvia!

I enjoyed welcoming Jenny and Maria back this time - they were overseas last year when we held this event - it was great to see them again!

Beautiful flowers on the lunch table!

Ros busy tracing her project!

Sisters Jan and Helen studying their notes!

The painting table was busy as the ladies painted their wooden buttons and colour washed their fabric for embroidery!

Sisters Dale and Tracy caught up with Sylvia for a chat!

Margaret quietly stitching!

Karen and Renate ironing little shapes onto their felt needlecases!

Shirley and Lyn enjoying their stitching time together!

Sue and Tricia took some time out from their hectic stitching schedule to pose for the camera!

We really did enjoy a fabulous day - I took lots of photos so will share some more with you tomorrow!
We had a huge 6 hour training walk today for a big trek we have coming up, so I'm off for an early night now! I hope you enjoyed your weekend - whatever you did!!

Stitching on the Bay Projects

2011-07-09T09:36:00.002+10:00

Next Saturday 16th July we have a fantastic Stitching on the Bay day planned for all the ladies who are coming! I promised some photos of the projects .... if you think you have seen them before - you have - they are the same projects we did for Stitching on the Lake in Canberra last month! For the ladies who are coming .... don't forget the change of venue for this time only to the new Salvation Army Garden Hall!! So ... to start off ... here is a canvas work pincushion for all the canvas work enthusiasts!

A bit of creative embroidery on a sewing bag!

Painted and embroidered biscornu!

A cute little felt scissor fob!

A felt needlecase to match the scissor fob!

A handpainted button on an applique background - for a cushion or to be framed!

Embroidery and patchwork on a table runner using your favourite fabrics!

A close up of the embroidery on the table runner!

Val from "My Patch" at Milton will bring some of her beautiful wares from her new shop!

If you are passing through Milton on the south coast of New South Wales, you really must stop in for a visit - Val's shop is bright and colourful - very cheery!

Lots of lovely things on display!

Lovely samples made up too!

And just a glimpse inside the door - makes you feel like you have visited doesn't it?

Works in Progress

2011-07-08T18:39:00.000+10:00

Quite a few works in progress at the moment as I am trying to organise classes for Semester 2, Stitching Days, stitch a long projects and some special stitching for another class I will be teaching at "My Patch" at Milton. If I photographed all my "works in progress" this would be a very long post, but I will save more for later!

Val from "My Patch" has given me some gorgeous fabrics to play with and I chose some lovely bright cottons to go with them - so watch this space for what is created!

When I posted that I had completed some blocks for my Tis the Season stitch a long, someone kindly pointed out that my birds were "hovering" - I forgot to stitch the branch!! So here is the completed piece - with branch!

And I'm having fun with this little canvas work kit which I was sent! The hand dyed floss is divine to work with and this little pincushion should be finished off very quickly! A bit blurry - but you get the picture!

Quilts and Stitching

2011-07-06T09:19:00.000+10:00

We are on a break from Needlework for the school holidays so I am catching up with some photos recently taken. This is a really colourful and bright quilt Jenny made for a gift! Love the colours!

Another version of the needlecase from a couple of weeks ago!

Pauline shared with us this spectacular quilt she made which took her a couple of years! The three dimensional work is beautiful ... words cannot describe!

A close up of one of the blocks!

And another lovely quick overnight visit to Sydney to celebrate Ashleigh's (right) 25th birthday and Chelsea's (centre) farewell - she flew out to Spain yesterday via Paris!! Oh to be young again and have the world at your feet! Travel safely my gorgeous girl!

Needlework Ladies

2011-06-30T08:16:00.000+10:00

Here are a couple of lovely photos which I have taken of some of the beautifully finished work completed by my Needlework ladies! Pauline has used the most gorgeous fabrics to create this special little sewing folder! The front cover is embroidered beautifully!

Inside there is a needle case attached and a place for those stray pins! There are plastic sleeves for notes or projects!

Inside the back cover is a tatted thimble holder, a pocket and a scissor keeper!

And this gorgeous little folder goes inside this equally gorgeous bag! Outstanding Pauline!

And our blackwork fanatic - Shirley W - has completed this lovely bellpull!

Being cold here - there is lots of knitting going on at Needlework - lots of lovely scarves and hats - including this cute little knitted ensemble!

"Tis the Season" Stitchalong blocks

2011-06-25T14:37:00.000+10:00

I have finally sewn the borders on a few of my "Tis the Season" blocks! I loved seeing the finished quilt at the Craft Show and was inspired to sew some borders onto my already stitched blocks!

I have used the variegated red DMC stranded cotton for the stitchery and love how the colours turn out!

These should be quick stitcheries and this little quilt should be finished "quickly" but I have too many other projects on the go at the moment I have decided!

And after all .... Christmas is at least six months away!!

Sydney Quilt and Craft Show

2011-06-24T15:09:00.001+10:00

I have just returned from Sydney, having had to drive my 90 year old father in law up there for an appointment which just happened, purely by chance, to coincide with the Quilt and Craft Show! So I managed to have a couple of hours at the show at Darling Harbour while he was at his appointment in the city. I loved all the variations of this "Dear Jane" quilt - lots of different colours and all beautifully stitched!

A closer view - and the quilting was superb!

As I'm right into a hexagon quilt at the moment - this one took my eye! Again - the quilting is exquisite!

Some of the wearable art designs were amazing!

And this was just gorgeous close up - just like a painting!

Gorgeous quilting again!!

And one of my favourites - beautifully needle-turned flowers - gorgeous colours - fantastic quilting! Ticks all boxes for me!

Love anything that combines patchwork with embroidery and this version of a Leanne Beasley quilt was lovely!

And one of the great things was to catch up with a fellow blogger or two! Chookyblue was there and we arranged to meet - only I didn't have a clue what she looked like because she never puts a photo of herself on her blog! So here is one for all of you who every wanted to know what Chookyblue (should be "Chookyred") looks like! It was lovely to finally meet and we managed to fit a lot of talking into the few minutes we shared together! Also got to meet up with Cardygirl (and her bag)too! Lots of fun!!

Pincushion and Scissor Keeper

2011-06-21T08:20:00.000+10:00

This is a pincushion and scissor fob which I have recently finished off. It is my adaptation of a Nancy Halvorsen inspired design. I love the pumpkin pincushions - so couldn't resist making it into something I would love to use!

The back of the scissor keeper and inside are yet another pair of cute embroidery scissors!

This needlecase from a couple of weeks ago completes the set - although I love the fabrics and have some more - so anything else in the "stitchy" line could eventuate!

A belated birthday weekend away in Berry was had this past weekend - David organised a cute little house in Berry for the weekend and Bruce and Sylvia joined us from Canberra! We had a lovely weekend! Way too much food was consumed - but we enjoyed it all!

Sylvia and I managed to fit in a little bit of stitching time!

Bruce (on the left) has one of those great cameras which you can set up to take a photo - so here we all are on the steps of the cottage - Bruce, me, David, Sylvia!!

And here I am trying to finish off one of my Leanne Beasley Vignette blocks - so much stitching in these blocks - but very enjoyable stitching!

Canvas Work Creations!

2011-06-16T08:18:00.000+10:00

Not a lot of stitching got done over the long weekend because we ventured out to train (in the rain) for a big walk we have coming up! But I did manage to finish off this cute canvas work piece! I love the colours! I found this pattern in an English Needlecraft magazine which is about 15 years old! I have changed it slightly to suit my taste!

It is always fun to use lots of different stitches to create something - usually I make up my own designs so it was a bit hard to stick to a pattern - which is why I wandered off a couple of times!

This will be a great pincushion I'm thinking!

And the pattern called for a felt backing but I decided I would like a stitched one so I used up the rest of the colours to make a nicer backing!

"Vignette" Issue 3 and In My Garden

2011-06-10T08:17:00.000+10:00

With a long weekend coming up here in New South Wales, it is time to put on the thinking cap about projects for this weekend! It was exciting to receive the third issue of "Vignette" earlier this week and see all the beautiful projects Leanne Beasley has in store for us! Even the cover is inviting!!

This would be a lovely quick stitch - a remembrance pincushion with embroidered rosemary!

Perhaps I will have time to make lots more hexagons for the hexagon quilt!

I could always stitch the next few blocks on my "Vignette in Stitches" quilt!

A close up of Leanne's beautiful stitchery!

I might finish off this pincushion I am making to match my needle case which I finished off last week!

Another alternative is to start preparing my next "In My Garden" square by Anni Downs from "Hatched and Patched"!

I'm just loving receiving these gorgeous little fabric packs with my block of the month for "In My Garden"!! So much to do .... and not nearly enough days in a long weekend! I hope you enjoy your weekend - wherever you may be!!

Folded Needlecase and Melbourne

2011-06-07T08:01:00.000+10:00

I finally found the time to sew the catch onto this folded needlecase I have made based on a gorgeous Nancy Halvorsen design. I loved the bright and colourful fabrics (also Nancy Halvorsen) and enjoyed putting together this handy little sewing item!

And inside there is lots of room for scissors, needles, Pigma tracing pen, threads etc.

I had to share some of the fabulous food and sights of Melbourne - have just spent a weekend there with some friends - this delicious apple and rhubarb panacotta was to die for!

Another gorgeous dessert! These are not all my desserts by the way!

This was one of the nicest Caesar Salads I have ever had!

Lots of coffees were enjoyed - this one looked too beautiful to drink!

At the old Convent for breakfast one morning - it was a clear but crisp Melbourne morning but the trees were beautiful!

Delicious spinach tart!

Beautiful baskets of homemade bread!

Very special breakfast of hotcakes with blueberry ricotta and fresh berries!

Spiced eggs - beautifully presented!

The old fashioned coffee machine roasting coffee beans at the Convent!

Wednesday Stitching

2011-06-01T16:42:00.000+10:00

Some fantastic stitching on display this morning at Needlework!! Dzintra did some serious damage to her shoulder a while ago and has been out of action for quite some time. She has discovered the only way she can stitch is by resting on this beautiful pillow! It is really beautiful Dzintra! And we hope your arm gets better soon and you can tie up your apron!!

Helen finished off her gorgeous Trapunto embroidery this morning and Inge kindly gave her this cute little button to add to the centre! Nice work ladies!

As we were in a "trapunto" frame of mind - Pauline bought in this beautiful piece she had finished a while back to show us all - the stitching was absolutely gorgeous!

Dzintra had this cute little card holder complete with a tiny button (Theodora Cleave I think) - a really handy little holder!

And when you open up inside there are little pockets for your credit cards or money!

And Shirley had finished off yet more bags - beautifully stitched Shirley!

21st Birthday Celebrations!!

2011-05-30T08:22:00.000+10:00

We have just had a fantastic family weekend in Sydney celebrating our baby girls 21st birthday! Her brother flew in from Western Australia for a great surprise for everyone! We had the most divine meal at Jonah's at Whale Beach which was just to die for!

The girls enjoyed Strawberry Dacquiris! The birthday girl is on the right!

Dinner was exceptional!

A beautiful fruit flan for a birthday cake on Saturday afternoon with all the family!

A bit fuzzy - but pre dinner drinks at the restaurant! David, Fiona, Tim (Ash's boyfriend), Ash, Chelsea, Elliott and Sam!

Chelsea at the movies on Sunday afternoon! Can't believe my baby is 21!!

Such a cold and rainy day on Sunday that after a beautiful brunch we ended up at the movies!