Linen and Raspberry

A test post from my iPad

2012-01-23T13:22:00.001+11:00

Sometimes it would be really convenient to do a quick post from my iPad , I have this app but have never tested it so here goes.
Let's see if I can add a picture

Looks like it worked, these are some clamshells I have made to add to my sampler
I can see a few things about this I am not so happy with but hey for a quick post it may be ok

Happy sewing
J

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Very Quick Check In

2012-01-14T16:01:00.000+11:00

To wish you all a very Happy, Healthy,Creative 2012
I have been on holiday since 23rd December and I am still on holiday until mid next week, it is going to be very hard to get dressed in office attire after nearly a month of very casual summer dressing.

I have managed to fit in a little stitching time but just enough to feed the addiction for paper piecing.

This time it is octagons not hexagons. I am going to use these for a border on a quilt that isn't even made yet, I cannot sit with idle hands, these little beauties don't take much brain power. Just lovely to use scraps of favourite pieces of fabric.

Just prior to Christmas I had a trip to Melbourne to visit the divine Miss Lizzie and Co. It was a really wonderful time catching up with the Melbourne girls. I did come home with a new project though, as if I need another one. Those of you that read Lizzie's blog will have seen her blooms quilt. It is even better in real life so onto the quilt bucket list it went. The blocks are really large and showcase some gorgeous fabrics, it is hand pieced and yes I know some of you will look at it and think 'Machine Piecing' but I am not a fan of machine piecing and sometimes it is just nice to sit and sew and not have to think too hard , this is one of those quilts.

I call this my 'B' quilt, Blooms, Bees and Butterfly

I have managed to get 6 rows together and it is only 11 rows by 11 blocks although I may add another couple of rows depending on how it fits on the bed.
I will sandwich it with quiltlite, it will be one of those quilts to snuggle under when I have a little afternoon nap. Nothing too heavy.

I am still working on my basket quilt and my sheet with the appliqued shapes, I will show you those next time.

I was very spoilt at Christmas, this little pile of books will keep me busy for some hours, so maybe not too much sewing will get done.

I had a very busy end to 2011 , in October I celebrated 25 years service for the company I work for, it was lovely to arrive at work on the anniversary to find my office totally decorated with balloons and streamers

I was treated to a wonderful morning tea and received some beautiful flowers and a very generous contribution to a new computer.

Many of you that read my blog will know that I have done a lot of travelling in my job, this has been to train a lot of the staff member to use SAP. SAP is the software system our company uses now worldwide. I have used this system since 1999 when our company here in Australia and New Zealand needed to update in order to be compliant for the year 2000, remember we were going to self destruct lol. In 2010 I was part of the project team that implemented the upgrade to our German parent company platform. I had previously completed a 'Train the Trainer course at AIM but felt if I wanted to take this any further I needed to be more qualified so last year I sat my Cert 4 in Training and assessment, I got my results in December and passed so now I can train people using SAP (SD ) officially. So who knows where this may lead.

It has been many years since I left school but I rather enjoyed this further education.

I think I said this was just a quick visit so it is time I left, hopefully I will have more time to blog this year.

I will leave you with this lovely picture of the beach we use during our stay at our holiday home.I took this picture yesterday, the water was almost turquoise and it was so warm, Mr L & R had to drag me from the water. This pic is more for those of you on the other side of the world that could be shivering through cooler weather. Not to worry summer will be around all too soon.

Happy Sewing

j

Christmas 2011

2011-12-24T21:06:00.000+11:00

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas

Today is as good a day as any

2011-10-10T09:47:00.001+11:00

It has been so long since I posted , I had got to the stage where I wondered whether I would ever post another post but as today is my birthday I figured it was a good a day as any.
Today is a beautiful spring day, the sun is shining where we are and there is quite a lot of warmth in this spring sun.

Of course all of the beautiful spring flowers are out, I just love filling our home with them so this morning I am sending these lovely Tulips to you all wherever you may be.

I have been doing lots of different sewing and cross stitch, some I haven't photographed yet so will save that for next time but in the meantime I will show you some of my new obsessions.

I am obsessed with Jockey Caps, I am sure some of you will call these drunkards path ( I think ) but I believe when they are sewn into four in this manner they become jockey caps.

I think the fun part is mixing the fabrics , the quirkier the better.

I don't believe anything is off limits, what do you think.

I have also been working on this medallion style quilt in my class with Marg Sampson-George at Material Obsession.

My background is an antique linen sheet which is so lovely to work on. The idea is to fill the entire background with all sorts of quirky shapes and things that appeal to the maker. Here you can see I cannot go without adding my beloved pears.

I have used this quilt to really try and improve my needleturn applique skills.I have to say I have really enjoyed the challenge.

I have also spent quite a lot of time exploring my recipe books and experimenting with some new recipes.

These sticky beef ribs with coriander sauce are a real winner from the cook book of an ex masterchef contestant, Marion.

Well this is a short post but I have to say it is great to be back, hopefully it won't be so long next time and I have loads to show you.

Happy sewing

Quilts in the Vines (part 2) The Home Patch

2011-07-29T14:55:00.008+10:00

Following on from my previous post
Day one saw us pile into two cars around 4pm and head for the 'Home Patch' the shop of the very talented Anni Downs.
With Anni's permission I have snapped some pics around her store. This is a store with heart and caters for all tastes.

I think from the time we hit the shop Anni was madly measuring and cutting fabric.

no matter which direction one looked it was a feast for the eyes.

Ideas and inspiration aplenty

Loads of books

This little needlecase made from wool is a kit or pattern but how could you resist the kit

samples made up from patterns on sale

Miss Prims

gorgeous Valdani threads in luscious colours, I wish for the whole box not a single ball , just my colourway too.

piles of hand dyed wool, dyed by Anni's husband Peter

Its Christmas year round here, lovely little stitcheries designed by Anni

little ornaments with a Christmas theme, how could you put them away for a whole year.

Really pretty block of the month program, patchwork and embroidery combined

cross stitched samples, makes all the difference when a pattern is stitched

Shame this is not a little closer but on that bag is a needle punched piece. Anni has a lot of them around her store , they are so delicate.

If you love Janet Bolton then this is the book for you, and some cute wood print blocks

Inspiration to help make a house become a home

This lovely little quilt was hanging on the wall in the 'bright' fabric room

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of Anni's store, it was lovely to meet up again with Margaret , I am sorry that I didn't get to see you before you left for the evening but thanks for staying back.

I am sure many of you know Anni from her stalls at various shows both trade and retail around the world and just like her shop there is always so much heart put into the display.

Next post I will finish off the rest of our retreat

happy sewing

Quilts in the Vines

2011-07-29T11:58:00.003+10:00

Last weekend Bernadette hosted the inaugural 'Quilts in the Vines' retreat at Bathurst . Bathurst is a city in the central west of NSW.

Bathurst is well known for many reasons. One of them being the famous car race on Mt Panorama, another is the Charles Sturt University, many prominent Australian journalists attended this university.For me Bathurst is famous for the divine quilt shop 'The Home Patch' run by the gorgeous Anni Downs. Anni also has a blog Hatched and Patched. I will warn you now this post is image heavy.

Friday morning in Sydney we woke to the most appalling weather , rain rain and more rain , certainly not congenial to driving over the Blue mountains and Mount Victoria into Bathurst but a few quilt shop ,cafe's and shop stops did the trick. Surprisingly when we arrived in Bathurst not a drop of rain to be seen. Pre dinner bubbles, a lovely meal at the local pub and a night cap in Bernadette's room saw us retire to our rooms at a respectable hour ready for our two day quilt in.

Bernadette who also is a Personal Fitness trainer invited anyone interested to partake in an early morning walk around the famous Mt Panorama race track. I have to say when I woke the next morning I looked out the window from my room and thought no it looks far too cold so I hopped back into bed , when an attack of the guilt's got the better of me I was up and dressed ready to meet at the agreed time. Only 3 of us walked and it was freezing , the only way to warm up was to walk faster.

This hill might not look terribly steep in this image , it was one of those killers, you know a gradual incline but incline upwards. We chatted away pointing out the beautiful vistas the higher we got , I might add as I was puffing and panting my way up the hill our PT didn't look anything like getting out of breath. Oh to be that fit. This is Kate in the red jacket, Kate was my mind reader when Bernadette asked if we wanted to continue as we came to the very steep hairpin bend. We wimped out at that point.

The sun shining over Bathurst was a gorgeous site

Our hotel was in sight, we stayed right on the race track. The rooms were lovely but we all commented that the decor is rather masculine, I can only imagine how noisy it must be on that certain weekend in October.

Algona is the venue Bernadette selected for our weekend retreat after she and her husband had driven many miles to find just the right place and a great choice it was.

Nothing could be faulted, we had a very large room to ourselves we were able to spread ourselves out , design walls set up , cutting tables , sewing machine tables ,fabulously talented tutor ,like minded friends, a wonderful view and get this, our very own chef , who kept the sustenance up to us at regular intervals. Really what more could a girl want.

Marg Sampson was our tutor for the weekend , and our inspiration was Mary Jane Hannaford.

Mary Jane was one of Australia's most creative quiltmakers , she came to Australia in 1842 aged 2 . MJH was jilted but had an only child whom she raised alone. Her daughter went on to have 9 children. Several strong themes run through Marys quilts , her religious faith, her love of Australia and a melancholy sense of loss and time passing . Mary meant for her quilts to be hung and used decoratively , she embroidered funny little saying and used scraps of fabrics in strip like fashion. (check out Kate's blog she has a link and some images). Marg encouraged us to be inspired by MJH but to make it our own .

Out came our fabric stashes ready to cut strips of varying sizes.

Some got straight to work

Kate's featherweight (Elvis) never let us down all weekend, quietly whirring away.

Such concentration from Sue, it was amazing just how quiet the room was at times as I guess we all delved into our memories wondering what ideas we could put in fabric.

It was exciting seeing ideas coming to life

Kate had memories of birds being chased which is forming the centre part of her quilt

Elaine was down on the floor with Marg throwing some ideas around.

This is what they came up with, these little people representing her 2 children. Elaine was so excited all weekend, she was heard to say on a number of occasions "Marg's back , I'm back" you see Elaine has been away nurturing babies for the last 8 years and Marg as we know has been living overseas, happiness all round.

Laurel is Canadian born , Australian by choice, how lovely is that, I think she is cutting out a crown

Bernadette's visualisation coming to fruition

Mine up on the design wall , I wasn't too interested in the circle. Appliquing fabrics not on the bias seemed too hard a task for my liking. No sense of adventure !!

Being a kiwi I think sheep need to make an appearance , Janet Bolton's naive style suits me down to the ground

Maybe a hexie or two being the addict I am

I'll be back later continuing this post. I am having some technical issues so don't want to loose what I have already done.

See you soon

Where Does the Time Go ?

2011-06-15T21:53:00.001+10:00

We have just had a long weekend here in Australia, this weekend celebrates the Queens birthday.It has been an extremely wet weekend but I have not been perturbed one little bit as I have spent a good deal of it sewing with a clear conscious as I could not do anything outside.

I have finally finished the centre of my basket quilt (hexagon rosettes and stars) it is time to start constructing the borders appliquing baskets filled with flowers and leaves.

I think the best approach to constructing the borders is to applique all of the baskets then to fill all of them with the flowers and leaves rather than doing one basket at a time.

I need to have loads of stems for all of the flowers that are going to grow from the baskets , I figured that it would be beneficial to make a selection of bias stems before I start then I can set up a production line when I am ready to start appliquing all of the flowers.

A long weekend affords a little cooking time , we always have plenty of friends and family calling by when we are at our weekend shack so I enjoy offering something sweet to have with coffee.

Following on with my addiction to sewing Hexagons I made yet another little sewing purse. This time I did not cover papers. I used 3/4 inch size but any size would work depending on how big you wanted the purse to end up.

I did a little book shopping this weekend, this is a book I have admired for sometime and the local Angus and Robertson were offering 30% discount over the long weekend. I have to say I feel really sad that the bookshops here in Oz are experiencing hard times. I know that times are changing and we can purchase from overseas for a lot cheaper than we can here , we can also download soft copies so that eliminates storage space however if we don't support our local stores we won't have them. I enjoy nothing more than strolling into a bookstore and perusing the shelves and flipping the pages. I am still trying to get my head around soft copies of books, it just isn't the same looking into my computer for a book as going to my bookcase and pulling out a book. I am trying so hard to embrace the changes and I am very aware that I could fall into the Dinosaur category if I don't keep up with the times. What are you all thinking about this.

This is the Tea cosy that really inspired me to buy this book. I am not sure whether it is the colours that have attracted me although I do think the whole thing is rather funky. I will probably never get around to knitting it , I don't even drink tea but I have some friends that do , and can you believe that tea making can involve such a ritual, milk in the cup before the tea and the water needs to be fresh boiled, you cannot boil the same water more than once. !!!!!! You know who you are.

Until next post happy sewing
j

DWYSYWD

2011-04-27T20:37:00.017+10:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter break.
We had a lovely time catching up with family and friends. I did manage to squeeze in a little sewing time, not as much as I would have liked but some time is better than no time right.
I have nearly appliqued all of the hexagons and stars on the centre of my basket quilt. I have gone a little overboard on making the stars and have found that I am short on the amount of hex rosettes I need, back to the drawing board on that one.

not that I am complaining, I love digging into the basket and coming up with new combinations.

just as a little deviation I decided to make a few of the baskets in readiness for filling them with flowers. Appliqueing the stars and hexies is a mindless task I usually tackle at the end of a working day as a way to relax . Perhaps I should stay focused and finish the task at hand , can't help leaping ahead and putting some of my thoughts and ideas into reality.

and just in case one project is not enough I have another on the go at the same time. I wouldn't be alone of this front though would I . This quilt is just going to evolve I think, I have a few clear guidelines but after that I guess I will just wait and see what happens.

it is mostly applique and paper piecing, I really am not that fussed on needle turn, much prefer covering paper for my applique. Maybe I will use a combination !.

I have an old linen sheet that has been hanging around for some time , no point in saving it any longer so I am going to use it as the background.

I have been needing a new comfy chair to use at the sewing machine ( I am not having much luck with this blog post I have just deleted a better picture of the chair , not sure how I did this but now I cannot add the picture as blogger will add it at the start of the post, also the first picture has been turned around so I had to re do that , I am ready to chuck this whole post in the trash basket) maybe I should read the blogger tips and tricks !! read here mega frustration.
!!! throwing hands in the air.
anyway on with the story, this chair has been rescued from the tip, recovered by our favourite upholsterer using some fabrics found around the traps. I am more than happy with the outcome.

Mr L & R and I often head down to the beach at the end of the day to take in the amazing sunsets and to chill out after a days work. I cannot get enough of them and each time they are vastly different depending on the weather and cloud formations etc etc. It feels like having my personal art gallery. These photos were taken on one evening last week

so peaceful I loved the calmness of the vapour trail intruding on the clear skyand sometimes, just sometimes we may have a glass of medicine.

That's all for today , I am feeling a tad frustrated with this blogger post today.

Until next time have fun and hopefully lots of sewing time

Wishing you all a Happy Easter

2011-04-24T13:18:00.002+10:00

I hope you are all managing to share some family and friends time.

I'll be bck soon with a post

Happy Easter

Time is a Thief

2011-04-10T20:44:00.006+10:00

Reading a few of my favourite blogs it seems that a lot of us wonder where these past months have gone. My focus of late has shifted somewhat in a different direction from my sewing. I have taken up some study, I decided I need to formalise the training I have been doing these past couple of years. Hopefully this will help to ensure I give the best possible sessions to my learners. I have to say I have really enjoyed doing this, I still have to hand in 3 modules of assessments and give a group based training session in front of an independent assessor but I am busy with it , hopefully this will all be completed by the end of May. So I can account for some of the time but it is hard to believe we are in April, heading into our Winter. This weekend we headed up the coast to our shack as we had some gardening that needed some urgent attention. Read Jean shovelled and barrowed 2 ton of garden soil , planted 30 Gardenias, mulched, watered and fed these plants. I did have help from Mr L & R. so I can't take all the credit, we need to get this done ahead of winter , just to give these plants time to settle in before it gets way to cold. Awaiting the delivery of the soil I did manage a little play time in the sewing dept. Here is a peek into my play area, surrounded by my favourite things, the computer playing some great music and fabric spread out across the table . What more could a girl want.

I have started appliqueing the stars and hexagon rosettes for the basket quilt.

I did a little auditioning but have decided to just take the next one off the pile and place it in the next position, I am sure it will come out in the wash so to speak.

Following on with my addiction with hexagons, I have been covering some 1 inch hexie papers using only the French General range of fabrics

I have another purse on the go

This is another Brigitte design, now without revealing too much I think Brigitte and Kathy are cooking something up for the Sydney Quilt Show so I don't want to spoil any surprises.

Just remember a girl can never have too many bags.

This morning was a beautiful sunny Autumn day just perfect for a walk along the bridle path, I was quite taken by the shadows along the way, they looked like zig zags, in fact they are the shadows from the trunks and branches of the gum trees that line the walk.

the water was glistening.

Gorgeous days like this always entice families outdoors to enjoy picnics, it is a sight to behold

This time of the year is rose pruning time and as I pruned the last of the flower heads I managed to pick a few buds. I look forward to spring for the first flush , it sounds like I am wishing my life away but the thought of Winter around the corner isn't thrilling.

I have also been cooking for family and friends of late and as I laid out some of the ingredients I was quite taken by the assortment of different greens.

I have been hooked on this DVD it is fabulous. Annabel Langbein is a Kiwi cook (no bias here :-)

All of the episodes on the dvd are shot in the South Island of New Zealand, the scenery is spectacular not to mention the food she cooks. There is not one recipe I do not like, in fact I was so taken with the DVD I bought the book so I have the recipes, no having to takes notes while watching the show.

Well I think that accounts for some of the time I have been missing. Thanks to all of my readers that have left comments and enquired to my where abouts I do appreciate them, hopefully as soon as this study is behind me things should resume to normal.

To Sharyn and Marlene in Melbourne thanks for the gentle nudges I hope this suffices for the time being.

Lets hope the time thief takes a hike for a while.

until next time

Happy sewing, knitting, stitching

"An Oldie but a Goodie" as Janet says

2011-01-16T11:58:00.005+11:00

Janet always has a way with words and when she described working on one of her older W'sIP as an oldie but goodie , I realised it was exactly what I was doing, sounds much better than a WIP don't you agree.
I am not sure if you remember this oldie, I began it many years ago and only got the centre pieced and the border blocks that were also hand pieced done.
You see I love piecing , especially by hand but this quilt has a border between the centre and the outside pieced blocks that is applique and as much as I love applique, I didn't think I was much chop at it.
I have read many blogs explaining needleturn applique, I have attempted it but it was never up to the standard that I felt it should be.
Anyway this past holiday I decided that I was going to master it and the only way that would happen was for me to keep at it. After all Rome was not built in a day.
I also read on Alma's blog that the only way to be any good at needleturn applique was to do needleturn applique.

Thankfully I had kept all the fabrics I had used in the centre and outside blocks together , when I gathered up my sewing room (not quite but I think Mr L&R thought so when he was packing the car) to come on holiday , the basket was ready.

I spent an entire day preparing all the pieces for one border. I had already made loads of bias for the stems.

by this stage I was getting quite excited to begin appliqueing. In my head I had it perfected, a shame in reality it wasn't quite that way.

I also finished all of the outside blocks, I needed to add the corners to square up the blocks.

Just prior to Christmas I visited the gorgeous Lizzie and her sewing friends and took this oldie along with me because this block containing this pear fabric is where our friendship began.

I posted this block way back , Lizzie sent me an email asking where I had bought the fabric as Lizzie also has a love of pears. I only ever had a fat 1/16th as it had been included in my fabric club from Patchwork on Stonleigh. After using it in this block there was only scraps left but sent these scraps to Lizzie and so our friendship began.

Here is the result of my applique and whilst it is not perfect I am quite happy with the outcome and realise that practise will make a difference. I am now on a roll and my goal is to have this quilt finished this year.

I have managed to do some reverse sewing a couple of times and I can see a lonely leaf here that needs to be removed and re done.

I'll keep you posted with my progress.

Until next time happiness in your sewing

Wishing you Health and Happiness in 2011

2010-12-31T19:02:00.002+11:00

I know it has been some time since I posted, I will be back soon with a catch up but until then I wish all my readers much health and happiness in the coming year. Until next time
Happiness over the festive season and hopefully much sewing.
j

It's Been Snowing

2010-11-26T19:35:00.004+11:00

On my arrival here in Germany, near Hannover, they were predicting snow later in the week and sure enough on Wednesday we had fine snow falling. It was so beautiful. Yesterday morning as we left our hotel it was brisk , as we drove closer to the office we noticed a much heavier coating on roofs and cars.
These were a couple of the many cars in the Hettich car park.

I guess I looked like a real tourist snapping these pictures, but as I hear you are sweltering at home I thought you may liked to be cooled down a little. there was a reasonable coating on the ground , it didn't hang around for long though.

This is the time of the year for the Christmas Markets , last Monday evening we went to an area known as Herford, by the time we arrived most of the markets had closed there were just a few food and of course the drink stands.

The Germans do not allow the cold stop them from going outdoors in the evening, they just rug up appropriately and get on with it. There is plenty of heating available if needed.

the bells are rung to the tunes of Christmas songs through out the evening.

I think we know these as toffee apples

no shortage of yummy food.

and of course there are trees everywhere decorated with lights. I can't tell you how pretty it all looks.

Today is my free day as I prepare to leave this gorgeous place tomorrow evening for my flight home.

I have had the most wonderful time. My German colleagues have been so hospitable as have any of the locals I have met. Everyone is so friendly and helpful.

One day I hope to return here with Mr L & R for a holiday.

Tomorrow on our way to Hannover we are going via an historic town known as Harmen , sorry to my German readers this is not how it is spelt but how it sounds.

Today I am taking a train to Herford so hopefully I can get some better pictures but as I look from my hotel window it is once again snowing wow it is so pretty. I will rug up and enjoy before I return to the heat.

Happiness in whatever you are doing.

Greetings From Germany

2010-11-23T04:57:00.020+11:00

Communication from home in Sydney tells me that the temperatures have been quite warm. Here in Germany it is a very different story, it is around 2 degrees, let's say here that in our deepest winter downunder it is rare that we would have those kind of temperatures, but I have to say I am enjoying the experience.I rug up in a very cosy jacket as does everyone here and just get on with it. All of the buildings, houses and hotels have heating which is very comfortable, not too hot and I found out today that the warehouse of our company is also heated, not sure I should mention this to my colleagues in Sydney.

Well I arrived here yesterday morning (Sunday),after checking in to the hotel, decided it was better to go for a walk and try and join the timezone. (It would have been quite simple to just crawl into bed and catch some sleep).

There was really nothing open ( I am in country Germany near a place called Kirchlengen)however I came across a little Florist that was open for Advent. Next weekend is the official opening of the Christmas markets but I think some of the shops are gearing up for this season and selling their decorations and ornaments.
I have taken a few pictures in this little Florist shop, they are not brilliant , there were a lot of people in there as they were offering punch and coffee and some Gingerbread, also the light was not brilliant but you will get the idea.
This was the entrance it was this window display that attracted me to stop, I love the pots with the topiary, in the middle is a make believe snowball one with an elf atop and the other with a small Santa.

I would love to bring one of these trees back to Oz but they are real and that would be a no no, notice the squirrel made from tree bark in the background.

another little display just inside the entrance

candles with greenery set among them, and a close up of the Topiary

these candle sticks were interesting, using old pages on the stick itself and once again greenery and nuts to set the candle amongst.

just another area , jars of pinecones,I really love the use of live greenery and one can never have too many candles.

How cute are these little pots with the toadstools, a little red corner.

These little pots with miniture Spruce trees were out on the street

more candles and baubles

The use of tree lights helped make the atmosphere

I think this white wreath was one of the few items that didn't have some living plant attached to it but I don't have room in my bag.

During my walk I noticed a lot of these serious wood storage sheds. Gearing up for a very cold winter I guess

and an amble up one or two streets to check out the house styles

a little stream flanked with bare trees surely gives the feel of winter

This I found amazing, at the front door of this very nice hotel which is my home for the next week, not the fact that it was a designated smokers area but the fact that a heater was provided. Looks like it was well used

and finally this sign. This sign was at Frankfurt airport as I was about to get on my connection to Hannover.
Those of you that read this blog wouuld know this year I have been working on a project using this software. Don't get me wrong I love SAP but this project has seen our Australian subsidary move to our parent company platform and it has not been what I would call a good move. I have used SAP for the last 11 years and we had it working perfectly for our business in Australia. Germany have vastly different ways and ideas that have not been so successful for Australia so I coudn't resist this picture which I promptly sent to my boss. I shan't print his reply.

Well I have had what I would call a brilliant day to day and tomorrow is the start of my two conference for a new version of SAP for next year so I now need my beauty sleep so until next time take care, have fun and most importantly

Happy sewing

ps I have just used the spell check and every word has been flagged, I guess it thinks this should be German lol lol so sorry in advance for any errors but I am tired and need sleep

A Winner on This Beautiful Sunny Spring Morning

2010-11-20T09:32:00.003+11:00

As I pack my bag full of winter woollies to venture to the other side of the world, I thought I would share with you a couple of pictures of our garden on this beautiful sunny spring morning and announce the winner of the giveaway. The random number generator picked lucky 13 and checking back it looks like Nyla.

Just quickly , you can see I only have 3 more rows on my clamshell quilt. That will be attended to on my return. Whatever you are doing , have fun

Happy Sewing

Sampler Blog Along

2010-11-13T07:10:00.012+11:00

Firstly I must say 'thanks' to Chookyblue for organising this sampler blog along.
Most of these samplers are unframed , although I still have many in frames ,I will leave that for another post maybe.
As there are quite a few pictures I won't include a lot of dialogue as you will want to visit all the other participants. Blackbird designs from one of their cross stitch books.

I love anything quirky and alphabet going around the corner attracted me to this sampler.

I am a fan of 'With my Needle' patterns by Ellen Chester. This needlecase is yet to be made up

as are the accessories, one day !

some more pincushion covers to become pincushions.

not so sure I like the bright colours in this sampler

maybe I will hang it on the clothesline for about a year.

This is a Quaker by Good Huswife (I think). The pattern was called Little Red R

I said I loved quirky

another Goode Huswife I 'm sure

I really enjoy stitching samplers with many motifs

another Goode Huswife pattern, using some of my coffee dyed linen

Samplers with a Christmas theme were also a favourite

another little quirky sampler

in my favourite colour

This sampler has a lot of my own touches to it. From memory it was a French inspired sampler I added and changed many of the motifs

This remains unframed as when I completed it I wasn't in love with it, I thought it a little bland.

Now if you have got to the end of this and would like to be in the draw for this sampler, please leave a comment and I will draw this, hopefully next Saturday before I leave for Germany.

I hope you have enjoyed this Sampler Show and Tell and please Blog A long to the other girls.

I have tried to add all of the links but can't seem to do it please check out Chooky Blue for a list.

till next time

Happy Stitching

A Sampling of Nostalgia

2010-10-29T21:21:00.008+11:00

This post is all about samplers and samplers I have stitched over the years.
I don't tend to spend much time these days cross stitching, however the journey began in the early eighties when my good friend Mechelle Harrison came for dinner one evening and showed me her cross stitch. I couldn't wait to have a go , I remember going to bed that night and I couldn't stop thinking about cross stitching.
Mechelle then introduced me to a delightful shop called Topiary Lane, that was owned by a wonderful needlewoman, her name was Rhonda Townsend.
There was always so much inspiration in her shop and Rhonda was very generous with her help and knowledge, and so the journey began.
I began stitching on Aida cloth and stitched cutesy patterns but I always loved alphabets and script completed on linen and so my love of samplers was born.

Some of the photo's (well most) are behind glass so the quality of the pictures are not brilliant but I hope you get a bit of an idea.

This sampler is unframed and unfinished, I began it some years ago, it is huge and I probably don't want to hang it in my home these days so it may remain a UFO . Quite a part of this verse is crossed using one thread stitched over one thread. Taxing on the eyes :-) these days.

I have gathered a few of these catalogues from Whitney Antiques in England. We visited a couple of years back. I thought I had died and gone to antique sampler heaven. Amazing to think these young girls completed these samplers without patterns and good light.

My love of script and alphabets, not to mention the colour Raspberry.

Oops looks like the next 2 you will have to lie down, lol sorry I am having trouble uploading this morning.

I stitched this in one colour thread (DMC 309) on Natural linen, I had a vision of a room that only contained single colour red (309) samplers, I have only done about 3 to date. This is one of them.

This is a reproduction of a French girl Anna Milet, Anna completed her sampler in 1895.

This is another favourite reproduction, I was fascinated that Mary had added a little cross stitched motif patch to the corner of her sampler and so I authenticated this sampler.

Generally I used the name and date as the original

This sampler is a modern one called pink house by 'Little by Little'. I was stitching the border of this sampler when a member of our family passed away so I added a little memoriam in the border.

This was one of the first samplers I stitched and to date it is still a favourite. Rebecca Waverly.There is quite a large verse stitched one over one

This is also a modern day replication. I think it may be by Goode Huswif not sure.

Grace Gibson, I have stitched this a couple of times as I have given it to friends. I love alphabets along with motifs, very interesting to stitch and see the sampler come to life.

This is also a modern day sampler , also Goode Huswif I think. I know this was a favourite designer.

This is a one colour sampler reproduced by 'The Scarlett Letter' it could be stitched in any favourite colour , green was authentic to the original.

Betsy Wood, also a 'Scarlett Letter' pattern. I used to tea dye a lot of my linen, I was told I was crazy as in time the linen would rot out but I figured it wouldn't be in my lifetime so wasn't too concerned.

I have boxes full of framed samplers that haven't seen the light of day for years, probably a bit sad as many hours have been spent weaving thread through linen.

I have many patterns that will probably never be stitched, silly really but I guess many of you can relate to the 'stash', maybe I will put some on this blog if any of you are interested.

I hope whatever you are stitching it gives you pleasure.

until next time

Happy stitching

It's a Great Day For Sewing

2010-10-24T09:37:00.007+11:00

As I begin this post it has begun to pour , no excuses needed now, what else can a girl do but pull out any amount of projects and while the day away.
I call it mandatory de stress and this is needed at least one day a week but when the sun is shining usually the garden calls so today no need to feel guilty at all.

What have I been up to, aside from attending work 5 days, I have managed to assemble some more stars and hexagons for my version of the basket quilt. I am considering using greys and charcoals , checks , stripes and spots for the baskets, keeping the baskets fairly neutral I will use a myriad of colours in the flowers and leaves, I am thinking this may help from not overwhelming the overall effect and giving a sense of being over busy. ( I hope anyway).

I will be travelling to Germany in late November. I am attending an IT conference. Our parent company is going to prepare us for ANOTHER project for next year, oh no I am so over projects, after the huge system change we had this year. Anyway my point is What am I going to take to stitch on the plane and in my down time ?.
As much as I love hexagons and stars I am considering taking my hst and qst, a project I began after I fell in love with Lizzie's.

Now I know these are very quick to whip up by machine (go check out Robyn's Tut)but I like hand piecing, and as I cut out my clamshells and hexies and stars, I have been cutting out triangles and putting into little piles.

I can sit quietly and just piece away, easy to do in airport lounges, aircraft and hotel rooms.

I am going to construct mine in blocks of 9 x 9 then join them into a coverlet. Easier to handle for travelling purposes.

Not bad from the 'Queen of Starts' what do you think

This block is one side of a bag, ( I found it on the web, sorry can't remeber which blog) I started some time back and have hand quilted back and front panels , just need to hand quilt the gusset

The lining is this gorgeous Bee fabric. Maybe I could take the gusset and complete the hand quilting. One thing for sure I certainly won't be short of something to take.

My problem is room, I hate travelling with big bags and it is going to be really cold. )0 to 5 degress I am told so will need to fill the bag with boots and coat.

I also love it when the postman drops a package at the door. I know then it is going to be a good day !!

This week I was really spoilt from my gorgeous friend Lizzie

Some lovely pieces of fabric

and a diary. I so love the fabrics used in the clamshell quilt of the cover of the 2011 V & A diary.

The diary is a perfect size for my handbag but also has lovely pictures of quilts in the V&A museum. I want to make the all LOL.

It's still pouring so off to sew.

I hope where ever you are you can have some mandatory de stress time.

Happy Sewing

Ten Ten Ten

2010-10-10T09:43:00.007+11:00

Today is the 10th of the 10th in the 10th year of 2000,and it is my birthday. It seems to have some significance as many people are choosing to get married but I was born on this day more years now than I care to remember. One of the presents I have received is this amazing book that my Brother and Sister in Law organised for me. It is a record of my blog.

All of the headings of each blog post

each post along with the photos is captured

as are all the comments. It is so wonderful to have a hard copy and look back over each post, something for the coffee table.

Thanks G and V it is such a fab idea and I am thrilled with it.

Well what have I been up to, it has been such a long time since I posted. I know I have had many emails enquiring as to my well being, thank you.

There has been so much going on , not too much on the stitching front unfortunately.

As I have previously mentioned, I love to start new things and I haven't let myself down , I decided whilst I am finishing off my Clamshell quilt, I should begin my version of the wonderful basket quilt that Corliss from Threadbare has made into a pattern.

My version is going to be a 2010 style using much brighter and clearer colours, mixing reproduction fabric with some shabby chic, 30's and retro.

Making the stars and hexagons is great for dragging out some fav fabrics from the stash

some quirky combinations are very necessary

mixing old and new

I just cut shapes from my favourite pieces and when I get an abundance I lay them out on the table and have a play at combinations.
.

Its such fun to pull out and combine fabrics that you wouldn't normally think would go together.

just like hexagons these stars also become obsessive.

There are no set rules at combinations, you can have 3 and 3 or in this case I had such a small piece left of this linen and I want it to feature in this quilt I decided to use every last drop and share it over two stars.

mixing old and new, there are no rules.

Can't wait to make a start on the baskets.

Its great to be back , hopefully it won't be so long till next time.

Happy Stitching

Chair Rescue

2010-07-27T11:02:00.003+10:00

We needed a chair for our holiday shack. It didn't need to be large or imposing, just comfortable.

I had just the corner for it and it would complete the conversation square.
I mentioned this to Mr L & R and suggested he should perhaps keep his eye out during council clean up.
I put my order in for what it should look like.
I got a phone call from Mr L & R saying he had seen something that resembled my order along the street on his way to work.
It had been raining so I could only imagine that it probably wouldn't be worth rescuing, however we decided to give it a go and if it was no good we could then dump it.
Home it came and after it had time to dry out we sat on it , it was really comfortable so off to the Humpy it went to see if it belonged in the afore mentioned corner. Just perfect, so off to find some upholstery weight fabric.
First stop Material Obsession and the first bolt we picked we loved or should I say I loved, Mr L & R was a little dubious about the cabbages. He however took some photos of different fabrics on his beloved i phone , over the next week or so he was flicking back across some photos and he said that this particular fabric was really growing on him, whoo hoo the cabbage fabric it was going to be.
That purchased next it was off to the upholsterer Jan. Jan is on the Central Coast just north of Sydney and does the most amazing job. We have had her make slip covers, curtains ,chairs etc. so if you are in this area and need a good upholsterer this is the lady . (just click on the link) so this is the rescued chair, what do you think ?
I think I might claim this seat in the house as it is a perfect spot for sewing, beside a window with wonderful light.

you'll notice the detail of the piping around the seat cushion , so I think a small cushion in the same fabric with finish off the look perfectly.

Until next time

Happy chair hunting

Figs, Fabric and Fun

2010-07-25T10:02:00.004+10:00

Yesterday I got to play at the gorgeous Broderie's place.
It was a day filled with lots of laughter and fun . As usual on these days there is loads of chatter, sew and tell , sharing and eating. Really what more could a girl want. you'll notice that everything that was consumed had a taste of fabric included.

even desert was accompanied with fabric.

We played masterchef judges on Liz's invention test. The decision was unanimous , Liz and her Salmon and Crab Quiche was the outright winner.

The ambiance of Liz's home is utter gorgeousness. Full of inspiration.

Those of you that read Liz's blog will have followed the journey on her HST. It looks really lovely in real life. There are still a few more rounds to be added but when you get to play with all your favourite bits of fabric who cares how long the journey takes.

The crowns are now together , just waiting to be hand quilted.

catching up with past acquaintances

and meeting new ones. Each with lovely stories.

Yesterday morning I had a quick walk to find an ATM. I came across this amazing queue outside the ANZ bank. It was Saturday, banks are not open on Saturday, I could only imagine they must have been giving money away, why else would you join a queue this long on a Saturday morning. I needed to get to Liz's I didn't have time for that queue.

This is just a snap shot of winter in Melbourne.

I so love Melbourne at any time of the year.

I thought you might be interested in a new blog I have listed on my sidebar. Osh Kosh Potatoes.

My brother and his mate are off to Osh Kosh in the US this week and have decided to log their journey.

He is my younger brother so I loads of memories of his younger days and that being as long as I can remember he wanted to fly planes.

Not only has he achieved that but he also built this amazing plane, a Falco , which took him on a ten year journey to completion. (never complain about how long it takes to complete a quilt lol)

I know he has wanted to take this trip to Osh Kosh for many years so this is the year. I am sure their record of this trip will have some amusing content, so pop by and say gidday and tell him I sent you.

I still have loads more but I will save that for next time.

Happy times

Sometimes Travel for Work

2010-07-24T08:12:00.005+10:00

has its advantages.
This week has found me in Melbourne on a work assignment. Imagine my delight when I discovered the Quilt fair was on and only a 5 min walk from my office.
I planned my workshops to have a longer than usual break around lunchtime on Friday. I was scheming a quick whip around of the show.
I scanned the site map and discovered Threadbare had a stand as did Theodore Cleave.

I was standing at the threadbare stand when I heard a voice say Jean. Very quickly in my head I thought who would know me here, but looked around to hear a voice saying "Sue-Anne and this is Jan who works at Patchwork on Stonleigh"
I think we all had a little squeal and giggle, this was amazing , Jan had recognised me, well you can imagine ,chatter was going ninety to the dozen trying to get a zillion things said , however when things calmed down I did manage to get my camera out a catch a snap.
Wow, I think I am still pinching myself to be at the same stand at the same time, I can only say that it was meant to be.
I have long admired Sue-Anne's work and we have very similar tastes and ideas. Many an email has passed between us.
It was really lovely to meet Jan as well, Jan does not have a blog , maybe we might be able to convince her though.
Jan works at Patchwork on Stonleigh , a shop that I have long been a member of their fabric club and a shop that is on my radar to visit in the not to distant future. It is lovely to be able to put a face to the voice at the other end of the phone.
Sue-Anne, moi and Jan

I have to say this was the purpose for my visit to Threadbare, Corliss has began her version of this wonderful quilt that has been doing the rounds of the net in the past few months. Corliss's quilt still has to have the outer borders added, but what I have seen so far is truly wonderful.

I also had the pleasure of re igniting a past friendship, Barb Smith , Barb is the very talented designer behind Theodora Cleave. I knew Barb many years ago from Canberra before she moved interstate. Marg Low from Marg Low designs was helping out on Barb's stand ,it was lovely to meet Marg also, you may remember I made many coat hangers from one of her patterns as gifts last Christmas.Marg is also a very talented designer and does the most beautiful work.

As I have been travelling so much recently my sewing has had to take a back seat, I find it is much easier to pack a little cross stitch, hence I have dragged out this Beatrix Potter Sampler from sometime back.

Today I am off to have a days play at the lovely Liz's home. It is sewing day with the girls and I am getting to join in woho. See travel can have its advantages.

I fly home tonight at 8.30 pm into Newcastle and get to have a day or so at the 'Humpy'

I have loads to catch up on so maybe another post tomorrow.

Until then

Happy times

Introducing

2010-06-22T16:02:00.004+10:00

I said I would let you know as soon as Brigitte had her website up and running.
Today she has launched http://www.brigittegiblin.com.au/ . I don't think that will be her permanent address , this is a start and I am sure Brigitte will put a redirection on as soon as it is available.
I have had a look at her website and the pattern for this purse is available to purchase and download for a very reasonable price.
Please drop by and say hello, tell her where you found out about her new website, she has an email link on her site.

Happy hexagon making
j

All the Fun of the Fair

2010-06-20T09:06:00.012+10:00

This past week has seen the return of the annual Sydney Quilt show.
This year there were fewer quilts on display than previous years, however there were still some lovely quilts to see.
This quilt was made by my friend Paddy during some classes we took together.

it was hand pieced and machine quilted.

this quilt was based on a English medallion style, the centre being a favourite piece of fabric Paddy picked up on her travels.

Cathy from Material Obsession had a stall there, here she is sporting her beautiful scarf from Francis Ergen Designs

as usual her stand was a feast for the eyes

loads of inspiration

and supplies for the stash a plenty

another stand that was a must stop by

Here's the very talented Anni Downs owner and designer of Hatched and Patched. This wonderful pincushion was a pattern in a recent edition of Homespun in collaboration with Sue Spargo. It really was quite lovely in real life.

I have always been a fan on needle cases and pincushions so a little kit was a must purchase

Anni has also released a new book on making bags, along with a few other little notebook covers, phone cases key covers.

of course the mandatory stash builders

It was lovely to meet up with again with Janet and
Robyn for the first time.

and Christine and her friend.

I hope you enjoy this little snippet of the fair.

See you soon

Happy sewing

Lifes Treadmill

2010-06-15T11:53:00.015+10:00

Gosh it has been so long since I last posted I may have even by passed a season.
I seem to be on that treadmill of life. You know how it is, you get up and go to work, spend the day so engrossed in the task at hand , the hours pass so quickly it is then time to go home, get the dinner, do a few more chores, sit on the lounge to catch a little telly and maybe put a couple of stitches into some cloth, then nod off just as you start to get engrossed in a program , you come to and its time to go to bed. Next day you do it all again.
My life is taken up with a project at work ( I feel sure I have mentioned this previously) we are migrating our computer system to our parent company's box. This has posed a few problems as our parent company is German and before we start anything we have a language barrier to break through, terminology is another hurdle not to mention the distance so time zones tend to disrupt normal routine.
I was on the project for the original implementation of this computer system over 11 years ago , time has faded the memories of the amount of time and energy that goes into these projects to ensure a smooth transition with as little disruption to normal trading of our business, not to mention travel that has been involved.
Recently I travelled to our Auckland office for some training , it was Autumn and the trees were displaying the most glorious leaf colours. I thought I would share some photos of some lovely old timber homes known as 'Villas' on Auckland's north shore.

I came across these villas in Birkenhead, a lovely harbour side suburb which is home to a wonderful needlework shop 'The Embroiderer'. Unfortunately it was Sunday and it was closed but they had a lovely window display.

These villas are built from timber and quite often are perched behind a picket fence.

These days they are very sought after and often they are relocated from their original sections. (Block)

O how I would love to live in one.

My work has been keeping me well occupied, however I have managed a little stitching.

As you know I attend a class with Brigitte Giblin and as always Brigitte has something to inspire us with.

This project is very portable and great for plane travel and also indulges my passion for hexagons.

this project does not require too much fussy cutting

now before I can reveal the finished article, I can tell you some really exciting news, Brigitte is about to launch a new website, where she is going to sell her patterns, that you will be able to download immediately. None of this waiting for the postman.

so if you love this purse just as I did you will be able to purchase the pattern from Brigitte.

I so enjoyed making this purse, you can use any leftover hexagons from previous projects or you can make new ones using your favourite scraps of fabric.

It is fun to include a few fussy cut hexagons.

I think you may even be able to purchase the clasp from Brigitte. I don't think it will be too long before she has her website up and running and as soon as it happens I will post the address for you.

I know many of you are also interested in my clamshell quilt and have enquired about the technique I have used, once again this is a Brigitte pattern that will be available for purchase.

If any one reading this is interested in taking a class with Brigitte I know there are some spaces available at Material Obsession at Gladesville, just give Cathy a call.

I am still plugging away at this quilt, I took to our holiday place last weekend and threw it over this chair , I just loved the way the light of the late afternoon sun draped itself across the quilt. I don't have too many rows left to complete this quilt, I really need to get cracking and finish it so I can hand quilt it this winter.

Last weekend we had a public holiday here in the Eastern states of Australia, celebrating the 'Queens Birthday' the first couple of days the weather was very bleak and cold.

We just love walking along the beach when the weather is like this as the light for capturing images is rather interesting

none of these images have had any enhancements, this is exactly how it looked.

These photos were taken with a very simple point and shoot, one that I always carry in my handbag ready to capture the moment.

The month of May is when we hold 'Australia's Biggest Morning Tea' a fund raising event to raise money for Cancer research.

I decided to hold such a morning tea with my colleagues.

Another of my passions is cooking so out came the mixer

and the cookbooks, ( I can highly recommend both of these books)
as well as some favourite old time recipes (This apple cake has a yummy maple syrup sauce) served with it. (If you are interested in the recipe drop me a comment with your return email)

a couple of slices

using one of my favourite ingredients (Lemon)

made for a great spread

enjoyed by all and raised some much needed funds.

Wow that was quite a post, loads to catch up on.

My project has a 'Go live' date of July 1 hopefully after that my life should return to more normality and hopefully some more stitching time.

Thank you for all of your emails of concern , I really appreciate it.

Happy stitching until next time

A Small Finish and How I Fussy Cut

2010-04-19T20:03:00.007+10:00

I thought it was high time I reported a finish. I think you all know I am a huge fan of Blackbird Designs. I cross stitched this back in 2009. It is no trouble to whip these cross stitches up, finishing them is another story. The instructions given are really easy to follow , I have no idea why I stall when it comes to this process. I have filled this Strawberry with Silica sand as per the recommendation however it was suggested that the wire sandwiched between the leaves should be glued. I am not and never have been a fan of glue so I sewed around half of the leaf and then slotted the wire shape inside and continued on sewing. After a couple of goes this way I finally managed to get them to resemble something that looked like leaves. I must admit I did think alot about Janet(Read Janet's posts about the frustrations of constructing some of her soft toys and bags) The thought did rush through my mind, should I just throw this in the bin, however I persevered. I am not altogether thrilled with the outcome but I will be able to stick my pins in the strawberry part.

I have had many requests for my method of fussy cutting so here goes.

Along with the tools shown below you also need a sheet of Templastic, which believe it or not is also in the picture but sitting on a white bench it is a little hard to see.

I draw around my template , on the outside and the inside. My templates have a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

I then colour in my seam allowance. I do not cut out the centre, it can still be used as a window but I use this to draw location markers from the fabric underneath.

You can see what I mean with these examples from a couple of my previous templates. They are reuseable, just rub out the lines when you have finished.
This template included the seam allowance , I drew around it and ruled 1/4 inch inwards. Once again colour in the seam allowance as per previous instructions.

Once I have made a decision on the shape that I wish to repeat I place the template over the area and draw some marker lines so that I will be able to line these marks up exactly

as I repeat this process for the next 5 hexagons.

You can draw as much detail as you feel necessary

Before you lift the template off the fabric , ensure that you draw around the outside of the template on the right side of the fabric. This will be taken to the back of the cardboard shape so you won't see the marks.

Cut shape out on the line.

I always make a small dot on the right side of the fabric (using a water soluble pen).

I can then line up the paper piece with a 1/4 SA.( SA= Seam Allowance)

This is a closeup of the dot.

you can see in the photo below the paper piece with the 1/4 inch seam allowance. It is important to get this accurate so that your shapes line up exactly.

when you feel that you have your 1/4 inch seam allowance aligned exactly, I use a spring clip to hold the first turn over of the seam allowance in place. ( I find that sometimes when using a pin the fabric moves and knocks the 1/4 sa out of alignment)

This somehow acts as a third hand and holds the fabric piece steady to get your first couple of stitches in place.

I find this method works for me and allows an accurate 1/4 sa all around.

The more of these you make the more dexterous you become.

I always sew my centre in last

I like to audition different fabrics to decide what I think suits the centre.

Generally it is a flower centre, sometimes though it can be just a spot or something quite geometric.

I hope this may give you a few tips to help you with your fussy cutting. If you would like any further explanations please leave a comment and I will endeavour to answer your queries.

I wish you all happy fussy cutting, but can I say it is addictive and it changes the way you look at fabric from here on in.

Happy sewing

Fiddling and Fadling with little Progress

2010-04-04T13:03:00.005+10:00

More than a month has passed since my last post and as the title suggests there has been little progress to report.

I am still working on my clamshell quilt, if you remember back to a previous post when I referred to myself as the queen of starts, it really made me think just how many projects I have on the go. That thought just depressed me. I needed to take stock and stay focussed on the tasks at hand.

This project is not happening as quickly as I would like, although I have to say I am really loving it as I get to play with lots of pieces of my favourite fabrics.

it is growing all be it slowly.

Of course there is also some cross stitching on the go, I need this for the traffic lights. I can't bear to be sitting in traffic or at traffic lights without some stitching, that is just an utter waste of time.

Blackbird Designs is one of my most favourite designers atm, their projects are lovely to stitch, they have loads of lovely pinkeeps and samplers and pincushions (a girl can never have enough pincushions, needlebooks and scissor fobs).

This project is the 'Peacock Pinkeep' you get to sew on lovely linen using luscious silk threads in such wonderful colours. They really take no time to stitch , one just needs to set aside some time to make them up.

Hopefully I will have some finished items to show you soon.

I have also mentioned in previous posts the wonderful fabric club from Patchwork on Stonleigh.

This year Susan and Christime have decided instead of a pattern each mailout to have a type of 'Block of the Mailout'. It is based on an old cross stitched sampler. I think the centre is going to be pieced in some way but the outside borders are based on old basket motifs. I am going to have my backgrounds on different sized black spots on an off white .

These baskets are in my favourite shade, Raspberry.

Once again we are in the Port Stephens area for the Easter break, fortunately the weather is behaving.

On my walk this morning it was wonderful to see families out enjoying the lovely weather, catching the end of season swims and hoping to catch something to cook on the barbie.

It was just so peaceful , wonderful for recharging my very depleted batteries.

The local council have done a lot of work on the Bridle Path , there are some magnificent native trees

this being a favourite, isn't the bark amazing, the tree almost looks barkless.Iykwim

I hope it won't be too long before posts but I must confess I have a huge project on at work. We are in the process of migrating our computer system to our parent company's system. This involves loads of testing, loads of communication with my German colleagues (language barriers). This is really zapping me of all my mental strength, please bear with me , this should be over at the beginning of June.

Wishing you all much happiness this Easter.

A Very Wet Brissy

2010-03-02T07:48:00.002+11:00

My travels for work have commenced for 2010, first city off the rank is Brisbane in the state of Queensland.
Brisbane is supposed to turn on good weather, it has not stopped raining since I touched down on Sunday evening. Added to that the humidity is running at about 100% or so it feels.
Today we are expecting gale force winds, hopefully that will blow the humidity away. as always on my travels I need my trusty companion(not Mr L & R this time). Thought you might like a look at what makes it into a girls travelling bags

this was the result of last nights effort in between watching My Kitchen Rules, blog surfing and a little cross stitch.

oh well off for another day, I hope you all have a great day

The Queen of Starts and some of her Travels

2010-02-28T22:53:00.009+11:00

I have decided to give myself a title 'The queen of Starts'. I just can't help myself , there are so many quilts to be made and just not enough years, so I have to start them all.
These elongated hexagons are to go around the centre of the Nancy Horsfall crib quilt. I love fussy cutting, so I just keep making them and when the centre is complete I will then decide which ones will make the cut. I bought a vintage sheet whilst on my travels in New Zealand ,I will applique these blocks onto it , when I can bring myself to chop it up.

I am still working on my clamshell quilt, yep, I am still loving making that, it hasn't been cast aside just yet. I needed a top up of shirting's for the alternate rows.

I also needed a little stash enhancement, some for fussy cutting, some for clams and some to just admire.

Just recently a family member moved into an apartment opposite the Sydney Opera house, we spent our afternoon today just admiring this wonderful view, celebrating an aunts birthday.

it is just a block away from the grounds of Admiralty House (the home of the Governor General). That sign you can see placed in the garden is saying trespassing is not permitted.

just to the right of our view is the Sydney Harbour Bridge, if you look closely you can notice some climbers on the top. For anyone thinking of visiting Sydney a bridge climb is a worthy venture. The view from the top of the bridge is spectacular.

as the afternoon unfolded, the harbour became busier, unfortunately the promised rain made an appearance and the wind whipped up the water making it very choppy.

On our recent trip to NZ we visited a place called Mangawhai. Mangawhai is north of Auckland and the reason for our visit was my SIL had read somewhere that a company called Bennett's chocolates had relocated from Murawai to Mungawhai. We were out and about and had been to Matakana farmers markets, so we dialed up the I phones (as you do) and put the sat nav to use to get us to our destination.

Let me say it was worth the drive, we could have been somewhere in Tuscany. we arrived to fine this huge Italian like villa.
We were greeted by these huge gate like doors and cobbled floors.

The car park gardens were planted with olive trees and lavender, the silver and mauve colours and some of my favourite.

This huge building which is such a destination houses a cafe/restaurant, which I might add serves delicious well presented food.

They have obviously been on an overseas buying trip , they have some wonderful pieces , like this trough

and this old stone sideboard type cupboard.

a sample of soup that was on the menu that day.

scattered throughout the place there were huge urns that were bulging with succulents

very Italian like water features

more plants on very rustic tables

a shaded courtyard

floral arrangements adorning the tables
I so wanted to bring this stone sideboard home
as well as this building housing a cafe/ restaurant, there is also a deli/ supermarket/ green grocer, you can use these lovely basket to gather your items to purchase

Behind these doors is the Chocolatier

They make divine chocolate, we purchased some fejoa flavoured chocolate, it was yummy

There were many flavours, shapes and sizes, unfortunately I couldn't find any that had zero calories

I must add that the decorating of the chocolatier was very french like and the walls were adorned with huge mirrors that had that old mercury type silver so they had that aged patina about them. Gorgeous old chairs with plump linen cushions and lovely washed timber tables that held urns of succulents.

This building also housed a Gelateria, none of us can go past a Gelato so we sat in the courtyard and one to finish off our wonderful outing.

I can highly recommend this place, if you are in Auckland or are planning a visit to Auckland it is well worth the drive, beautiful countryside en route.

I hope you all have a wonderful week , happiness in whatever you do.

I hope you to have some new starts

Raglan , New Zealand

2010-02-21T11:55:00.010+11:00

Raglan is well known for its surfing beach, my brother and sister in law often fly their plane to Raglan to have lunch. It has always been a place we would like to visit.
As a surprise my brother hired a four seater (his plane is a two seater) Piper Cherokee to take us all to Raglan for lunch. He is keeping a watchful eye on the fueler, I thought this photo was amusing as his stance is a family trait. I could also be looking at my father, he used to have the exact stance, legs crossed and hand under the chin.

everything all done and checked, it is time to start loading. I was the lucky one I got to sit in the front which meant I didn't need to get in until last , it was a very hot day and the plane was quite warm inside, until we got airborne.

Here is where we were headed.

Surprisingly Auckland is quite green, they are desperately in need of some rain.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch and a wander around this coastal town. Well worth a visit if you are in NZ. It is approx 2 1/2 hr drive from Auckland. Dotted with lovely cafes and gift shops.
Time to think about getting back to Auckland

A final check before we all pile in and make the return journey

After the most wonderful afternoon it was time to return to Ardmore (Auckland light aircraft airport)

Happy Times

Can You Guess Our Destination ?

2010-02-17T06:58:00.003+11:00

Maybe you are thinking this could be the south of France mmm Still looking like France, maybe somewhere in Provence

The gorgeous rusted iron fence, the overgrown Lavender, Blue flowers , Cypress trees, maybe it is Italy !

This window and door is just beckoning to come inside.

it is just as divine inside

A vista in every corner

You have probably gathered by the tags on each item that these goods are for sale.

It is a wonderful antique shop, full to the brim with items to tempt.

not in Italy, not in France

in Christchurch, New Zealand.

We have just returned from 10 fantastic days in my homeland.

Mr L & R and I celebrated 25 years of marraiage on the 9th February and as we married in New Zealand , we figured we should return to celebrate and catch up with family.

I have loads of wonderful pictures and memories to share.

I will update over the next couple of days and then I will show some sewing, after all this is really what this blog is about.

Happy creating

M I A

2010-02-05T09:04:00.003+11:00

I am packing my trusty travelling companion my camera (as well as Mr L & R), passport and heading off on a 10 day sojourn.

I am hoping when we return I will be able to show you some wonderful images.

In the meantime I will leave with this small bunch of pansies.

Happy times

A Lazy Sunday In Bowral

2010-01-31T21:34:00.013+11:00

What better way to spend a drizzly Sunday than to take a drive to the Southern Highlands .

Bowral is a leisurely 1 1/2 hours drive south west of Sydney. It is a mecca for cafes, homewares , book shops and boutiques.

One such place is a divine French inspired shop so named 'So French'.

Linda and Pauline, a very talented Mother and Daughter team are the owners and their combined talent make this shop a worthwhile visit.

They are both extremely welcoming and are willing to share their knowledge and aspirations, but best of all there are many wonderful items to tempt one . How could you walk past these wonderful doors, they just beckon you inside.

This bike just takes my mind to the country lanes of Provence, in a country where bike riding is a foremost mode of transport.

Open those doors and this is the greeting, a real feast for the eyes.

Its hard to know where to begin, unfortunately these shutters had already been sold

but this old French grape crushing bath, with pourer is still available for sale, it is truly divine and would look wonderful with an array of buxus plants and some white cosmos, what do you think ?

no matter which way you turn there is something to tempt open the purse strings

really different pieces of furniture with lovely paint patina's

Room fragrances and candles adorn the shelves.

All displays put together with thought and imagination. Can't go past a box plant wrapped in hessian.

as I said previously the girls love to share their future aspirations, and they have some amazing plans for this area. I think I can reveal this is going to end up an amazing courtyard that you will want to spend some time in. (Watch this space further down the track)

another corner of the same courtyard

In case you are wondering, yes we did manage to come home with some goodies.

I love nice soap and I also love anything to do with script, how could I leave this behind.

I enjoy just having these lying about the house , they not only look interesting, they smell lovely.

and yes we purchased this.

You are probably wondering why anyone would purchase an old paint peeling window frame.

Well we have plans for this trust me, I will reveal in a later post. ( Mr L&R has some work to do first)

Just a close up to show you the detail of peeling paint. Such character that only comes with age.

Just around the corner from So French is another wonderful shop called 'My Place'.

Lynne Wilson, the owner of this shop is another very talented lady who knows exactly how to put together an enticing store.

Lynne used to own 'Berrima Patchwork' Berrima is another wonderful destination a further twenty minutes down the road.

This time Lynne has decided rather than a straight patchwork shop she wanted to do something a little different. This is the place to be inspired to make things for the home as well as clothing and bags. Sure you can still buy gorgeous fabric to make quilts (She has great taste in fabric).

Why don't you come inside and have a look around.

That's if you can bear to leave this lovely courtyard

after you have have stepped inside the gate

there is plenty to tempt the purse strings open in here also, notions, patterns, homewares , stamps,etc etc.
It is almost impossible to walk past this display of the 'French General' fabrics without a sampling to take home and add to the stash.

Some inspiration to use these gorgeous fabrics

Shelves of fresh funky fabric just waiting to be made into something wonderfulA simple throw draped over a chair with the fabrics displayed along side .or how about some of this fresh and crisp looking fabric to make this gorgeous bag.

The vibrancy of these braids and trims are hard to walk past,perhaps a book or two could find their way to the counter for purchase.

Right next door is an Interior Designers store, I was enamoured by the front path.

not to mention what was displayed in the window.and in the window on this side an old dough table caught my eye. (sorry about the bad reflections in these windows, the shop was not open) Whilst we were peering in the windows, the most amazing fragrance was in the air ,I looked around

and realised the plantings were Rosemary and these gorgeous silver curry plants. What a fantastic idea , the colours so suited that gorgeous path.
at the side of the shop was this stunning garden. Designed by renowned landscape architect, Peter Fudge.

How I would love it to be our garden.

That's how we spent our Sunday. Lovely.

I hope you enjoy this tour Bowral.

Until next time happy creating

Oh My, How Time is a Thief

2010-01-26T09:14:00.006+11:00

It is a month since I last updated my blog, just where has all that time gone. Some of it was spent here, Mr L &R & I love spending some of our down time at this beach in the lovely Port Stephens area. We have had some extremely hot sunny weather and the best way to keep cool is a dip in the ocean. I took these photos last Saturday , when temperatures here reached 43 degrees. I have to say little relief was achieved even at the beach, the sand was so hot it was impossible to walk on without Jandals on. Thankfully most people were sensible and kept themselves under some sort of cover.

As the clouds started to build in the afternoon (ahead of the cool to 35 degree change) I thought this was such a beautiful vista especially for anyone that is a lover of blue and white, as I am.

Little sewing has been achieved. I have been working on a little project that is very portable , it is difficult to know what to bring away when we are on holiday and I can be guaranteed I always want something that I left behind.

This project is a lap size clam shell quilt.

Very apt for sewing whilst on holiday at the beach.

It is such a fun project, you get to play with all your favourite bits of fabric. It is going to be very scrappy.

Row by row, every other row will be a shirting fabric of some description.

The clams are just randomly picked out of the basket and how it ends up is how it will be.

as I said previously you just get to play with all your favourite bits and no scrap is left out.

possibly the only problem being that you tend to end up with a few quilts that are similar in colour but is that really a problem?

The construction and inspiration for this quilt came from my attending classes with Brigitte Giblin at Material Obsession.

If you can't get to attend a class with Brigitte, Material Obsession are offering some Brigitte BOM , which is a great alternative.

I have also been trying to improve my needleturn applique skills. Included with the latest Quilters Companion magazine is a DVD which gives some great hints on needleturning.

There have been some very generous bloggers in the past that have given tutorials, such as Janet and Cathy and watching this DVD just reinforced what that have blogged about.

One thing I should say about these DVD's whilst they are helpful , I just wish the camera person would get overhead during these demonstrations, I find myself standing up thinking I will be able to see what is going on behind those hands.(Just a little constructive criticism)

These circles are my practise, I am very happy with the outcome. I remember Janet say just take small steps, this is reinforced in this DVD , just think about 2 stitches at a time.

You may have noticed over at my friend Liz's place , Liz blogged about this pattern from Michelle Yeo.

We are thinking we will do a quilt along , anyone out there want to play ?

I made a test block , the templates that we ordered to go with the pattern are fantastic. The block is 14 inches and takes no time to construct. I haven't chosen a background fabric as I like to construct all my blocks then audition them for the background.

I am not sure what fabric way I will go, I think Kaffe fabrics could be fun but Reproductions could also be good.

I think the centres should be a stripe just to make it a little challenging, or any fabric that could be fussy cut to give it some movement.

What do you think ?

Anyway if any of you are interested we could set up a flickr and load our photos, we could even have a block swap of one or two blocks , let me know what you think and perhaps we could set something up to begin in the autumn, that is March here downunder.

Today is Australia Day here downunder. We get to have a day off. It is a beautiful day , so it is off to the beach and them home for a Lamb B-B-Q in the evening.

I hope whatever you decide to do is also a fun day.

Until next time

be happy in whatever you do, and by the way a very happy and creative twenty ten.

The Making Of Memories

2009-12-25T18:52:00.005+11:00

As each Christmas day draws to a close special memories are made. Sharing with family

laughing

This year handmade had a strong presence

This gift box was handed to me from my gorgeous sister, I would have been happy if the box was empty, I just loved the hand knitted tag.

this is what was inside.

How divine, handmade by sis

I was overwhelmed to say the least

I was also thoroughly spoiled with these books. I am a book lover, however I also love to cook for my family and friends. Any book relating to cooking from my homeland sparks memories of guidance from my Mum in years gone by. Can't wait to test some of the wonderful cakes and slices featured in here.

The sharing of luscious foods

nothing better than a glass of bubbles to mull over happy times

I hope your day was the making of memories

Until next time enjoy happy times.

Christmas Wishes

2009-12-24T21:33:00.009+11:00

It won't be too long before the man in the big red suit comes down the chimney. Hard to believe Christmas Day 2009 is only hours away.

Folk on the other side of the world are experiencing record snow falls and below zero temperatures we here in the southern hemisphere are set to enjoy summer, warm sunny days and balmy nights.

Mr L & R and I have come to our holiday home on the coast and we are waiting to be joined by family to share our Christmas day. This place is cosy to say the least so no big Christmas Tree here, however lots of little vignettes, gone are the days of clutter, simplicity rules supreme.

You might recognise these trees from my previous story , they just had to come home with me.

Life was extremely frenetic prior to Christmas breakup from work, I really don't have a lot to show sewing wise. This is a peek at some of our Christmas decorations , as I said, very simple.

I found these tags at EST in Melbourne, couldn't resist

I am lover of all things Blackbird Designs and I was lucky enough to have my name picked in a comment leaving draw that was offered on their blog.

I received their latest cross stitch book, wonderful projects await me, but unfortunately not in time for this Christmas.

I felt I should at least reveal that I did manage to make all the coathangers that I set out to achieve.

They were gifts , and I think they were well received. Nothing nicer than have a lovely hanger to hang that special shirt or jacket.

I would like to say a huge thank you to all the bloggers that have made my first year blogging a memorable one.

I have met some amazing people, been inspired, but above all the caring and sharing has been gratifying

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas

Until next time

Much health and Happiness

You Can't Beat A Good Trunk Show

2009-12-08T21:06:00.009+11:00

I'm sure I have mentioned before that I attend classes at Material Obsession under the expert guidance of Brigitte Giblin.

Brigitte is a well known teacher in Australia and especially here in NSW.

Whilst we always get expert tuition during our class we are often treated to a show and tell from Brigitte's suitcase. I am sure I can safely say Brigitte would have made 100's of quilts but on this particular occasion we were treated to her many versions of Trip around the World.

Very adept at machine construction, Brigitte is always happy to share any tip or technique to make the job easier and more pleasurable.

These quilts are eye candy and it is always interesting to see the pieces of fabric used that often we would classify as 'ugly' but just seem to add that zing or quirkiness that brings a quilt to life.

Something as simple as tumbling blocks but is so effective.

The use of colour that helps one to step outside one's comfort zone, just love the orange.

The bold stripes and spots are extremely eye catching

Brigitte is also well known for her hexagon quilts and this is one of my many favourites.

The use of red is not only eye catching it seems to give the quilt an antique look

Yet again a very traditional block (Doves in the window) Brigitte just seems to have the knack of making quilts have an antique look about them

Here is her Pickle Dish quilt,this was the quilt I originally joined her classes for.

I believe Brigitte is going to be kitting this quilt next year.

This is a top that has been constructed for some time , the applique shapes need to be appliqued and then quilted and voila there will be another added to the pile. Isn't the border effective, I just love the quirky centre applique block (sorry only a sneak peak)

This quilt is known as Indian Summer and featured in an issue of ' Australian Patchwork and Quilting'

Loads of Hexagons to cover for this quilt but also an opportunity to showcase a favourite piece of fabric for a centrepiece.

and yet another Hexagon quilt, I love this one and especially the fabrics Brigitte has used,some gorgeous antique french ones amongst them. This quilt has a lovely soft feel IRL

In this next photo if you look hard enough you will be able to see on the wall in the back room, Brigitte's version of 'Aunty Green'.

This quilt is one Brigitte will be teaching next year, it is truly divine and combines applique and piecing.

Brigitte has a website and I know she intends to have it updated over the Christmas break and you can email her here.

If you are interested in doing a class with her, one of the many places she teaches is at Material Obsession, you could check with Kathy if there are any spaces available.

I hope you have enjoyed this little trunk show from Brigitte's suitcase, Brigitte is a great teacher, always taking her time to help with fabric and colour selection , Brigitte is also extremely generous with her knowledge and her sharing of patterns.

Enjoy this very busy time of year and until next time

Happy sewing

An Update on Melbourne and who did I meet ?

2009-11-30T21:13:00.008+11:00

I would like to introduce you to the lovely Liz from Broderie.

I have followed Liz's blog for a long time, long before I had a blog and I always felt she never updated it often enough for my liking, but since having a blog I understand how time consuming blogging and blog reading can be. I would like to now introduce you to Sharyn. Sharyn does not have her own blog but is an avid blog reader, and feels that if she didn't spend so much time blog surfing she would be able to achieve a lot more quilt finishes. (Don't we all) Sharyn was a reluctant quilter, she originally felt it was silly to cut up fabric only to sew it back together again but somehow she was bitten by the bug and since has become very prolific in her achievements.
The girls put on a great show and tell for me. This is one of Liz's nine patch that is really an eight patch ( I hope I have got the right) but how striking is it?

These girls had a great show, lucky for me my excuse was I was travelling and had no room , I have many starts not nearly enough completions.

This is Liz's circle quilt , I have long been an admirer of this quilt so it was great to see it in real life, it is spectacular, loads of fussy cutting. it is nearly finished being hand quilted.

both the girls have made this candied hexagons quilt. I think this one belongs to Liz, once again loads of fussy cutting, and hand quilted. Sharyn's is fairly similar and once again hand quilted. You can't beat hand quilting in my humble opinion, not that I want to start a debate about machine quilting, it has its place and serves a purpose just my opinion.

This is Sharyn's version of the Kaffe snowball, lovely greens and pinks, I think she was being persuaded to hand quilt this.

Melbourne is a lovely city, a city that takes a great pride in its gardens, after all they are known as the Garden State.

This is a collage of images through my lens. You will notice pears in the bottom right hand side.

It is due to our love of pears that began Liz and my friendship so when I noticed this cushion in Liz's home I felt it worthy of a snap.

Liz picked me up from my hotel on Saturday morning early and we headed to Auburn Road, Hawthorn.

Here are a few images of the lovely shops we managed to contribute to their takings

This shop hadn't opened at this stage so this their window, beautifully enticing.

They had some divine Christmas decorations.

Our first port of call was Est. Est is known for their beautiful handmade soaps , ceramics, string, braids and trimmings and Linen.

Well worth a visit if you are in Melbourne.

Everything is packaged beautifully , a one stop shop for gifts of all tastes.

A real feast for the eyes

Baskets galore, along with rolls and rolls of twine in all colours , I liked the Linen and Raspberry colour ways.

Sorry this image is a tad blurry but you needed to see every corner of this packed to the rafters tiny store.

even the floor space used to every advantage.

Yes I did manage to do a little damage to the credit card.

After we had visited EST we needed coffee and a chat. I don't think we stopped to draw breathe the whole day, loads to catch up on.

After coffee we crossed the road to a shop called Perfect Pieces, this place had lots of rooms all very tastefully decorated and priced extremely well.

How divine is this table setting

Loved these candlestick holders, but alas I had a plane to catch and already my bag was full.

They were extremely well priced.

These bells formed a part of their window display

Just another room , pleasing to the eye.

After I finished work on Friday evening I decided a walk was in order, I set off with my trusty point and shoot and captured some typical scenes around the area I was staying.

It is quite an old area and I still love these old time worn fences being embraced by this unruly vine.

Gate hinges are something that always catch my eye

This old stone wall has the canopy of a Birch leaning over it, this did provide a little shade as it was quite warm on Friday evening and I was grateful for a rest in the shade.

I hope you have enjoyed my visit to Melbourne as much as I did. I had the most wonderful day with Liz and Sharyn.

Until next time be happy in whatever you achieve

I've Been to Beautiful Melbourne

2009-11-29T09:25:00.007+11:00

More about that in my next post. I felt it was high time I did an update and announce the winner of my sampler paper lined box.
Just before I do though , when I arrived home last evening there was quite a lot of mail. ( I won't mention the credit card bill) I did receive however my quarterly fabric club from Patchwork on Stonleigh.
I can't tell you how nice this fabric club is to be a member of. It is priced so well, truly those girls Christine and Susan put a lot of work into this mail out.
You get 10 fat 1/16ths of fabric along with a really newsy newsletter, a sheet with photo snippets of fabric that is coming or new fabric that is in stock , usually a pattern for a quick quilt. Now the best part about this mail out is , the girls are going to provide a pattern for the next year sort of like a block of the month but I will call this a quilt of the year. It is going to be a take on an old Sampler known as the Browne Sisters sampler. I have given you a sneek peek of part of the pattern but trust me it will be divine as always.
As you can see the pieces of fabric are quite sufficient for scrappy repro type quilts and if you need more if you are a club member you get a discount on your further fabric purchases.
Who could complain about $15.00 a 1/4 even if it was $20.00 it would still be great value.
I believe the girls now have a blog , I'll just quickly check , yes it is up and running, go check it out here

This has to be one of my favourite magazines (no bias here of course) the December issue is on the newsstands now.

It has some of the loveliest Christmas images

How could you resist this beautiful green and white display, so fresh and for us down under in the southern hemisphere our Christmases are usually very hot so this cool freshness is welcome, believe me.

There are pages of very inspiring homes and gardens

I love white so this really took my eye.

Another mag in the mail was the Summer edition of Donna Hay. I think I have every magazine that has ever been printed, even if you aren't too much into cooking the pages are a delight to view.

but they do have some yummy temptations.

What have you decided to cook for your Christmas ?

Oh and by the way the random number generator picked number 8. Vintage Sandy in Ohio

I promise I will do a post very soon on my trip to Melbourne. I had the most wonderful time and met up with someone you all know.

See you soon

My 50th Post and a Spring Giveaway

2009-11-08T20:04:00.011+11:00

I have to say that Spring is one of my favourite seasons, one of the reasons being, I just adore the Jacaranda trees. I just love the confetti of petals that form a lilac carpet.

This driveway caught my eye this morning and thought it very worthy of a photo.

The abundance of roses this year is also a joy to behold, we have had some fantastic rain after many many years of drought.

I only hope the intense heat we can have here in Sydney remains at bay for a few more weeks so we can enjoy the fruits of spring, Gardenia's are so delicate with an intense perfume that fills the evening air but can quickly turn brown with such intense heat.

This past week I had a class at Material Obsession and couldn't resist this piece of fabric, imagine the possibilities for fussy cutting, it also came in a terracotta colourway. I think some of the girls imagined making a piece of clothing (not for me I don't do clothing :-))

This is what I have been up to this past weekend, remember it is only 7 weeks until Christmas.

You maybe wondering what it is , stay tuned and I will reveal in a couple of weeks.

I think I have mentioned in previous posts that I have a passion for stitching samplers, I have many that have remained unframed and when I read on Alma's blog that she photocopied a sampler to line a fabric covered box , I rummaged through some of my unframed samplers for some inspiration to use as a box liner.

What better way to celebrate 50 posts than to make a fabric covered box and copy a sampler I have stitched in the past to line the box .

I am giving this box away as well as some cards to use a trim winders, along with some photocopies of my stitched samplers .

I have been inspired by so many blogger's during my first year of joining the blogging community, so many of you are so generous and sharing of spirit.

Leave me a comment and tell me who or what inspires you. I will draw a name via the google random number generator on the 14th November.

Until next time happy creating

A Quick Show and Tell

2009-10-31T08:46:00.002+11:00

I am a real fan of Blackbird Designs and follow Alma's blog with some regularity.
Alma recently posted a tutorial on using fabric to cover paper mache boxes.
I couldn't help myself I had to whip one up, I thought I would share with you the outcome.

It took no time at all , in case you are wondering, no ,I didn't cut up one of my samplers, I simply photocopied it as per Alma's instruction
Go check out Alma's blog and see for yourself, the instructions are easy to follow. I am sure there will be a few made for your stitching friends.

see you soon

in the meantime

happy fabric box making

Sometimes !

2009-10-26T13:25:00.015+11:00

Yes that is right, just sometimes life gets in the way of our normal day to day activities.

I guess that is my excuse for being away for so long.

Firstly I must say thank you to those of you that emailed to check if I was O.K., it really meant so much . I must say that the blogging community is such a caring one. I did reply to all of the emails, however I have also been made aware that some of my emails didn't find their way to everyone, so if you emailed me, and didn't get a reply please accept my apologies. I have no idea how I can rectify that problem, who does one get in touch with?, is there anyone behind a phone at Gmail !! I doubt it.

Do you remember, I began making a version of the Sundial Quilt ?, I put it down for quite sometime, well I have picked it up again and here are a couple of the 4 inch blocks that I need to complete the centre.

I must say it is quite a challenge making these blocks, sewing really small pieces, especially after handling bigger pieces on my Orange peel quilt.Something else I have started , making some coathangers for gifts for Christmas. (Do you realise it is only about 8 weeks to go) I need to make quite a few. The pattern I am using is from Marg Low designs. When I contacted Marg to purchase the pattern I explained to her I need to make approx 20 and did she think it was achievable , she laughed and said I probably would need to revise the quantity. However I am up for the challenge and have really enjoyed making them so far.

I have started a production line of sorts , cutting out the bodies, the strips for the frill, the collars etc etc. so far I have needle turned the collars and some have the ric rac on the collars. Needle turning the collars on, keep me company on my journey to work at the traffic lights. I pop in a couple of stitches whilst I am waiting for the lights to change colour, some mornings, I can get a whole collar appliqued. Those that know me, know I like my stitching to keep me company on my journey to work, which take me through approx 17 sets of traffic lights and at some lights I have quite a wait.
anyway these photo's are really for Marg to show her I have made a start. I will keep you posted on the progress .
I just love playing with the fabric combo's and love this basic grey range.
Since I last posted another year in my life clicked over. One of my Birthday presents was an invitation to a literary luncheon held at Star City here in Sydney. The guest speaker was Stephanie Alexander.

Stephanie is an amazing cook and has produced many cookbooks over the years . One of her many very famous books is the 'Cooks Companion'. She has now written a companion to that book .
known as the 'kitchen Garden Companion' a really lovely book all about growing one's own produce and cooking it. The book has a really lovely cover, it is cloth , almost like a teatowel. The contents are a feast for the eye , so many beautiful recipes to be made from lovely fresh produce.

Stephanie has been heavily involved with encouraging children to grow their own produce and cook it, she has set up a not for profit organisation within schools here in Australia known as the Kitchen Garden Foundation. It was certainly a very interesting and informative talk.

My sister addressed the event and introduced MC, Joanna Savill , The director of the Sydney Food Festival who in turn introduced Stephanie to the room. There were alot of people in attendance , mainly women , having said that , a Gent was present at out table and there were a few accompanying their ladies.
The menu was chosen from Stephanie's book and cooked by the chef's at Star City Ballroom.
I was lucky enough to sit at the same table as the guest of honour , and took the opportunity to ask many questions.
The first course got woofed down so quickly that it slipped my mind to photograph it, however I couldn't let the desert go by without a photo and yes it was very yummy. I certainly needed the brisk walk back to the light rail , then the walk up the hill to my car.
There have been a series of these books arrive on the book shelves lately, this one particularly took my eye , I love this cover , I thought it looked very inviting.
I have been a fan of cross stitch samplers for more years than I care to remember
There is also a section on patchwork
I am so drawn on anything to do with old samplers
and I just love these old quilts, the naive shapes shown on this wedding coverlet will feature sometime in the future I am sure on one of my quilts.
This crib quilt is just adorable and was made after the maker (Nancy Horsfall) made her Wedding Coverlet. There are a few instructions on how to make some of the shapes but no actual patterns. A lovely book for the collection however.
It is spring here in the Southern Hemisphere and very welcome I might add. I am a lover of roses and this year I didn't get to prune our roses (Iceberg) until quite late, so they are only about to bloom, the bushes are absolutely loaded with buds , I am anticipating quite a show.
We have had so much lovely rain this year that the garden has really grown.
Working full time doesn't always allow the amount of time I would love to spend in the garden, having said that rewards are great for a small investment in time spent.

and lastly I thought I would share this photo of a very well clipped hedge that has been created by Mr L & R . It hides an ugly timber wall.
It has been lovely to return after such an absence , hopefully I will return sooner next time.

Thank you again and until next time happy sewing.

j

Note To Self

2009-09-24T09:50:00.008+10:00

Don't you just love that saying !
Yesterday I discovered a shop in Epping named just that. It is a lovely home wares store, filled with a myriad of home wares to suit all tastes.

There are 3 partners and I discovered they all have a love of sewing, so they will have some handmade items available for sale.

They are extremely enthused about their venture and there was plenty of excitement in their voices as they spoke of their future plans and products.

Everything is displayed beautifully and I am sure there would be something to suit all tastes.

Next Thursday October 1st , they are celebrating SPRING , so if you are in the area be sure to call by, I am sure it will a treat for the eye, I know they will have some special treats in store along with some nibblies and cordial.

I especially love to decorate with White and Natural type colours and textures , and this was a real feast for the eyes.

I even managed a little splurge. Are you wondering what is in the package?

I just couldn't resist these candlesticks, they are like battered concrete .

Once they have been outside for a while and get weathered look I am sure they will fit right in amongst the plants.

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of 'Note To Self'. They are located at 50 Rawson Street, Epping , NSW, ph 9868 5033

See you soon