broderie

all in a week

yesterday was the last sewing saturday for the year and such a happy time was had by all of us. lots of chatter and laughter and time for reflection about another lovely year of friendship and togetherness and catching up. some pictures follow to sum up the day and the week!

this old family clock of mine has seen many a christmas and the christmas fairys are gathering

have not found where i have stored all the christmas decorations and numerous trees yet, so to make the room look a little festive, i went into the garden and picked holly and ivy and used some of my collection of bottles all in a row. is that another christmas fairy i can see? oh no, it's just me!

heads down and concentration plus here, the mood changes very rapidly

now these are delicious, just look how delicious!!!!

marion brings these to sewing every so often, she is the sort of girl who would not mind sharing! purchase or make your own small, sweet shortcrust bases. combine whipped cream and lemon curd, fill the bases and add the raspberries! simple, but very gorgeous and delicious!!!!!!

you can see what was popular, mind you, dear philly makes a very good yo yo!!!! thanks to all for another very happy day and year of stitching, for some of us it is getting up in years that we have all been participating, must be heading for our 20th birthday!

i got these roses from the flower boy this week! and then a purchase i made, surprised me this morning! yes it was sunday morning, i heard the bell on my gate tinkle and then a thud on the veranda and it was a parcel from australia post! it was an internet purchase from michelle yeo , i discoverd her site, just on friday last, and ordered this pattern and templates. on friday evening i received an email from michelle to say she had posted my order and voila!!!! the post parcel man delivered it this morning. excellent service all round, so take a look at michelle's site for a good range of other patterns and templates.

and finally this beautiful evening sky from my front window this week. it was better than this photo really, a thoughtful sky for me, for a family close by who would be feeling very sad, you were in my thoughts.

  
 
 
  
 

  

new friends

last saturday was a lovely day! we had talked about it for quite sometime and then jean had to make a trip from her home town sydney,(working for 2 days) to mine, lovely melbourne! that was the perfect solution to us meeting and getting together and spending some time, we had found out, through email, that we had a lot in common apart from our love of pears! i picked jean up at 9am and by 11 we were home at my place, lots of shopping, a coffee and delicious little cake and lots of talking done already.

i was very spoilt, i received one of jean's lovely boxes, thankyou!

and a look inside

see how spoilt i was, i love it, go to linen and raspberry and take a look at another one jean has made. we had show and tell, i could have bored jean for days really, we only had time to scratch the surface and then it was organising all the extra shopping and in the car to the airport to catch the plane back to sydney.

even the shopping bags were the right colours, linen and raspberry!

a last minute check on a couple of books that i have and the visit was over and we were off to the airport, lots of nasty traffic in one section on our way made us wonder if jean would catch the plane, but we made it in plenty of time. i think we have another common interest, shopping and lots more too. as i said it was a lovely day!

thanks jean and my friend sharyn who also came along, we did enjoy meeting you!
  
 

 

shopping ?!#

lots of it being done at the moment, with today being the last day of november, have you finished your christmas shopping or not started it yet? i am somewhere in the middle or maybe muddle of it!

here are a few ideas if you want to shop without the crowds#

email me or check out give these girls ago to see these items and others available at very reasonable prices.

these little plaited bags are great for allsorts of things, all handmade with a zip closure.

great for your sewing essentials, makeup, jewelry, running away from home money ! they are really pretty and practical and made by a good friend.

a christmas wreath, not quite a perfect circle? these little silk bags are so useful for making your camera or your mobile phone look glamorous when you are out and about, useful for containing other items in your bag or around the house.

i hope that wherever you shop, you enjoy the experience, don't get too frantic and best of all enjoy these days leading up to christmas 2009!

check out the website or email me, there are lots of bargains for embroiderers, paper craft and some very good books and kits. prompt and friendly service guaranteed.
  
 
  
 
  
 
 

made me happy

the local flower boy brought these roses on saturday, after all mine in the garden were burnt off in the hot weather we have been having, these have made me happy during this week. i took the photo because as i looked at them i could see kaffe's book and the dvd,'a common thread' peeping though the petals! it just made me smile, the home of a stitcher!

the variegated roses reminded me of some luscious raspberries and cream !

then on sunday, the view out the window, after rain had been falling all night and was still falling was wonderful ! a wet path, skies grey and the temperature was cool. and i took a photo ! taking a photo of rain ! it is a rare thing in melbourne these days !

as you can see all my roses need another cut back, a good trim.

a friend of mine has just completed this embroidery and it is back from being made up. looks gorgeous ! that word again. mother and child, it made me think more about the separation of the conjoined twins at the royal childrens hospital in melbourne last week and the amazing work the surgical team and all concerned have done. one of the little girls has been watching a dvd of the 'wiggles' just one week later.

let us hope that we get more rain, that other people are made as happy as those around the little girls and that we enter the time leading up to christmas without too much rush and bother. i will be happy !
 
 
 
  

all finished !

the sewing girls have been very productive, here is a selection of what's been completed in the last few weeks and now they are all made up and all finished !!!!!!

you get a sneak preview, they pick them up tomorrow! so while i am preparing as much as i can of lunch tomorrow, i will post you these pictures to browse for the weekend! enjoy!

'nice legs girls', add some lovely linen and look at the fun cushion for a girlfriend's christmas present, wonder if you read the blog?

a jennifer pudley small tapestry kit.

this bird

into

another

cushion

with some more

beautiful linen

a chart from carriage house.

 you have seen this head before

well now with his friend

he is another

beautiful linen cushion

this pretty wool embroidery with silk and beads makes another lovely cushion

sorry the photo is a bit fuzzy, the embroidery certainly isn't
 
 
 

going to hobart

if you are thinking about a holiday in tasmania or just going to hobart, as i often do, then this is worth looking at!!!!!!

hobart cottage, in south hobart is a lovely place to stay ! a colonial cottage with modern comfort and close to everything. it is self catering, or you can eat out at many local eateries in the area. this warm and comfortable little cottage has a wonderful back garden and you are encouraged to use the produce from the garden if that is your desire. it is simply a place to sit back and just smell the roses, if that is your desire also, because the garden has an abundance of roses. let me take you through the picture gallery of this little cottage that i would reccomend as a good place to stay, two nights minimum or longer if you want. contact deb and rob, you can email them welcome@hobartcottage.com .

general view of the garden and stone walls

a great spot to sit and read a book or do some stitching! i love how in this picture the different colours in the iron roof match so well with my favourite crab apple blossom.

the peony roses were in full bud !

the birds have there own room in the lush garden

the steps in the background go up to a lovely back deck, plenty of space to sit and enjoy the sun and the vista of the pretty garden

herbs and vegies to use if you want to cook

the cosy sitting room

this bed or this one, both bedrooms are well supplied with lovely linen and homely comforts

a well equipped kitchen and pantry with the basics and a sunny and bright back sitting and dining room, with french doors opening onto the rear deck

hope you enjoyed the pictorial view of hobart cottage and for those of you who don't live in australia, but who are readers of my blog, hobart is the major city of tasmania, the island state of australia. it is nestled on and around the derwent river, with lots of spectacular views and easy access to lots of places of interest. my friends, deb and rob are great hosts and everything is thought of, atmosphere, comfort and a place away from home for relaxation. bookings are essential, of course.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

more circles, no ironing!

as promised much earlier today, much earlier!!!!!! more sewing!!!!!!

i have had a good long sleep and a full day of activity, the things we fit into a 24 hour period are varied, ever changing and interesting. mmmmmmmm!!!!!

here are some more circles my friend was stitching at our sewing day yesterday, now i have to cut out some more, she has caught up with me.

she was worried that they had not been ironed, sorry, very impatient of me not to wait
for them to be made beautiful, two of them are not quite complete!

now changing to different stitching! these classic cushions by elizabeth bradley were worked by a very dear lady, quite up in her years, but with great enthusiasm and ability! well done to you annie, they look beautiful, they came to me for making up. some lucky family members or friends are getting one for christmas. tapestry has not been so popular over the past few years, i guess it is too slow for some, but it is certainly a timeless craft.

hellabore

english daisy

primavera

all very gorgeous, as are the many other designs available.
 
 
 

 
   

always at my feet

when i visit hobart,my family are always please to see me ( well i think they are ) !!!!!!!

but there is a very faithful friend who is always at my feet !

meet webster!

a contented looking dog!

there was also a visit from jamieson, an airedale, just wanted to be cuddled in his mother's arms. he looked like a great big teddy bear!

his lead said 'it's a dogs life' !!!!! for this dog life is very good i think, he was very cute.

his mum is in melbourne for a few days for the paper arts fair, he was just being spoilt !!!!

and in the background you can see lucy on her mum's knee! it was just that sought of a day!

i will show you some stitching bits later today after i have had some sleep!
 

  

 

found . . . . . . . home and happy

well i have been missing, but now am found, i have been to beautiful hobart, tasmania again. so many people who live in melbourne think that going south to hobart requires you take a special wardrobe, as though you were visiting the south pole! well day after day we had a picture perfect day and warm sunshine, another beautiful southern tasmanian day.

i flew down on my dad's 100th birthday, he died at age 96, his last real flight was on his 90th birthday! but i took him with me and scattered his remains at twilight, at kingston beach, where he met and pursued my mother, they married in hobart and so our immeadiate family began its history there. it was a decision i made and am very happy with it, au revoir and bon voyage dad.

thanks to those who have sent me loving messages. a chapter of the book of life is now written and i am content.

there is always something new along the highway and roads i travel and these characters were dotted along, put there by the locals in awareness of rural health in tasmania. there were lots, here are a few!

this girl stands at the corner of the road where i wait for the school bus each morning and afternoon

there are lots more, but stopping to take a photo was not always possible.

this family of geese live on our road also, they were camera shy and took off into the lush grass that is growing everywhere at the moment because of all the beautiful rain that has fallen, and now with all the warmth and sunshine, the farmers are very happy and the bailing season is in full swing.

be back in a few days.
 
 

 
 
 

 

missing . . . on assignment

no pictures at the moment ........... just a few words and updating the calendar!!!!!

gathering new photos and stories!