broderie

it is the 200th post

i am off today on one of my trips to hobart, they have been a regular happening over the last few years to visit family and friends. so while i am away, celebrate with me the writing of this 200th post and i will pick some winners out of the hat and you will receive a lovely gift. you have until midnight on april 30th.

i received an email today with words that i like and want to share, they sum up much of life to me, the way we live, the happenings along the way and our thoughts.

BELIEVE, HOPE, DREAM, LOVE, CREATE, BREATHE and LIVE.

TRY, THINK, RESIST, DARE and BE.

LUCKY, GOOD, BAD, DANGEROUS, SWEET, COLOURFUL, DIFFERENT, COY and SHY.

BE FREE, GIVE, DON'T DO IT, DO IT, CARPE DIEM, HELLO THERE and TRY AGAIN.

i started this diary with the encouragement and help from justine, when i had my shop ( thanks so much ) and i have continued with it because i enjoy the writing and expression it involves and the friends that make contact, thanks to all of you for reading and being interested, i enjoy the sharing.  

this photo is not the best ever, but one of my friends last night had a project she had finished, a combination of embroidery and handpiecing. these girls were cross stitch patterns originally, with help from another friend they became embroidery patterns and made up into this lovely quilt.

i have packed my bag, taken some stitching of various types, will be staying with family and also seeing good friends

deb, jane and i have been friends for years now and though we all live in different states, we meet up regularly in hobart, seems to be the common ground, so next sunday is another such meeting to look forward to, we will sit and look at this view and have a drink and there will be alot of chatter.

so while i am enjoying another hobart, tasmania trip, leave me a message and you could be a winner, let me know what your favourite form of stichery is so i can match up a gift to suit you. it has been a happy journey to post 200 ! ! !

the tortoise and the hare

some people are just fast and good at everything, me,  just slow and steady, but get it done in the end ! this is a story of 'big girls colouring in' (always loved it when a child, a book and some coloured pencils) well nothing much has changed, but i guess i use threads instead of the coloured pencils. i bought a series of these french colouring books in a shop in hobart on one of my trips.

and i have shared some of the images with my embroidery friends

mine is still a work in progress, along with many others!!!!!!!!!!! but trish has finished hers and it looks really good. look out for the books at specialty childrens shops and toy shops.

this is her prince !

i am doing them together, show you later !   

jack fell down & broke his crown!!!!!

well yesterday started like most other days, a nice cup of tea, some preparation for the sewing saturday girls and some breakfast. then i was on my way to put some rubbish in the bins, lost my balance and over i went, tumbled down, over and over downs the steps, but did not break my crown, just dented it ! and a few other bits are black and blue !

i have been sewing and cutting more of michelle yeo's, 'king david's crown' design, a quilt that i have in the making, mentioned in previous posts.

some of the royal jewels !

the background fabric i am using was from the cupboard and i realised that i was not going to have enough, there are 20 crowns and i have cut enough for 16, so will use something else for each corner one. i like that idea and then will use another fabric for the borders.

for those of you who loved these teatowels

they are available at quince, the shop is open tuesday to saturday, 11.00am to 3.00pm, and is situated in wattletree road, east malvern, victoria, australia. follow the link for all other details.

you only need one teatowel to make two cushions using another fabric for the back.

and this scrap quilt continues to grow, when will i stop!!!!!

i have mentioned before that i am heading towards a celebration, well i think that you celebrate in 'blogland' and any excuse for a party i say! i am heading very soon to my 200TH post, not long now, there will be a giveaway, so stay tuned!!!!!

  

the pie & patchwork pursuit

i invite you to come along with me on this day trip we took on wednesday this week. it started out because one of my friends remembered a pie shop in olinda (in the dandenongs) now outer suburbs of melbourne, we remembered it from a few years ago! so my valet and his wife came and picked us up ready for the adventure. in pursuit of these pies we had to pass by some patchwork shops!!!! now we could not do that, pass by!!!! so first stop was gail b's patchwork , i had never been there before and i think i was so flabbergasted that i did not take any photos to show you. there is a sea of fabrics and sewing requirements at the back of the family ceramic tile business! a very warm hello was given and we went on a discovery journey and made some purchases!

then it was back in the car and onto the next stop foothills fabric & threads where sandra gave us a warm welcome and offered us a nice cup of tea, which we declined, you see our driver was waiting!

then our next stop was mrs martins quilt shop 

our driver pulled up just next to this beautiful display of japanese windflowers and down the garden path we found the shop

another very warm welcome from karen and we went exploring here also

lots of good christmas projects and ideas here

then it was to the olinda golf club for lunch, we found a good table to see the view, some comfortable chairs and as we were not driving a bottle of wine was ordered! how appropiate the name!

pursuit !!!!! we had started our journey in the 'pursuit' of pies we remembered, it was a good drop of wine to have with our lunch

so after we had enjoyed a sit down, a glass of good wine and our lunch we proceeded to olinda shopping area to find the pie shop in our minds. but alas, it is no longer, it was noel's pie shop, we had a cup of coffee in the same shop, but noel and his pies have long gone! our driver's name is noel, could he be the old pie man? no he is the very patient husband of a good friend who seemed very happy to take us on this journey. three cheers for noel !!!!!

always a few more bits of fabric you NEED !

this was after i had brought home another purchase of bits last friday from amitie, so i believe i have a problem! i started my scrap quilt to use up some of my bits, i now find i am buying bits, thinking that a few scraps of them would be good for the same quilt. but i have also seen a sneak peak of some new scrappy designs from JENNY AT AMITIE. looking forward to those!

a good day was had by all and thanks to my valet and his wife, if we had a bus you could have come too!   

 
 
 
  
  

full steam ahead

my paternal grandfather was a steam train engine driver years ago in tasmania, back when they had a train system, and today it was strange!

one of my older stitching friends, i mention older as mary is her eighties, has appliqued and embroidered thomas, percy, james and henry and i have made the images into a quilt for her and today as i was sandwiching the layers and basting it, the sounds of a steam train were coming from the train line through the autumn air. it just seemed quite bizarre, but things happen like that. living in suburban melbourne, you just don't hear steam trains normally!

this quilt will make a little boy happy to have these smiley characters keeping him warm and it will be a good time of the year for mary to start her quilting, we had some cooler weather today and it was oh so nice !

well done mary ! the quilt looks very smart and will be good to quilt using the lines in the fabric.

and a sad note, my friends deb and rob, the owners of 'jack', my special little one eyed, four legged friend in hobart, let me know that he is now sleeping peacefully in doggy heaven. jack was great company when i was house and dog sitting and a very faithful and much loved member of the family for many, many years. we will miss you ' jackie boy '.

  

more cushion comfort

i know, i can hear you all say, 'not another tea towel story' ! but look at these lovely cushions made from a tea towel, they are gorgeous and i had such fun playing with the design !

they have multi stripe shades of beige backs and will be going to hobart to live! the cushions that is, not me!!!!!

another friend has just finished this lovely fresh looking design and i must say it looks very pretty on my chair

i know that i should have waited till the morning light to take these photos, but i couldn't wait !

  

no fooling here

this dear friend of mine has been with me for many years, she has had all sorts of styles over the years, this is her current look!

it is good friday tomorrow and i want to wish you all a happy easter. if you are travelling, please take care and keep safe.

remember to stay tuned, the celebration will be soon!