broderie

the day after a lovely day !

the monday night sewing girls were here this week and i have really enjoyed living with these beautiful roses all the week

just lovely and so uplifting during this week that has given us some very mixed weather with icy blasts, thanks so much gloria, very very beautiful

been playing around with the 'birthday' project, playing and placing, moving it around and changing my mind, great fun though !

denise has done lots of sewing, no housework, but who cares, she was feeling as though she was almost finished, but i hope that i have convinced you to keep adding more !

jan called and she had been crocheting, this is the right side, but this pattern looks good both ways

then came thursday and it was sewing at marlene's and we were only a small group, but happy girls, happy just spending a few hours together doing some stitching

i wonder who these were for ?

and more flowers and a bottle of the 'blue juice'

a collection of pressies

 a little book of lovely words

out with some friends for a lovely lunch and family members remembered

and a candle !

yesterday was my birthday 10/08, i had a really lovely day, thanks to all !

i had a sparkler in my cup cakes, photo not so good, but at least i did not have to blow out lots of candles !

and now it is the day after !

and some good words on a card, i love words, words that make you think and reflect

with those words i will leave you to reflect how fortunate most of us are ..............

 

oh this perfect autumn

the sun is shining, the skies are blue and the leaves are changing in the most magnificent way and the temperatures are moderate and it is just beautiful ! that is the way it is in my home city of melbourne, australia, today anyway and for the past couple of weeks ! so enjoyable !

this is the tree on my nature strip, only small at this stage. i live in the 'leafy suburbs" of melbourne and just driving out to the local shops at the moment is such a pleasure visually 

i have spoken before how i am a great starter, love a new start to a project, but i do finish also, well most of the time, sometimes !

never say never ! i did say i would never ever cover hexagon papers again, but as you can see, i am covering hexagon papers, fussy cutting some and others are just random. thus is in preparation for something in the next few months. last time, years ago, when i did this i first cut up magazines for the templates, not any old magazines, ones with very good quality paper, but these days it is easier and considerably cheaper to use the already available cut papers.

i am also cutting out clam shells, you know i love the preparation !

also continuing with my crocheted squares 

this is a blackbird design 'gathering basket' which i cross stitched and now made into a small little linen purse which i will use for containing a project, maybe my next small cross stitch item

this is one of the finished items of our stitching group's interpretation of the line drawings we were given and i made it up into a 'soft canvas' type throw using some heavy weight furnishing cotton as the background. it will be available as part of a silent auction at the embroidery exhibition in queenscliffe

on friday and saturday, april 20th and 21st, this week

at the town hall, learmonth street, queenscliffe, victoria

10.00 am to 4.00pm each day ............. $15.00 entry

in aid of motor neurone research and kidney health australia

please if you are able to attend this exhibition, make the effort, lots of lovely things to see and purchase

and we are still stitching !

some of the things i can't show you yet ! sorry !

i am heading to hobart for another 'babysitting' engagement with my family, the ones that were staying a few weeks back left me with this reminder of them, it flaps its leaves and the flower wobbles and it reminds me daily of happy times !

last night i got an email from 'nan' in scotland telling me she had received her copy of the 'dancing dollies' pattern in her mail on monday morning (scotland time) she was amazed and so was i because i had only posted the pattern to her on friday last at the post office at approx 4.45pm ! nothing wrong with that and it was friday 13th and she received it at her home in scotland, in the morning mail, on monday 16th ! well done australia post !

i love faces, i purchased these in brisbane many, many years ago when i was up there for a trade fair, still love them

a dish

and a tissue box

the only colour in my all white guests bathroom

and another face with wise words, she lives here with me, i like inspirational words !

just all part of the collection of this my life !

 

 

 

 

snippets from 'the shoebox'

i made a visit to the 'shoebox' last week, that is the name that trish harper always gives her home and it is well organised to fit so much into a small space ! and all so tidy too ! it was a lovely sunny day and the birds were singing and the skies blue !

trish has been a prolific quilt designer and maker and embroiderer and general textile artist most of her life, like all of us she has a fabric cupboard, a collection of threads and ribbons and beads etc., and a dog called billy ! 'camelot' and 'dancing dollies' are two of her patterns you have seen here, but there are more to come !

just a quilt or two or three or more !

and here is bill !

one of the work stations and some of the fabric !

trish describes this painting as a portrait of herself, it's not, but a good piece to live with !

bill spends alot of his time watching the world from the top of the couch

trish thinks that alot of her choice of colour and pattern for her work is a result of the years she spent living in asia

perhaps shown here also in this appliqued and embroidered shoe cushion

 

a little red corner !

and a blue boat !

a stack of fabrics ready for a new project !

and then there was all this colour !

crocheted rugs, many of them !

and this next one is a trish favourite !

i also love these bits

and

and look how good this 'nice cup of tea' looks against the crocheted hexagons !

even the mug has circles on it ! so in this small space, there is alot of production goes on and everything fits in well together and yes it is just the size of a 'shoebox', there is no dedicated sewing room in this comfy and inspiring home !

i will show you some other patterns that are available soon !

trish thought that you may like to see into 'the shoebox', just a peek.

 

 

and all in a week !

this time last week i wondered how i would juggle all the happenings ! but it has now passed and as usual the week has raced by, but with many happy hours spent doing things i love, with those i love and share a common interest.

my cousins, paula and barb came to stay for a few days before travelling onto townsville, you can check out over here some of what we got up to.

this is a half square triangle quilt that paula is doing, she is forming different patterns as she works it out and it grows bigger, i am loving the colours.

last week the flower boy came, well this week it was the flower girl in the form of jean from linen and raspberry ! jean came to my home on saturday with these beautiful tulips and they look so lovely with all my greeny glass bits. jean joined me with some of my good stitching friends and we sat around the table sharing stories and stitching, and eating, and drinking 'bella' (well only one bottle), that was all we had, some lovely soft cheese and some marinated baby figs. thanks jean they were very delicious!

that old table of mine could really tell some stories, it has been used for everything in our family for so many years!

jean was doing some stitching and it was a pleasure to be in her company again, we have become good friends through our blogs and a little bit of fabric started it all ! that little bit of fabric had a 'pear' design on it and now it is in my hst quilt and i think i will call it 'there's a pear in there'.

then today some more stitching friends joined me at home and it was also today that gloria finished her mammoth project of this prairie schooler alphabet, whoo hoo ! well done and it is just gorgeous! after i have washed it, it will be off to the framer and will hang in the entrance hall in gloria's home.

marlene is doing this very pretty colour combination in a crochet blanket, and deidre was working in wool with her version of this princess !

and also these little kids will become a small bag for a baby soon to arrive!

it was a good week, lots to do, great conversations and stories told.   

bright checks and cooler weather

just as the weather has turned cooler a friend has just finished this lovely bright check crocheted rug for her daughter, lucky you cherie!!!!! but i know you think she is a good mum and of course she is, she tells us often enough!!!!!!! well done marlene, another 'thing' finished and off one list to the other.

 

and these are my 'lizzie's' purchased from our local travelling flower boy on saturday.

 

and this is my most used old pincushion, beside the sewing maching whenever i am using it. over the years it has served me well, yes i know it needs a good tidy up, but at least i am honest and showing you just how it is and it has been a good and faithful friend!