Sunday Stitchers' Morning Tea - Australia Day theme

At our Sunday Stitchers meetings we have two people bringing food - it is referred to as Morning Tea - but it has become Morning Tea/Lunch/Afternoon tea - I don't think anyone bothers to bring their own lunch anymore.

This month Marilyn and I took on the "challenge" - and it has become that.....we needed a theme and preferably one that hasn't been done before - but it was a bit of short notice for us - so we decided Australia Day - but using yellow & green instead of red white & blue.  Disappointingly I couldn't find any green & yellow decorations...at least the table cloth is yellow.
I googled and found a few things to do......some koala biscuits

and a cheese platter in the shape of Australia...the Shapes were the new ones - Meat Pie and Sausage flavour ...and of course cocktail frankfurts - or "Cheerios" as the Qld people call them...(weird)

I added the flag - and you can also see Marilyn's fruit platter - again in the shape of Australia and using different fruit for each state. Some lamingtons and sandwiches.

(what would we do without google????)

That was fun....now to think about the theme for the next time we do it...

FNSI January

Thanks Wendy for hosting us for another year.  Sometimes it’s the motivation I need to sew...instead of blobbing on the lounge!

Tonight....after finishing off some urgent paid work stuff....I buckled down to quilting a baby quilt which will be due for handing over pretty soon.....here is a bit of it under the needle....hopefully it will be all finished by Sunday night.
I will be adding some quilting in the orange bit too...but I had the grey thread in so did the outside first....

Here is the link to see what the others did!

Happy New Year to all!!

Romancing the Road Trip

I was motivated to get back to this project the other day - so I have put 3 more blocks together.

 (Sorry I was pushed for time so haven't cropped my photos.)

I have two more blocks stitched, two more drawn up ...that will be 14...only 4 more to go!

FNWF January 2020

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!

Putting aside the debate about Fireworks - 

Sydney Harbour is such a beautiful backdrop to a fireworks show.

Gosh....it's hard to believe the year of 2020 is here...though at the rate the bush fires are going in Australia, I do wonder how long we will be here.....😢.
Fortunately I live in "suburbia" and am not affected - there are no nearby fires and our air quality has only been smoky for a few days and is all OK for now.

Never the less....it's sewing time.  I am on a break from work - returning next Monday...and have tried to make the most of my time sewing . . .the list for this year is already full!

Tonight I worked on these:

The photo is actually upside down - 

but I guess it doesn't matter!

Queensland Quilters Night Group have requested those who want to - to make wonky blocks using the teal supplied.  They requested no trimming back to size (8 1/2")...so they look very odd.  They were relatively quick and easy to do - certainly no nesting seams etc!!!

I am going to try to be more diligent in visiting other cyber friends who sewed....no promises!!!

But thanks to Cheryll for continuing to motivate us for another year.  Pop over here to visit all the other cyber sewers!!!

Final December finishes

I managed to finish off these three stockings - I had made two of the stockings a while back - before Christmas last year - (at least) - but really wanted them done for this year - I missed the Christmas day deadline - but was able to finish them off ready for DD1 to take back home ...and of course - by now - there had to be a third.

I told DD1 that I had enough fabric to make one more....(hint hint)

Maureen & I decided we would keep it simple for Christmas and we decided to make a decoration for each other.
I knew Maureen had quite a collection of stockings which she hangs on a special tree...so I decided to add to her collection.

This is a machine embroidery design (from Molly Mine....) - I did leave out some of the embroidery, so that the fabrics could get some of the spotlight!!
I made it in pink for Maureen - and as I had used a large hoop - there was extra stabilizer - and I could just squeeze in one more (by reversing it).  So I made a blue one for me to match some of the other blue & silver decorations in the family room.

Funnily enough Maureen made me a stocking too!   It's lovely.

To all:

See you on the other side of the decade.

December finishes

December is always a crazy month in terms of getting things finished....the critical secret stuff happens - but not much more.

This month saw these non Christmas items finished:

A taggie for a work colleague's first grandchild

6 Crochet blocks:

For the critical secret sewing - 
a Mini quilt for Lynda for our Sunday Stitchers' Christmas swap
(not such a good photo)

another Alphabet book

60 Angels

An ornament for my daughter & SIL with a picture of my very cute & lovable grandson...

My daughter also made an ornament for us - and it features the same cute grandson...LOL

December is not over yet - I have a bit more to post - it will have to wait.

In the meantime there is some socialising to do and more baby cuddles to get while I can.

Final FNWF - December

You know the year is drawing to a close when everyone is busy with "Secret Sewing".

I am one of them - so here is just a bit.

It has been another wonderful year of sewing with cyber friends on Friday Nights - it wouldn't happen without our hostess who can rally the troops from all over the world, no matter where in the world she is!

Thanks Cheryll.

In case you are not back here before December 25:

Merry Christmas

Birthday Fat Quarter Swap

I joined in with Cheryll for a Birthday Fat Quarter Swap.  It was just a fat quarter and a small gift of something that started with the letter of our name.

Here are the lovely goodies I received:

From Cheryll:  red dotty fabric, Sweetpea thread and Sewing Needles
From Julie:  baby panel and an alphabet with children on it and SEW Bandages  (very clever)
From Asta:  Orange fabric, Shopping List (very useful) and Wattle thread

From Anthea - red & orange dotty fabric, orange dotty fabric, a Scrubtastic and a gorgeous pair of Eiffel Tower scissors (sorry for the glare)
From Georgina - some prints with children/ children theme and a lovely smelling sachet
From Ilene - orange stripey fabric and santa/stocking buttons

I think these ladies have a spy - Orange, Yellow and Red are the colours I have the least of,so they will come in handy.

Thanks all - and especially Cheryll for organising.

Birthday Post Cards

Today was our SIMS meeting - so time for me to celebrate my Birthday (early) and collect my Postcards.
Sadly we were only SMS today as Inca was unwell...

Nevertheless - some delectable delights for morning tea - (sorry no picture!!!), a lunch out with a glass of bubbly, and two Birthday postcards:

Maureen's shows a Sewing Machine, Emerald Wool, Wooden Knitting Needles (The back has Starfish and Shells...(but IT issues prevent  me posting that photo.)

Sue's has Sapphires, Spider, Emeralds, Wooden Window and a Spider's Web

Pretty clever girls - thanks a bunch - I love them!!!

Updated:

I have now received my Postcard from Inca:

It is so pretty.  It features Emerlad & Wisteria in the coloured thread.  The stitchery is in waves, and the words that are embroidered are;  Embroidery, Sky, Wishart, Sampler, Embellishment, Wine, Sea, Water, Stripe, Earrings, Waves and Sydney.
All words that relate to me in one way or the other.....I think this is very clever. 

Glenrose Retreat

I am very fortunate to be able to get off work for a week and go and "hide" at Glenrose Retreat.

Of all the retreats I go to - it is by far the prettiest venue and the best suited to sewing.

I was able to put together the blocks I completed in the Gail Pan "Send My Love" BOM for 2018.
In all there were 36 blocks, but I chose to do only 32 and I liked the layout of Ruth's Quilt so much I copied it for this one.   As there are a number of design walls at Glenrose - it was an idea opportunity to lay out where all the fabric and stitcheries were going and to try to balance it.  (with some input from the others...)

I had prepped a lot of blocks for My Small World.  The hot air balloon is not part of the pattern, however I'd seen one on the Instagram group I am following and had to buy the pattern  . .  .

The "Plan" for the IG group is a set number of blcoks per month - so this finishes almost all of the blocks for Month 2 (mid October - mid November) and is a good start on Month 3 (mid November - mid December).
My next step is to start laying them out so I can see how the colours are going...and I may start working in sections from this point on - which is what a lot of the others are now doing...

And I made one baby quilt top.  (I did have a second one but didn't make a lot of progress on that one.)

There was some shopping time . . .some eating out time . . . .and of course some eating in time.

I made a Brie Twist - well with a few changes...LOL...I used a Camembert and instead of tomato chutney I used Baxters Date Fig & balsamic chutney - gorgeous stuff even by itself.

Thanks to the Tuesday Girls for inviting me along.