Christmas Get-togethers

Loose Threads

For our Loose Threads gathering, we each brought food to share - ham, chicken, salads, and pavlova.

We did a Secret Santa Swap - 3 Christmas-related items, and a Christmas-themed fat quarter.

I gave - a pair of silly sunglasses, a packet of gift tags and a packet of Christmas serviettes.

and received - a drink bell to ring (for someone to bring me a drink??), a rudolph glass and a peppermint lip balm.

Sunday Stitchers

This is a much larger group and again we all brought food to share..cold meat, salads and pudding & custard for dessert.

We have two Christmas swaps.
One was to make a Christmas-themed postcard and to wrap it in a fat eighth of Christmas fabric.

I made this one 

and matched it to this fabric

and I received this one from Anita.

It is beautifully made.

We each had an envelope, kindly decorated and provided by Anita and we had a special post box to put our envelopes in. 

Our traditional swap is to decorate and fill a bonbon.  This year we included a fat quarter, a treat, a reel of thread, a decoration, and a small zipper charm.
Mine went to Sandi

My bonbon was from De.

There were many small gifts given.

Notebook with name from Anita
Decoration from Norreen
Small tree from Sue
Bag of pens & bobbin huggers from Juanita
Red Gingerbread man from Michelle
Tiny - beautifully stitched magnetic decoration from Marilyn
Soap from Alison

Ceramic gingerbread man 
Scratchie from Cheryl.

Bag of buttons etc from Lynda

Santa decoration from De
Little house & chocolate Santa from Maria

After Dinner Mints from Sandi

Everyone is so kind with the gifts.

Needle Girls

Our present this year was to decorate and fill a Pringles tin for each person.

Here are the 5 that I received.  We all agreed De should win the prize for the best decorated -she did the nutcracker one - very clever.

This year we decided to eat out at a new tavern in Jimboomba.  The food was great - plentiful - a few took doggy bags home - and we returned to Sandi's for some sewing time and dessert.

An Aussie style Lamington Wreath.

A fun day!

SIMS

This is a group of just 4.   We went out for lunch and there were no specific swap rules.

Inca's gift was a lovely pack of rose & lychee soap and hand cream
Maureen made a sweet little lavender sachet - I'm keeping mine in a sewing cupboard.
Sue gave us a wooden magnetic needle holder

I made a scissor holder from an old wooden cotton reel and added a heat erasable pen, some static stickers, a candy cane flavoured Chupps Chup and a bag of Haigh & Koko Black chocolates from Melbourne.

I am lucky to have these groups to go to and be able to share my sewing projects, plans, hopes and fun times.  
I won't mention the encouragement to add more projects to my never-ending "To Do" Lists...You know who you are!!!