Retreat 2015 Wrap up

Some more pictures of things worked on . . .even though we have Friday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon to sew - its never long enough.
Over the years I have learnt to not take as much...but I am still overly optimistic as to how much I will get done . . . 

I did finish off the last block for my Quilt Fun Christmas quilt and had time to lay it out before I had to pack up.  I'll get it together this week before I go back to work.

I made this bag:

I did a lot of other stuff too but its Secret Stuff so you will need to wait . . .

One of our group who couldn't come last year decided to make up her 2014 Challenge - it was a Mug Bag...and last year we all made a matching  coaster.  This year it was a Thread Catcher ...and a few of us made Owls...Luckily Gail had enough fabric in her pack from last year to make a Thread Catcher to match her Mug Bag...and enough for an Owl...and a pincushion...and a tiny needle book...

She has a small piece left - she had cut one side of her mug bag upside down - its a perfect shape for a...scissor holder...I'll get a picture of that when she is done . . . 

Here is the "Score board"...still quite a few tags on the left but a lot moved over to the right...(the first two columns are the "not done" - the rest were finished)

Every year Belle & Pearl join us - it is the only time they are allowed out - they sit on top of the piano and keep an eye on us ....and watch over the space at night - every year Aunty Maureen makes gives them a present - this year they each received a scarf.

 Here are some other things that were finished over the long weekend:
Gail:

Erica made a few things for her grand daughter - including this camera.

 Another Sashiko project from Gail

 These are Jan's beautiful hand appliqued blocks 

There were so many more . . . . . .I'll try to be a better photographer next year.

It's only 358 days til the next one . . .  

(time to plot the next Challenge...)

Retreat 2015 Day 3

More sewing and of course fun & chatting . . .

I worked on this...

and a few other things - photos to come . . .

We had another Retreat Challenge . . ..
this year we made  thread catchers . . . .I wonder what a collection of thread catchers is called???
(maybe a "treadle"???)

Retreat 2015 Day 2

Still having lots of fun - sewing madly..eating gorgeous food...
Included in my work today:

FNSI - August & Retreat 2015 Day 1

For FNSI this month I got to sew with real friends as well as all my cyber friends!!!!


Day 1 of my retreat...
I've been working on this ...can't show too much....

I drank a bit more of this wine (only a small glass....truly)......I was keeping it under wraps . . . .

Before I left home on Thursday I collected this from the Post Office

I was one of the lucky winners for July OPAM - Peg sent me a gorgeous dilly bag, 3 reels of thread and a Cottage Garden Thread - wow!!!  I was stumped - amazing generosity - thanks again Peg & Khris!!!

Hope everyone had a fun productive night - I had a ball...too much happening to be drifting off to sleep in my lounge chair.....

"Ekka" Holiday

It was a Public Holiday in Brisbane today - for People's Day at the Royal Exhibition Show - fondly referred to as "The Ekka".

I took the opportunity to hide in SSS and added the peeper, the creamy squares and blue border to my SAL project.  I still have 46 squares to applique between the cream and blue to finish this month's target . . . .

And since it's that time of the year, I also filled all my bobbins . . . 

in anticipation of . . "Retreat".

Yahoo!!!!  Only 9 sleeps to go!!!!

FNWF - late...

Oops - I missed posting for FNWF last Friday night!!

I did sew - I enjoyed knowing others were sewing with me.

I worked on this:...its an old Jenny of Elefantz project and I'm adding these little bits to my DD1 Give Thanks hanger.

and may have had a bit of this:
(only one small glass...just to try it...you know...)

See you next month - I'll try to be more diligent then.

That's not supposed to happen

Today I thought I would post about my Natures's Journey - its time to finish off the centre block, but while filling in some time stitching out a flower or two - and tidying up around me at the same time - this happened....

The excess fabric and stabilizer has folded over onto the stitching area and got caught under the needle...

Poop!
just as well I am not desperately short of fabric...

Saturday Meet-up

Over on the Stitch-A-Long blog, we all knew that Holly from Nimble Thimble Stitchery-Do was visiting Australia from Canada for a cousin's wedding.  Holly, Chookyblue and I had been communicating and planning a meetup - I knew that as long as we could coordinate dates around Holly's commitments I could do it - but to get Chooky here required a lot more maneuvering and Holly really wanted to meet Chookyblue.   Well...she lives about 8 hours aways so it was going to need something extraordinary to get her here.

But the "Social Event" Gods were smiling and a farming friend of Mr & Mrs Chooky in northern NSW needed some help "preg testing" the cows...let's not go there to learn how they preg test, but it does include very long rubber gloves...That was about half way to Brisbane .....so not so much of a push to get Chooky to Brisbane.  So that looked like it would happen....(By the way the Preg testing was cancelled due to wet weather!)
The plans continued and we were able to include Michelle Ridgway - who had just released her first ever book - including patterns for a gorgeous quilt and a lot of tags and smaller projects which she brought along to show.

Then another "surprise" guest - Lynette Anderson - who is taking it a little easy for now as she has damaged her finger - Chooky decided she needed a bit of cheering up so we invited her too.  (Fortunately Quilt Sherpa - her driver for now - also needed to come to Brisbane...the gods were still smiling on us).  Lynette also very generously gave each of us a charm pack of her latest fabric range - Needles & PIns.  Gorgeous fabrics.  I need to make something special with them......

What a roll up - sorry to anyone else who went to the Full Moon for a quiet lunch!!  And sorry to those who chose to go away...

In all we had 19 people!

Sadly this photo (which I brazenly copied) is missing Holly & Megan  ...so here is Cheryl, Megan, me & Holly. (sorry I pinched this one too....)

I had a lovely time chatting to Holly & Megan - we were all trying to drag Megan into the "patchwork" world - and her husband's business is opposite a quit shop - what more could  you want???  But Megan is thinking she may venture into a "Craft Retreat" place so we gave her all sorts of ideas & recommendations!!!  

We reluctantly said goodbye to Holly & Megan late in the afternoon.

During the afternoon those of us who had missed getting their mini quilt from Sunday Stitchers were able to catch up.

Here is mine (made by Lynda)

and its reversible!!

I love it - anything with houses or building gets a vote in my book!!  Thanks so much Lynda.

Chooky was "sleeping over" at my place so we sorted her fabrics for her Nature's Journey centre block - and look she got it done ...

well maybe not quite finished...but it looks effective.

Thanks so much to everyone who came along - I am sure Holly will remember this day as a special part of her trip down under - lets hope she gets back soon!

Sunday Stitchers Mini Quilt Swap

This months meeting was to hand over our mini quilts - sadly I couldn't be there but I organised for my quilt to be there on the day.

I made this one for Cheryl - and silly me - forgot to take a photo so I have pinched the IG photo that Cheryl posted.  (Love her hanger.)

(Thanks Cheryl, hope you don't mind)

So, two finishes in a month!!!!! Whoopee!!!

I will collect mine next Saturday.

FNSI - July

I had Thursday and Friday off work - so I have spent a lot of that time organising things for my retreat...its now less than 5 weeks away...so it's time to start cutting and packing bits.

I have a list of things I want to do - no doubt longer than the time allowed ...but best to have too much than not enough.

I am planning on a few projects that involve 1.5" strips...I seem to have cut a gazillion - here they are:

 Still need a couple of reds

 and a couple of yellows

On Friday night I also finished preparing another block for my Quilty Christmas Fun quilt.

And I did a bit of stitching on my Rosalie Quinlan BFF while watching some TV...

Hope everyone else was productive and not too cold - or hot - depending on where you are..