parcels blanket stitch and a tutorial.....

how sweet is this wood on felt Christmas ornament from Christine?

I love it and it is on my tree... Thanks Christine...

My last 2 days of FHFS pressies have been opened and Marc is so clever in her themes (I must remember this for next year!)

Today was a sewing theme... with the cutest elephant pincushion, some pretty pins, a tape measure (just the perfect small size to go in the goto bag when I go out sewing) and a choccie treat

... and yesterday was this gorgeous zippy bag with treats in side.... a handmade washcloth, some soap, cream and emery board (I keep one of those in my bag all the time)

I'm loving these gifties Marc ... thanks so much

So I tried out the blanket stitch on my new machin and it's lovely and neat and I can change the sizes ....

.. the top of my apron (from Toni's blog) is done now....

The new machine has a button to push to sew (great alternative) and I was using that (I didn't feel I had the control but I'm sure that is just getting used to it) because my pedal wouldn't work.... I went to the shop yesterday (MK's Sewable in Toowoomba) and she checked the pedal... something in the machine is not right... There and then she swapped the machine for a brand new one.... all good now...

Of course there are always those cords so this is where my FREE TUTORIAL comes in...

those wires can get rather knotted .... 

I do love recycling so here is another one.... get your materials.....

fold your cord and slip it through the ready made gap ..... nice and neat

... of course it's lovely to pretty it up a bit so find a scrap of a pretty fabric....

.. and there you have it.... my Christmas gift to you...

Righto, Gotto Go... I want to finish that apron today....

'tis the season....

This darling little angel was sent to me by Susan....

made from buttons and special wings and oh so tiny and sweet - the picture doesn't show well but she has a golden halo too!

thank you Susan

I also received a Christmas postcard from Mary in California.... that piecing is to be admired and it has sparkley thread

thank you Mary 

My lovely coaster from Maria .... you can't but help smile at the face of the trumpeter there....

 thank you Maria

As part of the FHFS this year we sent 12 Christmas parcels so we can open one a day leading up to Christmas... I got a lovely bunch of parcels from Marcia and today I opened up this lovely bundle.. A cookbook (cookies!), jar labels, decoration and tea towel... just perfect to play with

thank you Marc...

At the weekend Hubz came home with a new sewing machine for me.... I have had a small one for ages and it has done me so well but it really sounds like a tractor and is on it's last legs

this one is perfect to go with me to places (a Pfaff) and has a nice blanket stitch, tripple stitch and a few decorative ones.  Just what I need and of course I need to make something to try out the blanket stitch which I specially wanted on it...

thank you Hubz 

Toni has a lovely Christmas apron (pattern is a Christmas giftie on her blog) so I got out a vintage table cloth (I love that thicker cotton they were made from) and dug in my Christmas scraps....

I do love Toni's happy patterns and am extra excited for her book which she chats about

thank you Toni 

.. this weekend we hung a few lights outside with Widgets help..... (sorry I mean Pops helped Widget do the job!)

thank you  Widget (and pops)

... and I finally finished off a few more decorations.... 

Righto, Gotto Go... I've got an apron to make....

gifts and things....

Now I don't want anyone getting pressie envy but I am showing off today

This is the set of decorations I received from Shez when I went to Melbourne... thanks Shez - your stitching is amazing and I love the bling edge detail

they are looking lovely on my tree already

.. and Melody gave me a giftie too.... at first I did wonder why she thought I would like that pattern (especially in a size 8!) when I realised it is a notebook!  and I sweet pincushion with lovely handsewn detail... Thanks Melody

This is a closer look at the pincushion detail... so sweet...

... and here is a closer look at Shez's amazing stitching..

Now don't get shopping for self envy but I did find a couple of pieces of fabric for my Reproduction Prints quilts ... and some red felt balls I have been looking for... and a lovely tin... I chose a special one for mints for my Hubz....

Now don't get baby envy.... He is a cutie and here he is showing off the Christmas stocking I made for him.... each grandie gets a personalised one....

 Now don't get pressie envy but my FHFS parcels arrived yesterday.... 12 parcels to start opening one a day on the 14th....

I had friends here for sewing and one naughty one said "not a very nice thing for your friend to call you Ho" ....

.. there is a special one for the big day too......

Now don't get decoration envy but Mr Postie also dropped off a decoration and pattern card from Michelle... her little felt decorations are just lovely and delicate. ... and I think you know I love her patterns...

Now don't get Postcard envy but this one arrived for me this week.... it is a 'pounded' leaf and then lovely stitching to highlight it... Came all the way from Eglea in Brazil - I just love it, I real little work of art.

She has a special Brazil tag for the back and her work is amazingly good....

Righto, now that I have spent the morning making you envious I think I will go have a nice cup of coffee and get my day going....... I wonder if Mr Postie will visit me again?

Last FNWF for 2015....

I find it so hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the year....

Thanks to Cheryll who has hosted

every month for us ... it's a wonderful evening sewing with others and then having a pop around over the next couple of days to see what was made...

My Friday started off with having had a bad nights sleep as our little dog went missing Thursday evening.... we went out and she got bored and found an open gate.  An early morning call from the local Animal Management provided relief and off I went to fetch her... No fine to pay as this was her first offence.  She was collected from just outside our house...we don't have a front fence but I really don't think she would go far, however I understand we have a very diligent pound person round here who collects at every opportunity.  Tarka will go to anyone who calls her (stranger danger training has never helped with her!!)

She spent the day recovering from her trauma.. poor old thing

I have been quilting for someone who wanted a modern organic lines across her quilt....  I can't show her wonderful first quilt ever she made up herself but these are my lines.... I have to admit it doesn't come easy to me not to have set designs but I really love the effect so I think I will do more of it...

The Quilters Angel, (my favourite LQS) has a sale on so I popped up there with my layer cake and pattern to get some white Bella and red spot for corner stones....

I am trying to use stash and only buy fabric to add to it for a specific pattern (I'm not totally successful in this but today I was!) I saw someone make up this quilt recently (sorry - but for the life of me I can't remember who it was- please let me know if it was you as I'd love to tag yours) and realised I had that magazine.... It's funny how I can read a magazine and not notice the pattern until I see someone elses.  I am hoping this might be a project I can start over Christmastime...

Anyway, I was pleased to sit down to another Hobbit movie with Hubz last night (they are well done but I really don't find them relaxing - there is so much action and this one had HUMUNGOUS spiders in it!)

Head down for the spider parts and I got some binding done on this quilt... just a sneaky peak... it is blocks with doilies all over it and lots of custom quilting to show them off...

Whilst I was sewing I sliced and dried the biscotti which I made a week or so ago... it's so yummy and we had to test a few pieces ... (thanks Christine for this lovely recipe)

By the way, the tradie left my house in perfect working order ... it seems he didn't need any help from me and left me with 3 lovely working ceiling fans... one of which is in my sewing room so quilting will be a lot more comfortable for me now... the other two are in DD and GS bedrooms... they are living here for a few months so it's only fair they get some of the finer things in life too!!

I'm sure a picture of the tradie would have been more interesting but I was worried he would think I was a bit wierd!!

My daughters like doing the elf on the shelf... it is a lot of fun..... I thought I would join in too....

... since I have been forced to watch him on the Hobbit movies!!!

Righto, Gotto Go... Hubz and I have bought some plants for the garden....

Melbourne....

Last week Hubz and I left Queensland and it's 30plus degree temperatures and flew to Melbourne to 12 degree temperature and fierce wind!!

I arrived in my Queensland summer clothes ----- of course!  Brrrrr....

but soon got inside and made friends with Tonto the family dog (who I later discovered is not allowed on the furniture!!)

... and then this little gorgeous munchkin came in from preschool and we took heaps of selfies!  He is such a character and I did so enjoy spending time with him.

... on Friday was an important date with blogger friends.... Susan, Shez (who trained from ridiculous o'clock to come in) and I met at one train station and then trammed and walked (personal guide Susan helping) to the next station where Christine was waiting for us 'under the clocks' ...

... the along came Mel... who has been so ill so we were so delighted she was well enough to come along....

 .. and then Marina (who so nicely contacted everyone and arranged the meet up)

... there was a bit of frivolity!!!

... and the paparazi was out in force!

... we stumbled along the famous Lu'Cello's shop

... a memo had been sent for a no gifties meet up but some people just can't obey the rules and these were given to me by Mel and Shez....

Thanks to all of you for making the day free to get together - it was great catching up with you and meeting a couple of you for the first time .... 

... when I got back young Jack had his cricket training where he recieved his 'kit'.... he was so pleased....

... of course I was delighted with the birds that visit their house... these are wild parrots

We met our youngest grandieboy Beau who is a smiley happy snuggly little man and I instantly fell in love with him....

... I can still put a baby to sleep... my most favourite part of young babies is their soggy sleep on the chest...

over the weekend we went for a walk round William Rickets sanctuary... an artist who did lots of meaningful sculptors in a beautiful forested area...

.. there were heaps but this is just a taste of what was there....

 I'll show off my pressies next time.... I'm a lucky gal....

Righto, back at Queensland and we are having some ceiling fans installed ..... lovely young electrician in the house who may need some assistance????