End of December 2024

I feel I have only just got used to it being 2024 - and here we are going into the next year!!!

I do hope you all had a wonderful Christmastime .... 

My daughters partner has 3 children and they're family never did stockings (Santa left a parcel under the tree) ..... well - she wanted to change that so I had a day of sewing rectifying the situation. (lucky I had some Christmas fabric on hand!)  (Apparently a great hit - they loved waking up to a stocking stuffed with all sorts of goodies)  So a new tradition for them now.

Hubz and I had a walk around a nearby park..... I love looking at our Australian plants... 

Grevillea

Grevillea

Billy Buttons

Kangaroo Paw

Banksia

Some hot days and a week of horrible headache for me has meant I have stayed quietly indoors in the air con.

I am doing a free  Blackwork SAL by The Steady Thread with some of the other girls at Embroidery Guild so I started on my outline.  Each week we will get a little botanical picture to put inside.  There is a number of different borders available.  There is a lot more to do (52 leaf circles)  I am using one strand of Cottage Garden thread throughout.

The Field Journal hexagons have made an appearance too - joining these together whilst I watch the cricket....

And of course planning a few projects for next year!!!!  

Righto, Gotto Go ....... it's going to be another warm one for us so more gentle hand sewing for me..... 

Happy New Year ....... I'm looking forward to another year reading and sharing about the projects we are making....

(I'm excited Hot Cross buns are back in the shops!!!!!)

Third Week of December

Hubz and I had a trip to Brisbane, our closest  Capital city.

Long walks around Southbank.... this is one of the newer footbridges (we were standing on the one that opened the day before)

Passed through the Botanical Park - very very very long queue mostly teenage girls waiting to go into some concert - gosh they had a long wait so I hope it was a lot of fun!  I think we walked over 20 minutes and the line still wasn't moving and was still being added to....

Passed our Parliament building.... we often see picture of protests etc happening outside on the news...

I tried to run off with this tall man but he just wanted to gaze at the sky!

 

An on/off day at the cricket.... India vs Australia at the Gabba .....

I was prepared for the rain showers stopping play (started a cardigan) ....

A lovely couple of nights and tasty meals

On the way back we took a detour and while Hubz went to look at golf stuff I got time with bestie buddy Michelle..... of course we found a Christmas scene for photo evidence

Before we went I did quilt up my little scrappy buttons...... loose waves

It's a lap quilt size and I think it's rather fun..... I still have the binding to do

Decorations arrived in the mail, sulphur crested cockatoo from Karen and a packet of seeds from Susan

and from Jeanette....

Thank you so much dear friends

The tree finally arrived so it has been decorated....

Just covered in hand made ornaments (except a couple that I'm sentimental about)

A friend arrived with these cute beanies....

 

.... with treats in them .....

Wendy hosted FNSI this week and I did a bit of prep work.  Can you see those thin lines - I am marking up a piece of 16 count Aida for a blackwork project next year - its a free SAL and I am sewing along with a couple of others in our Embroidery group....

Stitching with friends I did a few more framed hexagons....

... and of course a few more rows of the crochet blanket have been done.

We are celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve here.  My daughters partner has 3 children and they don't have Christmas stockings.... so that is what I will be doing today!

Righto, Gotto Go and search for some Christmas fabric.....

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas time.  For me it is not my favourite time of the year but I do like home baked ham!  xxxx

Second Week of December

In my world the best part of this time of year is the decorations that arrive at my house to hang on my tree (which is supposed to have been delivered by now!)

I got these two from Kathy and Nellie from Tuesday girls..... the star one is actually a brooch and the gum leaves on the other are made from leather strips.... both so clever....

Angels arrived from Susan and Maria..... you may notice the one is a button....  clever idea.  I'm considering a separate tree for angels next year.....

I was sorting some fabrics and found a bunch of lonely blocks - must have been in a scrap bag as these weren't made by me.  They were already in strips so I just sewed the 3 together and they will make a small table topper (I need to wash mine regularly as the cat thinks they are there for him)

Chantal was asking about the slanted cut on my pieces so this picture shows how they go together to make the sides straight (it also means that 6 pieces can be cut from a single width of fabric jelly roll strip)

Over 8,5 metres when they are all together.....

I cut mine into 5 same size strips - a bit of fiddling and cutting ends off to get the strips meeting as I wanted them...

and this morning I finished up adding the sashing and borders

I had made one previously - so now there are 2 - same jelly rolls and sashing for them both as you can see....

Clever idea - these will one day be sent off for donations probably...... they were made to use up a couple of jelly rolls I had got...

I have had 3 Christmas functions this last week and I am ready for Boxing Day....

At one it was a shared morning tea and I made up these mini plum puddings and white rocky road..... they went down well - one pudding left for me to bring home for Hubz....

This quilt was quilted..... I made it a few years ago.....

The centres were filled with big flowers and the borders and sashings done with swirls

The frames are loose peepers so it is a little dimensional....

Righto  so that's another ready to go out the door....

My daughters partner has a couple of delightful daughters - and a son but I have just appliqued names on towels for the girls... now to wrap and put them under the tree (when it finally gets here)

Righto Gotto Go... it is my baby girls 37th birthday and there is a BBQ happening... I am supplying the Birthday Cake...

I made a large basic white cake and piled it up with cream and fruit

Have a lovely week everyone....xx

Beginning of December

This week I finished a dress I started at my last garment making class..... It's a seersucker fabric and has ties which can go in the front or the back depending on the look (I quite like them in the front)

I wore it the other day and got some compliments but I also got "That's what I call a Tablecloth Dress"

I'm not sure what to make of that - is that fabric for a tablecloth (I was given it from a friend who had no use for it) or do I look like a table in it??????

Anyway it was comfortable and cool and I shall use this pattern again

Mr Postie dropped off the first card and decorations for this year

These beauties came from Marina - love them

There was a big tree in a box in the garage, my daughter came and picked it up (apparently we were just storing it) so now I have had to order one so for the moment the decorations are waiting patiently.

I started sewing the next braid quilt - the same as the last but in my (lack of) wisdom I cut two jelly rolls.  They are easy but I do find it rather tedious doing hundreds of the same thing.

In the evenings I have been working on this KOGO blanket.  I know they take blocks but get a lot of them and need to find people to make them up so I thought I would try and get blankets done...... they are closed for a while with Christmas so gives me time to make an adult one.... Next year I can probably get a child's one done each month.

 There was a request for blankets in the Torres Strait Islander colours - white red and blue

More sorting has been done, a few stitches of embroidery, plans made, fabrics and threads chosen ..... etc etc... and of course all those Christmas get togethers are happening .....

I hope all your plans are going well...... have a lovely weekend...

Righto, Gotto Go... continue on with that braid quilt....... (sigh)