A Start is Made

I have started cutting my lovely red and cream fabrics, so has now gone from this

to lots of squares of all sizes.

I have also been playing with all these gorgeous pieces over the weekend, which is what my swap partner sent me in Fee's doily Swap.

Have a great week Cheryl

A Tough Day

I work in a lovely little craft/gift shop most days, but on Wednesdays I often mind a friends shop in the beautiful grampians.  And this is what she makes me do.

Sit and watch this yummy fudge all day and expects me not to be tempted.

Well of course thats like putting me in a patchwork shop and telling me not to buy. Talk soon Cheryl

Some new threads

I am a DMC thread girl usually - 221, 815/816 for my favorite redwork, and have also discovered the hand-dyed Cottage Garden threads especially the variegated red HugsnKisses and the red and green ones which are great for xmas stitching.

Some of my friends have been raving about Aurifil and valdani threads, so these arrived today.  I'll try them over the next few weeks and let you know what I think. Must say I do love the sheen of the Aurifil.

Bye for now Cheryl

Some New Fabric

I purchased this pattern at the Marg Low class I attended recently, a fair bit of work but I love a challenge.  My stash of reds and creams was a bit lacking,  so before I could start this quilt, I had to do something about that little dilemma.  So now I can start and don't expect to get too much done before Christmas but will be something to work towards.

Talk soon. Cheryl

A bomb's hit

I feel a bit ashamed to admit to the fact that this is my sewing room, especially when I see photos of your lovely tidy sewing spaces with everything organised.

These little "piles" you see are things I've been working on at various stages, and I have tried tidying them up and putting them away in drawers and plastic boxes, but then when I go looking for something I've wasted a whole day trying to find what I needed. So the little piles remain lol. 

My cutting table isn't much better.  In fact I think it's worse!  Talk soon. Cheryl

Lots of Secret Christmas Stitching

I have been doing lots of secret xmas stitching of late. Thought you might like a little sneaky peak. I apologise for my poor photography skills. I love this one - will have to do another for myself I think.

And then there's this one. Stitchery is a favorite.

And lastly - who loves red and white?

Can't believe it's the weekend again already - where did this week go?  An yway hope you enjoy your weekend. Cheryl

A little bit of sewing

Not a lot to show you of what I've been working on. Couldn't wait to trace and start on one of  Michelle's cute little gingerbread men from her new booklet, and started stitching the first one last night.

And have started on my next block of another favorite project - the quilt from Red Home.

Lots of secret santa/xmas swap projects happening as well. Will show yoiu some sneaky peaks soon

New Christmas Booklets

Great excitement when the mailman came today - my two new booklets from Michelle of Rag-tag Stitchin had arrived - "Frosty Friends" and "Gingerbread Kisses". I had beern waiting, rather impatiently I might add, for them to come.

Of course I had to trace some straight away lol - will do some snowmen tomorrow. Sorry the photo does not do these gorgeous stitcheries justice - the light is not great in my place at night time.

Hexagons

I have only just recently started playing with hexagons, and have found them quite addictive. I have read and seen that many of you belong to the inchie hexagon swap, and have made many beautiful projects using hexagons, so it has gotten me to wonder what project I should do using the hexagons I have been making.And I see Fee has a hexagon bom with beautiful stitchery hexagons.  These are the colors I have been playing with.

I bought this Marg Low pattern last week at the class I did with Marg - thought it may be an achievable project to start with.

Or maybe the hexagon quilt from Vignette magazine - maybe I should work my way up gradually to that one. Have a great week

Some more projects

Thought I would show you some more pics of some of the projects I'm currently working on. Mind you I think the week is going to have to expand to 10 days lol as the number of projects I am working on seems to be growing daily. Firstly, more of my fav Michelle's "Down Reindeer Lane".

And this is Vintage Poppies showing two of the house blocks, and some of the poppies. Love the colors in this.

Have a great weekend. I'm off to spend the weekend with one of my daughters for a family catch-up to celebrate all the birthdays that have been celebrated in my family this week

A lovely day of Christmas stitching

Today I did a class with Marg Low - apart from quilts, Marg designs a lot of projects suitable for gifts and that are quite quick and achievable.

Our projects were both Christmas - a beautiful alphabet xmas redwork sampler. These are Margs samples.

And a lovely bag and felt decorations

I made a little progress on the crazy patchwork and started some of the felt deco's. Lots more work still to go, but a fun day

Some Chrissy pressies in the mail

Two interesting looking parcels arrived for me today from Barb, my partner in the santa sack swap with www.stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com

Now I was very good, and put them away with the others, but I do admit to a bit of a squeeze lol. The yummy chocolate bars that said eat me were a different story, so I did what I was told.

Off to a class with Marg Low tomorrow sewing my favorite things - Christmas. Will show you some piccys of what I did then

A little cooking, a little stitching

Don't you just love when you're making a slice that needs a block of chocolate - you can always just sneak a square or two and it really doesn't make any difference to the finished result.

Just thought I would show you another piccy of "my seven nights of stitching" - well this week anyway -  Wednesday's. Happy stitching

A week of projects

I was reading Sharon's blog at Lilabellelane, and had to have a chuckle to myself when reading of all the new projects she had started this week. Sounds like someone I know.  Now everything gets finished - eventually, but the excitement of starting a new project is hard to ignore.  Now I have a little system going at the moment - I have 7 projects I am working on (that doesn't include my swaps, nor the xmas sack I'm doing for my littliest granddaughter - which I fit in on weekends or when I'm not working), so I have a project for working on each night of the week.

On Mondays, it is this cute little wallhanging "Starry Night" from FignBerry

And on Tuesday nights, I do a bit on this gorgeous redwork stitchery "Winter Wonderland" - it is quite large, so will be an ongoing project, but I do so love redwork.

I'll show you the others during the week - some you have seen some snippets already.  Have a great week

Can't help myself

Saw this lovely collection of old china on ebay recently, and am a bit of a sucker for beautiful old china, so had to make a bid didn't I?  Well it arrived today, so had  to take a couple of photos. My collecting, like my sewing, is threatening to take over the house lol

Some were odd bits and pieces, missing a cup or a saucer, but that didn't matter - still pretty

Saw the beautfiul Rosalie Quinlan doll that Barb had made for Shez, and thought you might like to see one of Rosalie's dolls that I had made for moi sometime ago - she's one of my favorites

Well computer man wasn't much - still no email, but at least I can blog. Have a great weekend

I've become obsessive, compulsive

You will all know how I feel - I've become a bit obsessive, compulsive since starting my blog (thanks to chooky).  Once before leaving the house, it would be check that I've got my wallet and phone. Now I leave the house and its wallet, phone and camera, in case I come across anything in my travels worth sharing with you.

Today is my DD1 26th birthday, so have spent the day with her in between hospital visits as my husband had a hip replacement today.  All went well though, and my daughter did manage to fit in birthday lunch and a visit to the cheesecake shop for cake.

Not much sewing happening this week, but can give you a little sneaky peak of one of my swap pressies for one of the xmas swaps I am doing.

Well my computer is off to the computer doctor tomorrow so hope it won't be out of action too long. Can do everything but my emails - most annoying

A couple of purchases

Following on from our lovely retreat weekend away, I did manage a couple of small purchases.

It doesn't show up very well, but a lovely mottled background I plan to use for some stitcheries, a cute little red and cream print for a xmas project, and there just happened to be a little secondhand and collectables place near the patchwork shop, so a new piece of depression glass was added to the collection, and an old pastry wheel.

I am having trouble accessing my emails, so at some stage this week I think my computer will have to go in to be looked at, so if I am "missing in action" for a couple of days that will be why. Hopefully not for too long - can't miss out on what's happening with all the lovely blogs I love to follow

A weekend of luxury

What a wonderful weekend of stitching, stitching and more stitching (plus lots of eating, and a glass of wine or two) I've had.  The venue was a beautiful old homestead built in the late 1800s.

 Despite much talking and eating, did manage to get some sewing done.

Still in pieces, but this is so cute from The Birdhouse

And finished the top - my first effort at needleturn
Gail Pan's Berries and Bluebirds -