It feels like autumn at my house today. (& word verification & curves class)

That's a good thing, because I love autumn and winter. And it's a good thing because it IS autumn! It's March! I was just saying to someone today that I can't believe that it's not January. (My daughter told me to quit living in the past!) It was a grey rainy day here, my favourite kind of day!

Have you been bothered by the new word verification thing? Chookyblue wrote an interesting blog post today on how she is dealing with the change. You can read it here if you like. I have deleted the word verification on my comments now and will see how it goes! (I was going cross-eyed trying to work out what they were!)

My newly sewn bunting

At the beginning of February I started an on-line class with Rachel of Stitched in Color. I haven't mentioned it here on the blog before because I also moved at the beginning of February and the class was put on the back-burner. Well, I am finally getting into the class! This finish is one of my curves class week one projects! I decided to join in with the curves class camp which includes chat sessions once a week and the opportunity to have access to the class materials for a couple of months, so I still have time to complete the class! I have really enjoyed the chat sessions and have learnt something new each week in the session! My newly sewn bunting is for one of my granddaughters and is made from some offcuts from a blouse I made her ages ago. I love that fabric! (American Jane)

I still have the buttons to sew on the eight blouses made over the past week. Perhaps I will do that tomorrow. Buttons and baking are what I have planned for tomorrow. We'll see what happens.....

SSCS, what I sent to Melinda (USA).....

Sideways blogger, again! I think it only happens on this computer? It's a book!

I made the book and there is machine embroidery, applique and beading on the cover.

Inside, good for drawing or writing.

Bag, with some colourque and embroidered gum flowers.

Up close and side on!

This is what I sent to Melinda for Chookyblue's SSCS. I had so much fun making these! I also sent some Aussie choccies and some chiccos. (Which are chocolate flavoured jelly babies. This description doesn't do them justice. When my daughter lived in the USA these were the treats she missed the most!) Thanks again Chookyblue! I think you are awesome!

SSCS opened on December 25th!

This is what was in my package from Laila!

I hope you all had a good Christmas day! Ours was a good, but busy one and I was so tired last night I put this post off until today. You might remember that Laila was my SSCS partner, and this is what she sent me for Christmas. Fabric, a tape measure, and a gorgeous table runner! I am soooo pleased with this. Thank you Laila! The table runner will live on this table. (Still tidying after Christmas day here!) Thank you also to Chookyblue who did all the hard work and whip-cracking for this swap. Great swap guys!!!

Finished!

Funny colours! Those pink squares are not so pink in real life.

I finished the snipping on Mr 11's quilt yesterday, which was a very good thing because he had already been using it, he was so keen to have it! I spent yesterday evening stitching some more Christmas dekkies. One of Miss 25's friends popped in and sewed with us, making a star to take home to make her place more Christmassy. (You can see her star in the photo below.) I can't show you exactly what I was stitching last night, because some things just have to be secret! (Especially when you are involved in Chookyblue's Secret Santa Christmas Swap!) There is quite a bit of secret sewing going on here at the moment! Christmas is a wonderful time! I was going to start decorating for Christmas yesterday, but just didn't get that far. Then in conversations with two of my Adelaide kids discovered that they had both begun Christmas decorating already! I felt proud. I have taught them well! Don't know if I will get to the decorating today or not. I have lots of chauffeuring to do today. (Some days are like that when you have kids.) And some secret sewing. (Shhhhhh!)

Another star!

PS Don't forget to check out picklesticks' giveaway!

Another month...

... that I have struggled to post on this blog. Just been busy? Or unproductive? Not sure what. Perhaps I am just uninspired at the moment.

Melbourne, from a bridge.

Had a great afternoon today catching up with Loz and Gail at my local shopping center food court. There's nothing like meeting up with fellow stitchers! (We're an extremely wonderful bunch of people!) I have projects on the go. Chookyblue is encouraging me to finish my "Tis The Season" quilt by the September 30 deadline. (So far it's not happening.) I have also found (whilst unpacking) a bunch of tops, along with their corresponding battings and backings that just need stretching and quilting. So I could finish something, I just haven't yet. It could happen. Stay tuned to see if I make Chookyblue crack her whip at me. (Or not.)

..... and from the back. (And an adventure)

I think his tail is very cute!

So, today's adventure in Melbourne involved a quilt shop! We have been here in Melbourne for some time now (a month? ish?) and I haven't been to a quilt shop. I have googled quilt shops and looked in the yellow pages and had not really "found" any quilt shops. I asked someone in Spotlight if they knew of any ...... and they didn't. I asked someone in Lincraft about quilt shops and she did know some. In fact she was very helpful. She wrote the addresses of three on the back of my docket. Very helpful. But I didn't "know" the areas of those three and whilst I am very adventurous for the kids (Lab coat needed? Oakleigh? Sure I can find that! Text book supplier? Hawthorn East? Yup!) I couldn't quite talk myself into it for me. I was discussing my plight with Loz via email the other day and she gave me a link to a shop's blog. When I checked it out (Foothills Fabric and Threads) it turned out it was on a road I often travel on! Of course, it was some 10 kilometres further down that road, but I felt brave enough to find it. So, I have been to a quilt shop. Thank you Loz! Whilst I was there I picked up the book for the latest Chookyblue stitchalong and am planning to stitchalong this year! I can't wait!

Secret Santa Christmas Swap (sent)

This is the bag I sent to Jeanne as part of the SSCS. I fell in love with this bag once I had made it. I really loved the fabrics (I got them from the quilt shop I discovered near the Fullarton Plant and Craft Market. Stitch in Time? Not sure of the name.) when I bought them, but I loved them more once they were together.



I made a makeup bag to go with it too. These fabrics just seemed to love each other. It was very hard not to show you these photos before Jeanne opened her gift! I didn't even do any sneak peeks because I was sure I wouldn't be able to control myself!

I even had some fabric left over to make a glasses case and drawstring bag (which to me is a pencil case, but you could put anything in it!). And the photo below shows the SSCS gift after it arrived at Jeanne's house. A little crumpled, but looking very delicious along with the quilter's staple - chocolate! You can read about Jeanne's reaction here. A big thank you to Donna (Chookyblue) for all her hard work in organising the SSCS. It was a truely wonderful experience for me. I really enjoyed getting to know Jeanne and reading her blog. (She has a lovely blog and is a very talented quilter. It was a little scary making something for her because her work is just so wonderful!) I also enjoyed getting to know Pat who was my secret santa. Her work is just lovely too! (I feel very lucky!) If you want to get a look at all the secret santa gifts pop over to Chookyblue over the next few days because she has started uploading all the photos of the gifts. Lovely, lovely, inspiring gifts to look at!

Spread the Christmas Cheer

This weekend last year Mrs 24 and I had a stall at the art market "Art at the Hart" beside the Port River. It was a lovely day. The market is held in conjunction with the "Celtica" music festival. There is a great atmosphere and we loved it there. This year we decided not to have a stall, but thought we would go have a look. One of the stalls opposite us last year was a couple who had some really beautiful things. She had quilts and he had natural/rustic wooden items. I loved a nativity that he had made, but before I could actually decide to buy it someone else did. So this year I went to see if they were there. Obviously, from the photos here, they were! And I bought a nativity from them.

I just love this nativity. It is so sweet! This year she didn't have quilts, but some rustically framed textile pictures. They were beautiful, and I wish I had more money so I could have bought one. Maybe next year! He makes all kinds of things that would look perfect in the garden too. I've included a photo of his card incase you want to get something of his for your very own.

I have been reading Chookyblue's Christmas posts (checking to see if my SSCS has arrived in the USA! It has!) and was really impressed with this post. She says we should all spread the spirit of Christmas, because we just don't know how many people we may help. So, my next thing is to make a Christmas banner!