Good News....

Wednesday this week there was a whole lot of this at my house!

The reason????

I was successful in my application for a position at a brand new store!  Basically its the same job that I am supposed to be doing now just on a much larger scale and with 100% time allocated to this role!  Start date is somewhere around 1 November or a little bit before and the actual store doesnt open until mid-December!

Im still jumping around with excitement!   I get the opportunity to work with some fabulous people and explore whole new options!


De xoxo

a big project

I got this bag back from the quilter on Wednesday....the quilting is fabulous!

Now the binding is under construction...

Secret gift....all to be revealed mid November

De

Help Please

When I did my recent blog update I lost things from my side bar - including blogs I follow and my OPAM list - is there any way I can get those back???


De

high tea

A lovely day out yesterday with the Sunday Stitchers.

We got all dolled up and enjoyed a lovely high tea!

Creating Sweet Memories

I have had the most lovely day out today at the Quilters Angel in Highfield for their Stitchers Dream Day Out.

Libby Richardson and Debbie McGee were the very talented designers for the day sharing with us four lovely projects.

Libby gave us fantastic instructions for her painted bears!

test post

Just playing around with posting from my phone

A make-over

I have just given my blog a make-over.  Hopefully this will inspire me to post back here and share some of the things that I have been doing with you!

Life is certainly hectic at the moment, but I am still stitching away....just not seeming to get it onto the blog!

Keep on my back

De xoxo

Only One More Sleep

Tomorrow morning bright and early I head off to pick up Marilyn and then we are off to our retreat at Warwick.  I have most of my things in the car already.....hopefully there is space to fit in Marilyn's bits and pieces too!  I obviously don't have the skills to pack lightly...(and I still have to add the food!).

Warm clothes take up a bit of space too - temps going down to zero overnight while we are there.

I have a couple of quilt tops all ready cut that I want to at least get a good start on and a few other bits and pieces as well....and if all else fails I will just sit around and eat and talk and laugh and indulge in some of the alcohol that I have packed.

With all this preparation for Retreat I only managed to finish a few projects for June ... but there will be heaps happening in July!

De

More Weekend Projects

The rest of the projects for the weekend included..

This Mini for swapping in the Mini Swap - not due until the end of June.  The theme for this was embroidery/words.  I used an old doily.

Close up....

Block 2 of Anni Down's A Christmas Story.  My design wall may just be renamed my "Anni Wall" lately with a couple of her projects on the go....

Very necessary....these shelves came into the sewing room in the last re-organisation.  They need custome drawers or baskets and because of the sizing I wasn't going to waste time trying to find some that where the right height and depth so I had planned to make some...

First one (the fabric was left over from covering the chair so it matches beautifully)

Then there were two....

I have enough of the sewing themed fabric to make two more and then may do a couple in just some curtain fabric I have around that will co-ordinate.

No photos - but I did also manage to prep some dresden blades for the next block of Gossip in the Garden and do a little bit more applique on the next block of A Christmas Story.

Yes there were TWO things I didn't get to on my list....I put them off because they are new starts....but there is always next time!

De xoxo

Productivity Overload!

I started with a list...I thought it was a bit of a big list for two and a half days.  I don't usually make lists but thought it would keep me a bit focussed.

By the end of today you can see how much I have actually crossed off my list!

This is Imogen's Quilt....it was on the list becaue it still needed a label.....

Gossip in the Garden Block C - completed!

Hearts done for my row x row swap!

I will be back tomorrow to show you more of what I achieved over the weekend!

De xoxo

There's a Party in the House

Well actually its in the Chookshed!

Chookyblue is hosting a gathering to celebrate the 2nd birthday of her Chookshed....see over here for details.

There will be a bit of this... (mine is also pre-chilling)

Maybe even a bit of this...

but I know one thing for sure that will be happening in the Chookshed....a whole lot of this

Hope you have some time to join in the fun!  I will be starting the partying early as I finish work at 2.30 tomorrow and have nothing else planned for the weekend.

De

Gossiping

I am working on Anni Downs new quilt "Gossp in the Garden" with some fellow Sunday Stitchers.

Poor Cheryl has been a little time poor so didn't quite get a start on it.  The aim was to have at least made a start on this block before our last meet up but Helen  made me stand in the naughty corner as well because I hadn't finished like the others had....

I am pleased to say that now this block is at the right stage

and yesterday I finished off the block for this month (with more than a week to spare!)

This is such a fun quilt to work on - I might even start the next bit early......

De xoxo

March Madness

I can't believe that today is the first of April...they say time flies when you are having fun!  Most of March was fun for me (surrounded by some normal mundane stuff).

For the third year in a row I went to Let's Get Stitched.  This year was hosted in Melbourne.  An absolutely fantastic weekend with lots and lots of lovely ladies and most of it spend laughing!

Sunday Stitching Day attendees

It was so great to catch up with old friends and make some new ones too.

I did also celebrate a birthday while in Melbourne.  There were some "happy birthday to me" moments whilst out and about shopping" and I was also spoilt with loads of hugs from these ladies and some gifts as well.  Home to more gifts so a very spoilt person I am!

My online group birthday theme this year was a black and white bag....and this is what Roseanne sent to me

Then there were the fat quarters that rolled in all month

Fat Quarter Birthday Club

Sunday Stitchers

Here are Teresa and I at Sunday Stitchers - we have just finished opening our birthday fat quarters.

Well I think that is enough from me for now....hopefully I will get back to the blog to update the sewing things that I have been doing very soon.

De xoxo

Initial Heart Swap

First up apologies to Kim for taking so long to get this to the blog.

This year was the second time I have participated in the Initial Heart Swap hosted by the lovely Cheryll.

Little did we know that this year Cheryll was a bit sneaky and had matched us up with the same person to send to and receive from.

Kim and I did such a good job on flukey co-ordination and even managed to get Australia Post to play along that our parcel arrived on the same day.

These are the lovely goodies that I  received from Kim

Scissor Pouch (I didnt have one for my large scissiors so this will be very handy), candy hearts and sewing treats.

This is what I sent off to Kim

A needle pouch and matching thread catcher and some pistachio chocolate (I like it so hopefully Kim did too!)

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Today I am off to Sunday Stitchers - a bloggy/stitchy catch-up - our first for the year.  Work has been super crazy for me for the start of the year and Im struggling to fit into a routine juggling everything and my mojo is suffering because of it.  Hopefully soon I can reclaim it and get back on track.

De xoxo

Sewing room clean up

New Year for me saw me in great need of a Sewing Room Clean Up

It only took most of the day to turn this......

into this.....

Im happy to say that after a week and few projects I just have to put a few bits and pieces away and it will look like the after shot again.

Hopefully 2014 will see me a bit better organised.

De xoxo

Friday just gone...

I worked an early on Friday (6.30am-2.30pm) and came home and fiddled around a bit then got stuck into some sewing. Let me tell you that working in retail over the "silly season" is kinda crazy and you get to deal with some very cranky people.  Top that off with a few fairly warm days (45ish in the tin shed last weekend) and it just tips them over the edge.

Anyway, I needed some sanity sewing and I have a birthday to make a present for at the end of the month so this is what I worked on

Finished it off yesterday and have started a thread catcher and needle case to match.  My friend Lisa just loves gingies and collects them so I pulled this fabric from my stash and decided to make it less "Christmassy and adapted one of Michelle Ridgeway's designs to fit in with the theme.

I also managed to finally organise myself enough to iron the labels that I printed sometime last year onto some twill tape....a little fiddly but I think they turned out ok.

De xoxo