SSCS

my gifts from Raewyn

Stitcher's stocking and the goodies that were inside

tree decoration

All the lovely presents that I received from Raewyn.  Raewyn did it from memory and made me two wonderful gifts, the table topper will go on the table when Steve has finished sorting Lego and the stitcher's stocking and the lovely things in it will find a place in my sewing space.

mini quilt sent to Florence

tree decoration

These are the gifts I sent Florence in France, I haven't seen the main present on her blog but do know she received her parcel. I wrapped it in a metre of Annie Downs 12 Days of Christmas fabric.

Thanks chookyblue for organising this fabulous swap again.

Secret Santa Christmas Swap

Parcel sent to Florence in France as part of Chookyblue's SSCS, you can go see the inside on her blog.

Chooky has been a great swap mumma again and all these wonderful parcels are winging there way around the globe. 

Parcel heading to France

Parcel arrived from New Zealand

Parcel arrived from Raewyn in New Zealand

heart decoration sent to France

tree decoration from New Zealand

The rest of the parcel is under the tree to be opened on Christmas Day

Wedding quilt

I finally got photos of the quilt I made Elizabeth and Jared, Elizabeth clearly didn't want to be in the photos

front of quilt

back of quilt

I need to be more........

Today I have been to Millrose Cottage for a Christmas bloggers get together Mill Rose Friends. We had a Christmas themed swap, something to wear, Christmas decoration and something sweet. I forgot to take a photo of what I made, my parcel consisted of an apron, cadbury chocolates and handmade Christmas tree earrings. What I received and what I bought home are two entirely different parcels, I swapped but then Shez decided to up the anti, she made everyone pass their parcel 2 places to the right which is why I have a completely different parcel.

Reversible apron, lolly tree and santa decoration

extra goodies handed out by people

with special guest Chez

Shez played bad santa

Chez with what she received only for Shez to up the anti

The beautiful stitchery by Rosalie Quinlan - "Be a Blessing" is headed to is new owner this week as part of Chookyblues SSCS 2014

I have signed up to another swap, Christmas pouch swap over at Sew Delicious sew this is the next thing to be sewn, then there is NOTYQ mortal angel swap Christmas parcels to be ready for the Christmas party on 20th December. Also need to make some family Christmas presents.

SSCS 2014

decoration for the tree

weekend in Bright

As I wait for Steve to finish what he needs to take with him to Bright (second visit in a couple of months) I thought I would catch up what has been happening around here.

Last week Clare came to visit, she didn't want me to spend my birthday by myself. Steve was in New Zealand (yes I was suppose to be there too but our plans got changed). We sewed making new handbags, went to the Stitches and craft show at Caufield Racecourse where Clare bought her birthday and Christmas - new Go cutter dies

new handbag made on my Singer 201P

I've been secret stitching for NOTYQ mortal angel swap and Chookyblues SSCS as well as Millrosiefriends Christmas swap

I've visited a number of different quilt exhibitions over the last month, including meeting the wonderful Brenda Papadkis at Quilts in the Barn

Brenda talking to people

dear jane

I also went to Bayswater TLC church to visit the Eastern Palliative care Quilt show and Beaconsfield quilt show.

8 weeks and a lot has happened

Millrosie friends get together happened on 23rd of August, it was a fun day with lots of talking, laughter and good food, some sewing was achieved but not much.

I bought at the Melbourne craft fair Rosalie Quinlan's "Be a Blessing" Christmas stitchery. It is a lovely stitchery and I am really enjoying stitching at night watching TV.

"Be a Blessing"

I spent the last week of August and the first week of September in Sydney on grandma duties, Kate and Graeme were heading to Darwin for a conference. Steve was with me until 31st August when he flew to Perth to lead a training course for Sports Chaplaincy, he arrived back 6th September where on Sunday we had lunch for fathers day with family and friends and then came home. We both managed to be infected with a virus which we are still suffering the effects of today - we are still both coughing but well on the road to recovery. Everyone we have talked to this winter has said that it lingers on for 6 - 8 weeks, we are both over it, well and truly.

I have joined in again this year Chookyblue's Secret Santa Christmas Swap and will be doing secret sewing over the next 6 weeks. Something for my swap partners tree and something special to be opened Christmas day.

Retreat or not

I have a problem a good problem but it needs solving. In October 24 - 26 I was attending a retreat at the Millrose cottage retreat house in Ballan, you noticed I said was.....
Today Steve worked out when he is headed to New Zealand for work and I can go with him and we will have a short break while there. My problem is I still need to pay for retreat $290 even if I'm not there. Can you help me out if you live in Melbourne and would like a weekend sewing your heart out with  Mel, and Sharon and other wonderful ladies who are part of the Millrosie friends group let me know.

Kate Spain Charms

finished top

I have finished the top of my Kate Spain charm square swap. Melissa aka MsMidge who organised this wonderful swap also organised a charm-along which we all have until the weekend to get finished.
I really just wanted the fabric to shine and found a free pattern called round and round, my problem was that  I needed an extra 28 charms to finish the final round, I had a slightly used Central Park charm pack and added it to the final 32 from the swap. Now to work out how to quilt it but have already decided on a black and white stripe as the binding

Christmas in July

My gifts

I joined in on Cheryll's Christmas in July swap, this is what Jan sent me. A lovely tree mini quilt, 5 Santas for my tree and a mug bag with a cute little mouse and some chocolates inside as well as some tea and coffee bags. Thanks again to the swap mumas Cheryll and Kim

Finished and a new start

top finished

the second half

Sew I got the last 3 rows onto my Anna Maria Horner, low volume swap quilt but now that I am in the National Sports Chaplaincy Australia (SCA) office every Monday and Tuesday I don't get to see a lot of daylight unless I head out at lunchtime. We don't have enough floor space to lay the whole quilt top out so I went outside, in front of the garage and took some photos.

Kate Spain  charm square swap

Now I can play with all the lovely Kate Spain charms from the swap. There are 111 different 5" charms, we ended up with one double and given I took 2 spots I now have 224 lovely charms to make a number of thing out of. To start I am doing the Roundabout quilt - first 2 rounds on so far, 3 more to go. I am just sewing the charms together as they arrived giving a nice scrappy look so far.

halfway

This is what I worked on last night, it took much longer to do that I wanted FNSI is a fun way to get sewing done with a whole bunch of like minded people.
It is overcast here this morning a good excuse to continue putting it together.

 

FNSI

I'm joining in with all the girls sewing FNSI. I spent yesterday at NOTYQ and managed to get 7 rows done, 13 more to go, might not get them all done tonight but I want to finish it by tomorrow. My next project is calling, my Kate Spain charm squares and the incentive is that Melissa has on her blog for getting my butt into gear. The current plan is to either make Thimble Blossoms round and round quilt or a free from Quilt it called Roundabout

Steve will be channel flicking between the British open golf,  tour de france, NRL and AFL so I will happily play with my sewing machine and occasionally check the sporting scores.

In other news my Christmas in July swap parcel arrived during the week but I can't open it until next Friday and I know from auspost tracking that my gifts have arrived at their destination I took photos of them before they were wrapped but forgot to take one of them wrapped. However with technology I have been able to copy the photo from her blog.

my gifts not to be opened until 25th

my parcels sent to Lisa (taken off her blog)

and the other stuff

We had a trip away before the wedding.

Sports Chaplaincy Australia (SCA) had their national Conference on the Gold Coast 17th - 19th June and I ended up being the go to organiser as the person who was doing it left. Robyn now has a full time job instead of a 3 day part time job. This also means that I now have a 2 day paid position in the same office as Steve but he is not my boss.

The conference was great, it always is but I was on a rollercaster ride with no way off, you see my dad died on the previous Saturday while we were in Sydney visiting family and friends on our way to the Gold Coast. We never made the funeral as it was held on the Central Coast of NSW the day before the wedding 13 days after he died as my siblings fought over when and how it was going to happen.

While in Sydney we had a few days where I got to sew with Clare and go to Lily's 6th birthday party, six years ago we were preparing to head to London to visit our new little granddaughter.

Anna Maria Horner charm square swap with a low volume swap
HST quilt

table runner for the angel mortal swap at NOTYQ

Miss Lily wearing the clothes I bought from H&M

i'm slack

but I do have a few excuses, not all good ones but this is the best..................

bridal party with flower girls running through
Tim, Andrew, Jared, Elizabeth, Kate, Jen

Elizabeth and Jared got married on 28th June 2014 at St Hillary's at Kew. Photos taken at Carlton Gardens outside the Royal Exhibition building and the IMAX. Reception at Visy Park (Carlton AFL home ground) in the function room. Jared's dad Steven is the chaplain at Carlton

Steve, me, Elizabeth, Jared, Pennie and Steve

Joshua, Christopher, Elizabeth and Katherine

I am now the parent of three married children and for the first time since 1980 Steve and I are home alone.

Mothers Day

and the family is everywhere but here. I had a card from Elizabeth this morning without an envelope, phone calls from the boys. We Skyped with the granddaughters plus parents at dinner time.
My mothers day present is flights to and from Sydney and a weekend at Stroud (north of Newcastle) for a quilting retreat. I have started by pulling ALL the charm squares that I have from Rainbow fabric swaps including low volume and black and white charms. Also the Anna Maria Horner international charm square swap on flickr  - 224 charms in this swap alone.

HAVE YOU HEARD THERE IS A KATE SPAIN CHARM SQUARE SWAP

I've joined in and you can find all about it on Melissa blog. I have pulled fabric from my stash that has been sitting there for a while because any self respecting fabric hoarder will tell you the right project just hasn't presented its self yet. I've taken 2 spots which means I will get back 224 Kate Spain charms from my 4 metres of fabric.

photos to come

a trip west all the way to the Indian Ocean

Wednesday we flew to Perth,  Western Australia for an 8 day visit. Yesterday morning we hired a car and headed south towards Busselton where we were meeting with a lovely lady who is a school chaplain here and had done the sports chaplaincy training to talk sport, we met Christine at The Goose café on Busselton pier. We then spent the afternoon driving and exploring the south  down to Margaret River where we stayed the night at a bed and breakfast called the Noble Grape at Cowaramup.  This morning our meeting at Margaret River was cancelled until lunch time, so explored some more driving down to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin.  This is where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean and I have taken lots of photos and shared them on Facebook,  Twitter and Instagram but here are a few of the last 2 days

Busselton Pier

The Nobel Grape B&B Cowaramup 

Cape Leeuwin

Forest on the way back to Busselton

a quick quilt top

Ribbon Box quilt

Last week I was heading out to NOTYQ,  packed my fabric up and my machine went to leave and it was pouring,  if it was just hand stitching I might of made it. I really wanted to make the quilt above, I had found the pattern online and really liked it and I had the fabric from the Millrosie bloggers get together that Anne had added to the lovely red sewing bag that I wanted to use. Instead of heading to NOTYQ I stayed home cut, stitched and put the quilt top together.  I really like the way the fabrics work with the pale green back ground fabric.  I am also doing some secret sewing for the angel/mortal swap that is being run by NOTYQ this year, I have taken photos but you won't see them until Christmas when all is revealed.

Thirroul Beach

heading for the sand

Violet climbing the rocks

Steve (Granddad) and Violet  out on the rocks

Kate and Lily on the same rock

a turtle made in the sand and covered with rocks

  

my feet in the sand

On the Sunday we went to Thirroul beach, a lovely day for a walk along the rocks and a swim for some. 29 years ago we Steve, Sue, Kate and Josh moved into the manse of Thirroul Baptist church on Lawerence Hargraves Drive. Six weeks later Elizabeth was born, her birthday is Thursday, we spent 4 years at Thirroul before moving to Toronto, Lake Macquarie.
Monday we headed home via Mittagong, Canyonleigh, Goulburn, Crookwell, Boorowa, Harden, Cootamundra, Junee, The Rock, Culcairn and back onto the Hume Highway just before Albury and headed home to Heidelberg. As we have travelled up and down from Melbourne to Sydney a few times over the last 8 months, dirt roads a detours are a nice change from the boring highway.