More gifts for the Teachers ..

I think I have finished my Christmas sewing... or maybe just a few fun ones to do with the kids to go. Here is little bag for Ayden's learning mentor who has taught Ayden for personal futures and German for the past 3 years. A nice box of chocolate will be filling that one. The stitchery I used on this bag was from a Bronwyn Hayes pattern in a Homespun magazine a few years ago.

For Maya's carers there are little drawstring bags with bells. I've used a Hatched and Patched pattern called "The Santa" for the stitcheries on these.


And the Santa Sack is finished! Also a pattern by Hatched and Patched but I have simplified it a bit, made it smaller and added the little girls name. You can see with my model, 7 year old Callum how big it is. I hope her mum likes it!

A progress Santa pic...

It feels like Christmas has come early with so many things already on the calendar, there hasn't been a lot of time for sewing this week.

Callum and Kane had their school Music and Performing Arts Showcase this week which was just beautiful. Kane was a scarecrow and all the Preps did a bit of solo dancing - so brave, along with a musical story and a song. Callum and all the Grade 2's performed with their cello's, violins and recorders, and looked very grown up.

I spent some time on the weekend working on this santa sack panel for a little girl. It's nowhere near complete yet! Three more bags for teachers and carers to finish too.

Thanks for all the lovely comments on the last post too :)

Gifts from Melissa, and YES I am a showoff....

My very exciting package from Melissa arrived late last week. I've held off until my camera returned for a pic. I just wanted to show you the amazing work that Melissa has undertaken on these gifts! This fantastic stocking with stitchery detail and cute trim and a tin "wishes" box with printed wish cards inside. So. so cute, and trimmed with spots - perfect!

Melissa was my swap partner for the Embelish Christmas Ornament Swap - thanks Em and thanks Melissa. It was great to do a swap too with a price limit of $AUD15.

And yes, I am a terrible showoff... Actually I am excited! The first pic's of my project in the next issue of Australian Homespun is being shown HERE.

This is the first project I have had this magazine and I made the protype in January - ages ago! Hooray. I noticed projects from at least 4 other bloggers in there too.....

15 ... already - Happy Birthday Ayden!

I'm sure it was only yesterday... but the monkey and bear are looking a bit more worn these days ... and a little sister who is the poser now.

Happy birthday Ayden! 15 already. xxxx

Star Quilt - coming along!

Sorry for the bad pic, still using the kids camera and it is a very dark and damp day here in Ballarat.

I've made some progress on my star quilt. I've just got the 6.5" borders to go, and it's huge already! Dragging on the (damp) ground a bit in this pic. And then it's off to Bernadette to be quilted. Fantastic instructions from Crazy Mom Quilts - thanks Amanada Jean.

Just two more days and Ayden will be 15. Can't believe it!

Covered in craftiness..

It was nearly a picture-less post today. I left my camera in the Troop Carrier out on project last Friday and I am desperately waiting for our Geelong staff at work to send it to me. I'm sure all bloggers know how I feel without a camera! I borrowed Callum and Kane's and it's a mess.

Well, the house is covered in craftiness today (never mind my work laptop sitting in the middle of it). I'm ready for a day off tomorrow to finish my star quilt-along quilt, and I have these Hatched and Patched blocks ready to buttonhole stitch for a santa sack for a little girl. I've even started working out the maths to finish my redwork stitchery quilt from "Sunshine in your Pocket". Do you remember that? Ballarat Patchwork has a sale coming up in December and I am planning on buying some more 1930's print to add to my little stash.

I was lucky enough to be one of the first three commenters in Jo Jo's PIF giveaway! I just Jo's style so I am so pleased. Thanks Jo!

Angel Swap Gifts arrive in the Netherlands!

My Stitchers Angel gifts have been received. They have found their way to the Netherlands to Stella, who has no blog, but visits - hi Stella!

I made this little bunny sewing caddy, designed by Red Brolly

It opens up like this, with little pockets and a drawstring inner bag to keep all your sewing goodies in there. I filled it with buttons, tapes, threads, ric rac and other bits and pieces, and the kitty scissor keep by Lynette Anderson Designs and the cute pincushion I found here.

Thanks Helen for organising such a great swap!

Our weekend has been busy and I haven't sewn at all. I've cut out all the blocks and sashing for my Star Quiltalong and I hope to work on it on Wednesday - cup day holiday for me in Ballarat.

We took the kids down to a local lake for the afternoon to check for ducklings, make a few boats, play in the playground and throw around a boomerang toy. (Only rescued it from the trees once...) and eat ice creams. The kids are well worn out now :)

Catching Up!

I've done it! I'm up to date with my Noah's Ark block from Lynette Anderson's. I've cut these blocks 3" square so you can see how tiny the stitcheries are.

And I can show you what I sent to Em as part of the Embelish Christmas Ornament Swap. Have a look at Em's sweet little boy holding the gifts. This is the second heart that I made from Rosalie Quinlan's pattern, Hearts of Christmas. The other one is over at Katy's house now. It's great being able to tell a few secrets!

Off to Geelong tomorrow on a corporate event that I have been working on for months. I'm going a bit out of my comfort zone on this one...

Gifts for the teachers ...

I've finished the first two gift bags for the boys teachers! Two little bags made using the Blue Wrens Nest pattern from Cinderberry Stitches.

Tonight I'll make a start on a different one for Ayden's learning mentor, who has had the pleasure of Ayden's company :) for the last three years at Middle School.

There is a Dilbert on the go too as a gift for a child in Foster Care. At work we don't give gifts to each other, but give to gifts to be handed out to local kids in Foster Care.

I hope you are all enjoying some Christmas stitching!

Sweetness ...

It's a beautiful day in Ballarat today. Perfect to be out in the garden, and that's where we have been. We have a fairly big garden on a quarter acre block, on a hilly bit so we have a great view.


Matt picked masses of our roses, and I had to take a couple of quick pic's of Maya with them. She has a couple of David Austins roses in her hands, Belle Story and Graham Thomas.

No sewing to show today, but I have two bags all embroidered and cut out ready for sewing using the Blue Wrens Nest pattern from Cinderberry Stitches. These will be little gift bags for Callum's and Kane's teachers. And finally tonight I hope to start to catch up on the two Noah's Ark blocks from Lynette Anderson Designs.

Now back to enjoying that sunshine! xx

Scrappy pinwheels .. how many to go?

Oops, sorry I didn't post a pic of Katy's fabric spread out!! Here is a bit of it before I started cutting into it.

I had a massive migraine start on Tuesday and it knocked me around. My eyes were so tender that on Wednesday I couldn't work, sew, read or use the computer much. But I could cut out fabric.


I've made a good start on the pinwheel blocks thanks to some of the scraps I have been given. Some of these have come from Lucy, Bernadette, Jodie and Katy and mixed with bits and pieces from my own stash. Just love them.

Hopefully the pinwheels will get better with practice. I have tossed away maybe a quarter that I have made over the last couple of months with the points not perfect in the centre. My sewing machine struggles over the thick seams and I have started pressing them open to reduce the bulk a bit to see if that helps. Only 109 to make....

Mad rush up to school today to see Kane speak at assembly. Just beautiful to see those little preppies up at the microphone speaking to the other kids. Kane stumbled over some of his words but kept going in a big voice. Big round of applause for him too xx

Fabric from Katy!

My fabric from Katy arrived this morning as part of our fabric for a dinosaur swap. I could hardly hold myself back! Heaps and heaps of fabric, with so many pieces that I have never seen before, and even some spots to add to my collection. It's been spread out all over the dining table so I can take a good look at it, and admire it over and over. I've already cut out a few squares to use in my pinwheels blocks for the butterfly quilt. Thank you Katy and I hope Ginger likes his dinosaur.


Today I managed to package up and post all of my swap packages .. Hooray! Packages are off to the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands and Australia.

Last night after work I just felt like sitting down and working on a new project that I had all ready to go, but I didn't, I finished off 4 projects and packaged everything up. Even this stitchery designed by Rosalie Quinlan Designs called Hearts of Christmas was finished.

I wonder who this one will be for ....

Isn't this a crafty blog?

Since I haven't got much sewing to show you, way too much just so close to being finished, or gifts, here are some of our roses. Not beautiful shots like Annie's but quick pic's while I was doing some gardening.

This is our Abraham Darby that grows under our bedroom windows at the front of the house. Quite a lot more David Austin roses in our front garden too.

Still trying to get the garden weeded. 4 weeks and counting .....

Abraham Darby is just the most beautiful rose, scented, big and frilly too.

I did get this Dilbert Dinosaur finished and he is off to see Katy and her monkey this week. We are doing a dinosaur for fabric scraps swap. Just love this Melly and me pattern!

Kane LOVED his sleepover at school on Friday night (Halloween too, very keen teachers...). He ate pizza, watched movies, made slimy stuff and kept himself awake until his teacher sat next to him and held his beanie kid Speedy to stop him playing. We laughed when he didn't get out of bed until 10am this morning.

I've been working on a Resume for Ayden and we have been submitting it for a holiday job all over the place. I think we left it a bit too late, but I have my fingers crossed for him.