A New Year!

Well, here we are nearly 2 weeks into the New Year....... and I'd better catch up before time does get away.... 

Bundanoon welcomed the family for Xmas 2015 - at my sister Vivien's place

 Xmas Day and here's the family adorned with various "decorations" - courtesy of my other sister Linda! - the only ones missing were my 2 - Hayley and Megan. 

 We all enjoyed the following week at Bundanoon with shopping at Bowral, a visit to Berkerlouw Books near Berrima and a drive to Robertson - what a great find this (massive) shop was - full of 2nd hand goods and new giftwear....

This nifty basket was one of my finds.... a sewing basket?.... 

.....or a basket for Dora?......

 

And....lunch at the Burrawang Hotel

 another day it was lunch at the good old Primula Cafe in Bundanoon

 We had leisurely days too and even though my stitching never came out of the bag I did enjoy some reading time and finished this book....

 the same author as "Under the Tuscan Sun" but this is a memoir of her early life growing up in the Southern States of America and the influence it had on her life.

Then it was back home for a friends' New Years Eve wedding at a local beach....

 ...and just a few days later the rain started! It rained for 3 days straight so what better way to spend indoors but start a quilt! This one being a present for the newly married couple.... batik fabrics that I had bought many years ago were just waiting for such a project....

These soon became.....

this...with a little help (?)  from a couple of  furry family members - now just waiting to be quilted ........

Another book finished during the wet weather - the first John Grisham book I've read and really enjoyed it 

 Fabrics were also cut out ready for my next project...book pillows for triplets I know who are about to celebrate their 1st birthday! 

And....finally the house was un-decorated - the Xmas tree has been put away, the Santa collection has been added to with a couples as gifts, one from Sweden sent by Megan, some bought while away including another pair of salt & pepper shakers..... 

..but they are all packed away now for another year........

Well, it's back to work tomorrow :( .... have had a lovely couple of weeks off - the rain didn't even dampen the spirits! I actually switched the Xmas tree lights back on to make everything a bit more "cheery"....not that it wasn't cosy being inside....just a bit dark and gloomy! 

That's about it from me at the moment - hope 2016 is a happy and healthy one for all my readers - with lots of creative hours!

Happy Stitching

Asta

Xmas is Nearly Here

Final countdown to Xmas !.... and I'm pleased to say all is done! Gift boxes for Megan and Hayley had to be sent a couple of weeks ago - giving me no choice but be organised!
My last update had Megan's box ready to send to France - but sent 2 weeks ago it still has not reached her -  hope it hasn't fallen off Santa's sleigh!! 
Over the last couple of weeks my machine has been whirring away.......

.... so gifts have been finished for some friends....

... a lavender (hand)bag (pattern from an old Homespun magazine) and 2 of Marg Low's patterns.....

And some gifts for family (the will have some extra's put inside!) .....

...another one of the fabric baskets that I made quite a few of last year, a Marg Low needle case and a lovely (coin or anything else) purse the pattern of which is in this lovely book....

If I don't get a chance to get back before Xmas I wish those reading a very happy and peaceful festive season... may you have a great New Year with lots of stitching hours planned for 2016!

Happy Stitching

Asta 

Snippets from the last (and a bit) month!

Oh dear... has it really been that long! Excuses? I don't really have any :( .... sometimes it was because honestly, I just didn't feel like sitting in front of a computer after a day at work... much rather sit with a bit of stitching, a book or anything else! 
So... starting from where I left off - and mainly through photos - I'll do a bit of a catch-up....would you believe my last post was FNWF way back in November! 
During November our local "Handmade Market" was attended.....

My Tuesday night embroidery group finished off the year with a Xmas dinner at a local Thai restaurant....... 

A Xmas shopping trip to Canberra saw me make a "slight" detour to Hobbysew - quilting thread for Nature's Journey quilt and just a couple of little extras...love the 30's Playtime!

Xmas stitching was started...... only a sneek peek at one though!

Some decision making on a few other gifts currently being worked on......

My sewing room which has been a "work in progress" for some time and has been mentioned in earlier posts has now gone from this.... when all my crafting supplies were gathered up from various "hidey holes" around the house to one spot....

to this....... amazing what you can do when you are in the "mood" to tidy up! 

Meanwhile a couple of books were read...... I'm sure most of us are familiar with the first one...and I also enjoyed the movie....

 ...the 2nd book was interesting - followed the lives of a (fictional) family settling in Sydney in mid 1880's - was written in 1929.

By early December it was time to post Megan's Xmas box if it was to get to France in time!

....meanwhile Les Gets (in the French Alps) had its first snow fall for the season and Megan's home for the next 6 months went from this.....

to this......

My Xmas this year will be spent at my sister's in Bundanoon... it will be the first one ever (!) not shared with Hayley (now living in Queensland and one when she was living in Canada) and Megan so... the house is a little quiet with them not coming home this year...BUT this was no reason not to decorate so here are some of my "special"decorations 

Santa collection - 39 of them!

A smaller angel collection

And my candle mat ........

also a slightly smaller tree than usual...... but it brings the spirit of Xmas to the home! 

So now I should be up to date!! 

The next week or so I will be busy finishing Xmas gifts but will be back soon to show you what I have been up to...... 

Till then

Happy Stitching

Asta

FNWF

FNWF arrived and now that the top for my Nature's Journey quilt is finished the pressure was off and I could contemplate what else I could do, so a little Xmas stitchery was the answer.....

...by the end of the night ... which wasn't very late as for some reason I was so tired an early night was in store.... I had got this far.....

The front was nearly finished and the back side was just pinned so I wouldn't  loose the pieces..... lucky I had done that as next day while vacuuming I knocked some of the stitchery off the corner of the lounge and all that NEARLY went up the vacuum cleaner was this......my embroidery thread!

Not an overly productive Friday night.... and mind you the decoration is still not finished... weekend was spent going to our annual Handmade Markets ( a bit of Xmas shopping done) and a start was made on organising my sewing room - a "work in progress"!! , and a bit of reading in the sun which re-appeared after a few days of either rain or heavy clouds!

Hope others had a productive FNWF

Happy Stitching

Asta

Quilt Top Finished

Yesterday was a sewing day! ..... and with a little supervision......

my Nature's Journey quilt top was finally finished.......

 

now to make a decision about the quilting.... to machine quilt or to hand quilt.... maybe a bit of both? 

Sunday, and a very neglected corner of the garden needed some urgent attention! .....

.... yes it was in rather a bad state! Even Dora (the explorer) had trouble navigating the jungle!

A couple of (hot) hours later .....

......am deciding now what to do with this little corner - maybe scrape up all the little crushed stones, lay a weed mat down and replace with some new stones?

The afternoon was enjoyed catching up with a friend over coffee and cake at a local cafe (no photo though) 

And while all this was happening Megan (daughter no 2), after travelling through parts of Europe and Eastern block countries since April, was settling down in a little village in the French Alps......

getting ready to start work for the Winter months as a sous-chef at a ski chalet. What a life!

Well, time to find another project to start.... or maybe one to finish! 

Happy Stitching
Asta

A Sewing Weekend!

Spending time on my Nature's Journey quilt was on the agenda for this weekend.... and that was just what I did!...... The 2" blocks (cut up last weekend and partially sewn together) were finished off on Saturday.....

 .... while fighting off the beginnings of a cold :( .... also taking time to sit on the back deck with a book must have  helped as Sunday came around and was feeling a lot better :) ......now to move onto the next border - all the applique blocks done earlier in the year .... and here is the progress so far - blowing in the wind late this afternoon! 

Two more borders to do and the top will be complete!

Happy Stitching
Asta

Catch Up

A visit to my sister's place at Bundanoon a couple of weekends ago - catching up with mum and dad as well who were also visiting from Sydney..... Vivien, mum and I hit the Bowral shops for a bit of retail therapy.... and they don't even have a patchwork shop! Followed by a leisurely afternoon back "home" - enjoying a cup of tea and starting a new book - the film starts shortly and I prefer to read the book before seeing the movie!

 A stroll around my sister's garden.... she has one of those wonderful rambling sort of gardens.....

Saturday night and it was time to head down to the local Bundanoon hall and listen to a wonderful piano recital by Gerard Willems it was amazing! The "Arts Bundanoon" group bring in musicians to play at their local hall...... the poster on one of the shop windows....

And a photo of mum with Gerard.... she is a retired piano teacher (retired t 80!) and was "over the moon" after having a chat with Gerard!

 I had taken stitching to do but returned Sunday with not a stitch been done!

And must mention that my dad pictured here with mum celebrated his 93rd birthday during this past week! A real milestone and still going strong!

A week later and this book is finished...  a thoroughly enjoyable book with a surprise ending! ... now to wait for the movie. 

Also have been to see the movie"Oddball" what a great "feel-good" Australian movie based on true events! 
 ...and I am back to the Nature's Journey quilt which I haven't touched for couple of weeks - just seemed to have lost interest in it for a while - just needed a break? - anyway, I am back enjoying the "journey" again and there should be more regular updates on the progress! 

That's about it for now....
Happy Stitching
Asta