FNWF

The first Friday in March and it was time for a catch up with blogging friends.......

....but first I caught up with my friend Dzintra after work.....over a couple of drinks at a new local restaurant....

Earlier in the week I had met up with friends for a dinner at the same restaurant..... a lovely outlook over the river and our local marina....

...........this one from a distance

Back to Friday night..... I'm starting a"secret" sewing project so spent time doing some calculations for extra border fabric required - the rest had been "stashed" away for quite some time!

 Once that was sorted it was time for a bit of stitching - what else but my Nature's Journey quilt! The weather has been so warm that hand stitching with a quilt over the knees was not even a consideration so it has taken some time to get the binding finished but this time I was on a mission!!

with a little interruption when these 2 decided my lap was a very comfy spot to have a nap!

....the last stitch was in sight! ....though I still have the label to do for the back...then I will "announce" it finished! 

Saturday and it was time to head to Stephs Fabrics to purchase fabric for my "secret" project..... driving along the beautiful Moruya River on the way.....

Steph has now added a coffee bar to her "inspirational" shop....... opening onto the street and into her shop .....

One of Stephs assistants 

Steph on the the left and her barista

......What a coincidence that I should run into a like-minded friend, Mary.... Now I really had an excuse to stay and enjoy a coffee....the problem being that you can gaze over the lovely fabrics and contemplate whether you really need to buy more.... I did resist.... at least till next time!!

 A quick stop at an op-shop and another book was found for my book challenge "a book about an ocean".... pictured here with just a very sneaky peek at the fabric purchased....

Then time to head off to a luncheon date with a dear friend, Barb, but no photos - we were too busy chatting as we hadn't caught up for quite some time!  

On the agenda for the rest of the weekend? Dropping into a rehearsal for the play I'm stage managing - still not a lot for me to do yet....hopefully get my label made for Nature's Journey quilt.....maybe a spot of gardening - the "green" waste bin gets picked up this week so I feel I should fill it!.... And - checking in on what others were up to on Friday night!

Happy Stitching
Asta

Catching Up!

A fortnight since my last post..... the weeks seem to fly by.......
Last weekend saw a day of mixed emotions as I attended a "farewell" for a lovely fellow who was part of our local theatre .... I had had the privilege of stage managing a couple of shows which he was in and over the years had got to know his family as well..... 
The evening of the same day..... and I was heading off to a birthday celebration for a work colleague -  it was fancy dress! So.... here I am in disguise as a re-invented "hippie" .... wig and all!

Sewing has been happening as well.... with a start made on the binding of the Nature's Journey quilt...

... I enjoy doing the binding by hand but really with temps gradually climbing to 40 deg there wasn't a lot done as the week progressed!

A UFO has also been brought out of "hiding".... so far back I can't even remember when - possibly 15 years ago? - this quilt was put together.....

and is now finally being  quilted - simple quilting I'm doing by machine....though progress is very slow as Miss Dora seems to think it makes for a very cosy sleeping spot......settling in very quickly before I move the quilt around! 

Catching up with friends during the past week was on the agenda.... dinner at a Thai restaurant mid week with a few friends..... and yesterday catching a movie ("Carol" starring Cate Blanchett) with another friend followed by dinner at one of our local clubs with this as our view....

And.....during a busy week managed to finish another book.....

 ......so I can now tick off yet another reading challenge...... "a book with a blue cover"

Hopefully a cooler week lies ahead........ as I'm typing away here I hear rain has started falling..... time to head to bed with another book!

Happy Stitching!
Asta

A Quilt Finished!

Trying to keep up to date so not too many weeks go past before my next post!

I have actually finished my batik quilt during the past week and with fabric left over spent Sunday making a couple of pillows to go with it.....

Also during the week my Nature's Journey quilt came back from being quilted by Jenny - a lovely lady who is a member of our embroidery group......

...umm - probably should have closed the blind first so you could see the whole quilt...

...... so a visit to Steph's Fabrics was needed to purchase some binding fabric.... and thanks to a very helpful shop assistant I came home with one I didn't expect to get.... I had in my mind a brown and came home with the one in this photo....

lined up along the edge here....

....it is one of Anni's fabrics from "Under the Mistletoe" range.....now to cut it up and start sewing.... nearly there!

And another book has been finished......

so another challenge can be ticked off the reading challenge I'm in...... " a book set somewhere you'd like to live"..... who wouldn't like to live in Provence? .... I read this a few years ago and enjoyed it just as much the 2nd time! 

That's been my past week / weekend..... off to do more reading, cut up some binding and start watching the last series of Downton Abbey.

Happy Stitching 

Asta

During the Past Week......

It was really lovely having Hayley home from Queensland - even if it was only briefly.... a week between a friend's hens night and wedding... her partner Mark arrived (with these flowers)  a couple of days later....

 Told her I would sneak this photo in of her with her face mask the morning of the wedding...

and here they both are at the wedding....

Meanwhile, the senior member (17 yrs old)  of our feline family had not been very well but after a couple of days at the vets he started to recover.... here is Mezzie convalescing on my lap - on top of the batik quilt I'm now sewing the binding on.... getting there!  

And... Megan sent some more photos over from Les Gets - she is now half way through what she calls her "French Alps Adventure" .... her contract as chef finishing at end of April,  I think! Here are just a few of the photos....

Today the postman delivered this......

.... after 2 years of blogging I decided to have it made into a journal that can be enjoyed as a book....it was interesting to look back and see what I've been doing and stitching. 

I've been asked to stage manage the next production for our local theatre group.... it is voluntary but is something extra to add to my agenda - at least for the first few months of the year with rehearsals usually taking up time on weekends and after work..... valuable stitching time!..... never mind - they were unexpectedly left without a stage manager.... 

Not a lot of stitching over the past week but time has also been spent reading and I should add that my Nature's Journey quilt is ready to be picked up from the quilters so will be back soon to give you an update! Till next time.....

Happy Stitching

Asta

Where has January gone!

Hard to believe that January is almost over..... have been productive over the last couple of weeks..... the "book pillows" have been finished... just waiting for the books to be popped into the front pocket.....

This pattern was from a book called "Growing Up Modern" by Allison Harris.... lots of lovely patterns for children's quilts.

Then the batik fabric quilt came back from the quilters .... not quite finished yet....

A little retail therapy over the last couple of weeks.....including a Jelly Roll of Jen Kingwell fabrics....... no projects  yet but it is lovely to look at them and ponder.... 

Finished reading a couple of books .... this one is set in the year 1908 near Eden on the NSW South Coast with the eldest daughter of a whaling family narrating the story .... 

and the second ...... one of Hercule Poirot's cases.....

A local bookshop has a book challenge which I have joined - there are 16 challenges ...... "Rush Oh" is "a book by a debut author" challenge and the Agatha Christie book is for "a book you have not read since high school" (I loved reading Agatha Christie's books every school holidays - and still have all the books!) .... so 2 challenges ticked!

In the garden.... a bumper crop of tomatoes - the first picking of many!

.... and in October 2014 I posted this...... a diamond python coming out of my guttering...

well, I thought it had gone but found it asleep in the garden alongside the house the other day - nearly dropped my green waste bin on it.... not sure who would have got the bigger fright! Having 2 cats who could have been dinner I called the "snake" man who exclaimed that it was "one very big snake!" - now re-located he convinced me it would not be back! 

Once again I have joined up with OPAM (One Project a Month) so that will keep me busy stitching and with all the reading I will be doing I think 2016 should be a very productive year.... so till next time

Happy Stitching

Asta 

Visitors and a Bit of Stitching

A most welcome visit from my friend Dzintra on Saturday afternoon - arriving with her basket of goodies!

...home pickled cucumbers, black bread and a good bottle of Rose... I had the cheese to go with it all.... a couple of hours later and after much catching up she left with an empty basket!! 

Another friend Jeff arrived from Canberra for a visit on Sunday afternoon with yummy cakes bought on the way - no photos though - they were eaten before we could have a photo shoot!

A bit of stitching was fitted in during the weekend.... 

......and my top for Natures Journey completed for SAL 2015 is going to the quilters.... it has been sitting here for the past 3 months finished and I finally made the decision to have  

it quilted otherwise I could see another UFO happening!  

A very relaxing weekend.... oh! almost forgot I also joined up for the Fat 1/4 Birthday Swap 2016 - looking forward to sending off lovely fat 1/4 s to birthday ladies with one special gift to someone special! 

Happy Stitching

Asta

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