Christmas 2016

 Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day with your families. Mine was lovely. Hot but nice just the same. Summer is definately here and 32 degrees in Tassie is a \hot day for sure.

 Christmas day I always take some family photos. each year my boys get bigger and bigger.

 Even though they eat me out of house and home, I wouldn't change a thing.

 I had fun incorporating my sewing projects with my Christmas decorations, I made this runner especially for my coffee table in the lounge. Its not quilted yet but i used it anyway.

 I also made a new runner for the kitchen dresser.

 I had a few scraps left over that I decided to use and make little baskets, they turned out so cute.

 I love this one with the recipe on the front.

I was very lucky and received some beautiful gifts. I have some  very talented friends that's for sure, I'll be back in a day or so to share what I got.


Thanks for stopping by.

Christmas sewing

 Christmas is almost upon us and I have been a busy little bee in my sewing room making gifts, I can't share them yet but after Christmas you can see what I have been working on for the past few weeks.
I do have something to share with you though, my latest designs have been published in Handmade magazine. When my editor sent me some fabric and asked me to make a cushion I was thinking how I could make this fabric look amazing, It wasn't really to my taste but as I began sewing and adding a few touches of my own, I think they turned out OK.

 I made two cushions, a big one and a smaller one to sit in front.

 Its always a thrill to see my designs on those glossy pages. I do a little happy dance every time.

 I have been sewing with a few of my favourite scraps, each morning before work I would try to sew 2 of these little 6 inch blocks, I only have 2 left to make.

I have also been sewing with some very pretty Olives Flower Market fabric, I'm making something new for Homespun magazine  next year. 

And last but not least I have added a few goodies to my etsy shop, if you are looking for a gift or something for yourself, I would love for you to take a look.

Take care and thankyou for stopping by. xx

Sydney

 My husband  and I have just  come back from a weekend away in Sydney to Celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary, We had the best time. Catching up with family is always wonderful. Sydney is an amazing place, so fast paced and busy but still so pretty and exciting. 

 Flying into Sydney for the very first time it was awesome to see the Sydney Harbor bridge and the famous Opera House.

 Spending time with my mum and sister was so good, I hadn't seen them for 3 1/2 years.

 It was also nice to just be the two of us and explore the city together.

 Check out this cruise ship, it was the biggest boat I have ever seen,

 Here is my sweet dad at the celebrations last night, we had such a good time.

Before I left I made my sister a little gift, Kim is always surprising me with things so I thought I'd surprise her for a change.

Back to the regular routine again, have a great week. xx

Spreading the "Joy"

 I would like to introduce you to 2 of my brand new designs published in magazines this month.
This is "joy" she is my latest Christmas quilt with a strip of pretty stitchery. I loved making this quilt. I named her Joy after a very lovely lady who makes alot of my designs and sends me photos of the finished project, She does a beautiful job.

 What do you think? You can find Joy in this months Patchwork &stitching magazine.

 I used Kate Spain fabrics and they are so bright and cheery.

 Another new design is my Christmas Bunting and this can be found in Hand made magazine Vol 35 No. 6  which is due out at the end of this month. I used a combination of wooden buttons stitchery to complete this piece. Such a fun and quick project you could make in a weekend.

 The magazine always do beautiful photography.

 I also wanted to share with you some photos of flowers I took in my garden yesterday, they are so pretty right now, Look at that gorgeous poppy.

 This Granny bonnet is the perfect shade of mauve.

Thankyou so much for stopping by, have a great week.

Camp Hagley 2016

 I have just come back from an amazing time with my friends at our annual quilting retreat. We had such a good time. It doesn't get any better really.We spent 3 days at a farm and the surroundings are so beautiful. I set up my sewing station early Saturday morning and sewed and sewed until Monday lunch time. I made all the blocks for a new quilt and got the binding sewn down on several projects they were my night job jobs.  I taught my friend how to make a sew together bag, that was hard work but we got there in the end. She was so happy with it. Then I gave some sewing lessons  to my friends daughter. I love teaching others how to sew. It was good fun.

 I couldn't miss an opportunity to photograph my newly finished Nested Churndash quilt.

 Even the donkeys were impressed with my new mini quilt.

 If you squint your eyes in this photo you can see a deer in the background, he was gorgeous.

Lots of photos, lots of quilts, this Union Jack quilt belongs to my friend Cathy, we had a nice time walking around the farm looking for just the right spot to take  photos of our quilts.

I can't wait for next year's retreat now.

Have a great week and thankyou for stopping by. xx

I'm almost famous

 Its been an exciting week for me, I had 2 of my newest designs published in 2 different magazines.

 First up are these 2 lovely pouches, they are featured in this months  Handmade magazine. I used Cotton & Steel fabrics that were provided to me by the magazine, they sent me a few pieces of fabric and said make us something. See the pretty floral stripe that looks like ribbon, well that was on the selvedge, it was way too pretty to leave behind so I included that in my design.

 Here they are- beautifully photographed on those awesome glossy pages.

 Something else I had published was my garden work cushion, those that know me well know that my true love is stitchery. I do love to include garden designs in my projects, they are versatile for anyone to use.

 This project graces the cover of Country Threads magazine. Its quite an honour to see your work featured on the cover.

 Today I am working on a new design to be featured next year.
I'll leave you now with a few photos from around my garden, still lots of blooms, pretty colour and inspiration every where.

Have a great day and thankyou for stopping by. xx