Melbourne

Well as promised back to tell you all about my fantastic birthday weekend in Melbourne.

First we went on an animal safari, no not really (we were intent on shopping) but these elephants were scattered all over Melbourne, they were so cute.

This could be an ad for Sussan but really me with the elephant lol

Then MBBIM took us all out for a lovely family birthday tea at a Greek Restaurant in Moonee Ponds but don't ask me the name :(

Here we all are at the table, so great for so many of us to get together - a rare event.

Just look at my birthday cake - yummeeee!

I was so spoilt, Richard and Jenny made sure I had the best weekend!

Sunday we went for a stroll down to St Kilda and look what was waiting for us. Years since I have actually come over on this boat! In fact my GD reminded me of the trip we did to Melbourne on the way to take her home when she was a lot younger!

Come on out you penguins we are waiting here!!

How cute are these little buttons that were part of my happy birthday from MBD. Where she finds these things I do not know but I love them...

Now here are a couple of little things I bought, I found the cute lttle brooch below at the Japanese fabric shop in the Nicholas Building  - you climb up these steps thinking you are going in the back of beyond and suddenly there are lovely shops! The other fantastic shop there is a vintage haberdashery called l'uccello, I didn't buy anything but browsing was heaven.

I also bought this little sugar bowl in a fantastic shop near Victoria Markets. I love it, so cute.

Thanks to everyone for such a great weekend. So good that MBD and GD could come down from NSW and we were looked after so well by MBBIM and MBSILIM.

It is Monday isn't it?

I did say I would come back and show what I had in the parcels! Well here is the story. I went to Melbourne for the weekend, staying with my brother and sister-in-law AND my daughter and granddaughter came down from New South Wales as well. Of course at the almost last moment I dedided I needed to take a few gifts.

First is for my brother and sister-in-law.

Within a few days this:

became this:

Then this:

And this (I know it seems to go on forever but in fact was quite a good quilt to make and only took a couple of days to finish)

 and then voila here it is!! Minus the binding as I don't seem to have a good photo of the real finished product.

The quilt is 50" square and perfect for a lap quilt on cold winter nights. I love the colours, the fabric is
Vintage Modern by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics and I bought the kit from Sarah including a pattern she made up and has for free on her blog (scroll down the left hand menu).

Great value as I had hardly any fabric left over. What I did I used on the back.

Then of course there is this bag I made for my granddaughter, I love it and loved doing it. This is out of The Simple Life book.

This little bag is made with Japanese silk bought at the Japanese shop in Kingston, made for Jenny.

Then the little bag I made for Nicole with her tubby dog on the front. Loved making this too, also from the Simple Life book, I just might have to make the whole quilt as all the stitchings are so cute.

Yes I know - I just couldn't resist taking lots of photos of them!

Be back later with some photos of my weekend in Melbourne!

Busy weekend

I have been doing a lot of sewing ready for a great weekend get together with family. I probably won't be back on the blog until after the weekend but here is a little peek!

How sneaky am I :)

Back on Monday with an update.....promise!

Happy birthday

Yesterday I had a very happy birthday - here are the remains of morning tea that my lovely colleagues surprised me with (the official morning tea was on Monday for 4 of us who had birthdays on the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 9th) but my room decided we needed to celebrate again! P.S. the pies were yummy and just right for a cold winter's day.

Here is some of the loot I managed to accumulate, how lucky am I! My friends are so kind, I am very spoiled. Not to mention the very early birthday present I received

Now I do love Vicki's humour BUT just what does she mean by this card lol. Love it!

Thanks to all my friends for a lovely day!

Another birthday, another finish

Where did the weekend go? I did mean to post this on Saturday!

I had lunch with a good friend on Friday and as it was her birthday and she is a keen yoga aficionado I decided to make her a yoga mat bag to carry her mat to and from lessons.

I had had the pattern for quite a while but hadn't made it so after finding, what I thought, was the perfect material (well it just looked yoga-on-sandish) I decided it would be the perfect birthday present.

And then on Sunday I received this photo with mat installed. I am thrilled it is just the right size!

Off to a new home

This week has been a busy sewing week. This really cute bag went off to a new home today. Little F is in hospital so I made her the bag and filled it with stickers, note books, gel pens and more just to keep her occupied. Hope she likes it!

But how cute is this hex - love the cat!

I bought this button in Sydney a couple of years ago, knew it would be useful for something.

The stitching and bag pattern is from the Tis the Season I chose to do it in blue so it isn't really Christmassy.

And here is the finished bag.... Not a very good photo but currently going to work in the dark and getting home in the dark so not ideal for taking good photos.

And here is a little sneak peek at the next stitching project, started last night!

Gardening

I actually got out in the garden and did a lot bit of work. I mowed the lawns, trimmed all the Banksia roses and cut down the tree dahlia. Exhausted!

But then I wandered around and look what I found.

First off one of the beautiful hellebores MBD gave me for my birthday last year, absolutely stunning.

 Then excitement, I planted this ground cover grevillea two years ago and it has never flowered but now it is sooo close. Sorry for the blur but it won't be long and I will have beautiful flowers.

 This grevillea was tubestock less than a year ago, now look at the flowers - plant would have to be about 70cm high and the flower buds are huge. I think this one is Coconut Ice, you can see the flowers are going to be a gorgeous pink!

 These hellebores were the ones given to my mother when I was born....well their offspring anyway. I dug them up from Mum's and they flower every year for me. Just the old common one but they are really pretty.

Nice to see the garden doesn't hold my neglect against me and continues to give me beautiful flowers.



How lucky am I?

Just look at these beautiful fabrics! A friend arrived at the weekend with them for me as an early birthday present. Yes my birthday is quite a way off but as she will be away I get them now!

Just love the colours, now what can I make?? :)

Then yesterday I received the Spotlight catalogue in the mail along with a Scratchy and I WON! $15 to spend at Spotlight. I was in there in a flash and found these beautiful Japanese fabrics and I am sure they can team with the ones above.

And guess what - I have actually finished something.....well nearly, need buttons for inbetween each stitchery but hey if that doesn't happen no one will notice. I am very happy the way these have turned out so I am having Christmas in July at my place for a month or so then it will be time to put them up again for Christmas!

I've got mail

Found in the letter box yesterday, post haste from Sarah, this delightful book from Annie Downs.

I was so excited I had to start one of the projects straight away, but no peeking just yet! It needs to be a secret for a while.

Just in time

It was my brother's (MBBIM) birthday yesterday - I couldn't put these photos up because I posted the parcel and wasn't sure if he had received it!

I made him a little case to hold some of his compact flash cards and actually finished it on time to reach him for his birthday. I am sure it won't be big enough but I had fun making it and I love the material - bought when visiting him a couple of years ago at the Melbourne Craft Fair - you see there will always be a use for that little stash hidden away in the cupboard.

Inside there are individual pockets for 6 cards.

The whole thing is closed with a little velcro strap.

 I just love the card, I wish I could say I made it but I picked it up at a village fair in the Hunter Valley last time I was there. The material is just cut out any old way and stuck on the card but all the cards just look superb.

Happy birthday Richie!

Redwork

I seem to have been missing in action - two weeks since I posted! I can't believe it. I have been busy though. Two weeks of constantly sitting in the doctor's surgery waiting for my injection....now have a beautiful coloured stomach but NO MORE INJECTIONS!!! The clot is still there but hopefully will slowly disappear and the danger of any more forming seems to be over.

I have been enjoying the beautiful Tasmanian winter, something I was not looking forward to after being in Europe for a month of sun (well most of the time!).

The following photo was taken early one morning before I left for work, the sun was casting a beautiful light over the snow on Mt Wellington.

 These two photos were taken at night, I walked into my darkended kitchen and was blown away by the beautiful River Derwent and the lights from the bridge. These photos just don't do it justice!

I haven't just been concentrating on work and visiting the doctor! I did manage to get along to Miss T's 5th birthday one night last week. Fairies seemed to be the theme of the day!

 And I have also been busy with my sewing - no wonder I haven't been posting! All the pieces are cut out for the quilt - what a marathon. Took me almost a whole day last weekend. Why does it look so minor in the photo!

The time sitting in the surgery hasn't been entirely wasted though....I have taken my sewing along to keep me occupied.

It is amazing how much you can get done, they have also occupied most of my nights as well. The Christmas swag just needs to be made up now, all the stitching is done. Just have to bind and join them together.

Just to keep me busy I also traced out this cute Christmas bird stitchery from Gail Pan. I have really enjoyed using the one colour, so easy to take along and mindlessly sew.

P.S. has anyone seen my thimble, it was so comfortable I must have left it on my finger and it has fallen off!!! I miss it, luckily I had another one but it isn't any where near as comfortable....