A5 journal cover

I must like this fabric, I have it in the pink colourway to!

November Retreat

Starting retreat with a bit of a tummy upset  wasn’t planned, but a good time was had eventually and I did manage to sew up a storm though not many photo’s were taken this year.

This shot was from last year, although the countryside was not as green this year, the view was still beautiful and yes, there was some lovely Brown Brothers Moscato consumed again !

I was taken with a bag I had made that Margaret was making (x2) but using a smaller block size. I like the little block finished size & have it to do again on my ‘one day’ list.

One girl turned into this into this. Soft pretty colours.

Another lady was working on a great bag from this magazine which had several really good bag patterns in it.

I cut and sewed up 30 blocks for a quilt and quilted two small quilts which are yet to have the binding hand sewn down as I hurt my wrist on my return and am ‘out of action’ as such.

Photo’s of my completed finishes to follow – maybe next blog post?

A little bit creative

I began teaching myself to crochet. That’s the zig-zag rug underway, my first project. Then in typical fashion I got a little side tracked, making some baby booties whilst expanding on my crochet learning.  They were a small achievable project while still learning. Problem though is making two the same i.e. keeping the tension the same. Not easily done I can tell you!!!

The two sewing projects in the photo are also small achievable projects I’ve recently completed. With time at a premium I keep things small these days though I do have a rather large quilt on the go which I  plan to work more on at retreat in November.  It hasn’t seen the light of day since last retreat in May. 

Until next time….bye for now

European Adventure

June & July 2013 hubby & I visited Dubai, Austria, Germany & France

We saw ruins

Castles

 

Cathedrals

The Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe

 

Monets Garden

passed through more than 70 locks on 3 river systems

for 18 amazing days on a river cruise then…

Travelled France in an RV

along stunning roads through beautiful countryside

watched a leg of Le Tour de France in the French alps

and enjoyed every last second!

It’s going to be hard to top this trip, but we’re up for the challenge

Sharon

Canada & Alaska August Sept 2012

 

I’ve been so busy since returning from our amazing holiday. Here is a snapshot…

Vancouver, we loved it hereRocky Mountaineer Rail Journey, AMAZING!Banff, fantastic and pristine

Fairmont Banff Springs, where we stayed and taken from the gondola

…and from the opposite direction as we took to the river on a raft.

Some of the wildlife, so cute!

Lake Louise at dawn

Lake Louise later in the day. Hired a canoe and had a fantastic afternoon on the lake.

Jasper, so pretty.

We took a walk on the Athabasca Glacier at minus 10 and it was fabulous

Whistler from high up on Whistler Mtn

We rode the The Peak to Peak Gondola

we saw a BIG bear!

Butchart Garden, Victoria BC was beautiful

Victoria BC, capital of Canada

Our ship MS Volendam docked at Skagway

Inside passage, Alaska. Breathtaking, a very “ Titanic” feeling floating amongst the icebergs.

And on our return……

our baby turned 18.  See, it’s been a busy time !

Heart Pouches & Bitty Baskets

Long weekend off to a good start.  A few times I have turned up to the Gym without my headphones, which renders me deaf to the TV’s. When I forget my specs or contacts I’m left blind as well!  So when I saw an online tutorial by Erin Erickson I knew I had to make one….three Heart Pouches! 

My earphones will tuck away nicely in these.

The sewing today didn’t stop there…..

When we were holidaying in Alaska, I picked up the Bitty Baskets pattern from a Ketchikan patchwork store.  From 2 fat quarters I made these 4 baskets.

Champion effort

On the weekend, our daughter rode the Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer,

Cassandra and 1518 riders took to the road, 200km in two days to  Wivenhoe Dam from Brisbane (& back) and raised $5.2M for this amazing cause.

There was barely a dry eye in the massive crowd at day break when the rider-less bike  was wheeled to the start line as a symbol for all those who fought and lost their battle…..

We’re so proud of our girl for her mammoth effort to help change the lives of so many.

By Special Request

My youngest daughter commented that she liked 3 of the bags in my collection. Three elements of each of those bags to be exact and could I combine each of those aspects into a bag for her!

A couple of weekends of planning and sewing, this was the result.

The pretty purple fabric isn’t shown at it’s best in this photo but you get the general idea of the outcome. The owl was hand drawn from the design on her PJ pants!

June 2012 Retreat

 

Earlier this month I attended a wonderful retreat with 15 other like minded girls.

 The main building where we laughed, ate and sewed up a storm.

 Our Cabin, which had 3 twin single ensuited rooms complete with shared kitchenette and lounge / dining room. I shared with new friend Jeanette.

 This was what I made on the 3 day weekend. Five small make-up bags, a new handbag in browns and the big squares bag which was a project several of us did.  Oh, and I made the little owl purse to, my own creation that one.

 Here are Sue (all the way from NZ), Deb & Julie hard at work. Who said we ate, laughed and had too much fun?  See, we were working!

 On my arrival at home, I found my ‘cheeky’ boy had found a new friend too.