Thursday, December 25, 2014

Secret Santa Swap

A quick photo of my gift from Lisa for the swap..thank you so much Lisa it truly is a gorgeous Christmas stocking..many thanks for being my Secret Santa this year..
now it is nearly time to head off to the airport for me...

         Wishing you all a lovely Christmas. 
May all the joy of the Festive Season be yours...

 Thank you so much for visiting my blog throughout the year and for the lovely comments that have been written.  All the best for 2015.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Nearly there...

Mum's bag is finished, so a quick photo before it goes in the bag..the bag is nearly packed for my flight tomorrow...it will be Christmas on both sides of the Tasman for me...now I'm just making sure I have all the gadgets charged up and remember to pack the chargers in my bag...and the chutney and the chocolate ginger that Mum likes and all the other bits and pieces that I've been getting together..
                 

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

FNSI

Well my Friday night did not achieve as much as I had planned..interruptions that I hadn't bargained on..but I can show the colour palette of what I am using..

Something for Mum that needs to be finished tonight , so it will be back to the sewing machine for me..

Monday, December 22, 2014

Santa Sack Swap

In the Santa Sack Swap organised by Cheryll, my partner was Nanette who's blog is Stitch and Sow...........the handwork of home and garden.  Over the last few months we have got to know a little more about each other and yesterday was the day we opened our gifts to each other..a good day to do it as I was having 'Christmas Dinner' with family as I am flying off to Sydney on Christmas Day to spend a few weeks with my Mum.  So I will have breakfast here at home before it is off to the airport..sadly the direct flights from our airport to Sydney were discontinued this year..so my flight goes via Wellington this time and I will be spending my Christmas lunch in the airport before boarding a flight to Sydney and being able to enjoy a late Christmas dinner with my Mum. 
So what was in my parcels from Nanette..well they were beautifully wrapped in fabric but I was so excited to be opening them that I forgot to take a photo..so here is what was inside...
a tote bag made with an Aussie fabric line
a fabulous table runner with appliqued ends and a gorgeous backing fabric..
this lovely stocking in crazy patch
a needlecase..made of hand felted wool which Nanette makes herself
and them embroidered.it's.really gorgeous and Nanette is so clever..
some skeins of thread and Nanette included the pamphlet so I could read a little more about them
a little hanging with my initial so beautifully embroidered..and blue is one of my colours
(amongst others)
fabulous tea towels with the cutest little Santa Koala borders 
very special handmade paper
and oh look these are the fabric wrappings I was in such a hurry to unwrap
wow..what a wonderful parcel of goodies, how lucky was I..

Thank you so much Nanette, it has been wonderful getting to know you through this swap.  Your gifts are fabulous and so very much appreciated for the thought you have taken in making them.  In one of our emails we were both thinking that here we were planning and stitching away while our partner is doing the same , in our case on one side of the Tasman to the other.  And I agree it is also about meeting new bloggers and finding friendships online.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Magdolia...

Magdolia is the name of the fabulous doll exhibition I went to today ..One of the teachers I work with makes the most wonderful dolls.  She made her first doll 3 years ago at a class and since then she has made over 50 dolls.  She wanted to share her dolls with others so with school finished on Friday she  had arranged to hire the Community Gallery in town for the weekend and set up her exhibition.  It was fabulous to see them all displayed..all the details and some were crafted on well known personalities.
DH drove me into town and he even went in to look at them when he came to pick me up.
I asked if I could take some photos..of course, she said, and it was then I discovered the battery was flat on my camera..so I took some shots on my phone.. wasn't sure  how they would turn out..so here are some of the dolls that were on display..
Some of the dolls heads she has made..
The props and accessories really added to the display..
Each doll had her own name as well..
This was made for her Dad..dressed in the family tartan..

and Shirley's wig came from the US
The fabric used for the outfits looked just like fish scales ..

Jill is one talented lady..

Saturday, December 6, 2014

FNWF

Well last night came at the end of a very busy week.  School's out for Summer!!  Yes the last day of the school year was yesterday and so no answering to bells till next year.  We had Junior Prizegiving in the morning followed by a shared lunch and farewells for staff who are leaving school-there were some retirements and a few who are moving to other places-the most for quite a while.
I went on to meet up with my stitching friends for a special afternoon tea and was pleased to get there earlier than usual.  Then after a trip to the airport and tea afterwards I finally sat down and worked on something that wasn't too strenuous on my eyes...and something that is for me..
Some bobbin winding for a small lace project..
                  
And then a little bit more stitching on one of my yet to be finished projects..there are certainly a few that I have to choose from!!
               


Sunday, November 30, 2014

SSCS

The gift I made was wrapped and sent on its way over the seas to....??
                         
And my gift has just arrived from Lisa..
                         
with a gorgeous decoration inside which I was able to open straight away..
                     
the other package has been put away for Christmas Day..thank you Lisa, it's just lovely..
Well it's hard to believe it will be Summer tomorrow..today's temperature was a chilly 9 degrees..but the wind made it feel so much colder..still this is the last week of school for the year so that is something to be excited about!!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

FNSI

Well FNSI saw me take some time, for myself, to do some more secret sewing  so I can't show too much but....I may or may not have been using some fabrics from this selection...
                       
It was a change to have a break from this 2.5 inch high stack of papers.. 
                     
yes, it's been end of year report writing time and in this stack are the subject reports for my class..all printed ..1 page per subject and there are 9 pages per student at the moment..I have been proofreading all the pages-some I have written and some have been done by other subject teachers ... then  writing a final comment  for each front page..and now they will be off to our Year 7 dean tomorrow for her to sign.. then on to the principal...whew..am I going to be glad to pass them on..
..now I can get back to sewing at night...just for a change..




Sunday, November 16, 2014

It's out with the old...

My poor old lamp has finally had it...it fell apart the other night as I was sewing at night.  The lights on my sewing machine just don't do it at night so an extra light is a must..
                                     

I already knew that  'white' light suited me better than the yellowish glow of this old halogen lamp ...so when it fell apart it was the perfect time to say goodbye to it and go shopping for a new one...there was not a lot of choice in town but this is the one I came home with..it will get a good trial this week as I work on finishing a few things...well that is the plan after I finish writing some school reports ..
               

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Im back.... with FNWF

After a few weeks of blogging silence, I'm back to share what I worked on Friday night.  I had the writing stitched before Friday and did all of the rest on Friday night and did my fingers notice all that stitching!!  I had a bit of trouble focusing at one stage so a little closing of the eyes and I was back into it.  Saturday saw me putting on the borders and then starting to do a little quilting.....this one is for me...unlike the other secret sewing that I have been doing....
                                 
..no pear tree in the garden so I looked for something else and chose this one..

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Ratbag

My FNSI night was spent making a 'ratbag'.  DD2 is going to a themed fancy dress for her friend's birthday...she is going as Princess Bubblegum ( from the Adventure Time cartoon) She made the outfit and then just needed a pet rat to complete it and that is what I ended up doing for her.  So not finding a pattern I had to make one with a bit of trial and error and a few sheets of paper...and it ended up being a combined rat and bag so a phone and small purse could fit inside...here is the end result..and it had to be these colours in this order... 
                

            


Monday, October 6, 2014

Friday Night With Friends

A little late in posting about Friday Night...a busy weekend not all spent with needle in hand..there was some handstitching on Friday night and then I cut out all the pieces needed to start working on an embroidered workbasket that was in an Inspirations Magazine.  One of the ladies in our little lace group had made one last year and so two of us decided that we would like to make it as well.
I managed to find a copy of the magazine and have been meaning to start it all year.  
When I was at our lace group 2 weeks ago I saw how much the other lady had made ..eeeek... I need to get myself going on it..so here is the photo of the workbasket from the magazine,,the pattern piece for the outside and the threads I am using..I'm using DMC as that is all I could get locally...so now I need to trace all those lines on 6 pieces for the outside parts first...and start the backstitch..
The weather has been up and down here..on Saturday we woke to light snow on the hills and some on the ground and a chilly day..on Sunday we basked in the top temperature for the country..a 'balmy' 20 degrees...but sad to say today has been cold and wet with hail showers..still life isn't too bad..at least we don't live in Auckland where many people have been without power since early Sunday morning...not good enough...

Sunday, September 21, 2014

FNSI

On Friday I joined in with lots of other stitchers for FNSI.  I continued to work on a secret project that is in these colours..There will be a reveal of the whole project soon..
                                   
And here are some little Christmas decorations that are now all finished and ready for my little tree..
                                                       


Friday, September 12, 2014

Spring Blooms...

..not from my garden though.  One of the ladies in the Friday stitching group (that I get to catch up with after school) had a bucketful that she had picked from her garden..and we all got to take a bunch home with us..how lucky were we..
                   

Monday, September 8, 2014

It's a Mystery..

..quilt project that is..when I saw the post from The Country Yard advertising a stitchery mystery quilt I was interested..it was the colours that got me!!
When I got home this afternoon the first package was in the mail..
                                   

When I opened it up this  was inside..a beautifully wrapped package....                
                                       
which I opened up to reveal this box to put everything in...
                                     
and inside it was the fabric for the some of the stitcheries..some Cottage Garden and Aurifil thread ...
                                      
..and a needlecase..which was a lovely surprise...
                   
Now I can't wait till the next month's package arrives....

Sunday, September 7, 2014

FNWF and a challenge

Well Friday after work I met up with my stitching friends  to see what they are working on and of course to have a cuppa with them.  So later on I spent a little time on these little circles of felt which need to be finished this week , and then they will be added to the little pillows on my tree.

I joined in to the challenge that Clare of Clare's Craftroom organised for August.  These were the 2 photos that Clare emailed to me for inspiration...
  and
       
 I focused on the basket and the colour.  I like basket blocks and so I made up one block..was going to make more but no time this month.  My little block has ended up as a pincushion which should come in handy..

                             

Thursday, September 4, 2014

OPAM



A little late in posting a finish for August..the little Christmas stitcheries from a few weeks back hanging on the wooden tree that I made at the 'Christmas group' I go to each month.  The empty spaces are for the rest of the ornaments that are still under construction.
                             
..and I've just seen that it is the first Friday tomorrow so time to sign up for Friday Night With Friends over here

Saturday, August 16, 2014

FNSI

Well it's been a lovely sunny day here..quite a contrast from some of the weather we have had lately.  I joined in with FNSI last night and worked away on lots of white xstitches around the border of the piece I am working on..quite tedious and not all that exciting to do!  Then it was getting a couple of stitcheries ready for 'stuffing'..and that little pile of stuffing ]might just be enough for one..the rest is in the bag.  Photos taken in the late afternoon sun outside..
          

Friday, August 8, 2014

Well...Yes... it did snow overnight..

Just as was forecast we woke to snow this morning (it's not always quite so accurate) and my little car is not going anywhere..schools are closed for the day and I have the day at home..warm inside..yippee!! 
                      
Snow on the ground, snow on the plants and the dogs have been enjoying the snow..they just love to run and roll in it, even the coil of the hose was covered
                   
the dog's have had a good romp in the snow and now it is coming down again..
                    
A pot of soup is on the stove and now all I have to think about is what to work on for the rest of the day..so many projects on the go that need my attention..