. . Too many eggs in one basket . .

Free Motion Quilting

2012-02-01T15:03:00.001+11:00

i finally have had time to sit down and practice my

free motion quilting

(FMQ)

what with being on holidays, both from work and

my sewing machine

which was a little hard considering i was reading, every article,

book and blog post i could find,

thank goodness for my iPhone and gadgets iPad

LOL

so i started off with Leah Day's

FMQ projects

so this is week one "Let's wiggle"

this was fun and i seemed to cope pretty well

(sorry the photo's are a bit dark ,

the weather is not playing fair)

this one required a little more thought...and slowed me down

I had a bit of trouble with travelling too far and being forced to stop,

this time it ended up at the at the top of

the first one and ended up resulting in a bit of a sharp corner,

then i had a bit of a problem with speed and stitch length

this one was fun

my top loops were a little wonky, i think i need to retry this one

my lobster claws were pretty good

this is were i really lost it, i found it hard just randomly

throwing the different designs

together

okay so what i have learn't so far

i have to learn to stop, more frequently, i keep trying to push that little bit further

and it often resulted in my loops being mis - sharpened

i also need to work on my speed - movement

most of my stitches were pretty even which i was really happy with

but it is definitely something that can be improved

either way i think i am well on my way

stayed tune for the next instalment

"quilting in rows"

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

New BOM

2012-01-25T13:08:00.002+11:00

Okay i have done it only lasted . . . . .

23 days and have gone and signed myself up. . . . . .

~~(so much for thinking if i blogged it, i wouldn't do it)~~

for a BOM and swap

you see i wandered over to this blog and she had the most

gorgeous little stitchery

which makes the most gorgeous little Lavender bag

and i just couldn't stop myself.....

i mean i LOVE lavender and i LOVE all things french so. . .

that was it hooked

does anyone know if there is a program for

. . . . . . . . BOM anonymous. . . . . . .

my name is Patricia and i am an addict . . . . .

in all seriousness i am excited and am thrilled to be part of

willowberry designs

BOM

and look forward to showing you my Lavande bag soon

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

Holidays

2012-01-22T22:06:00.003+11:00

So for the past week and a half i have been holidaying at beautiful

Fingal Bay

i have heaps of photo's to show you so you best make a cuppa and sit down

okay this is what happens when i work out how to use

all the cool gadgets that my photoshop program has

i have worked out how to do panorama's

this photo was 5 separate photo's combined

pretty clever ...huh

i love the ocean and all the amazing patterns it create's

i can see a FMQ design here....somewhere

another gorgeous shot taken on my early morning walk

yep that's my shadow ..... bit curvy in spots but so am i

heheheh

and below is what is going to help me smooth out those curves

my new Bike, nope Santa didn't bring me a bike, i got this gorgeous gal

just before christmas

i have been hooning around everywhere all over the bay

on my pushy, i had forgotten just how much fun

riding a bike was

(mind you it is pretty flat around here and home has a lot more hills)

as a young girl i spent hours riding my bike

i am sure my mum actually thought

i was physically attached to it

ironically my first bike was green and so is this beauty

and just in case you all thought i had given up on sewing

and have been spending all my time on the beach with

my toes in the sand

ereader in my hands

i have proof

this gorgeous cross stitch is another of my tri centenury projects

(it will be finished sometime in the next three hundred years)

i leave this stitchery in the camping trailer

just in case

i run out of things to do

....... hold on i just fell over laughing .......

(i never have nothing to do)

but i do sometimes need a bit of a diversion

this is what it may look like one day......i nearly have the roof finished

this is what i took to the bay to work on

the area outlined in pink

is what i had done when i got here

all the rest has been completed here

during the afternoons chatting with

family and friends

hope you have all had a lovely christmas new year period

and that your hands are working on something that you love

Linsueray

is having a great little give away

so pop on over to her site

and have a look

i have been doing lot's of blog visiting the past few days

there are so many gorgeous BOM projects

happening at the moment

I hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao for now

A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND THAT . . . .

2012-01-08T22:39:00.001+11:00

The first week of the new year continues to be Almost as pleasant as the first day….well i did have to go to work at one point . . . but otherwise very nice…

. . . This . . .

Do you all remember my disastrous attempts at free motion quilting……well actually machine quilting at all??? My walking foot quilting leaves a lot to be desired last time I did it as well . . . . .

Well I have resolved that 2012 will be the year that all that will be a thing of the past

I am on a mission, a mission to learn how to free motion quilt (and get my walking foot quilting up to speed as well)

So I have joined

SewCalGal 's FMQ 2012 challenge

And Leah Day 's FMQ challenge and I have been reading and watching

EVERYTHING

I can find on line….i have even purchased a book or two to guide me as well .

These are some of the sites that I have found very interesting so far

this one was unreal had me dragging gadget to the wood section of Bunnings

have a look at this one, you will have to page down but wow what an inspration

Susan Brubaker - Knapp

Sew Cal and Leah both suggest that you practice your designs by sketching on paper until the design becomes second nature that way when you get to the machine you just need to co ordinate your hands and the speed of the machine, kep your stitch length even and do a pretty design . . . . . sounds easy doesn’t it . . . .

I KNOW it’s not but that’s okay I have 358 days to learn this . . . .and so as my very goods friends in blogging land you are going to have to hear all about it . . .

Now to the that…..

I have been doing more than reading on the net, working eating and sleeping I have evens queezed in a little sewing time

I have cut the pieces for the final five blocks for Durlindana

And I have been needle turn appliqueing (didn’t think that was a word but the computer said yes)

This is Miss S’s quilt and you will be seeing a lot of this as it is also my mission to get this quilt batted up ready for hand quilting by the end of the year

I also have this quilt to do some work on

And this quilt

some of the blocks from that quilt are still in their envelopes

check out the date

. . . . . 2009 . . . .

I am thinking by the time I get these tops all done I will be an excellent free Motion quilter and I will do fabulous quilting designs on all these quilts (getting a bit ahead of myself)

So as you can see I am going to be pretty busy…….

Best get off her and go do something productive……

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

Patricia

A great way to start the year . . .

2012-01-01T19:38:00.000+11:00

I have had a wonderful start to the new Year

if it's true that what you do on the first day of the new year you will do through out the year

2012 will be a wonderful year

we spent the early hours of the morning celebrating the new year in the company of our

good friends and their family

then i did some sewing on the sewing machine

it's the first time in quite a while i have made the time to do some machine work

and it felt soooo good

i think i need a sign for the machine that's say

"you know you want to, and you know you will really enjoy it"

any way, i did some work on "Durlindana"

previously i had planned to name this quilt Cappella

however have decided to name the quilt in honour of my late Nonna (grandmother) in law

Durlindana

i have also done some work on Miss S's quilt with the mission being that all the appliqué

be completed by the end of the year and the quilt be batted up

and ready for hand quilting in 2013

here you can see Miss S's quilt in my new sewing box that my mum

gave me for christmas, you can also see one of the fabulous bags that i received from

Annalise

this is my gorgeous new sewing box, when my mum gave it to me she said

"i thought you could use it for your jewellery "

i instantly thought

"i will be using it for my sewing"

these are my gorgeous gifts that i received in my SSCS swap

from Annalise

i just love the fabrics

so fresh and bright and so handy i have already put two of them to use

Annalise also gave me this beautiful thimble which is just fantastic as i love everything French

i have ever since i was a little girl

so i was very very excited to get this thimble

so now i have done all his sewing i am going to finish my day with a nice

cool cocktail

and a swim in my pool

hope your hands are working on something that you love

and i look forward to sharing my life with you all in 2012

Ciao

Patricia

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T15:10:00.000+11:00

Just wanted to pop in to wish all my Blog world friends

a very

Merry Christmas

and a wonderful

new year

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

Patricia

A very Norwegian Christmas

2011-12-07T20:06:00.000+11:00

Okay there is no snow in the Hunter Valley.....

...... might as well be as it is cold and miserable

but inside my place the festive season has taken hold and the house feels warm and inviting

i have hung and placed all the projects i have made for Christmas over the years

there is now 3 quilts, 4 stockings ( i need to make one for Cooper)

a banner, Christmas tree skirt and countless ornaments

this year however my tree has a distinct Norwegian feeling

the beautiful balls made just for me by

Anne Lise

These gorgeous mittens were made by my wonderful friend

Synnove

i might need to learn how to knit some little Norwegian stockings to make up the set

here's hoping that the silly season

has got you running around like a mad chook

and you have time to sit and stitch

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Patricia

Santa's sleigh has visited

2011-12-01T08:28:00.000+11:00

Santa's sleigh stopped by yesterday

and delivered this parcel from Paris

it was really exciting, and i am rally glad that i got to open one of my parcels

otherwise the suspense would have been murder

my ornaments are

Two gorgeous little Norwegian knitted Christmas baubles

i am so thrilled, one of my closest friends in Australia is Norwegian and over the last few years

she has knitted me several little Norwegian stockings and

now i have two baubles too...

my tree will have a very Norwegian theme this year

they are so gorgeous and so much work thank you so much

Annelise

i hope you and your family have a wonderful

Chrismas

and that Santa's sleigh is flying towards Paris with a gift for you soon

"hope your hands are working on something that you love"

Ciao

Patricia

gosh it's been a hectic fortnight

2011-11-28T21:01:00.001+11:00

Wow how the time flies by, i can't believe how long it's been since

i have had time to sit down

and write on my blog, for that fact to read your's

so i have a quick catch up for you, grab a cuppa this may take a while

before we sailed out Gadget and i had a few days in Sydney

being the snap happy photographer i am, I had a ball in Sydney

. . . Sydney has got the festive spirit . . .

this pub was just up the road from where we were staying, it was incredibly busy

EVERY day of the week

(oh yeh it was called the Three Monkeys)

we found this amazing hotel, it is Sydney's oldest licensed pub

and the longest running brewery in Sydney

now don't think we spent all our time drinking we also did all the touristy things

we headed out onto the harbour

it was an amazing day for photo's and Gadget laughed at me as i frantically snapped away

on my previous post i mentioned we sailed out on the friday morning for a three day cruise

with our Coite friends

well the cruise was amazing,

i would love to say it was relaxing, but we stayed up laughing and chatting
and drinking some yummy cocktails
most nights and we were up early with things to do most days
so i was pretty tired in the end

we sailed back into Sydney in the wee early hours, so we got to

see the sun break over Sydney .....

it was amazing these are just a few of the hundreds of shots i took

unfortunately once we were back home we discovered that a great sadness was about to fall upon us
as we had to say farewell to gadget's gorgeous Nonna

so as you can see it has been a bit of a whirlwind fortnight

have i been sewing ...... yes but shhhh it's a secret

i posted my first ever SSCS last friday
and i have a feeling that the mailbox is going to be my favourite hang out in the weeks to come

and today i posted these gorgeous fabrics to Victoria
for a fun rainbow charm swap

well i guess that pretty much catches you all up

back soon with some sewing to show you

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

Patricia

About to set sail

2011-11-18T11:22:00.002+11:00

We are about to head off for a mini break, with the Coite gang, this time we have left the 4wd s and camping gear behind, we are sailing out on the pacific sun

Usually we all go out for abchristmas dinner together, but decided to do something different this year.

Not sure where we will be able to put the campfire

So many photo's to show u when we get back

Ciao

Hope your hands are working on something that you love

Patricia

English paper peicing

2011-11-06T16:28:00.000+11:00

a while back i posted about my very exciting delivery from Kerry at cottage on the hill

at that time they were just papers and material

now i can show you a little bit of what i have

been up to

i had all these pieces cut and glued ready to take to

New Zealand

thinking that when i had time i would work on them

i really did nt get much of an opportunity

i was far too busy socialising

but since returning home i have managed to get these all put together

(may have had something to do with all the time i have spent catching up on my TV shows)

anyway it is lovely to finally have some sewing to show you all

(all the secret stitching makes it difficult

for sharing)

i might be a bit slow reading all my favourite blogs for the next few days

as i am about to start the dreaded night duty

but will try to keep up

hope your all working on something you love

(or on something that someone else is going to love)

ciao

New Zealand

2011-11-01T21:13:00.000+11:00

Last week on a cold wet rainy Australian day i boarded a plane

bound for New Zealand for a work conference

i was accompanied by six of my work collegues

i spent most of the five days we were in New Zealand inside their beautiful Aotea Centre

listening to speakers from all over the world,

i was fortunate however to have the opportunity to see

a little of Auckland and Devonport

This is the view of Auckland looking back from Devonport

The beautiful Waitemata Harbour

hope you have all been happy and healthy whilst i have been away

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

New Zealand Bound

2011-10-25T09:35:00.001+11:00

Well the bags are packed

tah dah . . . . . all finished thanks to my Friday night sew in

2011-10-24T20:50:00.000+11:00

My Tis the season stitch a long quilt

all finished

i snuggled up on my lounge, my dear hubby popped the rugby on the television

and i stitched and stitched until my little fingers were all sore and crampy

(not really)

Tis the season with Newcastle beach in the background

on the safety rail with the ocean off the coast of Newcastle in the

background

i am so thrilled with it now and feel such a

sense of achievement

my first quilt sew in conjunction with

all my new blogger friends

and only 24 days late . . .

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

Friday Stitch in

2011-10-21T07:21:00.000+11:00

I have been planning on Joining in on this little activity for ages, and tonight have finally got organised. Friday and thursdays always seem to be a stitching night for me, so really this just makes it nicer knowing that there are 151 of us all stitching together, from all over the world......

. . . and tonight i am number 151 . . . .

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

a quilting lesson

2011-10-18T21:09:00.000+11:00

Now if you have connected with my blog in the hope of learning stuff

your in the right place but it may not be what your think you are going to learn

a couple of weeks ago i put my TTS quilt together

i was kind of rushing i had the deadline and lot's was happening on the home front so i rushed a bit

anyway i layed it out and pined it

as i was pin ning it i had in my mind

how i was going to quilt it

so i pinned it accordingly

unfortunately i under pinned it and about three quaters through the quilting

of the inside blocks i hit disaster....

the backing fabric had gone squew wiff

it was puckered and messy, so whats a gal to do......

find a comfy position out in the sun and unpick

(sadly as a not very good blogger i didn't

take a photo of the mess, i wasn't planning

on telling all of you how much of a bodge i am)

anyway the quilt was layed out on the floor re.taped and this time i hand tacked it

two reasons

1. i had a design for the borders that required me to use iron on tear away....it is easier to iron on when there are no pins

2. that sucker of a backing fabric was not moving one inch, if i had anything to do with it

(and it didn't)

unfortunately i hadn't done machine quilting for ages and my experience is not great

so i forgot to release the pressure on the foot

can you see how the fabric pulls slightly one way, then goes the other

Lesson 1..when you are using a walking foot reduce the pressure on your foot

the tension could have been a little tighter too,

now for the dreaded and scary free motion quilting

it's a little wonky but hey it has character

a close up of the free motion

lesson 2.. when free motion quilting tighten up the tension

Lesson 3.. see the little knots well the lady at my local machine shop was telling me that

when you are free motion quilting your feet should be tango ing whilst your hands are waltzing

i am not sure what my hands were doing....i think they were dancing on the inside

conclusion i am thinking that i need some lessons in machine quilting

now i am making this quilt sound like it is a disaster,

really it's not, from a meter away you can't notice any of the faults

and on the front she looks really very good

so i guess know there is a decision in order

the perfectionist in me says unpick it and do it again

the student in me says leave it , it is a lesson

to remember before starting quilting

get the little book out that you dutifully wrote notes in (about two years ago)

and read over the notes then you will remember about the pressure foot, and the tension

the tangoing and the waltzing will come with some practice

who would you listen to

the perfectionist

the student?

Ciao

Whats in a name?

2011-10-10T20:32:00.000+11:00

Lots of my bloggy friends have been telling their story of how they got their name

this was all started by a curious little blogger called

Dawn

so i thought i should tell my story as well

so i was a lurker just like Cardygirl, there were several blogs that i particularly liked to lurk at, Leanne Beasley's, Cinderberry stitches and one of my particular favourites was

Chookyblue

actually it was on Chooky's site that i first heard about

Girls day in the country (GDITC)

i also really loved visiting a blog called

Tongue in cheek

so at my second trip to nundle for GDITC i found myself sharing a table with

Kerry and Shiralee stitches

we were all chatting away when i leaned over and said to

Kerry who's Chookyblue ?.... she laughed and pointed out Chooky

just like Cardy girl i was like a teenager who just discovered that her pop gods were in front of her

(for me it was Duran Duran....aghhh i am showing my age)

Kerry introduced us

and Chooky spent the remainder of the weekend convincing me i should start a

blog, i have to admit i had already been thinking about it

So the name.....well i always seem to have

too many things going on

too many hats to wear

too many eggs in my basket

Hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

Lately in the mail

2011-10-06T11:22:00.000+11:00

I have been receiving some nice little goodies from my friendly postman recently

i signed up for the Sue Daley

"this goes with that"

BOM

from Kerry at

cottage on the hill

the package is fantastic, i received the first two months

as i signed up a little late

i received lots of papers

thread, needles

and all these super yummy fabrics

i am trying really hard to resist the temptation

of playing with these

(okay , okay i admit it, i have made one already)

i have a few deadlines which i really need to focus on

the least of which is my

Tis the season, stitch a long

which is now 6 days late

but thankfully it is all batted up and the label is on

so i am hoping to start quilting tonight . . . .

i also received this very intriguing book

which explores the idea that quilts were used as signals

in the

underground railway during

the American civil war

i love the history of quilts and am really interested in getting into this book

other than this not much happening down here

excepts lots of spring cleaning

mainly in my backyard

my pool now looks fit to swim in and most of the weeds in

the garden beds have been

banished

hope your hands have been working on something that you love

Ciao

camping and secrets

2011-09-28T21:33:00.000+10:00

So finally after quite a few months we finally had the opportunity to hook the

the trailer up and head off for a quiet weekend

it all started off beautifully with a perfect sunny friday

this beautiful day culminated in this beautiful sunset

and of course as night fell the fire crackled away

and the wine and beer flowed

as the sun rose the next day i had plenty of time to work on some secret projects

these are just a few shots of some pressies that i have been working on for some very special people in my life, both of these projects are almost finished, so i am feeling very content with myself

As the sun started heading down on what was a wonderful stitching day, you can see the clouds had started to gather and as we headed off to bed we could hear the pat pat of rain drops on our roof

i was woken in the very early hours to the sounds of a very loud thunder storm

i guess the fact that there was really just a mere few millimeters of heavy duty canvas between me and the thundering skies made me feel more than a little nervous

when we stepped our of the trailer in the morning we found that we had about an inch of water over our outdoor matting and asa we packed up to head own the skies were kind and decided to stop dumping water on us.

so although it ended in a bit of moisture

overall it was a wonderful relaxing weekend

Ciao

Patricia

PHD's complete

2011-09-16T18:51:00.000+10:00

well i did it , i have completed all my projects, actually i pretty much had them finished last friday, as i was stitching the sleeves in my jumper as i chatted to chookyblue and watching fairy girl and her friends

previously in the PHD update i showed you that i had my Tis the season block stitched and showed you that all my borders were on, actually in my Thursday night stitch a thon you can see that all my TTS blocks were joined together.

and last night i added the final borders....taa daa..... definitely not my usual Christmas colours, i am usually very traditional red, gold and green, but i think it came out really nice

For my birthday this year Gadget and the girls bought me an Ereader from Sony

an Ereader is an electronic device that you can purchase and download books on

this is extremely handy for me as i love to read, and when we head off camping, i can take three or four books (actually according to Sony it can store 1200 books) and it is only the size of a small note book

so of course being me i decided that it needed a cover to protect it, i dragged out some of the gorgeous Cambodian silk that i purchased last year.

my brain ticked alot trying to come up with a design as to how to make it , in the end i decided a envelope style case would be great.

the finished product,

the first photo shows the true colour of the silk, all in all i am very happy with it

and last but definitely not least

my jumper

it is very baggy, which i love and is made from alpaca wool,

i purchased the wool from Bendigo wool mills back in 2008

i like the simple style of this jumper, i think it will be very ward and snuggly

around the campfire at night

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Ciao

Patricia

the Wonderful Whirlwinds

2011-09-13T18:48:00.000+10:00

Last Saturday Miss S's netball team won their grandfinal by 1 point

it was a fabulous game, with both teams fighting hard for the title of winner

Miss S has worked hard through out the season, as has the other girls and this was a well earned victory

the other team had beaten us in every previous match, so we went in thinking it would be a hard game for the girls

I am very proud of my daughter and her netball team, and thouroughly enjoyed the game

hope your hands are working on something you love

Ciao

Patricia

Thursday night stitch-a-thon

2011-09-10T08:04:00.001+10:00

As most of you know i work shift work, with my days all higgildy piggildy all over the place, lately however i
have had every thursday and friday off, and i seem to have gotten myself into a pattern with the housework ect..., anyway with Gadget and the girls at work / school i got up early and got stuck into the house work

By midday i was pretty happy with what i had done and decided that a mini break was in order and set to work cutting some fabric for some projects new and old. then set back to work again, by three pm i was at the sewing machine and i was on a mission to get some serious sewing done

my plan was

put the first border on my Tis the season quilt.
start putting together the patchwork for the sewing bag in Anni Downs latest book, some kind of wonderful
and to make a camera strap cover.

with gadget out for the night and Miss M at work , it was just me and Miss S.
Miss S made dinner for us so i was free to sew

this is the patchwork all laid out , the small four patch blocks are all sewn together

with the cotton for the stitchery laid out on top
(I am hoping you will more of this soon)

The camera strap cover

I was on Allie's blog and she had put up a heap of links to other blogs that were giving patterns / instructions for all these nifty and cute projects, the moment i laid eyes on the camera strap cover i was
hooked
you will find the instructions here at Fabric Family fun for the strap cover

I love the bright colors, i had picked up a Ruby (by Moda) charm pack a few weeks ago

(i don't think that gadget (DH) shared my enthusiasm, and i have a feeling he won't be borrowing the camera very often....lol)

and finally the first border going onto my Tis the Season

now i just have to wait for the second border fabric to arrive

That's it for me

hope your hands are working on something that you love

CIAO

Patricia

La Dolce Vita

2011-09-05T20:38:00.000+10:00

There are times in you life when everything just seems to fall into a happy hum. Last friday i was fortunate to have arranged to meet up with Cardy Girl for lunch, it took me just over an hour to get to the patchwork shop we had arranged to meet at.

on the way up, i had a smooth run and was bopping along in my Little Corolla, Katy Scarlett (yep she's red) listening to (singing at full volume) to the Beatles, just can't do a road trip without good music. I arrived safely just before Cardy and her friend Lea and was still humming (on the inside) whilst we wandered around the shop, and what a great shop it was, heaps of really nice fabrics and some really nice quilt kits. so if your passing through Singleton it is definitely worth popping into busyneedles .

the view into the cafe

after gathering our little bundles of purchases (some of us had bigger bundles than others) We wandered down to worn out wares, a lovely little cafe with lot's of really lovely bits and peices for sale.....

now to make you drool........

Cardy Girl and Lea enjoyed these very yummy looking pumpkin stacks

i had this very tasty, smoked salmon open sandwich

and this very interesting cup of tea

like the good girls we are we sacrificed the dessert menu to go shopping instead

all that walking, looking is great for the waist line

then after a little bit slower trip home (still singing might i add)

i headed on over to my friends Sticky's for a BBQ

and then we headed off to watch

our Mighty Knights

defeat the Rabbitoh's

all in all a really great day.....

hope your hands are working on a project you love

Ciao

Patricia

Spring

2011-09-01T12:11:00.000+10:00

All nature in Australia thrills

responsive to the rain,

and sudden verdure clothes the hills,

and glorifies the plain.

Yet all old England's simple tree's

to their old season's cling,

and scatter Autumns fading leaves

upon the lap of spring

Catherine Helen Spence 1905

My chinese tallowood is awakening from it's winter slumber

Early this year my very good friend 's (Sticky) parents unfortunately had to sell up their

property to move to something smaller and more manageable

Stick's mum is a wonderful gardener and had many wonderful orchids

she offered some to me....

very brave , because gardening is not one of my skills

she showed me how to re-pot them , as most were pot bound,

and i returned home to go to work

about a month ago i walked past my Orchid farm

and noticed that three of the ten

had flower buds

i check my little babies almost every day, waiting with baited breath to see

my first ever home grown orchid

hope it is a wonderful first day of spring

wherever you are in Australia

and New Zealand

(is it the first day of spring for you New Zealand?)

Patricia

PHD update

2011-08-28T21:02:00.000+10:00

so i have been a pretty poor blogger of late, but i have a good reason

i have been stitching.....trying to meet my PHD deadline so.....

with 18 days to go i am thrilled to say i have made real progress

i was a little worried though

i pinned my already bordered blocks up on my design wall

( a already completed quilt, hung back to front)

and decided that the red i had used it my blocks was to dominant and was

detracting from the stitching

so i unpicked the blocks and re created them

then i finished the blocks that were yet to get their borders

and not only have i finished the first of my goals

but i am very close to finishing the second and third

the stitchery is all but done and will only need one good night of stitching

My Knitting is also progressing very well and i hope to be posting here soon about another completed project

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Patricia

30 days to finish my PHD

2011-08-16T20:32:00.000+10:00

Wow i don't know what 's been happening in my life, but all i seem to have done lately is work, eat and sleep. I often look at my sewing machine which has several projects there ready to go some only requiring 10 or 20 mins of stitching to complete but somehow i just haven't felt motivated.

So i thought what better way to amp up the motivation then to set a goal

so this is it 30 days to complete some
Projects half done (PHD)

this list is as follows

complete my last stitchery for the stitch a long

put all the borders on all the stitcheries already completed and the one yet to be finished

finish my ereader cover

and finally to finish my jumper, which i started before Easter

so by the 15th of September 2011, i hope to have all these projects completed

as if setting this Goal wasn't enough of a push out of my self imposed hibernation

i have also got myself up and back to the gym

i joined up about 8 months ago and was going several times a week

but then got a bit ill

and decided to rest my body for a while

unfortunately that rest lasted 3months

so this week i am back at the gym and my ultimate aim is

just to be a lot fitter, but

losing 10 kilo's would be great as well

anyway glad that i have broken out of my hibernation state

and am back online

hope your hands are working on a project that you love

Ciao

Patricia

Winnetta's story

2011-07-29T12:52:00.000+10:00

Winnetta is my antique sewing machine.

Winnetta came into our household around 2001 – 2002, Gadget and i were shopping at Morpeth. We came across a quaint little antique shop, at the very back of the shop hidden beneath many bibs and bobs were two treadle sewing machines, Winnetta was the most expensive of the two and instantly captured my heart, we talked about the machine with the owner of the shop, she claimed the machine was in good working order, she also identified that it had only just arrived and she had yet to get it serviced, she then offered a $50 drop in price due to it’s need for a service. We smiled sweetly and said we would think about it and headed off for coffee, i felt that was the last i would see the machine. After about 15mins Gadget, said so . . . . . do you want the machine?

I replied with something similar to is the Pope catholic?

So with my feet dancing we wandered back, the shop owner was happily surprised, Gadget was reserved and ask that she bring the machine out so we could see if it worked, she re arranged the shop and brought her out, she did indeed seem to work, but would need a new belt, gadget inspected the machine (as if he knew what to look for) the shop owner then identified that she believed the machine had it’s shuttle when it was purchased, she know however was unable to find it, she dropped the price a further $50, the deal was set and my father in law was sent up with a trailer to bring her home.

When i was cleaning up the machine i discovered in the cabinet, where the machine folded down into, not only the shuttle but also the original instruction manual. Unfortunately the manual had no cover so other than that she was American i had no idea of her heritage.

Winnetta sews beautifuly and the hum of the treadle is magic, one day in the near future it is my plan to make a quilt top excusively using Winnetta

To be continued

Ciao

Patricia

Norway

2011-07-25T21:06:00.000+10:00

My thoughts and prayers go out to all my Norwegian friends

( inspired by a similar post on allie-oops sweet happy life)

Christmas in July with the Coites

2011-07-22T18:59:00.000+10:00

Late last week, we removed the cover from the trailer, freshened up the sheets, packed the quilts and the winter woolies and headed off to spend Christmas in July with our Coite family.

the trailers were lined up neatly and we got down to work, the shed was cleared and and the tables set

The young ones decorated the tree

they got a little excited and Miss S got a little wrapped up

in the afternoon it was time for a little fun the boys, wacked a ball around

I did some much needed catch up work on my Tis the season that was until

i was surprised with a cake for my birthday

this little guy was pretty keen, luckily he didn't eat much

the leprechaun is a frequent visitor on the Coite's weekends away, he gets up to lots of mischief and turns up in the strangest of place's

as the sun went down it was back to work

the girls were on spud peeling duty

the guys were on coal making duty

finally the ovens went on

here i must confess that my blogger duties went bad and i tucked the camera into bed

the meal was fabulous, with an assortment of roast meats

roast pumpkin, potatoes and sweet potato,

corn and peas and beans

there was pudding and trifle for dessert and of course cake as well

we also had a duo singing for us and we danced to the wee small hours

all in all another great Coite weekend

Thanks to our fabulous hosts, the cousins of Itchy and Hairy Coite and also

to grandma and grandpa Itchy Coite

thought i would show you my bench top cover i made, i purchased these gorgeous tea towels from Nundle earlier this year for the trailer, but decided that they were much to nice to get all stained and dirty, so i measured up the bench and Voila, it brightens up the trailer no end

ohhh well . . . . . guess i will Nundle HAVE to go to Nundle again to buy some more tea towels

the end of an era

2011-07-13T11:58:00.000+10:00

Is was back in 2001 when i entered a book shop in Bathurst NSW to purchase a book to read to my seven year old daughter. I had heard alot about this book and thought it would be perfect to cosy up with her and read in the late afternoon's on our holiday which has just begun . . . . .

we were in Bathurst to celebrate Gadget's graduation, after the graduation we headed off to Sydney.

this is the actual book we purchased in Bathurst

we sailed out of Sydney Harbour in the late afternoon on the cruise ship "pacific sky", the next day we turned the first page and entered the world of Harry, Ron and Hermoine . . . . .

Miss M reminded me that as i pulled her up onto my lap, i told her "we were going to read a story about a boy named Harry and that Harry was a special boy because he was a Wizard . . . ."

throughout the years Harry, Ron and Hermoine have remained a constant in our lives.

By our holiday in Thailand in 2005, Miss M was hooked and drove us to insanity until we purchased the "Half blood prince", the book had been released the day before, she had been counting down the days . . . . and we had to scour the bookshops in Bangkok to find a English version.

she devoured the book in 36 hours with me saying slow down you will have nothing to read on the plane home . . . . She finished the book not long after the plane took off and i spent the remaining hours, reading about Harry as we winged our way back home.

We have seen all the movies together and have read every book soon after it's release .. . . Miss S soon caught up with us and also became a Potter fan.

this morning at three minutes after midninght Miss M, Miss S and i sat down to watch the final episode in the Harry Potter series. We were surrounded by Harry, Ron, Luna, Dumbledore, Draco and Hermoine look alikes, there was even a couple whom had dressed up as the cupboard under the stairs.

as we watched the movie i could here the faint sobs from my girls as characters they had grown to love, lost their lives. I could hear the cheers as the hero's came through and saved the day . . . .

despite the early hour it was great and i came home tired but exhilarated.

as i drove Miss S to work this morning i mulled over, the Harry years , and thought about the gift i had given my girls, probably the greatest of gifts you can give anyone . . . .

the gift of reading and the gift of imagination . . . . .

i know that in our household Harry, Ron and Hermoine will live on . . . . . forever . . . . . and i am now thinking about how much fun it will be to one day, in the hopefully distant future, to share the same gift with my grandchildren . . .

Hope your hands are busy working on a project that you love

Ciao

Patricia

The workshop

2011-07-09T13:48:00.000+10:00

I can't beleive it has been a week since i last posted on here. It has been a really busy week, with alot happening, but then school holidays is always a busy time. as most of you know last saturday i started my workshop with Lyn Hewitt. the workshop was a two day workshop and it was near to home, so i came home excited and babbling but tired on both evenings.

This is Lynn and one of her beautiful examples of how she has made many quilts out of the

"winding ways" block

Lyn arrived with four or five examples of how she had put this block within a quilt and each was individual and beautiful in it's own way. Lynn was previously the president of the NSW quilters guild and travels all over Australia judging quilting competitions and doing workshops.

This one is named red moon rising, i think the use of the red in this black and white quilt is fantastic and had everyone a little intrigued and inspired.

Lynn was a fabulous educator and had us all chuckling at our machines as she told us jokes and stories of her experiences. she also had us all in awe as she explained her many trips overseas, particularly to Japan. She cracked the whip a fair bit and had us all hard at it. She also spent plenty of time cutting blocks for each of us as we slaved away at our machines and spent plenty of time with each of us getting to know us. I was very fortunate to be loaned this Matilda's own turntable cutting mat, thanks to my fabulous local quilts shop owner Cath. It made cutting around the round templates much easier.

By the end of the first day i went home with these five blocks almost completed, sorry the colour is a bit off the lighting in the room was difficult.

And by the end of the second day i came home with these four blocks, and as you can see i am having a go at my own variation of Lynn's red moon rising . . . . . myn is in blue therefore this quilt has named itself already and will be

Blue Moon

In the afternoon of the last day Lynn spent some time with us teaching us some other techniques. We were taught a really nifty technique, how to create a really cute little quater inch border and Lynn spent sometime showing us the correct method of applying binding, she explained that many times, poor binding techniques has resulted in really lovely quilts losing a position in quilts competitions.

Anyway best be off here i need to go to work to fund my hobby. . . . . . .

hope you all have a great weekend

catch you all soon

Ciao

Patricia

Learning

2011-07-02T07:44:00.001+10:00

Abraham Lincoln has been quoted as saying that he doesn't "think much of a man whom is not wiser today than he was yesterday" and Harry S Truman was quoted as saying "that it is what you learn after you know it all that truly matters".

I have to say i really do like learning, whilst university was very stressful, and often very intrusive on our family life, it has now paid dividends not only financially but also on a more personal level. it changed forever how i perceive myself and i feel i am now a stronger more confident person. Anyway enough belly button gazing and onto what i am trying to tell you all.....

Today i am taking these fabrics, my trusty sewing machine, cutting mat. . . . . . .ect ect ect. . . .

and i am doing a Lynn Hewitt workshop

with the Novocastrian Quilters Guild . . . . .

i am going to make

this quilt

. . . . . . I am a little bit excited . . . .

hope to have some pictures of the workshop for you

if Lynn and the other ladies don't mind

Ciao for now

Patricia

My basket is overflowing again

2011-06-29T22:10:00.000+10:00

i have been working very hard lately

trying to clear my basket

and in one day

i managed to fill it to overflowing again

not that i am complaining i had fun

i discovered this super cute brooch at one of the first stalls

i seriously looked at

they were selling the kimonos attached to a card to give away

but down below i discovered this little kit

and now i have the pattern i can make lot's of these

they were also selling these super cute earrings

i just had to have them

they have Miss S inspired and i think making these little cuties

could be her next entrepreneurial challenge

In keeping with the japanese theme

i bought this Sashiko Kit

always been interested in having a go

I also bought this super cute little Rotary cutter

i needed it for a upcoming workshop

and of course i absolutely couldn't refuse the deal the

on the rotary cutter blades

Of course there was absolutely no chance i would leave the craft fair

without Anni 's newest book

the biggest decision is what to make first

i just couldn't resist

this pattern for these super cute turtle doves

So with Cappella, Miss S's Quilt, my stitch -a - long

my jumper, gadget's quilt and i still have my projects from

nundle to complete

I think i better be spending less time on here and more at the

Machine

. . . . LOL . . . .

anyway enough for now

hope you are all happy and healthy

Ciao

Patricia

craft and quilt fair 2011

2011-06-27T08:59:00.001+10:00

In the wee early hours of the morning

when most normal people

are curled up in their beds

and the sun was still nowhere to be seen

sticky (my camping buddy) and i

hopped the train to Sydney

destination

after about two and a half hours of non stop chatting

(seriously we spend sooo much time together i don't know how

we can still manage to chat non-stop for two and a half hours)

we arrived at central station

to a beautiful sunny winters day

after a short trip on the rail link tram we arrived

at nine it looked like this by mid morning most booths were

two or three deep

(point to remember hit the booths you are most interested in early)

after two hours Sticky heard the forewarned lament

owww i want to come back tomorrow, not enough time

at 11:30 i caught up with this scraggly group of bloggers

left to right back row ( the wicked ones...lol )

Shrialee stitches , Riley's Ramblings , heavens to bettsy ,

This old aunt's quilts , On my Verandah

left to right front row ( the teachers pets...)

Time to stitch , ME , and Chooky

it was so good to catch up with the girls in real life,

after having a rummage through each others bags, and a bit of a yak

Sticky and i dashed off

( we only had a five hours to go and we had only

finished the first two isles)

we definetly need more time here . . .

i had a good look at the art you wear exhibit, Sticky had found another

card making stall . . . .

this gorgeous dress was made by

Svenja in queensland and was called Siren of the sea

around two thirty we had finished every isle, and with encouragement

Sticky wandered off to a workshop..

i wandered off ready for a second look at some of the stalls

when i was discovered by

. . . . . Chooky . . . .

with very little encouragement i was persuaded to see the quilt display

and discovered that Chooky and i have very similar taste in quilts

This one had us Ohh ing and ahhing

unfortunately unlike my very experienced blogging friend

i didn't take a picture of the tag, so i can't tell you whom worked her

fingers to the bone to create this beauty

at quater to five with aching feet and heavy bags...

sticky and i emerged from the exhibition centre to see the sun going down over to Sydney

we had to make a mad dash for the tram, as we though our train was leaving imminently

but managed to arrive with plenty of time

( i think sticky's watch was fast, and i didn't look at myn)

on the trip home we rummaged through our bags like

two kids with their show bags, showing each other our purchases

. . . . Card makers have ALOT of gadgets . . . .

So you want to know what what we bought . . . .

Well sticky got a mountain of stuff . . .

Me . . .

well i think you will have to wait till next blog post

until then

Ciao

playing with photoshop

2011-06-22T10:12:00.003+10:00

I have just finished another set of nights, and again feel that i am emerging

from my sleepy cocoon. During a run of nights i usually just muck around with

whatever i can find that doesn't require a long attention span

and provides some instant gratification
yesterday i was sleepy the bed was warm the cup of tea sweet and
my lap top close at hand

i discovered

Kim Klassen cafe

Kim's blog is centered around her photography and the use of

textures as an overlay

to make the photo's more interesting / arty

appealing

personally i think her photo's are great anyway but texturising them is amazing

so this is what i learn't in about 30 mins yesterday

this is the original image taken by Kim Klassen

pretty nice shot (looks a bit like my bedside table)

this is what the photo looked like after a bit of playing with photoshop

and Kim's

stained music paper and stained paper

texture's

the same image using

the peeling paint and cinnamon texture's

my photo taken on a Coite's weekend

cropped

. . . . Texturised . . . .

just a bit of fun for a cold winters day when you just feel too tired to do the chores

think you may be seeing more texturised images

OOhhh I could re - do the header AGAIN . . .

~~better get back to the sewing machine . . .~~

oops i mean back to the chores . . . of course . . . . LOL

what do you like to do on a cold winters day?

CIAO

cappella

2011-06-16T21:19:00.000+10:00

I ve been busy

sewing corners onto rectangles

sewing edges onto squares

making lots of peices

to create the blocks for

"Cappella"

so far i have made the peices for 12

of the blocks of the 25 needed

for me this is pretty good,

i don't get alot of time at the machine

or with needle and thread

"Capella"

is my work in progress

( one of many)

and i am enjoying the process

Miss M and i played with the blocks last night

and selected the combinations for the first

12 blocks

Miss M is enthralled and has decided that the new quilt would look great in her room

the name "Cappella" is Italian and means chapel

the fabric range is called

"luna notte" by three sisters and means

night moon in Italian

my MIL is Italian so in tribute to her and the range name i have gone with

an Italian name

this quilt has gained it's name as the design

results in many crosses, both colored and in cream

the blocks are set onpoint so the crosses are distinct

and i plan to quilt the crosses

to highlight them

i have been working on my stitch along as well

and hope to post some pics of it soon

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Patricia

Merriwa - and the running of the sheep

2011-06-11T20:41:00.000+10:00

Miss M is on her L's and we are trying to get her hours up

one hundred and twenty hours is a lot of hours

so Today i decided to take her to Merriwa for the running of the sheep

from Newcastle at the speed limit an easy five hours for me for her with her

80 km/hr speed limit nearly six hours

I had first heard about the Merriwa festival of the fleece

about two years ago and have been keen to see the running of the sheep ever since

apparently the tradition of the red socks started in 1994

the tradition was inspired by a similar event in Montana USA

I think they look really cute but the socks look a little more

like leg warmers than socks

the little human lambs were pretty cute as well

i found this lovely lady hidden away in one of the community halls

her spinning was so fine and so even it was gorgeous,

there were some truely lovely

hand spun, hand knitted garments for sale

this very clever guy was exhibiting his skills in whip cracking

here the whip is going right down under his feet

hope chooky hasn't been taking lessons from him

there were street stalls selling all sorts of goodies and

a quilt exhibition in the community hall,

working sheep dog exhibitions and shearing

Miss M and i had a really great day, a lovely lunch at the RSL

and a pretty nice drive up and back.

i must say though it is pretty hard watching your nervous child

doing the speed limit

and other vehicles go screaming past her . . . . . overtaking

hope you all have a really lovely long weekend

i hope to get some good quality time sewing time

i hope your hands are busy working on a project you love

Patricia

Up to date and a New project or was it a work in progress???

2011-05-30T20:22:00.000+10:00

Well i finally did it i got myself up to date with my Stitch a long, as many of you will remember i started about six weeks after the official start date...... but with 48 hours to spare, thanks to night duty i have caught up with all of the stitch a long blocks up to May completed.....

. . . seven of seven. . . .

The Itch got the better of me . . . i have a new project or technically since i have had the fabric since before Christmas it is a work in progress ( thanks for that suggestion Lyn . . . . . LOL)

and in typical me fashion is it a

table runner? No

is it a simple little bag? No

a pillow or a wall hanging No

it's a full size quilt yep that makes Four full size quilts in progress

This is the Fabric that caught my eye, i ended up purchasing $80 worth from the range

i have need to admit at this point it has been ages since i have done piecing (other than the stitch a long) and this is my first fully pieced, no applique at all quilt that i have made in ages . . . . .and i am really loving it. . . . .

it will also be fully machine quilted, so it should be finished in no time. . . . . . .lots and lots of laughter here

what the quilt should look like when it's finished

Now to come up with a name . . . .

oh i guess you guys don't know that about me but i name almost everything . . .

my car is Katie Scarlett (she is red, the girls came up with scarlet, gone with the wind . . . know where i am going?)

the house is Bramasole (Italian for to seek the sun. . . . . . from the movie under a Tuscan sun) Gadget's car is "the Prado" i know original Huh . . . it's a Prado, My old Car was Paris and the car before that Charlie and my first car was gem. all my quilts have names of course, it took ages to come up with a name for our dog and in the end Gadget seen a beer truck go past and suggested Cooper after the beer so my dog is named after a beer brand . . . .so i guess names are what i do . . . . just so you know i haven't named the kettle, toaster or dishwasher.

On the weekend Gadget (dh) was foolishly allowed to go to the camping show unchaperoned by myself, even worse he went with our camping buddies and his co-gadget fan (Burning Coite). He promised that there would be no purchases , so the deal was struck . . . . . whatever he spent at the camping show i would get to spend at the Craft show in Sydney . . . . well to cut a long story short i have $240 to spend . . . . . plus my own spending money i have saved . . . .I think the craft show is going to be great fun (rubbing hands together)

anyway i guess i am in a chatty mood tonight

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Catch you later

Patricia

airport entertainment

2011-05-26T17:36:00.000+10:00

On the weekend we travelled up to Brisbane to celebrate

Gadget's (d h) cousin

Leanne's

40th birthday

we had a great time catching up with

family some of whom

i hadn't seen since my wedding day

21 years ago

we were to return home on Sunday

our flight was to depart at

2:40pm

on arrival at the airport we discovered that the flight was

delayed until

3:50pm

our plane arrived at the airport at 3:50pm

needing to be dis-embarked, cleaned and so forth before we could board

hence we boarded some where around 4;20pm

and arrived home some time after six

so we are stuck in the airport

what to do???

i had a book i would have happily read

Gadget had his Iphone so he was busy

but Miss S didn't have anything to do, so what to do???

take one camera

and take photo's of
your shoes

we had visited a direct factory outlet

and Miss S purchased herself a pair of red Doc Martin Boots

i scored a new pair of converses

love the colour it's called

Lemonade

so may colours to choose from it was a hard choice

the architecture

they had these great metal butterflies,

which i sadly didn't notice till just prior to boarding and the

camera was packed away

the art work on the side of the Virgin planes

did you know each plane has a Australian town name or place

this one was . . . .Bondi Beach

have you every flown with Virgin?

what was the name of your plane?

and see if you can capture an image of the

smoke from the wheels of the a plane as it lands

(it took alot of landings and photo's to get this image)

i know you are probably thinking....why didn't you do some stitching

well some wally has decided that my teeny weeny little

embroidery scissors are a deadly weapon

(i did have one of those travel thread cutter thingies, but it has gone awol)

so my stitching was checked with the luggage

before i knew the flight was delayed

i must admit the photo shoot was entertaining

the sun going down from cloud level

photo taken by Miss S

hope your hands are working on something that you love

Patricia

Stitch-a-long

2011-05-24T16:24:00.000+10:00

Time is something i have long lamented

that i just don't have enough of

i know, i know....... this is a common complaint

but really where is the year going,

it feels like i was only packing up the Christmas decorations

yesterday,

i have sooo. . . . many projects in my basket

i had hoped this year would be the year to finish some projects

but it's not looking good

i think it was a month or more ago i retreived

Miss S' s quilt out to work on and i haven't

done a stitch . . . .

and the new project itch is starting

but i really really must

. . . . re . . si . . st . . . .

does it count as a new project if i bought the fabric before christmas?

anyway

......ENOUGH MOANING.....

(sorry common side effect, known commonly as night dutyitis)

i have had busy hands though trying to catch up with my

stitch a-long

you probably all remember i was a bit of a late starter

i have completed my

first March block for the stitch a long

my first May Block

my second March block

don't they look great

i must admit i am unsure how they will look altogether, the

fabric colours are way outside my square

but they are fun to stitch

. . . . i see red , i see red i seee red . . .

so that's a grand total of

five totally completed

one stitched

(the second March block)

and on the sewing table

and the last of the March blocks has been started

hope your hands are bust stitching something that you

love

Patricia

autumn days

2011-05-15T20:48:00.001+10:00

As summer into Autumn slips

and yet we sooner say

"the summer" than "the autumn" lest

we turn the sun away

Emily Dickinson

Well it's been a very busy week, since last we chatted

my mum was rushed to hospital, she has lung problems

and the change in weather causes her some problems

i have spent most of my days and some nights at her side

and i am thrilled to report she is feeling much better now

and is nearly ready to go home.

as i returned from work yesterday afternoon i slowed my pace enough to notice that

my Chinese tallow wood was trying to tell me

that Autumn is here

the woodpile in the garage tells me that the nights are getting cooler

and we are ready for winter

Chooky has been cracking the whip on all us

stitch-a-longers

the blocks above were completed when i was away at easter

i have already posted them on the stitch-a-long blog

but thought i should post them on here as well

this is my most recent stitch-a-long work, these three are currently on the sewing table

ready to have their borders attached

so that means that i have almost 5 blocks completed

i need 7 completed by the end of the

May

My hands have not been idle whilst sitting at mum's bedside

as it was often too dark, or i have been to busy chatting,

to work on my stitch - a - long

i have been working on my knitting

not a beanie or beret this time

but a long awaited jumper

for me

next time i will

fill you in on the jumpers story

until then i hope your hands are busy

working on a project you love

Patricia

a photographers eye

2011-05-10T20:05:00.000+10:00

Here is the disclaimer

i do not claim now or ever to be a great photographer

( i visit far too many photography blogs to make that claim)

i am just a woman with a great camera

a passion

and a little knowledge

anyway one of the things i love about camping

is that i slow down.....

and because i slow down i get the opportunity

look around and see

my world through the camera lens

with a photographers eye

the view we gaze at whilst sipping our breakfast cuppa

our first sunset

another sunset

The gloaming

you can't see it very well in this shot

but there were thousands of tiny moths, mites....bugs????

fluttering beneath the branchs of this tree

i don't know what they were but they were mesmerising to watch

okay i know it's a fence post

but i loved it's weathered beauty and colour

there is beauty in the simplest things

i couldn't resist having a go at this photography technique

and Sticky was a willing subject

the technique involves holding the shutter down

and using a torch to paint your subject

it's great fun

as Sticky was wearing muted colours

the golden light of the torch gave the image a very

vintage look

and of course when you spend alot of time

sitting by a fire there is always alot of fire shots

cooking and drying

can you see the fairies dancing

Hope where ever you are

your hands are working on the something that you love

Patricia

Happy Mothers day

2011-05-08T17:21:00.000+10:00

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.
~George Cooper

To all my blogging friends and to their mums

i hope you had a truly wonderful

Mothers day

Love

Patricia

Camping.........

2011-05-04T12:25:00.000+10:00

Sorry i have been a bit quiet but i have just completed a set of night duty shifts

and for me doing night shift is akin to being a bear
i tend to go into hibernation

i live in my PJ's for four days (well at home anyway) and tend to do very little

Coite's camping

2011-04-27T22:22:00.000+10:00

About 12 years ago two couples were laughing and chatting

and sharing a drink or two

they came up with the idea that they should take

their then young children

camping for Easter

they debated where they should go and ultimately decided to

place a map of NSW

on the garage wall and throw a dart

where ever it landed would be the place they would camp

over the years the group grew and grew as more friends joined the

Easter camp

somewhere along the line the group gave themselves a name

The Coite family. . . .

there is some uncertainty as to how the name came about

it is now campfire folklore

some think it has something to do with antics around the campfire

reminiscent of the Russell Coight show

others think it had something to do with some one having

an itchy Coite . . .

These are the first arrivals for Coite's easter 2011

I travelled up on Wednesday with our good friends

it was my first time towing the trailer

on gravel roads and I was more than

a little nervous, driving DH 's pride and Joy

but all went well and three Coite families were in residence by nightfall

by midday Thursday

my DH and girls had joined us and we were expecting another

family after lunch

By ten on Friday all but one Coite family had arrived and they were expected

at any time

Saturday and our family was complete

we welcomed another new family into the fold this year

which brought us to a total of 8 families this year

Our family joined the Coite family about 4 years ago

at that time they were still camping in the same place

they had first found with the dart

Sadly that place became too small for the expanding family

we were fortunate that one member of the family came across this great spot

and we have now had our second year at our new location

and we love it

To be continued . . . .

I have heaps more to share with you

about my camping weekend

until then

take care

Patricia

An oldie but a goodie

2011-04-19T20:57:00.000+10:00

I was over visiting linen and rasberry's blog

and she referred to a UFO that she had retreived

as an oldie but a goodie, and i thought to myself

i like that phrase so here it is

my own oldie but a goodie

This is little misses quilt

it was started about 2 1/2 years ago

it still has one more border to go

a border that has a spray of needle turn appliqué draped around the corner

This is not something that will be finished

by then end of the month

but maybe by the end of winter

( and i am only talking about the appliqué)

it may be possible

so i guess my goal is to have the borders on this quilt appliqué complete

by the end of spring

(yeah i know i just sneaked another 3 months in but

i do have my stitch a-long to do as well)

i will be having a little break from blogging over Easter

so i would just like to wish

all my new blogging friends

a very happy easter, may you be surrounded by those you love

and have a great project in your hands

Patricia

Dr Who, the football and a Mocha at my new favourite cafe

2011-04-18T22:48:00.001+10:00

Miss M LOVES Dr Who she also loves the Beatles,

she inherited her great taste from her mother

I can vividly recall many afternoons hiding out in my room, watching Dr Who doing battle

with the Daleks.....

although i have to say that Tom Baker is no where

near as attractive as

Matt Smith and David Tennant

anyway Little Miss knowing her sisters loves and having come across this

image of four of the doctors crossing the road

in Beatles Abbey rd style

spent many hours free hand drawing and then cutting a template

so that she could screen print the image

onto a pillow slip for her sister

she was a bit disappointed as the image smudged slightly

but honestly i think she did a great job

Ausgrid stadium the new revamped ~~Knights home grounds~~
Ausgrid Stadium

we spent a sunny Sunday afternoon, with our very good friends watching the

the Knights play Cronulla

at one point it looked like we had the game easy, but Cronulla didn't let the

score board stay like that and

staged a comeback, making it a very exciting game

Now i know you are probably thinking, Hmm football,

have i got the wrong blog ?

My husband loves his footy and long ago i decided that to

understand why he disappeared to the footy

,i needed to go along and see what the fuss was about

and now i really quite enjoy it

we always go as a family,

okay granted the girls have taken there ipods, nintendo's and books at times

and i have been known to take my knitting

but we cheer and shout along with all the other die hard supporters

oh and this weekend i tipped the perfect round......

this is what's left of a really yummy Mocha

little Miss and i headed off this morning to the local op shops

in search of items we need

for a fancy dress night we have coming up

Little miss was also looking for t shirts

she could use to screen print on

we decided we needed to recharge the batteries and headed into a nearby cafe

i ordered a skinny mocha

(now the logic here is that if i have skim milk i won't feel guilty about the chocolate syrup calories),

when it arrived i had a glass of coffee

and a chocolate stick which you stirred in the coffee until it melted

it was very yummy

and was balanced by a very healthy fruit salad

Miss M is on a promise to go for coffee very soon

Until next time

I hope your hands are working on something that you love

Patricia xxx

a sore tail and a new project

2011-04-15T17:58:00.000+10:00

Cooper has had a miss- hap,

we are not really sure what happened

but i did catch him tormenting our resident Blue tongue

but he also likes to bark at the dog next door,

and one of our fence paling's is down

so either way something got him and he has a nice chunk missing out of his tail

lucky mummy is a champion bandager

I purchased these about three weeks ago and have been anxiously waiting

for the arrival of the tis the season book

a close up of some of the fabrics

Cath, the owner of my favourite quilt shop was a little surprised

by my choice

i am usually not a brights kind of girl

and usually select country coloured fabrics

but i just loved these

ready to go . . . .

got the light box out

got my pigma pen ready

and the footy is on

hope your hands are making something you love

Patricia

Brambles beret and Gramma pie

2011-04-13T21:01:00.000+10:00

This is Miss M's hat

when i started little Misses hat, Miss M asked if she was getting one?

of course, what would you like .....?

"don't know".. . . . was the reply

so i visited my favourite free online knitting site,

knitting pattern central

and after opening many sites i found this

Beret

Miss M likes berets so the pattern was approved and i set to work,

this is not Miss M modelling the Beret,

(she avoids the camera as much as possible)

i think the beret came out really nice. . . .and i enjoyed the challenge of the cables

maybe i should look for one for me. . . .

do you remember this picture, and i challenged you to tell me

what it was well it is a

Gramma

i grew up around an area where pumpkins and Gramma's were a favoured crop

so Gramma pie's have been a staple in my household

since i was pretty young

this year for the first time i had a go at making it myself,

the recipe i made was pretty close to what my mum

has always made,

the pastry looked pretty rough

but the pie tasted great and was extremely popular,

both pies were gone within 3 days

(we shared them with our neighbours and friends)

i have lots more gramma, and a new recipe to try . . .

so i guess it is back to the kitchen

i decided to do some playing with some night photography,

a glow stick, a tripod and a camera, heaps of fun

i know it looks fuzzy but that's not because the camera moved

it 's the movement of the glowstick, i like the effect though

all you need is LOVE

i finished late this afternoon

and this is what i saw from the verandah

after seeing the beautiful sunset from Chooky's place

I thought i would share my sunset with you

hope you all are happy and healthy

and your hands are busy doing what you love

Patricia