A Weekend Away

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a sewing retreat with a lovely bunch of ladies. We headed off on Friday to a farmstay near Dungog in the Hunter Valley. First stop for me was the town's patchwork shop then lunch at the local pub before heading off the beaten track to Main Creek. The weather was hot, my car was telling me 44 deg when we left town, not the most perfect weather for stitching, but what a difference a day can make!
We settled in to our little house quite quickly, then off to the big farmhouse where the sewing room was set up......and blissfully air conditioned! Thus began an intensive three day sewathon and eatathon, with a lot of laughter thrown in!
As the weather turned stormy, rainy and cool, perfect for sewing, Cathie was the first to finish a quilt top......a lovely I spy quilt for a soon to be born grandson!



Debbie T. turned this.......


into this work of art, with still more to go.


Debbie C. finished this show stopper, one of the most intricate quilts I have ever seen in real life, done as only Debbie can do, perfectly!



While all this awesomeness was happening, I was beavering away at some blocks from the Amitie BOM that have been giving me grief.



and Tiffany was beavering away at some lovely star blocks to be made into a new quilt for her bed.



It is amazing that anything at all was achieved, because if we weren't fronting up to eat Marion's amazing lunches and dinners (and morning and afternoon teas), we were crying with laughter at each others stories. Tiff caused quite a hooha with stories of her younger and wilder days.
The buzz word for the weekend was awesome......and we all know who that is.....she who completed almost three quilt tops in the weekend, she who cooked for us, she who cleaned machines for those with fluffy bits, she who bought me a cup of tea in bed, she who always knew the best way to do things...



Cristie........Awesome.....LOL!
Thanks for a great weekend ,girls!
Happy Stitching!




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Stitching Soirée

One of the lovely things that I have managed to organise this year has been a casual sit and sew evening at my house each month. The boys disappear for the evening and the girls get to spend a whole evening doing what girls do best......talking and stitching.



No. 1 son calls us a "quilting coven". Is he implying we are all witches?
Last Wednesday saw Wendy working wonders with wool......


Sue was working on little sparkles of colour.........



Chris was whipping up wheels of reproduction sunbursts.......



And others just turned up for the tea and cakes......you know who you are!



My potholder quilt is growing. I had to do a few rows to see if it was going to work and I think it will be ok! It is super easy and not very challenging, but I think will look quite pretty as it grows.



Then there are these two girls, Googy and Cardy..........just needed to get your smiling faces in there.


Happy Stitching!


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The Quiet Time.....after!

Well the deed is done! Princess walked down the aisle with her Top Gear Dad. It was beautiful.....what else can a mother say.



We had a glorious afternoon and everything went according to plan. All the girls looked stunning. I only have a happy snap at this stage but you will get the idea.



Flowers were the focus of the venue decoration and they arrived by the bucket loads. My house is now filled with their fragrance. They are gorgeous!







It has suddenly gone quiet, after being busy making, making, making for the past several months. So what do you do in a quiet time.......mmmmmm, let me think......I know.......start a new project. My fat quarter win is becoming a pot holder quilt, of sorts. You might call it a quilt-as-you-go cathedral window quilt.




I will keep you posted.....more wedding photos to come!
Happy Stitching!

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A win, a lose and a sneak peek!

This week has seen anxiety levels on the rise. Princess's wedding is this Saturday, and although I know it's all organised and under control, I can't stop myself having little bouts of anxiety about things maybe forgotten or overlooked. For the most part, I am excited and looking forward to the day. It should be a pretty, romantic day for her......here is a sneak peek but don't tell her I posted this before the day!



We are hoping for beautiful weather but at the same time praying for rain. The second reason anxiety levels are on the rise are the bushfires raging quite close by. We live in a bushland block and on Thursday a fire started not too far from our house. It was out of control for many hours and with erratic winds was going in all directions. We were constantly vigilant for ash and embers coming our way.....it's still burning but under control. Here is a picture taken by our local newspaper. These firemen are standing on the walking track that is my daily walk!



Then finally, a nice surprise! I won a prize.......21 fat quarters and a pattern pack. Thank you Sue Daley designs....I am delighted.



Happy Stitching!

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One year on.........

Well, it has been a while, a year full of highs and lows. The lows have predominantly been associated with learning to care for very elderly parents, who have never really needed help but have now had one health tumble after another. All a part of life, I know, but a bit harder than I expected.
Best way to cope, count the highs! It has been a joy to watch our Princess prepare for her garden wedding due to take place in two weeks time. Her happiness bubbles out around her. Earlier this year, Revhead and her bought their first home and she promptly moved out of mine.....a high for her but a low for me. I missed her, until I realised she was home every second day. She does live very close by!!!
Another high was a great holiday in Vietnam, our second visit but still fun. I really loved our resort stay at the end......sunning, swimming, sleeping and reading.....bliss.




Another high each month is my Book Club......I arranged for all the pals I miss from work to join me in reading a book and meeting for lunch on a regular basis. We have a blast, not much intellectual analysis of the chosen tome is undertaken, but we never stop talking and all enjoy the eating!!
A surprising high has been a gym class undertaken several times a week. Who'd ya
thought!!!!! Nice people and a coffee group after have widened my social scene.
A constant high this year has been my quilting hobby. A couple of monthly stitching groups, Friday fortnight girls, Saturday ladies and those handful of close stitching buddies new friends and old ( you know who you are!) that kept me looking forward to fun in my week, thank you!
Sooooo, my first full year of retirement wasn't exactly as I expected but it is still all good.....less travel than we planned but time for more social pursuits and to give to those that need it.
On a quilty note, Novocastrian Quilters held their annual exhibition this weekend. I had a quilt entered in the nine patch challenge.



The quilts entered were varied and all wonderful.






Lots of people worked hard to make it all a success.



Well done everyone!
Happy Stitching!
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Saying Goodbye and New Beginnings

I have been a bit quiet in blog land for the last few weeks and my how one's world can change in such a short time.
We had cut our European holiday short to return home because Top Gear's Dad was poorly and it was not a decision regretted. We were quickly into hospital visiting mode as family gathered to support each other. Sadly, our Pa slipped away just two weeks after our return home but it was a precious time to tell him we loved him and do our best to make him comfortable.



R.I.P
W.K. DICKSON
A true gentleman and a truly gentle man.

Life does turn corners, and this was another one to negotiate albeit with much sadness and grief. We gathered our family and said our goodbyes.
Then, just when you think you have no emotion left, life throws you something else......this time in a good way!
For the past four and a half years Princess has been dating a lovely man. It has been apparent to all that they adore each other and he has certainly become an accepted member of our family, but now it is official!
Princess is engaged to be married!!!!
The proposal has been a great source of amusement to us too. Revhead had it all planned and organised for his sister to take sneaky photos of the event.
A picnic at the beach was the venue, the picnic blanket was spread, he went down on bended knee and popped the question. DID SHE SAY YES?



What do you think?
It was more like a victory dance!!!!!














He had to make her stand still to get the ring on her finger!



We are so very happy for them and wish them a wonderful future together. We know Pa would have approved!
I think this picture sums up her joy and it makes me smile.......( as he was organising the champagne!)



So a few short weeks and a roller coaster of emotion...what's next!
Happy stitching!

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France in a Flash!

Top Gear and I had chosen Southern France for the second three weeks of our and well....... We nearly made it!
From Cornwall we made a beeline to Dover to catch the ferry. We made time to stop at Chawton, to visit the home of Jane Austen and see the famous coverlet. It was lovely to see the original inspiration for so many of the Jane quilts I have seen over the past years.



That night we stayed at a beautiful old country home called Farthing House in a tiny village called Hatch Beauchamp. It was a treat, huge bathroom, huge bed and luxury all the way. It was set in beautiful gardens and had it's own restaurant supplied with produce from the farm attached. We could have lingered longer but France was calling!



We made it to Calais without too much drama, picked up our French car and just on a whim, headed to Brugge in Belgium for the weekend. Meanwhile we were being kept up to date of the deteriorating health of Top Gear's dad so we had a niggling worry in the back of our mind.
Brugge is a lovely city, old and calm, even though it was busy!



I liked the windmills.......(and the chocolates)!!



From Brugge we headed back to Rouen in France, famous as the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. It was a delight with it's 16th century buildings and narrow cobbled streets but.....



we got the call it was time to come home. We spent a day changing flights then made a dash to Paris to catch the plane home three weeks early. We had one night in Paris, just time for one last dinner and to see the Eiffel Tower twinkle.....


then next stop Sydney and home, after all, home is where the heart and family is!
Happy Stitching!
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