August Round Up

 Hello friends. Here we are almost at the end of August. Still supposedly the tail end of winter here in Queensland but temps in the high twenties and low thirties seem to suggest Spring has arrived early. Lots of our native bushes are full of blossom which is very cheery.

My King Orchid has delighted me this year with NINE flower spikes!

I love looking at the myriad of teeny tiny cream orchids that make up the spikes. Nature certainly can succeed in perfection.

With this unexpected rise in temperature I have been caught on the hop with getting my hand quilting on Where We Love is Home completed. So I have been beavering away on it to try and beat the real Summer heat. I suspect that air con will be needed to get to the finish line.

I am on the bottom half now so hopefully I may get there.

I have kept up my Sunday Stitchers WIP which is my Sashiko quilt panel and have only a few more blocks to go.

The latest prompt in ##roxysjournalofstitcheryvol6 "Field Notes " was WILDFLOWERS. This took some pondering as I live on the east coast of Australia. In Western Australia they have stunning wildflowers. So lots of research happened. I wanted to keep the Aussie theme going so my choices were the bright and cheerful "pigface" ground cover that most Aussie beach goers would have seen growing over the sand dunes. It's hot pink flowers are hard to miss. I embroidered the delicate mauve Sun Orchid on the doiley. These are hard to spot but do grow in bushland close by.

The yellow "Billy Buttons " and feathery pink "Mulla Mulla" were added as lovely reminders of our outback trips where we saw them flowering.

I added a little quote about wildflowers to complete it. I absolutely loved stitching this page.

I have had late nights reading....loved them all!

I enjoyed celebrating with Sunday Stitchers friends, Juanita's special birthday down by the Bay. Lovely food, conversation and laughter.

My Grandchildren have kept me busy this month....

Eldest Granddaughter is playing her netball Grand Final tomorrow. Wonderful effort for these great young girls. Some had never played netball before but they have given it their all.

Youngest Granddaughter gathered with other schools in her last Singfest event as she's off to high school......so beautiful to hear those lovely young sweet voices.

Eldest Grandson scrubbed up very handsomely for his school semi formal. Still find it hard to believe. He also had a great first season trying baseball.

Youngest Grandson's basketball team are playing their Grand Final also next week. They have gone through undefeated.

I love watching them in their chosen field of interests and sports. Finally my newest grandchild....of the fur variety just achieves creating puppy chaos and being cute!

So folks that's it from me for August.

Happy stitching and be kind to yourself. 

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

More Field Notes

 Hello friends from sunshiney Queensland on this beautiful morning. I am sitting typing this with warm sunshine streaming in through the window and a hot cup of coffee beside me. I think you will need a cuppa as there seems to be lots to share.

I have celebrated another birthday this past week and am very thankful for all the love shown to me by my family and friends. Beautiful cards, messages, phone calls and gifts. New books to read, fluffy slippers, art supplies donation and concert tickets for later in the year and of course CAKE!

Can you see my new furry grandchild....he is soooo adorable!

My friend Shez sent me a lovely parcel just perfect for this big bird nerd.....love it!

My naughty sister aided and abetted my chocolate addiction in a big way....she sent me TWO chokkie gift boxes.....there is going to have to be some rationing put in place lol! Although the Grandies are smiling broadly with hope!

I also had my birthday at Sunday Stitchers. We had a theme of Bed, Bath and Table...I was spoilt by De xx

I also had to present my kit gift from last year completed. 

Linda was my kit gifter from 2023. I also had show and tell. I think perhaps I showed you last post....sorry if it's a repeat.

My latest Sashiko block, Nature's Journey and 1797 Revisited ( sorry about all the pics of yours truly lol)

Now on to "Field Notes" Our latest prompt in our Spring layout was NEST. I embroidered over a beautiful nest from a piece of fabric I had and invented a fantasy bird which I appliqued and embroidered with a piece of tatting as a pretty wing. We don't have any such brilliant blue eggs or birds that lay them here in Australia. I created a branch and leaves in embroidery and applique.

My little bird booklet slipped behind a little lace band.

I also really wanted to include our beautiful Brisbane Wattle that blooms late Winter early Spring here. I stitched what seemed like a trillion French knots for it and added it's Botanical name also in stitchery.

A little quote from Edith's diary finished off this prompt. The completed layout for this prompt. I adored this prompt as you can imagine.

This is what our beautiful Brisbane Wattle looks like in bloom...spectacular when you see them. It's actually much brighter and more golden than my photo shows.

I think I have caught you up on what's been happening in my little corner of the world.

I shall leave you with this gorgeous art card my friend Bev gave me for my birthday, from her holiday in our tropical North Queensland. 

It's called "Sunbirds" by artist Jennifer Foster- Hamilton.

Until next time,

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

Slow Stitching in July

 Hello friends. If you are here in Aus. you will be decidedly chilly. And here in beautiful sunny Queensland overnight temps of zero are just not welcome lol! Thank goodness there's an abundance of quilts.

As I mentioned last post, I have joined in with #roxyjournalofstitchery once again. The project for Volume 6 is "Field Notes" which is right up my street. The inspiration was UK Edwardian naturalist and journal keeper...Edith Holden. I have loved her pages for years....all her delightful watercolours and poems and quotes appropriate to her theme and nature walks discoveries. 

Because I was eager to get started I made some preparations for the cover I had in mind. I am trying where I can to have an Aussie flavour....not always going to be possible as the inspiration is from the UK. 

The project is to be a concertina form.

So it will unfold in one long strip. The cover will technically be stitched on the back and I am going to use some stiffening to make it robust. I have to admit to having gone a bit over the top with my cover but I love it! You will espy my little Fairy Wren drawing, embroidered and I did the same for the Dandelion...the bees favourite. A real feather collected on a wander.

Now because I jumped the gun with the cover I didn't realise there would also be a title page and not wanting to NOT have a title page I did that too...yep completely over-the-top! But I  care not lol!

The silk ribbon pansy was one of several I made many moons ago. Many of you have probably done the same....so happy to use it. OK still with me? We then moved on to Prompt No. 1 which is SPRING BULBS. Hmmm dilemma. Australia has only about 3 wild bulbs plants. So I caved and went with a Tulip. Thinking of Floriade in Canberra was as close as I could get to Aussie flavour. I drew and embroidered a tulip.

I made a pocket from lace and then drew a tulip and bulb on an aged tag to pop inside.

I added a little quote about Spring on the back....oh how I wish I had lovely hand writing *sigh

I am hoping that I can combine stitching and drawing in this project. I have a little accordion booklet with birds who visit my garden waiting in the wings...pardon the pun for a future prompt.

So I am having a very nice time with this project and hanging out for the next prompt.

I can hear the kettle boiling...definitely cuppa time and I think today a little hand quilting to keep my knees warm.

I shall leave you with this poem which speaks to me and reminds me frankly of myself all through the years from childhood until now.

Take care, 

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

Hello July

 Good morning everyone. I know time goes by at the same pace so it's silly to say.....it went by so fast but my perception was that it did! 

I have been muddling along....hand quilting Where We Love is Home when my shoulder allows....medical advice....stop using it! Hmm not going to happen so I must not complain and hopefully not irritating it too much will help....I am now over half way on my quilting.

I have also managed to get the binding on my 1797 Revisited quilt. This quilt is a recreation of a 1797 antique coverlet ftom the UK.

It was a huge amount of work, all EPP with one elongated hexagon as the template.

I told myself I would count how many but haven't. I used mostly my stash of lovely French Feneral fabrics....

You can see friend Fiona's beautiful quilting on it. I decided on a French Blue binding.

And I had saved a pretty blue embroidered doiley for my label.

Very happy to have this one complete. Really love this quilt and feel a sense of accomplishment to have stitched it. Thanks to my dear friend Fiona for her beautiful quilting on it.

A little project of the heart for a stitching friend is happening. I chose one of my own designs....reduced it down and stitched it in the nominated colour.

It's been school holidays here so have enjoyed some family outings and delicious treats....fortunately there was some walking involved too, so hopefully negated the kilojoules. 

My Daughter has been researching my Father's side of the family as I had no real knowledge in that area. She has uncovered so much and it's great to have that information. 

So she and I had an adventure to our historic Toowong cemetery where many of them rest.

It was very interesting and we found my Grandfather,  Great Grandfather and several others resting together....still on the hunt for others. We decided that it was very sad the condition most were in....neglected after several generations had passed.

I have been very excited to start Roxy's Journal of Stitchery Vol 6 which is using Edith Holden's beautiful nature diaries for inspiration. 

It is called FIELD NOTES. I am aiming to have the feel of a vintage nature journal to my interpretation. So will see how I go.

I will share progress and beginnings next post. 

OK almost done. Thank you to those of you who leave lovely comments that I can't reply to you....appreciate them all.

Often I am asked why I sign off with Namaste. I have been a practitioner of Yoga for nearly 40 years.....the physical arm now is not as it was but that is real life. Other aspects have given me tools and peace over these years. Namaste to me is a beautiful greeting and I have inserted the meaning below....so...

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx