Waltzing Matilda

Well I hope everyone enjoyed Australia day and celebrated accordingly. I had a lovely bbq breakfast cooked by my lovely son-in-law. It was such a warm sunny morning it's hard to believe a short while ago we were all drenched. We all had a great morning together, my daughter, son, daugther-in-law and myHusband and I got to cuddle my 2 cute Grandsons. Their Grandad bought them very bad Australia day hats and we are saving the photos for their 21st Birthdays.

Thank you

Thank you to all those lovely people who have written, emailed or rung to enquire as to my welfare in the recent terrible floods. My family and I are very fortunate not to live in the flood affected areas so have been safe and sound. It has been so sad watching all these poor people so devastated by the loss of their loved ones and others their homes and memories. My heart goes out to them all.

A quote I loved

I read this quote and I can't remember where so I apologise for not giving credit to it's finder to whom I am very grateful. I hope they will excuse me for being so bold. So thank you.
"Clutter is the poetry of our homes. It is an intimate view that is not always perfect..... dishes in the sink, books piled next to the bed (half stitched projects everywhere or is that just me?). Everything in it's place may give a certain satisfaction but a lived in room exudes comfort and warmth"
Mary Randolph Carter - author of "A perfectly kept house is a misspent life".
Being quite the clutterbug this little quote spoke to my heart.

Friday 21st January 2011

I love it  when all the little patterns are sitting there in their nice new bags looking all shiny and new.

Sewing Notions Bear tote, Cherry Cupcake Angel cushion and Sweet Cupcake tote are all ready in their new bags. It gives me a real lift and I feel so blessed to be able to this.

Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today

Remember that old adage. Well I wish I would follow it's advice. I have just finished doing 3 lots of instructions for my new designs that I should have done ages ago. Then it's hunch, hunch, hunch over the keyboard and does what I am typing make any kind of  sense? Will anyone in this universe know what i am talking about? ARGHH!! Still this is what happens when you would rather be drawing and stitching and doing the fun stuff. Oh well I am off to have a well earned coffee and finish the drawings I am working on to show my friend Tracey. It's going to be a combined effort. I get so excited when I work with Tracey as she is so talented and does such gorgeous work.

Did I tell you I like to scribble in a book

What it means to Quilt
by Michelle Ridgway.
As I sit and quilt I feel "peace at last"
Each tiny stitch a link with the past
I feel honoured to have a place in this group
Of stitchers and quilters at home with their hoop
I don't feel the rush to get this "thing done"
As every quilt is a journey from the moment it's begun
When I paint pictures with needle and thread
Troublesome thoughts disappear from my head
I love the feel of the stitched hills and valleys
I could quilt for hours and not keep tally
The presence of quilters from long, long ago
They keep me company this I know
Checking my stitches for length and so
I feel a sacred mission to pass on this legacy
To honour the "Needlewomen" who came before me.

BLISS

Started back at yoga today. Lying on my mat felt like coming home. Meditation and relaxation was lovely so I am all blissed out. A real joy to see the girls again and catch up on all the news and have a giggle.
I hope I can stay awake long enough to do a little stitching tonight.

Back to the Bears

Now Christmas is over its back to my bear stitchery quilt. I am trying to decide which fabric I'll use to put them together with. Decisions! Decisions! Hopefully here's a peek at 2 of the blocks.

Wednesday 12th January 2011

I guess I thought I would never see the likes of the floods of 1974 again but here we are witnessing some amazing and in some cases very tragic weather events. Thankfully my sister and nephew who were in danger have evacuated to saftety. We are in no danger as we live a long way from the Brisbane River and CBD.
My heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones and have lost their homes. It is so surreal as the sun is shining and the sky is blue. My Mum can't get home as her town is cut off with flood waters. Hard to believe 2 years ago we were in severe drought. Mother Nature has some sense of humour.

Rainy days and Mondays

I hope everyone had a nice weekend in spite of the wet weather. We had a very busy weekend with a friend turning 60 and a celebratory lunch at Ocean View Estates winery which was really lovely. And then my little brother had a Birthday bash for his big 50 birthday. It was lovely to catch up with family and friends.
Needless to say not a lot of stitching has been going on I was a wee bit tired with all the partying.
I also wanted to let you know my friend Tracey has a beautiful website featuring all her beautiful painted projects. She has finished items and patterns for sale. So pop over and have a peep.
Her site is :  http://www.rosepetalspast.com.au/ .
Also Sandy at Cookies and Cream has a cute guessing game going on. So there's a couple of things to have a look at while we are stuck inside.

Rain, rain go away!

I know it's only weather but I feel as if everything including me is going mouldy. I feel so sorry for all those poor folk in the flooded areas. Still it's been lovely weather for stitching and reading and it did make me do my sets of instructions for my Country Threads projects. So I do feel as I have accomplished something today. I am reading "Salvation Creek" a book by Susan Duncan at the moment and I am loving it so the temptation to curl up and let the world go by is huge. The trouble is when I read I want to keep reading to the exclusion of all else.
Well I must go as my little man "Lachlan" will be awake from having a nap on Nannas bed any moment now.

January 5th

Good morning. I have awoken to sunshine 2 mornings in a row which is a very nice change.
I have had to make a difficult decision this morning. whether to continue on our radical decluttering due to those pesky little creatures known as termites (sorting out my tiny overstuffed little craft room was next) or going for a coffee and a browse around Borders book shop with my Husband. I have chosen the latter as we are so over the mess we have been in.
The creatures have been anhilated which really challenges my "do no harm" ideals but I quite like having a roof over my head. Nothing can be put back until after the barrier treatment in 10days time.
Thank goodness for stitching!! I was suppose to be having a break but I have been drawing and stitching like mad again to take my mind off the domestic front. The good news is I have put the last stitches in my new Christmas quilt "Christmas Bakeshop" which features one of my favourite things GINGERBREADS!!. It's already for quilting when it's not so sticky. My friend Ann has had a preview and she thinks it's very cute and I can usually trust her discerning good taste.
Well I am off for my coffee and wander and then I might park myself in my favourite chair and continue on with my Valentine's Day swap for Cookies and Cream craft.
Blessings Michelle

4th January 2011

Well I have made it back through some minor miracle! Last night I began stitching my little heart project for the Valentines Day swap from "Cookies and Cream Craft" website. If you are interested you can join in by registering by 10th January. Just pop over to Sandy"s website as mentioned above. I can't tell you much about what I am stitching as it's a surprise but it's cute.
I have a very busy day ahead with lot's of chores (YUK) to do today and then off to the post office to post away some patterns that have been waiting since New Years Eve as the post office was shut.
It's nice to have the sun actually shining today for a change. I was starting to forget what it looked like.
Hopefully I shall find my way back tomorrow.
Blessings Michelle

Happy New Year!

Hi! I wish everyone a very Happy 2011. I have finally taken the plunge or should I say been pushed into the world of blogging. As I am very new to all this and not very technically savvy I hope you will all be very patient with me. My poor daughter is trying to introduce me to this strange new world.
I hope in the future to be able to share my patterns and designs with you and look forward to your comments and thoughts about my progress.
Blessings Michelle