Christmas in July

Its a showery kind of Sunday here today.....in fact its been a showery kind of weekend.

It was perfect weather to celebrate Christmas in July in an English Pub called the Fox and Hounds on the road to Tambourine Mountain  with my friends from Sunday Stitchers.

There was so much to look at but due to Covid restrictions we couldn't fully investigate (will need another visit I think) but I did manage to find my family fellas favourite UK footy team scarves next to each other. A fire kept us all cosy.....the girls at the end closest to it  were a bit too cosy!
Our fare was traditional Roast Dinner with Yorkshire Pud and either Pavlova and berries or Plum Pudding and Custard....just the thing on a rainy day.

Sandi,  Helen and Noreen put together some little Christmas babbles, wrapped in beautiful Christmas fabric and filled with ribbon and lace just to add to our festive mood. Thank you ladies xx We had heard about this spot from them and it was lovely to visit all together.

Some of the Sunday Stitchers are embarking on a "Stitch-a-long" with Natalie Birds new pattern.....

Certain people twisted my arm violently and yes I have joined in. I love Natalie's work and she is such a very nice person as well. Its been a while since I stitched one of her designs and this one is so sweet....plus it has a whole lot of techniques I love!  I didn't have quite what I wanted in my stash so I ordered some bits and bobs to add to it. I wanted a slightly brighter vintagey look if that makes any sense. Happy with these.

I have held off beginning until my fabrics arrived and I had finished the last stitchery in Flowerville .....

And its now done! These were so lovely to work on and I loved the CGT I used.
Wasn't I good to wait lol! Lots of little Dresdens now!
So officially I can now begin the very cute stitcheries on the preprinted panel.
Its a bit crinkly because of how many times I have looked at it....sorry about that. But you get how cute they are.....time to choose threads.

I have also been honing my EPP Applecores skills.....and basted quite a few (I won't be practising gluing on these babies....not yet anyway)

I have just begun the fourth row of them and I love their scrappy beauty! I think I have already said that apart from a few spots or plains just to vary things, I am trying to keep all the fabrics flowers and botanicals. During the making of my Clamshells quilt, I was ASTOUNDED at the variety of fabric prints in the world....and I had only barely scratched the surface!

I am still finding them awkward but not enough to put me off. Besides sometimes extra effort is needed to achieve lovely things. I feel so fortunate that the joy of threading a needle and making little stitches has never left me.
Don't you?

Have a lovely Sunday folks.
Namaste and blessings Michelle xxx