Christmas 2021

 Hello friends. I do hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas celebration with loved ones. After an emergency hospital visit for my 93 year old father-in-law days before Christmas, we were able to be all be together at our Sons home and had a really lovely day......all our favourite dishes, happy smiling kids, loads of laughter and love....oh and a Santa gift or three.

This motley crew are the dearest in my heart......

Since then Hubby and I have been very quiet....he watching the Cricket and I finishing off the 52tagshannemade challenge and with my pencils.

Our last tag of the year was a Macrame Christmas tree.....I really enjoyed trying this technique. 

So finally its a wrap.....challenge complete! It is not a great photo but here they all are!

Oops forgot to show the preceding tags lol!

Tag 49 - Captured Memories.  All the beautiful wild places I have been fortunate to have visited with my husband was what I wanted to capture. I  chose a feather collected on a bush walk as the centre piece.

Tag 50 - Circles....a combination of suffolk puffs, button and applied circles!

Tag 51 - Wreath.  I only did a half a wreath as I wanted to feature Aussie designer Barb Smiths cute Santa button. We also could cut a frame for our wreath which I did with red cardboard....

In my art group, Sandra our teacher and mentor set us a challenge. We all received a plain laser cut shape in our Christmas card with instructions.....

I was still in Christmas decoration mode so that  is what I made.....for my Christmas tree. I sprayed the shape with glitter, added a button and stitched it to a felt set of ovals. 

And I have also spent a little time both before Christmas and after with my pencils. The first, as a collector of Royal Doultons Old Country Roses, when teamed with a sweet Robin was irresistible to me.....

Lastly, a Pale-headed Rosella. These shy birds visit my bird feeder several times a day.....sometimes they just perch on my verandah railing and rest. I really love them.  I have never been able to snap a suitable reference photo but thankfully a lovely friend gifted me one. I have set the bird in low dead branches with seeded grasses close by.....their favourites. 

Well I have still managed to waffle on even though I had planned on a quick post....lol!

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts, prayers and comments this year. I have appreciated every single one. I have had some lovely comments from a lady called PAM...sadly I couldn't respond to your comments as they came up as a no reply blogger.....I have had several like this. Please know I appreciated your comments also.

I have no plans or  expectations for the upcoming year. More time with my beloved will be my dearest wish.

So friends......I wish you good health and happy stitching.

May the long time sun shine upon you,

All love surround you and

The pure light within,

Guide your way on. 

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

December Roundup

 

I thought I would share a post before Christmas is upon us. Another long epistle folks! Sorry but this seems to be the way of things these days. 

Santa's helper has delivered some very cute and  festive mail from friends across the land.

All gorgeous. Thank you Karen (Sunburnt Quilts) Sue (Kiwikids Page) Liz and Maria (Life on the Block)

My friend Sue in the UK added to my Beatrix Potter collection again this year with this sweet card.....adorable!

I missed a lot of my usual festive gatherings but did manage to go to lunch with my sewing friends earlier in the month and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it.

Love, laughter and spoiling took place.

Luckily I had gotten an early start on my Secret Santa before our life turned to *#%#

I loved the fabric and decided it needed to be the star.....so I  made a Hexie table centre.

Once again I enjoyed stitching ornaments for friends and family. 

And had my first attempt at making some Christmas cards.....simple but effective was the limit of my abilities. 

We are fortunate enough to have a beautiful Kiwi expatriate that pays a weekly nursing visit to hubby.....last week she gave us some very cute Christmas ginger cookies....which were soooo delicious! 

I couldn't make it to the Sunday Stitchers Christmas breakup this year. But these wonderful ladies sent a lovely Elf called Alison to my door with beautiful treats and gifts from them all. So special and so kind!

At Sunday Stitchers we were taking part in a SAL of Heartstrings by Natalie Bird. Our tops were to be completed by the Christmas party.  I made the deadline but not the gathering.

So here is my version.....mid hand quilting.

I did my own thing on the final border as anyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of machine piecing.

I placed a EPP heart in each corner....

2 little birds, a heart, Heartstrings and Hexies and Hexie flowers for the top border.

Repeated the same for the bottom border but excluded the heart for the cute pincushion. 

Side borders were similar but with a single hearts and little birds.

The target now is to have it quilted and bound my next Christmas! 

Some milestones in our family too....our youngest grandson finished Primary school and is off to High school next year.....my oh my! Where did that little boy go? He cut quite the dashing figure at his graduation.....red shirt and red shoes.....

His little sister had her first dance concert and did an excellent job....

Yesterday my dear friend and hairdresser extraordinaire, Katie came and gave Hubby,  Dear Daughter, Youngest Granddaughter and yours truly some Christmas hair styles....I was boring and had the same do. What can I say.....why change what you love.....but the other girls decided on big change and  had all their long tresses cut off and they look fab!

Ok I have waffled long enough. If you stayed until the end, thank you....I do have tags to share with you but as there is only one more to go I shall save them all for next time. 

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and the hope you get to spend it with those who are the most important to you.

Stay safe and well.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

Rainy Days

 Well we have gone from blue skies creating a delightful backdrop for my gorgeous Frangapani....

To wet, wet and wet!

I have focused my sewing attention on Letter to My Daughter blocks. I have made all the tiny hexie flower rosettes and am working away at the little stitcheries during hospital treatment appointments. They really are such cute little stitcheries. 

I have also stitched another applique block....this block was the one that drew me to the quilt for my DD. Her name means "Honeybee" and loves this motif on all kinds of things....so it seemed perfect.  Pardon the pun....but such a sweet block!

Today I had some time at my machine.....

And now the first piece is assembled......the little stitcheries and hexie flowers need to be added to the top row of squares. 

Not being a fan of machine sewing I am going to habe to be very strict with myself with assembly! Lol!

Tags are getting quite close to the end. I thought I would share just how full my binder ring is at this point in time.

Tag 47 - Birdy......love a spotty dotty appliqued birdy.

Tag 48 - Sheaf Stitch.....a stitch I had seen in books but never executed.....enjoyed it!

Well lovely people.......as it's the maids day off I guess its up to me to make dinner AGAIN lol! So I best get to it!

Thinking of all my country friends caught up in rain deluge and flooding.....stay safe!

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx

A New Project

 Hello friends, I have had my eye on the Homespun BOM by Natalie Bird.....A Letter to My Daughter quilt. I have been collecting the issues and putting them by until I decided on fabric choices and also how to substitute a couple of the blocks to better reflect my DD.

The brighter Tilda ranges seemed right so a gathering I went....quite a lot brighter than I usually work in but nice and happy colours. 

My DD is NOT a camper but still likes adventure so I omitted the caravan from Block 2.

Definitely NO sewing in her world either! However, she is a wonderful photographer. I found this free Camera pattern on Pinterest for Block 1.....I kind of think its very cute.

All the other blocks will be ok the way they are.....so Block 3 was as per the pattern.

I am really loving all the lovely sayings in this quilt. I have lots of little stitcheries on the go now for this as well.

Since I last posted I have added to my little hearts. 

And another block for my Where We Love Is Home.....Wash Day!

Tags are up to date and almost at an end....

TAG 44 - Cross stitches

TAG 45 - Fireworks

TAG 46 - Wrapped......I couldn't decide whether to go with something from Nature or utilise a beautiful thread holder I received from a dear friend.....so I went with both....just because I could! 

So that's what I have been up to of late.....this week I am trying my hand at making a few Christmas cards....I shall show you my efforts later.

My Daughter showed me this photo of my 2 Grandsons when they were little.....they are cousins and became best mates almost from Day 1! I adore this photo of them xx

And they still have fun when they are together today......

These two make my heart happy.....such great young guys.....BIASED of course!

Take care everyone.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx