Hello folks. February has arrived with crazy weather for my Northern Queensland friends with torrential and flooding rains and a savage cyclone in the North West. Not a grand start to the year for many Aussies. Bring on Autumn!

We celebrated my eldest Grandson's birthday and cake is always on the menu lol!

He was also chuffed to get his first official Baseball photo...I love it!

We are a bit unsettled at present as this lovely bloke has had a serious health scare and we are waiting for further results. It's always hard doing the watch and wait!

Sunday Stitchers February meeting happened. We celebrated National Tim Tam Day....I for one definitely think it deserves it's own day....thanks Maria xx

I met my WIP deadline....2 more blocks done for Caswell.

I am sharing some gorgeous show and tell from Susan, De and Sue.....

I am sure the enabling influence of these girls has led me to start another Sashiko project....eye roll here.

Consequently I decided that I needed a dedicated needle book for my Sashiko needles....because they ain't cheap! I loved this dragonfly fabric.

I thought it was cute enough to make two!

Progress has been made on the Roxy's Journal of Stitchery project. I eventually fussy cut the embroidered flowers from my friends fabric and needle turn appliqued them in place. Have to say was NOT easy on my fingers. I have ditched the bottom Suffolk Puff.

I added Suffolk Puffs and then used some lovely woollen yarn to embroider some flowers to add to the vase. I tried to place them so the quilt binding was still visible on the top of the vase.

I am pleased with the result and I am not going to work on the background until I know a few more of the prompts. 

This week I went back to art and completed my sweet little Rufous Fantail Mumma....friends and a great coffee made for a lovely day.

You all know that my family are everything to me and so indulge me a little boast and giggle. My son is a tradie and works for the government. When he began with them he was part of a recruitment drive advertisement( because I have good looking children lol) and hilariously he keeps showing up in advertisements several years later.....

He has really been copping it from his mates and his sister with lots of doctored pictures sent to him...haha! At least his sister's wasn't naughty!

But you get the idea lol!

OK lovely people that's it from me.

Take care all.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

Stumped and Procrastinating

 Hello friends. Thank you all for your lovely comments in my last post. Some folks I could not respond to in person...but thank you.

Now I have been very diligent with my Caswell blocks and have completed Block 4.

Block 5 is now underway. My procrastination? Well!

We received the first table prompt of our Still Life for Roxy's Journal of Stitchery Vol 7 which is Vase of Flowers. Now I am a little flummoxed by this....not the prompt itself but how I wanted to proceed. I stitched my background to resemble tongue and groove timber for the wall and I have a piece of an old quilt that I wanted to use for my vase. I was going for a Vintage and faded look.

I then had the dilemma because the other side of the quilt piece was pretty too.....hmmm!

I decided on the patterned side because I liked the edge of pink binding at the top.

OK next was a pretty vintage doiley for under the vase.....

And then came my next dilemma. Yes there's a few! My beautiful friend Gaye who is no longer with us, gifted me from her brother's antique shop in Baltimore,  USA a gorgeous piece of fabric that is hand embroidered. I really wanted to use elements from it.

You can see from the reverse side that it is definitely hand embroidered. 

I assembled all my elements on my background and now have no clue how to stitch it all down. I am a needleturner and can't quite get my head around it except that I really WANT to use Gayes piece * sigh

So a whole lot of walking past it and sighing is happening at present! Frustrating!

Speaking of frustration....when you lose your person you get to deal with small annoying things that they used to deal with.....recent annoyance.....my old coffee table had the wobbly boot on. I was so sick of it wobbling that I surprised it and me by flinging it on its back to examine it's underneath regions.....turns out the joints on one leg had come out of its hole....actually several holes. 

Now I am not handy AT all. But I was determined. 

Soooooo I glued and hammered and swore it back into place!

She is now standing back on 4 solid legs...not a wobble in sight and we are both happy!

I have treated myself recently....a lovely new book....Christmas money from the FIL.

And I took myself on a date to the movies to see this one. Set in the early years of Bob Dylan....the cast...simply amazing as all music was filmed live. So many favourites to enjoy.

It was wonderful and so interesting. Music and motorbikes was something Hubby and I loved as gorgeous young things so bought back lots of lovely memories watching Dylan on his lovely bike. He would have loved it and also been so interested. These are the things you miss...talking about things you've enjoyed.

Over the weekend the wind was so strong that it blew one of my tree dwelling orchids on to the ground. So I harvested the flowers to enjoy whilst the plant recovered.....so pretty!

Last but not least, my beautiful young women started high school this week....astonishing!

Both had great days which was lovely. 

Well I guess I shall go back to pondering this vase of flowers once more and then get myself to bed. I have the Termite man coming at "stupid o'clock" in the morning for our annual check up.

Take care all.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

Hello 2025

 Happy New Year friends. It's ages since I have written a post. Truth be told I really struggled at the end of the year with the approach of the festive season. It is so hard to have your 'person' not there. But family bolstered me and I had a really lovely Christmas at my Son and Daughter in laws home with my loved ones. I do hope you celebrated in a way that brought you joy too.

We had lots of delicious food and a good old game of Aussie backyard cricket...we even had our very own four legged pitch streaker lol!

Nana even made a run much to the surprise of the younger generation....such great fun.

I cannot believe how short they make me feel now!

So after a really lovely time....I started 2025 with this.....

And folks it knocked the stuffing out of me! I really was unwell. You could say I fell in one big miserable heap! It wasn't pretty! Thankfully now I am much improved and not dangerous lol although I could still compete with a Drovers Dog with my barking!

My creative mojo just took a hike! I had completed my #Roxy's Journal of Stitchery Vol 6 before I became ill and I have to say that I am pleased with how it turned out.

It turned out to be bigger than I expected. I took it to Sunday Stitchers yesterday for show and tell and we unravelled it....so you can see how long it actually is! Lots and lots of stitching!

I loved every minute of this project. The new challenge is a Still Life piece which has my brain ticking over....watch this space.

Friend Fiona encouraged me to get back to Caswell sewing so I took that yesterday to work on and made sure I have photographic evidence of said work lol!

I also have all the bits stitched down on my Treasures quilt and I am ready to embellish it.....it's quite relaxing when I feel unmotivated. 

I have been out and about today and decided I needed a new plant for my kitchen as the usual victim now lives in the bathroom. 

Dear Daughter and I went to a Sip and Paint evening at DDs besties home...the gorgeous Dani...who is hosting these and other art classes....we did plant pots...great fun!

So.....new victim!

Fingers crossed for it folks!

I forgot to say at the beginning that before Christmas I had a lovely surprise catchup with my friend Fiona....coffee, lunch and chatting.

And I was very spoilt as well.....such a sweet little project bag....already in use and you know me....never met a chocolate that I couldn't befriend!

The weather here has been hot and humid and then rainy and repeat so I was surprised to see my little Dendrobiums send out flower spikes....always a delight.

I am sharing 2 little collages of my sewing and art efforts from last year for my own record.

And my favourite people....

OK lovely folks that is where I am up to in life. Hope you are all well and sending healing thoughts to all my L.A. friends xxx

Until next time.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx