Block 5 - Free Pattern

I've been quite overwhelmed at the response I have had to my "What is Love" free BOM pattern. I just love it when people like my designs!!!!

So here is the next instalment - Block 5 which you can download from here. (If you are wondering, YES, I was late with the August Block 4, so this is really the September download.)



This little statement about love is one of my favourites. I can remember once when I really had to put this into practice! I received a very nasty letter from someone (it was in the days when people actually wrote letters!) and my first reaction was: "I am going to keep this as evidence of how unkind this person was."

Then I remembered that "Love keeps no record of wrongs". If I was to express true love in my life, then I needed to rip the letter up and literally not keep a record of it. It was a very freeing experience.

Hope you enjoy stitching this little block.

Regards
Val

My mug bag

It's great to be back on the sewing machine again!

I needed to check some instructions I had written up, so the quickest, easiest and happiest way of making sure they are correct, is to make an article from the pattern! So here is a mug bag that I whipped up. I just love this co-ordinating fabric.

Now, why would I need a mug bag when I don't even drink tea or coffee????!!! Oh well, it will be something else to put on the craft stall at the Creative Craft Retreat in Queensland in a couple of weeks.

I'm delighted that so many of you have decided to join the "What is Love" free BOM. I hope you enjoy working on these little stitcheries. Look out for Block 5 later this week.

Happy stitching.

Val

Indulgent weekend coming up!

Yesterday I booked my flights to Queensland where I will be teaching at the Creative Craft Retreat in October. If you live anywhere near south-east Queensland, have a look at what is on offer for the weekend. It is a wonderfully indulgent, creative, relaxing time with no meals to cook, great teachers (have to say that, seeing I am one!!!), lovely surroundings and a fun weekend of socialising and getting lots of craft done!

I didn’t ever show you more than a sneak peak at what I will be teaching, so here it is.



It’s an etui (pronounced ‘ay-twee’) which is designed to hold stitching accessories with pockets for scissors, threads, needles etc. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun doing the embroidery and appliqué and putting it all together.

There’s some very talented, experienced teachers sharing their knowledge at this weekend, so I’d highly recommend it.

Val

Enjoying Spring

We've been catching up with our neighbours this week, now that we're back home after a couple of months holiday in Queensland. Everyone keeps telling us how much rain there has been and there is plenty of evidence to show for it.

This is our view out the back door - wisteria, peach, plum, nectarine, apricot, alyssum, impatiens and jasmine all in flower. You can imagine the perfume that accompanies it.

Then this is down the side of the house:

It was lovely to arrive home and to find everything flourishing for Spring.

To go with the Spring flavour, I thought I'd show you the latest Country Threads magazine. The cushion on the front cover, bottom left is my Spring Showers design.

And here it is in more detail inside:

The downside to all the rain is that the weeds have also flourished. I'm not used to having weeds in my lawn, so you can imagine how I've spent most of my days this week - painstakingly trying to dig them out, with a blister on my hand to show for it! It was a lot of hard work but it means I can get the sewing machine out next week with a clear conscience! Joy oh Joy!

Happy stitching!

Val

The fairies

During our travels in Queensland we were able to spend a week with our daughter, Janelle, and her husband. Craig and their four children.

Amelia had put in her order for a Fairy party for her 4th birthday but her wings were looking decidedly ‘spent’ and wouldn’t be flying her off anywhere. A quick trip to Spotlight for some sparkly netting and a few hours trying to negotiate wire around the sewing machine and we soon had her looking her ‘fairy best’.

Then we realised that big 5 year old sister. Ebony, would also need a fairy outfit for the party. A search through Janelle’s stash found some lovely shiny purple fabric for a skirt and with some more manoeuvring of wire around the sewing machine, the fairy had her wings.

Don’t you think they both look so cute?

Regards
Val

Block 4 - Free Pattern

We're back home after all our winter wanderings, so it is time to put up Block 4 of the Block of the Month for you to download. Click here for the download page.

Click on the photo for enlarged details of the stitching.

Enjoy!

Regards

Val

Down Memory Lane

We’ve come to the end of our 10 week holiday and are heading for home! We spent last week in Brisbane. We hadn’t really been back into the city since the 1980’s. It was an amazing week catching up with lots of friends, some of whom we hadn’t seen for 30 years. It was a real trip down Memory Lane.

We caught up with a number of individuals during the week and then at the weekend attended the 50th anniversary celebrations of our old church in Brisbane. It was an interesting experience reuniting with a number of folk who were in the youth group that we ran in the 1970’s. Most of them now have grey hair and are grandparents!!!!

We also drove down the street in which we lived until 1978 and checked out what our old house looked like now. Even more nostalgic was the opportunity to stop outside my grandmother’s home and to find it was still there and that it looked the same as when I saw it more than 30 years ago when my grandmother was alive.



Now we have our nose heading for home and the creative juices are starting to flow as I think of being reunited with my sewing machine after such a long time apart!

Regards
Val