It's Over

Another Christmas has been celebrated and survived. We have had 3 days of festivities, youngest daughter's birthday is on the 23rd Dec, Christmas Day was spent here at home with the immediate family and today we went to my sister's and spent the day with assorted family and friends.

This was the last time that we are having the extended family get together as two of my sisters & brother no longer want to do it. Next year it will be down to just my middle sister & her family, Mum and us.

I enjoyed having the girls home all at the one time, doesn't happen very often now that they have all flown the nest. Middle daughter had to work for a couple of hours yesterday and most of today and I think that it was great that she managed to make it home for lunch yesterday.

I hope everyone has had a happy & safe Christmas.

ps My sister really loved the flower quilt!

Things in the Post & Shopping

I received the the postcard & ATC's
(right) from swaps I've been in.

The theme was
Christmas and some people are very
clever with what they've done.









This week the mail man has been very busy. He brought me this very quirky wall hanging (left) from my friend in NZ. I'm sorry the detail doesn't show up very well here. It's a crazy lady (looking a lot like me) running amok snipping everything in sight with her trusty scissors. You just have to smile when you look at it.





Wednesday I went to lunch with a girlfriend and of course we had to do a little retail therapy. I bought 16.5 metre of fabric for a grand total of $24.75. I plan to use these as quilt backing through the coming year. I bought some more black and white fq's for a project that I have in mind for a next year - a b & w grandmother's flower garden quilt, English paper pieced. Something to take with me when we're travelling about.

Also bought 6 reels of quilting thread that was on special on a buy one, get one free from a local quilt shop.

Christmas is coming

I'm happy to say that all my Christmas gifts are wrapped and ready to go under the tree. Just need to get the fresh vegetables etc next week and everything is under control.

Today I packed away my sewing things from the dining table and I'm already having withdrawal symptoms. The house has been tidied, beds made up for the girls on Christmas Eve, middle daughter has to work Christmas Day for a couple of hours but will be home for lunch. She works again on Boxing Day, Jan 26th so won't be able to attend the extended family lunch.

I'm participating in the Four Seasons winter swap and with luck I'll come up with some ideas, very hard to think 'winter' when it's been so hot here.

In case I don't get a chance to post again this week, I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and all the best for the coming year.

Christmas quilting

This is the ballet bag I made for my 7 y.o. niece Matilda. Purple has been her favourite colour for as long as I can remember, this year pink has become another favourite.

The ballerina is an iron on patch. I was going to applique a pair of ballet slippers but this caught my eye and I thought it would look better.



























These are a couple of the ATC's I made for a recent swap, I must have deleted the picture of the third one I made. I've been playing with the macro setting on the camera, looking at these pictures I need a little more practice.


I am also in a Christmas postcard swap and finished off my postcards today, they are all ready to mail in the morning.

Daughters & Cars

Life in this household has been fairly hectic of late. Middle daughter has moved house yet again, her new flat is very central to shops, public transport etc. It has been freshly painted and has new flooring. She is sharing with a girlfriend from school.

Christmas shopping has been started and nearly completed, I spent two days shopping last week, one at Fountain Gate and the other at Chadstone, talk about shop 'til you drop. Called into Spotlight and bought some pre-quilted fabric to make my 7 y.o. niece a ballet bag. Will post a picture when it's finished. There hasn't been a lot of other sewing done.

Last night youngest daughter was in a car accident. Fortunately no-one was injured but her car is a write-off. We took the car trailer down to the city today and brought her car home. Now we have to start the claim via our insurance company. I have loaned her my old car so she can get to work and home again.

She is planning on moving closer to her job and if she gets the place she applied for this week she will be within walking distance of the book shop where she works.