It's a Wrap, or Rather - a Roll...

Before 2016 wanders off into the distance a final small finish for the year (from before Christmas, wouldn't want to rush the blog post!)

Twice a month S Patchwork Group goes into the evening giving those of us who are confined to work during the day opportunity to join in...it's a great idea and I really appreciate being able to go to a lovely friendly welcoming group.  Tea is ordered and delivered from a local shop (fish & chips, pizza, that sort of thing, nothing too grand) so along with the usual take a cup/mug it's handy to have cutlery.  After seeing the cutlery rolls a few of the ladies had and after my friend received one as her Christmas present at Patchwork Group and after I made one for Florence as part of her SSCS present...I wanted one for me!

 

 

The seaside themed fabric was bought in Tasmania a long time ago and I still love it...a bit of whimsy and as I usually get fish and chips (or potato cakes) at Patchwork Group it seemed appropriate, the pink and green fabric just happened to be the right shades so yep that''ll do...I'm happy, it will do the intended job and that's all it has to do...

Happy New Stitchy Year!!!...

 

SSCS 2016 - Incoming - The Main Present Edition...

The day arrived...the day the box of presents from Dagmar could be retrieved from its hiding place in the press and the paper ripped off to see what is inside...

What goodies were hiding in this pile of pretty presents...

 

A lovely Christmas square table mat, a packet of German Christmas serviettes and the sweetest little glass hanging Christmas Angel.

 Love the stars and trees surrounding the centre wreath...

The blocks are paper pieced...and lovely quilting...beautiful detail...

The vase is just to give an idea of scale but it does fit perfectly in the centre of the wreath...

Than you so much Dagmar, I have been spoilt...and of course thank you to the Chief Elf Chookyblue, love this swap and so happy to have participated for the seventh time in the 10th year of the swap...onwards to the 11th SSCS in 2017 (no pressure there Chook - he he he)...
 

I hope your Christmas was Merry and Happy Stitching!!!...

SSCS 2016 - Outgoing - The Main Present Edition...

December 25 is a long time away when waiting for SSCS (for everything else it zooms up way too quickly!)...but finally it arrived and Florence has opened her main present...a set to take cup/mug and cutlery to stitching (or other) happenings...and she has told me she likes it (whew!)...

 The present - main and some extra bits just because...

The set...

Mug/cup bag  

Mug mat to set her cup and biscuit on...

Fold in half and tie behind the cup...

Cutlery roll - pockets for cutlery and serviette... 

Roll up...

 

Sit in front of the cup... 

Don't forget tea in the pocket...

Ready to go...

Florence has cats and when I saw the cat fabric it meowed (very loudly and insistently) pick me!  I used iron on vinyl for the cup pocket for a bit of protection in case of a damp cup...and the fun floral fabric I picked up in Bendigo when I went on an Embroidery Guild bus trip a few weeks ago just because I liked it...it just happened to have the right shade of turquoise in the design so the cats wanted to play in the garden...gotta love serendipity :)

The bag pattern was from Red Brolly (mostly...I almost followed a pattern...almost), the mug rug I made up using an Anni Downes stitchery design from her "The Story of My Day" book and the cutlery roll I made up after seeing a friend's.

I'm always packing a cup/mug and cutlery to stitchy happenings and I thought maybe Florence was too so I hope she gets use out of the set.

Happy Stitching...

SSCS 2016 - Outgoing - The Ornament Edition...

The sleigh (finally at almost Christmas Eve) arrived in Europe...France in particular...and the house of Florence specifically...of course the little parcel could be opened immediately...hanging ornaments were inside...

 Kangaroo...

 

Kookaburra

Hanging Out Together...

The drawings by our very own lovely Michelle Ridgeway...a little bit of Aussie across the seas to France.

I hope Florence enjoys them...

Happy Stitching...

SSCS 2016 - Incoming - The Ornament Edition...

Collecting the mail for work yesterday included a box of goodies for me! Yes, it's here...my SSCS 2016 present...all the way from Germany...from Dagmar in fact...priority number one when I got home from work was getting that box open!!!

Of course, the ornament could be unwrapped straight away and I wasted no more time...to reveal...

a lovely folded star ornament...

There is no tree happening indoors so it went outside and had a go on a garden plant for a photo...figured that was more attractive that the corner of the TV it is now hanging from.

Thank you Dagmar I really like my lovely star...

Now the agonising wait of what is in those other parcels...yes parcels...to tease me Dagmar has wrapped up three intriguingly tempting parcels...putting them back in the mailing box and closing the lid...too tempting, out of sight is the only way to go until the big day arrives!...

Happy Stitching...

What A Weekend!...

The stitchy fabulousness the weekend of the mini workshop with the Saturday stitching friends in the last post continued on into the Sunday...a trip to the NGV in Melbourne and fun times with bloggy friends...

That Sunday morning saw me up and at 'em even earlier than leaving the house to go to work...good reason...trekking up to the Big Smoke...right into the very CBD of Melbourne for a special day indeed.  First achievement...driving into the City from West when I have always been a North/North-East girl...a moment of panic with changes to the lanes on the West Gate - seriously VicRoads stop moving the roads on me!...I made it to the chosen car park, whew! thank goodness they haven't moved a building I worked in over 30 years ago!

Very excited I met up with Chooky (yay a Chooky catch-up!) and Carol (nice to met you Carol) at their breakfast spot and off we went to the NGV - not the St Kilda Road location but the Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square, a much shorter walk and straight into the wonderful exhibition.  We collected more bloggy friends in quick time...it was so good to see Elyte again, it had been ages, and to meet Joy and Susan.

We spent about 2 1/2 hours in the exhibition and I am soooo glad I went...a wish fulfilled...I've seen the Rajah Quilt..In. The. Fabric!  Oh my...it is Huge!!!!

 Behind glass of course - can you spot what is missing?

So much to look at...

Imagine stitching in those conditions!

There was so much fabulousness but my photos are not so fabulous....good thing I bought the book!

So glad Chooky came down that weekend, it was the only time I was maybe going to be able to go into the City for the exhibition and it was just the incentive I needed to make it happen...and an opportunity to have a lovely bloggy peeps day out...

Happy Stitching...

 

Folder Workshops...

For something a lot out of my recent comfort zone I've taught a couple of workshops in the last few months of a project from a long time ago - a cutting mat folder thingy.  Originally a workshop at a group I went to a long time ago, put together by a clever member who then allowed me to teach to local quilt group about 10 years ago....a looonnng time since I'd had to remember how to put it together - and even longer since I'd actually made my own one - but we got there in the end.

The first was again for local quilt group ladies, many who weren't members the first time around, - group's pics of the finished projects here.  Liz has a pic of hers in this post. Love all the different looks with the chosen fabrics and even a couple with blocks/stitchery incorporated. Very well done ladies!

The second was a mini workshop with my fortnightly Town of Work Saturday stitching friends. M & J made the basic cutting mat/ironing surface combination while C and I went for the pimped up "let's add in a sandpaper mat" three fold version (that we made up as we went along) and mine is also a mini to fit in my handwork bag.  They all did a fabulous job and end results looked great...M used a great fabric with text on it, J a black background vibrant pinks and yellows etc floral, C three different coloured hand dyes - pink, green and yellow - which she stitched together and each fold had its own colour and I used elephant fabric. I coveted each and every fabric look (in both workshops!).

My new mini version...

Cutting surface...

 

Sandpaper in the centre

(wasn't dried well enough when I folded it to bring home

and bled through a little - lesson learnt!)

 Ironing surface

We added the rubber bobbly stuff for protection from the sandpaper when the folder is closed

Closed ready to travel...

The perfect size to fit in with the hand piecing project that travels to groups with me or for fussy cutting hexies...happy days...

The fun continued that weekend...more on that later...

Happy Stitching...

 

Sleigh Time...

On the sleigh for SSCS 2017...

But where to?....

Happy Stitching...