FNWF

I joined in Friday Night With Friends last night and appliqued this little angel, which will become the front of a pouch to house special cards I want to keep after Christmas. I made one for a swap a few years ago and it turned out so well I wanted to keep it. The pouch is based on this one in Zakka Style, which has lots of great projects . I made one to give to my cousin-in-law Mairi in Scotland a few years ago - it's decorated with an applique design by Jen Kingwell from the first  Splendid Sampler series and Mairi uses it as an Ipad case. The front offers all sorts of possibilities for decoration- I've also used Christmas prints embellished with special buttons - while the bag itself would be ideal for ephemera such as postcards, letters,

concert tickets and so on - a repository for special keepsakes that evoke happy memories.

Getting away

Following the great results of my latest CT scan last week, which showed that my lung cancer is stable, my husband and I felt brave enough at last to run away from home for four weeks.

Today marks the end of our first week away - the time has gone so quickly! We've been to Rutherglen (Vic), Forbes, Dubbo and Narrabri (NSW) and Toowoomba in Queensland and are now comfortably ensconced in an AirBnB apartment at Peregian Beach for a week. When I was so ill earlier this year, the thing I most wanted, apart from not being ill, was a holiday in the sun. The further away we got from chilly Ballarat, the warmer the weather. It's been delightful to throw off the layers and I'm planning a sandal-shopping expedition tomorrow.

Not so delightful has been the state of the countryside. While northern Victoria and just over the border was green, the further we travelled into NSW the more drought-stricken the country appeared. It wasn't diffiult to understand why farmers are having such a dreadful time.

We've seen such interesting sights and had some lovely (and some very ordinary! ) meals - the best was at All Saints winery at Wahgunyah, Vic.  Expensive but worth it - what a treat. Visiting the Dish at Parkes was great, Dubbo's open range zoo was interesting  and we enjoyed stopping at Goondiwindi and staying in Toowoomba but the highlight of the trip so far was being able to spend some time with the gorgeous Chooky.  We made a big detour to take her out for lunch in Coonamble and we were all delighted to see each other. Chooky is one of my very favourite people and despite the hard time on her farm she still has that beautiful smile.

Tomorrow is for mundanities such as settling in to our accommodation, doing the washing (and buying sandals) and planning for the rest of our time here. Can't wait to see what this region has to offer.

Friday night with friends

I signed up for last week's FNFW and actually remembered to take part this time!

Nothing really interesting to show but I'm pleased to have made so much progress on the cardigan I've been knitting for a while that it should be finished before  we go away next Sunday for a few days. We're heading down to Torquay on the Victorian coast - it won't be much warmer there than it is here in Ballarat - where the temperature is stuck on BRRRRRRR degrees - but the change of scene will be very welcome. What did everyone else  get up to?

Hello again ... at last

Hello, little neglected blog. Hello, bloggy friends. I'm not the most frequent blogger at the best of times but it's been an eventful year. In February, after several hospital admissions to have fluid drained from my right lung, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. As a life-long non-smoker,  it was the biggest shock for me and all my family and friends and such a struggle to come to terms with - especially as my dad died of the same disease 30 years ago at the age I am now (66).

 The first months after the diagnosis were pretty awful - killer fatigue, emotional melt-downs , aches and pains ... but now I'm feeling well ... and without being all Pollyanna-ish, I'm feeling pretty lucky.  I still get tired but can now walk around without struggling for every breath or needing to lie down after climbing the stairs. All the medical services I need are 10 minutes down the road, my oncologist is my hero and my treatment is simple - just one pill every day for the foreseeable future. That pill has already shrunk the tumour and the secondaries - see what I mean about feeling lucky?

Now that I'm stronger and pretty much back to normal, my husband is more able to enjoy doing his own thing (he's a keen golfer) instead of spending all his time  being my carer and keeping everything running at home. He's my hero, too. We've had some enjoyable outings recently in our local goldfields area - to Bendigo for the fabulous, marvellous, wonderful (can you tell I enjoyed it?) Marimekko exhibition, to Craig's (Ballarat's poshest hotel) overnight for our 42nd wedding anniversary, to tiny towns we'd never before visited for an arts trail that showed creativity is everywhere (the photo shows international quilt judge and art quilter Jenny Bacon's work hanging outdoors as part of her exhibition at Adelaide Lead school.)

 

So far this year there has been little crafting. Simple knitting is fine though - last month I made two cute little mice, flowers and leaves for a brooch and am making good headway with a cardigan for myself. My usual fabric crafting loves would require too much concentration than I'm up for at present but that will come.

 One of the things I have discovered in this steep-learning-curve of a year is how tremendously kind people can be. In hospital, nurses busy on their rounds would hold my hand when I was upset. There have been lots of messages, phone calls and visits (my daughter's visit from China in February and my brothers' visits  from NZ were highlights.) At night I snuggle under a beautiful quilt covered in a rainbow of  hearts - the epitome of kindness and a fine example of social media's power for good. My  Instagram post about the diagnosis was greeted with a flood of good wishes - and my lovely friend Abbe's (that's her on the right) hush-hush campaign of collecting squares contributed  by  these very same people  for a quilt. So many squares were sent - mainly from Australia but from NZ, England and Germany too -  that the quilt she made is huge, with hearts on the front and back. It was such a heartwarming gesture and the quilt is such a comfort.

So ... that's my year so far. I'm crossing my fingers that the second half of 2018 will be kind  and that there will be some crafty fabricy things made. Meanwhile, the sun is shining and we're off to Clunes (a lovely little goldfields town about half an hour away) for a craft market and coffee. If you've managed to make it this far without nodding off - thanks for your company.

Oh Christmas tree

My Christmas trees are up, the house is decorated and the Christmas baking is done and in the freezer, away from prying eyes/fingers (but  not completely successfully - I have to admit to sneaking a couple of mince pies) .

And although we really don't need any more decorations, I just had to make this little one last night for FNFW. It was part of a kit and was so easy as every piece was pre-cut. It's joined all the other hand-made lovelies on my main tree  - some purchased, some made by me, others given to me by friends or  in previous swaps hosted by Chookyblue . So many lovely memories there. 

We also have a little tree, which features my collection of bird decorations. They're mainly in glass or wood and include some Huon pine beauties purchased at Salamanca Market in Hobart years ago. There are also two delicate little gold  Danish birds given to us by Majken, our exchange student from Greenland who lived with us for a year when she was 18. More special memories.

FNSI

Popped in to FNSI tonight - first time for ages. Last week I knitted some little mittens for a Christmas decorations swap so tonight's task was making another set for home. They're so quick and easy that I had time to do some additional stitching on a pincushion project designed by Kathy Schmitz.

Thanks to  Wendy for getting us all together tonight and for my first blog post for far too long.

Where did July go?

I have no idea where July went. It's been a bit of a blur - a bit of stitching, happy times with my husband and friends, a surprise wedding (not mine!)  and lots of thinking.

The  wedding was that of a dear friend and her partner. We were invited to a venue by the lake to celebrate her birthday and after a while the real reason for the gathering was revealed. It was such fun , just the loveliest surprise.

The thinking - well, my husband and I have agreed that our 2-storey house is too big for just the two of us and we're ready to downsize. We'll have to get rid of a lot of stuff and I am REALLY not looking forward to sorting out my sewing room. We live in a suburb close to the lake and gardens and we really want to stay in the neighbourhood if possible. Stay tuned.

The stitching - a strawberry pincushion for my friend's  birthday - note to self: make a wedding present! -  some hexies to put together for the clock in Sharon's lovely book and clamshells for the dilly bag in the same book. I've joined a stitchalong for this project - it's fun getting to know the Canadian and English ladies in the group and see what everyone's doing. I'm the slowest - too many distractions. I met the organiser, Cathy,  in London last year and my Tassie friend Leanne is another member. What fun!

I'm taking part in fewer swaps these days but couldn't resist Cheryll's Christmas in July swap.  Anthea was my partner and these were my gifts - aren't they great.

 I sent to Illene but forgot to take a photo. Anyway, she likes the gifts I sent -  a Christmas stocking, a keepsakes pouch with an angel appliquéd on the front and an appliquéd holly decoration-   which is always a relief because with swaps there are so many unknowns.

What with all this, plus a visit to the craft and quilt fair in Melbourne  with my dear friend Jeni and meeting lovely Ros from bloomandblossom.blogspot.com in my equally lovely friend Annie's beautiful garden, it's been quite a month.

Weekends

This weekend - or today at least - I'm being a couch potato, treating my suddenly sore back with my homemade heat pack and watching Scotland beating  the Wallabies in rugby.  24-19, in case you're interested. I was born in Scotland and raised in NZ so that's where my allegiances lie. Rugby is the only sport I follow - when you grow up in NZ you just can't get away from it. Must say I was impressed when my Aussie husband sang "Flower of Scotland" with me and the Scots in the crowd - and I have to say we were a whole lot more tuneful than the kilted singer.

Last weekend I was less of a lazybones. We're fortunate to have a small and beautiful fabric shop, Cotton Factory here in Ballarat and owner Alison organises some fun activities such as the weekend retreat I attended along with 70-something other craft enthusiasts and presenters from near and far.  It was two days of  hugging, chatting, laughing, eating and - oh yes, doing some stitching too. Not that I finished anything. No matter.
There was just so much talent in the room. One of the ladies at my table was working on the most magnificent fussy-cut EPP stars. The swap was a great hit on the first day. We'd all been sent some rather unpromising geography- themed fabrics and there was such a variety of amazing makes. I scored this bag, which I really really love (seen here with a few extras that were in our box of goodies plus a couple of things I won).

And this is what I made with my world map fabric (which I ended up liking - my swap partner was pretty pleased too.)

The presenters were all super-talented too. There was toymaker and fabric designer (and my favourite rude person) Jodie Carleton, quilters Kate Henderson from WA and Peta Peace from Queensland, EPP queen Sharon Burgess, longarm quilter Wendy Gleeson, Andi Herman, who produces patterns for pixellated quilts from photos and spent some time at my house finishing  her fabric mosaic mini featuring Anh Do - what a brilliant technique! - and international quilt judge Jenny Bacon.  Each was so lovely and so  generous with telling their personal stories and providing beautiful, inspirational displays. It was a weekend none of us will forget in a hurry.

Cheers!

I turned 65 a few weeks ago. My birthday was marked with phone calls and messages, some lovely gifts and the receipt of my pension card (yikes! - that really does make me feel old!)  And a deep sense of gratitude, because unlike some of my dear friends, I'm still here. Still on the right side of the grass, as some of my elderly library borrowers liked to say. Still feeling lucky. So here's to all of us - long may we continue to wake up every morning , to be happy and healthy and enjoying whatever each day brings.

Happy birthday, Chookshed

So it's the Chookshed's 5th birthday - hooray! It's been lovely to think of Chooky and friends stitching away in that gorgeous welcoming space I was so lucky to visit a few years ago.

Much of my weekend was spent in my sewing room - but not a stitch was stitched. Instead, I got stuck in to some desperately-needed sorting and tidying, spurred on by a desire to actually be able to see the floor  and to find my lucky door tickets for the local retreat I'm going to next weekend. I haven't found them yet - but I did manage to find lovely stuff I'd forgotten about, to display some of my charm square packs in the rope basket my friend Jeni made me for Christmas and to do some general prettifying (the photo in the header shows the top of the chest that holds all sorts of fabrics  and is displaying some of my favourite things, including my Happy Hens from NZ.) Oh, and my collection of Liberty prints - much bigger than I'd realised - is now sitting prettily in a set of colourful  display suitcases purchased from my local quilt shop, Cotton Factory I'm pretty happy about all of that. The tidying will be continuing during the week - and hopefully my sewing table will soon be organised enough for some creativity.

Making, baking

Nothing to show here on the stitching front (although I'm  working on a little project as a swap gift for a local weekend retreat next month) but I'm  keeping busy and creative, making things  like this ...  Hitchhiker Shawl ( an easy peasy knit provided your adjustable circular needles don't keep unscrewing themselves and then breaking , as mine did - sigh)

and this ...

and this...  yes, I made   butter - just because I could ...

and these - can you tell I like messing about in the kitchen?

and looking at lovely things like this - such a beautiful exhibition ...

and these - gorgeous blooms at Lambley  Nursery, which has the most beautiful gardens and is always a joy to visit  ...

and a fun time with a dear  friend from Hobart who lived on the five-acre block next door when our children were small - lots of outings and happy memories.

I hope the merry month of May is being good to you too.

Here be dragons

We headed off with friends on a little road trip yesterday. First stop was the monthly Talbot market - always a favourite destination. Talbot is a tiny town  - its population of under 300 swells dramatically on market day - and streets in the centre are closed off. For once, we were early, so strolling along and having a good look at all the wares for sale (wine, food, plants, chickens, you name it ...) Some after-breakfast dumplings and coffee really hit the spot ... I came home with a gorgeous little china dish, ornamental plants and garlic for planting or eating.

Then it was on to Bendigo, which, like Ballarat, was a prosperous gold town, full of history and the majestic buildings of the era. Bendigo also has a rich history of Chinese settlement and culture and its Easter parade featured dragons galore. Seeing Gum Loong, at 100m the longest dragon in the world , was really special, despite all the heads and bodies in the way (I still can't figure out why the very tall man sitting  in the front row thought it was okay to stand all through the  two-hour parade, preventing me and others from getting a half-decent view). There were smaller dragons galore, firecrackers, fabulous, colourful Chinese costumes  ... I've never seen anything like it. My photos aren't great but they'll give you some idea of how impressive it was.

And then there was the quilt show... rooms full of beautiful works by the local Strathdale Quilters group. These are a few of my favourites. 

And this is my absolute favourite  - is it cute or what! It was driven in the parade.

Such a great day out.

Easter

There's a little bit of Easter decorating at my place - chooks and bunnies and chocolate  (thank you again, Susan, for the fabulous little mat) ...

... and a whole lot of chocolate (far too much of it - I won first prize in a raffle yesterday. Sharing with my husband and friends, you'll be glad to know.)

OPAM

I've signed up for OPAM again this year - am having a slower than usual start to my sewing year  (and blogging - shame on me!) so need something to spur me into action. I always like to look back through my OPAM lists and see what's been made and when.
 Not much so far this year - just two pairs of knitted baby shoes for two new little girls and a Fan Bag (designed by the wonderful Nikki) for my daughter Rosy.  Oh, and this mug rug /mini quilt designed  by lovely Amanda to mark the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese calendar. It was such a perfect gift and she loved it  - my girl lives in China and came home for a holiday during her Chinese new year break.

Late last year I signed up for an international polaroid block swap. Have you made this type of block? I hadn't and really enjoyed making them - they're perfect for using little quirky  scraps. Still not sure what I'll do with my 20 little blocks - a mini quilt? a cushion cover? but I'll enjoy working it out. 

SSCS 2016

Christmas and the  delights of the annual SSCS, hosted by the awesome Chooky, are over for another year, leaving behind happy memories, special gifts and the thrill of connecting with a friendly stranger in another country.

This is what I sent to Carole in the US - a woolly warmer for around her neck, a little brooch, a mini-quilt/table topper and a hexie Christmas decoration. I received a lovely "thank you" email from Carole, who has been unwell, which shouldn't be allowed at Christmas!

And I received these - and more besides -  from Martine in Arras, France

I love everything - especially the clever wall pocket (which included a little glass tube for a few fresh or dried flowers)  and those cute little bears.. and that quirky Christmas angel. As for the mug  - it's a souvenir mug  from Martine's town, which she had specially decorated with "No kangaroos in Arras" on the front and our names on the back. It makes me smile. Martine also included a tea cosy, pretty fabric and buttons and a book about the Battle of Arras, which I'm looking forward to reading once my brain is out of holiday mode. We've been in touch, so Martine already knows how pleased and thankful  I am to have had her as my partner this year.

Here's to you, Chooky, and to all my wonderful SSCS partners over the years and to all of you lovely people out there in blogland. Here's to a healthy, happy, crafty year for us all.

It's nearly Christmas...

... and the tree is up and the house is decorated at last. It's usually  all sorted earlier in December but some major housework was needed. Bah! Humbug!

So anyway, we're looking good (and trying to keep things tidy and not drop anything on the tiled floors my husband spent so long cleaning). A few cards have arrived and there are presents under the tree already, thanks to Martine in France, my partner in this year's Secret Santa Christmas Swap.  Thanks  so much for your generosity, Martine - and thanks too to Chooky for organising the swap for the umpteenth year in a row.  It's such a lovely way to end the year and we all appreciate  and look forward to it.

FNFW again

Had a quiet night at home stitching away at one of Gail Pan's gorgeous designs. It's probably a bit hard to see but I'm using a variegated thread in muted blue tones. When finished off with a fabric border and a bit of quilting, it will hang on my sewing room wall.I'm taking my time with this one and really enjoying the slow, relaxing pace.

The spring has sprung (finally!)

Spring has come late to Ballarat. We've had so many cold days, with lots of rain and some hail at times, and I'm sure all of us who live here have wondered if the season that follows our long, cold winters would ever come.

But we've had a run of fine days at last, hooray.  While the over-supply of rain means our local lake is full to overflowing, and the walkways to the boatsheds are mostly underwater so the boatsheds look as though they're floating, the birdlife is very happy, thanks. Especially the swans - they've been breeding like mad and it's such a delight to see the stately black adult birds and their little grey puffball babies grazing on the banks or forming a happy little flotilla in the water. It's also delightful when they cross the road, which can be quite busy at times. Drivers stop at once, and never seem to mind the delay. It's a magical moment.

A stroll around our back garden was just the thing after a busy day. The birds are chirping (we are visited by magpies, wattlebirds, doves, occasional spinebills and blue wrens, which are all beautiful, but would happily do without the starlings nesting just under the roof and all those pesty sparrows making a dust bowl in one of our garden beds). Everything including the weeds is growing like Topsy and our first potato crop, planted in a grow bag, is promising - judging by the leaves, at least.  The quince blossoms are looking a bit raggedy as they prepare to turn into fruit and one of our two olive trees has teeny tiny buds. The roses also have buds galore - for once I had them professionally pruned instead of my usual hack job and they seem pretty happy about that.

I'll leave you with a few images from my little world. I hope everyone's having a lovely weekend.

FNWF

I'm joining in Friday Night With Friends tonight, stitching along with everyone from everywhere.

Tonight's project is the Jingle Softie by my friend Jodie at Ric Rac. It's one of my favourite patterns for a little person - a softie and a rattle all in one. This one is for my husband's great-niece, born two days ago in Canberra. He'll take it to her, along with the teeny tiny Mary Janes I knitted this afternoon, when he's there for work next week.

Must hippity hop  back to my stitching. Hope everyone's having an enjoyably crafty night.

All ready to travel

I'm  all ready for a trip - but I'm  not going anywhere yet. Sigh. But the next time I travel, there'll be a smart new tag on my suitcase and my dirties will go in my nice new laundry bag instead of an old plastic bag.

These new goodies,  plus a fat quarter and a pretty handmade card, were from Sandi  in Queensland and sent as part of the No Fuss Swappers travel swap. The laundry bag fabric features the Eiffel Tower and other wonderful buildings in Paris, including the type of apartments I admired so much when visiting my favourite  city earlier this year.

Thanks so much, Sandi. Everything  will be very handy, although I can't promise to save the sweets for the next time I travel!