A New Year already begun

Happy New Year my friends.

2014 has already begun.

 I am unwell so haven`t felt like blogging but thought I`d best start now.

These jars of apricots are from one of our four trees.

They are all I was able to bottle.

There are peaches,nectarines and apples for fruit to come

plus the vegetables in the garden to process in Feb/March.

For Mrs Martins `Celebration` swap last year 

we where to make a patchwork block for our partner.

I enjoyed the foundation piecing of this pattern

`A Circle of Geese`

so carried on to finish as this lovely table mat.

Maria ( `Life on the block` as seen down the side of my blog )  loved it.

Thank you Maria for this star block,ribbon and buttons.

I have an idea to finish this off using all of these.

I will show once I have finished.

For Maria`s birthday I stitched the scissor holder and fob.

Then down sized the cotton reel pattern to make a hold all and

a matching block.

I enjoyed making this set and hope sometime this year to make one for myself.

Maria`s Christmas gift was wrapped in this lovey 

stocking fabric as shown on my last post.

Here is what she gave me.

I have hung up the wall hanging but this is now put away.

The `Timber Charm` house is waiting for me to complete.

There was a chocolate Koala bear to eat. 

He was split three ways :)

I will sew the label onto the back of the project that I decide to make with stocking fabric. 

Thank you Mrs Martin for the lovely swap for 2013.

 Well I best get on as the day is getting away from me.

Not forgotten thank you for your lovely comments of my blog. 

I do so enjoy these.

Happy Stitching,

Clare.

Christmas Time

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

 my friends.

What a busy time with friends and family.

It has been a lovely time.

Also finishing stitching at the last minute.

Plus finding that I became unwell,I still have a sore throat and taking meds.

That slowed me down as I wanted to bless more but hasn`t happened.

So to what I did do and some of my gifts the came my way. 

I made these two for two of my friends Kath and Katrina.

This is what I gave katrina.

The lovely angel doll,a 12 days of Christmas Ornament with candy inside,

a block roll and Santa cork bottle stopper.

This is for Kath.

The lovely angel doll,a 12 days of Christmas Ornament with candy inside,

a block roll and snowman cork bottle stopper.

These are so cute. 

A beautiful doll from kath with the latest DMCs 

Kath has made her so lovely and will be out all year round.

Katrina gave me these lovely gifts.

`Piecemaker ` tapestry needles which I love to use,

`Count Your Blessings` a La-D-Da  pattern,

(some stitching for me)

a cute little angel and tissues.

A closeup of the ornament hanging on my tree.

These ornaments make a lovely display on the tree.

My SSCS Christmas gift came from Shez.

This lovely wallhanging.

Thankyou Shez it is lovely and hung already.

This is what I sent to Fiona for my gift for SSCS.

Thankyou to Chookyblue and Googy Girl for organizing this swap. 

Maria my partner for Celebration Swap for 2013

 gave me my Christmas gift wrapped in this lovely fabric.

I will use in one of my Christmas project which is yet to be decided.

I made this cushion cover for her saying 

`Celebrate love and giving`.

Fiona has put a cushion inner in and it looks lovely.

These two `Shepherd Bush` stockings I stitched for our grandchildren.

I finished them a few days before Christmas so they could hang them up.

I use the pattern `Peter` for the lamp,star/heart border

so used charms from my collection of charms as the main pattern is `Harry`.

We had to have the trains.

The other one was stitched from `Jillian`s stocking with its charm pack attached.

Well I best get on, till next time thankyou for the lovely comments

in friendship.

Happy Stitching,

Clare.

So blessed.

Hello my friends.

The days are flying by, not long till Christmas.

I joined MagicXstitch Christmas Exchange 2013.

 My gift came from Mayte. Mayte blessed me with this:

`Needlework Purse`.

I feel so blessed. I love it.

The beautiful rose button to close,

but it also needs the cord tie to keep it together.

Once opened this is what I found:

I had a pair of scissors waiting for a home so

I tucked them into the pocket and tied them in.

Mayte sent a photo copy of things to place.

This little angel holds the needle pages in place.

Under the needle pages is a personal message to me

and on the base has Maytes handmade label.

Thankyou so much Mayte I had happy tears from receiving this lovely gift.

I hope my gift for my partner arrives at its new home soon.

This purse and key ring I made from Lynette Andersons  book

`Stitch it for Spring` as a birthday gift for our youngest daughter.

From `Friends` swap I used some of the  fabric to complete these.

Our eldest daughter had to wait for hers as I stored it away so carefully.

We gave her a cat calender and I made her a purse from 

Lynette Andersons book `It`s Quilting Cat`s and Dog`s`

A close up of the front of the purse. 

She has asked  for whiskers to be put on the cat.

Found this lovely cat fabric for the back

and the lining this lovely pin dot. I could not find a cat paw print.

Well I best sign off as the power keeps cutting out with the thunder storm we had earlier 

today.

Happy Stitching,

Clare.  

SSCS Swap

Hello my friends

December is here so today I show my SSCS Swap parcel that came in the post.

My parcel to be opened on Christmas day in the background.

Looking forward to opening that.

A lovely ornament to hang this week as I put up my Christmas display.

A beautiful Australian homemade card. 

My first card this year.

Thank you to my swap partner.

Hope to post again tomorrow as have more photos to take.

Happy Stitching,

Clare.

A visitor came,now gone

Hello my friends and new ones as well. 
Nice to be back.

I have been unwell of late and my energy has been low. 
I was able to stitch but seemed longer to get done :(
I am thankful I can stitch.
Our visitor is:

She is so pretty and so quiet. :)

Our church youth group made her. She stayed with us for a few weeks.

Then today we had to protect her from them taking her away.

If we caught them doing this they have to do a job for us before she goes with them,

otherwise we pay them.

Being at the bottom of the tree was too easy!

Hubby put her up in my turn tree. 

In early Spring this tree has pink leaves.

She could of hidden better then.

He moved the ladder away and had a trap on that.

They know my hubby would have a plan like that!

That ladder is away in the background.

The closer ladder is covered in golden syrup!

The youth are working out their plan little knowing hubby is in the bushes with the hose

waiting till they touch her.

I pressed the wrong button on camera at the time they climbed on each others back to reach up for her.

That is when they got wet.

You can see the water spray. They quickly jumped out of the way.

Now they are learning what work there is for them.

Only a little job of picking up from cleaning the spouting.

Now a little stitching to show.

Part two of SAL Jardinprive sampler.

For the word `Heart` I used Old Red Paint a Sampler Thread.

Also DMC 644 for the rest of the wording in this part.

Well I will go now and next time show my progress on my mysteries as other 

stitching for Christmas.

Thank you for visiting.

Happy Stitching,

Clare

Monthly blocks and Jack.

Hello my friends.

I have time for a short visit, please do join me.

These are this months blocks from `The Country Yard`.

First:

Lynette Andersons `Chateau Hexagon` month 5 `Hollyhocks & Roses`.

This is the whole of block # 5

I stitched the centres of Hollyhocks with bullion knots using

 DMCs so to be finer stitches.

This was not in the pattern but I had space to do this.

Next: Mystery month eight `Care, Trust`.

I wonder what will be next!

And then:`A Christmas Noel` mystery month two.

Plum Pudding House.

So nice working with these threads and I love the peeper border.

This is the wool that hubby, using hand clippers took off Jack.

I will take it in to be carded.

 Then we will spin it ready for me to knit a lovely cardigan  for me

using Jacks first fleece of lambs wool.

Sheepos  one is wearing out.

Jack shows that he has long legs now his winter fleece is off.

Well must more on.

Thank you for visiting and hope you will come again.

Your comments are like we have been visiting together.

Happy Stitching,

Clare.

A little peep

Well hello my friends.

This month has come on me so quickly and the weeks have gone by.

I have had hubby on holiday so my time table has changed a bit.

A quick visit today as I`m busy with some other finishing.

I was sewing this:

`Spooling around` 

From Terri Degenkolb book `Just Spooling Around`

I brought the book with a kit for that quilt  from `The Country Yard`

 plus a cushion kit as well sometime ago.

The cushions already to put together.

There is some clutter round my sewing machine!

So when I have a few minutes I sit at my machine and sew a few spools together.

I also need to take more photos so will come back in a few days.

Thank you for stopping by.

Happy Stitching,

Clare.