LOVE QUILTS

Back in December I shared the Random Acts of Kindness blog post with our Love Quilts in them. 
Well we have been busy, making more as these are on going projects for threadbare, the sewing group I attend in Campbelltown Library on Mondays.  The ladies have been lovely stitching hearts for the quilts, Mum and I cut out the rails and posts and then Mum stitches them up, Evelyn hand quilts them and then I get them to do the binding and labels.

Here are the next two we have done.

This one is for one of the ladies in our sewing group who's  Mother In Law was recently diagnosed with Lung Cancer but luckily is was a misdiagnoses and the nodules growing on her lungs were drug related to a medications she was taking and since stopping / switching the drugs the nodules have reduced so we hope her love quilt helps her to feel at home in the nursing home that she has been moved to due to this diagnosis.

This one is for a special lady in my life who just needs an extra bit of loving she is my whanua!! This extra special stitched heart I worked on is dedicated to breast cancer and was designed by Rosalie Quinlan. I know that when Janet sleeps under this quilt she will be filled with her whanua love.

Christmas Day/Boxing Day revisited with details.

Well the house is empty apart from me, so the silence is golden but also sad, I really enjoy having all the extended family come and stay and fill my home with love and noise (OK I might complain that they are noisy when they are here, but I really do miss it when it's gone).

Our Christmas was super special, even though it will be the last we celebrate with dear Al. He was such a trooper over the holidays and I will miss his witty input. Only he could make us all, almost spit out Christmas Lunch with his bon bon toy!! With the Sunglasses nanna rope - Jewish plaits interpretation... (No I am not racist - just laughing in the moment)

Let's get to the details.... sharing recipes via links for you too. :)

OK, let's start with the time - yep in years past we have always been up super early, not sure if it is Gran or the Kids but it's always super early...but they were warned with Brian working the night shift on Christmas Eve and not due home till 7.30am it was a no presents till then, you may as well sleep in. BUT!!! of course I was awoken at 6am but miss Bella puss and vomits, so I got to clean them up and then I started with retching as I don't really do vomit too well. So then I woke up gran, but we both tried to go back to bed, nope no sleep coming, so at 6.30am I was sending them all text messages, and giggling like a kiddie listening to Dad and Mum "quick get your phone, it will wake the kids" LMAO that was funny. So before we knew it we were all sitting up downstairs drinking cups of tea and Shortbread and Mincepies awaiting Brian's arrival at 7.30am.

Then it was gifts Bianca and Jasmin took turns in being Santa and passing out the gifts. Of course there were the usual shenanigans from Chantelle and Brian joined the Ribbon club.

Then the Allsopp's popped in for a Christmas tipple, the traditional Tia Maria and Cream and ended up joining us for Breakfast. Our regular Gay Eggs - recipe to come another time, was passed over for the easier version of Huevos Rancheros Our Way, so easy when catering to a crowd.

Then a little more unwrapping of gifts, before it was time to get lunch on. With most of our prep done on Christmas Eve, it was a very laid back and easy setup. Dad did an awesome job of de-boning the Turkey Buffet again and I stuffed it with the prepared stuffing mix that we mixed up on Christmas Eve ready to stuff the boneless breasts. I double the recipe for my Prosciutto Wrapped Stuffing Balls and added about a cup of macadamias this year. So we served the Turkey stuffed with the same mix and had the Prosciutto Wrapped Stuffing Balls on the side. Mum oiled and salted the Pork Crackle, and we popped the Turkey and the Pork in the oven inside. Then while Dylan with his new Knife was helping me prepare the ham, Mum measured as I called out the ingredients for the Baked ham with brown-sugar glaze, which Brian kept basting and checking in the BBQ every 20 Min's. The girls set the table. It really was an all hands helping in Christmas day.

Then we all put our feet up and sang some carols, before it was time to pop the accompaniments on the table.

 OK, we accompanied our meats with the Cranberry, cherry and almond relish (and yes I used fresh cherries again, much raved over and all enjoyed. Then Miss Jasmin requested the Mango Salsa - OK I couldn't find the recipe, but it really is just diced fresh mango & half a red onion, a squirt of the chopped chilli in the tube drizzled with apple cider vinegar, lime juice a sprinkle of sugar. This was also prepared on Christmas Eve so the flavours had really mixed nicely come Christmas day.

 The rest of the menu was

Roast Pumpkin & Sweet Potato

Green bean salad with roasted cherry tomato vinaigrette

Potato Gratin with Cauliflower Cream (thanks to Coles Christmas Magic mini cookbook again this year)

More Shenanigans from Chantelle and Bianca, more Carols by candlelight and just some good old relaxing whilst the dishes were done!!! Then we were all too full for Christmas Cake and custard, so it was time for the new coffee machine to go into service and dish out Coffee's Affogato style  - Shot of Espresso, Shot of Liqueur of choice (mines Kahlua), Scoop of Ice cream and sprinkled with demarera sugar. Then we sat back and watched the kids use the Wii and Just Dance 3 up the lounge room, with screams from me about the rocking of the TV. Before I gave up and went to bed totally exhausted.

Boxing day is another day, filled with friends, food and fun and this year was no exception. Sadly miss B had to work in the city at Myer's but she did join us late for her Trifle. We did two car trips around to my girlfriends so that we only had one driver, then we sat back and ate leftovers and played games...the best being the Talking about your Generation game....covers all the ages from Dad to Jasmin and laugh lots we did. Even a few water bombs were thrown. All in all a great Christmas Day and Boxing Day, one filled with many many special memories. One that I know we will treasure for a long time.!!

Christmas Gift Giving - Cushion Creation

 I fell in love with this design when I first saw it back in 2009 and I had thought I had kept it earmarked, but alas when seeing it again online sadly I couldn't find it.... it is by Leanne Beasley and was part of the Breast of Friends BOM from the Homespun Magazine. When I came accross the image I had saved of it from an online blog earlier this year I decided to make it as a gift for a good friend. But then came the task of no pattern out came my drawing skills, and I am very impressed with what I have done.... I really love the background. Sadly these photos were taken on a dark day, so the colours aren't coming up true, it is a very nice vintage tones of red, cream and brown with a touch of dirty pink. I am finding this one hard to give up. And yep more machine quilting, really think I will be giving the free motion a go before I know it!!!

Christmas Gift Giving - SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL

Inspired by Chookyblue's Stitch - A - Long Blog, and their project this year to work on the Quilt from Anni Downs Some Kind of Wonderful Book. I had to have it when I saw it; and then the ideas came in for Christmas Gifts.

Well I did get lucky and managed to make a few items from the book.

I had decided that I was going to purchase the Bohin Mini Iron for my Mum this year and loved the little Sewing Case in the book and thought it would be perfect storage for the Iron.

I then hunted down a little ironing mat they work perfect in the little Sewing Case. Of course I had to have one for me too...so it was double projects.  I enjoyed the project, but I did find that there was a lot of hand sewing in the project.

  

 I did use a wonderful piece of printed linen for the bottom of the bag instead of creating another patchwork panel.

Then onto another gift for a young lady who plans to travel next year.

The Travel Document holder was a very simple and quick project and I am loving the needle turn applique my circle is almost perfect very happy with that.

 I have used a nice Parisian Eiffel tower print for the lining and some of that printed linen for the pockets

All in all I was happy with my creations and the gifts will be well received I hope!!!

Secret Santa - GIFTS SENT AND RECIEVED

OK Chooky, I think I have put myself on the Naughty list, with only a couple of days till Christmas, I was feeling a little flat, and well with the wrappings I had to move the parcel and thought mmmm why not, so I have cheated and opened my gifts.  But I know that I have the family all coming and the computer is in the Sick Bay I have set up so I guess it's only Christmas Eve's Eve.... Well have I swayed you into believing that I am not really naughty but nice..... So I have opened so I could post early this post so that I wouldn't not do it, with family staying who knows when I will get to the computer again.



Anyways These are my awesomely wonderful gifts in our exchange this year from the wonderful Michelle. I truly felt spoilt and the love in your handmade cushion is divine and has given me the lift I needed....and made my Extra special Guest Room look extra pretty too!!! Thank you so much I love them all.

 I love the details all stitched, and funny enough I have admired patterns like this ....so it was just perfect for me...and that little vintage postcard in the pocket just AWESOME!!!

So that's what I received, and here is what I had the pleasure of creating and sending as gifts to Elin in Norway, I enjoyed making the runner when I was going runner made - more runner images to come in the next few days.

This wrapped parcel enclosed these gifts.....

It's Christmas DAY!!!

Its that time of the year again.

Wishing you all the very best for christmas...........close your eyes, listen to santa,

and you might even here in the dull of the night.....

Happy Christmas  to all

and to all a good night!!!

Christmas Gift Giving - RUNNER CRAZY

This year, I didn't think I would have time to make gifts, but the joy of creating really is Christmas to me, and with all that is going on, I have found that making the time to sit and stitch, has really eased some of the stresses in my life. Besides sitting stitching keeps the mind busy and away from other thoughts.

So with that going on, I have managed to get a roll on some runners.

First was some amazing fabric I received from Amie for my birthday it is perfect to match in with my Christmas theme this year so I whipped up a few of these.... I did the quilt as you go method on a couple

and then I found this pattern for what is known as a card trick template in patchwork, I fell in love with it and whipped up a few as gifts for Christmas.....

I found them enjoyable to do, and I think I have finally mastered my quilting foot on my machine, although I much prefer to hand quilt these items will wash better with the machine quilting.