Final Fibre Fever page

This is the final Fibre Fever page that I have made for the swap that I am in.
The page is for Ati and her theme is yellow.
The background is a piece of felt that I had dyed and the lady is from a panel of patchwork fabric which has all these ladies in different outfits on it.
I added some tiny buttons on the jacket front and on the flowers on her jacket and hat-2 tiny black beads for her earings -plus a necklace out of beads and a pair of gold scissors on the bag she is carrying.
I also worked french knots in black thread on the black spots on her jacket.
I finished it off with a blanket stitch edge.






I am still waiting for two of my pages but they will arrive soon.

Quilts for Comfort

This is the quilt that Jan has made up from the blocks that I sent her for the queensland flood appeal.
I posted the blocks to her on Wednesday afternoon and she received them on Friday and she finished the quilt today Saturday.
What a wonderful lady she is.
Not only did she finish my quilt but she also finished 4 other quilts as well today.
If you want to see what she has been doing then go here and here and read all about it.
Like I said in my previous post about these blocks-they have been in a box for about eight years because I couldn't be bothered finishing the quilt--this lady did it in about one hour.
You are an angel Jan and I hope whoever receives the quilt will get a lot of pleasure and comfort from it.


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I have some other quilt tops that I think I will send down to her for the appeal as well.

They aren't much use to me stored unfinished in a box.

Hot Needles Cool Stitches

I have started on Dales second workshop for the embellisher and here is one of my first samples.
Dale has taught us a new and simple way to make our pre-felts which speeds up the process of getting started.
This sample has two separate layers of wool with some lime green scrim sandwiched in between them.
I stitched on the embellisher in a circular motion and finished up with hand stitching around the circles.
I have more prefelts made but I am finding the hot sticky weather a bit unbearable and stitching is not an option at present.
Too many Nanny naps happening I am sorry to say.

When it cools down tonight I will have another go at it.

Blocks for Qld Flood appeal

A couple of posts ago I mentioned how people were asked to make Quilt as you go blocks that would be made into quilts for the flood victims in Queensland.
Today I thought that I would start to make some and then I remembered that I had made some about 8 years ago that I was going to make into a quilt for Ebony but they never did get made into a quilt.
So I hunted them down and now I am going to send them off to Jan the lady in Victoria who will be responsible for finishing putting them together.
There are 12 blocks in total and each block is 15 inches square so there is enough for a large quilt.
This is one of the blocks-very purple which when I made them was one of Ebonys favourite colours-but not anymore.





If you want to learn more about this project just click on the badge on the right side of this post and it will take you to Jans blog which she has created for this appeal.

ATC Birthday card swap

Here are the last 2 cards that I have received for the birthday card swap from 2010.
Both ladies had been sick last year and had not been well enough to complete their cards on time for my birthday in September-but I have now received them.
The blue one is from Jo in the UK and the cream one with the stitched D on it is from Cobi in the Netherlands.

Thank you ladies for sending them to me-they were well worth waiting for.

Disaster in Queensland

As you are all aware here in Australia we are having terrible floods in Queensland that are tearing the hearts out of many of our fellow Australians.
I have never seen TV coverage of floods that tore through a town with such magnitude and they are likening it to an inland sunami.
I pray that the rains will stop soon and allow these people to rebuild their lives if that is possible.
I have noticed on several blogs today where there has been appeals set up in Australia by bloggers to help in a small way.
One of them is the Gumtree-designers who have an appeal running and if you go to the link you can see what they are hoping to collect. http://www.gumtree-designers.com/2011/01/we-need-your-help.html
The second one was brought to my attention by Mary-Ann in Canada who pointed me to Kaite's blog.
Kaite has a tutorial on how to make the 10 and 1/2 inch blocks.
Kaite is not the person running this appeal but she will guide you as to where to send the blocks when you have finished them.
I do know how important these appeals are to the victims of these terrible Natural disasters because when we had the horrific bushfires in the ACT back in 2003-myself and hundreds of others were involved in making quilts for the families who lost their homes-and there were 500 of them.
I hate to think of how many homes have been destroyed but the TV coverage showed houses rushing down
in this massive torrent of water.
Please help if you can.

Oh no I forgot something !!!

Tonight I was looking at the calendar and it suddenly dawned on me that I had missed my blogaversary.
On the 5th of January 2007 I started my blog-if you want to see the firstpost go here.
I new nothing about blogging or how to use a computer except to send e-mails and play Solitaire.
Lots of people helped me on my journey-encouraging me every step of the way and I am very grateful that they took the time to guide me.
I am amazed at how much I have learned in this time and I only wish that I had something interesting to show you but alas there is nothing.
Next week Dale at the Thread Studio is starting a new Embellisher workshop called Hot Needles Cool Stitches and I have signed up for it so hopefully I will have some samples to show you all.
I just want to thank everyone who drops by whether you leave a comment or not because it's the thought that counts-you made the effort to look and that's what matters.

It's Fixed

The chubby little face that had dissappeared from the people I follow on Follow Friends has returned.
After hours of looking at the same info and changing photos it has reappeared.

On second thoughts it may have been better to leave well alone.

Just kidding.

Can anyone help me

I have noticed that on all the blogs that I have subscribed to as a follower my profile photo has dissappeared and I am now one of the faceless people at the end of the Followers section and I am appearing as Deefer not DoreenG.
I haven't changed anything in the settings so I don't know why this is happening.
Any ideas?

40 Years later

Last week we had a friend staying with us for a few days and he mentioned that he had some photos which he had taken when Danny was baptised.
He sent them down to us by e-mail today and I thought that you may like to see how we have both "matured" over the last 40 years.
Danny was 4 1/2 months old when this photo was taken and you can all figure out for yourselves how old I was.




Our friend also took this photo of us when he was here--I was cooking dinner on the barbecue-hence the apron -I don't normally wear aprons.
I love this photo--he's my baby -----and he is Ebony's dad.

I went to the Movies

Today Stephen and I took ourselves off to the movies to see "The King's Speech"
What a wonderful movie this is and if you haven't seen it yet then all I can say is go out and see it.
Colin Firth is brilliant and the Australian actor Geoffrey Rush is equally as good as well.
Helena Bonham Carter and another Australian actor Guy Pearce combined to make this a brilliant movie.

I know this movie has been out for a few weeks now and has been advertised on our local TV over the Christmas period so we thought we would go and see what all the fuss was about.

I am so glad that we did.

Do yourself a favour go see it.

I obtained this poster from here and I hope I haven't infringed any copyright laws by obtaining it but I see it as free advertising.

If I am in trouble I will remove it.

Happy New Year

As the new year approaches I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone all the best for 2011.

May you achieve all the goals that you set for yourselves and get great enjoyment out of doing it.

I know that next year will be a quieter one for me as I try to create more for me and have fewer deadlines that I have to meet.

I want to learn new things-be more adventurous-step out of my comfort zone a bit more.

I want to have days where I can sit and stare into space and not feel guilty because I haven't made something for someone.

I would like to try and finish a lot of the UFO's that I have in a box-out of sight out of mind but this year the lid will come off the box.

I want to spend more time walking before my legs decide that they don't want to walk anymore :((

I did not intend this to be a New Years resolution type of post but it looks as though that is how it has turned out.

So all that is left for me to say is that I hope you all have a wonderful New Years Eve and a fabulous 2011.

TAST 2 Weeks 43 and 44

These two stitches are the last for the 2010 TAST 2 challenge.
Once again I have found this challenge to be very enjoyable and have learned a lot of new variations on some old and reliable stitches.
Without this challenge I would never have known these variations even existed and it is only through Sharon's intrepid searching that I have been able to learn them.
Thank you Sharon for all the hard work that you put into these challenges-I know just how much time you spend researching so that we can learn how to do them and I for one am so glad that you do.
The first stitch is Crossed Feather Stitch and it is very easy to work.
The first row of green stitches are worked down the fabric and then the second purple row is worked over the top of the green ones but in mirror image.

The next stitch is Plaited Feather Stitch.

It looks the same and is worked the same except that when the pink thread is going across to the left to form that part of the stitch it goes under the green thread not over it as in the previous sample.

If you enlarge the photo you will get a better view.

This is the third of Sharon's yearly challenges that I have participated in and finished.

I did flounder in 2009 when after about 3 weeks I knew I would not keep it up and I pulled out.

Now to do some magic with all these little samples.

Christmas Greetings

I would like to take this time to wish all my blogging visitors a happy Christmas and I hope you spend it with someone you love or more importantly someone who loves you.

Whether you leave a comment or just drop by to see what nonsense I have been getting up to my wishes are the same for all of you.

Things are quiet around here at present although I have been trying to get to the bottom of all the rubbish that seems to have accumulated in my sewing room over the last twelve months.

It is nice to see the floor again and I hope that it stays this way for a while.

Once again Merry Christmas to all and I will see you soon.

Catching up with TAST 2

While we were away having fun I got behind with my TAST2 stitches and since we have been back I have been busy attending Christmas lunches and weeding the garden :-))
The first stitch here is for Week 39 and is Buttonhole Picots with Bullion Knots.
It is supposed to be worked on the edge of the fabric which would allow the picots to be more pronounced but I have put it in the centre to keep it consistent with the other samples.






Week 40 is a variation of Buttonhole Picots but this time using Chain Stitch to make the picots.
I like the way in this sample better than the other one.

Week 41 is Magic Chain Stitch using two different coloured threads in the needle at the same time and then alternately changing them to work the stitch--very effective.

Lastly week 42-this weeks stitch is Woven Cross Stitch.

I like this stitch and I can think of many uses for it as long as I remember to use it that is.

There are only two week left in the TAST challenge and then these samples will be stitched into a hand made book- when I get around to making the book that is.

Again I have really enjoyed participating in this challenge-I have learned a lot of new stitches which is always exciting.

I am glad that Sharon is a mad keen reseacher of stitches because if it were up to me I would never have found them.

Thanks Sharon

The Weeding Fairy

Goodness me this is the third post in one day what am I doing?
Can I just warn you that there are disturbing photos in this post and I can assure you that this sight will not be repeated anytime in the near future.
Before we went on our cruise Stephen weeded our back yard (I can't call it a garden) and then with all the rain that Canberra received while we were away we were amazed that they had all returned bigger and taller than before.
I decided that I would start and pull them out last Saturday--the ground was still really wet so they came out very easily.
I finished today--phew was that a job and a half.
Before you look at the scary parts look at these hands--they aren't gardeners hands they are stitchers hands.
They haven't touched a weed in twenty years-and won't touch another one for a long-lonng-lonnngg time I can assure you of that.
My knees are so sore I tried to kneel down and wipe something off the floor tonight and oh the pain-it hurts just to think about it.





Anyway Stephen sneeked out with the camera to have proof of the miracle that was happening before his eyes.
I was leaning on a milk crate with a cushion on top of it to make myself comfortable while performing this awful task.
Note the colour co-ordinated gardening gloves-am I trendy or not--and what about the hat with the puppy dogs on it.





This is the area that I have weeded-it is about a third of our back yard area.

And here is the pile of weeds--I have placed our peg basket in front of it so you can compare the sizes.

There are other parts of the yard that need weeding but not by this little brown duck--no sirree.

The cleaning fairy will have to do it-and he will probably spray it with weed killer.

Brooches

While we were on our cruise I made these brooches.
About ten years ago I used to make these and sell them and they were very popular.
After this years Embroiderers Guild exhibition I decided that I would make some more and be ready with a supply for next years exhibition.
They are made using the silk fabric and ribbons that I dyed earlier this year and I am not sure if you can see it but there is also a gold metalic thread in between the stems to add a bit of bling.

I will make some more over the Christmas New Year break--well I will have to because some of my friends want to by them for Christmas gifts.

The Cleaning Fairy

While I am busily playing around on the computer the cleaning fairy is hard at work-------
This is the last of the kitchen cupboards to be done--he did the others yesterday.

I bet you all wish you had a husband like mine?

Water Water Everywhere

As the saying goes.
This time last year we were in drought situations---our dams where we get our water supply from were only around 38% full.
Now we have so much water and the dams are full and overflowing.
We have had so much rain lately-not only in Canberra but all down the east coast of Australia and there is so much flooding going on that it is a real disaster in some areas.
Last year I showed you photos of my back yard where there was no grass just dried stubble and dirt.
This year it is all green-not grass but a lot of weeds and water.
The area in the first photo used to be lawn but it was killed of several years ago due to the lack of water.
Now it is like a bog.
Thank goodness we don't have to go around there for anything at present.




Here is another part--on the left of the concrete strip used to be lawn--now lush green weeds and water.

Near the back door.

And now it is bucketing down again----
Enough is enough already---Quack Quack.

It's that time again

It's time for Anorexia to come out of her box again.
For those bloggers who are new to my blog I will explain why our tree is called Anorexia.
We have had this tree for 48 years and it has always looked like this-well she has lost two of her branches but the rest have always been very sparse.
Our family call it Anorexia because of the lack of foliage-but as long as she has branches she will be our Christmas tree.
One year we had a real Christmas tree but the truth is no one liked it-we all wanted Anorexia back.





This year I have decorated her with red-green and gold tinsel and baubles etc--you wouldn't know it was the same tree would you--all dressed up and ready to party.

On our first tree we had plastic bell ornaments and we now only have four out of the original ten left.

Below are two of the remaining four and as you can see the red one is not very healthy.

One of the gold baubles---------------

And a gold reindeer-------------------

This is our Nativity Scene and I have added the two angels in the centre this year.

I purchased them at the Cathedral in Christchurch when we were in New Zealand on holidays.

I love this Nativity Scene.