Cobar Retreat

Well...what I wonderful weekend! Good friends, stitching, wine and dine, laughter and rain!!!! What more could a girl ask for?



Cobar Retreat Crew....."Selfie" ;)  Kate, Me, Lois ( my Mumma ), Kylie and ( front) Chooky and Caz ( my sister ).

A spur of the moment blog/phone conversation turned into a fun couple of days.  I just love the friendships I've made through blogging, quilting and craft! It's heart warming....and inspiring. This is a picture from Friday's "stitching session" .

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Friday....stitching session may have had some Pimms added to the punch!

I promise I did do some hexies before this happened!! While we were there Kylie and I received a call from Chooky saying she was on her way west! Yeeha! So plans were made and "wa-la" Cobar Retreat was planned:)  Kate and I had planned a sewing day on Sunday while she was in town for a family catch-up....and it grew! What a great day.

Whips were cracked and this is what I stared with...a mud map was made and stitching began! All while sitting out on our back patio watching some of the 57mls of rain we got this weekend shower down...heaven!!! Will take a pic of some finished strips tomorrow with some better light (sorry Chooky)...I've already received a text message asking for updates! We all stitched, it was lovely...thanks Chooky for helping me to get this happening again! 

SKoW...my applique blocks.....just waiting to be stitched together!

 Sometimes the best weekends are unplanned and just "work out" this one was great...hope yours was too. Thankyou to my family and friends...I love you guys. Suze x

Christmas Presents

Happy New Year!!  Hoping 2015 is kind and good to us all. I wanted to share with you the gifts that I received and sent in Chookyblues Christmas Swap. I love participating in this swap, it truly makes my Christmas...I love the spirit and happiness it brings...all over the world- amazing! I received from Noemia in Portugal, some very lovely gifts. A hand towel, apron, soaps, chocolate with a picture of her home town, fabric and four Christmas placemats. Thankyou Noemia...I am looking forward to using these next Christmas:)

 

 

I sent to Carol, in America. I love doing stitcheries and had noticed some redwork on Carols' blog. A friend had recently given me this pattern...I changed it a bit..lol and made this. I love the border fabric, it's from Annie Downs 2014 Christmas range....my favourite designer!! Added one of my favourite books too, sharing the Australian love...Natalie Bird, "Red Home"...I hope Carol loves it!

 

 

Stay cool...very warm here....Suze x 

Christmas Eve Greetings

Happy Christmas Eve! I cannot believe just how quickly this year has gone...I have picked up another two days a week work plus the occasional Saturday, so I'm adjusting to having to be more organised and needing to go to bed earlier!! Lol....which unfortunately cuts into my blog reading and online time... I know I need to get my priorities right- who needs sleep???

I have been lucky enough to have participated in Chookyblues' Christmas Swap again this year. I received this gorgeous ornament from Noemia in Portugal! I can't wait to open the rest of the gifts you sent me...I've already tried the chocolate... :) Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas, especially to Chooky for organising again, Noemia who I received from and to Carol, who I sent to.

Merry Christmas!! Love Suze.

 

My cute ornament from Noemia.

Long weekend :)

Hi...hope you all enjoyed this long weekend, well in NSW, anyway! Weather has been nice although warming up a bit today. Great for the garden, watering and mulching done here. Have some beautiful Iris flowers out at the moment and the citrus blossom is very fragrant.

We have some new neighbours, too! These little guys have moved in with their Mum and Dad into out Little Gem Magnolia tree. Triplets!!! Willy wagtails have given up on building in our garage ( with persuasion ) and moved into the tree. The cat is much happier as her food is in the garage and they kept dive  bombing her when she went to eat! She isn't interested in them at all but they harass her terribly...lol. 

Have been doing a few hexies again, love doing them but they take a fair bit of prep! This is an old Moda print by Aneela Hoey called Walk In The Woods. I cut them out if a jelly roll and I'm using the iron on templates that wash away when completed.

I have stared planning some Christmas pressie making, too. Plan on making a few Euro cushions/covers  for nieces and nephews...will need to hurry up! Have a great week xo Suze.

Sewing and Gardening

Hi there, just a quick post with a little bit of what has been happening here. The weather has been beautiful, spring is so pretty....such a shame it doesn't last long! Summer seems to kick in a bit too early for me!!

Peach blossom in our orchard...very happy bees here!

Paper daisies, my favourite wildflower :)

A bag that I just completed, pattern by The Home Patch.

Pretty colours in the above pic, I was happy with how this bag came together...

Have a lovely day ;) xo Suze.

Hey there...

Hi!! I have returned from a bit of a lul...have been getting back to it....slowly:)  Hope everyone out there in Blogland is well and happy....all good here at our house....here is a little bit of what I've been doing...



Made these hexies to add to a quilt for a very special lady in Broken Hill, she loves "brights".



This is the first block from a quilt that I've started a quilting class at CQS. Its called 'round and round' by Thimbleblossom. I'm using a lighter weight denim for the background, loving it ;)

 

 

This is a 'jelly roll quilt' that I made for my niece Xanthes' 2nd birthday. It was a fun and fast quilt to make and I backed it in flannel so it's nice and snuggly.

 

We have been enjoying the beautiful days here in the garden...have been pruning fruit trees and planting some veges in large pots. Hope to soften the cement-like dirt that's out in the orchard so that we can have more few fresh veges....bring on the rain this week!! We, like so many others have had little or no rain for many weeks, lucky for us we get town water out here. Thinking of so many family and friends that don't have that luxury...so we need to start rain dancing!! 

 

Nice to be back...have a great day..xo Suze.

Hello 2014

Hello...Happy New Year!! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, too. Ours was great, we were lucky enough to have my other two sisters come home with their families to have Christmas at mum and dads. Kate spent Christmas and new year home...and Stephen had two siblings here, too. So it was a very hectic, crazy, wonderful couple of weeks.

 

Did I mention that Ethan turned 18 early January???....nothing like your baby turning 18 to make you feel 90! Lol...

E with Xanthe, his god-daughter

Chookys' SSCS was a highlight of my Christmas day...I have so enjoyed participating in this swap again this year.  Anne Heidi  from Norway seemed very happy with the gifts that I sent. Below are two pics that I took at home before I sent them.

Annie Downs fabric bunting/swag

Tea towel and Koala ornament

I was lucky enough to receive my gifts from Satu, who comes from Finland...Thankyou again Satu....I love my gifts!!!!!!!! Pictured below are: 2x pot holders made with Nancy Halvorsen fabrics and backed with felted wool ( woven and felted by Satu ), a wooden "pot watcher" that vents a saucepan lid- made from local timber, some Nancy H angel fabric pieces, a beautiful piece of fabric from a Finnish designer that has my favourite flower on it and also a cute little mug rug made with the same fabric. So generous, Satu.....I loved all of it!!

Have a good week all....special thanks to Satu and to Anne Heidi....also to Chooky and Googy. xo