Tuesday, January 10, 2017

and here we are in a new year.......

With Christmas and New Year done it was a few days off before it was back to work.  

Packing up Christmas always seems to take longer than decorating.......by the time I collected everything from around the house and got it packed away it was the better part of a day gone.....



The house always looks a little bare once it's all down!  

Rose was a great help.....

hmmm.....I know I shouldn't be in "her" chair....maybe she won't notice........


....settling in........this is pretty comfy.....


....and..............doing what I do best........



Late last year I had a quote to tidy up and make-over the front and back gardens.....it seemed reasonable and I engaged the "gardener" (for want of a better word) on a word of mouth recommendation from a friend at work......he came along, stripped all the weeds along with the topsoil from the garden then decided he had underquoted for the rest of the job....and we parted company after I had paid him for leaving the garden looking like it had been nuked!  
  
Enter my new gardeners who are on school holidays.....


.... and after three loads of mulch from the local landscaping supplier the garden looked like this.....(thanks to Wade and his ute which also saved quite a bit on delivery costs!)

before the mulch......


...and after.....much better!!


While we spread mulch outside Rhiannon was looking after the littlest gardener inside....it was a group effort and I really appreciated their help. Always great to spend time with the kids!


A few days after Christmas a parcel arrived from a friend in the UK.....although packed in bubble wrap and a reasonably substantial box somewhere along the line the parcel was pretty much flattened.......


 ...but somehow the contents survived!  Cute fabric and "London" salt and pepper shakers along with a gorgeous little sign.....

 ..
along with a gorgeous little sign.....love this.......


Later in the week it was time for my little stitching group to meet for our Christmas get-together....postponed until after Christmas when everyone was a little less busy....

Cute gifts as always.......love this little shoe pouch.....


 Along with handy oven mitts, heat pad and a lavender eye "mask"......which has been great during the hot days / nights we have had lately....


Last year I spent some time in Melbourne and surrounds with a friend - we visited with stitching friends on the Mornington Peninsula and spent a wonderful day sitting and stitching with Emma at Tree House Textiles - a fun day - and a fabulous shop!  during the day Alison and I decided we would like to make a Primavera quilt.....a pattern by Christine Vlasic - Yarra Designs.....so after a quick whip round the shop to select large florally (not sure if that's a word!) fabrics and some shot cottons we had our fabrics sorted......fast forward to getting home....and distractions like work etc......and we have just finished the tops.....love this!!  

blocks in progress......



the initial lay out on the lounge floor - left it overnight so I could ponder and make changes....


the finished top.....poor lighting as it was late in the evening when I finished....


and a garden shot......


Whilst some of my points don't quite match I am very happy with the way it has turned out.....halfway through making the blocks Meredithe announced that her collection of templates now included the Primavera templates.....a little more precise than my templastic version - certainly a useful addition to my template collection - they will be used again......I am contemplating making this again with a different selection of fabrics....it's a lovely pattern! Check out Meredithe's other templates (no affiliation - just a very satisfied customer!)  

So that's my first finish for the new year...I have a backing fabric ready - not sure if I will attempt to quilt this myself or send it out......still thinking on that one!

Now to a bit of a clean up in the sewing room and the next project.......!

'til next time.................Lorraine




7 comments:

Leanne said...

Your quilt is beautiful Lorraine. I love decorating for Christmas but I never seem to find the enthusiasm to pack it all away.

Anonymous said...

Happy new Year loz,yes i found the house bare after i packed xmas stuff away,lol.
Your garden looks great,how nice of the boiys to help,hope you have a lovely day Loz xx

Kath said...

Happy new Year Lorraine, lovely to see ll your news. Your quilt is just beautiful. I look forward to seeing more as the year goes on x

Katie said...

Such a pretty quilt. Love how bright and happy it is. Happy New Year!! :-)

Sue SA said...

Lovely quilt, such a pretty collection of fabrics with the shot cottons. So glad you got the company of the family and your garden makeover all in one hit! I hate taking down the Christmas decorations, so this year I hardly put any up - mainly because I was so busy. But it didnt feel the same, so going to be super organised this year, LOL!

Jo said...

Happy new year ! Great way to start by finishing a quilt. I am the same with the chrissy decs takes me a day to pack them all up and what great guys helping you out with your garden. :)

Blog27999 said...

Did you know there's a 12 word phrase you can speak to your crush... that will induce intense emotions of love and instinctual attractiveness for you deep within his heart?

That's because deep inside these 12 words is a "secret signal" that triggers a man's instinct to love, please and guard you with all his heart...

===> 12 Words That Fuel A Man's Desire Response

This instinct is so hardwired into a man's mind that it will drive him to try harder than ever before to build your relationship stronger.

As a matter of fact, triggering this dominant instinct is absolutely essential to getting the best ever relationship with your man that the moment you send your man a "Secret Signal"...

...You'll soon notice him open his mind and heart for you in a way he never expressed before and he'll identify you as the only woman in the universe who has ever truly tempted him.