A couple of  weekends ago a few of my friends went away for the weekend to Sewjourn and from all reports there were lots of laughs, lots of creating and lots of eating.  Unfortunately I couldn’t make it for the whole weekend but did manage to visit on Sunday and had a lovely day.

Here’s some of the sewing they achieved…… 

And Jetta made a gorgeous framed stamp picture and I am kicking myself that I didn’t get a photo of it.

I managed to get quite a bit done in the day as well.

A bit of ‘secret sewing’, followed by constructing my sewing bag and then some new cushions for the lounge room at Sewjourn.

 And as I type this out I realise that I didn’t show photos of my weekend at Sewjourn with some other lovely girls….way back in July.  (Wow, a whole term has passed since then but it’s been a busy one and LOTS of things have happened at our house…I’ll post about that in the week to come).  But this  July Sewjourn is where I started the handquilting on my little sewing bag.  It’s a Rosalie Quinlan pattern that I’ve had for years and from fabric I bought in Houston last year.  Really happy with how it looks.

And Meredithe and I both finished our Kaffe Quilt tops started at his workshop at Ballarat Patchwork way back in February.  It wasn’t at all competitive as we sat next to each other and zoomed away but there may have been smoke billowing from our machines they were working so fast.  And of course the gorgeous Miss M won the race! (And she even has hers quilted now and it looks fantastic!)

I think they both look great!  Can you believe that the blue used as the centre background is the same fabric in both of our quilts??  It’s amazing how different it looks surrounded by the different colours.

And then after this relaxing weekend I spent a couple of days in Bendigo where my mum showed me how to crotchet (again…..I DID do a whole blanket of granny squares when I was about 15…)  Learning to crochet was one of my resolutions at the start of the year.  And it’s great.  So far I’ve done a cushion in double crochet….which will also go into the lounge room at Sewjourn when it’s sewn together (hopefully in these school holidays).  Photo to come…….thought there was one on the camera but no!

And also during this last crazy term of school that seemed to fly by….. we had lots of gymnastic comps and a few cross-country runs.

And a couple of fun parties……but that’s another post.

Hmm, I just counted up and it’s eight weeks today since I arrived back from America!  Wow – that time has flown but in another way it seems like ages ago. I had a lovely time and as usual Kellie’s quilts and patterns  were incredibly well received.  Although it’s old news now I hope to post some photos in the days to come.  But since being back lots has happened……..work to catch up on, change of working arrangements for my husband, his 40th birthday party and my ‘baby’ girl turning 9 just to start the list.  It’s all good though – it’s been a fun type of busy and there’s exciting plans ahead.  It does mean though that blogging has yet again taken a back seat.

It’s back to school and routine today – holidays have been relaxing which was well needed by all in our house – but it’s nice to be back into everything with fresh energy.  There’s even been a bit of crafting over the break which I’ll show soon.  For now though there’s 2 things to ask:

1.  There’s a couple of spots in the Don’t Look Now class at Sewjourn next Tuesday and Wednesday.  Please let me know ASAP if you are interested and I will email you the details.  You can either come each day for the class or choose to stay at Sewjourn overnight as well.

2.  The Sewjourn copy of Nikki’s new book ‘You Sew Girl’ has gone missing……has anyone picked it up by mistake when packing up their belongings??  Please let me know if you find it at home.

And lastly, if you haven’t seen the Hottie Exhibition at Open Drawer  yet it’s on until July 24th.  There’s loads of amazing hottie covers on display and all funds raised go to the Margaret Pratt Foundation which supports research in Lung Disease and Transplantation…….a really worthy cause.  There’s a good coffee shop next door as well.

Yummy food, good company and a relaxing day of sewing surrounded by incredibly creative girls…….what a lovely way to spend a day.

These flowers were out on one of the cacti at Sewjourn.  I was just lucky that I was here to see them as the cactus flowers usually only last one day.

Sorry about the quality of the photo…..taken with my phone…..I took some better photos with the camera but have left the USB connection cord at home.

So I can’t show you all the other photos of what we’ve achieved with a couple of child-free days but there’s been quite a bit of gardening, some cleaning (my cleaner is fantastic but it’s all the little extra things that she doesn’t have time to do….probably things that no-one else would ever see but I know that they are done) and even some sewing.  There’s been a bit of tennis watching as well.

And also today I’ve had a cancellation for the first weekend in February due to a family illness.  It’s really short notice but if anyone thinks they can get a few girls together and come to Sewjourn from 4-6 February please email me asap.  And talking about bookings all the weekends until December are booked out for this year but there is some mid-week availability and if you are really keen on a weekend booking please email me with your preferred months and I can start a waiting list……..we don’t have many cancellations but just like this February weekend sometimes unavoidable things come up.

I do really enjoy New Year……it always feels like it’s a fresh start.  This year has been a fantastic year, even if I have ended up feeling a bit jaded by the end of it.

There’s been the blessing of lots of fun family holidays……

And the excitement of a couple of trips to the US………

A School Fair that was worth all the hours of effort……..

And the fun of seeing groups of women go to Sewjourn and enjoy it as much as me! 

AND I’ve been lucky enough to get to know so many of the amazing, talented girls who head for Sewjourn……..(and I’m working on a little idea to get us all together before the summer is out but more on that later…)

One of these is the gorgeous Suse who once again dropped a lovely package on my doorstep last week.  Thanks Suse, it’s great!  And if you would like one too you can find them here.

But there hasn’t been much crafting going on this year……well there was quite a bit for the School Fair, and there was some purchasing of supplies in America but my trusty Bernina will be rusting up if I don’t get the chance to use it soon!  So, that’s the plan for next year.  Along with the new adventure of No. 1 daughter starting High School and the excitement and challenges that brings with it, I’m hoping for some quality family time spent at home (or Sewjourn!) and lots more sewing time!!!  The plan is to complete one UFO a month next year…..but then I’ve made that declaration before……..

So whatever your dreams for 2011, I hope it’s really special.  Happy New Year!!

The crazy pace of things has continued on here…….on the down side no time for blogging – and that includes reading blogs as well as posting……….but on the up side it means there’s lots and lots to tell now that I’m back.

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone – hope it was full of joy and peace.  I’ve pinched this gorgeous photo from Kellie’s blog…..but I think that’s OK because this quilt actually belongs to me now!!!!  How lucky am I???

Following a lovely Christmas with family we are enjoying spending a few days at home doing some sorting out and a spot of gardening (well overdue!)  (Oh, and the other 4 members of my family are spending quite a few hours each day on WII Fit Plus……and I’ll bet you can’t guess who the most competitive is????)  We are off to Lancefield tomorrow for a few days of relaxing (not to mention the hours of gardening that need to be done up there as well) and who knows I might even do some crafting.

And it’s SO good to be home!

Our 3 month camping trip to the north of Australia was truly magic……..fantastic family time spent in an incredibly beautiful part of this amazing country.

Then my 3 weeks back here were a blur…..no time to post or even to catch up on other blogs.  It involved settling back into school and routines, lots of work, dealing with a broken washing machine, back into organising our School Fair and even a quick trip to Sewjourn with the UFO girls which involved as much gardening for me as sewing!

And what little time for crafting I could fit into that was for the school fair…..but we have some amazing goods for sale so more about that to come.

There was the excitement of lots of packages  waiting for me on my return……..thanks girls and I’ll post more about that in the next couple of days as well.

Before I really even had time to unpack my bags it was off to Houston and a busy time at Quilt Market…….yet again Kellie’s amazing work was admired by all and my favorite American gal kept me entertained.   And yes, there will be more of that to come too with photos of market and a sneak peek at the fabrics I bought (because I really need more fabric!!) at Sample Spree.

And last but certainly not least it was off to Sewjourn (less than 24 hours after my plane had landed) to celebrate someone special’s 10th birthday.  (Why do they call them ‘Sleepovers’ when not much sleeping actually occurs???)  Happy Birthday gorgeous Lucy – we are so proud of you!

So it IS great to be home today.   And this is where I intend to stay for a while!

For those of you who haven’t already seen this on Suse’s blog………

Legend has it that the Sewjourn Stork …

was feeling a little chilly, what with being so far away from his tropical native lands* and the thought of a rural Victorian winter approaching.

And so, once upon a time in the autumn, someone
kindly made him some bright and snazzy leggings.

But he was still a wee bit chilly.

And so another thoughtful
soul made him a scarf.

Photo credit: Tinniegirl

The Stork was happy now, yes?

Um. Not quite. The Stork realised that part of his problem was a rumbly tummy. And lo, in the midst of the long hard winter he received the
gift of a fish.

Photo credit: Jodie

But the Stork was not yet satisfied. The harsh winter winds of Lancefield
troubled his delicate constitution and he demanded of the people a woolly hat. Preferably one that matched his scarf.

Aviator’s helmet, with pin for scale

And definitely one appropriate for a now-grounded flying hero, long retired from the days of migration yore.

Clothed and fed, the Stork would be content now, thought the people.

And so, the people turned their evil lust for yarnbombing creativity focus elsewhere.

Note striking similarity of yarn and design feature stripes to that of the leggings …)

But the Stork’s discontent mixed now with Cactus Envy and as his rage grew ever stronger he called upon a Tempest to strike down upon the land. O, the winds howled, the rains lashed the land in horizontal needles of unbridled fury and the flood waters rose until the people wept and gnashed their teeth and it all made the front page of The
Age.

And on the Sabbath the people awoke to find …

… that the bottom had fallen out of the world stork.

(And the cactus bed really really needed weeding).

Sorry Jan.

(Thanks Suse for posting…..)

OK girls…..first in gets the booking!!!!  I’ve just had a cancellation for Cup Weekend this year (29 October – 2 November 2010).  Normally I’d be keeping this quiet and scooting off to Sewjourn with the family but I’ll be away on a ‘business trip’ with Kellie!!!   SO….it’s up for grabs.  If you are interested please send me an email……and don’t worry if you don’t get a reply for a few days as I won’t have much reception for the next week.

Edit:  And of course I;m not just going with Kellie but the gorgeous Thimbleanna as well!!! (Counting down the days……or at least I will be when I get home!)

Edit No. 2:  Someone has already put in a request for Cup weekend…….just might need to put a fence around the cactus garden to protect it…..