Friday night sew-in

Friday night sew-in turned into Saturday morning finish off as the night just got away and I did not have time to finish off the binding on my table topper.

I saw this idea on the internet and knew that I just had to have one like it. I kept my eye open when shopping for fabric and saw the robins which I thought would be perfect for the middle of the tabletopper and then matched the fabric for the borders. This is a good size to practice FMQ on and I am very happy with the results. My FMQ is getting better but more practice is still needed. Some of the stitches especailly on the curves are a bit big or small but I guess that comes with time and practice.



I can see a couple more of these tabletoppers coming up very soon.

Batik quilt

This is the second quilt that I was working on during 2010 and finished off during my Christmas break. It was a gift for our DIL and I wanted a simple design with bright colours but not florals so I went with the batiks in her favourite colours. Again I made what I call a "snuggle quilt" which is approximately 60" wide and 72" long which I think it is good size to snuggle under in the cool weather while watching tv, reading or having a snooze.

I quilted around the smaller squares, then around the larger squares and did FMQ in the pink border. I really enjoyed making this quilt and loved working with the batik prints and colours.

A man's quilt

Last year I made mum a snuggle quilt for mothers day and I have since found out that dad was in the habit of stealing a corner or two on a cool night - now as you know a snuggle quilt is for one to snuggle into and not meant to be shared - so with dad having a birthday today I set to a couple of months ago to rectify this situation for the cooler nights ahead and in the piccie below you can see what I came up with.



My biggest challenge doing this quilt was working with the colour brown as it is not my favoutire colour and finding fabrics that were not floral and girly. I am pleased with the end result as was the recipient.

Guess who came to dinner

One of the best things about summer and daylight saving is to be able to sit outside of a night, enjoy the light nights and have dinner in the cool of the evening which is what we try to do most nights and sometimes we are have an extra guest.



I am not sure if he was eyeing off the food on my plate or the wine in my glass! He - in saying that it could be a she - now comes and joins us most nights just sitting about the same distance away and just looks from plate to glass, stays a while and flies off.

We are so lucky to have such a tame and well-mannered dinner guest.

Day tripping

Boxing Day in Sydney is always hot and sticky with a brisk southerly hitting late in the night to cool things down and true to form this year was no exception. Today we woke up to a cool, grey, drizzly sky and thought it was a good day to drive to the Southern Highlands. Equipped with coats and brollies off we set and as you can see from the photo below those coats and brollies were definitely needed.



Time to head off for lunch and this sign caught my attention as we entered a quaint pub.



Now I have to tell you that this pub is situated right opposite one of my favourite patchwork shops and judging by how busy it normally is - however it was closed today - I think that this sign is meant for all those poor husbands who are abandoned in Berrima.

If there are any keen gardeners out there in blogland could you let me know what the name of this gorgeous and unusual tree is please. It is right outside the patchwork shop and being closed I could not ask the name of it. Many ladies who were peaking through the locked door were also admiring the tree but could not name it.

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Happy Christmas and bon appetite

This is what my kitchen started out like at 7 am on Christmas Day morning.



And by 1 pm this is how those veggies ended up.



After the family made their way through the first course - with all coming back for seconds and one or two for thirds - it was time for the christmas pudding and for those who do not eat pudding a cheesecake or two and some yummy chocolate fudge.



Somehow the afternoon just got away and it had rolled around to after 4 when it was time for tea or coffee along with some Christmas cake and mince pies for those you had room.



Needless to say the kitchen was closed in our house for dinner last night. Around about 8 oclock hubby and I enjoyed a nice cold glass of sauvignon blanc on the patio and watched the sun set. Tonight's dinner will be leftovers from yesterday and so will tomorrow's dinner.

Christmas day is a time to spend with family and friends enjoying their company along with fun, laughter and sharing a meal which is what our family did yesterday. Lots of lovely presents were received and given.

Happy christmas to all and best wishes for a happy and safe 2011.

All things bright and !!!!

Last night was FNSI and I took the opportunity to finish off a Christmas gift for hubby.

Several weeks ago I decided that his summer weight dressing gown had seen better days and it needed replacing. Now hubby is a person who likes big, bright bold prints so when I was fabric shopping I kept this in mind and I recently found the perfect fabric to fit the "bill".

Warning - time to put on those sunnies

Ta dah what do you think - big, bright and bold.



Should he venture outside in it to collect the paper I am sure he will be bright splash in the neighbourhood.