Megalong Valley

Hubby and I often like to take a drive into the country and this time we headed off to the Megalong Valley just west of Katoomba.   Heading down into the valley provides some spectacular views as you wind your way down.

After admiring the view we headed back to the car to continue down further into the valley where we passed rustic sheds and lush vegetation along the way.

All this driving works up an appetite so we stopped off at the quaint tearoom in the Valley to enjoy a lunch of hot soup and tasty homemade pies.  

 I would certainly recommend a visit to the Valley to anyone who is in the area.

Christmas In July

A visit to my parent's house for lunch last week was a lovely surprise.  Mum and dad had decided to do Christmas in July complete with all the trimmings.    Needless to say that the kitchen was closed for dinner that night.   

I had just finished off the table topper below for mum and had taken it with me so I was able give it to her.  It made the day more festive being able to give a small gift in return for a lovely lunch.

I decided that after Christmas lunch I would have to start my shopping early and with some of the shops having a 50% off sale what could I do but  grab a bargain or two.   I have a few ideas running around in my head using oriental fabric and I am sure that this lot below will be put to good use.

I always seem to find something else that I "may" need in my stash. 

The sale goes for another week so I think that I may just have to drop in again to see what I left behind.

Sometimes it is good to step out of one's comfort zone from time to time and that is what I did with the table runner below.    I am not a fan of orange especially with pink but  it somehow seems to works with this.  I wanted a bright and fun runner for summer.

I have a couple of other items near completion which I hope to be able to blog about soon.

In the meantime happy sewing.

Cooking up a storm

It is one of those wintery days today - no sun, lots and lots of rain, storms rolling around,  grey and cold so what better thing to do than cook up a storm in my kitchen.  Winter is definitely "comfort food" time so what to make - soup, casseroles, muffins and scones.  Open up the fridge and pantry and pull out all the relevant ingredients, switch on the oven and  three hours later end up with   

A vegetable frittata, pumpkin, potato, lentil and curry soup for work lunches,  chicken, rice and vegetable casserole for tomorrow night's dinner, ham, cheese and onion muffins and a batch of plain scones.     

I think that one of those scones will go down very well with a cup of perculated coffee right about now.

What is your favourite winter "comfort food"?

Mountain mizzle

Hubby and I decided that we would beat the long weekend rush and bustle and have our long weekend a week before everyone else.    I had a day owing to me from work so we decided to treat ourselves to a couple of days at the mountains.   Now if you know the mountains the weather can be foggy one day and brilliant skies the next and last weekend was no exception to the rule. 

What did you say that I could see from this lookout.     Hmmm well not today!   

I am glad to say that we were luckier than these pigeons and did not have to spend the night huddling up to the building. 

We opted for something a little more luxurious and booked into the Fairmont at Leura.   As you can see the fog did not lift all day but it did not stop us from wandering around the lovely grounds and enjoying the amenities.    We decided give the outside pool a miss but did spend sometime in the indoor heated spa - a lovely 36 degrees.  

Now I did say that the weather can be very changeable. We woke the next day to clear skies and a brisk walk before breakfast.

Now this is what hubby calls a "man's breakfast" .

A trip to the mountains is not complete without a visit to the chocolate shop - a must to sit by the open fire and sip a mug of hot chocolate as well as purchase a couple of goodies to bring home.

  

One of the many streams which can be found throughout the mountains.  

I have been to the mountains many times over many years but never fail to enjoy the lovely scenery on each visit.   I look forward to when I return again.

Toasty toes

No more cold  feet for me!   I was given this gorgeous pair of hand knitted socks by my lovely son and daughter-in-law for Mothers Day yesterday.   My DIL who had not knitted until a few years ago is now turning out really lovely handmade items.  For these socks she used 100% Blue Faced Leicester wool and reinforced the heel and toe area with nylon.   I have been wearing them today and my feet are lovely and warm.   I might be lucky enough to score another pair one day.   

I overcame my fear.....

of the dreaded foundation piecing.    As mentioned in my last post I was going away for a quilting retreat over the weekend and it was going to be a "do or die" effort to get my head around this method or forget all about it and I am pleased to report back to you that I have actually achieved what I set out to do.   The first piccie is  the spiderweb - I really like this pattern as you end up with a secondary pattern of spinning stars.

The piccie below is of crossed canoes which I am making out of left over fabric from a quilt made many years ago of hawaiian shirts which were appliqued onto a blue background.  I am going to make the crossed canoes into a bedrunner which will go perfectly with the hawaiian shirt quilt.    The only fabric that I have purchased to make the runner  is the off white one which has a small hibiscus flower on it which will fit in with the theme.   

As well as learning foundation piecing my aim was to also use up all my scraps but I have to say that I did not even make a dent in the pile.    Looks like the spiderweb quilt will end up being a king size one.  

Once I have finished off these my next project is to tackle a New York beauty.   I will keep you posted on my progress and in the meantime happy sewing.  

Just do it......

Well this is my motto but with foundation piecing I have not been so diligent.   For a couple of years now I have been having a few half hearted attempts to master this method of quilting only to give up and pack it all away but I have been invited again this year to join EPQ for their annual quilting retreat so I have decided that I am either going to get my head around foundation piecing or spit the dummy and forget all about it.    The former I hope.

As you can see in the photo below the printer has been working overtime printing off crossed canoes, spiderwebs and yes even one New York beauty.    I know I am being ambitious with the NYB - not only f/p but curves - but there are several expert foundation piecers who will be attending the weekend away so I will hopefully be able to get some good pointers.   

After I return from the retreat next weekend my aim is to return here and show you all of the above covered in fabric.    Wish me luck.

Happy sewing to all.