Friday 29 July 2011

It's a hard life

Wow I am posting days apart. Go me!
This picture needed editing before I posted it.
The bottom half of me was not good, so I had to cut us all in half.
Left to right is Kim, Diane, Julie and myself.
I got into trouble for not putting myself in the last posting. I tried to explain that I am not photogenic.
Anyway I dug around and decided with some cropping this one would do.





The Second weekend away.

This weekend was a bit quieter with just 7 of us. We stayed at a place near Mansfield. Its very rustic and we would have froze if it hadn't been for the wood fire, which gave the place warmth and atmosphere. Cooking for seven is much more pleasant than cooking for thirty.Although we take turns for meals there is always someone to lend a hand and someone to clean up. My  meal was a roast lamb it's become a tradition for Saturday night.
There was lots of stitching going on and this time I have photos of the projects the girls were working on.
Marilyn's work area some serious sewing going on here
This is what Marilyn is making "Blocks on Parade"
Diane's "Blocks on Parade"

This is Lee madly zoom zooming away


This is what Lee is making 

Diane, Lee, Marilyn, Maree and Jackie

As Jackie is binding in black
she has tucked a little light into
her top and has it shining on her
work To me it looks like she
is about to burst into song.
Denise working hard
I don't know when she sewed this braid
We had a teeny little mouse pop in for
a visit. Brave Marilyn!
I spent the weekend working on my niece's quilt it will be summer
 again before I am finished hand quilting it.
I am very pleased with my hand quilting this is my first time
trying it. I know I am crazy using green thread as it shows
up more but I think I will get away with it.


I will post again after the North of the Yarra Quilters Guild's Retreat next weekend


Yours in Stitches

Margaret Louise

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Time Flys

I was all excited about starting my blog I thought I would post at least once a week. I like to think I have some pretty good reasons why I haven't. Two weekends away and organising a retreat for 80 members of North of the Yarra Quilters in 9 days time. Yeah!I think I'll give myself a break.

Queenscliff
At the end of June I had a fabulous weekend away with Christina and her quilting group a wonderful bunch of ladies I laughed myself silly all weekend. The venue was an old guest house built in the late 1930's. There were 30 of us and most of us had a room each. The house is just amazing. I could just imagine it in it's glory days, apparently it catered to the elite who travelled over by ferry. I could just see the guests sitting in cane chairs on the veranda's, playing tennis and dancing in the ballroom downstairs.Sigh!

Day dreams aside I was there to sew, eat and be merry with my friends Diane, Julie and Kim. My project for the weekend was "Leaves" by Jan Mullen I've been sewing it on and off for years. I still didn't finish it.
I was a busy girl though. On Saturday I taught a class (I still can't believe it, me teaching!). I had made a lap bag and called it the"Twisted Dilli Bag"I have also written a pattern (amazing!).  So a group of the girls had a go at making it, some made two. They all said the class was a great success, I got a real buzz from the comments.

Saturday night we all dressed up in 1920 outfits and drank Pimms. It was good fun.
We spent a lot of the weekend in our PJ's. I even cooked Sunday lunch in them. The four of us took our turn and made a tasty soup and yummy apple dessert. But boy! Cooking for 30 was a big job, we were exhausted.

I didn't get any photo's of the sewing projects the girls were working on. I am going to have to get more savvy with the camera. Anyway here's some photo's I did take on the weekend.

The Front of the Guest House (you now enter from the back)

The view from my window


Looking towards the main street in the 1920's
this was lawn and the main entry




Twisted Dilli Bag





















The Swedish Flappers

The Shep Feather Set

Christina's Cover Girl models

Julie and Diane Gangster ----------

Bron passing out the Pimms


Denise drinking on the job tsk tsk


The Good Time girls





The Grand Dames







Kim and Julie out of dress ups into PJ's

Until next time

Yours in Stitches
Margaret Louise