I spent the morning with a group of quilting friends and after the social chit-chat,it was down to work for Robyn!
The Gamill is actually owned by Lyn,but as she has had hand surgery recently she is unable to hand on to the controls ,so R gave some of us a demo and permitted me to take pics.
Me? I do a little quilting with my trusty Janome and a little by hand;To watch R in action was intriguing to say the least. 
Or as my dear man has said for years
..every day is Mother's Day!
Not much stitching accomplished......about three silk ribbon leaves on a CQ Round Robin block has been the sum total,but our daughter and her husband spent the day with us;they did the catering,and the cleanup after,and courtesy of Colleen I'll introduce myself with this pic!
(It will be interesting to see how many readers are scared away!)
and I hope that those of you that celebrated Mother's Day this weekend had an enjoyable family day.
Tschuss!
Yesterday I was given a wonderful present by a very dear friend........my own haori:
(Haori being the mid length coats originally worn by men over their kimono to prtotect their kimono from the elements)
This one is 30 inches long and fifty inches wide with the short sleeves proclaiming married woman status.
G purchased this when she was living in Japan,and it is she who has introduced me to Japanese Kimono fabrics for my CQ....)See Feb 28 posting)
There is no waythat this garment will be "destructed" for my quilting.
I still have to find the courage to do that to the slightly damaged ones I blogged about back on February 28 this year.
Link
Today was baking day for the week:So far I've managed one crusty loaf of bread;
Two French sticks sliced and spread with garlic butter,ready to be reheated when required;
a sourcream apple slice;
a Raspberry Bar;
and a large pot of Beef and green pepper is bubbling away gently in the crockpot.
The laundry is off the line and folded;there's some ironing waiting........but!!
Now I should tidy up before tomorrow's visitors,and then...............?
A few more stitches on Margaret's block, and watch a bit more of "Supersize me" (which I think should be compulsory veiwing for families who think "Food to go" is wonderful!
then bed and a new book.
Link
I see that SharonB of inaminuteago blog is doing a happy dance today at the news that on Wednesday (U.S. time) the quilts will be listed for auction on Ebay.
For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about,do go visit inaminuteago and see what I'm on about.
Sharon also gives links to photo albums of the blocks and to AnnieW's Loopylace blog where Annie blogs the actual construction of the three quilts
"Which twin has the.............?""
Here's another slant on the theme:two Tote bags( aka "The Smart Handbag") http://sew-happy.com/ that I wrote of a week or so back;
One bag,and the number of " personality changes" is limited only by the number of covers one makes!
Another project was completed today..........stress levels are lower as a result!
I wont reveal any details,because as yet as the recipient is (I hope) un aware of it.
Team members involved have seen the results and I've been overwhelmed with the support they gave to this project.
My sincere thanks to you all(you know who you are)
On a less optimistic note: I made a difficult decision today and removed myself from a group I have been a member of for five years.
I cannot and will not tolerate self opiniated bullies inflicting themselves on others.
I probably hurt myself more than I did them,but my conscience is clear.
Don't expect any frothiness for a while..............I'm going beach days to recharge my batteries.
Things I'm thankful for...........
A wonderful caring husband
Wonderful caring friends..........some of whom I'll probably never meet vis a vis.
One lady who has taught me to count my blessings out loud (Waves to D and Tigger)
Other friends who stood up and were counted!
May God/Allah/whoever Supreme Being you believe in..........bless you all
One "Smart Bag"!
Made with longer handles than pattern suggests,because C prefers a bag that can be utilised as shoulder bag for better security.
Closure is a magnetic clasp.
So, apart from constructing a couple of slip covers,so personality changes can happen,this is ready for delivery to its owner.
Now,to quilt and bind "that" project;
Construct a naked block or three;
and start sashing the Mother Goose quilt.
Because I've been busy panicking over a Round Robin for the CraftClub/CQCrazy combination I'm resorting to a quick fix for today's posting:
The first pic is of my attempts today at sashing a certain project!
(Where's Annie W when I NEED her!!)
The lower pic was pulled out for inspiration...........I should be constructing naked blocks instead of sitting here pecking at the keyboard.
As Colleen is a pro photographer,I'll ask her to do a closeup of one of the blocks, so it may take a "while"..........
I'm sure you all know the old story of the cobbler's family going barefoot..............
Hand worked Shadow appliqued Pansy wreaths.....Q/S Doona cover made for Colleen.
The only machine work is is the joining of the blocks and the piping down the side panels.
Pillow slip to match!
I won't say how long it took to complete these 18 inch blocks.Suffice to say,I'd NEVER attempt it again
">LinkFrom someone who works in a sewing machine store:
"I just read your comment about men helping their wives buy sewing machines. I work at a store that sells sewing machines and one day a woman came to shop for a new machine. While I was showing her our top-of-the-line embroidery machine, she decided to buy it for her husband for his birthday. The reason? He had bought her a fishing pole for her birthday and an outboard motor for their anniversary. Sounds fair to me."
Well,my DH said "If you want it,if you'll use it.....get it!"
So today I've been attempting to research needle punching/felting machines ....
I've seen the Babylock embellisher
and the Berninas that a $300 punch needle adaptor fits(I'm happy with my 17 y.o. Janome,thank you)
I've tried to find if Pierrot machines are available in Australia.....the Links wont work! Grrrr.
Then there's the little machine at Feltcraft http://feltcrafts.com/needle-felting-machines.htm
Is there anybody" out there" who can give advice from experience?
Two brass fans and a dragonfly and the embroidery threads AND some bling buttons
Today I went with several stitching friends To the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Show .www.stitchesandcraft.com.au
Although I must admit to being a little disappointed because I found NO Wool Rovings or Heat guns, I was happy to find that one of my favourites, Button Barn had heaps more goodies than I had cash,so a "few' dollars changed hands....I won't see them again until next April/May,but I HAD to have at least one of their German vintage hand wrapped buttons..the one on the left!
I'll attempt better pics and editing over the weekend.
Naturally I also visited the Lace Cottage and bought several metres of tatting.............much better than my attempts!
I was really disappointed that no Needle felters were there--and now I'm very tempted to purchase a Babylock Embellisher! Less painful and a heap faster than hand/needle felting.
I'll go sleep on it!(Who needs food!!)
