HOW LUCKY WERE WE!!!!!

As everyone knows by now some very lucky quilters had dinner at Kim McLean's house with Kaffe and Brandon. We had great company, fun, food, wine, show and tell and story telling. If you are wondering about some funny hunched up photos of me it is because of this. Brandon was having a high old time pulling my hair and putting it on his head. Doesn't he look great with long blonde hair!!!!

What an unbelievable quilt of Janet's. It is a Kim McLean pattern Stars and Sprigs. It was lovely to finally meet Janet from Quiltsalott.

This is Cathy from Cabbage Quilts and it was great to finally meet her. I was very disappointed last year I missed out on meeting her when she called into Material Obsession as I was on the Queen Vic trip. My Group told me how lovely she was and now I know too.

Cathy's beautiful Mosaic Quilt and lucky her look who she is under it with.

I am also very lucky to sew with Kim at her home so I was there for the making of this Princess Feathers but it is still always wonderful to see it again. Beautiful, Beautiful!!!!!!

More Kim candy!!!!!!

Sue is great fun. It was really good to catch up with her. We met some years ago in a Kim class.

Two genius' in contemplation!!!!!!!!

In one way I am a bit of a numbskull I didn't take show and tell but what I did take was my collection of Kaffe books and yet again lucky old me got them signed by Kaffe and Brandon. The whole night was stuff dreams are made of.

I must also say the exciting night only whet my appetite for some social gatherings Kathy from Material Obsession told me she is planning for her beautiful new shop soon to be opened at Birkenhead Point. How fantastic to have some great nights full of fun, food, sewing and show and tell. WOO! HOO!!!!

34TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Today is our 34th Wedding Anniversary. In the 70's I lived in Bali. I would come back to Sydney and work a bit to save up and go back again for a couple of months. Bali then was way different to now. I came back to work and met my husband and as they say the rest is history. This is our 70's wedding. We had it in Sydney because my Mother has a fear of flying and never would go overseas so my Bali wedding never happened.

Dreams can happen. You can make them happen. My Bali wedding on our 30th Wedding Annivesary. Same day same time. BALI!!!!!!!!

Our beautiful daughter was our attendant and our event organiser. Our son managed to muck up his flight and never made it (of course) Oh well!!! He said can't you delay it and I said NO we are doing this same day same time. He said well I will come over later I said if you aint at the wedding don't come for the honeymoon. It was a beautiful day with 1,000's of frangipanis for aisle, little legong girls for flower girls, gamelan band playing traditional music, champagne and my favourite cake banana with cream cheese frosting. PERFECT.

Our beautiful Shanna. Thank you for a beautiful, memorable day.

We had a great day today out on the water and dinner at a romantic restaurant on the Central Coast where we had yummy lobster and I forgot to take the camera of course. May we have many more and I remember to take camera.

GRANDMOTHER BRAG

Who is a happy boy. He must be waiting for Santa

I got this suit for him off Ebay (of course). My daughter said Mum you are very good at finding things find him a Christmas outfit. I don't think she quite mean't this. Ha Ha!!! She took him for his Santa Photo today and caused a near riot with people screaming baby Santa. Santa loved him too. She messaged me that she had to go and change him because she couldn't get any shopping done for people stopping her oohing and aahing. TOO CUTE!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS ...... HO HO HO

WORK HAS STARTED AGAIN

A very lovely lady emailed me and said she enjoyed my blog, loved my travels and work but could I post some more photos of what I am working on or finished so here goes. I needed to feel I had finished something so here it is. I still need to bind this but hopefully over the Christmas break that will happen.

I also finished this off and filled in all the ends ready to applique on to a raspberry stripe border and then on to some vintage barklcloth that I had in stash.

These are some hexies I have been working on for a Marg George quilt that has appliqued birds and birdcage as well as hexie blocks made into stars. This is also a BOM at Material Obsession for this. Well worth it. It is beautiful. I have prepared all the background blocks, overlocked them and am now tracing pattern and cutting out pieces ready to start applique.

Another quilt very close to finishing. This is the last border on an antique Medallion. Will show again when finished.

Some more kaleidoscope hexies nearly finished but you get the idea.

These are some stars and hexies for basket quilt. Also a Marg George class. I am excited about this one as I have a spearmint green linen for hexies/star and spearmint green and white stripe linen for applique baskets.

I bought this vintage sewing basket off Ebay and thought you might be interested in seeing this as the work is unbelievable. So tiny and all quilted too!!!

I also managed to make a small Eye Spy quilt for our beloved little Aidan who at 12 weeks is now 3kgs. So tiny still and very unsettled with bad reflux. We have tried just about everything and bought everything that has been recommended to us bouncies, swings, pouches, different formulas, medicines, special pillows, baby whisperers but I guess my poor daughter will just have to wait till he outgrows it like the Doctors are now saying.

Like everyone else I am madly preparing for Christmas and packing sewing, DVD'S, books, presies, food and trying to hide it as we have our Apartment on the market and a couple have fallen in love with it the week before Christmas and asking to come in every day to look at something else. I have decided if it happens again bad luck they will just have to move around everything as I am running out of time and I want to trace the pattern for Marg's birds on my HUGE lightbox so I don't have to take that up the Coast to our holiday house as well. Cannot wait to sit on verandah with icy cold Sav Blanc and hexies. If it aint done or I haven't got it bad luck.

EVERYBODY have a great and safe Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope Santa is good to you and WE all get lots of sewing done. Best wishes, Sharron

RUSSIA AND ESTONIA

Russia was beautiful, very hot and very crowded. This Sphinx is an original from Egypt. Shame to think of the antiquities around the World that don't belong there. Warning this is photo heavy.

The Hermitage Museum

A nice quilt in here!!!

Square in a square

This is a beautiful gold clock where on the hour the peacocks tail spreads and the rooster crows.

Another quilt????

The ceilings were beautiful artworks.

The embroidery on this sleigh of Catherine the Great was beautifully worked.

Another sleigh

The Hermitage from the water

A trip down the Canal. They call this Venice of St. Petersburg.

El Capitano will unfortunately get either sunstroke or skin cancer. He keeps a bucket on a rope and fills it with water and then throws it over himself when he gets too hot. You can just see bucket beside him.

I am not sure about swimming. I suppose no sharks like we have in Oz.

The Church domes were glorious.

This is the Church of Spilled Blood. Unfortunate name for a very beautiful Church. One of the

Czars was blown up here and they built the Church on the site. I bought a beautiful watercolor of this Church outside but of course forgot to photograph it.

Oooh, another quilt??????

Don't know the name of this Church.

St. Peterhof Palace.

They liken this to Versailles in Russia.

Back in St Petersburg

This Fort guards the City.

A beautiful sunset for Sail Away.

I bought this wallhanging in St. Petersburg for my sewing room. Lovely memory.

A beautiful domed Church in Estonia.

These quilts were hanging in an art gallery.