Meet Mozzie

Let me introduce you to Mad Mozzie. A bit of light relief over the weekend - was making one especially to order, and decided to make another at the same time. This is one of Melly & Me's patterns - when it first came out a couple of years back it made me laugh and I made one for the shop straight away. He ''encourages'' comment! I think he is definitely the maddest but cutest mozzie I've come across.

That was it for the weekend's sewing - just had to show them off!

Have fun stitching!

Jenny

The bestest weekend!

I have just enjoyed the most fantastic weekend with the retreat ladies. What a weekend! Thank you girls - what a fabulous gathering!

Preparation for the retreat started way back in about March I think but as always a few things got left to the the last minute, such as making these tags for the goodies bags. I think that was Thursday nights alloted task! They were great fun to make, I used a gorgeous stamp given to me by Barb, stamped on cotton duck and then just stitched it to the card with a yummy polka dot button.

It was an early morning start on Saturday for Jake and I - setting up the displays

and the rooms.

Then the doors were opened and Stitchery Retreat 2008 was under way! There was much much laughter and chatting, and oh the decisions - which design to stitch first! Maybe it would be Barb's ( http://www.theodoracleave.com/ gorgeous lavenders - either in the peg bag or dilly bag designs.

Or maybe it would be Rosalie's beautiful flower garden (www.rosaliequinlandesigns.typepad.com). I have to confess to running out of time a little on the Friday night (yes really!) and fairly hastily attaching the bordered stitchery to a canvas. So I have only photographed the stitchery as the finished project, whilst not being too off line, is just a little and looked even worse in the photo! I bordered it with a narrow green spot, then a little wider pink spot to match the colours of the stitchery.

If not Rosalie's or Barb's, then maybe it would be Brenda's stunning brooches (http://www.brendaryan.com.au/). I lost count of the number of these that were stitched over the weekend, some even made two, and the colour choices were fabulous. Thank you Brenda for very kindly lending me your brooch samples - take a look at these - told you they were stunning!

If you are a Christmasaholic (like myself) then the first choice was easy - Marg's delightful Christmas tag bunting and little pillow and gift tag (http://www.marglowdesigns.typepad.com/).

Natalie (http://www.cinderberrystitches.com/) had given us a tiny little sneak peak of her design a few weeks back on her blog, so there were some Cinderberry fans ready and waiting - here is a pic of her sample that she very kindly lent me and you can see why some started stitching her gorgeous little creatures straight away can't you - who could resist them!

And last but most certainly not the least is Melly's adorable Little Floss (http://www.mellyandme.typepad.com/). Little Floss was going home to quite a few little girls, perhaps not quite at the end of the weekend but very soon after. Although I can recall atleast one little dilly bag that was complete, with Little Floss as the stitchery in the centre, and it was so gorgeous. Wonder who will be getting that one.

In between all the stitching there was plenty of time for some of this

and some of this

and some healthy stuff too, but I haven't got any pictures of that!

And there was lots and lots of this! My goodness, the urn and kettles rattled away all weekend.

Here's some of the girls at work!


I hope that you all enjoyed yourself as much as I did, and from all accounts I will be seeing quite a few of you again at Retreat 2009!

I have been doing a bit of a catch up of my favourite blogs over the past couple of days and have to tell you to go have a look at Barb's one (www.theordoracleave.blogspot.com) to see her gorgeous new Christmas creations and there is a very yummy giveaway happening.

Time now to go and make some cushion samples.

Happy stitching.

Jenny

Countdown to the Stitchery Retreat

It's been a while since I've been here - have been getting everything ready for the Stitchery Retreat which happens this weekend. I am so looking forward to this retreat - two whole days to stitch, chat, eat, stitch a bit more, catch up with friends and maybe make some new ones. In between making the samples for that, though, I have managed to stitch a little bit of redwork! Here are the first three Redwork Christmas blocks of Rosalie Quinlan's fabulous new block of the month quilt which will be starting next year. There's Santa (of course!) -

The Christmas tree -
And stockings.


Six more to go and loving every one of them.

This is the first bag that we will be making in the Bag Club - the Two Hour Tote. The neat thing about this class is that everyone gets to choose their own fabric so all the bags will look completely different. I am guessing there is going to be everything from really pretty florals to big, bold and bright.



I haven't shown you the Christmas Table Runner from the last class - quite a
simply pieced runner, but didn't we have fun with our 1/4'' seams girls.



And just because I really love this time of the year, my blossom photo to you. I had a bit of fun playing with the camera in the garden last weekend, not my garden, though - my brothers! His garden puts mine well and truly to shame! Lots and lots of blossoming fruit trees - he probably thought I was slightly odd, wandering round the trees taking several dozen photos of blossom, but you can't ever have too much of a good thing can you.



I will be back next week to show you the goodies that got stitched at the weekend.

Happy weekend stitching.
Jenny.

Red Robins

I wanted to show you a picture of these gorgeous little red robins I made last night. This is a pattern by Marg Low - so lovely - I made six of the little birdies to hang from the tree.

Have a great stitching week!

Jenny

First Day of Spring!

What a lovely feeling to know that it is officially Spring! There are no blossom trees in flower in my garden yet, but this is pretty good.

It's been a couple of weeks since I have posted and these pictures were taken back then. It seemed that when the girls turned up for Friday Stitching they had all been making bags. They are wonderful! Here's Gaye's gorgeous little Japanese indigo fabric bag.

These are Heather's - this is such a neat style - and raid the button jar for the decoration.

And this is another of Gaye's - she was a busy lady that week. Isn't this gorgeous - lovely little yo-you decoration and great use of the striped fabric.

Here's what Judy had been doing - knitting and then felting - I love this bag! She had also been making some ''wee'' things from leftover mohair and yarn. Cute!

Debbie has produced another absolutely stunning applique quilt - a Nancy Halvorsen pattern. She used felt for the letters, instead of fabric, and it gives it a fabulous different look.

I've been busy still stitching for the weekend retreat so can't show you much of that yet. But I did find time to stich a bowl full of birdies. These are Barb's French Linen Birds and I used fabrics that I had from home - some raw silk and linens. Great fun and so easy.

That's it for this week. I've got plenty of stitching to keep me busy and happy - hope you have too.

Jenny