"Changing Rooms"

Have you noticed how many of us give our homes a big ''Christmas'' spring-clean before the big day. My Mum pulls out all stops - dusting and cleaning the house from top to bottom, even doing all the windows inside and out (now that is keen!) Regardless of whether the Christmas celebrations are taking place at her house or not - it is immaculately spotless! Me, well, not quite so eager to turn the house upside down and inside out, except when it comes to decorations and the Christmas tree - now that's another story! But, I did think it was a good opportunity to give the shop a bit of a revamp. So, I've been busy playing ''changing rooms'' over the weekend - what used to be at the front of the shop is now at the back, and what was at the back is now at the front! A change can be quite refreshing and it feels like a new shop!

I have some gorgeous work to show you this week. This is Barbara's ''Flower Girls'' quilt - she did this as a block of the month pattern and chose stunning soft florals to set off the stitcheries. The quilt pattern is one of Brenda Ryans designs - a favourite of mine - and you can see more of hers at http://www.brendaryan.com.au/.

And here's a couple of Debbie's latest creations. I love this hand-pieced bed runner - Deb said this was her first hexagon project - isn't it beautiful.

This is her sampler quilt - fabulous colours.

Me, well I've been doing a little bit of stitching too. A bag...

... a doll called Sally (a Rosalie Quinlan design)...

and some of Barb's new Christmas stitchies that I put into this.....

and these....

..and the fifth Redwork Christmas block.

I wonder how many of you have got Christmas projects to start and finish before Santa visits. I know I've got a few! One of the many fun parts of Christmas - picking the perfect project to stitch for that special friend, and then getting it finished, sometimes still stitching on Christmas Eve. Happy Stitching!

Jenny

Back from holiday!

I've been away for a little break. And it was fabulous! We had a cute little blue car and spent two weeks cruising round a small part of Queensland - off the beaten track sometimes and in amongst it all at others.

Australia has the most amazing bush - I can smell the gums and native trees as I write this.

I must admit, though, this sign had me wondering. Worm races????

Feeling like a new person now! Here's what we did last week at the Bag Club. There was every conceivable colourway of this bag made and it looked great in all of them.

These are some of Barb's gorgeous new Christmas buttons ....

and some of her Christmas decorations.

Speaking of Christmas, this is what the ladies will be making at this week's Christmas Club. St Nicholas is a fabulous Santa pattern designed by the girls at The Farm Studio. He really is rather gorgeous isn't he.

I am currently working on some lovely little Christmas stitcheries - the new ones from TheodoraCleave. You can see them on her website - http://www.theodoracleave.com/. I'll show you mine in a couple of days. I'm off now to set up for St Nicholas tonight.

Jenny

Fabulous Flannel Fish!

Last Friday Heather came to stitching group with show and tell - this is her gorgeous fabulous flannel quilt - isn't it just amazing. Front and back are flannel and the colours are incredible. What do you think?

Cushion class starts this week - we're making cute little topper cushions to start with.

All of a sudden I am hearing that it is only so many weeks or so many days until Christmas. Now, I don't mind at all as I am a Christmas addict. There are some really lovely Christmas fabrics and panels in the store right now - these pics are from one designed by Deb Strain for Moda, called Royal Holiday.

If you have got projects to be done for Christmas you better watch out, Santa is coming, so you better get stitching.

Have fun!

Jenny

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