Birthdays times three…..

Long time – no post, sorry……. still no stitching, a house guest/s and just too occupied elsewhere, in fact, I suspect posts may be a bit sparse over the next few weeks as the silly seasons gets even sillier…..

Chez moi was a full house over the weekend as children, partners and dogs arrived to celebrate three birthdays, rather than the Christmas Spirit, and it was lovely to see them all, catch up on their various doings, laugh a lot and eat far too many delicious things.  I made a sponge cake – one of the things I could never do successfully when I lived in the city – I think it must be the country air, my chooks fresh eggs, together with a fool proof recipe I found online, anyway I think this skill now entitles me to become a member of the CWA, should I wish to join! (Country Women’s Association for those overseas folk who may not know of this iconic Australian Organisation)

This is the birthday cake – it may look a bit lopsided, but it sure tasted good.  Made with 5 eggs and filled with lemon curd (lemon butter for Aussies) and cream, a lemon and passion fruit icing with the first of this season’s home grown raspberries on the side.

There were nearly as many dogs as people, and at times somewhat chaotic as some of the girls squabbled and tried to be the dominant one, but there were no major fights, for which I was very pleased.  Squid, the sort of Staffy, is going to come and stay over Christmas while her owner is away, which will be fun for Maggie and Belle..

Friday Photos…

And to finish – my friend who could not keep her nose out of what was going on…..

Bits and Pieces

I have to confess that I have not picked up a needle and thread for some time now, and am very much enjoying the fact that there are no deadlines to meet.  I don’t know when or what I might start stitching again, it will happen, but not for a little while yet.  I did unearth a half knitted jumper, begun about three years ago, and did a few inches on the sleeves last night…..it may just be complete by next winter if I stick at it!  The wool is a locally spun natural 8 ply from Meskills in Kyneton, and it is all done in double moss stitch.

A couple of things found on my web wanders that might be interesting for you to check out:-

Online Jigsaw puzzles, a huge variety with many options for number, size and shape of the pieces.    I spotted them on someone’s blog, and am now addicted – they are a great time-waster!  It seems a safe site, though you do get the occasional pop-up advertisment, so you are warned.

A good tutorial about using striped fabrics to good effect can be found here – Geta Grama’s blog from Romania.  Interesting she uses fabrics from the Swedish Beast, so I guess one might find them in Oz too.

Another snippet from a favourite blog that I shall not name, but I thank the owner for providing such a gem, which you would otherwise not see…it is from a copy of a LIFE World Library 1965 edition about Australia and New Zealand.  A quote from Chapter Four, entitled “A Breezy, Unpredictable People” reads…..
“Certainly the Australian male is tough–very tough–and in appearance lean-eyed, hatchet-jawed, relaxed and slightly ungainly. The girls generally run in two types — either a rather stringy, small-breasted, leggy girl with a sun-baked complexion, or else one with a large-hipped figure and an easy grace of posture. Both sexes look athletic, purposeful and healthy; yet each may be said to lack style and glamour. “

A friend has just started a blog, not much there just yet, but she is a quilter and has promised to write about her quilting and other textile activities, so do drop by and welcome her to Blogland.

Two more blogs of interest:-

The Hand Embroidery Network – here

Subversive Stitchers – Women Armed with Needles – here

So to end, some photos. It has stopped raining I have been out with the camera….. things have been very battered by the frequent downpours that brought nearly 150 mls of rain in November, but these looked good today.

This beautiful Clematis grows up one of the veranda posts and is covered with huge blooms.

It is Poppy time again….

An Aquilegia -  a variety called McKenna’s Giant

To every thing there is a season…..

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven;

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted….

A very dear friend is seriously ill, she is talking about bucket lists, and the fact that this may be her last Christmas.  Generous,  courageous, independent and pragmatic, she is partly responsible for my choosing to live in this beautiful area.  Over the last few months she has welcomed her first grand children, put her affairs in order, sold a business and yesterday went with another friend and I to the local cemetery to choose where she will be buried.  It is a small country cemetery, the oldest grave dates from the mid 1860’s, and it is full of names of local well known families and identities.  Once sadly neglected, it is now well maintained by a cemetery trust plus a band of volunteers, and is a peaceful spot on the edge of the forest.  Amid various jokes about facing the sunrise so one’s bones could be warmed, the work required to dig a grave under the big gum trees amidst the tree roots, and the importance of liking one’s neighbours, a decision was made and a quiet corner chosen.  Our other friend will buy a plot there too, and I might just do the same.

The final page – “Fertile”

I have just completed the last page I need to do for our Round Robin pages swap, the theme for this one was Fertile. Initially I had several ideas of how it might be portrayed, ranging from depicting the rich red volcanic soil of this area which is renowned for its fertility, to something about the pesky rabbits that seem to be multiplying at a great rate and are beginning to inhabit my garden, to something at the cellular level – but in the end, I did something completely different.  I love Poppies of all sorts, and grow some which self sow and multiply all over the garden, including the compost heap and my vegetable patch.  I also love the huge, pepper pot like, seed pods that develop, full of thousands of tiny seeds and for a long time have wanted to use them somehow in my textile work.  So here it is…..

I do hope that she likes it!  Now I shall pack it up with all the other lovely pages, and post it to Mary on Norfolk Island.

Home again….

Your might remember this……it is the wrap around cover I made at the beginning of the year, when I began an exchange of pages for a textile book with nine other stitchers in Australia, New Zealand and America?  Since then it has been travelling to each of the other people, who added a page before sending it on its way again – today it arrived home, and I did a little inward cheer as I picked it up from the Post Office.  My theme was Arboreal, and although I could see a photograph each month as a page was completed, nothing compares with holding them in your hand and actually seeing the textures, colours, stitching and care with which they were made, for yourself – the photos do not do them justice.

This one was made by Annette, and was based on a photo taken in the Queensland rain forest of a moss covered vine.

This one is by Glenys Mann – the cords represent fallen logs, and the button, the presence of man.

This one is by Mary who lives on Norfolk Island and is made of many different hand dyed bits of lace.

” Skeletons in the mist” by Amelia from New Zealand

A lovely leafy tree by Irene from Florida, while visiting NZ, and using someone else’s stash!

Another forest floor – this time by Jan in NZ.

Diana in NZ made this one – using antique wall paper with caligraphy and beads.

Another from NZ – this one by Mary-Ann, who used hand made flax paper and Japanese lace paper, with skeletal leaves.

Jane from NZ did this page, depicting night in the bush, with lots of layers, texture, stitch and other details.

Carol from Townsville made this one, using rusted papers and fabrics.

I think all the pages are great, and my book is a beautiful collection of textile arts.  I’m very happy to have all the pages where they belong, inside that cover I made so many months ago -   they will be a treasured reminder of this year’s stitching, and some friendships made online with people I am never likely to meet.

Glorious Needlework

We all presented our folios and final pieces at the Embroiderer’s Guild meeting today, and I’m proud to say they created quite a stir.  The standard was superb – I wish I could show them all, but there was just too much to choose from, some ladies did not want their pieces photographed, and those that were behind glass were just too difficult to photograph because of lighting and reflection.  Here are a few from those members who were happy to share.

This bag is made of linen, with appliqued felt flowers and a lot of surface stitchery which is not really visible in this photo.

This pair is a lunch bag, and it’s matching mug bag.  I think they may have been stitched on silk, and are almost too lovely to use!

This Russian Doll is in fact a tea cosy – again on linen, its owner said she made it as a joke!

This lady’s major piece was the book in which she presented all her samplers and other work.  It was extraordinary.  All her samplers were made as garden pictures, and stitched with one thread of DMC cotton.  This is the front cover, and the gates open to show this…..

You will just have to imagine how beautiful all the other pages are.

Finished!

At long last I have completed the last piece for the Embroiderer’s Guild Intermediate Certificate.  The folio of all my work, samplers and other pieces plus this last one,  need to be presented on Wednesday for assessment, when I shall be very relieved that it is finally over.  There is no mark given, just pass or fail, so hopefully, I should be OK if the tutor’s earlier positive comments continue. We began this course in the middle of July, and it seems I have not done or thought about much else for the duration, so now I have a great sense of freedom and opportunity.

This is the last piece – a draw string sewing bag, with needlebook and pincushion to match.  It is made of a raw silk fabric, with an inserted panel of embroidery.  There is a matching panel on the other side, with the same colours and design, but different stitches.  The design is original, and the threads are DMC stranded and Broder cottons.  The body of the bag is pin-tucked by machine with a double needle, and the cords and tassels were also made by me.  Having seen some of the work done by others, it is not all that wonderful, but I think it will be quite useful for taking stitching to Guild meetings etc.

 

This is it!

Some of you clever folk guessed correctly!

It is a very self indulgent gift to myself as I was so totally fed up with my PC which has given so much trouble in it’s short life.  I think it was a lemon, but complicated by its Vista operating system.

This beautiful thing is the latest iMac, and although I have a lot to learn about how it operates, so far it seems incredibly simple and user friendly.  I connected it this afternoon, and apart from a small glitch with the ISP, it was a breeze to do.  It has the tiniest little cordless keyboard, and an amazing  mouse that has no buttons and is touch sensitive, just like a notebook pad.  I still have to transfer all my mail contacts and various other stuff over from the old PC, and I can’t see me moving far from my new toy for the next little while, it is just so much fun….

 

What do you think this might be?

More later………….