Sunday, 29 May 2016

A Quilt Finish & Other Bits

Well, here it is....my "secret sewing" finished! It will be "gifted" to my sister, Linda, living up the north coast early this week when I will be heading up her way for a short holiday! 
The front.......

The back..... all Kaffe Fassett fabrics!

The felt bowl...all dried to shape now.....

And who would have guessed that I'd find a book in my Agatha Christie collection to complete another book challenge!! "A book published the year you were born" (1953) can now be ticked off.

My weekend finished with the final show for the play I have been stage managing for the past month - the 10 actors all being aged between 12 - 16 (our senior youth group) I thought it was appropriate to make these for our after show party......


Chocolate Crackles!! (It's been years since I made these!)
I was given this beautiful gift as a "thank you" from the cast - all really great kids to work with!

And to finish off.... here is the most senior member of my household - 17 year old Mezzie - soaking up the early morning sunshine! (It is old in cat years.)... he is a beautiful family member who is always looking for cuddles...... 

Till next time..... happy stitching!
Asta

Monday, 16 May 2016

... and 2 weeks later...

Yes....time does fly and here it is just over 2 weeks since I was last here!.... a bit of catching up to do....

Well the needles were clicking away after my purchase of wool and a knitting book....
 to this.....

 then after felting to drying into shape......
 ...still drying as we speak but hoping it does stay in shape as a little bowl! 
Mug mats were finished a couple of weeks ago but had to be "gifted" before I could show them here.....
 ...using one of Anni's patterns from Gossip in the Garden - a mug mat for my friend Dzintra for her birthday and using hexagons (love EPP!) a mug mat for my dear Mum for Mother's Day.....

And talking about Mother's Day - my "travelling overseas" daughter Megan - now in England as her working stint in the French Alps finished mid-April -  sent me her Mother's Day message from a break wall in Kent!...
(Last year it was a big cardboard sign from Sweden!) 

 My secret sewing is still on-going.....
 ...but just today I handed it over to be quilted - and hopefully should have it back early next week to sew on the binding - this is being "gifted" at the end of the month so you could say we are under a little pressure here!!
                                                This.....

is now finished and I can tick off my book challenge list "a book with a number in the title". I did a bit of research about the title following on from a comment on my last blog and discovered that this book was published in England in 1939 under this title, in 1940 in United States under the title of "Ten Little Indians" and over the following years has been published and written as a play under the title of "And Then There Were None".....(thanks to Google) 
Our local theatre's latest production which I'm stage managing has now started so rehearsals are over - they always seem to take up so much more time than the actual show and except for the occasional Sunday matinee most shows are in the evenings so weekends are free again....time once more to catch up with friends over lunch... 


And if the sun hasn't quite got there yet climb to a higher spot!

Happy Stitching.... and thanks for visiting!
Asta

Sunday, 1 May 2016

Secret Sewing & Reading

"Good Morning Sunshine....."
The warm Autumn days are still with us - inside and out..................

 What have I been up to over the last couple of weeks! Well..... all "secret" sewing which is still ongoing!
 .....and reading..... this book being another challenge ticked off - "a book that is to be a film in 2016" ...... I found this story a bit slow to start off with but ended up not being able to put it down - a surprise ending! 
 The next book has been started - " must have a number in the title" - this is another Agatha Christie book I've kept from way back when I spent my summer school holidays reading her books - note the price 60c!
 Another trip to my local patchwork shops Steph's Fabrics...... firstly enjoying a coffee from the cafe bar while overlooking all the temptation in her shop.....
 .....leaving with a new knitting book and ball of wool as there was a pattern I plan to knit up... it will be a another "secret" project..... and the original purpose of my trip - the material for the border of the "secret" quilt which will soon be finished (note the fabric tucked behind the book)..... this quilt is not being "gifted" till June so will be a while before it appears here!
So for the time being everything here is very secretive!!..... I do have projects to work on but at the moment the secret ones have deadlines! Till next time......

Happy Stitching!
Asta