Sunshine and progress...

After beginning to think winter was upon us (maybe the grey skies and only 12-14 degrees in the last few days had something to do with my thinking) we have had a lovely sunny day today...still not as warm as you could be hoping for though...
I have nearly finished this part of the stitchery,  just some leaves to go...

 then some more tracing for the next part...the applique is going well on the SKOW blocks...it doesn't take all that long to stitch around some of them...choosing the colour and fabric takes up just as much time.

We have been getting some really annoying phone calls of late..when you answer there is silence and then a click and what sounds like a recorded voice that says 'goodbye'..after getting a few early last week, we had another 2 on Friday night, 1 on Saturday and then another today...rang the phone company and they told me I need to record the dates and times of at least 4 in the one week before they can do anything...and if they are coming from overseas then they won't be able to do anything!!! I have now recorded 2 of the times, and if things go the way the last week has, then I should get the times of 2 more and then see what happens from there......just wondering if anyone else has been having a problem????

So how did I go over the last week...

Well considering it was a fairly busy week, things went OK..I have organised my SKOW bits and pieces into a clearfile..that took a bit of time as I cut all the backgound pieces as well...each pocket has the background fabric and pattern in it.....and I have begun to cut the applique shapes for each one and they will go in the pocket too until I am ready to sew them..
I finished the applique on 2 blocks..should have taken the pins out before I took the photo!!

As for the couch companion , well I did stitch 2 flowers!! you need to look closely to see it...even though it doesn't look like much....

I did achieve something this past week...this coming week will not be as busy as the last ..so my aim will be to applique at least another 2 blocks, and stitch some more flowers... and who knows what else I will achieve...I need to find a little something to finish  so I can include it for OPAM this month...

Setting a target...

I have so many plans to work on projects, but they just aren't happening...so I think I need to set some targets for each week...so my aim for this week is to complete
*  at least 2 applique blocks for my SKOW quilt
*  do some stitching on my couch companion
*  do some of my lace bookmark
Best not plan too much, as I have a few things on this week, so anything else will be a bonus. 
I will report back next week with how successful I have been.....

It's distracting....

...it's only small but this red case is part of the cause of my slow efforts on the stitching front...something that my family bought me for Christmas....

My Kindle e-reader.....I've been doing more reading than sewing of late...it was handy to pop into my bag for the flight over to see Mum, not too heavy and it took up a lot less room than a book...I've always enjoyed reading but I'll have to get stitching again or else I won't have any finishes for this month....
A lovely surprise came in the mail at the end of January...I won a giveaway over at Kris' blog and she sent me these wonderful Santa sacks which she decorated....my husband told me one would be ideal for his presents this Christmas...it was a bit windy to get a good shot so I folded them in half for the photo...

Busy doing things other than stitching...

It's the time of the year when the stone fruits are in good supply here...so I got busy, bought some apricots and then made some jam ...  we also have one blackcurrant bush in the garden and there was enough fruit on it to make some jars of blackcurrant jam as well...so up into the cupboard they will go...there's nothing nicer than the flavour of home made jam..and jam making is something I had never tried until I moved to NZ...


While at Mum's I took a couple of shots of her favourite potted plants.  When she moved from the old family house a few years ago she potted up a couple of frangipanis...

and another one that a neighbour had given her before they both moved from the old neighbourhood...

On the stitching front I have a lot of catch up work to do on the current project...enough said there!!!!!! must get focused again....

A Finish for 2012

My first finish for the year was....A quilt for Mum to snuggle into when it is cooler...or to throw over the back of her couch...finished it in time to deliver it in person....
While I was in Sydney, Mum took me out to visit Patchwork on Pittwater, a patchwork shop at Mona Vale....just to have a look...while we were there Mum spotted some fabric for 'her next quilt'  (to be made by me since Mum is not a sewer or a quilter!!)  I didn't have a pattern so Robyn, the owner, set us down with a pile of her own books to look through to get some ideas for a pattern and how much fabric would be needed...how helpful she was..... quite some time later we came away with some of this fabric...

and some of this...