Happy happy mail

 Aust. Post. was very kind to me yesterday, I received a wonderful package from Julie, we got into a conversation a while back about Golly's and guess what turned up in the mail!

Julie's parcels are a work of art in themselves

This little beauty was inside, beautifully made and dressed, look at the shoes!! 

Made with love, sent with love and received with love, and little Suzi will be loved here.

My history with the golly has been a long one, my paternal grandmother used to knit and sew without a pattern, once she knew what she was making off she went. She knitted the characters from the Noddy book series amongst other things.

The first golly she made me, I am told I dropped it out of the pusher and it was never found again. I think this one was fabric and knitted.

My next golly, all knitted, coming home from kindy or school

Dad took lots of photos of us as kids and golly was always there too. I spent many happy day dreamy hours up the grapefruit tree behind me.

This golly I had until is was 21 when my mother decided to throw it out, my Dad got me another one for my 40th birthday 😀.

They might not be PC these days but I have many happy memories associated with my gollies.

Julie also sent me a beautiful Christmas decoration and a NZ magazine which I am really enjoying.

Isn't that so cute? And beautifully made, Julie is so clever. Thank you very much Julie.  I wasn't going to do Christmas decorating this year but I just might now, and bring out the hand made decorations that have been given to me over the years, they also bring back lots of happy memories.

Other happy mail on the same day was this card from my sister in law, she does the most beautiful paintings, takes photos of them and makes them into cards. The has her paintings in a gallery down on the Bass Coast.

Happy mail today were these Tomte who I ordered on line, the family is growing! The two little ones have lights in their hats.

The fat quarter quilt is finished and ready for delivery, I have rubbed at the chalk lines and most have gone now.

Anthology block for this week, I still have over 70 blocks to make!

Progress on the tea and cake quilt top.

To finish up this Tomte came home with me from Van Loons today, they are very popular now and can be found all over the place! 

I had a lovely day today, cuppa with the retreat ladies some of whom I haven't seen all year, some shopping, a browse in the nursery and a chai ( a cheese cake for later 😃) and now it is nearly 5pm. I had better go and do something...not sure what that something is, I will go and look for it!

Have a great evening.

FNWF

 Yesterday was a fairly quiet day for me as Thursday evening I managed to roll my ankle while bringing in the washing, so sitting with the foot up was the order of the day!

Last night for FNWF I did blanket stitch around the leaf and heart shapes for the centre of the Schoolgirl Sampler quilt

Thursday afternoon I had very carefully ironed on what I thought was wash out applique paper, only to find when I re read the instructions it was bonding paper. So all the shapes had to be trimmed and ironed on and that is why I am doing blanket stitch!

I also finished the wasgij this week, another one is being sorted on the table.

Late yesterday afternoon I ventured into the sewing room and made two more blocks for the Schoolgirl Sampler a SAL I am doing with Fiona and two other friends, we are motivating each other via Instagram. These are blocks 8 & 9, I have to go back and do 7, it has small pieces!

A new Tomte has joined the family! How cute is he!

Thank you Cheryll for hosting us last night.

I am off to prepare for visitors for lunch, Adam, Beth and Beth's Mum and Dad and a friend of Adams are arriving in a while for a BBQ lunch, I got the meat out of the freezer and Adam tells me they will bring salads, so I can sit back and enjoy.

Happy stitching.

Not a lot

 of sewing has been happening this past week, I have been putting hexies together in the evening

these will be going into the Mystery Hexie quilt once I have finished the row I am working on, I jumped ahead a bit with these.

The heart quilt is all together and has a scrappy binding, I have to go over it now and sew in all the little bits I missed with the zig zag, also the endy bits from the zig zag need to be sewn in too, then the binding and it is done.

We have had David's sister and brother in law staying this weekend, we haven't spent any time with them for quite a while thanks to covid so it was good to have a catch up, I forgot to get a photo but did capture Basil the Welsh cardigan corgi

Basil listening and hiding his ears.

We had a good walk along the beach this morning.

The photos have jumped again, I received these beautiful flowers from Tracee

and these beautiful flowers from Margaret.

Here is Basil waiting patiently while I take a photo, he was in a hurry to get back home to see where his family was.

I went over to Leopold last week to do last minute shopping and called in to see Carleen and Des, quilting and geocaching friends. Their front garden is full of rose bushes and the perfume is just beautiful. Des very kindly picked me a bunch to bring home. Their perfume is still filling the house after a few days.

While I was at Leopold I saw this Tomte in a shop window and just had to bring it back home with me, it is so soft and cuddly! I am off to do some endy finishing.

Happy stitching.

FNWF

Another month rolls around, they are going too fast!!
I did a delivery of three quilts to the hospital this morning and met two lovely recipients there having their treatment. One was a beautiful lady, 80 something years young, a nun and such a calm loving lady. She loves her quilt and feels very grateful to have been given it.

This quilt is darker, the colours have come out a lot lighter in the photo, the top was made by Carleen, quilted and bound by me, Belinda at SJOG loves it!

Two new Tomte have joined the family this Christmas, the one on the right has a spring inside so moves with the breeze coming in the door! 

A little more progress has been made on the Old Time Kaleidoscope block...slowly, slowly.

This evening I am beginning a horse quilt.

Also this evening it is FNWF, or Friday Night with Friends. Our host is away but you can join in here and have an evening stitching with like minded people.

Happy stitching.

1st January already

Seems like we were just gearing up for Christmas and now it is the next year already! We have had people staying since Shane was here, so life and the washing machine has been busy. We are heading for another hot week, 39 deg C by Friday!

With help from Shane the wasgij was finished..another is waiting for a start.

Walking along the end of the beach after Boxing Day lunch

Today has been a quiet day, washing, some tending to the vege garden and lots of reading!

The supervisor was up half the night because neighbours two houses down decided to let of fireworks on and off between 9.30pm and 1.30am, in the past the noise has not bothered him, but this year he got very disturbed. So after a walk and a swim this morning he has slept.

A new tomte has joined the family, Van Loons nursery had 40% off their Christmas decorations, so this one had to come home with me.

I was given a lovely oil diffuser for Christmas, it has been working flat out since then!

I found this cup and saucer at the Salvation Army thrift shop for $3.00 so the cup is now glued to the saucer and will become a bird feeder, just needs a hanger. Julie from My Threadbare Life was where I first saw this idea.

More Christmas presents

Beautiful gifts from Margaret

I found these novels in the Geelong library just before Christmas luckily there was book 1 to 5 on the shelf, so I borrowed them all, I am now up to Book 5, and 1 and 2 have gone to Melbourne for a short holiday while a friend reads them. They are a good series.

I had better make a move and bring in the washing, all should be dry now, hubby has offered to BBQ so I am not saying no!!

Happy New Year.