Around here

~ I’m loving picking and displaying my hydrangeas and I’ve been able to take little posies of them to Mum too.  So pretty, and as The Golfer has built a frame around them with shadecloth they’ve been protected from the worst of the heat and sun so I hope to keep picking them all Summer long.

~ I’ve made some cool neck ties for our firies using the free pattern from Amy Kallissa ~ Attended an impromptu sewing day at Mary’s shop Patch n Quilt in Gisborne, meeting old friends and new, and had a great yarn with Mary at the end of the day!  Miss Maree forgot her sewing so she helped me cut out some new blocks (yep, another new project!  Well, it’s been on the back burner for a while and jumped to the front!) and I’ve since stitched up two of them.  Thanks for the help, Maree!   Making these using my template set “Gateaux” ~ Went to Sewn and Quilted’s  Summer School class on overlocking with Kate Marra.  Such a brilliant class!  Kate is the consummate teacher when it comes to the overlocker; her knowledge know no bounds and she’s fabulous as getting all the information across.  (Don’t you love the subtitle of her book?)I had a little old overlocker that I’d been given by a student.  Unfortunately it died just before lunch.  Thankfully I was there with two friends and was able to use their machines in a tag-team effort (thanks lovelies!).  On the way home I stopped in at the “S” shop – as you do –  and bought a new overlocker – on sale too!  It’s an early birthday present from The Golfer (not that he knew it at the time!).Helen came and helped me sort out my fabrics a little while ago and there’s a pile of fabrics just waiting to be made into tops and dresses – no excuses now!

How has your Summer/Winter been going in January?

Meredithe x