A bit of this...and a bit of that...

Once a week I go for a sit n sew session at the Global Learning Centre in town.  The ladies all do different things which makes the morning feel like a nice social catch up.  A couple of the ladies knit, there are ladies smocking, embroidering blankets and quilting.  I've been cross stitching.  I picked this little kit up from a donation pile at WASPS (the lifestyle village in Wollert) and decided it was a quick, easy project to take along for sit n sew sessions.  It is neither quick nor easy!  But it is pretty!

This is how much I've completed and I've been working on it for hours!  It's only 6 x 6 inches!

The pattern chart is so small I can't see the symbols so I've enlarged it.  It's a shame I didn't think to enlarge the aida while I was at it ha ha!  Anyway, I'll get it done.  I have another two of these charts I might tackle.  I don't know what I'll do with them once they're done yet.

I've been working on my shawl.  I'm about to start the last border round.  Saying that, I have a bit of yarn left over and it wasn't cheap so I might make the border bigger and use it up.

I had some of the value yarn left over and couldn't think what to do with it to use it all up.  I spent way too much time online looking at designs and found this bunny lovey.  After convincing myself that I HAD to make the bunny I printed off the pattern to find that my yarn isn't suitable.  So I bought more yarn!  Oops!

This is a free design by Alanna O'Dea featured on the Bella Coco blog.

I started making the head seven times.  This has been unpicked and redone so many times the cream yarn is turning grey.  Oh dear!  But I persevered.

And now I have half a head!  Woo!  Apparently, this pattern is beginner friendly.

I've been burying threads on my camera quilt.  I managed to snap the end of the needle and part of the needle got stuck inside.  Yikes!

It took me ages but I got it out!

And then I snapped another needle.  

So I have been busy.  Just not busy making quilts!

Toot toot

Judy, Kate, Kay and I had a lovely time at retreat.  We all met at Millrose quilt shop in Ballan and spent time sighing over the beautiful fabrics.  After that we had a hot drink before heading off to Ballarat.

First stop there was to Gail's Patchwork Emporium.  I could live at that shop!  It's full of wonders! Next stop was lunch and, because we had time, we popped into Spotlight before we grabbed snacks and wine before checking into our accommodation.

We stayed in a beautiful house in the centre of  Ballarat which was a short walk to some lovely cafés and restaurants so we took full advantage of this and ate out one night at a pizza place and had a Thai takeaway the following night.  As you can tell, there was a lot of eating during our stay!

Our house was next to the railway line and the trains toot tooted all the time.  It was quite cute in the day.  Not so much during the night!  Not that that would put me off staying at this house again, mind you.

On the Saturday we went to The Pickled Pig and I bought this metallics fabric to add to my Christmas fabric.  I'd like to make a Merry Christmas banner one day but who knows when that day will come!  I need to source some more metallics as I'm running short.

I took three projects to retreat.  I didn't take my greyhound cross stitch out of its bag.  Again.  But I did work on my camera quilt and managed to unpick all of the overlapping or excess quilting.

I used my favourite needle threader to bury the shortest threads.  But I have a billion threads to bury so I didn't finish this task.

I worked on this crochet shawl.  I unpicked probably more than I actually worked.  Apparently I can't count and chat at the same time.

There was cheese and wine.  Perfect.  This might also be why I unpicked a lot of my crochet...

Kate worked on these beauties.

Judy worked on a billion projects but didn't finish anything.  She went on to finish lots the moment she arrived home!

Kay used a bloc loc ruler to trim half square triangles and was so impressed with the easy and accuracy she immediately bought herself a set!  She sewed her half square triangles into this lovely quilt top.

When I came home I went to a new sewing group hoping to make new friends.  And I met old friends!  Here are Margaret, Annie and Rosie working away on their projects.  I've attended this sewing group a few times now and the ladies I didn't know are becoming more familiar and I'm sure one day I'll consider them friends.  I've been working on a small cross stitch at this sit n sew.  It's tiny and my eyes aren't as young as they used to be!

I haven't done a lot at home although my crochet shawl is growing.  It's amazing how much you can do without wine chatter.  I did hem a pair of pants for my son though.  That was fun sewing. YAWN.

Oh! And I've been tidying my studio!  It's amazing how much space there is now that I'm not storing all of my son's furniture and boxes for his house!