GDITC...more fun & friendship!

As you can see from all the happy posts, it really is a great weekend!

It is the fourth year that Kerry has hosted the GDITC & every year is fabulous.

Kerry and Anni...

true friendship....helping with binding...

  Dinner at Mt Misery on Friday night...lots of happy faces!

  Stitching & catching up before dinner! Is that a swap present under construction I see?

 A gathering after the big day!

 Solving the problems of the world...or working out how to hang the quilts!

 A recovery breakfast before our journey's began...

 Guess who?

Lea & Bronwyn

Anita, Julie, Dale, Lea & Bronwyn

 More pics tomorrow...lovely Nundle!

Cardygirl xx

GDITC 2011

Well, after all the excitement, all the preparation and all the emails, GDITC is over for another year!

Thanks to the super organised Kerry from The Cottage on the Hill and her band of fabulous helpers it all went off beautifully, and we can only dream of next year!

The amazingly talented Anni Downs was our tutor and we were blessed with her sweet calmness guiding us through the day. She is a great teacher and the nicest person...it was great getting to know her...and hopefully we haven't scared her off! It was nice to share our creations with her and be inspired by what she is designing.

What is wonderful about this weekend is seeing the bloggers...old and new...carrying on conversations started last year...catching up on news. I love you girls and miss you all...the laughter, the jokes, the shared interests and best of all hearing that voice singing out in the darkness..."Hey Cardy...can you be quiet!" Oh, it felt like school camp all over again! No scary teachers this time, just a motherly Chook!

Here is the first project....

I am fiddling with mine (so what else is new?)...

new patterns to covet...

Then there were completed Gardeners Journal quilts...

and their proud owners!

Miss you girls....counting the days till GDITC 2012!

So many more pics...will post them soon!

Cardygirl xx

Brigitte and beyond.

Tuesday was spent in the company of a pleasant group of ladies & Brigitte Giblin at Southern Cross needlework. I never seem to do much stitching but come home SO inspired. Brigitte shares so much inspiration & it is lovely to see what everyone is working on.

A new quilt of Brigitte's...

some beautiful  hexagon framed diamonds...

Brigitte's original quilt...

Then on Saturday we went to Armidale to visit DS for his birthday...

a teenager no more!

A wild and wet trip home...

over the ranges...

Rainbows pointing the way to ....

NUNDLE! One week and we will be there for GDITC 2011!

...looking forward to catching up with old friends and maybe meeting some new ones!

Cardygirl xx

Getting ready for Brigitte.

This week I will be returning to my class with Brigitte Giblin. Always inspiring, I am keen to see what she has been working on lately.  I had hoped to have my project from the last class finished, but....you know how it is! I have the top together but just need to work on the central applique & the paper pieced stars around the border. I "fiddled" with Brigitte's original concept & have worked with 1930's fabrics, and I am quite pleased with how it has developed. I hope Brigitte likes it!

 The blocks for the first three stitcheries with the Stitchalong group are assembled, traced & stitching commenced. My fabrics are a bit bright but I hope they will add some festive fun.

Cardygirl xx

Quiet Evenings

Blackbird Designs- Summer Basket

30ct 2over2 Gentle Arts & WDW

With little time spent in my sewing room of late, I have enjoyed stitching in the family room & chatting of an evening. I am enjoying some cross stitch, starting some new & finishing that Blackbird Designs sampler that has been hanging around. It is lovely to have it finished & now a visit to the framer will be in order.

I have been stitching away on this pear..

 With Thy Needle & Thread- Partridge in a Pear Tree

32 ct Flax 1 over 2, DMC threads

And the Jenny Bean Halloween Sampler from Shakespeares Peddlar arrived in the mail. It will be stitched on 40ct Flax with these gorgeous Sampler Threads. Several people have completed it in blogland, and I just adore it's quirkiness. I will add a label that I stitched it in my 50th year...I suppose it will be a half century sampler as opposed to all those birth samplers we stitch! I sometimes wonder why I am attracted to these fine linens...my glasses are going to be Magoo-like before too much longer & I spend hours day dreaming about magnifiers. My optometrist gets a big smile every time I walk in!

The kindness of your comments on my previous post was so supportive. We have had a challenging few weeks here, hopefully life will soon settle a bit. 

Cardygirl xx

Le Petite Sweet Spot

Life has been challenging with little time or interest in blogging. Sometimes I think bumps happen in our personal roads so that we can re-evaluate & consider what is really most important in our lives. We are fortunate to be given the opportunity to perhaps change some aspects of our every day lives & make things better for those around us.

Enough navel gazing...here is my latest finish for Le Petite...Sweet Spot, a Schnibbles pattern. I won two charm packs of Lily & Will recently by participating in this group from Bear Paws Quilts & More. I added a little cream Lakehouse spot and some L & W chocolate spot for the flying geese. I am happy with the soft prettiness of it!

Cardygirl xx

SAL continues!

Under the leadership of the always motivating Chookyblue & the Stitch a long group, I completed my Gardeners Journal quilt...after it languishing in my basket for FAR toooo long! I was happy to have the support of like minded stitchers and it has been great to watch their progress.

In March we will start Tis the Season by Natalie Bird. Great little festive stitcheries.

I may not do them all & I have plans for my setting, but I found some funky fabric with a Christmas theme... I think it will add a bit of zing to Christmas this year!

Cardygirl xx

This past week...

...has been a pleasant one. Birthday celebrations with family & friends, far too much good food and lots of laughter & good company. It was lovely to have DH & both the children in the same place ( a fairly rare occurrence)...

and to catch up with dear friends at Bimbadgen in the Hunter Valley (stunning food!)...

time spent with friends locally...but alas I am waiting for pics...

I don't know why but not lots of photos...I think there might have been too much chatter!

I was spoilt with beautiful gifts...dear Lea blinded herself with this stunning cross stitch...

Raelee & Julie stunned me with this gorgeous quilt...

it is beautiful...

amazing stitching...

Now I need to work on this...

for all who wished me well and shared some time...thankyou!

It has been a lovely week!

Cardygirl xx

A box with a bow!

A special day...one of those significant dates...and a lovely little box with a bow for me!

Nice to be spoilt & thought of...DH is very kind!

Off to lunch with Mum...no work today.

Did a little baking the other day...good for the figure too.

Made it into this teeny tiny pineapple which I love.

 Cardygirl xx

Perfect for summer!

Some Verna and a great bag pattern from Nanette at Freda's Hive has resulted in this summer prettiness. I think the hardest part was finding handles as I did not want cloth ones.

I love the way it looks so fresh &the lime jumbo ric rac was perfect.
Does it make you feel like summer? It is so horribly hot here at present...every day above 40C...garden has suffered...hope it ends soon!  Amazing that some have snow, some rain & we have  this heat!

Cardygirl xx