Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to one and all!

We have had a happy day with family and friends that we consider family...lovely!

Some mighty fine cooking was done in that beautiful new kitchen, and lots of happy chatter around the table.

Once everyone had gone home, there was even a little snooze on the lounge...I mean I had a few minutes recharge! Sometimes that is just what we need.

Finally my soul searching quilt top is finished. I have nowhere to hang it up for pictures, so I had to wait until I had two willing "holders"...they were very patient.

Here is a lap quilt I started an eternity ago...it is about to be quilted. Just an easy one.

Hope everyone has had a happy day!

Cardygirl xx

Taking the Liberty...

...and creating something with this beautiful piece I purchased in New York.

I just adored the colour of this piece and have wanted to save it for something special.

In my recent issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited, I saw this fun quilt and knew the perfect fabric for it.

With a couple of solids I think it will sew up quite quickly.

Nice to sew...but does anyone know where on earth my cutting mat is? 

It must be still in a box somewhere....

 Look at the lovely roses Lea gave me....

 Cardygirl xx

Thought bubbles...a contemplation

Do you believe in thought bubbles?

I find they are a frequent feature of my day...and there is often a tinge of anxiety lest I actually voice what is hanging cartoon like above my head. As I often say to a friend of mine...did I say that out loud?

Today was one of those days but I was proud of my restraint...no Tourettes moments but there were a few "waste of oxygen moments" accompanying a crowd of thought bubbles hanging around my head.

Finally the tiler has finished my laundry and kitchen splashback...they look fabulous (I think anyway!)

My fun laundry...oooh orange!

And my spotty stone in the kitchen.

But, back to thought bubbles...today has been a progression of  challenges which has lead to thought bubbles hanging over my head like carnival balloons! Here we go...tradesmen incorrectly connected the washing machine so the machine was filled with scalding water rather than cold ( think major colour  runs...eek!), then an extremely rude and unhelpful gent at the tile shop added some more bubbles! By this stage there were some really grumpy bubbles starting to form ....and not being helped by driving into work on my day off for flu vaccination. I was in danger of a real mood developing!

Then I spoke with my far-flung supporter whose opinion I greatly value. His optimism and rationality started popping the cranky bubbles.And then I pulled out another circle game block completed on quiet evenings this week. Looking good...

only five more to frame.

Then I did that thing that is guaranteed to lighten the mood...put the lead on Molly and go for a walk! We met some new doggy friends and, before I knew it, there was not a bubble to be seen...aaah, sweet serenity in my head again! Home, and a cup of tea in my brand new cup...isn't it gorgeous?

When life gets hectic...walk the dog, a cup of tea and a stitch...simple!

 Cardygirl xx

Circles, dots and multicoloured spots!

This week has seen me going spotty in so many ways...

orange dots...

spreading right before my eyes into a place that makes me smile every time I pass the door!

With regards that elusive sewing mojo, I was going around in circles with that too. So, this weekend has seen me fighting back...and it feels like I am winning at long last!

Last September, I prepared my aqua Soul Searching block to stitch in those spare moments after our move...it has sat in boxes, then on my mini design board since then...with no progress at all. So, today was the day...

and look at it now...

eight blocks complete and only the red block left to do...I can smell a finish lurking close by and, boy, does it feel good. I am loving having the floor space to lay them out.

At night I have been stitching the frames to my circle game blocks...

only six more to frame and then I can start putting them all together.

 I have so enjoyed this BOM through amitie, that I am contemplating doing another with them....food for thought! I have enjoyed the hand piecing, especially when life has been so hectic. The joy of this work is that it has been so portable and easy to pick up or put down, whilst not needing any special equipment or room to set up my sewing machine.

Better get some stitching done!

Cardygirl xx

Celebrations and starting over....

This week my baby boy turns 22! Eeeek...when did I get so old?

Fortunately I had him home for a night from university...it was nice to cook his favourite foods and watch him savour a dinner made with love just for him. 

I loved the card I bought him....at least he seems to still tolerate my humour.

Happy Birthday Lewis!

And, I also started this week with a sense of determination...I need to make time to stitch because, as my friend Lea says..."a stitch a day stops my whole world from unravelling!" At the moment life feels like there are a few dropped stitches, so this week I will stop whining and pick those pesky stitches up!

After dinner I tidied the kitchen, hung some washing out and made some calls...then walked into the much neglected sewing room...where I found someone tossing things about...hmmmm!

 He has also had fun with my aqua soul searching block...I just need to sort it out again...then I only have a red block to do and the quilt I started at Material Obsession is done...big tick! 

So, I need to hop off the computer and pick up that needle....

Cardygirl xx

My oomph is lurking...

Progress is being made here...trying to find that balance with all of the competing pressures in our current lives...slowly but surely I feel that my oomph is coming back. Renovating, moving, changing jobs and trying to find "my place" in a city I left a quarter of a century ago...gradually that sense of belonging and a "oneness" within our new space is happening...some special friends who understand that my sense of disconnection will pass and I will wake and know that this is truly my home now. Time heals so they say, and i can see the positive signs. Whew!


So, firstly I will share my octagons...started a lifetime ago (not really...just being grandiose!) which were dragged out on Monday to take to the sewing group near my home. Some were cut from fabrics purchased in New York, so they are very special. The need to create is strong...and I need to nurture it and hope it returns healthy and demanding attention!


And some house stuff too. The mirror and shower screen were installed today, so, once the window architrave is painted and the power connected to the towel rail, the main bathroom will be complete.


Some semblance of "us" is now noticeable as I gradually add more of our possessions to our space.


And, finally, our dear Molly has returned from an extended stay with our very dear friends...they loved her as their own and walked her to the beach every day....I think that she will miss their daily walks and find me quite boring! But I am loving having her here...I love seeing her face watching me through the glass....


And helping in the decision process!


Cardygirl xx


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Location:My oomph is lurking...

hacking a blog.............

what should I write should I be naughty or nice.......ok i'll be nice..........thanks for the bed Cardy...............

Just like those sands thru the hourglass!

Days have blurred into one another, and I was surprised to see how many days have passed since my last post. The brief version is blah, blah....working full time...blah, blah....more work on the house....blah, blah....not enough time to stitch or blog. Enough of that, so I will share some snaps of what has happened in my pocket of the world...


A kitchen almost complete...just waiting for a splash back. Friends have shared a meal to celebrate the passing of another year...


With delicious cake (super yummy red velvet)...


The new island bench has been used to create...but a fabric concoction not a food one! Trying different ways to achieve a lovely appliqué circle...


But returned to my perennial favourite...needle turn, to play with centres for the vintage Dresden.


I have procrastinated over the centres...they are quite big and most fabrics auditioned dominated the block....oh, what to do, what to do! I ended up at a local shop, Pot Pourri Cottage, finally I found some fabrics and devised a plan.


Each Dresden will have two fabrics for their centres, and I think I will have different combinations for each of the four blocks. It will be interesting to see how it progresses.


Lastly, a pic of me. Like most of us, I prefer not to post pics of myself, but I thought an update was in order. So here we go!


Hope all is well wherever you are!
Cardygirl xx
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Location:Just like those sands thru the hourglass!

A little stitch here and there...

Rain, rain and more rain! That is what our long weekend has been. Dorothea McKellar certainly had it right when she penned her famous poem...droughts and flooding rains...following the recent fires, Australia has certainly had its share of nature in all of its glory. The inclement weather has forced me inside, and made me feel a little less guilty about grabbing some stitching time.


Some stitching on The Yule Sampler by The Primitive Needle on 40ct linen.


One vintage Dresden almost appliquéd in place...still auditioning centres. This project has been fun. It is odd finishing someone else's work...our techniques and styles differ somewhat, but I hope that she knows that her UFO is being finished with love.


And a start...just because! I have had this Adam & Eve cross stitch, "And all was for an appil" by the Scarlet Letter on 40ct Vintage Light Examplar. I think sometimes a start gets you motivated....what do you think?
The kitchen should be almost complete this week, bench tops should be installed tomorrow. Then I can wash up in a kitchen, rather than here.


I am hoping that it will soon be more settled, and there will be a break from work on the house. The past week has been hectic, mum needing an operation in the middle of it all. Another job interview has led to more work, so I will be working full time for a period...doesn't give me much time to stitch, but the work will be interesting and will help me to feel settled.


I hope all those affected by the flooding are safe and dry tonight.
Cardygirl xx


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The progress so far...

Just a quick post to share the progress of the kitchen. Here was how we started the morning...


And how we finished the day...


I am happy with it....


very neutral so I am able to add/change colour as I wish. They will finish the cupboards on Thursday and the benchtops should be installed next week.
It is coming together....and I might just be relaxing a smidge...like my very relaxed site foreman!


I promise I will post some stitching soon.
Cardygirl xx


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