Catching Up!

Hellooooooooo to all of you out there in blogland! I hope you are all well ... & will forgive my absence from the blog. It's been a bit of a crazy few weeks with one thing & another. The first reason for me being a bit quiet was the fact that my Beloved Geek Boy & I succumbed to some leftover winter lurgies within days of each other. I was ambushed by a nasty head cold & then GB was hit by a flu bug. We're both on the mend now, but I'm pretty sure we deserve shares in the tissue company! :0)

And while GB was in the midst of dying (he doesn't get the traditional 'Man Flu' but he really was miserable!) & I was still snuffling my way through the days, the calendar rolled around to Stitchers Dream Day, our big weekend of exciting stitching hosted by the Marvellous Marion & Stupendous Steph of the Quilters Angel. Although ... We minions & friends had to muddle through most of the set up without either of our fearless leaders because Steph was in the midst of bringing the next Angel generation into the world! :0) What a way to kick off the weekend! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... I thought you might like to see some photos of our fun. This year's theme was "Blossom & Bloom" & the guest designers were Libby Richardson of Artsmart Cottage & the lovely Lauren of Molly & Mama. Roll the photos! :0)

As usual, my Bestest-Buddy-Since-We-Were-Nine Lynette came up to play & here she is peeking in her giftie bag.

And Julie was caught with her hand in the bag, too. :0) After the intros, it was time to get cracking ... Apparently SOME people actually STITCH at these events! Go figure!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Here's Wendy with photographic proof that she was hard at work stitching.

And Felicity was very impressed with how much she managed to stitch.

There were also some mini workshops, with Libby sharing her simple but effective fabric painting techniques (Do you see who's standing beside Libby? Yep, Nikki Tervo came up to play! ) ...

 And here's my sewing friend Maureen concentrating hard to duplicate Libby's sample. (Maureen & I used to sew together weekly when we lived at Bongeen ... About 15 years ago! Wow! Time flies when you're having fun!)

Lauren shared her tips & techniques for English paper piecing. Although I can't see myself rushing out to start stitching hexies, Lauren's work is lovely & she specialises in small, easily achievable projects for those who want to create but don't have a lot of time.

And one of the best parts of Stitchers Dream Day (besides being thoroughly spoilt!) is time spent catching up with friends. Libby & I are both bear lovers ... & both shorties! Tee! Hee! Hee!

It was wonderful to chat to Lauren, too, & Lynette & I always enjoy our play dates. :0)

And fun to catch up with Felicity ... Who's just as crazy as me. :0) (That glow is obviously the light reflecting off our haloes! Tee! Hee! Hee!)

Oh! What about this year's special projects, I hear you ask ...

Lauren's hexies tote bag, complete with embroidered hexie key fob/scissors fob ...

Another Molly & Mama design, a glasses case featuring sweet floral embroidery ...

And matching the glasses case is a handy zippy pouch, also with sweet embroidery ...

I confess this is my favourite project this year ... Even though it's pink. :0) Libby's signature painted teddy shown off in a needle caddy ...

And last but not least, Libby's second project, an embroidered wall hanging.

Once again a huge THANK YOU! To Marion & Steph for a fantastic weekend of friendship & stitching. (Steph took care of most of the planning & had lists & notes for us minions to follow just in case she went into labour ... Good planning pays off!!) Thank you to Libby & Lauren for their gorgeous projects & to all the sewing enthusiasts who came along to play.

Of course ... A big CONGRATS! To Steph & her partner Peter on the arrival of Zoe Maree ... You can imagine how chuffed Marion & her Sweetie Col are to be grandparents. :0) By the way ... Little Zoe obviously takes after her super organised Mum ... She arrived on her due date! :0)

Right ... That explains why I've been missing in action for a bit ... I promise to try to get back here soon with some pics of what I've been sewing, but right now, I hear the kettle calling my name, so ... Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS