What I've been doing.

We had a very quiet relaxing Christmas with just the two of us for most of the day and a visit with DH's kids and grandkids in the afternoon. Just lovely and quiet. I'll tell you about my wonderful gift later.

Since I was here last, I have another Mary Mannakee block done. I thought I had only made eight but when I trimmed them to put on the wall, I had done nine, what a nice surprise. Sorry the picture is a little fuzzy but you get the idea.

This is the one I finished over Christmas. When you have an applique pattern, you rarely get instructions on how to tackle certain elements. You should just know. Sometimes, it takes a bit of thinking out because there is always more than one way and you end up choosing one that will work best for you.

This was the part I had a think over. I ended up photocopying the bottom circle and spraying the paper with basting spray. Next I lay the bias strips over the pattern and wove them. I then used a small dot of basting glue to the intersections and pinned them until it set. Voila, I could then lift the whole piece off and place it on my background.

I didn't sew it down at this stage, just used abit of basting glue to keep it in position. I then appliqued the inner part of the circle, the woven part, and finally, trimmed the seams of the bias strips and appliqued the outer part of the circle.

Christmas and holidays is my time to have a good read and this is what I've been enjoying,  with chocolates of course. Chocolate goes with everything you know.

Mr Q and I celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday with a lovely meal out at a restaurant overlooking the beach. We enjoyed watching the swimmers and surfers from our table while we dined on a three course meal. You can see some of the yummy food on the left of the photo.

On the right, you can see I've been making bread and enjoying cups of tea with that Christmas cake I made. I've done very little cooking around here, that's one of the things I love about summer and holidays.  DH becomes the main cook.

Mr Q spoilt me by finding these coloured pencils and a big sketch pad to play with. I want to have a go with coloured stitchery and other things using these and a fabric medium. I'll keep you posted.

And my Christmas present? It's not a thing, it's an experience. I get to hop on  a plane and head off to New Zealand again to see my two children and my four grandchildren towards the end of January for three weeks. Priceless!

This is my last post of the year so I'll wish you all the very best for a wonderful and happy year ahead.

See you in 2010