Special Delivery

A friend asked me to make 2 custom made bags for her...

 I machine make the bags, 

but I just love to handsew the names and decorations on...

One for David:

 And one for Orlando:

 As Orlando is a special new baby,

he got a special quilt too!

 This time I didn't use a pantograph

 and instead practised what I'd learnt in the class with Ferret,

 and freehand machined the stars.

very enjoyable and much quicker than a panto!

(Now if only I'd insured my mother's Christmas parcel!!! 

Maybe then she would have had her Christmas gifts.

I'm still hoping it's just delayed 

and not stolen by workers in the South African postal service!)

*****

This is the gift I made for Alice in the BQL Secret Santa swap:

Photos of the gifts I made Chookyblue are on my dead laptop,

but hopefully I'll be able to link to that soon.

Christmas Spoils

This year, I joined Chookyblue's Secret Santa Christmas swap

and was lucky enough to have Denice as my partner.

She made me these cute cinnamon star cookies.

They were so beautifully packaged as a pack of cookies,

but I forgot to take a picture before putting them on the tree...

 The tree was heaving this year 

as the children wanted to put everything on!

 Denice also made me this gorgeous table topper:

In the British Quilt Secret Santa that I joined,

I got Irene who made me the most stunningly modern table mats and coasters

They go perfectly with our new decor.

 Thank you Denice and Irene!

And a wonderful parcel arrived from a dear friend in Germany.

Birgit spoilt me rotten again!!!!

Beautiful fabric:

 My absolute favourite chocolates!

(Both the Mozart Kugeln and the Mon Cherie!!! Nom nom nom!)

and treats for the kids....

 I felt very lucky indeed!

Thank you Birgit!!

On the sewing front...

There's not been much activity with the house move

and the decluttering 

and the constant tidying involved in living so open plan.

However, I have started a baby quilt for a friend...

 And I've started Bonnie's Celtic Solstice Mystery

(part 1 not even nearly completed!!! Oh dear!!)

I'm borrowing my son's computer and feeling the need to be quick

so more to follow as there were quite a few photos on my camera that I should blog...

In the meantime:

Seasons Greetings!

A Mystery

I have just worked out how to upload a photo from my tablet.

These are my colours for Bonnie's new mystery...

We're in a new house and there's no sewing machine here yet

(But there is heating!!!)

If the move, which is just down the road,

becomes permanent my Nolting will be rehoused here too!!

In the meantime I still have access to my studio

and plan to spend plenty of time there

(weather permitting!)

Gone AWOL

I didn't intend to not post for so long, 

but it's all change here at the moment...

My run of bad luck included the heating breaking down

with no chance of repair, and a new boiler a long way off,

my car not starting...

and my laptop refusing to charge up...

Hence no photos :(

I did however receive my secret santa and it looks

FABULOUS!! (Well the decoration does -

I am saving the gift for the big day,

these Secret swaps are the highlight of my Christmas!)

THANK YOU.

I will try post photos soon...