Not stitching - but page turning...

I'm known amongst my family and friends as liking a bit of a read.. That would be probably be an understatement really... The amount of books contained in the house is frightening - and I am a bit of an obessive compulsive craft magazine buyer - although in fairness to me -I have cut back a fair bit....

This little pile is what I have had beside the bed of late. The three books are library books - I am loving the Jane Brocket's Quilt Making it is packed with great quilts, great photos - just delicious from cover to cover - this title could be one of my own very shortly...

The Embroidered Flora and Fauna book is also brimming with wonderful life like projects in three dimensional embroidery... Mary Corbet does a more indepth review plus pictures over on her Needle 'n Thread website... Worth having a look... Amazing work - the sort of work I will only ever dream about..

The Framer's Wife Sampler Quilt is another great book with insights into American farm wives in the early 1920 and the blocks they inspired... I found the author Lauie Aarron Hird's blog so I will direct you over there for more of a read... I would love to have a go at the blocks - maybe in my next life...

And of course there are the magazines - I am trying to cut down my stash of these but unfortunatley each of these had something worth keeping... The Quilting Arts magazine was bought by daughter's friend for me - see I even have people outside the family buying for me - not that I mind... :-)

The Australian Homespun magazine probaly keeps me upto date with what is going on in the 'local' stitching world... A lot of the blogs I read now was because I found their authors and work inside that magazine... Homespun I buy montly and I have all it editions except two that I know of...

The English Stitch magazine is one of my favorites and I have kept up my order with the local newsagents for it... Have I ever done any of its projects??? No and probaly never will but each copy offers something lovely to dream about...

I couldn't resist this latest edition ofThe World of Cross Stitching magazine as it had the nicest little kit on the front - usually I pass them by as I have enough to stitch for 100 years or more but this little kit was just lovely....

Until next time

Sharon xxx

just to say...

... I haven't faded away - just busy...

trying to keep up...

I think I am getting worse at this blogging stuff - there is just not enough hours in the day and something always falls by the wayside... Most of the time it is the blogging so this morning I thought I would try and catch up a little...

What's in the picture - I was given a voucher by P for Christmas for Zart a local art supplier... And as the time was starting to slip through the hour glass I thought it was about time I spent it... I have long admired these Conte pastel pencils so I put my voucher to very good use and bought them - They are beautiful, bright, clean colours and I feel my pulse quicken everytime I open the tin... I have had a little play with them but I long to have the time and space for more of go...

The book was a find in Tasmania at Fuller's Bookshop - it combines two of my loves - reading and embroidery into a story form... I bought it as I can rarely resist a book which calls to me and I had never seen this title at our shop Dymocks Doncaster. As it turns out the author Prue Batten - is a Tasmanian author and this book is the first in her series Eirie Chronicles" The fact that Prue is 'a local' has promoted it nearer the top of my 'must read in this lifetime' which is a dangerously high pile...

The little packet of bits at the top right of is infact a small Shepherd's Bush needle roll kit I bought from The Needlewoman in Hobart - I love needlerolls and thought that this one would be a reminder of my trip to Tasmania...

The last piece to the picture is of course my cross stitch which I took away with me... As you can see I have made a little progress with it - I have quite enjoyed stitching this as it is easy on the mind as well as on the hand...

Well its time to push the chair back from the desk, close the lid of the laptop and go and find some more earthly chores to do...

Take care until next time...

Sharon xx

Not stitching but...

...we're home and exhausted !!! We did 1200 kms - travelling from one side of Tasmania to the other and then some... P and I are going to set up another blog of our travels as we have two cameras and a phone full of photos which we need to sort through... We had a great time and it was a bit of a shock coming back into the noise and bustle of Melbourne after quiet and serenity of Diamond Island - pictured below - our last stop before home... But not yet - cases to unpack, cats to cuddle and above all a sleep...

* Did I stitch? Yes I did - not a lot but enough to make me happy... I also found a lovely shop called The Needlewoman... Yes G, I did spend money there - but it was difficult not too :)

Margaret A Rowe

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret A Rowe - both author and quilter... Margaret has written two novels in what is to be a series called The Australian Challenge Quilt Series -based around our Australian quilting history...

The Maria Challenge Quilt is the first in the series, followed by The Elizabeth Challenge Quilt with a third novel due to be released shortly... From what Margaret spoke about yesterday I believe the books are set contemporary times with flash backs into our past...

Are they similar to Jennifer Chiaverini's 'Elm Creek' novels? Without me reading Margaret's I can't say for sure, however both series have connections to the past...

It seems that somehow I have missed Margaret's books on my reading quests and I look forward to at some time settling down with one... I had hoped to buy one to take away on holiday with me - but have just found out that the closet store to us doesn't have any on their shelf...

After reading books such as Jennifer Isaac's - The Gentle Arts, Pioneer Women of the Bush and Outback, Margaret Rolfe's Patchwork Quilts in Australia and Australian Quilt Heritage and more recently The Fabric of Society by Annette Gero it has made me think in terms of our own history. I believe too often we overlook our own - perhaps not intentionally, to seek further afield - but it seems such a shame to miss what's 'growing in our own backyard' so to speak...

I have add Margaret's blog to my sidebar under Non Stitching - so give it a visit and say hello...

Things are so busy here at the moment I am hoping these photos will suffice instead of content...

As promised - the first stitches crossed onto the Welcome Sampler...

Three of the base seams stitched on my crazy block for the DOYB over at southern cross crazies...

And of course another book - this one I have debated about ever since I saw it some months ago - I cringed at its price of $55, however by the time I got staff discount, used the rest of my voucher I got for Christmas it ended up costing me $9.99 - not too bad at all...

I really like Kaffe Fassetts designs - he is a genuis in the way he uses both colour and design - a truely gifted artist... However why I liked this book was his design of tumbling blocks... Wow!! You have all seen my first attempts at traditional tumbling blocks - when I saw this pattern I was blown away... Just loved it!!!! Will I ever do it -probably not - but it is nice to dream and look...

That's all from me...

Sharon xx

Just what I needed really...

but it was only $3.00 at the op-shop... It is the whole kit except for the piece of jute to hang it by and the needle... The piece of aida had been hemmed and all the threads were threaded on the card and numbered - all I had to do was write the little symbols beside them...

This is going to be the 'take away' stitching for the holidays but I hope to start it tonight - even if I just do one stitch...

I have always wanted some sort of stitched 'Welcome' so this fitted the bill perfectly, that, and of course the price :) This little find has quite cheered me up - I think the 'all work and no play' situation of late has worn me down a fraction...

Sharon x