Up Up & Away

What have I been up to lately? Planning, planning, planning.....although this was planned quite some time ago and is finally happening!! 
Hayley and I are off to ........

 Megan will be joining us in Estonia (my family background is Estonian - hence the reason for the visit there) - we haven't seen Megan since she departed on her travels in March 2016! - I'm sure it will be quite emotional - the tissues are packed!  After a week or so getting to know Estonia we fly down to Italy for a few weeks!  .... a great holiday coming up with my two beautiful daughters!!! 

While away the inside of the house is being painted and some small renovations in the bathrooms will be happening so life has been rather busy working, packing up the house so all  books, ornaments, crockery from cupboards to be moved, etc have all found places - somewhere! My sewing room no longer exists as it is now a storage room! I sometimes questioned whether this was a good idea - but.... better than living with all this happening around me! 
Meanwhile I have found time to do a bit of crochet..... I think these will become a cushion - will take me forever to become a blanket - they are quite small! 

and .... more reading for my book challenge - "a book recommended by a friend"...... haven't read any of Michael Connelly's books before but am enjoying it so far.....

That's about all  from me for now..... will be back with stories of my travels! ....No stitching being taken - took some once before on a trip and didn't do a stitch! 

Happy Stitching

Asta

Just A Little Catch Up

Well what have I been up to lately?... Not a lot!..... Another "bowl" sits ready to be felted....

Then ended up with my kneck "out of sorts" so after a couple of weeks decided I should visit the doctor - a pinched nerve was probably the original culprit - maybe take a break from knitting! Who would have thought a tiny knitted bowl could cause so much inconvenience!!

So no crafting is happening here but I have been reading and now another challenge can be ticked off my reading list...... "A book written by an author with the same first name as you". Well.....there were very few books that fitted that category but while searching came across this  book - "Asta's Book" by Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) and what a good book it was!! "Obsessively readable" said one review and it certainly was!!

I bought the book through Fishpond for $8 - it came through their 2nd hand book warehouse..... the book was reasonably well used with the original sticker on the back showing it had been bought from Dubai Duty Free.... I wonder what tales the book could tell as to where it had journeyed from there to me!!

While not doing any crafting I did spend time in my sewing room - tidying, looking, thinking.... and am contemplating this project next - have some larger ones but thought a smaller one - achievable within a month might do for now.... (not started yet though!)

Then last Saturday arrived and I decided after a week of miserable weather (and work) I NEEDED some retail therapy so I took myself off to my favourite local patchwork shop.....

....and some lovely flowers came home too.... :) 

That's about it for now....the knitting and sewing are sitting there to be worked on but I'll give my kneck a bit longer to recover...

Till next time.... happy stitching!!

Asta

A Quilt Finish & Other Bits

Well, here it is....my "secret sewing" finished! It will be "gifted" to my sister, Linda, living up the north coast early this week when I will be heading up her way for a short holiday! 
The front.......

The back..... all Kaffe Fassett fabrics!

The felt bowl...all dried to shape now.....

And who would have guessed that I'd find a book in my Agatha Christie collection to complete another book challenge!! "A book published the year you were born" (1953) can now be ticked off.

My weekend finished with the final show for the play I have been stage managing for the past month - the 10 actors all being aged between 12 - 16 (our senior youth group) I thought it was appropriate to make these for our after show party......

Chocolate Crackles!! (It's been years since I made these!)
I was given this beautiful gift as a "thank you" from the cast - all really great kids to work with!

And to finish off.... here is the most senior member of my household - 17 year old Mezzie - soaking up the early morning sunshine! (It is old in cat years.)... he is a beautiful family member who is always looking for cuddles...... 

Till next time..... happy stitching!

Asta

... and 2 weeks later...

Yes....time does fly and here it is just over 2 weeks since I was last here!.... a bit of catching up to do....

Well the needles were clicking away after my purchase of wool and a knitting book....

 to this.....

 then after felting to drying into shape......

 ...still drying as we speak but hoping it does stay in shape as a little bowl! 
Mug mats were finished a couple of weeks ago but had to be "gifted" before I could show them here.....

 ...using one of Anni's patterns from Gossip in the Garden - a mug mat for my friend Dzintra for her birthday and using hexagons (love EPP!) a mug mat for my dear Mum for Mother's Day.....

And talking about Mother's Day - my "travelling overseas" daughter Megan - now in England as her working stint in the French Alps finished mid-April -  sent me her Mother's Day message from a break wall in Kent!...

(Last year it was a big cardboard sign from Sweden!) 

 My secret sewing is still on-going.....

 ...but just today I handed it over to be quilted - and hopefully should have it back early next week to sew on the binding - this is being "gifted" at the end of the month so you could say we are under a little pressure here!!
                                                This.....

is now finished and I can tick off my book challenge list "a book with a number in the title". I did a bit of research about the title following on from a comment on my last blog and discovered that this book was published in England in 1939 under this title, in 1940 in United States under the title of "Ten Little Indians" and over the following years has been published and written as a play under the title of "And Then There Were None".....(thanks to Google) 
Our local theatre's latest production which I'm stage managing has now started so rehearsals are over - they always seem to take up so much more time than the actual show and except for the occasional Sunday matinee most shows are in the evenings so weekends are free again....time once more to catch up with friends over lunch... 

And if the sun hasn't quite got there yet climb to a higher spot!

Happy Stitching.... and thanks for visiting!
Asta

Secret Sewing & Reading

"Good Morning Sunshine....."

The warm Autumn days are still with us - inside and out..................

 What have I been up to over the last couple of weeks! Well..... all "secret" sewing which is still ongoing!

 .....and reading..... this book being another challenge ticked off - "a book that is to be a film in 2016" ...... I found this story a bit slow to start off with but ended up not being able to put it down - a surprise ending! 

 The next book has been started - " must have a number in the title" - this is another Agatha Christie book I've kept from way back when I spent my summer school holidays reading her books - note the price 60c!

 Another trip to my local patchwork shops Steph's Fabrics...... firstly enjoying a coffee from the cafe bar while overlooking all the temptation in her shop.....

 .....leaving with a new knitting book and ball of wool as there was a pattern I plan to knit up... it will be a another "secret" project..... and the original purpose of my trip - the material for the border of the "secret" quilt which will soon be finished (note the fabric tucked behind the book)..... this quilt is not being "gifted" till June so will be a while before it appears here!

So for the time being everything here is very secretive!!..... I do have projects to work on but at the moment the secret ones have deadlines! Till next time......

Happy Stitching!

Asta

Relaxing Weekend!

This past weekend was a quiet one with just a little mix of this and that.......
Saturday morning decided take a drive down to my local patchwork shop.....Stephs Fabrics - just for some freezer paper - well - who would have guessed that a couple of extra purchases would come home!....had been deliberating as to whether to purchase Anni's latest book and as I walked into the shop...there it was!! The other pattern? Well, it just caught my eye! 

 This lovely bunch of daisies also found their way to my home.... to brighten the day!

 Over the rest of the weekend time was spent doing a bit of "secret" sewing......

 ....another book was finished and now "a book that involves the ocean" can be ticked off my reading challenge.... I had not read a Di Morrissey book before - thoroughly enjoyed this one...."The Winter Sea"....it was set on the South Coast - not far from where I live - an added bonus to the story line!

........and a start was made on writing up copious notes for stage managing our latest local theatre production.... unfortunately it can take up quite a bit of time and that, together with working full time, leaves not a lot of time for other more creative pursuits.....but... after this show I plan to take a break for a while..... as with all voluntary organisations it always seems to be the same people that put their hand up!

 These 2 were having a bit of a tiff on Sunday as to who had the chair with a cardigan to sleep on... the solution was found with a second old "round the house" cardigan found!

 The postman should be bringing a couple more "retail therapy" purchases this week....and... Hayley is arriving from Queensland for a few days (unexpected) visit - will be lovely to see her and spend time catching up over cups of tea!!...I do miss my girls!

Happy Stitching!
Asta

FNWF

The first Friday in March and it was time for a catch up with blogging friends.......

....but first I caught up with my friend Dzintra after work.....over a couple of drinks at a new local restaurant....

Earlier in the week I had met up with friends for a dinner at the same restaurant..... a lovely outlook over the river and our local marina....

...........this one from a distance

Back to Friday night..... I'm starting a"secret" sewing project so spent time doing some calculations for extra border fabric required - the rest had been "stashed" away for quite some time!

 Once that was sorted it was time for a bit of stitching - what else but my Nature's Journey quilt! The weather has been so warm that hand stitching with a quilt over the knees was not even a consideration so it has taken some time to get the binding finished but this time I was on a mission!!

with a little interruption when these 2 decided my lap was a very comfy spot to have a nap!

....the last stitch was in sight! ....though I still have the label to do for the back...then I will "announce" it finished! 

Saturday and it was time to head to Stephs Fabrics to purchase fabric for my "secret" project..... driving along the beautiful Moruya River on the way.....

Steph has now added a coffee bar to her "inspirational" shop....... opening onto the street and into her shop .....

One of Stephs assistants 

Steph on the the left and her barista

......What a coincidence that I should run into a like-minded friend, Mary.... Now I really had an excuse to stay and enjoy a coffee....the problem being that you can gaze over the lovely fabrics and contemplate whether you really need to buy more.... I did resist.... at least till next time!!

 A quick stop at an op-shop and another book was found for my book challenge "a book about an ocean".... pictured here with just a very sneaky peek at the fabric purchased....

Then time to head off to a luncheon date with a dear friend, Barb, but no photos - we were too busy chatting as we hadn't caught up for quite some time!  

On the agenda for the rest of the weekend? Dropping into a rehearsal for the play I'm stage managing - still not a lot for me to do yet....hopefully get my label made for Nature's Journey quilt.....maybe a spot of gardening - the "green" waste bin gets picked up this week so I feel I should fill it!.... And - checking in on what others were up to on Friday night!

Happy Stitching
Asta