Gum Valley Patchwork

Farmers Wife Stitch Along

It's hard to think that our small Farmers Wife group has been meeting on a monthly basis since January. Although I have missed a few of the days and on others have been busy in the shop, I have managed to keep plodding along with my blocks. We met again last Thursday and I was determined that I was going to stitch at least one block.....and maybe even two. Shirley didn't believe that I would do it.....but I did!

The first block I completed was End of Day. I did alter the block construction slightly so that I could rotary cut the pieces and not have to use the templates.

The second block was Evening Star. I used 3 different fabrics in this block instead of the two in the original design.

I really must go back and start filling in the blocks that I have skipped. I have been sticking with the ones that can easily be rotary cut......the next ones I will tackle are the blocks using templates. 

We do have a couple of spare seats at the table so if you would like to join in our informal, no pressure, Farmers Wife Stitch Along group, please let me know. We meet on the 4th Thursday of the month at the Shop.

Linda   :)

New website.....again!

My Online Shop has recently undergone a revamp. Yes I know that it was only launched in July 2015.......I was very happy with it, but when changes to the company who built it for me happened, I needed to change. It is a long and boring story so I won't bother you all with the details. Last Friday after a 'few' emails backwards and forwards, my 'new' website was relaunched. You probably won't notice too many changes......it's mainly the 'in behind bits' that have changed.

However there is one major change and that is the payment method. I will now be accepting payments via PayPal, all of the details can be found on my Policies page on the website.

Don't forget to check out the Calendar under the Events tab along the top of the website. It has all of the details of what is happening in the shop including classroom bookings, card class dates, when the Shop is closed, sale dates and much more.

I am sure that there will be a few little hiccups along the way while I get used to the new system, but I will do my best to work them out.

Linda    :)

It's coming around quickly.

With under three weeks to go until this year's Stitch in Spring, everything is coming together nicely. I know that there will always be the last minute rush to get everything looking just right.....

(Stitch in Spring 2015)

The things on the list are slowly getting ticked off.......the goody bags are all made (a different design to previous years and they look quite nice if I do say so myself); the table decorations are well under way; I only have a few more names to embroider for the name badges; the pattern bags are here; and I start kitting up the projects tomorrow!

I have also been sending out the Stitch in Spring newsletter with all of the details on it about the day......so please check your fb messenger if you are on Facebook......it might be sitting there for you. If not I have attached a copy below for you to download....don't forget to check with others in your group if you are attending with friends. With postage costs high I am trying to use social and electronic media to get it out to everyone. I will email those I cannot find on Facebook.

Download 2016 Newsletter for Stitch in Spring

Linda    :)

TBT L

Oh dear.....apologies for the slackness in my blogging this week. I had good intentions on Monday and Tuesday but I was possessed by the cleaning devil and ended up tidying up our living area at the shop. I must admit I do feel a lot better having a neat lounge room......and not having to step around boxes of fabric and shop stuff.....and also being able to see the pretty runner on the table instead of just knowing that it is under that pile of paperwork that just seemed to get bigger and bigger!

Before I knew it I am back to Thursday and the shop is open once again and it's TBT time again.  I thought that today I would pop up a photo of me taken in 1979. It is a photo of me all dressed up ready to go to the Deb Ball to watch my friends make their deb.

Mum gave each of us the choice of whether or not to make our deb. Actually I was given the choice of a new watch or the deb......I took the watch (which I am wearing). I remember going to pick out the fabric for the dress.......I remember Mum making the dress.......I remember putting the dress on and saying that I didn't like it and wasn't going to wear it.......I remember Mum 'crying' and telling me how hard she had work to make the dress for me.......I remember wearing said dress to the Deb ball. I think that I was well and truly out played that night!

Linda     :)

TBT K

Today I am winding back the clock a long way....it looks like I was only about 6 months old. Ann and I are with Auntie Jeanie, our great great Aunt.

For those who have read the story of my 'Elenor Jean' Quilt, you will know Auntie Jeanie as both her and her sister Sis, raised my grandmother and 2 of her brothers after the death of their mother. The dedication of these 2 women to raise their sister's children was incredible. Auntie Jeanie and Auntie Sis never married or had children of their own, but they had the love of the children that they raised as their own, and were a very important part of our family. 

Linda    :)

If you keep something long enough

There is an old saying that if you hold on to something long enough it will come back into fashion. While I am sure that there are plenty of fashions that we hope will never ever see the light of day again, there is one that I am quite happy to see again. I am talking about crocheted cardigans. My Mum crocheted quite a few cardigans for herself in the 1970's and when they went out of fashion she unpulled a few of them and gifted the wool to the aged care facility where my grandmother was living. I was so happy that I found these two that had escaped being recycled into teddy bears or beanies.

I took them home and washed them up. The tan one matches a new dress that I bought on my recent trip to Melbourne, and the green one I wear because I love green!

And as an extra bonus I found the crochet book that the patterns came from.....patterns for the whole family!

Russell has 'politely' declined my offer to crochet him a tank top.....but just in case he changes his mind I will pop the pattern book away.

Linda    :)

TBT J

Today's TBT photo was taken back in August 1981 at Ann's 21st birthday party. It was my first year of working in Melbourne and Russell and I had been going out for about 15 months........yes young and in love.......now we are just old and still in love.....lol!

Not a great one of me but I do love this one of Russell. The jumper he had on was his favourite at the time.....I remember it well.......homespun and hand knitted by me!

When I started doing TBT back in October 2014 Russell made the bold statement that there wouldn't be enough photos around of him to do it......well I think he may have just changed his mind after seeing some of the ones that are appearing.....lol!

Linda    :)

It came upon......a Midnight Clear

It is always exciting when a new delivery of fabric arrives......I don't think that I will ever get sick of ripping open the boxes and revealing the lovely new fabric all wrapped in their plastic covers. Sometimes it's that long ago that I ordered it that I forget what it looks like..........well not really! The newest arrival is the Christmas range from 3 Sisters called 'Midnight Clear'.

There are 29 bolts of Christmas fabrics ($25 per metre).......crimson glow, starlight, winter sage, evergreen and midnight......I am just missing one from the entire range. There also some Charm packs available for $20 each.

and check out the cute selvedges........little pine cones!

What's not to love about fabric with writing on it.......and it also comes in the crimson glow and winter sage colourways.

Santa says that it is never too early to start stitching for Christmas!

Aww.....look at that cute face.....he wouldn't lie to you!

Linda   :)

The cure

I have again spent a wonderful day sorting through some things at my Mum's house. It is wonderful because it brings back so many happy memories......a lot of which I hope to share with you all over the coming weeks. Today I came across a collection of old pipes that Dad used to smoke.

Yes he was a smoker.....mostly pipes but sometimes cigars and later in life cigarettes. Dad was also an inside smoker......inside the house and inside the car.....not pleasant at all on long family road trips to Melbourne.....not wonder Cathryn got car sick! The smell today reminded me of Dad and also of why I didn't take up smoking. Many many years ago (I'm talking teenager here) Mum and Dad went out one night. I decided to pretend that I was Dad so I sat in his chair.....(no-one was allowed to sit in Dad's chair......in fact we called it the 'Pope's Chair')......and to authenticate the situation I put one of his pipes in my mouth. And then it happened.....the cure to ever taking up smoking.....I sucked on the pipe. Oh my goodness gracious me! It was absolutely the most disgusting thing ever.....and it wasn't even lit!  Yes I can proudly say that I have never been a smoker.....

Linda    :)

It's next month!

With the Stitch in Spring only 6 weeks away (next month!!!), I am busy doing all of the 'behind the scenes' work that needs to be done to make the day extra special for everyone. I am still stitching my way through the name tags.....only about 30 to go.

I have also been busy ordering all of the lovely things to pop in the special goodie bags......as well as making the bags themselves. My machine has had quite a work out this weekend........at times I have felt like I was working in a sweat shop in India......except it wasn't that hot!

I am well over half way through making the 130 bags.......I am so glad that I picked and easy pattern this year. Sorry no photos of the finished bags.......it's a surprise!

If you are coming along to the Stitch in Spring and have provided your credit card details to me, I have processed the balance today. Those of you who haven't paid the balance, it is now due.

Linda   :)