Wednesday 4 December 2013

Back Home again, Gingerbreadmen and a Magazine Project

We have been home for the last 5 weeks, and I don't know what I have done with the time-- it seems to have flown by and the holiday is a very distant dream.
We had a wonderful holiday in England. The last time I was there was 30 years ago and I have been wanting to return there ever since. We had 3 weeks there in total, staying in London, Yorkshire, The Lakes District, The Cotswolds, Somerset and Devon. The scenery was beautiful and very restful. And the colour Green-- well, very different to the Australian green.

A view from our B+B in the Lakes District

In the next post, I will have photos from all the different areas we visited.  I keep looking at the photos and would love to be back there again. My dream would be to live there for 1 year and experience the changing seasons-- the colours of the trees, the birdlife and the flowers. Of course, that will always be a dream.



My daughter is a school teacher and last year she had me painting Santa hats, ( Christmas decorations),as a tiny gift for each of her little students.  You guessed it! She has asked me to paint another set for each of her students for this Christmas. This time we chose Gingerbreadmen. And here they are "straight out of the oven".

Gingerbreadmen Christmas decorations
 
She needs to write their names and a message on the back of each of them, then I will have to varnish them.
 
I have a couple spare, so if you would like to leave a message, you have a CHANCE TO WIN a Gingerbreadman decoration for your tree .
 
 
 
I popped into the Newsagents today and found the latest Australian Homespun magazine ( the December issue). It was with great excitement that I turned the pages and this is what I found:
 
My patchwork quilt in the Australian Homespun magazine
 
English paper piecing and embroidery
 
I had made this as a lapquilt using EPP and embroidery and added some of my buttons to the completed quilt. I wanted to have a "frame" around the embroidery-- and came up with this idea. I used elongated hexagons and squares for the EPP and then appliqued it to the fabric and  added the embroidery in the middle. I was happy with the completed quilt and happier to see it in the magazine.
 
I had popped into my local quilt shop for some retail therapy, and the owner of the shop informed me that someone had already been in to buy the elongated hexagon paper pieces to make the quilt. ( the templates are in the pattern ). I left the shop with a feeling of being on cloud 9! I also bought some new fabric and new DMC variegated threads and I have  lots of  ideas zooming in my head.
 
 
Do leave a comment for your chance to win a Gingerbreadman Christmas decoration.  I love it when I get comments  and would love comments from new visitors to the blog too. It gives me an opportunity to visit your blog as well and email each other and develop some lovely friendships along the way.
 
Cheers,
Yvonne

12 comments:

Koala said...

Congratulations, Yvonne! your quilt is beautiful ,no surprises that someone is already starting it :-) I haven't seen this magazine yet, need to go shopping :-))

Kucki68 said...

Just was blog hopping when I saw your Gingerbreadmen. Lucky pupils!

Chookyblue...... said...

that is a lovely quilt......
the gingerbread men are cute.......I would love one but what sort of messages do you write on them.........I didn't know you put messages on them.......

Meredith said...

As a school teacher too, I also each year give my children a handmade gift, most years it has been a fabric star Santa, made from a US pattern, simple but very much loved by the delightful kidlets I teach. This year little felt mice in little red felt stockings, though your picture made me think that it might be felt gingerbread men!

Grethe said...

Congratulations , Yvonne , how proud you must be! I tried to buy the homespun on Thursday , but it is not here yet. Bound to arrive soon. Love all the ginger men, yes bet the children are happy :-)

Queen Of The Armchair aka Dzintra Stitcheries said...

Oh what a wonderful holiday you have had Yvonne....you never know you might get to go back as sometimes Dreams do come true! Congratulations on making it into print...I'll have to go and have a look now!

Cute gingerbread men...I bet the class will love them!

Solstitches said...

Congratulations on having another project published in the magazine Yvonne.
The quilt is gorgeous!
Your "freshly baked" gingerbread men look so cute. You've been very busy!
I'm busy with my gingerbread men too and am enjoying each and every stitch :)
Margaret

Tatkis said...

I'm so glad you are back and enjoyed your vacation!
Wonderful patchwork quilt - I need to get that issue :)

Hugs,
Tatyana

Lyn said...

What a lovely quilt and it must be exciting to see it published. Busy times for you preparing the gingerbread men decorations, but what a nice surprise for the pupils in your daughter's class.

Lyn said...

What a lovely quilt and it must be exciting to see it published. Busy times for you preparing the gingerbread men decorations, but what a nice surprise for the pupils in your daughter's class.

simplestitches said...

congrats on your magazine project, very pretty!
and your gingerbread men are very cute
Julz

jude's page said...

congratulations on having a quilt published. I must go and buy the magazine.