Let’s Get Stitched weekend….

Wow, this past couple of  weeks have been a doozy…..tripping all over the countryside and catching up with family and friends, some old, some new but all very very special! Well, today’s post…although a little belated, is all about the LGS weekend…..here it goes in chronological order!!!……Hope you have a cuppa at the ready!? Mid last week…. I finished these two cuties for Dawn’s girls who just looooove pink and purple.   I found the pattern HERE if you’d like to make some yourself. And I made the nutty designer girls a little Babushka/Matrioshka momento to remember our Let’s Get Stitched Retreat.   You can make them too….the link to the pattern is HERE and you can watch a how-to video here…

Lisa Pay’s Felt Babushka keyring

I finished my flower brooch that we all had to make so that we recognised each other at the airport, as lots of us know each other online, but had never actually met face to face! I finished packaging up my patterns for the retreat, as I was one of the mystery designers at the workshop on Sunday….surprise!!!! Thursday …. Before boarding the plane, I had the best looking chai latte I think I’ve ever had!!!…. Must have been a sign of things to come!   I met up with Narelle and we clicked right away…..she is adorable, and such a laugh! The clouds just fascinated me, and I was amazed at the storm heads developing as we flew into Adelaide… and coming down through the clouds, we could see their grey bottoms (ooh….should we be looking??? LOL) and rain falling over the mountains and as we circled over the ocean into the airport, we noticed just how dry it was down here in the south of our great country and how desperately they really need that rain… Thursday night was spent settling in, ‘bonding’ with our roomies and resting after our travelling from all four corners of the country. Friday … the adventure began….. with a wonderful bus trip, firstly to Hettie’s Patch…..(of course there had to be a quilt shop…or two or three!!!) and then we headed off to Hahndorf…a gorgeous picturesque German village complete with tree-lined streets, quaint little shops and buildings, and these four nutty designers…. We visited a couple more quilt and fabric shops….it was a heavenly day, might I add……before we headed ‘home’ for a well earned rest…. mmmm. well, some of us did!!!!! …… Children!!!!! LOL Friday night was pizza and trifle night…. followed by games night….lots of fun and giggles…. …ok….some hearty laughing!!!  Just as well we didn’t come empty handed….’zing zing’  heehee…good on you Narelle!!! Saturday …… was a free day to do as we liked so what’s a girl to do……SHOP!!!! We found ourselves a supply of these yummies….. and set off! In the supermarket we found these biscuits we just don’t have up here in Queensland….and a funny meat they called ‘Fritz”, which we call “Devon” and Taswegians call something else, as do the Victorians, and the West Australians….what a funny language us Aussies have!!!! WE did manage to get a birthday cake to celebrate De’s birthday though……. which we presented to her that afternoon along with a hearty rendition of ‘Happy birthday’  to the 23 year old!!!! hahahaha Coming home, we had to double back and backtrack as we ‘thought’ we saw a superhero walking along the foreshore…hee hee hee…..Adelaide people really put on the entertainment for us!!!! LOL Saturday night we went out for dinner at Watermark, Glenelg, with a magnificent buffet where we got to know each other even more… Sunday …. was the day we’d all been waiting for…..Workshop day… with these four lovely designers……. (Vicki Tucek, Joy Coey, Dawn Hay and Fiona Ransley) and the two virgin ‘mystery’ ones….. (me, Judy Evans) We all got a goody bag packed with 6 patterns and starter kits, along with a pile of goodies….including a bottle of SA wine … …and a beautiful mug rug for us to get autographed by everyone….such a great idea! Joy taught us a new needleturn technique …well it was new to me and I found it much easier to do…..and an anchoring knot she called the ‘knicker knot’……I loooooved it!!!! I got to ‘release’ my very first official pattern….. …the “Sit and Stitch with Me A While” craft cushion and caddy.  Handy for all those stitching get-togethers when there’s just not enough room on the table and the seats are ….. well, just plain uncomfortable!!! As usual, the day went far too quickly and before we knew it, it was over Monday …..  we were saying our goodbyes and headed back to the tropics Thank you to the fabulous Dawn for organising such a wonderful event….you are amazing!!!! Better start saving up my pennies……We’ll be headed down south again in 2014, but somewhere in Victoria instead…..Can’t wait!!!!!!! Sugary Hugs xox :O)