Do you play croquet??

Ooops - sort of left you hanging there again didn't I!!

The big brown box contained this gorgeous thing...

The new 'baby' of the house!! Pic from You Sew Girl

It's the Bernina 710 - the machine that will last me a lifetime, and I feel very, very lucky to have it.

The things this machine can do amaze me, it is so easy to operate with a fully-computerised touch screen and sews through multiple layers like they are butter, and every time I use it I discover something new that it can do.

I borrowed this pic from Nikki's blog, she did a review of our wonderful Sewjourn weekend.

Lara did too - and read the post above this one to see how much she got sewn - she is a fabulous seamstress, she is so efficient when she sews.

As always, Sewjourn was a wonderful chance to relax, rejuvenate and refresh myself creatively in the company of a really wonderful group of women.  If only our husbands and kids heard some of the conversations, it really is a scream at times.

I used some of the time to work on the teacher bags I was supposed to finish for the Bag Adventure Cam ran in August...

I totally love those big silver rings! (Another of Nikki's pic)

This Mod is shaping up nicely and using Tan's edgestitching foot I was able to get a lovely finish on it too.

I also whipped up a series of small girl nighties which have already been washed and worn and washed and worn again and this, the Oliver + S Croquet Dress.

New dress = Happy girl

This is some fabric I picked up at Spotlight on the bargain table and it was probably a little stiff to try this cute sleeve application I alluded to here, but I love the results none-the-less.

If you want to give it a try then click here for the details from StraightGrain Blog.

Something a bit fun for the sleeve

As always - a lovely finish and a very happy little girl.

This is view B and I kept it very simple - just adding the contrast bow for a pop of colour.

View B of the Croquet Dress - simple, classic design.

She's been itching to wear this dress - trying to put it on for dinner each night (because as you sit down to spaghetti bolognese is just when you want the six-year-old to put on a new dress...)

Today was the day - she ran a lemonade stand with her friend, and said this was just the right dress to wear... more on that tomorrow.

Love in a brown box...

Last weekend we took another little road trip.

We went for a visit to somewhere I have been meaning to go for a while, Millrose Cottage in Ballan.

Apart from wanting to peruse their gorgeous fabric collection and have lunch in their cafe I wanted to meet up with my bloggy friend, lovely Lizzie.

While we were there we saw Jan taking a class just outside the store, printing images from nature onto fabric - just one of the courses available through Millrose.

This stamp is made using five erasers on a block of wood

The girls, of course, showed an interest in what they were doing and before we knew it they had been invited to join in, were aproned up and stamping and printing to their heart's content.

Jan was such a patient and welcoming teacher!

They used rollers and stamping blocks and printed leaves onto fabric...

All dressed up and ready to print

They told me all about the techniques they used and how lovely the ladies were...

Using a cardboard roll to print was one of the techniques used

They proudly showed me their work - each having a large piece of fabric to take home with them...

They thoroughly enjoyed their printing session under the trees at Millrose. 

And so did I, because it gave me the time to sit down with the shop owner, Sue, for her to teach me the basics and get me started on the lovely thing that came home in this box...

Love really is a brown box tied with a red ribbon!!

Here's one example of the results of their work, pretty good for their first session...

So thanks to these three lovelies...

This ace guy...

and the very lovely Lizzie and Sue from Millrose for enabling me to have such a great day.

I think all my Christmases really did come at once!