Today is really the last day of my week's holiday - tomorrow is the start of a new week and its back to work on Monday!
While on holiday I completed this Advent Calendar - early preparations for Christmas presents! There only remains the buttons to sew on and the cord tags for each piece but they need a good hard press with the iron first.
As I hadn't taken any other work to do I made a quick call to the local needlework store and purchased a Victoria Sampler kit and finished this small square too. Hopefully next weekend I will stitch this into a small lavendar bag- somehow the colours seem to suggest that type of finish.
Today I spent all day at a gathering of all the Embroiderer's Guilds in the Auckland region and as well as listening to interesting speakers, looking at wonderful stitching and avoiding temptation at the "merchants mall". There were several tables of work exhibited from each of the Guild's present and this snapshot is of the East Auckland Guild who were hosts for the day. Isn't that a lovely example of a Reticella mat in the foreground.
I managed to complete the stitching on this small Christmas Ornament. This is stitched over one thread of fabric in one strand of DMC threads on a scrap of unknown linen from my stash (I think 28 count) and is a Gift of Stitching chart and will be finished as a hanging ornament for my niece's Christmas tree.
And now a couple of food shots from my holiday.
Louise cake was a real blast from the past - and sooo delicious.
This was called Cafe Cake - and I was really tempted to ask for the recipe!
Finally, the HDHBEM found a friend in this bronze man sitting on his bench in the small village of Katikati. We went back to see if the apartment behind the BNZ where I spent the first year of my life, was still there. It was. Even though the logo and the facade have both changed out of all recognition, the apartment behind has had little more than a coat of paint in the intervening 55 years!
And so its Good Night from me as I'm off to do the ironing. Have a good evening everyone.