The Joy of Having Time....

Earlier in the year, I enrolled in a creative embroidery course. This means that each month, I receive a parcel in the post - fabric and threads with an instruction to create an stitched design according to a theme and/or type of stitching. Inevitably, I run short of time - stitching right up to the last moment, and sending off my completed assignment by Express Post for it to reach the Guild Headquarters on the day the assessors meet.

NSW Embroiderers' Guild

Last month, no parcel came and my completed assignment from the previous month was not returned. I thought perhaps because I had two incomplete assignments still on my work table at home, my assessor decided I wasn't to receive another until I had finished and handed in the outstanding two. totally understandable! So I worked hard to complete them.... still didn' t make the last post on Friday!

Theme - Bottles, Technique - Distorted Applique

Theme - Seed Heads Technique - Texture

So I decided not to let that enemy 'time' beat me.... my new plan was to travel to Sydney , take my finished assignments with me, apologise for my lateness, and hope I could locate my missing piece of work and receive last month's assignment. All went well - caught the train at 7.45am and arrived at the Guild Headquarters by 10.15 am. Oh no - my assessor was away, but all was not in vain . I spoke to others, found my lost work (together with my last assignment) thanks to a little sleuthing from the course coordinator, It all happened within fifteen minutes of my arrival and as I had planned to take a train home at 12.15pm,,,, I had time to spare!

Goldwork - lost and now found!

So with the luxury of having time, it was easy to enjoy morning tea with the creative course group - chatting to the packers of the kits, and some of the assessors and understanding how the course actually operates; early lunch at the Love Life coffee shop next door and then even time to wander and take some photos.

Embroiderers' Guild Headquarters

Love Life Coffee Shop

Concord West looks just like a main street of a country town and I was so impressed with the cleanliness of the street and the inviting area near the station to sit and just take time to look at passers by, or enjoy the sunshine - which I did.

Concord West - quiet main street

What was even more positive about the whole day was that I used public transport which ran on time to schedule, and not a single hiccup regarding changing lines either way - and all this for only $2.50 fare, at least $10 cheaper than posting my assignments!

Railway Station, Concord West

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary. Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers). This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach. Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that...

Christmas Countdown 15 : Christmas Tree #11 - Disposable

Plastic cups https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/christmas-stem-ideas-kids/ Advent Blog : Day 11 - Disposable We are all so much more conscious about ridding our landfills and oceans of plastic waste. For Christmas, here is a way to use up some of those disposable items which seem to multiply at holiday parties and celebrations, or perhaps you have just been saving them up for a creative use.... Who would have thought coffee pods would make such stylish Christmas trees ? ... Add caption If you don't have one of those machines, then perhaps you have coffee on the run - Starbucks or Nescafe ? from https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/369858188126737920/ Nescafe cups https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/72761350208620530/ The disposable cups don' t have to be brand names to work well as materials for Christmas trees. Taking an engineering approach to plastic cup trees seems to be the answer for a more ornate result. from https:...

Christmas Firsts #11: Penguins

This year, I fell into the sentimental trap of making some penguin softies for Christmas .... and I am not the only one - penguins seem to be everywhere at the moment dressed in Christmassy costumes, with trees, bells, and all kinds of Christmas paraphernalia. Should penguins really be associated with Christmas? Probably not and not as Santa's helpers as they often depicted. Penguins inhabit the Antarctic region in the South Pole, while Santa Claus it has been established has his home in the North Pole. The theory is that somehow penguins are associated with snow, then Winter, then Christmas, but what about us in the southern hemisphere. Perhaps they are just cute? Whatever the reason, when were penguins first seen as part of the Christmas scene ? While there is no verifiable answer, it would seem that Monty the Penguin in the John Lewis Christmas advertisement in 2014 popularised the trend. (If you are not famil...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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