Shopping and on to golf!

After the exciting time in Melbourne, I flew home and repacked in about 10 minutes and headed to Barooga near Cobram for a few days of golf!!! Not me playing golf....of course! But first here are my goodies from AQC. I didn't buy heaps as there is so much already in my sewing room but couldn't resist a bit of shopping. Homespun had a good deal where you bought 2 mags and the 2018 Tilda calendar so had to have that. I love looking at the Tilda pictures each month.

 We then drove for 5 and a half hours back to Victoria. The boys played golf on Monday and Tuesday and we ladies went out on Monday morning to Rich Glen Olive Oil for some morning tea and shopping. It was such a gorgeous house and lovely gardens.

 In the afternoon we went for a walk along the Murray river.

On Tuesday afternoon we headed home and were very slowed down by hundreds of steers and cows (and horses and goats) grazing along the road. We really were in the country.

Shopping in NZ and Hobart and stitching...

We had so many opportunities to shop....at the ports and on the ship. It was great fun stocking up on kits and patterns. These kits came from The Quilted Crow.

 These kits and bits and pieces were from the ship classes and from some of the shops along the way.

 Judy Newman gave me a lesson in hand piecing so just had to have 2 of her gorgeous patterns.

 Here are a few of the patterns bought at Rotorua and at the Quilted Crow and some cross stitch designs from the needlework shop in Sandy Bay. The shop had some great specials.

I also stocked up on some woven wool felt, wool felt, some paper piecing shapes, some scissors and a few other useful notions.

 It was lovely to get Gail Pan's latest book and another Yoko Saito book for my collection.

 I also bought a crochet pattern and a few bits of wool along the way.

These gorgeous French buttons came from The Ribbon Rose in Wellington.

One of my class ladies, Cathy, gave me this lovely bag for being her tutor. How very kind.

I did manage to stitch some of my projects in my spare time on the cruise. So good to have this town hall all appliqued and stitched.

I stitched this little stitchery for the bag in Natalie Bird's latest book, In the Garden.

I have also stitched the last block of Chateau Hexagon.

Here is my little Japanese pencil case all stitched and quilted

I bought these little fluffy sheep for the little men and they really liked them. I didn't buy many other souvenirs but these little notebooks and sticky notes were good to buy with my leftover NZ cash.

                                         
Here are the little men with their sheep (Baas). It was so special to see them again and to see how much they had changed even in 2 weeks!

Craft Show Shopping

Shopping, shopping, shopping! It was so lovely to see all the samples on the stalls and it was all very tempting. I couldn't resist Natalie Bird's new book, Red Home. It is full of beautiful projects,

 There were some great books on Quiltmania's stall. I bought this one even though it is in French! Can I remember any of my schoolgirl french! There are wonderful pictures and diagrams so that will help.

 I have been admiring this range for a while so the layer cake just had to come home with me.

 A few new patterns to make!

 My biggest spend was on Anni Downs' stall as the kits for the projects in her new book were so lovely.

 Just NEEDED some wool too.

Oh dear....so many things to make but such fun buying them.

Shopping

Thought I had better confess to what I bought in Melbourne and at our stitching days recently. Just as well I am not going to the Bay this weekend as I would surely be forced to buy more lovely things. One of the lovely ladies at my class yesterday, Jeanette, reminded me that you only have one life to live so make the most of it. And I do! I bought these beautiful felt creations and some wool (I used to knit once!) at AK Traditions. Made me want to come home and make felt things.

Then I just had to have some fabric at the stitching day and some wool pieces from Mrs Martin's Quilt shop too.

And just a few patterns and books. The book at the back is Gail Pan's new Basket of Blooms book which is lovely. I bought one of Rosalie's patterns and one of Leanne's patterns at the Stitch-in and then just a few other bits and pieces.

And some hangers, tea towels and buttons (and a kit, pictured above) from Rebecca at Cute as a Button. I also bought a lovely book at the Queanbeyan day called Colourful Stitching.

Oh dear. I did buy lots of thing to make. I might have to live for a very long time to do it all!