The Sunday Stitchers Christmas Party

Last Sunday we had our Christmas party at Sunday Stitchers. It was a lovely day filled with friendship, lovely gifts and laughter. 

Those of us who arrived early were able to help set the tables. 

Sandi organised some games.

The first game was played in teams if 3 and we had a list of decorations that had to be put on a little tree that each team had...in a certain time! 

We also had to gift wrap a ball; not an easy task. So while one team member took the tree out of its box, another team member took the list of decorations to a big box of items and counted out what we needed. The other team member wrapped and gift tagged the ball. Lots of laughter ensued 😝. 

My team with our decorated tree...


Every team member won a prize! 

Sandi also made the most magnificent photo frame that we could use to have our photos taken. Here’s the three of us who come together in the same car each month. 

We also gave and received a big haul of small gifts from each other...

This is Michelle’s photo which I stole! Lol

I had had plans to make a gift ( ornament) for everyone but ran out of time. So only 3 of the 14 gifts I distributed were handmade, the rest were from Bed Bath and Table! But they were nice. 

As usual we had Secret Santa. This year we each handed over a fat quarter to be redistributed to the person who would be our Secret Santa. Some of us added a list of suggestions of what we’d like made. I received this text fabric with Australian place names on it. 

Eventually I decided to make a bag as suggested by my partner but I was determined to use what was in my stash. 
This is what I came up with...the front,

And the back

The fat quarter I handed in was Christmas fabric with elves. Teresa, my partner made me the most beautiful table runner; to say I was thrilled was an understatement. 

It’s already in use on my dining room table; love it! 

This year, instead of each of us bringing food, we decided to go to the Norfolk Tavern which is in easy walking distance of the community centre where we meet each month. No photos but we all had a lovely meal.

After lunch Sandi had another game for us...

Yes we were all given a cup of popcorn and a tapestry needle threaded with twine...and we were given a few minutes to thread as much popcorn onto the string that we could. Well the popcorn kept shattering so the floor got a bit messy. Three of us ended up in a tie for first; it had been fun! 

Now Alison is the person who organises the rental of the room and brings the tea coffee supplies each month as well as a myriad of other things for the group. So we gave her a presentation to show our appreciation; wine and chocolates 😁

And of course we had December birthdays too

The day had been a lovely celebration to end a wonderful year for our group. 

Sunday Stitchers Christmas Party

Yesterday we gathered together to celebrate Christmas. Instead of meeting at the Orneau Community Centre, one of our members, Sandi, had invited us to her home. I had heard that Sandi loves Christmas and that her home is always beautifully decorated for the Season. And that is certainly true! 

Amazing isn't it? And that is only one small section! 

Where I was sitting, I faced some shelves that had a wonderful display of nutcrackers...I suffered a fair bit of 'nutcracker envy', I can tell you! 😆

We were sitting around the large table chatting when there was the sound of a hand bell being rung. A flurry of red and white and we realised we had a visitor. 😉

Yep! Sandi had organised for Santa to drop in to hand out the Secret Santa gifts! 

We all got our photos taken as Santa handed us our gift...until I saw this photo I didn't realise how close I snuggled up to Santa...I'd better watch out or I'll have Mrs Claus after me! Lol

My Secret Santa was Marilyn and these are my lovely gifts from her...

I have always wanted a water bottle cover but had never got around to making one, so I was thrilled with this lovely one that Marilyn had made me! I joked with her that the days of the hand towel wrapped around my water bottle and held in place with a rubber band were over! Lol

And that 'cathedral window' pincushion is just gorgeous too! 

Before Santa headed off (to golf), he took a group photo of all of us.

Then it was back to chatting...

There was an amazing cocktail on offer! 

And there were lots of little gifts being distributed...

These were the little decorations that I had made to hand out to everyone.

Before lunch we played some games outside which were a lot of fun...there was a LOT of laughter I can tell you!

Lunch was next...everyone had brought something to share...

After lunch, the 2 birthday girls unwrapped their gifts...

All too soon, it was time to head back to Brisbane after our day in the country 😉(Jimboomba). It had been a great day and Sandi really spoiled us with lots of extra little gifts handed out during the day...including gifts when we're leaving! 

Wool on Sunday...

My Wool on Sunday post this week is about my new ( and very appropriate for me!) Christmas ornament  that my friend De made me. De was my Secret Santa at the Sunday Stitchers Christmas party last Sunday. 

It just so happens that I was taking random photos of Sandi, who had stepped up for the role of Santa's helper at present unwrapping time...and she was actually carrying my gift at the time.

And here it is and I love it!!

De has wound yarn over a styrofoam ball and made knitting needles from skewers cut to size, with beads glued on the end and then sprayed. Such a thoughtful gift. 

Our Secret Santa gifts this year at SS were an ornament ( which could either be handmade or purchased), and a bag. This is the gorgeous bag that De made for me...

So now a little bit more about our final gathering for 2016...

Setting up the room. As you can see in the photo a lot of the ladies brought along Christmassy themed projects to decorate the room. It gave the room such a lovely 'feel'.

Gifts too of course...this is my 'haul' from the other ladies...noting this doesn't include the Secret Santa gifts!! 

 The Birthday girls...each month those who have celebrated a birthday receive a fat quarter from everyone. Last Sunday we had both November and December birthdays. 

After the birthday parcels were unwrapped, the Secret Santa gifts were put on that small table ready for distribution after lunch.

Mentioning lunch...this year we used some of the money in 'the kitty' to have lunch catered by the local IGA. It was a lovely lunch but I only remembered to  take a photo after we'd filled our plates...

And what is Christmas party lunch without bonbons and paper hats! 😉

And these wonderful friends of mine also have been very generous to the less fortunate in the community. Last month they collected and donated sweets for K4BN's mini Christmas stockings project and again this month, I was given some more lollies. And 2 of the ladies had also made some mini stockings! These, plus some stockings knitted by a friend at Sisters of Stitch, meant that K4BN received 76 filled stockings on Monday. 

Linking with Janine over at the Rainbow Hare blog for Wool on Sunday. Janine has knitted a beautiful jumper but unfortunately one of her 'nearest and dearest' has made the following comment which I don't agree with by the way...“That is horrific! It’s the worst Christmas jumper I’ve ever seen!” 
 

I feel very humbled...

Every now again something happens and you go, 'Wow! You would do that for me?'. Well that happened to me yesterday, while I was enjoying the Newmarket Mums Christmas 2015 lunch. Yes I realise that Christmas was well and truly over, but this group of ladies celebrate in January because that's when everyone seems the least busy. 

So yesterday I set off from home with a plate of fruit and a Secret Santa gift.

Now this group of ladies 'go back a long way' to when our children were all at the same primary school in the 1980-1990s, and we all became friends as we worked on tuck shop, or manned fete stalls together, sewing bee groups or met up at P&C meetings etc. 

Chatting, sipping champers or fruit punch and sampling the nibblies....

Oops this bottle overflowed when the corked was eased out...

Later, the lunch buffet...photo taken when most of us had filled a plate...

After the food came the time for the Secret Santa gift time. I drew #1, which means I got to choose first from the pile of gifts...oooh it was a case of 'Which one shall I choose?' I chose one which looked interesting...largish and the parcel looked 'squishy' which meant it probably wasn't chocolates which I try to avoid! Lol.

Turns out, I made a great choice!! I was thrilled. It was a beautiful ombré colour large towel...all those colours that I love and there was also a cake of soap...

I love 'fancy soaps'! 

Now back to what I mentioned at the beginning of the post...

Yesterday the group started to discuss possible venues for our monthly coffee mornings on the last Sunday of the month. Then one of my friends said that she would like to suggest/propose that we change that Sunday to another one in the month so that I didn't miss out. You see, my belovedSunday  Stitchers group meetup dates have been clashing with the Newmarket Mums' days. Consequently I had been to only 2 NM coffee mornings in 2015. It's something that I've agonised over for the last 2 years. 

Well everyone agreed with Margo's suggestion so now the group will meet the first Sunday of the month! As I said, I feel very humble that the majority would change the date for just one person's convenience. Great friends indeed!!! 

Secret Santa Gifts Unwrapped!

Yesterday, being Christmas Day, I could unwrap my Secret Santa gifts. The first one I opened was from my SS in the Knit for Charities swap. And this is what I got...some fat quarters in the most beautiful colours. My SS knows what I like, clever lady!! ( My SS reads this blog!!) Thank you Secret Santa! 

  Now I was Secret Santa to another member of K4C and I sent her a knitted wreath that I had bought at our Parish Christmas Markets...

  Now back to the unwrapping....

Then I opened the parcel which had come from Michell in New Zealand. Michell was my SS in the Chookyblue SSCS.

And look at the lovely table runner that Michelle made me...the fabrics are gorgeous...the background fabric has gold flecks in it...beautiful! 

And Michelle popped in some other goodies, just to spoil me!

I love the Manuka Honey hand lotion and always buy a supply when I visit NZ, so I'm thrilled to try the lip balm! Thank you so much Michell! 

I was SS to Tonje in Norway. Tonje stitches but she also knits and that's what I focused on when I was deciding what to make her. Yes in the Chookyblue swap the items must be handcrafted by the Secret Santa. I love making Judy Newman's Dillybags and as I have a stash of 'knitting themed fabrics' I combined the two! By stalking around Tonje's blog, I established that she rather liked mice. So now I was combining those 3 bits of info. And this is what I came up with...

Knitting themed fabric hexies...

And a stitched 'Lily Mouse' from a design by Threads on My Socks, on a hexagonal panel appliquéd to the bag.

But that's not all! 

I forgot to take a photo of the two skeins of hand dyed Aussie wool that I placed in the bag. So next time I was at Knitch (a yarn shop in Paddington, Brisbane) I took a photo of the types of yarns I bought for Tonje.

Some sock yarn...

And an eight ply yarn...

Hopefully both ladies who had me as their SS were pleased with their gifts. I certainly loved mine!