Welcome 2015

Hi Everyone and Happy New Year to you all.
I hope you have all had a wonderful festive season with your family and friends.
As usual I worked over Christmas, with no children it seems only right to allow those that have children and grandchildren extra time to share with their dearest ones.
In the the days preceding and following Christmas I spent much time on the phone with my family and friends in Christchurch, catching up and sharing our news.
Xmas day we spent with friends, after my DH had spent the morning concreting the piles in for our new spare room- or more truthfully - my bigger sewing room!!!
Over the last week our room has taken shape.

Clad with building wrap you can still  just see my sewing room window.
Luckily our cycad garden doesn't have to be touched, when the room is finished this garden is already mature.

Looking into my sewing room from outside, bricks stripped and a window soon for removal.
New Years day I finished work at 2pm so we were able to clad the front of the room.
Steve needed someone to position the other end of our rustic timber boards while he nailed them up.

With a helping hand from our neighbours the new window is now in place, a few New Year's beers afterwards sealed the deal for the rest of the windows as well.
Double glazed, these windows are far beyond my strength to either move or lift.
For those of you who don't know, rusticated weatherboard is a cement board designed to look like timber, very popular in the 1980's 90's but not  popular today. Our house was built late 60's so we feel using this product is in keeping with the era and my DH doesn't have to become a blocklayer as well!!!
We have used it around the ranchslider at the front of the house and it will go across the rest of the front so we will end up being 50/50 bricks and weather board.
Today, which is a beautiful summer's day, Steve is cutting into the existing roof and completing the roofing.
The existing house has a hip roof but doing the extension as a gable is quicker and easier. It can't be seen from the front and as we put a gable roof on our new garage  the back area matches.

I did ask DH  for a very special present for Xmas, and I got it.
Esther's pattern for 12 Days of Christmas. I joined Esther's yahoo BOM group after this pattern was released but have always loved it - but I only remember it at Xmas - always too late to make it for the current year. Now I have a whole year to find the perfect fabric's and make it for next Xmas.
If you want to make it, it is available for purchase from Esther's Web Store.

This is a larger version of Esther's pattern that Glenda in Australia made.

More presents plus Candles. It is truly beautiful, 

Thank you for sharing this photo on your blog Glenda, I have saved it as my inspiration

Although my sewing room is very dark at present, thanks to the new room covering it's window, with the aid of electric light I have been able to continue working on the leaves for my Poppies wall hanging.

Pinned on the lounge wall with the flowers also only pinned in place .

My stems are straight, the bottom of the hanging is draping over the couch.

Not too many more leaves to add now but they have been a major for me

and progress has been slow.

Adrienne's pattern only had 5 stems and I have 8 in a very different placement.

Mirror imaging them, plus a mix and match approach is getting me there.

I meant to post this blog last week but ran out of time to link it to Esther's WOW so it has been sitting waiting for this week.

Cheer's everyone, Jenny