"Buttons and patches and the cold wind blowing,
The days pass quickly when I am sewing"
~Author Unknown

Monday, April 18, 2011

SAL get togethers.....

I am a very fortunate person to have many friends who love coming to my home for what I call "playdates". These are days when someone comes to stitch or quilt or make bobbinlace. They sometimes come the entire day and we have a lunch together.

In December 2010, Bep, Saskia and I started a year long SAL together. It was a pattern we purchased when we all went to The Alsace in September. Every two months, they come here and we start the next of the six pillow which will make up a Christmas tree. You can see the pattern and Christmas tea we had in December here.

At the end of January, we had our next date. I had suggested we do a different theme each time. The first time, I had made a Christmas High Tea for them. I set the table for our theme of a pot luck lunch. Since I enjoy giving table gifts to people, I had agendas wrapped and on their plates as a surprise but to my surprise there suddenly was a gift that appeared on my plate. Thanks Bep!

I baked a lemon cake for a treat with our coffee/tea.

Our menu was a tossed salad, Dutch surprised meatballs and meatloaf parcels.

This was the progress of the second pillows when they left later in the afternoon and the results again for our get together we just had this month...

Being close to Easter, I decorated the table with that as a theme. I made a crepe paper nest filled with chocolate chicks and bunnies and a variegated thread for each of them. It has also been Saskia's birthday so I had a little surprise waiting for her on the table too.

The cake this time was a marzipan cake with dark chocolate glaze.

My little Easter tree took center stage...

Our theme was chosen by Bep this time and was Greek. I made Gemista which are stuffed red peppers. Bep brought a Greek potato dish and Saskia a salad.

We have started our third pillow which is the word "Natale". This tree has the word "Christmas" in English, French and Italian. We now have another date coming in June to look forward to.

There really is nothing like stitching together with friends! I wish I could invite all of you blogging friends over.

15 comments:

Heidi said...

What a wonderful thing to do with friends and what a lovely hostess you are! It makes the time spent together so very special doesn't it? the Stitching is beautiful as always, and I'l be following your progress...

Anonymous said...

What a lovely day you must have had Heidi, such a good idea to work round a theme makes it a lot easier to decide what to eat etc. I like the little pillows very much.

Hugs and Crosses,
Hazel

Elizabethd said...

How lovely to have such a group..it would be such fun to join you!

Barbara J said...

Oh so lovely! It's all perfect. I think I have to be a little thick and invite myself!

Christine said...

It sounds like a perfect day!

Jackie's Stitches said...

You are such a gracious hostess! We would all love to join you!

onlymehere said...

Friends make everything better and stitching with them would just be heaven! I love how you make the lunch so special too.

Nancy said...

Haha, the first comment was from Heidi, and at first I thought it was you.
Both cakes and tables look yummy. I would like the lemon cake best though.
All the stitching looks great and I know you three have fun together.
You didn't say what was in the little gifts though.
Love you, Mom

Barb said...

How lovely Heidi ,a treat for your friends . Thankyou for sharing your pictures and I look forward to seeing your progress on the new one.
I have to ask -Have you got your dancing shoes on- I need you over at mine lol.

Anneke said...

ik was alweer vergeten hoe dat patroon eruit zag, maar na de link wist ik het wel weer: wat een leuk idee om te maken, zeker zo met elkaar;
wat een mooi verzorgde tafel, ik weet zeker dat jullie hebben zitten smullen met elkaar!

Jantine said...

Wat maak jij veel werk van de lunch en het tafel dekken! Dat doe ik je niet na, maar ik vind het wel prachtig!
Een play date? Leuk, zullen we binnenkort een prikken voor na de zomer?

barbara said...

Utterly lovely, Heidi! I miss our playdates!!

DonnaTN said...

You have such fun stitch get togethers! I enjoy seeing your table photos and reading about the lunch just as much as seeing your stitching. Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I would love to be a part of your beautiful get-togethers. Unfortunately, I can't even begin to stitch as you do.

Saskia said...

It is alway's a treat to have a 'playdate' with you.
I'm looking at my calendar when our next date can be.
I haven't stitched another cross stitch after our date though, so I better get working on it..