Post Trip Blues Have Set In Again....

.... but helped by my man booking tickets for Australia!!!



I wasn't as diligent about keeping my blog while I away this time but here are some high-light photos.

Flying Etihad for the first long leg to AbuDhabi.

Always something culturally interesting going on in Austria's third largest city Graz.

The view from my man's apartment... overlooks the river Mur and the Altstadt (old city).

The architecture in Graz still amazes me.

On top of the Schossberg (clocktower castle in the heart of Graz) there is an old bell with my name.

Nearby is a lookout with views of snow capped mountains ( river Mur in the middle distance).

Not having much spending money this trip I did a lot of window shopping.

The posters advertising exhibitions are artworks in themselves.

And after a week of illness (for me a cold, for Alex the 'flu - Gripe) I went for a walk in the woods.

And I worked on this trip's cross stitch project....

...and played my first roleplaying game with 3 of Alex's friends.

The river Mur and surrounds is so photogenic.

I rose early one morning to see the sun rise.  Alex's father also bought that lamp so I could draw.

Love snow :)

Hiking up the Schockl... that ice was sooo slippery we needed sticks.

Best apfel strudel ever!

I haven't posted an entry into this blog since just after I returned from Austria last year however the countdown has now begun for my next adventure!

 I'm departing Australia on the 11th of February and returning in 6 weeks time on the 24th of March.  As you can guess I'll be flying with Etihad this time and best of all: ONLY ONE STOPOVER... yay!

I've basically already chosen and packed my winter clothes and have chosen my basic cross stitch design to commemorate this trip.

The Bespoke Dragon

Recently I saw a post on FaceBook about a company that will make your child's soft toy based on their drawings.  I showed this to my youngest who has a birthday coming up.  He was impressed. So I set myself the task of doing it myself for Master 7's birthday in June.  This is what happened:

I Asked Master 7 to design a toy that he would like me to make.  These are his drawings.

Not having much experience making soft toys I used Master 10's much loved toy lizard as a base for construction. I also chose some fabrics that were already in my collection due to budget limitations.

I made a pattern... using every bit of educated guesswork I possessed.

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From my basic sewing knowledge I knew it was important to leave a seam allowance and to snip the fabric on the curve.

The major body parts... will they go together?!

The spikes for the spine seemed the easiest to make first. Happy with them I got my first sense that I could do this!


So after two days of construction and nervous sewing the dragon came together!

The Austrian Cross Stitch Project Complete!

Part of my preparations for my trip to Austria was choosing a cross stitch project to do in the anticipated "down time" and to serve as a momento.   The original pattern for the above project didn't include the boarder or the birdhouse, key, masks, armoury, apple, peacock or squirrel... they came later... and were largely designed by me to fit the space they occupy.  They all have a meaning, of course.

Sitting cross-legged on my daughters apartment floor trying to work out how to complete the squirrel.  On my lap is a needle wallet I made a few years ago which I managed to get through security and onto planes :) More about that later.

 Washing in the cat litter tray that was never used for cat litter ;)

 

I originally saw this design for a needle wallet online... printed it out in colour... and, well, copied it. Fortunately my name also starts with the letter "L".

 And the pink Swarovsky crystal was mined and cut in Austria :)