flip & bells

a special heart

2012-02-01T11:38:00.001+11:00

my little bells made this for me, sweet sweet little girl.

a new project :: do what you like qs quilt

2012-02-01T11:33:00.000+11:00

I've been given a pile of fabric by my lovely friend Kylie to make a queen size quilt for her, the brief is as follows:-

* do what you like, squares & rectangles - no triangles though (agreed)

Yesterday a start was made trimming up some of the smaller treasured pieces, we'll see what today brings.

binding

2012-01-19T20:42:00.000+11:00

things are moving along, the binding is now ready to go.

as with the quilt, this fabric is from the stash.

i will get started

2012-01-18T20:24:00.000+11:00

i will
i will
i will

finish this quilt one day.
i'm not sure what the hold up has been - i have no excuses.
except my fingers have not felt like sewing.
but i do want this quilt finished.
a dilemma.

pochee linen mag

2011-12-11T19:44:00.001+11:00

Another top was completed today, this one is from a mag - see the pic below. The top looks a little drab in the pic below but it's not really. It's made from a very light cotton and the neck line is quite low, it's designed to wear a singlet or top underneath. I have a black singlet already lined up for tomorrow.

As the pattern pieces have to be traced, I keep the pieces in an envelope after I've finished and write any notes on it. I think I'll be making this one again.

Not sure about the pocket, so I didn't include it on this one - maybe next time.

Neck line :: shoulder seam :: sleeve top

fabric swap

2011-12-11T19:30:00.001+11:00

I have been really really bad, I can't believe it's taken me this long to show the lovely fabrics I received in Leslie's fabric swap.

1. Thank you so much Susie
2. Thank you so much Rebecca
3. Thank you so much Madeleine
4. Thank you so much Cassie

All beautiful and all are neatly folded in my stash.

some greenery in the office

2011-11-22T15:13:00.001+11:00

On the week end I saw a nice display of jars with succulents in them, I have lots of succulents in the garden and so I now have a little greenery at work.

w :: stylish dress book

2011-11-12T15:44:00.001+11:00

Another top from one of my japanese pattern books - 2 down and quite pleased. I used chambray for this one, it probably wouldn't have hurt to use something a little lighter but it's not too bad. I purchased a chambray top a while ago on sale, it was priced at $90 and when I took it to the register it was only $25 -bargain. Anyway I really like it, so that's why I thought I'd give this a go in chambray as well.

this frill may look a little bulky in the pic below, but really it's ok, really! this top has been through a wash and fraying up nicely.

a little straight & zigzag stitching on the sleeve edge.

I would like to make a denim skirt (I'm thinking black denim) at some stage, I need to find the right pattern though...

beds for toys

2011-11-12T15:38:00.001+11:00

Back in May I made these bears for the kiddies, and it was time for them to have a bed each, so here they are resting peacefully.

printing...

2011-10-23T15:58:00.000+11:00

Well, I'm so excited to be taking part in Leslie's handprinted: a fabric swap

I've had a really great day printing. I'll admit I was full of apprehension in the last week or so about how I was going to go about printing on fabric and questioning whether my design is too simple. My stamp was finished last week end and mounted on a good solid block of wood.

During the week I wondered into the newly located amitie and found some plain linen to use as my basecloth. This is the fabric paint I purchased which I've not used before, apparently you just iron it to heat set it.

I tried to dab paint on with a little fabric bundle but that wasn't working for me (and no I don't have a rubber roller). What I found to be ok was just painting with a brush directly onto my stamp, probably not the most conventional method but it worked for me.

and here you go, my repeating pattern.

The row of printing on the right in the pic below is the reverse side, I don't mind it - a little subtle.

The fabric has been heat set and cut into fat quarters, I'll be posting them out this week.

linen bag

2011-10-05T21:03:00.001+11:00

I flicked through this mag I bought a while ago.

saw this bag.

made sense of the instructions (I can't read japanese).

and here it is, a little different with a leather handle, a little frayed strip near the bottom and overall it's little smaller than the pattern instructions.

linen I bought earlier in the year from clegs - it was just enough.

I dream of having a new camera, I sometimes feel like throwing the one I have at the wall - but that wouldn't be clever would it? one day...

rainbow dolls quilt for bells

2011-10-02T20:57:00.000+11:00

Would you like a hot air balloon or a rainbow on a dolls quilt? That's the question I had for bells yesterday, needless to say she chose a rainbow.

I asked her if she wanted "this rainbow is for Ella" stamped across, she said "no that wouldn't be fair, put it's for our family, I want it to be for all of us". Where does little girl sweetness come from? It warms my heart.

This little draw string bag was purchased from a japanese shop, a short drive from where I work, everything is $2.80. I can see this little bag in linen - it's on the to do list.

No posts in almost 2 months, then 2 in 1 day - what can I say, I found a moment...

I used my japanese pattern book

2011-10-02T20:32:00.000+11:00

This japanese pattern book found it's way into my home quite a while ago and I finally gave something a go last weekend. Pattern G.

I didn't want to spend big bucks on fancy fabric as my track record with garments it's quite poor, so I found some $5.00 a metre cotton and here is the result. It may look a little crinkled, that's because I've actually worn it a couple of times and I prefer it this way (as opposed to ironing it).

Is it because I bought cheap fabric, I didn't hold great expectations and I approached it with a care free attitude that it all went well? If I had purchased fancy fabric would it have been a complete flop? Either way I'm very happy with the finished article.

it's been a little while...

2011-08-13T15:48:00.000+10:00

It feels like ages since my last post - that's cause it has been. The creative juices just haven't been flowing, I have been doing some hand quilting which is nowhere near finished so I won't share that just yet. Last Wednesday evening I went along to a stitch 'n' knit night which is part of the Mulgrave Makers Market and I made this little zippered number with the lovely Justine.

Just quietly, I was very happy about learning how to put in lining and I was pleased with the end result. The little strip of denim on the bottom is there courtesy of a cutting error by me. Oh well, I think it looks good with the boo boo.

The little project above inspired me to make this cute little Japanese lunch bag, which I found over here. Nothing like a free download. After a little talking on Wednesday night about fabric in stashes and how we don't cut into everything and the fact that we can't take it with us. I cut into a much loved piece of linen, oh there are a few other pieces that I haven't cut into yet but I have made a start. This bag was done in an evening and it's fully reversible. If I had read the instructions properly I might have had the hand stitched part on the red on the inside - oh well, I still love it. I can't imagine I'm going to be packing my lunch in it - I'll have to find another use.

These flowers are on the back.

It simply ties up at the top.

I couldn't walk past...

2011-06-23T09:13:00.000+10:00

Monday & Tuesday I was in the city doing a training course for work, with only a 45 minute lunch break I nipped out to clegs, they were having a remnant sale, after a quick look on the tables I found a piece of linen from Ireland - and now it's mine. I also got some nice cotton striped fabric, some alpaca/wool/silk yarn which is so lovely (not sure what I'll do yet) and some Clover bamboo round knitting needles which were on sale. All in all a great lunchtime shop.

I've started a hat/beanie with the round needles - perfect, no seam. The black yarn is the same as I used for flip's mitts.

Right now I've been stung by the yarn bug, back to quilting one day...

more crochet & some cute buttons

2011-06-19T12:37:00.000+10:00

I've been to two evenings at Stitch N Knit, which is part of Mulgrave Makers Market, last time we were taught by the lovely and patient Mary how to crochet finger-less mitts. Mine are below, quick little project and fun to make. A couple of new techniques were learned (foundation single crochet for starting work off instead of a chain + how to finish off nicely + how to decrease without any GAPS!), I wonder how long I'll retain those for...

and then of course I am asked, can I have some too mumma x 2. The ones below are for bells, who also wanted a few flowers on hers, I did not choose the location of the flowers, I was under instruction. For both mine & bells' mitts I used Cleckheaton Perfect Day 8ply Alpaca Wool.

Yesterday I went to Wondoflex to get some wool for flip's mitts and I couldn't go past these cute little wooden buttons, they are 1.5cm in diameter. Of course I have no idea what to use them on, but they are now in my possession.

This is the wool I chose for flip, it was half price - nice.

I love the hint of grey, lovely wool to crochet with.

So now I'm done, I can move onto something else. There were some lovely yarns I saw yesterday, some nice japanese sock yarn, but do I really want to knit socks - not sure. Or should I get back to some quilting - probably.

rainbow granny square + pom pom

2011-05-29T19:15:00.000+10:00

I'll admit straight up that the colours aren't me, they are miss bells (at the moment, she is 5). Rainbow colours - she loves to draw rainbows, paint them, make necklaces with the repeating colours etc. etc. etc. So I thought I'd attempt my very first granny square in her favourite colours. I can see how people get a little addicted to making granny squares, I think I'd have to do it in natural colours though, I can't do bright BRIGHT! I do have some linen yarn, it is quite thin though - it's the yarn I used to make my crochet shopping bag - they'd be quite small granny squares.

we could just call it a mat for her rainbow pom pom...

bear x 2 :: crochet

2011-05-22T11:33:00.000+10:00

My sister found this pattern for 'Bruno Bear' over here at Baghi , so cute I had to give it a go. After a little crochet tuition from her - 2 bears have been completed. Would you believe that I followed the same pattern and got two different sized heads. Same ply wool, same size crochet hook. Clearly I'm not much of a crocheter, but as it turns out anyone who knows my flip & bells knows there is significant head size difference :) so I'll just take it as - it was meant to be.

There is talk of both these bears going to school for show & tell this week.

100th post :: new quilt

2011-04-26T17:26:00.000+10:00

a fraction over 2 years - that's how long it's taken to reach my 100th post.

This is my next project, I'm going to try and sell this one - not that I have a shop or anywhere to sell it, we'll see what happens when the time comes. It's fabric from my stash and it's still a little way from being finished. It has been basted with bamboo batting and a calico backing - ready for some love and hand quilting.

some favourite linen

a little liberty here

& there...

a snippet more below

fabric that I've had for ages

& some bicycles which were included in my very first quilt.

make a notebook

2011-04-22T11:27:00.000+10:00

Yesterday whilst browsing my reader, I saw a tutorial from angry chicken and I thought, what a great idea for the kids. Although I didn't have card as thick as what she used, they still turned out. I said to flip and bells do you want to make a book to draw in and they wanted to stick photos in them, so now one is for photo's and one is for drawing. Who am I to argue...

A little washi tape selected by each for each letter of their names.

calico & linen :: complete

2011-04-17T11:11:00.000+10:00

Another baby complete, this one commenced on quite a blue day back in dec 10, so this one will always have particular memories for me. I'm happy to have finished it and I'm happy with the end result. It's quite plain and has fabrics that I love on it - linen, double gauze (not that you can see a great deal of it in the pic) and some liberty. I like that some of the raw edges will fray with washing, I love the feel of it. All the quilting was done with either linen coloured or off white linen thread.

There is a bit of pulling around quite a large section of close quilting, much like some of the work I did on my collages, I don't mind - let's say it adds character and I do love the feel it gives.

liberty :: hexagons

2011-04-10T19:34:00.000+10:00

A new addition to my hexagon work which I started quite a while ago, it's all liberty with a cotton/linen base - there's no rush. This is the latest liberty to my collection, so it had to be added. It's nice to have something that I know will take years, I can add to it when a new addition comes home and it's just there for when those times come to complete a quilt. When it's a little depressing that all that work has come to an end, work that you've loved & enjoyed. You know that something is there waiting patiently.

There's so many new liberty fabrics out now, I think more will be coming home in the coming weeks...

doodles :: water colour

2011-04-10T19:27:00.000+10:00

after a little inspiration from Dawn Tan I got out the water colour pencils I've had for years, I've been admiring her work after seeing her on the Harvest Textiles blog. It would be nice to do one her classes - one day...
The drawing below is a birthday card for my brother in-law, it's a picture of the gift, a squid jig.

I have a sketch book where I write in my favourite recipes, this is one of the latest recipes - japanese eggplant with miso (very nice by the way). A few pics have now been added to some my recipes, brightening up the pages a little.

liberty :: binding

2011-03-30T14:17:00.000+11:00

The quilting isn't quite finished, but I was in the mood to add the binding. After a brief visit to Patchwork on Central Park on Sunday, I purchased some new Liberty for the binding for calico & linen . I haven't been fabric shopping in a while and it was nice to see 'new' fabrics in store - so much Liberty. I love the detail and colour in this one and of coarse the texture and feel.

A little splurge on Liberty for the binding will add a nice bit of life to this quilt. There is a little left over for the stash, Liberty would never go to waste.

Now for more hand stitching...

I'm already thinking about what to do next, it's always a little depressing when a quilt comes to an end. I don't know if I'm up for another quilt right now, I don't need another...

a good cause

2011-03-29T14:04:00.000+11:00

Last week at my kiddies school they had a day where they could dress in red & white and donate a gold coin to aid those in Japan. Bells didn't have any red & white clothes so I made a simple skirt for her with a little red trim, she's still at an age where the elasticised waist is ok, so I went with that. She was very happy.

progress on calico & linen

2011-03-16T11:35:00.000+11:00

quilting is going on.
it's a process.
not sure about he binding yet.
just going day by day.

Added some fabric to the hoops I found in an op shop in Pambula whilst we are away. Now they are hanging on my wall just above my sewing bits & pieces.

pochee special

2011-03-08T18:31:00.000+11:00

After admiring one of Leslie's pochee magazines on a week-end away I went in search of them and found this one here (excellent speedy service). It's a linen & cotton special with some beautiful creations and lovely photography. Here's just a few pics of some of my favorites.

pambula beach holiday

2011-03-07T17:16:00.000+11:00

I've just come back home from a holiday at Pambula Beach, I miss being there already. We went with our family, my sister, her hubby, my nephew, my brother & his wife. A great time was had by all. Anyway the photo below is from Bournda back beach - so beautiful, no one else was there.

This great little shop called Bowerbird was in the main street of Pambula, so many beautiful things - a mix of antiques, second hand & vintage.

Whilst on holiday I picked up a few things from the op shops in Pambula, Merimbula & Eden.

I just liked the cover & title of this novel, I haven't read it yet.

why oh why do holidays have to end...

weekend away

2011-02-19T19:00:00.000+11:00

I had a lovely weekend away with two lovely girls, Em & Leslie - thank you both! I can't believe a week has already gone by - I made a dress, burda 7808 version B below, minus the collar + sleeves and minus the pockets. It's made from linen I found at lincraft and it was 50% off, bargain for an attempt at a garment for me. The dress turned out ok, I'm quite pleased as now I can see a little potential in the garment arena. It's not quite perfect but I think I'll wear it, after a few washes it should soften up a bit and hang quite nicely.

I also added a few squares to my fabric sampler as well as some hand quilting on calico & linen. Next time I'll be more prepared, perhaps cut things out before going - lesson learned. I should also read the pattern instructions before just sewing pieces together. There was a little unpicking, just a little + a little.

Whilst this isn't the cottage we stayed in (in Warragul), it's a photo taken from the front porch looking at the neighbour's verandah - I just liked it :)

It was so nice to get away.

baby quilt

2011-02-16T12:06:00.000+11:00

another off the un-finished list, I started this cot quilt late last year. Bells was my little helper here, just the right size to display a cot sized quilt.

I still prefer hand quilting to (my) machine quilting, it was fun to give it a go though. The problem just may be that it's 'my machine quilting', perhaps with a little more practice I'll be happier with the result. I don't think the pin basting worked for me, perhaps I should have tried the spray. Anyway I'm happy with the colours and fabrics, I hope it will be loved by someone one day.

therapeutic

2011-02-07T21:40:00.000+11:00

a new mt tape - quite therapeutic.

a gift for a special friend

2011-02-05T14:55:00.000+11:00

who turned 40 a few weeks ago. A gift bag made with love. This linen was from a scarf I made but never wore, it just wasn't me, so I'm glad some of it has been put to good use.

a start on calico & linen

2011-02-03T09:55:00.000+11:00

I'm loving working on this quilt, it's quite plain and simple but I love it. I'm using wool batting left over from a previous quilt, nice and lofty. There are some quite large areas that I'm not sure what to do with, at the moment it's just been straight lines along long narrow strips - avoiding the linen bumps.

I'm using the linen thread on the right (almost out of shot), which I've used many times before, the thread on the left I found at a recent visit to Est in Hawthorn, the website doesn't do this little shop justice. So many lovely lovely things and the scent of all the beautiful soaps ahhhhh. I keep a couple of their soaps in my sewing cabinet and whenever I open it I get that small pleasure.

p.s. to anonymous - I will leave a full pic of fill-in-the-blanks when the sun comes out, today it's overcast and drizzly :)

fill in the blanks is finished

2011-01-26T19:56:00.000+11:00

It's been just over 2 months, it's finally finished and before the due date - a few solid hours for a couple of nights was put in. I actually finished last night after flip had gone to bed so I swapped the quilt on his bed for this one so that when he woke up he'd see the newly finished quilt. He was a little excited this morning, he came and gave me a hug and said "thanks mumma I love it", so lovely my little man.

the ink may wash off eventually, never mind... it is archival ink, but perhaps not washing machine proof.

and now for hand quilting calico & linen yay!!!!

a commitment has been made

2011-01-23T19:38:00.000+11:00

flip asked me when I was going to be finish his quilt last night, I said by next friday, that will be the 28th - what was I thinking. Anyway I made the binding and attached the first part by machine during the week, I've done about half of the finishing off by hand part. There are still quite a few houses to quilt around, especially around the edges where I was waiting for the binding to be on.

Perhaps I made the commitment because I can't wait to start calico & linen and I don't need another unfinished project and I don't want to feel guilty sewing something else and flip asking me why I"m not doing his - I love my little man.

I think I'd better motor on....

today's quick fix - sorting

2011-01-16T19:56:00.000+11:00

I've had bits and pieces here & there in lots of places - now the cord & elastic have there own places. I wanted to fix a skirt earlier today but couldn't find the elastic I had in mind. Hence sorting took place. From time to time I keep cord from tracksuit pants etc. when the kids have out grown them and the knees are completely gone - one day I'll use it...

fill-in-the-blanks progress

2011-01-16T19:46:00.000+11:00

The hand quilting is coming along, just over half has been completed.

a trip to the beach

2011-01-05T18:06:00.000+11:00

The linen pouch made it to the beach the other day, a lovely time was had by all. So relaxing to lie on the beach, sun warming your skin, not thinking about anything :)

linen gift bag

2011-01-03T15:24:00.000+11:00

It was my Mum's birthday on the 31st of December (Happy Birthday Ma!) so I did a little blackwork on some linen, I was pleased with the end result, very satisfying to sew. I thought a little creativity should be put in as the gift was cash, very un-imaginative, but it was what was requested.

a little card to go with it, and the little bird has been cut out of a paper bag from kikki k. the fabric is some double gauze that I hope to use in something one day - I couldn't resist it.

hoorah :))

2011-01-03T15:13:00.000+11:00

Well it's finally done, 'fill-in-the-blanks' top has been completed - huge sigh of relief ahhhhhh. Although 'flip' mistook my joy over just finishing the top to having completely finished the whole quilt - one step at a time and as far as I'm concerned and the most challenging step for me has been done. It's basted (second biggest step) and I've started on the hand quilting, once there's been a little more progress I'll post a couple of pics. I'm just using a plain blue cotton sheet that was on sale in spotlight for the backing on this one.

I am enjoying having something to sew on the couch in the evening again - it's been a while. I think I'll get this one done quite quickly as I'm busting to start 'calico & linen'.

calico & linen

2010-12-28T17:25:00.000+11:00

Quite a while ago I did a market for my Dad's ironwork and I bought several metres of calico to cover the trestle table. So without much in the fabric budget right now I have put the calico to use, a quilt top - just because I had to do something. I've cut it into strips, squares, rectangles and sewed it all back together with a few linen & double gauze placements. I wanted to keep it simple so there's not too much going on. We'll see where the hand quilting takes it.

The calico is a little coarse - this one is going to be hard wearing...

You can't see how nice the double gauze below is in this photo, it's some nani iro by naomi ito - it's so lovely & soft with painted flowers & patterns on it. The linen above is also some nani iro by naomi ito - 'yes' I like her fabrics very much.

Whilst I'm looking forward to hand quilting this one, I can't start until I finish the 'fill-in-the -blanks' quilt top for flip, I just can't - that wouldn't be right. It's quite difficult to work on, well I'm finding it difficult, I did a few houses last night and it's quite taxing. There are only about 3 rows of houses to go. I'm looking forward to the hand quilting, I just can't seem to get the darn top finished. You should see the mess in our dining room at the moment from last night - it's still there today. I'm hoping to get a spurt and carry on with it, or maybe a good kick in the pants is what I need. Hopefully something happens soon as the day is nearly over :) and we'll be at the beach tomorrow - hoorah for the warm weather!

blackwork

2010-12-28T16:55:00.000+11:00

It's been a little while since my last post, things have been a little hectic with work, kids, Christmas and all the festivities. I found a book called Made in France Blackwork a few months ago at Readings and I had to have it. So many beautiful designs, here's one I've started...

It had to have a home, so here's a cotton/linen converted tea towel, that of course has never been used, I bought it because I thought it was so lovely - too good to use as a tea towel.

a few favourites from the book

linen pouch

2010-11-27T13:29:00.000+11:00

We were at the beach the other day and I thought I needed a little pouch to put my phone, wallet & keys in rather than take my handbag on the beach. So here it is - a pouch for the beach.

I didn't have any trouble with the zip, I've only attempted a few :)

colours

2010-11-27T13:18:00.000+11:00

a little collection matched by bells, I can't believe she'll be in prep next year - where does the time go?

a home for a new pencil

2010-11-21T21:14:00.000+11:00

I bought a new pencil today, the green one below and it's got some different coloured leads I can interchange - at the moment it's got red, that's the favourite. The red clutch pencil was already floating around in my handbag, I couldn't have two floating around so I whipped up this little home for them. Linen & calico with a shell button.

Sometimes it's the small & quick things that give us pleasure, just what I needed today. I bought a diary for next year during the week, just a small one, week to an opening - I aim to use it. Not just for birthday's and my few appointments but for ideas, thoughts & feelings, even it's just a sentence or two, or just a few words everyday.

That's why I needed a new pencil ;)

baby quilt - quick fix

2010-11-21T20:56:00.000+11:00

My sister has a friend who is putting together a website to sell baby related things, she asked if I'd be interested in making a cot quilt. Why not, it's small, I could use fabric I already have in my possession - all I had to buy was a little white/neutral and the binding (which I still have to get). It's my first attempt at machine quilting, I think it looks ok, the lines aren't meant to be perfectly straight. It was fun - sort of. I can't imagine doing anything larger tough - that scares me, perhaps experience would make the prospect less daunting - a lot more experience.

There is a little drifting in the quilt, lets just say that not all the rectangles look 'square', after the binding is on I'll give it wash and see if it will be sellable. I don't know how much 'character' is ok.

fill in the blanks

2010-11-21T20:27:00.000+11:00

Months ago I saw this fabric in the ikea catalogue, purchased a few metres and started filling in the blanks with a range of reds, blues, greens, yellows and a touch of linen. This will be a new quilt for Flip and it's been taking a while to fill it up. I've been doing it on the sewing machine but I have to work with the whole top all at once, turning, turning, turning & turning all of it! It's just under half done, I'm hoping and Flip is hoping it's not going to be another couple of months. Whenever I sew something and he sees me I get asked "when are you going to finish my quilt mumma????" I just need to get going - set aside a day and go for it.

Soon...

finished collages

2010-10-17T20:29:00.000+11:00

I have finished the collage I started in class - so much fun to make, I'd like to put it up on the wall some day. It features the stamp of my flip & bells with balloons, a rainbow of sorts and some bunting.

The collage above was so much fun to make, I thought I'd make another - this time featuring the house stamps with small additions, rolling hills and billowy clouds in a soft breeze on some calico. This time I used some bamboo batting, not quite so pooofy as the wool I used in the above. A different look. I'm happy with both.

I think it's necessary for me to be working on a project, small or large - something, I get some release, some satisfaction, some pleasure and in turn probably some sanity.
Waiting patiently for my next idea...
I hope it comes soon ;)

sketchings & more rubber stamps

2010-10-17T19:59:00.000+11:00

I bought a note book before I went to the collage class and now whenever an idea strikes me I sketch it in there. I do wish they would come more frequently...

Above are some newly carved stamps, little houses - the largest is 8.5cm in height.

Below are the original sketches and stamped results in my note book.

I drew a bird and I've cut out a few in different fabrics which I'd like to do something with one day. I have some little metal birds and they hang in a very similar way as below.

A sketch of my old Nikon FM2 which I love, the poor old thing hasn't had a great deal of use lately in this digital age. Years ago (before kids) I used to love taking black & white shots, maybe one day in the near future. It is a little more costly as there's developing & processing costs, but there's something special about photos from this camera.

I've made my own rubber stamps

2010-09-28T13:19:00.000+10:00

After a whole lot of inspiration from a class I attended on Sunday (see previous post), I thought I'd give stamp making a go. Yesterday I went to an art shop at lunchtime and purchased a couple of ezy carve printing blocks and some lino cutting tools. These first practice ones I did last night using erasers, the flower below was from an eraser 2cm x 6cm. It's quite satisfying dabbling in this new found craft. I'll admit I was a little pleased with myself :) I'm well aware they aren't works of art, but I'm happy with the outcome and the possibilities.

The one below is of flip & bells, which I may put on my fabric collage - I had sketched this in the class with the intention of sewing the design on. I used the real printing block for this one, it's so nice to carve into. The block is 8cm x 8cm.

what will tonight bring forth......?

fabric collage with elizabeth barnett

2010-09-26T21:15:00.000+10:00

Today I attended a class at amitie with Elizabeth Barnett who is a young, very talented Melbourne artist, the class was on fabric collage. I really loved the class and it was great being able to look and touch some of Elizabeth's works of art. This is what I have started, a piece of linen with a $0.50 ikea tea towel as the backing/binding. I still have a bit to add, my idea is to sew on a representation of flip & bells and lots of running stitch all over the place. I have 2 weeks until the next class - we'll see what eventuates...

In the next class we'll look at creating our own rubber stamps, I can't wait - I'd love to have something stamped onto my collage, a pic perhaps or maybe some text.

My collage is around 7" x 14", the smallest in our class today. One of Elizabeth's pieces was a fabric book which was just beautiful, a great idea to capture a little story. She also showed us some silk that she had dyed using natural dyes from leaves, onion skins and tumeric, just to name a few things - that too was beautiful.

So much fun, I love the non-perfectness, the frayed edges & the mix of media you can use.

squares is finished

2010-09-18T22:11:00.000+10:00

Squares is finished, it was a pleasure to make - completed last night. The only fabric I purchased was for the binding. Everything else as previously mentioned was from the stash, a dent has been made which I'm very happy about. I decided against more quilting, I think it would have been too much - I'm really happy with the outcome. The binding was hand finished, I did do stage 1 of the binding with the machine - the machine has this thing behind the foot which feeds the top at the same rate as the bottom making sewing several layers a breeze, no need for a walking foot. No regrets at all about spending a little more on wool batting, I love the look and feel of the finished product.

I had a helper this morning, bells was keen to get the photos done so it could be put on her bed. A happy little girl this morning when I told her her new quilt was finished. "Hurry up mumma I need to put it on my bed now!"

and now flip would like a new quilt.....

soft toy cube

2010-09-18T21:45:00.000+10:00

This is for a new little man whose name is Thomas, although he won't be throwing it around just yet - before you know it I think he will. A big congrats to the 'B' clan, you can see the little fella over here.

This was whipped up last week-end in a few hours, with direction on fabric selection from bells.

sock monkey x 2

2010-08-28T20:27:00.000+10:00

I went to a factory outlet the other day and found some cheap socks for the kiddies, on the back of the Rio pack was this pattern for a sock monkey. Needless to say I had to make two and here they are. Both have bits inside out / wrong side out / right way around. To be honest the first body I did was the wrong way around by accident - never mind, it makes the two a little different and the kiddies know who's is who's. The buttons I found for the eyes really suit - they were from Spotlight. I think the socks were specially designed to make the monkey as there are red bits in the heel which make the mouth. I sewed the tail over the red bits on their bottoms - no explanation necessary...

pfaffing around - flowers in a pot

2010-08-22T09:29:00.000+10:00

This was so much fun to make, it's just a little collage - 'flowers in a pot'. All the fabrics are from the squares quilt except for the cotton/linen background. It measures around 21.5cm x 17cm, lets just say it's not your exact rectangle. I felt a little inspired as I have booked myself into a fabric collage class at Amitie with Elizabeth Barnett later next month, it should be fun. It was also a good excuse to whip something up / practice on my new machine - no regrets with that purchase, none at all.

hand quilting

2010-08-22T09:06:00.000+10:00

The hand quilting has commenced, I'm using this Sashiko thread, the red matches really well with the colours in the quilt. I am glad to have a project I can sit down to at night, I find it nice and relaxing. I can't remember where I got the thread from, it could have been a show a couple of years ago - however you can buy it here.

Not to sure if I'll quilt a smaller square in all the blank squares as I first thought, it may look a little too busy. I'll finish with the criss cross and decide later, maybe one here and there....

all basted & ready for quilting

2010-08-16T19:24:00.003+10:00

Squares is all basted and ready for quilting, who likes basting - I don't think I do, even though it didn't take too long, about 1.5hrs. I've learnt from previous experience that I don't need to do it quite as close as what I've done in the past, there's just no need. I'm using super soft wool batting with lots of loft and the backing is from stash fabrics.

At last I have made a dent in my stash with this quilt, I'm sure my stash is quite small compared to most but I'd look at it sometimes and think what am I going to do with all that? So I am pleased that this quilt has all been from my stash. I bought the leaf patterned fabric years ago when I was making bags - I was using it for lining. I didn't have quite enough so I've used some fabric I bought earlier this year from Tessuti (the red with little flowers), which is also on the front here and there.

I've not been able to find red linen thread locally and I need to start immediately, so I'm going to use some red sashiko thread that I already have, it's 100% cotton and I think it will suit the quilt very well.

a new baby

2010-08-16T19:14:00.003+10:00

I have a new baby, it's my first ever sewing machine - my very own sewing machine. For the last few years I've been borrowing my sister's little Brother - thanks sis. One of my favourite things is the organiser tray, a little place for everything - she's a Pfaff Select 4.0 & I love her.

I brought her home Friday night, did a few test runs but was just too tired to make anything and unfortunately I was out and about all week-end so I wasn't able to do anything. Hopefully next week-end.

(Apologies for the bright pic.)

new project :: sqaures

2010-08-08T16:40:00.005+10:00

I really felt like doing some sewing, thursday evening I started to cut out some squares from fabrics I already have in my stash. I cut them out at 3.5"

Friday night I started sewing them together, with no big plans in mind. After 20 x 6 squares were together Bells asks if she can help laying out the fabric, sure I said but lets not put the same fabric next to each other. With that simple rule in place we were off, then she says "that looks beautiful mumma, is that for me?" What could I say, so now it's going to be a new quilt for Bells.

So far we are at 20 x 18 squares, I'm thinking 20 x 26 squares for her single bed - I like a quilt to over hang just over the doona. No border, just the binding to surround the quilt.

I think the hand quilting will be something like this :-
(it would be nice to find some red linen thread... I'll need to go on a search, or maybe some red sashiko thread...)

I am happy to be working on a quilt :)

ahhhhhhh.....

2010-08-08T16:37:00.001+10:00

All wound up on some cardboard tubing, all ready. Even if it is just to admire.

very special linen yarn

2010-08-05T21:03:00.002+10:00

WOW! This yarn is so lovely, it is linen yarn and it feels exactly like you'd imagine linen yarn would feel. I know ---- I've used this yarn before (different shade) but it's worthy of a little attention.

It was purchased from here, same place as last time - it's been the only place in Australia where I've managed to find it. I looked at a couple of sites from the US but the shipping cost more than the yarn. (shade = natural). Why can't I buy this or any other linen yarn in my local wool shop? I'm sure there's a market for it, I can't be the only one - more people need to experience the wonder of linen yarn.

Now I'll have to wind it into a ball and put it to good use - what will that be? a few small crochet flowers - definitely, but what else????

paper tape

2010-08-04T14:03:00.003+10:00

I love this paper tape that you lick, or moisten yourself before sticking - I found it here. I imagine it would be nice on a little gift wrapped in brown paper, finished off with a little white string. It's very special.

a granny square, the 1st granny square

2010-08-04T13:47:00.003+10:00

This is the first granny square I have ever made, I know it's not perfect - the gaps are a little uneven all over the place but on the whole - from a distance I think it looks alright. I followed the pattern in my Meet Me At Mikes book. It is on the small side - just over 6cm square (or not so square).

Crochet is fun to do while I try and find a project I can sink my teeth into. I have some linen yarn on the way which I'll share when it arrives .......... can't wait!

crochet flowers

2010-07-26T19:28:00.003+10:00

At the moment I'm loving these little crochet flowers, I'm fairly new to the world of crochet I have only completed a string bag before, after some much needed tuition from my sister. (I use the bag all the time, it lives in my handbag just waiting for a purchase to happen). I have tried to read patterns and make crochet flowers but I just wasn't getting it - until I found this video tutorial over here. Now there's no looking back, I churned these out last night after watching the tutorial, for the larger flowers that is. The smaller ones were from a pattern I've had for ages that I know get. I've seen the light my friends and I like it a lot.

I used a 2.25mm crochet hook with some linen yarn, the left over yarn from my crochet string bag.

very special stitchery

2010-07-14T16:24:00.005+10:00

I was asked by my good friend Kylie to add to her '40 squares for 40 years' very special stitchery, I think it's a lovely idea - maybe I could do 50 for 50, I have missed the boat on the 40 for 40 - only just...
Kylie had done the first 2 squares, supplied all the materials along with a selection of threads and some brief instructions. The squares are 1.5", I have added some tiny fabric pieces - I know that someone is quite the fan of babushka dolls.

Thank you Kylie for including me in this project, I feel honoured to take part and I can't wait to see the finished piece.

I'll pop it in the post tomorrow.

a little kitty named 'flower'

2010-07-07T11:32:00.003+10:00

This is a little kitty that has been named Flower, Bells chose this from my Meet me at Mikes book, it's a pattern by Jhoanna Monte Aranez. We made this on Sunday in a couple of hours, fabrics chosen by Bells herself, we are missing a little bell around her neck - I will keep my eye out for one. A while ago there were a few floating around the house, the ones that come from the Lindt bunny - of course I'm unable to locate a single one right now.
I love the eyes.

a tiny addition to the fabric sampler.

little pieces or fabric favourites

2010-06-30T12:48:00.002+10:00

Just for something to do...
I have started sewing on little pieces of favourite fabrics onto this linen placemat I got for a couple of dollars last year sometime. What is it for? I do not know but I do like to look at it and it's fun to do. There are Liberty fabrics approaching from the right - just a couple more of those to go, and linens etc. from the left.

I'm using a mix of these linen threads:-

p.s. I have finished the scrappy quilt, just haven't taken any pics of it yet - will share soon.

new shoes

2010-06-21T13:14:00.003+10:00

Ordinarily I wouldn't post about new shoes but I love these so much. I had decided to buy some boots last week, anyway after trying on around 10 pairs I came to the realisation that boots look silly on me, ridiculous in fact. I walked out of the boot shop and saw these - I couldn't walk past them.

If you were to look in my current shoe box you would see that they are all black, black, black - even my thongs, I have finally branched out with a little colour - I may just wear these everywhere. (For anyone interested they are Footprints by Birkenstock - Boavista).

a visit to tessuti

2010-06-07T12:18:00.003+10:00

Thursday & Friday last week I was in the city for some training for work at the Spencer Street end on Collins Street. Friday I thought I must go and have a look in Tessuti which is up the other end of town in Flinders Lane. I was very limited for time so I jumped on a tram and had a very quick browse, some beautiful fabrics can be found there. I bought a little of the fabric below and some bias binding in the green with white dots. I was thinking this could be a nice skirt for bells, with the trim around the bottom of the hem.

I used just a little and added it to bells' jeans, just to pretty them up a little around the cuff/hem.

I had seen online that Tessuti sold quite a range of Japanese pettern books, it wasn't until later that night that I remembered, I didn't see them while I was there, but then again I wasn't looking for them either - oh well next time... I felt so pressured for time that there was no time for a relaxed browse. I have to go back next week for 3 more days of training, so maybe then I'll get the chance - maybe the instructor will give us an extended lunch......I doubt it.

old treasures

2010-06-02T11:00:00.005+10:00

About a month ago hubby's uncle passed away at 99, a grand old age. Hubby was offered to come to the house and take some old tools that belonged to his uncle. Along with those he also got a bunch of old tins that were filled with nails and screws, I have cleaned up a few and they now house string, bits & pieces and other bits & pieces.

There were also a few old wooden rulers and a retractable tape measure in inches which is now in my sewing desk.

and these old cases that have bits & pieces in them, including some great old locks, I was thinking they could be set into some wooden furniture.....

binding is on

2010-06-02T10:39:00.003+10:00

The binding is on, it's from the Rounneries by French General range - lots of lovely fabric in the range. Still a bit of quilting to go, once it's all finished I'll take a pic of the whole quilt. I wanted to use the same binding as I used on the previous scrappy quilt but I wasn't able to obtain anymore from either of my locals (no surprise really, that was a while ago). I have a little left in my stash, I'll save it for another special project.

time for an update

2010-05-26T11:44:00.006+10:00

I know it's been a very long time since my last post. So what's been happening...? I started another scrappy quilt, I was hoping to have it finished for a market I did a couple of weeks ago for my Dad's goods but that wasn't to be. I really wanted to have it finished, sitting to the side and if anyone was interested I would have sold it. Some other time perhaps. Only a couple of new fabrics were purchased for this one, the rest were already in the stash. There's still quite a bit of hand quilting to go and I've almost finished sewing on the binding.

A few weekends ago I went away with my good friend Kylie for a little time away sewing, relaxing and shopping. We did some sewing, we did some shopping but not a whole lot of relaxing due to the mice situation at the house we were staying at. We set off on a saturday morning, stopped off at T'Gallant for a woodfired pizza which was delicious, bought a few bottles of Grace Pino Grigio 2008 which I would highly recommend - beautiful beautiful wine. (I'm no wine aficianado but I know what tastes nice). We covered all shops in Sorrento, some lovely homey shops with lovely things unfortunately the price tags weren't so lovely, they were rather steep. Nice to look anyway and get some great ideas. Goats cheese, olives, dip, lavosh, avocado, tomatoes, brie, bread & a vanilla slice was purchased for our dinner - what else do you need...

While we were sewing, eating & sipping the mice activity commenced, I don't know how many there were, but I'm guessing there were quite a few. One would come out of a kitchen cupboard, run behind the fridge then run into the laundry, then run back into the cupboard, then 2 mice would come out together and repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. There were a few bottles of wine enjoyed between us, we were hoping the alcohol would numb the worry of the mice. It was just after midnight when the mice started to run from the kitchen, past us, to the lounge room that we thought it's time to go to bed - cheeky little ...............'s. The good news was that there weren't any signs of mice downstairs where the bedrooms were so we were able to sleep. We packed up in the morning rather speedily and had a really nice big breakfast in Blairgowrie. On the drive home we went along the coast (bay side) which was a nice change, I hadn't been that way in ages, it's usually the freeway. It was so nice to have a little break.

I've hardly bought any fabric lately, I guess I look at what I have and think 'I should use what I have first', feeling a little guilty. Below however, is some fabric that I couldn't resist, it's Nani Iro Fuwari Linen 2010 in natural from Matatabi. I just love it, I don't know if I'll be able to cut it.

Hopefully not too much time will pass before my next post.

easter sunday for us today

2010-03-28T10:42:00.004+11:00

Ages ago I bought some japanese masking tape and I've used some to decorate a gift tag for my beautiful nephew's easter basket (tin). He's only 16 months old, so just a couple of little easter eggs at this stage and did I say he's beautiful. I also had a thing for stamp sets a while back, I have 2 alphabet sets - the one I used here are quite small and a little fiddly to use, but they came in a little wodden box which is so cute, so I had to have it. I like to make my own cards, I can't justify spending $5 - $6 on a card when with a little thought and creativity you can make them yourself.

Our family can't all meet up next Sunday so we are doing Easter Sunday today at Mum & Dad's, should be lovely.

a new doll for bells

2010-03-21T13:22:00.005+11:00

This pattern was given to me as a gift, it's the poppy doll from hop skip jump. Rather than wool flannel which the pattern suggests I have used a cotton/linen blend in a neutral color. The reason for that is I didn't have wool flannel on hand - I had the cotton/linen blend. Wool felt is suggested for the hair, I have used wool of some sort - I had pink and green in my stash and the choice was rather simple for bells. The doll and dress took around 3 hours yesterday, the pattern was very easy to follow and I was happy with the result and so was someone else....

The head/neck section is set into the body and hand stitched in last, I've never made a doll in that way before - it gives a nice result I think. The material for the dress was chosen - it was to be a dress not a top as instructed by madam bells and no pants!

Late last night I wanted to make the pants, I found a little denim and there you have it - jeans for the new doll. I put them on her last night and when bells woke this morning she said "take them off, I don't like pants, she is wearing a dress!". Who am I to argue, maybe one day she'll get cold and she'll feel the need to wear jeans....

Tinkerbell, as she has been named has received lots of cuddles and has been part of group gatherings along with other select softies.

pink skirt

2010-03-21T13:07:00.006+11:00

Perhaps there has been a slight break in the drought, I've had this material sitting around for quite some time, felt like sewing something so thought I'd do a simple little skirt for bells. Nothing too difficult, just some elastic in the top of some pretty japanese fabric. It took a little convincing for bells to put it on but once she did it didn't come off for days.

(*excuse the hole in the leggings, I could have cropped that out but didn't notice until the photo was uploaded and then it was too late.....)

hand quilting job no.2 complete

2010-03-10T14:45:00.004+11:00

Here is the 2nd hand quilting job complete for my friend Kylie, I've quite enjoyed the hand quilting, mostly due to the fact (as explained previously) - I'm just not feeling it lately. The creative juices are not flowing. I even went to a 20% - 50% off sale recently at Amitie and only purchased 1 fabric, some beautiful japanese printed linen which I'll share at some other point in time. I thought this would be nice for a library bag for Bells when she starts school next year. Usually this type of sale results in big dollars going down, lots of ideas and lots of excitement. Oh well - I guess I saved money.

I'm pretty sure that my stumbling block is a quilt I'm trying to finish off for Mum, I don't seem to be able to find fabrics to go with it. I suppose I'm finding it very, very difficult as they aren't my colours.

hand quilting

2010-02-01T16:05:00.003+11:00

Whilst I still haven't found my sewing groove I have another quilt from my good friend Kylie to 1. add a border 2. put the back together 3. baste 4. hand quilt & 5. add the binding which I'm more than happy to do. So far I can tick off 1. 2. & 3. and a little of 4. I love the fabrics Kylie has chosen, a couple I've used myself and I always love a touch of liberty (the little cars below) in a quilt.

*** Hope you're happy with the progress good friend....

it's been so long :(

2010-01-13T16:57:00.004+11:00

It's been such a long time since my last post, I feel really really slack. The main reason I guess is that I haven't been doing a whole lot lately. One project I can cross off, is doing a little basting, hand quilting and binding for a good friend of mine. She lovingly made the top and back and got a little stuck/frustrated/whatever you want to call it with the basting & quilting (correct me if I got it wrong good friend). Anyway here it is all complete, I hope you like it.
It is straight line quilting using 3 different colors of perle cotton although you can't really see that in the pics, the lines are approximately 2" apart (don't get your rulers out).

I am hoping the passion comes back for a little sewing in the very near future (please please please).

advent calendar

2009-12-02T16:33:00.003+11:00

The advent calendar was finished in time, hubbie made me a beautiful french inspired bread board from some baltic pine we found at a second hand timber yard for $9.00 how cheap is that! I saw an antique one in a shop in Hawthorn for $220 which was a little out of my price range. A little sanding a quick coat of tung oil and it was complete and beautiful.

I found some vintage brass laundry pins, and it just so happens that they are numbered B1 through to B24 - it was meant to be.

Day 1 has already passed, christmas chocies have been consumed by the kiddies.

This calendar was fun to make (& time consuming with the embroidered numbers), hopefully we'll use it for years to come, it's filled with a chocolate for flip & bells each day and some days there's a little ornament they can hang on the tree.

I still have a fair bit of linen left, what to do, what to do... I've been wanting to sew, then not knowing what to sew, so not much is getting done. I feel like I haven't got the time lately, then on the off chance I get a couple of hours to myself I stress out about what to make and again nothing gets done. What's going on????? Sometimes I think I'm driving myself crazy :o

birthday gift for a kinder friend

2009-12-02T16:15:00.003+11:00

It's been a little while since my last post - I hope to get back to doing regular weekly posts. We'll see how we go. The days are just whizzing by as Christmas fast approaches, every week-end last month was filled with parties, weddings, parties etc... Not much sewing has been going on, after the week-end away which was great I may have hit over load :(

This is a little bag for one of bells' kinder friends, I put a little note book inside with some colored pencils.

I may have made it a little too thick, I wasn't able to sew the sides together on the machine so I had to do a little blanket stitching.

great weekend away & the advent calendar

2009-11-08T10:59:00.005+11:00

Last weekend at Sewjourn was my first sewing weekend away and it was well worth it. Just a short drive out of Melbourne and you're free to sew for hours & hours without interruption (except to be called in for meals..... not too bad really). Lots of hints & tips were absorbed from here, here & here. I was able to make a great start on my advent calendar pockets, they were quite labor intensive - but I'm hoping the end result will make it all worthwhile. I was able to complete 18 whilst I was away, 6 more to go...

Excuse the pin holding pocket '1' closed, I've ordered some vintage brass laundry pins to close up each pocket once a goodie has been placed inside. Hopefully they arrive before dec 1st and they look good. The finished pockets will be strung on a wooden board which is currently in production.

I also did a little work on this dolls quilt (about 21" sq.), it's for a 1st birthday/christening - hope she likes it, it was completed lastnight. Made from scraps, it feels nice to make something from scraps, nothing is wasted.

forged by hand

2009-11-03T18:47:00.003+11:00

Just a quick post to let you know about what my dad has been up to, he does a bit of blacksmithing in his spare time, he's trying to sell a few pieces so he can create some new designs he has ticking over in his mind. All items are really cheap considering the hours of work he has put into most pieces. The candle holder below is one of my favorites.

If you're interested please head on over to forged by hand

There will be an updated on the week-end away soon.....

small linen gift bag

2009-10-18T11:27:00.002+11:00

I have cut into my piece of french linen, oh - it's so lovely to work with and touch. This is a small gift bag with a tree embroidered on using french knots and some little random stitches, finished off with a beautiful wooden heart bead. I've left the selvedge on, or I should say I've used the selvedge for the top edge cause I think it looks nice - too good to cut off.

sewing weekend

2009-10-14T13:17:00.003+11:00

I can't believe it, I'm going on my first sewing weekend and I can't wait - very very very excited! I'll be going along with friends Emily & Leslie and a couple of Leslie's friends to Sewjourn later this month for 2 nights. A BIG BIG THANKS Leslie for organising the weekend. (Hopefully Kylie can come along next time, she'll be busy watching horses run round & round that weekend)

My mind has been a buzz with what to make, at the moment I'm thinking I'll do a few things that I've been inspired by from the book pictured below, I've still got time to change my mind...

I've gathered a few trimmings & things together

There is a small stash of fabrics (could be bigger don't you think???), including some beautiful french & japanese linen from Patchwork on Central. I wonder if I'll be able to cut it up.

I want to do so much, how much can I bring, how much should I bring? Of course the hexagons will come along, that's a given.

1st attempt at crochet

2009-09-30T08:36:00.004+10:00

This was so much fun to make, a crocheted linen grocery tote found over here. I was able to locate the linen yarn over here, it was so nice to work with. My sister gave me a couple of lessons and I'll admit it, she did the first few rounds for me. I was getting a little frustrated with my lack of consistency with the tension so I pulled it apart a couple of times and handed it over. After a little while I was off, crocheted until my hand ached so much I thought I had RSI (not to mention the pain in my neck), this bag was complete in 2 days.
Above, the balloon was just to show how expandable the bag is, I don't usually carry around a balloon.

Below, a much better use for the bag - this is after one wash and one tumble dry, it's supposed to get even better the more I wash it.

I may have to make more...

worry dolls

2009-09-27T19:35:00.003+10:00

We've been busy making some worry dolls today, the idea is when you go to bed you tell your worries to the dolls and put them under your pillow. In the morning you feel less troubled as the dolls have taken away your worries as you sleep. We've been reading Silly Billy to our little worry pot.

The hair and base/shoes have been moulded from air drying clay which was fun to use - it takes 24 hours for it to dry, the worries will have to wait a little. (One is yet to be clothed, it does have a hat though...)

a bit of this & a bit of that

2009-09-23T13:23:00.005+10:00

Over the last 3 wednesday nights I've been doing a dress making course, I thought it would be nice to be able to make some cloths and for them to look 'not-so-home-made'. I've picked up a few great tips and I've gained a little confidence in my sewing machine skills. First garment was a skirt, we had to pick from a suggested list of basic patterns, I made a denim skirt and I put the zip in myself (just a little excited about knowing how to do that nicely). I may never wear the skirt as it's quite quite high in the waist, I did however learn some useful techniques.

The second garment was of my choosing and it's a top (not yet finished), the pattern is for a dress, so I just cut it off at the required length. I'm using some beautiful Nani Iro double gauze for this one, I really hope it turns out ok.

Saw this liberty and had to add it, it's so pretty. This will be the last I add to the hexagons..... As previously mentioned the going is slow with the hexagons but it is going and I'm enjoying watching it grow bit by bit.
I was asked to make a little something for a friend to give to a friend, so here's the result - the request was for it to be an owl, it's a little owl like wouldn't you say.... maybe, sort of ?
all wrapped and ready for delivery...

lots of preparation

2009-09-06T10:25:00.004+10:00

Not too much to report this week other than preparation, preparation, sewing a flower or two together & preparation. Each night I do a little and when it comes to look at it all at the end of a week it's surprising how much has been done. The going is slow, but I'm enjoying slow.

(above is the last addition......I think)

link to little birdie

2009-08-31T13:14:00.003+10:00

Thanks to Bianca Jae Makes Stuff for the link, mollychicken. I will never, never, never save an idea without the reference point again.

While you're checking out the tutorial, have a look at the great log cabin cushion while you're there.

Hope you're having a good Monday!

little birdie

2009-08-30T18:22:00.003+10:00

This is a little gift I made as a small thank you to my yoga teacher who will no longer be teaching at my usual place. I will miss Nadine, she is a wonderful, generous teacher and a truly beautiful person. I used a little of my favorite Nani Iro in the mint & red double gauze. I must confess that I found the instructions for this little bird on someone's blog ages ago and when I saved it I made no reference to the clever crafty person, so my sincere apologies - I know it's poor form and I won't do it again. As I've now been blogging for a few months I have learnt to save ideas with the reference point.

the hexagon extravaganza has commenced

2009-08-23T17:14:00.008+10:00

It's quite a process - making a quilt from hexagons. Cutting out the paper templates, cutting out the fabric, sewing/tacking the fabric around the template and then sewing the hexagons together. I'm cutting and sewing together as I go, I couldn't imagine preparing hundreds of hexagons before sewing any together. After completing the first flower I thought "what am I doing????" but now that I've done a few I'm enjoying it. I keep saying to myself the overall look will be effective, it will, it will. The hexagons measure from straight edge to straight edge just over 1 3/4".

A couple of close ups and a couple more Liberty's were purchased this afternoon, I have to make sure I have enough...

Bells and I went to Patchwork on Central today, she chose 2 fat quarters from which I made a quilt for her big pink puppy (far right). There are no close ups for a very good reason, I did it on the machine in about 45 minutes - enough said. Rest well little friends.

table/handy bench

2009-08-23T17:05:00.005+10:00

This is a table/handy bench hubby made a couple of weeks ago from second hand timber, it cost around $30 for the timber. Excuse the horrible brown cupboards and the floor boards with putty, we will be updating, sanding & polishing sometime soonish. I needed somewhere to store my blue pots, this is the perfect place.

scrappy quilt is finished

2009-08-15T12:18:00.006+10:00

I have truly loved making this quilt & I'm so pleased with the end result.

It's taken me around 4 months

It's soft & warm

It's all cotton & linen with wool batting

It's as scrappy as I could get

It's hand sewn (except stage 1 of binding)

It's hand quilted using linen thread

It's got some of my most favorite fabrics

It's for the couch

It's lovely (I think so anyway)

It's finished

binding & a dolls quit from a while back

2009-08-02T19:19:00.004+10:00

Even though I haven't quite finished doing all the quilting on the scrappy quilt, I had a burning desire to put the binding on. That is the only part I do by machine - the first stage of attaching the binding. Completing the binding by hand is the most satisfying part of making a quilt for me - the end of a journey. It's also a little sad/depressing - anyway I'm not there yet so let's move on... :)

This is a dolls quilt I made for bells last year sometime, it was made from the scraps of the first quilt I made for her. It's basically a log cabin pattern with a couple of borders, it was fun to make and it has helped a teddy or a dolly get to sleep many a night.

I am looking forward to this Friday, I'm meeting my friend Kylie at Amitie for one of their 20% - 50% off sales. After all I am in need of more Liberty fabric for my next venture, and if there happens to be something else that catches my eye - well, I'd better get that too as it will be at least 20% off, bargain! Who can resist a fabric sale?

wooden tiny spools & an idea

2009-07-26T19:53:00.006+10:00

Today we went for a drive to the Tyabb Packing House Antique Centre, lots & lots of nice things to look at - most things we loved were a little pricy. I did spy these wooden cotton spools which I love, 9 for $20.

Not too much has been happening on the sewing front, still hand quilting the scrappy quilt but I have had an idea for my next quilt. I'm going to venture away from the safe world of squares & rectangles and give hexagons a go. I'm thinking of liberty flowers surrounded by the old faithful cotton/linen blend - I think the hexagons will be around 2" wide

Here's my current Liberty stash, I think it needs to be bigger......... yes, most definitely!

Thank you to three buttons

2009-07-20T13:08:00.003+10:00

I just wanted to say a big thank you to Angela of three buttons, she was very kind & generous to send me a mr electron kit to make for Filip after seeing 'space flight' in my blog back in april. I thought Angela was going to send me a pattern, but today the postman delivered a complete kit - WOW! what a lovely surprise. If any of you haven't been by three buttons I suggest you do for some great inspiration. Thank you - thank you - thank you Angela x.

I also wanted to share the birthday card I made (with the help of hubby) for Flip, Flip loved it he said it's "Flippy the astronaut" with much glee. I found a retro picture on the web, hubby photoshopped flip in and I just added some text - and there you have it, a homemade birthday card.

happy birthday bunting

2009-07-12T17:43:00.004+10:00

It will be flip's birthday next Saturday, he'll be 6 - time goes by so quickly. I've been meaning to make some birthday bunting for a while now, something to replace the cheap looking foil/plastic crinkled up bought one. This is unisex so we can use it for everyone. I used some denim that I've had for ages - the reverse side and fabrics from my stash/scraps for the letters.

I hand sewed on each letter using blanket stitch or just a round & round (don't know if that has a technical term...) stitch. A half inch strip was sewn on the bottom and I frayed the bottom edges of each letter. Strung them on some cotton rope and there you have it!

Here's a little more detail on each letter, a great little week-end project.

a holiday & a thank you gift

2009-06-30T10:56:00.007+10:00

We are going on a holiday next week for about a week (and I can't wait) so I thought I'd make a bag as a thank you gift (along with a bottle or 2 of wine). It's a relatives' house and they didn't want any cash for our stay. The bag is a cotton/linen blend with leather handles lined with a cotton print, a good size for the milk, bread & paper - or whatever you like.

Popped in to Mum & Dad's on the weekend and offered to help Mum out with her quilt, this is her first (after a little convincing) and she chose one that involved 60 degree angles & jelly rolls. So I've cut out 2 rolls and she seems to have come to a bit of a stand still, after several months. Mum has sewn together quite a few rows which look great, but of late - not so much. The excuses range from emailing, being on skype, watching tv and on it goes... (you know it's true Mum, love you!) I've put a couple of rows together in between my quilt, it's quite nice to do something different and I don't mind. After all, I feel a little guilty having talked her into making a quilt...

This is just a snippet of the on-going quilting. I imagine it's going to take another month or so until the quilting is finished. What to do next.....?

it's cold and knitted items are required

2009-06-21T09:50:00.005+10:00

It's a slow process, but every night I do a little more. I'm loving the linen thread, the randomness of the quilting and the warmth on my lap - this is such a cosy quilt. It has been rather chilly of late, not surprising since we're in winter.

Went to a Wondoflex last week, what a wool treat that was wow! wow! wow! so many beautiful wools. It makes a nice change when you have to decide on which beautiful wool to use rather than which one out of this mound of crap will I relunctantly choose. The wools chosen below are both from Italy, wools you just wouldn't find in those gigantic barns. The red scarf is complete as well as a beanie, now the order is in for 2 more beanies. Just when I thought I had fulfilled the knitting orders... They are quick knits so it's not too bad I guess, I am not however putting my hand up to make any jumpers.

all together

2009-06-14T11:37:00.003+10:00

I’d been eyeing off this linen thread the last few times I visited Amitie and on Friday I bought it (only $7.00), I’m going to do the quilting with it since there is quite a bit of linen in this quilt – it should go nicely.

It's all together, basted and ready for quilting. The top is about 58" square, I'm not going to do a border on this one.

100% wool batting was my choice for this quilt, it's sooooooo soft & cosy warm with a nice loft. Previously I've used 100% cotton or a cotton mix batting, I don't know if I'll be able to go back to it - maybe the cost will decide.... I would like to try bamboo batting though, I've read that it is supposed to be super soft. That may have to be ordered online as my local doesn't currently stock that one, that's going to take preparation...

For the backing I chose a nice flannel which was 50% off (this made the decision even easier). It could have been made into a nice pair of pj pants - oh well...

The binding fabric was also purchased on friday, I love it and can't wait to get to that stage. It's a medium weight cotton (I think) with a linen sort of look.