me and my 2 guys

rag rug - 3

2012-01-29T11:01:00.001+10:00

Here is the next round of the rug - a pink round. Using the pink jelly roll strips and a cut up fat 1/8th that I found in the cupboard too!

Next layer has started - the purple sheets again, then green.

rag rug - 2

2012-01-27T14:21:00.000+10:00

My rag rug is progressing along nicely. Although working with slightly shorter strips does aid in not getting you all tangled up. Double bed width is a bit too long, single bed or jelly roll strips (42 inches) is just about right.

I decided I need a little more colour variation and after seeing Lizzie's suggestion of using Jelly Rolls I remembered I had one Mum had bought for me that was just the right colours. And as an added bonus I knew exactly where it was!

So now we have a bit more purple added and have started on the second lot of sheets. I'm now adding a pink bit as we speak. Although my jelly roll is almost all gone so will need to think of a new plan :)

rag rug

2012-01-25T12:57:00.000+10:00

Regular readers will probably remember me mentioning wanting to make a Rag Rug a few times. I even had ear marked some vintage sheets with which to make the rug.

So when Jodie from Ric Rac suggested a Rag-Rug-Along the other day it was just the push I needed to put my hand up and commit. That and the fact that I'm now post-pregnancy and post-Christmas.

After a lot of thought and a bit of a discussion with Jodie I opted for the braiding with weaving in as you go method, to negate the need for sewing the braids together at the end. Although I think the braiding then sewing might be slightly quicker I like the idea that it's all done in one hit.

So here is my rug so far. It's about the size of a small dinner plate. This is 2 x 3 strips of 1.5 inches roughly. Double bed sheet width. It is time consuming weaving it in as you go cause you do get a little tangled and you do wind up with little wispy bits of thread everywhere. But once I'm done, it is done. No pesky sewing together.

Think this will be a slow burn project. Just like the original idea I guess!

Might try a little of this in the down times....

rocket ship cake

2011-12-27T12:38:00.000+10:00

It's that time of year again where Hubby Guy and I have to put on our thinking caps and try to match the cake making exploits of the year before. This year's theme was a rocket ship cake.

Using a rocket Christmas decoration as inspiration Guy carved out the cake and assembled all the pieces, I then follow with the icing before he added the lolly decorations. We've noticed that little Guy's fave part of most cakes, cupcakes, gingerbread men is the lollies. So we went less for the nice icing job and more for the lolly decorations.

And true to form the little devil took a slice, ate all the lollies and gave the cake part back to me! But he enjoyed himself so that's the main thing.

images of Christmas

2011-12-26T14:33:00.000+10:00

It's Boxing Day here in Australia now, it's hot, we're watching the cricket and generally trying to relax. Our Boxing Day generally involves a trip to the grocery store to get provisions for the Little Guy's birthday on the 27th. No Boxing Day sales and bargain madness for us generally.

Here are a few images of our Christmas.

Mum's gingerbread tree

My trifle - my Grandmother always made trifle at Christmas - now I do it but with my own special twist!

The usual Gingerbread people but this year with smaller cutters

the most beautiful emerald green Christmas beetle flew into our house the other night, Guy and I had never seen one quite like it.

new casual chairs for the deck

a Ta-Dah of a different kind!

2011-12-16T12:07:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone! I'm back in the land of the living after a very hectic and up heaved couple of months. The house is nearly finished and looking fab. We've been able to move back in after over a month bunking with my Mum & Dad.

But the big ta-dah moment is the birth of our little baby girl!

On the 12/12 at 8.54 am Amelie Matisse was born. Now I'm breaking my own rule here and I will let you have a little peek at my gorgeous princess. She was 3.4kgs (7 pounds 9) and 50 cm long.

Big Brother Guy is so proud - as is Daddy Guy. So far our beautiful little bundle is being very well behaved and doing all those things that bubbys do - sleeping, eating, burping, pooping. Apparently one's 30+ body doesn't bounce back quite as quickly from a C section as my 25+ body did - but oh well, a small price to pay.

And for a touch of something crafty - check out these gorgeous plaques that my friend Amanda made. she has the most amazing eye for detail and colour - although she claims to be craft-impaired.

quilting inspiration on the go #7

2011-11-09T20:16:00.000+10:00

I've shown you photos of the revamped Boggo Road Jail precinct previously. They now run a farmers/craft market there on Sundays so we headed out last week to have a look.

I love the buildings in this precinct and from where we sat we had a great view.

random happenings

2011-10-24T15:02:00.000+10:00

First question of the day - why when we are expecting children do we feel compelled to undertake major renovation of our dwellings? Or is it just dumb luck that these things seem to collide? We've been planning this renovation of our home for 2 years - since we purchased the property. How is it that now, 7 weeks before B-day (baby day), here I am counting the minutes until the kitchen can be measured and then made, wardrobes installed, carpet laid, laundry finished -etc etc etc. We are currently kitchen-less, laundry-less, the toilet is still operational but I'm not holding my breath to see how long that will last. We have a bathroom and our bedroom and little Guy's bedroom are the only rooms really that will undergo no renovation - but they are currently also stacked full of boxes of stuff from the rest of the house! Anyway, I am actually much calmer about the whole situation than I (and Hubby Guy) thought I would be. Here is a sample of the destruction/construction.

Aunty came back from Europe the other day and brought me these cute stitch markers from Loop - a yarn shop popular with Mollie Makes.

Then Mum, Aunty and I went to the Quilt & Craft show on Saturday. It was really heartening to see that the show has actually grown in size and popluarity. Although my stamina unfortunatly did not keep pace - I was wrecked by the end and didn't even take any photos of all the amazing quilts on show. Picked up some cute, tiny crochet hooks - 2.5, 3 & 3.5mm. And this cute santa ornament kit. Pointed out a few things for Mum to buy me for my birthday too.

Found this cool shop.

And this lovely, local yarn shop.

Ok well that's enough rambling from me for a few days. Might try and have a nap now!

I'm still here!

2011-10-10T18:51:00.000+10:00

Never fear folks I'm still here, haven't had the baby yet. It's been busy here with the house renos nicely underway although we've had a bit of rain but if that can hold off we should get going at a good pace.


the carpenter's apprentices

I had a lovely day today, my friend Frances came for a visit. We had the greatest catch up, nice lunch, quick bit of shopping and then a bit more chat before she had to head off. She bought me this gorgeous softie with matching singlet that she bought from a handmade market in Northern NSW. Yay for more handmade goodness for the bub!

And Yay! for great friends that you can see for the first time in years and take up like it was yesterday!

english paper piecing V&A quilt - progress

2011-10-01T20:10:00.000+10:00

I was looking for a hand work project the other day and remembered that I had this quilt on the go.

That's the great thing about hand pieced work I think, you can pick it up and put it down as you want to.

Renos started here on Friday so my time is being consumed by lighting fixtures and tradesmen and paint colours currently. And I swear to you I couldn't be happier! Even though my backyard resembles a giant mud pit punctuated by some rather sharp steel things sticking out of the ground!

flower cushion - front and back

2011-09-26T13:56:00.000+10:00

I finished off the front of my flower cushion as I was worried that my yarn stash was getting a bit low and I still needed to make the back.

The back is now finished so all I have to do is make a insert and sew it up!

country jaunt - Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers

2011-09-23T21:15:00.001+10:00

Mum and I took a lovely little jaunt to the 'country' today. Toowoomba, which is about an hour and a half from Brisbane, holds an annual carnival of flowers. For those of you from overseas who follow the news - this is where the 'inland tsunami' devastated - so it was nice to see things returning to some semblance of normalcy.

We looked at some pretty flowers.

Before we got distracted by a quilt show (which was held as part of the Carnival).

Joye Peck - 'Insanity'

Lyn Crump - 'Serenstar - the Fire Within'


Vicky Draper - 'Christmas Wreath' - Love this idea - might be an excuse to make some more hexagons!

Then we got double-distracted by a Tea Pot Extravaganza! A whole show dedicated to tea pots, tea cups, tea towels and aprons, as well as some kitchenalia thrown in.

How could a girl (and her mum) go wrong? Three of my favourite things in the world - flowers, tea pots and quilts!

a lovely friend's quilt

2011-09-21T10:57:00.000+10:00

My lovely friend Meg was telling me the other day about the beautiful quilt her Mum made for her. She sent some piccies over yesterday and I just had to share.

Here is the full quilt, I just love the colours, they are so Meg!

And here are a few of my favourite blocks. The quilt was professionally quilted and I just love the detail you get from having that done.

Sunbonnet Sue I believe - love the quilting

a Dresden Plate - one of my faves

and this pretty, not sure what it's called.

Now my challenge to you, my dear friends, is can you identify the rest of the blocks for me? I was telling Meg that each block has a name and a special significance but unfortunately that's as far as our history lesson went with my limited knowlege. (Christine I'm looking directly at you here! :)

Well done Mrs Kiddle ! Beautiful work and it suits your Daughter very well I think.

my name is Bree and I'm a crochet addict

2011-09-17T20:57:00.000+10:00

I think I have a slight problem - itchy fingers so to speak. No sooner were the photos up yesterday of my blankets but I was searching around for something to make with the leftover wool. I had already kind of decided to make a cushion for bub's room, to go with the blankets, it was just a matter of deciding on what pattern to use.

I played around with a few techniques this afternoon. I quite like practicing my crochet and learning new skills. Then all of a sudden, before I knew it, this had happened.

Not bad for one afternoon's work. And quite easy to do I think. Of course you can find the pattern over here at Attic 24 - just about everyone is doing it!

crochet blanket goodness

2011-09-16T14:10:00.000+10:00

I've just finished my second crochet blanket. I did give you a little look the other day but now that it's fully finished, border on and even the ends all woven in I thought we'd have a little bit more show and tell.

I just adore the ripply border, especially since I didn't use any patterns, I just made it up as I went along.

Here is is out in the sunshine, I think it gives you a much better indication of the vibrancy of the colours.

And here of course with the 'big sister' rug - the Garden Grannies.

Still haven't finished weaving in the ends on the Garden Grannies - I'll get there eventually.

These are the remains of the original 200g balls I purchased from Bendigo Woollen Mills. Top row - Lavender, Orange, Citrus. Middle row - Aquarium, Leaf, Stone. Bottom row - Cream, Delphinium, Pink. 'Luxury' range 100% wool yarn worked on a 4mm hook. The Giant Granny blanket is 110cms square and the Garden Grannies is 105cm square.b

another one piece suit

2011-09-15T19:56:00.000+10:00

Today's project is super-easy and anyone could do it as a little gift for a baby shower or for your own baby (like me).

All you need is a one piece suit and some pretty ribbon. I picked this ribbon up very cheaply the other day. I thought it could be used both as a decoration or instead of a tag - just to remind everyone that your piece is 'handmade'.

I tied my ribbon in a bow, put a couple of stitches through the middle of the bow to keep it together and then stitched it directly on to the suit.

Very easy and very cute. You could even make little ribbon roses.

doilie embellishment on a one piece suit

2011-09-14T14:35:00.000+10:00

I've had a few queries about what I was going to do with my vintage doilies. Truth be told I didn't have any definate ideas and definately had nothing to show.

Today however an idea came together quite nicely and while Guy was having a nap after a big morning play date I was able to execute my idea.

Take one vintage doilie and one one piece baby suit. Stitch doilie to front of suit and voila! A very cute embellishment. The suit is actually pale green, it's a bit washed out in these photos, and the doilie is a latte colour (just think of that common colour you often see these doilies in!). I left the very outside edge unattached so it sits up a bit like flower petals. I did contemplate using applique heat and bond stuff but you would have seen it through all the gaps in the doilie. So instead I stitched it on by hand.

So there you go - one doilie used up. Does anyone else have any cute doilie suggestions?

more op shop goodies

2011-09-13T19:01:00.000+10:00

I've been having quite a bit of vintage/ op shop/ thrifting joy lately. I'm actually not a big visitor of op shops (they make me sneeze!) but there is this very cute little one around the corner from Husband Guy's work and every time I drive past I have the urge to stop. Unfortunately it's opening hours are minimal - as with most op shops - it's staffed by volunteers for the MS Society.

Today however I was in luck so I promptly pulled over and went in. The lady took one look at my 6mths pregnant belly and asked if I'd be interested in hand knitted baby goods. I said yes of course and she produced a beautiful dress, booties and matching bonnet.

As well as this gorgeous little jacket. Now by the feel of these garments they are either really new (as in the lady had just cast off!) or they've never been worn.

I also picked up two crochet doilies.

So proud of my op shop finds! I think I could become addicted to this!

Granny square blanket progress - 100 Grannies!

2011-09-12T15:00:00.000+10:00

Well here you go folks, the first pictures of all 100 Grannies, all sewn together!

And to prove I've not been totally slack, here is a pic of the back too - look nearly all the ends are woven in!

I'm thinking I'm not going to put a border on this one. But should probably block it yes? What do you think. It's quite heavy this blankie, definately one for next winter - bub will be about 6 months by then.

I've also started a second blankie, which is much lighter than the last and very theraputic to work on.

From 9 x 200gram balls of wool this is what I have left after constructing nearly 2 whole blankets. Not bad for $100 hey!

belated birthday gift and more baby stuff

2011-09-03T12:52:00.000+10:00

I'm pretty sure my Bro isn't a regular reader of my blog! So I feel ok putting up pictures of his present I've just finished, for his birthday which was at the end of April!

He is one of those rowdy Aussie ex-pats living it up in London so I thought this cute Kokka fabric would make great cushions for him.

I actually got the idea when I saw the fabric with the Tube map on it but unfortunately it sold out before I was ready to purchase. So instead he got London landmarks and some cars which look like London Black Cabs to me.

Whilst I was sewing the cushions I used an offcut to make a little passport wallet for husband Guy. He's been doing a bit of travel for work lately and the poor passport is looking a tad worse for wear.

And on the baby sewing front I've made 2 bunny rugs. They are just 2 pieces of material, at least one flannel, with a satin ribbon edging. The dimensions are roughly a full width of fabric (42inches) x about 1 metre or 1 yard (depending on what I had in the stash). No batting in the middle as they need to be of a lighter weight for the Aussie climate.

more bargain hunting

2011-08-30T10:05:00.000+10:00

I bought two other things at the Antiques and Collectibles fair on the weekend.

This darling little tea cup. I love the scalloped rim and the size of it. The paint is a little worn and it has no saucer but for the price and what I plan to do to it, it doesn't matter.

And these three pretty (unfinished) embroideries. I elected to purchase the unfinished ones rather than pay for more expensive, finished ones as I intend to cut them up. (But shhhhh don't tell them that!).

vintage knitting ephemera

2011-08-29T15:11:00.000+10:00

(there you go Mum I used the word 'ephemera' just for you)

Mum and I spent a lovely morning yesterday at a local antiques and collectibles fair. We've been to this fair a few times previously but it's definately improved with age. When Mum was sick a few weeks ago we spent just about every day watching solid Antiques Roadshow, Bargain Hunt, Dealers and Antiques Roadtrip. We nearly drove Dad crazy.
So yesterday we went armed with our best Bargain Hunt faces and were prepared to ask "is that your very best price?". Not that we did, or really needed to.

We did strike vintage sewing gold though with the purchase of this very cute knitting needle box. A quick peep inside showed that we would have hours of fun sorting through the heap of needles inside so we snapped it up quick smart. After a bit of a clean and a bit of eucalyptus oil to remove sticky tape stickiness it's ready to be shown off.

It has these nifty holes in the top for sizing your knitting needles and came with this little bell-shaped sizer as well.

Many complete pairs of needles, most still in original packaging and two with these handy little row counters.

Two complete sets of double ended needles - one in plastic and one in metal.

I had two favourite finds in this box - two sets of tortoiseshell needles - one only shown here because contrary to what the label says - the knob broke off the top as I cleaned the other set. So it's off having emergency super glue treatment.

My second favourite item was the unexpected discovery of some crochet hooks at the bottom including this lovely carved wooden one (second from the right).

All cleaned up and ready to be put on top of my stash cupboard with my other treasures.

Granny square blanket progress - 90 Grannies!

2011-08-26T20:15:00.000+10:00

This photo is a couple of days old, the blanket now has 100 squares, but this was it with 90 Granny Squares.

I'm now busy sewing the rows together. When I attached the squares together I only attached them in one direction, now I have to go back and sew down each column.

quilting in Tassie

2011-08-21T09:03:00.000+10:00

Mum and Dad have just returned from a week in Tasmania. I'll share the loot that Mum brought for us later but first I have to share these great photos that Mum took at Port Arthur (a historic and notorious site) of some antique textiles.

a proper rag rug, in the style my Granny apparently used to make using an old hessian sack

a scrappy grandmother's flower garden quilt - with fussy cutting and all!

applique detail from a woven fire screen

cushion made from scraps

chair pad

Mum also made lovely friends with a few Tasmanian Quilt Shop owners. I've updated my Australian Quilt Shop list to include these new Tasmanian entries.

A special shout out to: Deb from the Village Sampler and the staff at Calico Crossroads!

one of the locals! just love his colours

a little dress

2011-08-20T19:52:00.000+10:00

I've never made a dress but I was keen to make some little sundresses for the little one.

This pattern is from an Autumn Ottobre (4/2011) and can be warn with or without a tshirt underneath. For our summer it will be perfect on its own but as I think it will be too big for a new born it will be able to go through to Autumn with a tshirt and pants underneath.

The finish on this dress is just incredible. Beautiful top stitching and the elastic encasing goes under the front bodice part so there are no rough seams. And although I nearly went blind tracing out the pattern, I would definately try more of their children's clothes.

something for the little Guy

2011-08-16T13:58:00.000+10:00

So that the little Guy (and you) don't think it's all baby baby baby around here at the moment I thought I should make something for him. He takes a fairly tatty bag to kindy and I've been meaning to make him something a bit more his style.

When I saw this tutorial the other day on Sew Mama Sew I thought it would be perfect for him. He is especially keen on messenger style bags as his Dad carries one.

I did tamper with the tutorial just a bit and kind of did it my way as I was getting confused reading the instructions. But the dimensions of the bag are quite good, the assembly I made up as it's pretty straight forward bag making stuff.

My mother in law brought this fabric back from New Zealand last year and it's a heavier cotton drill kind of fabric, perfect for a bag.

And here is one of our locals trying to balance his big scratchy bird claws on a very smooth round light fitting in the front yard yesterday. I don't think it's going to work buddy!

I am not a craftivist

2011-08-15T22:16:00.000+10:00

I just finished watching a documentary which aired on Australian television last night entitled 'Making it Handmade!" This Doco was made in Melbourne in 2010 and apparently was about: "A documentary following four women from Melbourne who've taken a seemingly staid passtime of craft and injected it with a youthful, modern aesthetic."

Now this is interesting I thought! Following on from a piece about blogging mum's on the 6.30pm show the other night us handmadey, mumsy, bloggy types are really getting out there!

The part that puzzled me was the warnings attached to the show: "coarse language, sexual reference, sex scenes". WTF? I'm laughing to myself thinking they've categorised it incorrectly! Um no. The first part was great, lovely little vox pops from Pip of Meet Me at Mikes fame. Talking about handmade stuff and how it's a love of learning and passing on skills and just generally making stuff and especially connecting with other likeminded souls. Then some wise words from another vox popper about how making a living from handmade is very difficult and how you actually get bored making the same thing over and over or virtually kill yourself and have to outsource - almost defeating the purpose.

But then it got weird. They started talking about activisim and feminism and political stuff and how crafting is intrisicly linked to being an activist and against the grain. Sure a few of the crafty types I associate with are a bit left (or is it right?) of centre, but by no means are they activists. I grow veges, I care about the environment, my husband rides a bike. But I still own a car, I love shopping and I have a huge cabinet full of fabric and craft supplies. And apparently, according to this doco anyway, this makes me consumerist scum - even tho I know how to knit, crochet, sew and many other crafty things. And then there was the woman with the 'c' word. Which I won't repeat here because I don't personally like the word and a lot of readers would find it offensive. I just thought it was dumb and deliberately provocative for basically no reason.

So there's my tuppence worth. The first 20 minutes were pretty good, the rest, well I'll never get that 40 minutes of my life back again. And now I'm angry.

Being crafty is lovely and wholesome and beautiful and giving gifts that you have made or if you can't make them, purchasing them from someone who has lovingly made them, is wonderful. That's it. They were the dying arts and we are bringing them back and making them more accepted as a passtime rather than a necessity or a 'granny thing'. Isn't that enough? Why do I have to burn my bra or deface public property or do pornographic embroidery????

applique on baby onepiece suits

2011-08-13T14:10:00.000+10:00

This is another project for the bub, something I've been gathering supplies for (ie the suits) for a while. This would make a great project for a baby shower gift and it's very cute and quick to do. If you aren't feeling so adventurous, my friend Tyler from Baby Lux Design does sell awesome onesies with much more elaborate designs than I've done!

my first attempt at blanket stitch - be gentle with me!

Not all of my one piece suits will be girly-girly. I tend to like little girls in anything but pink. Or just with a hint of pink.


blogger decided my photos weren't quite funky enough so turned them upside down for me :)

I'm going to do a whole bunch of these suits because with bub being due in summer I know her brother spent nearly his first 3 months clothed exclusively in this type of thing. I made two today one a 000 and one a 0000. I've got a few more white suits stashed away and some green as well just awaiting embellishment. I'm also thinking of using buttons too.

shorts to match

2011-08-11T19:04:00.000+10:00

Thank you to everyone for your kind words yesterday, my little family are very excited by the impending new addition. Although the little Guy did have his heart set on a baby brother he now is just anxious to get 'his' baby.

Today I made some little shorts to match the kimono top from yesterday. I used the Kimono PJ bottoms from the Amy Butler book Little Stitches for Little Ones. I thought the instructions were much better than the Heather Ross book however it did lack pictorial instructions which would have greatly aided. I've made many pairs of shorts before but still managed to mess these ones up once due to lack of pictures. Never mind, that's what unpickers are for.

And check out the cute tag - it's one of my meandmy2guys labels.

Just have to put the elastic in the waist.

a revelation !

2011-08-10T18:55:00.000+10:00

Well for those of you who don't know me in person and for those who haven't guessed, now is probably a good time to make my big reveal.

In December me and my 2 guys will be joined by a new member - a little girl! This bub has been a long time in the making and very much anticipated and eagerly awaited. She is due 4 years to the day that her big brother was due. He was a couple of days late and she is going to be born a couple of weeks early.

The crochet rug I've been working on is for our little girl and I've been gathering supplies for other projects I intend to complete before December.

Today I made my first baby garment, a cute Kimono wrap top. And I've discovered another perk to making baby clothes - they are seriously quick and a great way to use up stashed fabric!

I am going to make some little shorts/bloomers to go with the top out of this blue gingham. The pattern is from Heather Ross's book Weekend Sewing. This is the second project I've made from this book and I find the instructions a bit light-on and the yardage requirements are often incorrect.

please help me encourage a new blogger!

2011-08-05T21:22:00.000+10:00

My friend Fran has had her blog for a while but hasn't managed to really get it off the ground. But today she made her first post about a real craft thing! She's crocheting the flower cushion that Lucy at Attic 24 recently completed.

Could you nip over to Fran's and say hi and give her a little bit of encouragement? Thanks!

Granny square blanket progress - over half way!

2011-08-04T20:49:00.000+10:00

Well the Granny square blankie is cracking along nicely! I had completed 60 Granny squares and decided I'd better start sewing them together otherwise I'd get totally bored of the whole thing.

I used Lucy at Attic 24's method of crocheting the squares together and it worked quite well for me.

Now I just need to make a start on the final 40 squares, I think I'll make 10 at a time and attach them to the body of the blanket.

Have you worked out who I'm making this blanket for yet???

garden update

2011-08-02T20:42:00.000+10:00

We've been having a lovely time in the garden lately. The weather has been sunny yet cool enough to stay out for most of the day, as opposed to summer where you really have to stay indoors between about 10am and 3pm.

The other morning we woke to a cacophany of Cockatoos having a feast in our front tree. This is usually a hot spot to hang out for the local birds but this particular morning we counted 17 Cockatoos in the tree at once! The little Guy and I sat on the front steps and watched them for ages, one landed on our electrical wires and did a loop-da-loop cause the wire was a bit slack, it was very funny. They also beheaded two of my three sunflowers, but that's ok!

The little Guy and I thought it would be nice to have some bird feeding equipment around the yard to encourage the birds to hang out. So that afternoon I bought a bird feeder with seed and a sunflower seed bell thingy. It took them a few days to find it but they finally found the sunflower seeds, as well as beheading my last sunflower.

family crochet blanket

2011-07-29T21:03:00.000+10:00

It's amazing how when you start talking about things they then appear a lot. Since talking about crochet and blankets with my friends and family, several never-before-seen and previously forgotten crochet items have emerged from the family closets.

Mum pulled this blankie out the other day that I remembered from my childhood. I had forgotten about this blanket until Mum brought it out and sent it home with the Little Guy.

It is 10 x 10 Granny squares so I think my little blanket will be around the same size. Although I'm not fond of the colours I still like having it around.

the sunshine quilt - quilted, bound and finished!

2011-07-28T15:00:00.000+10:00

I actually finished this quilt quite a while ago but hadn't gotten around to blogging about it. And since it'd become a bit stick and hook heavy around these parts lately I thought it was high time I pulled my finger out and took to the clothes line to photograph the finished product.

I backed it with a light green spot and bound with an offcut piece of bright orange flowers which I just loved.

The zig zags are Dream On by Urban Chicks and the yellow spots are from Spotlight.

Speaking of all things hook and stick - you can now also find me on Ravelry - meandmy2guys is the username.

vintage sheet goodness

2011-07-26T19:01:00.000+10:00

My in-laws recently received a surprising package from family in New Zealand - a trunk full of goods from my father-in-law's late parents. Now bear in mind that the late parents left us over 10 years ago, so it has taken the package a little while to make the journey to Australia. Inside was an assortment of family crockery and other knick knacks, but most surprisingly of all was a whole heap of sheets. Not sheets of any particular significance but sheets that my sister- in -law and mother -in -law immediately thought I'd be interested in.

And I certainly was! Despite the overpowering scent of moth balls I was very happy with my haul of vintage floral bed sheets. One set in blue and one in purple. Never used, one actually still in the original packaging!

Mum and I washed the sheets up today and left them to hang for most of the day in the sunshine on the line. Fortunately when we checked them this afternoon the terribly overpowering moth ball smell had been replaced by the smell of clean linens.

So now I'm on the hunt for some yellow and some orange as I have a project in mind!

Granny square blanket progress - 1/3 of the way there

2011-07-21T12:39:00.000+10:00

I spent the day on Tuesday with my Mum cause she's got Bronchitis and is lying low. We watched the Lifestyle channel and she did tapestry and I made Granny squares. I made about 5 or 6 and took the totaly to 31.

So basically 1/3 of the way towards my total of 100 squares.

Today I decided to play with them and take lots of photos.

Granny square blanket progress and the next project

2011-07-18T19:10:00.000+10:00

I'm up to 25 Granny squares so far, and I haven't done any today yet, decided it was time to clean my house! So that's one quarter of the way there.

In celebration I decided to browse the crochet blogs and (accidentally) found my next project. I think I should have enough yarn left from the Granny squares to do this blanket, I can always add more colours too.

What projects are you keen to start on? Or are you strictly a one project at a time person?

Where I Sew - with Pink Chalk Studio

2011-07-17T12:18:00.001+10:00

I showed you a little look at my sewing space the other day with the top of my stash cabinet and all my inspiration pieces.

Today I thought I'd go warts and all and join in with Pink Chalk Studio's - Where I Sew.

Here is my sewing table, this was originally my Granny's sewing table so I feel very humble to sew on it, she was a great seamstress. I have a lovely view out the window over the yard, sometimes I do drift off a bit watching the dogs sun themselves and wandering around.

This is my stash cabinet, chock-a-block full of fabric (wish I could say my hubby doesn't notice but we share this space so he is all too aware of the quantity of fabric heaving off these shelves).

And the warts and all part of the tour - the corner between the sewing table and the stash cabinet - let's just lable this area 'storage'.

Well there you go - my 4 square metres of sewing space - and in a house that's this small I know I'm lucky to have it.

Granny square blanket progress

2011-07-14T18:43:00.000+10:00

I'm making steady progress on my crochet Granny blanket. I usually average about one square per day.

I think I'll aim for a 10 x 10 square blanket and I've completed 14 squares so far.

Hope your days are crafty :)

more Melbourne

2011-07-12T11:31:00.000+10:00

the street art being refreshed

I always find interesting things in Melbourne. The laneways are a constant source of delight, whether it's funky shops or yummy eats, or even vast stretches of interesting 'street art'. We found a laneway this time that I'd never seen before with the most wonderful children's bookstore. All the books I loved as a child in new and interesting formats - Hairy Macleary, Miffy, Tikki Tikki Tembo and Tin Tin.

a random piece of graffiti - but I just love it!


the cutest florist with a gorgeous window display

And there are so many beautiful buildings everywhere too.

theatre


Federation Square


beautiful ironwork


the station, with a perfect shadow of the Cathedral spire

weekend in Melbourne

2011-07-11T13:14:00.000+10:00

The hubby and I try to escape to Melbourne once a year. Obviously pre-Little Guy this was much easier, although there were still the fur kids to worry about. Now it is a little more complicated but thanks to the Grandparents everyone still has a great time - he at home with them being allowed to stay up late and spoilt rotten, and we in luxury in Melbourne. We always treat ourselves to a really nice hotel and eat at fancy restaurants and do some shopping.

We've finally learnt in the last few years to slow down and enjoy our time away, rather than micro-scheduling every minute. This year we enjoyed plenty of eating and shopping, hubby enjoyed many visits to his favourite coffee place (he is very stealthy given that he knows his way around Melbourne much better than I, we would 'mysteriously' wind up outside the coffee lab several times per day!). I also got to indulge one of my passions and we took in the Vienna exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. This exhibition was so inspiring, a great mix of art works by Klimt and others as well as furniture, silverwear, ceramics and lithographs. You can really see the influence this period of design in the early 20th century still has today - especially in some of our modern quilting fabrics.

I did manage to track down one craft store - Morris and Sons - bought this stunning hank of yarn. And a new little crochet hook.

Also bought myself another piece of Bison pottery to put my crochet hooks in - can be seen here beside its big brother purchased last year.

And here is the top of my stash cabinet that displays lots of my inspiration pieces and other little bits I love.

grannies and garden

2011-07-07T13:34:00.000+10:00

I've been working on my granny squares since my yarn arrived the other day. I've completed six squares so far, trying not to push myself too hard as have had a bit of a pain in the neck and don't want to make it worse.

Hopefully these photos I just took out in the beautiful sunshine show the bright colours a bit better than the ones I took inside the other day.

Rosemary flowers, apparently edible and make a nice garnish

And a few garden shots thrown in too. We've been harvesting away, it's lovely. Such a great activity and so great to have kids involved in too.

lots of action in the lettuce bed

all this from 2 tomato plants (there is also a capsicum and an eggplant under there somewhere)

yarn love 2

2011-07-05T12:44:00.000+10:00

A lovely package arrived on my doorstep today, it was good timing as I was coming home from the doctor and had just had a big injection in my leg. Anyway I knew this big squishy bag contained some much anticipated yarn love.

Nine colours from the Luxury range (8 ply) from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

I'm going to make a granny square blanket.

Can anyone guess for what or whom I will be making this blanket?

more crochet and another beanie

2011-07-01T19:11:00.000+10:00

I finished my second beanie yesterday. It was the most complex piece of knitting I've done so far. I had to decrease the number of stitches as I moved upwards to create the shape of the beanie. I was so excited at how relatively easy it was.


blogger flipped all my photos - can you see my knitting error?

I am still considering adding this little flower and button to the beanie.

I've also been practicing some more crochet. I was going to make a cushion cover out of these squares but the gaps are too big. The yarn is quite thin, it's eco sustainable bamboo, on a 4mm hook.

Happy Birthday Mum!

2011-07-01T18:56:00.000+10:00

It's my Mum's birthday today - happy birthday Mum!

I've had this idea for a while to make a 'quilt' cake. I couldn't get the icing as purple as I would have liked, since Mum's hexagon quilt is all in purples but I got pretty close. And she got the drift.

more learning to crochet

2011-06-24T19:47:00.000+10:00

I've been pracitising my crochet and am dying to get hold of some nice yarn and get started on a blanket. Below is my first granny square from the other day, I just kept going and practising my trebles until I ran out of the camel coloured yarn.

I've been going back and rereading all the blogs that specialise in crochet and seeing which of their tutorials I could understand and attempt. My first stop was Attic 24 where I had a memory of a really cute granny square tutorial. I was so thrilled to find that I could understand the directions and even managed to teach myself the 'bobble' stitch. So I've been practicing my regular granny square and now my flower granny square.


the central part has the bobble stitch, then the grey is the first round of treble crochet


the top is done on a 5.5mm hook, the bottom on a 4mm, trying out different sizes

I think I might try the Japanese flowers next! I am going a bit crochet mad, but it's so exciting to be learning something new that's really firing my imagination.

learning to crochet!

2011-06-20T19:30:00.000+10:00

Aunty has been 'threatening' to teach me to crochet for ages but we've just never co ordinated it properly. So today with no work and no child and no other distractions we settled in with crochet books, patterns, an instructional DVD, a pile of yarn and several crochet hooks. We did try to get the fire lit for real ambience but we lacked the appropriate size kindling.

But there was cake and coffee and sandwiches. (And a little bit of knitting and talk about quilting on the side).

To my total shock after watching the instructional DVD just once I was chaining up a storm. After a second viewing I was slip stitching and very soon double crocheting. After our lunch Aunty showed me how to treble crochet and make a granny square.

I was so surprised that I was able to follow the instructions in my crochet book and sucessfully create my very first granny square! This is what my granny square looked like when I left Aunty's house this afternoon.

And this is what it looks like now! It's a bit loose and a little rough but could I be any prouder???

This is Aunty's granny square, cute bold colours that will probably wind up as a cushion or a baby blanket. Apparently though I'm now getting the blame for adding to her WIP!

I love learning new things! Especially something I've wanted to learn about for ages. Have you learnt any new skills lately? Or what new skill would you like to learn?

two treats and some garden

2011-06-19T16:38:00.001+10:00

I got two treats on Friday. Firstly I treated myself to some of these cute Art Viva knitting needles. They are made from Tasmanian Oak and have a funky little bauble on the end. I purchased them from Biome which is this awesome store all about sustainability and making a difference in the way we live. Something I think is very popular amongst the handmade/blogging types. They also stock the beautiful Woolganics yarn as well as several craft and knitting books and some cool craft kits for kids. The needles are awesome but the little bauble does add a tiny bit of weight to the end which you have to get used to.

Then when I arrived home in my mail box there was a treat from a quilty/bloggy friend. It is the cutest little quilt you've ever seen. So tiny and intricate.

Here it is beside one of my knitting needles for comparison. These are pretty short needles mind you.

Just look at the size of these nine-patches. Each little square is about 1cm.

And a litte update of the garden while I'm here. I was sitting on my front steps in the sun knitting and thought how lush my veges were looking.


lettuces

the perfect truss


butter beans - yum yum

Don't you just love the patterns that appear in your yarn ball as you work through it?

vintage linens - part 2

2011-06-16T19:34:00.000+10:00

Here are some more of the vintage linens I unearthed yesterday. These range from placemat size to table runners.

embroidery detail from runner above

this is a cushion cover


edge detail from above

embroidery detail from piece below

a very, very long runner

vintage linens

2011-06-15T13:24:00.000+10:00

I've had these linens stashed in my linen closet, scrunched up in plastic bags (*gasp*) for many years. They were scavenged from my Great-Aunt and then from my Granny's houses. I love having things around me which are from my family. Our kitchen table and chairs are the original ones my grandparents had when they were married about 65 years ago. Beside it stands a kitchen dresser which was my great-grandmother's. In our bedroom we have a meat safe of the same vintage as a bedside table. There is glassware and kitchen goods and various other things hidden away and on display. My sewing desk is my Granny's sewing table.

I've had this strange urge for a few days to find the linens I knew were in my house somewhere. I found two bags but I know there are some little beaded milk jug covers and more doilies somewhere.

This is a crochet rug, I'm not sure who made it. Mum or Aunty do you know? It just needs a little wash and it'll be great - Mum you're on wool washing duty :) And would you look at what shape it is ?? Spooky hey!

Here are the doilies that I found so far.

I think some of them are hand made but some were probably purchased. I love the crochet ones.

Now my next question is, any tips on washing the doilies and linens? They have some yellow marks on them, mostly just from age and improper storage. I want to clean them all up and press them flat and either store them properly or use them in some creative way. Any suggestions on creative ways to use them?

sewing for the little Guy

2011-06-12T19:36:00.000+10:00

My little Guy is very familiar with the concept of sewing with most of the women in his life being sewists. A great activity for little kids to do is threading cards - he calls it his sewing. It's very good for their hand eye co ordination and other brain related development. You can purchase pre made cards but my Mum decided to make some for Guy using the letters from his name (he is also in the process of learning his letters).

Mum printed out the letters and laminated them then just punched holes with a hole punch. You can use shoe laces or wool with a bit of sticky tape around the end.

housekeeping

2011-06-09T11:47:00.000+10:00

I thought I'd better show you some photos of things I've had hanging around for a while now. A little bit of housekeeping if you will.

Firstly this is the quilt I received from Wendy in the first round of Christine's doll quilt swap.

Wendy - I don't think my emails to you are working but the quilt is definately here! The detail and the hand stitching are amazing. I notice more each time I look at it.

Secondly this lovely parcel arrived from my friend Frances in Sydney. Frances and I met several years ago through work, she at our Sydney office and me in our Brisbane office. We worked together on a lot of projects over the years and kept in contact mainly through email and a few business visits. In a funny coincidence we wound up having our first babies within 3 days of each other (Fran is a few years older than me :) Since we've both now left the organisation we've still kept in contact and our creative pursuits have blossomed together. She credits/ blames me for her new addiction to all things fabric! I sent her a bundle of scraps and some 1 inch hexagon papers the other week to help her in her hexagon swap. In return Fran has sent me this wonderful package containing one of the Vignette magazines, a beautiful card and the most amazing framed hexagon.

Thanks so much Fran! I love it all and you are a treasure!

Lastly, mostly due to a 20% off sale, I went off to Spotlight the other day to acquire some of the Denise Schmidt fabric. I came home with just a little bit! Not my fault my local Spotlight had just about every fabric in the range in stock!

I got a half metre of each of these.

And a full metre of these.'

Now if any of you are desperate to find these Picnics and Fairgrounds fabrics, I could be pursuaded to return to my Spotlight to acquire some more ;) Drop me an email.

Hopefully that's cleaned out a bit of my housekeeping and I should be back soon to show you the finished Sunshine quilt, I'm just finishing off the binding now.

gifts for Miss 5

2011-06-07T20:27:00.000+10:00

Our friend Miss 5 had a birthday the other day. I knitted her up a cute pink scarf and made a sweet and simple skirt from some flower fairies fabric.

I was worried the skirt was a bit babyish for a five year old but her Mum has reported that she loves the fabric in the skirt and was wearing the scarf already.

new project - Grandad quilt

2011-06-01T19:53:00.000+10:00

I've started a new quilt project today. I figured since I'd posted off my prizes, finished my doll quilt swap and tidied up a bit I was entitled to start something new. The quilt is a present for my father in law, his birthday was in April but I'm not known for delivering these gifts on time!

I'm stepping out of my comfort zone with the fabrics. It was the first time I'd really even stepped into the 'civil war' section of the quilt shop!

And the idea for the design has come from the latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

doll quilt swap sneak peek and some weird weather

2011-05-31T20:11:00.000+10:00

Here is a sneak peek for the second round of Christine's doll quilt swap. It went off in the mail today so hopefully the recipient will get it next week.

And today we've had some weird weather - a big hail storm this afternoon. The weirdest part was the sun shone throughout the storm and there was even a rainbow, meanwhile the little ice balls just kept falling from the sky.

My car was out in it but thankfully no damage, while there was heaps of hail there wasn't any really big damaging stones.

garden update

2011-05-29T13:17:00.000+10:00

The garden is thriving beautifully at the moment courtesy of some mild weather, a little TLC and good amounts of rain.

The biggest radishes have been harvested

The lettuces are taking off

A little unexpected gift from next door

The calm before the storm

Sew Mama Sew - Giveaway Day - WINNERS!

2011-05-27T10:39:00.001+10:00

Hello Hello and welcome to all my new followers.

I've done the random number thingy and come up with our two winners. I've been trying to upload the images of the random number thingy for 2 days and it's not working so this is an image free post I'm afraid.

The winner of the red scarf and a bag of scrap fabric is: mrstolli who said "I love the red scarf! Beautiful!

The second winner, of the coasters and a bag of scrap fabric is: Jessica who said "I'd like to win the coasters."

Congratulations to you both and thanks to everyone for entering. Ladies please look out for an email from me.

Cheers

Sew Mama Sew - Giveaway Day!

2011-05-23T14:15:00.002+10:00

Welcome to Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day!

Although I've been absent from the blog for a few weeks there was no way I was going to miss out on participating in Giveaway Day again.

Today there are two prizes on offer.

First of all this scarf hand knitted by me in a soft red yarn. Ideal for wrapping around and around your neck or wearing long.

Second is a set of six custom made coasters - the winner will be able to let me know the colour or fabric style of their choice. ** Edited to add ** Good news - I do have more tea pot coasters so you can have six of them if you win :) More in the shop too if you don't.

example only

Each winner will also receive a bag of scraps, ideal for small piecing or hexagons or whatever takes your fancy!

Entries are open to anyone, I will post internationally. ~~Please leave a comment by May 25th (USA Eastern time) (that will be 9am on May 26th for Aussie readers).~~ Giveaway is now closed - winners to be announced shortly.

In your comment please tell me which prize you would like to win and why. I will select a winner for each prize based on your comments.

Also anyone who requests a custom item through my Etsy store and mentions Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day will receive 10% off their order.

Good Luck!

the sunshine quilt - top finished

2011-05-06T13:11:00.000+10:00

I've finished the top of the Sunshine Quilt and have today pinned the quilt sandwich.

I added a border of fine minty green stripes to make it a touch bigger.

Finished off the corners with a fun pinwheel.

I'm thinking of something in orange for the binding. The backing is the small light green dot I purchased in Perth.

my trusty photographic assistants

sunday in the garden

2011-05-01T19:10:00.000+10:00

I have actually done some sewing lately but haven't gotten around to taking any pictures.

Today we rejuvenated the garden beds and planted out some winter veges. Tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum, spring onions, butter beans and lettuces. We tried not to go overboard like we normally do and only planted 2 tomatoes and small amounts of everything else.

While we were gardening we had a couple of visitors.

This one is for Myrtle and Eunice:

And these guys. They are like our neighbours, I love seeing them around and they love the trees on our footpath.

Although they can make a lot of mess in a very short time.

Phil & Jack - Guy's quilt finished

2011-04-25T18:54:00.000+10:00

My wonderful Aunty finished the little Guy's quilt and gave it to him on Sunday. You can see her full report here.

Here are a few photos I took of the quilt in Guy's room this morning.

quilting inspiration on the go #6

2011-04-23T19:19:00.000+10:00

Spending a couple of days at the Gold Coast for the Easter break.

Happy Easter everyone.

my creative space

2011-04-20T18:29:00.000+10:00

My creative space today involved completing two custom document wallets with passport pockets. I will be making some more and listing them in the shop shortly. If you would like one in a special fabric or particular colour please email me.

And this is the view out my window as I sew.

I didn't only buy fabric in Perth

2011-04-20T16:10:00.000+10:00

I bought coffee too, mmmmmmm.

you know I had to buy it just for the name right!

My hubby has been raving on for weeks about this great coffee they have at his work over there - lo and behold we found it on Saturday - Romeo No. 5.

And when I unpacked my suitcase yesterday it smelt soooo divine!

fabric frenzy

2011-04-19T19:26:00.000+10:00

Hold onto your hats kids - here comes the frenzy of fabric I purchased from two Textile Traders stores in Perth. If you love fabric and can get yourself to a Textile Traders - I highly recommend it!

floral - Michael Miller dots - Woodland Delight by Paula Prass

floral - Genevieve by Amy Hamberlin for Henry Glass Fabrics blue - Nuances by P&B Textiles

Windham Fabrics - Allison Jame Smith - Peacock

Kaffe Fasset for Rowan Westminster Fibres - Field Bouquet

Kaffe Fassett for Rowan Westminster Fibres - Folk Art

Wheels by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake

Swoon by Melissa Averinos for Andover (a remnant for $1)

Rosie the Quilter by Pam Tuttle of Bayside Quilter for Andover Fabrics (a remnant for $1)

no title - printed for Hobby Lobby

Brown Bear, Brown Bear - Eric Carle

Zoo Babies by Whistler Studios for Windham Fabrics

Ann Kelle for Robert Kaufmann - Urban Zoologie

unknown

Fredda Brennan for Vera Bradley Designs

'La Strada' by the Alexander Henry Collection

Brandon Mably for Rowan Westminster Fibres - Rings

Jealous yet?

more gorgeous photos from Perth

2011-04-18T21:47:00.000+10:00

I had a chance this morning to snap a few last photos of the buildings in Perth before the little Guy and I hopped on the plane home. Don't ask my how that went. It wasn't pretty.

His Majesty's Theatre

One of the wonderful modern buildings

fashion designers walk of fame with the posh shops like Prada and YSL and Tiffany's up on the left

lovely bits and pieces

2011-04-15T21:07:00.000+10:00

Today we spent a lovely day with my girlfriend who took us to not one but two Textile Traders stores. Lots of fabric was purchased however you'll have to wait to see my haul.

Here are a few other bits and pieces from the last few days.

Mum bought me this great book from Calico & Ivy, neither of us had seen it previously and it is such an interesting book. A lot about the history of quilting, especially about engligsh paper piecing. It is called "Patchwork for Beginners" by Sue Prichard.

"Have you remembered to collect pieces for the patchwork? We are now at a stand-still" - Jane Austen writing to her sister Cassandra in 1811

Mosaic at the Perth Bell Tower.

Found this great tea towel at the Kakulas Sisters store in Fremantle. Kakulas Sisters and their Kakulas Brothers store in Perth are awesome providores, loads of sacks of coffee beans and lentils and such.

The famous West Australian Black Swans. I love the way the feathers at the back look like a bustle on a fancy dress!

my haul from Calico & Ivy

2011-04-15T09:28:00.000+10:00

I was too exhausted the other night (and the light was poor) to take photos of the goodies I purchased at Calico & Ivy. So here they are:

gorgeous yarn by Colinette and gorgeous postcard by Nathalie Lete

a red and white/cream bundle

the Pips had just landed so I had to grab a few

Thursday was spent at the Perth Zoo. This one is for you Jenn.

Calico & Ivy

2011-04-13T21:29:00.000+10:00

Don't tell my girlfriend but I orchestrated our whole excursion today around a visit to Calico & Ivy. The whole day trip to Fremantle was just a distraction :)

Firstly we had to go to the Bell Tower and board a boat to motor down the mighty Swan River to Fremantle. Here is probably the best example of modern architecture in Perth.

Cool buildings in Fremantle.

The main attraction :)

Perth - day 1 - architecture

2011-04-12T21:30:00.000+10:00

The first thing that struck me about the Perth CBD today? The architecture. It has the most amazing array of old and new buildings. Here are a few images of some of the older buildings.

London Court

Town Hall

document wallet

2011-04-11T19:14:00.000+10:00

I went into a little bit of a pre-travel sewing frenzy today.

I decided I needed a document wallet to carry our tickets etc in. I cut into a stashed piece of Kokka fabric which my Bestie had purchased for me.

And it was the inagural use of a meandmy2guys label!

sunday snippets

2011-04-10T12:28:00.000+10:00

Sunday morning snapshots

Papa-bear, Mama-bear and Baby-bear coffees

Every time I see my front step arrangement I feel a bit Attic 24

doot doot doot lookin' out my front door

who couldn't love a face like that

and this cheeky face

Drinking lots of coffee tonight - Paris-Roubaix bike race on tonight.

the sunshine quilt - zigs and zags

2011-04-08T15:51:00.000+10:00

I finished putting together the zigs and zags for my sunshine quilt today. It was probably a good choice to work on as a) it's very not sunshiny here today and b) due to ongoing car trouble I'm not very sunshiny either. I think it's going to need a border or something more to make it a bit bigger, it's a bit small still.

My little family will be dropping into beautiful downtown Perth next week so if you have any suggestions on things to see or do (fabric or otherwise ;) please leave your suggestions. I've already marked Calico & Ivy and Textile Traders on the map!

quilting inspiration on the go #5

2011-04-07T19:21:00.001+10:00

I received these images in an email today. Unfortunately by the time it got to me (it was one of those forwarded emails) there was no annotation as to the photographer. So I apologise to the photographer and celebrate their work.

These photos are of huge fields of Tulips from the Netherlands. Once the Tulip season is finished the fields are plowed and veges grown.

On another note you'll see I have a new tab at the top of the page about Australian Quilt and Craft Stores. If you have a favourite local Quilt or Craft store near you please email me with the details so I can add them to the list and we can all support our local stores.

another beautiful quilt

2011-04-07T12:14:00.001+10:00

My husband's Aunt recently sent me a photo of her latest quilt. In her words:

The crocheted pieces were made by my great Aunts in Italy about 80 odd years ago as they use to send a bedspread out to my Grandparents with a crocheted edge around it and as the bedspreads had worn out the crochet was taken off and given to Mother. She never got around to doing anything with it and so when Papa cleaned out her sewing room I got it and have had it for about 14 years and have just used it. I got serviettes with the apricot design on so incorporated them with the crochet and so I used apricot behind to bring it all together. I am quite pleased with the affect and so the spare bed now has a new spread.

Beautiful work Rosina. We will have to come and visit one day and see all these wonderful quilts in person. xxx

yarn love

2011-04-06T19:24:00.001+10:00

The second of my much awaited parcels arrived yesterday. Bearing five balls of delicious yarn love from Bendigo Woollen Mills. I ordered a range of different yarns in different colours to see which ones I like.

The balls are huge - 200 grams - which is equivalent to about 4 normal balls.

I did discover one of the pitfalls of ordering yarn or indeed fabric over the internet - the colours. Though helpfully Bendigo Woollen Mills have sent me a colour card with my purchase so I'll be able to purchase with complete assurance in the future.

For Aussie shoppers if you order over $30 worth (around 2 balls) they give you free shipping.

a lovely day out with the girls

2011-04-05T19:28:00.000+10:00

I spent a beautiful day at the Gold Coast with my girlfriend and her 5 month old Mya and my girlfriend's sister. The girls introduced me to Bumbles cafe at Budds Beach last month and I was keen to return. The decor, location and food at Bumbles are all wonderful.

For me, the coffee at a cafe is a make or break situation. The coffee at Bumbles is really good.

As was the Chocolate Nemesis! (which was no match for Amanda and I!)

knit one purl one - oops!

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

Do you know what happens when you knit one purl one and then you slip up and forget and just keep right on knitting?

You get a speed bump.

But I'm quite taken by this speed bump.

So I did it again! I'm not counting the rows I'm just guesstimating.

On other notes:

* this is post 250 - time for another giveaway perhaps?
* today I went out and performed an actual real job - I think I much prefer staying at home to sew! :)
* cycling season has commenced - am currently watching last night's tour of Flanders, next week comes Paris Roubaix! Once the Spring Classics are done then come the majors! I love watching cycling. And perhaps soon I'll be joining their ranks. But that's a funny story for another day.

sunday snippets

2011-04-03T18:46:00.000+10:00

a few snippets from my sunday

trinkets from a beach wedding

new life in the garden - radishes

late season sunflowers

tarragon - beautiful with chicken and verjuice

rosemary in bloom

first ever beanie - finished!

2011-04-02T19:01:00.000+10:00

It was with much glee this afternoon that I cast off and sewed up my first ever beanie! A matching set for the scarf I knitted the little Guy a few weeks ago.

It came from this book.

I quite like the look of the top, I deliberately went for this one rather than the rounder pattern which is also in the book.

It's about 25 degrees (C) is that cool enough for a scarf and beanie combo??

the sunshine quilt - cutting and piecing

2011-04-01T13:40:00.000+10:00

On this rainy day in Brisvegas I thought we all could use a bit of sunshine. I've had a layer cake of these beautiful bright fabrics for a while and had purchased the yellow spots the other week.

I woke this morning with my mind clear, mojo back and two quilt designs swimming around in my brain.

I started with a pile of fabrics.

Soon I had a pile of HST's with their little dog ears.

Which then gave me a pile of fluff.

After a bit of playing on the floor I now have some very pretty zigs and zags.

Have a sunshiny day :)

my creative space

2011-03-31T12:57:00.000+10:00

I was going to take a photo of my empty cutting mat as my creative space today - that's a bit how I feel - uninspired. I'm having a bit of a craft block. Nevermind I'm sure my mojo will return soon.

I have some more red on the sticks - for a beanie for the little Guy. We'll see how that turns out being my first non-scarf garment.

I finished a very long scarf/necklace thingy for my mum from some chunky green yarn on chunky 10mm needles.

This is the source of my craft block at the moment. I'll get round to it eventually - hopefully before Easter as it is a season-specific project!

And for a dash of colour, one of my orchid flowers fell off as Aunty was delivering it the other day. You can read the story of the orchids here.

More creative spaces here.

a parcel in the mail

2011-03-29T19:10:00.000+10:00

I've been waiting for three parcels in the mail, the first of which arrived today.

Any ideas what this is?

It's my woven labels!

Monday - snapshots from my day

2011-03-28T18:47:00.001+10:00

Another runner in the cute selvedge stakes:

A little drawstring bag to carry the kindy sheets:

A cushion for my chair:

And a little peek into my studio, my stash cabinet:

I purchased this gorgeous pot from Bison Australia whilst in Melbourne last year. It currently holds my knitting needles and my rotary cutters. I think I'll move it up to the top of my cabinet and just keep my growing collection of knitting needles in it. Hopefully when we're back in Melbourne in June I can pick up something smaller to hold my rotary cutters and markers.

Most pieces that Bison produce have this little fellow on them. (It's the Bison, he's a bit hard to see).

The completed coasters for my friend:

stash on sunday

2011-03-27T12:30:00.000+10:00

Here's a look at a little bit of stash building I've been doing lately.

I snapped up these 6 fat quarters yesterday at the Craft show. They were in a bin for $3 each or 6 for $15! The bin was full of older range Amy Butler, Kaffe Fasset and AMH. I picked these 6 as I thought they went together well as a set.

I couldn't resist this cutie either for $3.50. Hexagons arranged into granny flowers, right up my alley.

Mum also bought these for me the other day - can you guess who she had in mind when purchasing??

Finally some basic spots purchased from my local Spotlight the other week for 20% off. They have a great range of these basic spots both in positive and negative. The grey spot will be the binding on my pinwheel quilt.

Have you picked up any fabric bargains lately?

my day - saturday - craft show

2011-03-26T19:16:00.001+10:00

My day started at the park with my guys, I was lying on a park bench staring at the sky. The park is a rocket wonderland and a favourite with the little Guy. I love the peaceful bush setting even though it's only minutes from our home and the city.

The subject fabric which had to be incorporated into each quilt.

I then moved on to the Craft Expo with Mum & Aunty. I did a little bit of stash building but the main highlight of the day was the quilts on show from the Queensland Quilters. The display was made up of small challenge quilts into which members had to incorporate a particular piece of fabric.

This was my favourite due to my love for Van Gogh:

Another Starry, Starry Night by Jenny Waddell

I also liked this one for the mass of hand quilting:

The Blues by Rayma Walker

This was the third place winner:

The Patched Cow by Karen Mersiades

Second:

All At Sea by Marilyn Meehan

and First place.

Floral Fantasy by Jan McPike

Congratulations to all the Guild members, the quilts were all beautiful and I might even be heading over to the next meeting!

my creative space - half square triangles

2011-03-24T18:47:00.000+10:00

Half square triangles - I've had them on the brain lately. In Amy Butler's Love fabrics.

These will wind up as coasters.

more creative peeps here.

heat wave

2011-03-23T19:58:00.000+10:00

Little Guy's request was for a red scarf.

The last two days in Brisbane has been HOT. Don't get me wrong we are used to the heat here but a month into Autumn and we are sweating.

An extra long thin scarf for me which I can wrap and drape around my neck as a scarf or a necklace.

So guess what I'd spent the last two weeks making - scarves! I thought after a few cool days and beautiful nights that I was safe to start my knitting. Apparently not! It's almost impossible to knit in Brisbane in summer - not only do we have limited use for knitted garments but it's way to hot to have your knitting sitting in your lap.

One thing I was very pleased with last week though was I taught myself to Purl. I've only ever been a very basic knitter of scarves in Garter stitch but now I can add Purl to my list of skills. I actually like the way that the knitting curls up when you 'knit one purl one'.

One thing that is loving the hot weather though - the garden! I'd given it a very savage pruning on one of our cooler days a few weeks ago. Now after a weekend of rain the lavender is blooming beautifully. Watched over by my little friend.

random images from my day

2011-03-22T18:55:00.000+10:00

A few random images from my day:

A lovely bright building on the Gold Coast

My quilts and cushions soaking up some rays on the front steps

And my chair, this chair was aquired by my parents around the time I was born. It was in my room for most of my childhood and eventually moved outside into the garden. It was a favourite with my Grandmothers as the arms made it easy to get in and out of. I've since requisitioned it and it now sits on my front porch.

my creative space - projects

2011-03-17T13:04:00.000+10:00

I alternate between having a few projects on the go and focussing on one only.

Currently today I have a little experiment on the sticks, conveniently located on the kitchen table.

I have a little pair of shorts amongst other things on the sewing table.

And my pinwheel quilt, now with second thin border, hanging over the back of the office chair - waiting for a backing.

More creative spaces here.

pinwheel delight - top finished

2011-03-15T12:10:00.000+10:00

I was so happy yesterday to have some time to sit down and work on my pinwheel delight quilt top again.

Last week Mum & I had a crafty shopping day and I purchased 2 more prints from the Arcadia collection to use in the pieced border. They were 2 prints I'd used in the main part of the quilt but in darker colourways.

I thought this darker border would look nice around the lighter middle of the quilt.

I had almost enough to cut the rectangles I required, in the end I was two rectangles short so I made 2 composite blocks and added one to each side for a bit of interest and rather than adding another fabric to the border.

I am considering adding a thin grey border around the very outside - any thoughts? I have a grey and white spot for the binding.

quilting inspiration on the go #4

2011-03-12T13:29:00.000+10:00

I'd been trying to think of something to make for Easter. I had a few little ideas kicking around in my head, then into my letter box popped this local advertising magazine.

Idea cemented!

And how cute is this selvage, cutest every I think!

custom coasters

2011-03-11T19:41:00.000+10:00

I made these custom coasters today for a local hair salon.

doll quilt swap sneak peek - it's in the mail

2011-03-10T14:33:00.000+10:00

Here are a last few sneak peeks at my doll quilt swap for Wendy in Alabama. It's just about to go in the mail and all will be revealed once Wendy has received.

I love the fabric I found for the binding. It suits Wendy's colour preference as well as fitting in with the theme of the quilt.