odd jobs for a chilly night

These chilly Autumn nights lend themselves to completing odd jobs left undone over the summer...first of which is the above moss (seed) stitch scarf for my brother-in-law.
Next, I want to finish this quilt for another brother-in-law's dear new baby boy.

I love 8tracks. It makes working so much sweeter. Here's another mix I put together for you.
Enjoy.

Not for the broken hearted from stupendous joy on 8tracks.

ahoy their sailor!

Z had a pirate party to attend last weekend while I was away so I made him a little vest the night before I left. I used this pattern from Made. It is super easy, using felt.....so no finishing required. My favorite kind of sewing project.

x

Summer PJ's

You may remember this sweet Liberty fabric from way back here. I was going to make a pair of pants for the Z man to take away with us...but somehow in all the holiday preparations it slipped off the list.
With the midday heat bearing down on us yesterday we retreated from our blow up pool to the air-conditioned indoors. We only need to use our air-conditioning around 3 times a year as our house stays pretty pool. Yesterday however, topped the charts and so on it went.
Z, to his great delight, watched a movie while I whipped up a pair of pj's using this very rock star pattern by Dana at Made.
They have a slightly flared leg with a low riding elasticised waist... perfect for emergency toilet scrambles!
The second pair I made with one eye on the Nadal and Berdych match last night. They're not so rock star but there's plenty of room to run around in.
The pattern is a ripper, super easy and so fast to whip up. No previous sewing experience is needed to succeed, I promise. I'm thinking a pair of these may be in order for Z's first day at kinder next week.

Thank you.... & now, to the new.

Notice things look a little different around here? It's been fun playing around.
It's also given me a chance to look back on my year and be thankful for all the incredible beauty in my life (and realise how slack I've actually been at uploading to Flickr. Oops, there's a New Years resolution right there).

Here's some summer lovin' linkage to kick start all this newness...... and say thanks to the last 12 months.

Seam Magazine discovered via Floating World.
All the beautifully inspiring content over at Lou, Boo and Shoes ...via Beautifully, Suddenly...equally as stunning.
This fabric just ordered for my latest chair.
I may have posted on a previous list but really....I'm still in love with this photo by nehmzow
This makes me laugh.....
Dreaming of a new quilt to sew... either this, this or this.
Loved the Beci Orpin & Sportsgirl co-lab this Christmas! They made for excellent gifts and stocking fillers.
All the playfulness over at Mamamekko.
The Train to Crazy's homemade car track for boys...perfect for camping holidays!
This for 2012!

and to finish off I couldn't resist sharing this quote from a letter Jessica Mitford wrote to her daughter while she was away at college "Only vegetables and fibbertigibbets go through life with no problems or pain about the future, as you are unfortunately neither, I guess you can expect a few ups and downs."

Life, so simple.
xox

My Superhero

I made this Superman Cape some months ago. It's sat in the dress up box. Completely overlooked.... for a cowboy, rabbit, chef or pirate.... until yesterday.

My superhero was in full action mode. Tearing around the house with his cousin.....

You can find the tutorial for the cape over here, at Floating World.

Hope you had a lovely weekend. x

Sewing & a sick Sheriff

My little Z is under the weather so we've been spending quiet days at home this week. To keep myself sane while housebound for long stretches I've been doing a spot of sewing (I could be doing housework, filing or cleaning out the bulging linen cupboard but somehow none of these tasks appeal. Oops...ok this afternoon. I promise).
This morning I whipped up the above quilt top. The fabric comes from vintage pillow cases I purchased at the Lorne Op Shop some time back and the green linen is from an old tea towel of Doo's. They work really well together. Next I just need to decide on the border colour, backing and binding.

In the meantime, I'm going to make a pair of these for the Sheriff out of this cute Liberty fabric which I picked up on the weekend at Tesutti. Oh Tesutti, how I love thee. x

Hold me close

Do you think I could possibly wear this 'Hold me Close Heating Pad Cover' to the wedding? I've managed to whip it up instead of the dress. Granted, it's been on my to-do list for some time but really....right now!? I have 2 hours to make a start on the dress before Z needs to be picked up. Why am I so terrified of silk?

The Heating Pad Cover is from the book Denyse Schmidt Quilts, 30 colorful Quilt & Patchwork Projects. I'd like to make one of her fabulous quilts next... but not before I finish the dress. I promise.

distractions & pretty things

Source: thehousethata-mbuilt.blogspot.com via Stupendous Joy on Pinterest

I have this dream about bunk beds and a country house.
I've tried to convince my dad to build an extra room onto his house (he lives on the coast) and make it into a bunk room ..... but for some reason he's not buying my dream, so I continue to dream.
I came across this image last night, while procrastinating, over at The House that AM Built. I spent so much time looking at pretty images that I haven't made a start on the dress.
Damn you pretty things, you lured me form my plans yet again.

Thankfully A-M had also posted this....

Source: thehousethata-mbuilt.blogspot.com via Stupendous Joy on Pinterest

You've gotta love a second chance. So, tomorrow I sew!

While speaking of second chances.....I am onto Day 3 of making a sourdough starter. After my failed attempt last time around (I completely forgot about it for 2 days)I've been re-inspired by City Hippy Farm Girl, who makes it look so easy. Here's hoping, if I'm not somehow distracted, I'll be ready to make my own bread by the end of the week.

Yay to Papa Play Days

The weekend was a wonderful mix of play and productivity. The boy's played while I managed to grab some precious time to sew.
Z & the L.F. hung out. Made a truck out of recycled boxes an some colourful bottle tops, took a long ride along the beach down to Sandringham for a Dixie Bell ice-cream and dip their toes in the water (brrrr). Sped to the local shops on Z's super fast scooter and played rough... all while I finished off the Amy Butler Anna Tunic top I was making.
I've had this pattern sitting aside since a trip we did to Newcastle a while back. I'd grabbed a copy from the funny little quilting store next door to Rolador and it's sat in my to-do pile until now.
It turned out quite well.... I do have some reservations about the pattern. The arm holes are tiny! Thankfully I'd read this somewhere before sewing the fabric pieces together and cut extra room around the arm holes. It's still quite tight for me. I like room under my arms to breathe. The front isn't sitting perfectly ...possibly that's because of my pleating.... or maybe it was designed for flat chested ladies... either way, I think a couple of darts may help the issue. I'll snap a photo soon so you can see for yourself.
I'm now onto the Miz Mozelle dress above. This one is to be sewn in silk. Mmmm, tricky.... I'm thinking. The fabric pieces are ready to go. I just needed to get a size 70 needle for my machine for the finer fabric. In the meantime, I've been researching all sorts of tips and tricks to help me with sewing in silk. I'll definitely use french seams for the raw edges. My favourite tip so far is to sew the pieces between two layers of toilet paper or tissue paper to stop the fabric from slipping. Fingers crossed.
I'll make a start tonight. xx

who's that knockin' in the new green skirt

Here's a few shots (Z, who's 3, took the top one) of my new green skirt which I finished last night. I made it using Simplicity pattern 2656. I love the shape, colour and the fact that it has extra deep pockets, lined using a contrasting print. There will definitely be more of these to come. I think I'd like a denim one next.

The toy was found! Hooray!!! She now lives with a lovely 18th month old girl who has apparently taken to carrying her everywhere and making clucking noises. What a perfect find. Happy, happy people. xox

I did it!

Hooray. I've finished Z's quilt and here's the result. I'm so pleased with how it's turned out. The hours of hand stitching payed off. I really love the effect of the hand stitched detailing. I used a charcoal grey thick cord for the backing and it looks so lovely and lush. Oh, the joy of a job well done. :)

Z is as pleased as punch and enjoyed his midday sleep, snug as a bug, tucked up underneath.

with love

A growing pile of books sits patiently on my grandfather's chair waiting my attention. Days whirl past and my nights, of late, are spent on the couch hand stitching Z's quilt. I'm almost done.

Then, I promise, I'll be all yours....
Lotta Prints
Papaer Cutting
Denyse Schmidt Quilts
Thrift to Fantasy (this treasure is on loan from my lovely neighbour)
Built by Wendy Dresses
The Crafty Kid (a Mother's Day present from Z)
Printing by Hand

and one I picked up from the library yesterday Honey For a Child's Heart.

In the meantime, here's to savoring the sweetness of hand stitching for someone you love, with love....

Finish & Complete

The L.F.'s mum is always on about 'Finisher Completer's'. Apparently there are only two types of people in this world. Those who Finish & Complete and those who don't.
I've never been too sure which side of the equation I reside on in this debate. I like to think I'm a 'Finisher Completer' but sometimes the lag time on my projects stretches out way longer than would be considered 'a fair quota of time' (we're talking, on occasion, years)....which possibly negates my 'Finisher Completer' status?
I do however love to finish off other peoples crafty projects. Especially ones that have been so lovingly stitched and laboured over. I found these gorgeous quilted pieces on Saturday while continuing our clean up over at Doo's. What a precious find, hey! They were stitched in the 70's and have been packed away, for some reason, for the last 40 odd years in an old suitcase in the studio. I've never attempted this kind of patchwork before, using paper templates. So I'll have to investigate the process and add it to my growing list of To-Do's.
When my mother passed away I found some woollen patchwork pieces she'd been working on and turned it into this quilt. It's kind of a lovely, cathartic, contemplation on someone special's life (if that makes sense). A way of showing gratitude, I suppose. Finishing the pieces somehow makes the journey together feel strangely complete.

One perfect day

There's is no better day than today for hand quilting!
Let me paint the picture. Melbourne, freezing cold... ahem, 12 degress... that's considered freezing, isn't it?! The rain is coming down sideways and the hail stones have miraculously turned our trampoline tarp from black to a blinding white. The site of which makes it 'feel' arctic!
A DVD is playing (Z's favourite, a musical adaptation of Pinocchio, filmed in 1976, starring Danny Kaye) while Z and me snuggle up under quilts on the couch. I'm using the quilt above to keep me toasty while I hand stitch the quilt pieces together.
It really is a perfect day for ducks..... & quilting.

've always been a huge fan of Denyse Schmidt's quilts and now I have another crazy quilter to add to my list of inspirational crafters... Susan Beal. Her latest book Modern Log Cabin Quilting is on the top of my wish list.

Another lovely weekend ...... over. Thanks to all who shared a piece of it with us. xxx