Life's Just a Ferball

{this moment}

2012-02-03T07:56:00.001+11:00

After the heat of the day, a photo by rufus48 (Fer) on Flickr.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

2012-01-27T13:19:00.000+11:00

I've decided to join Soulemama for 'this moment' each Friday. That way I can keep the blog updated without having to think of anything witty to say...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

While he sleeps...

2011-11-24T21:29:00.001+11:00

Tamsyn and I get busy. In one way or another...

We have a lovely sheltered deck area in our backyard that is roofed with tinted laserlite, which is a must in our part of the world what with its depleted ozone layer right above us. So today seemed like a good day for a paddle. Tamsyn loves the water, which isn't really surprising considering both her parents are water mad and reminded me of myself when I was young, you know, staying in the water until you start shivering......

I've been feeling the need to knit socks for myself lately, despite being on the first sleeve of another Tiny Tea Leaves for Tamsyn. I try to be a monogamous knitter but I think it's just not natural in some ways, although more than two is stretching myself too much. I've had this sock yarn for a while and it kept calling me every time I walked past it, so I gave in and dug out the double pointed needles. This is the first sock, so here's hoping I won't end up suffering from 'second sock syndrome' (like I have in the past).

And what of Angus? Well he's crawling everywhere and pulling himself up against any piece of furniture, or leg, or sister.....

Picking up the pieces

2011-11-14T21:54:00.001+11:00

Pa's back yard. (Tamsyn doesn't need to be in the play pen, she just likes to share it with Angus...)

I had a sad yet happy nearly-two weeks in Geelong, and came home only to fall into an emotional heap.

I'm grateful of these two small people in my life, they give me something positive to focus on. I'm also grateful for a loving, caring and understanding husband who knows how to do and say the right things at the right times.

Excuse me....

2011-10-26T22:33:00.000+11:00

.... while I have a break from blogging - especially reading and commenting.

My adopted mother (pictured on the right, when Tamsyn was 5 months old), passed away on Tuesday morning after suffering from liver cancer. She was never in any great pain, but the quality of her life gradually slipped from her grasp.

We think of her now in heaven playing table tennis with her parents until they wet themselves laughing.

Daily life....

2011-10-14T22:27:00.000+11:00

....seems to keep going. It's October already and I have to start thinking of Christmas, which also means Angus' first birthday. Angus....... one year old in just over 2 months time...... how did that happen?

Two-and-a-bit year old Tamsyn is growing too, not just in height but with language, understanding and abilities. My little bald headed baby finally had enough hair to cut the other day.

She was a very good girl (provided she sat on Daddy's knee), and took it all quite seriously. She's also been talking about it ever since.

Angus was content to watch on, but the way he keeps growing I wouldn't be surprised if he needs a trim before his first birthday.

Afterwards we treated ourselves to a coffee/babycino at the cafe next door....

Tamsyn looooooooves babycinos...... Angus seems to be developing a taste for them too......

Because I needed a break from knitting,

2011-09-16T17:06:00.000+10:00

and before I became all knitted out. I picked up the crochet hook and gave it a whirl (having only done granny squares in the past). One little baby rattle later I felt enough confidence to tackle a full on teddy for the new nephew -

(yet another Drops design)

It's far from perfect but I'm sure little Hugh doesn't mind, especially as Angus tested it before posting to Canada and gave it the thumbs up.

Spurred on but not wanting to get too bored with only 'double crochet' ('single crochet' in America), and even though I love all the cool Amigarumi out there I felt the need for a bit of variety. Hence the Queen Anne's Lace Scarf....

It's just enough of a pattern to make it interesting without being too difficult, and I've done enough repeats now to feel confident without the pattern sitting by my side. That's a win:win situation in my books.

And hey, who knows but I might make it back to regular blogging again. Cripes!

Angus' first trip to Bruny Island

2011-03-09T14:43:00.000+11:00

In the ferry queue.

In some ways I'd been dreading this moment, how on earth would I cope? The main reason for my fears was that there are no enclosed areas so I'd have to watch Tamsyn constantly, which isn't easy when you're changing someone else's nappy etc....

However, apart from the copious amount of luggage (it took 2 hours to pack the car...) it was pretty good, and thankfully both children travel really well.

This was how I spent most of my time. We have an old hand-me-down stroller which stays at the oyster lease, so with Tamsyn in that and Angus in the Baby Bjorn we went walking.... a lot. There's some great bush tracks all around this area, and I really really need the exercise. Mind you, I've been pushing the twin pram around Launceston quite a bit lately too.

There's hope for my figure yet...

Still alive

2011-02-18T16:54:00.000+11:00

I was feeling very daunted before Angus was born, I honestly didn't know how I'd cope with 2 children under 2 years. I have to remind myself now that when I was heavily pregnant there would be no way I could manage 2 under 2 at that time. But I'm not pregnant now, I have lots more energy and a little boy who's pretty easy going.

Tamsyn is getting used to having a little brother (he's 7 weeks old now, how did that happen?!), and even helps me burp him by patting him on the back when I do. She loves to kiss him, and put his dummy in when he wants it, and points to his nose.... stop me now before I get too gooey....

Mealtimes with Tamsyn have always been good, and now we have company. Those bouncy seats are worth their weight in gold, we got this one for Tamsyn and it usually follows me around the house. I love slings but they make my shoulders ache after a while.

Tamsyn is at that age where she wants to feed herself, which is fine but this needs to be supervised of course. So what do I do while watching her eat? (unless I'm eating too) I knit...

Ravelry notes here.

I've done the odd bit of sewing too, mainly a flowergirl's dress for my girlie.

Happy days.

Thankful

2011-01-07T14:39:00.000+11:00

I am thankful for....

... the miracle of birth and a boy who knows how to wear a vest his Mummy made for him

... to see that male bonding is alive and well

.... to watch this little girl grow, explore and enjoy her Christmas presents

And to you, my dear bloggy friends, for all your lovely comments and well wishes.

Life is good.

Announcing

2010-12-30T16:46:00.000+11:00

The safe arrival of Angus John Lindon Brock. Born the 28th of December at 8.55pm, and weighing in at a hefty 9lbs 2ozs!

Now our family is complete.

Winding down

2010-11-17T21:23:00.000+11:00

I'm doing my best to keep up with all the blogs I read, plus being active on Ravelry, and Facebook. However I fear my motivation to keep my own blog updated has waned. I think it's more to do with massive baby brain than anything, I try to think of a post to write and my mind literally goes blank. Well.... that's my excuse anyway...

With only five and a half weeks to go I'm finding myself spending more and more time relaxing on the couch with knitting needles in my hand. This works well as I can also supervise the wee girl at play. So without further ado here's some examples of what I've been knitting -

Some pants for Baby, knitted in sock yarn.

A spring top for Tamsyn (Nikki, you'd love this one!)

Something for one of my sisters but it's for her birthday so I can't show it yet. A couple of other things that I haven't got around to taking pictures of either. But it's all good and very very satisfying.

So to finish off this meagre post I have to share this photo taken at the recent Teddy Bears Picnic in Launceston's City Park -

Dressed entirely in clothes her Mummy made for her. :-)

A small diversion

2010-10-20T21:27:00.000+11:00

I needed to do something fun and for me, well, mostly for the wee girlie. I've admired what this talented lady does for a while and thought why not? A lovely simple square patch quilt in fun bright spring colours.

Just a small quilt, using fabrics only from my stash and simply quilted in the ditch.

....

....

....

... and then I cut it....

....

Five times in fact...

....

....

But for good purposes.

You see it's an old pram (made when 3 wheelers were a new thing), a hand-me-down that has been oh so useful but in desperate need of jazzing up. In winter it has a sleeping bag (which can be seen here, gosh wasn't she small back then!) for keeping little bodies very warm and snug, but it's spring and I wanted to capture it in quilt form. So to speak.

And the quilt-as-you-go dream? It's still there, and I'm going to make a start.... soon.... honest....
(Tamsyn's hat is from Foal Design)

A quilt for a little man called Felix

2010-10-04T22:08:00.000+11:00

I meant to post this last week and not have so big a gap between posts. But hey, I'm just over 6 months pregnant and baby brain has been quite intense this time, not to mention the tiredness and just plain laziness... I seem to reserve most of my strength for Tamsyn and the bare minimum of housewifery. Even though I make sure I read (almost) everyone's blog each day, comments may be brief. I think "cool!" has been all I can manage some days. :/

I don't altogether see this as a bad thing, my body is working hard at growing a little person and apart from the occasional meltdown things have been pretty cruisey.

Felix's sock monkey quilt was the first I've ever made where I didn't have a plan other than doing a whole heap of bias squares, and the width of the fabric (all half yard cuts) dictated the size of those squares. I thought I'd leave the Brady Bunch style fabric whole which would be good for alternating blocks. When it came to laying out the blocks on the lounge room floor after Tamsyn had gone to bed one night I had come up with a star style. Ant looked at it, screwed up his nose a bit and said "how about this instead".

I knew he was right.

It's the first quilt I've made purely out of flannel: front, back and binding. I made sure there was enough fabric left over for a very scrappy back and did some basic machine quilting. I'm never going to do a purely flannel quilt again, it's so much more temperamental than quilting cotton - it seems to give/stretch more, but I'll continue to use it as a backing fabric. That works well.

Next up, I want to try my hand at some 'quilt as you go'. I've been quilting for over 20 years and have never tried it. I've also been inspired by what this talented lady can do here and here. Oh and here too. ♥

It's been a long time between quilts...

2010-09-18T21:05:00.000+10:00

But I'm getting there, and it probably means that Felix should receive it before his first birthday. That has to be a big fat tick on the To Do List.

I shall reveal all once it's quilted.

I must be nesting....

2010-09-07T13:49:00.000+10:00

Spring has sprung and summer will be here before we know it. I've felt the urge to make the girl some warm weather clothes now because come Christmas time the opportunity to even look at the sewing machine will be rare.

A couple of weeks ago I had a little op-shopping jaunt with Tara in Deloraine. One of my finds was this girls' summer top. Even though it wouldn't fit Tamsyn for probably another five years, I was too smitten with the little cat print and thought I might be able to do something with it.

With a bit of help from one of my Ottobre patterns I've turned it into a little summer dress by cutting out arm holes and adding a ribbon casing to the neckline. I already had the spotty ribbon in my stash and was just the right length.

While in Deloraine I couldn't resist a visit to the local fabric/quilt shop Fresh Fabric, and fell in love with this Heather Bailey print. I've made this dress before, this one and then this one for her birthday, each one a bigger pattern size. I decided to leave the contrasting panel off the bottom edge this time, mainly because I didn't have a suitable contrasting fabric.

And then perusing my fabric stash a couple of days ago I rediscovered this fabric that Tamsyn's auntie sent her for her birthday. It's an Alexander Henry and was just enough to make up this little number using a pattern I bought on Etsy. I love the way that it's reversible too and for some reason I had plenty of purple gingham handy to line it. This is a super fast, super easy pattern so I think there'll be a few more of these coming out of the sewing room. Yay!

And the winner is...

2010-08-05T11:35:00.000+10:00

... with thanks to random.org -

That would be Rel! Congratulations sweetie, email me your address and I'll pop the bag in the post quick smart!

So, to give this post a bit of variety I'll get my act together and show you one of the things I've made recently for the little girl.

A little sleeveless dress/pinafore which is not quite little enough at the moment, but I'm thinking it'll be great for spring. It's a Drops design, size 12 - 18 months and very easy to knit up except for the lace pattern in the skirt.

I've never been terribly great or persistent when it comes to patterned lace and gave up after 2 repeats, but that's just me. Still, I don't think it looks too bad and was glad I didn't undo the knitting (or frogged, to use an American term!). The yarn was a great find from The Potty Knitter, who recycles yarns from old knitwear. I'm tempted to buy a few balls of the slate as well. Time will tell....

Giveaways are a great way to say thank you...

2010-07-29T21:50:00.001+10:00

... to that wonderful blogging community who has bestowed on me such kind words (and I've also been on the receiving end of some lovely giveaways too!). So to spread the love this is what's on offer -

And a back view -

Lovingly hand made by me, this little backpack is surprisingly roomy and has leather straps for durability.

The usual drill applies, leave a comment at the end of this post and I'll close entries on, say, Sunday night (which would be Saturday night in some parts of the world). I'll get the random number generator thingy to do the hard stuff and announce the winner on Monday.

This pregnancy has been pretty cruisy so far (except for the nagging nausea in the first trimester which has thankfully passed). I've been making the most of each moment because this will be the last time I'll ever be pregnant (I've discovered that I'm one of those women who love being pregnant), I'm no spring chicken and that biological clock was ticking pretty damn fast. We really wanted Tamsyn to have a little brother or sister so we're very thankful that we got the opportunity, and no, we're probably not going to find out the sex before it's born no matter how tempting that is!

Edit: After I posted this I thought that I probably didn't give a very long time frame, so I'll extend the deadline to Wednesday 4th of August.

Also, a few have mentioned my ability to sew leather. I can only do this because I have an industrial sewing machine (we call it The Thug...). However Nikki has a terrific leather sewing tutorial if you want to give it a whirl!

My excuse for being a lazy blogger lately...

2010-07-25T12:30:00.000+10:00

Seventeen weeks (or eighteen, I keep losing count). Due date: Christmas Day.

All going swimmingly.

I love before and after photos

2010-07-13T16:29:00.000+10:00

It's true, I really do. Although I feel confident that most of us do anyway. It's just so satisfying to see ugly things made pretty. Here's my contribution...

Before: A vintage dolls pram found at the op shop (thrift) for $15, I think, or was it $25? Anyway Gracie was quite taken with it's smell. I think it'd been in the back of someone's shed for a loooong time, it was very grotty...

After: Pulled apart, sanded and spray painted. I had to drill through the rivets in order to pull it apart, so this meant that I had to come up with something else for putting it back together. I remembered those screw type things that are often used for book binding, you know, one screws into the other. After much searching I discovered they have a name - Chicago Screws, and found someone who sells them on Etsy (I only like using sites that have Paypal). The screws arrived in the post yesterday and as I had done all the sewing the pram was put back together in a jiffy (with the help of those reference photos tacked to the wall!). Oh and the fabric? I splurged on some lovely oilcloth from Cath Kidston.

Some may even remember me blogging about this pram a while ago, and my intention to have it finished in time for Tamsyn's first birthday. Well, I was only 2 months out so I don't think I did too badly.

Besides, I think she likes it.

Tamsyn says "ta"

2010-05-23T21:48:00.000+10:00

From the bottom of her dear little heart, she thanks you for all her birthday wishes. Turning 1 really does seem to be a milestone, and in some ways is a great confidence boost.

This photo was actually taken in late October last year, so she wasn't even 6 months old. I took it on the phone's camera, one of those spontaneous moments that you can't help but love. I can almost hear her saying "Give me the phone Mum, I want to eat it". That's my girl....

So a bag update is in order. Agfest wasn't as successful as I'd hoped, but then I was never sure it was the right target market anyway. I'm thinking of re-opening the Etsy shop, otherwise it's local weekend craft markets which is virtually impossible for me. I currently have 2 bags for sale at Hilbarn's little shop, and if you're in (or likely to visit) northern Tasmania then I recommend a look see.

The shop is full of lovely vintage finds, and also some of Tara's beautiful cushions. The bag on the left is using some more gorgeous Ink & Spindle Birch fabric and the other has Pippijoe's ever popular Nest fabric.

I really need to pull my finger out and sell sell sell!!!

one

2010-05-11T22:55:00.000+10:00

One year ago tonight this was the scene, a new Mum with her new baby girl. We hadn't even decided on her name yet, and judging by my expression I was too exhausted to think about that right then.

But she couldn't be any name other than Tamsyn, and this first year of her existence has been filled with a whole lot of love, lessons and laughter.

Let the good times roll....

(the dress was made in time for her birthday, another pattern from Ottobre magazine)

time to get out of this funk...

2010-05-08T16:45:00.000+10:00

...before it swallows me up whole.... and before Tania tells me off again.... ;)

Things have been pretty mad around here and I just didn't feel that I was in the right frame of mind to blog about it. I struggle enough with writers block as it is, although it's interesting that I find myself composing a lovely little blog post while sewing and as soon as I go near the computer it's gone. Does this happen to anyone else?

So anyways, I made a prototype bag for myself a while ago. Something that sits nicely in the basket of the pram and holds all my stuff without giving it a pot belly. I was quite happy with it and decided to make some more to sell -

(thanks to Miss Gertrude for being my model) I'm really loving these Ink & Spindle fabrics, and are so inspired by what these girls can do. I may also make a satchel style as well, it just depends on how popular these are at Agfest - a friend has a stand there each year and kindly agreed to try and sell them for me. Although I may be catering to the wrong clientele. Only time will tell......

is it cheating?

2010-04-14T21:46:00.001+10:00

I did an op-shop (opportunity shop/thrift etc etc...) hunt this time, and found this beauty for $4.99. Yes it is handknitted, but in China, so I didn't feel too guilty about undoing the seams.

I wanted to make some footed, knitted pants for Tara's bub-to-be and knew I wouldn't knit them in time -

So I used a legging pattern from one of my Ottobre magazines and the sleeves from the jumper, cutting them long enough for me to sew the cuffs shut and make feet. I didn't line them because they'll be worn over a growsuit, but did make a casing for the elastic waistband out of some light weight jersey rib so it wouldn't be too bulky.

I was really pleased with how these turned out, and couldn't wait till Tara's baby shower so gave them to her the other day. She was pretty happy with them too.

I'm still trying to come up with ideas for the body of the jumper...

Oh and the foot? I had my six week follow up appointment with the surgeon on Monday. He's happy with the way it's healed so no more daggy boot. The challenge now is to get my walking fitness back, doggy is pleased.

meanwhile, back at the sewing machine.....

2010-03-28T18:39:00.000+11:00

My foot is letting me sit at the machine for a bit, which has cheered me up no end.

Tamsyn needs some new cooler weather pants so I made these from red cord with some Kokka (I think) print lining. I've also cut out a pair in green cord at the same time, and are literally sewn up in a jiffy. :)

I've also made some more bibs, using some of my stash of discontinued upholstery samples in linen/cotton blends and backed with an old bath towel I've cut up which makes them ultra absorbent for one spewy dribbly little girl.

Ant likes his black shirts, and this one was getting really ratty on the collar and cuffs. So the other day I mentioned to him how I'd like to cover said collar and cuffs with some contrasting fabric. He straight away grabbed my little stash of more groovy fabrics (with me hovering beside him telling him which fabrics were just too precious to cut up yet!) and pounced on this loud orange Prints Charming fabric. I knew it would be best not to tackle this sort of thing on the machine, and I really enjoyed spending the afternoon and evening sewing these on by hand, while Tamsyn played or slept. Too easy.

This is the Pod Swaddler, which I've made for Tamsyn's cousin who's due to enter the world in June. Tara chose the fabric (Amy Butler) and I lined it with flannel. I wish I'd known about these before Tamsyn was born, I probably would've made a couple for her. At least I know what to make for future babies, and would be the perfect baby shower gift too.

in my invalid state

2010-03-12T12:31:00.000+11:00

I laid aside my knitting....

..... and picked up my hand quilting....

Some of you may remember this quilt, and I'm ashamed to say that it had been neglected for a looooong time. But hey, I've done a truck load of other stuff in the mean time! I may get this quilt done in time for Tamsyn's birthday which is in 2 months time, can you believe it? My girl is nearly one year old!!! (and not far from walking either....)

My foot is mending nicely. I went back to the surgeon on Wednesday and he took the plaster 'splint' off the side of my foot, which was wonderful as the thing was really starting to annoy me. Each day it's getting better and better, although I still have to wear that daggy boot and have to walk on the heal of my foot.

Have a great weekend everyone.

no pain no gain

2010-03-03T15:21:00.000+11:00

At least that's what I keep telling myself...

Thank you all so very much for your well wishes, it really means a lot to me. Now I have to take it easy and mend, and accept the help of others (I hate being a burden!!).

I might even pick up the knitting needles tomorrow....

bunions

2010-02-26T12:57:00.000+11:00

Yep, that's my foot and yes, they're sporting a healthy pair of bunions (just below the big toe joint).

They've been coming on steadily since Tamsyn was born and I finally got to see the surgeon last Tuesday. I'm booked in for surgery this Monday, apparently it's more complicated than just removing the lump, a pin needs to be inserted and other stuff played with.

So I'll be wearing a special shoe for six weeks and won't be able to walk very far (doggy won't be impressed!), but if in the long run it means that I'll have a lot more energy, less lethargy and won't walk with a slight limp then I'll be happy.

take one big old jumper....

2010-02-14T10:49:00.000+11:00

Cut it up. Put it back together with a zip across the bottom...

... and you get a sleeping bag for a girl who sees bedclothes as a challenge..

I lined the sleeping bag with some cotton jersey knit as well, and used some rib knit to finish the neck and arm holes. In hindsight it would've been good to put a zip down the front as well so there's less bulk to get over her head, but I didn't want to spoil the look of that lovely cable pattern.

Think I'll have to make some more of these. Especially as the nights are starting to get cooler. :-)

more knitting and sewing for my girl

2010-02-02T21:09:00.000+11:00

This girlie is growing well, which also means new clothes. Cheap clothes don't seem to me as an option, and to be honest I'd rather make them anyway. Therefore I've been finding some lovely original patterns on Etsy, namely these Monkey Pants, made with some dark khaki cotton jersey also found at the same shop. Unfortunately I didn't pre-wash the fabric and it's shrunk .... :( So I made another pair in black jersey which I had bought locally and knew didn't shrink (the spotty fabric is some Nani Iro which I just love).

I may put them aside for the next baby due - Tamsyn's cousin. :)

The Whirligig Shrug was an absolute joy to knit. I was in my favourite newsagents flicking through the latest Interweave Knits (Weekender edition), noticed this pattern and knew I had to make it. It's one of these knit from the top down on a circular needle type jobbies and I'd been wanting to try it. Being the type that doesn't enjoy sewing up knitted pieces, the additional fact that this method is seamless made it even more attractive. I decided on the 9-12 months size, so it's a bit big at the moment but should be perfect for the cooler autumn evenings which I hope aren't too far away.

She seems happy ...

sometimes blog post titles stump me...

2010-01-22T14:36:00.004+11:00

It's true, I can sit here for ages trying to come up with a catchy title and end up drifting off to play Spider Solitaire.... again......

Looks like Craft Hope on Etsy has really taken off, they've had 1,174 sales so far. Isnt' that wonderful!
Another fabric purchase arrived in the post the other day. This time from Tessuti who sells ex-designer fabrics, usually from the previous season. They're not cheap so I only bought 2 half metre cuts, but who could resist those bunnies? Still have to decide what I'll do with it though.
Any Australian over the age of say, 25, grew up with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. And so many Australian children in the 70's ate their meals off a Skippy plate. I did, and so did Ant. Neither of us have our Skippy plates any more so when we were driving past Recycled Relix the other day and saw one in the window then we had to have it, no questions asked.

Tamsyn can now have her own Skippy plate too.

I may be a bit quiet in the blogosphere over the next few days. I have to take my computer in to be serviced and 'cleaned up' (Mum had hers done last week and she said it's like having a brand new computer!), so Ant and I will be fighting over the laptop. Let's see who wins......

craft hope

2010-01-16T12:40:00.004+11:00

Just a quick post. Like a lot of people out there I've been wanting to help with the terrible situation in Haiti, but like the Bushfire Relief project that was so successful last year I wanted to find a crafty way. Reading Syko's blog today, she has a link to an Etsy shop that has been set up with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders. If anyone has items to donate and sell, click on the picture/button above for all the details.

the hiatus is over

2010-01-14T20:47:00.002+11:00

Now to get my blogging butt into gear...

The Christmas and New Years period was great, with lots of relaxing and family time. With that comes sewing of course and the wee girl didn't miss out on her share.
The dress in the foreground was actually a purchase from the very talented Gemma of Loz and Dinny fame, snapped up at Niche in November. It's been perfect for these hot summer days we've been having of late. The other dress I made from a pattern in the Amy Butler book 'Little Stitches for Little Ones', which has been perfect too. Some may recall I made the nappy bag from this book, and to be honest I don't really like the instructions for the patterns - not that easy to follow. Fortunately the dress was so simple I didn't need the instructions. The pink fabric is a Heather Bailey and even though Tamsyn isn't a pink girl (her skin is too pale like her Mum), this one is pretty good, especially with the grey bodice. I enjoyed making this one so much that I made a Christmas dress as well, must take a photo of it too.
When family asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year I said fabric (or a Spotlight gift voucher - already spent!!). One of Ant's aunties, who has very good taste, gave me this grey linen and contrasting orange flower print. It wasn't long before I whipped up this tunic style dress and it too has been perfect in the hot weather, worn with black 3/4 leggings underneath. It's huge though, like even too big for me. But I wanted something I could be a bit lazy in, and to tell the truth I cut it out a bit larger because the pattern pieces were cut to my pre pregnancy size and I didn't want to waste such lovely linen. Still working on that size reduction thing, getting there slowly.....

I had to wash the little wooden dog the other day because someone spewed on it, later on when I came back into the kitchen the sight made me go a bit gooey so I had to capture it. :)

words aren't always necessary

2009-12-18T16:12:00.004+11:00

So let's just enjoy the view...
... and the clothes I've been making for her...
... that's my clever bunny.

end of an era

2009-12-10T10:03:00.003+11:00

We've sold my little house. I was 31 when I bought this house in July 2000. It came to represent a new beginning and hope for the future, it did that and more. It became my friend.

So it has served it's purpose and I'm moving on, so to speak. I moved out of the house nearly 5 years ago and had been renting it to another family member, but I still pruned the roses each year (in the garden that I made) and kept in touch with the place. Now I'm saying goodbye for good.
Our weekends are pretty much taken up with trips to Bruny Island, as this is the peak harvest time. My time there is mostly taken up with looking after Tamsyn, naturally. But it's nice, we go for walks with the old pram with wheels that were never made for dirt tracks but hey, it's good exercise and I still get time to sit and knit.
Which is nice.
The weather is usually a bit cooler in Tasmania leading up to Christmas, so this gave me a chance to try out Tamsyn's jumper. It's a little bit big still, but oh, she does look so sweet in it.

six months

2009-11-25T20:47:00.004+11:00

This wee girl is becoming less and less 'wee'. Now when I see newborns I think they're so very tiny, and said newborn may even be bigger than Tamsyn when she was born. *sigh* It's true, half of me wants her to grow and the other half wants her to remain a wee babe.

So, as the weather is warming up and the bright light of the Australian sun is being true to it's word, sun hats were in order. I made the green lady bug one first (another Ottobre pattern) and then had to make the brown one to go with her pretty dress.
Then I decided that some of the bibs she has were either ugly or worse for wear (a few hand-me-downs). So I traced a pattern from one of her bibs and made a few using some Japanese Kokka fabric which comes in a lovely linen/cotton blend. I backed the bibs with 2 layers of nappy flannel which works well, but when I backed a Prints Charming one with a cut up bit of bath towel it worked even better. So now I want to go bib crazy, but will have to stock up on more poppers soon. I find that they work so much better than velcro, which after a few washes starts to curl and can scratch the back of Tamsyn's neck.
My model likes to 'ham it up' for the photo shoot....
And because this girl is growing she is also trying to crawl, and can shuffle backwards until she runs into something. She will tuck a knee up under her tummy but hasn't worked out the rest of it yet. Therefore overalls were in order (more Ottobre goodness). I was in my favourite sewing shop the other day and literally pounced on this matroyshka fabric in a very fine cord. It swims on her at the moment but I'm hoping that by the time crawling is mastered it'll fit her nicely, and I'm sure there'll be patches on the knees before too long. Nice...

Mini Fest 2009

2009-11-16T12:09:00.005+11:00

Our Moke is still mid-restoration, but thankfully we had the use of my sisters Mini (far right). Even though purists will argue that the 'new Mini' is just not in league with the old Mini, it didn't stop us from joining in with the fun.

There were some serious Moke enthusiasts who came from the mainland (mostly Victorian - one from NSW too!), so they took a few days to soak in some of the sights Tasmania has to offer. The above photo is on top of Mt Wellington.

Mini's from all eras were welcomed, and seeing how Renee was in Melbourne we took her Mini to help boost the numbers. The organisers were very pleased with the turnout - just over 300 Minis and 20 Mokes participated. And it didn't rain.
There was even some motoring greats, such as this Bathurst winner. (yes, I am a rev head...)
The Mokes looked pretty impressive....
... before being let loose on the streets of Hobart.
And Tamsyn? Well let's just say that I that this maybe the beginning of a long love affair with Minis.
The girl had a ball.

More info about Mini Fest here.

still sewing

2009-11-05T16:45:00.006+11:00

Amazingly, but as this girlie grows she's sleeping less (naturally) so time is precious and my nearly-six-month-old is entering the clingy phase. And you know, I actually don't mind that. It's nice to have someone who's so dependant on me, who takes comfort in my presence. Also, I'll lap it up now because I'm sure there'll be a time when she doesn't even want to know me! Bless 'er.........

So I squeeze in some sewing here and there, although what with Tamsyn's christening and family staying, along with the Mini Fest in Hobart last weekend things have been rather mad of late.

For those who have known me long enough may remember this quilt, made in memory of my friends dearly loved Weimarana dog Char (blogged about it here). Rosie was left with Char's granddaughter Yazmin, who unfortunately had to be put to sleep a few weeks ago due to pancreatic cancer and tumurs on her lungs. I wanted to make something in memory of dear Yazzi too but knew it would take forever to make a quilt, and I wanted to make something that would complement the quilt anyway -
Even though the Char Quilt was a surprise the Yazmin Cushion wasn't, but this allowed Rosie to supply the photo she wanted and compose a lovely little message.

But what's this about Mini Fest you say? I'll leave that for the next post, in the meantime here's a little sample -

well, at least I'm being paid for it

2009-10-15T20:27:00.003+11:00

My lack of blogging this past week or so is due to the fact that I've had work to do.
Seven large foam cushions to cover for Ant's work. The customer provided the fabric and boy, is it ugly. Sorry, but I'm really really not into the big apricot coloured flowers. In fact, apricot and I have never been friends - ever since it was the height of fashion in the 1980's. A friend's mother redecorated their lounge room in apricot, walls, carpet, curtains, lounge suite, wall unit..... you name it, apricot as far as the eye could see. Sitting in that room I felt cold and uninvited, the seats didn't say "sit on me and get cosy" and I'm sure the floors were saying "take your shoes off first!!". Or maybe that was my friend's Mum.

So after meeting Ant and being invited into his home what did I find? Yep, apricot walls.......

In fairness to Ant he didn't paint them, and he didn't discourage me from changing them to white, with the chimney in each room and feature colour. It's also interesting, or maybe ironic, that my favourite fruit is a juicy apricot. Go figure...

But I digress. I'm so glad I'm not a seamstress working in a factory, it would turn me off sewing I'm sure. The flame of my sewing imagination would be snuffed out before too long. But as I said, it's paid work and I can do it from home, thanks to The Thug and my MIL's overlocker (all the raw edges have to be finished before piecing).

Oh and here's a Dad and daughter shot, because I can -
In her pj's again (Bond's polar fleece grow-suit, brilliant!), having fun with her Dad on the freshly covered couch - which I failed to mention is grey cord, and definitely not apricot.....

busy...... doing......

2009-10-02T17:33:00.002+10:00

stuff like this...
I've finished reupholstering, well actually, re-covering the lounge suite and I must say that I'm/we're supremely happy with it. Because to be honest, the old covers (second photo) were pretty damn grotty and outdated.

So I've been free to do this -
I discovered that this girl didn't have much in the way of 00 clothes, so what a perfect excuse to make her some. We were in Seworld yesterday and discovered that they stock organic cotton jersey, and a nice range of them too. It was like a breath of fresh air compared to the fabric jungle that is Spotlight.

I already had the dark brown jersey with the spots, and thought it would look good teamed with another colour. The little pants are black, but only because they didn't have any dark-ish brown. The pattern is another from Ottobre, which I muffed up a little but it was a trial run anyway. But I really love these earthy tones on her so we'll keep it.
Tamsyn seems pleased with it too.

I heart socks

2009-09-25T08:52:00.003+10:00

I've been knitting socks on and off for a few years now and never get tired of them, maybe because they're not that big and satisfies my love of knitting on four needles..... who knows. The wool is from Spotlight, Moda Vera - 75% wool super wash, 25% polyamide so they can be chucked in a normal wash. You could knit them on either 2.25mm or 2.75mm needles, I chose the former which gives a nice snug fit.

I finished this pair for Ant on Monday night and he loves them, wore them to work on Tuesday and Thursday, and have washed up fine.

The pattern has special significance as it's the one his Great Great Auntie Marj used -
The small print down the bottom says April 1941. Yep, this was the knitting pattern book for WWII soldiers (Tasmania Division). Auntie Marj knitted socks for most of the family for nearly all her adult life, giving up only after her eyes became too weak.

This copy now belongs to Ant's Mum and I took a photocopy of it. I feel very honoured to have it, and are reminded of all those women who did so much knitting for the men they sent off to war, not knowing if they would return and trying to 'do their bit' for the war effort.

Very humbling.

get out of town .....

2009-09-21T14:12:00.002+10:00

The oyster farm is calling us, and there's a lot to do leading up to Christmas. We've had our winter break, which also enabled us to focus more on Tamsyn (naturally). So this weekend just gone the wee girl had her second trip to Bruny Island. She did very well except for last night after we returned home, I think it was all a bit much and was rather ratty. But she had a really good sleep (8.30pm till 6.30am) and is back to her usual spirits.

The view from my back door today, so nice to see the sun.

I find that living in Launceston you can easily fall into a rut. I suppose this happens in most towns and cities, and you really have to remind yourself to just go, and go somewhere different. Bruny seems to do the trick.
And to come home with rejuvenated spirits, with a little girl who's trying not to fall over after being placed in a sitting position. Wearing your jammies all day too doesn't seem to hurt either....

Oh and before I forget, Gemma is having a challenge/giveaway type thingie. Come on, it's not too late to join the fun!

fathers day

2009-09-08T10:46:00.003+10:00

Tamsyn and I made a special little goody bag for her Dad, in manly colours of course, and filled it up with his favourite chocolates. I tried out some printable fabric for the first time, which I had bought from this lovely lady a while ago. It seemed like the perfect excuse to use it and worked beautifully.
I also finished this little dress today, another pattern from Ottobre magazine. I found the print at Spotlight a few weeks ago and on Saturday bought the fine brown cord. It would've been nice to have it finished in time for Fathers Day but alas, I don't expect to work to a schedule these days! She wore the other little pinafore that I had made instead.

My little girl is growing and learning all the time, and yesterday she performed her very first rollover. I managed to catch it on video too so her Daddy didn't miss out.

hello spring

2009-09-04T11:21:00.003+10:00

And hello to a lounge suite makeover. This project has been sooooo satisfying, and even though I've been itching to keep going I find I need little breaks in between chairs to do some crafting for me. Also, it's Fathers Day this Sunday and I need time to help Tamsyn make her present for her Daddy, well, Tamsyn will be present at least for the making thereof.

Years ago I did an Adult Ed course on upholstery which has been one of the best things I've ever done. Fate (and possibly good Karma) led me to fall in love with a man who manages an upholstery business, yep I'm a lucky girl in more ways than one.

Ant chose the multicoloured fabric when the suite was made back in the 1990's - one of his clients was making a whole heap of these chairs and couches for an hotel in Sydney, so Ant asked him to make 3 more chairs and a three seater couch as well. They're very well made and sturdy, so it made sense to recover them instead of replacing.

Having The Thug for the sewing part has been invaluable, and using the overlocker for finishing all the raw edges has helped me master that machine too. I have to remember not to use it like a standard sewing machine and I seem to be fine, which is a real relief. Really really.

Just have to get rid of the apricot coloured walls now.....

knitting for my girl

2009-08-25T11:44:00.003+10:00

This is the jumper I started a few weeks ago and finished the other day. Thankfully it's still too big for her so I've timed it nicely. We'll probably be well into Spring before it fits but with the mad weather we've been having I don't think it'll be too warm for Tamsyn by then.
The pattern is from an Australian mag called Creative Knitting, and was very user friendly. It also reminded me how much I enjoy knitting cables.

Right, back to reupholstering the lounge suite......

maybe there's hope for me yet

2009-08-17T14:38:00.002+10:00

Some may know that I've rarely enjoyed making softies, they're small and fiddly and I can never get the stuffing right - always lumpy.

However I think I may be passing a corner.
This bear was actually a tad enjoyable. It's a Wee Wonderfuls pattern I bought a while ago and is a present for a friend who had a baby boy on Saturday night. I had made the kitty for their first-born so it seemed only fitting that I make something else from the same pattern kit.
I've also made some new blinds for the kitchen, which were looooong overdue. These windows face almost due north so they cop a lot of sun in summer and I also needed to keep the warmth in in winter.

I suppose you call them 'reverse' blinds, in that they have a thick piece of dowel in the bottom and roll them up by hand, fastening them with the ties. They're attached to the window frame with velcro and the dowel can be slipped out so they can be easily washed. This was the only type of blind that I could do that with, other than making curtains. They're also backed with blockout, which I don't know if it will wash easily. Has anyone washed blockout?

umm....

2009-08-07T16:00:00.003+10:00

I couldn't decide on a title for this post. It was either "new challenges", "something to look forward to", "am I mad or just stupid".

Maybe I'll pick D - all of the above...
So the other day when I was at the op shop (opportunity shop/thrift store etc etc.) buying my yummy Cornishware jug, I spotted this dolls pram. Although I left it there I couldn't get it out of my head.

Yes it needs a bit of work but hey, if it comes out looking pretty good and my daughter falls in love with it on her first birthday then I'll be a happy Mum.
... if Gracie doesn't pinch it first.
She seemed quite taken with it.

my sewing bible

2009-08-05T12:11:00.005+10:00

This was either a birthday or Christmas present from my parents when I was about 10 years old, and I can't live without it. Debs has recently been showing her old sewing and pattern books and I thought it was a good idea.
I clearly remember pouring over these pages as a child, itching to do everything in it.
.. but childhood gets in the way, plus a lack of pocket money to buy the necessary bits and pieces.
I have made things using ideas from this book, using leftover fabric from Mum's stash. She made most of my clothes.
My first quilt was inspired by this book, an English paper pieced hexagon using more leftover clothes fabrics.
And the bookmark? It's a smocking sampler from high school, I think it was Grade 8. I enjoyed doing it so much I finished off a few of the other girls samplers as well. I haven't done any smocking since but the urge has always been lurking in the shadows, waiting to resurface. Naturally a little smocked dress may evolve...
There are so many things in this book that I've never done (I did do the macramé once), but I think that's what keeps us going - that yearning to do something new and different. I still use this book on a regular basis, it's one of my greatest resources.

I recently found the 'Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing' in a second hand bookshop. It's amazing too although I don't seem to feel the need for it so much.

sewing for my man

2009-07-28T13:58:00.003+10:00

It was Ant's birthday the other day, and I always like to make something for him. I had some fabric left over from this shirt and had remembered seeing the tie pattern at The Purl Bee.

Their patterns are very very easy to follow, with lots of pictures along the way too. Usually if I'm thinking of making something a little different I'll search this site first.
I've also made some wristers, for those times when it's not cold enough for gloves but you just need a little warmth closer to your hands.... maybe. Anyway, mine are a bit bigger than the pattern (I didn't think 28 stitches would make it around my arms), which was another found through Ravelry at this blog. I bought 2 balls of organic cotton from that lovely little local shop, The Ruby Pear. You'd think that 2 balls would be enough wouldn't you, but the big frills and picot cast off uses quite a bit of yarn, and had to go back for more.

I like them lots.

gratuitous baby worshipping

2009-07-22T15:01:00.004+10:00

When we came home from our walk this arvo, Tamsyn looked so snug in the sleeping bag of her stroller I left her there. That little gumnut hat I made for her has been very handy too.

As well as the quilt I made for her. We'd just had some tummy time and Gracie decided to show Tamsyn the art of relaxation.

Yes, she is a dummy fan but fortunately she doesn't seem to depend on it all the time. It just happens that she's got one in her mouth every time I take a photo.
We bought a nice bouncy seat with some money Ant's grandfather gave her. She loves it and is now trying to work out how to biff the little teddy that hangs from the arch over it.

She looks so warm and cosy in the cardigan I knitted before she was born.
The cowhide booties fit her now too.

And me? The sewing has been light on the last few days but a bit of knitting has been done, must take some photos when I'm not worshipping baby......

sewing for my girl

2009-07-12T12:49:00.007+10:00

Tamsyn has been given so many clothes, she really doesn't need me making any for her especially as all her presents have been so wonderful.

Oh but I do so want to sew for her.

While making this little pinafore I was constantly filled with a joy that seemed to bubble up from deep in my soul. I think it was the fulfilling of a dream. A dream that had been buried deep within and repressed during those years when I believed that I'd never marry or have children. I was very happy being single, in my little house with dog, cat, garden and sewing room but it's so much better now with husband, house, dog, cat, overgrown garden (on the 'to do' list), sewing room and a wee girl.
The pattern is from Ottobre magazine. I've read a few blogs that rave about these and thought I'd give it a go. It comes with full size pattern sheets and the clothes range from newborns to pre-teens. I bought a couple of magazines on-line and have found that I'll have enough patterns to keep us going for years.

The pinafore was made from some of the Japanese Gokka fabric that Ant's auntie brought back from Purl Soho in New York, and I lined the shoulder straps with the brown and blue polka dot cotton that I already had.
Tamsyn's quilt was christened this morning, literally. She was having a lovely time lying on it, kicking away and practicing noises, when she thought it'd be nice to add a little puke as well. Which missed the bib of course.

Gotta love babies.

Oh and we didn't make it to the market yesterday, it rained most of the day and is doing pretty much the same today. Poo...

winter walking

2009-07-10T14:22:00.004+10:00

Walking, originally uploaded by Claire Badcock

We don't have snowfalls in Launceston, but we do have heavy frosts which result in lovely clear days with a crispness that tingles the cheeks. In Tasmania snow keeps to the mountains and rarely falls below 200 metres (650 feet), so it's a real treat when it does happen.

Tamsyn, Lucy and I walk almost every day. Lucy being the big doggy that she is needs to be walked daily, which is fine by me, I need to keep active. Mum and Dad spent half the day with us on Tuesday and Mum captured this moment as we were walking through Princes Square, one of the prettiest parks in town.

I love the Baby Bjorn pouch, especially when getting about town. There's nothing worse than trying to negotiate a pram in busy shopping areas. The only downside is that I do get achy shoulders, so when Tamsyn is big enough I'm going to make a backpack style carrier using this pattern (I've already made the sling which is very handy for around the house).

Not a great deal is happening on the sewing front. I've cut out a little dress for Tamsyn and will start sewing after I've finished here. This is a bit of a procrastination though, I should be re-covering the lounge suite with fitted removable covers but it's proving more of a challenge than I envisioned. It would be easier to remove the arms and reupholster, but this would be more time consuming. Hmmm, will have to pull my finger out sooner or later....

Have a good weekend all, and for anyone in the Lonnie area there's the Civic Homespun Market on Saturday. Thanks for the heads-up Gemma!

score

2009-07-03T17:16:00.004+10:00

Perusing one of the local op-shops today I came across this little gem. Many of you would know my love, and extensive collection, of Cornishware. This jug has a chip on the spout, but apart from that it's in good nick, and the price? Wait for it ....... 15 bucks! Yay for me.

Mum told me last year that Cornishware, or rather, TG Greene had gone bust which was very depressing. However the other day when Ant was surfing Flickr, he came across these photos - aren't they adorable! Reading the users profile I learnt that the company has since been saved, so there'll be more Cornishware goodness to come. Nice.....

sewing up a storm

2009-06-27T15:56:00.003+10:00

I found some brown check flannel at Spotlight which took my fancy, and was the only one of its group that didn't look bogan. I wanted an overshirt/dress with the all necessary buttons down the front. I'd had the pattern for years but had never made it, and I liked the way it has the long pleats down the front (can't be seen too easily in the photo sorry).

The tie at the back helps to give it shape as well.

So here's the coat I made last year from Waverly blanket ends. It's fully lined with brown bemsilk as well. It was my first attempt with a Burda pattern. They're a bit different but I didn't have a problem, not like I do with Vogue...

It's wonderfully light and cosy. You know those times when it's nice to be wrapped up warm and cosy in a blanket? This coat can do that too.

In the last few days I made a couple of skirts. I bought the Anna Maria Horner book Seams to Me and it's lovely. One of the projects is an A-line skirt and shows you how to draft the pattern yourself, something I've always wanted to do but thought it was too hard. Silly me.

So the skirt above was my trial run, to make sure I had my measurements right and it looked okay. I used some more of my Swaffer samples and it'll make a great summer skirt, just have to wait 6 more months then.

Here's the winter skirt, made with fabric I've had for years and years. I originally wanted to make a full length A-line skirt but this one being just below the knees will be more practical. The black is a fairly heavy cotton that's been brushed on one side and the lining is a patchwork weight cotton which looks rather Japanese-y. I'm wearing it now and is very comfy. Yay!

I had to share this. It's how I manage to keep up with blogging/Facebook/Flickr etc... I prop a cushion between me and the desk, feed Tamsyn with one hand and use the other for clicking and one handed typing (frustrating for a touch-typist!). She's about to slip off the cushion but didn't. It was also a good opportunity to show off another cardigan I knitted before she was born (another Ravelry pattern). It's a cross-over cardi with little i-cord ties in some cotton bamboo blend and looks just gorgeous on her.

baby elephant walk

2009-06-22T13:24:00.002+10:00

Have I prompted the tune to play in your head for the rest of the day? Don't worry, it's stuck in mine!

One of my dear sisters made an elephant for Tamsyn. Shannon has never been much of a sewer, but with her female siblings all able to sew we felt confident that the skill was there although untapped. Better yet, Shannon doesn't own a sewing machine so therefore hand stitched the elephant. She did a fantastic job.
This photo is to give you an idea as to how big the elephant actually is, yep, bigger than Tamsyn! It also shows the blanket I made for her. It's a Waverly blanket end, bought at their sale last year. Waverly has a yearly sale where you can buy blanket seconds, doonas/duvets and lots of blanket 'ends'. I've even made a coat from these, must take a photo of it, it's so lovely and warm. All pure wool of course. Anyways, Tamsyn's blanky is in a dark grey. I made a binding in some groovy orange fabric (don't know who by sorry). I wanted a dark colour because it will regularly go to Bruny and as I've said before, the oyster lease is a very grotty place - so I needed something that would hide it.

The basinet that Tamsyn sleeps in is from her pram, which it can be easily removed from. This works fantastically as I can have her sleeping in any room, particularly the sewing room. My little girl is 6 weeks old today, can you believe it? In the last couple of days we've noticed that she can focus on more distant objects, that is, further away than Mum's booby, and it's lovely to look at her while sewing and see that she's watching what I'm doing. Bless her.

Bruny baby

2009-06-16T10:12:00.004+10:00

I've been a bit tardy haven't I. It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about, it's more a case of not having time. Last week it was more important to make a new top, as I'm desperate for some post-pregnancy clothes (of which I'll blog about too). So instead of doing one big post I'll try to do a few smaller ones during the week.
Last weekend was Tamsyn's first trip to Bruny and she did really well, despite the weather. There's been record rainfalls down south, some of which we witnessed on Saturday. So while baby was snug (recognise the hat?) her Dad kept working on in the driving rain.
If it wasn't work that absolutely had to be done then we wouldn't even have bothered, but the work was done and Ant is feeling happier for it.
I've also managed to get some bag sewing done. A friend asked for a new backpack to use when they go to Thailand in August, she loves lime green so the Prints Charming fabric was the perfect choice. It was nice to be back on The Thug again too.

when it's cold outside

2009-05-31T15:54:00.004+10:00

Spinning by the fire, originally uploaded by Claire Badcock

My mother-in-law had been given some lovely soft carded but unspun wool from Waverley, for whatever crafting purpose I could think of. I immediately decided to hand it over to my mother for spinning, of which you see above. Mum has been spinning for many a year, usually wool from their own sheep. I can sit and watch her spin all day, but she soon tells me where to go - she doesn't really like being watched.

So here I was last night just after a feed, starting on a little jumper for the wee girl. I'm making it in the 6 month + size, otherwise she may be too big for it by the time I finish!

Oh and take note of the outdated fabric on the lounge chair, these will be changing soon so consider this to be a 'before' photo. Ant chose the fabric years ago, so it's rather bachelor style has seen better days. I'm recovering in a medium/dark grey, nice and monotone and shouldn't date very quickly.

baby steps

2009-05-25T14:28:00.002+10:00

I managed some sewing on Saturday. We needed a 5th birthday present for Ant's niece Laura, and as shopping isn't easy at the moment I thought it might be safe to whip something up. Tamsyn slept really well that day and I felt almost surprised that it came together so quickly. The pattern was from American Patchwork & Quilting's Quilts and More from a few months ago.

The pattern is designed to accommodate crayons but we felt Laura is past that so I increased the width for the sake of pencils. Ant went out and bought a sketch book and the pencils, so it was a lovely team effort.

Ant's auntie has recently returned from a trip to New York city. Before she went she asked me if there were any shops she'd like me to visit, the first (and only) place that sprung to mind was Purl Soho. I've been an avid reader of their blog for a while, as they have so many inspiring ideas and tutorials. I had bought fabric on-line from them in the past, but then the sky-rocketing exchange rate stopped that...

Jane had a blast in the shop, and came away with a great little range of fabrics, mostly Japanese Kokka. I can't wait to use some of it for Tamsyn, just have to wrangle some more sewing time.....

Oh and the Gund bear is for Tamsyn of course.

thank you all..

2009-05-20T17:26:00.003+10:00

.. for your lovely comments on my last post.

We've been home from hospital since last Friday and are settling in to a new way of life. I've had the adopted parents staying with us as well which has been wonderful, Mum has been spoiling us rotten doing all the cooking until Monday night when Ant offered to make the evening meal (bless him!). It's been hard for me to give up the kitchen but I knew I had to, especially as I'm a kitchen to a certain wee one at the moment anyway. Thankfully my milk is bountiful and Tamsyn's enjoying it a lot.

We had 7 hours uninterrupted sleep last night, let's hope she likes this trend.

introducing ....

2009-05-15T19:52:00.003+10:00

Tamsyn Jane Mabel Brock. Born Monday 11th May at 10pm, weighing 3.5 kilos (7lbs 11oz).
It was a 14 hour labour. The hospital staff and my obstetrician were wonderful and Anthony, well, I couldn't have done it without him.

It's our first night home from hospital, so now the adventure begins......

the wait is almost over

2009-05-09T10:12:00.002+10:00

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my last post, they really mean a lot to me.

So, I'm going to be induced tomorrow (Sunday) and baby will probably be born sometime Monday. They've decided to bring me forward after I had a scan on Thursday. It's nothing major but to cut a long story short, the obstetrician thinks this one may already be fully cooked. So who knows when I'm going to get my quince jam done....

I've just come back from a little walk in the park with Lucy. Behind the trees there, is the Launceston General Hospital (known locally as the LGH), and that's where the action will be taking place.

Lucy loves this park, there's so much to smell. Five years ago I wouldn't have been able to let her run around off the lead like this, she'd give me a cheeky look over her shoulder as if to say "see ya, I'm off on an adventure!" and no amount of calling or chasing would induce her to come back. I'd have to revert to the reverse psychology thing of walking in the opposite direction, thankfully this usually worked. Thereafter she was always on the lead.

She's mellowed now, thank goodness, but still has her moments. I suppose she wants to keep the spirit of adventure alive, just toned down a bit.

And now we're about to embark on another adventure. Since Thursday the anxiety levels have been a bit high, but I have Anthony who is my rock. I also have my family and friends (including you peoples) who are wonderful support.

I'll keep you posted, don't know when but I will...

mothers x 3

2009-05-07T13:34:00.005+10:00

I have three mothers, one biological, one adopted and one in-law. All three are very special to me (and yes, this also means I have three fathers).

I have just deleted a couple of paragraphs that explained the above in more detail but it became too personal, and may be saved for another bloggy day. I suppose what does matter is that all three women play a very important role in my life, not just as an example to me but as an ideal of what type of mother I should be. Right now, with about a week before baby is due, I'm feeling that the role of a mother is such an important one, and desperately hope that I can live up to it.

Having said all that, I thought I'd share some of the presents I've made for these special ladies (I know 2 of them don't read this blog!) -
This is the Jane Market Bag, I bought the pattern on-line courtesy of Posy Gets Cozy. It's an antidote to the green grocery shopping bags which, though very environmentally friendly, aren't really that attractive.
I made mine out of discontinued upholstery samples (Swaffer has been very good to me!), from Ant's work. The pattern was very user friendly and came together in no time. I wouldn't mind making a couple more for myself.
And some fingerless mitts for the mother-in-law. I think the pattern was from Ravelry, if not then it was Knitty. It's been some time since I did cables, but again, the pattern was easy to read and they knitted up a treat. I also want to make a pair for me, but not until I've finished Ant's socks....

It's interesting that all 3 of my mothers have and are prolific knitters, especially when they had growing families themselves. I like to think that I'll continue to follow in their footsteps.

Niche goodness

2009-05-03T15:28:00.000+10:00

Yesterday (Saturday) was the first day of Niche, which brought out a lot of locals in search of handmade goods. (click on the photo to take you across to my Flickr page for larger photos)

I went along mostly to catch up with Tara, but also to catch up with fellow bloggers such as Black Eyed Susie and to finally meet Gemma of Loz and Dinny fame.

It was great to see so much local talent in one place, and the turn out was great - much bigger than last November's. Maybe the weather had something to do with it, yesterday and today have been perfect autumn days, one feels compelled to venture out and make the most of the sunshine. :o)

spon?

2009-04-25T16:32:00.003+10:00

The t-shirt originally said 'Spoon', probably to do with the band Spoon. Ant's brother-in-law does a lot of tour managing for bands and as such, receives oodles of t-shirts from concerts. Eventually they're handed down to Ant and me as they're handy to wear at the oyster lease - where nothing, least of all clothing is precious.

So, what's this got to do with me? You see, one of the items on the list of 'things to take' to the hospital is a nightie. Preferably one that buttons down the front and can even be thrown away once baby is born. I had tried the 'el cheapo' shops around town without success (either too ugly or too costly) and had even started op-shopping to the point where I was looking at large mens shirts, but no, 'twas not to be.

I've occasionally noticed on blogs here and there the re-fashioning of t-shirts into all sorts of things from kids clothes to underwear, and finally today I made the link between t-shirts and nightie. I rummaged through the big bag of them and found 2 that were similar in size. I then cut them up the middle, cut off the bottom section of the black one and attached it to the bottom of the blue. What was left over of the black t-shirt was rotary cut into 4.5" strips, joined together end to end and folded in half lengthwise to give me plackets down the centre.

To coin a real Australianism, it's 'as rough as guts'. Meaning that the sewing was very relaxed and as I didn't bother with interfacing on the plackets the button holes are less than ordinary. But what care I? So long as it doesn't fall apart when I'm wearing it I'll be happy.... or in pain.... depending on the circumstances.

Vegetarians may want to look away from the next photo -

Yep, they're cow hide baby booties!! I noticed them in Cocoon a couple of weeks ago and couldn't get them out of my head, so I went back the other day and bought them. The soles are sheep skin, with the fleece facing inwards. They've been sitting on the coffee table lately because I just want to show them off, they're so cool. They come from Nature Baby in New Zealand.

4 weeks to go

2009-04-16T09:08:00.002+10:00

... and no, I'm not 'over it'. Despite some peoples efforts (well meaning friends of course but still!!), I've enjoyed this pregnancy. I suppose it makes a difference if you're not very sick, and it's been interesting that since leaving work I've had lots more energy too. I haven't even had a Nanna Nap for about 3 weeks.

It's Tara's birthday today, Happy Birthday chook! Last night I finished knitting a night cap for her, I found the pattern on Knitty..... I love that site.
I had to do a bit of adjusting though, as I used a 4 ply yarn instead of the finer lace type stuff which also meant a different lace pattern around the brim. I think it will work and I do hope she likes it. I also bought her a softie from this cool seller on Etsy a while ago (when the exchange rate was more favourable), her stuff really cracks me up and I know Tara loves it too.
I've also jumped on the bandwagon and made the Buttercup Bag from this site. I think the pattern was first mentioned on the Sew Mama Sew site and a few other bloggers have made it too. It's a very easy pattern, and is a great way of using a fat quarter or two. I used some left over Kaffe Fassett Paperweight fabric for mine and lined it with decorating weight ticking to give it more structure, otherwise I suppose you could use a heavy weight interfacing on the lining. Cool.

another Bruny Easter

2009-04-14T09:38:00.002+10:00

We had some beautiful autumn weather, quite warm some days. Here's a view of the oyster lease, there's a permanent mooring on the far side there and we often see a yacht or cruiser moored for the weekend. It does add nicely to the scene.

I love how the water is always changing with each mood the day brings forth. I've enjoyed my break from oyster farming and to slowly take in the sights and sounds around me.

So we're home now and I've finally caught up on 4 days worth of blog reading, wasn't easy!! Especially when the internet is playing up on the home PC, Ant and I have to fight over the laptop - I'm glad I woke up early this morning....

The generosity of people really knows no bounds.

My dear dear friend B mentioned to one of her clients that an old girlfriend was expecting, and before she knew it said client had whipped up a boxful of knitted goods which arrived on my doorstep this morning.

I'm so overwhelmed and very very touched. To receive these items, made with such skill, from a woman I've never met is simply astonishing. I'm extremely thankful. There's boy and girl stuff in there, so we'll have to wait and see which gets used!

first day

2009-04-06T17:55:00.004+10:00

... of my new job, as it were. Ant has officially recognised it as "domestic engineer" which, from working in a bank, I have actually seen women put this down as their occupation. Each to their own I suppose.

So, after 3 loads of washing, doing the grocery shop and taking doggy for her walk, I felt it prudent of me to have a rest and enjoy some lunch. Homemade pumpkin soup and 2 new magazines picked up this morning. I've waffled on about Sew Hip before but never did anything about subscribing as, a) I couldn't afford to, and b) didn't know if it would be worth my while, being a new magazine and all. So it was lovely to see it at my local newsagent, who is pretty good at getting in 'different' magazines. The other one is Creative Knitting, more of an indulgence buy because it has a few baby knits.

Oh and did you notice? I have a new camera - yay!

I also had a look on Flickr today to see what the latest count was for the Bushfire Relief Project. Here's what Tia posted on the groups discussion board -

"1764 Donated Quilt Blocks = 70 quilt tops + 39 Donated quilt tops + 12 completely quilted and finished quilts = 121 quilts for the people of Victoria! How awesome is that? What a heck of a quilting bee! Thanks so much everyone...what a great lot you all are."

on a roll

2009-03-31T08:56:00.001+11:00

The backing fabric made me do it. I was in one of my locals a couple of weeks ago and came across this gorgeous flannel: Urban Flannel by Valori Wells for Free Spirit. This fabric reminded me that I had some Kaffe Fassett fabric that I could use for piecing with different coloured solids. I also had some raw linen, something that I'd been wanting to use in a quilt for a while but wasn't sure how, so this has become the alternating blocks. I found some variegated thread that matched for the machine quilting.

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, and will be the type of quilt I can just chuck in the washing machine after baby has leaked on it in some way...

Some other little things to share. I found the hat pattern through Ravelry, very simple and quick to knit up. The darker colour is left over from the jumper I made for Ant, it's an undyed wool/alpaca blend and is lovely and soft. Sorry for the shabby photo quality, I'm still using the camera phone. Hopefully we'll have a new camera soon.

Yesterday I stopped at my local Windmill shop and picked up these wooden rattles. Apparently I'm quite weird for not wanting plastic toys. I know we'll probably be given plastic toys but hey, a girl can but try. When baby is older I really really want to get it a Wheely Bug, who wouldn't?

Note: I'm using a computer at the moment that doesn't have Firefox, and are finding it difficult only using Explorer - it won't do what I want it to do! So sorry if this post looks a bit odd.

scratching that itch

2009-03-24T17:26:00.003+11:00

The quilting itch that is.

Since I made those Bushfire blocks a couple of weeks ago it made me realise how much I've been missing simple patchwork and quilting. So..... despite the list of 'to do's' I started cutting out a new quilt, that is, another baby quilt. I know, I can't help myself.

You see this is the thing. I'm in the middle of hand quilting the hexagon stars quilt for baby but I have the embryo of a feeling at the back of my mind that I'll run out of time. It may be a different story once I finish work (3rd April) but I don't want to take that chance, and like I said, I wanted to do some new quilting.

I remember quite a few years ago when I was living in Smithton and was a member of the local quilt group. I had taken part in a few of their shows and at one I was part of the 'working display', hand quilting a saw tooth star quilt that we still use on our bed. One clever bloke asked me what was the attraction of cutting up fabric just to sew it together again. Well it's true isn't it, when you break it down to base elements like that. However if that's how we only thought about quilts then we'd never make them, and buy a blanket instead.

But thankfully we don't think of quilts that way. We revel in the creative process. We love choosing just the right fabrics, either new or from our stash, that will make the quilt sing. Cutting and piecing may get a bit monotonous but we keep plodding along (or else it ends up in the UFO pile.....), and start to feel the first tinglings of joy at seeing the top finished. Then the fun of deciding which quilting pattern will complement the piecing. The neck ache from machine quilting or the long winter evenings hand quilting in front of the telly, and finally the race to get that binding on. Of course these days the process isn't complete unless we take copious photos of the finished product and share them on our blogs, and hey, why shouldn't we? We're proud of our little creations and want to share them with the world.

So, I'm hand stitching down the binding at the moment, and once finished I'll post the proper photo or 2 and gloat over my little creation.

Oh and I haven't forgotten about the nappies, I'll post a photo of a finished one that's all ready for a wee botty to fill it..... literally.

when one is camera-less...

2009-03-16T13:03:00.006+11:00

.... and doesn't know if it will ever resurface. In the meantime I have no way of showing off what I've been doing of late, unless I use the camera on my mobile phone - the picture quality isn't overly fantastic but it's better than nothing.

Something I would love to share is my meeting with the new Bernina 830 on Thursday at my local dealer -

This is an amazing machine, choc-a-block full of features and big too. I also love how the Bernina's are still mostly metal, hardly any plastic parts at all. Robyn at the shop was telling me how there's a huge backlog of orders for these machines in America - like 20,000. What's more amazing is that people are prepared to pay for them too, like $12,000. Thankfully they only cost another $1,000 here (=$13,000) but still, that's a truck load of moolah just for a sewing machine!

I'll just go back to my humble 1230 and hopefully I'll be able to show you the fruits of my labour soon....

doing stuff...

2009-03-10T22:04:00.003+11:00

Nappies that is.

I currently have fifteen of the little suckers on the go, assembly line style, and still have about another ten to go. I can't spend too much time on them at once though, all those little loose flannel fibres get up my nose and make me all sinus-y.

It's my sister-in-law's birthday this week and I thought I'd make the Puff purse as part of her present. It's a Nicole Mallalieu pattern that I bought through her on-line shop a few weeks ago. Nicole is a very talented designer and seamstress, and her patterns are very well written. She'll often warn you if a certain part is tricky which makes life a lot easier and not quite as bad as you might fear. The kit comes with interfacing and the purse frame as well, which is nice. You can also order extra notions/supplies through the shop.

The weekend just gone. I used to be part of this picture, and in some ways I do miss it. I like to get stuck in and work hard on some manual labour, but as there's a lot of lifting involved I'm just not capable right now naturally. So I sit by and knit or sew....... or take a photo of the new car -

We needed something more suited to Bruny roads (most of them are dirt), able to tow the boat with ease, back seats for baby and a canopy on the tray for doggy, these sort of vehicles seem to tick all the boxes. So, gone is my little red wagon (*sniff*) and enter the big white beast.

Sunday arvo

2009-03-01T18:21:00.004+11:00

Anthony suggested we take the Zodiac out onto the South Esk at Hadspen, something different and a change from the Tamar. We wanted to see how far up stream we could go - hopefully as far as Longford. However the river narrows here and there and we turned back after a while as a tight bend showed us some submerged logs.

During our little jaunt we were rewarded with some lovely vistas.

This is platypus country too. Some people we passed in a canoe said they had just seen one. I think the motor of our boat would've scared them away. There's a creek not far from my parents place that has had a resident pair from time to time, it's lovely to watch them foraging about in the shallows.

We did manage to attract the attention of some locals though.

On our return we felt that we had cleared a few cobwebs and are now ready to face a new working week - maybe.... ;)

indulge me....

2009-02-23T20:46:00.000+11:00

... for I need to let off a bit of steam.

I am feeling to urge to have a special t-shirt made just for me. It would say "no, I don't know what we're having (but hey, if it's a baby then that's fine by me)".

I think the "do you know what you're having" question has been a bit of a surprise to me especially as that's something I've never asked expecting parents. I suppose it's because for me personally I don't like the idea of finding out so why should I ask others? Almost everyone we see asks us that question so you can see why it's wearing thin. It's also interesting to note the amount of people who, after we've said we don't know what we're having, have then said "good, I hate it when people find out"....... so does that mean they'd hate me if we knew?

Sorry, the irony of these things stands out like a sore thumb at times.

Anyways, I shan't do this again I promise. Here's a pair of little things I finished a couple of weeks ago, I found the pattern here.

They'd be even cuter if the photo wasn't so blurry. Sorry....

non sequitur

2009-02-18T13:09:00.002+11:00

Remember Tifa? She has taken up residence on the front veranda but still loves to keep me company in the sewing room. Anyways, Mum took this photo of her the other day and has added it to her New Years resolution on Flickr - 365 photos for 2009. Do go and check out the photos of the sheep (and the subsequent photos) in the barley paddock, it's very cute.

my blocks

2009-02-15T15:25:00.001+11:00

It was nice to dip into the scrap boxes and come up with this effort. I've never made this block before and I love the simplicity of it. Also, Victoria has an excellent tutorial which made my job so much easier.

It's been so long since I've done 'traditional' patchwork, and it was a lovely little break from making all this baby stuff. It's not that I don't want to do the baby stuff, but when you've got a gazillion nappies to make it does help to have to odd diversion - and for a very worthy cause too.

more sewing goodness

2009-02-12T13:31:00.004+11:00

Originally uploaded by CampFollowerBagLady

Thanks to Ann and Victoria for giving me the heads-up on their blogs about this wonderful idea of Tia's. This is something I feel a lot of us can easily do, I know for me personally it's a lot easier than trying to make stuffed toys (yep, I'm struggling with that one!), and who wouldn't want a new quilt to start rebuilding their heirlooms?

thirsty koala

2009-02-11T13:19:00.005+11:00

My sister had a photo of this on her blog and then I discovered they had made a video on one of the fire fighters camera phones (don't know who posted it, they should know better than to call a koala a 'bear'). Poor little mite, then I think of all the other animals that didn't survive and I just want to cry.

I'm overcoming my softie making phobia and have started making some to donate.

spread the crafty word

2009-02-09T12:58:00.006+11:00

Photo uploaded from Yahoo 7 News

The bushfires in Victoria have been the worst in known history, with an incredible loss of life and homes.

I've just learnt from Ric Rac's blog that The Toy Society is collecting handmade toys to donate to children effected. It might not seem like a lot, but to a small child who has lost every toy they own, something would be better than nothing. Meet Me At Mikes is also receiving handmade items and have other links as well.

The Red Cross is also accepting donations.

and then there were nine

2009-02-06T17:41:00.002+11:00

Yes you heard me, nine sewing machines! A couple of Saturdays ago Ant had to do a quick trip to Hobart, he's a sucker for a garage sale and came across a couple while down there. He did find a few useful things for himself and then came across this little thing. It's a 99k electric, but older than my other 99k (of which I absolutely love). It also needs a bit of work done, most importantly the springs in the tension need replacing and for some reason it has quite a long stitch length.

We're thinking that this one may be good to keep down at the shack, as I can't say that it's all that special (unlike the Featherweight). This is also the first electric Singer I have that doesn't have a foot pedal, it uses a knee lever instead to make it run. I'm not sure how I'll go with that, as I'm used to a different type of knee lever -

The Bernina knee lever is for raising the pressure foot, which is wonderful for when you need 2 hands on your work. It's second nature for me to use this all the time, so I can just see myself trying to do the same on the Singer and making a real mess of things.... maybe. Have to get it fixed first anyway.

nesting

2009-02-03T09:24:00.002+11:00

Here's the nappy bag from the Amy Butler book, and it's big - like really BIG. I expect that this will be a good thing though.

The fabric is ex-upholstery samples from Ant's work, this one being a Textilia in a cotton linen blend. I used a blue ticking stripe for the lining. Even though I'm a big Amy Butler fan I didn't think I'd want such a big bag in her fabric, and instead went for something more subdued that will match most of my wardrobe. Sound like a plan?

Despite the heat last week I made some apricot jam. Our tree isn't mature enough yet but a friend had oodles on theirs and I had to make the jam before the fruit turned (on account of the heat). So on a 36 degrees C evening in the kitchen I had the pot simmering and the oven sterilising jars, it was worth it though.

I used the recipe from one of my Christmas presents. Yep, more books! Normally with most jams I just do the kilo for kilo of fruit and sugar but this one suggested adding lemon juice as well. For some reason it turned out a bit runnier than I'd like although the heat and humidity may have more to do with that.

Amongst other sewing on the go, and thanks to the wonderful Alice who gave us the heads up I'll have to make some of these booties. I tried knitting a pair similar but gave up, it was too small and fiddly - sewing them should be much more user friendly. Well to me anyway....

Australia Day style

2009-01-27T21:55:00.002+11:00

It was Anthony's suggestion. He's been wanting to launch the Zodiac at the Tailrace for a while now and Australia Day was the perfect excuse for a little jaunt on the Tamar River.

Yep, that life jacket was pretty damn snug!

It was also a first for Lucy, she's never been in a boat before and after a bit of nervousness she seemed to enjoy the ride. It was just like going in the car except it was on water. I love the Zodiac, it's great for scuba diving out of and I never get sea sick (anything bigger and I do), maybe because you're so close to the water.

Cataract Gorge is probably Launceston's most popular attraction, and it had been a while since I had seen it from the water.

Just past the bridge is the original caretakers cottage (I think!). It's now used by artists who can apply for a residency, their stay can be as little as one week, again I think.

We tied up under the bridge here and had a picnic lunch - cheese and Vegemite sandwiches with lamingtons afterwards. Ant had a stubby of Boags but of course I stuck to water ..... *sigh*

We did the more traditional thing in the evening - to a friends place for a barbecue, lamb chops and then pavlova that I made for desert. Yum-o!

little knitting

2009-01-23T08:35:00.001+11:00

For a wee one. This was a lovely little cardi to knit, as it was done all in one with only the collar attached separately. The pattern was a free download from Ravelry and I used a cotton/bamboo blend variegated yarn.

I'm one of those people who doesn't like to genderise babies, and if we have a girl she won't be wearing bright pink - especially if she has my skin tone as well. Pink skin and pink clothes do not work very well.

A while ago I bought some of that specially designed sock yarn that produces a type of fair isle pattern as you knit. I'm glad I had enough left over for these booties, aren't they cute?!!

I've started knitting another type of booties, also from Ravelry, and I want to knit a few nappy covers to wear over the nappies I'm making - more on that soon....

Have a great weekend. :o)

when needs must

2009-01-19T18:20:00.003+11:00

I had a 'cry for help' of sorts from Tara. She's getting ready for a market (or something like that) in Melbourne and was in desparate need of a couple of skirts assembled, quickly. I received the parcel from her in the post on Friday, with a request to have them returned by Wednesdays post.

Problem was that we were ready to trundle off to Bruny for the weekend, so I decided to do something I had been thinking about for a while....

Take the sewing machine with me.

We don't have any power at the oyster lease (fortunately we do at our shack in Alonnah), so it meant taking the hand-wind Singer. I've finally done some research on it and according to its serial number it was made in the 1960's. Considering it's appearance one would be mistaken for thinking that it's a lot older than that, but it was manufactured in Istanbul so maybe the older style was still the fashion there. It has a 'shuttle' bobbin as well, it's the only one of my Singers that does.

Oh and note to self, take pins next time. I had to use 3 spare machine needles instead, fortunately raw silk is fairly stiff so I managed...... just.

Yes it's technically summer but being Bruny Island I still had to rug up a bit. This was Saturday and Sunday was a lot warmer.

I haven't done any oyster farming work for a while now. I don't have the energy now and as there's a lot of lifting involved I have a good excuse not to. Up till now I've mostly been knitting, which reminds me, I must blog about that too.

And I still had my sewing companion. She got a swim on Sunday too.

the to do list gets longer ....

2009-01-14T10:32:00.003+11:00

But like any good sewer I need to be overloaded with projects. :)

So this is one of my birthday books, and the only one I actually requested. Here's a peek at a few chosen pages -
I do so want to make this change table. I like how the side supports are velcroed on so they can be removed for washing, which I'm sure will happen at least once.....

Of course I have to have a groovy nappy bag, or just a groovy bag full stop.

On another note, I whipped up a skirt last night. I wanted a simple A-line maternity skirt in black linen and found this pattern which has a terrific variety of clothes to make (I think I'll make a shirt next). It only took about an hour and a half to make, although it would've taken half an hour less if I hadn't sewn the waist band to the skirt - wrong sides together. We all need little wake up calls from time to time.

I don't want to make too many maternity clothes but a girl can't go round naked can she? Especially me...

cornishware goodness

2009-01-09T08:53:00.005+11:00

Here's the Cornishware tea set that my darling husband and a few other conspirators gave me for my birthday, proudly displayed on our old kitchen dresser (another of Ant's auction finds).

I think this colourway is called 'old gold', instead of the more common blue and white stripe that I've been collecting over the years. If you look closely at the gold it looks like it's unpainted clay, as you can see small grains in it - which may well be the case (should have taken a close up photo, d'oh!).

You see, Ant has visions of me serving tea with this set the next time my sewing group meets here, and I don't see why not. Although I feel that I'd have to make some pretty little cupcakes and shortbread to serve with it, don't you think?

You can also just see another birthday present there next to the jugs, a Domino spot jug and sugar bowl from the F parents. These are the first domino pieces I have (they're a bit rarer) and I just love 'em. They found them at the discount basement in the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney on their last trip there. I asked them if they'd be going near this beautiful old building and if so, please please please go to the basement! So they did...... :)

lets see what 2009 brings

2009-01-06T21:12:00.003+11:00

This one seems to be suffering from the droops. I think I was in a bit of a rush the morning I took the photo, I can't really remember because it was a few weeks ago. This bag was a birthday present for one of my sisters, I've mentioned Shannon before, and as she lives in Toronto I couldn't blog about it until she received it. She was the only sister left that didn't have a backpack so it made sense that she should have one too.
The pocket for this one is using Of Paper & Thread fabric. It's the only one of her fabrics I've bought but she has some really scrummy designs. I have another backpack commissioned using more of the Pippijoe fabric, must get onto that one......

So Happy New Year folks! Hope you all rang it in right merrily. We spent all last week on Bruny Island at the shack, hence the lack of blogging activity. The weather was cold, wet and windy, with snow on the Hartz Mountains - and here was me thinking we lived in the southern hemisphere. It has warmed up somewhat since, we're off to Coles Bay this weekend so I may get to have a swim yet. Yay!

So how's your 2009 so far?

birthday books

2008-12-23T07:25:00.002+11:00

I so totally scored this year. For some reason people think I like to cook and sew, and collect Cornishware (I'll take a photo of that lot soon-ish), it's nice when people actually listen. He he he...

Of all the books here I only requested one of them - Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones, and the only thing given to me that's baby related. Which is fair enough because it was my birthday, not juniors. I've been eyeing off this book for a while and it's gorgeous, so I might post some photos of it soon-ish as well.

The others there are Kaleidoscope of Quilts by Kaffe Fassett, sumptuous quilts and fabrics. Faking It by Valli Little, from delicious magazine (top mag that one!). Fresh + Fast by Michele Cranston, full of scrummy recipes that make me want to plant more vegies. Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros, I've heard great reviews about this one so was deliciously surprised to receive it from one of my sisters. And Maggie's Harvest by Maggie Beer, another book I've been eyeing off but couldn't afford to buy - just the cover is worth getting it for (the pattern is actually embroidered on!!). Ant's Mum and Dad gave it to me, they knew how much I had wanted Stephanie Alexanders book The Cooks Companion which they gave to me last year and I must say no Australian kitchen should be without. I'm using her gingerbread recipe today even. So to receive Maggie's Harvest was a wonderful surprise as well.

If I can't sqeeze one more post in before Christmas then I wish everyone a wonderful time, with lots of food, drink and festive cheer. We're hoping it will be warm enough for us to go for a dip in a swimming hole up the Meander River near Quamby Bluff, it's been too cool the last few years so here's to keeping our fingers crossed!

a fun day was had by all

2008-12-18T13:43:00.004+11:00

Thank you lovely peoples for your birthday wishes, those thoughts plus the enjoyment we had on Sunday made my birthday something to treasure (actual birthday is the 16th). No, really, I mean it - I'll have to turn 40 more often. Like every year. For the next 20 years maybe. ;)

The cake above was one of Tara's concoctions (psst! go check her blog - she's having a giveaway!!). I can't remember what it's called but it was filled with so much decadence. She also made a black forest cake for the kids, with sugared rose petals on top. Renee wasn't to be outdone and made a sticky date pudding - one of my favourites, along with some chocolate choc chip mini muffins. And then of course Mum had to make a pav -
Which Tara tried to set on fire ..... while singing Happy Birthday.
The weather was terrible all the day before, and we even had to light a fire that night so things weren't overly promising. When we left town to head out to my parents (the party venue) it was spitting with rain. Oh well, we thought, there's plenty of veranda and a big front room to occupy as well. I'm sure we'll still enjoy ourselves.

Oh yea of little faith.

The day turned out to be a stunner, and the garden looked it's best.
Ant's niece Laura found the perfect swing.

The poppies were on their best behaviour.

The vistas begged to be explored,

and kept you wondering what was around the next bend.

This was also considered to be a practice run for Shannon's wedding at the end of 2010, I think it will work a treat.

book review

2008-12-12T13:18:00.005+11:00

I have to talk about this book, and besides, Shannon's not the only family member who can do reviews!

Naturally with your first pregnancy there's a lot happening with your body that you're just not sure whether it should or not. Successive pregnancies must be a doddle in comparison. After a few weeks of knowing I was pregnant I wanted to buy one of those books that can help guide you through the 9 months of this body and mind changing journey.

So off I trundle to my local bookstores, only to find that most of the books were about what to do with baby once it's born. They also had cutesy vomitty pictures of angelic little babies, yeah right.....

Then to my relief I spotted Up the Duff by Kaz Cooke. Kaz is a writer and cartoonist, this book came about as a result of her own first pregnancy and the lack of realistic books about it. Each chapter is based on each week of pregnancy, and also goes beyond to when baby arrives home. A lot of books stop at birth. The start of each chapter tells you 'what's going on' and then gives an excerpt from Hermoine's diary, which is loosely based on Kaz's own journal and is hilarious.

This is the beauty of this book, it always tells you that you can expect a certain thing to be happening but not to be worried if it doesn't straight away. The best example I can think of at the moment is when you first feel baby's movements, this is mentioned at Week 18 but also states that some women don't feel it till later. (this example is fresh in my mind because I've been feeling baby tickle me this week and hey, I am at 18 weeks!)

Since we've gone public with our baby news, so many friends have told me to get this book (more unsolicited advice, it's amazing the amount of things I HAVE to do or be because they say so). Thankfully I can smugly say that I already have it. Even my obstetrician says it's a great book, so there you go.

So before baby is born I need to get this book methinks -
And then I shall be complete.

To change the subject entirely, it's by birthday next week and I'm turning the big 4 - 0. We're having a garden party on Sunday arvo, weather permitting. Rain, rain and more rain has been forecast. Still, hopefully I'll have some pretty pictures of Mum's garden to post next week.

finding one's niche

2008-12-01T22:00:00.005+11:00

This was Tara's stand at Niche over the weekend. Niche was a St Giles initiative, which invited local artisans and craftspeople to have a Christmas market at the Architecture building in Inveresk. I was also invited to take part but I didn't have the energy and time to make enough stock. Next year......

Tara did quite well, selling some of her pincushions and purses. I purchased a kitty from The Purple Finch, which Tifa thought was expressly for her, I'd like to keep it for baby. I also finally met fellow blogger and creator of gorgeous kids stuff Suse, of Black Eyed Susie.

I finished the top. It's very comfy but tends to show how big my bazoomba's really are, and will only get bigger - yikes!
I'm lifting my head up so it doesn't show off the double chin I seem to be acquiring...

I do like how it has a tie at the back as well.Cheers.

new eye candy

2008-11-27T09:08:00.005+11:00

Thank you, thank you so much for your lovely comments. They mean so much to me. This journey that Ant and I are on is exciting and scary at the same time, but I am cherishing every moment of it. Knowing that a wee person, who already has it's own personality, it's own looks and it's own feelings is growing steadily inside my tummy fills us with great joy.

Writing the above has already cheered me up. I was intending to start this post with a rant, as I'm still getting tired a fair bit which also brings on the miseries. But so what if my second trimester 'energy boost' hasn't hit me yet, so what if I'm running out of clothes to wear. The boost may never happen and I've started cutting out a new top in black stretch knit cotton. Easy. I've also just read this post, the blog of which I've been following for a while and find it very inspirational.

So the above 2 bags are commissions I finished yesterday. They took a little longer than usual as I had to keep reminding myself of what to do next, I'm that bad. Decisions are also a challenge, and I've charged Ant with the job of making them. Bless 'im.

So, more eye candy - yes? A parcel arrived in the post yesterday, the book I had pre-ordered (when the exchange rate was a lot more attractive and then wasn't by the time it was charged to the credit card, but we'll let that pass) a couple of months ago is now in my hot little hands. I've mentioned before how much I enjoy Posie Gets Cozy, and her book is filled with lovely ideas for creating keepsakes.

I do like the idea of resurrecting the art of the silhouette and making it funkier.

Baby stuff, well what do you know, I might just have a need for that.

But wait, there's more.

My parents have just returned from (another) trip to Japan. This time it also incorporated a visit to my youngest brother who is working over there (Tifa's daddy). What better opportunity than to ask Mum to buy me a couple of Japanese magazines.

Lace must be making a comeback. Nice.

Drool....
This mag is a Poachee one. I don't know it's proper name because it's in Japanese, but it's got the most gorgeous patterns in it.

And very maternity friendly too. Hee hee hee....

So I now have the creative juices literally flowing out of me in a steady stream. Bring on the energy boost!!

new clothes for summer

2008-11-14T09:14:00.004+11:00

A little while ago Ann and I bought the same fabric from our respective Spotlight stores and then mused at what our interpretations would produce. I had decided to do an overshirt type top for summer. I've used this pattern before and especially like the added touch of the pintucks on the front. This time I've made it longer so I can also wear it as a dress with footless tights, should look alright.

So why do I need a loose fitting top? Why, to accommodate the developing baby bump!

This is our first, so it's very exciting and a bit daunting at the same time. Also because of my age (39) there are more risks to consider, however I had my 13 week scan on Monday morning and everything appears to be 'normal'. I've been feeling pretty good too, only a bit of nausea in the afternoons and evening, and getting tired a lot of course. I'm looking forward to the second trimester happy hormones and energy boost, so here's hoping there'll be a lot more creativity coming from my sewing room.

so where were we?

2008-11-07T12:56:00.002+11:00

I've been really pre-occupied of late, I can't say why at the moment but all shall be revealed in due course.

So it was one of my sisters' birthday the other day and she always likes a bag from me. I've already given her one of my backpacks and I've been wanting to get back into satchels -
This one has a cute Japanese fabric on the flap, and also has a clear plastic cover (a la Nicola Cerini love her bags!). I've since made one for myself using some yummy yummy Cicada Studio fabric, and still have to take a photo of.October, November and December are mad months as far as birthdays go, so I can't even think about Christmas presents until early December (grrr!). This little purse was made for my friend Rosie's birthday, the pattern is from Amy Karols book Bend the Rules Sewing. It's a handy little book for making gifts I've found.
It has 2 pouches inside which are big enough for a credit card and a couple of folded up notes. Perfect for when you're going out on the town and don't want to take your entire purse. The aqua print is from one of those talented Melbourne girls.
Ant's work received a couple of boxes delivered from a new supplier who also distributes McCalls and Butterick patterns. However it was rather surprising when said boxes didn't have the usual bubble wrap (or similar), and instead used dressmaking patterns! So of course they saved them for me, and I spent an entire evening sorting, ironing and refolding each sheet. I haven't quite finished but it seems most of the patterns are complete. Some are so not my size (or just not me) and what I was thinking of doing is posting photos of them here and if anyone wants them I'll send them - free! Aren't I nice? I didn't pay anything for them so why should I charge, and besides, I had my 100th post the other day and didn't offer a giveaway. Was that bad blogger etiquette?

Have a good weekend all. Here's hoping I won't be so slack next week......

sew choice

2008-10-20T16:02:00.002+11:00

My apologies for being so tardy on the blog front. I had a nasty little head cold all last week which really knocked the stuffing out of me. I've never had so many colds in one year, should have gotten stuck into the vitamin C early on.....

So anyway, I found out about this English mag through the Prints Charming blog and the website allowed for pre-ordering using Paypal. The opportunity seemed too good to refuse. So I was naturally expecting a Prints Charming item in the issue, and was very impressed to see it made the front cover. Although more goodies were to be had, a the flick of a page....

Alicia Paulson is amazing, terribly creative and writes a beautiful blog about life, pets and crafty stuff. So it was a lovely surprise to see her featured also.

More Prints Charming goodness.

And even an article about Amy Butler! Awesome...

This little scamp is a great idea, designed to make use of left over fabric scraps - perfect!

I think it's wonderful that they're showcasing crafty talent from all over the world. My only hope is that this magazine will continue to live up to the standard it has set, and I look forward to seeing what the next issue will be like.

Show Day

2008-10-10T08:57:00.003+11:00

Yesterday was a local public holiday for the Launceston Show. However I went the opposite direction to my sisters home near Chudleigh, collecting Mum along the way.

We spent a pleasant, and almost bohemian afternoon sitting on old quilts and some of Tara's cushions on the sunny side of the verandah. Sipping tea and indulging in some home made treats (Tara makes a mean pavlova).

I took my knitting. I'm not far from finishing Ant's pullover thank goodness. I don't do big projects very often, I tend to gravitate towards gloves, beanies and socks - I love knitting socks on four needles.

I'm typing this while Tifa is playing with an old ball of wool she pinched from my knitting basket. She's managed to tangle the yarn around almost every chair leg in the room.

And hey, guess what? You'll never guess ..... but we're off to Bruny Island this weekend - what a surprise! Sorry, it's just a fact of life this time of year and I need to get over it. Don't get me wrong, I love the place to bits - it's just the travelling that gets to me.

because I can't help myself

2008-10-02T16:06:00.000+10:00

A few weeks ago the lovely Ann posted about the spring fabrics she bought to make some clothes, and I recognised the fabric above as being available in my local Spotlight store also. I suggested that I buy a few metres as well and then we could compare the results. I'm thinking a nice long over-shirty type top, with pin tucks down the front and a bit of shaping at the waist. I have a pattern I can easily adapt to do this so I might just give it a try.

Something like the above would be nice for spring/summer too. I can't remember where I came across this magazine, may have been A Little Goodness's shop the other day but has sold since.

So what are you going to make for the season that you're in?

friday fluff

2008-09-26T11:04:00.002+10:00

Going to Melbourne this weekend to see the chappy above, yay!! It was a fairly last minute decision to go and are only staying one night, but it should be a jolly good time provided we don't get caught up with any Grand Final after parties.

Although I do have to say this - carn the Cats!!

getting the better of spring rain and wind

2008-09-23T19:24:00.006+10:00

and how do I do that? Why, go and buy a new Bernina!Well, newer Bernina.

It's brought a little ray of sunshine into the sewing room.

It's a 1230 with lots of beautiful bells and whistles. I've been asking the owners of my local sewing shop on a regular basis if they had got in any secondhand Berninas - as they advised me to check now and again. So when I picked up the overlocker/serger last week from being serviced I asked the question (for only the third time I think) and there she was - Beatrice (no not Bernadette!!). She was also a price I could afford, a fraction of the cost of a brand new machine.

We still have to alter the sewing table my Dad made for Bertie the 830, as you can see here it has a wooden plate which slots around the free-arm - rather than using the metal one it came with. I've propped up the 1230 a bit with a thick piece of foam so the plate just clears the table, this way I can still comfortably machine quilt if need be. So of course I had to start using it straight away and finish the apron (Simplicity pattern 2932) I had been working on. You can see why I needed one, the old apron was well past its use by date!
Lucy didn't want to be left out either.....

don't mock the Moke

2008-09-21T16:12:00.008+10:00

Seriously, these people love their Mokes.

Us Northerners met up at Perth before travelling in a convoy to Campbell Town. The day was very very windy but this didn't dampen our spirits.There's our 'Yellow Devil' in the middle there. We waited here a little while so the Hobart group could meet up with us, compare cars and then move on to another location that would provide a good photo opportunity.
So in all we had 19 Mini Mokes in one gathering, the organisers think this may be a new record as the previous was 13. This is a world record mind you! Edit - this is only for the International Moke Day events. The Moke Fests can draw up to 150 Mokes (imagine that!)
It was interesting to see how each car varied. Canopies were different, some had roll bars, some had their original paintwork and some didn't. Some were a beautiful example of restoration work - these people really like spending money on their Moke. If there were awards handed out then we would receive one for the most amount of rust! Oh well, time and money ....... time and money.

friday fluff

2008-09-19T12:44:00.003+10:00

<- Look over there, yes there, to the left, did you notice this blog now has 3 columns?

I've been wanting to do this for a while because I didn't like how everything was stuffed down the right hand side and as a marketing strategy, I felt it was important to make my Etsy shop prominent.

A lot of Typepad bloggers have this option as standard but Blogger didn't in it's array of templates. So a while ago I found out about Blogger Buster, a site dedicated to helping Blogger users customise their blogs.

To make 3 columns means altering the HTML code of your blog (and works best if you're already using the 'Minima' template). Yep, that can be daunting but if you copy the entire HTML code and paste it into a Word document before you make any changes then you've got an instant back up. The last thing I wanted was my banner in a side bar and a photo of Lucy where a post should be! Amanda's instructions are pretty clear but you really have to make sure you understand the procedures before attempting anything, and she'll always reply to any questions you make.

So no oysters this weekend, on Sunday we're off the the Moke Day at Campbell Town - weather permitting. Should be fun, providing the little car makes it there!

Oh and no post should go without a photo -

Life's Just a Ferball

{this moment}

{this moment}

While he sleeps...

Picking up the pieces

Excuse me....

Daily life....

Because I needed a break from knitting,

Angus' first trip to Bruny Island

Still alive

Thankful

Announcing

Winding down

A small diversion

A quilt for a little man called Felix

It's been a long time between quilts...

I must be nesting....

And the winner is...

*Giveaways* are a great way to say thank you...

My excuse for being a lazy blogger lately...

I love before and after photos

Tamsyn says "ta"

one

time to get out of this funk...

is it cheating?

meanwhile, back at the sewing machine.....

in my invalid state

no pain no gain

bunions

take one big old jumper....

more knitting and sewing for my girl

sometimes blog post titles stump me...

craft hope

the hiatus is over

words aren't always necessary

end of an era

six months

Mini Fest 2009

still sewing

well, at least I'm being paid for it

busy...... doing......

I heart socks

get out of town .....

fathers day

hello spring

knitting for my girl

maybe there's hope for me yet

umm....

my sewing bible

sewing for my man

gratuitous baby worshipping

sewing for my girl

winter walking

score

sewing up a storm

baby elephant walk

Bruny baby

when it's cold outside

baby steps

thank you all..

introducing ....

the wait is almost over

mothers x 3

Niche goodness

spon?

4 weeks to go

another Bruny Easter

first day

on a roll

scratching that itch

when one is camera-less...

doing stuff...

Sunday arvo

indulge me....

non sequitur

my blocks

more sewing goodness

thirsty koala

spread the crafty word

and then there were nine

Giveaways are a great way to say thank you...