I am finding very little time to stitch at the moment - very frustrating. I keep falling into the trap of thinking the house must be tidy & life 'under control' before I can indulge in some stitching. Since the housework is never ending and our life is far from 'under control', it is little wonder I'm not getting to the sewing machine! I'd be happy to hear your best 'excuses' for finding time to sew - surely life has not reached such a frenetic pace that stitching time cannot be justified?
Monday, 17 March 2008
The indulgence of stitching?
I am finding very little time to stitch at the moment - very frustrating. I keep falling into the trap of thinking the house must be tidy & life 'under control' before I can indulge in some stitching. Since the housework is never ending and our life is far from 'under control', it is little wonder I'm not getting to the sewing machine! I'd be happy to hear your best 'excuses' for finding time to sew - surely life has not reached such a frenetic pace that stitching time cannot be justified?
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Pins & needles
There are a lot of pincushions being revealed all over the world in response to Blueberry Lane's pincushion giveaway. Some of them are just too sweet to ever consider sticking pins into.
This is my everyday pincushion on the left & my well used needle book on the right. These were an experiment in foundation piecing & were made years ago. They are looking a bit dated, really should make some new ones!
My absolute favourite pincushion though is this one, made for me by my precious boy when he was in kindergarten. He was so excited to give me this, because "I know you'll just love it Mum"! And I did. He even insisted that I take it to my quilting group & show all my friends, he was so proud of it. And I did! It's wonky stitching & googly eyes will be treasured forever.
I have lots of pincushions on my 'to do' list, but I particularly love this one (nice & quick), and also this especially gorgeous one (not so quick, but surely an heirloom in the making).
I have just discovered two Aussie girls new to blogland tonight so please be sure to visit & say a big 'gidday' to Vintage Lane Stitches and Ohsewbusy.
My absolute favourite pincushion though is this one, made for me by my precious boy when he was in kindergarten. He was so excited to give me this, because "I know you'll just love it Mum"! And I did. He even insisted that I take it to my quilting group & show all my friends, he was so proud of it. And I did! It's wonky stitching & googly eyes will be treasured forever.
I have lots of pincushions on my 'to do' list, but I particularly love this one (nice & quick), and also this especially gorgeous one (not so quick, but surely an heirloom in the making).
I have just discovered two Aussie girls new to blogland tonight so please be sure to visit & say a big 'gidday' to Vintage Lane Stitches and Ohsewbusy.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Ain't they sweet?
Some cute new Heidi Grace stamps & papers motivated some cardmaking creativity in my 12 year old blossie on the weekend.
Monday, 10 March 2008
Bloomin' lucky, that Bloom!
My first 'pleasure' parcel in the post at our new house arrived today (up until now it has been all bank statements & legal correspondence). The lovely Annie from Flower Garden sent me a surprise parcel in celebration of her 100th post - very exciting! 
She sent a gorgeous bag, made with a lovely soft red, floral fabric & it even has a pocket inside (high on the priority list amongst the girls in our household)!
And the bag was filled with special treats: an Australian quilting magazine, some cute little pansy napkins & two cards made from photos of Annie's beautiful garden. I am bloomin' lucky aren't I?! Thank you Annie for your generosity & willingness to send a parcel off to a virtual stranger - you made my day.
She sent a gorgeous bag, made with a lovely soft red, floral fabric & it even has a pocket inside (high on the priority list amongst the girls in our household)!
And the bag was filled with special treats: an Australian quilting magazine, some cute little pansy napkins & two cards made from photos of Annie's beautiful garden. I am bloomin' lucky aren't I?! Thank you Annie for your generosity & willingness to send a parcel off to a virtual stranger - you made my day.
Friday, 7 March 2008
A question of weed control
One of my three brothers dared me to share what I was doing today, just so that you don't think my life is all roses! Here is a clue:
I know all you Aussie farm girls will recognise the scene immediately! Here is a closer view of the task at hand:
I have been back to our little farm to assess the Bathurst burr population. Bathurst burr is a common weed on Australian farms, causing contamination of wool & crops. We have had a wet summer, which is wonderful, but with it comes Bathurst burr infestation. When we were kids, Dad paid my brothers & I one dollar an hour to hoe these spiny plants out by hand - we thought we were so 'in the money', potentially able to make $10 a day! This summer, the population is so thick, we resort to chemical means of control, either using a quad bike, or boom spray. So no gardening or stitching today!
I know all you Aussie farm girls will recognise the scene immediately! Here is a closer view of the task at hand:
I have been back to our little farm to assess the Bathurst burr population. Bathurst burr is a common weed on Australian farms, causing contamination of wool & crops. We have had a wet summer, which is wonderful, but with it comes Bathurst burr infestation. When we were kids, Dad paid my brothers & I one dollar an hour to hoe these spiny plants out by hand - we thought we were so 'in the money', potentially able to make $10 a day! This summer, the population is so thick, we resort to chemical means of control, either using a quad bike, or boom spray. So no gardening or stitching today!
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Late summer lusciousness
I made this for the kids' lunch boxes today, but I think if it were cooked in a flan tin & dusted with some icing sugar, it would easily pass for a late summer dessert at a dinner party. It reminds me of the jam & coconut slice my grandma used to make, but with fresh fruit - yum!
summer fruit slice
summer fruit slice
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Place 2 cups plain flour, 1 cup desiccated coconut, 1 cup caster sugar & 200g melted butter in a bowl & mix to combine. Press mixture into a lined 20x30cm tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.
Top the slice base with 2 sliced peaches, 2 sliced nectarines & 150g frozen raspberries.
To make the topping, combine 1 and 1/2 cups desiccated coconut, 1/2 cup caster sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla & 3 egg whites in a bowl. Spoon topping over the fruit. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
Monday, 3 March 2008
Linen treasures
I mentioned I did a little op shopping with friends yesterday & happened across a 'Linen & Lace' sale. I asked my friends before we entered the shop to hold me accountable & stop (I say, STOP) me from buying any more stuff for my home. Having just moved house, "I do not need more stuff", I said, emphatically! Yeah, yeah, you know where we're heading ... here are my treasures:
Beautiful handstitched guest towels, six crisp, white, linen napkins with hand crocheted edges & metres of vintage braid, all purchased for next to nothing. 
I ease the guilt I feel in paying so little for things so painstakingly crafted by women of yesteryear by telling myself that they will be lovingly cared for & appreciated in my hands.
All in all, I think I was quite restrained in my purchasing considering, but it will be all I can do not to visit the shop again today & see what other treasure I can unearth!
Beautiful handstitched guest towels, six crisp, white, linen napkins with hand crocheted edges & metres of vintage braid, all purchased for next to nothing. 
I ease the guilt I feel in paying so little for things so painstakingly crafted by women of yesteryear by telling myself that they will be lovingly cared for & appreciated in my hands.
All in all, I think I was quite restrained in my purchasing considering, but it will be all I can do not to visit the shop again today & see what other treasure I can unearth!
Don't like Mondays? ... Tell me why!
The Boomtown Rats got it wrong surely?! I have had a great Monday. A visit from lovely friends who came bearing house-warming gifts...
and who share my love of fabric & quilting, so what else was there to do but to do a little shopping...
... and a little eating, more than one coffee & lots of talking! Our day culminated in finding a 'linen & lace' sale at one of the local op shops - what treasures there were to be found! (I will post about my purchases tomorrow when they are washed & pressed).
And to cap off a wonderful start to the week, I came home to find these waiting for me, on loan from a new quilting friend I met on the weekend:
Quilting blogs have been raving about the Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini & I am very excited to have befriended someone who has the entire collection!
Bob Geldof obviously didn't have lovely friends to make his day when he wrote 'I Don't Like Mondays' (way back in 1979, can you believe that?!) - perhaps he needs to take up quilting!
and who share my love of fabric & quilting, so what else was there to do but to do a little shopping...
... and a little eating, more than one coffee & lots of talking! Our day culminated in finding a 'linen & lace' sale at one of the local op shops - what treasures there were to be found! (I will post about my purchases tomorrow when they are washed & pressed).
And to cap off a wonderful start to the week, I came home to find these waiting for me, on loan from a new quilting friend I met on the weekend:
Quilting blogs have been raving about the Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini & I am very excited to have befriended someone who has the entire collection!
Bob Geldof obviously didn't have lovely friends to make his day when he wrote 'I Don't Like Mondays' (way back in 1979, can you believe that?!) - perhaps he needs to take up quilting!
Friday, 29 February 2008
Where did that week go?
Not much to report on the quilting front for this week, although I did manage a few ten minute sessions here and there to do a some rows of my 'Le Jardin' quilt. 
Thank you to all the lovely perfectionist souls out there who left such encouraging, empathetic comments on my last post. I suspected I wasn't alone!
Thank you to all the lovely perfectionist souls out there who left such encouraging, empathetic comments on my last post. I suspected I wasn't alone!
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Call me a perfectionist ...
During my first conversation with a new acquaintance recently, my precious 12 year old daughter innocently volunteered the information that I am a perfectionist. The woman we were talking to suggested to my daughter that perhaps she didn't need to divulge her mother's bad habits so soon! Well, I have to say that I actually don't consider my perfectionist tendencies a bad habit. They make my life much more complicated than it needs to be, but it is how I have been made. As proof that I am comfortable with my perfectionist nature, I will share the following!
For as long as I have been quilting, I have aspired to a perfect quarter inch seam. My seams have consistently been a smidgen too deep, which for most patterns isn't a problem. But I am really keen to master a perfect seam allowance before I attempt the scariest quilt on my 'to do' list - Miss Rosie's 'Summer Wind':
As you may be able to see from the picture, the smallest seam error will simply compound as rows are added consecutively to the central block of this pattern.
In my quest for accuracy, I came across this wonderful post and this one, which detail how to perfect a seam width which will give accurate block sizes every time. In summary, I build a temporary barrier from a wad of Post-it notes and tape it to my machine at a position which gives me a 'scant' 1/4 inch seam. As I sew a seam, the fabric butts up against the barrier as you can see in the photo, and prevents me from sewing too deeply. The little notch cut out of the Post-it notes accommodates the feed dogs below. If you are totally confused as to what I am on about, read the links I have listed. This technique has really worked for me.
I have been teased about my perfectionism so many times, it no longer offends. So feel free to tease away! But call me 'anal' and that's quite another story!
As you may be able to see from the picture, the smallest seam error will simply compound as rows are added consecutively to the central block of this pattern.
In my quest for accuracy, I came across this wonderful post and this one, which detail how to perfect a seam width which will give accurate block sizes every time. In summary, I build a temporary barrier from a wad of Post-it notes and tape it to my machine at a position which gives me a 'scant' 1/4 inch seam. As I sew a seam, the fabric butts up against the barrier as you can see in the photo, and prevents me from sewing too deeply. The little notch cut out of the Post-it notes accommodates the feed dogs below. If you are totally confused as to what I am on about, read the links I have listed. This technique has really worked for me.
I have been teased about my perfectionism so many times, it no longer offends. So feel free to tease away! But call me 'anal' and that's quite another story!
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