A locomotive challenge

Grandchildren in our family are usually welcomed with what has become known as 'a farm quilt from Grandma'. 

 

She chooses a fabric panel, usually bedecked with tractors, cows and chooks, and surrounds the panel with a simple checkerboard of coordinating squares.

Her latest quilt was sufficiently delayed that the recipient was able to tell her exactly what his preference was for his quilt - "I want trains Grandma"!

And so the traditional tractors were set aside and the search was on for train fabric. She decided on a print from Just Train Crazy by Dan Morris for RJR fabrics.

We raided the stash for some 'not-too-girly' coordinates, and she got to work.

 

After an appearance in the local show this weekend, the quilt will finally be excitedly received by my locomotively obsessed nephew.

I coerced my sick blossie out to the adventure playground to take these photos. Usually there would be no coercing involved. She really is unwell!

We are off to Sydney to Westmead Children's Hospital next week to try to get to the bottom of her unrelenting headaches. An MRI has assured us that there is nothing especially sinister to worry about, but after 3 months of persistent pain, we are hoping for some answers and some relief for her. 

Thank you to everyone who has shown such kindness and concern for my daughter. Your many encouraging messages and personal stories have been very much appreciated.

Reap What You Sew garden apron

Perhaps you remember this little teaser way back in February?

Six months later, I can show you the finished product. Published in this month's Garden issue of Australian Homespun, I have put together what I hope is a very practical tool for the gardening Miss: an apron!

When I was asked to submit a project with a gardening theme, my mind flew straight to the recently purchased Loulouthi range by Anna Maria Horner. It is perhaps my favourite of Anna's lines, and since Loulouthi translates to 'flower' from Greek, it seemed perfect for my purpose. 

I chose two of the darkest prints from the range, 'Clippings' in the Passion colourway, resplendent with vibrant blooms and butterflies ... 

... and 'Hugs & Kisses' in wine to coordinate. 

 

While the reward of a garden is beauty and peace, the underlying process is a lot of hard work. I opted to make my apron from dark fabrics as testament to the toil that a garden entails. If a gardening apron is to be used, it should be practical, not too precious and able to wear some dirt!

I tried to think about all the things I would use in a gardening apron, and so there are pockets for secateurs, marking pens, a mobile phone and a clear vinyl zippered pocket for various other gardening paraphernalia.

I was really pleased with how this project turned out, and quite frankly, I can't wait for it to return to me so that I can give it a workout!

When I design a project, I tend to gather inspiration from a myriad of sources. I was inspired for this project by two favourite quotes which are very realistic and uncompromising descriptions of the gardening process:


If you wish to make anything grow, you must understand it, and understand it in a very real sense. 'Green fingers' are a fact, and a mystery only to the unpracticed. But green fingers are the extensions of a verdant heart. 
― Russell Page, The Education of a Gardener

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders,

If it's only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders;

And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden,

You will find yourself a partner In the Glory of the Garden.

― Rudyard Kipling, ‘The Glory of the Garden’

There is an accompanying seed storing wallet in next month's issue. But, apart from this peek, I will keep you in suspense!

Australian Homespun Issue No. 111 is available in Australian newsagents right now, and digital versions can be purchased from Zinio.

Off to see the wizard

The school term for my kids is flying by in a blur of assignments, exams, athletics carnivals and musical productions. The musical for the senior school this year was 'The Wizard of Oz'. The main characters were immediately recognisable and were played brilliantly. 

I suspect poor Toto had very sore knees by the end! 

'Ooh - what a smell of sulfur!' 
The witch was VERY convincing which caused some issues at the matinee for the Kindergarten classes! 

Colour and fantasy abounded in the Land of Oz.

The director's interpretation of the Yellow Brick Road was inspired. Can you spot it?

There is something to be said for the positive self esteem of these beautiful young ladies clad in tightly fitting body suits!

The director is one of our Science teachers. She has an impressive knack of creating visually stunning scenes, working with simple props, monochromatic lighting and costumes.

The tornado was represented dramatically by dancers whirling about the stage in whites and greys.

Hues of green assembled en masse in The Emerald City.

And the wild scarlet Jitterbugs jitterbugged far too energetically for me to get a good photo!

Perhaps my favourite moment was when the field of poppies ...

... magically transformed into snowflakes with a flip of their capes. So clever!

A truly wonderful production. I have probably said it before, but it is so easy to forget that these kids are, well just that, KIDS! They have so much talent, enthusiasm and professionalism that they lull you into believing they are much more!

Step-by-step to a new purse

It has been a long time between drinks stitches for me. However, I did start a new project just recently. My 16-year-old daughter has been pestering strongly encouraging me to make her a Brigitte Giblin Little Hexagon Purse. 

Being 16, she is a little fashion conscious (!) and very pedantic about colour matching. She was very strategic about what fabrics I was to use for her purse:

Step 1: Go to wardrobe (or take a cursory glance about the piles of clothes scattered across floor), and note which colours dominate. Pull each of those colours from Mum's stash of solid fabrics - lots of neutrals, with splashes of watermelon, orange and teal.

Step 2: Take solid fabrics to Mum's (mind-numbingly extensive) stash, and proceed to pull out every fabric that even closely resembles the afore-chosen neutrals, oranges, teals etc.

Step 3: Decree to mother that tower of fabrics chosen "are the ones I want for my purse - these ones Mum, no sneaking in any of yours".

Step 4: Issue further instructions: "... and remember not too much pink, plenty of grey and black so it will go with all my clothes, Mum".

Step 5: Retreat to bedroom expecting that purse will be completed by dinner time.

Step 6: Take reality check on estimated time of completion of purse considering Mum is still cutting pesky little 1/2 inch hexagons from fabric tower two weeks later!

A beach bride

We travelled last weekend to the NSW South Coast for the wedding of the first of our nieces. The wedding had it all really. It was a spectacular South Coast day, perfect for a wedding on the beach.

Everyone ooohed and aaahed over the beautiful bride.

The groom teared up as he professed his undying love,

which of course made all the girls tear up!

There were pretty updos a-plenty,

and gorgeous young bridesmaids.

 The kids got to build sand castles and skip stones on the waves,

and play in the water, even in their best clothes!

Thongs were the preferred footwear.

 And the photographer was in his element as he led beautiful women across the sand!

It was a very memorable wedding, and the love these two have for each other was blindingly evident. A truly lovely day!

Dilly-dallying with new friends

I spent the long weekend dilly-dallying in the farm garden, basking in gloriously sunny, winter weather ...

... frolicking about with the flowers ...

... and making new friends, who were also out enjoying the sun - and munching their way through my garden.

Some were young and spritely, self-assured and handsome in freshly formed black and white coats, with busy schedules and the world at their (many) feet ...

Others were old and weatherbeaten, tattered about the edges and feeling their age, content to sit motionless for hours.

I wavered between the two - initially busy and enthusiastic, but pulling up stiff, sore and eager to sit after two days of concerted dilly-dallying!

I invited my new friends in for cake, but they politely declined, having already stuffed themselves full in my garden consumed an elegant sufficiency. Oh well, more for me :)