Blogtoberfest - Day ?? - News Flash!!

Boy walks from mum to couch!

Life is about to change around here...

Blogtoberfest - Day ?? - Stacked Coin Quilt FINISHED!

Yes, you read right - the stacked coin quilt is finished (and washed and dried and wrapped)!

Things to remember for next time - don't do those lines of quilting so close together!

I have also started cutting fabric for a modified brick path quilt I want to have finished for Kelvin for Christmas! I need 132 bricks and have about 60 so far - I need more fabric (but who needs an excuse, really...)!!

Blogtoberfest - Day 27 (catch-up) - Online Shopaholic!

The weather around here has been beautiful the last few days so since it coincided with my days home with the kids we've been out of the house and playing with friends rather than home trying to fill our time (so apologies for missing a couple of days - will try and catchup on posts before the end of Blogtober!).

I discovered Heather Bailey's blog the other day and fell in love with her turtle pin cushions (after my wrist pin cushion not really cutting it when I was handsewing the binding to my cot quilt). Of course, I had to buy the pattern, and if I was paying the postage then I might as well get some fabric - especially with the Aussie dollar looking pretty good against the greenback at the moment!!

And then I was reading Red Pepper Quilts - where Rita used some Kei Honeycomb Dots to bind her blue and brown baby quilt. I'm totally addicted to dotty fabrics, did an etsy search, found lots and these are winging their way to me too!

I have a few quilting projects rattling around in my head - maybe that should be the subject of my next post...

Blogtoberfest - Day 27 (yesterday) - Toto & Africa

If you love 80's music, and in particular "Africa" by Toto then check this out.

Blows me away - I can't stop watching it!

Blogtoberfest - Day 26 - Odd Jobs!

I have just walked the 250m from my office building to another meeting down the road.

I walked past some maintenance guys who specialise in fixing shopping trolleys - and low and behold they were banging away at some shopping trollies (replacing handles, making sure at least one wheel is mis-aligned, etc, etc). This isn't really a strange job - it's more that I'd never really thought about it before, someone has to fix those trolleys.

And then, a bit further on I saw a women with her backpack on her front, balancing a carton of milk on her head. What the?

Oh well, it keeps life interesting.

There are other jobs I've often thought would be great to be able to write on those forms that ask for your occupation. Like rodeo clown, or sock designer (like this lovely lady). How does a person end up doing these things?

Please share any odd jobs with me - I like to delve into the unusual occupations from time to time!

Blogtoberfest - Day 25 - Stacked Coin Quilted!!

Yay, I've done it! I've conquered my apprehension of quilting by doing straight lines on my stacked coin cot quilt.

I've got the binding joined and ironed and will try sewing that on tonight once the kids are in bed.

Also, Matilda and Trev went off for a bike ride this morning - I love this picture of them, Matilda looks very happy to be on her way!

Blogtoberfest - Day 24 - Christmas Market

We headed up to Richmond today - to have lunch, feed the ducks and to check out the Christmas Market.

The market was a pretty small affair (about a dozen stall holders) - but I did manage to find some things to buy!

I bought a Bubushka brooch and Birdie brooch from Rosie (one for Mum and one for me). I was her first paying customer for the day!

These brooches are delightful and the packaging is just brilliant (and she wrapped them up beautifully too).

Please, please, please go and check out her online shop - or look for her stuff in discerning stores near you!!

Rosie also gave Matilda a prototype Christmas brooch - very cute!

We also bought two babushka lavendar hangers - the pink one for Matilda and the green one for Mama Ju (my mum). Bought from Marita Bullen at Loopee Designs.

Everything else was very folksy - which is not really my taste. A good trip - and we had coffee and lunch at the Richmond Bakery and finished off with ice-cream from the lolly shop! Yummo.

Blogtoberfest - Day 23 - Can't be Arsed!!

I had two extras for most of today.

There is sand everywhere!

I have drunk much wine to recover...

Now I'm ready for bed...

PS. Thanks to Lauren at Shary Bobbin who sent me a lovely thank you for allowing her to re-house my macrame owls!! Totally unnecessary but absolutely appreciated (and beautifully wrapped).

Blogtoberfest - Day 22 - Practical Parenting

I must be one since my photo is in the Practical Parenting magazine!!

We're the photo in the middle of the page with a green wall behind us (and if you click on the photo you can read what I said - it's about the women's choir that I'm in - we have a blog too, check it out here).

It's so funny since it was months ago that I sent in this comment and photo and completely forgot what I'd said. A friend of my sister-in-law called her and she phoned me to say we were in the mag! Oh well - at least I'll always be able to show anyone published proof that I'm a practical parent (if I'm ever qustioned)!!

Blogtoberfest - Day 21 - Quilting

After doing a machine quilting course at Frangipani Fabrics (taught by the lovely and very talented Stephanie Newman) I have finally plucked up the courage to actually quilt something at home!

I'm about 1/3 of the way through. I decided to try straight lines before attempting free motion quilting (although I'll give that a go with Matilda's christmas quilt). Next time I might make the lines a bit further apart but it's looking good (if you ask me).

The quilt? It's a stacked coin cot quilt (with pink sashing instead of white). Better get back into my sewing room and wind some more bobbins and get quilting!!

Blogtoberfest - Day 20 - Look what came in the post...

...a lovely package from Anna Bartlett.

She's printed a lovely angel panel and asked people for their suggestions (via her blog) as to what they could become. In a fit of creativity I commented that they'd make lovely guardian angels interspersed with fairy lights above a little-ones bed - and she thought so too! Now to work out how to do this!

She included some lovely cards, tags and some Anna Maria Horner fabric too. I can't wait to get a chance to start creating something from this beautiful "Shiny Happy Angels" panel!

Blogtoberfest - Day 19 - Happy Birthday Sandra!

A work colleague celebrated her birthday today.

Nothing amazing you say - but for her it was a wonderful celebration since she has beaten breast cancer.

This time last year she was too sick to even think about her birthday so this year there was cake (and lots of it), lots of people singing "Happy Birthday" and a $5 Crossword scratchy to fuel her addiction!

Happy Birthday Sandra - here's to many more!

PS. On the craft front I have much to report but little time to take photos etc. Will see how I go tomorrow!!

Blogtoberfest - Day 18

I'm sewing not blogging - catch you tomorrow!

Blogtoberfest - Day 16

Why can't I stick with the pattern? Why do I always have to change it a little bit?

My new favourite site - basic, printable graph paper! Check it out here.

I've been to Frangipani Fabric today to get some supplies for a Brick Path quilt for Kelvin. I ended up with some Amy Butler Love (Sunspots in Green) but nothing much else.

The Michael Miller Zoology fabric I'm building the quilt around needs to be in bigger piece than just a small brick - so I have to change the pattern! Hence the need for graph paper...

Blogtoberfest - Day 16 - Chocolate, Champagne & Craft

I'm having a Girls Night In at my place tonight - chocolate, champagne and craft for the Cancer Council!They're the Toblerone Mousse Cups awaiting a strawberry on top.

The 'bubbles' is chilling in the fridge.


And the bright lights are warming up, ready for the knitting, stitching and scrapping that will be happening here tonight.

Come and join us in person or just craft along in spirit. Donations welcomed if you're so inclined - any blogger friends that donate get an extra 10 entries into my Blogtoberfest giveaway (as well as the satisfaction of contributing to cancer research and support programs through the Cancer Council)!

Hope your evening is as fun and crafty as mine should be!!

Blogtoberfest - Day 14

Ditto for me!

Blogtoberfest - Day 14 - More Skirts

So here are four Lazy Days skirts cut out and I have sewn their side seams and am about to go and iron the waist bands ready for some edgestitching.
All the fabric is either thrifted or has been in my stash for what seems like forever! I think these may be destined to become Christmas presents.

PS. Don't forget about the upcoming Handmade Expo in Queensland - happening this Saturday at the Ipswich Turf Club. If it wasn't so far away I'd love to join in on the Guiness World Record attempt at "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Also, Handmadies are having a giveaway to celebrate 50 posts (as well as the expo) - so head over there and enter!

Blogtoberfest - Day 13 - Socktober

I was struggling with something to say today. I'd even skipped over to Badskirt for inspiration and Socktober didn't rock my boat, until I can home and found this photo on the camera...

Kelvin decided it would be funny to put his socks in his mouth and Matilda agreed! They are both silly sausages.

I'm off to make another Lazy Days skirt (or at least cut some more out and maybe leave the sewing 'til tomorrow night - I can't watch The Rafters and sew).

Blogtoberfest - Day 12 - The Skirtalong!

I managed to sew a skirt as part of One Crafty Mumma's Lazy Days Skirt-along

It is a really simple and easy pattern - so what did I do? I made it complicated by adding on the apron (a thrifted doily) which required I add on a waistband and then because I didn't have any coordinating ribbon for the hem I added on a band at the hem as well - so hopefully the girl who adores yellow will like her new brown corduroy skirt with a beautiful yellow apron with butterflies.

Note to self: follow the instructions, don't add in unnecessary complications and use the fabric that's suggested in the pattern!! Let's see what I come up with tomorrow...

Blogtoberfest - Day 11 - Cough, cough

I missed a day - I know.

Can I blame it on the annoying cough that Matilda caught from her friend at childcare? She has self-diagnosed herself as sick with lots of coffees!!

Blogtoberfest - Day 10 - Happy Birthday Kelvin!

A year has really just flown by - my little baby boy has just turned one!

He had some help opening his presents.

Then he helped put them together.

We had cake (from the original Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book). It was his first time eating cake - I think he enjoyed it!Happy 1st Birthday Kelvin! Here's to another fun year of learning, laughing and growing.

Blogtoberfect - Day 9 - I like your old stuff better than your new stuff...

I bought this book...

and was disappointed by the roll out fondant and pack mix instructions - so I bought this one...

and all is well with the world!

PS. A fabulously generous giveaway over at Lila Tuella - go check it out for your (quite remote - 1 in 600+) chance of winning a jelly roll, layer cake and patterns from her lovely new fabric.

Blogtoberfest - Day 8 - Skirting the Issue...

I have finally finished the first of many Market Skirts.

Dana's tutorial makes this really easy and maybe next time I'll add a pocket or two!

And so I have signed up for the Lazy Days skirt-along at One Crafty Mumma. Join in - make a skirt for yourself or a little girl in your life. I'm hoping that this will help me put a dent in my Christmas to-do list!

Blogtoberfest - Day 7 - Where is Sadie?

And here are the honest photos of our house! This is what my house normally looks like at 8pm at night - the kids are just into bed and we're probably crashed out on a couch or on the computer or in the sewing room or making a well deserved cuppa!

Toys are spewing out of tubs...

Dirty clothes are on the floor where they were taken off... And the kitchen looks like a bomb has hit! Oh well, I feel that these are far more honest than the pics from yesterday.

Hopefully I'll get onto some crafting tonight to post about tomorrow!

Kevin McCloud - eat your heart out!

As a child I always wanted to be an architect (but I became an engineer instead).

My favourite TV show would be Grand Design (or The Amazing Race).

I love Better Homes & Gardens Magazine and the best bit about the Sunday Paper is having a sneaky peak at someone or others lovely house featured in the Home section.

So when we dicovered a steep block of land overlooking Hobart's northern suburbs we jumped at the idea of building a house (although we'd never dreamed of doing it since I'm anti urban-sprawl - it was an in-fill block).

Anyway, we got a fabulous designer on board (Mike Cleaver), a great builder (Andrew Scott) and we've ended up with an award winning home! We won Best Residential Building upto 250 m^2 and Best Use of Colour at the Building Design Association of Tasmania. Go check out the pics at Clever Design.

Please note - our house never looks this tidy! A lot of our furniture is hiding, along with all things associated with people actually living in the house - I am not a neat freak and live a lot of the time in clutter, a brand new house does not change this (although great storage does help a bit).

Sewing Green!

I picked up a copy of this from the library today and was perusing it during my lunch break.

Now I just want to go home and read and sew or go op-shopping rather than doing my day job!

PS. There is also a very generous blogiversary giveaway over at BubbaChenille. If I was in Brisbane next week I'd have to join her at The Handmade Expo and sing along with the world record attempt to sing Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes! Alas, I will be at my day job, dreaming of crafting and probably humming along on my own...

I think I need a market stall - & the Mystery Quilt

I went to the Hobart Makers Market this morning for a bit of a look-see (but forgot to take my camera) but there was some gorgeous stuff and all the stall holders seemed so happy to be there selling their wares, chatting about stuff and many were even stitching behind the scenes! It looked like the perfect way to spend the day (I'm ignoring the hours of preparation before hand, the difficulties in knowing what and how much to stock, etc) and maybe something I could aspire to (although I need a good idea of something to make and sell)!


I even plucked up the courage to introduce myself to Rosie and Gemma who's blogs I have been following for a while. I felt like I needed to talk quietly to these people I have been cyber-stalking - what is proper etiquette for introducing yourself to a fellow blogger?


I was very restrained in my spending and only bought some little ladybird magnets for my Mum for Christmas - from Pili Pala Pieces.


I was able to enjoy my time at the Market because Matilda was playing with a friend (why are 3-year olds easier in pairs)!
And here is my Mystery Quilt top finished! I promised Rosie that I would blog about it so here it is - mainly Basket of Flowers fabric, now to buy some backing and batting and get it quilted for Christmas!
[Sorry about the crap quilt-top photo - no clothes line to drape it over artistically, maybe once it's quilted...]

Look who I met today...

It's Grug!

Blogtoberfest Giveaway

I've still to decide what I'll giveaway for the Blogtoberfestivities but I reckon it'll include some fabric and other bits and bobs floating around in my craft room. Some of it may be thrifted, some of it may be new.

How to win?

Anyone who was following me when I posted this already has one entry (thanks to those 19 devotees)!

Anyone who is following me at the end of October will also have one entry!

Anyone who comments on any of my blog posts during October will also be entered - one entry per comment (but please make them constructive and/or interesting comments - I like useful feedback).

I might have an oldfashioned - drawn out of a hat method of winner selection. I'll do that in early November! Good luck.

Op Shop Finds

A few months back I signed up for Wardrobe Refashion and although I stuck with my pledge (apart from buying a winter jacket) I didn't really get much time for refashioning. However, it did renewed my love of op-shopping and I have discovered that I work in the middle of op-shop central! There is a Vinnies, Salvos, Red Cross and ADRA op-shop within easy walking distance of my office - I could even visit them all in my lunch break if I was so inclined!


I also discovered the Vinnies Furniture and Haby warehouse during the week and found some gorgeous things (including a CurlyPops pillowcase - on the right!)...
...I nearly squealed with delight when I saw these two butterfly single-flat-sheets. I'm definitely making these into some Oliver+S pj's for Tilds!!

...This sheet reminds me of the birdie fabric in this dress (maybe Joel Dewberry?).And they threw these button in for nothing (is it poor-form to enjoy getting a freebie at a charity shop?).

Little Kokeshi

Look what I started and finished last night - took about four hours from start to finish!

Don't look too closely at the stitching - it's my first attempt at freehand stitching (I'm a cross-stitcher from way back, but it's funny how you rely on the evenweave of the fabric in cross-stitch to get a good stitch length).

It's a Kokeshi stuffie - a freebie pattern from Melly & Me. I actually printed it out at A3 size so the finished dolly is a bit bigger - especially for a special one-year old whose birthday we're celebrating today with a bbq.

And here's a picture of the beautiful fabric I used for the back. I won it at Helen's Mystery Quilt Marathon. It was donated by The Fabric Cupboard and from the Botanical Fantasy range - very pretty.

OK, so I'm still in my pj's but the kids are dressed (and plonked in front of the TV watching the Umbilical Brothers) but I have achieved my first post for Blogtoberfest and can now get on and start my day.

PS. I also received one of these in the mail on Monday - to give my grandma for her birthday. Thanks Jennie - it is beautiful!