Project update (and moan)

You may think I've been idling the days away preparing for the packers to sweep all our worldly goods into boxes while I wave around looking ethereal without a care in the world.

Let me tell you;
a) sorting out kids toys is a right royal pain in my a*se. Trying to hide the culled ones is an even bigger pain!

b) We still have 10 days of living in this house to go. A myriad of decisions as to whether to throw away the packet food now or wait just in case I need it to make some dish???

c) This office sewing area is still a nightmare that needs urgent attention. Of course, I am in denial and hope it will all miraculously be organized by the 15th (without me having to do it, of course).

I've been getting some practice in on Big Bernie (the Bernina).

 Taggie

Cushion Cover

Play quilt

Quite industrious if I say so myself! Bernie and I are slowly getting the hang of each other, as you can see.

Sunday Snippets

For my Dad, for Christmas - finally finished after starting it in 2007! Hope it's worth the wait. Couldn't resist the windy photos on this blustery day in Old Melbourne Town!

Back to School/Kinder - Blogtoberfest Day 10

God, it's hard yakka on the first day back after the holidays! Kids and self to get organized and out the door, lunches to make, Charlie did the usual and slept in, so had to wake him up just after 8 and shovel food in, arguments with Dom about getting dressed before the telly goes on and taking thine own crap upstairs, not leaving it for Mummy to do later. And all while my significant other slumbers in bed! The Joy! You can imagine my mood by 8.40! Very tweezer-lipped!!

But I've been having some lovely lie-ins and some very lazy days. The boys and I had a very relaxing holiday on the whole.

But it's kind of nice to back into the old routine again. Less time to sit about and eat!

Kids are eating their dinner now and soon will be in bed. I plan to take a nice long bath and sew the binding (finally) on Charlie's new quilt.

Went into the city today to Cake Deco to get prepared for the Cake Pops I'm making for Charlie and his buddy Lou's Kew Traffic School party on Thursday.

 I'm making them fairly simple - you can get some pretty amazing results if you know how, but this is my first time. Will post numerous photos, post party.

Happy Monday ! X

The Old Red, White and Blue

If you have been taking any notice whatsoever of my little progress bars on the side, you will have seen that one of the quilts has recently seen some action!

For the last couple of days of my in-laws stay, I've been making new curtains for Charlie's room.
Yes, we live in a rental.
Yes, it may be a waste of money to make new curtains you may never use again.
But the old ones were;
a) the shittiest faded salmon pink color you can imagine
b) come summer they may as well be open as are virtually see thorough. I need something better to con him that it's night time!
c) they were on rods and the gap had been sewn too narrow and they wouldn't slide. Tiebacks do my head in.
d) until we leave these isles and return to The Homeland, I refuse to live with any more "other people's crap" than I have to. I have been doing this for 11 long years of rental properties in 8 countries. The pink Austrian blinds in the lounge are bad enough!

Anyhoo...I have had this project on the back burner for a while and thought it the perfect time to complete one of the infamous WIP's that I have vowed to wipe out by 2012.

I'd like to say I'll get it done tomorrow but I'm dreaming.

Biggie Smalls has a 7th birthday on Friday and I have to knock out 2 dozen iced and sprinkled cupcakes (school), and ice cream party cake and party food (family, little friends party, Friday Night), Beyblade cake (Sunday, Laserstrike party) .

Plus go to the gym and Costco tomorrow.
They all have to be home made according to his lordship, as "your things taste perfect, Mum"
How can I argue with such wanton bias?!

Little boxes, little boxes...

Theme for the kinder quilt to be auctioned at the annual Trivia Night this year is Little Houses.

I have decided I have enough fabric (understatement of the year!!!) to make it without buying more, for once. Background of Kona Medium Grey (?) punctuated with a green Kaffe Fassett and Purple Echino for the border

 All the Frogs class drew themselves on white homespun from Spotlight. I added their name and a little roof to each one from a fabric in my scrap container (didn't even make a dent in the ruddy thing!)

 I then ironed the houses onto Fusible Web and cut around each one.

 Placement is not easy! I added a few little trees to the gaps that were evident. Nice Echino fabric with birds and bugs on it. There is Charlie's one by the bird, Big mop of curly blonde hair and Harry Potter glasses! Excellent!

Finally ironed each one into place, Now am ready to make backing, the quilt sandwich and raw-edge applique each house. Will be ready to display Monday, all going well!


Off the St Katherines for dinner tonight before HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a little bit excited!!!!!!!

Finito!

The Kinder quilt is finally finished! I am so happy with it, I'm tempted to buy it myself! Sadly, big daddy has put his foot down so some other lucky bidder at the Trivia Night may walk away with it. I might have to ply him with lots of alcohol to get my way! 


After a lot of deliberation as to how much more work it would be, I decided to free-motion quilt around the kid's drawings. I'm so glad I did. They were looking a bit bereft as I'd ditch quilted (or tried to keep to the ditch as much as I could, anyway!) the pieced log-cabin borders.

Here is Dom's block - he drew himself in a Rainbow t-shirt. He was a rainbow butterfly at the dress-up day last year, so this seems to be a bit of a recurring theme!
I love the back - I had orange in mind for the sashing but when I went to Patchwork House, Kathy and I decided that the stripes made everything pop a bit more so I decided to use this gorgeousness from the Shanghai Edition Collection by art gallery quilts for the back instead. I bound it in a cute green shaded fabric called Chloe by Janet Braxon for P and B Textiles that reminds me of Murano glass beads.

I took it in on Thursday and the kids were major-ly excited to find themselves  on there. I encouraged them to insist forcefully (in a 4 yr old manner) that their parents buy it for them, so no one will be thanking me!