See, I told you I've been a good girl!

Tomorrow is B Day! - I've unpacked her from the box, watched the most informative instructional DVD, swooned every time I've looked at her in the last 48 hours....
Time to start her up!

Teacher's gifts

I'm half way through. Still got the Rocky Road to cut up and bag, Peanut Butter, White Choc and Sea Salt Biccies to make and one more Fabric basket to make.

Now we're off to see Santa!!!

I've been a very good girl....

...so Santa, will you please bring me one of these little beauties?!

Foolishly, I went into the Sewing centre for some white thread. I was thinking of an upgrade to a machine that so I could do my larger size quilts instead of having to send them off to be quilted. I was looking at a larger Janome but I was lured by her Swiss charms (and the Stitch Regulator) She costs an awful lot of money, even on sale. Sigh.

Sunday Snippets

via Tinniegirl!

What did Sunday bring for me? I nice lie in with the little lads, watching silly movies in bed, eggs, bacon, avo and chorizo for breaky, plus a great big cappuccino, then...

 ...did a bit more quilting on the cot quilt I started a few months back,...

...then realized I needed to make these 8 placemats in a hurry...,

 ...had trouble choosing the binding

...was required to view the lads playing Xbox, so did a bit of hand-quilting...

...made these for Meg in the Beehive bee.

I then went to Target to get the NZ Christmas pressies. I also got a few items of the undie variety, and a most (un)attractive "foundation" undergarment. As I was called forth from the queue, I realized, to my horror, that the young man on the till was my friend Lisa's teenage son. I hope that he will remember me for the lovely cake he ate last week that I baked, not my granny undies!!

Is it any wonder that I had to buy these at the supermarket to placate myself?

A bit of Tangy Bliss is all you need sometimes!

Things for little folk.

I have a friend with a little newborn son, and have been busy trying to finish the quilt started for him 9 months or so ago!! I finished it and delivered it yesterday afternoon, but the weather was so horrid that I couldn't take a photo!

Dom's favourite toy from babyhood has been "Pigly". We bought it when we found I was pregnant - one of those lovely soft things you can't resist when the hormones are rushing about.

Charlie's favourite is "Snugs", a square of soft chenille with satin and grosgrain ribbon tags attached to the sides. I bought it when he was a baby from ELC in Chadstone and it cost around $40. 

Now, to be fair, the ribbons are all custom made and there is appliqué and they are actually called "Taggies"

I decided to have a burl at making some "Snugs" of my own

This is my first take on it. She wanted a New Zealand theme seeing the poor little bugger will be inundated with all things Ocker all his life (sorry, lovely Australian friends, we love you and your beautiful country, but there is so much green and gold)

 This one has a Rainbow Theme

They make pretty nice gifts for a baby and are dead simple and cheap to make.

Blogtoberfest, Day 1- a series of confessions!

First of all, I'm a day late starting Blogtoberfest as it is indeed the 2nd of October today. I looked at entering last night, but hate blogging from the iPad, and although the movie I was watching was average at best (Tomorrow, When the War Began) I couldn't be arsed getting up and going to "the pit of despair".

Which brings me to my second confession.

 This is the worst half of the pit of despair - the sewing part. The office part is pretty messy too, but this is the reason I am not motivated to sew at the mo'.

 It really beggars belief! There is crap everywhere.

I am resolved to spending a good part of my day trying to get this beast into some semblance of order.

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?!

I love this skirt...

on the beautiful Emma Watson (aka Hermione, my future daughter-in-law according to Charlie)

I reckon, with a pile of Anna Maria Horner fabrics, I could probably knock off similar one fairly easily. It will undoubtedly be shorter and (a lot) wider than that one. I may not look like Emma Watson when I put it on, in fact, I am fairly certain of it, but I am still inclined to try.

But..
a) will I start off with a hiss and a roar and then lose interest?
b) I have a pile of unfinished projects I have vowed to finish by the end of the year (see the progress thingummys)
c) I have too much fabric and shouldn't really buy any more...

I shall hereby muse about it today and make my decision tomorrow.

To Russia, with love...

 One down, three to go.

Liberty love.

I hate hemming trousers or jeans. Pain in the butt. So now I just use bias binding on mine if I can. I bought this gorgeous Liberty binding at Patchwork on Central Park not long ago and have used it on my new jeans (Lee, $27 from Costco, bar-gain!)

Now I'm sewing Russian fur hats for the Trivia night on Saturday. Our theme is Moscow. There will be lots of vodka consumed, methinks!

The weather that was...

Got lots of sewing done this weekend as have chesty cough and sound like I'm on 40 fags a day. Getting better...I'll be back at the gym tomorrow, hopefully, Tori!

Dr Seuss placemats for the lads. Have had them quilted for a few weeks now and they just needed binding.

 Little man getting a dose of Vitamin D on Friday. He wanted to stay home from his soccer lessons and look after me, bless his little heart!

Kinder Quilt finito! Praise be!! This one dragged a bit but I'm happy with the result.

Stoopid shadow!

Back (Thank you, Ikea!)

Look at our veges!!! Lots of leafy things, not much root veg action yet.

Three little boats for Annabel in The Beehive. Her little boy's "The Busy Sea at Night" Quilt is going to be very cute!

I'm back at the machine now, putting gorgeous Liberty binding on a pair of jeans. Much better than hemming!! And I know all about hemming being only 5 ' 1" !! Will post a pic later for those of you that don't have a clue what I'm banging on about.

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!!!!!!!

progress report...

dress  - pass

dishes - fail

Too much to do.....

After wondering earlier this week what sewing project I was going start which of the fifty unfinished projects I was going to complete, I am suddenly innnondated with things to do...with deadlines.

Charlie's little friend, whom I call Pretty Chloe, is having her birthday party on Saturday week. When I saw her Mum in the toy shop, I offered to make her a dress instead of opting for the My Little Pony. (Swift self-kick in the shin)

Kinder quilt for the trivia night. 24 little pictures to be drawn by 24 little kinder kiddies, printed onto printable fabric, choose, purchase remaining quilt fabric, cut, piece, baste, quilt, bind. (Big job, dreading it)

I've just signed up for Placemat Quilt Swap Round 6 which I adore doing and am looking forward to. I am going to have to make myself not start these until I've finished the dress though.

So, the plan of attack is...

1) make dress today after the gym (no fruiting around the cafes and shops afterwards wasting time)

2) placemats on the weekend

3) start kinder quilt drawings next week. Delegate the fabric buying.

Oh God! Have just remembered I have to plant the vege garden (only a little one) before the seedlings I bought 3 weeks ago have to be binned. This actually means I also have to pull up all the weeds and spread 3 bags of compost too...  (strangled "gah!" sound emerges from mouth)

Maybe all this activity will help me stop thinking about all the food I'm not supposed to be eating as my evil torturer trainer, Miranda is making me do a detox, starting today.

Hope Jason and the kids survive!