billabongs2bling

A Quick Project

2012-01-29T13:31:00.002+10:00

I've taken on a few online commitments this year, as well as signing up for Dale's product of the month projects. The first [January] package arrived last week, and contained goodies to make a piece of silk paper 'in a jiffy'. The 'kit' included carded natural silk, some green spritz, and some silverleaf flakes. I was quite pleased with my first effort, although parts were a little thin, oh well.... I also tried to trap some silver Angelina fibres in with the silk paper, and I did not like to spray the whole area completely with the green - it looked far too strong for my liking!! After it was done, I realized I had enough to make a cover for an A5 index book.

Now, I'm also participating in the TAST2012 challenge with Sharon Boggon - week 4 being Cretan stitch. I decided I would work a small sample of each stitch as it came along, including it somehow in my binder. I will share the first page with readers next week, when I work out just how I wish to present the samples. Suffice to say, this little book cover was a quick project, incorporating the silk paper and some cretan stitch for added interest. I made some little crystal organza flowers for trim, as well as adding some silver lined clear beads in places. I have a friend who just loves anything green, and I hope to give it to her as a gift when I see her again.

This little piece was pleasant to do, and I am pleased I could use the two 'challenges' to work a useful little gift for someone.

The silk paper was fused to some dark green silk dupion prior to the embroidery, and then fused to black wool felt prior to stitching the flowers on. I lastly added some black wool felt end keepers to hold the book inside the folder. If I was to make this again, I would add pelmet vilene between the layers. I prefer a more rigid feel, and this is quite soft. Never mind, it was fun to experiment with something new. Hope readers enjoy the results of my play!!

A Celebration

2012-01-26T14:02:00.001+10:00

Happy Australia Day to all of us who live in this fine land. Today we celebrate the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove, 1788 - the beginning of British settlement. From such humble beginnings, we are a proud nation today, a very multi-cultured one in fact. I wish for peace, health and happiness for all my fellow Australians, and I am sure we as a nation, wish the same for all of the world's peoples. Have a great day one and all.

Another project finished!

2012-01-23T12:29:00.002+10:00

Finally.................... I've been trying to get this knee rug done for ages it seems. I did have a break from it in December, as our air conditioning wasn't working, so having it on my lap wasn't the most comfortable thing to be doing. This is another project I'm working on, using the yarns sent to me by my sister and niece. It measures approximately 1.00m x 1.50m, all acrylic yarns, in the simple chevron double crochet design. I still have more of most of these colours.

And, just for fun, and in case you think I'm almost to the end of the pile of yarn, this is a portable mesh clothes hamper I purchased to keep the yarns together. More knee rugs, and pram covers to come..............LOL..

I really have to get onto my feather stitch sampler for Week 3 of the TAST2012 challenge. It had to take a back seat this week, as the crochet was bothering me, plus I am back to watering, and watering, and watering.............no rain to speak of here - maybe this week. Take care all and hope your week will be productive and fun.

An Inspirational Day

2012-01-19T10:31:00.000+10:00

It seems ages since I've posted, but I have been busy again with sprinklers and such - no rain to speak of here. Yesterday was our group sewing day, the first for 2012. We met at a different venue, at the invitation of the local art gallery staff. The current exhibition is of particular interest to all, and especially those who dabble in textiles/paint/stitching. You can see web reference to it here. I won't go into the politics of the subject matter, but suffice to say, it has struck a chord with many of us who live not far from this small town that is no more.

The artist, Nicki Laws, has a passion for the plight of this now deserted township, and set about sharing her feelings using textiles, and various other mediums. She was present yesterday, talking about her art work, her feelings, and giving us all an insight into some of the methods she used to present her pieces to the public. Whilst researching the town's history, she was given lots of memorabilia, and has used it in her work. She made all these little buildings, and carefully placed them on the 'town plan'. I thought they were so gorgeous.

She was kind enough to allow photographs, and also brought along samples of her naturally dyed fabrics, giving them to us as gifts. We were all intrigued by the variety of techniques she has used - a truly inspirational and generous lady.

I loved the little saying at the bottom of one of the pictures, and I think this may become my life motto.

For those who are into embellishing machines, I thought this giant wallhanging might be of interest. Nicki told us this took two months of constant 'clunking', and then there are so many other hand embellishments!! To see it in the flesh is mind boggling, so much to see and think about.

I feel privileged to have seen this exhibition, and heard from the artist herself. The story the exhibition is telling is very real, and very close to home for many of us here in this district. Thank you Nicki for your passion, and your inspiration.

Schoolhouse Quilts

2012-01-11T14:13:00.000+10:00

It seems that the old favourite, the schoolhouse block, is enjoying a great return to the spotlight of late. I have noticed it being done in miniature on a number of blogs, in particular some lovely ones being done by Frances. I have to admit it has never been my favourite block. However, a few years ago my patchwork group had a schoolhouse block trade. Not wanting to appear a piker, I joined in the fun. There were several groups of eight. The brief was simple - each group had a certain background fabric, and the block was to be foundation pieced using a red/blue/green colour scheme [the pattern was supplied, along with the required colour placement]. We all purchased our fabric at a local store, made eight 12 inch blocks, kept one of our own, and received a block from each of the other seven participants. I have tried to share a photograph of my finished quilt. It is quite long, and difficult to capture properly.

I did want to make a quilt of some substance, and I really don't like different blocks abutting one another, so I chose to work other blocks with a different design. The one I chose was taken from a Judy Martin pattern book, and called Teacher's Pet [quite appropriate I thought]. It was given in a 14 inch pattern, so I added borders to the schoolhouse blocks to bring them up to that size. This photograph shows the block I made, ie my choice of fabrics. Unfortunately, at the time of the initial fabric purchase, I did not have a plan for my quilt, so the fabrics I used in the alternate blocks are a little different.

I wanted to add sashing between the blocks, so as to give myself some added width and length. I also needed another colour for the star blocks, so chose to use a golden yellow. This block was also foundation pieced, which made rather a neat job of all adjoining points.

The quilt is what I call 'king single' size. I quilted it myself on my domestic sewing machine, much of it straight line, with a little close stippling on one of the borders. I used a patterned wideback fabric for the backing.

I quite enjoyed the challenge of using a block that wasn't up my alley, as well as doing the maths in order to incorporate the two blocks, with sashing and borders, into a useful quilt. Now I'm looking forward to the day when I actually have a king single bed on which to use the quilt, instead of it being packed away in the linen cupboard.

And the winner is.....................

2012-01-10T14:40:00.002+10:00

ANNEY..............congratulations and thank you for always being so supportive of me and my stitching.

Thank you also to all the lovely people who cared to leave such enthusiastic comments. I appreciate it so much.

It's still very hot here and not much stitching being done. Too much watering to do outside, and then rest in the cool when I come in for a while.

Gifts for me

2012-01-08T07:48:00.001+10:00

I have been trying to add a post to share the lovely gifts I've received in the last month or so. It's another busy day here again, so will have to do this quickly, while there is a cool breeze coming into the office. We are to have another scorcher today..... The lovely things in the photograph above were Christmas presents given to me by my grand daughter, gifts she chose herself, and wrapped herself. She put a lot of thought into the gifts she gave everyone. She knows I like bling, and we often have a day painting which always ends up with something sporting glitter. The large frog is a fridge magnet, the small one a bookmark, and the little lizard is sitting on the lid of a little jewellery box which looks surprisingly like a piece of timber.

This gift was sent by a friend in the US. She made the lovely silk coathanger. The notepad has some lovely bling on the magnetic closure, and if you look closely at the card, you will see the trim is a Cooktown Orchid which is our State Floral Emblem. How nice of her to notice that, and find an appropriate card.

My next gift is from Anney in the UK - a small embroidered ATC, and pretty button greeting card. The ATC was wrapped in tissue paper printed with dragonflies. I love dragonflies!! Thank you Anney, this is just beautiful.

This came in the mail one day, a complete surprise from Isabell in the UK. She remembered I had spoken of the English Woman's Weekly, so arranged for the centenary issue to get to me. It was accompanied by this lovely embroidered card, with a very blingey dragonfly.

And, again from Isabell, I received an assortment of goodies for Christmas. Another gorgeous hand embroidered card [Isabell's specialty], some silk and felt, one of her embroidered buttons, a cute little container made by her son, all beautifully wrapped in a festive fat quarter, and tied with the appropriate coloured ribbon. Thank you so much Isabell, I always treasure the gifts I have received from you. I hope I will do the fabrics justice in time.

Last of all I have the gifts I shouted myself, although I did let my husband know that they were 'his gifts to me'..........LOL...... I am looking forward to trying some of the techniques in Lynda Monk's newest book, and make some use of this little Versa Tool. It is actually a soldering iron too. So far, all it's been used for is burning holes in nylon webbing dog collars, and soldering some things for my husband [he's really chuffed that 'he bought' such a useful gift!!].

Thank you again for your enthusiastic comments on the baby wipe 'treasures'. I will give it a few more days and post a winner mid-week perhaps.

Celebrating with a give-away

2012-01-04T16:46:00.000+10:00

Blogger's dashboard is telling me this will be my 198th post [the sidebar seems to differ ???]. So.......to celebrate, I am having a give away. I will announce a winner at post 200. Wow, I didn't think I'd ever get this far. I could not have imagined how much support and friendship I would have, so thank you to all those lovely people who read what I go on about.

The photograph above shows the little things I've been playing with lately. I have made a glasses case, and a comb case [with wide tooth comb] - there are two things I just can't stand, not being able to read the menu, and having untidy hair...........LOL.. I've taken two photographs, one inside with the flash, and one outside with natural light. It's hard to show the correct colour. Suffice to say, they are browny/reddy/goldy/bronzey with some stitching, and glitter for good measure. I've made them slightly different in size, and one has brown felt lining, the other black. I thought that might make them easier to sort out in one's handbag. They are quite blingey [I suppose you guessed that already]. Now, I must own up. They began their life as two dried up baby wipes.

If you would like them as a gift, please leave a comment. You know the usual drill. I hope someone will like them.

2012 has arrived!!!

2012-01-02T11:05:00.002+10:00

Hello to 2012................. I hope everyone is rested after the 'silly' season, and ready for a new and exciting year ahead. I have nothing of consequence to share at the moment, but picked these few roses from my garden this morning. Although it is a designated public holiday, normal work has resumed here. I had a small internet problem, and have been absent for a few days, but trust things are back on track for me now.

I received some nice gifts for Christmas [and my birthday], so will share them in a few days. We are enjoying slightly cooler weather, much better than our friends in the south. In fact, in the early hours of the morning, it is downright chilly. We were up at 5.00am this morning, and I had to reach for a long sleeved shirt. Of course, that can change in no time at all.

We don't usually do anything much for New Year's Eve here, but on Friday received an invitation to a get together in the neighbourhood. The invitation was quite simple - we're having a gathering, come over if you can, and if you can make it, bring your drinks, your chairs, and some finger food to share. We don't see people socially all that often, so decided to go. As is always the case here, food to share seems to mean something for yourself and 15 others [well, not really...........LOL], but, there is always a mountain of beautiful food!! We had a pleasant evening, and even stuck it out until midnight. It was only a small party, as some people are still away. The food was all very nice, taken around at varying times during the night. I decided to make a large multi-layered dessert, so will share the dregs with you, just for fun. Hubby loved it so much, he decided he'd have a piece for breakfast the next morning!!!!!!! It is a biscuit/coconut base, simple cheesecake filling, an orange juice/passionfruit layer, topped with the beloved whipped cream. I sort of made it up as I went along, and it really is very, very nice. Sorry that it's not in pristine condition..............

Thanks to all my friends for your good wishes, emails and comments. I hope we all have lots of time for stitching and experimentation throughout 2012.

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-24T16:04:00.000+10:00

A very quick post this afternoon. I know everyone is busy with their plans, etc., but I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy Christmas, filled with laughter, and love. Take care on your travels. Thank you all sincerely for being part of my world, making time to read my posts and commenting. I love hearing from you.

A Green Landscape

2011-12-23T15:42:00.002+10:00

As Christmas is fast approaching, I've been making time to enjoy the green that surrounds us at the moment. For a long time, brown has been the predominant colour for us at this time of the year, so to see green paddocks is quite enjoyable. I decided to renew my header photograph, showing a crop of sorghum [a crop grown at this time of the year] and the ever present galahs that seem to take delight in eating the grain. They are noisy, raucous, and rather destructive birds, but part of our unique birdlife, so including them as part of my blog is probably only natural. I'm also sharing some 'new growth' that has delighted me. The little bedding begonia in the photograph above was all but broken to pieces by 'the pups' a few months ago. I came out one day to see the pot tipped over and most of the growth chewed off. It was in a sorry state. I broke all the mauled bits off, and repotted it into a much larger pot. As you can see, it is now fully recovered and flowering beautifully. I've always told my husband things need a good hard prune now and again......... However, I would much rather be the one doing the pruning!!

Unfortunately, the destruction didn't stop at the begonia. Just when you let your guard down, they decide to up and at something else. For three years I've been watching my ponytail plant grow and thrive. They made a real meal out of it one day, but I kept watering it, hoping it would recover. I've taken this photograph, so you can see the bite marks on the tuber, the sad looking top, and can understand how annoyed I was to see it. It's difficult to find somewhere to put the plants where the pups can't get at them, so I somehow have to sit them out. In the last week or so I've noticed these little nodes, so I know the plant is still alive. I have a feeling these little growths are all new ponytail plants, not a new top on the old plant. Has anyone got an opinion on that theory?? I'll keep watching them for a while, and then decide if I'm to leave it like that, or try to 'strike' each little node into a new plant...........

To finish off this post I thought it might be amusing to share this photograph of Dude. I captured him sound asleep on the back landing, and to look at him, you wouldn't think he'd be capable of doing anything naughty. Think again!!!

My thanks also for the interest in the painted paper folder. Your comments are always appreciated.

Ready for TAST2012???

2011-12-20T08:42:00.002+10:00

I am not at all sure what is expected for the TAST2012 project. I have seen a number of sampler books being made, and I like the idea of keeping said samplers in one place. I have been planning a folder for my samples, but being the person I am, ie interested in various techniques and mediums, I was always going to incorporate hand and machine work, as well as mixed media. The outer shell is complete, as shown in the above photograph. Unfortunately, the glittery effect isn't being picked up by the camera. It is a little more on the green side, and quite sparkly, due to the use of Angelina fibres.

My folder began it's life as a brown paper shopping bag, very much like the one in this photograph, just a slightly deeper shape. In my Maggie Grey book, Raising the Surface, there is an interesting technique using brown paper.

After cutting the bag apart, I painted it with several different colours. I also painted some Vliesofix using the same paints. The painted paper was scrunched up several times, fused to a piece of calico, then fused to some pelmet vilene, and then black wool felt. The painted Vliesofix was fused to the painted side of the paper, but it all look a little bit blah. I decided to add some Angelina fibres in purple and gold, then place a black chiffon scarf over the whole surface. That seemed to lift it, yet tone it down. This photograph does show the green tones a little better. The piece was now beginning to feel quite firm.

After a few days looking at my rectangle of painted paper, I remembered I had some lovely fine green silk in the cupboard. This piece was just made for my painted paper. I would love to tell you I painted the paper to match the silk, but I didn't!!! I just happened to have the silk! I found some rayon and metallic threads that had possibilities. I didn't really think I needed to add too much to the surface, so a few wandering lines did the job. I ended up using only the two 'green' threads in the centre of the group.

I am hoping to make my stitch samplers into 'pages' which can be inserted into the folder via eyelet holes, with the aid of spring release rings. The folder 'spine' was made using just the silk fabric, as I felt the painted paper surface a little stiff, and prone to cracking with constant wear. I stitched a long strip of fabric along the centre of the 'spine', and then stitched across it to accommodate the rings.

I have to say that I am quite happy with this project. The size is slightly larger than an A4 page. It is sturdy, yet has a soft feel to it. In time I may need to add a button/gold elastic closure, but will wait to see how it all folds when the pages are in place. I have not made a 'logo/title' page, as I've yet to decide how I'll stitch my samples onto the appropriate size for this folder.

A Sad Day

2011-12-16T11:21:00.000+10:00

Our township of Miles is in mourning this week, following a fire which destroyed one of the iconic buildings in the main street. Thankfully, the fire brigade managed to contain the blaze, and save the adjoining buildings. I am not totally sure how long the building had been in the street, but it had been vacant for quite a while. The photograph above was taken yesterday when I went to town.

When we first moved to the district in the very late 70's, I was amused at the little tower atop the building. At that time it was a Holden dealership/workshop. The very latest venture saw it as home to a furniture and electrical retail outlet. During it's day as a car dealership, the Holden flag was always flying. This small photograph shows the building in it's final livery. It also recently provided a small space for an ATM outlet.

Who knows what the building owners will do with the space now. We have been told the town is expanding due to the Coal Seam Gas and open-cut coal in and around the district, but the businesses don't seem to reflect that expansion. Time will tell I suppose.

It must be a sad day for some of the older residents of the town and district.

Fun with Family & Friends

2011-12-09T14:28:00.001+10:00

We don't see our family a lot, everyone seems to be always busy or going their own way, so visits and social get togethers are not very frequent. Last weekend was the exception. We were very happy indeed to attend our grand daughter's dance concert on Saturday night. It was delightful. She danced well, as part of the group, and seemed to enjoy the night. I hope she will continue next year. The few photos I did manage to take are not good, as I was sitting quite a distance back in the audience. The dance tutor organizes costumes, so that part wasn't a drama for her mother.

After a late night Saturday night, it was a 4.00am wake-up call for us to travel in the opposite direction in order to help with some yard building for #1 son. Dad did the welding, while the sons worked on the calculations.................... Thankfully, the morning wasn't too hot, and we managed to get a few panels started. It will take quite a while yet, lots of panels to go!! Shortly after this was taken, we called it quits for the day, had some lunch and a chat, then headed back home for a well earned snooze in the afternoon.

On Monday I went to visit one of my close friends here, as she had organized for me and another friend to have lunch. I had a birthday this week, and as has been our tradition for over 12 years, we 'did' lunch. I hadn't been to her home for quite a while. The day was lovely, and very relaxing. It also gave me an opportunity to see Little Bill who is now not so little........LOL... The three pups have certainly grown and changed a lot from their puppy stage. Bill is on the left, Meg top right, Dude bottom right [and still the biggest].

Unfortunately, the dog saga does not end with the three pups. A few weeks ago we were offered a pup which we took, as he is a grandson to one of our best dogs [now departed]. In the hope he will be a chip off the old block, he has been named Chip. At the moment, I think he's just a splinter!!! He bears an uncanny resemblance to the old dog, in looks and in nature. Perhaps we can soon stop collecting dogs!! Last count was TEN. Two are quite old and can't work much anymore, and two really don't work 'to standard', so may have to be re-homed in due course.

It has been much cooler this week, following another two inches of rain. After a very dry November, we are having quite a green December to date. More is predicted for the weekend.

And some more crochet.................

2011-12-06T10:22:00.001+10:00

I've finally managed to be in a position to take photographs of some more pieces I've done in crochet during the last few years. These pieces all live with my daughter in law. We were visiting [make that working] on the weekend, so I quickly snapped them to share here. They were in use, so have not been pressed properly, ie just a tad bit on the crumpled side in places, sorry. All have been worked in #40 cotton, in ecru, with two featuring the long time favourite design 'pineapple'. Two were designs in Crochet Monthly, and the small mat came from an old Paragon book I've had for years.

I am sorry this is not going to be a long post. The last few days have been quite busy here with us, and I really don't have too much time to devote to the computer today. I hope these pieces will be enjoyed by my blog readers.

As always, I thank you for your interest. Your support is sincerely appreciated.

TAST2012 Challenge

2011-12-02T10:54:00.001+10:00

I'm delighted to be joining a large number of ladies [several of them my very close blogging/SF friends] to work through the TAST2012 challenge next year. The logo above was created/stitched by one of the SF members, Annet, who kindly allowed other participants to use it.

You can see more about the challenge, and find links to many blogs which perhaps may be of interest to you. This is the link:http://www.pintangle.com/community-challenges/2011/12/1/take-a-stitch-tuesday-2012-challenge-information-page.html The challenge is run by Sharon Boggon, of http://www.pintangle.com/ and http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/ fame.

I am not sure I will be able to work through each stitch, but I'll have a red hot go at it. Over the last few years I have watched many ladies share their TAST work via various sites, and feel such a challenge will be of benefit to me at this time in my stitching life.

I hope I can share some of my efforts, and that readers will enjoy my progress, as well as take an interest in each and every other participant's work.

Harvest Complete

2011-12-01T10:49:00.001+10:00

I took these pictures a few weeks ago, and have been meaning to put them here for people to see. The harvest in the district is now well and truly over, with summer crops already planted and looking lovely after the rain last week. This was the harvester/header that did the work on the property here. The photograph was taken as I stood on my northern lawn. The wheat paddock [the one in my header photo] is not much more than 80 metres from our house. These big machines are very sophisticated these days, with GPS systems, comb sensors in order to avoid hitting higher ground, bin-full beepers, and more beepers than one can throw a stick at!! They have sealed, air conditioned cabs for the driver's comfort. Can you imagine how horrible and dusty the work would be without that.

This photograph is showing the wheat being transferred from the header to the 'chaser' bin. A little later in the day, the tractor and bin were being driven along beside the header with the wheat going straight into it. This needs a lot of concentration and communication between header/tractor driver. If there is a big crop, there is also a need for trucks to be employed in order to move the grain to on-farm storage or take it directly to the wheat depot.

I took this photograph in town during harvest. These are the 'big rigs' that are used to transport grain. I know it's not a property shot, but I couldn't resist taking it. Unfortunately, I missed the front wheels, but on doing a count, that vehicle has 54 tyres. I actually thought it was amusing seeing him pulled up in front of the tyre shop - bet that shop owner was rubbing his hands together when he saw the big guy pull up!! Is it any wonder transport costs are soaring. I hope these few images show a little more of my world.

Thank you all again for your wonderful comments on my recent playing. I do appreciate the feedback.

Old.....or New??? [and a bit of blue]

2011-11-28T12:45:00.001+10:00

I have been totally engrossed in texture lately. Yes, I'm still playing with my texture workshop from Fibre in Form - it's more fun than I can explain!! This is my latest textured piece, made into a triangular vase/vessel. I found a bottle to fit inside which gives it weight. Unfortunately, the artificial bloom is all I have at the moment to add to the setting. This piece is supposed to look like it belonged in another century, so I hope that is the case upon viewing............LOL..........

This group of photos might show some of the steps that have gone into making the vessel. I began with an A4 sized piece of the green cotton duck. After that, well, there was Gesso, texture paste [pushed through my own hand cut stencil], mulberry bark, writing ink, bleach, gold acrylic paint, stitching, scrunched up painted metal foil, glitter, and some very sore fingers after the final stitching up stage!! I can't recall how many times I went back to this, but it was a LOT. I have made a pact with myself to at least have some sort of plan next time, before I start plastering stuff all over a piece of fabric and hope I can make something out of it, ie it would have been much easier to stitch together without the mulberry bark so close to the perimeters of each piece. I've used stitched felt and pelmet vilene for the lining, and some wireform inside each piece to make sure it is really firm.

And now for the 'bit of blue'. This is a small art canvas, textured and painted, overpainted and embellished. I've called it Shining Seas. Some of the under colour is showing through, with an iridescent turquoise on the top. The heavy texture to one side is formed with scrunched cheesecloth. It was just a bit of fun, and gave me an excuse to add some bling!!

I hope this will be of interest. I still have more textured work planned, so watch this space..............

De-stashing Projects

2011-11-23T08:46:00.001+10:00

I'm still in a mind to reduce the various materials I have 'acquired' over the years, and have managed to make a few small things to keep in the cupboard as gifts for whenever. The little cardigan above was done with the remaining few balls of white baby wool I bought from Pick-Up Stitches earlier in the year.

This close-up should show the little cables that are worked into the pattern. I had never done this before, and really like the look, and will be trying more patterns like this in the future. I feel the little rectangular MOP buttons look quite alright for this. The pattern was one I found and purchased via Ravelry. The designer has a website too:- http://www.creativecrochet.co.uk/

Of course, I am still working on the 10+ kilos of yarn sent to me by my sister. Another knee rug is in progress, but some of the yarns are quite thick. I decided to make a few coathangers with some of these bulkier yarns. I am always in need of these myself, so they've gone into use already. They are nothing special, but feel really quite soft. One is done in crochet, the other knitted.

And, continuing along the ever present baby theme I seem to have going at the moment, this fabric has become a double sided summer wrap. Easy, peasy, two lengths right sides out, bind with the last little bit of fabric. I've been carting this length around with me for years and years. When I had babies, I always carried these with me. You never know when you need to put your baby down 'somewhere', and that 'somewhere' might be a surface that is a little bit suss in my opinion. Not that I'm any sort of clean freak I have to say, but at least the wrap gives you some peace of mind. I have to add that my babies hardly ever had illness of any kind.

I am still quite busy with the watering duties, but as I type, I can hear a slight drizzle, and can smell that wonderful smell of rain on dry earth!! We have been told to expect some rain this week, so bring it on I say.

Busy Days & Good Friends

2011-11-17T15:10:00.001+10:00

I have been so very busy lately, mainly because the heat has set in here, and I am looking after my neighbour's garden as well as my own. I can tell you it's a big job, and I don't remember when the pump was silent!! We are fortunate to have the water to use on lawns and plants, so for that I am most grateful. I hope it lasts, as we've had several days already with the mercury just reaching the 40°C mark. Apart from that, I've had a few outings with my patchwork friends - the craft market, and our final meeting day for the year. We had a wonderful day yesterday, lots of members present, lovely luncheon, good cheer, and wonderful sharing of each others' projects. The collage above was one I thought might be of interest to those who follow my blog. This William Morris applique quilt was done by our most prolific patchworker, Neitta. Not only does she put us all to shame with the quantity, the quality of her work is amazing. Neitta had this quilt professionally quilted by Robyn McHardie [https://secure.widebacks.com.au/]. The intricate quilting has to be seen to be appreciated properly. It certainly enhances the wonderful applique that Neitta has done. The quilt is very large. It was difficult to include it all in one photograph. Neitta had lots of other quilt tops to show us, so she has been a very busy girl this year. Sadly, a number of her beautiful quilts [family gifts] were ruined by floodwater, and she has set about replacing them.

Neitta had also been extremely busy getting things prepared for our craft market. It was a nice day, with steady sales. I bought these four rooster potholders [made by Neitta of course!!], for my DIL, as she just loves anything 'chooky'. They aren't large, but just a good size for each hand [in my opinion].

Another article that took my eye was this quite large scrapbook/journal with rather an organic feel. It had been done by one of our newer members, at a weekend workshop in Brisbane. The pages are very thick and have a rather rustic feel. I plan to use this for pasting pictures/drawings of ideas, etc., yet another art/ideas journal. It appears to have been made using leaves, open seed pods, and lengths of organic matter. The 'lizard' shape is recessed, and to be honest, I didn't even realize there was a 'shape' there until I took the photograph.

I am currently trying to do a bit of crochet in between my watering duties, but nothing finished of course. I hope the work of my friends will be of interest. I am always in awe of the talent we have in our small group, despite our isolation, and difficulties securing goods for most projects.

Hand Made Trim & A Hat

2011-11-10T19:35:00.000+10:00

A few years ago I found an interesting braid, and how-to instructions in the Australian magazine Stitches. I needed to make a simple outfit for something, so a short, fitted, navy frock was the answer, trimmed with this handmade 'braid'. I also thought a small cocktail style hat covered, and trimmed with the braid might work for the function. I am not sure if you can actually see it in the photograph, but the pink fabric has silver flecks in it. The navy is just a blotchy, unevenly dyed fabric. I used to do a little bit of hat making when I was sewing wedding outfits [well, technically not hat making, more covering/decorating buckram shapes]. I have included a shot in the collage showing the inside lining in the hat. The braid on the hat has been made using smaller cord, with some fine millinery wire inserted inside with the piping cord, so I could bend the trim and have it sit up where I wanted it to.

Sadly, I don't have the instructions anymore, but I thought I might try to replicate what I had done. It's a simple matter of making two lengths of piping, in different colours. Then one is placed on top of the other, and the two are stitched together along the extended edge. You then trim away three of the edge fabrics, leaving just the one. Trim it back, and then turn under and wrap it tightly across the back of the double cording. It is blind stitched so it is not seen from the front. The double corded length is then overstitched with a length of metallic cord. To achieve the twisted effect, you need two identical lengths - stitched together at one end, and then twisting each length. It is quite firm, and rather fiddly if using small cord. Placing some invisible stitches along the twisted length will ensure stability. I didn't really plan to make anything, but after I'd finished the twisting, I decided to cover the ends with jewellery bell caps, and attach a toggle clasp. It's seems to have made quite a nice little Christmas bracelet.

I hope this little trim is of interest to some readers. Sometimes it's difficult to buy a trim that suits your fabric, and making something simple might be the answer.

Autumn Fantasy

2011-11-03T13:00:00.000+10:00

I know it's not autumn here in Australia, but the colours of a tradtional autumn are some of my favourites. Not very long ago I purchased and downloaded online lessons to do with creating texture on textiles. You can see the lessons here I have not actually worked through any of the lessons in their entirety just yet, but this little art journal cover is a start. The above photograph has been taken outside in the shade, but is not actually showing the colours as they are [more 'red' than pink].

I've called this Autumn Fantasy simply because I don't 'draw', and much of the time squiqqly lines and leaf/petal shapes are my limit, so all I can do is fantasize that I may one day magically be able to 'draw'. Perhaps this photograph will show the little lumps and bumps that are on the surface of the fabric. There are so many layers on this, gesso, texture paste, paint in various colours, little snippets of linen, machine stitching, glitter, and yarn [it was originally a piece of loosely woven calico].

The back view is showing the leaves/petals being blown along by autumn winds, scattered on the ground, piling up along paths, etc. Stitching this very stiff, rubbery 'fabric' was rather a nightmare, made worse by the choice of metallic thread. You don't want to know how many four letter words were used during the process!!

Some of the colour inspiration came from this piece of fabric that I received as a little gift from a friend some time ago. I'd often admired it in some pieces she'd made, and she was kind enough to send some to me. And, no, I have not used it as an inside lining for this - that is just black wool felt.

I am looking forward to working through my PDF lessons in due course, as soon as I purchase a few more provisions. I have uploaded the last photograph which was taken out in full sun [please excuse shadow in bottom right corner!!]. It does show the colours a little differently, much brighter, and closer to how it is in real life. Digital cameras don't photograph metallic all that well. In case you are interested in the size, this little art journal is A5 with lots of good quality water colour paper. I hope to make the effort to record some of my thought processes from hereon in.

Thank you all so much for actively taking an interest in my attempts to amuse myself..........LOL......

Using Scraps Again

2011-10-31T15:51:00.002+10:00

Lately I've been fiddling with some of the off-cuts in my 'trash' box, and have made a few little ATC's just for fun. To cut a long story short, I've grouped them in the above collage [only one photograph to load]. I haven't decided what will happen to them at the moment. If anyone would like one, or care to swap, please let me know. I think my favourite is the green one in the top right hand corner.

We have still been experiencing storm activity in our area, and have had the land phone out for quite some time. Our mobile phone doesn't work very well from the house, so things have been rather quiet.

Thank you all for the lovely comments on my bags. I most certainly appreciate them.

I Love Bags!!!

2011-10-28T12:15:00.001+10:00

Although I don't make lots and lots, I still really like handmade bags in all shapes and sizes. Recently I stumbled across an interesting sewing blog/website, with downloadable patterns for sale. Of course, most of them appealed to me, so I jumped in for the kill............ You can see the bags here - http://www.keykaloupatterns.com/ The bag pictured above is the first one I've made using Michelle's lovely pattern. I have another which I will try soon. Whilst I did not follow the pattern to the letter [a slight change in the base boxing], I found everything in the requirements and directions to be faultless. Please make time to visit Michelle's blog too, and see some lovely sewing.

I've put a small collage together showing a few elements of this bag. There are some small pockets inside [always handy], and I really like the added stitched detail on the bottom. The inside lining has a firm pelmet vilene rectangle stitched into it, giving a more rigid base. I hope you can see the fabric pattern. I purchased this fabric quite some time ago, to make a bag, and still have quite a bit left. I managed to find something in my stash for a lining, and what I consider to be a suitable button trim [a natural timber button from Tasmania]. I am using this as a swap gift for my group's break-up in a few weeks.

Whilst on the subject of bags, I thought this one might be of interest to readers too. I made this about three years ago. I originally purchased the handles, and then decided I needed a bag to go with them...... I have included this link - http://www.mareepigdon.com/sewing-patterns.html as both were purchased from this lady. I fear the pattern has probably been discontinued. It is quite large, has a number of inside pockets, plus a piece of MDF in the base, as well as little feet. I find this an excellent bag for taking projects to my sewing days. It was 'built' around the handles actually [colourwise], with fabrics I had on hand at the time - leftovers.

I hope this little bit of sewing is of interest. I will try to make up the other bag pattern I purchased from Michelle - http://www.keykaloupatterns.com/product/inset-zip-clutch-pouch-pdf-sewing-pattern and hopefully this will go together as well as the first one.

Things have been a little crazy here this week, storms around the district, some of them quite nasty - another reminder that Mother Nature will do as she pleases!!

Dessert Anyone??

2011-10-22T08:41:00.000+10:00

In a few weeks my patchwork group is having our annual Christmas luncheon to end the year, and begin the recess until the New Year. We are making and taking our food again this year. I have been thinking about taking something a little different, and decided to try my hand at this Ginger Wine & Lime Sorbet yesterday [just a trial in readiness for the real thing]. The recipe I used is in one of my oldish Womens' Weekly cookbooks, but I found a similar one here: http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/cookingtips/780815/ginger-wine-and-lime-sorbet I have made this before. The recipe in this link has the ingredients in slightly different proportions, and to be honest, after tasting 'mine', I think the other would be nicer as it only uses ½cup of the ginger wine, whereas the recipe I used has 1½cups which I feel is just far too overpowering flavourwise. I would also advise adding ¼ teaspoon of Cream of Tartar to the sugar/water syrup.

I've put together a small collage of some of the steps used in the preparation of this very light and tangy dessert. I have not been given the seal of approval from my husband to continue to serve this at home, and to be honest, it is not the most sensible thing to be taking out of one's freezer and expecting it to last a 60km journey in November!! I also think I should have allowed the wine/water/juice mixture to freeze much more, as my mixture became extremely runny. One thing I must mention. I made a continued effort to fork the mixture through many times during the freezing process, as the 'liquid' seemed to continually seep to the bottom. It is fine once the whole mixture freezes, but does sort of melt/liquify on you whilst enjoying your fruit/sorbet cocktail, damn!!

And, just one more photo showing the lovely fruit salad and sorbet - a dessert probably more suited to brunch on Melbourne Cup day morning.............LOL.......... The fruit salad is nothing more than diced pawpaw, banana, strawberries and whole blue berries, moistened slightly with a squeeze of orange juice. Voila!!

Local Entertainment

2011-10-17T11:08:00.002+10:00

Yesterday we decided to drive into our little local township to watch the campdrafting Campdrafting is a uniquely Australian horse sport, and if you do follow the link, I hope you enjoy reading more about it. This event is held every October here, and is always a must attend competition for campdrafters from near and far. Of course, it is run to benefit local interests, with proceeds going to help the schools, hospitals and such in our district. And, most importantly, all helpers do so on a voluntary basis, from the women who feed the multitudes, to the property owners who provide the cattle that are used in the draft - no small undertaking in anyone's world. I have put together a small collage of photos I took during yesterday's action.

There has always been something amusing to see, and this time was no exception. For the most part, people seem to bring along their newest pup to show off, but this little one was a first for me!! Raising an orphaned macropod is not an easy task. This little one looked so cute, I couldn't help but share it.

I also managed to catch an 'impromtu committee meeting', or so it seemed to me at the time. These men have been involved with the draft since they were youngsters, as their fathers were before them.

Of course, this sport is not for those with a limited budget. The outfits we saw were like homes away from home, for man and beast. Talk about traveling in style!!! I hope these shots will give you some idea of the modern transport facilities that people use. Many of them have several horses [it is acceptable for them to nominate, and compete on a number of horses in their relevant sections]. It's quite a family affair as well - sometimes entire families competing.

I did try to upload a small video clip I took, but my Internet is not good enough for me to do so. Therefore, I will just finish this post with the opening still shot from my video. This young man has been competing and winning for a long time. I think he grew up in the saddle. His hands are always in the right place, he hardly moves in the saddle, everything just gels. More often than not his 'round' is like poetry in motion.

Mail Art

2011-10-13T13:00:00.000+10:00

I've finally managed to put together a selection of digital images, printed, labelled, and ready to go. These are to be used for my group's upcoming market stall. Some of the images began life as one of my photographs, so far removed from the original so as not to be recognizable. Others began as blank files in GIMP or PSE8. I have some clear cellophane self-seal packets, and thought these might be something different - rather like a postcard with more.

Each little packet contains the outer page {slightly nicer than copy paper], as well as an A5 sheet with printed lines {normal copy paper]. All that needs to be done is to write the short note, pop it back into the clear packet, seal, stamp and post. Perhaps it may even brighten the mailman's day. The image in this photograph was originally some dried and cracked earth - go on, you will see it if you look!!!

I also hope to print some of these {or similar} onto fabric for postcards which will enable a bit of added embroidery.

I'm only making a few of these, as each sheet has been hand cut. I really need to buy some A5 paper, or a guillotine!!

Thank you for taking an interest in all that I manage to fiddle with.

Sugar & Spice

2011-10-11T15:14:00.000+10:00

Things have been rather crazy here lately, but I've managed to finish another knitting project, as well as a little pair of pants to go with my latest little cardigan. I am not sure if the photograph is showing the colour correctly, but these little pants are made from very fine hot pink corduroy [everything of course was in my stash]. Oh, I do wish I had a sweet little baby to use to model this. It would look so much nicer actually on a child the right size!!

I am quite happy with the little cardigan. It's a rather more boxy and roomy design than the red one, and is a pattern I purchased online as an instant download - http://www.patternfish.com/ If you are at all interested in lovely patterns, that don't cost the earth, then I can recommend this site to you. This pattern comes in about six sizes, and cost just under $6.00!!

I knew I wanted a little pair of pants with a contrast turn up to go with the cardigan. I found this pattern in one of my Top Kids magazines, but I am not sure if this magazine is still going. I always found it had rather spunky little fashions for kids. I found a partly finished brushed moleskin skirt that I can use to make pants to go with the little red cardigan. It's the traditional creamy beige coloured moleskin, and very soft - watch this space!! It's so much fun making little clothes again.

I hope the close-up will show you the lovely double moss stitch and cable design that is worked into the little cardigan. I liked the idea of the collar, which I think makes it a little more dressy. Of course, I again used my favourite twisted rib in the bands, etc. The wool was some more that I purchased from that lovely store in Kyneton, Victoria - http://www.pickupstitches.com.au/

Thank you all again so much for persisting with comments. I am not at all sure what happens. I have honestly never had a problem leaving a comment on other blogs.

I need to catch up on some bookwork now. It's BAS time again, and today I finally received the Cash Book back from our accountant, so it will be clerical duties for me for a few days.

Modern Technology

2011-10-05T13:37:00.000+10:00

I am always trying to learn more about the workings of all things computer related. Since taking an online course using the GIMP programme [with Sharon Boggon], I've been constantly trying to improve my knowledge of digital art imagery, and photo alteration.

I won't make this a long post, but thought I'd share a little mish-mash collage of various images I have created, and hope to use for small gift notelets in the future. Some of these have started life as cropped sections of my own photographs, and some began as blank spaces, gradually being filled with different colours and brushes [digital stamps], followed by a variety of filters.

Many of these stamps are available as free downloads. It is gratifying to know there are people out there who are happy to share their knowledge for the amusement of others. If you would like to check out this website: http://www.obsidiandawn.com/ you will see the various tools that are available if you have a photo programme.

Of course, I am still knitting. This time I'm working on a white cabled cardigan. Take care all.

The Little Red Cardigan

2011-09-29T15:03:00.000+10:00

Thank you everyone for your enthusiastic comments on my last post. I've been absent from blogging for a number of days. I seem to have been kept busy here lately. I can now share with you the little red cardigan. I am finally finished. I have no idea why it's taken me so long to knit a baby's cardigan!! This was knitted with the Heirloom Baby Wool in 4 ply that I purchased from Pick Up Stitches in Kyneton. It knitted up beautifully, and I'm totally thrilled with the result.

I hope this close-up will show you the little reverse stocking stitch relief pattern. I rather like the back of it, but thought I'd go with the 'designer' and do as directed. I do however much prefer to work my ribs as a twisted rib, ie knit and purl into the back of the stitches. I find I like the finished result.

This design was taken from a very old knitting book I've carted around with me for years. It has even had a run-in with some hungry mice [notice the corner that has been chewed!!]. I think I was given these books by an aunt years ago.

I've made this to fit 6-9 months, as it's to be a gift for an expected infant - early next year. The booklet says 3ply, but I have a feeling that today's 4ply is yesterday's 3ply if you get my drift, as my knitting tension was as given in the book. I encountered a couple of new things with this little pattern. I had never knitted a band along with the fronts for a V-necked cardigan, but loved the way this was done. The instructions also suggested to use turning rows every 1½ inches to avoid the sagging that occurs with knitted on borders. I honestly had never heard of this. It worked well I must say. It's actually nice to see a proper set-in sleeve application, rather than that dropped shoulder line effect so common to newer designs.

I think I'll make a little pair of denim pants to wear with this [I have some quite soft, thinner denim], and have found this really old flannel in my stash which I thought would make a super soft lining for said denim pants. Now I just need to find that Burda Baby book with the really cool baby duds pattern in it!!

Thank you again to everyone who cares to leave such lovely comments. I do appreciate the time it takes to do so. I also appreciate the emails I've received in the last few days asking after me. I know I have been absent from my blog for a while, so thank you ladies for caring to ask after me. All is well, I am just busy with animals and outside lately. I have lots more of this lovely wool, so hope to get another little piece underway soon.

Knitting & Crochet Fun

2011-09-17T08:21:00.001+10:00

In between my embroidery, and animal duties, I've been playing with some woolwork. My sister and niece recently sent me their yarn stash, so I've made a start at using it. I plan to use it for small projects, ie knee rugs, scarves, baby accessories. Much of it is acrylic, easy to launder. The knee rug above is the first of my experiments. I had five large skeins of this multi-coloured pink/purple, and really wasn't sure how far it would go, so I began with the crochet design that starts in one corner and works out on the diagonal. I kept going until I had used just over two skeins, and then began working my way back into the other corner. It will make a nice little knee rug to pack in my 'nursing home kit'................ If you see a slight colour variation, you are quite correct. Despite all the bands displaying the same dyelot number, there still seems to be some difference. Never mind, this was a project I could work on at night, with a repetitive pattern, and it didn't require a lot of counting and thought.

I have also managed to knit a child's beanie using the wool I purchased recently from Pick Up Stitches. I love this strong colour contrasting wool. It is very soft.

This was my first piece of Fishermens' Rib/Brioche Stitch, and I really enjoyed working it. However, it is VERY elastic, so I needed to use needles one size smaller than I would normally use for traditional rib. I would love to knit a good sweater in this pattern, perhaps in a colour a little more suited to my age group..........LOL..........

I've not long started a little baby cardigan in red 4 ply pure wool, having almost completed the back, and hope to have it finished by the end of next week. I really love knitting for babies and toddlers, so will try to do a few things in the coming months, before the real heat sets in here.

I've only just noticed that Blogger seems to have given us a new photograph viewing capability. I quite like it. Hope others do too.

Postcard Surprise

2011-09-14T12:57:00.001+10:00

A few weeks ago I received this lovely postcard. It was such a nice surprise to receive this from Wanda-Maria She sent it to me from her holidays. Thank you so much Wanda-Maria, especially for thinking of me whilst enjoying yourself so much on your holiday. I wanted to wait until I was sure you were home before I posted this on my blog [I was not sure you had Internet access away from home]. Please take a look at Wanda-Maria's blog. She does a wonderful array of machine embroidery, and other textile related work. You will also see some more photographs from her holiday, as well as her beautiful daughter's recent wedding. I have tried adding her blog to my sidebar again, and Blogger is still not showing her posts correctly. Forgive 'us', it is not our fault.

New Recruits

2011-09-12T15:22:00.001+10:00

We are constantly in need of new recruits for our working dog pack. Some are getting old, and need to spend their retirement taking it a bit easy. We've not long taken charge of three pups, so I thought I'd share them here. The little fellow above will be given to one of our friends. He's got very short hair, and feels the cold. It was a little rainy and miserable here on Friday, so I quickly cut into my stash of polar fleece and made a little coat for him. If he ever grows into his ears, he'll be a big dog!! He was quite small when he first came home, but he's now outweighing his sister. I did have to Photoshop his eye [red eye], but the 'blue' you see is a trait quite common in this type of working dog.

This is Meg. We will hopefully breed from her in due course, if she lives up to expectations in the field. She is a little more hairy than Little Bill, and such a gentle little thing.

We haven't given this guy a permanent name at the moment. I'd like to call him Dude, but the jury is still out. He's the monster of the pack, and very much like another dog we've had in the past. One of our dogs is the father of the pups.

And, not to be outdone by pups, our son and DIL have just sent us a photo of their newest foal, a little filly with very long legs, which I am sure they are hoping she will put to good use on the racetrack. Her name is Chloe around the paddock, not sure what they'll call her for 'racing purposes'.

Okay, just one more to show you her legs!!

I know...................I can't help it, I love baby animals.

Pina Colada

2011-09-08T08:27:00.000+10:00

I have not long finished my third piece for the Sumptuous Surfaces class, run by Sharon http://www.pintangle.com/ And, yet again, I've made a folder sleeve using my piece as front adornment. I have had such fun working the samples for this class, and also learnt a lot of interesting features about stitching, ie viewing and using stitches in different ways.

I am including a good close-up of the pineapple, so if you click onto the file and see it in it's original format you can get a good look at the stitch. This stitch is called Vault Stitch, found in my Mary Thomas' Dictionary of Stitches. It's original purpose is for canvas stitching, but bring it down to a finer level, mix up your thread colours, and hey presto, great texture for pineapples in my opinion.

I'm not going to go through the whole journal making procedure yet again, but will show you the back, so you can see how I've crinkled up the abaca tissue, lightly sprayed it with gold Moon Shadow Mist [a product purchased from my favourite store - http://www.thethreadstudio.com/ and just a small amount of machine quilting. I'm not sure if the photographs will do the Moon Shadow Mist justice. It adds just that flecked gold lustre to the surface of the folder. I just love it. This abaca is a slightly aqua blue/green, with golden yellow-brown mottling. I tried to take some of the 'blue' off it via the Moon Shadow spray.

And in my usual style, I managed to find something reasonably suitable for the lining. I've had this green/yellow mottled/ringed fabric for ever so long, and thought it blended fairly well with the journal colours. I did not buy one single thing to make this journal. It all came out of my stash [not sure if I should actually gloat about this..............LOL].

Thank you all so much for the interest in my stitching. I'll be leaving this course behind now, and moving on with more knitting, crochet, and other counted work, but really must clear away all these green and yellow threads!!!

A Blogging Gift

2011-09-03T07:38:00.000+10:00

Last week I received an absolutely amazing surprise, and felt I would love to share it with everyone. It was something I'd never seen 'in the flesh', and for me, like finding gold I suppose. This beautiful little antique needlework book was sent to me by a fellow blogger, Jan and I really am humbled by her generous gift.

There are some really interesting techniques in this little book, especially the section on linen work. I know I have dozens of books related to needlework, but I don't have many really old ones, so this has really made my week.

Thank you so much Jan, for your generosity not only with this lovely book, but your support on my blog. You are always interested in what I call the mundane part of my life. But, reading your blog I can see you are interested in so many things, a real glass half full girl, that's for sure. It is a pleasure to 'know' you.

Colour Theory

2011-08-29T09:13:00.001+10:00

I'm back with another journal cover to share. I seem to be fixated on these, and the eucalypt at the moment, but for me they are something I see every day, and I never get tired of the inspiration they provide. Our Sumptuous Surfaces online class is dealing with colour theory at the moment, and despite never having done much of this, I find it fascinating, and can now understand why I know some colours just look good together............LOL........

I used this part of the class to quickly stitch up a gum leaf sprig using a few different layers, not much stitching, but different 'fabrics' for my leaves, and some dimensional stitching for the flowers. The gum leaves are Hanah overdyed bias silk ribbon, fused together with Mistyfuse, cut into shapes, and then fused to the background. This product allows pieces to be adhered to a background, yet everything stays soft enough to stitch through easily. I've used bronze sequin waste to give the impression of 'chewed' leaves.

The actual cover itself has been made using Abaca Tissue. It is often sold under the name of Tissuetex, dyed ready for your use. I purchased some from http://www.thethreadstudio.com/catalogue/catfront.htm Abaca tissue is extremely strong, despite feeling a lot like paper. It can be painted, stitched, crumpled, you name it. I didn't purchase this colour especially for the project, but had it on hand. I crumpled it several times before fusing it to some beige wool felt [again with Mistyfuse]. I did make crinkles in it before I actually used the iron to set the fusible webbing. Prior to stitching on the postcard sized embroidery, I fused the wool felt/abaca fabric onto pelmet vilene. It makes for a much firmer fabric all round [do you get the idea that I like fusible products.........LOL]. The postcard was attached using satin stitch in a green multi metallic thread. The lining fabric was one of my red/grey hand dyes, not the best match, but not the worst either [you can just see a little of it set into the side of the postcard].

After all the stitching was completed, I gently rubbed some Rose Gold 'Treasure Gold' into the surface of the Abaca, which gives it a rosy glow. It looks and feels a little like leather.

This was just a very quick way to produce another cover, using colour combinations I like. I need to make another small project now with much more 'stitching' on it, and haven't quite decided on a theme or if it will be used as a postcard, or as a decorative addition to something else. We have one more class lesson on Wednesday, and that will be it.

Thank you all for taking such a keen interest in what this is all about.

Nature's Beading [??]

2011-08-24T13:47:00.001+10:00

Firstly, I must thank you all so much for your enthusiastic comments regarding the chicken costume. Your encouragement is very welcome indeed. I must report that the day went well, with a pirate, a red riding hood, and even bananas in pyjamas, so it seems everyone got into the spirit of the day.

I haven't much to write about these two photographs, but wanted to share them with everyone. I noticed this morning that there had been a heavy dew, and thought one or two shots might capture the mood. It seems to me that some fairies may have been out adding beads during the night. I'll leave you to imagine what you will. As I was about to prepare for this blog post I saw the sweetest little 'Inchie' with the title Imagine [check it out - it seems others love to imagine]. The sun shining into these photographs was a delight. Enjoy.

A Chicken Story

2011-08-22T11:39:00.000+10:00

I really want to share my little bit of weekend excitement with everyone. On Friday night, our grand daughter phoned to ask if I could make her a costume for school. Apparently it's book character day tomorrow, and she was hoping to have something special to wear. Her chosen character was Chicken Little. I immediately began to panic. How on earth could we come up with a chicken costume, over the weekend, and not get away to buy anything!! Okay..........., out came the step ladder, and hey presto, the stash cupboard came to the rescue. Lots of fabric, bits and pieces landed on the bed, ready for 'something'.

They arrived for lunch on Saturday, and after that we began with some A4 paper and a pair of scissors. We tackled the feet first. I knew the red/black quilted nylon I bought years ago would come in handy one day!! I attached some elastic underneath these shapes, so she could slip her shoes through in order to stop 'the feet' flapping around. A little band with velcro holds them in place around her ankles. Thankfully, red childrens' tights were available in our small town.

We then moved on to the head - comb and beak. Again, a little bit of trial and error with A4 paper, and thankfully, a knitted beanie still sitting in the cupboard, plus the quilted nylon would see the comb done. I stitched a length of velcro [hook side] to the bottom of the 'comb'. I did the same with the little arms on the beak. Both bits grab onto the beanie and will stay in place for the day.

I didn't have a lot of time to make a really neat job of a 'body tunic', so the yellow fabric I had was fashioned into a poncho. I cut a hole and slit, in order for her to pop it over her head, and again, attached a neckband with velcro closing. A little line of machine stitching created a sleeve and part- body. We thought it would work for the day.

Finally, the feathers had to go on. Again, cheap yellow acrylic yarn from the stash helped create some feathered wings. We did actually trim the feathers a little after this photograph was taken. She told me she had to have a tail too, but as it was 'the last part', my brain was getting quite tired. The yellow tail is a little sad, so I'm thinking Chicken Little probably could be having a bad hair day tomorrow.

I still have enough to make Chicken Little again and again, and I really have to get a grip on this stash, it's just ridiculous. After we'd finished the costume, it was time to sit quietly and have a glass or two of medicine [cleverly disguised as Sauvignon Blanc..........LOL]. It was a fun afternoon, and I thoroughly enjoyed creating something from nothing with a little girl so full of enthusiasm.

Sumptuous Surfaces Monotone Assignment

2011-08-18T08:15:00.000+10:00

For the last three weeks I have been thoroughly immersed in an online class being conducted by Sharon Boggon

In the first half of the course, we have been working a project in monotone, and as I have stated previously, I'd chosen greys. It was a difficult colour choice for me, but in the end I settled on using our Australian gumnuts as my theme.

Of course, I won't go into all the details of our class brief, but much of the work is done using quite heavily textured stitching. I really enjoyed this part of the exercise, and must admit to perhaps packing far too many knots into my chosen areas. I also think I should have used a little more variety in threads, and types of stitches - a lesson for the future no doubt.

This close-up may give you an idea of some of the pulled thread areas that have been worked, some of which have been made up as I went along. It has been wonderful to see the way others have approached this assignment, and I am honoured to be part of such a creative group of stitchers.

I had always intended to use this as the front adornment for a journal cover. I have so many little ring binders, and I don't know how they have found their way into my house. They just seem to look so much more exciting 'wearing' a stitched cover. I did not buy the fabrics for this, but have used pieces from my cupboard. The inside has been lined with a quite busy, marbled print, but I have used a much more sedate piece for the outside.

Before I finish this post I have to give a big thank you to a friend and fellow blogger, Shirley During this assignment, Shirley has been so very helpful, sending me little 'grey' treasures, as well as offering me advice on a few aspects that were worrying me. Shirley has a great gift for seeing the right line and light, but without doubt, her greatest gift is the willingness to share and encourage. Thank you again Shirley, your kindness is very much appreciated.

Looking for Beauty

2011-08-10T13:01:00.000+10:00

During my married life I've been called upon to do some pretty unlady-like tasks, and have done the best I could at the time. Saturday night was one such time. My hubby asked me [very nicely] if I would consider being his off-sider on a feral pig hunt. Well, what could I say. Much of the time I am able to do my own thing, so I didn't like to say no. I'll spare you all the nasty hunting details, but suffice to say it wasn't for the weak of stomach!! We spent almost five hours driving around a large property, only going back over our tracks twice - around almost 2,000 acres of wheat and half as much grazing oats. We even took a picnic. Now, don't go getting too excited - there was nothing glamorous about this picnic, no Michael Bublé playing in the background, no chilled champagne, no cucumber sandwiches, or cherry pie. But, I refuse to allow myself to only see the negative part of this. We arrived at our destination some time before sunset, and there was the prospect of seeing wildlife other than aforementioned feral pigs!! I was told about a large dam, with resident swans. I am sure the producers of our 'reality' show, The Farmer Wants a Wife would have made this scene look so much more romantic, but I still found it pleasant enough to share.

My husband does a lot of work on this property, mostly mustering cattle. He has told me often about 'the swans that live on the big dam'. Well, I finally saw them, and they have a family. This is not the best photograph, zoomed in to the hilt, but I'm sure you will see what I'm talking about. The water birds were there in their droves, so lovely to see, after all the dry years.

We managed to get to another small dam just before sunset, so I couldn't resist a few more shots. There is always something magical about the coming up and going down of the sun! During the night we saw lots of other birds - bustards [plain turkeys], tawny frogmouths, but sadly, it's not brolga country.

I know much of what I see is rather dull compared to the beauty others have, but it's amazing how much you appreciate the little things. Just recently we've had the privilege of the company of this Ibis. He seems to have taken a liking to the area just outside our immediate houseyard, wandering around each day without a care in the world. I have named him Ivan [I don't really know if it's a male or a female to be honest], and perhaps in time he'll bring a mate to meet us, Irene maybe?? We've also noticed a lot of activity high up in one of the trees, as Maggie and Magnum [our magpie couple] start to make preparations for another family this season. Each afternoon about 5.00pm [like clockwork] they swoop down waiting for the handful of dog biscuits I throw on the ground for them.

I hope you enjoy seeing some of the things I've seen in the last few days, despite their simplicity.

Parcels in the Mail

2011-08-06T11:01:00.002+10:00

I am really excited about the packages I received in yesterday's mail. I know I have a good selection of greys for my Sumptuous Surfaces embroidery, but that didn't stop me buying some extra 'just in case'. I also wanted some wools to knit a few things for babies - they really never go out of fashion do they??? I was told about a 'silken' ribbon, made using milk proteins, so some of that found it's way into my parcel as well. Apparently it is washable and very soft to work with. I must get some other 'brighter' colours in the near future. You can see a little about it here:

http://www.cascadehouse.com.au/catalogue.htm#Silken

I purchased all of these lovely products from a little store in Kyneton, Victoria. I really only became aware of the store after a recommendation from a friend. The proprietor and staff are lovely, patient with dithering customers, and I'm sure I will be a return customer. Thank you to Sharon, and Karyn, for all the help with my requests - http://www.pickupstitches.com.au/ Although there is not a purchasing website as such, I can assure you the store is an Aladdin's Cave.

The fun didn't actually stop with the first parcel. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a card, and hand written note from my sweet English friend Anney, with plenty of news from her part of the world - thank you Anney for making time in your busy life to 'write'. Another little gift was a good length of tiny, tiny satin ribbon from Karyn as she knows I am always looking for this product. And, last, but certainly not least, was another little selection of grey beads and threads from my friend, fellow blogger, and fellow Sumptuous Surfaces classmate Shirley It is really heart warming to know friendship knows no boundaries. Thank you to those lovely ladies who have cared to include me in their lives.

Thank you too to those who have shown a keen interest in my 'grey' project. I have taken far too long to decide on a subject matter, but can now report that I've put some stitches on my piece of fabric. Here is a small sample of an area of pulled thread work, which I hope will give the impression of falling gum leaves. This little section has been worked using DMC Linen thread, which I can assure you is a trial. It fluffs up, catches, breaks, and is certainly not a thread I would use for anything major. I believe it is now discontinued, and perhaps the aforementioned problems may be the cause. I now need to focus on the next area to be stitched, and hope I choose thread and stitch wisely, or there may be some 'unstitching' to be done...........

Sumptuous Surfaces

2011-08-03T15:17:00.000+10:00

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to score a place in an online classes being conducted by Sharon Boggon. You can see Sharon's work on her blog:- http://www.pintangle.com/

The class is called Sumptuous Surfaces, which has conjured up some exciting images in my head I have to admit. Our first exercise is working in monotone. Of course, without giving too much away, I felt I'd like to share a little with readers. I will be working in grey tones. As you can see from the first photograph, it appears I have a fair selection of grey threads. I also seem to have found quite sufficient in the beading line as well. Perhaps in time my grey sumptuous surface will see the light of day!!

I always like to work towards using these exercises to actually make something. I still have several small ring binders that need covers. I seem to have inherited them, and find them useful for keeping track of project ideas. I found these three grey toned fabrics in my stash, and when the postcard size embroidery is finished, I will decide which fabric suits it the best. I'm actually tipping the blotchy to plain grey will be my choice, with the bubbly one for the lining.

I will hopefully have something presentable to share in a few weeks. Thank you all again for the interest shown in all that I do. Your support is always welcome.

Beads & Beading

2011-07-27T14:02:00.002+10:00

I am still working on the Ndebele bead weaving. It is fiddly, and slow, but I enjoy the finished product. I thought I might share a few more pieces of jewellery I've made in the last few years. The necklace in the photograph above has been made using Kiwi Jasper, Black Onyx, and Freshwater Pearls. It is a fairly long piece, as I wear lots of blouses with collars. This was a design I saw in an Australian Beading magazine, and purchased the necessary requirements. No doubt by now you will have worked out I have a fondness for Jasper!!

This is another piece I fell in love with in one of our beading magazines. I did purchase the kit for it, and was VERY surprised [and concerned] at the weight of the parcel. However, it really does not feel heavy when worn. I love the soft peachy to sandy pinks in this one. It has lots of stitched beading in it. I have never worn it without having a favourable comment.

I've always been interested in chainmaille, and when I saw this design, I thought I would try to make it. Again, a kit was purchased as it seemed the easiest and simplest way to do it. It is quite chunky [all sterling silver rings and findings], but not awkward, and I do wear it, but not a lot. I'm not really a bracelet/bangle person. I just wanted to do the chainmaille!!

While I'm on the jewellery bandwagon, I thought it was time I shared a photograph of my bead collection. Sadly, I just couldn't get everything in one frame, and I really wasn't about to start taking shots of 'everything'. There are still more bottles with bits and pieces, and the odd [??] plastic packet in places I can't remember [I need an embarrassed face here].

Each time I look through the box for beads, I usually remember where I bought something, and why - like these beautiful square Swarovski crystals that I bought to make a green outfit for my son's wedding, only to be told by hubby that he really didn't like 'that colour'. These were $77/gross, and yes, you guessed it, I bought a gross!! I also bought 4 metres of silk fabric, and 6 metres of silk organza, a sort of green/shot magenta. It is still in the cupboard..........

Not only do I have a passion for gemstones and crystals, freshwater pearls always seem to find their way into my stash too when a bead store is visited. I seem to have them in almost every colour - yes, there are some yellow and orange ones 'somewhere'.

I've been having quite a lot of difficulty with this post today - Blogger has been slow, and I seem to have had some interruptions from 'outside'. However, I wanted to add something else to this post, so here it is. This is a lovely bead board that was gifted to me by a friend and fellow blogger. The beads were an added bonus. Thank you so much for this Shirley I will use this happily. In case it isn't noticeable, this is a shallow, tray-type rounded board, covered with velvet, neatened with braid, very swisho. It is so much more pleasing to the eye than my el cheapo beadmats! I feel very lucky to receive this, as I always get into a mess with seed beads.

Bead board designed by Shirley

Yesterday's Surprise!!!!

2011-07-21T12:55:00.000+10:00

I finally made it to my patchwork group day yesterday. We only had a few members present as the weather has been fairly miserable here of late. As I was driving home, well, almost home, luckily I glanced off to the side, and noticed quite a lot of brolgas grazing in a paddock. I was so excited. I had to stop myself from slamming on the brakes. It took me a while to stop, but I quietly backed up until I could see them better, and hoped they wouldn't take fright. It was quite open, and they often don't take too kindly to be 'observed'.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these beautiful creatures as much I as I did. My photographs are not the best, as I had to take them into the sun. This is by far the largest amount I've seen together. One of them was starting a dance, so I thought I'd better snap quickly and just go.

Another First

2011-07-19T13:49:00.000+10:00

At the moment I'm finding it quite difficult to focus on any one form of needlework. The days are short, I have to draw the curtains in my stitching area, making the house dark and gloomy - you name an excuse I'll tick it. However, I decided yesterday it was time to try a technique I first thought about over three years ago. You have often heard me say I love bling, and I do. I have all sorts of neck adornments, etc., some I've made myself. I shall share a few in due course. I discovered a necklace in an American Beading magazine that I thought would look great with winter sweaters, gathered all the goods together, and that's as far as it went until yesterday. The main part of the necklace involves a technique called Ndebele or Herringbone weaving. I think I've nailed the gist of it, and have made a little progress on what I hope will be a new addition to my wardrobe [perhaps next winter]. Much of the work is done with very small beads stitched together to form a square 'tube'. That stitched tube is broken by two different sizes of beads in Dalmatian Jasper, a stone I really love. The centre piece is a round donut shaped bead. I am changing the design a little, as it involves two rows of tubing/beads, which I'm not quite sure I'll wear. I think one strand with the donut at the centre will be my limit.

At times I've had an issue with the holes not being large enough to allow the necessary number of passes with the needle, and of course, a bead will break a little way back from where I am working. It is not easy to unpick in order to do a repair, so I'm hoping the end result will be quite strong. The seed beads are #11, all a matte finish. The large ovals are quite heavy, so I have used a few smaller ones to give it a different look.

I am thoroughly enjoying the process of weaving these beads into a tube. I like using the black thread, as it adds a sort of shadow effect to the area where the cream beads are used.

As I've been working on some of these different crafts of late, I can't help but wonder about their origins and the people who first decided to pick up two sticks and some string and knit, or gather a few 'beads', some thread and start weaving. Here we are with all our modern conveniences, and yet still find pleasure in the workings from the past.

Chunky Knitting

2011-07-11T11:18:00.001+10:00

I seem to have managed to catch a head cold, despite not having moved off the place for almost 16 days!! I am not too bad, over the worst, but now have a silly little cough. I wanted to keep busy, but really didn't feel inclined to work on anything too intricate or technical. I knew I had some wooden coathangers stashed away somewhere, and plenty of remnants of checked fabric. I like making these, as they are quick, simple, rustic, and require very little in the way of concentration, and effort. I don't even pad the hanger before stitching up the length of knitting.

I make small cuts into the selvedge, 1" apart. I then just rip the strips off one at a time, about 20 - 23, depending on the weight of the fabric. There are eight stitches, and the knitting is simple garter stitch, using 10mm needles. I don't even bother to cover the hooks, as these are mostly meant to be a little on the rustic side. A little raffia tied in a bow seems to suffice. These are always quite welcome by my family.

These are fun to make, and I hope they appeal to others. I really must try some form of crochet with these strips...............

Give-Away Winner

2011-07-11T11:02:00.000+10:00

It gives me great pleasure to announce that the Kogin embroidered hand towel will be going to Kerrie. Congratulations, and I find it amusing that, given my thoughts regarding the hand towel, etc., and Kerrie's living not too far from the ocean, the win is quite eerie - meant to be perhaps.

Thank you all for your constant support.

Civil War Hexagons

2011-07-07T11:43:00.001+10:00

I've had a busy few days again, and now have something to show for it!! After talking, and thinking about machine pieced hexagons for ever so long, I finally decided I was going to 'master' this little exercise. I know I'm not the first to do this, but I just don't have any patterns or anything concrete to work from. I found a few photographs online, but in the end, used the grey matter, and forged on regardless. Pictured above is the finished article. Some of you may recognize the lovely fabrics in the patchwork. These are the civil war prints I won a few months ago. They came via a give-away from Frances I have been waiting for an opportunity to use them. I will try to share my method in the following paragraphs.

The first part of the exercise was cutting strips 1½" in width. I had drawn a 2" hexagon on paper, then simply cut it in half from one point to the opposite. It was then taped to my 60° ruler which gave me a good view of how to cut my pieces. I then 'planned' my design. The next step was to carefully stack each piece from each row, and stitch them together to form pieced strips. These were eventually all stitched to form the patchwork ground. It was then ready to be appliqued and quilted. For the body of the bag I used some old chambray I had in the cupboard. The lining was a better piece of chambray. I added some pockets for magazines and projects in progress. I saw a bag similar to this in a Quilters' Companion magazine I purchased recently - it was submitted by Brigitte Giblin - http://www.brigittegiblinquilts.com/. My shapes are a little different, and I had to improvise on the sizing to accommodate the difference. I also added some fusible pelmet vilene to the chambray lining, so that the bag has sufficient body to stand up on it's own. It does just that!! Thankfully, I also had in my cupboard a set of wooden handles that seem to go reasonably well. I am so totally over the moon with this way of piecing hexagons. It's not for those who dislike machine piecing [and loads of pressing], but I found it interesting, and will work on a bigger hexagon for my next project. I think I'd like to apply the technique to a scrap quilt [of sorts].

I have also included a photograph showing the inside of the bag, complete with the makings for a scarf. I still have 25 grams of the baby camel hair, and hope I can knit a thin, openwork scarf from this amount. If I use larger needles and a loose pattern, I may just scrape through.

I do hope this project interests some readers. It was fun to do, and it gave me an opportunity to do some machine stitching again - something I really haven't done since the Christmas napery sewing. I finally had my machines serviced and they are both quite happy.

Thank you to those who have left a comment on the give-away. I shall draw it in a few days. I do have some emails from those who were unable to leave comments, so never fear, your names will not be forgotten.

Giving Back

2011-06-30T12:29:00.000+10:00

Well...........today marks the end of June.........one half of our year has gone, and I'm sure most would agree it seems no time at all since 2011 arrived. At the moment here in Australia we are experiencing winter, and in recent years many organizations have tried to use the theme Christmas in July to help generate interest in fund raising, etc. For my Christmas in July fellowship, I'm offering a little give away to say thank you to all those who care to visit and comment on my blog.

At the moment, I'm dreaming of a beach house, one with beautiful decor, no dust, no dirt, all the mod cons, and days of reading at the beach. I realized today that it's been 18 years since I've seen the ocean!!

If you would like to receive the cream damask hand towel with small inserts of Kogin embroidery [pictured above], please leave a comment here. I will leave this open for a week or so. I have used DMC #783 [old gold] for the embroidery, and hope that it will not be too obtrusive in anyone's home. The hand towel is 100% cotton, made in Brazil. It actually looks quite at home in my bathroom with it's imitation timber cupboard faces.

Thank you again for such an enthusiastic response to my knitted shawl, and I must say your support helps motivate me each day.

One Size Fits All............

2011-06-29T09:36:00.001+10:00

Following my little preview a few days ago, I can now share what has been keeping me busy for the last three weeks!! I am still not certain I will fly through the next graphed knitting project, but am confident enough to give it a red hot go again some time soon. I am not even sure I'll wear this shawl, despite how beautifully soft and drapey it feels.

The back is very appealing, and I'm sure this shawl would prove quite a head turner. In all honesty, I don't think I'd be comfortable wearing this. I plan to wrap it up carefully, with mothproofing, and hope it will adorn some precious baby in the near future.

The completed shawl, shown here, measures 48 inches square, now that it has been pinned out and pressed. It started life as three stitches!! The inner garter stitch square was knitted diagonally, increasing and then decreasing. The 'first' border was then picked up on a circular needle and worked [and worked] until it was time to finish with the outer border.

A few years ago I purchased three x 100g balls of handspun wool from The Fibre Hut, near Gatton, Queensland. I know nothing more than what is on the label, ie 100g, 2/22 pure wool. I can't seem to contact the lady again, so perhaps her business has folded. The needles I used were 4.00mm, which gave a light, open effect to the knitting, yet there is still a lot of solid ground to offer warmth.

This shawl pattern was taken from an ANNA magazine dated 1983. I was stabbing in the dark at times with the instructions, but after a few failed attempts, things finally fell into place. For the technically minded, I have to tell you the last four rows of the first border contained just over 860 stitches. It took me seven days of constant knitting to knit off those stitches with the outer border!!

In this grouping I've included the shawl as it appears in ANNA, as well as two different versions of the same design, taken from a small Patons & Baldwins book from yesteryear [price 2/6d]. The view on the right has been knitted with the garter stitch on the 'straight', and the b&w view shows a shawl which in fact is circular, knitted on two needles, with a slightly different border than the ANNA version. This is indeed a tried and true design, standing the test of time. I have always enjoyed the thrill of lace knitting, making numerous matinee jackets when we were all having babies. It has been a number of years since I have actually knitted a garment that is supposed to fit someone, so I thought I might satisfy my urges with this, and worry about the size later. I must say too that I did not have the corrrect wool as stated in ANNA, nor did I wish to spend time waiting on something to arrive, so I forged ahead with what I had, using a needle size which felt comfortable for the wool being used. I had to add more rows to the original inside square, and adapt the lace pattern instructions from there on, as my wool was obviously much finer. I think the finished article would have only been useful for a premmie baby had I followed the pattern.

There seems to be a lot of hype surrounding lace knitting these days, with some spectacular projects being made. I still have more than enough of this wool to do something else. The whole project took a little over 100grams, and is honestly as light as a feather.

Thank you all again for your continued interest in the things I make, and the life I have here. Your support is wonderful.

Costly Cotton/Contented Cows

2011-06-26T12:50:00.000+10:00

I was out and about a little yesterday, and thought I'd share a few photographs of what is going on around the place. With our never ending need for food and fibre production, it seems there is always something being planted or harvested. Whilst some wheat is still being planted, some of the local cotton crops are almost harvested.

I know many people lament the cost of their embroidery threads, but bear in mind that cotton is a trial to grow. From the moment it goes into the ground, to the time it ends up in your needle, I just hate to think of the costs involved. This is one crop ready for the picker. In it's life cycle, it's been sprayed with pesticides on a regular basis, not to mention the various herbicides needed to arrest weed growth. Goodness, it's even been sprayed with a defoliant to get it to this stage, ie ensuring the plant is dead and dry enough for the picker to work properly.

After it's been harvested, it is mechanically moulded into what we call a 'module'. These are transported by road transport to the various cotton gins in the area. You can see the 'harvested' bushes in the right of the frame. There still seems to be quite a deal of cotton left - perhaps the picker wasn't working properly [??].

If you look closely at the solid mass you can see just how dirty it is. Again, I hate to think how many processes it has to go through to make it 'worthy' for our use. I've never had the opportunity to go to a cotton gin to see what happens to it. I am by no means a person who is opposed to these methods, but I do think about what it takes for crops to be produced. I can only say that cotton seems to be an environmental nightmare - damned if you do, damned if you don't!!! Love it or loathe it, we all need it.

On a brighter note, I noticed the neighbour's lovely Hereford cows were back. This little dam is really close to the road, so I took the chance to snap some of them as they socialized around 'the watering hole'. You can see a wheat crop in the background.

Thankfully, with grass fed beef production, the need for chemicals and handling are kept to a minimum. I never tire of seeing 'white faces'. With all the breeds we have these days, the Hereford is still one of my favourites. These dears are enjoying their days in the sun. I imagine there will be some lovely little white faced calves in the Spring, can't wait. The life cycle just keeps on keeping on.

I hope these few photographs are of interest to some. I have always lived on the land, and I'm still extremely interested in how things grow!!

Hexagon Hype

2011-06-22T10:39:00.000+10:00

There seems to be much interest lately in hand piecing, and especially the tried and tested hexagon shape. My interest was sparked by this post on Katherine's blog: http://katherinescreations.blogspot.com/2011/05/hexagons_31.html I have always liked this shape, and it's usage in quilts, so am pleased it's making somewhat of a comeback. I wanted to share the quilt above with readers. I was given this not yet completed quilt top by someone. It had been started many years ago by her mother in law, but she did not like it. I knew the maker very well [she passed away a number of years ago]. My only brief was to try to finish it and perhaps give it to the local aged care home - probably putting finishing touches to it the day I'm admitted!!!

You can see some of the fabrics used in this slightly closer photograph. There really isn't much left to do. It covers the top of this double bed. I have some older fabrics of course - a legacy from MY mother in law. I would need to buy some beige polycotton for the joining hexagons.

I've also included a photograph of one little mistake, which I feel I will rectify. The lady must have had a bad day and attached two brown hexagons where beige ones should be. Now, I am not trying to make fun of this lady's work. I merely put this in because it's there!!

The lady who made this was very nice to me when I first moved to this district. She was a 'crafter' and showed me much encouragement and support, despite our great age difference. She was the first to take me under her wing, and gave me the opportunity to judge at local shows, showing me what to look for. I look at this quilt with fond memories of her, and many ladies who gave me nothing but help and encouragement with whatever stitching I tried to do. For that I am extremely grateful. I would not have had the courage without their support in the early days.

I've been grappling with a difficult knitting assignment at the moment, which is probably the impetus for this post. I have been telling myself for ever so long that I CAN knit following a graph, so I found this design in an old [1983] ANNA magazine which I thought looked 'simple enough'. I knew I understood the way the pattern was formed so might know what to look for in my progress. I found the graphs to be a little 'confusing', but I have continued on my merry way, ignoring the graph where I felt justified, and in the end I think 'my way' will be correct. Perhaps I am being unjust, and it's simply that I don't understand how these things are graphed.

I can't help but wonder and marvel at the patience of some people to work on something until it's right. At the moment I have quite a bit of time to sit and nut this out, but what about those who don't. Is it any wonder some people throw things in the cupboard and shudder every time they think about their aborted effort. Over the last few years I've seen lots of errors in printing, etc., and thankfully, have the courage to challenge 'the pattern'. I really feel for those who have not come so far, and just give up. I don't think I'm anything more than extremely lucky, right place, right time, that sort of thing. Where stitching is concerned, life has been good to me.

More Vintage Crochet

2011-06-18T20:00:00.000+10:00

I've had a few issues with power and Internet lately, so have been keeping a low profile. The connection seems to be working quite well tonight, so I'll take the opportunity to share a few more of my crochet pieces and older pattern books. The photograph above shows a little milk jug cover I have made. It's been worked with #80 crochet thread.

This close up will show how the crochet forms a little cup and saucer. This type of cover was really used a lot when I was a child, as the milk was always put on the table in a jug. 'Our' milk came from the dairy, and was stored in large glass bottles in the refrigerator.

The pattern for this little cover is in this very old booklet that was given to me years ago by an elderly aunt. It's almost falling to pieces, and has moved with me many times. It will be with me for life, as I treasure it greatly.

I have also made this little swirly doiley from the above book. I love this pattern, made up of simple double crochet, and chain/picot loops. This little piece is only quite tiny, and is worked in #60 thread.

Another old booklet that I have has some lovely old tea cosy and cushion patterns. I have made several of them over the years, and thought I would include it in this post. The tea cosy in the bottom left corner makes up particularly well. I've always been drawn to the 'van dyke' pattern in crochet.

I have received a request from a reader regarding a pattern for the little baby matinee jacket I shared some weeks ago. Unfortunately, at this stage I do not have a 'written' pattern. However, I would not mind working out what my grandmother has done, and then endeavour to write it out. The lady may come back here to read this, and if so, please do not hesitate to email me and I will try to assist with this project. I am unable to contact her, as there is a 'non-reply' on the comment.

I seem to have been quite busy helping outside of late, and not getting so much stitching done, but I have been working a little on a bit of knitting in the evenings. It is very cold here tonight [well, cold for Queensland]. I have a good store of wood inside and am off to settle into a bit of that knitting for a few hours until bed time. I hope everyone is keeping well.

It's Gr8 to be 8!!!

2011-06-04T12:37:00.000+10:00

Just recently our little lady celebrated her eighth birthday, and as most of her classmates were having parties this year, her mother decided she should do likewise. Thankfully, the weather was perfect and the girls all had a wonderful time. It was decided to only ask the girls from her class and after-school care. Of course, the main attraction was the jumping castle, a real hit.

And what birthday would be complete without the gift opening. I thought this pose was just typical of girls, so had to include it. All we could hear were giggles most of the day. They are all lovely little ladies and seem to get along really well.

The egg and spoon race was fun too - the guest of honour doing her best to get to the finish line without losing her egg. If you look closely, you will see her faithful little dog supervising proceedings. Unfortunately, the 'race' was held in an area where the background seemed to be the 'service' area, sorry!!

And, of course, the birthday cake. The order was a chocolate cake, with purple icing, green writing and lots of sprinkles. I think the store did a great job of interpreting the dream, and it certainly went down well....yum.

This photograph seemed to sum up the day's activities. It was very tiring for one of the guests, and all I can say is he was 'dog tired'. He is her constant companion, but he just couldn't take anymore!!!!!

I must say a big thank you to those friends who have emailed me about my previous post. Blogger has been in a rather belligerent mood lately, and some people have been unable to leave comments. I feel privileged to receive personal notes of encouragement - people making time to pass on such lovely comments despite difficulties. Your support means so much to me.

A Crochet Table Runner

2011-06-01T15:55:00.000+10:00

I've been busy lately trying to finish a table runner I started a few years ago. I had only actually made six of the main motifs, so I've really done most of it in the last week. This is made up of 18 small 'pineapple' motifs, four picot wheel motifs, and several picot half and two-third motifs [lots of ends to weave in], and then a simple outer area is done to finish it all off.

The design is in this booklet, Crochet Monthly, an English publication which I used to buy years ago. I have quite a number of them, but I've done almost all of the pieces in this issue. Many of them are based on the 'pineapple' design which I know is a little old hat, but these are quite delicate, and I find they look lovely on timber furniture. My daughter in law has claimed all of the mats I've made so far.

Perhaps this close-up will show a bit more of the design. This mat has been made using DMC Cebelia #40 thread, using almost all of a 50gm ball. The sweet little lady bug clock is a gift from a lovely friend in the UK, something I shall always treasure.

Favourite Winter Colours

2011-05-27T10:14:00.000+10:00

Now that the temperature has dropped, it's time to bring out a few pieces that I use at this time of the year. The above knee rug is one I take with me in the car. I'm not a fan of heaters in cars, they make me feel stuffy, so I need something over my legs for a while. Goodness, even the Queen felt the need for a little leg warmth en route to 'the wedding'.

The design is called Hidden Wells by Mary Ellen Hopkins, a pattern I purchased from one of the patchwork stores. These colours are some of my favourites for patchwork, so I really had no trouble using left overs from other projects. I've quilted it using the simulated hand quilting stitch on my Bernina 170 machine, but I'm not sure if the quilting is visible on the photograph.

I also love wearing this jacket, and thought I'd share it with people. I'm not sure if the colour is showing correctly. It is maroon rather than rusty red. The jacket pattern, and different patchwork techniques/combinations are in a book I have - More Jacket Jazz by Judy Murrah. Some of the combinations are really 'different'.

The back is quite different to the front, probably showing a lot more green, so I have quite a few options for colours in skirts and pants. And, yes, plain skirts and pants are a must in my wardrobe. I must say it took a lot of courage on my part to actually wear this, as I'm a little on the conservative side with my clothing.

I will also show a small section of the centre sleeve design. This looks complicated and time consuming, but as it is done using the Seminole technique, it works up quite quickly.

Thank you all for the lovely comments on my little baby set. I do appreciate the enthusiastic feedback. I've packed it away nicely again, waiting................

A Prized Possession

2011-05-22T14:43:00.000+10:00

I have been meaning to share this little outfit with readers, as I thought you might like to see something that was made for me by my grand mother [maternal]. She had twelve children, and to be honest I forget how many grandchildren, in the vicinity of sixty!! She didn't do a lot of varied crafts, but one thing she excelled at was crochet. I think my mother told me that she made a little three piece outfit for each and every one of her grandchildren - to be worn at their christening. This one in the above photograph is mine, made almost 59 years ago.

She didn't 'read' crochet patterns as such, often making up her designs as she went along. This little matinee jacket is more like a batwing edge to edge coat, fastening with a ribbon tie at the neck. I've tried to fan it out and place the little cap sleeves so you can get an idea of the design.

The crochet in itself is very simple, and seems to be done in a type of shiny rayon thread. I remember the term Fibrone Silk being used when I was younger. Just recently I noticed you can still buy something like this, and the description on the packaging says 3 ply rayon. The little embroidered 'grub roses' were done by my mother I believe, Granny didn't embroider.

The little booties are so tiny. Bonnet and bootee design have a little more shell-like pattern. I am the second in a family of four, and each of us have 'our set'. All of our own children have worn the garments on the occasion of their christening.

My mother used to make lots of these outfits too for friends or family, often starting with a length of chain and working away down the the garment from the neck. She could work that bullion/grub/roll stitch, something I've not tried in earnest, but I really must keep at it until I have it mastered.

I hope this little bit of vintage crochet is of interest to some readers. Thank you all for popping in to prop me up after my knitting disaster.

A Knitting Lesson

2011-05-17T14:13:00.000+10:00

Each time I post and share a project, I like to display the finished article, hopefully devoid of mistakes. This time I'd like to share a project with you, and make a confession. This is not working!!! I have lots of knitted lace table mat projects in ANNA magazines, but the instructions are given as symbols on graphs, something I've yet to come to terms with. The above project was taken from a website offering free patterns [it is not from ANNA, and the instructions are given in written form]. I have to tell you this pattern had mistakes - incorrect row counts - and was incomplete. I thought I could continue and end up with something like the original in the photograph.

I can knit, but sometimes I lack the expertise needed to understand how patterns are formed, and perhaps this is why my project has now been pulled off the needles and, as a table mat, well it makes a good knitting lesson!!

I now understand where and when I should have worked certain patterning stitches, but to actually 'unknit' this on the four needles right back to where I needed to was going to take me longer than it's taken to get this far. Therefore, in the interests of good commonsense, I'm starting again, but possibly with a different design.

I do like this design, but there others I have that I like more. After I suck it in and get over this setback, I'll be at it again making amends and getting on with another project.

I actually purchased two books from Fishpond, both dedicated to fine lace knitting, with both written and graphed instructions. I'll be damned if I'll be beaten on this. When the books arrive, I'll make a choice, ie use their patterns, or try one from ANNA.

Wish me luck.

I thought it might interest some of my readers to know all does not go according to the blue print. This type of work is something I've longed to do for a number of years, so I will start another project ASAP, and hopefully have something very nice to share in due course.

Planning Ahead

2011-05-14T11:22:00.001+10:00

I have been absent from blogging this week for various reasons, some not so good, but thought I'd share a few of my book/project purchases with readers. I didn't embark on a monthly project this year, but silently resolved to try some new stitching techniques, as well as some things that are totally out of my comfort zone. The above photograph shows a DVD I purchased early in the year, and the combined silk/wool in order to try some wet, and nuno felting. I purchased the DVD here but to date haven't even put it in the player to get my head around the process. The beautiful silk/wool combo came from Dale at http://www.thethreadstudio.com/ This colourway is called Kimberley Dreaming and has been dyed for The Thread Studio by Jacinta so I hope I can do this justice when I eventually make the time.

Another technique that has been on my to-do list is Filet Net Darning. I had been sent some filet mesh by a friend quite some time ago, and then earlier this year, another lady I've met via stitching sent me this lovely book and some more filet net, plus the needle, plus a little gift made using the technique. I'm still whimping out on this one, but hang in there girls, I'll get to it ASAP. I need to purchase some rectangular stretcher frames before I embark on this one.

For years I've admired the needlelace technique called Reticello. Through the help of a fellow blogger Jenny I managed to purchase this lovely book in the hope of learning some of the filling stitches required. Jenny kindly gave me a website address - http://www.filofilo.it/eng/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=29 and after a few emails, and despite a language barrier, the purchase was set in concrete. This book is wonderful, easy to follow, and printed in three different languages!! Again, watch this space.

And, last but not least, are two more book purchases I made earlier in the year, with two more techniques I fully intend to try. Both fall into the counted thread category, which suits my frame of mind at the moment. I'm a little fickle in that I tend to work between classic needlework and techniques that are a little more flamboyant. Who knows where my head will be in 2012!!

At this very moment I'm knitting my first ever lace tablemat on four needles, plus continuing the hardanger. The days are getting shorter, but thankfully, both of these projects are okay for me to do at night. I would like to have the hardanger finished for late July, as that is my daughter-in-law's birthday.

I hope Blogger will publish this post for me, it wasn't being very helpful yesterday!! I notice other people have had issues as well.

Outdoor Images

2011-05-08T12:09:00.000+10:00

Today is Mothers' Day, and I have to admit to spending it very quietly on my own today. With the threat of rain tomorrow, some pressing jobs need to be done around the property, so my husband is working this weekend. Yesterday was such a beautiful day here, so I decided to take him morning tea - scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream no less!!! It also gave me an opportunity to see some of the paddocks that had been under floodwater. The photograph above shows the unripened pod of a type of wild gooseberry that seems to have become rampant since the flooding.

This photograph shows the ripened pods, which do contain berries. I seem to remember eating this type of thing when I was a child, but they don't look all that appetizing to me now!! These are going to be a real pest if the introduced grasses don't get good weather next Spring, enabling them to flourish and perhaps choke out such things.

One job that has to be done is filling in large sinkholes or washouts caused by the water. Some parts of this mess are twelve or more feet deep. This used to be a levy bank that protected the cropping land from smaller floods, but it's been all but destroyed now.

It's going to take quite a while to complete this task, very slow going, pushing soil from one place and moving it another, simple as that. And, a rather tedious job at that. Thankfully, at the moment the soil is rather moist, so the task isn't quite as dusty.

I also had a moment to look at the crop that is growing on the river flats [planted since January]. This crop is mungbeans, but as you can see from the photograph, it's rather uneven. I actually didn't photograph the entire crop, it's just too unsightly. Bad weather and disease have not been kind to it.

The green are the immature pods, and of course the black ones contain beans almost ready to harvest. I believe the mice are having a wonderful time. There are so many pods off the bushes and on the ground. Here you can see the beans spilled out and wasted. I wonder how many dishes of mungbean sprouts are sitting out there!!

One old tree beside the lagoon took my eye as I walked around checking the newest pasture planting. I think the patterning on this tree is evidence of termite infestation. No doubt the tree had all but died during years of dry weather, so they've moved in to feast on it. I suppose we should try to find some beauty in the interlocking lines. I think you can also see the floodwater mark on the tree. I didn't notice that until I had the photograph up on the computer screen. Oh, the lush green in the background is yet another flourishing weed.

I hope some of these shots are of interest. Thank you again for your kind comments on my last post. You are all so supportive.

I wish all a very Happy Mothers' Day.

Conservative, Classic, but...............

2011-05-05T14:51:00.000+10:00

........probably not very cool. It's time to drag out my favourite blouses again, and wear them for another season. I've had a love affair with pintucked, lace insertion [heirloom] blouses for a number of years. However, I find that at the moment the relaxed cut of these are a little out of the fashion stakes. I can soon wear a blazer over them, and hopefully disguise the fashion faux pas. The blouse above has been made using cotton sateen, with my favourite Chesterfield front closure.

This is a close-up showing the lace and pintucks. The lace for this was purchased with the 'entredeux' look already on the edges, and is quite narrow, so I've used it liberally.

I do wear this one as well in the winter, despite the short sleeves. It has a lovely Swiss embroidered insertion - the swirling design is one I really like. I am sorry the photograph is a tad dark. I didn't seem to be able to find a good spot at all this morning to take photos.

The close-up should show you the lace design. This lace also had the entredeux look to it as purchased. I always use rayon machine embroidery thread in my twin needles for pintucking. The fabric in this blouse is the ever popular cotton/ramie mix. I can't begin to count all the blouses I've made like this, using this fabric, with a variety of lace styles.

Finally, I'll share this one. It has a slightly different tucking style, lace quality, and colour. I found this beautiful fine cotton/linen fabric in a small fabric store in Narrabri, NSW, and could see it's blouse potential. It took me years to find the lace to match. The colour in real life is a soft pink, with ecru undertones. I had to tea-dye the entredeux prior to making up.

Again, I hope the close-up gives you some idea of the lace and tucks. On closer inspection, I offer an apology for my lack of ironing prowess!! These blouses are difficult to iron to perfection, and I often give them a quick press prior to wearing them. They seem to become crumpled in my cupboard! Perhaps it's time to cull a few garments.

These blouses are almost always worn with my obligatory plain black or navy skirts, with matching blazers or cardigans. I know I'm not going to set any catwalks on fire, but at my age, well, I suppose I can give myself permission to wear something that makes me feel special, and too bad if it's not all frills and flounces, inserted panels, and bright, bold patterns and colours. I do like some things a little on the 'wild' side, but seem to keep to a rather understated colour palette during winter.

Thank you all so very much for taking such an interest in my crochet. I hope my heirloom sewing from way back will be enjoyable viewing for some. Sadly, I don't have good photos of the christening gowns I've made. Heirloom sewing is something I do enjoy, but have not done for some time.

I'm Hooked!!

2011-04-28T11:58:00.000+10:00

There seems to be a renewed interest in crochet at the moment. I had drifted away from it over the years, as it went into serious decline for various reasons. I suppose there is a whole new generation of 'hookers' now, all striving to perfect their stitches. The one technique I had not tried in depth is Irish crochet. The little motif above was taken from an ANNA magazine, August 1990. This is supposed to be used as a brooch, but I can see it's potential as a dimensional addition to a tablemat.

The little grapes are fiddly to do, and are supposed to be 'filled' with wooden beads, but I've just pushed some fibrefill into them, as having used white thread, most wooden beads would be a little unsightly in my opinion. All of the work has been done using #20 cotton.

Another motif I wanted to try entailed making mountains of loops which formed a frilly effect. The instructions for this flower are in a Dover publication I bought years ago. I didn't follow the instructions completely because they leave a lot to be desired. After a general perusal of them, I went off and did a Frank Sinatra!!

I hope this photograph gives you an idea of the thickness of the work. I'd like to try this 'flower' in a much finer thread, and perhaps use it with picot joining meshwork. I think it reminds me of an aster.

Another type of lacework which I've become interested in uses a form of crochet tape. The lengths of tape are made and fashioned into designs for leaves, flowers etc. It is commonly known as Romanian Point Lace, or as ANNA calls it Macramé crochet lace. It took me quite a while to work out exactly how to do the tape, ie where to put the hook through the correct two loops. I can now say I'm totally hooked on making this tape, and can see it's use in other forms of textile work. One really has no need to buy braid, just find an appropriate thread/yarn in your stash, and away you go. It curves beautifully, and after forming petals and leaves, you fill the voided areas with lacework stitching. I've again used #20 crochet thread, and apologize if it's a little small to see well. I will play a little more with this and post some work in due course, but I now have to get myself back into my hardanger. It won't get done doing this!!

The Penny has dropped!

2011-04-26T14:59:00.001+10:00

Last year I worked on an online computer program, but unfortunately, didn't spend enough time with it, and declared myself a failure. With the help and encouragement of a fellow blogger and friend, Shirley I managed to find my feet a little with the GIMP program, as well as a more in depth look at my ADOBE PSE program. I was reasonably happy with actual photo alteration, but just didn't seem to grasp brushes, tools, gradients, etc. The first image above was some mishmash I 'created' in GIMP, saved and then reworked using a trial download from this site: http://www.whizical.com/ I did purchase the kaleidoscope program, but this one is slightly different, ie it 'melts' sections of your image. It's great fun, not everything it does is to my liking, but I think it's worth the small charge to 'own' it. The second image is as it came from GIMP, and I'm sorry but I didn't catalogue my choices.

Continuing on the purple theme, I'll share this image, which is one of the first I did after the penny had dropped!! I have used only very basic gradients, brushes and filters with this.

I then moved it to another program and added some depth to it, which I think improves it a tad.

And for those who like kaleidoscopes, I thought this one worthy of inclusion - quite dramatic when looked at in a different way!!

I suppose I'd better include something that isn't purple. After all, I can't say it's my favourite colour, but sometimes I seem to go it more often than others!! This one is a little more sedate, and still uses just basic brushes, etc.

I took the image to the liquidizing program, where you have the option to use a little 'comb'. It made a lovely piece of marbling, another technique I've tried, albeit in a small way.

Thank you for looking. I hope these computer generated images stir creative juices in some. I am still learning, and indeed feel I have a long way to go, but this is really interesting, so I wanted to share a few of my efforts. I am fascinated by technology, and feel excited at the prospect of what more is in store for us, be it good, bad or otherwise.........

Beauty or Beast????

2011-04-25T10:53:00.001+10:00

It has been quite a while now since the January floods, and I don't mean to open old wounds. I've had this photograph for quite a while and really wanted to share it with everyone. It was taken by a friend of mine, as she was flown around the district by helicopter. Even though it reminds me of so much destruction, I can't help but see the beauty in it. This is a bird's eye view of the river country on the property where we live [and neighbouring properties as well]. You cannot see the property houses, they are hidden by a dark tree line just in from the left side of the frame [the photograph was taken in fading light]. The building you can see is one of the neighbouring property sheds. The house is also there, hidden by trees. They are approximately six kilometres from us as the crow flies. I hope you can see how the river meanders sharply on it's journey - the 'river proper' is rather insignificant when compared to 'the overflow'!! We are going to have this made up into a larger photograph and framed to remind us that when it rains, well, it pours.

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T08:30:00.000+10:00

I'm a little behind with blogging this week. I am not sure where the week has gone actually. I have nothing in the stitching line to share with readers, but wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy Easter. It is always a quiet time for us, as we very rarely go anywhere - the roads are just too busy and too dangerous. We had planned to do a little fishing in the lagoons, but after last weekend's rain, everything is so sticky and messy. Buying fish seemed to be the more sensible option.

Thank you again to all who find my ramblings of interest, and care to share some of my comings and goings.

HAPPY EASTER one and all.

Déjà vu

2011-04-19T11:26:00.001+10:00

Well, everyone, I don't like to revisit projects if at all possible, and you have all seen the giant quilt before, so why again you ask. It has been professionally quilted, and is now bound, ready for it's ultimate purpose. I will only show you small snippets of the quilt this time so you can see the beautiful all-over quilting pattern. Actually, the back of the quilt isn't half bad - I'm thrilled with it actually.

Thankfully, I had just enough of the beige toned star fabric for a nice width binding. This quilt is now going to be a gift to one of our members whose home was inundated by flood water during the January floods.

My main purpose for posting this is to publicly thank the lady who did the quilting. She was most generous with her time, and did this for our group free of charge, which I might add was a considerable saving to us. Thank you so much Kathy!!

You can see her website here: http://www.koolkatquilting.com.au/

We are hoping to present this quilt tomorrow at our monthly get together. I cannot thank Kathy Adams enough for turning this hatched and patched quilt top into something so nice. The straight line design she used is just beautiful. I feel it will be a tangible reminder of the friendship that endures between the ladies in our group.

Magazine Projects

2011-04-15T17:16:00.000+10:00

I have been clearing out some photographs, and found these pulled thread projects I did a few years ago, which were published in our Australian magazine, Embroidery & Cross Stitch. I made a large table centre and two small side table mats using the same design. These were done for my daughter in law. Most of you will recognize the technique as pulled thread, as opposed to 'drawn' thread.

Pulled thread work requires the stitches to be worked firmly in order to pull together the threads in the fabric. It's an extremely sturdy form of counted work I feel, despite it's open appearance.

The large mat design was based on the favourite nine patch setting used by patchwork enthusiasts, as you can see in this shot. This mat was approximately 35cm square, with just about all of it stitched, ie very little background fabric is evident.

The fabric I used was Permin 'Cherub' 28ct linen, with the stitching done using two strands of my favourite DMC pink #225. Unfortunately, I don't have a computer graphing program, and my hand drawn graphs weren't quite as nice 'in print' as I'd hoped. I feel they are quite clear, but one does need very high resolution images to submit to magazines. It's a long time from sending in your work, to having it appear in print, to finally having your work returned. I don't think I'd bother with it again, I'm rather possessive of my projects and don't like them being away with 'strangers' for so long..........

Another Country Drive

2011-04-14T10:21:00.000+10:00

I had another day show judging this week. It was a long drive for me, almost a 300km trip!! I had a delightful time and saw some very nice stitching. The day started off really well for me, as I saw this Bustard as I was driving out of the property. They are curious creatures, wandering around the paddocks. Sometimes they are in larger flocks, other times, just the pair. The quality of this photo is awful, as I had to zoom in really well, even using the digital zoom, which makes it a little on the 'grainy' side.

The town I travelled to is called Wandoan. It really isn't a thriving town at the moment, but I believe in time that will change, as the coal seam gas companies move in and take what they want. I also understand that in the future it will be home to one of the largest open cut mines in Australia. One thing that is mined between the town of Miles and Wandoan is Bentonite - a white pastey clay, used in all sorts of things from agricultural applications to cosmetic formulations. Another feature that is common to most towns in our area are these large concrete grain silos. They are the first hint that you have almost reached your destination, and a symbol that this is also grain cropping country.

To travel from here to Wandoan is to drive in a northerly direction, and believe it or not, one crosses the Great Dividing Range, albeit a rather insignificant 'range'. But, it does mean a total switcheroo on where the rainfall run-off ends up. On this side, it eventually flows into the Murray/Darling system, but on the 'other side' it goes to the Burnett system, and out to sea at Bundaberg. A little further north is another small range, and that water flows to the Fitzroy system [a catchment second in area only to the great Murray/Darling system].

All of this land was discovered by the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, and one can only wonder at his amazement when he happened across such wonderful grazing country. I have heard it said that rugby is the game played in heaven. Well, I believe it's possibly played somewhere in these fields. To me, this is God's own country - beautiful rolling hills with excellent natural pastures. I sincerely hope that when the mining/energy companies are finished with the land, they restore it to it's natural state!! Perhaps I'd better hop off my soapbox now.

I often have the opportunity to check out some of the exhibitors at these shows, and this year was happy to find a lady with lovely handmade soaps. She lives further to the west, and all of her wares were so beautifully presented. I couldn't resist buying just a couple things. You can see her products here: http://www.elliessoapblends.com/

I hope some readers find this post interesting. It was a difficult day for taking photographs, with intermittent showers, not to mention the feeling of being 'rushed'. I didn't want to dally too long, as I hate arriving home in heavy rain.

Pay it forward [at last!]

2011-04-10T11:49:00.000+10:00

I've finally organized myself to continue with this little bit of blogging fun. The above photograph will show the three gifts I have to share. There will be the multi-coloured hardanger bookmark, the cream/maroon pincushion, and a little scissors with beaded tassel, plus some hand-dyed perlé thread.

If you would like to receive one of these gifts from me, and are prepared to continue the pay-it-forward fun, then by all means, leave a comment.

This is NOT a random draw, the first three people to comment will show their willingness to participate.

I am sorry to those who have organized this, as I've been a while with my offer, but I did want to have something 'special' before I continued with it.

I am still stitching away on my blue hardanger. I think I've finally found a source for wide navy linen, which I want to make into a tablecloth and napkins for my DIL. This, and the long hardanger table runner will hopefully be her most prized napery in time to come.........LOL..........

A Question of Vintage

2011-04-09T12:17:00.000+10:00

Okay, I am the first to admit I know very little about 'vintage textiles', so I am sharing a small sample of fabrics I have in my stash. These pieces came into my possession after my MIL passed away. I have more, lots of plain fabrics, stripes, etc, but I thought I'd ask about these few. The piece[s] above is a fine cotton, what I'd call blouse weight. One length is 2.6m the other 1.7m approx. All fabrics have been washed and ironed prior to storage here.

I'm quite at a loss about this one. It feels 'polished' and is quite fine, similar to Liberty. The colour on my monitor seems a little darker than it actually is. There is approx. 4m in this piece.

Then I found a plain cotton that matches perfectly with the blue/orange, and again there is almost 4m in it. Actually, I have quite a number of plain pieces with a similar weave to this plain.

I put this one in too because it's so 'fresh' looking. There isn't much of it, not quite one metre. Again, it's a firmly woven cotton. In case you can't see it, the white spots are outlined with navy blue. I often think this would look cute made into a child's romper.

This one is very busy, but again I thought it interesting, as it has the green/navy combination. It measures almost 2 metres, with one small stain not far from one end and close to the selvedge. All fabrics are around 89-90cm in width.

I have no idea when these pieces would have been purchased, as my MIL didn't have an inventory as such. I do remember being told that she had pieces she purchased with coupons during WWII. Perhaps some who are experienced in these matters might care to give an opinion.

I am not averse to sharing these fabrics, so if anyone is interested, please email me and we may be able to come to some arrangement.

I hope readers enjoy seeing a little of my stash. I dare not share everything, I have been a fabricaholic for many years, and keep accumulating more somehow!!

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I too, am looking forward to another year.

One Year Already!!

2011-04-08T13:32:00.000+10:00

I realized late yesterday that my blog is now one year old. Goodness, where did those 365 days go?? I won't make a big deal out of it, but will say a quick thank you to all those who have helped and supported me during this time, it's been fun. I've learnt so much about my computer and camera, not to mention stitching, but most importantly, the friendships I've made because of my involvement in the blogging community are by far the most important aspect of this pastime. I will share something with readers just for a laugh. I have been a stitch addict for all of my adult life, and have never missed the opportunity to buy books on the subject, so the following photographs will show my collection of Stitch Dictionaries [some have a more varied content]. These are by no means the end to my obsession, I have many more 'stitch specific' publications, but I doubt Blogger, or you would want to see them all..............

These two were the earliest in my collection. The smaller one is by Barbara Snook, the larger the Golden Hands Encyclopaedia of Embroidery, opened at the page which shows one of my favourite stitches, Sorbello Stitch.

I think these were the next addition to the bookshelf, both purchased from various 'sale tables' in the early days. Both have been well used.

Some time later came this collection of Anchor books. They are small and easy to take with to stitching days, and are all well written and illustrated. The Judith Baker-Montano 'Elegant Stitches' is a great source of reference for stitch combinations used in crazy patchwork.

Somewhere in between I managed to source these Mary Thomas books, the older one scooped up for me by a very kind friend [an eBay purchase]. Again, these books are two of my favourites, and a go-to when in doubt.

I hope you enjoy seeing some of the books that have made my stitching journey so enjoyable. Books are a part of my needlework life, and I have special memories associated with many of them.

Another Small Project

2011-04-02T16:40:00.001+10:00

I'm still trying to get my three small projects ready, and have just finished #2. I've been wanting to try a stitch I'd seen online [last year!!], so thought this might be something small I could work on. This little pincushion will be one of my little gifts very soon. The centre area is the stitch I'd been wanting to try, and is called Chiaramonte Stitch. I first saw it here:- http://www.tuttoricamo.com/trComeSiFa/Chiaramonte.asp

For those of you who like counted work, and like this stitch, please make time to try it, you won't be disappointed. The instructions are very clear, and it works up really quickly. I applaud these people for the wealth of information on their site, free for all to share. I hope I am not breaking any rules by copying the pattern, as I'm only making this little trial for gift giving.

I hope this photograph shows just how pretty the stitch looks. It's simply a matter of making a cut/woven grid from the background linen, and then weaving the little ovals to form flowers. I have used #8 perlé thread for the woven work. The sample on the website seems to be a little finer than mine, but I quite like the 'chunky' look.

I needed a little something to increase the size of the project, so worked out this little woven 'flower' for myself. Perhaps it's been done before, I just don't have the time to go searching for it. I have included my crude drawing if anyone is interested in making it. If I am not the first to fashion this woven/counted flower, then I most sincerely apologize to the person who has also done this.

The piping, lining and backing have been made from a maroon woven silk. The maroon seemed to look quite nice under the woven square.

I am still doing my hardanger, but I want to get these little things done, and actually, finishing a small project here and there helps keep me motivated on the big project.

Fun with Fotos [again]

2011-03-30T15:08:00.003+10:00

No, I am never going to get sick of playing with photographs. I've not long found a free kaleidoscope download, so thought I would have a play. I am amazed at what happens on the monitor, and thought some of the results worth sharing. The above photo is a very close-up shot of inside one of my white roses. I did enhance it a little, but in order to not overdo the upload, I have reduced the file a lot.

This is one of the images that resulted from fiddling with the above photograph. I didn't realize there were so many colours in there!! It reminds me of something exotic.

The next image I used was a partly dead rose, and again an extreme close-up. Sometimes these photographs don't look anything until you have them up on the monitor.

Both of these I find the most striking. The one on the left, well, I'd love a skirt made from this if it were fabric, something swingy.

You have all sorts of options, not just kaleidoscopes. There are 'mirrors', and 'funnels', as well as 'surfaces', ie mound, orb, etc. This one would suit me just fine as a desktop image, but I'm not sure it would be given the stamp of approval here.........

I'm not quite done yet, so bear with me. I used this red rosebud for a little bit more colour. The last two images made me feel like Christmas, and I felt both of these might make ideal wrapping paper for the festive season.

This one is really quite Christmasy in my opinion.

And now to show you that I can leave well enough alone, I'll insert a final photograph. This is a tiny wildflower/weed. I have only enhanced it a little, and will share it as is, as it looks so pretty.

I hope readers enjoy seeing the exciting prospects awaiting if you find the time to play. The one thing I found about doing this was how it made me feel, ie as the colours moved and swirled around on the monitor, I have to tell you, it made me a little queasy. I don't think it's a job for anyone who finds colour movement a little offputting, so be warned!!

Thanks for bearing with me. I am not sure Blogger is in a good mood this afternoon, as I am having difficulty adding the images as I'd like them, and the spacings are out of whack.

Not my comfort zone!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-28T08:23:00.000+10:00

Okay, everyone, doing this was way out of my comfort zone I can tell you. Just recently I felt like dyeing some thread, and thought perhaps I should do it with a purpose in mind. The above hardanger bookmark is the result of my play. I secretly have an aversion to coloured hardanger, and I really don't know why, as I like it when it's done.........go figure!!

I also wanted to know how much thread this might use. I measured four lots of 10 metres in perlé #8 and #12. I thought it prudent to make something small, so it could be finished, and I could return to the big blue project. I dyed a little Lugana as well, simply rolling it into a ball and squirting the two colours into it, then wrapped it in cling wrap for a few hours. The Lugana I used is the piece behind the bookmark in the top photograph [I think it's a 25-ct, and yes it's cream]. Well, I can tell you I only used one length of #8, and one, plus a little of the #12, so I have some of this 'batch' left over. More about that later.

I'd love to be able to tell you my inspiration was some exotic flower from a far away land, but alas, I can't. I've taken this photograph, showing you the variety of colours I'm seeing in a paddock close to the houseyard. This is a pasture grass called 'buffel grass', which makes great cattle fodder, not so with horses though. As the seedheads mature, they take on a lovely maroon to purple colour. The two colours I used were a purchased purple Procion dye, and my own mixture of Procion yellow and blue. In real life the green leans very much to the yellow, and I also achieved a lovely warm brown where the two colours blended.

Again, I have to stress that this is a first for me. I quite like it now that it's finished, and I have to say the overdyed threads look really lovely.

I am making two more little things shortly to try something new, and with this bookmark/thread, these will form a give-away that I must do. Some time ago I participated in a 'pay it forward' on Jennie's blog - [http://jennie61.blogspot.com/2011/01/pay-it-forward.html]. It will take a little longer yet, but I will pass on the favour. I will try not to be so tardy in future!!!

Thanks again for the response to the wedding dress. I love simplicity in most things. Life gets complicated enough!!

Another Wedding Dress

2011-03-26T08:21:00.000+10:00

I'm back again with another wedding dress. Late in 2009 I was asked to re-make and re-design a wedding dress for a nice young lass. It had been her mother's of course, but the fabric was in good condition. She didn't want anything over the top, and that is understandable given that we didn't really want to buy too much more for the making of the frock. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a photograph of the original frock. It was typical of the seventies, ie empire line, slightly A-line skirt with seaming, train coming from back panels, some lace on the bodice, quite large sleeves, and little guipure daisies as edge trim. Oh, and the fabric was a lovely white crepe [and still nice and white].

Having such a volume of fabric in the sleeves was a great help, as I was able to cut a bustier from them. The skirt part was simply sewn in at the top area, enough to fit her waist, and that gave me enough to cut off the bottom, and discard some of the marked areas. The little daisies came in handy for a simple asymetrical bodice trim, and a tiny bit of left over became a flower. The only new things were the hot fix crystals [3 mm] in the daisy centres, and the continuous rhinestone beading attached to the top.

I am pleased to say she was really thrilled with the finished result, as was her mother. This was a challenge, but one I enjoyed because of the sentiment involved. The lass looked just stunning on her big day. Again, simplicity seems to work in most cases.

Thank you all again for your enthusiasm regarding my hardanger. I am so enjoying making something to fit a piece of fabric I have, rather than buying fabric to fit a design I have!! Hope that makes sense.

I have returned to the 'normal' font. For some reason my monitor is displaying fonts much larger than before, and I thought that might be showing up in the big world of blogging. I didn't want to appear to be talking at the top of my voice to attract attention. Obviously, what I see, others don't. Thanks for telling me.

Hardanger Update

2011-03-24T14:37:00.002+10:00

I thought it was time I added an update on the hardanger I'm working on. I get time to stitch each day, sometimes quite a bit, especially rainy weekends when there is motor racing on TV!! The photograph above shows the corner section with it's weaving completed, and another smaller section having a slightly different pattern. This will be done all around the outer edge of the table runner. I've more or less decided on all the patterning now, so it's just stitch, stitch, and more stitch from hereon in [oh and some pulling out when the counting is wrong!!].

The photograph above shows the full view of what will be the table runner. I am sorry it's a little scrappy looking, I've not pressed it. I won't do that until everything is finished, and it's had a little rinse out. When I was a girl learning embroidery, my mother frowned on pressing work in progress, as she maintained one would set any body oil into the work. Perhaps she had a point, I am not sure. I just know I rinse everything out these days, prior to the final pressing. I anticipate the finished article to be around 135 cm x 40 cm. Normally I would not cut and weave prior to finishing all the kloster block work, but I had a little problem with unevenly cut fabric, as well as weaving patterns, so I did a corner just to see if all would work. Then I had to go to the opposite corner and make sure the design would fit into what was left on that side, as that was where the offending crooked cutting was located. Lesson learned, look, and look well before you leap, or stitch!!

This photograph is a bit of my design scribble. I don't have a computer program for charting, and have to resort to copied clip art and good old coloured pens, not to mention sticky taping sheets together!! Oh well, it works.

I think I should have enough fabric on the ends to make the eight drink coasters I am hoping for.

A Blogging Surprise

2011-03-22T11:55:00.001+10:00

Well, ladies, I have to mention this. I am extremely humbled to have received this virtual blogger award from my friend Radka http://pleasureinstitching.blogspot.com/

I have never heard of this before, and hope I do the correct thing passing on such an award. Thank you Radka for all the support you've shown me since our first tentative notes of friendship way back when.......... A number of blogs you've listed are ones I visit as well, so I won't add them again, those bloggers will understand. I will list seven blogs I visit regularly, but as Radka has mentioned on her blog, listing only seven is a very difficult task, as we tend to take a look at lots of blogs each week, and love to keep up with the happenings out there. It is almost a year since I began this blog, and every day I visit I am gobsmacked at the interest shown in the little things that I like to write about. I know I keep saying thank you, but I'll do it again here.

Okay, these blogs are ones I enjoy for various reasons, some because of their simplicity, and others for the opposite reason. All offer something that I find interesting, and I hope by continuing this, many others will visit and share the experiences of these lovely ladies who are prepared to share their thoughts.

In no order of course:-

Dian at http://dians-beachtextiles.blogspot.com/

Robin at http://tropicalrobin.blogspot.com/

Katherine at http://katherinescreations.blogspot.com/

Ruth at http://ruthsfiberphotos.blogspot.com/

Karyn at http://countrycrafting.blogspot.com/

Judy at http://cjstitchingandblooms.blogspot.com/

Vicki at http://vickiwelsh.typepad.com/

Some of these are well established blogs with many followers, others quite new to blogging. Blogging has certainly increased my knowledge of how to work with computers and the Internet in general, and has given me so much more courage dealing with such things.

And now on a completely different note, I'll finish this post with a photograph I took the other day, and will include it here for fun, and because there are seven little raindrops sitting quietly on this geranium stem, just minding their own business. Oh, and I must not close this post without mentioning that at last ENZO is seeing red................ one little digital cable from monitor to computer made all the difference. Technology - don't you just love it!!

Having Some Fun

2011-03-16T13:28:00.001+10:00

I haven't blogged for a while, as I've been a little pre-occupied playing with my new toy. I'd like to introduce everyone to ENZO. This is our new computer, and I've given it a name, as I do with some of my appliances, ie ENZO as in FERRARI!! It's so fast, compared to the old one, I can't believe it. I know it seems a silly thing to blog about but to say I'm excited is an understatement. We are still having a few teething problems, as ENZO's sidekick [the monitor] needs a digital connecting cable to enable it to see RED [which in itself is amusing given the computer's name!!]. I can only see grey, a dull lime green, and greenish blue. If the connecting cable doesn't work, well ENZO and I may have to part company, as I can't go through life not seeing shades of red.............. I thought readers might have a little giggle about my office issues.

I also thought I'd include a photo I took a few weeks ago. My sewing machines badly needed servicing, and for years I've taken them to a man who visits certain stores for one day a month or week, depending which town you go to. Things just weren't working out for visiting on the right day, so I had the machines taken to the man, and have only just picked them up. They had a little holiday, and I have to say, in 40 years, this was the first time there hadn't been a sewing machine in my house.

Thank you to all who read my rant about bias. I just felt I needed to mention such things, as often people are not sure about certain techniques. I have not had any formal quilt finish training, and I am sure there are more things I need to learn. Each day searching the Internet helps satisfy my curiosity and thirst for knowledge. What a big world we live in.

I cannot end this post without a thought for the people of Japan. Each month of 2011 has brought new tragedies. Floods/fires in parts of Australia in January, the dreadful earthquake in New Zealand in February, and an even more devastating one now in Japan. One can only be fearful of what lies ahead for our world come April. My heart goes out to those who are suffering at the moment.