The Bloggers Quilt Festival 2010

My first quilt festival entry.

Made for young Charlie last year.

I had the Alexander Henry 'Traffic' fabric for a while and suddenly thought I better make something from it before he 'grew' out of the cars theme.

When I pulled it out to take photos of it he yelled 'That's mine, what are you doing with it'.
Mmm, slightly possessive about his quilts.

I used cotton batting which makes it lovely and soft and lightweight.
Perfect for our spring and summer season.

I was just 'starting to get the hang of' free motion quilting with this quilt.
Confidence and free motion quilting is a good thing.

I love this quilt because it is so bright, happy and 'boyish' and it feels fantastic.

Use the link to the right to go and look at some inspiring quilts. Something for everyone.

Last day of Blogtoberfest. Sunday sewing

 

Decided to experiment sewing with mexican oilcloth today for something different. So, of course made another zippered 'pencilcase' type thingy.

It turned out OK, bit tricky to sew with as the feeddogs have a bit of trouble with the slippery surface. 

The oilcloth would make a great toiletry bag.......(waterproof).

Did anyone else have a school 'port' like this mint condition baby?

I had one in Grade 1. 

Poor ergonomics meant the demise of these I'd say.

I couldn't believe it when I found this lovely one at the Salvos. 

I was taken back to Grade 1 when I opened it and it still had the most distinctive SMELL.

Isn't it strange how we have a 'smell memory'. 

To say thank-you to 'Tinniegirl' for hosting blogtoberfest I thought I would post pictures of a couple of my 'tins'. 

These gorgeous old girls hold sewing bits and pieces. Their days of looking after biscuits and slice are long gone as they are not 'airtight'

Blogtoberfest day 30. Saturday Show and Share.

Last day of Blogtoberfest tomorrow. Gosh the month has gone fast. Olive and Esther is now ONE month old.

I have developed even more respect for blogwriters now and there amazing computer skills. My computer skills are very dodgy and basic.

If there is anyone out there who can give me instructions on how to copy buttons (and links) from someone else's blog to my blog?? 

Any help here would be greatly appreciated. I just keep getting a 'link is broken' type message. I'm sure it is something simple I am missing.

Show and Share today is a 'Value Quilt' inspired by Katie of "Sew Katie Did' fame.
http://sewkatiedid.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/value-quilts-tutorial/

It is only lap sized (I don't often do small quilts as I like them to at least fit a single bed).
I do love the effect of using the different valued fabrics. There are some other great layouts that can be used as well.

Hubby and I are still enjoying a 'great concert hangover' this morning. It was fabulous!

Bonnie Tyler was the supporting act and she was 'awesome' (sorry about the kidspeak). She had the most amazing voice (especially for a 60yo) and full of personality.
Robin Gibb had a shaky start but boy when he warmed up he was superb. Gosh it was great, only to be possibly made greater by the presence of Barry and his 'falsetto' voice. The backup singers didn't do to bad I must say.  Ahhhh, one happy momma.

Made even happier by the sight and smell of this gorgeous magnolia flower in our garden.

blogtoberfest day 29. I can die a happy woman.

 

My Creative space. Blogtoberfest Day 28

 

My greatest creative challenges today are: to creatively make the house look clean and to 'create' something edible for dinner. 

Big Big challenges for me because I am so easily distracted by the more fun creative things to do that are lying around. 

So my official 'creative space' contains the t-shirt rug and quilting the lovely quilt made by my favourite 13yo.

Blogtoberfest Day 27. Dinosaur torture

Yep dinosaur fever is in full swing here (great). 

Charlie finally got the word on the street about these dinosaurs 'skeleton puzzles' being sold with the newspaper. There was no peace until I sourced them out and bought some.

He was a happy boy yesterday when I managed to bribe a newsagency owner into selling me the 'piece de resistance' (?? spelt correctly). TYRANNOSAURUS REX!! One happy 5 year old!

Blogtoberfest Day 26. New toys and quilting

 

Today I am spending my afternoon quilting, would love to get it finished before school pickup but it is proving to be a challenge. Thankfully I have a new toy (and the BeeGees) to get me through this process.

Hubby and I are off to see Robyn Gibb Friday night here in Brisvegas. Feeling very excited about it but also very intrigued to see him solo. We are huge Bee Gees fans and love the fact that they lived in Redcliffe in the late 1950's (a city very close to Brisbane). This is a big statement I realise and possibly a tad daggy and embarrassing. However I challenge you to try not to dance to songs such as 'Stayin Alive'; 'Saturday Night Fever'; 'You should be Dancing' etc etc. It is hard.

Curbside collection. Blogtoberfest day 24

 

Brisbane City council offers curbside collection of certain unwanted household goods (furniture, whitegoods, bigger rubbish items etc). It is really quite handy, stimulates households to get rid of stuff and have a tidy up. Also handy for scavengers to pick up interesting items that you might normally pay for in a thrift shop (not that I don't love donating to charity).

When I was out and about on Saturday (ie taxiing a child somewhere) I noticed these old grandma and grandpa chairs on the side of the road. I couldn't stop because I was in our 'sedan' type car so they would not have fitted.

On our way home tonight from a lovely time catching up with a group of old friends, I remembered the chairs. "Quick turn around, I want to show you something!" Low and behold they were still there and he was able to stuff them into the back of our 4WD (after a bit of cursing).

So I am now the proud owner of these old fashion 'watching TV' type chairs. The frames are in fantastic condition but I might have to have a go at reupholstering them. Not to sure if I am up to that job yet, but shall give it a go.

Saturday show and share. Blogtoberfest day 23.

I have about (4) quilt tops waiting patiently to be quilted. This one is made from vintage sheets, vintage materials and pillowcases (mostly from thrift shops). Pattern inspired by Malka from http://stitchindye.blogspot.com/  (an amazing 'textile artist'). I am thinking of ditching the border, just not liking it. I think it is confusing the pattern, making it to 'busy'.

Hubby, Ella and her bestie were up early today gardening and 'decorating' the garden. The gnomes all have names now, so no more confusion in "Gnomesville".

Blogtoberfest Day 21. My Creative space

Basting and quilting a quilt made by a special 13yo

Babette blanket blocking

For Charlie my little artist

Well of course I had to make a new pencil case for young Charlie after he saw Ella's. I got a big tick of approval for this pencil case this morning "It holds the pens really well Mum!"

Here is his first fire breathing dragon drawing which he is mighty proud of. I have seen many shark and crocodile drawings this week so it is nice to now see something different. Boys will be boys.

Zippered bag obsession continues

 

Whipped up (2) of these 'pencil cases' for Ella and her bestie today. Can feel a few more of these coming on.

Desk decorating

The decorated glass jar looked a bit 'out of place' next to the computer so I decided to whip up a matching tissue box cover. Just what every computer desk needs (??) Probably not, but just love the pattern so much- so quick, so easy, thanks Michelle!: http://theroyalsisters.blogspot.com/2010/09/granny-tissue-box-tutorial.html

Saturday show and share

This quilt was made June/July school holidays. It is made mostly from hubby's business shirts hacked up into 6" squares. All the fabrics are shirts except the (2) navy fabrics. My eldest son actually sewed some of the rows which makes it even more special.  'Upcycling', I love it.

I had the great privilege of going to the"Valentino Retrospective' last night with some friends. I now understand why  people are making 2-3 visits, I woke up this morning thinking I need to go back by myself and really take my time and read and watch all the displays.

I was totally 'gobsmacked' looking at frocks owned by Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Onassis etc. The pink dress above was amazing, we all wanted to touch it so much!!! I am no fashionista but I loved this beautiful display of frocks. Pure art, history and beauty. Go see it if you can!

Blogtoberfest Day 15. Dressing up glass jars

Inspired by Tif from one of my favourites  http://dottieangel.blogspot.com/  and pattern from http://carinascraftblog.wardi.dk/2010/05/crochet-jar-cosy-tutorial.html. Both very talented crafty ladies.

My creative space (first time)

This is my first 'my creative space'. Thanks to 'kootoyoo' for hosting it.

After recovering from my daughter's 1.5 hours in the dentist chair having root canal 'patchwork' and also recovering from the bill ($$$$$) I decided to experiment with a thrifted cross stitched linen piece and turn it into a wee bag to carry crochet hooks. I have had this piece for a while and am quite pleased I have used it for something I can use every day.

Blogtoberfest day 14. One of a Mother's worst nightmares!!

Add caption

Not Happy Jan !!!!!  Golf sticks and 10yo children should not be mixed! My poor little girl. She has been so brave enduring (3) dentists, needles etc etc in the last 24 hours. Off to buy a carton of wine. Sorry about the gruesome shot. Not Happy Jan!!!

Blogtoberfest day 13. Gnomes are taking over here!!

Can't resist these gnomes being sold at Woolworths for only $2. They keep multiplying in the garden!

Chair Cushion

New found use for t-shirt granny square: Chair Cushion!!

PS Nabbed this wonderful chair at my favourite St.Vinnies at closing time. $12!!

Blogtoberfest day 12. (Nearly Finished) 2nd square of rug

Here is the nearly completed second square of my granny square rug. I usually like to make things big but am thinking I will leave this to (4) squares and see how well it washes.

To give a bit of 'perspective' I have added my lovely work shoes

Crochet rugs and rain, rain, rain!!!

Brisbane is wet, wet, wet!! We were woken to the sound of extremely heavy rain here. Wish I had a rain guage to know how much we had. The dams must be overflowing! NEWS REPORT: 260mm and flash flooding. Easing today.

On a wim this weekend I started chopping up old t-shirts to crochet a floor rug. I needed more colour so I rushed off to Spotlight to get some t-shirt material. I am thinking I will make (4) squares like this granny square and join together. I have used a 15mm hook and cut my strips about 1inch wide. Making rugs is alot of fun and quite a good workout for the arms.

adopt your own virtual pet!

Finally some sewing

Love everything about the 70's.  I Often wonder who came up with the idea of putting calenders on teatowels???

Made for a friend who has a very anxious(but cute) miniature daschund

Yesterday was cold and wet here in Brisbane. We had a nice day in doing not much. I was desperate to do some sewing so went for a small project. The pattern for these bags can be found at http://modernquiltlove.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/perfect-box-pouch-tutorial/  .

It is a very easy pattern to follow. You can make them any size you want to suit your needs. My material was cut to 10.5 inches x 17.25 inches (this was because I was cutting up vintage tea towels). I also added the handle (sewn in when doing the side seams). The daschund bag was made using a fat quarter.

This size will be great for a toiletrie bag or for carrying a sewing or crocheting project on the go.

I am also liking these for end of year teacher presents. Off to spotlight today to get some more interfacing and zips.

Saturday show and share

Yesterday I made a trip to my local quilt shop and each time I go I always stop at my 'favourite' op shop which is all of 20m away from the quilt shop. Always a great outing.

This particular Op shop (st. vinnies) ticks the boxes for me because:

• the staff are delightful
• the prices are the prices things should be in a thrift shop

• they regularly have vintage sheets, tea towels, doilies etc (which a lovely volunteer often seems to be 'tidying' up. So cute and always in for a chat)

So for today's show and share here is my stash collected yesterday: 4 unwashed souvenior linen teatowels; an unused vintage tablecloth; a fabbo granny square afghan using the best colour combo (as a good friend of mine would say 'it's so wrong, it's right!!) ; some retro glasses and a retro small jug thingy (unsure  what it is for ? salad dressing)

 What a great day!

On a recent (very, very rare) trip to Melbourne, my Husband and I were walking to Brunswick street and en route there were some handmade shops and markets. Below is a photo of a shop which stocked pretty much upcycled handmade items. Some great ideas in there.

Have a great weekend.  Brisbane seems to be heading for a very wet one!!!

Lovin Combie vans

My daughter and I have a great affection for VW combie vans. We love seeing them on the roads.

Last christmas we camped besides this pristine gorgeous one that was extremely well loved and cared for. I had many a chat to the owners and one thing that we both agreed on was the fact that 73BAY needed a crocheted blanket desperately!!!

I then stumbled across this company in the UK who hire out the cutest combie vans that have all been decorated with gorgeous crocheted blankets. The vans have names like Ruby, Elsie, Flo, Pearl, Betty, Matilda etc etc. Now there is my dream holiday!! Cruisin around the UK in a combi van. The company is http://www.snailtrail.co.uk/.

When I saw this Heather Ross Munki Munki fabric featuring combi vans I just had to have some. I decided to make wonky star blocks to feature the material. Pattern from here: http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com/2009/02/wonky-star-tutorial.html . Oh yes another work in progress..........

The mother of all bags

Spring has arrived which brings with it swimming lessons, visits to the beach etc. I have made several of these large quilted bags to carry 'everything' in. Mother's best friend that's for sure! Teatowels (with a border) are the perfect size.

One side has vintage teatowel

Other side has some vintage rose barkcloth 

Introducing Peter puppy

Here is our family dog Peter (looking slightly embarassed) enjoying one of my 'projects' left laying around. He loves to hang around me when I am sewing or crocheting and often gives his own 'tick of approval' by having a nap on your latest project.

He didn't show a lot of love towards his 'thrifted' homemade winter jumpers, but gee he looked cute.

Oh Babette

I am on a mission to finish this throw soon. It is one of the many 'works in progress' around the house haunting me. I have used a pattern called 'Babette blanket' that you can buy from Ravelry ($6).

Progress has been slow on this one due to needing to 'block' all squares. I have used Cotton Fleece yarn purchased from http://www.tangledyarns.com.au/catalog/ .

Kids are back at school today (reluctantly) Ohhh the serenity!!!

Belated 10th birthday party for Ella

The twins have not had a birthday party for several years, so it was decided to have seperate parties this year. James' was held at the time of their actual birthday and Ella's was held yesterday (a month later).

Ella is animal crazy, so for her birthday she invited some friends over with their pet dogs and we headed off to the local dogpark for some antics. The dogpark was essentially empty (probably due to bad weather and the AFL grand final) Great fun was had with 6 girls and their 6 dogs, despite the weather.

Annie the Golden Retriever

 

 

Annie the golden retriever coped well with lots of attention from 4 desexed males (she is coming into season). Coco the miniature sausage dog became obsessed with the chickens and cockatiels and had to be rescued several times as she became wedged between the chickenhouse and the concrete wall. Jasper the spoodle and Mitchell the cocker spaniel fell in love with the taller woman Annie. Our own puppy Peter was wet through and constantly had a 'what the....??" look on his face.

Thanks girls and your doggies for helping Ella celebrate her 10th birthday in a style she truly enjoyed.

Saturday show and share

One of my favourite quilts is this one made from vintage sheets, doilies, tablecloths and some new fabrics.
I love finding decent quality vintage sheets, teatowels and doilies from thrift shops. They are fairly scarce these days however.

First post!

Well here goes! First entry as a blogger. I was 'lurking' through my bloglists this morning and my daughter (twin1/ T1) said 'Mum you should start a blog', which is something I have been thinking of for a while but I have strong 'shyness' tendencies which can be restraining.

Blogland has been quite inspirational for me and I am often gobsmacked at people's generosity in sharing their skills and projects. Blogland has also meant that I have turned into an "ADD" type of crafter. There are many works in progress around the house because I have 'got to make that quilt or crochet that blanket' because they are so fantastic.

 Our three children and their unique feet

 Recently made tissue box cover. Pattern from The Royal Sisters Blog (great pattern)

Today "Olive & Esther' begins as a record of family life; quilting; crocheting; caravanning; opshop hopping and whatever else.