31 August 2010

It is all yellow










  After an almost two week hiatus where I just felt like sleeping and hiding I have decided that it's time for some brighter times.
The advantage of owning canary yellow pants has previously been documented by Mrs Rummeybear and I recommend to anyone who is sick of winter and rain to put on a pair. Not only do they cheer you up immensly, they also enable you to seamlessly blend into Melbourne's public transport environment (see above), and strangers stop you in the street to yell "I love your summery pants!" Add some yummy coloured wool to knit with on the train (looks a bit like smurf vomit when in a ball but knitted it's scrumptious) and hello spring! 
Oh and I made the bag this weekend. First bag I ever made. The colours remind me of icecream!

26 August 2010

My Creative Space: Coffee Sack Upholstery













































































































































This week I had a lot of things to finish off and I also unravelled my chunky crochet cowl 3 times (I will now knit it because I don't like how the crochet turned the wool quite stiff). So as a flight or fight response I went and upholstered one of our opped lounge chairs with some coffee sacks I picked up in Collingwood. I am very pleased with the result. I tried to document the process step by step but the pictures did not turn out very well, I added a few examples above. Just a load of, erm, coffee sack shots !
The sacks were pretty much the width of the lower chair cushion so I just needed to cut the sacks to size, even the sides out a little and add a zipper. Also some very rigorous zig zagging was needed, even over the zipper, because this stuff frays like there is no tomorrow. I also recommend vacuuming the sewing machine if you ever work with these pretty things because the little strings of fiber get in every potentially damaging spot.

The upper cushion was a bit tougher because it's attached to the back of the chair so I had to basically sew that to size and then pull it over the seat and cut some holes into the side of the fabric where the armrest connects. I have an urge to sand the chair down now because I'd love to get the orange tinge off and reveal the nice wood underneath but given my previous track record sanding things to their demise I will stay well clear off my beloved little sanding machine!

For more creative spaces pop over to la Kirsty

22 August 2010

hood snaps

























I really like where we live. And I really like Melbourne. I usually walk
around with my iphone camera app open and i snap absolutely everything.

And a very Happy Birthday husband! This year the birthday cupcakes read
Oh! ZOMG! 3. 2. There were only 4, that's why.
I do like to photograph you a lot, and you do
pull the best faces.


19 August 2010

Thrifty






























All opped at Grey Street Sacred Heart yesterday. I am in love with the politically incorrect canisters. They are Nylex and they must be from the 50s. The coffee one is my favourite. They just needed a half an hour session with a scrubber and some BiCarb. Interestingly it's missing one piece but the lid for that piece is still there, so I have one lid that's too large and am missing the Tea lid.

Also the Scandinavian oil never lets me down and transforms any old table into something lovely and shiny. 

My Creative Space


























I





The battle is still on! My brain versus fabric, not working so well together, constructing my inaugural disnumeric quilt. I have decided to make a little cot sized version to check if I can do the machine  quilting myself using a darning foot.  Personally, I think it will be a disaster but who am I not to give it a try. 

And I had three projects on the knitting needles this week, one of which I finished yesterday. Made with the most exquisite yarn, Tahki Rio in Fog. I had to have some of this stuff. It's soft as a cloud and completely delicious. I was after a simple cowl so I just cast on 140 stitches with a size 8 circular needle and knitted until there was no more of the stuff to knit. I used two skeins in total. Now I really want to make a very wide chunky cowl and looking at the sky outside I think I could make one for myself and still use it this year.

More spaces here!  

14 August 2010

Quilting for the Disnumeric Crafter



So I am working on my first ever queen-sized quilt. I’ve only ever completed a scrap quilt for my niece and a very basic cot quilt before starting this project so I was a bit apprehensive about getting on with it. 
I have the utmost respect for people who can quilt, particularly, like, geometrically. But I knew from the start that I was never going to be able to produce a quilt made from evenly squared quilting blocks. Because I am completely disnumeric and can’t even properly use a calculator, let alone add or multiply seam allowances or create something that resembles an even square. I just lack the vision for geometrically shaped things. So I figured out quite quickly I was going to have to do this a bit differently.

My main inspiration for the layout of the fabric on the quilt top came from the Gees Bend quilts – I love everything about them, including their history, but I particularly love the way they are bold and colourful and how they use bold strips of fabric. And I love their wonkiness. 



Then I decided on a piece of fabric for the middle of the quilt top that I could then add strips to. 
Before I cut into the fat quarter, I read this very helpful tutorial on how to cut fabric so it’s roughly even.
Because I figured if I went all Gees Bend I would end up with something that would not resemble a square whatsoever.





And then I started to cut strips, one at a time, in varying widths, and pieced them to the square. It was literally cut and sew, cut and sew. My new Bernina comes with a quarter inch foot and that has been unbelievably helpful. I can only recommend getting one if you don’t have one. I didn’t know they existed and I was overjoyed when I discovered it. Light bulb moments are awesome (clearly I did not read 'Quilting For Dummies' before I started this project).

I really do love the result so far. I am about 40% done. I guess I am really bad at following any kind of pattern not because I am against patterns in general or anything, just because I have such a hard time understanding instructions. So this one step at a time method really works for me. It takes long so this quilt will be a true labour of love!






A Room of Bernina's Own! Yeah!









Every Bernina needs a room of her own, I think, so I finally kicked all the junk out of the study and put some cheap Ikea shelves in there. Some nice things and vintage spools and jar filled ribbon on top -  and suddenly it's a lovely space for me to work in. I picked up that big roll of lace from the oppy for a fiver - not quite sure what to do with it but it soothes my lace-obsessed nerves. I also neatly stacked my fabric (which nearly drove me insane) but it turns out my stash, of which you can only see a small percentage, is not too huge after all so I am officially allowed to get more. I think. Hurrah!
Wondering how long this will stay neat. I give it about a week.
I have one hell of a cold including very bad sinusitis and my sister said that thyme fixes this. So I have been making wild thyme tea using a few fresh thyme twigs, honey and a bit of lemon, and I think it is working. Just sharing this in case you also have completely blocked sinuses and sound like kermit!

11 August 2010

Cherry Blossoms

Spring is on its way! We have proof, purchased at South Melbourne Market!
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10 August 2010

Things I like






First up I should mention things I don't like: for example that my husband was made redundant and that really, I think we've had enough rubbish to deal with for now. 

But that's ok because we are optimistic and happy people and we are rather relaxed about it. It may be down to the flu relief drugs we have been eating. Or that we got some perspective on things this year. 
But we are good. I am busily setting up my own thing and doing exciting things such as sourcing organic jersey and talking to fabric shops and creating labels and making patterns. I am really nervous, but it feels nice. 
The husband has decided to paint heaps while he is looking for a new job and he has done some ace stuff which he wants to start selling around galleries. I am quite happy with that!

Other things I love are: the FireBrand bakery near where we live. They bake organic bread and you have to arrive there at particular times for particular bread. I love the sacks of organic flour stacked on the floor and the bread is always warm when you buy it and it heats up my hands and makes the car smell great. I love their bread. It's so delicious. 

Loving being back at the beach.

And today we treated our unemployed behinds to Baked Eggs at Birdman Eating
I love their baked eggs.