Sew-Happy House

A Steamy Weekend......

2012-02-26T18:45:00.000+11:00

....the weather of course!

Hot and sticky here in Tasmania this weekend, with near record temperatures.

Thankfully a small change has just come through and is created a refreshing breeze, though of course the house is still warm.

My sailor man and daughter are in Hobart competing in the Bellerieve Blockbuster Regatta, which left me at home with my two invalids.

(oh yes, it's been a somewhat traumatic week)

On Friday morning we woke to our precious elderly lab Faith looking somewhat muddled, bumping into furniture, falling over a lot and NOT EATING - now this last was the most worrying as she is a typical lab and is affectionately also referred to Gannet and Hoover.

A trip to the vet revealed that she had had a stroke. The good news is that it was very minor and that she should recover most of her lost functions within a couple of weeks. And a couple of days later, her appetite has returned and she has stopped bumping into things - so we are hopeful. She is still very wobbly on her feet though. The sad thing is that we have had a stark reminder that she is old and her health is a bit fragile. We keep forgetting you see, because despite all her aches and pains she still generally acts like a teenager most of the time :)

#1 son broke his collarbone last weekend in a rather spectacular flip over the handlebars in a downhill mountain bike event up at Wilmot in Northern Tasmania. This despite all the expensive safety gear we make him wear.
We have been trying to sell him on the charms of competitive noughts and crosses - to no avail. Still it could have been his neck, so we are relatively happy.

Heat, and the relative immobility of my my companions left me time to sew.

It has been a weekend for finishing off and trying a couple of tutorials ready for Tutorial Tuesday.

First I completed a cover for Jenny Janome.

I had been playing with various methods for creating appliqué circles and decided to put my experiments to some practical use by making sewing machine cover.

It is not a startling thing of beauty, but it's practical and I learned a lot in making it.

I used scraps of Joel Dewberry Fabric left over from making my pin board for the main body - I've had to patch it together to make it work!

I tried four different strategies for appliqué circles.

On the front I have done two small raw edge circles - they are a bit fuzzy but OK.

The larger one is made using a foil technique I found on Anna Marie Horner's Blog - not my favourite: just too fiddly for so-so results.

This one and another on the back were done with the template and gathered thread technique - definitely a winner for me. This one I did with an old CD-Rom.....steam and a not-quite hottest setting on my iron did not melt the CD as I feared it would :) And by happy coincidence a CD is the perfect size for a charm square, so as you can imagine, a few ideas are now buzzing around in my head:)

Do you remember the Union Jack Block I nade a few weeks back? It has been put to use as a slip cover for a European pillow to go on Daughter's bed. This is a surprise for when she returns weary from sailing...she's been eyeing off the block for a while!

These are two little house I made following tutorials on line. More about these on Tutorial Tuesday.

A completed sashiko coaster.

And I made centres for my Dresden plates as well as a bit more stitching on Melody's Penny Rug.

A little trip to Birchall's Bookshop and I found this great book full of lots of useful info about fabrics, their uses, care, history and handling hints. That's the last of my birthday money spent - Thanks Nan:)

Thanks for all the encouraging comments about my Friends with Benefits Swap.

So many people are signing up and and hunting out project ideas already - it's going to be great fun :)

Off to do the ironing (blah!)....my regular ironing 'lady' has some excuse about a broken bone.....

Cheers for now,

Kathy

Friends with Benefits...Swap

2012-02-24T16:51:00.000+11:00

Wow- what a busy week it's been!

I'm thrilled that there's been so much interest in

Friends with Benefits.

I've had some lovely messages from people with their own Blogland happy stories, people doing their first swaps, and excitement as friends hunt down the perfect gift project :)

Each Friday during the swap I'll do a Friends with Benefits post with news, stories, invitations to share, inspiration and a chance at a give away gift.

Today I thought I'd shout out about the wonderful friends who have donated gifts for our

give aways and share some of pictures. Each week I'll pop a friendly spotlight onto one of these wonderful people, and some other fabulous inspiring bloggers.

So, in no particular order,

my Friends with Benefits Fairy Godmothers:

And this is just some of what's on offer

Wonderful softy patterns from Jodie at Ric Rac

Three mouth wayering charm packs from Lillian at Esmes (my 'local' :)

Sweet girly dress patterns from Toni at Make It Perfect

These wonderful stitcheries from Michelle at Rag -Tag Stitchin

A gorgeous Be Be Bold skirt pattern from The Haby Goddess

A bag pattern and hand painted button from Lynette Anderson Designs

And, still to come - patterns from Helen Stubbings of Hugs n' Kisses, Fee of Designs by Fee and The Making Spot UK!
Plus a few extra hand made goodies from me :)

Now you can see I have plenty of gorgeousness to gift to all my Friends with Benefits
house-mates, which is why I'm keen to have a full house of participants!
There is still time to let me know if you are going to join and play along.
It would be great if you could pop my FWB button on your blog and ~~twist your followers arms~~ draw attention to Friends with Benefits. The more people playing along the better :)

Have a great weekend everyone
Kathy

A Tuesday Treasures Tragedy

2012-02-21T17:39:00.000+11:00

Almost too sad to post about this :(

I was just arranging my teasures for this weeks photo when one rolled off the bench, plonked onto our tiled floor.............and broke!

I have not long had the larger salt and pepper shakers.
They were a wedding present to my parents from a dear friend and lived in our squashed little kitchen while I was growing up - safely. They were used every day as our kitchen shakers, and I remember using them as I learned to cook, making sandwiches for everyone and big Sunday morning breakfasts around the kitchen table.
The smaller pair I discovered on Ebay a couple of years ago and just couldn't resist - how could you they are so cute. They were made in the late '50's in Japan, just as the large ones were.
My mum recently gave hers to me - to keep the others company - and it was a much appreciated gift.
Now I'll have to tell her what has happened, and unfortunately it is beyond repair, his poor pink hat smashed into very tiny pieces :(

I will be on the look out now for a replacement...but doubt that I will find one before my mum next visits from Victoria.

Off to visit The House on the Side of the Hill to see other lovely Tuesday Treasures.

Kathy
Don't forget to check out my Friends with Benefits swap I launched yesterday.
Lots of fun, lots of give aways and of course lots of friends!

The more the merrier

Tutorial Tuesday #7 Half Square Triangles

2012-02-21T07:10:00.001+11:00

So, on Saturday I discovered a Half Square Triangle BOM being run by In Color Order

It seemed like the perfect way to use a FQ bundle of mixed grey and yellow prints I picked up on sale at Spotlight. I might have mentioned before that I am in love with this color combo at the moment (do you think it will stand the test of time?)

So many examples of loveliness to be found on-line :)
I have created a Grey and Yellow Board on my Pinterest

I am also intrigued by the many, many pattern variations that can be achieved with half square triangles.

In Color Order's BOM will feature a different block pattern using HST each month.

Not only that, but she gives instructions with clear pictures for two methods of creating the

HST 'building block'.

The traditional method: which creates two blocks, and an alternative which creates four blocks.

Importantly, she stresses that each method requires different fabric requirements to end up with the same size block and she explains that well.

The piecing of each months block is well described, with clear pictures and hints. She also provides links to a video and a second tutorial if you feel you need more help: very generous :)

She has set up a BOM page that provides an introduction to HST and initial instructions.

She also has a questions section where she answers queries and each months block has it's own link. So it is really easy to navigate around.

On the weekend I finished the January block. All went well until I discovered that I had pieced about 5 squares wrong sides together!

Time to take a break - and I'd been having so much fun!

Still, it wasn't a complete disaster, and I had enough done to piece the January block later.

I have discovered that this color combo is really tricky to photograph at night!

No time to do it again in the morning - so will have to be a bit better organise next time :)

(And, can you see the glitch in the second row down? Shameful!)

Projects like this are perfect for me this year since I'm back studying: I can focus on one bit at a time, one month at a time and somewhere towards the end of the year, I'll have all the pieces of a quilt :)

Don't forget I link up with Lotti over at Lawson and Lotti each Tuesday with my tutorial :)

Yesterday I launched my first swap

Check it and come and play

Let me know by the end of next week :)

There will be LOTS of giveaways and lots of fun.

Cheers for now,

Kathy

Friends with Benefits.....Swap

2012-02-20T06:54:00.000+11:00

The big launch is finally here, my first ever swap!

What is it? you ask:-

A celebration of the wonderful friendliness, generosity, caring, fun and goodwill to be found in the sewing blogland community!

So, a little bit of history....

I landed in Sewing Blogland almost a year ago and, though at first it seemed full of foreign language and strange customs (linky parties, WIPs, Swaps, Wordpress, UFOs...), it didn't take long to feel right at home.

And that was entirely due to the friendliness and generosity of the community :)

Not a day goes by when I don't come across an example of the friendliness of sewing bloggers: a caring word, encouragement, an unexpected gift, praise, advice or even a bit of cheek!

Not long ago I was searching through my stash of magazines (it seems to grow much like my fabric stash) and I was struck by how many projects featured the theme of friends.......

What a perfect idea for a swap, I thought!

So, after letting the idea tumble and turn in my head for a while, I came up with

Friends with Benefits!

And this is how it will work:-

Participants in this swap will be allocated a secret partner for whom they will make a friends or friendship themed gift.

Gift Guidelines

>Nothing huge!

>It must have a friendship theme: perhaps a friendship star, a lovely phrase/saying/verse,
a heart....

>It should be a sewn item such as be patchwork, appliqué, stitching/embroidery, quilting

Some suggestions are - a mug rug, a pin cushion, needle case, cushion cover, a dilly bag, a wall hanging, a small purse, a pencil case, a book cover, a handkerchief....I'm sure there are many more ideas out there :)

But Wait - there's more...

The Benefits!

(You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you?)

The benefits are a way of me saying thank you to all my Blogland friends.....

.....by having a give away for each week of the swap period:)

Every week I will post about a couple of friends from Blogland that have inspired me,

helped me, made me laugh and shown me friendship. You get to meet them too :)

Some of these wonderful people have businesses of their own and have very generously

donated gifts for me to give away - How cool is that! And I have a few goodies of

my own to add to the pile.

Everyone who has signed up for the swap is automatically in the weekly draw; anyone who comments on the FWB post each week is included too (a second chance for swappers).

Check out my side bar to see the Friends with Benefits Fairy Godmothers

OK - enough chit-chat for the moment

Who wants to play?

This is what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment at the end of this post

2. Email me a confirmation with your mailing address
kathy.aka.mum@gmail.com

(This will only go to your secret swap partner)

3. Let me know if you are happy to have an international friend

4. Keep track of the must-know dates

5. Copy the FWB Swap button to your blog with a link back to Sew-Happy House

6. Start thinking of wonderful projects :)

7. Have FUN

This is what I will do:

1. Post each Friday about FWB, including inspiration, pictures and projects, introductions to some of my favourite Blogland friends and, of course, the

chance for a give away prize

2. Make sure everyone has a swap partner

3. Create a FWB page here at Sew-Happy House to keep all the info in one place

4. Mail out all prizes promptly

Must-Know Dates

Confirm your participation by emailing me your mail address:

Thursday 1st March

Partner details emailed to you:

Saturday 3rd March

Gift Mail out day:

Friday 27th April

Phew - this feels like the longest post I have ever written!

I hope all this makes sense. If it doesn't, or you have questions pop then in a comment or email me.

Next FWB post is on Friday - so I'll clarify anything then.

I'll also show you some of the wonderful projects and inspiring images I have come across on-line with a friends theme and give a sneak peak of some of the wonderful gifts that have been donated for the give away.

Have a GREAT week,

Kathy

Catching Up

2012-02-18T18:11:00.000+11:00

Grey skies and drizzle here in Launceston today.

A perfect day for catching up on some UFOs :)

I signed up for Melody's Penny Rug BOM (The House on the Side of the Hill) at the beginning of the year and had all the 'bits' required so far cut out, but not applied to the base felt. Now they are.

I am using a variety of pure wool and wool blend felts, some flannels and felted wool bits from my stash. The little woolly sheep are cut from an old blanket.

I have started the hand stitching and it is now ready to pop beside my chair as my evening project for this week. I have been wanting to make a penny rug for some time and am very much enjoying this project.

I have been intrigued by half square triangles for a while and have made a couple of relatively simple projects featuring them. This morning I stumbled accross a BOM project being run by Jeni at In Color Order

How could I resist? Each month Jeni is giving instructions for a different block featuring HST. She has also included lots of tips for working with triangles and working on the bias.

I'm using these fat quarters in yellow, grey and black - with white as the contrasting fabric. I've been admiring many grey and yellow quilts on line lately and when I saw this bundle in Spotlight, I couldn't resist :)

I had a lovely time this afternoon cutting 5" squares and chain stitching to prepare my basic pieces.

More about this on Tuesday, as I've decided to make this the subject of Tutorial Tuesday.

I tried to complete the centres of my Dresden plate quilt in Etchings - but realized I didn't have the right fabric! How did that happen? Very frustrating, as (a) I need to finish it ASAP (I am supposed to be featuring it at the end of March on Thank Goodness it's Finished Friday!) and (b) I was in as Esmes this morning and could have picked something up if I'd realised!

I think I need to keep a sewing shopping list as well as a grocery one.

This morning I spent some birthday money on two attachments for Jenny Janome.

The first is a foot that will attach to the accufeed and has a guide for (hopefully) helping to create perfect stitching in the ditch. The second is an alternative plate with a single needle hole to help when sewing very fine fabrics or close to the edge which should avoid the problem of fabric getting caught in the needle hole. I'll let you know if they do as they promise.

My daughter thinks this is a very boring present - but I'm excited :)

And last but not least I have been getting organised to launch my

Friends with Benefits Swap.

Can you guess what the 'benefits' part of the fun might be?

Here's a hint:

The postman has been very busy delivering parcels to my house from some of my blogland friends who run their own business................

All will be revealed on Monday!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone

Cheers for now

Kathy

First Week @ School

2012-02-17T09:56:00.002+11:00

Thank you to everyone who has sent me good wishes for this week. I have had an absolutely

wonderful time at school in my first week :)

But boy, am I tired!

Four days a week, from 9am - 4pm.

I thought I would give you a little run down on what the course entails.

It is called Clothing, Textiles and Design and is a trade course aimed at the clothing industry - as one wit was heard to say, we are being trained to be sweat shop workers!

In reality, of course, Tasmania and Australia has a rapidly decreasing industrial clothing manufacturing industry (and that could be a whole new topic of conversation!).

So, all of the students in the course have an interest in clothing and textiles from a 'boutique' industry perspective. This includes fashion design, textiles design, dressmaking and associated textile/fabric items.

Would you like a little tour?

Entry to the Textiles and Design Studio - lots of inspiration to be found with displays like this abounding

About a quarter of the sewing studio where we work: many industrial machines that go super fast, lots of light, supplies on hand and someone else does the vacuuming!

Vast cutting table with electric cutter, 5 thread over-locker, which I have had to rethread from scratch three times before I was allowed to knot new threads on and simply pull them through!

CAD pattern drafting board which captures your design images and saves them as files for the computer or prints them for you in any size including full size....wouldn't this be nice at home?

The girls and boys lined up ready for work!

Lunchtime entertainment
Awesome Eric Clapton covers.........

For me, the aim is to develop my sewing skills to a professional level, particularly in relation to garment making. I have a solid interest in textile design and characteristics, which is also covered - we get to experiment with various textiles to determine their composition and their characteristics which will determine

their usage (we get to burn things :) We also get to explore colour and dyes from both an artistic and practical perspective - with luck I'll learn why some reds 'run' and some don't!

I am particularly excited by the pattern drafting aspect of the course. I would love to develop my skills here and begin to make garments that I have designed and grow more confident in modifying existing patterns and garments.

So what did I do this week?

Lots of hands on with the lock stitchers (straight sewing machines) and the overlockers ( the sooner Babylock designs an industrial machine the better!).

LOTS of practice at sewing accurately and at speed, judging one centimetre seams and other metric measurements without the use of seam guides (for a lifelong imperial sewer this was VERY hard), stopping in exactly the right spot, backstitching only three stitches (try that when the machine goes like a formula one racing car :)

So there were many, many exercises like this

Decreasing squares of 1cm and them 6mm

Now this could have been tedious, but it wasn't. The company was great, the challenge was there and the time flew. And, we will move on to 'real' stuff very soon.

Now I am off to do 'my' sewing, plenty of UFOs to be working on

- I hope I can revert to a perfect 1/4" seam!

If you haven't heard, I will be launching my very first swap next week

Stay tuned for the big launch on Monday the 20th!

Cheers for now,

Kathy

Tutorial Tuesday #6: Scrappy Linen Tote

2012-02-14T07:26:00.001+11:00

{##!BLAST< %##SH@^*()^^@#B#!

This is what you say when the carefully crafted post you had written the night before and scheduled to be published in the morning DISAPPEARS!

So this is all you get:

I made this school bag for me

Sorry, really poor photo

Following a fabulous tutorial from I Love Orange Too!

Who made this

It was very straight forward and had clear instructions, helpful photos and plenty of tips and hints.

(And yes, I have thought that quilt-as-you-go might be an alternative method of creating the bag outer - I'll try that next time :)

Oh - and I had a wonderful first day at school, thank you - sadly there are no hunky blokes in the class - but plenty of other lovely friendly ladies. Full round up later in the week.

Cheers for now

Kathy

And don't forget to pop over to Lawson and Lotti to see some other tutorials people have been playing with.

Back to School!

2012-02-12T22:09:00.001+11:00

This week I begin a year long course in Fashion, Textiles and Design!

There will be a big focus on taking my skills and knowledge to a professional/commercial level. Which doesn't mean it will look like this -

Though we will be using fabulous commercial machines and other wizz-bang technology,

There will still be a goodly amount of basic, common-sense dressmaking stuff

Looking forward to drafting patterns.........and good-looking men?

And hopefully at the end I will be able to turn out gorgeous outfits like these!

NOTE OF WARNING!!!!!

Three and a half days of school WILL (not may) impact on how often I can make it to the computer - which means I may not be as timely with my posts, comments and replies

as I have been and would like to remain

I hope everyone can be patient and understanding.

(I will have to work towards quality not quantity, lol)

Wish me luck everyone - and have a lovely week yourselves :)

Cheers

Kathy

A friend from my past

2012-02-10T09:37:00.000+11:00

Male? - Yes

Tall? - Not at all!

Dark? - Mostly

Handsome? - Absolutely!

Meet Pandy

He was my steadfast companion all through childhood :)

We went on picnics together, sleep-overs, climbed trees and even ran away together once or twice (though neither he or I were very good at opening the big gate, so we never got very far :)

When I went away to Ballarat for college, he came with me and could tell a few intriguing stories about my first years away from home! Thankfully he is the very best kind of friend and keeps my secrets to himself!

Yesterday when I visited The House on the Side of the Hill for her Teddy Bear's Picnic and finished oohing & ahhing over everyone else's teddies, I saw that Melody had focused on pandas for her Fabulous Freebies...So off I went to collect Pandy from my daughter's room where he has been living for some time. To my horror he was squished amongst all her other softies in a basket - on his head and one arm twisted behind him! At 16, Miss M is shunning these friends of childhood......but I have no doubt they will regain her affections in time.

In the meantime, Pandy can come back and bunk down with me :)

Pop over to The House on the Side of the Hill to see who else has come

to the Teddy Bears Picnic!

Cheers

Kathy

Heads Up!

Exciting goings-on here at Sew-Happy House as I prepare to launch my very first swap!

I have been VERY busy securing give-aways and other goodies to add to the fun!

And because I can't wait to share - here is a sneak peak at my swap button:

Stay Tuned - all will be revealed next week!

Tutorial Tuesday #5: Perfect Box Pouch

2012-02-07T07:41:00.000+11:00

Is this not cute?

This is the sweet little zipper pouch from Make It Modern that caught my eye a few weeks ago and I thought would be perfect for all those small things that get lost in a big hand bag.......then I began to imagine all the other uses a pouch such as this could be put to

Pencil case

Make-up bag

Sewing kit

Toilet bag

Change purse

Etc, Etc, Etc

by varying the size and dimensions the possibilities are many.

Make It Modern's tutorial was very easy to follow and even my first attempt - following the instructions and stopping to take photos - only took me about an hour to make.

So this is mine

As you can see, I opted to include a little colour variation.

For my pouch exterior, I pieced two fabrics, sewing them to the wadding using the

quilt-as-you-go technique. This helped to add a little texture to the outer casing.

Sewing the outer casing strips to the wadding: quilt-as-you-go

After sorting this it was as simple as:

Sew the outer casings x2 (with wadding already attached) to lining

Sew the two panels to the zip

Sew the two panels together at the bottom and then sew the side seams

Create the boxed effect by pinching the inner corners, sewing a diagonal seam and then trimming excess

Turning inside out and VOILÀ - it's done!

Close-up of the end detail

Now - unless you very good at filling in the gaps - don't rely on my Readers Digest version of the instructions. Head over to Make It Modern for the fantastically easy and thorough tutorial which has lots of detail and helpful photos. Even putting in the zipper is made easy!

The only small point I would make about this method of sewing a pouch is that the interior seams are visible (not concealed between the outer and the lining). All this means is that it pays to keep your stitching neat and tidy - and perhaps you could add a bit of razzmatazz with some contrasting thread. Next time I might use the over-locker for really neat seams.

A great tutorial and a very handy pouch.

Now my daughter wants one (or two...) in some sweet Japanese oil cloth we have stashed away...and I think I will make one for my rotary cutter...and my school goodies.....and..................

What would you put into such a useful little pouch?

Kathy

I'm linking up to Charlotte at Lawson and Lotti for her Tutorial Tuesday - see what she's offering today :)

PS: I have just been visiting Lawson and Lotti and discovered she has just posted a tutorial about the quilt-as-you-go technique (no colluding, I promise! Happy coincidence) which you might find useful if you have never done it before.

Tuesday Treasure

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000+11:00

My treasure today is not so much the wonderful gifts below, but my sister who sent them to me.

She is gorgeous, funny, clever and awesome in so many ways.
Knowing I have been feeling a bit down lately she has sent me some goodies to lift my spirits.

She is firm believer in things mystical so has sent me a dream catcher necklace with a smokey quartz centre. She tells me that smokey quartz is a grounding stone, excellent for relaxation and releasing negative tensions in the body. Sounds perfect.

As well, she has sent a lavender bag also containing smokey quartz, which now lives under my pillow and a dream catcher she has made herself.

Nothing left to say really except

Pop over to Melody, at the House on the Side of the Hill to other Tuesday Treasures :)

Cheers
Kathy

Meet Penelope

2012-02-06T13:29:00.000+11:00

This is Penelope.
(Named for Lady Penelope of The Thunderbirds - always so stylish)

She came to live in my sewing room yesterday after untold traumas in her box in someone's shed (judging from the wood shavings on her bosom!)

Despite her most recent past life, she has rallied and is enjoying the sun through the shutters. Jasper, in his chair, isn't so sure of her arrival - he is used to sharing the sewing room only with me - but she smells a little like the intriguing box she arrived in and he has been playing in that all morning, so I think he will accept her eventually.

Penelope is a Supa-Fit from the UK and only ten years old. As far as I can work out she is the same as current models. She appears to have had a very brief working life and is in great condition. Better still she is 'just' my size - and I mean just. By twiddling all her dials to their extremities she and I could be twins!

(Oh to have dials like Penelope, so that I could rearrange my curves a little :)

I discovered her yesterday at Evandale Market and snapped her up for a fraction of her current value. I have been hunting for a second hand dressmakers mannequin for ages and had just about resigned myself to buying one new when Penelope turned up.

I have dressed her in a $ 2 dress I also bought - the fabric is gorgeous - so she is a little bit more decorous. I'm looking forward to she and I joining forces on my dressmaking adventures this year.

I'll be back tomorrow with Tuesday Tutorial - this week a little boxed pouch. It's very sweet and dead easy.

Cheers

Kathy

February "Keep-Me-Honest" List

2012-02-04T09:37:00.000+11:00

OK, girls - I have whopping great big list of WIPs, must-do's and project wishes to get through this year. SO - I thought I should be a little organised about how I make sure I get to them!

And...

...you are all part of my plan :)

At the beginning of each month I will make a list of the fabric-related tasks I hope to achieve before the month is over.

I figure that if I make my goals public - it might keep me honest and accountable!

NB: The only thing you need to do as my witnesses is cheer when I cross the line - or be understanding if I fall in a heap :)

February's
"Keep-Me-Honest"

Part 2: Dresden Plate Quilt

Part 2: Penny Rug

Hugs n'Kisses Xmas Stitchery

Circle Quilt Blocks

4 Tutorial Tuesdays

A relatively small list as I KNOW this will be a a busy, busy month. I am back to school doing Textiles & Design, it's my birthday, kids are back at school and it's a short month as it is!

(I am also finalising the planning for my very first swap! Lots of surprises and fun to be had, so stay tuned :)

I am linking up with Charlotte from Lawson and Lotte to start each month with with my "Keep-Me-Honest" List. Charlotte is doing a similar thing and holding a linky party for anyone keen enough to join in :)

Lawson and Lotti

Have a great weekend everyone,

Kathy

Etchings Dresden Plates & Good News!

2012-02-02T17:33:00.000+11:00

I have had some news I've been desperate to share, but not been able to until now.........
I am going back to school!!!

(Can you guess I'm excited?)
Not as a teacher this time, but as a student.
This year I will be studying Clothing, Textiles and Design!
I'll be learning all about fabrics, colour, how to draft patterns, designing, use AMAZING machines and create all day long!
(Am absolutely stoked - and terrified all at the same time :)

Now on to more mundane - but still very satisfying news.
Earlier in the year I joined Bunny Hill Designs Scrappy Plate Club - committing to make a Dresden Plate quilt. I've never made a Dresden plate before, so joining the 'club' and having a monthly goal seemed a good way to get started.

I decided to use Moda Etchings fabric...which I just love. It has the most gorgeous reds greens and greys and features lovely Parisian scenes.

This week I have been cutting plate pieces, and sewing the ends to create the points - 240 pieces!

Chain piecing all 240 pieces!

This morning I set them all out on the table to arrange before sewing them into 'plates'.

Don't they look delicious?

An unexpected, but lovely, invitation to lunch has held up my sewing...but hopefully I'll get some done tonight and finish before this month's instructions for the quilt come out.

I've found the tutorial and instructions easy to follow - head over to Bunny Hill Designs if you're interested.

Cheers for now,
Kathy

I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday
(even though it's Thursday!)

Tutorial Tuesday #4: Felt Flowers

2012-01-31T09:38:00.000+11:00

Felt Flowers

Has anyone else noticed how often felt projects are popping up recently?

I am stumbling across the most gorgeous felties on an almost daily basis as I read magazines (especially Mollie Makes), browse Pinterest and visit blogs. I've added links some more wonderful felt projects at the end:)

I have had a hankering to make felt flowers for some time, and have been pinning gorgeous tutorials in anticipation.

There are many, many tutorials on line for making felt flowers, yesterday I tried two and made the brooch above (nestling in a scattering of blackwood seed pods).

These pretties come from Infarrantly Creative who provides not only a step-by-step photo demonstration, but a video as well. It is all very clear and was easy to follow.

Dahlias- do you think?

These are Infarrantly Creative's sweet flowers as a brooch. Try as I might, I could not achieve the tighter spiral version shown here - though the instructions seemed clear enough. Undoubtedly this is user error! I'll keep practising :)

The great thing about these flowers is that they are all glued - no sewing unless you choose to. So they are very quick to make. A strip of fabric is simply folded in half lengthways, glued along the cut edges and then short slits cut along the folded length. After that you roll it up and secure with a bit more glue. The glue could be replaced by stitching if preferred and this would probably be more secure in the long run.

The iPad is wonderful for following tutorials - I can have it right on the table with me.

After I'd finished my flowers, I prepared a backing piece and some leaves. My backing piece is an old conference name tag with a pin and clip on the back that I covered in felt. The bulldog clips are to hold the folded/glued edges in place until the glue dries. I added a small stitching detail to the leaves.

And the finished brooch is now adorning my shopping basket!

Another flower I tried was one with separate petals from Miss Priss -aren't they gorgeous?

Mine is a long way off this - but I will persevere!

More felt flowers to try

These next!

Red Brolly

Make it Do

Becoming Martha

Craftiness Is Not Optional

These felt goodies come from a store in the UK called Bloomin' Felt. The prices are reasonable and can be purchased on-line. Their range is fabulous and I am tempted to put together a little order :)

The only thing that is stopping me is my innate urge to try and support Australian crafters and makers. So, if anyone can point me in the direction of a similar supplier here in Australia I'd be rapt!

Have a wonderful week everyone :) Mine will be very busy as I prepare for kids to return to school and finalise a secret project I have been working on that I will be sharing with all my blogging friends!

Cheers for now,

Kathy

Tuesday Treasures

2012-01-31T04:00:00.000+11:00

Just a quick treasure today.

On our recent stay at the shack I discovered these wonderful seed pods from the blackwood tree out the front.

I'm not sure that my photos do them any justice as the colours are quite rich and the shapes and textures so complex and beautiful.

The shack has been part of my life for 25 years - and that tree has been there all that time, but this is the first time I have noticed these lovely pods!

Life has been much slower and richer for me this last year since I left work...and one of the benefits has been that I now notice and see more than I have for a long time :)

I have been trying to sketch these - with little success I'm afraid! I would love to create a little stitchery featuring them. If I succeed, I promise to share :)

Pop over to The House on the Side of the Hill to see who else is sharing a treasure today.

Cheers,

Kathy

Vintage Threads...and MORE Buttons!

2012-01-29T11:22:00.000+11:00

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend :)

The weather continues to be just amazing here in Tassie and we are making the most of it with time in the garden, eating outside, and other fresh air pursuits.

I have been on the hunt for a second hand dressmakers dummy, and yesterday there was one advertised in the paper - so off I went to have a look.

Sadly, the dummy was a petite size (and I - sadly - need a more robust model) and also in poor repair.

But

I discovered a treasure trove!

The dummy was part of the deceased estate of an elderly dressmaker.

So, for sale there were also fabrics, notions and haberdashery :)

I needed to be quite restrained (unfortunately), but came home with some wonderful goodies.

These wonderful boxes of Coats Super Sheen cotton threads. Most never used.

I am usually a bit suspect of older threads, but I couldn't resist their glossy rainbow colours in their almost perfect original boxes!

Then there was fabric...

The blue and beige are pure wool coat weight lengths - about about six metres of each.

The red is about 4 metres of wool/lycra suiting and the mushroom (top/right) is three metres of pure wool suiting.

But the most amazing is this drop-dead-gorgeous linen - all 6 metres of it!!!

I'm not even sure if I can bare to cut it!

I will have to wait until the perfect project comes along.

An ivory boot hook

And...

More Buttons!

Mainly large coat and suit buttons, many duplicates and sets, self-covered, leather, pearl, timber....and quite a few red to bolster my nearly empty red button jar!

I am hoping to do much more dressmaking this year, so lots of goodies here to play with.

I'm imagining a lovely skirt in the mushroom wool, with maybe a button feature split and combing some very nice Moda fabric I bought form Fee with the red wool blend into.....not sure just yet :)

At the moment I am resisting the temptation to die and felt the beige wool....it is so cosy as it is and would make a beautiful coat - especially with all those lovely big buttons to choose from!

I feel very lucky to have acquired these goodies, The lady to whom they belonged was clearly a wonderful and talented dressmaker. Her niece showed me some of her outfits in a wardrobe and they were stunning.

There is something special about pre-loved and vintage fabrics and haberdashery. They have a little history of their own that imbues them with a gentleness that makes you want to treat them quite differently to the new goodies in the store. New products are more brash and up-front - no matter what the style or colour - they cry out "Look at me! Come and DO something with ME!"

I hope I can create something special with these lovely fabrics and buttons that will be respectful of their past :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone.

Kathy

Buttons and Lace

2012-01-26T18:30:00.002+11:00

A public holiday here for

Australia Day

Today, as seems to happen more and more as the 'children' grow older, Hubbie and I were on our own. Daughter is on music camp and Son is down at Strachan with mates watching a world record water skiing event - which I think was unsuccessful.

So, after a small sleep in, we went cycling.......

...which possibly sounds more romantic than it really was. Husband is a super-fit lycra-wearing, hill-climbing racer; while I am more of a gentle roller and prefer flat terrain and wearing normal clothes. All this means is he went out on a 37km hill climbing circuit and I opted for my bike on a stationary trainer in front of the Morning Show!

Breakfast afterwards was shared with the papers and coffee, then a little gardening before it grew too hot. Today has been very sultry. So this afternoon was spent in front of the TV watching cricket and sewing.

This is a sneak peak at some Quilties I have been working for Sandra Kayes Quiltie Trade: 4 tiny quilts measuring 4"x6" with a challenge this time to use lace. I have to admit this time I was more than a bit challenged, lol. The quilt size is so small, I struggled to come up with a design that would work - most of my ideas were swamped by the lace!

Hunting though my buttons for this project, I realised they were in a terrible muddle, so after I finished sewing I hunted out some jars and began sorting!

It tool me ages, but was great fun as I discovered long lost buttons, old favourites and surprises (how did 5 cat biscuits get into my button tin?)

Notice the jar of red buttons - goodness knows how I have so few of these! I shall have to keep my eye open for some op shop bargains:)

Cheers for now,

Kathy

PS: This is the view from our driveway at the bottom of a dead end street that continues to climb as it winds around the corner at the top - just one reason I opted for my 'lazy-girl' ride this morning!

Tutorial Tuesday #3 - Union Jack Block

2012-01-24T18:50:00.000+11:00

Better late than never.....

After my week of sun and surf I arrived back yesterday for a late run at this weeks promised tutorial test drive.

Lawson & Lotti's Union Jack Tutorial

This one is mine -

and this is Lotti's

Lotti used upholstery fabric for her sample, and I have used patchwork fabric. Hard to see on mine, but all my fabrics have a spot /circle detail.

Firstly - this is a GREAT tutorial!

At first it looked a little daunting, as there were so many steps. BUT - that's because Lotti has broken everything down into clear steps. She has included lots of helpful photos and tips along the way.

The block uses a combination of foundation paper piecing and standard piecing. Each of the diagonal corner blocks is created with foundation paper piecing This is a great idea. I have struggled with diagonal piecing before, and paper piecing helps with tricky bias cut fabrics and keeping diagonal lines and sizing accurate.

Template for corner blocks
( I use greaseproof sandwich paper, which is easy to see though and tear away
when you have finished)

First fabric pieces ready for sewing

Corner blocks complete

Mmm....what happens when you get a little cocky and think you know how to finish this without consulting the excellent instructions - all my fault and NOTHING to do with Lotti!!!

Squaring up the blocks - something I like to do

(besides, taking just this much off each block meant no need for an unsightly join in my

last red fabric piece :)

The last centre red and white strips are pieced in a standard way and quickly completed.

I've been wanting to do a Union Jack block for a while and I'm so pleased with this one.
Block with diagonals can be tricky, but Lott's instructions are clear and give you a method for completing them painlessly (if you do what she says!)

You can find Lawson and Lotti's tutorial here

This week Lotti has posted a tutorial for zippered pouches - very cute and she has revisited the Union Jack block :) so well worth a visit to see.

I will be turning my Union Jack into a cushion cover for my daughter's room
- if I can bare to part with it :)

Cheers for now,

Kathy

Beachside Bliss

2012-01-18T08:12:00.000+11:00

No truer words :)

The weather here on the North-West of Tasmania is blissfully warm, so the kids have been swimming and sailing, Hubbie and I ride our bikes to fetch the papers.......and then sit in the shade of an umbrella and actually have time to read them, I am deep into a gripping Patricia Cornwell thriller, I am putting the finishing touches to Christmas Fun and starting Melody's penny rug, fresh cherries abound and the sound of the waves is soothing and soporific.

Until next week....

Kathy

Tutorial Tuesday (on Monday) #2 Super Circles

2012-01-16T08:47:00.001+11:00

I'm not mad - I know it's only Monday - but I will be asleep on a beach at Hawley tomorrow with a book over my face - and I don't trust Blogger to upload a post if I try to schedule it for tomorrow. So you get this a little early :)

This weeks tutorial was found on Anna Maria Horner's blog and she has great photo instruction - but does give credit for the idea to Kath Doughty of Material Obsession in NSW (Australia). I do love the girls at Material Obsession and have two of their books which are full of fabulous, colourful quilts.

Anna Maria's Super Circles - check out that fab fabric!

Super Circles

I have had in mind for a while to do a quilt featuring circles. I've been leaning towards appliqué rather than using a drunkard's path template as I didn't want seams dissecting the fabric pattern.

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon this great idea on Anna Maria Horner's blog. It features a technique for creating a folded, ironed edge on a circle and thus an option to raw edge appliqué. It's genius!

Key piece of equipment - ALUMINIUM FOIL

The technique involves using the foil to hold your folded edge in place whilst ironing.

First cut a cardboard template the size of the finished circle required and cut your fabric about a half inch larger all around. I used the back card from last years calendar - not too thick.

Next place this on a piece of foil .

Fold the foil tightly all around the fabric and template, taking care at the edge of the circle to get really close, thus creating a fold against the template edge.

Iron the foil 'parcel'.

Wait a minute or so (it will be very hot) and then unwrap your parcel.

Circle with template still in place.

Circle turned over and final press.

I was not particularly impressed with this first effort of mine, but could see that perhaps I could improve my technique at the initial foil folding stage. I created some straight edges and a couple of corners!

I thought I'd try again with a smaller circle and was very cranky with this effort! The end result may be improved by a narrower fold over allowance.

Finally I thought I's see what my large circle looked like sewn onto fabric, wondering if that might soften some of the slightly straight edges. The two smaller circles are simply raw edge - I thought I'd like to see the contrast to help me make up my mind which technique I preferred. I used a machine blanket stitch. The result was not too shabby - but I might need to perfect my technique I think!

(I even practised a little FMQ - I was feeling brave!)

This practice piece will end up as part of a cover for Jenny Janome.

It's well worth heading over to Anna Maria's blog to see the tutorial in full (and drooling a little over some of her other fabulous projects and fabrics!). The tutorial can be found here

Super Circles

Have fun with this!

Next week I will be heading over to Lawson and Lotti's very first tutorial on how to make a Union Jack block - I've been wanting to make one of these for ages, so when she posted this before Christmas, it felt like a gift :)

Charlotte has also launched a Tutorial Tuesday (no colluding...great mind just think alike!) The big difference is that she will be creating her own - clever girl :) Head over and see what else she has been creating and been up to - it is a lovely place to visit :)

Lawson and Lotti

See you next week after my week at the beach :)

Cheers,

Kathy

PS: A great big thank you for all the positive feedback on my first tutorial road test.

I'm having great fun trying things out and hunting for interesting projects to try out.

(...and a commitment to finish something each week doesn't hurt either :)

Admitting my Terrible Secret.....

2012-01-13T11:36:00.000+11:00

It's been a peaceful week here in the Sew-Happy House:)

Kids are away, Hubbie back at work, only a few appointments and commitments.... bliss.

I have been delving into a book I received for Christmas and playing with my crochet hooks again.

What fun!

I just love the way a granny square emerges complete in the blink of an eye, especially the standard traditional ones. The Granny Square Book, above, has 68 different granny squares to play with and I am experimenting with different designs. Each pattern has the standard written instructions as well as a stitch chart for reference. I'm finding this aspect really helpful when I get a bit muddled by the endless *, ( ) & **

I headed into the dreaded Spotlight after Christmas and picked up some great yarn bargains.

First quick project was to have a go at making a granny square from 100% wool and see if I can felt it. I thought these might make great coasters or pot holders.

This first one has felted nicely, but for my purposes I think I need to use either a smaller needle or a pattern with less gaps. This way the felting would be firmer.

If anyone has any other hints on felting wool, let me know :)

Second project is to make some cotton squares in these pale muted colours for a rug.

This yarn is lovely to work with: firm but soft to handle and creates lovely even stitches.

I have also worked on next weeks Tutorial Tuesday with, so far, mixed results. More on this next week.

I have sorted fabric I had put aside that I received at last years Robyn Pandolph workshop and am planning a quilt from this that will incorporate circles and free motion quilting (be still my beating heart - FMQ terrifies me). These are quite soft colours and some prints that I might not normally choose, so I am working on a quilt design that is a little less traditional. I hope it works!

And finally - an admission:

I am a fabric-aholic!

(Stop sniggering, and don't think I can't imagine the mutterings of 'I told you so!")

Despite discovering enough fabric in my post Christmas clear-up to keep me busy for years, I succumbed to to THREE more purchases this week alone!

I went to visit the lovely Fee's new on-line shop - Designs By Fee and discovered some GORGEOUS Moda fabric that just sang to me. So into the shopping cart it went.....along with a few fat quarters to make the most of postage.

Moda - Chez Moi

Fee has some lovely goodies in her store and her range is growing, so well worth a visit.

http://designsbyfee.bigcartel.com/

I received a lovely present from Lillian at Esmes for Christmas - a gift voucher!

So I thought it would be rude not to spend it and did............putting it towards 2 layer cakes and several metres of Moda Etchings

Isn't this just lovely?

I am using this for the Dresden Plate SAL I have joined and have a little plan to make the most of the Parisian themed prints in the range :)

And finally visited Cranberry Crafts in Ulverstone and managed to walk out with 5 fat quarters.....

So, you see - I am a sad case.

My only hope of redemption is to make sure I actually DO something with all this lovely stash AND finish it!!!

Keep me honest girls :)

Have a Great weekend, everyone.

Cheers for now

Kathy

Tutorial Tuesday #2 - iPad Cover

2012-01-10T18:04:00.000+11:00

I'm so glad you're back to join my for my first tutorial test-drive.

This week I hunted for a tutorial on making a cover for my new iPad.

As an aside - I love this new piece of technological wizardry! I can be anywhere in the house and check my emails, keep track of blogland news, reply and comment on blogs, search the

internet, read an e-book, browse Pinterest, shop at Etsy, find a recipe for dinner - or a tutorial for an iPad cover!

Back to the tutorial.....

As you can imagine, there are numerous ideas for technology covers on the web.

One of my favourite ways to search for sewing ideas is an image search - if I like the look of a picture I can click for more details. I can skim over images that don't suit very quickly.

I uncovered several tutorials that were intriguing, but settled on one that met the the following criteria:

Pleasing to look at

Clear, easy to read instructions

Functional design

Scope for adding my own embellishments

And the winner is.......

This great little quilted one, from:

Maggie Makes is a wonderful blog I found while tutorial hunting. She features great tutorials, stunning photography and great ideas.

Maggie's tutorial is a printable PDF pattern with very clear materials list, instructions, diagrams, measurements and hints.

I chose to read the instructions from the iPad - as I'm such a tech-head, lol.

Just waiting for the binding...

I chose some cheery fabric from Saffron Craig for the cover called Snails and Ladders and a soft

co-ordinating flannel for inside.

The very basic design of the cover calls for the interior, exterior and wadding to be cut the same size and quilted as suits you. I chose to simply shadow the horizontal pattern of the exterior fabric.

Quilting and binding at top/front

Once quilted, the end destined to be the closing flap has the corners curved. Maggie gives a handy template for this, but I used a Clover pocket guide to trace my curves.

Once this is done, it is a simple matter folding and pinning the cover to the correct size, binding the the edges and Voila - It's done!

Well, clearly a couple of short steps in between.

Maggie gives instructions for creating your own bias binding - including how to cut strips on the bias.

Making the bias binding

The closing flap is held in place with a piece of elastic, caught at each end in the side seams, which flip from front to back. The only elastic I had was basic white, which I chose to make a bit snazzy by slipping a fabric casing over.

Elastic casing shown here, at front of cover prior to sewing on the binding

The Finished Cover!

I loved this ease of this tutorial :) Everything was clearly explained, and the diagrams were very helpful.

The measurements Maggie gives are for an iPad without one of those Apple flip over covers that double as a stand. The iPad fits easily without, and snugly with the cover on.

I used a heavy weight Pellon that gives a firmness to the case - though would in no way help if it was dropped!

I managed to make this in about two hours.

I liked that this was a basic pattern, that I could embellish if I chose - maybe a patched cover, or a stitched panel with the owners name? My SIL 's iPad has a red flip cover and is called Ruby. I think an iPad called Ruby deserves a cover with her name on it :)

The other plus with this pattern is that it cold be easily adapted to suit a lager/smaller device such as a laptop or phone.

A great tutorial, thank you Maggie :)

You can find it here

Maggie Make iPad Case Tutorial

Given that this is my first tutorial Road Test - I'd be keen on your feedback.

Any problems with the format? Need more pictures? More information?

Please let me know - I'd like to make these road tests as informative and helpful as I can :)

Next week: I'm trying a small tutorial on making perfect appliqué circles.

Cheers for now,

Kathy

Tuesday Treasures

2012-01-09T03:00:00.000+11:00

Welcome to another year of Tuesday Treasures with Melody, from The House on the Side of the Hill.

If you haven't been involved before, or read these posts, pop over to see what Melody and others are sharing today. Join in if you like with your own treasure, or just leave a comment :)

This is the crochet rug that started my fascination with crochet many years ago, when

I was about 10 years old.

The rug belonged to my Aunty Jan, and it lived always on her high iron bed.

When she passed away, it became mine.

I was, am still am, fascinated by the meticulous single rows of colour.

As a child, I would lay it on my bed and try to work out if she had a pattern, or if the colours were randomly chosen. I knew that the wool came from left overs and unpicked jumpers - it is a scrap quilt. It is beautiful in a way that only scrappy quilts can be :) I would choose a colour and imagine what it had originally been - a pretty pink that may have been a spring cardigan worn to a dance? A bottle green from Grandpop's work jumper?

It is very old now, I think perhaps 60 years old. Every now and again I have to do a small darn as a thread end comes loose, but in remarkable condition. It is still used - it is great on a hot summer night instead of a doona.

I'm off to see what other people are sharing on Tuesday Treasures :)

Cheers,

Kathy

The More the Merrier!

2012-01-08T15:14:00.000+11:00

No sooner than I post about my over-long To-Do list, than I start adding more to it
THREE new buttons in my sidebar!!!!

Last year I joined a Quilties swap run by Sandie at Sandra Kaye - Quilties are what she calls her tiny little quilted art pieces they are only 4"x6"! Participants make three quilties and send them to Sandie who shuffles them around and sends you back three others.
I had a great time doing this. She has launched another one with a theme of lace - and I am joining the fun :)

I had a lovely invitation from Laura at Quokka Quilts to host post on Thank Goodness it's Finished Friday which means I need to finish a quilt soon to have something to share. TGFF looks a great way to share what you've been up to, see what other's have been sewing and meet other quilting bloggers. AND - I thought it might just help me sort out my sewing priorities, as I have to have a quilt finished by the 23rd March!

I have made a good start on my project list though and finished two projects this week!

Here is a bag made as a shop sample for Esmes.

After attending a workshop with Robyn Pandolph, I had samples of her St Remy de Provence fabric range (Not yet released in the US). This is beautiful fabric featuring pink and grey toiles, black on cream and big pink-on-black florals. I cut the fabric into three inch strips and used the quilt-as-you-go technique and used black bamboo circle handles. Lillian at Esmes has the full range.

Have also completed my first tutorial for Tutorial Tuesday
Thank you for all the positive feedback on this.
For now, a sneak peak at what I made and I'll give you the full run-down on Tuesday!

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend.
Cheers for now

Kathy

UFO...WIP...PhD...PIW............OMG

2012-01-06T06:35:00.003+11:00

This was me yesterday during a post-Christmas sort out of the sewing room!

I knew I'd find a few projects, but a few rapidly grew into many, and before I knew it I had to sit down and have a stiff drink (coffee ladies, it was only 11am!)

I fanned myself for a few minutes and proceeded to write a list.....It took a little while...

There were not as many Unfinished Objects as I'd dreaded, but the oldest is 16 years old!

There were a shameful number of Projects-in-Waiting: Quilts, bags, dresses, skirts, cushions, table runners....

Then I opened the fabric cupboard...

Clearly I have no impulse control at all when it comes to beautiful fabrics, sales and bargains!

What else did I find? Novelty buttons, dressmaking patterns, books, kits, metres of trim, and a few Frankensteins - projects that went bad....

In an attempt to redeem myself, I am making an ACTION PLAN!

I will pop it on the Project House page to keep myself honest, and though I have more than enough to keep me busy in the sewing room for the next 5 years - I'll add to it as new projects and challenges emerge as the year progresses.

I have enjoyed reading other bloggers to-do lists and plans for the year, I take comfort in knowing that I am not alone in my sewing dilemmas!

(Also handy to point out to Husband and kids that I am not some one-of-a-kind freak!)

I've read about PhD's - what are they?

I know a WIP is a Work-in-Progress, a UFO is an unfinished Object and I use

PIW - Project-in-Waiting.

Are there any other quilting/sewing/crafty terms that people use? I'd love to start a collection!

Cheers for now, Have a great weekend and

Happy Sewing!

Kathy

PS - Action Plan up soon.........I'm still adding to it :)

I am a Designer!

2012-01-05T08:58:00.001+11:00

Well, in a very small way.

I had been wanting to create a unique blog header, something that was all my own work and reflected me and my happy sewing home.

I am absolutely rubbish at using digital drawing programs, but I am not too bad with the real thing and my stitching and appliqué is passable. So emerged the idea to sew a header!

Out came the pencils and the sketch book and I spent a lovely afternoon playing with ideas: mixing and matching images, colours, appliqué and stitches until I was happy with the design.

And this is the end result...

This is a simplistic picture of our house:

Near the bottom of a hill

Big leafy trees

Tall pines at the top of the hill

Pond at the bottom

Black cockatoos wheeling in the sky

The reality is a little more suburban...

It is a great place to live - wonderful views, the kids school is beside the pond, there is a friendly corner store at the top of the hill, we have lovely neighbours......and space enough for me to have a dedicated sewing room :)

I used freezer paper appliqué for the hill and the house. I quite like this for largish pieces as it helps to stabilize the fabric until you are finished. I made the roof pieces with a Bias Bar ( Lovely flexible ones from Robyn Pandolph - A little mini tutorial will follow soon about these).

For the text I used split stitch to give a nice solid line and a smooth finish around curves. Other stitches include running, French knots and backstitch.

And I am thrilled with it!

I so enjoyed the process of creating my own design and experimenting with all the elements.

I think I shall have to do it again soon.

The real one is destined to be framed for the wall of the sewing room. The photos will become my header as soon as I I have time to fiddle with my blog settings :)

Cheers for now,

Kathy

PS: I have chosen a tutorial for this week: A great cover for my snazzy new iPad. Tutorial review and finished product on Tutorial Tuesday :)

Tutorial Tuesday

2012-01-03T10:43:00.003+11:00

Greetings for the new year, everyone!

I hope you have all had the Christmas/New Year that you wanted and needed.

I'm feeling revived and rejuvenated after a very relaxing time with family, friends and pets! Plenty of sun, swimming, sailing, wine, chocolate, fresh fruit, sewing, sleeping and fun.

And time to begin regrouping for the new year. There has been time to peek at all the wishes and dreams that began to grow last year and pick which ones need some TLC to bring them to fruition.

And boy, are there lots! Many of them involve my rekindled love of sewing and my immersion in the on-line sewing community.

Today is the first Tuesday of 2012, and the launching of one of my plans.

So without further ado...I'd like to introduce

...in which I will share with you an on-line sewing tutorial I have attempted during the previous week.

I realised that last year I would often discover a tutorial or project that caught my fancy as I was browsing other people's blogs, websites, on-line magazines or stores. I'd save it somewhere on the computer ...hoping to come back to it one day. But guess what? "One Day" never arrives!

So,

I am committing to completing one tutorial per week and sharing that with Sew-Happy House visitors each Tuesday. By doing so I can nurture several of my wishes and dreams in one go!

...Learning new skills, sharing my sewing experiences through my blog, completing more projects, helping others learn, exploring cool places on the web, making more blogging friends...

This week there are no finished projects to share (the result of an unexpected invitation to stay with friends at their shack for a few days...bliss :)

But!

I will be working on my first tutorial....A cover for the lovely iPad (!!!!!) Santa brought me for Christmas :) There are many, many great tutorials for technology pockets, so it shouldn't take me long to find one I like - deciding on fabric from my stash, might take considerably longer!

Please join me next week as I share my finished cover, the tutorial I used and where to find it -just in case you are inspired to make one yourself.

I'd love it if you copied my Tutorial Tuesday button to your blog to share with others - the more the merrier!

Happy Sewing,

Kathy

Holiday Hexies...

2011-12-29T13:27:00.000+11:00

...or

A Return to an Old Friend!

Tomorrow we are heading to Coles Bay to stay with friends at their shack for the new year. I am looking forward to walks on the beach, swimming, exploring and visiting.

What to take for the quieter moments though?

A book?

No - too anti-social.

Sewing?

Absolutely!

I have decided to take an old friend with me, my temporarily neglected basket of hexies :)

As old friends go, my hexies are very forgiving. They don't object to weeks or months of neglect, and are more than willing to come out for an airing and, with very little encouragement, multiply rapidly!

They don't mind so much if you spend more time chatting with others than paying them close attention, though they can sometimes be mischievous and side-step the needle - reminding you to watch what you are doing occasionally!

Packing my hexies for holiday...

What are you up to Mum?

Slippery little scamps, aren't they?

Nothing to do with ME, though.....

(Wait until he finds out where he's heading while we're away!)

I am also working on a appliqué and stitchery of my own design (just thrilled with this - have not been brave enough to do my own designing before). I hope to finish it before I go, but I AM operating on holiday time - which can be a bit unpredictable!

Here is a sneak peak (because I can't wait to show it to every one :)

Whatever you are doing for new years eve, I hope you have a lovely time.

Cheers for now,

Kathy

The Week of Bliss

2011-12-28T09:24:00.003+11:00

That is the week between Christmas and New year.

Choc-dipped raspberries from Christmas Hills!

For our family, this is when time slows down and all cares wash away.

Walking in Cataract Gorge

Lazy breakfasts, walks in the sun, reading, catching up with friends, gardening,

bike rides, BBQ's and siestas!

Jasper and Faith joining in the siesta-fest!

Too many of these!

Playing with Christmas gifts!

It is a time for reconnecting as a family, having time to talk, muse and share.

Time for reminiscing and reflection.

Turner's Beach

It is a time when the seeds for a new year are chosen, planted and begun to be nurtured - some in private, some with each other.

I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas, and are enjoying your week - whatever that looks like for you :)

Cheers,

Kathy

12 Weeks of Christmas

2011-12-21T23:11:00.000+11:00

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Not quite Christmas, but really feeling very much like it :)

BEWARE

Wordy, introspective post follows!

I have been comparing Christmases past with this year. When I was a child the anticipation was excruciatingly wonderful - am I the only one who couldn't sleep on Christmas Eve?

As I grew into a teenager, things didn't change much. It was still exciting, but I think that's when I began to twig to the vaguely uncomfortable undercurrents of the season. You know.....the awareness that the trappings of Christmas put a huge financial burden on our family; the grumbles about trying to satisfy two families - both of whom thought you should have dinner with them; the waspish comments about the aunt who never helped in the kitchen; ....But for the most part, it was all still wonderful:)

Then you get married and have a family of your own. And this is when the pressure really explodes!

I was in charge! So I plotted and planned, made lists and set goals, read recipe books and magazines, issued invitations, cooked and baked, sewed, made my own cards and decorations, glammed up, was the life of the party

And.....

...had two children 12 months apart, worked full time in a demanding job, did TWO post grad degrees, moved house, moved state, moved house again, climbed the professional ladder, tended my family, threw myself into this committee and that, ran kids around, stayed in love with hubbie......etc, etc.

And
after 20 odd years of all that, Christmas became this mad event that seemed to have become a chore... and seemed to have lost all its real meaning....................
......................................................................

What a difference a year makes!

12 months off work and recovering from illness changes ones perspective somewhat :)

Have I completed all the projects I'd hoped to?

Not a chance!

(Sorry Flo, Christmas Fun is almost there but not quite)

But,

I have had leisurely catch-ups with friends; wrapped thoughtful gifts for the people I care about (some made, some bought); attended all my children's and husband's functions and enjoyed myself (not fretting that I should be doing something else, or worse not gone); potted about the house tweaking this and that; enjoyed other peoples stories of Christmas (Oh, wonderful bloggers); baked what I wanted; discovered the deep pleasure of a Limoncello liqueur over ice in the evening sunshine chatting with my husband...

And...

The house smells of spicy baking, there are sparkly trinkets around, the kids are finished school, the weather has been warm and sunny, and there is hum in the air. Have realised that Christmas is already here, I am already enjoying it and looking forward to Christmas Day just like when I was a child.

Have a lovely Christmas every one,

Don't forget to have a 100% Christmas this year!

(Too good not to repeat!)

Hugs
Kathy

100% Christmas!

2011-12-21T13:45:00.001+11:00

A timely piece of advice as the silly season looms....

I LOVE this!

(Particularly the "DO NOT DIET" bit!)

Hugs,

Kathy

Missing in Action........

2011-12-20T08:59:00.001+11:00

That's me at the moment!

The action this week is frantic, frivolous and fun - in fact yesterday was so busy and spent with my husband that I FORGOT it was Monday (...still felt like the weekend) - hence no last instalment to my 12 Weeks of Christmas!

so - for the moment just a reminder that it is the 12th week, and now only 5 days to Christmas - as if anyone needs one:

And I'll be back later in the week with a final pre-Christmas wrap-up and hopefully a few photos of Yuletide projects completed :)

I know, I know - there's only five of them, but I just love a man in a kilt!

See you later alligator,

Kathy

Friday Funny

2011-12-16T07:16:00.001+11:00

A few quick Christmas funnies :)

Have a lovely weekend everyone,

Kathy

Tuesday Treasures

2011-12-13T09:34:00.000+11:00

Last week I shared the timber treasure my son made at school this year, so to be fair I thought I should give equal time to my daughter who is equally talented in the woodwork department!

This is the lovely black wood wall unit she has made for herself. It is designed to be wall-mounted and stands about 300mm high.

She has used punched zinc plate for the door - designed to hold all her earrings (This is only a small selection: she has over 30 pairs!). Hard to tell from this pic, but she favours quirky hand-made earrings and in this shot there are a pair of red Mini Coopers, a 'pair' consisting of a mouse and a pouncing cat and several fabric button pairs.

It is so lovely to be able to foster and encourage the creative pursuits of my children - especially woodwork, which is was such a big part of my childhood with a boat-building father and also so loved by their dad.

Pop over and see what others are sharing with Melody, at the House on the Side of the Hill, for Tuesday Treasures.

Cheers for now,

Kathy

PS: I have posted my Tropical Christmas recipe on my Cook House Page for those who've been asking :)

12 Weeks of Christmas

2011-12-12T06:52:00.001+11:00

11 Pipers Piping

And the countdown pace escalates!

It's definitely feeling a lot like Christmas now.

Tree and decorations are up:

Teenagers helping

One of Jenni's hand made baubles nestled amongst the needles.

I am almost finished the stitching for Christmas Fun, and hope to piece the rest of the tiny Ohio stars this week

(I know it looks a bit of a jumble, and that I couldn't possible make it in time for Christmas,

but trust me - I have a plan.......)

I have been making my mini pineapple Christmas cakes that I give as gifts.

These are very easy to make, moist and full of piquant juicy fruit and keep for weeks. I usually make a dozen or so, wrapping them individually as gifts for friends, neighbours and workmates. The fruit ingredients are crushed tinned pineapple and dried fruit medley mix (pears, apricots, prunes, peaches, apple). This combo creates quite a tropical and less traditional Christmas cake flavour (especially good for those that are not that fond of a heavy fruit cake). I make them in the cleaned fruit tins, lined with baking paper. They also make up well in baby food tins and muffin cases. They look great with royal icing and silver cashews on top.

For gift giving I have wrapped them in brown paper with raffia bows, popped them on silver coasters and sat them in cellophane bags with lots of ribbon or in individual gift boxes.

I'll pop the recipe on my Cook House page later today :)

The party season is in full swing. This last week has seen an assortment of end of year and and festive functions, far too many fattening nibbles, several late nights and many glasses of champagne and one police random breath test - fortunately on one of my quieter nights and only one glass of champagne!

Finally, the weather here in Tassie has been warm and sunny, but so many of traditional Christmas images depict the northern hemisphere I thought I'd show some typical Australian Christmas pics.

The Big Penguin at the nearby coastal town of Penguin, where we used to live

The annual charity Santa Run, begun in Ulverstone, Tas

Santa arriving on a fire engine

and in a surf boat

BBQ in the garden, and

Boxing Day Cricket Test Match at the MCG

I'd love you to share what you've been up to in your preparations for Christmas. What's the weather been like where you are - any signs of snow?

Cheers for now,

Kathy

Oh - couldn't resist adding this last one!

Friday Funny

2011-12-09T09:18:00.001+11:00

I remember when...

Some vintage Christmas ads

Surely these ads could only have been designed by men! No woman I know would be happy to receive a pillow for Christmas, though a red vintage Singer would be way cool!

And finally:

I wonder how many parents bought this for Christmas?

Sorry about the text resolution, but......how many kids would like to open a plastic bed sheet on
Christmas morning in front of their nearest and dearest?

Have a wonderful weekend everyone - we are back -to-back festive functions (and I'm already a bit seedy from one glass too many champagnes last night!

Cheers,
Kathy

Tuesday Treasures

2011-12-06T15:11:00.001+11:00

Today's Tuesday Treasure is a new piece of a furniture for our home...and even though it's brand new, it's already a treasure.

This is the tall boy my son made for his TCE Applied Technology project. It is made of Tasmanian black wood and celery top pine and is a unique triangular shape with curved sides and turned legs. It is quite a large piece and we are experimenting with the best place to put it, so as to show it off to best advantage.

This TCE project was done in conjunction with the University of Tasmania Fine Furniture faculty and as a result exhibited in the Tasmanian Design Centre. His piece received a lot of attention and he even had an offer to buy it - which thankfully he declined!

Creating the drawers in a triangle shaped piece was challenge - but I'm pleased he persevered, because now I have a very special and aromatic place to keep my napery, doilies and such.

The design brief for this project was to "...create a future classic..." and that's what this piece

has become in our home.

Link up with Melody, from The House on the Side of the Hill to see what other treasures people are sharing today :)

Cheers,

Kathy

12 Weeks of Christmas

2011-12-05T09:52:00.001+11:00

10 Lords a' Leaping

Oft said at this time of the year I know, but...

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

On the weekend, Launceston put up a beautiful new tree in the Brisbane St Mall - it is tall, stately

and perfectly shaped and last night it was twinkling with thousands of merry lights and

a gorgeous star a-top...

Our calendar is quickly filling with engagements for drinks, meals and other celebrations...

Our own decorations and tree will go up today (with some wonderful inclusions from blogging friends)...

Our children, despite their almost adult status, are dropping hints and acting like detectives regarding gifts...

The pantry and fridge are filling with celebration food and there are more than the usual number of champagne bottles on standby...

and there is a little hum of excitement as time goes by.[

I received a lovely gift from Jenni as part of The Haby Goddess Secret Santa Swap. Can you guess what the theme was? Red and White!

Jenni hand stitched, beaded and designed these herself and cleverly tried to use bits and bobs she already had in her stash. They are gorgeous! Do you see the lovel card? It is a photo of an appliqué and embroidery piece from the the Embroidery Guild of Victoria. Thank you Jenni :)

My quiet week, home alone, unfortunately got me no closer to completing my gift making objectives!

But I did start and complete a simple quilt as a wedding gift for the son (and his fiancée) of our oldest friends, so I am not feeling too upset at my progress :) Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo before I wrapped it, so I have nothing to show! I am sure if I ask nicely, David and Jonelle will send me

a photo on return from their honeymoon.

Our Christmas plans have finally settled into place, without too much fuss.

This Friday we will have an early Christmas tea with my mother-in-law before she heads off to Perth.

Christmas day we will have brunch here with friends and a quiet family supper in the evening - working on the premise that our daughter has to waitress.

And Boxing Day we will have 8 remaining family members here for a buffet lunch.

Almost perfect: I think we avoid the Vicar of Dibley problem where poor Geraldine joins just about everyone in the village for a meal - but I have no doubt that I will be doing more than just

'watching' what I eat!

It is not just the children dropping hints about presents!

Here is a little collage I wistfully call

"Books I would love"

A mixed selection of patchwork, dressmaking, crochet and general sewing - and a very restrained list too! I could have added soooo many more! Fishpond is a great Australian on line site that has most of these books at very reasonable prices. Amazon also has most of these titles. But...try your local independent booksellers first, they often have a great selection and will order titles in for you.

More cooking this afternoon and a determined effort this week to complete most of my sewn goodies.

Oh - and had best get Christmas cards off before it's too late!

How are you Christmas preparations going? I would love for you to share with a comment

(I am having a little trouble with the linky tool today)

Cheers for now,

Kathy

Hi Five! Give Away

2011-12-04T21:45:00.001+11:00

Thank you to everyone who commented on my 'Give Me 5' post.

I allocated everyone a number this evening and then popped them into the magical random number generator - how amazing is the internet! so quick compared to writing on little pieces of paper and pulling them out of a hat, (though maybe not quite so much old-fashioned suspense :)

The results were:

Random Integer Generator

Here are the random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-12-04 10:44:19 UTC

Which means that the following house mates are winners this time around

(Drum Roll Please)

(Robyn Pandolph Fabric)

Melinda: A Thing for Stitching

Fat Q Bundle)

Kelli: Seriously - It Needs Stitches!

(Chook Shed Patterns +)

Give me Five! = A Give Away!

2011-12-02T11:49:00.001+11:00

Look what happened today:

SEW-HAPPY HOUSE MATES

Join this site

A mixed fat quarter pack from my stash

Two The Chook Shed Patterns

& some suitable fat quarters to get you started.

All of my Followers will automatically be in the draw, and anyone who comments on this auspicious occasion will be in the draw as well - that means some people may have two chances!

This give away with close 6pm Sunday the 3rd (Tasmanian Time) and I will have a draw for prizes on Sunday night.

Good Luck and hugs all around!

Friday Funny

2011-12-02T08:03:00.001+11:00

Today sees the end of a my HOME ALONE week.......(sigh)

Husband and Son have been walking the iconic Overland Track in the Tasmanian highlands; a 5-6 day hike carrying everything and being prepared for all kinds of weather, including snow (which they have had).

Daughter has been down south on school camp, sea Kayaking around the Freycinet Peninsula: I think their weather has been a bit more stable :)

So, this has been me:

My blissful week alone all ends this evening......

So it's just as well 5 o'clock Friday is also an euphemism for this:

Because tomorrow will look a little like this:

Have a great weekend everyone!

Kathy

(PS: of course, you all know I have missed them like crazy :)

Robyn Pandolph & other happy Melbourne Memories

2011-11-28T17:12:00.001+11:00

What a busy couple of weeks it has been!

With not much notice I needed to travel to Melbourne to care for my Nan (and to a lesser degree my mother) both returning from hospital visits. Thankfully both are OK and on the mend :) I was able to catch up briefly with both my sisters, plus assorted aunts and uncles.

My lovely Aunt Val remembered how much I had admired a quilt of hers on a previous visit and passed on the pattern, including templates, so I have another project in waiting! There was also a lot of sitting around which allowed me time to catch up on some stitching (thank goodness - I have caught up on Lynette Anderson's Christmas Fun!).

An unexpected bonus of my trip to Melbourne was attending a workshop in needle-turn applique with

Robyn Pandolf hosted by Dayview Textiles as part of the Australian Quilt Market. (Thank you Lillian of Esmes, who invited me to tag along :))

Of course I forgot my camera - so you only get a stock photo of Robyn!

I learned so much and Robyn was so generous with her time in demonstrating techniques. We received fat quarter samples of two of Robyn's new fabric ranges Hope Cove and Saint Remy De Provence - 49 beautiful pieces of fabric to play with - and two patterns for needle-turn stitching.

Hope Cove

St Remy De Provence

I have not done much needle turn appliqué, always finding it fiddly and slow. Robyn told the story of how a friend 'tricked' her into trying a long, fine darning needle for her appliqué and brought some for us to try. These were a No. 9 long darner and I am hooked! The length of the needle gives you a decent tool to work with and the eye is sufficiently large for my dodgy eyes. I sat next to Rhonda from Canberra who generally avoided handstitching due to sore hands - but at the end of a four hour workshop she was still happily stitching and excited about the benefits of the long darner.

Before the workshop I had time to visit a little store I had been told about - but never had time to seek out.

Lu'cello is a tiny haberdashery on the second floor of the Nicholas Building in Swanston Street Melbourne.

Up the stairs I went, through a fabric covered fire door with a lovely welcome sign.......and into Aladdin's cave!

A tiny store packed with vintage notions, French threads and ribbons, laces, buttons, books, buckles, embellishments, timbers spools - too many things to mention, let alone see in one visit.

The temptation was to bring it all home, but I restrained myself and bought only some lovely linen tapes, some French thread keepers, a vintage buckle and a box of sweet shell buttons.

Unfortunately (?), as I was leaving I was told that in their sewing room upstairs they were having a 'garage' sale! Well, I had to take a look of course :) More lovely goodies and some lovely shop fittings that I couldn't see the airline allowing as carry-on luggage - so I restricted myself to a bag of ribbon pieces for $2.00.

I'm sure I have lots more news to share and projects completed - but it will have to wait for another day. I have a little secret squirrel business to attend to today, and I am bursting with excitement..and desperate to share! Soon :)

Cheers for now,

Kathy