A quilt!

A mini-quilt, granted! But it's a quilt nonetheless. And it's one that Romily (now 8 years old!) and I made together. She wanted a quilt for 'Big Ted', so we set about designing (a simple grid) and selecting the fabrics from my rather substantial scrap box. The fabric choices are all Rom's and I helped her learn to sew together squares. She struggled a bit with keeping the seams the same width and after doing a pretty good job handed it over to me (I didn't know quilting would be so hard, Mum!).

We piecing the top on Friday and I sandwiched and quilted it yesterday (I asked Rom to do the quilting but I think it was all a bit too much for her and she asked me to finish it).

Next time I think I'll let her sew together four large pieces of felt and call it a blankie - Romily doesn't seem quite ready for the rigours of straight line sewing :) Not yet, anyway.

It's been a long time between drinks. While I have been handquilting Romily's single bed quilt (see post from last June), I haven't been doing any crafting as I had rather a serious snafu with my MPhil dissertation. Not long after my last post, I had an 'annual review' by the Higher Degree people at the university. They gave me the bad news that my methodology didn't quite stack up with the evidence I had gathered during my research phase. While it wasn't quite back to the drawing board, I did have to rewrite about 10000 words as well as gather new data. This stumble set me back six months, but I am happy to report I submitted my thesis for examination in the last week of March. It's now out with the two external examiners and I should know how I've done within the next month or so.

Having this weight off my shoulders has been such a liberating experience. I am now free to tackle all those jobs around the home I've been putting off, as well as to do some writing for me (I'm working on my first screenplay!) and pick up the guitar. I've bought a fabulous Luna guitar and I'm learning my first chords. I'll start taking some lessons in the coming week and hopefully I'll be able to start playing some songs - I sing in a band and we've written a bunch of songs. I'd like to be able to play along on some of them, although the concept of singing and playing at the same time is likely to take a little while to master!

So, life is good, there are endless opportunities and I hope some of my future opportunities include more quilting and more crafting (and even Romily may decide to have another go!).

 

Finished size: 18.5x23"

Oh dear!

So much for 2013 being a little less busy than previous years. I have finally come to the realisation that I'll probably never slow down!

I did change jobs at the end of last year and am currently a fulltime student, studying strategic studies (again) for one year before I take up a new (and, as yet, unknown) position next year. While in theory I should be less busy this year, because I was unable last year to finish off a Master of Philosophy in business that I have been doing part-time for the past three years, I am madly working on that too. So, I am actually doing two masters degrees at once. I am due to submit my MPhil thesis (40,000 words) in 8 weeks, so I am busy as all get out.

I am also suffering dreadfully from headaches this year. There doesn't seem to be any specific cause - some are migraine-like and resulting from hormonal surges, while others are caused by incredibly stiff/sore neck and shoulder muscles, which may or may not have resulted from a volleyball injury I sustained in March.

Fortunately the kids and Carl are all well. Romily is having a great time at school (she's halfway through Grade 2) and Tristan is enjoying preschool (otherwise known as kindergarten in most places). He'll start prep next year (although in the Australian Capital Territory it's known as kindergarten - don't try to understand, just know it's 'year zero'!)

Needless to say I have done almost zero crafting this year. Boohoo. However, I am just about to start hand quilting Romily's single bed quilt, which I started making way back in 2007. How utterly ridiculous!! Fortunately she still likes the colours and the fabric!! Here's a picture of the completed top:

I'm just going to do straight lines in variegated perle cotton, but it will probably take me the rest of the year (at least). So she'll be able to use it over summer/next winter - nearly 7 years after I started making it. Where does that time go?!

And a scarf for Tristan

Wow, I'm on fire!

Here's Tristan's scarf - knit in 2x2 rib from Naturally Loyal yarn I bought on Thursday from the Woolshed in Manuka. The main blue is an almost exact match to the colour of his eyes. Just gorgeous, don't you think?

You can read more about the project on Ravelry.

 The craftapalooza is coming to an end, very sadly. For the next two-four weeks I'll be slogging away solidly on my much-neglected research project, which I'm allegedly doing as part of the requirements of a Master of Philosophy in Business. I've been dragging the chain on this project - work has been utterly exhausting over the past 20 months and I've had no spare brain capacity for anything. With my current enforced break (due to surgery on my feet, which requires 6 weeks off work), I'm determined to get it back on track. I have to impose a craft ban, otherwise I would spend all my time in a state of 'productive procrastination'!

There will, however, continue to be some handquilting happening at nighttime in front of the telly. My Christmas Baubles quilt is coming along very nicely. I'll post some more pictures soon.

Happy Easter! We've been having a good one. Lots of chocolate eggs for the kids - only two each for the grown-ups - we're dieting!

Happy birthday Miss Romily

My darling is six!
Time flies when you have such a fun-loving, crazy, adorable kid.I love you Romily
xxx

Romily's new (old) quilt

Warning: Quilt-related content!!

Gosh, I wonder if it was the guilt of putting my blog into hibernation? Not sure what caused it, but I pulled out a very ancient work in progress this weekend - Romily's Eye Candy quilt, which I started way back here and here (three years ago - whoops!).

Of course, I had used most of that fabric in the meantime, so it was back to the drawing board. I had heaps of Prints Charming 70s Rainbow Garden fabric left from Rom's 4th birthday party when I made cute gift bags for all the guests, so I decided to delve into that. It's perfect for a little girl's quilt. I also discovered the design wasn't quite the right size for Rom's bed and it was far too fiddly (read = time-consuming). Besides, with that riotous fabric, simpler is best!So, the sewn strips have been crosscut and the piecing has begun. Here is the bottom section of the quilt - it's going to have that green/blue chain all around the perimeter, with several chains criss-crossing the interior. Hopefully I'll have a chance to do a bit more during the week - the time pressure is on, as I re-start uni this semester and I also have to do some Army reserve work too. No rest for the wicked!
Also, Quilting Fitzy asked for some recent pictures of Romily and Tristan. Here they are last weekend doing some painting :)

Wordless Wednesday

Spring is nearly here - time to do some sewing!

The blossoms are out, the bees are abuzz and the days are warming ever so slightly. And thank goodness! We can now take the kids outside without layering them in so many clothes they can barely move. All this excitement was inspiration enough to see me drag out my poor, neglected machine on the weekend and whip up a skirt for Romily and a pair of pants (or very long shorts) for Tristan. Two old faithful Ottobre magazines were found (after only a little searching). Otto 3/2008 for some more #7 'Aqua pants' for Tristan in some lovely, soft aqua babywale cord. I love this pattern and have made it a couple of times now. Lots of pocket detailing and top-stitching make them look so cute.

And 4/2007 - the #20 'Corduroy Skirt' for Romily using some very cool printed corduroy from Michael Miller (Cool Cords), which I bought a while back from Crafty Mamas. The skirt has real insert pockets (the first time I've ever tried that and it was pretty easy really!) and lots of top-stitching. I love the cute skulls (who knew that was a possibility?) and so does Rom. She wants to wear the skirt next time she sees her far-away cousins, 'cause she knows they like skulls. (Arrr!)

Tristan is two!

It's not until you experience it yourself that you understand how quickly children grow! I cannot believe my baby is two years old - but he is. And he's adorable. Most of the time ;)


And it's so wonderful to see the children getting along so well (again, most of the time!). Carl and I feel very blessed.

(Look at my growing-up-so-fast girl. This photo is scarily prescient! And yes, the buttefly pyjamas used to be Rom's!)

Rom's party

Today was Romily's party - we held it at The Farmyard Nursery here in Canberra (it's just across the road from our place!)
It was very cold but sunny - the cold doesn't seem to bother the kids though!
A fun time was had by all - especially the birthday girl.And her little brother!
We fed some very hungry lambs.And had some yummy cake - Romily's request was for a 'Dora and Diego jungle cake'. I was happy to oblige!I would like to thank my parents for the parties they threw for me - I now have a new appreciation for how much work my Mum must have done!

Anyway, a fun time was had by all - especially the big five-year-old birthday girl.

Happy birthday to my darling girl

I cannot believe Miss Romily is five! But she is. Such a beautiful, happy, crazy child. I love her to bits.I baked her a cake to celebrate - the Lazy Ladybug from the AWW Bake cookbook. We all sang happy birthday tonight after dinner and she blew out the candle. Here she is with Carl just after we turned the lights back on.And two dozen cupcakes to share with her preschool friends today. Here they are in the Cupcake Courier I bought a while back. How cool is this contraption?! (There's another layer, but I only needed the two today! The lone cupcake without decoration is for one of Rom's friends who apparently doesn't like icing...strange child! LOL)Romily's party is on Saturday, so stand by for more baking and fun photos! I'll also have to post a couple of her riding her new bike - she was so happy to receive her present and said a very genuine thank you. I think at her age I would have been so interested in ripping open my other presents that I wouldn't have even thought to say thank you!

She's such a wonderful kid. Happy birthday my little friend.

Baby season is here

It's baby season again! No, not me, but babies seem to be popping up (out?) all over! Two friends have had/are having babies, so I thought I'd whip something up for each of them.

As I'm so pressed for time these days, simple designs are king. I wanted something striking though, so I googled 'strippy quilt' and found oodles of quilty inspiration. The photo that really kicked me off was on Flickr, from Bubbachic, who had a similar dilemma and lovely scraps!

I went through my stash and found some gorgeous soft pink left over Amy Butler (from 'Marina's Midwest Modern' quilt), which is now snipped and sewn into a top for a pram quiltlet. A friend at work has just had her third girl, and another work friend made a play quilt. I thought one for the pram might be a good idea, especially now winter is really here - it's been cold and raining for two days straight!

(Measures 20 x 30")

I also had some left over Park Slope from the 'Funky Chicks' quilt, which is now doing double duty in a cot quilt. A friend of mine, who I never get to see because she lives so far away, is having a baby - a girl - and I'm just so happy for her. My friend has been dreadfully unlucky in love and has finally found a man who's right for her, so this baby is extra special! I love how this quilt is coming along. I'm going to use a stripey binding in chocolates, pinks and purples, which I think will bring it all together. The baby's due in a couple of weeks.

(Measures 40 x 40")

Both quilts will get the all-over stipple treatment, with the pram quilt to have a built-in foot muff, so I'll 'birth' that one to integrate all the layers. Never done it before, so it should be interesting!

I'm hoping to have both quilts finished by Thursday night in time to take them along for show and tell at the Canberra Quilters meeting this week, alongside the Hungry Caterpillar quilt (see previous post).

And here's one of Romily - wearing my clothes (the hat is now a permanent resident in her dress-up box). She thinks she looks like a grown-up in this outfit!
For long-time readers of my blog, can you believe Romily will be five in just a little over two months? Crikey!

18 months

Time flies when you're having fun, so the old saying goes. But I'm wondering where on earth the past 18 months has gone? And wondering how my child-bearing days whizzed by without so much as a 'by your leave'?

Here's proof that it has! Tristan has grown a lot since I took this photo at one month old (on his fab 'Winter's Garden quilt made by some lovely friends in my online quilting group).Playing 'peekaboo'!And one with his big sister, who he loves and adores (and sometimes shows his enthusiasm by whacking her with whatever whacking object he can lay his hands on, all the while cackling like a madman!).
And here's one of Miss Romily herself, after the party on Saturday, where she 'won' a mini-face painting set in pass the parcel. I promised her a butterfly when we got home. Then I tossed her into bed for a sleep - she's got a slight summer cold/cough and was absolutely wrecked - you can tell from this photo!

A preschooler needs a book bag!

Yes she does! I've been hoarding a half yard of gorgeous Michael Miller 'Pet Deer' fabric, not quite knowing what I'd do with it. When we were asked to ensure our new preschoolers came with a book bag I knew!

I wanted the bag to be fairly large, to accommodate the giant picture books little kids seem to prefer, so I used the entire half yard to make the bag. I sliced off the selvage and then two 1 1/2" strips for handles. The remaining fabric formed the outer shell of the bag. I lined it with some purple homespun.
The bag has a little green button on one side and a loop stitched into the top seam on the other for the closure. I even sewed one of my new labels onto one of the handles. Rom loves it, so I guess it's another successful craft project :) She starts preschool (kindergarten) on Thursday; we had an 'interview' with her new teachers last Friday. She loved the idea of preschool, but she's not so keen on reality, although she's been going to 'playschool' for over a year, so I think she'll be fine once she gets there. Nerves are normal - I remember having 'collywobbles' when I was young too :)

Here's the link to the company that made my woven labels, if you're keen: Apparel Labels. They cost around AUD$40 for 100.I can't quite believe I have a preschooler! What's next? Finishing high school and leaving home? Aiyee!