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!

Glacial crafting

Or, crafting at the speed of a glacier. Pffft work is seriously cramping my creativity! I am just so tired after each work day that the thought of dragging my machine up onto the table and having to go through my stash is just too much.

Anway, nothing like a deadline to get me moving - yet another birthday party today saw me make another cute skirt with matching applique top.

From the birthday girl (5): 'Oh I just love it!'

Another very happy 'customer'. I think maybe I should make up four or five sets to have in reserve for the undoubted birthday parties Romily will be invited to this year!

Another drag on my crafting time is starting on Monday - classes resume for uni. I thought I had finished formal classes, with the next two years to be devoted to a research paper, but sadly, I was wrong! I have to do one more unit: 'Introduction to research methods'. Urgh! Ah well, it will help with defining my question, researching the problem and writing the paper (when I get to it in about 18 months time!).

No rest for the wicked, I suppose!

Six years of happiness

Today I celebrate six wonderful years with my true love. We were married on a stinking hot day in Canberra, surrounded by friends and family and it was the best day of our lives. We are so happy and are having a wonderful life. Long may it continue!

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!

Two-whit two-whoo

A lovely friend of mine (aren't you all) who's posted to the US with her husband for three years had a lovely baby boy (and aren't they all) last November. I've been meaning to make something for him since then, but Christmas kind of got in the way. I finally pulled my finger out this week and sewed up some cute shorts (Otto 3/2008 'aqua pants') and made an appliqued onesie to match, using an owl design from Ottobre 4/2007. The duck-egg blue and chocolate fabric is Michele D'Amor.I think this may be my best sewing effort yet - I made no mistakes (this may be a first) and I used an overedge stitch to finish the seam edges, as opposed to zigzag, which I find doesn't look very professional. The overedge stitch takes longer and uses more thread, but it looks so much better. It will have to do till I buy an overlocker at some stage in my future. The owl's pupils and branch are drawn on with a chocolate brown fabric marker. I sewed one of my new 'Cascade Lily' labels into the back waist casing to finish it off.

I've packed up the outfit and will send it off to the US with a couple of treasured items of Tristan's that sadly no longer fit. I hope Thomas can wear them but I've told Kath to gift them on if she doesn't want them :)

Next up is another comfort quilt, this time for Carl's only auntie, who's had a dreadful run of health over the past 12 months. She's in rehab at the moment, recovering from a middle ear imbalance, the poor thing. I hope a quilt will cheer her up.

A skirt that fits

Well I did it! I made a skirt that fits and that looks good. It even has a zip. (Mum, you can get up off the floor now!). And a hook and eye for that professional finish :) Of course the process wasn't without its mistakes, challenges and improvisation. It wouldn't be one of my sewing projects if it didn't!

I used the principles contained in Sew What! Skirts, which I blogged about here and drafted an interfacing template by roughly tracing around a skirt I already have, folded in half lengthwise. (I use a big roll of sew-in interfacing for drafting all my patterns - it's great because it's cheap, clings to the cotton and folds up easily for storage. It also doesn't tear like tracing paper, etc.)

Then I laid the pattern onto the fabric I chose for the skirt - an Anna Griffin Circles Light Green 100% cotton. Unfortunately the fabric wasn't wide enough - even though it was a 150cm bolt. The hazards of a spare tyre! So, this is where the improvisation came in. I cut a reduced front and back on the fold and then sewed up the side seams with a basting stitch. I held the 'skirt' against my waist and worked out how much extra fabric I'd need to insert as panels to get a good fit. I then cut two strips of white (Kona solid cotton - snow), matched the curve of the front and back skirt pieces by laying them over the strips and trimming the strips along the gently curved edge.
I pulled out the basting stitches from the seams (one at a time) and sewed the panel seams. On the front left seam, I sewed up to where the bottom of the zip (placket) would be and basted to the top. At this stage I held the skirt up to my waist again to check the fit. It was still slightly too small, so I cut about three inches off the top of the skirt to increase the waist circumference. This meant I had to adjust the top left seam to ensure there was enough depth for the zip. I followed the zip sewing instructions in my Janome manual and it worked!

I then folded over the waist twice and sewed it down, as well as sewing a double-fold hem. I'd chosed a gently scalloped hem, so I sewed the curve very carefully - I didn't clip the inside fold, as the curve was so gentle. Then I tried the skirt on - it was a good fit around the hips and bum and it was the right length. My belly, however, is still a bit rounder than I'd like, so the fit wasn't so good around the waist. I followed the Sew What! Skirts instructions on making darts (so easy! who knew!) and put two in the front and two in the back. Voila! A perfect fit.
The upside of putting the darts in after I'd sewn the waist is that when my belly shrinks (which it will do over the coming months!), I can unpick the darts, increase their size and resew them. Too easy. I'm very happy with how this skirt turned out - I even wore it work on Thursday. I think I'm just about ready to cut into my much-prized Saffron Craig Nest fabric.

Speaking of work, it's going fine. Four days a week is good, although I'm still getting used to saying bye to everyone on a Thursday afternoon. Things are really busy, so the first two weeks have absolutely flown. It'll be Christmas again before I know it. I have also started my new exercise regime, going for two runs this week. Sadly though, my tired old back didn't like that rude shock very much and when I bent over to pick up Tristan yesterday, it 'went'. I am now in complete back spasm and can't do anything except lay flat on my back reading. I can spend a little time sitting upright, but I don't want to push my luck. No doubt it'll be fine by Monday, just in time for me to go back to work, of course :)

Christmas craft

I did promise to post some photos of the last-minute crafting I got done while we were staying at my parents' place the week before Christmas. This is the table runner I made for my brother Bill and his partner Kate. They bought this Amy Butler Belle fabric for me last Christmas - you might recognise from the quilt I made for my mum. I still have some of it left too! Here's a close-up of the quilting - random diagonals (click for a larger image if you can't quite make it out here).And here's the back - aqua homespun.I also made a flower brooch each for Kate, my Mum and my other sister-in-law Jacinta. The rosettes are great, because you could wear them as a brooch, or use them to decorate a bag or a hat. I didn't follow a specific tutorial or pattern, but there are loads of tutes that I've read on the 'net, so I guess my brain just smooshed all the instructions together and voila. I handstitched a gathering stitch along an edge-to-edge strip and pulled the thread gently as I sewed to create a curved edge. I then simply wound the fabric on top of itself until I was happy with it, stitched it all in place, sewed a button from my tiny button stash over the centre and added a brooch pin to the back. I love the pinked edges on the pre-cut strips - perfect for this project. The Denyse Schmidt fabric wasn't pinked, so I pulled a couple of threads from the edge of the strip to stop any ravelling. The biggest was made from a 2 1/2" strip - the smallest from a 1" strip.

Sadly, not much crafty stuff has happened since then. It's been too hot, we've been too sick (all better now, thankfully) and I've gone back to work (first four days made me feel like I'd never been away!). I've got lots of projects in mind, it's just a matter of finding the motivation, time and energy - a common complaint around here!

The crafting begins!

So I promised to post something crafty, didn't I? Here's a little something I whipped up over the weekend for a friend of Romily's who was turning four.
A cute applique tee - the design is from Ottobre 1/2008.
And a skirt of my own design, based on a similar skirt I made for Romily a while back, which was based on a tutorial from O+S. The skirt I made on Saturday is shaped and has a softer waist than the O+S design. Of course the birthday girl was more interested in the butterfly stickers we got for her, but her grandmother was most impressed with the handmade gift :)

Work is going well. Today was day #2. Things are slowly coming back to me. I know by the end of next week I'll feel like I was never gone. Tristan is handling the change pretty well so far, although I doubt I'll be able to put him down on Friday - he'll be doing his best impersonation of a koala bear. Rom will be her usual, crazy self!

We're back

We're back from our holidays - exhausted, busy cleaning cars, washing clothes, etc. etc. I also had 450 unread emails, which I am still going through. Fortunately most of it was stuff I subscribe to that's not too important, so can be deleted unread! Otherwise I might still be going through them on Monday, which is when I'm due back at work! Can you believe it? The time has come for me to do some paid work again. I'll be working four days a week, with a precious Friday at home while Carl does one day a week.

Anyway, our holiday? I hear you ask. We had a lovely time - it was busy in Bendigo and Melbourne in the lead-up to Christmas, but we had a lovely time down in Tasmania until Rom, Carl and I got sick - of course. I was hoping that 2010 would bring us good health, but, alas, we're not off to a good start! Nevermind, our immune systems will be so strong...eventually!

I did manage to do a little bit of crafting while we were away, but, naturally, nowhere near as much as I would have liked. I'll post the results when I find my camera (from under all the 'stuff' that is yet to be put away) and have the chance to upload some images. I hope you all had a lovely break over the New Year and are raring to go in Twenty Ten!

Merry Christmas

From my mum's computer in Melbourne, I wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010. We head to Tasmania on Christmas night for a week of soul-replenishing relaxation before I return to work (four days a week) on 11 Jan. See you on the flip side!

Definitely the last authentically!

Even though I love this fabric range, I think I've seen enough of it for a while. My blog has been taken over with black, grey, white and pistacchio for long enough! So here it is, the second table runner, which we gifted to Rom's Wednesday playschool teacher this morning. She loved it, so that made staying up to midnight last night finishing it all the better! Here's a close-up of the quilting.I was lucky enough to recently win a giveaway of a vintage tablecloth and some dotty fabric over at Beckyetal - it's arrived and I look forward to making it into a skirt for me some time in the New Year :)And last, and by no means least, my Christmas present to myself also arrived! It's a mini art quilt by Victoria aka The Silly Boodilly. This quilt was the inspiration behind Tequila Sunhouse. When I discovered it was for sale in Victoria's Etsy store (and on sale!) I knew I had to have it! It'll go up on my inspiration wall when I finally claim my sewing nook in the spare bedroom in January :)

My daughter the quilt designer

The quilting bug is biting early with Romily. Here's a picture she brought home from playschool last week, after having watched me draft up some quilt designs.
She's asked if we can make it :) Might just have to do that in the new year!

Authentically twisted

Two more quilty items finished. Woohoo. And in the nick of time too. Table runner #1 is for Romily's Friday playschool teacher Carol. We gifted it to her this afternoon - it was finished just before midnight last night! You can't see from the below photo, but the rail fence blocks are bound in a solid black fabric. As you can see, I used up some more of the Authentic jelly roll I used in the quilt I've been making. You can also see that I used some of the stone colourway, which I omitted from the quilt palette.
Here's a close-up of the quilting. I quilted triangles on one side only, all the way along. Carol was pleased as punch!And today I sewed the lable onto 'Authentic Twist'. It's now on its way to my sister-in-law's dad in Melbourne. I'm really happy with the way this quilt turned out. I am loving the combination of pistachio, black and white. I even like the green border now that it's bound with black. The quilt measures 43" x 55". (Design is from Bonnie Hunter's Strip Twist design)I am also pleased with the backing - it's a repurposed doona cover that had met its use-by date. It goes really well with the quilt. (I also used it to back the table runner - its final use for now will be the second TR, which is also using the Authentic strips.)
Here's a close-up of the loopy quilting I did up and down and across the quilt in a semi-random pattern.Next up is the second table runner, which will go to Romily's Wednesday playschool teacher next week. I can't believe after three years Romily is finishing up at Noah's Ark and heading off to pre-school. Our association with the centre will continue though, as Tristan starts Playgroup there in February :)

Picnic by the lake

We've been so busy (and tired) this year that we haven't had much time to catch up with friends. So we invited several groups of friends to a picnic in Weston Park last Sunday. It was a perfect late afternoon, hot but with a beautiful cooling breeze coming up off the lake. Romily and Tristan had a great time grooving around, with Romily taking great delight in physically stopping Tristan from wandering into the ablutions block! She loves that she can pick him up and move him and he seems to find it amusing, so we don't intervene too much. We know we're fortunate that she's only recently started doing this!
Rom buddied up with Charlie and they spent an hour or so climbing on the rope climbing rig in the park. Let's just say that both Romily and Tristan slept very well on Sunday night (Tristan still woke up several times, of course, but what's new?)
I actually baked some yummy treats for our picnic, which we complemented with some lovely Croser bubbly. You'll find the recipes for the muffins and zucchini slice below. They are perfect picnic fare.

Banana-Choc-Coconut Muffins

This is my own recipe and it’s pretty much failproof. It’s also very flexible. You can chuck in whatever you like!

60g butter, melted
2 eggs
½ cup of milk
1 small tub of vanilla yoghurt (I use Vaalia toddler but you can use anything on hand)
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups SR flour
½ cup of shredded coconut
½ cup of caster sugar
½ to 1 cup of choc bits (milk, white or dark, or a combination)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases.

Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in sugar and coconut. In a small jug, combine butter, eggs, milk and yoghurt. Make a well in the dry ingredients and tip in the milk mixture. Combine with a wooden spoon. Do not beat or over-mix – this will make for tough muffins. Once just combined, tip in choc bits and stir in gently.

Spoon mixture into cases – fill to ¾ full. Sprinkle with extra shredded coconut. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are starting to go brown on top. Do not overcook!

Zucchini Slice

This recipe is from the Homemade recipe book that I have blogged about several times.

1 grated zucchini
½ cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 onion, finely diced
Sprinkle of fresh thyme
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped finely
3 rashers bacon, finely diced
1 cup grated cheese
½ cup olive oil
3-4 eggs, beaten together
Salt and pepper
1 cup of SR flour

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place all ingredients, in the above order, in a large bowl and combine well. Pour into a greased slice tray and bake for 30-40 minutes. Cool in tin, turn out when cold and cut into slices. Serve with a garden salad, if desired. Yum.

A big day out

The Christmas rush is well and truly here, although none of the things we did today actually qualify as Christmas-related!

Carl took Rom to her swimming lesson this morning, brought her home for lunch and a nap before heading out with her again to a fifth birthday party. The theme was 'princess or pirate' and, despite my best persuasive efforts, Romily decided that she'd like to go as a princess (naturally). She was happy to wear her new skirt, as well as the applique tee I finished last night. And the tiara we bought for her at Angelina Ballerina. She looked very sweet. Like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth!The birthday girl was very pleased to receive the matching set, as was her mum, who told Carl that if I ever open a shop she'll be my best customer! If only :)

Meanwhile, Tristan and I headed out this morning for a family fun day in Queanbeyan, ostensibly to meet up with Xena and her family, who made the long trip down from the Blue Mountains for a fun day out in the sun. The venue, Queanbeyan Park, was perfect for that - there were kids rides, face painting, a petting zoo and lots of other things - all for free. It was lovely in the park, the grass was lush and green and some beautiful big trees provided lots of shade for the kids. Tristan had a wonderful time wandering around here and there. He even got to have a look inside the cabin of the fire truck that was there. He's into trucks and cars already!I even let him 'drive' my car when I'm unpacking it at the end of an outing. He loves it. Such a boy.

Romilina Ballerina

I took my little gorgeous to her first ballet performance late this afternoon - the English National Ballet's Angelina Ballerina's Star Performance. I managed to get seats in the middle of the second row (it's a miracle - this never happens!) and we had a lovely time, Romily mesmerised by the dancers and me entranced by Romily. She ended up sitting in the front row directly in front of me, as the lady who was sitting in front of us had to hold her too-young daughter on her lap for the entire performance. Romily reseated herself in the spare chair without so much as a by your leave :) I loved watching her. She was clapping in the right places and just itching to get up and dance. And despite some other mothers letting their little girls go crazy up the front near the stage, Rom remained in her seat until interval and then until the end before she did some of her own dancing. Bless her.
And what better to wear to the ballet than your brand new skirt? I am making two of these: one for Rom and one for her friend Rhiannon who's turning 5. The prototype is Rom's. I'm glad I made a trial one first, as there are a couple of things I'll tweak on the second one. I also didn't make the elastic tight enough, so know how much more I need to reduce it by. Fortunately I haven't yet sewn up the opening in the waistband casing, so I can easily adjust Rom's. The skirt will get a second outing on Saturday at Rhiannon's 'princess and pirates' party :)

The skirt, with a few mods, is from a tutorial I found over at Everyday Chaos. The fabric is from Patty Young's Mezzanine collection.