It's a girl!

My sister just rang and I am an Aunty and the girls have a little cousin! She was 5 weeks early so I don't think she has a name yet as I imagine this was a bit of a shock to them.
We just got back from their place yesterday after spending the night. This is what Jane looked like yesterday.
The girls tried to help in the garden.
Mum came to visit as well and cleaned the windows. I'm so excited - it is fantastic to have a new baby around!

Making 2D into 3D

I find making my drawings into 3D the hardest thing. For starters I can't draw. Everything looks the same. I have these great images in my head and it is frustrating not to be able to get them on paper. I always end up making a prototype and adjusting it and making another etc.
So here is what has been in my head this week. A lot of work needs to be done to make them match the picture in my head.
I decided after my wombat that I need to do some more Australian animals so at the front is the start of an echidna.

A little sheep for my sister's baby that is due in 5 weeks and another giraffe.

Summer Skirts

Some more nice weather down here inspired me to make some skirts for the girls. They are a bit big, but that means that they will fit all summer.
The poor little things had their 18 month immunisations this week and they were not happy. Amelia managed to get over it quite quickly and run up and down the hospital corridors while Grace sat in my lap and wouldn't get up as Amelia tried to cause havoc. I eventually got them out of there and went to the bakery to try and make ourselves feel better and in the chaos we only lost one shoe.
Meet Basil.

Morris the Wombat

Go check out the Madame Butterfly Gallery which is now updated daily with interesting reads. Have a look in the Creative Cabinet and there is an interview with me today.
Introducing Morris the Wombat who is available here.

Wombat

I have finally finished my wombat that has been a work in progress for weeks (months?). It was very boring in just one colour, so inspired by vintage soft toy books and the wonderful works here, here, here and here the gusset and the ears have some colour. The wool is a piece that Chris' Mum gave me - she has boxes full of old fabric that I have only quickly gone through, but I quickly spotted the wool (my second favourite textile after silk).

I was going to make the girls lots of summer clothes but the winter weather returned and I wasn't inspired so here are some more giraffes.

Tax and Frogs

We have just spent the morning in an office with the accountant and two small children doing our tax. Do I need to explain any more?
To end on a happier note here are two frogs who will be off to the UK to make a new home.

Creative Embroidery

I saw this book by Joan Nicholson on Vintage Pleasures recently. I found it very cheap on ebay and it was worth it. It has a section on how to do the stitches and wonderful pages of ideas like the two below.

Shir it up

The weather is warming up and I think the girls might need some dresses soon. Here is my first try at shirring and this little sample seemed to work so hopefully I will have dresses to show before Chris goes back to work.
The most amazing parcel came today from Cathy. I seemed to be pulling stuff out of the package for ages. Lovely dyed wool, Great stickers, ribbon and cards made from her original stamps, lovely paper and the cutest whale appliques for the girls. I know there a couple left in her shop. Thankyou so much If anyone lives near a Textile Traders I saw a bolt of Denyse Schmidt fabric in one today. I looked high and low for more, but there was just one solitary bolt.

Little Piggy and Bunny

This is what happens when you can't be bothered trying to sew the body together on a softie with already stuffed arms and legs shoved inside. I know I could leave a bit open and handsew it up afterwards, but it never looks quite right to me. So here they are lovely cuddly pig and bunny minus limbs.

On the farm

We did another trek around the countryside this week. A few days at Mum and Dad's farm and then we spent Thursday at my sister Jane's place. So no craft this week, but lots of cute pictures of the girls helping out and talking to the animals.
Chris has just taken the girls for a walk so I'm off sewing while I can, but first a couple of links.
I listened to the Material Mama podcast whilst driving. She has written a fantastic sewing manifesto. And here is a great list of things that are annoying when sewing.

Frogs, Ducks and Croup

Some good and some not so good this weekend. Amelia had croup last night and it freaked me out a bit. I have never seen a child with croup and she was quite distressed so Chris took her to the hospital and they stayed the night. Chris said she is fine this morning and Grace and I are hoping they are home soon.
They had a great day otherwise, they spent a fair bit of it playing with some new toys from the toy library.
Other good things - Rolf didn't eat all the ducklings and their mother in the back garden. Chris managed to spot them and he had Rolf while I helped them back through the fence. My hair is shorter and blonder. I managed to finish this frog which has been half made for months. There was a sewing incident and somehow I cut through the bottom bit of fabric so I found something that matched and some ribbon and here it is:

Some new patterns. I think I might be overestimating what I can manage to sew this school holidays, but I can always hope.

Simplicity 4171

Butterick 4802

Either Butterick 4849 or the Hotpatterns Hippy Chick Dress

A week without craft

No time for sewing this week. Lots of piles sitting of fabric waiting to be cut out, but I don't know where the week has gone. I just haven't been home, but it has been good busy. My sister Jane came to stay and my good friend Rose came for lunch with her gorgeous little boy Jeremy.
We had a playgroup dinner the other night and unbelievably no one bought dessert. So at least 2 of us are definitely bringing it next time just to be sure.
Yesterday outside Grace and I blew some bubbles. Amelia just wanted to sweep.

We live across the road from a little dam. At the moment there are a lot of ducklings and they wander around with their parents through the gardens and make Amelia and Grace very happy..

Margaret River

I can't believe the weekend is over already. Chris and I went to Margaret River while Mum and Dad looked after the girls. Not only that they did the washing, cleaned up the woodpile, gardened and mowed the lawns. Thankyou so much Mum and Dad!!!
We had a great time - went to a 21st at Wino's and had lunch at Voyager. Here is Chris standing outside there.

Although I missed the girls and I wouldn't want to go back 2 years in time it was like we had our old lives back for the weekend. It was so nice to wander around and actually sit down and drink a coffee with the papers and not have to stress about getting them down for a sleep or finding something for them to eat and not actually have a definite plan.
The girls are asleep - I think they had a pretty busy weekend so i am drinking some tea from T2 and listening to Dan Kelly.

I caved in last week and had to get some Echino fabric and some other Japanese fabric. It was definitely worth it - it is gorgeous. Ok my break is over the girls are up.

WIP Friday

Some works in progress for this week. A soon to be sheep and wombat. I think there will be a few more calico versions first. A sock this I have just ripped as there were a few horrible mistakes. Lastly some spinning I have been doing late at night listening to podcasts.

Winter Colds

Not much happening here this week. The girls have had colds and Amelia's turned into a chest infection so we spent one day at the doctors and the hospital. She didn't take kindly to us giving her antibiotics. I think it would have been easier to de-worm a feral cat the first day and yesterday I had to visit Chris at work to get his help. She seems to have calmed down a bit today which has made life easier and she is back to her old self.
I bought this print a while ago from Carla Sonheim for the girls' room. Somehow I couldn't work out where I put it, but after looking for a week I found it in a very obvious place.

Chris and I are off tomorrow for our first night away form the girls. Mum and Dad are looking after the girls and we are off to Margaret River. Woohoo!!

Winter Again

Winter has returned again. Lucky I made a huge pot of Pea and Ham Soup yesterday. The recipe came from Stephanie Alexander The Cook's Companion.
Here is what I have managed in the last week late at night. Lots of elephants and giraffes. Some for new babies and some for my etsy shop.

Left Brain Right Brain

You Are 40% Left Brained, 60% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

This surprised me a bit. I was always a Maths and Science person at school and tend to prefer being organised. I guess these things can change over time.

Spring

We had a beautiful spring day here yesterday. I decided it was time to tackle the vegie patch. Didn't really seem to get much done with these two trying to help me, but it was really nice to be outside.

The topic on Insight on SBS this week was identical twins. Quite interesting. It is repeated agin on Monday at 2.00pm if anyone is interested. I haven't thought too much about the girls being identical and problems this may cause in the future such as what will happen at school and making sure others treat them as individuals. They just seem so different to me, looks and personalities. On the other hand it was so nice to hear about the bond between twins, a person that always understands you and is there for you.

Pink Elephant Swap

Now Cathy has recieved my package I can post pictures. This was my first swap, which was a bit stressful. Would she like it? Were the colours right? Cathy has a thing for elephants so I sent this one and a matching bag.
Elephant pattern from ISBN 483476348X. I managed to make it not so unbalanced this time by putting some by using some of these to weigh its bottom down.
The spring weather has started here (although I'm sure it will be winter again for the weekend). The girls and I are going to see what we can do with the vegie patch which has been horribly neglected over winter. Have a great weekend everyone.

Great Mail

Look what arrived in my mail box yesterday! Audrey has gone to live with Maggie Smith and Percy has come here. He is the cutest pig I've ever seen and excptionally well made. Maggie makes the most amazing creatures - you can see more here.

More animals

I had one of those night where I just needed some things finished to make space on my desk. A finished giraffe. My sister had a yellow jumping kangaroo as a child and we all loved it. Here is my version out of a wool blend fabric which was meant to be a winter coat, but winter is nearly over and it's gorgeous to make toys out of.

The Weekend

I finally finished Lily and Pippa, poor things had been lying unstuffed for weeks.
I had a big day out in Bunbury with my friend Ali on Saturday and found these cheap little chairs for the girls. It was a bit like the Friends episode where Joey and Chandler would not get out of their new chairs yesterday. The girls sat there and yelled when they wanted something.

Learning to Sew

I'm not sure why I learnt to sew. My Nan did a lot of sewing, but it's never been one of Mum's favourite things to do. I think when I was about 13 or 14 I realised I could get a lot more clothes out of my clothes allowance if I learnt to sew.
We had no other sewing machine than this, which was my Grandmother's and once I decide I want to learn something I have to do it immediately. So I made it work and this is what I started sewing on. Mum uses it as a side table at the moment, but one day all it will need is a clean and I think it will go again.

Good Weekend

We had a great weekend. Probably too much driving and definitely too much food, scotch, wine and port!
On Friday we all went to Terra Vista, a restaurant north of Hyden. Yes I couldn't believe it either, a very strange place to find something like that, but it is there and it was pretty good.
On Sunday Gem, Mum, the girls and I went to watch a nail biting hockey grand final at Bruce Rock. Kondinin eventually won on penalty flicks. Then home again yesterday via a friends place who have twins a bit older than the girls. It is always good to see them and to have someone who understands life with twins.
Then back here where winter seems to be back - its bloody freezing in this little wooden house and the girls don't seem to want to wear their clothes.

More pictures from the weekend here.

It's all ok again

We are back from a great weekend at Mum and Dad's farm (more on that and photos tomorrow). I don't think Chris had a relaxing Father's Day, but he did listen to the football the entire drive back.
I have a new computer hard drive and I don't think I lost much, so everything is ok again. Thanks goodness I am slightly anal (yes Chris is does pay off sometimes) and I have an external drive I back up frequently. I have heard a few horror stories of people losing a few years worth of photos and all their data. So the moral of the story today is back it up!
Here are a few pictures from last week. These are giraffes from the girls flannels and towels.
Here is my 3-D interpretation of them. Hmm, not quite looking how I want them to yet.

Fried Computer

My computer is fried. Completely. I'm so glad I backed up most of it on the weekend. So relieved about that. I'm using Chris' at the moment so no photos, but I need to go and sort a new one tomorrow.
I've had a great few days otherwise. It was so good to have Gemma here and not just because she is a great cook. Our other sister Jane gave me a copy of what we call "the pink Thai cookbook" and I have been too scared to try anything, but Gemma made the Massaman beef curry last night. It was amazing.
Gem is staying with Jane tonight and I'm just home from what has become a baby playgroup monthly dinner where we eat great food and leave our children home with our partners if we can and talk about all sorts of stuff. Whoever decided we needed to do this is a genius.
Craftwise there has been a some animal evolution around here lately. I don't think I raved enough about "Good design in soft toys" when I mentioned it last. I have learnt all about darts in the body gusset (yes I may need to get out more) and my giraffe is looking like one! So my elephant has been evolving a little too. Its trunk needed fixing too. Any good Australian who knows The Castle will know it is good luck when elephants have their trunk up. When I get a new computer there will be pictures.

Busy Weekend

We have had a great, but busy weekend.

• Chris' parents were here for Friday night which was great. With such great babysitters here Chris and I went out together for the first time by ourselves since we had the girls!
• Yesterday we headed to Balingup to the Medieval Fair which was fantastic.
• The girls hair has really grown at the back and was turning into a mullet. Jean and I managed to trim it, lucky for the girls they have a few curls and you can't tell how badly I cut it.
• My sister Gemma is due this afternoon which I'm quite excited about as I haven't seen her since our other sister Jane's wedding last February.
• Here is Harriet and Sophie who will be in my shop shortly.

Groovy Bag

I'm sure I still owe my sister a birthday present from 5 months ago. So Gem you can stop reading now. I made a bag with this bargain canvas I got from ebay recently. Very groovy I think.

We took the girls down to the school fete on the weekend. They had the time of their lives! So many children to talk to and things to see and do. Grace went and sat quietly with some older girls and then grabbed one of their handbags and made a run for it.

More Bags

I have been making bags and playing around with shape and handles etc. I can't remember where I read about adding darts to the bottom of bags to shape them, but I am very glad I did.
These two are in my Etsy Shop.

Here is a link to a growing list of Aussies who have shops on Etsy.
I received Good Design in Soft Toys by Rudi de Sarigny in the mail last week. Well worth the price. It has some patterns for soft toys, but the first half is all about designing your own toys. We could have an decent elephant soon, not to mention a giraffe that actually looks like a giraffe.

Our Big Day Out

We are back, tired and exhausted from our big trip to Bunbury. Mum came down yesterday to help as Chris is away tonight for work. So we thought we'd go out - something I just can't do by myself. Getting a twin pram into certain shops and some Mother's rooms is impossible, don't even get me started on Dr's offices!
It always sounds like a good idea to go out and the girls are generally pretty good (bribes of hideously expensive bananas help), but the days of a leisurely lunch and nice window shopping are long gone. No really good shopping to report, just stuff that needed to be done like finding good shoes for very small feet, they definitely don't have feet from my side of the family!
Here we are all happy before we left.
One last thing - is it all children or just mine who have a fascination with the toilet and want to throw things in it like rolls of toilet paper or their toys?