Clothkits and Karate

This dress has been on the 'to do' list for well over 18 months. I thought I had better do it before Evie was too big to wear it. I love these kits from Clothkits. They are so simple and quick and look great when finished. I didn't include the pleat at the back of the pinafore as it fit Evie fine as it is. The only thing I didn't like was that the pattern was printed the wrong way down the corduroy - I prefer the nap running down my clothes, but that is my only small complaint,

There were new clothes for the other two today as well - new Karate uniforms which made them very excited (and yes I know they are tied on all wrong, they really wanted to do it themselves).

Simple Softies

Simple Softies arrived in my mail box this morning! I love it (and not just because Zelda Zinnia is in it)!
Eva agrees she has read it a few times today and told me what she'e like me to make for her.

Upmarket

I am madly sewing for Upmarket this Sunday. There are half made toys everywhere, but the pile of finished ones is getting bigger. I hadn't made any of these for a while...
or any rabbits. I have had to hide all of them as the girls love them and keep trying to sneak them out of my sewing room. Apparently about 10 of Mum's softies each in the bed just isn't enough.

What is on the bedside table? I have just finished In the Winter Dark by Tim Winton. Perfect to read in this winter weather, very eerie and set not far from here. I have just started The Time Traveler's Wife and I am enjoying it. I borrowed Wild Colour by Jenny Dean from the library and will definitely be buying a copy when it is re-released.

Small Quilts

The sun is out and the weather is beautiful today.We have had my sister and her family over this weekend and have been to the Golden Valley Tree Park in Balingup to walk in the sun this morning. Now it is back to the sewing machine - one more week until Upmarket. I am taking some small quilts including these three which I photographed in the sun this morning.

Skirt

A new skirt, easy and quick. A bit of IKEA fabric, a few seams, back zip, some binding and a hem. Finished.

I have been using the scraps from my giraffes for elephants. I do love all of Kaffe Fassetts spotty dotty fabric.

Good washing

This is the kind of washing I like doing.

Have you seen the new design feature in blogger? Lots of fun to play around with.

Back to sewing - just over a week until Upmarket.

New Hair and New Boots

It was time for a new hair colour. My hair has been getting darker as I get older (it was white as a child) and so I thought I would try getting it dyed closer to its real colour.
It is almost the same colour as these fab boots that arrived in the mail. Cherry red Dr Martens that are oh so comfy (I am wearing them as I type). I have quite wide feet that grew with both my pregnancies and I consider comfortable shoes a necessity. My grandmother had polio as a child and had feet different sizes and for years were squished into shoes the wrong size and she had horrible feet problems. She was always telling us to wear good shoes that fit so who am I to disagree? Dr Martens fit perfectly and last forever. I bought them here on ebay.

And the Winner Is ......

The winner of the giveaway is Abbe from Copper Patch!

Thuja Socks and PDF Patterns

These poor socks were started 2 years go and the cold weather this week gave me the kick start to get them finished. All the details are here.
There is still time to enter the giveaway. I will draw the winner later tonight.

After a few requests I am slowly turning my patterns into downloadable PDF files and will add them to my Etsy Shop and Bigcartel shop as I finish them. They will be exactly the same as the the patterns that are mailed to you but I will email them to you as a PDF.

Giveaway

It is giveaway time! While sorting fabric on the weekend I realised I had 2 of these layer cakes so I thought I would give one away. It is Happy Campers by American Jane for Moda, and will also include 3 of my patterns that you can use a layer cake to make.

The rules are simple - leave a comment by Sunday night Western Australian time and I will randomly choose a winner. Open to everyone wherever you are.

Now I am heading back to the couch near the fire to sew bindings on these cot quilts and talk to Evie while she plays.

The Process Pledge

I have been planning on making a wallhanging/quilt for my Dad for at least a year. I have some ideas. I have some fabric, but I haven't been able to commit enough to start to cut and sew.

So I am taking the process pledge. I am not giving myself a timeline and there will be no pressure. I am just going to see what evolves.

I come from a farm in the wheatbelt where Dad has lived his entire life (in the same farm in the same house). I really love aerial pictures of the paddocks and so does Dad. We live under a flight path and I know Dad can pick the wheat bin near our house from a plane. So this is my idea - a quilt based on looking down on the farm.

In these bundles of hand dyed fabrics.

Sewing and Cooking

A small version of my Through the Square Window quilt pattern using Hunky Dory from Moda.
Love this fabric. It is girly without being too girly. In my shop.

I have some plans for this long weekend. It is Chris' birthday today and mine yesterday. Each year I find some outrageously chocolatey desert and make it for us. This year it is the Chocolate Mousse Cake from the last Donna Hay Magazine. Umm 400g of good chocolate in the mousse. If you don't hear from me for a while I'll just be lying down recovering.

Tomorrow I amd planning on making the Massaman Curry form Thai Food. A seriously delicious curry.

In Progress

Trimming half square triangles.
Cutting and sewing strips.

Little lamb girls.

Scenes from Sunday

A scarf for Amelia.
Sometimes the girls like to wear completely different clothes, sometimes they like to wear exactly the same thing and sometimes they like to wear 'same same, but different'.

Boots for everyone.

Crazy carrots.

Markets

I've never wanted to be psyhic, but it would be quite useful before markets. Sometimes I can sell out of hippos quickly and other times I won't sell one, but I sell lots of dogs. It is one month until Upmarket so I am trying to be a bit more organised this time. So elephants are being sewn.

I am taking some small quilts this time. I figure if I am going to sell them it will be in the middle of winter.

This is the quilt on out bed at the moment. It shows my favorite part of quilting - the texture after you finish a quilt and wash it.

There was a great moon the other night looking over the valley. I love being up high and seeing the clouds and fog.

Scarves and Lemon Cake

The girls have been bugging me for a scarf. This was very quick and easy. The second one is now on the needles. Details here.
We are getting lots of lemons off the tree at the moment. I made a lemon cake yesterday which disappeared very quickly. I love a cake which doesn't need icing as you can eat as soon as it has cooled. Measurements are all estimates as usual with my cooking.

Lemon Cake

125g butter
finely grated lemon rind from a lemon or two
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups SR flour
2/3 cup milk

Topping
Lemon juice from 2 lemons
1/4 cup sugar

Beat butter, rind and sugar. Mix in the eggs then the flour and then the milk.
Bake at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Mix the topping ingredients together and pour over the top.
Leave to cool for about 20 minutes in the tin and then remove from the in and cool on a wire rack.

Nest Quilt

It was just a little windy here yesterday which made taking photos of this quilt top was a little tricky. It was made using fabrics called Nest from Moda. This one has been cut out waiting to be sewn for quite some time, but I as unsure what I was going to do with the squares. I started with quite a differern layout, but yesterday it turned into this. Still thinking about how to quilt it - probably lots of straight lines as it is quite large.

What I'm Working On

A scarf for Grace.
A quilt....

...or two.

Some reading. I've finished Jasper Jones (which I recommend), half way through The Behaviour of Moths and Slow Food Nation will be next.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

I am joining in the Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.

I made this quilt for Eva just before she was born. It is just simple patchwork and appliques circles. I think I was in a bit of a rush. It is far from perfect, lots of wrinkles, but I love it and so does Eva.

Destash

Not much crafting this week and honestly I'm having trouble finding the sewing machine, pins, scissors under all the mess so a clean up is in order. It is time to let go of some fabric (I can't believe I am saying that). I am listing it on Etsy here. Hopefully actual craft in my next post.