Fabric talents - get your visa ready for damage...

Owl and dinosaur softie fabric by Saffron Craig

These fabric designs are bloody marvellous.

I challenge you to choose just one!

j

Who's that girl?!

j

Getting going 'gain...

It's been a while since the Janome and I had a date. Moving house, packing the stash, relocating things and still not having a set sewing space, have all combined, and I have no motivation.

However, a thrifted silk skirt (too small for my ample hips!) became a bag on the weekend, huge and roomy, with bamboo handles which make a lovely clunk when they meet. This one will stay with me I think.

While the machine was out, I made a skirt for Miss 2. Miss 2 loves twirling, and I love this Indonesian, rainbow batik fabric from work, so she got a new full-circle skirt for spinning in.


Today, dolly got a matching one..... (She and Mr Jess are watching the news...)


Do I have too much time on my hands?!?

Either way, it's nice to get going again.

j

The Generosity of Strangers...

After this post, I had an unexpected generous and kind offer of wooden doll house items to help furnish the abode. With nothing asked for in exchange, we were gob-smacked to receive this big and beautiful package.....

Jen is a big star in our house! Many, many thanks.

Master 6 is tickled pink that in our big house there is a doll house that has its own dollhouse! It causes great amusement. Miss 2 runs around with the Grandfather clock saying: "tick, tock, dock, mouse, down, one-one, dock, clock", which I find rather cute, and altogether we are very spoiled!

The renovations of the doll house are planned, with the lacy curtains gone, and new floor coverings planned. The current floor is felt, which is nice and soft, but perhaps a little dusty. What about carpet squares? Any suggestions?

This site has lots of wallpaper options that we will explore. I can't bring myself to touch the walls just yet, as they are so lovingly done. I will find some printable floors for doll houses for the reno though - they are hard to locate through google though!

Thanks again Jen - your generosity really touched us. We are measuring the figures for a bit of wardrobe though - and dolly-quilts have been ordered too! I will be busy...

j

200th post - and an award!

Thanks so mmuch to Steph from Bernice Bobs Her Hair, Shabby Chicken, Stitchy Britches and Blog Portion, (have I forgotten any??!) for this little award - my first in blog-land!

I will pass this on to the following lovelies that I feel always have something good to share:

Leni and Rose
Kootoyoo
The Small Stuff
RicRac
Consumption Rebellion
Hoppo Bumpo
A Little Bit Crafty

What a lovely way to round out 200 posts!!

j

199th post and 2 new blogs for you!

Just looking for doggie pics after reading

this post

which has a superb tutorial for decorating cupcakes, and found

this blog,

both of which I wanted to share.

pic courtesy of illustrationforkids.blogspot.com

j

Snifflies that work for the Earth

Silly post title, I know, but the kids and I have decided tissues are a waste of trees, as we ploughed through the last box. Instead of buying more, to cope with the inevitable Winter runny noses, we made a lid for the empty box using a painting of Miss 2's, and filled it with "nice soft hankies - like Granny's" (in the words of Master 6).

Easy.

Much more comforting, softer on the nose, and a great use of my vintage hankie collection!!



We borrowed the idea from somewhere - maybe Consumption Rebellion? Thanks!!

"Yay Mummy, house!!"

This was declared by Miss 2 at Vinnies today. She had spied with her little eye the most beautifully-made doll house. It came home in the car and she almost wanted to sleep in it tonight! We will renovate a little though... New curtains for a start! Yay! House!!

j

Snow makes way for blooms...

Seen in my new garden today...

Grape Hyacinths

Daffodils

Violets

Camellia

And it snowed here on Sunday?!

What season is it?!

Poncho pressie for pretty peeps.

The Day We Moved, my lovely friends colluded to look after the kids and this was magnificent. TLK and AM One daughter was having her party that day, and so Miss 2 could not go empty-handed.

The poncho was finished and here is the proof:

As I said in an earlier post (Fri Aug 1st), it is the first item I have blocked before sewing it up. It makes a world of difference. I'm really happy with it. It's made as two triangles, joined with a rolled neck. As it snowed here (in our garden!!) on Sunday, I think it may become a staple of Miss 3's wardrobe!!

J

May I have the Envelope Please?!

I am old-fASHIONED. There are random number generators, and there are 66 scraps of paper in a bucket...

This old dog needs no new tricks, so the random piece of paper pulled out of the bucket by the under-age helper, was......

Ali!!

Please contact me to arrange delivery of your parcel, which I will take pics of and post once posted (!?!), ok, mailed.

Thanks for all the comments. I encourage the reading of them! They are most entertaining.

Ali's first concert was Johnny Farnham

Photo courtesy poparchives.com.au

and her first album was Crowded House's first album. This was quite popular. What an Aussie rock chick ;-P

Photo courtesy rateyourmusic.com

Back to regular posting, now that blogger is happy to upload photos again. Yay!

j

Going, going, gone!

The moved happened, the phone is yet to go on, the computer is still in a box (maybe befriending the as yet unseen mobile phone charger...?!). We are hoping that the internet gets connected this week, and I am missing my technology!

At least the knitting made it in one piece though!

This weekend is the Craft and Quilt expo in Canberra. I am VERY excited. Very.

Will you be there?

The competition is still going for the giveaway, so keep going! It's been so entertaining! Have a read and a chuckle. Lots of INXS fans, lots of Julia fans, lots of confessions! Loving it.

Hopefully some photos soon - it's been a while! I will show you the giveaway goodies too!

J

Blown away, spurred on, kicking goals!

Thank you all for your great comments to the last post! I had no idea there were so many of you out there! And thanks to Bec and Bells for the links that have allowed new readers to find me and join in!

Blown away by the number of comments, I have been spurred on to complete a project that has been close on the heels of the piggle.

This poncho has been planned for TLK's daughter, however I have decided she needs it in red, so back to the wool shop (after the move!). This purple one has been completed for a friend who is generously looking after Miss 2 tomorrow while we shift all the furniture. Her daughter happens to be turning 3, so I have had a self-imposed time-pressure. It's the easiest pattern.

For a child from 2-4 years old, cast on 109 stitches on 4.0 mm needles. Knit 4 rows.

Next row, purl, then continue in stocking stitch (K row, purl row), but k2tog at the beginning and end of each knit row, until you have 47 stitches remaining. Break off yarn. Place these stitches on a stitch holder or spare needle.

Repeat so you have two pieces.

Now place both on the one needle, wrong side facing, and do a k1 p1 rib for 23 rows. Cast off purl-wise. Block the garment, sew the front seam, then the back seam, taking care to sew the neckline so that the seam is not visible when you turn the neckline. Two nights, three tops, and the garment is ready to be sewn up.

Mine are done in New Zealand Merino, 8 ply. Warm and easy to wash. This is the second of many.

As they say in The Castle, we're all kicking goals - it's done, blocked (never done this before - makes a world of difference to the finishing) - and added some polar fleece pockets. A couple of buttons to sew on and it's done.

After 20 years of knitting, having never blocked a piece in my life, I am even tempted to do a test square to check gauge! Also something I've never done...

This old dog is enjoying learning new tricks!

No idea how long the internet connection will take to install at the new address, but keep on adding to the Rockwiz post - at this rate there will be more than one pressie!


j