When the going gets tough - the tough get sewing

I have had tonsilitis all week, however have only just had time to notice. Mother-martyrdom prevented me from giving in to it. I say Mother-martyrdom, as I at least recognise the 'quality' I see in others, which is the 'life must go on', "I don't have time to be sick" mantra. I had made commitments to people, had babysitting to perform, hubby was away...)

In a last ditch effort to have some time to myself, nurture my heart, and find my sewjo, I hooked up with a dear friend and had an afternoon of childless sewing.

Let me set the scene.

An abandoned dining room, now permanently set up with:
Sewing machine and overlocker.
SIX large plastic storage boxes of fabrics.
TWO large plastic storage boxes of patterns.

MORE of both in the spare wardrobe.

Bottomless cups of tea.

Sliding Doors on in the background (mmm, John Hannah).

Table for cutting patterns.

Ironing station for pressing seams.

NO kids to disturb.

Magnificent cantaloupe/rockmelon (depending in which side of the Murray you grew up on).

Sushi train for dinner, (no rice paper rolls...)


Mamma Mia at the movies for dessert (yes, I went back for seconds).



Beautiful day.

Results:

One top cut out (me, the Simplicity 3835 that's all the rage ATM)
Two tops from start to finish (her)
One pair of pants cut and sewed (me)
One bib (me, for a friend's recent TWELVE POUND fourth child!)
Four items mended (us)

And the best night's sleep in ages.

Thanks K for a soulful day.

x

Rice paper rolls

I have blogged before about my dear friend TLK and her darling daughter. M is also 2, and a friend of Miss 2.

Photo by Bells

We met up today for coffee, during which the blog-less TLK told me something that made me nearly spit out my coffee.

Last night, TLK made rice-paper rolls. I thought M would love these, as she's not averse to eating, particularly carrots, cucumber, and anything else!


However they were not appealing to M, who unwrapped them, tipped out all the contents, and promptly used the rice paper wrapper to blow her nose.

Mmmm, rice paper rolls!

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

NEW etsy store for you!

No, it is not mine, although I am getting closer to thinking it would be a good idea...

My lovely friend in South Australia has a lovely friend called Tas, who has an etsy shop, little boozle. Super-cute, check it out!

Tas has (like many of us), a fine collection of vintage and new fabrics, trims, buttons, etc, and as a mum of 3 she knows what works on little peeps.

j

Saved by the Bell!

Just going through the motions of shutting down the computer, and saw a lovely email from Bells who has offered me a personal tutorial on the lace pattern that has my knickers in a knot.

Knitters are indeed warm and wonderful people.

I may just get that Green Jersey after all!! However in retrospect I should have gone for the Polka Dot King of the Mountain!

A Bag for the Cat Lady

My dear friend K with whom I toured Rutherglen recently, was exceedingly generous in her gifts to me.

K had spent a couple of weeks in Japan with family, and had bought me an entire stash of fabric, and a box of little origami fabric, waiting to be made into buttons, brooches, etc. I was quite overcome! As all good bloggers, out came the camera. This amused K, as she is not familiar with the blogging thing (a blogger novice - must get her hooked!)


As a thank you, I have made a little bag out of the fabric, finished the inside seams with a Japanese binding technique, and put a HUGE vintage button on the front pleat as a little adornment. K's favourite colours are RED and GREEN, so I hope she likes it!!!!


I have broken two needles trying to finish the top seam (two denim needles.....) and so it remains pinned whilst I drum up the courage to complete it. I had hoped to send it last week but alas.... Still, I am very happy with it! I want to whip up another tomorrow for my Sister-In-Law's birthday on Wednesday!

Kym's Savoury Muffins

An Amazing Woman I Know is a mother to three under 3 (one set of twins), volunteers for the local SES, and does many other things, including baking. She is famous for these, which I highly recommend:

Kym’s Savoury Muffins

1 ½ cups Self Raising Flour

1 cup grated cheese (well packed)

1 cup chopped cooked bacon

1 onion finely diced and fried

200g tomato paste

4 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp powdered chicken stock

2 tsp crushed garlic (or to taste)

¼ cup oil

½ cup milk

1 egg

The ingredients above are all approximate measures only. Vary the amounts to your own taste. The tomato paste is about 1/3 of a large jar – there is no need to weigh it. I often put in more cheese and bacon than above.

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

• Combine the flour, cheese, bacon, onion, sugar, chicken stock and garlic in a large bowl and mix together.
• Combine the tomato paste, oil, milk and egg in another bowl and beat together with a fork.
• Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix together thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
• The mixture should be the thickness of a usual muffin mix – not as runny as a cake mix, but still moist.
• Spoon into a muffin tin, mini muffin tin, mini quiche tin or in doubled patty pans.
• Cook in preheated oven until top springs back when lightly pressed. This will take approx the times below, depending on the size of the tin used.

Tin	Approx. Time
Mini Muffin	11 mins
Mini Quiche	15 mins
Patty Pans	18 mins
Muffin	20 mins

• Cool slightly before removing from tin. (they will be quite soft when warm due to the melted cheese, but will harden when cooled)
• Eat warm or cold.

Kym has used many variations including:

• ham and spring onion to avoid frying bacon and onion
• crab and sun dried tomato (leave out tomato paste)
• Chilli and Corn (leave out tomato paste and use creamed corn and corn kernels)
• Green and red capsicum (with powdered vegetable stock)
• Curry paste and coriander (cilantro).

j

For the baby

I went to school with a Most Lovely Gal who introduced me to the delights of Williamstown, and miss her very much now we don't live in Melbourne.

She is about to become Mum for a second time, and I am very thrilled to be making some little lovelies for the baby.

She has always loved kids' books, and so I want to make singlets for the baby based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar. (Click for cool links for kids' craft).

I am working on 'On Tuesday he ate through two pears' in embroidery and with applique. I love it! Maybe every birthday and Christmas I can do the next page in the book in the appropriate size!?

Photos to come when it's finished.

I'm also finishing this quilt for the baby, my first proper attempt at quilting (photo from a previous post). It's just going to be a pram one or a floor quilt as I was using fabrics in the stash:


I have to read some tutorials and discover how to bind it... Maybe I can be Beki when I grow up! Her quilting makes it all seem so easy... And maybe I'll finally use the Clover Bias Tape Maker Curlypops inspired me to buy!!


x

Lovely friends send lovely parcels!

My dear, dear, dear friend Emma lives Too Far Away, and I am touched that she pops in to the blog now and then to see what I have been doing.

She is the God Mother of Master 6, and is such a treasured friend. Hubby went to Uni with her and her hubby Many Moons Ago.

She sent these lovely items and some knitting books as she thought they would be happy here! I am thrilled, and just love them.



Thanks Em!!!


x

Sad day!

For anyone that has been reading from the beginning, I was spurred on to start this blog by an amazing woman I met through a Women's Group here in Canberra.

She is talented in so many creative spheres, and was the person I needed to meet, who just said: 'Give it a go'. She believed in me well before I did, and she showed me how to achieve so much.

The generous girl has a sewing room/studio to die for, a stash that would make you weep tears of joy, and the skills to do it all. She and another 2 friends and I have done markets together we have been so prolific!

After 8 years at home with kids, she starts back in the workforce on Monday, and I Will Miss Her So Much!

Good Luck Dear Jen thank you for everything you have done for the group, for me, and for being so open and honest in blogland, it has been amazing - keep blogging - we all love you!!!!


Check out her 3 years of amazing posts by clicking any of the above links! (Photo 'borrowed' from her blog - I'll edit it out later!)


x

Ironing anyone?

When I made Mum's Peg Bag, I also found this fabric, which is chuckle-worthy as I love vintage prints, domestic prints, and things that make me Smile. Ironing is not something I love, (clearly, as this fabric has been pre-washed but not ironed...). HOWEVER, a friend gave Miss 2 and Master 6 an ironing board for the cubby house. It is old, wooden, a super-cute, but I thought it needed a face-lift :-)

My first attempt at using a staple gun (thanks Jen!) and now I am stapling everything in sight!


x

Cool Summer Top Idea

Thanks to Eilleen at Consumption Rebellion for this great idea for a Cool Summer Top, from craftster here. Today she dropped in the cutest silk scarf top for Miss 2! Thanks!

Camera playing up so I will pop in a pic over the next few days. This is the photo from the link:



What a great idea for all those beautiful scarves you see at op-shops/thrift stores. I thought I'd give this a try really soon (but after the buttons get a look-in!)

Good Night!