Not quite making that quilt ...

My smallest was home sick today (yes we use the term loosely - she has been bouncing off the walls all day) so instead of continuing with the quilt she voted that we should make cushions.
So we did.
Fabric from Ikea.
Other bits from Spotlight.

Zips were popped in with a flap to cover the zip - except for the last one. I cut it before I folded it - oops.
I was obviously too excited as it was the last one.

The helper lasted almost one cushion then became very busy making her frog.
She is very clever.

Getting started

There has been thinking
There has been planning
There has been scribbling

and today there has been cutting
combined with a whole lot of hoping....
hoping that it all works out
hoping that I can get this quilt finished in time for an upcoming visit back east
hoping that I can deliver it to that cute little nephew myself.

At last ... something

Sewing mojo missing in a box somewhere.
Possibly in the same place as Martha The Mannequin's legs - she's not as helpful without them .... Can't find them anywhere after the move.  The poor girl is legless AND has no pants on - we all know that is a recipe for disaster.
But today, at last, I made something.
Just tea-towels for a school fete.
But at least that is something.
Who knows what may follow ???

Turtles (or is it a tortoise?)

Nothing to do with sewing or anything crafty ....
We went for a Father's Day picnic at Lake Joondalup and found these two little fellows strolling along a bike track.
How cute are they???
They're now safely back in the reeds & water away from bike tyres, crows and an enthusiastic 7yr old who was insisting that we bring them home.
They made our day - especially when one of them pooped on Dad's hand! 

Thinking

Thinking about lots of things here.
Not much doing but lots of thinking.  If that balance is wrong I get a bit frazzled, a bit down and a bit frustrated.
Too much thinking isn't always a good thing.
So as the Perth rain pours down outside I'm going to DO.
This will of course require me to stop cruising on the mac.
Stop flipping through Pinterest, Facebook, blogs and the many other time vacuums that I have been letting suck up my day.

It has been a while since I've thought of really starting a new quilt....
My recent 18 month quilt for daughter number 2 which is now finished (kind of ... in a throw on your bed and I'll hand stitch some more on it later kind of way) has really upset the momentum of quilting.
It took a LONG time and to be honest I didn't really enjoy it.
This next one will hopefully be quicker.
A cot quilt for a cute little nephew who is has turned 1 already (crikey, how did that happen?).
I'm thinking crosses or squares in plains ... maybe
Inspired by some clever people found on Pinterest

Now that I've told you guys I will have to do it - right ??

Hope you are "DOING" lots
Cheers
Jenny

Legs

My smallest is not so small.

She is still quite young but is tall and skinny with the longest legs.

Her jeans are way above her ankles long before she has outgrown them around her middle.

Snip, stitch and press and now we have denim capri pants!

I'm feeling chuffed and pleased with myself  right now- yes, I should get out more ....

Apparently these pants are very good for jumping.
Styling by the 7yr old.

Quilt No 6 Finished ... sort of....

Way back in another year (crikey, Jan 2012) and another state (ie we lived in Vic not WA) the second child chose the fabrics for her quilt at Amitie with the help of Lucy.

She has been very disappointed with the progress of HER quilt for quite some time.  Regularly suggesting that it will "never, ever, ever (insert sigh, pre-teen humphing and eye roll) get finished".

Ta da!!! Now it is finished  ....  sort of.

Finished enough to be on the bed and the couch and dragged around the house.

Finished enough to make a quilt ninja.

It still needs some more hand quilting in spots but that can happen another day ... or not.


The 2nd child is happy and now I can think about the next one .... which will hopefully not take quite as long.

Hope your projects are quicker than mine!

Cheers
Jenny

Mum

Last week a very special lady took her last breath surrounded by her loving family.

During our last weekend with her we laughed, joked and cried as we held her hands, played music she loved and we even crocheted.
Weird I know, but it felt right.
Her wool, her hooks, in her bedroom just being with her.

It was the blind leading the blind as my sisters, a cousin, an Aunt and I tried to teach each other to crochet in honour of the expert that lay beside us.

Occasionally she blessed us with a smile, rolled her eyes (probably in horror at our lack of skill) and squeezed hands.  She was no doubt thinking "how am I related to these crazy, clumsy crocheters?".

My big sister's free-style dog -  very cool considering the last time she held a crochet hook was many decades ago.  She's the arty one.

My little sister's love heart which is just beautiful.  She had never held a crochet hook before.

It was a gift to be able to share that time with her and each other.

We joined our wonderful creations together to make a garland that my brothers, sisters and I draped over her casket - covering her with our love one last time.

She may not have approved of the quality but she would have been very impressed with all of the love, tears and determination hooked into every stitch.

Mum, we love you and we miss everything about you.
I know that you are now smiling, back in Dad's arms.
xx

Learning

I spent some time with my Mum in Geelong, Victoria last weekend which was lovely.

We talked and laughed and cried.  

We do that, although the tears are relatively new.

There is not a lot of time for talking left.

We went through one of her knitting / crochet bags - trust me there are MANY- and talked about crochet.  In her time she has been brilliant at it.  Anything from hankys to tablecloths, she has crocheted the lot.  So many teeny tiny stitches in teeny tiny cotton to produce such delicate pieces that have been given to family as gifts or made on request.

Mum has tried to teach me crochet before. My tangled, awkward fingers and shonky stitches made us both laugh.

So on the weekend we tried again.

As she rested in bed we talked a little about stitches and fingers.  Her frail hands showed me how to hold the wool the way she does and she did a few chain before her body said it was too tired for crochet.  

Now I'm back in Perth with one of Mum's hooks. 

With some help from Ravelry and some clever ladies on youtube I'm slowly learning.

Learning the stitches.

Learning the language.

Learning slowly to understand a crochet pattern.

Learning the hard way that I should have made time for these lessons years ago with someone very special who is an expert.

Fancy that - finished something

Had a burst on the clickety-clackers and finished the blue scarf that was started ... hmmm,  was it last winter?

Made for a man that doesn't feel the cold, doesn't really fancy scarves and who know lives in a state where the average winter temperature to date has been a sunny 20 degrees*.
Probably should have thought this through before I started it.
Wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills,
Pattern Heirloom 342 "flag scarf"

Ah well. He did wear it the other night whilst sitting at the table doing some work just to say it had been worn. Bless him.

*Who knew winter could be like this? No drizzle and no icy, 'so cold it hurts' wind.