Craft Fair and another Butterfly Hat

I went to the Craft Fair child free on Friday.  After a rotten week battling tonsilitis hanging out with crafty friends and a bit of retail therapy was just what the doctor ordered.

I enjoyed it more than previous years.  There were some new stallholders and quite a lot more wool craft than before.  I came home with a few modest purchases.

A gorgeous little bunny pattern from the girls at Under The Mulberry Tree.  A pattern and yarn to make a crocheted top for Maddie.  An equilateral triangle ruler for making strippy quilts.  And this Noro book which will work perfectly for homespun yarn.

Yesterday I managed to finish my second butterfly hat.  I love the colour.  It was to be a Christmas present for my MIL but it is too big for her little head so I am claiming it.

I am spinning some lovely fine multi-coloured optim.  I can't wait to see it finished.

A pile of books rocked up from book depository today so they will be my Christmas present (I might have had a teensy peek at a few of them but I promise no more than that!)

And I have to buy some fabric online today as I couldn't get it at the Craft Fair (surprisingly no one had precuts this year!)  I really LOVE the new Bluebird Park range by Moda (OMG - that denim look blue with red birds - I think I want a dress out of it!!!) and then there is scrumptious by Bonnie and Camille (who I just love!)

All in all, quite a crafty week!
Keep smiling,
Nell

Crafty stuff

Hello bloggy friends,
It feels like a long time.
I have had so much to write and so little time to write it in.
I wanted to write about my grandfather, who is so dear and so wonderful, and who left us earlier this month but then that post was waiting for photos and now it is such a beautiful spring day that it doesn't seem right to be sad.
There has been crafting, LOTS of crafting, especially with my beautiful consultants, and my awesome quilting group.  I feel really blessed to have both of these groups of friends in my life.

Last weekend my Close to My Heart Consultants and friends went to Glenbarr Homestead for our annual retreat.  Lots of laughs and fun and I managed about 60 pages.  Close to My Heart have negotiated a fabulous deal for consultants to purchase their own cricut cheaply so we really gave that baby a workout.  We went through one mat and two sets of blades but you should have seen the pages and cards that resulted.  I will really try to post photos of them soon.  I also learnt how to mask and use the daubers to make lovely shading.  It has become my new favourite thing!

Then Wednesday night we celebrated my quilty/knitty friend Anne's 70th birthday.  Anne is the coolest 70 year old I know.  When I am 70 I hope to be just like her.  She still adores life, she laughs at EVERYTHING, even herself, and she is so much fun to be around.  My quilty/knitty friends have been so important to me this year.  They help me to smile through the grey bits.  They sympathise and understand and they always make me laugh.

 I feel bad that I haven't finished a single quilt this year. NOT ONE.  At least I do have some crafty projects to show you.  The first is my Quaker Shawl by an amazing designer called "Stitchnerd" (look on ravelry or check out her blog on my side bar)

The wool is handspun from Kathy's Fibres Winter Fibre club in a merino/baby camel blend (sooo soft and squishy with a lovely drape). 

 The second project is the Sean the Sheep Cowl.  This pattern is so easy that I have now made three of them. So easy and so addictive and really doesn't use much wool at all.

Cowls are so great for kids as they can't get caught or pulled tight like scarves can.  Maddie and Hannah both have one and I have made one in bunny/merino handspun which I will probably sell or gift.  

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Keep smiling,

Nell

Getting into the Groove

This dear boy started school this week.  He went off happily and confidently.  It felt good knowing that he has an awesome teacher, and a great group of classmates going through from kindy with him.

He was extra happy to see one of his favourite people, Kathy (who volunteers at our kindy and had popped in just to help settle them all - Kathy is one of the sweetest people I have ever met so I can understand Dan's crush on her!)

It has taken Maddie and I a while to get used to being "home alone" just the two of us!  I worked Tuesday and Wednesday but today I feel like we have truly found our new groove - just the right mix of housework and playtime.  I took Maddie to Spinners and Weavers (how very strange to just have one little person with me!) and she played quite happily so that I could actually get some spinning done!  There may or may not have been a little bit of adding to the stash (but I figure I have earned it with all the destashing and finishing and purging I have done lately!

Look how organised my storage looks in the new craft room!

On the weekend I also managed to finish my last project for January - my gorgeous ex-pat SIL sent me this tea towel last Christmas and I thought it was much too nice to use as a tea towel.

So now I need to start thinking about February projects (including the dreaded caterpillar quilt!)
Happy Thursday to you,
Keep smiling,
Nell

Fireman Dan and a bit of crafting

Today Dan and I went to the Metropolitan Fire Station for his kindy excursion.  I think the look on his face says it all.  Lovely to have this day with just my boy (and the upside has been the snuggles and cuddles I have had since we have been home; he even said to me "Mummy, you are just my treasure" - heart melting)

Life has been busy (even busier than usual LOL) here so not a whole heap of crafty stuff happening.  There has been this school hat for Hannah.  The pattern is from Ann Budd's "Knitted Gifts" book.  I am a bit disappointed that the cable just kind of disappears in the mottled wool.  The wool is pre-dyed Romney tops that I have spun up into a thickish 8 ply.  After the hat there are matching mittens and a scarf (which I will have to make up to match as the pattern is only for a hat and mittens!)

Hannah has also been invited to a spate of birthday parties lately so I made these to go with a little gift.  Quick and easy - 15 minutes in front of the telly and I think they are kind of fun.

I did manage to finish 3 quilt tops on the long weekend so I've also been busy organising backing and binding for them so that I can send them down to Emma for quilting!
Happy Friday!
Keep smiling,
Nell

Inspired?

How could you not get excited about issues one and two of vignette arriving in your letterbox on the same day?
How could you not get excited about Kathy's new wool/cotton sock yarn in the most rainbow-est of colours (which she tempted me with the very day after I promised my sister I would not knit the divine Miss S. anymore clothes)  I can see the sweetest little rainbow dress... I had to cast on within an hour of bringing this yummy skein home and now I am just up to the armholes on the front bodice LOL.

There has been crafting happening in amongst school open nights, Creative Memories parties and workshops, kindy fundraisers, and quite a few TRT days.  BUSY but fun.  I've been creating blog posts in my mind but just not gone beyond that!

We are off to the beach house for the long weekend.  Think I'll take my knitting...

A Baby Update!

Forgive the clumsy belly shot but here we are at 36 weeks and 3 days. We have had a very eventful time of it late last week. Wednesday night I started getting Braxton Hicks contractions at about 11.00pm and they continued right through the night becoming more and more painful. Fell asleep in the wee hours and then went off to do my last kindy teaching day Thursday (thinking "they're only Braxton Hicks - I'll be right!") By Thursday afternoon the girls had called for teaching back up and I was on my way to the hospital to get it checked out! They hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor and left me for half an hour (and of course my body went "aahh! So nice to just lie here!" and did absolutely nothing!) The midwives sent me home and told me to rest up as they can't deliver babies at Mt Barker until 37 weeks (and I was just 36) Had an okay night Thursday but still with lots of twinges (and Friday night was just horrendous) so had a very quiet time of it for Friday and Saturday - had to cancel out of so many things - no craft show, no wine auction, no unit christmas dinner, no quilting group :(

Anyway, things seemed a bit better yesterday and today I saw my doctor and she thinks I'm probably a bit sore and bruised from all of the movements and hasn't ruled out a gastro type bug for causing the contractions in the first place. My uterus has dropped and bubby is head down and engaged so she is doubtful that I will last to due date of Dec 4. All of this excitement has been good for one thing - we've been cruising along and haven't organised car seats or the bassinette or the baby's room. This weekend, while I rested, James moved furniture around so that the baby's room is more or less ready. He put up the blinds in that room, and moved the guitars and amps etc into our room. Today I rang up about the baby capsule and washed the basinette mattress and sheets etc.

I even darned the ends in on the finished shawl (which should look lovely with the white bassinette and the red spotty fabric on the quilt and change mat)
Because I've not been up to doing anything the kids have had a wild time trashing the house:

The quilts and bears have been displaced by guitars and are now residing by the front door (which looks kind of homey anyway!)


My wonderful friend Nic (and her great friends on the essential baby website) have been getting together a stash of the most gorgeous newborn fitted nappies for me - they are all washed and ready to go and I keep sneaking in to look at them because I can't believe how tiny and cute they look!

Hannah has been creating artwork for the baby's room (including this precious family portrait!)

And in amongst it all I've finished off two pairs of fluffy bootees, knitted more on a soft camel coloured baby cardigan, and completely finished these Christmas baubles (enough for Kris Kringles, stocking fillers, teacher gifts etc etc!) Marg Low and Yvonne have a lot to answer for!!!

Hospital bag is being packed tonight and camera batteries recharged and then we will just sit and wait!
Thank goodness the Christmas shopping is done!!!
Keep smiling,

Nell

Happiness is...

"What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life" Leo Buscaglia (a very clever man with some wonderful insights into children!) So what is making me blissfully happy at this point in time:

- a garden gone crazy in the Spring sunshine; my jasmine is finally tall enough to trail through the climbing sympathie rose at the front door; self sown sweet peas that smell divine (and have been given away in huge bunches); picking armloads of roses to cart indoors - we all have flowers in our rooms.

More happiness: working at kindy three days last week and two the week before that and then three again this week - lovely to have that last hurrah teaching before bubby arrives

- getting ready for the new arrival; I made this little owl outfit a while ago but hadn't got around to blogging it. The growsuit was completed first and then I found the lovely owl fabric at Kirkbride Quilts on our Retreat weekend - matches so well doesn't it? I used the bloomer pattern from Amy Butlers "Little Stitches for Little People"

I also started the pinwheels for the baby's quilt yesterday - love this fabric and I was just so glad to finally make a start after putting it off for so long! The kids took advantage of the hot day to help me scrub down and wash the pram and all the assorted baby bits and pieces! It was so lovely outside that we even ate tea in the back yard.

These little farm animal softies are for the baby's Christmas present (although I think the older two will enjoy them just as much as they've already been pre-tested and met with approval!) The pattern is out of Country Threads magazine and was so easy that I will probably end up making some more as gifts and for the Softies for Mirabel campaign.

I also cut out the fabric for the two little Mochi kangaroos I am making for my little British nephew and niece - so watch this space; hoping to have them finished next weekend.

All in all, flowers and crafting and time spent with the kidlets is making me a very happy Mummy!


Wherever you are, whoever you are, Happy spring!

Keep smiling,

Nell

Some eye candy from Christmas in July

Finally some eye candy from the Xmas in July Gathering from last weekend. First is the stitchery that most of us worked on. Quite a bit of chain stitch and easy enough that I got it finished that night.

Jane and Rosalie had done a lovely job on setting up the hall with all of Rosalie and Leanne's beautiful projects (and Jane and her girls did an exquisite job of decorating with lovely suffolk puff tinsel and Christmas trees - there was even a little Christmas tree near the handbasin in the loo!)

I love Leanne's Merry and Bright wall hanging - so nice to see some contemporary fabric on a Christmas piece. She had also used part of the stitchery to decorate a linen tablecloth and napkins (which could be a good present for MIL if I wasn't so busy doing other things LOL)

Rosalie was just lovely, very down to earth and approachable. I got her to autograph my copy of her book "Gift" but didn't get a photo with her as it felt a bit too much like a crazed fan. I was trying to explain the significance of meeting Rosalie and Leanne to my hubby post-event and the best I could come up with was "it is kind of like you meeting Mark Webber!" LOL

Unfortunately Leanne's poor daughter was quite ill so meeting Leanne will have to wait until some other time!

Blogger is being very frustrating and doing strange things to my photos so I will have to post some photos of finished projects in a separate post.

No exciting stitching this weekend as I have to sew up two pairs of pants ready to put in fly zips at my alterations course on Monday night.

It is Woodpatch Quilters Exhibition day at the Lobie town hall tomorrow so I am looking forward to that!

Keep smiling,

Nell

Christmas in July Swap

I have finally finished all of the bits for my Christmas in July swap through Mrs Martin's Quilt Shop. Bundled it up and posted it this week so now waiting to see what I receive back from Val. Two tricky parts to this challenge; my swap partner likes yellow fabric (not an easy colour to find Christmas fabric in!) and I had to give her something beginning with "V" - ended up with Vodka and Crushed Berry sauce but thinking about it afterwards I should have got a packet of violet or viola seeds!

The bag is adapted from Gail Pan's Christmas Block of the Month (I did an extra block with this swap in mind) Not happy about how the bag is a bit skewiff at the top but as a gift bag it is okay!

My friend Yvonne put me onto this ornament pattern by Marg Low - so quick and easy and I've made quite a few now. You can't see it properly but the felt has a glitter effect over it. Pretty kitsch for other projects but should be good on a Christmas tree to catch the light?

So anyway Val, I hope you like it. Now I can concentrate on getting Nessie's quilt finished before her bubby arrives in August (then better think about a quilt for our own bump!)

Last weekend was the end of my camera course (Yay!) and I also had a lovely morning at the Patchwork Apple with Sara, Vicki and Yvonne finishing off our Mystery Indulgences Project (would show you but it is still a "mystery") Sara is just the best teacher so we learnt heaps of neat finishing tricks (and all being Queens of Multi-tasking we girls managed to get plenty of talking and eating chocolate biscuits in between the stitching!) Quilting with Apple Piecers again this weekend so Nell is a happy camper!

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

p.s.blogger is being uncooperative and won't let me move photos so apologies that they are not in order where they should be!