June Sewing Challenge - Finished Product

Here is my skirt - everyone says it looks good on, but I don't know if I like it as much as I wanted to!  I might be feeling brave enough tomorrow to get someone to take a photo of me modelling it.  It was fairly simple and quick to make, which is good because we've had a business meeting today and all the family has become ill with this virus that is doing the rounds, so there hasn't really been a lot of spare time.  Always time for some creativity though ...

No going back now - June Sewing Challenge part 2

This is my bedroom floor on Sunday afternoon - I was busy drafting up a pattern for my Frida skirt.  Having to use my noggin to try and work out some simple maths to get the sizes right - finally got there after much head scratching and scribbling on paper.  Can you see the small black blob in the top left hand corner of the pic?  It looks like a tribble from vintage Star Trek.  They were so cute, if not a little troublesome.

Anyway ... I have now cut out the fabric.  Usually I would recommend making a practise garment out of an old sheet or unwanted fabric, but as someone pointed out to me recently, June is nearly over and I didn't have enough time for that so it's fully into sewing the main garment.  At least it's a simple shape.  Tomorrow I will know if this means it's simple to make :)

Sunny flowers to warm you up on a winter's day ...

Today as I was walking into school people were puffing out steam into the cold air, greeting me with 'it's freezing isn't it' and I would reply 'yes, isn't it', when what I really wanted to say was 'yes, isn't it ... wonderful'!  I wanted to run around in circles, with aeroplane arms, enjoying being able to move without my body melting into a clammy heap!!  Don't get me wrong, I remember playing in the snow when I was little, my gloves soaked through and so, so, bitingly cold; I was the most miserable kid on the block.  But it was only 8 degrees today, and that's a good winter's day for the UK.  I guess if there are people who like hot weather, there are bound to be people who like the cold.  It's what makes us all so unique, our likings for difference!

Enjoy the flowers, they are bound to warm the cockles of your heart! :)

Hot pud for a cold night!

There's nothing better than comfort food on a cold winter's evening - and how about this for a star turn?  It's a delicious chocolate pudding, made to a secret recipe!  Actually, it's from my best birthday buddy, who helps me celebrate my birthday by sending me a chocolate cake recipe seeing as she can't make us a joint birthday choccie cake whilst we're continents apart.  What a lovely way to honour our special day.

It was -1 degree last night - the second coldest temperature on record for WA.  I'm running round like a kid in a lolly shop because of the colder weather, whilst my family sit shivering.  I love all this dressing up in winter woolies, piling logs on the fire and stuffing hot water bottles into bed at night.  My hubby has started calling me 'Arctic La'.  Oh well, it will be summer before you know it, so I'm going to enjoy this cold spell while it lasts.  Keep warm!  xxxx

Update

Think I'm getting a cold. Feeling very sorry for myself :(

Been having fun today working on my dream as part of the Dream Boogie course by Sark - see my little badge in the top right hand corner.  Take a look at her site to see what's happening on Planet Sark - it's a pretty amazing place. 

Ciao for now - going to bed with a nice cup of tea (cures everything) and a hot water bottle.  Bliss.  ;)

Sewing challenge

This June I'm taking part in a sewing challenge - see the image in the sidebar or click the link here.  The challenge for this month is to design something ourselves.  As I'm not really very experienced at pattern drafting I'm aiming for something simple yet spectacular!  I have this awesome fabric in my stash and I've decided to make an a-line skirt with it, using the Frida fabric and a coloured plain fabric to make the back and front panels.  Think there may well be some embellishing on the plain fabric panel as well.  At this stage all I've done is draw a rough sketch of what I want to achieve and I'm hoping that the simplicity of the design will mean that it all comes together pretty quickly.

Here I am sitting with my left hand in a wrist brace - it was my right hand earlier in the year if you remember.  It doesn't feel like carpel tunnel this time; I've basically overworked my hands with all this crochet and sewing and made my muscles ache!  Anyway, I did some research on the web and have found a supplier in Australia of therapeutic craft gloves, they seem as if they'd be really effective.  I'm persuaded so I'll be buying a pair and trying them out.  I believe it's better to take action now and relieve the problem rather than do nothing, do lots of damage and end up never being able to craft and paint again.  I would be a lost little soul indeed!

Overwhelmed ... but still creating!

For the past few days (weeks if I'm honest) life has been terribly overwhelming.  There's been a lot to do with the kids, planning for their futures at school, scary that they are growing up so quickly.  Plus my starting work - I have to ask again - how do working mums do it?  I'm just forgetting so much, feeling flustered, rushing everywhere, and twice this week I was late for school pick-up.  Hats off to women who work full-time and have a family that's all I can say!

I have been crafting with avengence in the evenings though, it's one of the activities that keeps me sane!  That and eating chocolate.  :)  My afghan squares are all sewn together and I'm working on the border, it's been a pleasant activity these chilly winter evenings to have a chunky blankie on my lap whilst I've been working on the edging.  As you can see from the photo I'm also working on my hexagon quilt.  I call it my 'hanging on in there' quilt.  I've been working on it since Feb 2005, shortly after my arrival in Australia.  It's not been an easy journey starting a new life here and at times all that has kept me going is the quilting - the thought that I can finish something and have complete control of it.  Even my husband has commented that the quilt has been a great help in keeping my spirits up.  So when I finally finish it, it will truly have been a labour of love.  Thought I would take a photo of the back of the patchwork as you rarely see that side in all the quilting books and it will be permanently covered soon enough - it has a beauty all of its own don't you think?

Craft to the rescue

Tonight is one of those nights.  I'm feeling a bit sad because after an epic struggle with my little man who is over tired and wouldn't have his teeth cleaned, he has switched allegiance and asked his dad to read him a bedtime story.  And after I'd rescued him from a stray scorpion in the bathroom too.  Sometimes being a mum is pants ...

That's all I've got to say really.  I'm off to soothe what is left of my sanity with some crochet.  Never fails.

Added later in the evening: below is my crochet square - how could that not cheer you up?  Oh and my little man got out of bed to give me a hug, so now I'm feeling a lot happier :)
 

Messing around - creatively of course

Here's my little chad, who's very excited because in a week's time I am getting some new spondooly PURPLE framed spectacles (and a pair of sunnies with some gold bling!).  My prescription has barely changed, which is good, so I decided to get some newer model specs as my present ones have lasted 6 years, have been sat on several times, an arm snapped off by a baby, left in silly places, etc, etc. and are nearing retirement.

Do you ever start something then wish you hadn't?  I had the terrific idea of stamping my "wot ..." message for my chad, but hadn't realized that the rubber stamp bits hadn't been stuck onto the wooden handles (must be why they were so cheap!)  Well, I thought, this will only take a minute ...  after getting mixed up with the backwards b, d, p and q, I nearly lost it and reverted back to using my pen, but having a stubborn gene I did persevere and the little wooden sticks and rubber bits didn't end up in the bin.  You can see what fun my daughter and I had testing out my new stamps on a page from my little purple notebook, which travels with me everywhere.  It's full of inspiration for my next artworks, quotes I've heard, ideas for stories, phone numbers, doodles, you name it.  I think it's worth carrying something like this around with you, even if it's simply to put mum's addresses from school in. 

I'm always going on about portable creativity; you can be creative anywhere.  I've got over my anxiety about being seen as a granny and now take my knitting with me in my bag.  Came in very useful today at the swimming pool.  Didn't matter either if it got splashed as I'm going to felt the knitting when it's done - so no excuses to not be creative when you're on the move!  By the way I was watching someone swim, rather than swimming whilst knitting :)

120 Grannies

Look at the lovely sight that met me when I came out of my bedroom this morning.  120 afghan squares, completed.  Yay!  Now I have to sew them all together ...