Sunday 30 August 2009

ufo from the past...





We went to visit the newest addition to our family, a new great niece. We are up to 26 great nieces and nephews so far! Before my youngest son was born I wanted to learn to smock, which I did in anticipation of having a girl. My third son was born so I had to change tact and I learnt to picture smock, as there are a lot of great boyish patterns in picture smocking. 9 months after he was born our first great nephew was born which then started an avalanche of great nieces. At last I had the girls to smock for. As each one was born they would receive at least one smocked dress and the boys got a romper. I lost a bit of enthusiasm after a few years mainly due to smocking for 'pay'. Haggling over the cost of a bullion rosebud and people not wanting to pay for your work even though they sold the clothing sight unseen. I haven't completed any smocked gifts for quite a few years and patchwork has become my passion. I have a large stash of smocking ufo's. Rompers and dresses in various states of 'incompletedness'. With this new birth it has prompted me to look through these little packages and see if I can get inspired to finish some. A resolution must be made.
I thought I would share some pics of these treasures in order to inspire me to finish some.
Now which one do I start with?
cheers
Marina


ps. I think this is the modern smocker's must have books. Australian Smocking and Embroidery by Country Bumpkin publications. I don't think I ever bought an edition that I didn't use a pattern from. They are just gorgeous and the patterns for the garments are included and the photography is beautiful too. You can't tell from the photo but these in particular are quite worn and dog eared from use.

Friday 28 August 2009

another little miss


Here is the latest addition to the Little Maids stitcheries- Miss Polynesia. I have stitched her in variegated and solid coloured threads.
My next projects will be some Christmas stitcheries that I have traced. Perfect to take to tennis tomorrow!
Today I popped into Spotlight to pick up some pellon and I found some fabrics that made a lovely addition to my stash that I am accumulating to make DH a quilt of his own.
Tomorrow we will be having our new upright cooker installed. After 24 years of service it is time to put the old girl out to pasture and make way for the new girl. The new girl is a lovely stainless steel model quite modern compared to the brown enamel one. I told DH not to expect me to go crazy cooking just because of the new stove. Let's just say I cook because we have to eat, I would much rather spend the extra time crafting.
A new fancy cooker will not a chef make!
I am still waiting on the figtree fabrics I ordered so that I can start my projects for the Stitcher's angel swap. I had hoped they would have come by now. I feel so far behind as project 3 is out next monday. Once I get started I know that I will get it all done I am just so eager to start. Patience...
cheers for now
Marina

Sunday 23 August 2009

lazy maisie...


I have just been visiting Lynette Anderson's blog and she has a gorgeous ginger cat called Felix. She has posted a pic of him chilling out and when I turned around to see what my Princess was doing this is the sight that greeted us!
God, let me come back as a cat!
Cheers for now
Marina

Saturday 22 August 2009

craft group saturday.




The sun is shining beautifully here, a promising start to the day. Great wash weather.
Had a great catch up with one of my bom projects-sewing the borders on the completed blocks. I have the final two blocks ready to go and next month it will be the 'put together' instructions. Then another project will be complete.
I picked up a darning foot for my sewing machine and I can't wait to have a go at some machine quilting. Also picked up some waffle cotton for the stitcher's angel project. The first project is on Helen Stubbings blog. The theme is 'roses'. My swap partner loves Figtree quilt fabrics so I thought I would try to get some to use in the projects. Their fabrics are just beautiful and lovely to look at all the fabrics in each collection. They have a lovely range called gypsy rose which I think ties in well with the swap theme. I found some on e-bay so they should be making their way here this week-then I can start!
I have managed to finish my next little maids embroidery- Little miss Japan. I thought I would have a go at stitching her in coloured threads instead of just the red work. I just had to do her hair black and the rest of the colours came from there. I must check the pattern to see the colours used on there. I have traced a few to have handy as a 'pick up and go' project. Perfect to take to caft group this morning!
Just need to do a few jobs before I go and then off to a morning with my craft friends.
Have a lovely weekend.
cheers
Marina

Sunday 16 August 2009

flowers and stitchers angel swap


More camelias are appearing on the bushes and soon they will be covered with flowers. They will just be gorgeous.....
Still not much to post about craft wise except I have totally completed my Girls' day out quilt binding and all. It feels like a big achievement after 12 months work. I love it too! I have had a few offers of a home for it... fat chance!
The other big news is that the Stitcher's Angel swap has begun and I have already had contact and made contact with my swap angels. Tomorrow the first pattern will be posted--can't wait.
The person I am making for is in America and the person making for me is in America too.
I was wondering if I may get the same girls as last year as they signed up again this year too, wouldn't that be freaky! but I don't think that would be an easy feat as so many people seem to have signed up for it.
Well the weekend is over and the week starts over again......
Roll on tomorrow and Helen's pattern.
cheers
Marina

Friday 7 August 2009

where has the week gone?







Another week has just flown past... Have finished quilting my Girls Day out quilt now it is just the binding to go which means getting out the sewing machine. A job for the weekend I think.

The first camelia flowers have just appeared and they are just beautiful. My cyclamens are blooming too.

Having finished the quilting I can now start something new. I had some stitcheries traced out so they are next in my hands. My swapper friend Jenifer told me about these gorgeous stitcheries and she has made some herself. They are of little girly dolls in national costume. I don't know if it is my ethnic background but I have always loved national costumes. I just had to buy them too! The patterns were from an etsy shop belonging to this blog. http://allsorts.typepad.com/.

I have managed to finish little Miss Holland and little Miss Bavaria. I am having issues downloading photos to my blog at the moment so will have to try again later.

The sun is shining where I am and it is just a perfect winter's day. The washing awaits!

cheers

Marina




Sunday 2 August 2009

another movie review and small treasure

DH and I had a release pass to go out to dinner and the movies last night. Dinner wasn't anything to write home about but it was nice to be just the two of us.
We went to see the movie Red Cliff and we were not disappointed at all. It was an epic movie and great action, a little too much blood but it was in context of the battle scenes. Thankfully the movie wasn't dubbed but was subtitled so you could still hear the actors voices and pick up the inflection in their voices. It's almost musical hearing another language.

Yesterday afternoon I found this little treasure. A small tin that is similar to my tin that I have on my blog as a header pic but it is only about 4" square.
I just had to buy it. They had some other styles and I will definitely go back to buy them to put away as little gifts.

(and of course it had blue and white china on it as well as the cute moggie)

Have a lovely week

Cheers

Marina

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