Back to It

As school goes back this week after the long summer break, it's with mixed feelings that I get back to a more normal routine. I've loved being able to be around with the kids these holidays. My work has been a bit quiet, as it usually is at this time of year, but there's been plenty going on in other ways. That said, a few things have been on the back burner and I feel a bit behind on the routine things; sewing hasn't really happened much and blogging too has not been very regular.

I did manage to finish my first ever bee block for Adrianne in the Simply Solids bee I'm part of.

I looking forward to more in this bee. Our Australasian group is called Fallow.

We have been doing a (for us) big undertaking in building a foundation for a new pool fence. For which my son and I hauled lots of concrete yesterday. When I say hauled I mean staggered a few steps between hardware store shelf and trolley, and trolley and car, and car and back lawn with lots of 20kg bags.

We've also dug trenches, built boxing and troweled the wet concrete to hold a carefully levelled aluminium channel in place. Time will tell how well we've done, but so far so good.

Incidentally I'm about to start doing some Pilates classes!

Our daughter has a new computer for school, so of course she needed a sleeve, so I made one of those last night.

The angle of this photo makes it look as if the flap isn't centred, but it is- I think the computer inside slid down the slope of the chair-honest!

Isn't it great fabric? It's Type by Julia Rothman

And the lining is a Timeless Treasures Graph Paper Red

I used Elizabeth Hartman's tutorial from Sew Mama Sew. Great clear directions, but I had to tweak it a bit. The computer's a Macbook Air which is very skinny; so perhaps that's why the formula Hartman uses made the sleeve a bit roomy.  My machine in the past has not had a happy relationship with Velcro, so we decided to do magnetic snap closures, which I hadn't used before. (Annoying that ironing on the metal on the ironing board made a little mark where the snap is below the fabric :-( )

I couldn't get fusible fleece and quilting was not desired(!), so instead I found double sided fusible padded interfacing, which was OK but I wouldn't go that route again. I don't really like the way it feels and trying to fuse the lining and the front separately then get them together at the end was a bit dodgy: no room for fiddling or repositioning!

All in all I'm happy though and there's learning in every project!

Before and During...

The garden has grown like billyoh (how do you spell that and what does it mean I wonder...?)!

It's gone from this:

On the 14th December

To this:

today the 17th Jan- only 1 month!

Even some baby courgettes without any AI as I thought they might need! I waited in vain for the male and female flowers to open together, then I found they'd done it by themselves; must have been some bees around after all!

 Baby Lebanese Cucumbers growing rapidly...

We put in a decent sized red pepper plant, but it's still grown, it's just that the peppers aren't very big and are a bit heat prone, despite adding shade on days over 35 deg C. Still I'm not complaining mind you...

 The aubergines are flowering so we'll see if it comes to anything. Something enjoys nibbling on its leaves- not sure what? I can't find any critters...

The lettuces are going to seed quickly, as Liz predicted, none then less we've enjoyed some leaves in a couple of salads. Alfred's corn is romping away, the beans need securing/guiding to the fence, the silver beet's ready and I'm wondering if I should've separated out the spring onions a bit? 

But all in all I'm pleasantly surprised!

The Shape of Things to Come

After a bit of a break enjoying family and friends (not least the Uni boy home for the holidays and lovely interactions between siblings), a bit of very low key work and visitors, it has taken me quite some time to catch up on my blog reading and I've been a bit out of the way of posting here (and sewing too). But I have been pondering the year ahead and what I'd like to achieve creatively...

Like many of the people I've been reading, I have a few WsIP and many many more planned. I have a few fabric stacks around the place and lots of ponderings in my head and a few on paper in my journal.

WIP

1. First up on the finishing is probably my older son's computer sleeve.

I have had mixed success with leather, but this has finally defeated my machine in terms of the layers to sew through, so I need to take it to a cobbler or tailor for a few strategic stitches with a more industrial machine.

I think I'll give up on the leather, at least with turned edges and lining, for the time being.

2. Next is the as yet nameless quilt which was waiting for the right blue for the backing, but that excuse long since expired and the pile of pieces has been languishing in the cupboard for many months.

On the subject of quilt names, I've struggled to name them, seems a bit try hard somehow, but it's certainly less cumbersome when describing them, so perhaps I'll try to come up with some this year.

Suggestions welcome on names for past and future projects....?

The following are only in progress in my head and as fabric piles:

('Scuse some of these photos taken at night in bad light, can't delay this post any more by taking new ones!)

1. Table mats as a birthday gift for a family member.




2. Computer case from these fabrics for my daughter




3. An envelope clutch in this pattern from Anna at Noodlehead (whose patterns are great btw) in this combination of black silk with orange lining for my daughter's formal




4. A skirt for me




5. A wall hanging inspired by this photo:




6. Another small piece with Australian colours and inspired by Australian Indigenous art




7. Another table runner or something with these:

8. A cross quilt using text fabrics and some other accents.

9.  My biggest and most challenging idea is a large piece utilising shot cottons or similar, returning to the gum bark inspirations which began with this. It plays away in my mind with possibilities and techniques gleaned from here and here and I'm trying not to be put off before I start by thoughts like "It might not work"!!  I don't want this to be last on my list...!

10. Plus of course there's the Simply Solids bee I've joined which will give ongoing interest, not to mention deadlines...


Hopefully this list will be supplemented too with little items as the need/whim arises for gifts etc.

The order of these will be fluid and I need to keep in mind that this list is about encouragement for me to create, rather than a stick for me to beat myself with!

Have you got a list of things you want to create this year?

A Bee and a Garden

First the bee 

I've joined one, which will be my first ever. I read about it on Wellingtonian Adrianne's blog. I think I maybe a bit mad, given the number of things I want to do next year, but it'll be fun. I've signed up for the Australasian bee (but there are also ones for other continents including the UK), which means postage won't bankrupt me and it's for solid fabric which will be great as I'm always drawn to solids. I think we only need a couple more in the group, so if you're keen you can read more about it here.

And then the Garden

My initial confidence with my courgettes seems to have been misplaced as they really aren't thriving. I don't know what I'm doing or not doing but the flowers have all come to nothing and the leaves don't look happy so predicted gluts seem impossible.

My friend Liz is not only a sewer, but also a gardener and tho' she says veges aren't her area of expertise, she was not full of optimism about my courgettes either. Possibly the large tree next door, or the small lime tree in the middle of the vege patch are taking the nutrients, or it's not sunny enough? Whatever... things have never thrived there despite our best efforts. So...

Liz and my youngest son and I laboured away last Friday in the heaviest rain we've seen all year and built a new garden. We've sited it at the back in a spot which gets at least 6 hours of sun a day, except the other day!

It was wonderful to have the use of Liz's dad's ute to collect the supplies to build this garden as the rain poured down.

I was buoyed by Liz's confidence and enthusiasm for the whole project. And Alfred was a tireless worker, seeing the project through.

Liz and Alfred mattocked too but no photos unfortunately...

I've cropped you out of the pics Liz, since I didn't have your permission to post you to the world in drowned rat format!

We've planted corn, silver beet, lettuces, spring onions, capsicum, aubergine(eggplant) lebanese cucumber and courgettes and two sorts of beans. We can grow the beans up the fence, they've sprouted, so roll on bean glut!  We've mulched and watered and will do our best to look after it, but I am doubtful given my past lack of success on the garden front. But Liz reckons it'll be great...!

A finish- finally and some fabulous fabric

I have finally finished off my table runner!  I was feeling indecisive about making a facing, but ended up deciding a binding would finish off the stripes, rather than leaving them hanging. Tho' I did like the wine red idea, suggested in the comments on my last post, I'm a sucker for green and happened to have enough on hand. So green binding it was.

I absolutely love this Wrenly pattern with its greens and small and large detailing . The red spiky flowers like the one below towards the right totally remind me of the Pohutukawa and rata flowers from home in NZ which flower around Christmas near the beaches. I decided to quilt some of the patterned areas with some free motion outline quilting. Not only because I was sick of doing short stripes!

I deliberately didn't make the striped piecing ruler straight, but am not entirely sure about the quilted stripes accentuating that. I might make a different decision next time, but overall I'm pleased and think it's happily Christmassy without having to be hidden away for 11 months of the year.

In other news...we have been receiving various exciting packages to put under the tree and for our younger son who turns 14 on Sunday; but one came today which I could open already!

I have really fallen for Carolyn Friedlander's Architextures range. Believe it or not I did exercise some restraint and there were a few I didn't get, but I've always loved maps, so these were irresistible!
I'd love to make a bag, but they'd also make great little pouches, cushions and some are destined for my low volume text/ crosses quilt.

The white on white  is hard to photograph with the others and reflects the light quite trickily, but I think these will be great blenders, as well as stunning on their own. The cross hatch on the bias is a nice change. As is becoming my standard, I got 1/2 a yard of each, but a yard of the black and white as I have a project in mind for the future.

Joining in at My Creative Space today

Cutting and Sewing

Despite not having a lot of time for sewing recently, I did finally get my courage up to cut into the Valori Wells and have managed to make the top and back and get them basted. The whole process is SOOO much quicker than a quilt, it probably took me 5 minutes to pin baste, if that.

I did consider spray basting but thought of my lungs and, only having done it once before years ago, did wonder how much give there is if the layers stick down too soon?...Can you lift it up and re-place it? Would it work with such a long piece? (It measures 205cm or 80 3/4") I've been a faithful pin baster to date, but would love to know how you find spray basting, if you do and the hows, whys and wherefores.

I've decided to straight-line quilt it across the width, but I must say it's tedious to do...There's a lot left to go... I'm using a light gray Aurifil. I've read a lot about this thread- seems good so far. I let you know how I get on. I'm hoping to finish it this week and meanwhile debating about a binding, and if so what colour? I'm a bit of a sucker for green; or alternatively doing a facing like this. Let me know what you think.

Also I thought I'd show you what my friend Liz has been doing. She made me the lovely black needle case for my birthday and lately she's been busy making one for my daughter and finally, one for herself.
Nice use for her vintage button collection too, though she may just have enough to make a few hundred more! The process of making these is very exacting in terms of getting everything straight.

Aren't they beautiful!

Courgettes

Now I know this isn't really a garden blog, but I hope any quilty followers will forgive a brief diversion.

Louise is doing regular posts about her zucchini and I thought it might encourage ours to grow if I joined in! Now I don't think it's healthy to compare courgettes, but I must say that I can't believe how big and flowery your zucchini is Louise!

I have put in 4 courgette plants and am mildly surprised that they all seem to have not only survived but to be growing reasonably. Some even have some flower buds- I think that's them in the middle? A couple of them are beginning to look quite rangy. You can't tell here, but I dutifully planted them on a mound according to the label, but since we mulched the birds rummage about and I think have reduced the mound a bit. But I don't mind if they eat any snails and slugs the blitzem hasn't got to. I hope birds don't eat blitzem...?!

You can see our embarrassingly hopeless beetroot in the background and really our winter veges were altogether fairly hopeless. I don't know if we planted too late or what, but nothing much did that well. I'm going to pull out the leeks soon which are about the size of  spring onions and now have flowerheads! We did use a few of the celery stalks but they were really thin. Even the rainbow chard didn't really grow well- I thought that was supposed to be failsafe?!

 I have a feeling that 4 plants will take over our patch, but I wasn't optimistic of success and I can always move one or two into a pot. Can I? Should I? Will that work? Just to have it trailing down the side?
Given that this is my first ever time of growing them I feel it's a little premature to be posting recipes for my crop, but as soon as I see a baby I'll share a recipe- how about that?

This is to prove that our cucumber recovered from being eaten by snails. I have never seemn a snail or a slug in the garden, so I don't know where they hide in the day, but I should've heeded my gardening friend's advice more expeditiously, you were right Liz! One has been eaten never to be recovered, but one seems to be doing OK. But I digress from courgettes now.

 I am starting to believe we will have edible tomatoes. This is a cherry variety. I have seven plants, only 5 staked so far. The 2 littlest are to the left and right of the last one on the right. I hope I haven't planted them too close together? This is a nice warm wall and I thought maybe their leaves might shade each other's tomatoes?  Or maybe I should move the two smallest somewhere else? Advice please experts...

We went for mainly the garden centre man's recommendations- Mighty Red; but also one cherry tomato and one Tommy Toe I think it's called.

This is a promising looking mighty red-green so far...

So I'll link up with Louise and hope for her Garden Glut!