Inspiration

I have been obsessed with this image since I saw it on Design Sponge back in February.  More specifically, I am in love with the multi-coloured, multi-petal flower, on the cushion on the right.  For a while I tried to find out more about it from my stitchy friends…”Is this a traditional pattern?”….”Have you seen this before?”…to no avail.  About a month later, Anna Maria Horner had one peeking out, in one of her photos, and I emailed and asked if it was one of her patterns.

“Purchased at Anthropologie last year”, was the reply.  I have been thinking of a way to do something different, with a similar feel and multicoloured effect ever since.

I am working on a concept involving my art-deco-inspired, swirly flowers,

that pop up all over my work.

Other exciting news, that will no doubt result in inspiration, is that I won a giveaway over at murtle and eunice, which means I have a golden green ticket to go to The Stitches and Craft Show in Melbourne.  Thanks so much Tania! As an aside, I just wanted to point out that I was the first commenter on that giveaway, so contrary to popular opinion, the first person to comment does occasionally win!

I am currently studying the timetable for this and that at the show, and consulting the husband on the best day for me to go.  Are you going?

More Christmas Creativity

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Here are the ornaments that celebrate my peg matching habits.  I separated the mini-pegs into colours, but if you look closely, each bauble also contains a singular gold peg.  A bit of contrast never goes astray.

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As I type, there is a mammoth game of Monopoly continuing, and some wonderful Christmas Carols playing.  They are very groovy Christmas Carols from New Orleans, the Album is called , “Crescent City Christmas, by Lars Edegran and His Santa Claus Revelers” we break this out every year and it is the best Christmas Album around – so there.

In case you think I am the only creative one in the family, I thought I would share some of Luke’s recent creativity.

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When the kids and I took a break in the Monopoly proceedings yesterday, we were all greeted with a plate that looked like this.  The kids really liked the boogers coming out of the carrot noses, while I was just repulsed by the idea.

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This was the creative way Luke dressed Michaela this morning – I think she looks like a rainbow had a party in her chest of drawers, but she is very happy indeed, and insisted I take a photo.  Perhaps I can convince her to put on plain skirt, to tone it down before we appear in public.

What great Christmas Albums are you listening too?

Collaborative Quilt

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On Friday a group of us went out for a lovely dinner.  It was to celebrate our friend Kylie’s 40th Birthday.  As a surprise, we presented her with a collaborative quilt that we had made for her.  I helped choose the fabric, and due to the time consuming house move – I made the label.  Probably with more time I would have done some applique on the front, but instead I contented myself with some applique and embroidery on the label itself.

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As our group meets regularly to watch a video together, while sipping champagne, and nibbling on strawberries, I decided to include this snack on the label.

The quilt was made using a jelly roll of  Wiscasset fabric by Minick and Simpson with added yardage of the same fabric for the backing and a coordinating red fabric for the border.

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If you can manage to see past the furry model, you can see a better rendering of the colours in the quilt, the blue goes well with Kylie’s feature wall and furniture.  Happy Birthday Kylie, from your Friday Night Video Friends!

Lovely Bag – Clever Lady

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Way back in June, when I officially got another year older, my clever friend Debbie gave me this lovely bag.  I told her it deserved a post all of its own.

Debbie is well know for her bag making skills, and this little beauty is the second she has given me.  It is made of beautiful “Freshcut” fabric by Heather Bailey – but I am not sure who designed the pattern – Debbie may be able to let us know in the comments.

Debbie makes so many lovely things – she is much more prolific than me – I think she needs to make a blog.  What do you think?

Yoda

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Rory has a deep and abiding love for Yoda.

His love has been expressed creatively with this amazing papier mache puppet he made at school.  Not bad for a 7 year old.

It is hard to see in this photo, but the eyes are made from shells, with bobble eyes over the top.  He clearly has put a lot of thought into the construction.  It was made over several weeks, including one session in the Art room where I had to go looking for him after the school bell, as he was ensconced and didn’t want to leave.  He is definitely cut from the same cloth as me.

As we walked home yesterday with his masterpiece he said

“You know Mum, I really love Thursdays.”

I knew it was because, Thursdays are Art class days.

Purple and Pink

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My very clever eldest daughter, Amelia, has made her very own Buttercup bag (with a little help from her Mum).

When we were going through the plastic crate of goodness that is my stash, Amelia kept returning to the purple section.  Her bag just had to be made out of a purple fabric.  The other prerequisite was that there had to be some paisley – it seems some tastes are hereditary.  So the lining is a very pale paisley, (too pale to be the feature fabric) and the outside is paisleyesque.  Once it was completed, we decided that it needed a little more purple, so we made a felty flower brooch (which can be removed and worn separately).

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We took our photos this afternoon in my Mum and Dad’s lovely garden, and it seemed that everywhere there was pink shouting out for attention.

Rory helped Mum water the plants with her grey water.

Then he accidentally watered Michaela and Lotta right after his shot was taken.

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20090407-michaelajacketLuckily I had a jacket to swap for the wet shirt for Michaela – no clothing to offer Lotta though!

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So this was day four of our school holiday break wrapped up, purple and pink.

Baby Boom

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I have actually started and completed 2 small projects this week.

We seem to be in the middle of a baby boom amongst friends and colleagues at the moment.  These two tees are small presents for two new babies (from two families, not twins).  Both feature the envelope necks that are so handy when dressing a tiny babe.  I just added circles of favourite fabrics using the basic needle turn method.  In fact those circles are just traced from the bottom of our drinking glasses.  The froggy fabric is from Purl Patchwork in NYC from my visit in 2007.  As it is actually Japanese fabric, and the top is made in China, it is really an international piece of couture!   The blossom fabric on the right is fabric inspired by Japanese design, but it is actually from the extremely exotic Spotlight store (he he he).

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The last few days have been full of rain.  Mostly light rain, but blessed rain none the less.  A few days back there was a window of opportunity to prewash some of my hand dyed fabric, (purchased that way – not dyed by me).  I must admit that I don’t prewash my fabric unless it is going to be put through a lot of washing, (say in an apron) or I am really concerned about the colour (say a dark red used next to a white).  This dyed fabric did not loose much colour when it was washed, only the darkest few lost a little, which was good.

If you are wondering what you are actually looking at, it is not a line full of scraps of fabric blowing in the breeze, but a sunset.  Oh, and the sun.  Can you see it?

Do you prewash?

Fabric Delights and Blogging Friends

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Meet a Love Chicken.  This cute and cleverly made little birdie was presented to me at a blog dinner, held to celebrate Tracey’s visit to Melbourne.  Tracey gave everyone that attended one of these little cuties, to thank them for coming – no need to thank me Tracey, it was definitely my pleasure.

Tracey was down from Queensland with her hubby Pete to check out the Australasian Quilt Convention, among other things.  I found her in the crush of people when I went for the day with Debbie, my sewing cohort.

In theory, Debbie and I were going to talk each other out of spending too much money on fabric – good theory.  Actually I didn’t spend anything until I came across the $3.50 fat quarters, and then it was all on for young and old.

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These beauties are almost all from the Sonnet Collection by April Cornell for Moda.  They are joining the queue to become a quilt – in this case a fat quarter quilt, a la Material Obsession.  You just square up the fat quarters and add sashing, and you get one simple quilt, great for showing off large prints.

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These three fat quarters were just a little pricier at $5, but I think you will agree they were so worth it!  They are eventually going to be made up as a  fat quarter bag (by Melly and Me).  The two main fabric probably need no introduction – Amy Butler fabric of course.  The lovely orange hounds tooth is from the Summer in the City range by Urban Chicks for Moda, and they will be handles.

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I have decided to use a button for a closure – even though it doesn’t usually need one, just because I found this little beauty.  It is a button made out of resin with kimono fabric inside it, from B B Beads.

I took lots of photos of Quilts but was too silly to record all the details, so it is probably not fair to post the photos – my photography was not that good anyway, as the Convention was pretty crowded, so I could not take  my time with the snapping.

Tracey must have brought the rain down from Queensland, we finally had some rain last night, and some more today.  Not as much as we need, but a welcome relief after 2 months with almost no rain (just the occasional droplet).

Oh, and by the way Tracey, here is where the little love chicken has taken up residence – on Michaela’s door handle, she is very taken with it.

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