Matching Pegs

Well I have finished my teapot, and I am really pleased with these colours – they make me so happy.  On Friday, I worked a little on this, while I was Multitasking again – this time Michaela and I were doing jigsaw puzzles on my cutting table.

Also making me happy are some recent music acquisitions.  I won a copy of Mark Sholtez’s album “The Distance Between Two Truths” after listening and writing a review online here.  Listening to him makes me feel the same way as I do when I listen to Norah Jones – relaxed and uplifted.

I have also bought “Anchor” by Mindy Gledhill after reading Sandi Henderson’s rave review on her Portabellopixie blog.  Sandi has a Mixpod music gadget on her site, where you can listen to quite a few tracks (from her post, it is clearly something she has permission for).  I listened a few times through, and then purchased the album from itunes.  I love it – So happy and quirky.  Being able to listen to an album sure makes a difference between me purchasing or not.  I am usually more likely to spend spare money on a book than some music, (I rarely buy either) but music does make me so happy.  I always listen when I sew.

These purple butterflies are fused from Michaela’s choice of fabrics, for her party cushion.  I am almost through free motion stitching around all the other cushions, but hers is still to go.  They are the same butterflies that are going to go on the “Tea in the Garden” Applique, but I am yet to chose which colours to make them in (and they will be needle-turned, not fused).

Michaela repeated the purple theme on Saturday with her costume for a Witches and Wizards birthday party she attended.  The emphasis was more on pretty than scary – that’s for sure.  It thrilled her to bits to dress up in the cloak I made for her big sister about 5 years ago.

What’s making you happy at the moment – music, a colour, a book or something else?

I have been diligently stitching around the applique shapes, on the cushion fronts that the kids designed at Amelia’s party.  Hers is the cushion on the right.

The kids chose the fonts, and the applique motifs (from a choice of several of mine) and then carefully selected fabrics from my stash.

I ironed the fusible web (vlisofix) onto the back of the chosen fabrics, and the kids trimmed the shapes, and placed them where they wanted them.

Michaela’s cushion is on the right (above) – she just chose the butterflies, and all the purple fabrics – she does not quite have the dexterity for the sharp scissors yet.

Rory’s cushion is on the right.  “B” is clearly a minimalist – she only wanted her initial.  I thought they all did a good job – and I think they all enjoyed it.  So once I finish sewing down the shapes, I just have to whip up 6 cushions.

Would you consider letting kids loose on your stash?

Amelia’s 10th Birthday Sewing party was a great success.

Button Gingerbread biscuits were consumed (along with plenty of other treats).

The “Birthday Cake” was a plate of flower cupcakes which Luke made with the kids.

“Hoop Face” stitcheries were stitched by all.  This one is Amelia’s, you can tell by the very neat stitches.

Rory is more of a speed stitcher, he really enjoyed working on his Robot.  I need to track down a couple more 4″ hoops, so that his can have a properly sized face.

While the kids were stitching, they also took it in turns to rifle through my fabric stash to design themselves a cushion front featuring their initials.  Next time I will give you a peek.

I have been busy today with the fusible web, whipping up a quick Library Bag for Michaela.  If I had more time I would have needle-turned the flowers, but we were only given a weeks notice that we needed one for Kindergarten.  I am planning on raw edge appliqueing, on the machine, around all the shapes.

These pictures don’t really do the fabrics justice – it is awfully grey around here.  Playing with different fabric combinations for each flower was lots of fun, and although I am not really a big fan of fusible applique, it can’t be beaten for speed.

In other news around here, Rory has just received his first pair of glasses.

This means four out of five of us in the Matching Pegs family now wear glasses.  I think they really suit him, and at least poor vision is a relatively easy thing to correct.  There are much worse things to pass onto your kids.

It is hard to see in this photo (thanks again to the winter light), but the outsides of the glasses frames are bright blue and the insides are bright green (like a light-sabre), so we have both of Rory’s favorite colours covered.

Today is my Mum’s birthday.  Instead of taking the time to write about how amazing my Mum is here, I made her the pink scarf, baked her a chocolate cake, and had her over for afternoon tea.  Take my word for it though – she is amazing.

While she was over, we had a laugh at the new “Old Spice Guy’s” responses to viewer comments.  You can see them here.

If I was really technically proficient, I would use this response as the phone message on my mobile – after altering it appropriately for my phone number etc.  “If I was” being the operative part of that sentence- I am not quite sure if Mr Matching Pegs would like to help me.

If you don’t know what I am waffling about (and have not seen the Old Spice ad) pop over here, where you can see what all the fuss is about (Mia has a post about it on Mamamia.

While you are over there on Mamamia, have a look at this post about the printer competition and send me some love (ok – not love – but a chance to win a competition) by giving my photo of the cups a thumbs up .  Please.

Thanks.

Which Old Spice response made you snort coffee through your nose?  Was it all the ones between Alyssa Milano and the Old Spice Man?

This week I have made up two test blocks, both stars.  They are going to feature in a border for my Tea in the Garden Quilt.

Above is the Sawtooth Star, which features a centre using the last of the fabric, that I have since purchased again, to make a skirt.

This block is an 8 point star, made up with half square triangles.  I really like both blocks, so now I have to calculate all the cutting details, and work out if I have enough, of the fabrics that I am hoping to use, to make up the quilt.

I finished knitting my noro scarf, but was disappointed with the progression of colours – each ball had a knot where the colour changed suddenly.  I have unravelled half of the scarf, and I am re-knitting the second ball (the other way around) so that the sudden change of colour happens only in the section that will end up on the back of my neck.  Un-raveling was painful, but it will be worth it.  I will show you it when I have finished.

Now I just have to get the kids back to school on Monday, after two weeks off.  We have had a busy holiday, with sleepovers, bike riding, cooking, dentist and optometrist visits, manicures and visits to the skate-park (including a nasty fall for poor Mr Rory) as well as a sad farewell to our friends who have moved back to our nation’s capital.

Michaela was so enamoured with her silver nails (on one hand) and pink sparkly nails (on the other hand) she insisted I take a photo “to show Madi”.  So this photo is for Madison, Michaela’s best friend who just moved to Canberra.

For The Daylesford Craft Experience, which I am attending on Sunday, we were sent a postcard to embellish with some stitching.  We were asked to stitch a message, saying, or something about ourselves, and who we are.

Of course I have one defining habit, so I shared that .  The postcards are going to be swapped on the day.  You can see Melly’s one here and Jodie’s one here (they are both teaching at the event).  Clearly (pun intended) the variegated thread I chose is not that good for readability, but I enjoyed using it.

Now I just have to be strong on Saturday as we tour the region’s patchwork shops.  “I do not need any more fabric”….”I do not need any more fabric”……I do not need any more fabric”……..

You see it has been an expensive week, as I have been to the dentist and optometrist with the kids.  Amelia has just had new lenses fitted.  Rory will need glasses in the very near future, and braces on his teeth in a few more years time – definitely.  Michaela (at 4 1/2 years) is the only one in the family with perfect vision, so far.  Sigh.  There are worse problems to inherit from your parents.

We have three birthdays in our house, within 12 days in June.  Mr Matching Pegs (Luke), Rory and finally my birthday (which technically I share).  That’s why things have been a little bit quiet on the blog front.

There was a certain amount of switching celebrations around, to fit in around the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.  This meant that Rory celebrated his birthday yesterday, with 6 of his friends over for a “Masterchef” birthday party.

The boys made 2 mini pizzas each (with dough prepared beforehand).  They shaped their bases, and topped them with their favorite toppings.  After pizza, they moved onto decorating biscuits as footballs, and then in their football team colours.  There was probably too much colouring involved – 8 year old boys do not need extra hyping up – but they had a great time.

Luke outdid himself, making “The Ghostly Galleon” from the much loved “Women’s Weekly Kids’ Birthday Cakes” cookbook for the party.  We put the candles in, on an angle, in order to keep the flames away from the paper sails, but we thought they also looked like cannons.

On Rory’s actual birthday, Luke made “Zappo the Alien” from the same book, which the kids decorated themselves.

The most meaningful cake experience for me involved a very humble, store bought cake, last Friday.

I was able to blow out the candles with my twin brother Julian, who has spent exactly a year in hospital, and has just been discharged.  The last year has been very, very, hard.  My family is feeling like we are emerging, tentatively, from the depths of a very dark tunnel.  We are all very changed by the experience, but so amazingly grateful that we are coming out the other side.  It was really the best birthday present possible, to be able to share it with Julian, (which is as it should be, when you are a twin).  The photo of us is less than flattering, being an action shot of us blowing out the candles, but it amuses me that Lotta, who is on Julian’s lap, looks like she is blowing out the candles too.  Oh, and you can see my new red glasses!

My birthday present from Luke arrived this morning, some Lilac Ugg Boots to warm up my tootsie this winter.  As you can see out the window, it is cold and grey, and foggy.  They match the cake at the start of the post, which is a little something I am working on for someone else’s birthday.

So, have you made any amazing cakes lately?

Lots has been going on in my world that hasn’t made it onto the blog.  Some good and then some of the other kind.  Rather than bang on about my dramas, I thought I would cheer us all up, with a look at some sequined high-top sneakers – because what could be cuter or happier (don’t tell me they are not practical – I don’t care, they ooze happiness).

In fact, check out Amelia’s whole look, which I wish I could still pull off.  Sadly, what is cute on an almost-10-year-old is probably a little bit “mutton” on a mid-30’s-type.  Mutton or not, I would probably buy those shoes if I saw them in my size, but instead I will have to live vicariously through my daughter – because that is a healthy way to deal with life, no?

Speaking of reliving my youth (we were), Amelia is in the choir at school, which is performing this weekend in an ABBA concert with an ABBA tribute band.  The event re-inacts ABBA’s last concert, which involved Swedish school children.  We have been listening to nothing but ABBA “Gold”, all week.  Did you know that Australia had a play list, on that album, that was different to everywhere else until 2008?  We had “Ring Ring”, “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” and “Rock Me” rather than “Super Trouper”, “I Have a Dream” and “Thank You For the Music”.  I know because I had to be careful which one I downloaded from iTunes – we needed “I Have a Dream”.

Some of my recent crafting has been for presents – here are a pair of the pin-cushion sized biscornu that I made for a friend.  I have just acquired some upholstery weight fabric to try making these up in a footstool size, so stay tuned for that – it is going to take a fair bit of stuffing, and a really long needle!

Now I am off to go sing some more ABBA at the top of my lungs – “I don’t want to talk……, about things we’ve gone through………..” What’s your favorite ABBA song?

(Mine’s “The Winner Takes It All” – today anyway).

On the weekend, the Mr. and I celebrated 12 years of marriage.

I use the term celebrate lightly, because we didn’t actually go out for dinner or anything, but the whole family had a special meal together at home – Thai Chicken with Cashews, yum!  This special meal was cooked by the man himself, my one and only.

I love you Mr., more and more with every year that passes, and every drama we face together.  Goodness, we look younger and younger in this photo as each year goes by.

On another topic, here is a tantalizing glimpse of what I have been working on.

But because it is a present, I can’t show you yet.

I have really enjoyed working with this calm palette.

I promise to show you the finished present as soon as it is gifted.

What colours calm you?