Monday, December 31, 2012

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

I was visited by a

Christmas Angel and here's what was left under my tree
Not a great photo but some lovely pressies, at the back is two felt christmas trees, then clockwise is a cute stitchery wall hanging hidden by some christmas tags, a felt sewing caddy which has a needle book and scissor keep with the cutest tiny pincushion, some christmas postcards, underneath is a quilted mat in my favourite blues, then the most adorable santa sack, some button trim and a hexie starter kit in a pink retro sugar bowl which is so pretty and much more. Thanks Lyn for being my swap partner and thanks to Karen for organising the swap. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

3 more sleeps

The little people around here are getting just a little excited, but life has actually calmed down a bit and I'm settling into holliday mode. Christmas shopping is finished and we are going to family for christmas day so I don't have to cook this year. Tomorrow is going to be 38c here so I'm planning some sewing with the aircon on, trying to get some UFO's finished before I have to make the same new years resolution as last year with the same projects still unfinished! No I'm sure I finished some of them...and made some more too. Tomorrow night is christmas carols at a friends mum and dad's house. They host carols every year for the neighbours and friends, this will be my 28th year. I've been going ever since I met Bec in high school. My kids think it's some kind of strange torture I put them through each year but I just keep telling them they will have traditions to tell their grandkids about one day. Tonight was carols at Warburton with friends and as I'm writing this I'm listening to the end of Carols in the domain and Lewis has fallen asleep in my arms, he's all carolled out.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

12 more sleeps

Been a bit quiet here on the blog, that's because the rest of our life has gone nuts! The traditional panic before Christmas has hit and to add to that it's my graduation tonight, Yay I've finished my course, awards night at the high school next week and no.1 son doing a week of work experience where he needs to be dropped off and picked up at a completely different time to the rest of the family. Christmas shopping has ground to a halt after having to purchase a new hot water service last week and also I'm not really keen on tackling all the crowds. Hope your christmas shopping is going more smoothly than mine!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Off to the Show

The Lilydale Show that is,we had a great time, it has all the animals rides showbags and expensive junk food of the Melbourne Show but with easy parking and room to move. We even stayed to watch the fireworks and Lewis was amazed at all the rides when they were lit up at night. This is him watching a particularly terrifying ride called the Free Style, not one I'm planning on going on soon!

 
Hayden on the dodgem cars with Pa
The craft and produce was also perused and discussed, things like "how on earth do they get zucchinis like that at this time of year?" and much rose blossom envy going on in the cut flower section.
Quilts were stunning and had a wide range of styles, there was also a miniature section but I forgot to take any photos. The quilt in the centre of the top row was called Where's the Chook? because all the appliqued circles are actually egg shapes, it's a reproduction of an antique quilt and it was probably my fav because of all the civil war fabrics.
We'll be back again next year!
 

Friday, November 9, 2012

Photos today!

For some reason blogger is uploading my photos to picassa but not to the blog, so here's the proof I have finished row 3
 
 A friend of mine takes the most beautiful kids and babies photos, she came took some photos of Lewis when he was just 13 days new, this is one of my favourites

just so precious, you can find this talented girl at giggling gumboots, now I just have to convince the rest of the family that we need to have a group shot done before Christmas.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Still rowing

Ok so things may have slowed down to a slow paddle but I'm still getting the rows done in the bee in my bonnet row along here's row 3
Ok you'll just have to believe me as blogger won't let me upload any photos but it is done and the next row is apples, they are so cute!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Today I spent the day at the Eastern Pallative Care quilt show in Nunawading. It was a really nice show, all the people involved were lovely and the quilts were amazing too.
I love the traditional design with funky colours in this quilt.
Bright and beautiful

Hundreds of baskets
and thousands of stars!

and one for the kids too. Congratulations to all involved you made it a lovely show and a great day out.


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

More finds in the study

While decluttering, yes I'm still doing that, I came across the very first quilting magazine I bought
It's from 1998 and it's how I first got interested in patchwork. After reading this book I enrolled in a class to make a quillow in West Wyalong where we were working at the time and from there I was hooked. This is the first project I wanted to make

I still haven't made it, but now I look at it and it's not that hard but at the time I didn't know what needle turn was or even that quilting used a quarter inch seam. It's deffinitely in the to do someday pile and that pile is not as big as the UFO pile! It's a Sarah Johnson quilt and is in the Shelbourne museum. What project have you always wanted to make and haven't go to yet?


Friday, October 5, 2012

More spring cleaning

Just a bit more sorting as I put the study back together, who would have thought it would take so long! Ha you'd think i'd have learnt by now. Anyway I found some old photos Mum had put up when I had my 30th (a while ago, a long long while ago) and I found this photo of me looking just like Tulley
Tulley even thought it was her.


There was also a great collection of school photos complete with 70's fashion and glasses and a pic of my cousin and I playing the commodore 64 computer in front of the orange and green 70's daisy wallpaper, that made the kids laugh! See now you know why it is taking me so long, it's just impossible to sort through 11 years of stored junk without getting sidetracked.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Spring cleaning

Spring is definitely in the air I have just cleaned out my wardrobe and have two large garbage bags for the op shop and a pile for the rag bag too! If only I could shed the kilos myself so easily!
The chickens are laying better again and it's time to start the spring veggie planting, a really lovely time of year!
Michelle

Thursday, September 27, 2012

School Holidays

This is what happens when you spend all day trying to keep up with the big kids.
You crash anywhere you can find a seat!
I love school holidays, not having to race out the door by 8.30 and not having to race back by 3.00 to pick them all up again, just relaxed days of doing whatever we feel like.The last couple of days we have had some lovely weather which has been great, but not good news for the weekend they are predicting storms, cold and rain for Saturday which is the AFL Grand Final. We are all Hawks supporters here except the Weatherman who barracks for Collingwood! He has kept very quiet over the past few weeks, shows he knows what's good for him! So we will all be on the couch yelling at the TV Saturday arvo, hoping for a big win.

Go Hawks!

Michelle

Friday, September 21, 2012

Ikea saves the study

What do you do when you have a new baby? Paint, decorate and reorganize the room that you have been going to do for the past eleven years, of course. The weatherman had a week off to help with the new baby and what did we do, well it started with an epic trip to Ikea, epic because Ikea is about 60kms from home and Lewis was only a week old. It took all day with a trailer in tow but we managed to get it all in one trip except the doors which weren't in stock, then paint and removal of the old and much building of flat packs later it's starting to look like a study again. Hopefully this weekend it will be finished and I can take some photos of it all finished and looking spiffy.
Before
So far....
Now I just have to add all my sewing bits and pieces, there is a A3 set of drawers underneath for all my patterns as well as another set of drawers, and some kitchen style wall cabinets yet to go up for my magazines and sewing books. Finally after 11 years I will be able to get some of my sewing stuff into the study and not just the weathermans computers and weather stations bits. Yay!!!
Building flatpacks with a baby
And of course a pic of this little fella
Have a great weekend!
Michelle




Thursday, September 13, 2012

Warning more baby photos

Not too much craft going on here, I have managed a few, and I mean few rows of Tulley's cardy which is nearly finished I just can't quite get enough time for the last few rows. It's the baby Kina cardy from ravelry and really quick and easy to knit as long as you dont have a baby in the middle of it!
We had some nice weather on Wednesday so we had a trip to the park in the sun

and Lewis in his car seat, I'd forgotten how hard it is too fit their little arms under the straps!

and in his bouncer


Hope you are having some better weather too!
Michelle

Saturday, September 8, 2012

He's here!

Welcome to Lewis Campbell
Just a few hours old
and with the new big sister

and dressed ready to go home, with all his knitted woolies on, a friend I play basketball with knitted his little cardy, she was worried it wouldn't be big enough but at just 6lb 5oz he should still fit in it for a few weeks yet. My Auntie knitted the shawl and its just stunning and so soft and warm. It's so nice to have such lovely knitted things especially as it's so cold here at the moment.

Cheers
Michelle


Friday, August 31, 2012

Just couldn't resist

Trying the technique Lori has used for the row along. These are just 1"finished size these litle squares and there's no way I'd have the patience to do them any other way.
Michelle

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Baby Quilt

Thought I'd better hurry up and finish the baby quilt before it arrives. The top is finished just have to find some backing and quilt it quick. I can seee myself sewing the binding while in labour at this point!
Not a great photo, this is the only patch of sun we have had all day, but the quilt turned out really cute. Also Lori from bee in my bonnet has started a row along, with one new row every 2 weeks, it looks really tempting. The first row has tiny four patch blocks made from larger squares it's really neat how they're made. Cheers
Michelle

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Names names names!

It's got to be one of the hardest things to do, name a child, and as I've already named a few the choices are getting harder. Now our last name throws a spanner in the works it's short, one syllable  and a hard sound and it just doesn't go with anything I like! With each child I have suggested we change our last name, that always goes down well...not.
So after a quick poll of most of the Mum's I know it seems that Dads aren't, as a rule, very helpful, well the weatherman is no exception he likes none of my names but won't offer any suggestions at all and with only a week or so to go I'm starting to worry we will have a child with no name.
Now my past adventures in baby names have not always gone well. Jordan was Jacob very deffinitely until he cried ,....and cried ....and cried only when we called him Jacob so we stopped which stopped the crying, yep I'm serious! and three days later finally called him Jordan But the ribbing by friends, family, nurses even the cleaner made those three days without a name unbearable and I do not want a repeat! Meg was different she arrived with a name, pity it sounds ridiculious with our last name, but we had two lovely girls names picked but when the weatherman held her up he announced those names are no good she's a Meg and so she is. Hayden's name was decided by Jordan, it was one of our choices but by the time he arrived Jordan had firmly determined that he was Hayden and there was no going back. Tulley I loved and knew it just had to be but when she was born the weatherman announced no she doesn't look like one to which I nearly flew off the bed and attacked him like a jack russell until he relented and said OK I guess she is but we'll put a E in it to make it more girly OK I was ready to compromise. So if you'd like to suggest something.......

Michelle

It's OK

The paralympics start today my TV watching has been saved for another 2 weeks. I think I enjoy the paralympics as much if not more than the olympics, the wheelchair basketball is awsome and the rugby is a blood sport, I just hope the coverage by the ABC is better than what channel 9 did for the olympics.
Happy viewing!
Michelle

Friday, August 24, 2012

My Biggest baby turned 16!

Yikes where did that time go.
He's been reading his learners manual getting ready for his learners permit Aaaargh how am I going to survive this? Actually he's very sensible...usually...for a teenager, but I can't help worrying, at least a little bit.
Happy Birthday Jordy!
Michelle

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Getting around to it

Everyone has those jobs you put off forever, I've been procrastinating about listing a pram on ebay for a good 12 months now, it sits in the dining room and gets shuffled out of the way and I'm always tripping over it to open the curtains in the morning, but there's always an excuse, I've never listed anything before, I don't have time to keep checking,I don't know how etc etc etc the list just goes on. So today I did it, really it only took about half an hour and now I feel good, it's done and I dont have to think about it till this time next week and by then I hope it's sold and I can get back into my dining room, coz that's important, it's where the quilting machine is and I need to finish the baby quilt!


Michelle

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Bring back the olympics!

I'm having trouble re-adjusting to "normal" TV. There are some shows that I like but rarely do they play a new episode and even when the do it's replayed again the following night. The kids like Big Bang which is fine but I think I've seen most episodes at least threee times and they are starting to lose their punch. Also because of the flood of ads during the games for Big Brother they want to watch that too! Aaaaaarrrrrgh. Bring back something decent so I can resume plonking on the couch with my knitting.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Buttons

 Sideways buttons


and the pattern for Foxy is also finished. 
Not a bad days work.

Cheers
Michelle

Sunday, August 12, 2012

More knitting

But dont worry today I'm sewing again, the aim is to finish a couple of patterns today so just a quick pic of the baby cardigan I've finished, it's just waiting for the buttons. This pattern is Puerperium by Kelly Brooker and you can find it on ravelry. It's my first cardigan/ jumper and I really happy with how it turned out. It has ended up a little bigger than I thought but that's fine because of the colours it will suit an older baby.

Cheers
Michelle

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Tulley is 3!

Wow where did the time go, the more kids we have the faster they seem to grow up! She celebrated the big milestone in style, in her pink tutu, with a pink cake, see a theme happening here? and of course pink balloons.
Hip hip hooray!

Michelle

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

I feel better now!

After my big whinge, so on to something much nicer. I showed the prototype grandpa slipper in the check now here's the real thing, Foxy Sox
I'm still wondering wether to jazz them up with a button or not?
I've also nearly finished my next scarf, this is a feather and fan pattern from ravelry and really easy, I'm just never sure when to stop, is there a rule of thumb for the length of a scarf?
We had another scan today to make sure bubs is on track and the ultrasound lady found it funny that no we didnt want to know whether it's a boy or girl but can you tell us the length of the foot? Well I need to check if the booties I have made will be big enough! I'm happy to say all is going well bubs is about 5lb and it's foot is 6.5cm long. Have to make some bigger booties the smaller pair is just 7cm long, with 5-6 weeks still to go they could be a tad small.
Cheers
Michelle

I didnt think it would be this hard...

a) to find a pram that will still fit in my car and take 2 children
b) to get a second baby seat to fit and still be able to access the third row of seats
c) to find a sales person that understands what the heck I'm talking about
Ok I'm having a whinge again but it has just been the most frustrating time, from a sales girl who showed me two different prams that dissassembled into 47 different pieces and still didn't fit then showed me one that would but when I asked where the second seat went she replied öh no this is only for one" well duh I already have a pram that does that see it's right next to you with a child in it! To a mechanic who told me well you shouldn't need to access the third row of seats as they are only for occasional use and my child shouldn't use them on a regular basis, well thats fine but what do I say when the cops pull me over for having them strapped on the roof instead? No one seems to understand the concept of more than two children in a family.
Ahhh I feel better now.
Thanks for putting up with me.
Michelle


Saturday, July 28, 2012

Inspired by blue

Picked these up yesterday at Karen's , two lovely dusty blue repro's and the yummy blue wool, just right for some little boy booties (no that doesn't mean we're having a boy)
So I've been making prototype for a pattern for the booties

They look a little like grandpa slippers in the check flannel! And another Union Jack in my new blue repro.
Cheers
Michelle


Aussie, aussie, aussie!

Ahh the Olympics, the only time my TV stays on all day, so while watching the replay of the opening ceremony  ( no I didn't get up at 5.30am to watch live)  I thought I'd make some Union Jack mug rugs. They were very quick and easy so I thought I'd try a tutorial, how to, vague instructions of how I went about it.







 Start with a background, Cut a blue 4.5"x 6.5" piece, a piece of batting slightly larger and a piece of backing larger again. Lay them all on top of each other as they will be when it is finished.
Tear some strips of fabric: cream a strip 1"wide and a strip 1.5"wide and I've used pink but red is the traditional choice one strip 1"wide and one strip 0.5"wide.
Lay the  1"cream strips diagonally across your flag and top with the 0.5"wide pink strips.
OK picture is sideways but you get the idea. Top stitch down the cross, a quarter inch in from the edge of the pink strips.
Add the 1.5"cream strip across the flag and the 1"pink strip on top. Stitch these down then add the final strip from top to bottom.
Trim back to 6.5"x 4.5".
Sideways again. Add binding I cut mine 2"wide because I wanted it a little narrower because it's only a little mat.




Then it's time to put the kettle on!

Oi oi oi

Michelle