sniff sniff...

after a long hiatus, i finally found some stitching time...

finally...

and as i went to photograph the new projects.....

I DROPPED MY CAMERA!!!!

sniff sniff...and.... sniff sniff some more...

to quilt or not to quilt...

22 years ago, i sat in a hospital bed for 3.5 months waiting for #2 son to be born...

i kept boredom at bay by making a quilt...completely by hand...for the expected bambino...

he arrived pre-term.... our lovely Mstr. W.....and he has been in a hurry to get things done ever since...



that hand pieced quilt has been on his bed always...on the farm... at boarding school... and now at uni...

he has requested another...an update...a birthday gift...

we gathered japanese fabrics.....and leather....and velvet... from his great- grandmothers sewing box....


and we stitched them into a quilt top...

'wonky square'....because he is a perfectionist....

this time, not a hand sewn stitch to be seen...


so now, do i tackle the quilting myself....or do i send it off, to be done in a flash.....

happy birthday lovely boy..we are so very proud of you...

companionship....

my family have gone to beach house, but i have a few days of work before i can join them...

a quiet house...

into the stitching room to fill my time...

a lovely piece of fabric from tessuti..a joy to work with...sorry i don't remember what it was, a seersucker stripe, and i think it may have some silk in it as it has a lovely sheen..

made in 2 hours as the pattern told me i could, from cutting to blogging... easy...
a few adjustments from last time...
centre back and front cut on the fold...
a band around the hem...
satin shoulders...
i had trouble photographing this being home alone...
my companion helped me...see him sneaking into the background..
first from afar...
then closer...
until finally i got the message...
Nelson...loyal...lovely...always by my side...my black labrodour...L.O.V.E....

a sliver threaded christmas....

the table was layed...

the family arrived...

we ate, and laughed and played games..

and we swam, it was 38degrees celsius!

and for the first xmas ever...

my family was not complete...one remains in the bolivian jungle....

and i missed him...alot...all day...

and i hope he is safe, and having fun hunting those anacondas, and i hope he received his christmas gift before he left...

and when all went to bed after a big day, i had a quiet moment and checked for messages in case #1 son had contacted us...and he hadn't...how could he from the bolivian jungle..and i was sad again...

and then....and then....

another christmas surprise from afar...

thankyou 'A' you are so talented, and i feel so lucky to receive your kindness....

it was definitely a silver threaded christmas, and silver|song has drifted through my mind all night....

breathe mother dear...

we have studied hard...and sat final exams...
we have graduated...with laughter and tears....we have survived leavers week...
we have won two awards...

miss s is very much like her dad...
award 1. citizenship...
but she loves art, textiles, and craft, and most things visual..like her mum...
award 2. materials & design...

Congratulations miss s, your dress was stunning...hours and hours of hand stitching and sequencing...months in the making...all worth it...

But yet, we have come home from boarding school, and now have to fit/stuff all belongings back into bedroom cupboards..
if you could only see that room!!.....

breathe mother....

This is how i found that award winning dress!!!...
note to self...must do some more parenting...

melbourne town...

what a great holiday....
wandering through the streets... with no plan......no destination...lunch with friends in a city park.....just looking...
and meeting.fellow.bloggers.from afar..thankyou K!!!
it filled the senses...and emptied the wallet...
and it made me sad...as the reality hit, and stood before me... my baby is no longer...she leaves the nest to gather and weave the fabric of her own life...treasured memories...

japanese goodness

i fleeting visit to the city on saturday let me fly into my favourite fabric store in Perth... iwent in to purchase another skein of wool, but to my delight i discoverd they had recently unpacked a large selcetion of japanese fabrics...
and they are to die for...i could not resist...
of course i justified it by telling myself i couldnt go to the upmarket that was being held today, so this was my treat...
i nursed them in my lap all the way home, creating in my mind...

building memories...

a boarders weekend in w.a. bought all the children home...

bush picnic...

bush football...

special and magic family times...shared with friends...

 and oh so fortunate for the space and clean environment to play in...

p.s. the adults won the football game!!!

bits of this + bits of that =...

last winter i bought this from the 'op shop' with great intentions, but not enough fabric....

this winter i bought these from the op shop

and i sliced them and diced them...

bought a leather needle and some upholstery thread and turned them into this...

i cant tell you have many leather jacket i have tried on over the past few months working out the pattern...cropped or band, zip buttons or open, collar or round neck...

i had to include all the pre-made seams...place them well.... so decided the simpler the better...

in the end, it was much easier than i expected...even the lining was simple...

no real pattern, sleeves from vogue, front from a burda coat, and the back from a vogue jacekt, all morphed into one...

having never stitched with leather before i soon realised you cant pin and you cant unpick because the evidence stays there for all to see...

can anyone help me with suggestions on how to button hole on leather, i think it needs a closure...

and just because i am a proud mummy...look what my baby boy did a few weeks ago...

one down two to go.....

i want a re-count...

i cant be..
i dont want to be...
but i am....how can this significant birthday come about so quickly...
spoilt with gifts and my faouvrite flowers...
last weekend, spoilt....

summer time

yay...
summer holidays are finally here for me...
beach..
books...
family...
friends...
sleep...
NO WORK!!!!!
see you in february when i climb back onto the merry-go-round....

farm friday...

friday is my day off work...i love it..it feels like a holiday... catching my breath...the house to myself..
often my craft is still in its infancy and not really worth photographing, so i am going to do a...

farm friday photo..

i would love you to join me, and i am no photographer..you don't have to live on a farm...
it could be a rural photo from a holiday...or something from the back yard...animal...vegiepatch..spiderweb..or a rooster like here...
you can write about it or not...just a photo will do fine...
join me...if we have a few interested i could attempt to set up a flickr group (me being so computer literate and all-not!!)
its hay making down here and the late afternoon light was sensational...
the smell fresh and earthy...
i love living here...i think i have said that before...

the time is right....

what photo goes with...

today i resigned....yip... yip...

buttons...

someone pushed my button today...
it doesn't happen very often...
i am still unable to find words...
breath....

between a rock and a hard place...

sometimes life is hard..
sometimes we make things hard for ourselves...
how does this little plant think it is going to survive the summer...

blogtoberfest day 13

man its only day 13 and i am running out of steam...

i feel like this bloke, only here, there is no sunshine to enjoy...

where is spring....

timberrrr....

husband + chainsaw = a huge mess....
but all worth it, because i am getting a 'walk- in' wardrobe...
yippee....

what's the buzz...

the lavender bush was shaking...

the bees were everywhere making the harvest tedious...

but so worth it...

a treasure

my day job takes me into the community....a lot....
i am privileged to meet many old crafters..always willing to share their knowledge and craft experiences...
this was gifted to me by a lady who's house is like stepping into a living museum of the things she has made over her lifetime....she never gave away a first draft...always making a second copy for the gift...

its spring...apparently...

the canola is in flower, so it should be spring...
not around here though...
cold...
rain...
winter keeps tapping at our door...
10 minutes of dappled sunlight yesterday is all we got...
not even enough to let the crops shine, but when they do i will capture them on film...

so dazzling in the sun is canola its hard to look at...
i love spring... i hope it comes soon...