All or nothing

Its been one of those itsy bitsy kind of weeks. I've wanted to start on a number of things all at once and therefore, did none. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has done this. To justify my lack of making I did have two children sick during the week so that left me little time to do much else. You know what the evenings are like with sick children - up down up down etc. They're better now so I have been doing some things. Yay!
My daughter has inherited her love of crafting from me so while she was feeling poorly on the weekend we did a little low grade crafting. God's Eyes. I don't remember what else to call them but I remember from primary school that we did them all the time. Along with giant hula hoop weaving. This was the 70s.
I thought I would start with something simple and fairly easy and C got into it straight away. Soon enough we were idly chatting like a couple of old ladies and having a lovely time (with frequent temperature takings along the way).
Here's the young one concentrating very hard.

And here are the finished products.

Its amazing what still remains in your memory from primary school. And for me we're talking about 38 years ago (having just typed that it depresses me no end!).

I think I wrote about being very inspired by my mother-in-law to start quilting again and so it has started! After a slight hiccup at Spotlight (me not looking at price tags - idiot) I started the laborious task of cutting. Rotary cutter, I do not have, so have just used the standard old scissors and template. This is a time when I should be calmly thinking of other things while cutting but I can sense I get a little slapdash towards the end. But look at these lovely fabrics!

Only another thousand to cut and I'll be done!

On another note, after getting home from work, school and childcare I happened to finally take in the devastating mess of a wardrobe I have and do something about it. Lately I've been reading a lot of style blogs and how to improve your wardrobe. For years I've kept clothes in my wardrobe that I haven't worn or have an emotional attachment to, so much so that I can hardly get the clothes that I do wear in to them. The gorgeous Laura Ashley top that I wore to my sisters wedding, for instance, I've never worn again. The 70s caftan dresses that I know I will never slip over my head. The disastrous sewing experiments that can only be relegated to the rubbish bin. Time for them to go!

I was ruthless. And I know this is only the beginning.

Now all I need is a stylist to help me with the clothes I have left.

I know. Third world problems.

Lx

Weaving, watching, wondering

Finally... I've finished my first weave!
Here it is.

I do wonder whether it looks absolutely rubbish but came to the decision that overall it wasn't too bad. Next time I would make it narrower but I like the earthy tones and hairiness. I did a little bit of a trim to neaten it up but it certainly gives me an indication of what I should do next time. Narrower, more unusual materials (maybe even bark springs to mind) and longer.

Last weekend we visited my mother-in-law. Here's the view from her house. Those are my two little ones rolling down the hill. Gorgeous.

She's given me inspiration to start quilting again. Using navy blue fabrics, the quilt she is currently working on is so beautiful and her hand stitching is outstanding. 

I made myself a quilt years ago out of tea towels. It was my first attempt and I still love it. Here it is.

Not the best photo but you get the idea.

I've got so much fabric left over from doing the kids bunting that I thought I may as well use it for a quilt for each of them. Regrets, I'm sure, will come, but its good to have an idea what to do next.

In the meantime, on those lonely evenings of weaving, I've been watching this great UK show "Inside No 9". The guys who wrote and star in it are from the trio who did "League of Gentlemen", another show that was my favourite but surprisingly difficult to watch now.

It's suspenseful. And funny. And wrong. And anxiety-inducing. But enjoyable. And any show that has Richard III in it must be a favourite. We were brought up by a mother who was devoted to Shakespeare's Richard and would regularly quote at us "Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of York". Myself and my three siblings all know enormous tracts by heart. I suppose we're lucky...

What have you been watching lately?

Lx

Room Number 2

As promised I have finally finished my daughters bedroom. She is so thrilled with it, thank goodness. All that hard work (and slightly half-hearted sewing) has paid off.
Here is the finished product so to speak.

The bunting looks really sweet as does the quilt cover that I bought from Target. The cherry blossom decal from Ikea really pulls it all together I think. And we're very lucky to have very bright rooms downstairs plus a lovely collection of books that I can't stop buying. 

These are the pillows I made for her, apart from the block colour one. You can see the pesky fur one at the back. How I hated sewing you, Mr Furry!

Teddy is still there. Lurking.

Here is the bird theme again mirrored in the chime. It chirps every time you make a loud noise. You can also turn it off. Yes.

So happiness all round. Even C's dad was impressed and that's a compliment indeed!

Glad both rooms are finished.

Just in case bordeom set in I've started weaving! I was given this loom by mum when I was about eleven. I don't think I ever used it... until now. The threading was a little demanding but once that was done it was really quite fun! Etsy has a really good tutorial - here it is - and they were really simple instructions to follow. That tribal look appeals to me at the moment and I'm sure a couple of little samplers matched with my German vases will look just right.

It's a little bit hairy too. Nice.

The instruction booklet that comes with it is fantastic too. Belts, table mats (of course) and little baby bonnets are all covered and very easy to understand. I'm a little bit tempted by the belt.

A couple of other cute photos. The ducks were hungry at the park. I don't blame them. The water was a very strange copper colour. They did enjoy the bread though. I think they even scored hot cross buns. With fruit.

We went to my mother-in-laws for dinner which was a real pleasure. Beautiful food, great company and the view is stunning. 

The children played rolling down the hill.

What a busy long weekend. Bless the Adelaide Cup (of which I have no interest)!

Lx

Square Folk: Getting back my mojo

Square Folk: Getting back my mojo: My goodness, I've had a little break haven't I? Life is busy, life is always busy, but just that tiny bit busier at the mom...

Getting back my mojo

My goodness, I've had a little break haven't I?

Life is busy, life is always busy, but just that tiny bit busier at the moment. It hasn't stopped me from doing things, and I feel like I'm slowly getting my crafty mojo back. In other words, I've started making things for my daughters bedroom! Yay!

This is how her room looks now - nothing special, seriously, not special at all.

Pardon for me saying but there is NO WAY I could sleep in a room with that enormous teddy next to me. Lurking. Malevolent. You get what I mean. NO. WAY.

I've made the bunting and the two of the three cushions. Her fabric selection, not mine. One more cushion to go. It's fur. I've never sewn fur so did a little investigating online and found out how to do it. Looks a little tricky and I bet you anything I'll be covered in the stuff by the end of it, but fingers crossed.

In the meantime little G is getting to that age where he is developing hand over fist. I love this time in a child's life. He's so curious and so emphatic about everything. Building has always been a special passion of his but now he's really taken to drawing, in a way that C never really did. His vision of life around him is quite inspiring.

This is a horse. How much do I love this horse?

I will post pictures on the weekend of C's finished room. She wants it to rival her brothers. She wants more of everything that her brother got. 

I would too.

Lx