A Birthday Quilt for Master S

I have known Master S since he was 6 weeks old when his mum and I met at Mothers Group. He is the son of the friend I made the quilt for in my previous post. He claimed his mum's quilt for his own room a number of times before finally asking me if I would make him a quilt for his birthday. How could I say no? His birthday was yesterday, 29th December, so I had it finished in plenty of time for catching up with him for his 9th birthday in a couple of days.

You can read a bit about Emma quilting it here
Of course, his sister Miss Z couldn't be left out so the Butterfly Quilt is going to her in early February, I still need to bind that one!

A Birthday Quilt for a Special Friend

I have a lovely friend whom I met in Mothers Group. Our families are close, the kids go to school together, we have had holidays together and we all get on very well. She is one of my best friends so I knew when her 40th birthday rolled around I had to make her quilt. So I chose fabrics that were happy and bright, just like her and I love this. Although she didn't receive it until closer to her 41st birthday she absolutely loved it!

Some Unintentional but Much Needed Quiet Time

We had alot of fun this festive season. Family have been here visiting from New York and Dublin, so there was alot of family get togethers, sight seeing and catching up. Christmas swung around before we knew it.

We have a Christmas Eve that is the same every year. I guess it has unintentionally become a tradition for us, but we love it. Always hanging out at home together, an early dinner, Mass, driving around all the fabulous local Christmas lights, home, kids to bed, red wine poured, the last of the Christmas presents out to be wrapped, the Melbourne Myer Bowl Christmas Carols on tele and then we watch Love Actually. We never tire of it. We always laugh about it. We love it though. Our in laws are here this year, so it was nice to do it with them as well.

An early start on Christmas Day - 3.45am. WHAT??!! It was back to bed for that young lady, with them both finally waking at a much more decent hour of 7.30am. Oh, the excitement of Santa's visit and receiving much anticipated and hoped for gifts. Santa didn't fail to deliver this year!

A busy morning prepping and finishing organising Christmas lunch - 13 adults and 6 kids this year. A very fun day - food, laughs, drinks, karaoke, cleaning up, more drinks, exhaustion. A very fun day spent with family.

Then Boxing Day rolls around - another unintentional tradition - any friends who are in Sydney come in to say hello, swim, eat, share a bevvie and a few laughs and it is always a fantastic day spent with great people.

Towards the end of the day though I started to feel really off. Mum had a bit of a bug on Christmas Day and spent most of the day upstairs in bed. I thought I was getting her bug. I felt dreadful and had a fairly early night. 5am the next morning it was clear that Miss Z had caught Nanny's bug, and she spent the next 24 hours vomitting. Poor little poppet. Miss C seemed fine. As for me, I couldn't drag myself out of bed. I don't think I have ever felt so unwell. So off I went to the doctor yesterday and it turns out it is a flu virus and an ear infection - who knew!? The rest of yesterday I spent snoozing on the lounge. Today I am feeling brighter but still achey and lethargic. I have manged to indulge in (much needed) quiet time and do a few things I enjoy most...

Gotta love the Ashes! Listening to the English supporters is almost worth watching it for that alone.

Some mindless colouring

And I finished a fantastic book, set in a beautiful coastal village I know so well.

Hopeful that tomorrow I will feel up to getting up and doing alot more. Everyone is getting cabin fever here in a huge way.

Wishing you a happy new year and all the very best for 2014.

WIP challenge 2014

My challenge to myself for 2014 is to get the incomplete projects done and moved on or in use in our home! I have challenged myself with this before and it really does make a difference to my "productivity".

So, what needs to leave the sewing room in 2014?

Samuels Quilt - needs binding
Zara's Quilt - needs binding
Zoe's Quilt - need to buy border and backing backing fabrics, otherwise piecing finished
Sew in ends of Zoe's granny square blanket
Sew in ends of Ciára's ripple blanket
Window seat quilt - basic charm quare quilt, part way through being pieced
Liberty quilt for our bed - fabric cut
Finish Pies and Tarts Quilt
Start Handstitched Quilt
Do 20 blocks of Dear Jane (to get it back on the radar!)


If I get these out the door, or onto beds/lounges in our house plus some art journaling and zentangling - then I will be a very happy crafter come the end of 2014!

I have a craft room...

We bought our house 7 years ago. A great location, great bones and a very blank canvas. We had a plan. Live in it for 5 years then renovate. 2 years in the nearly 100 year old roof, in original condition, couldn't take any more patching up and needed replacing. We knew the time had come, albeit earlier than anticipated, to go into design mode and get it all happening. Our plan was to extend out the back and to add a second level. My head went into over drive with all the possibilities.

One thing that was high on my wish list was my very own space, a craft room. And I scored the best room in the house for it, our old bedroom.

Now 18 months down the track, the decorating of the whole house is almost complete and with only a few more jobs to do, we are in love with our gorgeous home and the expense and, at times heartache, was totally worth it. I have a beautiful space that I can call my very own, lots of light, lots of room, a desk, shelving for some of my favourite bits and bobs, a sofa bed for "overflow guests" (we have a spare room with a queen size bed but we often need more sleeping space!) that is really comfy to lie on to read a book, the exercise bike is in here and all my weights as well, so I guess it almost doubles as a home gym ;) - and hugely important for any crafter - lots of storage space! I love it. I am hopeful that 2014 is much quieter than this year has been and that I will be able to get in here to actually enjoy the space and get some crafting/study/fun stuff happening!

Every Day I'm Rippling..

I am sure any blogger who crochets who has done a ripple has had "Every day I'm rippling" in high rotation in their head!

My youngest daughter has a mermaid themed bedroom, so a ripple seemed quit apt - you know, the waves and all....

I had a couple of abandoned attempts at a ripple with some of the girls in my quilt group when we were away, and oh the frustration when I just couldn't work out where I was going wrong. It was frogged, and crocheted, and frogged and crocheted and frogged again, I just couldn't stand it anymore. I put it to one side and forgot about it for a while.

When visiting one of my all time favourite crafty stores - Calico and Ivy, which has sadly closed down now I came across "200 ripple stitch patterns" by Jan Eaton (to knit and crochet)and grabbed it... I came across a basic pattern and knew that with my limited crocheting skill that I could actually produce a ripple for my little mermaid. So back in March, I took a visit to Spotlight and picked up some great colours that co-ordinate with her room and set to it.

Finally after many nights in front of the TV, and a few chilly days wrapped up under it, I finished it last week. Ta da! Miss Nearly 7 is delighted, and so am I. It has given me the confidence to get a little more adventurous with crochet.

It is a tad hot to sit under it to sew the ends in, so it has been put to one side again, until the weather turn cooler and I will have it ready for winter for her!

My poor little neglected blog

There has been craft, really there has. 2013 I kind of fell off the planet a bit. But I am back on again and my blog will be back in action come January 2014!! No, really, it will!