a little bit of crochet

It has been a nice slow couple of weeks where I have done the odd market or two and taken my crochet along for the day. Im only able to do one or two rows but they will add up over time which is way better than having it sit home in the corner of the lounge where I wasnt noticing it.

Eskimo production is in full swing after I came home from wednesdays market to find 13 outers cut ready for me. My man is a special one. A bit pushy but I told him to because I know how I can be.

we have a house

It has been hard to get motivated sewing wise when there is so much I could and should be doing so the Mr has been helping me cut out again.We were spending the morning chatting, working on eskimos when mid stitch we got the call from an agent to say we had a house. It was the first one we have applied for so it has been nice and easy this time around, and im still happily coming to term with how things have flowed.

He has been the main packer while ive been the organiser.

We did get some eskimos done for market tomorrow. 

I have Red Hill coming up on the third of march too and im looking forward excitedly to that as its such a great day out with good atmosphere to boot. Probably one of my favourite markets to do as it simply doesnt feel like work. Well the making beforehand isnt counted.

These are a quick shop update tonight.

I didnt think brown could look so feminine and pretty.

did i tell you

Did I tell you this is now my very favourite tea but ive only just discovered it sitting in the back of the cupboard and dont remember buying it 

did I tell you you will love it too

did I tell you that im not a dog person but I adore my dog

did I tell you I have a pet spider in the studio and his fly carcasses have become an artwork of sorts

did I tell you I almost giggle to myself when I describe myself as a designer, never having trained

did I tell you I hardly ever go to markets as a shopper, only as a seller

did I tell you I put my hand on a huntsmans nest last week, I didnt realise the mother was in situ, and baby spiders crawled up my arm

did I tell you at the end of each week I like to have no food in the fridge so that I can start the week fresh

did I tell you I havent folded the washing for two weeks and only realise my guilt when someone asks for their undies

did I tell you I find it very hard to cut into fabric for the first time

did I tell you the one thing I tell myself not to buy at opshops is the thing I end up going home with

p.s   I will fold the entire washing by days end and vacuum up those fly bodies

I cant help it

We looked at a place yesterday which I found lovely but strangely disquieting at the same time. Is that even possible? It was a new experience for me and I didnt really know what to think until we talked it through on the way back home.

This house had cool architectural detailing, high ceilings, storage, outlook and everything that we needed in order to down size ( this is our second attempt by the way). 

I was merrily snapping shots for the Mr. (who wasnt on-board with the househunt until today as he is having a bad week at work) and then I decided to stop. Just like that. I decided I didnt like it. The potato didnt like it either. It had been painted a pale green grey inside which is always odd if you ask me. One room maybe, but a whole house is weird. I couldnt get away from the colour fast enough. We went outside to see the garden, I still hadnt voiced anything I was thinking to the teenager, just happy being outside and away from, well in.

Then I went back in and tried to like it.

The laundry was fine but I couldnt live in only the laundry.

The colour had me emotionally kind of blank.

Oh but the bones of the place, surely...we..could just...Nope. No No and definitely not.

I drove straight to the real estate office and told them to paint it. Yes I did!

I know, I know, too front-on right? She even kind of listened the poor thing. Thought I was mental, but listened politely.

I couldnt help myself. I truly believe that anyone renting the place will end up depressed. Am I wrong? I mean the green I mention isnt even on a colour chart.

We viewed another place today. We all got up early for the viewing which is astounding. The guys didnt have breakfast first. They always eat before they go anywhere.

This other place was apricot! It wasnt until I went upstairs for the second time that I even realised.

We wont be applying for this one either.

Could you rent somewhere where you didnt like the colour?

Really didnt like?

What colour are your walls?

my creative space

Today was all about house hunting again and because the Mr is on the late shift this week, im only just heading up to the loft now to upcycle some more knits. So far ive sewn on the finishing touches of the one I spoke about yesterday.

I like using a crisp cotton inside the hood. This one is from Amitie I think.

Anything with circles catches my eye these days.

The couch potato is putting in his orders for some mending as I sit here and I havent even thought about dinner yet.

Itll probably be a quick pasta if he agrees. Something really cheesy.

Our creative spaces is here if you want to add your link...

baby knits

I had some more chopping-into-knits fun last night and was so enamoured of the results that I got up at 5am to do one more before the market today.

One sold at market, and the other one is on the line still drying.

All three are gorgeous so I cant pick my favorite this time.

I cant wait to get back to the machine later tonight, but its time to do a bit of running around family style for now.

a quilt

Ive begun the task of my first king size quilt. I dont know how my nannas machine will handle the quilting on this one but we will soon find out.

The brief for this quilt was that she loved strong colour with pale highlights and there isnt a colour that she doesnt like. How easy is that? So ive been happily chopping up all my scraps while watching a movie this morning.

Ill send her this shot via the shop today and see if its what she had in mind.

Basically all of the fabrics are here once each and then they will be repeated across the entire quilt.

I thought this would be the easiest way for her to see the mix as there are a few retro pieces and some bemsilks that I want to be sure of before I start stitching. 

After looking up the sizing for a king bed mattress I worked out that I need 500 squares! so far im up to 324.

Ive had five baskets full of scraps, separated into colors of browns/yellows, reds/pinks, blues/purples, greens/aquas and a basket of pastels which I wont use this time.

I thought id do a hundred squares from each basket but that leaves me with a hundred unaccounted for so ill be raiding the stash rather than putting in too many repeats.

Ive also had this idea of doing a stripey quilt with all of the scraps of the scraps but that will have to wait.

Happy quilting!

home

The sewing machines are off the table and up in the new loft space ready for big things. A king size quilt order, new eskimos, some classic knits for boys and cardigans for girls again. 

Weve had our open for inspections and the first couple who saw it have already rented the house and we have our dates for moving. It all happened like clockwork once we set the wheels in motion to break the lease. .

Things are very organised and almost boring so I have been taking the potato with me to hunt for a new place and were having fun scouting around. The sense of pressure isnt there somehow and everything seems like it has slowed down for us.

I havent even packed my first box yet but have been whittling things down and sorting through cupboards and drawers while the Mr boxed up his things. Bringing the wheelie bin inside has become a daily ritual. I have an easy clarity of purpose each day and I hope it lasts, another few days of this would be real nice.

In market news I was out at Rokeby Market this weekend gone and it was lovely. Mum came to spend the morning with me, and Zjahlii and the grandbabies came too. Lots of cuddles were caught up on and Zjah took her first order for one of her jackets, so im very happy for her. It is a nice bit of the planet out there so ive booked in for the next few markets too.

a house hunt

It seems weve been unsettled ever since the youngins moved out and we came to a conclusion last sunday night that we would look for a place that is much smaller in space and price. Its been a bit quiet around here because

ive been house hunting all week and having open inspections to boot. So the promise of the beginnings of a quilt will be a bit slower than originally stated, sorry peeps as we have begun our whirlwind packing expedition into unknown territory. Im off out the door now to view this little gem, although very, very run down. So I guess im talking diamond in the rough. Weve been driving by every day since seeing it up for rent, as you do.

  It had me at hello with the garden and even the couch potato loves the feel of the place.

shop update

size 1

This is my shop update so far this week.

The jackets I worked on for the weekend markets. Yes I squeezed in two for the first time. The one above is a new design I tweaked from an existing jacket of the grandbabies that has been floating around these parts. A nice simple easy style to play with. A pocket here, a curve there, finished with a tie bow. 

size 1

size 2

I have a custom order for a king size quilt to do so ill be back later today to show you the beginnings.

Catch you!

behind the scenes

There is too much for me to put into words happening in the last couple of days. So ill talk about that later as nothing is written in stone yet. I will say that it involves a hunt, some boxes and a huge list.

Several weeks back when I had production aplenty these photos got sidelined. You may have noticed some masculine looking cushions in the dairy crates at market? Well... they were designed by the Mr. In my blurb at the sidebar I mention that we 'patchwork together when the mood takes him'. This was one of those times.

Something from behind the scenes.

quilted bunting - the quick way

Here is how I made the bunting for Squiggly Rainbow's Bunting swap.

 For those crafty types who have never done quilting because they think its too scary/perfect, quite a few customers have voiced this at markets too, im hoping this post may help you begin. This kind of quilting gets squared up as you go along so its not your typical crazy quilting, not being a fan of angles myself.

There are so many pictures, probably the most in a blog post ever eeeeek!, and instead of apologising ill simply try not to write too much and make it all wordsy. I think shots like the ones that follow are self explanatory. But if there are any questions, (being very hopeful here that people will get to the end) they will be answered in the comments box left for others to view.

Keep a close eye on things as you go and skim sew past any gaps.

 

When I got to about family pizza box size I stopped joining and had the not too bright idea that I could slice them into pizza triangles.

However I dont recommend doing this at all as they got really wonky bad. Next time ill use a triangular template.

I had these offcuts so joined them together to make more to match the size of the other triangles.

And was able to make another four.

I liked the thought of wool for backing so used some old cream blanket scraps.

Okay so now im deciding that an apology is in order for the photo overload. Sorry!