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.

home work

This is the first time I have ever had a spare bedroom in a house and I can hardly contain myself. If only it wasnt so darn hot I would be in there now, head down b*m up decorating, putting fresh linen on the bed in expectation of the arrival of a guest or two. 

This morning the Mr and I began clearing my sewing things out of his new studio space which was where my studio used to be. I bet he will come home from work tonight and beeline for it. It was good to watch him playing and undoing his boxes that have been stored away since we moved.

Im certain he is thinking he will begin painting again. The funny thing about living with an artist is they dont always paint or sketch or draw. He has to find that untangible zone first and working a full time job makes it a difficult thing for him to find and hold onto.

The other exhilarating event happening here is that the teenager is ready to give up the loft space.

Gone are the quadruplemillionenth dots of Blue-tac, blowfly carcasses have been sucked into oblivion along with a lonely orange jelly bean from that november food fight (I threw from below while he dodged), found are the twentythree odd socks that were missing, books have been returned to the shelf and dvds put back in their rightful home.

The view of tree tops as far as the eye can see is glorious.

But ill make you feel sorry for me yet, because im now having to deal with this pile of everything I didnt know about that my teenage evacuee threw downstairs in what is a very unfair cleanup.

So I sit here eating my sandwiches (photo inspired by Evee) with the dog watching on while doing another upload of wrap, pinafore and shoulder tie dresses to the shop. I had, at last count, fourteen to add!

The latest from my nannas trusty old machine.

If she only knew the enormity of her gift....

garden day

 The air outside today was so good that there was no need to be in.

A full van awaited me and I had a new found vigor in which to work.

An old prop from a year ago will be replaced tomorrow.

These uneven branches will no longer be a struggle for me to adorn.

The windswept branch of an unknown tree barely fitted in the van the other night but I forced it and am beside myself with tiny bits of glee having visualised nothing more perfect as a replacement.

I spent time with the scent of magnolias heated by the sun, slowing down for a change, breathing clearer thoughts.

The newly worked cushions kept me company as I walked to and fro weeding and talking to my hairy companion.

The trip to the car will be easier from here on the porch. Theres no need to move the plants to their old spot out the back.

 To hold onto the fresh theme a different shade of nail polish for the other side of summer would be a simple, now-deserved, luxury.

If only I could decide on a colour shade. Perhaps when the dress arrives from mexico I will know instantly?

marquee is mexican for umbrella

 At our house marquee, is from this moment, a mexican word for umbrella.

There was a taking out of the van and a setting up of a pivotal marquee for a mexican party last weekend.

Ill begin by admitting it was such a well thought out night by the youngins with mexican food aplenty that they had been working on for days leading up to the event. Adelins salsa is an experience no-one should be denied. I really admire well thought out plans especially as its not really a foremost quality of mine.

And so as happenstance has it... in the aftermath someone forgot to put my marquee back in the van for wednesdays market. I was asked about it in the tidy up the next day but I was busy sewing, and then I really forgot.

.

Tuesday night, I stayed an hour away from home in Mornington with a close friend down from Sydney who wants to learn how to do markets too. (Someone needs to alert her that I cant teach anyone a thing.) 

Anyhow, we were happily spending the evening finishing a few things, sewing and catching up, and after leaving Esther to her adrenalin fueled machining at 3am I sat bolt upright in bed remembering the forgotten marquee. 

One trip out to the van to confirm and a rough plan to visit Bunnings to buy an umbrella in the morning I finally fell asleep getting a couple of hours.

Subsequently im not having a good day today. Im tired and a bit sunburnt.

I had highlights during the day with Eleesa coming to visit, blessing me with her quilt makings to juice up the stall a bit and indulging me by trying on some new silk scarf tops only to find it difficult to decide on the blue or the red? 

She chose the red. 

 All I can think about right this moment is that I need to get stuck into some serious patchworking to realign my something-or-other when I work out what needs resetting but I simply have no energy. There might be Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner to wallow.

change

Weve been in this house almost six months and things are about to change.

The youngins, my son and his wife are about to move into their own little cottage down the road, not too far away so we can still see baby everyday. The big day is friday. 

I was home alone this morning and, as I usually tend to do, took photos to remember the house this way before we do some big shifting around. I dont quite know how I will find the energy or time but im sure adrenalin will have a fair bit to do with it by the weeks end.

I havent shown you inside any cupboards since I did the big organise I uncleverly named '11 rooms 11 days'.

(I was meant to do 1 room per day but I think it took me over 3 weeks in the end).

Anyhow, this is where I keep my patchworking and homestyle fabrics for cushions and curtains, near the long table out the back. The close proximity to a clear space is supposed to help in the finishing of things. Sometimes it does but most of the time they sit. Customers have been asking for cot quilts so ill need to do something along those lines.

A chair among other pieces of furniture is still waiting for a coat of paint and a new seat, hence the disguising cushion.

I love the embroidery on this even though I strongly dislike hot pink. Go figure.

Both of these cabinets in the hallway have craft related things filling them too. The first is full of old tins with buttons and buckles and beads and jewellery tools, etc and the other is full of embroideries from our travels.

I wonder how my family puts up with me taking over the house in this way, but I guess I have slowly got them used to it.

The studio is tidy for the first time since the makeover, taking me less than half an hour, cringe, but ill be back in there tonight anyway so it wont last.

The cutting table has healthy stacks of clothes waiting to be made up.

Oh and these are the pom poms I mentioned the other day only im not sure if I can part with any just yet they are the most lushious old green. 

I spent yesterday afternoon in my office (the bedroom) doing an inventory type stocktake to help me feel organised for the start of new year.

All of these rooms will get a revamp in the next couple of weeks as I find time.

I like change alot but the Mr doesnt. This time round he will be getting my studio and the lounge room next to it that was Navarh and Adelins to do his artwork in so im thinking he will be pretty happy about that.

I will be moving into the loft like I originally wanted and the couch potato will come downstairs into a bedroom and ill also score a guest bedroom which was baby's room complete with extra wardrobe space to hang things im working on which will be wonderful to have for a little while.

Happy tuesday to you!

naughty corner

Let me show you my naughty corner.

The one corner of the studio that I will allow to be built up with a little bit of chaos.

There are three main identities to the stuff here, the long rolls of fabric and pattern paper, clothes in progress hanging up waiting to be finished/labeled and the rack of trims. Excuse the lovely ray of sunlight hitting. I hope to not stray too far outside these boundaries (if at all) now that things are super streamlined. I had visitors today and showed them around the new house and I was a little bit beside myself when we entered the room and saw that im up to my old tricks of not keeping on top of the putting away, already! At this rate im going to need to tidy up big time once a week. Not good! I could be sewing instead....

studio makeover

Its taken me a few days to get into the swing of the makeover. First there was the emptying of the cupboards (scary), then the wait for the menfolk to help me shift them (I ended up doing the first one myself-no mean feat), I then had to go through fabrics and toss just a few to make some room for the overflow (not a fan of the overflow). I knew in my head which ones I wasnt that fond of, things id had for years, just a matter of performing the ritual of bagging them and putting them on the front porch for the girls to look through when they come on friday for our sewing afternoon. I havent gotten around to telling you about that yet but they have been happening on the odd week.

Now, the ultimate space for me is industrial in its simplicity and I definitely dont like girly. Just a workroom aesthetic with big clear tabletops.

I have a clock to sometimes time my sewing, not necessarily to see what the time is. Like, I try to challenge myself do a task that takes me 20 minutes in 15. Sometimes I almost sew over my fingers if im tired so I dont really recommend it.

I thought I wanted an artwork but now im not sure. I think after looking through the photos I prefer it without.

There are quite a few makeovers going on at the moment. Ive seen three so far this past week.

Happy sewing to you all.

ikea survey

After getting very roughly quarter of the way through the latest makeover here at the Textured Leaf studio I need to ask a few questions. If you had a certain idea for a room but then went browsing the local Ikea store and there were four options staring you in the face, would you

1. choose the piece that holds the most because hey, you know you will fill it with stuff anyway?

2. buy the one that was your original vision even if it only stores half as much and youll need to delete a few long held onto scraps?

3. go ahead and buy what youve had your eye on for ages regardless of how little it will solve your storage issues?

4. throw caution to the wind completely and get the most expensive but impractical thing because you simply love it?

or 5. defy your husband by making something secretly in the shed?

Well ...which would it be for you?

What do you think ill choose?

I was definitely leaning towards number five but after visiting Ikea this afternoon with girls only company it has led me down a different path. You know, I had always gone to Ikea with the Mr but boy was it different when we werent speeding through, I could take my time and didnt get the usual head ache.

Oh and I sewed another eskimo when I got home. I only wish I felt like doing more but maybe once I get a grip on the studio...

our old home

We went for a drive in the country on the weekend and went to see our old home and how the garden was growing. I wanted to take some serious shots of the rock wall that had occupied alot of our days while we were living there.

We never knew how long it was going to take us to build or how massive it would end up being, which in the end was over 40 metres in length. Thats Mr.TL at the top of the driveway so you can really see the scale. It is a metre in height most of the way along as any higher and you would need a permit. Plus we wanted it to be solely dry rock, no mortar. We could never have done it if we had to mix mortars too.

After the second column we were so close to selling that we chose to build at a lower height to use up the remaining rock and make it go further.

The lavender we planted across the front of the house was just what I had dreamt it to be.  It is nice to see it being taken care of and trimmed regularly. The lady who bought it truly understood my vision and has kept the garden completely how we left it.

This is my utmost favourite part of the wall. It was the piece we saw most when we parked the car, the piece you saw when you looked out from the kitchen and the part closest to the front door so I fussed with this section. It was also the easiest to build being right nearest to the pile when we got a delivery of rock. If you are wondering which rock we used it is from Castella Quarries near King Lake and I still have the name of the driver if you want me to put you onto a good delivery guy. It wasnt easy to find and I searched for over a year to get the perfect colour and size. Oh and price too! We had two deliveries with good estimations of what we could achieve and it only cost just over $700 to do.

Another highlight were seeing that these echiums I planted from cuttings have thrived and are perfect for this spot. It was so dry and the soil was hard as rock here.

These were all freshly planted for selling, (as you do) and it is so nice to come back to see them matured. 

It amazes me how fast pear trees grow.

There is still more work to do but with four acres there was so much upkeep and cutting back that it didnt get done while we were there.

I have the same doormat at this new place, weird as I bought neither of them. Is there only a small range out there or something?

I used to work at the Polish Jester restaurant so we stopped in for lunch with the new members of our family. That put us in a time warp, because we have such a different life now. All three grandchildren have been born since living here and its sad they wont know of this place.

It was good to try new beers and vodka.

We have had lots of talks lately about where to put down new roots and would love to fix up

or build another home  

including a rock wall and a garden full of lavender. I have four smallish lavender bushes at the moment and no wall to my name. When we do maybe you will be seeing tutorials on how to make indoor arches look like theyve been there forever, or how to design your garden to scale or how build a rock wall? Wouldnt that be different!