Friday, August 30, 2013

stitched by roma

 there was a great family gathering o's just recently
as noted in 'navigating' t'was in the poconos in pa
that meant Oscar had the chance to play with his international cousins
roma - the name my mum gave herself
to be called by her grandchildren!
well roma ... came to me a few months ago
"I would like to make flicka, huddy & ity
a quilt each ...
so they can be wrapped up in my cuddles when i am not with them
lovely idea isn't it
kind of stems from the Prayers & Squares aethetic
a patchwork quilt ministry that my mum is very invested in
so she planned each one to suit personality & age
 &
here they are
the moment they were given
special labels from a special roma

 let me show you each quilt ...
this babuska quilt is for flicka
she is now at school & 
is such a sparkly chirpy little mother-hen
great way to use this fabulous fabric hey!
there'd be some machine & hand quilting stitching done on these quilts
... with some help from me
as you know i love the tactile nature of
little stitches

 these bright blue & greens triangles
are for huddy who is 4 ....
love this fabric range too
its bungle jungle by moda
by tim & beck 
roma used this quilt design
 equilateral triangles
not easy to piece perfectly but she's done it
here he is playing with his quilt like a cubby house

 we have a bit of a thing for bunnies in my family
roma gave each of her grandchildren a special bunny when they were born
Oscar's has been so well loved that we actually now have a few
as the first one needed severe surgery!
i had one a long time back too ...
 this 3rd quilt is for 'ity' who is 3
an extraordinary amount of work in this one
the quilt design is by the red boot quilt company
the bunnies are all machine appliqued
she decided to use lots of flowery fabrics in between
instead of appliqueing flowers as well
good solution i think
& their faces
take a close look
done on her fancy janome
love the quirky faces & those glasses!
cool huh?
love the response ity has in this pic
sweet to see her curled up with all that time care  & love
hasn't roma done an amazing job
round of appluase for you mum/roma!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

o's creative talent

 umm..... there may have been some
favourite designer-y purchases made
whilst away .... an irish, english & american .... 3 women


 a few especially treasured orla kiely
pieces .... had a funny experience standing in a sunny
pedestrian lane way waiting..... for the big boy 
whilst watching the little boy scoot up & back
woman after woman walked past me
& all i could see were orla kiely bags!!!
i accosted an innocent lady .... excuse me but???? where?
there was a haze over my eyes &
i was off in the direction per her description
the melamine tray has already found pride of place
& it looks at home hey?
the little plate is to replace a treasure
& the bag.... 
well that was my month long saving on all those coffee stops!!
ooh the bag is yet to have its first outing but squeee!!

 the english lionheart .... well is none other than ms cath kidston
now i'm not a flower-y kinda girl
but she is the british queen of modern vintage
& that i do do in moderation
stay tuned as there might be a project or two sewn from her book
& spot those tea towels there's an idea assigned to them.... love a bird i do
yes - going to 'put a bird' on something!! he heeee ....

found a lovely little bricks n'motor
quilting store nearby where my brother & family 
live in the usa
you should go in there if you are even remotely local
& say hi to lindsay for me
we had a little chat & she looked up blog right there & then!
its such fun making crafty friends on the other side of the globe!
... made up & i was smitten
now its been mentioned this week that i quilt
but looking at my blog of late you'd not be so sure of that!?
i usually am not a follow-a-pattern quilting person
or at least i start out with a pattern & then i tweak it
but i just love these oversized hexagons
& i figure a great deal of maths is involved
& that i do need to 'get right' & follow the wise!
so follow a pattern i shall 
.... however i have a few others to complete first!
photo is from stitchwell fabric's web page

heART felt

 a little love from afar
 be it written on a brick
cooked up & served on a plate
secret messages shouted from the rooftop
hooked & yarn bombed
dusty love notes sum up those goodbye travel moments
or forged by fire a long time back



 love is all around
craig is always saying that i see the world a little differently
& that i notice the small things many don't
whilst away...
little heart-felt signs kept popping up
for me to spy ...
this last one of a sweetly crocheted heart in red
was one of many on the handles & door knockers 
all along the street
of a small historic town in the costwolds
someone's sweet message to their world
... & now that we are home: where the heART is ....
 here are a few famous heARTfelt words ...

"Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it." 
Braveheart

"Don’t forget I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, 
asking him to love her." 
Notting Hill

"My heart is, and always will be, yours." 
Sense and Sensibility

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because 
reality is finally better than your dreams.” 
― Dr. Seuss  

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. 
You really have to love yourself to 
get anything done in this world." 
-- Lucille Ball 

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, 
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” 
― Lao Tzu 

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

navigating

we're fresh faced from a trip around the globe
seriously .... kinda didn't mention it did i?
so been away for a month
did manage one post
t'was stashed in draft
so you maybe didn't realise i was mia?
we caught up with all my family in pennsylvania
only the 2nd time we've all been in the one place at the same time
all 12 of us - 3 generations
had a treat & stayed at a 'lake house' in the poconos
was little slice of summer in the woods
moustache a good time
camp fires and 'smores

then onto those green green hills
give me a pint of gat and a bottle of bulmers
seems us saxon-ish aussies are a whole lot more irish than i'd ever realised
donkey's years
wrecked
like hens teeth
in the boot
chips
wear a jumper for the fierce weather hey!
there's bug goin' round
doin' the washing
so yeah twas a great time we had beyont
do you get all that? and all?
aye its a fine day for young ducks
many hands make light work
castles were built a stone at a time
you are what you think
a watched kettle never boils
there's no fool like an old fool
making a start is one third of the work

"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, 
just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul." 
Oscar Wilde
then onto the land of lion-heart
from the northern lakes to stone circles
london town & derwent pencils
big ben & lily whites
national railways museum
the thatch of the cotswolds
castles lanes valleys and fields
ancient baths and stories untold

 in case that was all goggly-goosh?
we were 4 weeks away ...
flew east across the pacific & away
to the usa, ireland & england
these images are all of a little 'travel quilt' i'm making for Oscar
it did travel with us as something to keep my hands busy
whipped up some border piecing the night before departure
backed pinned & bound 
took in hand perle thread & needle
fyi safety pins are just fine going through 'security' 
in some of the largest airports of our world!
moisturiser however in quantities greater than 100ml is not
not as much chunky stitching was done as intended
but the woven fabric badges
of the countries to where young Oscar (the lucky boy!)
has traveled in all his 5 years
well ..... they were collected!
the intention here is that on the back of the quilt
over time these badges will be sewn & most likely added to
he's a trouper of a traveler ....& got right into it
if i had to share just one travel hint for 
taking a 5 year old on such an adventure ...
i'd say pack a scooter 
..... didn't hear him say even once: i'm tired!

i hereby promise that there will be some
crafty historic or interesting stories to tell
with some real life 'pics' sometime soon
how do you choose from 1067 photos?
i'll work on that .... 
& another 'new studio' sum up post of on the now finished space
will come someday soon too

world map panel & coordinating fabrics are
love it
 May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Friday, August 9, 2013

sewing for me

back at sewjorn
there was some lovely encouragement
and invaluable advice
from friends & expert garment makers!
i'd purchased some awesome grey & black ponti knit
that very quickly became a 
both designed by StyleARC
here i am in my laura dress...
they were simple to sew & their simple lines are very me
comfy to wear & they have been worn a lot!
....for other more quirky costume sewing:
look back at my previous post
about partying like a parrot!
joining in with
make it wear it
Photobucket