stitched and bound 2010

I have a new piece ('Here is a Picture for You') in 'stitched and bound 2010', which opens next week. I look forward to seeing what the other artists have come up with. Do go and check it out if your are local!

Not a stitch

Well, I don't have a stitch of sewing to show you from the past week or so. Instead, there was a little jaunt to Albany, which included some whale watching......and a beach walk (of course)...
...during which Hannah found butterfly bones (seriously)...
...and Aaron practised adding big numbers and contemplated the multiplication of double-digit figures...
...and there was also time spent introducing favourite literature to favourite cousins...
...a selection of 'train' books...
...or the car section from Grandad's newspaper (to be enjoyed with morning 'coffee')...And then the little jaunt to Albany was followed by several frantic days of cleaning, fixing, patching, painting, gardening, and tidying in an attempt to get our home up for sale by the end of the week (self-imposed deadline, because there is nothing like a deadline for getting things done)... We're getting there, and I have high hopes for an hour or two in the sewing room tomorrow (grumpy toddlers, teething babies and real estate agents permitting).

A boot'l flower for Mummy from Caleb

The solution to boredom

A few weeks ago I introduced Aaron to the Fibonacci sequence. Then Phil showed him how to add big numbers (although fingers are still pretty useful too!) And he was hooked. He regularly sits down to work out the next few numbers in the sequence. I stopped checking for accuracy at around, um, 21 or so, but apparently he's now up to 84 million-and-something. And proclaiming with excitement that he must be inventing numbers which no one has ever seen before! The moral of the story being, if you child is bored, just introduce them to the Fibonacci sequence for some fun. (Tee hee, between us Phil an I have 10 years of uni-level maths under our belt, so this kid is NEVER going to be bored!)

Printing day

I don't intend to make a big mess when I get up in the morning - somehow it just happens! (Yes, I sound like my kids!) Yesterday was a big printing day - for various upcoming projects.Printing days are busy, messy days, but also very satisfying. But most exciting of all was this:
I had some sketches developed onto a silk screen about a month ago, and finally had the opportunity to try it out! I was wondering how the fine lines would print up, and thankfully they came up beautifully. Unfortunately, though, I only seem to be able to get two clear prints from the screen before it starts to clog, and I have to wash it out and let it dry before doing more. There go any plans for large scale printing runs - unless I can resolve this problem somehow. I suspect it is due to the fine lines, as I haven't had this problem before.

Squeegee! (whoever invented that word?)

Checkout my new screenprinting squeegee! It makes the tile grouter that I was using look underfed by comparison!

Creative expression

Hannah would like to style her own hair in the morning.
I say 'No!'

This is why:Our compromise is that she has free reign with her hair after bath time. And Phil and I try to eat dinner with a straight face.

DIY Chess

Although Hannah has been claiming the limelight here for a while, Aaron has not been idle either. Armed with a DK guide to chess, from the local library, he has built a chess set and is busy learning rules, moves, and the history of chess!He's even teaching his two year old brother, although that may be more out of a desperate desire for an opponent of any sort!
Daddy kindly cut a board which they marked up together, and this afternoon will be spent painting the squares (Aaron is home from school today, nursing a purple and swollen face after an encounter with a cricket bat yesterday morning).

Pram vanity

There was simply no question about it - if that pram is going to be a regular part of our walking routine, then that pink had to go! Yes, that is my vanity shining through! Actually, Hannah was also quite adamant that a little mama who walks to town for a few groceries MUST have a basket under her pram to put things in. We bought the pram secondhand for her birthday two years ago, and it never had a basket underneath.
This project was actually much easier than it looks (my kind of project!) especially because I had the original fabric for the hood and seat, to use as a pattern. Unfortunately it turned out a bit more sickly sweet than intended, but Hannah is over the moon with her 'new' pram.

Tick

With the photo shoot done, this latest quilt is officially complete! I'm really happy with our current system for taking photos of finished quilts - we have a huge white board stored in the shed specifically for this. Phil pulls it out and stands it against the southern side of the shed. I have found that the best time of the day to take the photos is late afternoon, preferable when the sun has sunk low enough behind the shed to avoid sunflares!

Fairies by Hannah

I bought this book about two years ago, with the thought that 'if this doesn't inspire a little girl to sew, I don't know what will'. Hannah has just rediscovered it on the bookshelf, and bookmarked most of the projects! First up were these fairies...Hannah had to select fabrics, trace pattern pieces, cut out fabric, embroider and stitch sequins and beads on. I was surprised by how well she could do all this, and we are both very happy with the results!

Thread bare

Hurray, the threads have all been tied off and buried into my latest quilt! Next step: to sew on the hanging sleeve. And then I have a huge list of jobs awaiting my attention. Things like: revamp the dolls pram, paint-strip the outdoor furniture, refurbish the dining chairse, finish oiling the deck steps, fix the bedroom blind, replace silicon in the bathrooms and kitchen, to name a few.

Sound like fun? Don't worry - there is also another list titled 'Quilts to make' and I hope to make further inroads into that one too!