dreamfctry

What?! Another quilt completed?!

2012-02-07T00:16:00.000-08:00

Yes you did read right - i have finished another quilt! Last week i decided to just knock the aqua and red cross quilt off the WIP list for good. Last Tuesday i took it to mum's and she helped me to baste it and by Saturday it was all quilted and bound...

...i used a lovely soft minky on the back, which was a little difficult to baste but totally worth it!!!...

Also this morning i started and finished this tray liner while i had my very first Brooklyn free morning [school is awesome!!!!]...

...i purchased that gorgeous bamboo tray this week [for a bargain!] and thought it needed a little something to make it look more at home in my lounge room. You may recognise the hexies from [this post] because i was going to be using them for a travelling hexie kit but after putting that onto the WIP pile shortly after it was started, i decided to put them to better use :)

While Brooklyn was at school this morning, Heidi went down for a nap and i finally started to see the real benefits of school hehe! My house has never been so clean - i actually SORTED MY WASHING!!! This is generally a biannual event haha, we spend most of the time grabbing things from baskets or the dryer instead haha. I also have no dishes lying around and the beds were actually MADE! Truly amazing!

The other night, I also spent some time pinning together these face washers that i started making last year...

...i am using [this tutorial] to make them up. Have you noticed that i've been trying to finish off some WIPs?! And that i actually have been?! Amazing huh!

Tonight i'm going to mum's again for another sewing night and i'm taking this along...

...i have traced out a couple of [Aneela's] embroidery patterns to use in the centers of the 6 little apples dresdens that i am making into a quilt for my Heidi bear's birthday in April. I also have some swoon block cutting to do! Eeekkk!

Eeeeekkkkkkkkkkk!!!!

2012-02-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

Two more sleeps...

2012-02-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

...until my little man gets all grown up! That's right, my baby boy will be heading off to school!!!

It feels like just yesterday we were here...

...our newborn little boy. And since then the time has just flown...

And in two more sleeps he'll be off to school and he wont be my baby anymore :( woweee now i'm cryin again haha!

It's amazing how quickly time really passes!

Crosses crossed off the list...almost!

2012-01-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday i decided to treat myself by completing a sewing project that i wanted to do for myself instead of doing bee blocks etc [seeing as i worked on projects for others over the entire rest of the weekend!]

You may remember that i cut of some fabric to make a quilt in [this post] from last year...

...i decided to finally put it all together! I made them into cross blocks as you can see above.

All the cuttings left me with some yummy red and aqua scraps to send along to the kinder too...

...after going to and from the machine for most of the day [in between trips to the pool and post office and a slurpee run hehe] i laid them all out and sewed them together...

...sorry not the best photo i know. It turned out to be lap sized and perfect as a kids lounge room quilt. Now that the top is done, all i have left to do is baste, quilt and bind :)

Overall a very productive long weekend of sewing!

Sew motivated!!

2012-01-28T01:21:00.000-08:00

Today i woke up and was instantly keen to belt out some items on the sewing machine so started the day off by finishing the last 3 dresdens for Heidi's birthday quilt...

Then i took a break had some lunch with mum and the kids then moved onto this bee block for [Dawn] for the [Aqua and Red Block Bee]..

As soon as the block was finished we were out the door to the pools to cool off a little! It was really quite hot today [although not as hot as i had expected which was nice!] so we came home and had a little rest and watched a movie before i moved onto this...

my last placemat for the [Free Motion Placemat Swappers]. As much as i loved this 7 month swap, i am glad to be relieved of another commitment. It will definitely give me more time to sew for myself!!

I also forgot to mention that i picked up 320 crayons for $10 today and spent some time [with the help of my sister in law] unwrapping them, chopping them up and popping them into love heart moulds...

we're going to attach them to little cards for the kiddies to give to their new friends for valentines day...unfortunately,even though it was hot, it wasn't hot enough to melt the crayons this afternoon [grrr!!] so i've popped them in the car and have my fingers crossed for a stinking hot day tomorrow hehe!

Friday night sewing...

2012-01-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

Last night i went to another [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild] Sit and Sew evening over at out local quilt store. As usual i planned to be waaaay more productive than i really was but i did manage to sew up a few of these dresdens...

...i love the scrappy look of them. I'm using little apples fabric by Aneela Hoey for Moda...

...the plan is to pop them onto white background, sash them and put 2 borders and ta-da! hehe...

...it'll need to be done by my daughter's birthday in April so i have plenty of time, but would just like to get it done sooner rather than later...

Mum also helped me baste this little cot panel for my nephew...

...i'm going to hand quilt this one just like the [space one].

Perhaps one of the reasons why i didn't get quite as much done as i had hoped was because i spent a little too much time shopping for goodies...

...i picked up some chenille to finish off a few facewashers i started last year, a new glue baste pen because the kiddie shave hidden mine somewhere and i can't seem to find it anywhere!! and a winding ways template set for a new project...later in the year of course hehe.

I just love the day after a sewing evening because it always puts me in the mood to be a super productive sewing machine when i wake up the next day, so i'm off to finish dresdens and complete bee blocks for the rest of the day :)

always. echo. of.

2012-01-26T22:56:00.000-08:00

You know how sometimes there's just that one thing that you keep putting off...because you think it's going to be a lot of effort and you're feeling a little lazy?! I've been a little like that with the below word blocks for [Kari] of [Always Bee Learning]...

...and it turns out that they were a lot of effort hehe. In total it took me about 3 hours to make these three blocks...

...the last two didn't take very long at all but that 'W' in 'always' was the killer! I just could not get my head around it haha but i think they all turned out really well...

...i was quite nervous to make these blocks but now i'm confident that i could do it again. I was even thinking i might piece my kid's names for the back of their bed quilts this year!!!

Tonight i'm going to the [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild] Sit and Sew Evening at my LQS! Eeeekkkkkk! I plan on basting a quilt for my Nephew, Piecing my daughter's dresdens, completing a bee block and perhaps even start working on a quilt top that was cut a long while ago...

I have become a Farmer's Wife :)

2012-01-26T00:06:00.000-08:00

So by now, most quilters should have seen those Farmer's Wife blocks floating around the blogsphere and some of them are just amazing aren't they?! How could i resist giving it a try huh?!

I decided that i would try my hand at hand piecing for this project and am hoping to churn out a twin size, hand pieced, quilt top. Today was the perfect day to start, we went to an Australia Day barbeque and spent most of the afternoon just chatting and hanging out with friends out on the decking in the warm sun. Here's how i went with my first block...

Not bad huh?! The block is number 29 - Economy. It took me about 45 mins...i sewed quite slowly, being my first try, but am so please with the result! I mean, look at how it all matches up!!!

I now can't wait to start my second block!!! Hopefully you'll be seeing a few more of these little beauties soon :)

Happy Australia Day!!!

2012-01-25T11:39:00.000-08:00

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

[Dorothea Mackellar]

Wedged!

2012-01-23T00:42:00.000-08:00

Last night I decided to start on the Dresden wedges I cut for my daughter's little apples birthday quilt...

I chained them all together [120 in total for 6 Dresden plates] and then retreated to the couch to cut them apart and trim the corners. Hopefully tomorrow night i can find the time to to iron them all flat and sort them into their dresdens - i can't wait to join them all together!!

I have also been working on my crochet in the evenings and now have eight completed circles, and a few half finished ones...now only about a zillion to go hehe!

In other news, i am working three whole days n a row this week [!!!!] from Monday to Wednesday so i can have a four day weekend! I am looking forward to having four whole days of sewing, sorting and beach!

The Quilting To Do List...

2012-01-22T12:27:00.000-08:00

Like most quilters, i have a HUGE quilting 'to make' list..you only need to check out my [pinterest] to see that i pin them...often hehe. So i thought i'd share the next quilts that i am hoping to knock off my list [including the tutorial links too!]...

[Kissy Fish Quilt] by Lee of [Freshly Pieced]

[Winding Ways Quilt] - this one is by Jeannette of [Gone Aussie Quilting]

[Single Girl Quilt] by Angela of [Fussy Cut]...pattern by [Denyse Schmidt]

[Modern Crosses Quilt] by Adrianne from the book [Modern Log Cabin Quilting]

[Pinwheels in the Park] by Rachel of [Four Wise Monkeys]

[Zig Zag Quilt] by Nettie of [A Quilt is Nice]

[Pickledish Quilt] by Aneela Hoey of [Comfort Stitching]

A quilt using these [Aeroplane Blocks] by Amy of [Badskirt]

[Large Scale Bowtie Quilt] by Angela of [My Three Sons]

[Spinning Stars Quilt] by Meredith of [Meredith Jane Handcrafted]

[Lonestar Quilt] by Siobhan of [Bea Spoke Quilts]

Yes i am totally aware of the ridiculous amount of quilts that is hehe. I have been thinking a lot about my current WIPs lately...i have a few quilt tops to put together, and some just sitting there waiting! I think that the best thing for me to do is to finish off all of my tops as quickly as possible and send them one [or two hehe] at a time off to the long arm quilter for quilting...it will save them just sitting on the shelf waiting to be quilted, because i honestly just don't have the time to quilt them!!!

And once all my WIPs are done, i can start on these new, fabulous quilts!!!

Busy, busy, busy!!

2012-01-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

This week has been a crazy week! Good crazy, but still crraazzzyy! hehe. So busy in fact that i didn't set up my sewing machine until yesterday after taking her out on our guild trip last weekend! I am proud to report that i got stuck into some sewing then - i finished off a doll quilt and pillow [which i forgot to photograph! Grrr] for a 4th birthday party gift and i also finished this bee block...

This is a stargazing block for the book [Modern Blocks] for [Caroline] in the [Aqua and Red Block Bee]. This block was sent out for November but i never received the fabric! I felt so bad! But then just last week i went to check the mail and there it was - the parcel was dated to have been sent on the third of November! I was just glad to receive it in the end :)

I also went to my [local quilt store] and picked up the last fat quarters for my swoon quilt...

...i think it is going to look amazing and i am sooo super excited! I'm going to have it quilted by [Jeanette] from [The Quilted Platypus] here is Oz...my very first time using a long arm quilter so i am super thrilled!

On Friday night, I gathered up some cross stitch supplies and headed over to my friend's house...

...she just had some pretty major surgery and needs to spend most of her days resting at the moment :( once i started seeing her post A LOT of photos of her dog on facebook [haha] i decided it was time she learnt some cross stitch to pass the time!

I showed her the basics and when i left she had completed just a couple of rows...but then i logged into facebook the next morning and...

...she's finished a whole head!! Woo Hoo! Go Chevvy! [by the way, if you haven't figured it out, this is a babushka doll pattern hehe]

I haven't been able to do any crafting on the train this week because i've had this little munchkin with me...

Heidi bear started at her new kinder near my work and will be catching the train with me every work day...it's exhausting!! The above photo is from the first day and there was a lot of squealing from excitement, running around etc.

On the second trip...

...things became a little more settled [phew!] and she spent the time playing games on my iPhone and sitting quietly.

Our trip involves 2 trains and a tram which means a lot of walking in between but so far so good - the escalator rides make the walking time very exciting for Heids as you could imagine, which takes away from 'complaining about having to walk' time hehe.

hope you all had a good week too!

Adopt my UFO

2012-01-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

So you may remember that quite a while ago now i started this project...

The Gypsy Kisses Quilt from the book [Material Obsession 2]. At the time i was inspired by this quilt...

[source]

...but i have recently decided to go in a different direction...softer pastel colours rather than these types of bright bold ones.

Now, i don't want to waste what has already been started - i have about 18 arches finished so was wondering if anyone would like to adopt this project that i have no intention of finishing?! Perhaps there is someone who has started this quilt and would like more arches to go with theirs? I'd rather give it to someone who is going to use it than have it sit on my shelf for years hehe.

First person to leave a comment claiming my kisses can have them - the only condition is that claiming person will need to pay the postage on them too. I'm thinking that it will probably be around $13 international and maybe $5 within Australia :)

Not sew productive!

2012-01-18T01:50:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately i have not been very productive in a sewing way [or in any way at all in fact hehe] over the past couple of days :( now that i'm back at work it seems to be draining all of my precious energy and i have none left to sew when i get home.

I did start working on some more crochet and these are my very first starbursts for my new crochet blankie project [these ones are done correctly haha...although i'm not to proud to admit that i originally did the last ring wrong on all three and didn't realise till they were all done so had to undo and start again!]

I also finished my January hexies for the [Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap]...

And finished cutting out these dresden wedges for my daughter's birthday quilt...

apart from that i've basically been mooching around the house, not doing anything...just procrastinating really and not getting anything done! I am going to try to be more focused on task completion tomorrow...beginning with cleaning my terribly messy house!!!

Oh and by the way check this out...

...see what happens when you leave your child alone with your phone to play for longer than five minutes?!?! hehe

Ready to burst...

2012-01-14T21:44:00.000-08:00

So I am wondering, am i the only one who pins an endless amount of Starburst crochet blankets and tutorials?

[source]

They're just so beautiful!!! I have been a long time admirer of crochet and have dabbled a few times but nothing really serious. Today i began to think that it might be time for me to commit to a big crochet project :) so i gave one of these starburst circles a whirl...

Not too shabby right?! I am so proud of it! ...except that i started with one extra double crochet in the center round meaning that this poor little circle is now useless to me :( hehe, but i have learnt for next time!

To make this block i used the tutorial below from [IDA Interior Lifestyle]:

Easy peasy lemon squeezy! So now, when i have run out of hand binding and hexies, i'll be crocheting away making these little circles on the train until i have enough to to join into a blankie!

The good news is i am an avid collector of yarn...i have just about as much yarn as i do fabric and i don't knit or crochet!! HAHA! So now i'll be able to put it too good use ;)

A very sew-ie sorta day!

2012-01-14T00:38:00.000-08:00

Today, as i mentioned, i participated in another Sit and Sew Day for the [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild] and, as usual, i had a BLAST!

I also got a fair amount done too [which is amazing for the amount of talking i did hehe]. Last night, even though i was exhausted i managed to spray baste this baby quilt panel...

...and today i quilted it and added the binding. It's for my friend's new baby girl - Laura...and yes, she is adorable!!!

I also finished off this doll quilt from my WIP pile for her newly crowned 'big sister' Ebony...

I always love to give sibling gifts as well so that noone feels left out :)

And lastly, my Oma's birthday is coming up and you may remember that i made her these cushions for Christmas...

...so for her birthday i made her a coordinating table runner!...

...I need to quickly finish up the binding tonight because they are going away for over a month and i would really love to give it to her before they leave. I know she'll love it because she just adores anything that's 'matchy matchy' hehe.

I was very proud to come home and rub a few more items off my January whiteboard list and now there's not all that much left on there! YAY!!! Tomorrow i'm planning on finishing off my last placemat for the [Free Motion Placemat Quilt Swappers] and also baste my second Nephew's Christmas quilt so that i can start hand quilting this week :)

Spicks and Specs-tacular!!!

2012-01-13T01:56:00.000-08:00

Last night my husband and I finally went out on a proper 'date night' for our anniversary...our 6th year wedding anniversary was on October 29!! Better late than never i say :) We went out for dinner alone for the first time in a very long time and then headed into the city for the 'Spicks and Specs-tacular!'...

...'Spicks and Specks' is a totally amazing Australian television celebrity music trivia show and the last episode aired in December after 7 years of running. The 3 hosts decided to do a nation wide thank-you and goodbye tour called the 'Spicks and Specs-tacular'....

...the series began when my husband and i first got together and we have been watching it, basically, from the very beginning and so as a surprise, i bought tickets for our anniversary :)

We both enjoyed it so much! Goodbyes always make me a little emotional but i managed to hold it together [unlike when the last episode went to air and i cried like a baby in the privacy of my living room hehe]. The show was hilarious, the music was fantastic and most importantly i was finally able to celebrate my 6 year marriage in a way that is totally us!

On another note, lookie at what i finished!!...

yep, tissue box covers! That's one big TICK off my home decor sewing list! YAY!!! I made two exactly the same and one is sitting on the mantle while the other is in the kitchen :)

Tomorrow i have a whole sewing day with the [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild] and i have big plans for a couple of finishes so i'll be sure to have a lovely quilty post sometime over the weekend but for now i'm absolutely exhausted after my first week back at work and i think i hear my pillow calling for me hehe!

Belated gift giving...

2012-01-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

Today i can finally show you the embroidery that i had been working on for a 'super special friend' because she finally received it from me today...just a couple of weeks late!!

I gave this little wall hanging to [Sally] for Christmas...

...i used part of this embroidery [pattern] by [Aneela Hoey] and added the wording in...

...and she loved it of course! It's going up on the sewing room wall :)

I have also been working on some more bee blocks for this month...

[Megan] of [Bee Connected] asked us to make her scrappy wonky stars of any size so i managed to make 5 with the fabric she sent. The stars range between 12.5" and 3.5".

I also finished this Garden Fence block for [Brenda] of [Bee Connected] too...

I'm very proud because now i only have one more lot of bee blocks and 2 hexie flowers to complete this month [once i receive the fabric of course] and then i'm free to do my own personal sewing for the rest of the month!! YAY!

Oh and i also finished another small project yesterday so tune in tomorrow for that one ;)

First Quilt of 2012 Complete!!

2012-01-08T02:41:00.000-08:00

Today i focused my energy on completing the hand quilting and binding on this quilt for my nephew, Jackson.

You may remember that i had started it in December to give to him for Christmas and this is still the plan :) we haven't actually caught up with them for Christmas yet [they live quite a while away from us] so there's still time! I still need to make one for my other nephew [Jackson's brother], Matthew as well as a smaller gift for Matty also as it is his birthday on the 25th...we will more than likely just do a big gift swap then :D

The quilt is a panel i purchased from Spotlight and i used perle 8 threads for the quilting. I used the coordinating backing also purchased from Spotlight.

I am very happy with the result and am hoping it is something that my nephew can cherish for years to come :)

Bee Blockin'

2012-01-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

As part of being my new, ORGANISED self i have been trying to get my bee blocks done as soon as the come through the door so last night i worked on these spiderweb blocks for [Jeannette] in the [Sew Australia] Bee...

...Jeannette sent us a whole heap of yummy aqua and orange strips to use...

...we were asked to use this [tutorial] to make them up...

I really love the way they turned out and am so proud to have completed them just one day after i received the fabric. The most exciting part...i get to rub something off from my to-do dry erase board!! hehe

Sample Block Day!

2012-01-06T01:28:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to make up sample blocks for my [Sew Australia] quilts because my Internet was down allllll day...turns out you can be fairly productive when you don't have the Internet as a distraction hehe.

I learnt to piece curves today...

and am really happy with the result :) i was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was in the end too! I followed this [tutorial] from [Nova]

I also made up some kaleidoscope blocks for my kaleidoscope DS quilt...

i LOVE it already!!! I just can't wait for it all to be done hehe. The great thing about these blocks is that it only took me about a half hour to do all four blocks :) i love a quilt that comes together quickly! I still have a few more to make before my bee month in March. I have used this fantastic [tutorial] to make up these blocks.

I accidentally cut quite a number more blocks than i need for both quilts so i am thinking that there might be some matching cushions in the future for these two quilts hehe.

Additionally, I still have a little bit of each of these Denyse Schmidt fabrics left and am thinking of a way to use them...i also have a bunch of scraps from all the kaleidoscope cutting that i just can't seem to part with. Some more hexies perhaps?!

Oh and i almost forgot, I have nearly finished another cute embroidery but i can't show it to you yet...it's a special [belated] Christmas gift for a super special friend!!!

My son the CRICKET LEGEND!!!

2012-01-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

Recently my son was fortunate enough to be selected to play on the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the lunch break of the third day of the boxing day test. For those non-aussies or non-cricket fans...this is a BIG DEAL!! The boxing day test is legendary...not one Aussie can possibly say they haven't heard of it. It gets plastered all over the tell and the papers...as you can tell, we were VERY excited!!!...and the boy was too hehe ;)

On the morning on Wednesday 28th we packed our gear and headed in with some friends [loyal Brookie supporters hehe] on the train to the MCG. I was seated away from the hubby and my boy but stayed with him as he waited to go and prepare for his 'big game'...

...yes he was just a tad hyperactive haha!

Then the wait was on...from that time it too them about an hour to actually run onto the field...which was nerve racking because parents were not allowed to stay with them or go out onto the ground either...i had all sorts of terrible things running through my head and was relieved when they all poured out onto the ground...with Brooklyn being, by far, the smallest child out there hehe. That was perfect because it made him very easy to spot!

Unfortunately his game was positioned on what was practically the opposite side of the ground to where we were sitting...but that wasn't going to stop this crazy parent from getting her photos!!! I raced out to the entrance of our pavilion, grabbed a pass out and entered at a gate near where he was playing [more exercise than i would ever voluntarily do in a lifetime!!!] and then raced down to where he was playing...i managed to get the perfect place to take photos which was fantastic...

...Brookie batting...

...running...

...and bowling.

He was a little bit of a show off hehe, playing it up for the crowd, doing cartwheels even! His game just happened to be played out right in front of Bay 13, which is notorious for being filled with loud, drunk, mis-behaved persons haha, and i was stuck right there to watch him of course!! Two drunk blokes painted from head to toe in green and yellow took a liking to Brooklyn and we all cheered for him together!

All in all we had a fantastic day and i was super proud mum of course hehe!

New year, new quilts...

2012-01-04T00:07:00.000-08:00

I've had such a lovely, relatively stress free day today! I spent most of it cutting out this kaleidoscope quilt...

I'm going to be sending some of it out to my [Sew Australia] bee buddies to whip up for me in March as well as sending out this quilt too...

Yep my DS Drunkards Path that i cut MONTHS ago! Last night i finally found the time to sort it into blocks and lay it all out [which is why the photo is so terrible hehe].

I've been doing quite a bit of creating over the past few days actually.

I made up this bee block for [Sally] for the [Aqua and Red Block Bee]. She's making the [Pinwheels in the Park] quilt that can be found on [Sew, Mama, Sew]

I made this Garden Fence Block using this [tutorial] for [Brenda] for [Bee Connected] - i still have one more of these to go.

I also learnt some Seminole Patchwork in [Always Be Learning] this one is going to [Stephanie] soon.

Amongst all of the bee blocks i also managed to finish off this little embroidery for Heidi that i started a while ago. The pattern is [Cherry of the Tree Swing] by [Aneela Hoey]. I'm going to turn it into a sweet little cushion to coordinate with all of the Little Apples decor that will be ready soon!

I'm off to do a little more sewing and then time for an early night...tomorrow we're off to the Werribee Open Range Zoo for a safari adventure!!!

My home sewing list for 2012...

2012-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

So one of my new years resolutions is to decorate...which i loooove doing but never can find the time, so the plan is to make time! I have already started a list of items that i'd like to make too. Here's what i've got so far...

1. Reversible Tissue Box Cover 2. sewingmachinecover6 3. pretty in pink apron 4. children's seat cushion- pink patchwork

Tissue Box Covers x 2

Two Sewing Machine covers for Pollyanna and Giselle + an Overlocker Cover for Henry

An apron for me!!

Seat Cushions for the seats i plan to buy

1. Disappearing Nine Patch Quilt 2. Swoon Blocks - the set 3. patchwork table cover 4. Mini Quilt

A table cloth inspired by a Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt

A Swoon Quilt and pillows for my bed

Finish the revamp of my kids bedroom (Quilts, cushions etc)

Some table runners...for all surfaces hehe

1. tablerunner for Modern tablerunner swap 2. 'The Hood' tree skirt 3. Advent calendar 4. Fabric wreath small red-pink1

...and for Christmas 2012...

Some festive table runners

A Christmas Tree Skirt

An Advent Calendar

A Christmas Wreath

i'm sure i'll find other little things along the way but that's the list for now :) I'll also have another lot of Christmas gift sewing that i plan to start mid year (rather than 3 weeks before Christmas!!) as well as birthday sewing for the little tackers ;)

So it's shaping up to be a busy sewing year already!! I'm going to put at least one item from the above on my sewing to do list per month to make sure i actually sew them up too...hello organised me :D

Sewing the year out...

2011-12-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

I decided that today i would do a little sewing to see the year out by finishing some overdue bee blocks for [Jill]...

It's quite hot here today [in the 30s!] but it didn't deter me from being outside to paint my frames for my new dry erase boards :) there'll be more on that next year hehe. The frames are nearly done as with the inserts, just waiting on it all to dry now..eeekkk!!!

What are your plans for New Years?

We are spending the evening at my brother's with my mum, having a BBQ dinner, watching fireworks and i've even packed some hexies to keep me entertained during the long wait for 12 am...that is, if i last that long hehe.

Bring on the New Year!

2011-12-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

Last year i made myself a list of resolutions - [here], in fact it was my very first post!!! By the way i forgot to mention that my little blog turned one on the 21st of December but in the Christmas rush i didn't have the time to really celebrate it...so happy birthday to dreamfctry! hehe.

Anyhoo - my first lot of resolutions were a little ambitious haha, i didn't really achieve many of them and perhaps that is because there were just too many. This year i am keeping it simple with just a few, achievable, reasonable goals...

[source]

{One}...Write down one thing that i am grateful for each day, something positive. This year has really sucked so i want to make the absolute best out of 2012 so by really focusing on the positives, i hope that the negatives wont be so bad!

[source]

{Two}... To attempt to keep my house and life as organised as possible. Like i mentioned in my [last post], i'd like to try and use whiteboards to remember things and invest in a diary that i will actually use hehe. As part of the whole organisation goal, i would also like to try not to forget anyone's birthday and send out cards at the beginning of each month.

{Three}...To finish off some of those projects that have been sitting there for a while OR give away the ones i really am not ever going to finish. For the easy ones that i no longer want/need i want to try and finish them off and donate them to local charities instead :)

{Four}...Focus on some more ME sewing. To achieve this i am not going to sign up for anymore bees after the ones i am in finish mid-year. That should give me time to achieve both some me sewing and be better prepared for Christmas 2012 [hopefully i wont do alllll the sewing in the last three weeks again and have to put up with more RSI hehe]

[source]

{Five}...To decorate :) i have already started sprinkling my house with cute little sewn items but hopefully in my increase 'me sewing time' i will be able to make some more home decor items and try some new DIY techniques.

All in all, my main goal is to just simply have fun and spend quilty time with my gorgeous little family...to be happy with what i have in life, not to be concerned so much with what i still want to achieve and to just cut myself a little slack for once :) I spend all this time thinking that i am just doing the same old thing day after day and this year i want to be content with just doing exactly that!

Constantly Catching Up....

2011-12-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else CONSTANTLY feel like they're never really ahead of the game?! I always feel like i'm that last minute person who's never prepared, always running late, missing or forgetting something, completely unorganised, in debt....always!

2011 has been an absolute shocker of a year for me, the worst ever i believe and i am planning for 2012 to be a big improvement on that :) starting with organisation.

I know i make it sound like i am completely unorganised, but i'm really not normally that kind of person! I am a personal assistant and in my work life i am completely in control of just about everything...but at home...not so much.

[source]

I'm starting with dry erase boards...for everything! [Pretty ones of course! Check out the above DIY!] One for who's birthday is coming up, one for important dates in the coming month, one for bee blocks to be completed...i am definitely a visual kinda person so i think this is going to make a big difference for me. I've also started an excel spreadsheet for birthdays with addresses so i can prepare birthday cards for sending at the beginning of each month - you may remember this was a 2011, non achieved resolution hehe.

In the next week or so that i have off, i'm going to be systematically sorting my house so that by the time i return to work, everything is organised, de-cluttered and in it's right place! Here's a few little tips i found on pinterest...

[source]

So now i need advise from all you ultra organised super mums out there! What is our number one tip for staying organised?!

Only one more to go :)

2011-12-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

Okay so i know i'm cutting it quite close, but i now only have 1 more gift to make! YAY! I would have been done already except that i was up all night with some nasty food poisoning but thankfully now i've been able to hold down some food and fluids so i can finish off the gift...i haven't wrapped ANYTHING yet - even the kiddies gifts...yikes!

While feeling like i was on my death bed, i did manage to finish off the binding on the last of these two cushions for my Oma and Opa...

I just love them! I am becoming much better at this whole free motion quilting thing which is exciting, my stitch length consistency improves every time.

Yesterday i got to leave work at lunchtime [!!] because the office was sooooo quite and i managed to finish the binding on mum's table runner...

...as well as finish the binding on this mixer cover and have eyelets put in!...

Now i just need to finish off Nanna's table runner and then we'll be all set! Mum's being super nice and doing all the cooking for me for tomorrow because i am still feeling rather under the weather with some pretty heavy pain around the kidney area :( but no point in sooking - i've still got table decorations to get and food to deliver!

Gifting gone crazy...

2011-12-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a little pencil case i made today for my boss' daughter - i filled it with some super cool rainbow wind up crayons and a little cross stitch owl kit...i love when she comes into work because i keep a drawer of fun little crafty things to make with her and she's coming in tomorrow...YAY...so we can have some cross stitch fun :)

The hubby and I also made some little gifts for the kids at day care...

Reindeer food!

The poem reads:

Sprinkle this reindeer food outside tonight,

The moonlight will make it sparkle bright.

As the Reindeer fly and roam,

This will guide them to your home.

The little reindeer card is a free printable found [here]...isn't it sweet?! Hubby bagged them while i tied :)

As well as this i am nearly finished two cushions, a table runner and a mixer cover - i just need to hand sew down the binding [i have saved them all for today's work train rides] and then i promise to take some photos to post!

More Christmas Sewing + Some Baking too!!!

2011-12-19T03:33:00.000-08:00

Since finishing all the gifts for the big family do, i have moved onto completing work gifts to give out tomorrow morning [because i am popping in with the kids who just loooove to hand out gifts!]

I made the below table runner for my friend/work colleague...

...and this pillow cover for my boss...

I used this [tutorial] again to quick piece the squares together [i need to be super time efficient with all these other gifts still to complete!!!]. Now they're all wrapped up and ready for gifting!

I also spent a good chunk of time after getting home from the family Christmas party making up a whole batch of these Christmas tree biscuits for my work Christmas lunch today...

...the guys LOVED them which was great and there were so many left over that i sent some home with the parents to give out to all the kiddies too :)

Speaking of Christmas trees...look at what we picked up on Sunday...

It is absolutely massive! About 2m wide at the bottom and about 8 or more feet tall!!! The problem is, we don't have enough decorations to cover this monster haha...

...or the energy at the moment, so the decorating will need to wait until Thursday i think!

Tomorrow i am starting to work on my close family gifts [mum, nanna and pa, oma and opa, etc] at another Tuesday sewing sesh with Sal. I am planning to be super productive so stay tuned for more ;)

Crazy Christmas Sewing!!!

2011-12-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness...things have gone a little sew crazy in this place lately with our big family Christmas do on this afternoon. Our family has gone a little dysfunctional this year so instead of running the regular Kris Kringle between all the adults [because there are a number of people not talking to each other haha...not me!] it was decided that everyone would just buy a gift for each of the little cousins instead - of which there are 6...2 of which are my kids :)

I decided to sew for just about everyone this year [except for the blokes because i never know what to make them!!] so here's what i made for the kiddies...

FIVE BACKPACKS! These took a couple of evenings to complete as i tried to work on them as a production line...i just love the way they all turned out so much that i need to give them all individual credit...

...this one is for my seven year old little cousin, Alysha...

...this one is for my three year old cousin, James...

...this one is for my five year old cousin, Patrick...

...this one is for my daughter...

...and lastly, my favourite of them all, is for my son Brooklyn!

To make the backpacks, i used this [tutorial] from Sew, Mama, Sew. I also whipped up these two little chalk mats for James and Patrick...

...because you may remember that earlier in the year i made this little extra fabric memory game for Alysha...

...and when there's siblings involved it's always best to keep it even hehe ;)

On top of making all of this, i even managed to find time to quilt up this gorgeous owl panel into a quilt for my one year old baby cousin too...

..the theme for Isabelle's bedroom decor is owls so you could imagine how thrilled i was to find this panel at Spotlight! It also came with some coordinating backing which you can see below...

...given the time restraints, i kept it simple with just some FMQ stippling but still absolutely loved the way it turned out!

So for this week, that has been an incredible amount of sewing. So much sewing in fact that...

...yep i have RSI in my right hand :( my thumb mostly but i'm trying to push though it because i have an incredible amount of Christmas sewing still to complete by next Sunday!!! ARGH!!!

Stay tuned for more crafty posts. I've already started a table runner, mixer cover and 3 cushions that i am hopeful to finish by the end of Tuesday...wish me luck hehe.

Cut it out!!! Hehe

2011-12-12T22:49:00.000-08:00

Today, my awesome friend [Sal] came over for another Sit and Sew Sesh...you may notice that this has been happening quite regularly recently, every Tuesday in fact haha. I have a super dooper long list of Christmas gifts to sew that i had barely started and with only 7 days until the big family do, it was time to really bite the bullet and knuckle down.

I started off making two of these roll up chalk mats that were SoOoOo easy...

...which is lucky because my son ended up drawing on one of them with pen later in the day so i'll need to remake it..grrrr!! They're part of the gift for my two little cousins, James and Patrick.

And then part way through the day, Sal's super hero alter ego came out of the woodwork...

HAHA! Yes they are undies on her head! The kids thought it was HiLaRioUs of course hehe.

Later i moved onto cutting...LoTs of cutting...

...for the rest of the day i cut out five, yes, FiVe [!!!] kid's backpacks! Two will be for my kiddies and then the other three are for my little cousins Alysha, Patrick and James. It was nice to cut while Sal was over because i HATE cutting, so the chatting definitely took my mind off it :)

We took a short break in between to meet Pa at the park for lunch and to feed the ducks the hundreds of rolls he had left over from my brother's 18th barbecue on the weekend...

...the kids loved it, and dad and i enjoyed throwing the bread at their feet while they weren't paying attention so that they were surrounded by birds and ducks hehe.

Okay so no more blogging because now i need to go and interface and construct the five kids bags as well as finish off a baby quilt by Sunday! ARGH!!

How is everyone else going with their Christmas shopping and/or sewing? Am i the only one that tries to sew for what feels like thousands of people?!

2011: A year in review

2011-12-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

My [very first blog post] talked all about my 2011 resolutions and all that i wanted to achieve for the year and i thought, seeing as it is coming up to the end of the year, i would review my progress against my goals...

a] finish all those unfinished craft projects...

Okay so not quite there yet hehe! I did finish some including:

the Grandpa Quilt...

...and the robot toy as well as finishing off a few quilt tops like the doll dress quilt and Brookie's robot quilt...both of which are still waiting on some quilting hehe. Okay so maybe i didn't make much headway on the unfinished project project after all...i think this one will be a carry over item...every year! haha.

2] invest some serious creative time into my etsy shop [dreamfctry.etsy.com] and turn it into a profitable business

Okay so with all the drama that's gone on this year...this just wasn't possible. With moving, health complications, never-ending family drama and trying to raise two kids, this proved near impossible! But with my son going to school next year, hopefully this will change :)

c] to blog...

Oh have i ever blogged!! Over 200 times in 12 months :) i am completely addicted to my blog and have found it to be a very loyal friend in hard times and i just love to share all of my happy news as soon as it comes along too! I definitely plan to continue on with my blogging adventure for years to come!

d] create new things. LoTs of new things.

I have never sewn as much in my life as i have in the past 12 months! I have been continually trying new patterns, tutorials, techniques and have come such a long way in my sewing experience than the same time last year! Above is just a small sample of some of the items i've whipped up.

5] to photograph like i have never photographed before.

Well i have definitely taken lots more photos so - tick! BUT i haven't become any better at taking photos haha so that's something i should still work on.

f] write a bucket list...

So i haven't officially written down a bucket list but i have thought about it all year and with the health problems i've been faced with, it's actually become quite important to me so i definitely know what some of the tings on it are...i just need to write them down. I did tick off some things from my bucket list this year - like learning to ride a bike :)

7] save up the deposit to buy land and build our dream home...

HA! This is officially off my list because i have decided...I DON'T CARE! I have come to realise in the past 12 months that there are so many more important things to worry about like family and LIVING life. This has definitely lowered on my priority list!

8] take a class in something

This i couldn't afford :( BUT i did discover the wonders of youtube and have been referring to it often when in doubt hehe

i] teach myself the art of amigurumi via YouTube...

hmm also didn't achieve...but it hasn't really worried me. I am sure i will learn amigurumi eventually but for now it's not a skill i am in desperate need of.

j] send birthdays cards out to everyone, on time, without forgetting.

I really wanted to achieve this one...and then our family turned DISFUNCTIONAL!!!! So i will do so next year once things have settled down a little. I have been making a point of sending a text message though :)

11] i WiLL organise my craft 'space'.

Totally achieved!!! With the move of the house, it made it very easy to organise the 'sewing studio' because now i have a whole master bedrooms with two large bookcases and 2 large wardrobes :)

So now i have started to think up a new list of goals for next year and i have a few that i would really like to achieve for my own well being...i can't wait to share them with you in one of my coming posts :)

Friday Flickr Faves!

2011-12-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

1. Little Apples Pillow - Front 2. Play Cookie set Giveaway! 3. a shabby gnomie pillow!! 4. a start, 5. Kaleidoscope Pillow 6. hoops 7. embroidered bunny applique 8. 9 houses 9. linen + hexagon cover

One Pillow Done :)

2011-12-05T22:54:00.000-08:00

YAY! So what do you think of my very first Christmas pillow?! Kind cute huh?! It was soooooo incredibly easy to make and only took me total of about an hour and a half :) gotta love that!

Now i'm onto my second and third pillows already and i'll have a special surprise tutorial for you all soon that i am very excited about! You can call it my christmas gift to you :D

Sewing. Painting. Furniture. Cleaning. Christmas Cheer.

2011-12-05T00:11:00.000-08:00

I have had a positively JAM PACKED week filled with lots of children's activities, parties, sewing, cleaning and decorating.

On Thursday we spent a full morning at the day care doing an activity with Brooklyn's class and it was a blast! I read the children's story 'the very hungry caterpillar' with them and then they all went and drew their very own caterpillars onto fabric. I then took them all home and sewed them up into stuffed toys and brought them back before the end of the day.

Before returning to the day care we stopped at mum's for some lunch and i happened to snap this cute little picture...

We also did a LOT of plaster painting this week because i ordered some plaster of paris from ebay and it finally arrived...

As well as all of this, i also managed to do some christmas decorating. I finally got to use my new apothecary jar which i was very excited about and i have strung christmas bunting everywhere!

On Friday night i went to my work Christmas party and then woke super early on Saturday morning to help my Oma and Opa move into a retirement village! It was exhausting but i was very pleased to bring home two new couches with me :) they are definitely much nicer than the ones we had!

The new couches started a large amount of motivation to 'spring clean' the house...and i am half way there haha. Why is it that it always seems to get worse before it starts to get better?!

Last night i decided that our new couches also needed some 'christmas cheer' and have started making up some themed cushions. This is the first of a few that i hope to make...

I made this one from my own pattern and, if i can find the time, i will try and write it up as a tutorial for you all in the coming weeks :)

All Hexied Out!!!

2011-11-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

I have spent the past couple of nights making up [what feels like] a zillion hexagon flowers for various reasons...

...these 6 flowers are for the [Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap]. I had to play a little catch-up as i became roster confused and only just realised that i thought my September partner was my October partner and forgot to make some for October completely! ARGH! But now i'm all up to date :)

November is also Hexie month in [Always Bee Learning] and [Kristina] sent us out enough fabric to make these five gorgeous flowers...

so that's a total of 11 flowers in 2 days of train rides and evening telly viewing hehe. I am looking forward to not making hexies for a week or so now hehe!

my {super} fun work day :)

2011-11-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday started off a bit rocky at work, lots of running around and making phone calls, but then...

TA DA! Then came the afternoon and my friend and I decided it was time to put up our section tree and decorations...no pole was left un-tinseled!

Orange + Aqua Loooove...

2011-11-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to pop in quickly to show you my growing little aqua and orange stash that i have been slowly saving up...isn't it just delicious?! I was inspired by aqua and orange after seeing this quilt...

[source]

Since then have found some gorgeous aqua and orange projects like this...

[source]

and this...

[source]

and gorgeous blocks like these...

[source]

For more Aqua and Orange inspiration, visit [The Sweet {Aqua} Tangerine] flickr group!

Golly gosh!!!

2011-11-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

MORE happy mail!!!!!!!!! Another whole box arrived today from [Pink Castle Fabrics] and it was packed choc-a-block with goodies like some RK Metro Living Circles and that yummy essex linen [the top one is my favourite] as well as some Alexander Henry's Heath and the kona snow charm packs [that i dare say will be turning into pinwheels when teamed with my little apples charm packs i received last week]

There's just so much now, i hardly know where to begin!!!

Baby Shower!!

2011-11-28T00:18:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was the big baby shower [yes the one i should have spent forever preparing for but left till the last minute haha!] and it went off without a hitch! I spent a good 10 + hours straight baking on Saturday for the even and sewed up a storm during the week making buntings and prizes...

this is 'the cake' of the day, i made the bunting on top to match the ones around the room and used some nice vintage crochet lace around the bottom edge - i really wanted to keep it simple as well as incorporate some of my craftyness as well.

My baby shower cookie cutters didn't arrive on time :( but i happened to have these little rabbits which i think still fit in with the baby theme. I got to put my newly acquired icing skills to the test as well!!

All the girls had a lovely time, playing silly games and chatting about our birth giving experiences [as most mothers tend to do right?!] and most importantly, the mum to be, had a blast too :)

Happy Mail!! + more

2011-11-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

This week i received an enormous package from [Pink Castle Fabrics] and you can see about all the goodies i received!!! I now have all of my little apples and have started cutting the FQ pack into dresden wedges for a quilt for my Heidi Bear, i also received a large amount of Heather Bailey as well as some herringbone print and AMH voiles! And that's not even the lot!

Last night i attended the [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild] sit and sew evening and i worked on a couple of items...

...a couple of cute 'non gender specific' scalloped bunting's for my friend's baby shower i have helped organise [which is tomorrow!!!! ARGH!!!]...

...and these little zippy pouches to use as prizes at the baby shower...

...yes can you recognise all those new fabrics?!

So i have spent much of the last couple of days baking and preparing for the shower and am currently waiting on some rabbit sugar cookies to come out of the oven. I'm also going to give this cake a try...

[source]

Red Velvet Cake - YUM! Also on my baking list is 'the cake'...you know the special one with fondant icing and some cute cupcakes with ducks on top. I promise to take lots of photos!

Off to bake some more...

...

2011-11-21T04:08:00.000-08:00

[source]

Fabric = $

2011-11-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

I have an absolutely amazing friend who is going way beyond the call of friendship duties to help Brooklyn and I through all of our recent dramas - she really is amazing and wont let me pay her! Grrrrrrr! So we have decided on a fabric payment system instead...one fat quarter per hour haha

This morning i put together this yummy little fat quarter pack from my stash...i hope she likes it!

It's really quite remarkable how you can really discover true friends in a time of utter crisis!!

De-stressing...the crafters way!

2011-11-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

I usually hate the wet weather but for some reason the rain came at just the right time for me today. I really enjoyed snuggling up in one of our comfy armchairs with the kids playing on the floor in front of me while a movie was on, all the while hearing the rain outside.

It was perfect weather to just relax - as most of you know i have been overly stressed lately, so i decided that with all the rain the perfect thing to do was just to rest and start some hand sewing...

i purchased this [Cherry on the Tree Swing Pattern] from Aneela Hoey's [etsy store] a week or so ago as well as the [Little Red Riding Hood Pattern] because they are just darling! I used her [tutorial] on filling with backstitch to fill in the girl's little dress. I'm going to make sure her hair is brown so that she looks like my little Heidi Bear. I didn't originally have plans for this embroidery but seeing as i will hopefully be using my little apples stash to create some bedroom coordinates for Heidi, i think that a pillow may be in order...

...just quickly...

2011-11-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

[source]

i can't really stay to chat because i'm heading off to start organising the baby shower of all baby showers [more details to follow hehe] but i just wanted to post a huge thank you to all of you lovely souls for all your kindness, love and support after last night's post. It really has made all the difference. You are all wonderful individuals and i feel so privileged and honoured to know that you both follow and read my little blog - it makes me feel very special indeed!

Parenting...

2011-11-16T01:05:00.000-08:00

**WaRNiNG - Deep and Meaningful Post Below**

I became a parent at 19. It was scary, exciting and different. Going through my teen years i never saw myself as that girl the 'got knocked up' and that's not how it happened at all. We were married [just] and it wasn't necessarily the first thing on my mind but i was anything but devastated when we found out [after a substantial amount of hyperventilation in the staff toilets haha]. I remember thinking 'i don't know what i'm doing!!'...crazily enough, that feeling never. goes. away.

I brought home my second beautiful baby from the hospital and things worked, everything was so easy, at that point i knew exactly what i was doing. Parenting was effortless and everything just went so smoothly all the time.

Now i'm at a point where my kids are growing up. My son is five years old and off to school next year and my daughter is three and starting kindergarten. Things are difficult. My daughter is well behaved and just so easy - don't get me wrong, she has her moments of course, as all kids do, but overall i spend not much time at all pulling her into line.

...Brooklyn is hard work. Brooklyn is a beautiful child, he's well behaved for me at home and in small groups, shopping is a challenge so we avoid it as well as anything that might 'set him off' and this works perfectly for me. He can sit there for hours on end just drawing or colouring in, he's so creative just like him mama...but then he goes to day care and he turns into a completely different child. I spend my entire work day worrying about what 'incident' they will tell me about next. He hits and uses bad language, something that i don't tolerate at home and that only happens on the most extremely rare occasion and is swiftly dealt with.

He is unsupported at kinder, with the teachers not looking into the cause of his behaviour, only calling me when it happens. There is staffing inconsistency and a number of staff who have left (well over 5!). I am frustrated and have finished his care at the centre from the end of the year. Things are just getting worse and worse lately, with other parents beginning to complain about his behaviour. I bring him home and talk to him about it and he tells me that kids have been picking on him or 'making him do it'. Today he even told me he wants to leave the centre so he can 'get away from the kids that make him do bad things'.

As a parent it has put me in a difficult position. I call the day care centre once a day when Brooklyn is there, i have given them countless strategies to deal with the behaviour. I even preempted the behaviour and warned that if a management plan wasn't put into place, things would become difficult to manage...which they have. On one hand i have a day care centre unwilling it seems to take action and on the other hand a son who behaves when with me but not with them.

I know the underlying causes, poor supervision, lack of stimulation, lack of boundaries and authority. I don't know how to fix it. I try and try. Nothing changes and it's breaking my heart. I just know if someone would watch him properly and stop the situations before they erupt into 'incidents' that things would soon die down and he would learn the proper way to display his emotion, but what more can i do?

This morning a parent witnessed my son hitting their child and made a 'formal complaint'! I have never seen him hit another child, unprovoked, in my entire life. How can i deal with a behaviour that i never see displayed. Now I have been called in for a meeting to discuss Brooklyn's behaviour when i have tried every day to get my message across - and they made me feel like Brooklyn is a 'bad kid'...am i not trying hard enough for them?!? I have even taken my son to the paediatrician who says he is fine! He is not a bad or evil child.

Now people are judging him and i just want to defend him, but how can i when he is doing these nasty things to his friends?! I love both my kids more than anything in the world and would do anything for them, but i can't seem to 'fix' this.

I just feel like such a terrible parent :'( like i should have made sure this never happened

More sewing with Sally :)

2011-11-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

Today [Sally] came over for a wonderful sewing day at my place and this is what my cutting board looked like by the time she left...

I am feeling extra motivated by all the gorgeous coloured fabrics i have been using recently for my SDTAUSP and have started a few more little things since my last post...

...the circle of geese was inspired by Sal's bee blocks that i made over the weekend...

...and for this project i used this [tutorial] to help my joins all line up :)

Am planning on doing a little more sewing tonight while the man is off at his very first session of cricket training for his new local cricket club. Then i think it will be time for a nice hot bath and a snuggle on the couch while watching a movie!

Sewing Day Fun...

2011-11-12T19:27:00.000-08:00

As i mentioned in my last post, yesterday was another sit and sew day for the [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild] - a day i always look forward to with much excitement of course!! As usual i packed waaay to many projects because i'm someone who needs options, i never know what i'll feel like working on hehe.

I started the day with some triangulations bee blocks for [Erin] for [Always Bee Learning]...

...and then moved onto working further on these projects for my SDTAUSP [Super Dooper Totally Awesome Ultra Secret Project]...

...nope, sorry, still can't tell you what they're for :(

Then i also finished the day with these wonky star and circle of geese bee blocks for [Sally] in the [Sew Australia] Bee...

Since the sew day i have been feeling super motivated [as i always seem to be after a big sewing day] and today managed to finish these kaleidoscope bee blocks for [Alissa] also in the [Sew Australia] Bee...

...and started another item for my SDTAUSP!

...yep another very similar dresden plate to the last one and nope, can't tell you what for hehe so stop thinking it! I can see another 4 larger dresden plates in my future too hehe...possibly more even!

Did you get up to much sewing over the weekend?! I'd loooooove to hear all about it :)

Happy Birthday to Mum!

2011-11-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

So as i mentioned yesterday, it's my mum's birthday tomorrow and she has been not so subtly hinting that she wanted me to make her a [241 tote] as her gift...grrrr hehe. I don't particularly like making bags because of all the cutting but it seems to be the one item everyone wants from me of course!!!

I really do love the way this one turned out. I used some of Denyse Schmidt's new line and some yellow/white fabric that is one of my absolute favourites! All the pockets are lined in a red Denyse Schmidt fabric also.

Mum had her heart set on a hexagon 241 tote but unfortunately with all the drama that is my life, i didn't have time for the hand sewing. As consolation i made her this cute matching wallet to go with her new bag...

Hopefully she likes them! I'll be giving them to her tonight at dinner :)

Tomorrow i have a Sit and Sew Day alllllll day for the [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild] so i should have a nice long sewing related blog post for you sometime in the very near future! YAY!

My SDTAUSP [Super Dooper Totally Awesome Ultra Secret Project]...

2011-11-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, i can't tell you what my Super Dooper Totally Awesome Ultra Secret Project is yet and might not be able to tell you until after Christmas [sorry!] BUT i can show you what i have been working on for it...well i can show you in sneaky little bits anyway!

I am using some of my absolute favourite fabrics as you can see. I was up until quite late last night for the first time in quite a while, cutting, sewing etc. I had a lot of fun and have done some more work today too. It was difficult to get moving on my SDTAUSP because, even though i had all these great ideas, i was feeling a little unmotivated after being sick last week.

I read a brilliant [blog post] from the amazingly talented Brooke of [april two eighty] that spoke about being the change that you want to see and i suddenly felt motivated enough to get off my bottom and start moving towards my goal...thanks Brooke!

This afternoon i will need to stop working on my SDTAUSP to finish another 241 tote for my mum's birthday on Saturday and a matching wallet. I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow!

A lovely surprise...

2011-11-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

Just popping in quickly to show you what arrived for me at work this morning! Aren't they just delightful?! They smell nice too! My wonderful husband sent them as a gift for our anniversary...even though our anniversary was a couple of weeks ago, it's better late than never :)

The first coating!!

2011-11-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

Check these out! I am super dooper proud of myself [can't you tell?! hehe]. I have let them dry and will hopefully have time to do some little decorations onto tonight :) I am very pleased with the way they turned out - i don't want to eat them!!

Fun with baking :)

2011-11-05T02:28:00.000-07:00

Today i had planned to have a super productive sewing day...and of course, nothing ever goes to plan hehe. But despite the lack of sewing i had a pretty fantastic day. After spending half a day collecting supplies and some time in the fabulous 30 degree sun watching cricket, this is what i got up to...

Yep - baking :) Now i am definitely a lover of baking but i generally either can't find the time or the motivation. Last night i suddenly got the urge to learn to become a professional sugar cookie decorator [i blame pinterest mostly, the cause of most of my random motivation hehe]

[source]

i mean, really, who wouldn't be motivated after seeing that?!?!

I used this [recipe] to make the sugar cookies. After reading some of the comments on the blog post i edited my recipe to omit the baking powder which, as you can see below, stopped any spreading :) my cookies kept perfect shape! I also only made a half batch as the recipe appears to make quite a large amount.

I am very proud, seeing as most of my cookies end up looking terrible and tasting like cardboard hehe. These ones look fantastic and taste great too! Next i'll be decorating them with royal icing!!! Wish me luck! I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow :)

Sewing and Holidays...

2011-11-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

Apart from dying a slow flu like death as of late, i am pleased to report that i have been up to a little sewing :) we went away for our annual anniversary holiday over Melbourne Cup long weekend last weekend and instead of taking my machine with me [as i normally do], i decided to baste a couple of panels for my nephews for Christmas and start hand quilting them...

So far so good - considering the panels were super cheap from spotlight. It was lovely to curl up in front of the open fireplace in our cottage, isolated, in the middle of the rainforest with no phone reception or computer. Jealous? hehe. This is the place we stay at every year...

In fact, we were married right there on the lawn 6 years ago...nawwww hehe. This year the holiday came with very good timing and it was lovely just to relax and cut ourselves off from the real world for a while. The fantastic thing about the cottage is that it always inspires me, and i've come home bursting at the seams with ideas!! I can't tell you yet, you'll just have to wait to find out :)

Recently i have also finished off Brooklyn's PJ shorts for Christmas...

Aren't they too cute? I especially adore the 'Rocket Launch Club' fabric from Sarah Jane studios. Definitely one of my favourites at the moment.

I also made this cute, crinkly tag toy for a friend's newborn baby [who is just adorable by the way!!]...

Seeing as i am quite literally BURSTING with ideas, i was hoping to get some sewing done seeing as i have the day off from work to recover from this wretched cold...although so far i haven't been feeling any better so it might just be another day spent like this...

...snuggled up in bed with Murphy, feeling sorry for myself, watching movies!

Dear Blog: An Apology...

2011-11-02T05:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

I am so very sorry for being neglectful in the month of October, yes i know, only 6 posts all month - an all time low! I promise to try harder in November, but we're off to a shaky start already...a nice case of the flu, chased closely by day care dramas...or nightmares i should say, and a mountain of sewing projects to complete.

I promise there is something exciting in the works for you, i have been trying ever so hard to prepare you for some changes in your future! It involves a splash of red, some lovely pictures and a whole new you and along with it, a whole new me with any luck! A new, stress and flu free me.

Watch this space blog, something BIG is coming your way!

All my love,

Bek xo

Keep them Entertained: Kiddy Tutorials!!!

2011-10-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

I thought i'd share with you parents today, some of the fantastic online tutorials i've come across recently...

[Bird Feeders]

[Homemade Finger Paints]

Go Nuts!!!!

Sew quick & easy!

2011-10-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

don't you just love it when you find a super swift sewing tutorial?! I know i definitely do! I decided to make some summer pyjamas for my daughter for Christmas and whipped up these two pairs of shorts using this [tutorial] in less than an hour!

i used ta-dot for the first pair and a gorgeous print from Sarah Jane's new line in the second. My advice would be that when drafting up your pattern, you should allow an extra little bit at the top and bottom for the hemming :) i found my first pair fit [i had to try them on her while she was sleeping hehe so i could keep it a secret!] but were a little shorter than i had hoped.

I've already chosen out some gorgeous prints to make a couple for my son too!! To match, i'll be appliqueing shapes onto white t-shirts.

I have also decided that i need to gradually start organising my home! I found this fabulous [tutorial] to make 'Peek-a-Boo' toy sacks and i thought i was a brilliant way to effectively store some of the kids toys and things...

i hadn't worked with this clear tablecloth vinyl in the machine before and the first couple of seams were a bit tricky and slippery but i got the hang of it after a while. i have also left out the drawstring part and am using ribbons/ropes to tie the tops instead.

I plan to make a whole heap of these and probably make some a tad bigger to fit some of those larger lots of toys in that always seem to be scattered eVeRYwHeRe!!!

One step closer...

2011-10-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hello there all my lovely followers, i am sorry to have abandoned you for well over a week. No i don't really have a good excuse except that I didn't feel like writing, or at times I did but couldn't find the energy!!! But i do have some news [no nothing all that exciting hehe]...

Remember this?...

Well last Wednesday was 'Ride to Work Day' and i made it the entire 14kms!!!!! Wooo Hoooo!!! Granted, it did take me 2 hours BUT it was only my third ever time riding so go me!

Not only that but i found out yesterday that i won a $100 gift voucher to a local sporting goods store for being the new rider who travelled the furthest!! Hello new runners!!!

So now that I achieved my goal i have decided that i need to reward myself...

not right away but fairly soon i will be purchasing myself this lovely new bike i've had my eye on because i definitely think i deserve it :)

My next project is joinging a flash mob!!! Eeeekkkk!!! So incredibly excited!

Stay tuned because tomorrow will be a post about all the things i have been working on!

What i have been working on lately...

2011-10-06T02:09:00.000-07:00

Placemats! Lots ad lots of placemats for the [Free Motion Placemat Swappers]...

September's Jewel Tone Placemat for Laura

October's Halloween Ticker Tape Placemat for Anne

July's Star Placemat for Sally

November's Asterisk Placemat for Julie

I now only have the Asterisk Placemat to quilt and the January Star Placemat for Moni to make ad then i am completely finished! I find it hard to find the time for thee placemats, hence the reason why i am trying to get them all finished ASAP so i have some more time to dedicate to making all those Christmas gifts on my rather long list hehe!

My August House Placemats have been slowly rolling in so keep your eyes peeled for a post with all of the gorgeous placemats i received.

Bee Buddies Wanted: Aqua and Red Block Bee

2011-10-04T01:20:00.000-07:00

1. October Block for Christine 091611 2. Dawn's Block 3. June block. Aqua and Red Bee 4. Aqua and Red Block Bee - Scrappy HST Block

We are looking for 5 new members for the Aqua and Red Block Bee for Round 2! If you are interested, head over [here] to join the Flickr group. It's first in best dressed so be quick because it's a popular bee! It is an international bee, with members from the US and Australia.

If i....

2011-10-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

So lately i have been wondering, if i started to list items of the sewn/quilted variety in my etsy store again, would people be interested? hmmmmmmmm...

September 2011: Crafty Creations and WIP

2011-09-30T02:43:00.000-07:00

I know i haven't done one of these in a few months so here's what i've accomplished throughout September [with tutorial links too!!!]...

Grandpa Quilt [completed]

Birthday Buntings [completed]

Robot Quilt [WIP]

Cross Quilt [WIP]

Bee Connected Bee Blocks [completed]

Aqua and Red Block Bee Block [completed]

Always Bee Learning Blocks [completed] using this [tutorial]

Aqua and Red Block Bee Block [completed]

Aqua and Red Block Bee Block [completed] using this [tutorial]

Sew Australia Block [completed] using this [tutorial]

Sew Australia Blocks [completed] using this [tutorial]

Mod Mosaic Blocks [completed] using this [tutorial]

Always Bee Learning Cathedral Windows Block [completed] using this [tutorial]

Spiderweb Block [completed] using this [tutorial]

Red and Aqua Cross Quilt [WIP]

Rocket Launch Club Pouch [completed] using this [tutorial]

Fabric memory card game [completed]

+ Quilt [completed]

Burp cloths [completed] using this [tutorial]

Wallet [completed] using this [tutorial]

Baby Tag Toy [completed] using this [tutorial]

Not a bad effort i'd say!!!

Cheery Sewing Day :D

2011-09-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after my horrific Wednesday at work, i decided that it was time to have a sewing day dedicated to just me, well mostly anyway, to cheer myself up!

About 6 months ago i lost my wallet and just have not had the chance to replace it yet [i know you'd think i could have found the time in 6 months but i promise you not!] so i decided that i would just go ahead and make one...

I purchased the outer Japanese laminated cotton a while ago from [Etsy] to make a raincoat for my little Heidi Bear but i thought it wouldn't be too bad if i just pinched a little for this...

and the inside fabric is a red graph paper print from [Pink Castle Fabrics]. I used this [tutorial] and went by it step by step. It was great, really clear instructions with photos and all so i didn't have any troubles whatsoever. Giselle didn't even play up as i feed those extremely bulky seams through which was even more astounding!

I also decided to make a few burp cloths for a friend who is expecting her second child...

I had some squares left over from my + quilt so joined them together to create the first one and used some of my lovely new prints for the other two. I used this [free pattern] from Cloud 9. I like that it's cut out so it fits around the neck nicely. Every baby should have something pretty to vomit on i think! I will definitely be using this pattern again in the future.

I also made this tag toy...

It's for my friend's baby niece. I have been invited to a tea party housewarming at my friend's house and her gorgeous baby niece will be there so i thought I'd make her a little something cute and crinkly. I used this [tutorial]. I struggled a little bit to keep it all lined up in the machine but i think it still turned out alright. I think that next time i will use corduroy on the backing instead of minky to avoid all the slipping around.

The remainder of the day was spent running errands. But then once the kiddies went off to bed, i had a nice long soak in a fabulously hot bath! Jealous?! :P hehe

+ Quilt Complete!

2011-09-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have finished my spur of the moment + quilt! I am really pleased with the way it has turned out. I used yellow spots for the back and a red on white Leicen for the binding. Pardon the poor photography but if you haven't hear, we are having flash flooding, monsoon rains here in sunny Melbourne so the good photos will need to wait for a brighter day hehe.

Each square is 3" finished with 14 across and 14 down making the quilt about 42" square - lap/baby sized.

I have also been working on some other little projects today so tomorrow i will have another creative post for you :)

The day from HELL!

2011-09-27T23:53:00.000-07:00

You know those days that you never want to revisit again?! Yeah i had one of those...it was a day filled with chasing lazy people, getting treated like dirt and all round just %$#&#$*Q&#$($%!!!! Pardon my french!

[source]

The positive news of the day is that i rode a bike 3 km by myself today! Go me!!!! I know it's not far but pretty good for someone who couldn't ride on Monday morning huh?!

I might explain more later but i'd rather pretend this day didn't exist at the moment haha. Hopefully i can go home and do some sewing and forget about work completely!

Happy Mail Stash Sesh....

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm addicted...to fabric of course! If you haven't already noticed, i have been purchasing a lot of fabric lately...i just can't help myself! Today i collected these from my post box...

A half yard Ta Dot Bundle...

...these random prints...

...and the rest of my Sarah Jane!

The package from [Pink Castle Fabrics] was sooooo heavy - i couldn't wait till i got home so i opened it in the car hehe. I have already promised some of the pinks to miss Heidi Bear to make her some clothing and as for the rest...i'm not sure yet hehe but i'm sure it'll all get used up for something.

On the way is some Little Apples...well a lot of little apples actually. I can't wait!!!

...she's got a ticket to ride...

2011-09-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

...a bike that is! Yes you may remember that i might have mentioned in passing that i signed up for ride to work day...even though i couldn't ride a bike haha! Well now look...

OH YEAH! She can ride now! With only 2 weeks until the big day i have a lot of practice to do, and i also need to source a bike that's the right size for me [turns out i'm pretty short hehe] but i am definitely riding in the right direction hehe!

I absolutely MUST send out a massive thanks to my work colleague and good good friend Leah [below] who was/is my teacher and mentor through the process [yes i did learn on my lunch break haha] and who is encouraging me the whole way through :)

Leah, you're a sUPeRsTaR!

Christmas Mini Quilt Inspiration...

2011-09-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

For Christmas, on top of everything else i make, i usually like to make Heidi Bear a new dolly quilt and some cute dolls clothes so have been looking back through the past year's flickr favourites for some inspiration...

1. Mini Red Cross Quilt- Complete! 2. Red and Aqua House Doll Quilt 3. Nathaniel's Crossed Quilt front 4. "You Plus Me" Quilt 5. DQS11 Received! 6. Mini Quilt in a Bag II Swap 7. Union Jack for Erica - Ringo Pie 8. Red and Blue Table topper 9. Bunting Cushion (C365: day 64)

I am almost certain i will be going with the mini kaleidoscope quilt in the very middle by [Kristy/handmaderetro]. I just love everything about it, including the colours. I think i will need to quiz Kristy at the next Sit and Sew day hehe.

Weekend sewing fun :)

2011-09-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

On Friday night i attended the [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild's] Sit and Sew Evening at my local quilt shop - [GJ's]. After a long couple of days at work i wasn't really feeling all that motivated to sew and chose not to bring Giselle [my machine] with me. Instead i basted the below quilt...

I decided to quilt it yesterday morning before heading off to the show and spent a little time this afternoon binding. I think that basting was a great use of the time because i generally put off the basting for quite a while because i don't particularly enjoy it hehe. I might baste at the SASEs [Sit and Sew Evenings] more often. I also cut out some wonky star pieces to make a cushion for my boy's new revamped room.

This afternoon i also finished off the above Christmas present for my little cousin - a fabric memory card game. I purchased a sweet little card suitcase to put it all in and now it's ready to go :) Next i plan to make up the [Cozy Car Caddys] and the travelling chalk mats.

As for the rest of the afternoon, i think it might just be time to run a nice hot bath, light some candles, grab a cuppa and just relax!

A day at the show!

2011-09-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks the kiddies have been asking 'is it show day today' and the frequency increased quite dramatically even in the past couple of days so we decided that yesterday we would spend a day at the Royal Melbourne Show. We went with my sister and father in law in tow to set out on the epic adventure.

The kids were only interested in two things [as most children are] - rides and showbags. So we started the day on the tea cups and cars...

We found a 'Cars 2' race track and the kids loved racing around, although Heidi's poor little legs could only take her around the track a couple of times before they could pedal no more hehe.

Brooklyn enjoyed ignoring all of the traffic signals haha!!

My sister-in-law and i went on a couple of rides together including the one below that span us around and around and then backwards again, as well as a rollercoaster and one that took us amazingly high, upside down into the air while dangling from a seat...i felt a little nauseous towards the end of the day hehe.

After the rides and eating of looooots of fairy floss [or 'fluffy' as Heidi likes to call it] we grabbed some showbags - Heidi choose Dora and Barbie and Brookie chose the Bombers Showbag [of course!] and the Cars 2 Showbag.

I got myself a Hello Kitty showbag hehe and a couple of Bertie Beetle ones [YuMMy!!] and then we all headed home and fell asleep hehe. And we're still recovering!

PS. I forgot to mention that this is my 201st post! Whoop Whoop!!

Bek Brown...Sewing Teacher?

2011-09-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yes that's right! I am now officially a sewing teacher :) Here's how it all came about...

Mum and i went to a random fundraiser last Friday night for a local girl's high school. It was a fashion show at a reception venue with a 3 course meal - it was really nice! We sat in a table next to a girl named Felicity and her mum who have recently moved to Melbourne. Before moving, Felicity was being taught to sew by and elderly lady and was looking for someone to teach her here...here's where i chime in hehe...and Ta-Da!

Felicity is interested in making a dress so we decided on a slightly altered version of this one that she fell in love with...

[source]

Seeing as it didn't take long at all to work out our fabric requirements, we made a little zippy pouch each [shown at beginning of post]. I also sent Felicity home with some fabric and a zipper to make another pouch to practice zips.

We'll be meeting once a week for an hour lesson and i am looking forward to next week's lesson already!!!

A little hard work...

2011-09-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon my husband decided that he would like to build a pergola in our backyard. Just like that haha. We are renting so i wasn't completely sold on the idea seeing as we can't do anything to the existing property but he managed to convince me that it would only require 4 small holes which are easily filled and he was right so this is what we came up with.

Yes it is still missing a roof but it is practically finished :) We plan to pop a nice outdoor setting underneath [with some lovely cushions of course!] and the barbecue right next to it so that we can entertain in the summer which is quickly approaching [did i mention that it's going to be 29 degrees tomorrow! And it's not even Summer! YAY!!!].

And i also collected my cousin's bike so that i can learn to ride for 'ride to work day' hehe. Stay tuned...this may end in disaster! HAHA!