Roz Creates

Knitting and.....

2011-12-01T16:50:00.003+11:00

Designing for a wedding outfit. Now Melbourne in the middle of January is going to be hot, hot, hot.

But the weather is so unpredictable that I am taking precaution and I am making a stunning and very colourful long vest to go over my summer outfit.

It is a very nice pattern from a european magazine and is done in browns, it is a pretty basic stitch pattern but I am appreciating the ease of knitting so that I can concentrate more on the colour. I have hand spun and dyed my own fibre, and using some commercial spun silk that I have dyed as well. Bright blue, grey blue, yellow gold and pinks.

Love the racing community

2011-09-09T10:20:00.002+10:00

Have to mention that I dislike the time spent at the drags but when help is needed it is a great community. Without fail someone or many step up to help. We have just recently had a new race motor built in USA, my hubby fitted this over several weekends into the race car shell, with mods to get the motor in and finally after a few false starts, running.

Two or three passes later the old gear box broke, it was sort of going to happen, it should have stood up to the new motor but as it is an old box it was inevitable that it would fail.
This only two days before the Nationals, so the boys pulled the gear box out and called in a few favours, which included busy people becoming even busier as last minute problems get fixed.

Today will see the new box fitted and hopefully we will get all the way down the track again, I am not expecting any wins, as we have so much more to do before the car is competative again but with the help of many friends, we will at least get a chance to gather the race data we need and gain the points for attending, which if consistent can lead to winning track champ again this year.

The Quilter's Stash Harden

2011-03-14T13:34:00.002+11:00

I am home again after a fabulous weekend teaching at The Quilter's Stash in Harden NSW.
Thank you to Sue for her fabulous shop and for gathering together some lovely ladies to attend the much awaited Baltimore Beauties class.

The quilt itself looks fabulous hanging in the shop and I was able to get my hands on a completed top from one of my students, who went her own way entirely and created an amazing version of this quilt. (photo's to follow).

All the girls decided to hand needleturn the quilt, so it will be a true labour of love. If your in the area of Harden and would like to attend please get in touch with Sue Chesworth at The Quilters Stash you will get all the notes from this past workshop and extra help to catch up. With two months between each block some work at home is expected, but the results are very much worth it. Machine sewers are encouraged. You will be amazed how much you can achieve with this class.

Row by Row

2011-01-29T21:02:00.004+11:00

My much loved and anticipated row by row

Piecing the borders

While I had the Baltimore Beauties quilt underway I also finished a long term project - my much loved row by row, this quilt started as a challenge quilt with my scquilters group. But I was the only one who took it up and ran with it, it has been in production for some years and has been a labour of love.

As I finish this quilt, with lots of water under the bridge, it brings back memories for me, so even tho it is a unique quilt in its own right it has proven to be a journey for me as well.

I have had many opportunities to bring this quilt out for show and tell on many occasions. Joyfully showing the detail off and always getting positive feedback. To the point that some dear ladies have shown enough interest for me to run this as a class.

So it will most likely be offered this year as an entire project or a choice of a row or two, this is entirely up to the participants. Stay tuned here for what shop in Sydney it will be offered.

And finally, here is a pic of my new filly, Rylo Park Pandora, my dear little girl, who is smart and

sassy and is going to be a whole lot of fun.

I feel so bad for not posting

2011-01-08T19:38:00.004+11:00

New Year come and gone and I have not posted for so long. I have been fairly busy tho so I can start to share some of my creative pursuits here now.

One very exciting bit of news is that I have been booked to do the Baltimore Beauties workshop in Harden NSW, at the Quilters Stash. Proprietor Sue Chesworth was very enthusiastic about my Baltimore sampler quilt and could not wait to confirm the class for 2011.

I will post the dates and the class schedule here soon. The picture is a eq6 version of the quilt and a fair representation. I will have a pic of the actual quilt up soon, just have a few things to tweek on it and then it will be ready.

Finishing the tunic No 2

2010-11-08T13:37:00.005+11:00

Tunic no two is finished, I have gone ahead and stitched some 4mm ribbon around the neck edge before attempting to wash this garment, the last one stretched after washing and will need to be sorted out. To avoid any problems with washing the ribbon should support the neckline nicely. It is an effect of knitting top down with this particular design, nothing that can not be overcome but to be aware of it is a good thing seeing I am now onto tunic No 3.

We have a new yarn at work and I am loving it, kakadu is stunning, just so nice to knit and as I am working on a design on the needles, I have ripped it out so many times yet the yarn has held it's integrity and has not fluffed or balled up or seperated or done anything it really should have under the duress I have made it suffer. Love, love, love, gonna buy a cone of it for sure.

Beautiful quilt quilted, finally I have finished a quilt that has been worrying me a lot, it is so lovely that I was worried that my quilting would spoil it in some way. I am pleased to say it has worked out fine and the swirly curls has done it justice and it is now completed. I have about 5 quilts to finish off before Christmas and then the frame will be up for sale.

Mamre house again this weekend, doesn't the year go fast, it felt like only the other day, and in that time we have lost dear Brian, Christine's dad. He will be missed, and I am anticipating it being a difficult time for Chris. Let's hope she manages and accepts everyone's support.

A little sewing gets done

2010-10-24T12:57:00.004+11:00

Amongst all the things that have been going on lately with the horses, I have managed to get some work done on the French quilt, some much awaited peiced star blocks. A week up at Port allowed me to sit quietly and draft up a block, then cut out and hand stitch it together, even taking piccies along the way.

The French quilt is on its way, almost all of the stitchery has been completed, the pieced blocks drafted up and some done. And the concept for the applique well sorted.

It is going to be a really nice quilt to make I am hoping others will agree and take the class.

Knitting has been progressing as well, tunic 2 completed and fits Charlotte beautifully, she now wants it to remain cream, so no dying reguired. I will stitch a ribbon around the inside of the neckline and this should help to maintain the shape. Then I can wash it and the Grafton really blooms upon washing. I have begun tunic no 3 for Karleigh and this is in medium and will be dyed to her specifications upon completion.

At work we have been busy dying a lovely new yarn from New Zealand, it is Kakadu this yarn is to date my favourite. It is just glorious, it dyes beautifully and I am about to knit a one off design I have created called Kakadu Capelet, it is in a bold orange, pink, dye blend and is totally amazing keep watch here to see this design evolve, if it is a success it will be offered on Ravelry thru Yarn Workshop.

I am in the process of completing a few quilt tops I have to do and I will be offering my quilt frame and Janome 6600 as a unit for sale on Ebay this is to free up some money so I can purchase a little filly that I would like to bring on and show.

In the meantime I have no lack of items to be done, I resist writing a list of to do's as I am to

frightened that it will be overwhelming.

Laptop down

2010-09-08T19:42:00.002+10:00

Oh my, I have my laptop at the laptop doctors - I can not believe how much I miss it. I have everything that I do on that thing, all the settings for everything I follow and so many patterns that I have collected, not to mention the photo's.

But if it comes back completly wiped then I will just start again.

So my blogs arn't getting updated at the present time.

I have been busy tho, knitting, spinning, sewing, creating and working. I have a two week full time job working on some brochure mail out, very non thinking type work, you know repetative and mindless but pays well. I am saving a bit for a new horse float.

I have been purchasing some fibre from Virginia woolworks and have been spinning undyed silk noil which is fun, it takes a short draught and fast spin, I love using my new electric wheel as I now do not have to worry about sore knees. I just sit comfortably and the little wheel whirls away very quietly. Just lovely

Home and into the dye pot

2010-08-16T15:27:00.003+10:00

Bambaroo - Overdyed and it worked brilliantly

Just look at the lustre

Killara - Green and gorgeous
1970's Geelong

Soft and drapey, yummo

I had a need to buy some silk and hand dye this, so while I was at it I decided to dye a couple of other skiens I had lying around since I first started at The Yarn Workshop, a skien of Killara, a lovely silk, wool blend, it dyes absolutely beautifully with lustre and depth.

I had to overdye a skien of Bambaroo that I was not happy with, so mixed up a bit of sky blue and a new colour I had just purchased, magenta, the result was a nice light steel grey/blue. This should now work with the other Bambaroo blue skein that I have as I was thinking of some fair isle for this yarn, maybe fair isle socks.

I had a skien from Yarn Workshop that was taken from a cone of Geelong that was dirty and therefore not saleable, yay, Roz get's to play with some more wonderful yarn. It is a huge bonus that Ingrid is so very fussy about what goes out the door as far as quality and quantity go, she will only sell the very best and her quality control is very high. So for me it was a simple matter of washing the skien, and deciding what I might like to create, as I had the magenta mix left over from the previous yarn dip, I thought I would use this, but leave some yarn out to get a bit of variation in the yarn. The result is very 1970's looking in that is goes purple, blue, light purple, pink then purple again. What fun and all from the same dye pot. I achieved it by dipping the yarn in at different times throughout the dyeing process and also allowing the colour to seep up and into the fibres, (the pink colour). Every experiment is fun and results in something unique, I must admit I am rather smitten with hand dyeing fibres.

Oh and the silk, it dyed up beautifully and has now been partially spun into a lovely fine thread for plying. Watch this space for future yarns.

What a week can achieve

2010-08-13T11:07:00.002+10:00

Wow, what a week can achieve when you have very little interuptions. I finished spinning the fibre for the multi coloured yarn and am really happy with the way it come up, it is really cute.

There is 1200m but I don't know the weight of the skiens just yet.

I think they will make some lovely feature yarn or an fun scarf or beanie. I don't really mind what it ends up as the process of the spinning is what I enjoy.

I also managed to finish a Voque 25 anniversary scarf that I started and will now be able to gift this to a special person.

I had made one for my girlfriend to take to Canada with her a year or so ago, she said she was stopped in the streets, people asking if they could buy it. I am pleased to report she did not sell it. It is rather sweet and unusual don't you think??

Well the week is almost over and we will be heading back to Sydney this afternoon, it will be great to see the dogs and I am sure they have missed their mum. I will also visit Rocky and do some riding, see how the boy goes.

Perfect weather for ducks, or knitting

2010-08-10T17:01:00.003+10:00

I have come back up to Port Macquarie this week to take care of my hubby, just a little bit anyway in the form of just being here for him and doing some cooking and general pottering around the unit so that when he gets home from work the place is warm, cooking is on, meals are served up, washing is done, bourbon, coke and ice waiting him and a movie in the player ready to go.

Why do all this, he is not very well at all poor dear, he has a nasty absess that is driving him insane with pain and discomfort - it needs to be operated on soon but as we are under public health system we have to wait. As he is living mostly up here in Port we have registered him for the operation up here with the hope that it may be sooner than Sydney's waiting list but this is a long shot.

My duty is just to be here for him as he is still working and taking on a lot of stress via his job and driving back and forth from Sydney on the weekends, the driving alone agrevates the absess.
On a happier note, I am knitting and spinning away the hours between looking after Tony. Today was the perfect weather for it, wet, cold and windy. Such a total contrast to Monday which was a real stunner. Seems you just can not pick the weather up here.

I am spinning some random fibres, some that I have stashed for a while, some I did a trial dye lot of and some purchased already dyed. The fibres range from a small amount of glitzy Angelina fibre, some silk noil, dyed by me. Angora bunny fibre, white silk, and dyed silk, and merino hand dyed in blue's and greeny yellows.

This is such a mixed bag of fibres that the resulting yarn is very interesting, thick to thin and very blended with areas of contrast that should be stunning once knitted up.

I am still using the manual wheel as I have the electric wheel still on layby, paying this off a little at a time. It will be great for my knee when I finally pay it off. I will get a nice large spindle and some big bobbins for chunky spinning as I really love doing this arty fibres.

I am thinking of popping the results of this current spinning on Etsy so keep an eye out I will post a link to this when it happens.

I have brought with me my quilt Le Lapin, that I have been working on and would like to begin teaching soon, it is a quilt using linnen and stitchery for the main design and supporting pieced and appliqued pieces as well, it is in the lovely French General fabric and I am thrilled with how it is developing. Keep any eye out as I will begin posting photo's for you to view.

2010-07-27T11:50:00.003+10:00

Dot is modeling the tunic for me today, this is the first one I knitted for Charlotte and think it is rather nice. It came out close to a 16 rather than the 14 I had aimed for but apart from that I think it is a lovely pattern and a really nice thing to knit, I just love circular knitting, no seams and I wish there were more designs available in this method.

Dissapointment is a reason to have another go

2010-07-26T17:38:00.002+10:00

The lovely tunic top that I knitted for Charlotte does not fit her, she has lost weight as she now has a personal trainer and the tunic came out closer to a 16 than a 12 to 14. Never mind, back to the drawing board.
I have cast on straight from a cone of Grafton, (forgive me Ingrid if this is not the done thing) and am knitting the small size. This is a bit of an experiment as I have tweaked the pattern a little to suit my own thoughts about the front shaping and the way the garment falls. It could be that Grafton is a soft, light yarn so having it off the cone may prove to provide a bit more body while I am knitting it. Something I think this particular method of knitting may suit better.
I have two orders for this knit and as these are friends I am not charging them anything for the knitting just a little to cover the yarn cost. It is my chance to knit this again without feeling guilty that I am not making something to be worn and enjoyed. I also get to have a go at dyeing a finished garment which should be fun.
One is to be a deep grey and the other a deep red, yummo.
The first one I made for Charlotte and doesn't fit her is in mid grey and size 16 I shall offer it to anyone it may fit.
I will post some piccies soon, so stay tuned.

Dyeing to Dye

2010-07-20T12:45:00.007+10:00

I have been wanting to get at all my fibre and the yarn I spun a week or so ago together and time out to dye it and have a bit of a play with colour.

Lots of reasons for not getting to it until today, boring things like finishing quilts for people, one that I had to totally unpick, gahhhhh. Anyway on to more fun things.
I finally got to dye this morning and what a session it proved to be, lol. I had some silk noil that I had purchased from Virginia farm woolworks and liked what I saw of their dyeing of it, a deep purple and it looked interesting to spin.
I had some very fine merino 250grams of it and had already finely spun a bobbin of it in its natural colour, it was difficult to maintain a twist on it so I reverted to dyeing this as well and intend to do a funky fibre with it and the very fine white yarn plied together, well that is my plan. Watch this space for further development.

The 5 skeins of bunny, mohair and silk blend that I spun up in Port Macquarie was my most difficult decision as it was so lovely as it was. But then I thought, I had access to lots of lovely white yarn at Yarn Workshop so why not bite the bullet and dye the lot?
I chose to do the paint method, glad wrap and microwave for better control of the colour blending. It was more hands on (my pretty pink fingers are testament to that), and more fiddly but I enjoyed the process and think I did pretty well for my first go at it.

Hope you agree.

The photos:

Boston, "What ya doing now Mum?" My constant companion
Soaking yarn after the microwave. My reflection in the water as I took the pic. LOL
Tubs of prepared dyes.
Supplies, coffee and oh yea, yarn.
Merino slivers, they took the dye beautifully and I can not wait for them to dry so I can spin.
Little parcels ready for the microwave
The merino drying on the line, nice sunny day today, lovely.
The silk noil, spread out and done in several colours. forground, Dogwood, middle, Paw Paw and back is Eucalypt

Spinning again

2010-07-09T21:07:00.002+10:00

Mention spinning these days and everyone assumes your taking that bike class at gym.
No not this little black duck, spinning to me means relaxation.......................
It is total Zen, maybe even more so than knitting is. If you haven't tried spinning yarn I highly recommend it, it's not hard, in fact the best yarn is the beginners yarn because it always comes out lovely and uneven and very interesting.
The fibre I was spinning up in Port, Yes I took my spinning wheel. (It is the Ashford Traveller and fairly portable). Is the lovely Merino, silk blend from Ashford that I purchased from Virginia Farm with my added stash of gorgeous bunny fibre from Charlotte's New Zealand trip. I wish I could let you feel this spun yarn, it is so lovely. I have plyed it two strands together and have yet to work out the wpi's but will do soon. For my first endeavour back into spinning I am really pleased with the result.

The juxtaposition of the modern (stark) apartment with the olde worlde craft of spinning. And it was so much warmer up there than back here in Sydney.

And the tunic, going great guns, really loving knitting in this yarn, Grafton from Yarn Workshop, I am already thinking of another colour way and perhaps tweak the pattern a bit.

I have a little more length to add and then go back pick up the stitches on the arm holes and do a couple of rounds to finish these off. I am really loving the top down method of knitting these seamless garments, my pet hate is sewing up the seams. I found a book in Port on top down knitting but the patterns were so basic, bland and boring. I think this one has spoilt me a bit.

Cooking up a storm In Port Macquarie

2010-07-06T14:49:00.009+10:00

A week at Port Macquarie, and what to do, well for starters I will be cooking something warm and yummy for Tony. Poor man, he has been without the benefit of home cooking for ages. And while he is not a bad cook himself, there really isn’t anything better than having a few meals put up in the freezer for those late nights after a hard day at work and he can just pull something from the freezer and heat it up.
Last week at work Ingrid made a fabulous soup, she is rather awesome at these soups and the bonus for me is that I not only get lunch made for me but they are Weight Watchers approved. Too good

So I am sharing here the process of this really delightfully good soup with a few of my own twists on it but not too much different from Ingrid’s and truth is I think it would work with many variations.
Capsicums are cheap at the moment so grab 2 or 3 of these, don’t think it matters what colour.
A large onion, garlic cloves, some peppers or paprika, a tin or two of chopped tomatoes, a tin of Cannaleni beans, and two Cherizo sausages. I got two from Coles for about $6.00 and this is the most expensive part but really adds flavour.

Slice up the sausage and pop into pan and fry up a little, chop onion and fry up with sausage, chop up the capsicum, peppers and garlic, chuck in and stir all together, throw in the tomatoes, and cannelenni beans, stir up, I added some water here but stock would be good too. I think the capsicum will break down a little too and add more fluid. Just check it every so often as it simmers and see if more fluid is needed, even a dash of white wine wouldn’t hurt. hahahahah

And the surroundings near the unit we are staying in are very pleasant.

Roma lace yarn

2010-06-24T14:03:00.002+10:00

ROMA LACE YARN

I love lace knitting, and the yarn, well it's a little slice of heaven. The best thing for me is that it's very economical. You can really indulge in superbly luxurious fibres because the fine lace weight yarn goes so far.
I have been loaned Nancy Bush's Knitted Lace of Estonia and have decided that as I want to knit at least 50% of the designs in the book that I should just purchase a copy of my own.
Not long ago Mum brought me a copy of The Gossamer Webs Design Collection by Galina Khmeleva, this is another lovely book with lots of ideas and swatches of lace designs that are traditional to Estonian knitting. Many years ago (don't ask how long please), my dear friend Margaret taught me how to knit Shetland Lace shawls we sent off to Jamieson by snail mail and waited patiently for the yarn to arrive. It was such a revelation for me as up until then I had never knitted with anything smaller than an 8 ply, mostly because I was knitting practical adult jumpers, and toddler garments. I had a prolific baby garments knitter in my dear Auntie so never bothered with any ply smaller than the 8ply.
Having started with the yarn company it all comes back to me about those early years and my knitting lace shawls. So even though I have taught myself many things from books and love my books to death there is really nothing like the hands on knowledge of a true lace knitter.
Margaret was taught at a young age to knit as many of the women would have been. She loved her fair isle and Alice Starmore, she loved the harsh but beautiful landscape of the Shetlands and had wonderful memories of growing up there.
There is a sad ending to this story, Margaret recently suffered from a severe disease viral encephalitis it left Margaret at only 55 with brain damage, she no longer remembers a large part of her more recent life, she lives very much in the past and no longer has the dexterity to knit or create as she used to. She does not remember how to knit, or that she was at one time a truly talented knitter. The illness has robbed her and her husband of their retirement as now it is a daily battle just to function and get through her day.
This has made me more appreciative of everyday that I am able to take up the knitting needles and knit. And for that bit of yarn I just had to have, stashed away for that scarf I always intended to make, well, now I don't hesitate, I knit it and enjoy every delicious stitch.

How do you misplace your finished knitting pieces???

2010-06-24T13:55:00.002+10:00

Ummmm, well I don't know, it is very odd. One minute I had them finished and awaiting the sleeves to be done and now I can not find them. The front and back of a gorgeous baby jumper.

It was not a great deal of work, but I would like to know where they have gone, what I have done with them??

Could they be in Port Macquarie? I really just don't know. LOL

I would love to finish this little jumper, the cardi and the hat and boots are all done, I have a set of sleeves missing their mate. Maybe I will give up and just knit them again.

The Luxury of knitting

2010-06-21T14:45:00.005+10:00

I have always found that creating is cathartic, it allows a balance to the hum drum and the demand of life. It affords a time out from the mundane and I think, if I was unable to create I would most likely go loopy.

I have been known to collect up the fallen sticks from Jacaranda trees and begin to weave with these, small baskets and little woven treasures. This has been a time of stress or boredom and nothing on hand to do. I actually get stressed not having something to do, something to work on at all times. We never know when we will have some down time or waiting time and this is even more true when the kids are young. I have knitted many a garment sitting in the car waiting for children to finish dance lessons, guitar lessons, and a variety of sport.

I often go away with more crafty raw material or WIP than clothes - I find this perfectly normal. And if I don't have a project started and well under way before I leave on a trip then I am anxious to get that done as a priority. I have been known to hold up an outing by racing about the house finding the correct size needles.

After many years of knitting I have come to appreciate the joy of a really nice yarn and some lovely knitting needles, some spoil yourself drop dead gorgeous stitch markers and a really nice pattern and a good reason to knit. What do I mean by a good reason to knit (who needs a reason you may be shouting). My reason to knit is to make something lovely for my daughter, something unusual and unique that no one else she knows will have. It makes every stitch, every row and every minute a pure pleasure, enhancing the experience ten fold for me.

Bambaroo and Footscray - Double dipping

2010-06-17T14:30:00.007+10:00

Hey what do you do when you dye a yarn and then don't like the colour??

You dye it again of course.

One skien of Bambaroo, knotted and not suitable for retail, and a much covetted skien of Footscray. I want to knit socks!!! Well Ingrid is more than generous and maybe a bit curious as to what I am going to do with them.

That is Bambaroo on the left and Footscray on the right, (Note how the bamboo yarn takes the dye differenty). I used a eucalypt green and a dash of turquoise. But the turquoise took over. The colours were a lot stronger in real life, the photo has toned them down somewhat, and while I could live with the green in the Footscray as it was for socks, I couldn't quiet cope with the green on the bambaroo that I was considering for a small shoulder wrap or shrug. Impossible to live with this colour near my face, blah, I think I would get seasick from it.

What to do?? No -too easy, redye of course. So into the pot they go again and this time with just some straight navy die, had to go darker of course, altho I did consider bleaching out some dye at one point, but no, can not bring myself to that just yet. (stay tuned, you never know what I will do next).

This is the result of the second dipping, a much deeper shade of green and altho not what I had in mind exactly, it is still ok, I think I can live with it (maybe).

Bambaroo on the left and Footscray on the right having taken the deep shade of the navy. I left a bit of the Bambaroo out to retain the first dye lighter green and that should feature nicely. The Footscray looks almost black here, or steel grey but is actually a really nice deep, deep turquiose.

And above a much more successful dipping is the grey for Charlottes tunic, see previous post for more on that and the yarn is Grafton it dyed so well and came up soft and luxurious. I have started the pattern and oh my it is a bit harder than first thought but I will perservere have a good colour pic of the tunic and can see a bit clearer what the instructions are telling me to do.

Fibre Fibre everywhere

2010-06-14T19:55:00.004+10:00

When Charlotte went over to New Zealand I asked her if she could possibly find me some Possum fibre or yarn to spin and knit, enough for a small project like a scarf or shawl would have been perfect as I knew it was expensive.

Well Charlotte is not a knitter but she did understand what I was after, she had no luck finding possum yarn, despite visiting several places in New Zealand both South and North Island.

But bless her heart she found me some gorgeous bunny fibre, German angora bunny fibre, 100grams of the delightful stuff, so since then I have been keeping my eye open for something suitable to spin it with. I have a nice suri alpaca fleece in a coffee cream colour, that I could have used but it was a dirty fleece and should really be professionally carded, but who do you get to do that these days??

So when I was at Virginia Farm Woolworks I found a bag of luscious white Merino and silk slivers

100 grams for $12.50, so I purchased two as this seemed to be a nice ratio for the 100grams of bunny fluff. I can not wait to spin this and hope I am not so out of practice that I make a mess of it, but anything around a 4 or 5 ply would be lovely.

I have also been dipping and dying a bit more. I have started the tunic, difficult but rather fascinating in a bizarre sort of way. It is going to be a challenge but it is worth it.

Dyeing to Knit

2010-06-13T15:37:00.003+10:00

Dyeing to Knit
What do you do when you work amongst luxurious yarns and fibres, beautiful knitting accessories and stunning dyes??
Well if you are anything like me you have to create! It is not a choice, I don’t think any creative person really chooses to create. Like me you may have a compulsion that takes over, fuelled by gorgeous things, whether it is a fabric, fibre, art piece, design, colour or texture. It can be sparked by anything even sometimes the mundane can have its own appeal and spark a new direction in creativity.
For me starting a project is not a problem, I gather the requirements around me (and needless to say more is better), I sketch and play, colour and sample and just have fun with a thought process, and a germ of an idea until I am satisfied – sometimes a project will be started and sometimes the urge to create is satisfied.
I have an unbelievable stash of UFO’s, every now and then I feel guilty and have a clean out, the process of creating is sometimes more important than the outcome. When I don’t want to have to think too much about my knitting I will make a commercial pattern, and usually with commercial yarn with a recipient in mind or for a charity group. And yes, I do get these ones completed.
Many years ago I learnt to hand spin, I learnt to dye the hand spun yarn with natural dyes such as onion skins and mordents. To say this was enlightening would be an understatement, it was so liberating to not only create my own fibre for knitting but to also be able to achieve a colour of my own creation. Today dyeing has come a long way, the commercial dyes are truly wonderful, very easy to use and the results are gorgeous. Once again I have allowed the urge to create to take over and have been ‘playing’ with fibre and dye all weekend.
I have decided that I really want to use the beautiful yarns that I now enjoy working with. And as I love knitting for my daughter I have chosen a lovely tunic by www.geilsk.dk (thankyou Ingrid for putting me onto this website). Grafton from Yarn Workshop 50% Yak, 50% wool sport weight was the yarn of choice and is so economical, my tension square was perfect for the pattern so only thing to do was to dye the yarn.

Consultation with said daughter resulted in the decision that a light grey would be perfect for her to wear at work. I selected a lovely grey from dyes and added a little of their dogwood which is a light brown, earthy colours that work so well. The resulting yarn is soft and bouncy in a lovely pale grey, variegated slightly and exactly what I wished to achieve. All to do now is to knit the garment, this will be a labour of love and exactly the project I enjoy the best.
Next, Irish socks from the emerald Isle.

Rocky's own blog and something Crafty

2010-05-20T13:46:00.003+10:00

Rocky now has his own blog.

I have been knitting lately, and really enjoying it, making some baby knits for a girl at work Sewrite, another Thursday night teacher, Belinda is having her first bub and loved the knits in Cleckheaton book No 951. So as I have knitted several of these patterns before I thought I might make a set up for her.

These are some really lovely modern knits that appeal to the "young" mums out there.

They knit up quickly and make lovely gifts. Cocoon yarn is lovely but any 4 ply works well.

Working with wonderful Yarn

2010-05-05T18:47:00.004+10:00

Oh Joy, how can I describe my new job, it is sort of a knitters heaven, I mean I get to play with lovely yarns and gorgous knitting paraphenalia and I get paid for it, well ok there is some actual work involved, lol. Like organizing storage and preparing orders and packing them for postage but this is all fun, fun, fun, even when the stupid packing tape machine bites me.

Monday Ingrid and I attended the Knitters Guild meeting and altho there was only one face that I was familiar with it was nice to know that some of the original members were still attending.

We were made to feel very welcome and enjoyed morning tea and a guest speaker which was a bonus. It was a lovely lady from Wraps with Love who explained how the organisation started and just how many people hear in Australia and overseas they have touched with their warm and wonderful hand knitted or hand crochet wraps.

So if you have bit of spare yarn a bit of time and the desire to help others, go and check out their website and see just how much you efforts will mean to another person.

Today I was able to clear out one of the cupboards for Ingrid - it was full of gorgeous sample yarns and other bits and pieces that Ingrid had intended to donate to both the girls school and for Wraps with Love. So I left her a little bit of homework to do, sort it out!! heheheh. Hope I still have a job next week. Watch this space.

He is here

2010-05-01T18:30:00.003+10:00

Rocky arrived last Tuesday. He has settled in fairly well, I have spent about 2 hourse each day with him just brushing him, lungeing him, with Lou's help and generally letting him settle in and get to know me and his agistment.

Over the week he did some nice lungeing in the arena, the difference here being that he didn't have the round yard walls to keep him in check - so being a new experience he was a bit fizzy to start and Lou got him going and understanding what was being asked and he soon settled into it so I could take over and finish off, not too much at a time.

I had the new saddle arrive and had a saddle fitter have a look but it is very wrong for Rocky and I will have to sell it on, and purchase a Status instead, these are not too dear fortunately

So waiting some time before I get on him and need to assert myself with him as he can be pushy.

Shall be using the lunge alot more and establishing some rules, he is a bit restless and throws out his front leg often, so have to be on guard, he has no nasty in him at all and has the sweetest of natures but will need to be kept in line, maybe Tony can help me sort him out.

Boston, the lab is super stressed out right now, he is missing me a lot and Charlotte too as she has not been around much 'cause she has a new man in her life. So Boss is sort of going what the hell is going on here.

I started the new job and love it, Ingrid is gorgeous, she even made me lunch. I love working with the fibres and delightful needles and goodies, all so tempting and yes I have already spent what I earned, dang it. I had wanted the wood set of DPN's for ages and now I have them and also got some metal needle ends for the circulars as I haven't tried these but Ingrid prefers them so I was keen to try them.

We are also both keen to do a toe up sock, I found a copy of Vogue's sock book and grabbed it for Ingrid as it had the Nancy Bush Estonian sock, yummy. Now I am on the look out for some nice hand dyed sock yarn - or maybe I should buy some off Ingrid and dye it myself. :)

Definatley Working again

2010-04-22T11:35:00.003+10:00

Ok, so this is the state of it, I am most definatley working again, have to feed a horse, lol.

No really just got another 6 hours in a new job, and it is going to be another great job. This one is packing orders and general assistance for a home based website yarn company.

So now it is a case of how much I can resist spending on the delish yarns, silks, cashmere, wool etc, we are also going to be dying yarn and as I have done this with natural materials such as onions and a mordant, it will be nice to try the chemical dyes and see what can be achieved.

I am still doing the Thursday night patchwork group with the girls, we have places if you are interested. Checkout Sewrite for mor info.

Rocky will be here soon and I can see I will either have to start another blog just for him or this one may just get less quilty and more horsey, just like me.

I have started up a quilting service using my frame at home and the 6600 Janome, so domestic machine producing lovely stippling and all over freestyle desings. I will be filling a niche area that will be alot cheaper than the computerized services but of course, it will be a hand made product. Very functional for lap quilts, quick gifts, kids floor quilts and all those tops you will never get done yourself. Get them out and send them to me.

Roz's quilting website

Update on Rocky

2010-04-19T17:40:00.001+10:00

Rocky might be here by the weekend, he is going well and I have just about organised all that is needed including paying the final payment.

He had another lesson over the weekend just gone and was put to the test with some traffic cones, meant to be a bit different and scarey so that the horses can be assessed for their riding status.

Rocky promptly picked one up in is mouth and started tossing it about. So much for being afraid of it, lol.

He also did a few little jumps, that he seemed to enjoy. Well we shall see how Roz goes over the jumps, maybe I should jump them on my own legs before I attempt jumping over them on Rocky. I am hoping that getting a stock saddle or a fender will help me feel more comfortable in the saddle than I was in an all purpose saddle

so these are some of his pics to date...........enjoy

A new love in my life

2010-04-12T21:35:00.003+10:00

Hey this is Rocky, my new best friend. Isn't he gorgeous??

That is Karleigh his trainer with him going thru the paces, well not paces in fact that is what we don't want him to do anymore.

He is a retired trotter, 9 year old and very gorgeous, he is 16.2hh and a very solid boy. He has spent the last 3 years in a big paddock eating lots of grass. His owner a large harness racing team are sending Karleigh horses to be re-trained and re-homed, to make great all round riding horses. This gives them a second chance at life and is a great thing for these most beautiful animals.

New bike and back to work

2010-03-23T17:32:00.008+11:00

Ben's new bike has arrived, I am one nervous mum, he has not got a lot of riding experience but has purchased a big package of a motorcycle. I really hope he handles it okay.

No point worrying tho. At least he looks the part.

I have to go back to work this week as I am in Sydney and the lady who was taking my class on Thursday night is unwell so I said I would come and do it. And a class again on Monday with the baltimore girls. I will also catch up with the Wednesday class and have some fun.

So while I was waiting for him to get the bike started, I went around Dad's shed and the yard looking for things to photograph for my photoshop backgrounds. I heaps on the old tractor that I thought were really good, just hope my camera was good enough to get the detail. It's amazing that even a piece of termite eaten timber can look great. And check out the front of the tractor, rust and mould, wonderful.
I can not wait to do something with this.

I will also be doing a sneak preview of my French Quilt very soon, the stitching is coming along well and I have already shown it and the rough layout sketch to Bron and she loved it. I am tossing up some ideas with doing a little applique.

Please check back soon and I will have some pics up of the redwork.

cheers

Update on what I have been doing

2010-03-20T17:22:00.005+11:00

It seems like ages since I have blogged, I have been up in Port Macquarie these last two weeks and have had limited internet. So no blogging, just keeping up with my emails was a chore.
So I guess you are wondering what I have been doing?

I have been sewing, knitting and reading and relaxing, eating but eating well. Spending time around the town and getting to know the place but in a relaxed and easy going way.

Above: The dining table before I got started

I have come back to Sydney a bit more mellow I must say, but funny thing is that the unit we are currently in is so noisy, it is really amazing, I am not used to such close quarter living at all and as Tony loves every available door and window open it is like inviting the noise inside.

Left: Sewing started and a mess made

Miniature quilt passion

2010-03-04T12:56:00.001+11:00

Some of my good friends have been inspired to make lots of mini quilts this year, one person is now teaching these as part of her class - but the real culprit is Bronwyn as she has been quietly making small hand pieced minis for a while now and these she has folded into an antique wooden trug that sits on her table in the family room and just looks stunning.

How could you not be inspired??

So, this attempt is my version and given as a christmas secret santa and Wendy got it, it is not at all Wendy colours so I hope she liked it.

I love the look of the old fashioned and reproductions and the dark blues and faded browns that older quilts have, we tend to forget that these quilts would have been much brighter when made and it is just time and use that has faded these beauties.

If you ever get the chance, and without damaging a quilt, ie if the seam is already open have a look at the reverse side in th seam and see if indeed the fabric colour is brighter.

While your there - see what the batting fibre is, this can help date a quilt from pre commercial wadding. Is it cotton, flax, wool or something unknow??

Being a quilt detective is fun and you can learn so much from an old quilt.

Getting those tops done

2010-03-02T15:37:00.007+11:00

I havn't said much about quilting of late but I have been doing it. Trying to get finished up last week on the promised ones and leaving a few very short on time, having to appologise a couple of times for missing a deadline is not a good look.

Left is a panel I did, one of three finished for the Thursday night girls, they will now have to do their own quilting. One was a dinasour quilt, very nice in khaki's and browns, the other was a vintage cars panel quilt top and then finally a comic cat quilt top.

AND - Below, OOOPS -some froggy stitches required

Below is a stunning quilt that one of my Tuesday girls made for her niece in Armidale, for this winter while she is studying, hey luck girl.

I quilted it for Narelle in a circle wavey type free motion style and was really pleased with it.

The more I practice the better I get. For this I charged $50.00 and also did the binding for her.

I have never charged the girls much for the work as it has been all practice for me and I have not minded doing it. I know it is not much for my time but I feel I have really benefited and am so much better with the free motion which is practically all I do now.

Below a close up, what do you think??

Unemployed

2010-03-01T12:23:00.002+11:00

I am now officially unemployed, lol. I finished up at Sewrite on thursday night. It was lovely with the girls bringing in cake and nibblies for supper and some champers too. I had a huge grin on my face all night, but not because I was leaving, that part is very difficult, but because I am heading into a new faze of my life.
Charlotte arrived home from NZ and had a wonderful time, including jumping out of a plane, bungy jumping, black water caving, etc etc, she had a fabulous time. So it is back to work for her and a change of life style because she and her brother will be responsible for themselves and the house and the animals, good luck.
The unit we have acquired is a lovely one, it is available in April and is in the centre of Port M and on the river, it is very nicely decorated and very modernly appointed. QuayNorth

In front is the stunning old oak trees and the river, this being a very popular park, and further right of the picture, is the old restored Hotel, pub on the corner of the park, with some stunning meals available, a great fish and chip shop, perfect for sitting in the park and feeding the gulls, of course we did this.

New machine

2010-02-12T11:37:00.004+11:00

I know don't say it, another machine, well I sort of did need one because I needed a machine for Port Macquarie and this was too good to let go. It is an Husqvarna 955e Platinum embroidery and sewing machine all in one.

I found it on ebay and payed the buy it now price of $1500. because I felt this was a brilliant price.

I have wanted a Husky for a while as I remember my sister in law had one and it was a really super machine. One of my students has the lilly and I really love the way it sews.

It came this morning so I have been playing a little and it sews really well. I have to read up on the embroidery attachements as they are a little different to the futura.

Quilting is going along well, just trying to get some things finished before the end of the month so that I can leave for Port with a clear mind and having done all that I have promised.

Next week the girls are giving me a farewell lunch so shall look forward to that very much, I just hope I find some nice ladies to sew with in Port Macquarie.

Class is back

2010-02-02T14:53:00.004+11:00

My ladies have returned to class after the Christmas break having done their duty as baby sitters, holiday granparents or if lucky just able to get away from Sydney for the holiday season.

I started back with the Thursday night girls and this proved heaps of fun as usual and everyone being in good spirits. Not a whole lot of sewing went on but we did a pretty good job of chatting over coffee and catching up, I am definatley going to miss them. I did announce my leaving for certain in March and this was received with their kind understanding and encouragement.

I have agreed to come back once every second month to continue the Baltimore class as this is going so well and the ladies would like to finish their quilts as can be expected. I shall be down for Sydney visits so no problem to work this in.

We have (Tony and I) been invited to the Super Bike weekend on Phillip Island and even tho at the moment I do not have a registered bike, I would really prefer to ride down rather than drive so we are looking for some money to register my bike. Tony blankly refuses to ride with me so he will have to drive. The other couples are riding.

This is not my bike but very similar looking, in fact I think only the panniers are different - it is a Honda Shadow 1100 - I just noticed this one doesn't have a chrome radiator like mine, hehehe.

Fairy horses and photoshop

2010-01-28T12:32:00.002+11:00

Nearly finished the photoshop class online and have really enjoyed it, even tho it meant alot of computer time when I should really have been finishing of some sewing projects over the Christmas break. HO HUM.

This one is 3 or 4 different photos all blended to look like a lovely fairy horse in a foggy paddock. I was really pleased with the end result but need to fine tune it for a neater appearance, hey its all a big learning curve for me.

Working with Photoshop

2010-01-14T16:23:00.005+11:00

I haven't had time to post here as I have started the photoshop class with DJ Pettitt and I am having a great time. I have been on holidays so have had lots of time (and it's been needed too) for working out the Elements program. It is just wonderful, finding out how to do layers and masking and making your own brushes. Just brilliant, I love it.

Can you believe I created the above using three different photos and some brushes. It is a picture of a paddock and tree, a seperate pic of a grey horse and then a photo of a postcard that DJ supplied for the class. I am so pleased with the result.

and this one, a photo taken in Port MacQuarie on a very overcast, rainy day and from the car, so I had lots of dash in the foreground - I added in the flowers and a clip of an old letter and blended.

I think it is okay. I am sure as I practice I shall improve. It is a bit addictive, oh no, another thing to become obsessed with.

A wet and windy Port Macquarie

2010-01-02T11:43:00.005+11:00

Tony and I travelled up to Port MacQuarie for a few days this week and found the place soaking wet with some amazing rain coming down.

Our aim was to have a good look around and find an area that we liked and could live in for 12 or so months. It is holiday season so everything was fairly busy but it is a very lovely place and much grown since I was there last, some 25 years ago. LOL.
We stayed at a lovely B & B and even though it rained most of the time we did get one lovely and very long walk along lighthouse beach (above).

And (below) looking out from the top of Town Beach (sitting in the car knitting, LOL). Well what else do you do on a wet and wild day? We did have enough dry time to get around and enjoy some nice food at different places and plenty of great coffee too.

I was trying to get some good photo's for the photoshop workshop I am doing soon with DJ but it was hard to get anything of much interest, I wanted some cows and horses in paddocks but they all seemed to be along way away. Oh well, I shall have to keep trying or use some web photo's instead. As I look at the greyish photos I managed to take, I can start to see some possibilities so may be not worthless after all.

Photoshop with DJ

2009-12-21T09:40:00.004+11:00

I am really excited, I have just paid for (read "committed") to an online photoshop class with DJ Pettitt. An American textile artist that I have followed and admired greatly for a long time. DJ is going to show us how to work in photoshop elements so that we can transform our photos into little works of art as she does. It starts soon so if you are interested go to her website and click on her workshop link to join up. I have already started going around with my little camera and taking photos of things I think look good.... Pan, a statue in mum's garden looked perfect and I can not wait to work with him.

I have been quilting, finishing off some Christmas presents for my class ladies, they have done some lovely quilts over the year and I am really more than happy to help out with those last minute panic "gotta get it quilted" moments.

The frame really comes into its own and I am getting much more confidence on free hand quilting - just love it.

This one was a large lap size quilt and I quilted it quiet heavily with gumnuts and gum leaves.

The owner Evol, was very happy with this and I will need to wait till after Christmas to find out if the lucky recipient liked my stitching.

A Little Bird told me....

2009-12-18T18:30:00.002+11:00

I did this little guy some time ago but have only just got my camera sorted out and working again.

This is done using the embroidery machine to make the swallow, I then trim it around and layer it on some wool felt, paint and stitch on more detail, layer a bit more, then add vintage trim and cording, make some wire and pearl nest, a few dangles, a wire hanger - a frill of painted organza around the edge and viola a cute little wall hanging

I hope to have time to make more, it is very rewarding and doesn't take too much time or thought, just lots of fun and creativity

Ribbon roses for Baltimore

2009-12-17T13:40:00.002+11:00

One of the things I love about Baltimore work is the ability to embelish like crazy. Hence the block shown, it is made up of 4 large ribbon roses, using french wired ribbon, about 2metres for each rose. The wired ribbon behaves well and allows the rose to be formed to look lovely and vintage, crush the rose after completion and you achieve an even older look.

The basket is made up of a rich brown fabric using a large bias maker to form it easily, I then slip stitch down some yummy thin obre ribbon as a highlight to the basket shape.

This is one of my favourite blocks, however I may not use it in the finaly quilt as it is not the most practical block for washing, using the quilt etc, but would work for a wall hanging. If doing this block maybe using a dior rose would work better for a quilt that will be used.

Bonzie designer

2009-12-05T16:13:00.002+11:00

There are a few designers that I admire greatly and most of these I have been introduced to via "Belle Armoir" magazine. One of these is Bonzie an Irish design partnership, they do some of the most inspired designs I have ever seen, it is totally my idea of wonderful. They remake old clothes, restyle lace, ribbon, antique beads and baubles, jewelry and fabrics. I only have to click onto their blog to get goosebumps and feel totally inspired and ready to design for myself. And altho I don't do what they do and not anywhere near as well, I do love what I can achieve with a little playing with my growing collection of ephemera.

http://designsbybonzie.blogspot.com/

and some more..........

2009-12-04T15:43:00.003+11:00

This is the heart block, I have completed half of the berries to show how much more interest the lovely red berry circles make, they are well worth the effort - I use the mylar template to create these, cut your fabric circle and place mylar plastic template circle inside, gather stitch around as normal, pull up so that the fabric is tightly gathered around template, spray with crisp spray starch front and back. Allow to air dry, finally press with iron, be carefull here as the mylar is heat resistant but will melt with too much heat. Allow to cool loosen tacking stitches and remove mylar, you may like to repress the circle again to settle down this lifted area. I do a whole lot at a time so they are done and ready for me to stitch down.

This is one of the lovely basket blocks, a tall basket with lots going on, I love them, I used a lovley chenille cord I purchased for the stem and couched it down with matching DMC - one strand.

I popped some blue in here as I had brought a gorgeous bundle of fabrics from Temora, Pieces for patching and wanted to use these with the browns. The berries this time are burgundy felt from Pioneer Patchwork in Narellan, little circles with red DMC french knots holding them down.

Today I have completed my 6 month class notes and will present the class on Monday. The girls will decide if we are going to do another class next year at Sewrite. This will be a finishing class and additional work with sashing and completing the top.

I will be presenting this class at Pioneer Patchwork at Narellan - (02) 4647 3555 in February 2010, just give Ingrid a call to reserve your spot.

Some photo's of the Baltimore Class

2009-11-26T09:01:00.003+11:00

Beautiful birds baltimore block - This one was pieced using several methods, the bias circle was machine stitched down, then hand appliqued finished, the birds were done using a lightweight interfacing, bagged and turned through and then stitched down. The flowers, hearts etc were layered over paper templates, tacked, slip stitched down and paper removed from the back. It was finished with a lovely organza ribbon around the outer circle for softness - a really nice block to do and not too difficult.

Finally I am able to post some photo's of the Baltimore blocks, one of my girls took these photo's for her own colour reference and was kind enough to email them to me. Even tho they are not technically well photographed (it was using a phone) I am pleased to be able to show you something of the appliques already done.

This is the first block I had the class do, There are a few ways to approach this one, and after running the class I have decided to replace this block with something else in future.

We used lightweight interfacing, stitched and turned through, then it was to be appliqued down either by hand or by machine, the girls had some trouble turning this one through however so I have had to rethink this block. Even tho the results are nice it isn't my intention for the students to become frustrated by it.

Drawing

2009-11-24T17:42:00.003+11:00

It's all Bron's fault, she told me about a lovely quilt she had seen and described it to me which got my mind rolling and thinking and wanting to create. SO naturally I did.

The fact that I had a sore foot meant that I needed to sit and rest it, so this weekend was spent drawing some lovely baskets of flowers so that we might later, be able to stitch them.

I had started off intending to do them rather niave and simple but no - they became quiet a production and very life like. I really think they are going to be hard work to stitch. So do I simplify or do I leave them as is.

Time will tell, getting time to do them will be another thing entirely.

I fell in love with a flying geese block and had to have a play with it in eq6. Pickle dish is another block for a quilt that I have always wanted to do, two colours only, nice.

Charlotte is stitching

2009-11-09T18:47:00.003+11:00

Stress, its a real killer, we know that don't we. My darling girl is very stressed at the moment at work and dealing with peoples enquiries about their insurance claims for travel insurance.

I know personally that when I talk to a customer care person I try to remember that they are not personally responsible for my problem/dilemma and in fact are there to try and sort it all out for me if they are able to. My daughter is yelled at on a daily basis and called some shocking names, all because of a few hundred dollars worth of camera or whatever the person is claiming for. And yes, we all know how slow these things can be. But we really need to put them into perspective.

I was very busy with getting things done for class over the weekend (beside having a shocking weekend at the drags, but I am not going there). So as I stitched a small design for a friend and trying to get it started at least so that I could then do the machine sewing at a later date, Charlotte asked if she could do some, well Charlotte is one very neat stitcher and I was delighted to hand it over to her. She was still stitching when I went to bed last night and when I went to my sewing box this morning, here was a note on top with the work I had given her half finished and asking to let her finish it tonight. No problem to me, I love getting the help and Charlotte said she relaxed last night with the stitching like she hasn't been able to relax for ages.

It is a really bad time energy wise at the moment, there is some really odd energy going around and some strange things are happening - hope the moon changes soon or something, lol.

Baltimore on and on

2009-11-08T18:52:00.002+11:00

It feels like I have been stitching baltimore's for years but in truth it has only been 4 months. They are so devine, and as I stitch I remember why I love applique soooo much.
It is relaxing, it's medatative and as I stitch I think about the next block and the colours for it. I have done the cornacopia with fruit and will do an eagle block next perhaps.

Having sorted it all out in EQ6 has been wonderful and allows for me to free up more time for sewing. I have some Christmas pressies to prepare too for class as we have decided on a secret santa for this year and will be going out for dinner like last year but at an Italian resturant this time. Should be great fun. I am doing one of Christine Books little cushions with a blue bird stitchery in the middle, I may even turn it into a small wall hanging for the person I have in mind.

I have been buying a little lace and odds and ends to as I explore the mixed media a little more, as I type I have the embroidery machine chugging along stitching a design that I will then take and manipulate, layer, cut and paint add things to and develop into a little wall hanging.

EQ6 and designing Baltimores

2009-11-03T20:44:00.002+11:00

Spending time on EQ6 is so much fun, I have found wonderful pallettes of fabrics that reflect my stash rather nicely and decided to see if I could represent some of the blocks I have chosen for the class Baltimore.

The girls wanted sashing and swag borders so this is my interpretation

I have no doubt as I work more in EQ I will find much more to do with it and lots more ideas generated.

Don't ya love it

2009-11-03T17:56:00.005+11:00

Hey,

Classes are going wonderfully well, I am having a blast with these baltimore blocks, they are soooo lovely.

And a large amount of french ribbon has come my way, well okay, I had to pay for it but it is so nice and will give my students some lovely ribbon to play with.

I have also been working on Christmas things for class - not something that I have to do every year but I do keep my eye out for interesting things. Christine Book is a wonderful resource for me in this as she does Christmas sooooo well.

Come to think of it, I have not done any stitchery for so long and I am getting a bit of an urge to do some soon. The Baltimore must take precedence tho and even when I go to Margaret Cormacks class on wednesdays I still have to be sewing on the baltimores.

I am embelishing lots more now and have been trying out some flower making both from fabric strips and ribbon. I have also been asked to do some ribbon roses for a flower girls dress, this is in a lovely deep pinky red, the fabric was especially dyed over seas just for this wedding.

Baltimore quilt classes

2009-10-29T08:54:00.005+11:00

I am currently working on a Baltimore style quilt for class, it is coming along so beautifully and I am so pleased. The second class was a great success and full of enthusiastic students, what joy.

I am working on blocks 5 and 6 at present and have managed to book a new set of classes at Pioneer Patchwork in Narellan for next year, 2010. This will run for 6 months as a monthly class.

I have also got a row by row quilt to do for a class or workshop, I just need to buckle down and get all this done. It is all very exciting.

Mamre house weekend has come and gone for another year and altho the numbers were down on previous years it was all fun and laughter as usuall and a bit of retail therapy. I was on Marg Low's stand again with loads of new patterns and delightful buttons by Barb Smith.

Christine offered some lovely projects, the theme being bluebirds which are some of her all time favourite things. Remember the little bluebird baby jewellry that was so popular? It is a memory from my past as I am sure it is for many of us, and I am sure we all have a piece of a little bluebird treasure in our jewel box.

I am off to do some more sewing, with a quilt on the frame and lots of sewing to get my workshops happening I have had less time than ever for this blog, please come back often tho so you keep up with all the happenings going on.

keep stitching

(the above pic is borrowed from a webpage and is not what I am teaching)

A month fly's by

2009-07-05T11:34:00.004+10:00

Where does the time go? I have been busy with other things and neglecting the blog, I have been sewing some, doing some quilting for friends and getting used to the frame.

I have had to borrow my mums singer sewing machine as the Pfaff is still not serviced. Mums machine is very nice to use so I am not complaining but she will want it back sooner or later so shall have to get the repair man to fix my Pfaff.

Classes will continue over the school break and I will return to Wednesday class. I have been doing extra shop hours at work while Anne is on leave. It makes for a busy life. But be creative is a way of life and I could not be with out all my bits and pieces. Rummaging through my stash for bits of fabric, lace and ribbons, buttons, bows and thread is a dream come true for me and a way to indulge me time with out guilt - because It's the creative process that I need to survive a day. To make my life fuller and to be a better person to live with.

I wonder how many others can relate to this.

Pinapple log cabins

2009-05-21T11:06:00.002+10:00

How stunning are log cabin quilts? I love the old ones, the deep browns
blues and reds of the late 1800's. The complexity of the pinapple log
cabin never fails to amaze and delight me. There always seems that
sense of movement and joy about them, no matter the fabric or the
expertise or lack there of from the quilter.

I am experimenting with some strippy piecing and finding this a great
deal of fun. Using fabric from a basket of scraps, I can quickly place and
piece as I go, cut down the created fabric into the desired shapes and piece
these together to create a shape, a block that can be joined to form a larger
piece.

So quick and easy, unlike the pinappel quilt.

Okay I give up

2009-05-18T11:11:00.002+10:00

I have just been browsing some blogs and I have to say, "I GIVE UP".....
No not really but I must learn how to do more with my blog.
It is not the inspiring read I had wanted it to be.
It has become a place were I collect other bloggers. LOL

Resolution....

try harder

Nitro Champs weekend

2009-05-06T14:17:00.002+10:00

The weekend was the Nitro Champs at Eastern Creek

and also Charlottes 21st.

This is a photos of the Calibra with the shoot pulled
and slowing down at the end of the track.

She is a very pretty car and goes exceptionally well.
We all love her and I trust it to do the right thing when Tony is driving and to keep him safe. (If one can in fact trust an inanimate object). LOL

The photos is from Badger Photography you can see more on his website as he is an excellent photographer and has done several profile picture collages for us. This is the first pic we have of the shoot open, I think Charlotte will order a compilation of this lot from Badger photography as we all like these pics taken this weekend of the old girl in action.

Charlotte's 21st

2009-05-04T10:41:00.004+10:00

The most important people in my life are my family. Charlotte turned 21 on May the 2nd which co-incided with the Nitro champs drag meeting in which her dad Tony wanted to race. So Charlotte decided that she would have her birhtday at the drags.

It went wonderfully well, we had a nice turn up of friends and relatives as well as those track friends who have known Charlotte for a while and watched her grow from a teenager into a lovely young lady.

She was indundated with lovely gifts. And Tony arranged for a photo menage on the big screen so about 28,000 people saw Char at different ages, but nothing too embarassing. LOL.

She spent a good part of the day crying as suprise after surprise were given. All in all just a brilliant and non fussy 21st shared with the people that cared about her.

Thankyou to everyone who made it such a fun day for her. Especially Kasi who is a star.

My favourite magazine

2009-04-27T09:55:00.004+10:00

My favourite magazine is anything by Stampington. I await each issue from Borders impatiently but I do have a limit as unfortunately here in Australia they are expensive.

I love altered couture and Where women create. The Jewelry specials and many others, blogging, altered art, paper and ephemera, quilting arts, etc etc, it goes on and on.

They are a delight and a wonderful showcase of some of the most divine work and artists in their specific medium. This is a newbie Marie

http://www.stampington.com/html/marie_spring09.html

I love altered couture it is a wonderful magazine, full of wonderful art work to wear. I have always knitted but never liked run of the mill jumpers etc. Well the 80's were my prime years and the knitting was very avante garde so I knitted free form and loved it. Anything was okay and pieces were more art than wearable but no one cared. I would knit a dress in a couple of days and then wear it to a disco that weekend, okay so I was cute and had a great figure so I would have looked good in a rag but I still remember the thrill I got from wearing my own creation. I also made and wore my own bikini's both knitted and sewn. No pattern just creating as I went. I am amazed that they were good enough to wear but they were, so I should give myself credit. On hindsight I would have done things better but I didn't know better then.

This apron in the new issue of Belle Amoire sort of reminds me of what I would do when I was younger and never afraid of the outcome. Just go for it and see what happens. How cute is it??

These days I am far more reserved and over think things a bit much. I blame quilting on that because patchwork is very precise. I have been patchworking for so long that I have to think through my work so much more. I was a free spirit in my teens. I must learn to find that joy of creating again and just relearn to enjoy the process and sweat less about the outcome.

I hope you find joy and inspiration always and love what you do, love yourself and let your spirit soar.

Lots of lovely ephemeria and bits

2009-04-24T13:25:00.002+10:00

I just love the French General https://www.frenchgeneral.com/

it has the most lovely bits and pieces for making those super special antique pieces of art.

Such as this divine old crown, how delicate and beautiful is this?

The website is so inspirational and even if I can not always get my hands on the items I am drooling over it is often enough impetus for me to get on with an idea, to go away and sketch and think and play with ideas that are directly developed from lovely bits and pieces off the website.

I long for the opportunity to shop in America, they seem to have a never ending supply of interesting things. We are so young in Australia that we don't have the history nor the items so abundantly and it is a constant struggle to find materials that inspire and that a worthy of art. I am not complaining because truth be told, it makes you work harder to find things to play with. The Internet has brought us all so much closer together

and availability of anything just a click and a credit card away. Which brings me to the issue of cost. How much is too much to spend on your passion, when in the end you may not sell an item? Do you have to sell an item to justify your craft/art. Does it also put too much pressure on an artist to make money. Do you work to pay for your craft or does your craft pay for itself??

I would love to know your answers on this so please leave me some feedback, and thanks for taking the time.

It's all about the age

2009-04-22T11:28:00.006+10:00

How stunning are antique quilts? I have about 30 or so all in different stages of completion. Purchased from Ebay and shipped over from America. I have tops, blocks and full quilts. The oldest I have is a civil war blocks in a bachelor block, it is similar to a tulip block, I have repaired it and put about 10 or so blocks together and am quilting it.

I have two green and red applique quilts. With lots of lovely quilting. These are both pre 1900's.

I also have a variety of later quilts and quilt tops, 50's and 60's. One is a string pieced summer quilt, ie it doesnt have any wadding inside.

They are all totally inspirational, and some are used daily and some are away in a trunk awaiting repair or to delicate for everyday use. Caring for these quilts is a huge responsibility. Some could't handle a wash, they would literally fall apart. Others cope well and can be washed often.

I am only a custodian and will one day either sell some or pass them on or give them away. In the interim I get to enjoy them and share them with my friends.

Finding out secrets

2009-04-20T12:26:00.003+10:00

Some people dont know one thing about me, and when they do find out they ususally laugh.
Not that I have ever made it a secret - it is just not a topic of conversation that I find myself mentioning too often. It is a fairly important part of my life however and something that I am rather proud of, what is it you ask.

I ride a large motorcycle...... Well not so surprising you may say, lots of women ride motorcycles.
Where I get to shock or surpirse people is when I role up on this big black and chrome monster and get off, remove helmet and gloves and dive into the saddle bags and pull out my knitting.

I love to see the look on peoples faces as I happily sit where ever we have stopped and stitch a few rows of knitting. The guys I ride with are used to me now but passers by often gape wide mouthed at me in all my gear and knitting in lap as I sit happily sipping coffee and getting on with my current project. It is one of those little bits of leisure time that is just the best. Fresh mountain air, sunshine and motorbikes.

Knitting

2009-04-17T11:09:00.004+10:00

I am knitting like crazy at the moment which is handy because I am also spending time waiting for family at different times, you know the doctors surgery, getting home late off the train and all that sort of thing. Yes I am mum's taxi, both my adult children don't drive. So portable stitching is a must for me.

I have just ordered some lovely cashmere yarn and await it so that I can work on a few designs I have for shawl and things, not interested in doing garments anymore but shawls and blankets and capes and other largish things are wonderful.

Back to the patchwork and its amazing how many beautiful quilt patterns are available at our disposal, okay the books are expensive but I have just become choosey and only get the books that I know will appeal to me. My most recent purchase was "Your invited" another fabulous book from Blackbird designs. I just love the combination of wonderful blocks and simple yet beautiful applique. Stunning cross stitch and delicous scenes from gardens and antique homes.

So when I am not driving, knitting, or stitching I am perusing a book.

Housework you ask, what's that???

Another Easter come and gone

2009-04-14T15:46:00.002+10:00

It's really mind blowing how fast time fly's - I was only thinking how lovely to have a few days off to get some much needed work done, you know the usual UFO's, some class projects, oh maybe the quilt sitting in the frame could use some time spent on it. Does it all sound to overwhelming?

Even tho I did set some goals this week, I have only gotten through about half of the list that I wanted to achieve. On the bright side, it meant that some fabric found a home and books that were just sitting around now live in a basket in my workroom.

Another thing I wish to achieve is the ability to call it a studio, it is all mine, I just can not come to terms with the fact. So far everything is working well and I am beginning to see dividends to having my own space. But and it is a big but, I am definately not spending enough time in there.

I will have to have a long hard look at the reasons I am deliberating and not utilizing my much wished for space. I know I need to be more organized so maybe once my mind gets around that I can move ahead.

Fabric bundles

2009-04-08T14:13:00.004+10:00

How wonderful are fabric bundles, you know the ones, they are made up of co-ordinating fabrics with appealing colour combinations and usually one stunning feature fabric.

I have two that I had to bring home from work, Kym is a genius at putting fabrics together and altho she doesn't have time to do a lot of quilting she sure does have the quilters colour all worked out, she is in fact an artist so understands the fundamentals of colour that we as crafts people often skip in the hurry to produce a quilt or two.

I have always had a sense of colour and really do not give it too much thought but prefer to wing it in a way. I find if I over think colour combinations is when I get into trouble. I am always open to throwing in that real zinger fabric, you know the one. It is the colour and or design that you would never think to use but just that little bit brings the quilt alive.

I have two color ways in these bundles, a blue base and a brown base. My idea for them was to make a machine cover for the Janome on the frame as it sits out in the open and near a window and I am worried that it may get dust, and damage from being out all the time as it is too complex to take it in and out of the frame.

I am now using the Singer for all my regular sewing as I am waiting to get the Pfaff repaired, I had a look at it to see if it was something minor but it looks like a major timing job for an expert and more money to spend. Oh well such is the sewing life.

My frame

2009-04-06T12:24:00.004+10:00

I have found my camera and quickly taken some photos.

Here is the frame, in a mess awaiting a quilt to be put on, I have done some smallish quilts for my

girls in class and they have been really happy

with them.

Some knitting I am submitting to a magazine.

This is one of two lacy shawls that I am

experimenting with, more to follow.

Blessed space

2009-04-01T14:00:00.004+11:00

How wonderful it is to have the space for all my bits
and pieces. I am now starting to realize that I
have an abundance of craft related objects.

UFO's, lots and lots and WIP's (work in progress)
the latter is most definately my favourite way of describing pieces of art that are still unfinished but have hope of one day becoming what I had envisioned for them.

I am knitting a shawl and hope to send it off to a
magazine for publication. I have now found my
battery charger so will be taking lots of photos
so that I can now show you what I have been
up to.

I collected some new fabrics from work, Kym has a very good eye for colour combinations and she often challenges herself to put together fat quarter bundles and of course I can not help myself I have to buy them. And also needing a new project for the girls and Ho Hum, no more bags please, I will be doing a machine cover as I need one for both the pfaff and the Janome on the frame, a cover would be a very useful thing as it sits out on the frame uncovered at the moment. I will write the pattern to be suited to different sized machines so that the girls can customize their own to suit their particular machine.

check back for photos - coming soon = please watch this space. :)

How fantastic is the quilt frame

2009-03-30T12:18:00.003+11:00

I have had an awesome weekend of quilting on the frame. I have 3 smallish quilts to do and so far two have come up very well just stippling and in the ditch as they were panels and one had dogs in a window and it was just so cute that I wanted to emphasis the puppys and flowers so decided to stitch around each item and really make it pop.

I have updated my blog list and have (I think) some really top blogs to share, so go have a look.

I find the best blogs by cruising other peoples favourites.

As I look I can see so many really stunning blogs but I am limited in knowledge as to how to get all the fun things on to my blog, but as I keep trying things I shall soon have a blog worthy of quilters alike to enjoy. It is such a personal thing these blogs and I just love it.

Keep coming back as I continue to add, learn and improve.

Vintage Crystal on Martha

2009-03-27T13:31:00.003+11:00

Okay I have to admit it right here right now, I love Martha Stewart. Yesterday she had a girl on making vintage ornaments and specialises in spun cotton, it is an old German technique.

Go have a look
http://www.vintagebycrystal.blogspot.com/
wonderful stuff

Working the quilt frame

2009-03-26T10:15:00.002+11:00

It is all go, and I woke up with the sorest shoulder and on thinking about it realized that the right shoulder had been doing all the pulling on the machine to quilt yesterday.

Well I will either have to build up the muscles or sell the frame, I only did about 3 hours in total and with plenty of breaks but it seemed enough to cause shoulder pain. After all this time I am determined to over come these issues.

I have 3 small quilts to make, they are panels for a toddlers kindy nap time and my students didn't want to quilt them so I said I could give them a go and quilt them on the frame. As they are not so precious they thought that a wonderful idea, photos to come. (I still have not found my camera charger).

I have so many changes happening and no camera to record it all.

I did however, run out of thread so will have to see if I can find the thread to finish just the last little bit off. I chose to do a type of stipple and it used a huge amount of thread.

Getting there

2009-03-23T12:36:00.003+11:00

Finally I have my frame set up full size, well okay it is taking up all of the lounge room bar a couple of the lounges pushed up against the wall (tes chic, NOT). But it is up and sacrifices must be made.

I have three small quilts to quilt as my first paid jobs on the frame. I am excited and nervouse all at once. I hope that I can do these more affordably than what the large quilters have to pay.

I am aware that I am limited to a 3" width due to the short arm machine, but I am optomistic that I can come up with some nice designs and perhaps learn to free quilt well enough for it to be considered custom quilting.

My only dilemma now is that the Pfaff is cafut, well the timing is way out and needs a look at so I have to find the money to have it repaired. In the mean time I will see if the singer will work for plain stitching as the last time I used it, it was not happy beeping at me madly. Failing this I can borrow mums singer - but this is a last resort as she likes to use her machine and likes to have it available for her sewing moods.

I have also begun to move my things into the dining room and shall pack away a lot of my antique plates and other bits that are on the shelving, this will free up space for storage of smallish items, jars and small baskets but I think it could look good and be useful.

Cute things

2009-03-21T11:51:00.002+11:00

I love the quirky handmades, this is a little cat brooch that I
found and had to "borrow" the picture
I just love it, it is so odd.

I found this site after surfing away from another of my favourite designers, it seems that the odder the design
the better but this is really amazing and fun

http://www.studioviolet.se/products/

Another cute site I just love is www.jennylovesbenny.com.au

this clever girl makes the most devine little bears.

Okay enough of cute, just had to let you all know.

Work and inspiration

2009-03-19T15:35:00.002+11:00

As a teacher I am constantly looking for inspiration for class projects. I am lucky to have some really lovely ladies in my two classes and they are all very easy going about what they do.

Very often it is at their discretion as to what they make, at times having birthdays, weddings or other specific gifts to make and this is an easy area to work with as the ideas flow and the saying that two heads are better than one is true as we bounce ideas off each other and with a few nice books and or magazines we can come up with something really nice and just that little bit original while still remaining achievable.

While bags and small projects are still in demand, the way that they are put together and using new or different fabrics or a new way of pieceing or applique is always something that I aim to provide. While it is not possible to provide a new project every week, the girls continue to request projects or crafts that they would like to try and I am always ready to accomodate.

Being a flexible teacher means that students can keep coming to class and looking forward to leaning something new. Or can ask for help on their own project. And I think one of the biggest service I can offer is that of assisting with the basting of a large quilt, this has to be the worse job as far as I am concerned. So putting two large cutting tables (Horn Cabinets) together and getting a quilt basted in a class session with others pitching in to help pin - is to me worth every penny of the class fee.

What are your thoughts on class projects and ideas and inspiration?

Basket versus boxes

2009-03-18T16:16:00.003+11:00

I just purchased two lovely deep baskets with handles today for $5.00 each, they are perfect for keeping all project items together.

They don't have lids but will be okay as I intend to use them as transient storage while a project is in progress, I have other tubs with lids for more long term storage.

I was wondering what sort of storage other quilters use, would be interested in your ideas.

And what do you like to keep projects in while you are working on them.

A few of my quilty friends will buy specific items and containers for projects, others like me will recycle containers where possible and scour garage sales for baskets and anything of use. As long as it is clean or can be cleaned, painted or whatever it is open slather for me.

I love the look of old bookshelf's repainted, recycled and looking fabulous. Like this set of old shelving that is being used to great

advantage as a lovely fat quarter storage.

The boys and their toys

2009-03-17T14:29:00.002+11:00

The twins quilt is going slowly - I really need to get on and quilt them but have been telling myself that I will quilt them both together and very quickly on the quilt frame. As yet this hasn't happened and I am yet to get organised enough to get the frame organised and set up down stairs.

The little quilts look lovely and I would like to take a pic of them but can not find my battery charger for the camera so can not photograph them just at the moment.

When will I ever get organised?

Classes are dropping off a bit, they seem to come and go and some students can not afford to continue which means that I have to reduce my fee. Oh well, we all have to do our part to assist when things are so financially strapped. Never fear I am still spending plenty.

I just decided today that I needed some clothes and shall do a little looking tomorrow. This is never a favourite pass time for me but I will look and see if something strikes me as worth buying.

QUILTS AND MORE QUILTS

2009-03-16T11:18:00.007+11:00

I am working on a gorgeous quilt from Better Homes Quilt magazine, it is a simple snow block quilt and I have made it true to the original in lots of lovely repro shirtings, (from a pack I brought years ago in Berrima) and many of my old blues, browns, reds, pinks, creams and mustards in my stash.

I have purchased from work some additional fabrics (can not help myself) and raided my friends fabrics she was sending of to charity quilts. I only needed a small 4" of each and it was fun to see what I could find that would work for that specific project.

Try this link for a free snow ball block pattern, supper easy and very effective.

http://www.straw.com/quilting/articles/snowball.html

ABOUT THAT SEWING ROOM

What is the perfect craft/sewing room? I am still seeking the answer to that one. I love to see other people's works space and to scour the web for ideas and images that appeal.

I know that I want/need space for the quilt frame, set at full length it is over 120 long and you need at least 60 in width as you need to be able to walk around the frame so that you can access all areas. Putting the quilt on the frame and getting around it, etc.

An ideal work room would have lots of good natural light, and in addition some great overhead lighting for dull days or late night working. For me air conditioning is a must, I just can not stand the humid summers in Sydney, YAK. It would be a little icebox but I know I work well under those conditions. I would use an oil heater in winter.

Sewing

I would have allocated areas for each discipline, a space for sewing, cutting and ironing. A wall for pinning blocks. And baskets with WIPS, class work or new ideas.

Jewelry making and chain maille

A space for jewellry making, soldering and tools and chain maille work and supplies. This means good access to power points.

Knitting and fibre art, felting

Yet another space for knitting, maybe even a nice comfy chair in a corner for this and time out for reading as well, with bookshelf's for special books of inspiration. Could I also find room for the laptop on a small table? And I would need my over head light as this would more than likely be the place I would sit to hand sew as well.

Bear making

An allotted area for bear making, I don't do this as much and it combines usage of the machine but I would need an area to store the mohair and other supplies and a work space as it can be messy. Maybe some more shelves specifically for this near the sitting chair. (There is a lot of hand work in bear making).

Machine Embroidery

In addition I need a space for the embroidery machine and it's associated equipment, which includes the laptop.

Blogging and writing

The laptop would be in use for writing so needs to be accessible for double duty. (Triple if you include blogging).

Mixed media and fibre art

If I had a really big space, I would also get the knitting machine out of storage and set this up.

I would put the spinning wheel in a corner somewhere too. A sink with hot water for wet felting

space to store the spinning paraphernalia. And perhaps a dedicated table as the water would get into other vital things like sewing machines if I only had one table.

Storage

But when I fine tune all this and really assess it I really need a lot of storage.

I love looking at the magazine "Studio" for ideas, and also "Where women create" it is just mind blowing some of the spaces these lucky women own. I am so jealous but as this is such a wasted exercise to be jealous I would rather put that energy into achieving my goal.

First chapter of novel

2009-03-11T14:12:00.003+11:00

This is the first chapter of a novel I have begun, please tell me what you think of it.

The road wound around the valley and criss crossed the river three times before I caught a glimpse of Nerrandella, it sat squat and tired looking, in a hollow of natures making. Another town may suffer the fate of being drowned forever in a much needed dam. That had not occurred to the residence of this long forgotten place, now off the beaten track as the new C15 ran direct to the coast from Sydney and there was no longer the need for an overnight respite from the rigours of travel that Nerrandella provided. Centrally air conditioned service station, MacDonalds and red Rooster now supplied the traveller with fast food and faster service, wizing back onto their destination without even a "thanks how was your day?"
My objective was Paxton House, a little Gothic timber home built in 1883 by the Sturgess family and recently handed over to the Trust as a living museum. The satnav chimed in, the sweet twangy voice telling me to turn right at the next exit and continue for 4 kilometres. I spotted the turn off and veered my little honda into the lane.
I passed several ramshackle cottages sitting on the outskirts of the town centre. A rusty sign told me I had arrived in Nerrandella, population 146. There were several empty shops with paper notices flapping in the breeze and one or two cafés offering the best coffee for miles, well that I could believe! I made a mental note to visit one that had an interesting looking buntings and swags of gossamer fabrics looped over the verandah posts, a little water fountain near the entrance and a general hum emanating from within. I passed a service station, the one were the owner actually comes out and pumps the petrol for you, checks your oil and washes your window. An absolute dinasour. Next came the local grocers, slash general store, newsagents and just along from these the huge red brick bank building now converted to the community centre, art gallery and op shop. I wonder what George Sturgess would have thought of his bank building now? Just opposite was the original council chambers and post office, really lovely turn of the century buildings giving testament to the past affluence of the area. Sally satnav piped up again and told me to take the first exit at roundabout, in other words turn left.
Obeying I ventured along Marribel Street, this I knew from my research was the oldest residential street in Nerrandella, it was also the street founded by the Sturgess family and was originally just a dirt track linking the house to the centre of town. Paxton House was one of the first houses of its calibre in the area and was surrounded by its 267 acres of cleared grazing land. The Sturgess, apart from being the bankers for the area also ran the small freehold gifted to George when he arrived in Sydney at the age of 19 and undertook a role as dresser to then Mayor of Sydney James Merrimen. As the story goes, he saved Mayor Merrimen when he was very ill with dropsey and stumbled and would have fallen over a bannister to his death but for George's quick reflexes who grabbed the aged Mayor and pulled him to safety. The Mayor in his appreciation and upon his retirement from politics gave George the land on the coastal area south of Sydney and some cash to set himself up. George, still a young man and missing his family in Scotland, sent for his brother Laden and paid his fare to Australia.
As I crested a small rise I could see Paxton House at the end of the street, standing majestically surrounded by huge jacarandas, pepper trees, port wine magnolias underplanted with massive azalea bushes and camellias. I was astounded by the greenery and the contrast of the striking sky blue painted timbers of the house. The eaves, balcony's window sashing were glossy white, here and there were the evidence of men at work with some scaffold in place and several work utes in the drive. Probably more action than the old girl had seen in many years. The Houses Trust did not waste time in conserving the buildings they acquire and their policy is to get in, access and conserve what is there rather than restore. I could not but admire the architectural features of the house it was quiet breathtaking. Its metal balustrades on the front balcony and around the eaves were amazing, they must have cost a bomb back then. I knew it to be a rare example of American Steamboat architecture, so unusual for country Australia, the timbers all looked in reasonable condition and as I pulled up I could see that the workers were in fact washing the exterior. The building had been attributed to
There were in fact several lovely old homes in the street, similar in size but nothing in this Gothic timber style of Paxton. I pulled up next to a large van with red writing on the side announcing "Jake's 24 Hour Plumbing". Rustling through the papers on the passenger seat I came up with the yellow post it note that had my contact on. Sally satnav announced sweetly that I "had arrived at my destination", I flipped off the switch and popped her unceremoniously into the glove box.
The 'post it' note told me that I was looking for a Jeannine James, curator appointed to the house and supervisor of the conservation and cataloquing of contents.It was great luck for me that Jeannine is great friends with my uni lecturer and she was able to get me on the conservation team, it meant a lot to my study as I was eager to research the house and the unusal family dynamics that it had held within. I wasn't totally unskilled either as I had worked at Vaucluse house in the textile room and had helped restore some of the quilts there. That was when I had first heard of Paxton and the possibility of the trust obtaining it and my interest had been peaked then, and to now be walking up the front steps was like a dream come true. Stepping around buckets and ladders however, was not part of the imaginings but I was looking forward to the next few weeks. I tapped at the open door, listened, I heard a muffled voice from within, sounding like they were on the phone. A mans head popped around the door of the front room, he was in white overalls splashed in vivid array of colours. "Hi", I said, "I'm looking for the curator."He motioned his head toward the voice out the back " She's out in the kitchen, been on that bloody phone all morning""Thanks", I said as I manouvered my way down the hall and carefully around the just washed door jamb.The hall opened up into a large dinning room, a huge amount of paper, photos, boxes, linens, kitchen ware and other various items littered the large table, it looked like a tornado had gone through the house and had dumped everything right on top of the table in a haphazard mess.The disembodied voice continued from the kitchen "I'll be right with you" it called.I took that to mean I was to stay where I was for the moment so took advantage of the time and began to scan thru the photos. There were several photos of the house from around the 30's, there was one with a car in the drive that looked like a model T but I couldn't be sure. I flipped the photo over but there was nothing written on the back. "It is going to take a bit of research to find out about those photos." I looked up into intelligent green eyes, "Hi I'm Jeannine, I've been expecting you. I'd like you to concentrate on Jessie's room, its upstairs second door on your left. Any questions?" She handed me a note pad and pen. "Start by catalogueing the furniture and fabrics, did you bring a camera?, no, okay, I'll get one for you. If you can go through the dresser after that and keep everything in its place, just write down what you find and leave it pretty much as is, unless of course you find an infestation of bugs or something." I nodded. "If you get that much done today we are doing well.""Help yourself to coffee in the kitchen, you'll find the cafe down the road makes a good sandwhich. Oh have you checked in at the B and B yet?" Her mobile rang and she waved me off returning to the kitchen. I guess that meant I was on my own, didn't seem like much was out of bounds at this stage. Jeannine's head popped around the door, phone to ear and waving a pair of shoe snoods at me. "Pop these on will you Ellie whenever your in the house, 0h and do take care on the carpets they are really deteriorating."I was not sure if she meant I was to take care not to damage the rugs or not to fall down the stairs and break my neck, either way I liked her immediately and knew that the two weeks here were going to be productive and fun.
I had sorted through and logged all of the clothes in the dresser in Jessies room, there were lots of soft silk and lacey items. And as I didn't know what to call a lot of the things I just described them as well as I could on the notepad. I would come back and photograph it all when I got the promised camera.I checked my watch it was already quarter past two and I had not stopped for a break or even a coffee. Stretching my legs I thought it time to stand and get the circulation back in my legs. Wobbling down the stairs I was aware of the silence of the place, the stillness in the air and the fresh breeze through open windows. The stairs creaked to remind me that I was in an old home, I descended carefully, mindful of the several layers of carpet I was treading on. I must remember to ask Jeannine what they will do with the carpets, will they be lifted and relayed or will they be left, it would be amazing to see the very bottom layer. The uppermost layer and visible one was a bright splashy brown with yellow swirls that was oh so obviously 1970's. I think by memory, the year of a minor renovation was undertaken when cousin took up residence at Paxton. The kitchen was also redone then so I thought I would go and take a look.
It was a pretty simple 50's style with some overhead cabinets in a chipboard type wood. Painted gloss white, a yellow speckled top, I hesitate to call it laminex because I don't think that would be correct. A large stainless steel double sink.A rather new looking gas cooker, with oven underneath. A white fridge, about a 1970's model. And some undershelf storage near the oven. Then on the other side of the sink a lovely old oak dresser, it had some nice eclectic looking china on it which would be fun going through at some stage. Off to my right I could see another door which led to a larder, the contents of which I would have to discover at a later date as I heard Jeannine talking in the hallway and decided to see if I could get a few minutes of her time.
We met between the foyer and the dining room. "Oh hi again", said Jeannine, "I had forgotten about you. How did you go?""Fine, well I think so, I'm afraid I don't know alot about the clothes from the 1930's. It's all very feminine and pretty isn't it?" I said, smiling as I thought of all that fine lace and tiny buckles. "It looks as though it was just left as it was back then, as though Jessie could walk back into the room at any moment and ask what the hell was I doing"."Exactly" said Jeannine, "And that is what we want the visitors to experience, a living museum, isn't it marvelous?""Well, it certainly is unique." I admitted. "If you don't mind I was hoping to get a bite to eat, can I get you something?" "No thanks" as she disapeared down the hall toward the kitchen, probably another urgent phone call I thought unfairly. Then kicked myself for letting her get away as there was so much more I wanted to know.
***********************************************
The cafe took about 1o minutes to walk to, I needed the stretch and it was really so beautiful here that to take it slow and have a look around was really a joy. Some of the houses were just as stunning as Paxton, some were much bigger with what looked like modernish extensions and others were fairly original. It looked like a village that had not moved much in the last century. Most of the gardens were gorgeous and as I came closer to the town I could see the local park complete with a pond and a wisteria walk leading down to it. It was just too much.Cafe Louis was two blocks up from the corner as I turned into the main street of Nerrandella. I could hear the folky music wafting down the street and a devine smell wafting right along with it. I began to realize just how hungry I was and even my stomache agreed with a deep rumble.I chose a shaded seat on the porch and almost before I could sit down a paper menu was thrust at me. A girl of about 16 started to list off the days specials to me. But I interupted and said I would have what ever was being cooked right then. She smiled and said that was her mums veggie lasagna and did I want something to drink while I was waiting? She said they had fresh juice - orange, mango and rockmelon just made. "Sounds great" I said handing back the menu and relaxing in the chair just a little more and allowing the mellow tones of Sting to float around me. I was racing across the desert on a white stallion.When I opened my eyes I saw a very large lady standing in front of me, I felt as though I was being accessed in those few seconds, but then she smiled and handed me a huge plate of steaming hot lasagna."There you are, get that into you love. Looks like you could do with a good feed." she winked and dissapeared inside.
The lasagna was devine, it had been a long time since I had eaten something that good. As I entered the little cafe I was aware of the age of the building, I figured somewhere in the 1930's with its lovely tiled entrance the ressessed door and the bevelled glass. It had bright red walls inside and to my amazement an absolute gallery full of old photos framed and labelled. It felt like Christmas. I could barely get my money out to pay before diving on the nearest photo. "These are amazing" I said to the owner. "Where did they come from.""Some belonged to my father, alot came from the newspaper office when it closed. I guess after I started collecting people just started turning up with photos and leaving them with me."The photo I was looking at was of the old Bank building - There were a group of people on the stairs, all in suits and hats and looking very proper in their attire. There was an impressive looking horse and cab to the left of the photo it had an interesting looking crest on the cab door. The typed sticker at the bottom declared it the opening of the Nerrandella Bank of NSW, Mayor of Sydney Sir William Patrick Manning with the date Nov 4th 1891.
I browsed the photos for a while, finding ones that I would have to spend more time on it was such a treasure trove."Do the House Trust know about these?" I asked."Sure do, most of them are here for lunch and sometimes dinner, just depends how caught up in the house they get. By the way hon, I'm Liz."How rude of me, I shall have to watch myself in future I thought."Nice to meet you Liz, I'm Ellie." I replied."Well then you will be needing these." Liz handed me a small set of keys she had fished out of her pocket. "They're the keys to Loch Lowen, your in the cottage, just keep to your right at the main house and follow the drive down the hill and you will see the cottage near the creek." I must have looked surprised because Liz let out a huge laugh. "Loch Lowen is my B and B, and it wasn't hard to work out who you were, we spoke on the phone last month, remember?""Of course." I answered with a smile. "I was just a little overwhelmed by your collection. It is fabulous and I was hoping I could spend a bit more time looking at the photos." "I have most of them on my laptop, I could burn you a CD if you like.""That would be fabulous." I wondered if my enthusiasm was showing. I could not believe how lucky I was. Then I had a thought."I should mention Liz, that I am here for another reason other than helping on the conservation. I am studying Early Australian women and their homes and hope to do my thesis on the subject.""I know, hon." was all she said, I noticed when she smiled her eyes almost dissapeared behind her cheeks.

My Girl

2009-03-07T18:10:00.001+11:00

Charlotte and Rosie on a night out

My Kids

2009-03-07T18:07:00.001+11:00

Charlotte

and Ben at WSID early March, winning the

bracket meeting.

On line for Track Champs again

2009-03-05T12:29:00.002+11:00

Don't count your chickens but the boys are doing fab on the track again and are leading the points for track champ again and only two more events to go.

The weekend went well, I didn't go but they all did very well and thanks to Stephanie who helped out with the towing.

Time to catch up again

2009-03-05T12:17:00.004+11:00

I haven't blogged for some time as I had trouble logging in as I had my password wrong. With a few passwords here and there it was bound to happen.

How do you keep track of them??

I have been keeping up with all my favourite blog sites most of them are on blogger which is very handy - altho I am not using blogger to it's full advantage by any means.

Playing scrabble on facebook is also a big time consumer but I have limited the time I spend on it now and may find just a bit more time for other more important things.

This is a pic of the studio that I would love to have
in my backyard.

Isn't it cute? I think my studio would need to be
about twice that size to accomodate all my junk.
Okay materials and tools, what with patchwork, jewelry, mixed media, the quilt frame, the knitting machine. Supplies and other stuff. Come to think on it, it would need to be a lot larger.

I have even been watching the ads for rental space that is local and not too expensive, not necessary a shop front but just a warehouse space would be ideal for about $100 or so a week on a open lease would be great. Does it exist?

Dream on, in the meantime I am setting up the dining room and putting the quilt frame in the lounge just to get on with some work and have a space I can call my own.

2008-11-08T10:09:00.000+11:00

Encased crystals, this is for a workshop I am doing in December.

2008-11-08T10:06:00.000+11:00

crystals inside chain

Crystal and chain bracelet

2008-11-08T10:00:00.001+11:00

Queen chain bracelet with swaroski crystals.

The twins quilt

2008-11-03T16:21:00.002+11:00

This is some fabric painting I did a while aga with the help of friend Jessica, she had some lovely designs by Teddy Works, and she showed us how to apply the paint to the fabric to get just the right amount of colour. It is very easy but does take a bit of technique to get it looking good.

I am not sure how it will wash either but I did use Jo Sonjas paint medium for textiles.

The quilts have the boys name on Owen and Ryan and they have 4 painted and stitched bears each, ty are lovely and bright and I hope the boys will love them. I will be sure to take updated pics and post them soon.

Love this

2008-10-31T12:27:00.001+11:00

This is Tony with Boss, Tony pretends he doesm't like the dog but we all know better.
Boss just adores him and went to a lot of trouble to be allowed on the lounge next to dad.

What a great photo

Garden notes

2008-10-31T12:18:00.002+11:00

The pond is about over flowing this year with the water iris, we have 4 distinct colours, yellow this deep purple, the lighter purple and a yellow, just stunning as they wave in the wind. Many are so heavy with flowers that they just fall over with their own weight.

I wish to divide them again but we will have to give away many as they are just too much for our little pond and the many fish are being overrun with water iris. Even the lilly's are not seeing thelight of day for the many fronds.

I cam home on the weekend to find that 3 of my fish had been given away, so sad, but the others are hiding anyway so have not seen them for a while. I am determined to get more space for them all. We may even take over the pool some day.

Mamre House 2008

2008-10-27T14:22:00.002+11:00

Once again we had fabulous time out at Mamre House St Marys NSW. The numbers were down just a little which due to the financial climate is to be expected but for those who found the money to attend enjoyed some of the best sewing, chatting and general fun time anyone could have. How can one put a price on that?
I was once again custodian of the Marg Low stand and enjoyed every minute, even diving under the table for more patterns, I think mainly because Marg is so organised that everything is easily at hand, labelled and sorted - she has a very organised sensibility unlike me.
Colleen from Lilydale with her devine old bits and pieces. Ingrid from Pioneer Patchwork Narellan and Tracey with some of the wonderful bits and bobs from Temora.
Two days of eating, sewing and chatting, show and tell with two very special quest speakers in Katherine editor of Homespun on Saturday with her show and tell of upcoming projects and on Sunday Sue Ross of A day in the Country fabric line with her wonderful quilts featuring their fabrics and bias tapes. Just stunning.
Sadly I had forgotten my camera but did take some with Marg Low'e camera so trust that she will soon post on her blog try the link on the right to go there.

Racing

2008-10-19T20:39:00.002+11:00

The guys won the track championship with the Calibra this year, we went to the annual presentation dinner and received a trophy. Also the car was on Fox sports when Vinnie drove it in Queensland at the WinterNationals.

Last Summer

2008-10-19T20:32:00.002+11:00

Seems as tho it was last summer since I posted on this blog. Time fly's when you are having fun - hmmm, well I am still sewing alot. I have purchased a quilt frame, an embroidery machine and have been doing lots of sewing and projects to keep ahead of my class.

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS

2008-01-02T16:49:00.000+11:00

Christmas this year was pretty quiet without Charlotte, New years eve we stayed home for the first time in many years - not really in a party mood. Tony got the work done on the deck and pergola after the storm damage and it is bigger and better than ever, looking forward to some meals out by the pool and some friends over for BBQ. The pond is looking great with the fish big and fat and just too many for the space, I will have to give some away, which is hard to do as they are all my babies.

I have been busy trying to finish some items for class this year, 2008 I would like to get some really nice classes happening.

BOSTON

2007-12-14T20:33:00.000+11:00

This boy is so cute, he is my constant companion when I am home, otherwise he spends his time with Ben.
When I was rushing to sew the Christmas gifts he would lay under the sewing machine and consequently end up with bits of thread all over him, I just toss them on the floor to be vacuumed up later on - It would feel odd if he wasn't there under my chair and often with his head on my foot.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH AT ALROY TAVERN

2007-12-13T17:52:00.000+11:00

What a great lunch with wonderful friends, I feel really blessed and am so glad that I am not leaving this wonderful bunch of ladies that I am priveleged to call my friends.

Sharon was my secret santa and as she is leaving us soon to move to Harvey Bay it was particularly poinuant that she should be my gift giver.

I recieved a wonderful stitched cushion, and a devine 9 patch and quilted table runner - in my favourite colours of pink and brown, will I ever get tired of this combination, I don't think so. Another smaller cushion with "Santa don't leave coal" on it and a bottle of red with a kit for stitching a bottle bag, how handy - Sharon knows me well...LOL. And that is not all - a little cushion to stitch of a raindeer......too cute.

I was Jessica's secret santa and once again I went "BIG" what is going on with me, anyway, she liked it all so that was good, finishing it all at 1.30am the previous evening was very typical of me. All the gifts were beautiful, we are really a great group, we like what each other do and it is always fun to discover what lies under the wrapping or in the box or bag, I just want to know why we all feel a need to apologise for things, ie, we think our work is not good enough or we didn't spend enough time stitching on it or we couldn't find the exact color that would match the kitchen or lounge or whatever, you know it is so much more about the love and care that goes into doing a handworked piece, we are all very good at what we do and each one of us have a special interest and talent in certain areas of patchwork and craft in general. Every time I see something that was made by one of my friends especially for me, for my home, I feel very special and very loved and it is even better when someone else admires my bag and I can say, "Yes my friend made me that, arn't I lucky?"

ANTIQUE QUILTS

2007-11-25T22:36:00.000+11:00

antique half square triangle

I have a few old quilts lying around the house, purchased on ebay a couple of years ago I attempted to get the best that I could afford and some that were interesting as well, I did manage to do quiet well in the 1950's era quilts and have three that I use daily and 1 that needs some repair.

My favourite is a stunning half square triangle quilt top done in some lovely conversation prints and some charming indigo's and reds, this has to be quilted so I am saving this one for later.

I also have a few blocks from the civil war period, from Dixie, these were from a top that was never quilted and are a similar pattern to the carolina lilly but is called batchelors block due to a small variation, some of the fabric had blown or shattered and I carefully repaired this by sewing (applique) fabric of similar era (reproductions) over the top. I have hand quilted it in a simple design and will finish it as a small wall hanging to do it justice.

Class display

2007-11-20T21:45:00.000+11:00

Had to do a promotion for my jewelry making class coming up in December, it came up well and looks great in the shop.

Lots of bling and bits and bobs to get customers in the mood for creating beautiful jewelry.

All is good as I can settle in to work now that we are not going to Queensland. A bit of a let down for sure but I have so many good things going on down here for me that moving would have been a real rench away from it all

BOSTON AGE 18 MONTHS

2007-11-12T19:06:00.001+11:00

this boy has grown so much - he is such a big lump of a dog but he has my heart. I love him and he sure does give great cuddles. A big teddy bear of a dog and so happy all the time, he just lifts your mood by being around and always happy to see you. He really makes you feel special, this morning he came racing in to tell me that Holly, the 16 year old pomeranian had fallen in the pool, however, he looked to totally pleased with himself and I can not help but suspect that he may have pushed her in in the first place. Well Holly is a survivor and she was taught at a very early age how to find the steps and managed to get out of the pool on her own with not too much trouble, but as alzheimers sets in I wonder how much longer she will be able to remember were the steps are.

Lillies in the pond

2007-11-12T18:57:00.000+11:00

Just had to show off the lilly in the fish pond, they have suffered through the long cold winter and now they are popping their little heads above the water to bless us with their beauty.

The iris have multiplied, some have flowered but I think there is now too many in the pond.

This pond, waterfall is just the busiest place at the moment, the fish are fat and breeding and the donk donk frogs go at it all night.

I love that it is such a healthy environment and even if it is a bit green, at least the fish and flowers (and the frogs too) are very happy

YO YO YO

2007-11-11T18:00:00.001+11:00

Started these as I was curious as to how well the clover yo you makers worked and I was really surprised, after a bit of working out all the bits and the way to set the plastic pieces together and how to set the fabric in it, it all goes really quickly, it saves fabric and you get a neat yoyo. I have used both the extra large and the small, I am wanting the large but have to wait till work orders more in and then I'll grab one, I think I will do some demos of these at the shopping center in December when we are promoting the shop. These ones in the photo have just been laid out with a small yoyo placed on top of each one, I am still considering what I will do with them, at the moment I am just using some left over fabric that mum gave me. I am not too keen on the colours but they will work for this sample for the time being.

Joy - it's finished

2007-11-11T17:54:00.001+11:00

Wow its finished and framed in less than a week, I started this at the Mamre weekend with help from Marg - it is one of her wonderful patterns that I just could not resist.
I have made it with 3 strands of different color of embroidery floss, yea fiddly but you do get a very individual look to it. It all went together very quickly and I am really pleased with the way it turned out.

Charlotte and Matt

2007-11-08T21:59:00.001+11:00

This is Charlotte and Matt at the airport, Charlotte was nervous but happy to be with Matt, they make a great couple, Matt is a top chef and makes the best Rissotto that I have ever tasted.

Blogger Buzz: The Generosity of Bloggers

2007-11-08T21:49:00.000+11:00

Blogger Buzz: The Generosity of Bloggers

GIRLS WEEKEND

2007-11-08T20:57:00.000+11:00

Hi,

Back again after a long time away, could not find how to access this account and was so busy I had no time to spend on it, I am inspired to write again after seeing my friend Marg Low's gorgeous blog and wanting to be able to share some of my work as well.

I have been very busy making stunning chain maille jewelry in sterling silver chain, it is so addictive and the results are magic.

I have few items for sale at http://www.charlirose.etsy.com/

I shared a lovely weekend at Mamre House with Christine Book, Jan and Marg, Helen from Temora and Ingrid from Pioneer Patchwork, Colleen and lots of friends and wonderful patchwork ladies, Marg assisted me with my needlepunch method and as soon as I was back on track I have done lots of needlepunch.

Christine has some projects using Yo Yo makers and I have now got my hands on the large yo yo maker and have started using these to do some yoyo's but I am not sure what I will make with them, I am sure my enthusiasm will wain around the size of a table runner.

Charlotte is in London, working hard and saving up to tour a few country's while she is there, Matt her boyfriend is working hard at Claridge's also.

I have missed her alot and try to phone as often as I can.
Boston is growing he is now 18 months old, Charlotte would not know him, he is no longer that cute little puppy - he is now a huge terrorising monster, but he still gives great cuddles.

Calibra at WSID

2006-08-28T16:00:00.000+10:00