Because who doesn't love bunting?!

And a few shout outs to some of my favourite fabric makers who's goods appear here... Umbrella Prints, Maze & Vale (the old 'stormy weather' appears again!) and Fiona Dalton for fabric sharing!!

Music Monday #7

Don't you love it when unlikely combinations produce wonderful results? Chilli and chocolate for example. Or Tina Arena and Jeff Martin. Yes, I am featuring Tina Arena on this week's Music Monday. And before you go running to click on to your next blog, just give this a go. This song and these two together just shouldn't work, but seriously, this performance from RocKwiz (Aussie music quiz show for those from beyond our shores) just gives me chills. I used to listen to the Tea Party over and over in my dark and brooding teenage years and I love Jeff Martin's guitar playing and his rough and gravelly voice. He, together with Miss Tina, somehow just seems to click. Hard to cover Kate Bush and get away with it, but I think this does it justice.
Listen and let me know what you think...

p.s. I'm really enjoying these little musical interludes! Music is and always has been such a big part of my life, and it's lovely to share little snippets of things that have moved me in some way. Hope you're enjoying them too! Feel free to look back at some of the past music mondays for some aural inspiration here.

   

please sir... can I have some more?

We are back home from a lovely, relaxing few days of sea breezes (sadly not the cocktails) and the break has done us all good. Hubby and I even got a lunchtime date in! The little poppet - and his parents - have recovered from our trip to the emergency department and he's back to his delightful old self. He's getting so big these days... in certain photos, I catch a glimpse of him as a teenager... eek.

(photos by his papa... please excuse the background of dining room table chaos!)

outta here.

On a whim, we've decided to pack our bags, cancel the newspaper delivery and get out of town. Down to our daggy, sleepy little seaside town, down to the secluded beach, our little house with no phone reception, old school decorations and games, jigsaw puzzles and open fire. It's been a(nother) tough week and I need a change of scenery. So off we go. On a thursday. Just because we can...
see you soon. xx

trials of a new machine binder

I do my quilt binding by hand. It's a bit time consuming but I actually find it quite meditative, and I'm really rather speedy at it now. But I wanted to make some "quick and easy" throw quilt thingys for the market, and so I decided to do some machine binding, thinking that it would save some time. Well, just so you know, not quick. and not easy. The amount of time I spent looking up online tutorials and then sewing and then unpicking and then sewing and then unpicking and then sewing again, well I could have done it by hand twice.
Still, I think I've nutted it out now and am actually really rather pleased with the result (can you see any stitching on the purple top there? Nope, didn't think so!) I'll be sticking with hand binding for the main quilts but I will try the machine binding again for these ones. Which I'm actually really liking... fun fabrics, no?!

oh, and I am aware that I missed a music monday yesterday. But I was preoccupied with a sick child... we ended up in the emergency department of the children's hospital on sunday after he had a febrile convulsion. Probably the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced, but he's fine now although still a bit fevery and lethargic. Let's hope we never end up back there. Nothing like a scary episode like that to make you grateful for good health. 

Finders Keepers!

The boy and fabrics. That's my world at the moment.
Those ones you see above arrived in the mail in what was just about the best postal delivery I've ever had. Thanks so much to the amazing Fiona Dalton for that very special gift. They will be put to good use in some new quilts, and believe you me there will be quilts galore coming up, because.... drum roll... I am going to be showing my wares at the next Finders Keepers market in Melbourne! I'm going to be sharing a stall with Leslie Keating - someone I've followed and looked up to for years - and I am beyond chuffed. And just a little bit scared.
I started these quilts as just something to get my creative juices flowing again after not having done much for a while, and as gifts for friends who were regularly popping out babies. And it's just gone from strength to strength. I could never have imagined a year ago that I'd be having a stall at Finders Keepers - a proper fancy design market! - so I really am very excited.

And one more link for the day... if you're following my posts on the Creative Women's Circle website, there's a new one up today!

Have a great weekend... xx

busy busy

The collection keeps growing...