Wednesday 30 May 2012

Sick Nicholas

My little poppet is sick :(


He has gingivostomatitis (sore mouth with ulcers). We have no idea how he got this as we brush his teeth and he doesn't have any sugary foods. We have had several days of unbearable sleeping patterns with excessive amounts of drooling. It came to a head when we had to take him to emergency last night because he wouldn't stop screaming. Unfortunately they couldn't do anything except give us strategies to care for him.

Now that we know what the issue is, we can care for him properly. We got some industrial strength "Bonjella" from the chemist, but water, food and sleep seems to be the best solution. So my hubby and I will take it in shifts sleeping with him.

We are slowly settling into our new rental, but we are still living in boxville. I still have boxes that I need to unpack and I haven't yet had an opportunity to do any serious sewing. I am hoping after my end of semester school reporting cycle that I will have some time to be creative. I miss the geometry of patchwork.

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Morning Tea

It has been a while since I have baked some scones. The new oven finally got installed in the place that we are renting and last night I had to knock up a batch. Of course they were served with leaf tea and sugar cubes .. aren't we spoilt!


So if you are interested in Scones in a Hurry ...

Sunday 13 May 2012

Sewing up a storm

For my birthday I decided to give myself a present. I booked in for the "Customised bag in a day" workshop at Nicole Mallalieu's Northcote Studio.


I chose the large Tote or satchel to work on as my base pattern. Echino front flap, cotton drill outside and a yummy purple inside. We focused how to make professional looking bases, variations on straps and also inserting gusset zips. But along the way all sorts of tips and hints about how to get more effective results with our sewing. In between the sewing, lots of conversation about crafting communities and the trials and tribulations of running small businesses.

For me it was a whole day to focus on sewing and technique, something that I have not had in a while.


I am already coveting the Zippers for bags and Interfacing workshops, I just need to find an excuse to buy them for myself! I also love the idea of the pattern-making workshops, but time is my only enemy.

Thank-you Nicole for a wonderful day, and whilst I didn't get my bag finished I did walk away with lots (read too many) ideas for how I can make my Konstant Kaos bags look more professional.

Friday 11 May 2012

Paper Book Bunting

The school Library where I work is celebrating it's patron next week so many decorations are being made in her honor.

The Library was also weeding their collection and disposing of damaged books so I rescued Anne of Green Gables and make it into a bunting for the Library!

 

The thread that I used was Gutermann 100% Polyester CA 02776. Thicker than normal thread, normally used for top stitching. I've been using this thread for things like paper buntings and the simple Colouring in books that I made my daughter a while back.

Stitch length was the longest that the machine could do. In between each paper bunting, I pulled the thread through the machine to maintain tension and counted to "five" to get a gap. You could sew them closer if you wanted to.


Rather pleased with the outcome. I could imagine that you could photocopy random pages from the classics onto fabric and make a fabric one if you wanted to.

Tomorrow I am off to do a sewing workshop. I have been making bags for a while, but I want to hone my skills. It also gives me a chance to sew, which I desperately need at the moment for my mental health.

Monday 7 May 2012

Book Bunting

Next week our School Library is celebrating the patron of their Library. We had some damaged books that were being thrown out, so I decided to make a bunting ..






Yes or No?

Sunday 6 May 2012

Made n Thornbury

Made n Thornbury was my first market in over a year. A little bit anxious about it all, but it was a fun day and it was great to catch up with a lot of familiar faces.

 

Due to my ankle injury, "sewing for a business" isn't much of an option at the moment. So I turned my hand at some necklaces and brooches. Of course with Mothers Day around the corner, the brooches were a hit!


I am hoping to try some more sewing soon, but I need to build up my strength in my ankle for those sewing marathons that I love so much.

What did you get up to this weekend?