Spring blooms

A bit of sunshine, some early spring flowers and I feel positive about everything. After 6 weeks of rain, cloud, rain, more cloud etc we have had a couple of hours sun. Oh spring is on it's way. I parked the car on our section after work and saw our first Iceland Poppy right beside the bunch of traditional daffodils that are out. Glorious colour, heralding spring. Oh I want to go camping!!!

Sunday stitching

The beginning of Margo's first quilt

Today I had my mother in law over and she started stitching her first ever quilt. We did the cutting on Friday night and she started the blocks today. She is doing a split nine patch quilt. The great thing about this quilt is that you don't have to do a 1/4" seam to get it right. A lot of older machines don't have the quarter inch mark so you have to tape your machine or mark the needle placement. But the split nine patch will work perfectly so long as you stitch the entire patchwork top using the same machine and the same foot.

My totally recycled quilt

I made a random split nine patch for Hope Homes but Margo is doing a repeat pattern version.

I continued on with my 100% eco quilt. Great afternoon on a gray day.

The boys were all off having a game of street soccer and cricket at their old home. The power is now discommected so we are expecting it to be demolished anytime soon. They were in the middle of the horror area for the September 2010 earthquakes - see here.

Friday night sew in

The oozing lava cake

The caramel

My Friday night sew in was all about teaching my Mother-in-law how to use a rotary cutter and cutting squares. As well as eating Chocolate Lava Cake.

Margo has decided to make a patchwork quilt for her spare bed and asked me to teach her. So Friday night the cutting boards and rotary cutters were out in force cutting lots of 6.5" squares.

Amazing amount of cut squares

I had watched Rachel from The Little Paris Kitchen (my new most favourite programme) earlier in the day and made her Lava pots. Oozy caramel in the middle of amazing chocolate cake. Yum. I was proud of myself making my own caramel (I only had to discard one burnt lot!!!)

See my links page for the Friday linky parties I join.

A great Op Shop trip

I had a great 20 minute stop at the Salvation Army Opportunity Shop yesterday.
1. new gumboots for me - $2
2. new gumboots for Jakob - $2
3. new lunchbox for Aaron - $2
4. gorgeous hand embroidered tray cloth - $1
5. 100% wool green tunic for me - $2

One of the best trips I have had in a while. I have worn the tunic the last two days. I have stayed away from that fashion until now as have been worried that at a larger size tunics would either make me look pregnant or my rear view hideous!. But I love it. Yesterday I wore it with a white skivvy and today I had a cerise merino underneath.

I just could not get a good photo of me in the mirror! Ignore the hideously untidy room.

I have great plans for the traycloth - turning it into a zip bag.

Made - 1 Boys Merino Hoodie

The merino jersey before.

The finished product

Yes I am still in the recycling / upcycling mood. This merino hoodie was long in the making! The adage of measure twice and cut once was not adhered to. So a lot of unpicking and making do. It started as two ladies merinos. The light blue one was all stained down the front so only good for bits. The black one was a size 14!!! It was long enough in the body and arms but it would have to be a pretty skinny 14 as I did not need to adjust the width at all. I just chopped a bit off the bottom.

I measured the arms etc and thought they looked short - cut anyway and yes way too short. Thankfully I was doing new cuffs so that he could have the semi-glove look at the end of the sleeve, I just had to make that add on a bit longer than intended. The pocket was sewn and unpicked as I put it too high up the body, so had to take it down to a reasonable level. When cutting the polo neck off I mistakenly cut the shoulder seam too with the overlocker, so that had to be fixed. The hood was right the first time.

All that is needed is some domes on the placket.

Jakob loved being the model and has been pestering me for ages for one as he picked the colours in autumn, now we are only 2 weeks from spring (not that you would guess it from the weather we have been having).

Eli's one last year - here- only took me 1 1/2 hours. This took me two nights with a gap of three in-between as I got frustrated with the mistakes.

A Quilt made from 8 business shirts

The big quilt and the cushion cover

The shirts before cutting.

I was in the Op Shop a few months ago and they had all menswear at 1/2 price. In the rack all coordinated and calling to me were 7 business shirts. I had no idea what to do with them, being very plain bold fabrics, but had to have them for my stash. At $2 for 100% good quality cotton how could I resist?

Then I started the remodel of Jakob's room and realised that the colours would fit perfectly. Then the pattern decision. Well I have seen a few cross patterns out on the internet, all made from squares, and thought that would do. Of course I did not do what everyone else has done and that is to have squares so that each cross takes 5 squares to do. I just cut big strips and then cut some into squares and some into longer rectangles that are the equivalent to 3 squares. Why have more seams than you need? I cut heaps out and just used my eye to guess how much I needed. I was worried that I would have enough fabric but I actually have way too much.


Then it was just a matter of laying it all on the floor and sewing it. The laying and sewing only took me about 31/2 hours. I started at 9pm and finished at about 12.15pm. But was so awake that I then started cutting smaller strips for a matching pillow!


So what you see is just the patchwork top cut in 6.5inch strips and the matching cushion cover which was cut in 2 1/2 inch strips. (And I have way too much fabric left over!!!).

Jakob's remodeled room

Once I get around to sandwiching it then I am going to practice quilting by doing each cross in individual patterns. (that is the plan at the moment anyway).

And doesn't it match the colours in Jakob's room!!! I am thrilled with it, especially as it really looks more boy like.

Linking up here.  

Crazy kids and quilts

 

After a busy morning with soccer and present buying we trotted off the see Mieke, the birthday girl. Well the boys had been amazingly good all day. No arguments, no worries, occupied themselves outside with lots of fun while putting all the pruning into a pile for us to put through the mulch-er. But we got to Jess and Stephens and then it all went riot. Mieke had an amazing party in the morning and then only slept about 1 hour so she was getting hypo, which encouraged my boys. They wanted to play in her pink tent. Eli practically tried on every bit of fairy princess gear that Mieke had. First he came out with a headband, then a necklace, then some lacy thing, then wings and on it went until he was quite done up. Mieke thought her cousins were crazy. But good old Alex just slept through it all - model child trying out his new quilt.
I was lucky to have him sleep on me for about 3/4 hour till we had to go. There is NOTHING that can compare to having a new baby sleep and snuggle into you. Bliss.

Jess insisted that I not take her photo - just Alex. Sorry Jess. (nah not really). But I as the boys were today's photographers they obviously didn't listen to that instruction.  The picture of the megasketcher was what Jakob was writing. He followed Mieke around and wrote down everything she said.

A boy's quilt - from recycled Pj's

The front

 Finally I have finished the quilt for Alex. Oops 9 weeks after his birth and it was meant to be his coming home from hospital present!!!! Hmm. Funny timing too as tomorrow is Mieke's birthday party (his big sister is turning 2) so I have finished a gift for him but not for her.

I do seem to have things a bit back to front at the moment. I have had to sneak the finishing of this in while my boys are asleep because I promised them that I would not sew anything else until I had sewn their merinos. Goodness those were meant to be made in Autumn and it is nearly spring.

Anyway this quilt is made from a myriad of second hand pajamas. All purchased from second hand shops. If there is not a matching set I find I can pick up a top or bottom for about 50 cents. The blue is new though as I had to find something consistent to put with the variety of patterns. It is just flannelette sheeting from Fabric Vision for $7 per metre.

The block pattern is called a few things - quarter square triangles, hourglass etc etc. I made the quilt top, backing, sandwiched it together and quilted it, all at my weekend away. The backing was made from a bit of Thomas flannel that I had bought to do something for my boys, but I did not get around to it and they are well over Thomas. I quilted it by just doing stitch in the ditch on every seam, that gives it enough holding power to go through the washing machine and retains the great geometric pattern. I pulled it out yesterday to show Steff and was surprised to find that I had not done the binding. So a late night job and it is done.

The back

linking to the Thu party - http://www.myrepurposedlife.net 

Fabulous second hand shop finds

Today on my way home from meeting Aaron at work for a coffee, I stopped by one of the Op Shops I frequent. They had boxes of brand new toweling dressing gowns and pj's. I immediately thought of the girls and called Dawn to see if they needed them. Bought four. Got a gorgeous orange bag for me - Nearly considered buying it for my cousin Christine, who is orange mad - but it is so amazing I can't give it away. The last purchase was a waffle weave pink dressing gown for me.

So Dawn and the girls came for afternoon tea. I pinned the sleeves of the gowns to fit and will fix all that in the next two days. Eli was gutted that I did not get one for him!!!

Bags from bits and bobs

I wanted some bags to hold various craft items - my selvages, buttons, zips, bias binding, tags, ribbon...... I finally got around to making a start. I made two bags on my recent retreat. One for buttons which I have decorated with various antique and found buttons and the other bag for my selvage edges. They both started with the same base, the sleeve from the 100% linen shirt that I made the cushion from. So that shirt is now used up completely.

These bags are not big but are perfect for the use I wanted. Fully lined using left over bits of quilting material. Not to sure about the handles though.

Fabulous weekend

Walk out to the point at dusk

View from the Motel room

This weekend Aaron and I went away for a weekend to celebrate our 13th Wedding anniversary. This was our second attempt at going away. The first try was on the actual weekend but after getting the boys into bed at their aunties, we realised that Jakob was running a temperature. Turning around and taking the kids home was a good decision as by the time we got home they were both sick.

So second time around was a lot more successful. We stayed at a motel in an area of Kaikoura I had not explored before. You turn into the town, drive through the town, past the miles of motels, the swimming pool, the cliffs and turn right instead of going to the slipway. Just along there was the motel.


Just beside the Motel we found Kaikoura's best kept secret. The Green Dolphin - a restaurant and bar. Amazing food, far better than anything we have previously found in Kaikoura. We went for dessert when we arrived and had the most delicious hot olives (and incredibly plentiful), some drink, some lovely desserts and some more drink. Then walked next door to the motel.

We were so impressed with the restaurant that we dined there again on Saturday night. Amazing flavours, incredible calamari, gorgeous Thai style green mussels, amazing fish and divine steak.

A sheet and roll of wall paper from the recycle centre

Anyway enough about the food. We had a lovely time. 2 good walks, both just over 4km. Saw lots of seals, gorgeous views. Aaron went for a huge run on Saturday morning and I took in the best shop in town - the recycle centre (dump shop). Did not know that Kaikoura had one so was thrilled to find it and get a couple of bargains.

Then on to the "A Patch of Country" where I found that they are now stocking japanese fabric. Bought one hunk of material and some lovely quilting thread. When Aaron turned up he convinced me to buy two more pieces of Japanese fabric which he picked out. What fabulous taste he has!!!!!

Material from the quilt shop

The boys happy on the farm - didn't miss Mum and Dad at all!!