Sewing Help Line

I rang the sewing help line today, in despair, after trying to sew for an hour, with loopy spaghetti on the bottom of the material. Rethreaded top and bottom of machine, over, and over, and over. Eventually, I rewound the bobbin, and it was fixed.

Anyway, after this very frustrating time I was trying to gather up a ruffle to put around an apron. I did it three times, and each time the thread broke.

So I picked up the phone, and my wonderful mother knew exactly what I should be doing to fix the problem. Two rows of stitching. Worked a charm.



It's been a while since I tried to sew anything except plain straight stitch for quilts, and other simple stuff.

No doubt there's heaps of other tricks I either never knew, or have forgotten completely.

But thanks to the sewing help line, the world is my oyster!
(Thanks Mum!)

Ribbit!

Last week, we visited some family, and I spotted this Frog quilt I made for my niece 4 years ago. It's stood up to life with a small child pretty well, considering.

The pastel borders on the blocks are a batch of hand dyed fabric I did with my mother. I don't remember why the yellow border - looks terrible to my eye now!

This was going to be Annabelle's birth quilt, but then we found out at an ultrasound at about 33 weeks that she was a she, and I had to make something a bit girlier. Here's Annabelle's quilt;

Can you feel it?

The warmth in the air, I mean. We had 15 balmy degrees yesterday, and are expecting the same again today. No doubt winter still has a few tricks left, but it sure feels like spring. I'm itching to start planting my vegies. However, before planting, I really should do my planning. Allow for crop rotations, just grow what we eat, that kind of thing. I'm also waiting for Dh to build another garden bed. He wasn't keen on my suggestion that I could make it with straw bales (which would have taken next to no time) so I guess I'll have to wait some more. This bed is going to be in the front yard, and I'm thinking of mostly vegies, with a few ornamentals - maybe herbs would do.

Friday was a happy mail day - I received my latest instalment from the Amitie VIP club. Unlike the first parcel, I have no clear plans of what to do with these sunny materials.



Meanwhile, I'm still battling this chest cold. I'm ready to move on.

Meme day...

I'm not sure where I found this meme, but that person found here http://notanartist.blogspot.com/

The Omnivore's Hundred is a list of foods the gastronomic Andrew Wheeler thinks everyone should try at least once in their lives.

The rules of the meme: bold those you have tried, strike through those you wouldn't eat on a bet.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I've had cognac and I've had a fat cigar, just never at the same time)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Well, 39 isn't bad :)

Meanwhile, we're starting to see signs of spring around here. In the garden,

and in the fabric pile.

My latest plan for this fabric, is for a strippy quilt, since the print is just so nice I don't want to cut it up too much.

And finally, Lucas had his first Book Week parade today, and decided to go as Po, the red Teletubby (a longtime obsession.)

Friday follies

Today, Lucas was admiring the quilt I received from Tracey for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap, and wanted to know what the label said. I read it to him, and he decided to write a letter to say thank you. (Letters are big at preschool right now)

It says "We like lolly", referring to the Pez dispenser, which I have been stingily dispensing, one per child per day, along with a picture of our family (our hair isn't actually that long....)

Today, the children have also begun using a loom each. They refer to this as knitting, and are thrilled to be making something (not quite sure what....)


Today, I continued to work on my February Lady Sweater. I wish I was a skinny minnie, then I'd be done...

August reflections

Last Wednesday, I finished my Blanket of Love, and posted it away. (This is not my BOL, since the rules prohibit sharing pictures, but it is the one I made for last year's challenge. Despite the fact that it's not much of a quilt, it was extremely difficult and emotional for me to make (coming so soon after our daughter passed away wrapped in a blanket of love of her own.))

Since then, I've been at a (creative) loose end. The next deadline is not till September 1, so I've just been taking it easy. Good timing really, with the Olympic watching and accompanying knitting taking up quite a lot of time. As a general rule, I'm not a sport watcher, although I make an exception for cricket.

On Saturday, I attended the Canberra Quilters Show, and had a pretty good time white-gloving in the exhibition there. I didn't buy anything at the craft show. I didn't at last year's show either, and I'm wondering if it's because of the blogging world. Now, I read designer's blogs, I see the fabrics when they are released to the world (not 8 months later when they arrive in the shops here) - I just feel more in tune with what's happening worldwide, so need a craft fair less, I guess. I generally don't buy magazines any more, either.

Yesterday, it was my turn to volunteer at preschool again. It's a fun way to spend time, and Lucas and Annabelle both have a great time - Lucas showing us all the special thing she does (look at me slide, Mummy) and Annabelle pretending to be a preschool girl.

Swap goodness!

What a wonderful mail day - my Summer Four Seasons Quilt arrived from Tracey in Connecticut.

As well as the bright and cheerful appliqued quilt, Tracey also included a magazine, and a Pez dispenser (which my children are positive was meant for them!)

It's lovely, and perfect for summer time - thanks very much! It's really helped this grey and freezing day feel good.

Pitter patter

That's the sound of the beads falling off my exhibition quilt. I sewed them on with my normal quilting cotton, and the glass beads are cutting the threads and falling off as I manipulate the fabric while quilting. There was no time to sew them on again with proper beading thread (which I still can't believe I didn't think about finding out about this beforehand), so my quilt will not be in the exhibition. Oh well. Next year.

In other news, I've cast on for an Iggle Piggle hat, have finalised the design of my 'Blanket of Love' small quilt, and have signed up for several new projects, including to knit the Mystery Stole 4, make a play quilt and an apron. These creative pursuits should take me up to the end of October.