Crafting at Home

Anya was home sick from school three days out of five last week, she caught her brothers nasty cold and then got a tummy bug on top of that, poor kid.  We did lots of crafting though - thank goodness for Pinterest and ABC kids.  We found some cute robot printables and made little colouring in books from the contents of our recycling bin.

Mer Mag's cereal box craft prompted the robot book and some bookmark threading.  It was Josiah's first time threading and he did pretty well, there were lots of these faces though.

I also had some free local magazines we get at the shops and both kids thoroughly enjoyed cutting them up, Anya made a collage and J just hacked them to pieces - oh the freedom in that!

On a side note, I'm pretty keen on my children learning the etiquette of thank you notes and the joy of hand written mail, so Anya spent a few days writing thank you notes for her birthday gifts received.  We usually make cards but I grabbed Kikki K's gorgeous Karneval pad so Anya and I can share it!  Anya received the Karneval activity book for her birthday too and it is a great gift.  The sweet paper bunting in the first photo is from the book. 

Mary Antionette Eye Candy

 

Have you seen Marie Antoinette, A film directed by Sofia Coppola?  I really enjoyed the movie visually, the crazy headpieces, costumes and sets.  Kirsten Dunst did a fine job playing an awkward, alienated teenage queen who doesn't really come into her own.  The movie is not at all accurate to history and  it was a little drawn out but it was a lavish treat for the senses.

Images

Hemlock Tee Pattern Review

 

I made my first Hemlock Tee by Grainline Studios recently and I say first because it is such a comfy shirt it will probably be the first of many, despite the teething pains.  The hemlock neck is supposed to be wide and fall slightly off one shoulder which isn't how I have worn it here but I have super narrow shoulders so you can bet I will be pulling it up constantly until I get used to it falling off to one side - I do like the drop shoulders rather than setting in a sleeve.

Because I squeezed this top out of some scrap material I had handy, I didn't quite have enough fabric for the widest point of the sleeve and that did affect how it came together under my arm!  I don't have a photo and you can't really notice it so I am leaving it as is.

This isn't the first time I have sewed a stretch knit but it is the first time I have sewed with such a lightweight Jersey which I found far more delicate to handle - although it isn't as fine as the tissue knit that Jen from Grainline used.  The iron was brilliant at taking away the slight wave I had created when sewing my hem.  I used a twin stretch-knit needle in my Janome machine with a regular straight stitch.  I scooped the hem every so slightly at the back, it is a roomy tee but I don't feel 'pregnant' in it.   

I originally made the neckband the dimension Jen suggests (4") but found it way too wide - I had obviously been too cautious with my seam allowances.  I unpicked the whole thing - ughh, cut it down then re-attached.  The actual neckband finish was brilliant though, I will use that method again.  I attempted to do a twin stitch to hold my neckband flat but forgot to put my walking foot on... of course I didn't stop stitching until I had gone around the whole entire front, it was super uneven and looked terrible (also due to my narrow seam allowance) let me tell you that was a mother to un-pick! 

I don't usually wear something so plain and flat at the front as it emphasizes my post feeding chest so I might even try some colour blocking or a higher neckline as this clever lady has done next time I make it.  So, if you have more of a pear shape figure - this is likely to be how the hemlock will look on you!  I am roughly 5’6″ tall.

Visual Artist: Meredith Woolnough

Ginko Leaves Mandala (detail) by Meredith Woolnough

 

Do you know how much I love finding a new artist only to discover they are Australian?  I must be more patriotic than I think.  I think you will agree Meredith's work is absolutely divine.  Meredith Woolnough works as a secondary teacher while producing amazing artwork like this in her spare time!!

Mushroom Coral Mandala, embroidery thread on paper, by Meredith Woolnough

'The Giant coral fan' by Meredith Woolnough, Embroidery thread, pins, glass rods on paper

Meredith's work is machine embroidered onto a water soluble fabric which is then dissolved to create what you see above!  You can watch an incredibly inspiring video on how Meredith makes her artwork on YouTube from a Colour in Your Life episode aired earlier this year.   How I would love to do a day course with Meredith.  I would love to give this a try with my most favourite gift of nature.... yep, you guessed it - flowers! 


All images courtesy of Meredith Woolnough

Sew Inspired: Inspirational Sewing Blogs and Patterns

The other week I posted about some new sewing patterns I had discovered, this post is a mix of new sewing blogs and patterns.  The above image is a gorgeous re-purposed shirt from True Bias, I'll take one in my size thanks!  Kelli has a section called Sewn which is organised into easy to navigate categories and she has lovely taste. 

Through True Bias I found the Cali Faye Collection who sells digital patterns on etsy for children - cute stuff!

Another home sewer that has sewn a lot of current women's patterns is Cut Cut Sew.  Kelly made the Everyday skirt pictured above, which is from Liesl Gibson's (of Oliver and S fame) new women's line.  Sewing blogs are the best pattern reviews, you get a good idea of pattern niggles and things to watch out for, also a great way to discover new fabric/suppliers.  I am keeping my eyes open to find a sewing blogger with a similar body shape to me :-) 

This is the fabulous Hemlock Tee by Grainline Studios, it is a free download!  I am half way through sewing this top, it is a nice easy pattern and fits well, so far so good.  I do wish Australia had more options in cool knit fabrics though, c'mon!

I like to check in on Sew Caroline every now and then and see what she has been sewing.  The fabric and colour choice in this outfit grab me every time I see it, I don't think I would have ever thought to put them together myself but I love it.  This outfit has also inspired me to sew a block-colour Tova!

I have a couple of pinterest sewing boards you might be interested to follow:

• Sewing Patterns and Tutorials, Ideas
• Sewing for Little People
• Sewing Books and Patterns

If you know of anymore decent sewing blogs... please share in the comment section.

School Holiday Happenings

This is what the last few days have looked like in one corner of my world, lots of muddy mud fun. Yesterday the kids played out there for three hours straight, I just stripped them off and hosed them down at the end of the day, then they got a warm bath!!  Got to love this warmer weather... finally.

 

Anya loves to draw and we let the kids go to town with chalk on our pavers, this was her unicorn/Pegasus pony!  I've tried to do a few creative things these holidays as Anya has missed our crafting times together since she started school.  We started hand stitching a little felt bag this week too, you can see a little snap of her work in progress on my Instagram feed. 

These guys are becoming good little mates and have enjoyed spending the holidays together, they will miss each other next week when school resumes.  Usually I get really silly faces from Josiah, a smile caught on camera is near impossible, so I will take what I can get......and those eyes, I can almost tell what he is thinking! 

The Healthy Chef - Recipe Review

I recently discovered Teresa Cutter and her divine recipes and have been enjoying making my way through her recipe list!  We made these soft shell fish tacos for dinner tonight and they were delicious and very filling.  I've also tried a couple of her chocolate recipes, the naked chocolate cake was tiny even in a small tin but delicious.  I suggest you double it if you want a normal size cake.

These flour-less cupcakes were also delicious.  I made them in a shallow cupcake tin as I thought the batter didn't look enough for a regular muffin tin, they were a nice size to enjoy without being over-indulgent, as was the cake.    

Unfortunately our harshest critic didn't like either chocolate recipe, it could have been the texture of the almond meal in the muffins so I will try the coconut flour version next time but my theory is she will just have to get used to the new taste of Chocolate baking in our house!  Have you got a favourite Teresa Cutter recipe?

All images courtesy of Teresa Cutter