Everything on hold

Nope I havent dropped off the face of the earth (yet). We've been and come back from a lovely break in Darwin. The weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful, and the company fantastic.

Our family, on the way to Darwin. How did people fly without on demand videos for the kids??!

The wedding that I posted about a little while ago was a success. The bride and groom got hitched (which is always good) and the bride and I managed to sneak away from the kids for a few hours for a little pampering.

My mum in law came with us too so there was absolutely no stress about kids running around while we tried to have dinner. A BIG HUGE thankyou!!

My hubby tells me that I seemed mostly stressed but I really did have a lovely time. I am not great with change and find something to stress about wherever I go. Its my one big flaw I guess.
The kids coped well during the day but at night Miss G usually had a melt down crying and saying 'I want to go back to Melbourne'. Poor little mite. Like her mum, she just likes the things just so.

Kids and Dad enjoying the pool. Hubby tells me that the tan lines on his arms are 'pro' tan lines... from his cycling jersey.

Beautiful waterfall at Litchfield National Park just outside Darwin.

This particular waterhole was safe to swim in but the larger one was closed due to strong currents and crocs. Ekk! The kids and I had abit of a dip but it was so full and the rocks so jaggered that we didn't stay in for long.

I managed to start and finish a project (yoo hoo) for my mum in law as her birthday was last week. Here is the result:

These are grandma's 5 little grand-daughters.
I used the 'no sew' fusible webbing. It was a cheat but I only had 1 week to complete the five. I would have loved to hand embroider them.

My 'dream a little dream' quilt is still in the process of being quilted. Ive left it alittle late. They are due to be finished by tomorrow night. I dont think i'll get there. I might just quilt a bit and then bind and send in the pics. I have an excuse though. I managed to pick something up on my way to Darwin. I have tonsillitis and an ear infection and am on my second course of antibiotics. Its really kicked me around, so much so that I fell into bed last night, fully clothed.

Enough procrastinating now, Im off to quilt. Hope your weekend was lovely.

The dreaming continues...

Just a quick creative space this week. Have 5 mintues to blog before I have to pick up Miss G ....

The 'dream a little dream' quilt which Im doing for a swap is coming along. Ive hand embroidered the silhouette and then cut out stars (just alittle nerve racking!) and reverse appliqued them. When I showed this to hubby he made 'that' smile. You know the one, where someone wonders whether they should speak the truth or just be polite. I know that smile on my Mr. I instantly knew he didnt like it. Ahhh! Im liking it but also have alittle self doubt over my decision. Cant do anything now. Let me know what you think (good or bad dont mind).




Close up of the kissers.

For more creative spaces head over to Kootoyoo.

Dream a little dream of me...

I am participating in the 'little quilt swap' and have been stumped for a while as to the design. The other night I decided rather than force an idea, I'd let one come to me. So I sat down infront of the teev and switched on the latest recorded episode of 'Glee'. Right at the end of this episode, Kurt, the token gay guy sang (very beautifully) 'dream a little dream of me' and it came to me... a quilt depicting the first verse of the song. So here is the initial drawing and wax paper cut out.
I am now worried about what fabric to use. Initially my idea was to do a traditional silhouette on a dark blue background but Im alittle worried black wont really pop. I do like the look of the white wax paper on the blue. Maybe a white silhouette. Any ideas?


Initial sketch. Not sure how many stars Im going to use. I intend to do reverse applique for the stars.


Wax paper on the dark blue fabric. Ive moved the girl and boy over as there was too much blank space in the sketch.

This project (at this stage) is coming along just as I imagined. Now I need a quick stop over at Spotlight to pick up some double sided fusible webbing.

For all of those in Oz, happy long weekend!

My creative space... more dancy pants

Not much creating going on here these past few days. This can be attributed to two things:
1/ the cold... I'd rather sit on the couch with something sweet and a blankie and watch some mindless TV;
and
2/ my back! Ive been visiting a fantastic osteopath. Shes fantastic because Im in pain! No pain no gain.

The only project Ive completed this week is a pair of dancey pants for Miss G. Ive decided these will be her sacrificial pants when attending kinder. They have been upcycled from a pair of my old maternity pants which i have no need for EVER EVER AGAIN.



For more fabo handmadie goodness head over to Kootoyoo.

Another completed project

Hot off the sewing machine.... a new bag. Yes Im very pleased with myself. I managed pleats, box corners, turning and interlining... something i'd never heard of before. The bag is bigger than I though it would be. I was thinking more handbag. This could be a nappy bag considering its size. Im hoping the person I made it for (for a fundraiser) will like it. Im hoping the fabric isnt too old fashioned. I'll have to ask my teenage niece. .

Front of bag with a small tab and button close. Not particularly secure but looks nice and its super easy (and doesn't involve zips which I've yet to master).

Inside complete with two pockets that are way to high (followed the pattern). Should have listened to mum and sewn them on lower. Why do I doubt my mums advise? She is the best seamstress I know..!

The bag pattern can be found here . The pattern instructions were OK. There was one page missing from the pdf pattern download and some of the steps weren't super clear but you had enough to work it out. Just a word of warning. If you haven't done boxed corners, the instructions weren't that clear. If you want to try boxed corners click here for a great tute.

In other news, took the girls to the zoo on the last nice day of autumn last week. Here are some shots Miss G and I took.

Visiting the butterfly house. We've had to by-pass the butterfly house on the last few visits as the line was hideously long due to the baby elephant being on display (the butterfly house is on the elephant trail).

Riding an elephant.

Baby A exclaiming 'Woooowwww!'

Miss G's shot of the giant tortoise. It was the first time we'd seen one move despite ALWAYS visiting the display on our zoo visits (atleast once a month). It was pretty speedy. As you can see, Miss G was hiding behind another kid as the keeper had told the kids to stay behind the barrier because the tortoise liked fingers. Miss G demanded to leave soon after this picture was taken.