Corporate Free Christmas 2009

It's almost October so soon they'll be playing Christmas muzak in the shops. I plan not to visit the shops much this Christmas, so I've started humming my own carols here in the workroom. When you're making all your presents, you've got to start Christmas early!

Last year I took the Corporate Free Christmas challenge, and made most of the gifts our family gave to friends and family. I thought it would be very time-consuming, but in fact I found that it took less time to make things that to search through the shops. Oh alright, I was still sewing at the last minute on Christmas Eve. But at least I was in the comfort of my own home!

This year I've set an extra challenge- I'll try to sew our gifts from materials already in The Stash. I'm going in to see what's in The Stash now. If you don't hear from me for a few days, send in the Saint Bernard.

Image found on flickr:  flickr.com/photos/19842420@N00/2092633060

Eye Spy...something I shouldn't eat, but do anyway.

I am playing along with Bug and Pop's lovely "Eye Spy" each Sunday. This week's theme, from Jennifer Rose of Fuzzy Dragons, is something we shouldn't eat, but do anyway.

I loooove cheese...Milawa White is a favorite, as is Swaledale and a nice blue brie. So why do I eat this?

Here's my recipe for the One-Handed Breakfast:

Take a piece of worthless white bread. Slap on a cheese slice. Slap on another piece of bread. Slap into hot sandwich grill. After one minute, remove. Check for image of Virgin Mary. If no image appears,  eat sandwich.

First aid: Run hands under cold tap for ten minutes to treat burns from molten cheese.

I See Red I See Red I See Red

I've been seeing red all over the web, with the deadline for Kootoyoo's beautiful Redwork Community Quilt Project. Red's my favorite colour, and I've collected red treasures over the years.

Here's Marco (left), a little boy's mask designed by a Venetian maskmaker for her son;

some WWII-era Paris Match magazines (centre), found in a flea market in La Charite sur Loire;

and my Zoa chair (right), which my parents gave me for my twenty-first birthday.

But as you arty-crafty-quilty folk know, there's more to red than just red. My treasures are a mix of blue-based and yellow-based, or ruby and tomato. I've been working on ways to harmonise my collection, and at last it's ready to unveil:

Canvas is Marimekko Kivet in red on red...and quilt is by me!

A few posts ago I was agonising over the last fabric for the quilt, but thanks to your comments and some feedback from Lynne, Bev and Jenny, I reconsidered. Thanks everybody! 

Now I just need to baste and quilt it. Hand quilting, king-size, 240 x 240cm. See you again in a few years!

Eye Spy...seasons change

Now I've found my camera battery charger I can get back to two favorite pursuits, photographing my garden and Bugandpop's Eye Spy. This week's lovely theme, chosen by Lisa of the Princess and the Monkey, is 'Eye Spy...seasons change'.

I love to watch the passage of the seasons in the leaves of the deciduous trees around me. At work the ginkho trees show the passing of the months as they change from light green to mid green to buttery yellow. At home it's the pear trees and grapevines.

This garden used to be our driveway. We planted it out to create summer shade and allow in winter sunlight. The top view was taken this morning. It's spring now and the trees are greening up ready for the summer.

The middle view was taken two weeks ago, in the first week of our southern hemisphere spring.

The bottom view was taken in May, at the end of autumn.

Yes Another Green Bag

Last Saturday the Thornbury Craft Bonanza was at the Crafty DreamHouse™, where Ms CurlyPops lives. I got to peek inside the Magic Laundry Closet, an entire floor-to-ceiling wall of stash, reputedly pressed and folded daily by benevolent elves. 

And Ms CurlyPops very kindly offered me this gorgeous green fabric, which I have admired since seeing what she did with it in this post.

Inspired by Jenny, my old work friend rediscovered, I made my own simple pattern and whipped this up last night in super-fast time. Except for that last little bit, the hand-sewing in the bottom of the lining. I'm not sure I've ever finished that bit on a bag I've made for myself.

I think I have enough scraps to make one of Nikki's hats for the Bug.Who says lime green is going out of style?

Thanks Ms CurlyPops for your hospitaly and your fabric!

The Elusive Patch

Here's a predicament that may sound familiar. I've cut out all the pieces for my next quilt, but one of them just doesn't look quite right.

To be more specific, it looks like a washed out old pair of pyjamas. Can you see the piece I mean? No need to be tactful, yes it's right there in the middle. Close up it's all the right colours, but in context it looks very daggy.

I'm planning to hand quilt in red stripes, so I'm wanting something with a bit of red in it so that it doesn't look too strange.

If you have any suggestions let me know, and stay tuned for my patch screen tests.

Thea and Sami's giveaway

One of my aims for the future is to buy more fabric. Don't mention this to Mister Bell (oh hello My Sweet, forgot I was in your blog reader... ).

I've been coveting the work of local designers and printers, including Brisbane eco-chicks Thea and Sami. They're currently giving away a beautiful table runner with their Marguerite design, drop in and see!

Alarm bells ringing...

...on the fire engine, that is!

Found this picture of Maisy and the Bug in an early Richard Scarry book, Cars and Trucks.