Rummage

I made a tie. It was fiddly but I got into it, particularly the hand-stitched parts. I used this pattern and then lopped an inch or so off the longest edge to make a narrow 50's tie as per my Dad's instructions. The corsage/hair piece thingy is for mum and the two of them are off to trip the light fantastic at a dinner dance, the powder blue accessories are to match their TR3 sportscar that Dad lovingly restored, known as 'Bluey'. I think they'll be very dashing.

In other news: the blossoms are flirting with the idea of making an appearance and I sat on the deck for ten minutes today and felt the warmth seeping into my bones. 

The girls treasure-hunted with me today and the big girl had her treasure moment (read: hands clasped, head on one side, high-pitched squeak issuing from the mouth), when she discovered these Pierrot dolls. Since coming home there have been hushed preparations for a performance of Pierrot and his new-found companions including a hamster, a blythe doll and a wooden house called Hokey. In the above photos the Pierrots are incognito and having a very postmodern conversation with the sunshine. Hope your weekend was lovely. x

My apologies to those people who are over this space being All About the Quilt. I won't post anymore until the recipient of this quilt receives her parcel but I'm leaving you with one last peep at the free-motion quilting I'm doing on it. You likey?

 

I'm digging these wee hearts in the last shot. I'd love to say it was planned but it's just a bit of camera blur.

Over to Kirst!

PS Thanks for your advice on the piecing. xxx 

Hi, just need a bit of your sage advice. Which way do you prefer the piecing? The proper way or backdafront? 

 I received a fabulous parcel in the mail from Kate over at One Flew Over at the end of late week as a part of the Down Under Doll Quilt Swap. 

I have to confess that when I saw this on Kate's blog I was hoping that it might have been for me, so you can imagine I was doing backflips when I opened my parcel. Kate mentioned that she had done some serious background work, trawling through my archives to find out what sorts of things I'm into and I can tell you that she really nailed it! I love the wonk, I love the autumnal palette, I love the plains, I love the simple half-log. I love it all. And to top it off Kate gifted me some beautiful fabric in russets and olives to kick off another project.

I've got to say the best thing about this swapping business is the lovely people that you get to know, thanks Kate, you're unrool! xx

Photo by Kate

 

 If the LNP forms government I'm going to Finland. Just saying. Shall post from there.

I'm working on the quilt for my partner in the swap organised by the lovely Kate. While I've toyed with a whole lot of ideas, I think I'm going to go with this. The top photo will be the centrepiece, an extract from Mary Oliver's poem 'Wild Geese'. I love this poem for many reasons, not the least of which is that this first stanza really speaks to me as a mum. I'm a big one for suffering from the mother-guilt syndrome, in fact I'm sure I should have been a catholic because I am ALL ABOUT guilt. I'd give you a sample of my guilt-ridden interior-monologue but I bet you've got a bit of your own going on so we'll give it a miss. I like to think that my partner might take something from what the  lovely Mary is trying to tell us here in the way that I do when I read it. The second photo shows the other fabrics that I'll be using and who knows there might even be a bit of piecing if the planets are sufficiently aligned! Will post more as it progresses. xx

Now go see Kirst! 

My poor long-suffering garden blog has ground to a dusty halt. Which is not to say that I'm no longer gardening, I just don't seem to have time to keep it and every other thing in my life on track. So if you don't mind, I'll move the Acacia posts over and from now on there'll be a few more gardening posts here too. Don't worry there won't be too much horticultural jargon because I garden by the seat of my secateurs and am lucky if I know my golden rod from my gladioli. 

Thank you to all you lovely people for the birthday wishes! It made my day.

Michelle: I feel honoured to have a midwife with twenty years experience commenting on my birth story, midwives are awesome people. I really appreciate it!

Rachel: SO bloody glad you're back on the internets!!

Tam: I loved your quilt too and tried to comment but the tricksy blog fairies weren't coming to the party, thanks for stopping by.

Gracefully Vintage: glad you like it here!

Oie: Hello! I go to both the Jamison trash and treasure and the Woden one when I have the time. Maybe I'll see you there sometime!

Lynda: so sorry I don't recall the name of the fifth fabric, what I CAN tell you is that it would definitely be Kaffe Fassett/Philip Jacobs/ Brandon Mably design. I bought a lot of mine from Quilt Home  you could check to see if it is over there.

Margret: Best of luck with your new little person!

Growing: Hellebores, snow drops, spicy-scented daphne plus lots of little perennials beginning to peek up from the earth.

Reading: Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - an old favourite and a fiesty feminist tract to boot. Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach - merciless but brilliant melancholy. Tove Jansson's A Winter Book, through which I've discovered I'm as much in love with her adult fiction as I am with her Moomins.

Watching: The recent adaptation of Little Dorrit on the ABC

Crafting: a quilt for the nearly 4 year old and a wee thing for the Down Under Quilt Swap

Holding my breath about: Saturday's election

Not much news here beyond a bit of sporadic 'working the patch'. The real world has taken over but I'm hoping to be able to dust off the creative space again soon. x

Infinitely superior spaces may be found over here.