It's been kinda busy around here

Yes indeedy, the past couple of weeks have been busy.....assiduously busy! They have vanished into a smaze of frenetic activity which all that remains is a memory of a swirling, obscure cloud of creative activity.

There have been the daily kiddo lessons.

Here at the 'Kim Sharman School of Stitching Excellence' my 'little' girls have been playing with the big girl's toys. A couple of my clever girls have quilted the baby quilts they have stitched, on my quilting frame.

The girls had the best time swirling and twirling the sewing machine round and round, up and down in a meandering fashion all over their quilts. They took to it like the proverbial wee li'l ducks to water, in what seemed like no time at all. Amazing really....there is no limit to their talents. It was a wonderful exercise in free hand machine quilting, without the safety net of lines to guide them. The absence of lines is such a freeing activity. It releases them from the 'ho hum-ness' of following the lines and worrying about making li'l boo boos. So much more fun to divert from that predetermined, drawn line. They enjoyed it so much that they are now keen to make a patchwork quilt for themselves and quilt those on the frame.

After finishing the quilting the girls then stitched the binding to their quilts. From start to finish they chose the fabrics, placed the squares in an arrangement that was pleasing to them, to the sewing of  the last stitch on the binding.

One of my girls stitched new patchwork curtains for her newly painted bedroom. Yes indeedy, they are all learning life long skills.

There was a little stitching for the school fair. I tarted up a few op shop finds for li'l earthlings. I dived deep, deep down into my hamper filled with fabric scraps and embroidered pretties and gave these denim garments a li'l bit of new life. I happened upon an op shop here in Tassie, where one can fill a shopping bag for $5! I always seem to squeeze oodles of 'finds' into them. I think the last visit I managed to squeeze about 15 articles of clothing into one bag. A bargain in anybody's language. These were popular amongst the school community.

Though I set up a small stall to prettify my li'l corner of the school hall, my prime focus was a to set up a craft table where the madding crowd came and created funky pencils. My husband and I stood for hours helping the kiddos create their pencils, adding beads, chenille sticks, googly eyes, feathers, cutting out foam......whatever else they dreamt up to make their one of a kind funky pencils. Alas, no photos.......there wasn't a second to take any happy snaps. Before I could pop out the camera the school bell rang and then the bedlam fun begun. Though of course I would have been a very strange sight. Throughout the evening I rather resembled the abominable crafty monster with all manner of strange things attached to my personage. We were deluged with a whirlwind of  non-stop juvenile creativity. Each year I have a table where I conjure up some kinda craft activity for the kiddos to do and all funds raised go back to the school. 'Tis always exhausting but sooooo much fun!

Alas there are limited aesthetic parameters and restraints within a school hall to make a stall look spiffy....but I did try. I fear that I don't do the ubiquitous table where everything is plonked on it.... a DNA deficiency deep within me, I'm afraid. No siree, in the pursuit of all things inventive, I cart my props that furnish my home and use them to mix it up a bit.

I had a very busy night chatting to the community who happened upon my stall. Some mums were interested in having their children come to the 'Kim Sharman of Stitching Excellence'. Oh and I might add that my hexi quilts initiated oodles of conversation. It seems the madding crowd were unaware of my hexies (strange I know....as I am thinking you are all a li'l bit over them) but they have come home with me.....again. Jack and his li'l family and the cute as cute house that he built has come home to hang out with me in my humble abode, for a li'l while longer, as well. It seems that the throngs weren't as enamoured of my li'l family as some of my bloggy friends; or if they were their purses remained tightly clasped shut! If nothing else my stall  put a smile on the odd dial.

Speaking of hexies......remember the hexie that I fashioned for a wedding gift for the bride and groom. Well....'tis finished. Hallelujah!! Please forgive my unbridled joy but as it was all stitched by hand it seemed at times a gargantuan job, and I am a li'l relieved that I don't have to try and cajole the slippery, satin varmint to behave anymore! Alas, I finished it rather hurriedly and had to catch the post en route for a quick dash to ole Sydney town, so I only took one or two quickie happy snaps.

Apparently the groom proposed to the bride in a hot air balloon, so I stitched a free hand machine sketch and placed it on the block in celebration of their momentous occasion. I quilted wide teal ribbon over every seam on the back, so in essence it is two quilts in one.

Even though I haven't come up for air very often these past weeks, to catch my breath, I have strolled around the garden to have a bo peep which floral pretties are popping up their pretty li'l heads....and....of course I have been filling baskets with floralicious Spring delights that are beginning to bloom, to prettify my humble abode.

To retain some semblance of sanity, I intermittently found my way to our sunny front room to while away a few snippets of time, enjoying a cuppa, a mag or two and of course marvelled at the pretty outlook of the windows. This room is one of our guest rooms and as it has a north-east aspect, it is bathed in sunshine and light for most of the day. There are big picture windows on three sides and there are so many oh so pretty vignettes, all jostling for the prize of floral prettiness. Mmm...think I might go in there and sit awhile right now!

 I was in need of a 'side table' for my li'l nook so I placed a pretty Wedgewood dinner plate atop an old lamp shade frame....and.....VOILA!! I must say I love it!!

Over the next couple of days I am going to make a concerted effort to sit and drink in the floral filled Spring vignettes and have those knitting needles clickety clacking away and finish my brightly coloured jumper. Believe it or not, although Spring has tentatively begun to spread it's warming, colourful hands here and there, down here in Tassie, it is still a wee bit chilly and there will be a few more opportunities to gad about in my hand knit. I can but live in hope. The mornings are still a wee bit frosty.

So with the knitting of my woolly in mind, it's toodles from me. Hope you all have the most wonderful week!

The house that Jack built

Meet Jackson. Everbody calls him Jack. By day Jack is an architect extraordinaire, but by night he is a ‘do-it-yourself’ kinda guy.

Meet Jack’s wife, Jill. Jill is a designer extraordinaire. Jack and Jill are the perfect match.

Meet Jake and Olive. They are Jack and Jill’s kids. They are not your average, run-of-the-mill kinda kids……they are extraordinary, too.

Meet Felicia and Scamp. Felicia is a rather glamorous feline. She purrs her way through the day trying to  hide from the canine pest, Scamp. As for Scamp……Scamp by name and Scamp by nature. He is a mischievous doggity dawg. His favourite pastime is to sniff out Felicia and cause her great vexation.

One day Jack and Jill happened upon a plot of land down Forget-me-not Lane. Now some would think that Jack and Jill would prefer a plot on a hill…….but no, that would be just a li'l too predictable! Although the view on the hill was a glorious sight, they much preferred the little plot where Forget-me-nots flowered in floralicious profusion. Besides, they didn't want to risk falling down the hill with a pail of water and hurting poor ole Jack's head! After all, hospital costs these days are a tad exorbitant!

So Jack put his DIY skills to the test. With every spare moment, he slowly began to build his house. Nail by nail, plank by plank, Jack's house began to rise above the Forget-me-nots until one day the cute li'l house was a sight to behold.

When Jack had built his house, his creative wife, Jill, decorated the interiors, adding a woman's touch. Oh my…..Jill did the most amazing job. She hunted down one-of-a-kind treasures to fill her cute li'l house, she sewed pretty curtains, planted oodles of rose bushes....... and began to put her magic touch to the house that Jack built.

Oh.....Jake and Olive helped as well……..but they much preferred to run off and play with Felicia and Scamp. Oh my goodness that Scamp and Jake get into all manner of scrapes. Olive thought of a lovely name for her family's new home....."Storybook Cottage".

With the last nail hammered in and the last chandelier fitted to the decorative ceilings, Jack, Jill, Jake and Olive moved into their cute as cute house making it a home. After all a house is not home unless there is a family to fill it with love.

Family portrait time! Doesn't Jack look as proud as punch! Yes indeedy, if Jack's chest gets any bigger, he might just topple over!

Deary, deary  me……..Felicia has catapulted herself onto the roof!! Fleeing from that pesky Scamp.....again!

....This cute li'l house is a back pack. I bought this pattern for some of my girls who wanted to make an owl backpack. Normally me and the girls whip up our creations from our imaginations, but in this instance I wanted to introduce the girls to a commercial pattern; initiating them to the process of reading a pattern and teaching concepts associated with a pattern. They even surprised themselves at their stellar job with the backpacks. I wasn't at all surprised at their creations, as they are terribly clever girls. Don't the backpacks look wonderful??

Of course I put my own slant on the house. I wanted all the stitching to be free hand machine stitched, giving my cute li'l house a primitive and childlike appeal.

As I stitched the house backpack, my imagination begun to run away; down that yellow brick road of creativity. I thought I might make a family of dolls for a child to play with and when they have finished playing, gather up the dolls and place them in the li'l house to hang out.

As for the dolls, I wanted to create something simple......(yes simple). Now, I have just discovered the wonderful, enticing and entrapping world of Pinterest!  Oh my goodness, how on earth did I ever exist before happening upon this wonderful phenomena!! "Oh come on", I can read your exasperated thoughts....."for crying out loud, Pinterest  was discovered aeons ago!" Perhaps for y'all, but here in this far rural outpost, it seems the electric voice-transmission device called the telephone was discovered not so long ago!!! Yes indeedy, here in this rather idyllic backwater, it only seems like yesterday that we stopped booting our carrier pigeons out into the cold to convey our written messages to our neighbours!!!

So, with each clickety click after clickety click, I took a sightseeing tour of Pinterest,  to gain some inspiration for my dolls; and inspiration I gained.....bucket loads actually. Oh my goodness, the world is filled with sooooo many clever people with sooooo many  brilliant ideas. It is so easy to disappear into the land of Pinterest  and follow each winding path leading to more glorious sights than before. But alas.....one does have to return to the land of living and live daily life. 'Tis a pity really as Pinterest is a land of glorious inspiration.

After sketching a few pictures  and gathering some fabrics my stitching began. This doll caught my eye on Pinterest.  I was charmed by it's simplicity. Viv dreamt up this sweet doll and sells other sweet pretties on Etsy.

                                             

So that is how "The House that Jack built" came about. I am going to gather Jack and his li'l family and place them in their pretty li'l house backpack and introduce them to the school community. Yes indeedy, it is that time of the year when The Northern Rivers Festival comes to town and li'l ole me is going to try and flog my wares yet again, just like this time last year. But just between you and me....I secretly want Jack and his li'l family  to live with me forevermore!

So for now Jack and his family are safely ensconced in their cute li'l "Storybook Cottage" backpack, just hanging around in the esteemed company of some other purty bags,  until it is time for the school fair. I really, really lurve the Southern gal bag.....a present from my husband many a moon ago.

So for now, it's toodles from me (and Jack and his family).....have a lovely weekend everyone!!

A tisket, a tasket, a pretty sewing basket

Before I begin to 'charm' you with the tale of my pretty li'l sewing basket, let me first say thank you to everyone who conveyed such loving thoughts re my last post. I have felt your warm hugs all the way down here at the bottom of the world......indeed they have warmed my days!

A li'l over a year ago I unearthed this sewing basket at my favourite market with the intention of tarting it up some time in the future. Oh dear.......in the very distant future it seems.......but......I do get to these pretties..........eventually.

I have a penchant for collecting receptacles; baskets, boxes, vintage tins, crystal bowls etc in which to store ribbons, laces and all those bits and bobs that us needle workers hoard  stockpile in the name of all things stitching. I always stash away fragments from whatever I am working on. One just never knows when one will need a snippet of a doiley or a dash of lace in an exact colour when one is fashioning a pretty.

I adore sewing baskets from yesteryear. This basket with it's pastel coloured cane  just shouts ME........so there was never any doubt that this pretty would remain hidden in the corner of the market booth for all time eternal. And.........the lady was more than willing to part with it for a song, so she and me were both delirious with great joy!

The basket is in good condition so with a li'l fixer-uppering; the affixing of some pretty fabrics, a smidgen of trimmings and a li'l free hand machine sketch of a little girl quilting, me thinks my li'l basket will look quite spiffy.

Just a li'l machine sketching bordered with some pretties; with a touch of silk ribbon embroidery highlighting a trailing leaf trim, some ric rac (I lurve ric rac), some loop-de-loop cording and a whiff of pom pom trim.

Of course I had to, had to cover those rusty nails around the top of the basket, so I affixed a li'l ric rac. I just lurve ric rac....ooops......but  you knew that, didn't you!

As the interior was looking a bit ho hum I lined the bottom and sides with some pretty strawberry fabric. Soooo much snazzier than the colourless interior of before. This strawberry print is one of my favourite fabrics.

And....of course, me being me, I simply couldn't resist adding a li'l embellishment to the interior of the lid! See.....those snippets of past makeries do come in handy.

The tarting up of my pretty sewing basket didn't take very long.....not too long at all. Hallelujah! Oh I do love a quick stitching project. In this li'l corner of the world, a quick stitching project doesn't come around too often. A "quick stitching project" is not an oft-used phrase uttered in this li'l ole abode!

So another pretty to house some more of those stitching trappings that seem to escape all too often in my sewing room. I must say I lurve it!!

Now let me see......what other pretty can I stitch and while away an hour or two this weekend. I will get back to you.........shall I. Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend filled with some pretty stitching!

"In the book of life the answers aren't in the back." Charlie Brown

'Tis a pity really because sometimes I would dearly love to refer to the back of the book and be enlightened as to some of the answers.

It has been a li'l while since I have visited 'the land of blog'. Our family has experienced a very sad time with the passing of a dearly loved member of our family who fought valiantly the cancer which finally proved to be too powerful. My sister-in-law fought so hard and for so long that we were not prepared for the end. We hoped beyond hope that we still had more wonderful moments of time to share;  to soak in her optimism and loving heart but alas, such was not to be the case. My story is no different to so many others. It seems to me that each one of us,  has been touched by the sadness of cancer sometime throughout our lives; that we all know and love someone who is battling this insidious disease or some other terminal illness.

Though my heart feels hollow and aching I have kept my mind and hands busy with a li'l stitching. I have found a li'l solace stitching my scrappy postage quilt in my sunny sewing room which in an odd way seems to brighten my day. I have found the stitching of this pretty to have somehow cheered my days...........a little. It is a quilt that requires very little thought or concentration. All it requires is a hit-or-miss placement of itty bitty squares; stitching square by square, row by row; culminating in a higgledy piggledy, fun and pretty quilt.

I am thinking that this quilt will be a queen size quilt, so there is quite a way to go.

To soothe the soul, me and Miss Maisie, with the sound of the last frost crackling under our feet, have been taking many a lovely morning stroll  through the picturesque countryside; enjoying the warming Spring days as Spring begins to spring, as  the countryside slowly awakens with the effervescent sounds and scents of new life. The handiwork of my Heavenly Father's glorious creation before me is balm to my soul.

Lush, velvet green paddocks dotted with sweet, sweet itty bitty new born calves. Yes indeedy, Spring is a glorious season.

Ironically, my sister-in-law slipped quietly away on Daffodil Day which here in Australia is a day where the Cancer Council of Australia raises awareness of cancer and is a fundraising event to continue it's research into cancer. Daffodil Day helps grow hope for better treatments and more survivors. To the Cancer Council, the daffodil represents hope for a cancer-free future.

So in remembrance of my sweet, sweet sister-in-law, who day by day wrapped every one of her family in the warmest of hugs, I have picked a sun-filled bunch of daffodils from our garden. Whenever I drink in the sunny daffodils in our garden, it brings to mind those of my beloved family and dear friends who have been afflicted with this disease. The cheery and sunny daffodils help me to reminisce the fun times and nostalgic memories spent with these loved ones.

Forgive me my melancholia.........I will endeavour to find my usual droll self, not before too long. As E.A. Bucchianeri once said........it's true, is it not, that when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.

My goodness time flies.........

.....when you're having fun....and it seems even when you are not!! It's been a li'l while since I last put fingers to keyboard but I have been buried under this blasted floor to floor, queen size hexie quilt that I am stitching for someone. It's taken an age to put together and I fear I have oodles more to stitch. I hereby make a solemn pledge to never, never, NEVER make a quilt with LARGE hexies consisting of fabric other than 100% cotton and definitely, no, no, NO satin backing ever again. There it is........in writing....so I will have to abide by my affidavit now!!  I have signed it with blood from my pin-pricked, calloused finger!!

Of course, this oath doesn't include little hexie 100% cotton 'quilt as you go' quilts. I am chomping at the bit to start another little hexie quilt.....but not just yet...perhaps in another life!

Of course, if this hexie was the only 'pretty' that I had been stitching these last couple of weeks I would have gone quite simply, stark, raving mad. Coming up for air at intervals, I have for the sake of my sanity, filled small moments of time filled with bright, happy and fun stitching.

Last week, whilst out and about, I bought some Moda Playtime 30's itty bitty charm packs. I adore 1930's fabrics and I adore scrappy quilts where one doesn't have to give much cerebration into the design and stitching of these quilts. I love scrappy quilts where you randomly place itty bitty squares all together. I couldn't resist these sweet fabrics....love, love, LOVE!!

As well as the charm packs I decided to cut 2.5" squares from remnants of doilies from my dowry of cloth. I save every fragment of my embroidered lovelies as there is always some stitching project for them to prettify, as I skip down my yellow brick road of stitching. Of course I won't have enough of the 30's Playtime charm packs so I am adding oodles of scraps from my melange of fabric scraps to the mix.

I have stitched these pretties here and there to mix it up a little.

Though I admit that I am drawn to quilts that present a wee bit of a challenge, there are times when I love to stitch row after row of pretty fabrics with not much thought other than making sure that the corners align. It really is like child play and doesn't overwork the brain pan.

Square after square, row after row of sweet fabrics, my postage stamp quilt is flourishing into an assemblage of happy, bright colour. I haven't made up my mind as to the size....perhaps a throw, or perhaps a bed size quilt....either way I am having fun playing with this pretty quilt.

But for now......it's back to my giant hexi quilt.

A happy week to you, filled with oodles of stitching!