It's true!

Yes, it's true. I will knit for tattoos. Must send this to my artist to see if we can strike a deal;-)

A joyful Christmas spent with my wider family has been and gone. Now to focus on stuff for 2011. Mainly knitting plans at this stage of the year, with a cosmopolitan in hand.

Happy St Nicholas Day

I'm all about appropriating practices from other cultures to make Advent time a more intentional, reflective and considered time for my children. And who can complain about chocolate and spicy dutch biscuits to commemorate the Patron Saint of Children!

Weekend

Time to get all Christmassy up in here. The resident young man had requested some red and green socks for a while. Turns out they look like Christmas socks. All good. Except our weather is decidedly UN sock-like. So I've made them a bit longer for when it turns on us again.

Preps for Christmas are slowly underway. I'm trying to keep it all relaxed with many Margaritas, much hooping and a bit of ukuleleing.

Weekend

Um yeah. I might have got another tattoo in the weekend. Apparently I am actually smiling here. The arm is now a splendid shade of bluey-green and yellow. Ewwww - monster bruise.

My hometown put on an awesome weekend of HOT sunshine. Something we don't get down here near the Capital very often. I even got to have a lunch date with my hubby. Thanks Mum & Dad for minding the grandies!

Toffee Magazine

LOVE this! Check out the new digital Toffee Magazine! It's a weeny bit of a sneaky way for me to indulge my magazine obsession without people seeing it;-)

You can't beat it!

'It's true you can't live here by chance, you have to do and be, not simply watch or even describe. This is the city of action, the world headquarters of the verb.'

Lauris Edmond

The Arts

Urban Playground

Waterfront

Wellington! On a good day!

Summer of Frocks

I declared it (to myself) the Summer of Frocks LAST summer but the dismal weather put paid to that idea. I'm just putting it out there now, to the weather gods, that it would be nice to wear something other than jeans and t-shirts soon. Not sure what the idea of the snow today is, by crikey!

I hit my favourite thrift store in my home town over the holidays and limited myself to four vintage patterns with great plans for the girls and I. I've already hit two snags. One of the girls patterns is missing 1/2 the pieces and I'm not sure how clever a seamstress I really am to forge ahead. The second one is something I can't do much about - my bust, waist and hip measurements! Oh golly goodness those gals sure had TINY waists! Mum had a chuckle when she saw the patterns as she remembers wearing Jiffy dresses in the 1960s.

So. We'll see how we go. I have plans to buy a couple of modern vintage-style patterns that may have more realistic measurements for this pear-shaped kiwi gal. I also scored a 50 cent 1970s polyester shirtwaister that I've altered and will start wearing as soon as this dastardly weather improves.

Wardrobe Wednesday

So. Not a complete outfit. Just the start of one. I grabbed this dress at an opshop in the city last week because it screamed Olivia Walton to me. And we love our Waltons around here. Much to Big Girl's disappointment it fits me. I had to let the sleeves out a wee bit though. I think it needs a wide belt. White? Red? What do you think? (And I'm not really wearing this today. Again, the weather is horrible.)

Achievement

Finished. One Sampler Quilt top! Phew. I started back here and have thoroughly enjoyed working on this project over the winter months.

Next step: piece the back, and learn how to sandwich, machine quilt and bind this wee beastie. Hopefully then I can take some better photos of it.

My clever hubby suggested I use this baby wrist rattle for a much-needed wrist pincushion;-) Needs must.

This is my second quilt ever and the first since finishing my big girl's cot quilt ten years ago. Achievement!! I'm already plotting the next one.

Celebrations and Sewing

This week in September is always a big one for our family. Miss Moo turned 11 on Monday - does that mean she's officially a "tweenie" now? Man of the House baked her a FANTABULOUS Black Forest Gateau at her request. I wish you could hear her say "gateau" - her accent is delightful. Those French lessons are paying off;-)

I churned out this quick, cute knit for a wee friend because she looks just like the girl on the cover of the book.
Then there was sewing. I'm on a bit of a stash-busting sewing bender.

A cell phone cozy

Another pillowcase dress

A sweatshirt from some gifted fabric plus my first of many Reinvention skirts. (Um yes, wrinkles - no, my children do not fold their clothing.)
Another skirt and a hoodie - also from gifted fabric. I'm not convinced about them being worn together but don't have much say anymore;-) Can't complain about almost free clothing though!
On Wednesday, my lovely hubby had a Big Birthday - made easier by a lovely afternoon with friends, a few whiskys and fish'n'chip dinner with this view.

Wardrobe Wednesday

I really didn't want to trot out the usual Wednesday outfit, but it appears to be a uniform around here! I took a quick pic once I'd finished my latest stash-busting reversible apron. But yeah, skinny-ish jeans plus Glassons top plus homemade apron.

Here's the pinky side. 'Cuse the face - she was eating crystallised ginger;-)

Apron leftovers were turned into table napkins - slowly building up our stash of these.

Bonnet, Take Two

Bigger bonnet, better fit.

And one for the other girl.

Heidi Headbands: Amy Karol's Bend-the-Rules Sewing.

Reversible Apron: Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing.

Letter Satchels: Amanda Blake Soule's Handmade Home.

Five year old boy's need a Little Wallet too!
We've had a wet and wild Spring storm at our place over the last two days. Nothing to do but stay inside sewing;-)

Bonnet

This is a very sweet bonnet pattern that I will make more of. The child size ran a weeny bit small for an older child so Miss 8 has decided to give hers away to her four year old cousin.

I'm still dipping into the $1/metre fabric stash. I'm most pleased that I actually made all the intended projects from that pile and still have stuff left to fiddle around with.

While sewing, I listened to Radio NZ's brilliant coverage of the awful earthquake in Canterbury this morning. (I would hate to lose this national treasure!) My prayers go out to everyone affected. Cuts close to home living a few hundred metres away from a major faultline. Emergency supplies have been checked!

Colour

I've continued to spot colour around our house this week.

An Hawaiian applique cushion my parents gave me recently.

My first attempt at freezer paper applique. The obligatory pony for my client's quilt;-)

I'm particularly pleased with this one. The design is from the "Someone to watch over you" quilt out of Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts.

The results of a mini-production line this afternoon. Two are for birthday gifts and two for either the gift box or two resident girlies.

It's the Little Wallet pattern, and great for stash busting.

Sarah's post will taunt me all weekend. We had that colour sky here this morning and it is distinctly not that now. Snow is even expected on the road north of town.

Winter Hope, Part Two

Last official day of Winter. Relief. Regret. I really wanted to BE in the moment this Winter and not overwhelmed with the grey and gloom and dread of the thing. I wanted to hibernate and craft and read with my babies. But I was busy, much too busy, to focus on the good of Winter. I regret that. But today I'm filled with relief that there will soon be, I HOPE, some more colour in my life. Some snapshots of colour I found today. In our home. In one of our favourite places.

I HOPE that next year, Winter and I can come to a more comfortable accommodation with one another. Thank you, Blog and those who've kept me company, for getting me through.