One Cute Calendar

How cute is this calendar? It is a free download from the Canon website, and it is the sweetest calendar I've ever owned. I do like calendars, I can't resist buying several each year. I've bought some lovely scrapbook paper to make my own calendar for next year, as I need to have a big one to write all my appointments etc on. But these tiny calendars scattered around the house are helpful and irresistable...





It was a dark and cloudy day, and the camera flash, which usually washes everything out with blinding light, decided that twilight was perfectly adequate this time. And yes, I did make an (extremely half hearted) effort at setting up the photos by putting down a white sheet and a white piece of paper in the background. That piece of paper just makes all the difference, don't you think? So much more professional looking!

Dinosaur D9P progress

I love disappearing 9 patch quilts - they are so quick to sew up, and the different ways you can arrange the 9 patches are endless. This time I tried for a much less random pattern, you can see some of the options I tried out. In the end Miss M chose the star one rather than the straight lines, it is for her bed after all as she pointed out to me :)





I have still to sew on a border (or two) and then I'm going to hand quilt it as usual, it takes ages but I do like the look that hand quilting gives a quilt.


I like the colours together, they are not at all girly but then neither is my girl :) At night she cuddles up to 3 fire breathing dragons, one dinosaur, a cow and a pig; most of her games involve dragons and volcanoes erupting and her little brother being eaten by lions. I did get invited to a my little pony party last week but that ended abruptly when dragons gatecrashed and carnage ensued *sigh*.

Another messenger bag finished

This messenger bag is a birthday gift for a friend - her birthday was only in September so I'm not too late ;) All the fabric was purchased from Spotlight.

Dinosaur D9P progress

I've made a good start on my next quilt, using a D9P pattern yet again and some nice cotton fabric from Spotlight. I like the colours in this quilt, nothing particularly bright but I think they all work well together.

Some more crafty photos

Ok so I haven't actually accomplished terribly much so far this year, but I've been enjoying myself immensly with no actual crafty obligations to work on.

I've made some socks, which were a gift for a friend.




I've made some experimental jam, where I threw every type of fruit we had lying around into a pot with some water and a little sugar. I think I put in apricots, nectarines, granny smiths, passionfruit and a banana. I boiled it up and put it into jars to freeze. It tastes pretty much like apricot jam, which isn't surprising considering the amount of apricots I put in. Not too bad at all.




I have repeatedly popped into Spotlight and Lincraft, both in a shopping centre near me. Here are a few of my purchases.



And I've spent some time in the garden, where I saved this baby blue tongue from a stormwater drain. He has been living in a garden bed since where I see him every day, usually trying to swallow enormous snails!





I've also cut out the fabric for my next quilt, which after much agonising and drawing and planning is just going to be another disappearing 9 patch :) No pictures of this yet as I have yet to find time to actually sew the blocks together.

I hope you are all having a crafty January :)

A New Year of Craft!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is feeling refreshed and ready for a new year of crafty goodness :)







As much as I love Christmas, I'm very happy that it's over for another year and that a whole new year has begun. After all the rush and stress of trying to get ready for Christmas and to finish all my handmade presents I'm loving just having no deadlines for anything, and just pottering around doing a little bit of knitting, and dabbling in any other crafty project that takes my fancy. I feel very relaxed and rejuvenated, and I have lots of crafty plans for 2009. I have also learned a few things in the last year - don't take on too many projects at once; don't agree to make lots of things for different people, because the stress of all the obligations ruins the fun of crafting; plan out birthday and Christmas presents well in advance (read: now!) so as to be able to enjoy making them and to know I've done a good job; make more things for myself; keep any non-birthday presents a surprise from the recipient so that they don't wait around expectantly for something that might not be finished for a year or two ;)

I have several things planned for January - I'm knitting more socks for my dad, since he loved his father's day socks so much. I'm working on my Hemlock Throw, which is a very straightforward knit now that I'm past all the lace. I'm in the process of painting some wooden letters for my son's bedroom door - he always seems to miss out on these sorts of things since he's a second child so 2009 is going to be the year when he gets all the things his sister gets (eg. a quilt, a birthday cake etc). I'm also planning out a bed quilt for each of my kids - Miss M has just moved into a big king single bed so she needs a quilt that fits (double bed sized), and as I mentioned before, Mr O still needs a quilt so I'm going to make him one as well. I'm thinking of a d9p for Mr O, and this pattern for Miss M. Both quilts will use the same fabric, the dinosaur/animal fabric I bought from Spotlight last year. And finally, I have my Farmers Market quilt to make, which I'm so looking forward to! I have put all my fabric, wool and craft supplies in our bedroom (oh for a sewing room!) and I can lie in bed and gaze at that lovely, delicious Farmers Market fabric in its crate :)

Ready Steady Go!