Reflecting on a crafty year

2014 was a super busy crafty year with the launch of YouPatch in February.

Loads of pixel projects and quilts for friends and family.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make YouPatch a wonderful experience and to everyone who made my 2014 interesting, fabulous, challenging and creative.

Happy new year!! I hope it's s stitchy one!

Andi xxx

PS The song in the video is called "Ho Hey" performed by the very talented Indi Eisner. You can listen to it here!

Doing good things

When Dan and I had kids, we dreamed about our children being peace-makers, do-gooders, kind, caring people who make a difference in the world.

In day-to-day life, this doesn't always feel like a reality. Sibling squabbles and childish selfishness can get in the way of ideals and dreams.

So, we endeavour to do good things with the kids, in very overt ways, so they can see how good it feels to do good for others.

Our kids get a generous weekly allowance but they don't get to spend it all. Some they have to put aside for savings and some they put aside for charity or (as it is known in this house) Tzedakah. In past years, we have taken the saved up Tzedakah and the children have chosen a large toy to place under the charity Christmas tree at our local department store. Their gifts have gone to children their own age who otherwise might not have received a gift at Christmas time.

This year, we did things a little differently. Jake expressed a desire to do something for the homeless and to be able to give a gift in person, rather than leave an anonymous gift. He wanted to make a personal connection.

So, inspired projects like this one,  we took the children's Tzedakah money (and some of ours also) and we bought five backpacks and went shopping for useful and nice things to put inside.

A new baby

No ... I'm not pregnant!

But my niece was ... until last week ... when she gave birth to the most delicious little daughter called India. She is a very special baby who will be more loved than most people I know. But of course, that might be my bias talking.

My niece asked for yellows, greys and neutrals. But I couldn't resist a splash of red!

And of course, the baby's name on the back (or the "other front") of the quilt.

All fabrics from my stash, including the scrappy yellow binding.

Already much loved by it's new recipient. Here's some more pics .... just because.

Welcome baby India. We love you to the moon and back. 

Andi xxx

Finished quilt top

A slightly grainy Instagram shot taken with my iphone. But I love it!!

The back of the quilt will have the baby's name on it so I'll have to wait until s/he is born before I can finish this one off. Just a few weeks to go!

Happy stitching to you.

Andi xx

A finished quilt (and loads of pics!!)

My niece is getting married in October so, of course, a wedding quilt is required!

I know I have finished this one rather early for an October wedding but I have so much YouPatch sewing to do in the coming months, I knew I had to get it done now or it may never get done.

This quilt is HUGE. 96 inches square. That's 8 foot square!!!! I used Katy's tutorial for 12 inch economy blocks and I really love how the blocks come together to create secondary blocks!!

My niece is a fashion photographer so I have included fabrics with images of cameras, handbags and sunglasses among the many and varied fabric choices.

Given that this quilt is intended for two people, I thought I'd better include something about her beloved too. He is a bit of a mad surfer and loves the ocean so on the back of the quilt ..... I created the ocean.

This one was too big for me to quilt on my little Bernina so I sent it off to be quilted by Kylie (who has no website or FaceBook profile or anything I can link to). She did a gorgeous job of creating waves on the solid Kona fabrics I used on the back.

The Binding from the front just looks like scrappy solid blue colors but on the back, the binding perfectly matches up with the colors I have used for my backing. 

I'll finish up with some (more) gratuitous quilt shots. 

I'm sure my niece and her fiance will love this gift. She definitely 'gets' the whole handmade thing! Now I just have to see if I can wait until October to give it to them or if they 'need' it early to have a warm quilt on their bed this winter. We'll see.

Happy stitching to you.

Andi xxx

Thank you for your patience (AKA the Festival of Jake)

I have had the laziest of summer breaks. No blogging. Hardly any photos taken and extremely little crafting was done.

You see ..... between late November and early January we have both kids' birthdays, both Grandmothers' birthdays, Hannuka and Christmas to celebrate. I do A LOT of entertaining and A LOT of baking and gift buying/making and by the end of it I am EXHAUSTED!!!

But I am back to blogging with a renewed energy and would like to spend this first post honoring my Jake who turned 8 exactly 1 month ago.  (See here for the recent Festival of Ella post).

__________________________________________________________

So, my delicious Jakey ... This year you have grown so much. You have learned so much due to your enthusiasm for school and ANYTHING written in a book!! You have blossomed as a social creature with such a lovely group of friends who care for you and who you love. You love your food and have grown so much physically. You are nearly as tall as me and your feet are a whopping size 6!! (Better stop feeding you I think)  ;o)

The school circus concert happened and you were dazzling with your hoola hoop:

 

Birthday books were donated to your school library:

 

Red House rewards day was celebrated with red EVERYTHING .... even your hair!!

 

Before school finished up for the year (and kids scattered to their family holiday destinations) you had a go-karting birthday party with your friends:

 

Would you check out the hair (and makeup) on the party organiser!!!!

A fabulous (yet amazingly easy) cake was provided by yours truly:

 

   

Of course a second celebration with family on the actual day involved ANOTHER cake. This time ... a chocolate ripple cake in the shape of a 'J':

 

You have serenaded us all with your guitar. It has been so exciting to see your growing love of music:

 

 And we took your traditional photo with Homer:

 

 

I love you so much my Jakey boy. You give the yummiest cuddles and the sweetest kisses and make me smile everyday.

__________________________________________________________

 

Among the many and varied gifts received by Jake over this very festive season was, of course, a mum-made quilt but I will show you that in another post.

More crafting posts to come ... promise!

Hope you have had a great January and look forward to catching up with you in February and beyond.

Andi xx

PS Also ... I turned 40.

The festival of Ella

Our Ella is 6 and the last month in our family has been all about HER!!

First came the invitation to see the Prep children showing off their projects for this term.

That is (apparently) a dolphin!

Then came the school circus concert.

Yes, Jake was in the concert too but my 'Festival of Jake' post will be coming in a few weeks.

Then the dancing party for her friends .... My girl is so very shy and retiring  ;)

Of course a fabulous cake was baked. (Thanks Corrie for the inspiration).

 

 

 

Then came her actual birthday ... a Wednesday. I took treats into the school for all the children in her class and after school a small family dinner with a candle in some donuts. 

Ironically, no photos taken that day.

Followed, on the Friday night, by a BIG family dinner with, of course, another cake!

My shy girl!

 

And to top it all off, a ballet concert the next day.

 

Happy birthday my beautiful gingie girl. It is so amazing watching you grow up into a confident, happy and rather feisty girly person.

 

We love you.

xxxxxx

Sewing therapy

Been stitching! Helps me to feel better.

This quilt will be a gift for Jake's teacher after 2 years of magnificent teaching and support. Jake has come so far in the last 2 years and I give his teacher a significant chunk of the credit. We are so very grateful.

When I asked her about colours she answered that her couches were neutral coloured with red throw cushions (PERFECT!!) but then added that her bedroom was blue and yellow. "I really love blue and yellow" she added hopefully. Not so perfect in terms of the colours I like to work with but I hope I have found a combination that will work in either room.

Fabrics are mostly from Denyse Schmidt's "Picnic and Fairgrounds" range from earlier this year with a few other staples in the mix.

Attempting to channel the great Red Pepper goddess of quilting with this one. This quilt in particular!

Now on to basting and quilting. Hopefully I'll get it done soon so I can relax a little before our family birthday season is in full swing.

Happy stitching to you and yours.
Andi xx

Thanks

Thank you to everyone who has left beautiful and supportive comments on my last post.
I have read all your comments and have appreciated every single one ... even though I haven't responded to them individually. I hope you understand.

I am feeling ready to move forward and need to step back into crafty blog posts. Good therapy I say!

As part of my moving forward process I will lock this post to comments and will close comments on the last post.

Thanks again!
Andi xx

My Abba

I've been wondering how to write this post. I have no real answer so have decided to just write and see what comes out.

On Friday October 7th, just before he was due to leave for synagogue services for Yom Kippur, my Dad had a massive stroke. He was rushed to hospital in an ambulance where he spent the night in the Emergency Department. The next day we realised he was continuing to have strokes and had so much damage to his brain that he was not expected to survive more than a day or so.

He held on for another 3 days and passed away very peacefully, surrounded by love and support, last Tuesday. We held his funeral and memorial services yesterday.

I'm exhausted.

There's so much more to tell.... about my Dad and his amazing life.... about my family and how we have supported each other ... about my pain at the loss of my Abba (Hebrew for 'Daddy').... but this doesn't feel like the right time or place. Equally, it doesn't feel right to just press on with this blog without acknowledging events of this past week.

 

This memorial candle will burn in our home for seven days.  Maybe after that I'll feel ready to get back to this space.

Until then, cuddle your loved ones tight and live your life fully and with purpose. That's my plan!

Andi xx

More cushions ... but this time not for me

Its a busy time of the year for us. Jewish New Year begins tomorrow night and we are hosting a dinner for 26 people. Among those 26 are my niece and nephew who each have birthdays this week.

For my niece, who is turning 40, I asked her to chose a colour scheme and she chose "dark red and burnt orange".

 

I couldn't resist throwing in a touch of pink. (I just can't help myself). 

 

 

 

And for her 'little' brother who is taller than both of us ... 

 

He's just moved into his own place for the first time and is rather car crazy (to put it mildly). 

"Shana Tova"  to those of you celebrating this week. And a happy new year to all! 

May the coming year be sweet, healthy and peaceful.

Andi xx