A rather huge finish ... and a birthday boy!!

Many months ago I was on Craft Camp with my crafty besties and Lisa was doing a new craft ... needlepoint! This is a craft I have often thought of as very Nanna-ish but ...knowing what I know about quilting ... how it is perceived and how funky it can actually be .... I knew not to let my preconceptions spoil a perfectly good crafting opportunity.

Sure enough, Lisa was making a cushion cover with a very funky pop-art-ish image of a favourite comedian and it was going to be AWESOME!!

"I can do that", I thought. Next thing I was sending images to Lisa to pixelate for me (this was pre-YouPatch) and buying my supplies. I thought it would be an easy and quick project. I was so wrong!! It was indeed challenging .... and took a VERY long time. The background was particularly tedious as it was highly repetitive and BORING!!!

But I persisted and managed to finish in time for my Jake's 10th birthday. Here 'tis ...

46,656 stitches later ..... I'm very pleased with it but delighted that it is finished and I can focus on other crafts for a while.

In the meantime, happiest of birthdays to my ten-year-old, happy, smart, inquisitive, caring, delicious boy. We love you very much. xxxx

Happy stitchin'
Andi xx

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).

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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.

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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.

Quilt - finished and given

For Jake's teacher who had a birthday last week.

All quilted, finished and bound.

 

You can see more info about this quilt in this earlier post.

Hope you are having a stitchin' weekend.

Andi xx

DIY chic geek quilt

When my 7 year old son asked for "a periodic table quilt" for his next birthday, I was a bit flabbergasted. Where to start???

But trusty Mary came up with the perfect idea ..... get Michelle to print the design with her fancy shmancy (and extremely awesome) new fabric printing business and ask Cindy to help out with creating the digital file. (I LOVE my crafty friends!!!)

So I went along last week to Frankie & Swiss headquarters to experience the magic in person and the amazing light and airy space took my breath away!! Here's a few examples of the space and the amazing pieces on display ...

 

This is the beautiful dress made by Cindy. 

Look out for Cindy's classes where she teaches how to make this dress!!!

   

    

   

Yep, that's Cam's fabulous 'Granny Square' fabric

   

   

   

   

 So once we had the file just right, we started to print ...

 

And to give you an idea of scale, here is Michelle and her lovely sister Jacquie setting up 'Flo', the huge printing machine .... 

 

 

 

Yesterday I sewed on a border and ... voila .... instant single bed quilt top ...
 

 

 

   

 

Now I just need to find the perfect backing fabric and get it quilted and bound before January.

I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!

So what do you think? Do you have a chic geek in your life who would love this in their bedroom? Maybe as a cushion?

Andi xx

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

Seuss!!!!

A while back I told you about Ella's room make-over and how I still hadn't finished Jake's cosy comfy space.

Well ... now I have!
Here's what 7 uninterrupted hours of sewing time gets you.

Seuss curtains .... closed.



And open.



Seuss on the front



AND the back ...





A cosy little nook for reading and playing PEEK-A-BOO!!



Even hanging out with your sister!!



My work here is done.

Andi xx

Following in our parents footsteps

Ella following Mummy

And Jake following Daddy

Of course we are all more complex individuals than that would suggest.
But I do detect a bit of a pattern.

Do you see these patterns in your family?

Andi xx

A new beginning

Andi xx

Super cushion!!!!!

What to do when your son's favourite Superman comic book falls apart?

Take some of the fallen pages .... scan 'em ...... print 'em ..... stitch 'em .... and voila ....

Instant bed-time reading!!

Andi x

A very happy un-birthday ...

 .... to you my delicious Jake.

Your birthday is is in the middle of summer when everyone is away on holidays so we had your birthday party VERY (almost 2 months) early this year.

You had a fun bowling party with good friends and all I had to do was make a cake!!!

Take a $5 mud cake from the supermarket and cover it with blue butter icing and some chocolate coins.

Make a chocolate dome in a greased bowl to put over the top.

Decorate with lollies using a bit more melted chocolate.

Sing the birthday song, blow out some candles and give the birthday boy a nice clean hammer.

 

And you have a pinata cake!!! (And a happy chocolate eating boy!!)

 

And here you are opening your presents at home.

 

I love you my Jakey Boy and wish you such happiness every day of the year .... even on your actual birthday!!

Love, Mummy xoxox