work in progress for Knotty Ladies

Very busy - not sure what or why or how. But I have some very exciting projects cooking for 2011! and will share with you soon

Visited my sister and her son today - he is like a strawberrry - so sweet and lovely - I have to restrain myself from cuddling him all the time. She is announcing her new etsy store site soon and in ten weeks a new bubba.

Slowly getting new works made for the Knotty Lady's fundraising stall at The Square : Bendigo's Handmade Market.

Gorgeous image by imagesbygail.

Finally I am back in the studio

Well for a moment there I thought I was never going to pick up a needle again - I fluffed about cleaning up my studio, got the sewing machine serviced, cut out material and gathered patterns and put projects together in little bags - and now I have finally finished something!

I has been a very special making year for me with Places and Pieces, The Enlightenment Project, Easter in the Conservatory and some smaller commissions. Not forgetting Knotty Ladies came into being!

Right now I am enjoying making gifts for Christmas and sewing for my daughter.

The skirt above took about 15minutes using a tutorial by Oliver & S dead easy I am pleased to crow.


These are some flags for my nephew - he is turning two early December - easy and satisfying to bring them together. I have finished off some other gifts - but I can't post about just yet!

Felt works for Fathers Day stall

Yes - its true Fathers Day was nearly a month ago - but I can still show off some felt badges I made for our local school's Father Days stall.



I have been distracted some what from the computer - preferring books (Northline : a novel / Willy Vlautin These is my words : the diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 : Arizona territories : a novel / Nancy E. Turner - both highly recommended) and and also falling heavily into the world of Ree Dummond.


These pins were inspired by Meet me at Mikes

Check out the moustache here - now that would make a fine father's day pin.

She has arrived!

A little while a go I posted about a doll I started to make for Hj and I am proud to say that I have finished it - although the sewing is not the bestest of all bestest I love her & I hope Hj does too!

Here she is sitting in a doll crib that my Grandfather made for me & now Hj's Great Grandfather. I am also giving this to Hj for her fourth birthday. I made a little quilt for her and today I found some doll blankets that my Great Grandmother made for me!

Today she started playing with my old barbies - I am so glad Mum saved them. I would have thrown them out for sure. We spent quite a bit of time playing together today - didnt get any of my household chores done!

Recent Stitching

Washed Up

A little gift for a nice niece's third birthday - instant success and a request from a certain soon to be four year old for her birthday too!
Pattern Inspiration here.
Sustainably harvested wooden cooking set found here

Visit the yoyo dragon in Bendigo's Conservatory

I don't think this dragon would make any grrs or grunts, just a plop plop plopping sound as he trotted along sniffing and enjoying autumn gardens. He has a pleasant dreaming nature and is always hopeful to find some wings to fly.

You can visit him now during the 2010 Bendigo Easter Festival at the Conservatory. He is on show with another artist Georgina Duckett.

This light-hearted work represents a mythical creature, transformed into life by imaginary play and joy. It’s soft decorative patchwork body is hand stitched from second hand fabrics using the patch work technique yo-yo.

Inspired by a yo-yo patchwork scrap a dear friend gave to me and I have had hanging in my studio for some time now. Other background information about the work can be found here.

Comically chair legs poke out from the bottom of the work, wearing tailor made frilly socks. Invoking creative childhood cubby play. Like Sun Loong’s ancestors, its physical form takes on the combination of many animals.

More gifts

Living up to my hand made pledge here is my next gift, placemats, for a certain sister in law - who also happens to be a super star. (can you iron out those wrinkles for me?) - pleased to note all made out of reclaimed fabric - aside from the threads.


Unfortunately this is not my creation - but that ruffle has most certainly stolen my heart - a bit of a fan of frills.

I would happly hand my soul to the devil for this table cloth - especially if it comes with a matching apron.

You can read more about the creative frill girls here.

some baby gifts

Recent studio follys.
Wont be driving on the machine for a while - managed to tear my calf - vey painful and stuck on the couch

Here is a link to a great tutorial to make a crayon roll or pencil holder, which is very similar to what I have made.

Making for posting gifts

Gee I finished up Uni in 1996!!! So that officially makes me OLD. And keeping me in check and order is my good friends from those days. We are scattered all over Victoria and maybe see each other once or twice a year. (I must admit they are heaps better at getting together than me - I always have some silly art project on).

I am missing them at the moment. My family and I are going through a major transition at the moment physically and I am having lots of inner questions about art and also all those years I worked on art that doesn't seem to have given me much of a professional foundation at all - other than my own shear joy and pleasure.

These girls have known me much longer than my husband and have witnessed me go through all sorts of phases and silly decision making and they just know how to make me feel good about myself. Thanks girls.

So writing a letter will have to do for the moment. Also it is Kel's birthday next week and made her a little pouch to pop Mum's new book inside. (pattern from Bend the Rules Sewing)




This bit of floppy sewing is a cover for all our letters to go in - the pattern adapted from a design from Meet Me at Mikes - but I must admit that the pattern and design in this book is missing a few instructions - and have adapted a few times.




This time instead of writing I drew - Oh I had forgotten you black ink and paint brush. I am glad you didn't forget me. xxx





Hope they make for special posty love surprises.

what I have been sewing and plan (hope) to sew

This a work in progress shot of my first doll's quilt. I had never heard of these before until reading the blogs such as;

Loobylu
Wee Wonderfuls
SouleMama

They looked pretty, easy and fun - nothing keeps me happier and grounded than a good session of hand stitching!

So I decided now that all my gallery commitments are almost over I thought it was time to make making for my children (especially my daughter) a priority.

I was planning to give it to Hj for her 3rd birthday with a doll (that I also plan to make) and a beautiful crib that my grandfather made for me - but I think it will be a Christmas gift now.

I am using English Paper Piercing technique, a method of patch working I have used for five years - but the first time using a template that my Mum made two quilts from, for me when I was a little girl (but I don't have them any more - one of the greatest regrets of my life)

The fabric is sourced from local op shops, old table cloths and sheets. I enjoy using these treasured finds. Environmentally friendly and finding them is way less stressful than shopping at those commercial places - like the horror shop spotlight.

Examples of my other patchworks can be found here and here

More posts coming about my Christmas sewing I have started too! And just to prove that I am not completely mad check out this brilliant mummy blogger

Jumping Ship

Ummm - just took down my show from Craft Victoria - thank goodness that is OVER.

I really buried my head in the sand when it came to writing and doing anything about this show - I was ill - but perhaps I am jumping from the art ship.

Craft Victoria did do two posts about me and the show here and here.

And you can see the video piece of the work by the brilliant Dylan Fowler






This is my most recent embroidery - from a drawing by my wonderful son - it is the pirate ship I am jumping on board from the art ocean. ARRR ARRRRR

Not just Frills

Today was my first official day in my new studio (pictures to be posted soon) - as well as yesterday my first day at my new job!!!

Loved the day in the studio - complete BLISS and JOY

Working mostly on frills thanks to the loving instructions of my good friend Ellen Coyle.

These frills are to finish off my quilts for A Little Lady Like Tinkling and Smearing show coming up at Craft Victoria.

Very happy with how they have turned out.

week end gift sewing (and a gift for me!)

Being broke isn't such a bad thing - it is a wonderful motivator for gift making.

I seem to have a family birthday each month (if not two) to think of - and I am still making my mother's mothers day present - just can't seem to get it right

But this weekend 2 lap top covers finished!

you can see pics from the party here.



and a very special present for me from some very dear friends - thanks I love it



Oh and this clutch - I have had this sitting around to do in my to do baskets on my sewing bench forever - finally finished. A gift for a fellow blogger who kindly sent me a copy of her beautiful drawing zine nearly 6 months ago.

First Children's clothing sewing

Pattern taken from Bend the Rules Sewing - a kiddies cardie for a 18month year old to two years - although I think it might be a bit short for Hj - she is just on 22 months now.

I made it for my niece - it is her first birthday today.  Made from fleece and bias binding.

The instructions directed only to bind the neck and leave a tie to tie up the front - however once I had done this it just looked too unfinished to give as a gift so I bias bindededed it all! - whilst watching the 3.10 to Yuma again and fast forwarding through that terrible scene of someone getting burnt to death in a horse carriage.

Its Ok - I don't really like that coloured fleece - in fact I am not really a fan of fleece at all - but it was so easy to sew with in fact the whole thing was really simple to sew.  I am a bit pleased with myself and I am inspired to make more clothes - especially for my daughter.

Bend the Rules Sewing

Bend the Rules Sewing, by Amy Karol has been around for a while and I found that we have a copy at the local library.

It has heaps of great sewing advice and patterns to try out - here is my first attempt.


It didn't arrive quickly without the numerous uses of my quick unpick I am ashamed to say.

I need lots of practice reading instructions & patience!

As you can see by all the tags in the book I have lots of plans for more sewing projects. Hope the library will let me borrow the book out for the next 6 months.

The Pillow Book

In the last few weeks I have been enjoying reading the Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon.

I was inspired to read this book by a beautiful knitted text pillow work at a blog called Six and a Half Stitches.

The Pillow Book was written approximately one thousand years ago - by Sei Shonagon who was a lady in waiting at the Court of the House of the Japanese Empress.

Her writing is lovely to read - it is a journal of writing using lists with headings such as: Outstandingly Splendid things;
Rare Things;
A Lover's Visit

She writes of day to day life an her reflections upon it - One comment that did catch my eye is to be found under: Hateful Things

A gentleman who travels alone in his carriage to see a procession or some other spectacle. What sort of man is he? Evan though he may not be a person of the greatest quality, surely he should have taken along a few of the many young men who are anxious to see the sights. But no, there he is by himself, with a proud look on his face keeping all his impressions to himself.

Alison of Six and a Half Stitches writes that Sei Shonagon is often referred to as the first blogger, because she wrote everything in diary format. I guess bloggers would be found in Sei's Journal under Outstandingly Splendid Things - as blogging is completly unlike attending a procession by yourself - rather it is a sharing and joining in!

Thanks Alison.

The image above is called Needle work by Japanese artist Kitaga Utamaro, (1753 - 1806).

In a little book I have about his work it is written: The beauty of the group rather than the individual is stressed in the(se) work(s).

Happy Easter

Feeling a bit chocolated out already.

I loved this post from Michi Girl (it pretty much sums up my Easter activities!)

http://www.michigirl.com.au

It doesn't take a clairvoyant or a genius to know that I love Easter. My grandpa just gave me an egg larger than my head, including hair. Tonight it will be gone. Tomorrow I will eat a lot of hotties. Saturday I will lie around a lot, might even drink a bit. Come Sunday I'll eat chocolate, and chocolate alone until bed. Monday I will most likely be sick, but after cleaning my teeth I will eat any remaining chocolate, for I am a trooper. Bring on the rain and the woolly clothes and the hot drinks. Hoppy Easter.

Home Birth

This is the second in the series of home birth/made at home stitch work.

Mumma and her bubba - using running stitch and daisy chain.

Let see how it goes in the competition!

The Architecture of Happiness

A little playing last night - between quilting and paper form - a segmented landscape, a desire to be close, or a fear of the wild and isolation. A fear of living without broadband!

Some quotes from The Architecture of Happiness : The secrete Art of Furnishing Your Life by Alain De Botton - that help me think about my ideas for A little ladylike tinkling and smearing

"... our love of home is in turn an acknowledgment of the degree to which our identity is not self-determined we need a home in the psychological sense as much as we need one in the physical to compensate for a vulnerability we need a refuge to shore up our states of mind because so much of the world is opposed to our allegiances. We need our rooms to align us to desirable versions of ourselves and to keep alive the important, evanescent side of us."

"... abstract sculptures (to) demonstrate to us the range of thoughts and emotions that every kind of non-representational object can convey... sculptures afford us an opportunity to focus with unaccustomed intensity on the communicative powers of all objects, including our buildings and their furnishings."p.81

"... our reason for liking abstract sculptures, and by extension tables and columns, are not in the end so far removed from our reasons for honoring representational scenes. We call works in both genres beautiful when they succeed in evoking what seems to us the most attractive, significant attributes of human beings and animals." p.84



He identifies maternal tenderness in Barbara Hepworth's work Two Segments and a Sphere.