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oh sew tired

January 12, 2010 By corrie 35 Comments

Well here is a sneak peek of nicey jane now that she’s quilted! I was up till 2am doing the quilting on her and it sure makes for one tired mummy! I see a lot of coffee and sugar in my day today, yaaaaaawn.

I’m going to make a start on the binding tonight. I like to sew mine on the machine and then fold it over and hand sew it to the back of the quilt, so it could take a few nights on the couch but then I’m done! I really love this quilt already and so does keira, she was a little upset that I wouldn’t let her lie under it this morning!

Now, the quilt back looks so simple but seemed to take forever to find large enough fabric pieces but I’m pleased to report all 7 pieces came from my stash!!!! The back also reveals a couple of spots that need a teeny tiny fill in but overall I love seeing the improvement in my free motion!

Filed Under: free motion, heather bailey, nicey jane, quilting

weekend photoshoot

January 9, 2010 By corrie 34 Comments

my parents popped over yesterday and my Dad is always snap happy especially when he has a new camera! First up was my mum’s latest crochet project..I must get her on ravelry..this gorgeous blanket kept her mind off things when she was in hospital recently.

and my quilt..which sadly won’t be quilted this weekend as I need more fabric for the back!!!! boo hoo I was so close with my pieces but need slightly longer fabric for the back as its a large quilt! I’ll see how I go today.

neatly folded and lovely ginger blossom fabric by Sandi Henderson for my next project (I must finish the nicey jane quilt first before I start anything else)

me and my girls

and my beautiful Tillie…hmmmmmm I think I might like a new camera!!!

My Mum and I were talking about what I might like for my birthday next month (the big 3-4) but I really want a machine for quilting (juki 98P or janome 1600P), she said oh ok we’ll get that…um Mum they are over $1700…. so I’ll be getting a nice donation towards it!!! Now I just need to work on retro daddy!

Filed Under: crochet, quilting, twins

more cute fabric for boys

January 9, 2010 By corrie 13 Comments

I couldn’t resist this cute Michael Miller fabric at Spotlight today…..adorable! This fabric is definitely going to do some cute 3/4 shorts for Finn this afternoon and if only I could sew and stay cool in the pool at the same time!

I’m also hoping to do my nicey jane quilt back tonight so I can get cracking with the quilting tomorrow! I am all stocked up on white homespun and will do a simple strip of charm squares with the white for the back!! Totally inspired by crazy mom quilts who I’m so sad to see isn’t blogging anymore. I can only imagine how many more quilts she’ll turn out now she isn’t blogging!

Filed Under: fabric, michael miller

Ava Tie Dress

January 8, 2010 By corrie 17 Comments

What a cute dress and model!! I can’t take any credit for this gorgeous outfit…it’s made by my clever sister in law Julie (fyi our hubby’s are brothers and aren’t I lucky to have someone with shared interests in the family!)…all I did was supply the pattern and she did the rest!!!!

gorgeous dress, gorgeously modelled by ellie mae!

I am definitely motivated to whip up a few for my little girls this summer!

and this cute label is included with the pattern too! Julie tells me the pattern is easy to follow and she’s raring to try another one…go Julie!

and a big thank you for making such a beautiful dress to show off the patterns in my store!!!!

Filed Under: patterns, sewing

sewing for boys

January 7, 2010 By corrie 19 Comments

long time readers know I just don’t sew for boys! A lot of sewing goes on but for Finn there has been nothing. But for one of my projects coming up I needed to get out the brown paper, french curve ruler, pencil and eraser and put my patternmaking skills to the test…the first size was a baby size and I went up from there which I find is the easiest way to go…..I decided a slimline, nothing fancy pant was the way to go….

and here is Finn’s size from the rear….made up in a Michael Miller print I picked up a while ago from fat quarter shop (I found some on etsy for those of you who love it)….soooo cute and I must admit it is cute to sew for boys. It may not be pink but the results are still cute! I’m sorry to say my patternmaking teacher has packed up and gone back home to Japan but you’ll find local community colleges offer basic classes that set you up with the basics, lots of homework, the tools and a great understanding to help you make your own patterns. I loved all the maths and right angles!

This is the smallest size made up in cute chambray that was 50 cents at that amazing garage sale last year!

Filed Under: patterns, sewing

the quilt top

January 4, 2010 By corrie 25 Comments

Well here is the nicey jane quilt top, in need of a good trip to the iron but I needed to quickly grab retro daddy to hold it for me before he left for work!!!! Progress has been a little slow as the babies have decided they don’t like their 6pm bedtime……so I haven’t been able to get sewing till much later at night!

I love the colours (pink and green is one of my favourite combinations) and just love the pattern (from here). It took me a little while to cut and put the 20 blocks together as well as the white sashing but it’s such a fun project and will fit a single bed in little keira’s room perfectly. I think I love it so much I feel another one coming along in the sandi henderson ginger blossom! I also discovered I’ve been using a 1/2 inch seam….ahhhhhhh…..so my blocks turned out to be 10 1/2 inches instead of 11!!!!

Filed Under: heather bailey, nicey jane, quilting

now trust me

January 4, 2010 By corrie 20 Comments

Now I know that these look a bit messy but gosh they are good! My trusty one cup cookie recipe with mini marshmallows…..somebody stop me

1 cup SR flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup muesli
1/2 cup choc chips + 1/2 cup mini marshmallows (I used a bit more)
125g butter/margerine melted

Combine dry ingredients and stir in butter/margerine and roll into balls, flatten and bake for about 20 minutes in 180 degree oven! yummo….this now means I have broken one of my resolutions for 2010 but thankfully I haven’t eaten the whole batch!

Filed Under: baking, recipe

new year new look

January 3, 2010 By corrie 26 Comments

Hope you like it…..just needed a change from all that pink and wanted bigger photos too!!!!!

Filed Under: everything else

more grannies

January 3, 2010 By corrie 16 Comments

As always happens, I’ve set aside the pink grannies to do something else! I just couldn’t resist using the white heirloom cotton (which is actually made by bendigo) for some crochet. The rest of the colours are all Bendigo cotton by the way and I’m thinking another cushion with 9 of these babies!

It’s another rainy day here and perfect curl up on the couch and crochet weather, but I’m going to finish putting the quilt top together this afternoon and will get quilting this week…I think I was a bit ambitious to think I’d be quilting this afternoon!

Filed Under: crochet

nicey jane blocks

January 2, 2010 By corrie 20 Comments

After a fun morning at the movies watching Princess and the Frog (a good new disney movie but a little bit scary for my little miss), I got down to some sewing and finished my nicey jane blocks. I needed 20 all up and here they are…..I used part of a jolly pack and this fat quarter pack. The afternoon sun snuck in the photo too as I’m sewing out in the super sunny back room while we have a young exchange student with us this month…I miss my craft room already and it’s only day 2 but miss keira l-o-v-e-s her new teenage ‘sister’!

I’ve also ironed and cut my white sashing strips and tonight will put the top together and all thing going well start quilting tomorrow afternoon. We have a little agreement that retro daddy gets his run in the morning for an hour and I get my sewing time in the afternoon….just an hour or two in the afternoon gives me a headstart for my night time sewing and quilting!

Filed Under: heather bailey, nicey jane, quilting

loved up

December 31, 2009 By corrie 12 Comments

Well, it’s new years eve…a special day for us since we found out I was having twins two years ago today! Boy did life change for us but in such a good way. We’ve actually spent the day cleaning out clothes, toys and the house to get a nice clean start for the new year and 8 boxes later I think we have made a little dent. So no crafting today but last night I managed to quilt and bind my amy butler LOVE quilt…

I used a charm square pack from fat quarter shop, some white homespun with a little floral pattern on it and the binding I purchased yesterday (which happened to be a perfect combination and hello premade bias binding you make life so easy)….

I went for a more spaced out design with my free motion (thanks emma for the tip) and it made a real difference cutting my quilting time down by half but I really had to focus on not getting too close together.

keira grabbed a nice cuddle under it before bed last night eventhough she prefers her pink quilts.

And this quilt will hang over the couch hiding a few stained spots that have appeared recently (as in stains left by my lovely children!)

So, have a happy new year…………..we’ll be having a quiet night at home with our favourite takeaway pizza and some champagne (I only get through a few glasses of wine/champagne each year so it’s a treat to have a glass tonight …something happened after the twins and we just don’t go together anymore but it’s probably a good thing!)

Filed Under: quilting, twins

holiday shopping

December 30, 2009 By corrie 8 Comments

The nice thing about having retro daddy on holidays is just spending time together….oh and getting some peaceful shopping opportunities! This morning I needed oodles of white fabric for my nicey jane quilt…..I’ve run out of quilters muslin in the store and the warehouse is closed till the new year so I decided to use white homespun instead. I don’t know how it happened but I also came home with this super cute new crochet book…..

and some gorgeous cotton bias binding that was new at spotlight! I think 12m will keep me going for a few quilts….

and after a delicious sushi train lunch (where the twins managed to get through more plates than I did) and ice cream at the new ben & jerry’s down in manly (mmmm strawberry shortcake), I was lucky to find a last copy of Interweave Weekend knits which I’d been hunting down for a while…I am totally in love with this little shrug….you know I’ll be doing this in pink though, don’t you?

and a super cute hand towel amongst other lovely projects in there! I think it’s fair to say that this would be decoration only….I can just see someone wiping greasy hands all over it!

and then I came home to some bargain wool I’d found online as ozeyarn closes down….$2 a ball is a nice price to pay and I feel some more granny squares coming on and yes a tutorial too! Pop on over and check out the store…

I hope you all enjoy some holiday shopping too…..plus a big thank you for all your gorgeous comments yesterday! I’ll never stop blogging or sharing just because of one person!

Filed Under: shopping

squares

December 28, 2009 By corrie 19 Comments

Although I’ve been showing you lots of family photos lately, I have actually been doing some crafty things behind the scenes. First up is crazy mom quilts ‘flea market fancy’ quilt which I’m making up in nicey jane. I knew I couldn’t keep the fabric all nicely folded up for long…..and the colours are just gorgeous especially as pink and green is one of my favourite combinations! Here are the blocks I’ve done so far……

I have also been clearing out my craft room making space and it feels so good to clear out and make room (for new purchases!!!!!!!). I gathered together all my half used balls of yarn for a spot of crochet. When I don’t have the energy to sit and sew at my machine at night, crochet is the perfect ‘lie on the couch with your feet up night time activity’.

This is my output from one night on the couch…..miss keira calls them flowers and I’m going to turn these into a super cute and girly cushion for her bed! A little miss can never have too many cushions on her bed!

And thank you for all your lovely comments yesterday. Keira has bounced back as all little ones do.

Filed Under: crochet, quilting

all stitched up

December 27, 2009 By corrie 31 Comments

no, not the sewing with fabric kind…more of the ‘keira walking with me at the sales and walks straight into a table display at country road and hits her eyebrow and bleeds everywhere’ kind of stitches. What a morning! Who knew that when we set off to check out the sales for a few things we’d end up in the dr’s….my darling little keira was so brave getting the anaesthetic and stitch in her eyebrow and we were so lucky to have one of our regular doctors there at the practice to look after her.

I guess it had to happen sometime as stitches and broken bones do happen to children and mummy needs to toughen up, I was fighting back the tears myself and in a state of shock!!!! Thankfully the surrounding shoppers were just beautiful giving me tissues, finding retro daddy, offering to get her a cold drink and the store were great too! phew what an ordeal! So after a day of ice cream and being totally spoilt (keira not me), my little miss is back to her normal self! And I hope the next sewing that goes on is of the fabric kind!!!!! Oh and miss keira insisted that dora the dancer be in the photo too!!!!

and anonymous ‘susan’ not your real name, I’ve kept your comment in for everyone to read so that you’ll stop with the anonymous comments. You might like to change your writing style so as to not give yourself away so easily!

Filed Under: everything else

all about family

December 25, 2009 By corrie 7 Comments

It’s not often we get a picture of our little family together….

or all my guys looking lovely playing together…they sooooooo want a cubby and a dog now!!!!

hope you’re having some nice time with your family too! we are!

Filed Under: everything else