Music bag #2

We had a bit of a disaster yesterday with my much loved Laura Star ironing board.

While emptying some boxes in the office and trying desperately to create some sense of empty and manoever in a very tight spot, I got a bit frustrated and pushed some boxes out the door and in the process knocked Laura over which had been stood upright and was leaning againsed the wall. There she was, minding her own business, slightly overhanging the door frame and she got a shove from behind and over she went, collecting the gas heater and the entertainment unit on her way down. Damaged quite badly, her water resevoir was smashed and the contents of the unit went all ove rthe carpet. I was not impressed as I was planning (as sad as it sounds) on ironing on Sunday... Now to try and get a replacement (they are $60) and debating whether to go to the shops and try David Jones for spare parts or wait till Tuesday and get Stef to pick one up in Chatswood at the Laura Star store.

So no nicely ironed fabrics to post but I do have a picture of the music bag we made for M...

We put the recorder pouch on an angle on M's bag as the symbols would have been laying on their side if I had put it up and down. He LOVES it which is all that matters!

Oliver+S skirts and another music bag...

Amelia's music bag was a hit yesterday at school, so much so that I have been asked to make another for one of the boys in the recorder group. Let's call him M. M is coming home with me today as his mother is doing a course tonight and his father is a pilot and on his way to Frankfurt this week. M doesn't like being away from Mum and isn't good in new situations but I think giventhe chance M will be fine. We are coming home for afternoon tea, a spot of sewing, swimming lesson for missy if she isn't too snotty (has been brewing a bit of a cold over the last few days) then McDonalds for dinner (after a shower) home to watch a movie and finish the bag and by then Mum should be here.

We went to Spotlight after school yesterday and M chose some fabric based around 'the inside has to be gold, not yellow or orange but gold', very specific. Initially M wanted fabric with wisps on it but we couldn't find anything like that so he settled on a funky 'peace' symbol fabric instead. Purchased they went home and Amelia and I continued to look for some fabric for this summers Oliver+S skirt stash. 4 chosen and 1 for another M friend but a girl, so we will caller her ButterflyM as she had the Butterfly skirt from a few weeks ago... Interestingly Amelia chose more blues and crimsons than her mandatory pink, perhaps the phase might be over? Here's hoping anyway!

Washed they are awaiting pressing, cutting and sewing in a few hours... photo of nicely ironed fabric to follow!

Music Bag

Last week our little champ started music lessons, nothing spectacular, don't expect her to be a muso but with parents who both have a musical history there is every chance Amelia might show a little talent. Finges crossed. Recorder today and who knows, maybe French Horn or Trumpet but more than likely flute like mum or piano accordian like daddy.

She came home with a scrapbook for music and other notes and her recorder last week and with lesson 2 being almost as exciting as girl guides she needed a bag to keep it all in.

Grandma bought some fat quarters over with her a few visits ago that we haven't found the right thing to use for and I picked up some shot tafetta at Lincraft ages ago which we used as part of the table decoration for her party a few weeks ago. Freshly washed and ironed and just waiting for the right project...

Not a profesionally done sewing project, very much make it up as I went along but she is happy and it fits the criteria of a long strap and a spot for her book and recorder. An hour before dinner, a whole reel of cotton thanks to a fancy stitch but who cares! Happy kid = happy mum...

bare feet and a jumper, the kid is weird... (must take that uniform hem down...!!!)

Quilt number 2

Waaaaay back, like a million years ago, well not quite but almost... Amelia chose a panel for N.J.C. A space mad boy, the brother of the cricketing mad boy, J.R.C. I blogged about it here...Okay so it's only 18 months ago, makes me feel a little bit better!

The weekend that has just passed sort of seemed full of nothing but things I wanted to do. Stef and I go through phases of being in tune with eachother then so far removed from each other it's not funny, the weekend that has just passed was one of those such weekends. I wanted to sew, needed to do my BAS. On Saturday it was a case of BAS 1, me NIL.

Sunday we had a play date with a friend from school and her parents. The boys talked work (her hubby is in IT recruitment) and us girls just chewed the fat on life and all its short comings. It was a lovely morning, don't get me wrong but I was hungry and needed a comfort stop when Stef pulled into the Aldi carpoark on the way home. Hmm. Shopping needed to be done but was done on the previso that I sewed for a few hours in the afternoon. It was and I did.

I made this...

Then some, okay a LOT, of input form Amelia I made the side panels, then today, putting everything on hold, I made the bottom panels and tah dah! It looks better than I could have thought it would! I am SO happy!!

This little man is also a bit batty on lizards and I bought a scrap of fabric with some aborigial drawings on it. I will cut a lizard out and put his initials and Xmas 11 on it and hand stitch it on a plain charcoal or blue spot.

I have the same fabric for the back as for J's quilt but in grey and black and will use some (not all because a lot of the fabrics have all been used on the front) of the left overs and do a row of squares like I have with the cricket fabric.

Sigh, happy happy finished 2 quilt tops! Now to quit and bind or get it done by someone... will come down to cost and availability....

Howzat the back and the detail...

I have always been 'amused' at the reverse of some of the quilts I have looked at on blogs as they clearly are not a replection of what is going on on the front. With J's quilt I decided that I didn't want a plain green back and I didnt want it to be more detailed than the front so I sewed a square or 2 of each of the fabrics from the front, sliced across the backing and added the row. I think it looks great!

Lovely toes in dire need of a coat of paint and puffy 'it's going to be a hot day tomorrow' feet. Charming!

Here are some pics of the front with the cricket balls on it and the detail on one. I really hope Mr. J.R.C. likes this! If not, it can go to his Granny Joan, just not sure of her middle name but we can always make it Rose!

 The idea is... that the batter on the big panel is hitting the balls and the balls are going off the quilt... you get that right?

Now deciding... do I get it quilted and bound or attempt to do it myself?

Oliver + S Lazy Days skirt Sarah's way

Amelia had a little friend over for a play this morning/afternoon and before she got here Amelia spotted this butterfly fabric in the office. She asked what it was for, I said a skirt for her, she asked if there was enough fabric for her friend to have one too, yes there was... rummaging in my trim box I came across 2 lengths of pink satin ribbon, perfect!

And so 2 Oliver+S Lazy Days skirts were whipped up, ironed and oh so proudly worn home by Miss M and out to girl guides tonight!

And let me tell you Miss M's mum was pertty blown away! Serioulsy, half a meter of fabric and 120cm of satin ribbon, the most expensive thing was the ribbon... Will be hitting the stash and making more of these, Amelia's are all above her knee from a few years ago. So quick, so easy and so much gratitude all round!

Howzat!

I have now discovered the way to get what I want is to write it on the calendar. I wanted a day of sewing, I wrote it on the calendar and that is exactly what I got today! Stef took Amelia to do the groceries which gave me about 90 minutes to myself. The first 90 minutes I have had since the 23rd Sept I will add!

So I set about measuring twice and cutting once after ironing the extra fabric I purchased last week and it all came together rather quickly, or the first bit did...

Very pleased with myself I am! Came together in no time at all and have an enormous sense of puff out chest pride!

In the original plan there was another 2 layers to add top and bottom but when I put this on our bed it looked long enough. I put the backing on it and there wasn't much overhang so I have decided to leave it at this...

It is big enough to wrap around me so will be huge for the 9 year old boy this is destined for at this size. 5 cricket balls to hand sew on and a 6th down the bottom with his initials and Merry Christmas 2011 and it can go off to the quilters depending on cost. Or I might give it a go myself... bit scared about that bit but if I 'stitch in the ditch' I should be fine :-)

I will give fabric names etc with the finished quilt, bit weary now.

Now on to his brothers...

More than I can chew?

This is it... the big idea I had... cut and ready to sew... a bit more fabric to be added... a lot of time (and tears no doubt)...we have drafted and changed the pattern SO many times... I had to commit to it because I was making myself nervous... so I started cutting...

I have sewn 4 seams and stitched 6 balls, tomorrow I sew more...