butterfly buns and more sewing love

Some butterfly studying this week,  led to a butterfly day, with origami butterflies now decorating our  hanging table centre wreath, and butterfly buns for lunch ( along with plenty of drawing and reading and watching and observing.

 And another photo of my love: She needs a name! She feels like an old  maiden aunt or well- worked grandmotherly type, persistent, and just needs to be used and oiled every now and then.

  I've been hemming handkerchiefs, ready to be embroidered for Valentine's day tokens. The handkerchiefs are from old calico from a thrift shop, or another old  cotton tea towel, also thrifted.  The children will get one each too, with their names cross-stitched on. very vintage! I really like that I can hem the hankies like hundreds of other women have done before, then stitched the initials of family members with love. Very simple ( very cheap), but full of sentiment! 

 The cross-stitched alphabet comes from a new book for me: linen, wool, cotton, as does the idea to make hankies. My husband has allergy issues, so always carries one!And he/we can always use more, and its a nice way to be closer when he is at work. As you can tell we don't go in much for the commercial version of valentine's day, and normally don't do anything at all as our anniversary is the very next week!  I do think it's nice to try and remember to show him how much i love him as after  nearly 8 years  of marriage that stuff is often last on the list. Hope you have a  lovely day sharing your love for you families too!

holiday love: sewing

 

Here she is! Well part of her, I've decided to let a man who knows what hes doing to give her a once over and put a new belt on, and i can't wait to use her!

You see, at the moment my sewing stuff is in the garage/shed, which is about 50 metres up the drive, which is great but not so great when i need to be with the kids ( I can't see or hear anything from up there!), so now I can sew down in the house ( well soon), without lugging sewing paraphernalia too and fro. Yay! 

 And so in the holidays while there's been someone else to supervise and stuff I've been up there, hiding and making these: A foxy quilt from the book sew la tea do, by meet me at mike's pip lincolne. I supersized it by making an extra fox head panel and didn't quilt it as such but  used an existing washable duvet inner inside and bound it together with the binding, more a continental bed spread or something I suppose.  I am in love with this book and have made her tunic dress three times for three very different looks too. While i was busy with the quilt I decided to make the pillowcases too and embroidered these creatures from her book too. In fact you'll find them on almost anything now because the kids liked them too and they can be found lurking on clothes and fabric waiting to be clothes... Tobin even knew that he wanted a "blue foxy please mama."

   

And a dump shop find: an embroidered lacy valance that fits our superkingsized bed for a few bucks, wow! (It has to be superking, how else would we fit 5inabed!?)

And a throw pillow for good measure, i got a bit quilting happy! It was my fist time!

Birthday preparations

 Seeing as I hadn't realised just how fast a fourth birthday has crept up I have been rather stressed and busy!
Last weekend we were lucky enough to have my father visiting too so lovely busy times.  Have more cooking and baking to do for tomorrow....

Of no fixed abode....

Well I have kind of resurfaced after absolute and utter complete chaos that was moving day, and now we are making do in a chalet in a holiday complex with breathtaking views and a spa! It s beautiful, a lot small and  a bit kid space short, but there are beautiful walks in the area, through forest and around sea sides, and five minutes from hubby's classroom, which is becoming a second space ( and where I am blogging from now!). Unfortunately, even though I packed our camera to take, said hubby packed the cord for down loading with computer at the back of storage container where it will remain for about six weeks!   I am going to try and borrow the classroom camera for some pics but I can't give any promises!
In the meantime I am also madly sewing for the easter fair in Mapua, because i lost a bit of time there, and quite happy with my kiwiana kitsch tiki collection really. There are sleeveless hooded vests with felt tikis on. Tiki brooches, and softies.  Come check it out 10 - 4 on Sunday 4 April at Mapua domain. Gold coin entry with proceeds to school and playcentre.
 Also very excited to draw your attention to  an almost family member's new blog: ♥ and sol, she has started down the craft journey and has a great eye for cool, check it out!

Autumn calling!

The children thought the slightly chillier mornings and faint colouring of the poplar leaves mean that it is high time to make an autumnal nature table display. Nice work don't you think? It was completely self directed, and we are looking forward to some nature walks to collect more leaves etc as they fall.

 I've started sewing  for the easter fair, inspired by retro sheets and pinnies, and bias binding and ric rac. lots more projects in mind, lets see how far I get!






 Ive also been knitting up this  wool. it has turned into a cowl style scarf, with a twist ( unintentional, but makes it drape nicely), and I am completely in love with the colours, it is like knitting molten gold, or autumn leaves and so soft! My son was stroking it this morning as he had his wake -up -nurse.  I'll try and get a photo soon of me wearing it.
 I have been busy this week looking after a friends farmlet: milking her goat and feeding chickens etc. I love it. I spent a year in Australia on a farm stay outdoor centre attached to a high school where we had a myriad of animals to see to every morning;  including teaching the students who came on camp to milk cows by hand. It made quite an impact, and I think has  made the yearning for a country life unignorable!

Sewing

A boat necked tshirt for a two year old's birthday, with felt squirrel hand appliqued on. T shirt fabric from op shop stash! pattern from ottobre magazine.

Carefree girls

Thanks to the generosity of a crafty friend I have been able to borrow her copy of  carefree clothes for girls , and have been inspired!  I love the aesthetic of it  but haven't got the money at the moment to go and get beautiful linens etc.  So in the spirit of use what you have I whipped up these creations, the chemise (on Anoushka, right) the blouse with crochet doily trim ( on maaike, middle ( thats my monkey son in his grubby pyjamas, I'll get around to new clothes for him later)), and the quilted bodice dress  (below).  beautiful, now to customise some of my clothing in the same vein....

The fabrics I used were old cotton sheets, scraps of pink linen from the op shop, a remnant of the princess and the pea fabric, an old  tablecloth and some doilies from  my stash. buttons , a gift from gill .