Happy Birthday Sister!

It's my little sister's birthday today. Happy Birthday! I love birthdays. Special days to make special people feel special all day.

I like to make things for people, so when she kept joking with me and asking me whether I was making her a large pleated bag of posts gone by - I had great pleasure in saying no. But little did she know that I was making the above bag. In my favourite fabric of the moment - some of Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party. I am absolutely loving this range of fabric - every singe bit of it! So Happy Birthday again little sister - hope you had a great day. xx

Rather looks a little like a fig, doesn't it!

Thrifted Find

Last Friday, I went op shopping. I picked up a few sewing treasures but this was the find of the week. It's a recipe file and it's extra special because my Mum has one just like. Mum's is well used, but this is in pristine condition. It cracks me up really - it's quite, well, uglyish, sort of. I mean, was there a food stylist involved? I don't think so! After all there is a fruit loaf, fruit on a silver platter, a lone lemon, an egg and eggcup, a boat ??, and a small ornamental boat in the photo. Very interesting. We've come a long way in Australia - think of the beautiful styling in a Donna Hay magazine.

You may notice my colour change. I'm going pink for a week. I was so saddened by the news of Jane McGrath yesterday. Being a Mummy of three children, my heart goes out to her children who will be without their Mummy and of course to her husband who has lost his best friend. And sadness for her, 42 is such a young age. You can donate to her worthy cause here. The foundation raises money to provide breast care nurses in the homes of women in rural and regional Australia, when diagnosed with breast cancer.

Stacks

The stack of basted quilts grew today. It's been a long time coming, but the house was empty for a few hours and I just had to get this quilt basted. It will be sent to Sydney this week for the Mummy of the owner to lovingly quilt it. There's still a few more to baste though. I quite like just looking at the stack.....one day they will be hand quilted.

Strawberries

Ripe, Ripe Strawberries

easy mornings, when the sunshine's just feeling its way into the sky. early morning smiles, open eyes wide and welcome the day. ah sweet sunshine, on my back as i learn to sew, warming my face as i hang out the washing - a candy coloured array, sunshine. like john denver sang - it makes me happy. as do ripe strawberries that burst with flavour, oozing, staining your best top - but who cares when life tastes like this?

©Alexandra Kentmann 2008


I love the use of words, a little bit of poetry each week. It puts the spring into my step - a little bit of quirk in my day. My sister wrote the above piece, she's clever. She writes for a living. Most weeks she posts on her blog Random Poetics. Little pieces of her life that she puts into words. This week was her 100th post so she's having a give away on her other blog - check it out - she has cool stuff ! Oh, yeah, you need to leave a comment - easy!

Speaking of strawberries, these are my favourite strawberry fabrics, some old, some new. I love them all.

A Few Of My Favourire Things

A small bark cloth tablecloth with big blowsy red roses and a big aqua coloured border. Treasured.

Granny Catherine's (Pete's Granny) old glass butter dish filled with many different vintage buttons. I love old buttons - glass ones, Bakelite one and even plain old plastic ones.





Some vintage belt buckles collected over the years. Just collecting for that one day that I have a special project in mind.




These David Austen roses are for my special friend Lindy (and Mark, her hubby). Today is the anniversary of the loss of their precious baby girl - Isabella Jane - who died 13 weeks after being born full term, 4 years ago today.

Hearts

Some vintage hearts from a cutter quilt. They came from Sheena. They are fresh and happy. And small reminders of good things. I love them.

Book

The Quiltmaker's Gift is a book that was given to my son Oliver a couple of years ago by Kate, his aunty. He loves it. It's a story of a greedy king with many belongings, who learns, with the help of a generous and kind hearted quilter, to give away his belonging and find true happiness in the gift of giving. The story and it's prequel "The Quiltmaker's Journey" are written by Jeff Brumbeau and superbly illustrated by Gail de Marcken.


Oliver loves the connections between these books and what I do, what I create. He loves nothing more than poring over the elaborate illustrations discussing the quilts he would love me to make him. I love that he loves these books and that he takes such an interest in what I do - everything is quilting in his tender 7 year old eyes - crocheting, sewing, embroidery - he wraps it all under the one tag. Sweet.

For Comfortable Days

On my last visit to Sydney, I fell in love with this book that my sister had. I kept dreaming of two of the bags in it. Dreaming so much of these bags, I just had to have a rummage through my stash and make one. Shock horror - yes, I used my stash! I ditched trying to make out the pattern and made up my own based on the photos in the book. I quite like my first attempt. I will do my best to fill it up (it's quite big) with all my stuffs and love it tenderly. I've used a blue linen fabric for the outer - I've either got this from a Designer's Guild sale or my brother in laws factory (he's an upholsterer). The interior is a couple of years old - Fruit Cocktail by Chloe's Closet for Moda.

Flitting

Always flitting from one thing to another - that's what us crafters do! Here is a new crocheting project that I started last night. It's for my Mum. I love the feel of the Mille Colori yarn and seeing all the colours as the balls unravel is something else. They are great colours. I love the gentle rhythm of crocheting. This is repetition I can cope with - especially to see those colours keep coming.

Stripped Spiderswebs

Last year I was chatting to a lady at the Kaffe Fassett lecture in Perth. She was a knitter and I was a quilter and we were chatting back and forth about our respective passions. She mentioned that she once had thought she would one day like to do some patchwork, but on looking at the fabric decided against it as the fabric was beautiful as it was and she really couldn't understand why you would cut up something and sew it together again. I sort of understand her thinking - especially when you think of the process of knitting. But I love to cut the fabric up, the more the better I think. So I'll stick to patchwork I think. I've had so much fun creating these octagons. Here are my strips cut with the Marti Michell Kaleidoscope ruler and sewn together again.





This is my favourite one.

A bit of Liberty of London thrown. All you die hard Liberty fans will know which one it is - anyone who's not sure, it's the white one with knitting needles and yarn on it.

Below, is a gorgeous gift of Liberty for my birthday from a gorgeous gal - Danielle. Thanks so much, I just love it.

Love of Liberty Continued......

A gorgeous bundle of Liberty of London fabric arrived today from Kristine at Townmouse. Thank you so much they are so very gorgeous!

I've had a great day sewing. I will show some photos tomorrow of my latest quilt progress.

Pete's on his way from the airport after a trip to Sydney. He's just sent me a text saying that he's left the Japanese books he got me in Sydney, in the Qantas Club. Can you imagine how my heart has sunk? After some frantic text messaging - which I quickly ditched and started ringing, I wanted to check to see if he was joking. He had me stringed along there for a while, all desperate, disappointed and despondent. Can you believe he was tricking me!!!! Mean. New books - yippee!


The other day I was chatting to my younger sister and we were talking about our favourite fabrics and she mentioned she loved the Swell range and how she would like some. After finishing the conversation, I headed into my sewing room wondering which of the 10 projects I have going would I do today. Alas, I found a Stash and Dash bag (Amy Butler pattern) half completed in some of that same Swell range that Al had mentioned earlier. I thought I'd finish it and pop it in an express post package to surprise her and reward her as my most loyal commenter on my blog! Of course, to be fair, I will need to make something for my other sister . But first she will need to do some blogs to inspire us. Perhaps she could post about the latest quilt she's making or her latest vintage find or anyone of the beautiful corners or treasures within her stunning home. She has a really cool blue deer on display - with a great story to go with it.....perhaps she might post about that this weekend!

Inspirations

I found a quilt top today!
Originally uploaded by treasureup

How lovely and cheery is this quilt?

Lunch

On Monday, Pete decided he would cook up paella for lunch. I decided to make Stephanie Alexander's Lemon Delicious Pudding. It was good and lunch turned into a long lunch. Love that. Great paella, great bread, great wine, great dessert and great company. The weather was sensational. All in all it was a great day, the kind that makes for good memories.

A food shot, for those of you who love a food shot!

Cath, Iittala, Eggs Bene and Emma

These are a few of my favourite things......today is my birthday! I've been very spoilt. Very spoilt! So many beautiful pressies, from some new Cath Kidston oilcloth, that Iittala Mariskoola that I saw loved many posts ago, some new fabrics and vintage blocks and sewing pieces , a new juicy tube and some Sophie Kyron earrings, a Betty Jo brooch, a Japanese Embroidery book that I've never laid eyes on before, vouchers and money, a new Cath Kidston apron and teatowel, some pretty Cath knickers and even more bits and bobs!!! Lucky, lucky girl I am.

We all went to breaky which was lovely. We've had a lazy day and a great curry for dinner that Hubby lovingly cooked up. And to finish up, Emma is on the ABC tonight. Aghhhh...love the love.

On Friday, just as if she knew it was my birthday, I received a beautiful parcel that I had won from Miss Marzie. There were two new patterns from Audrey and Maude, some great fat quarters, and some ribbon and ric rac. The amazing thing is one of the fabrics is one that I had run out of during the week and was desperately searching for it on the net. Thank you so much Cathy!