Off To The Melbourne Show (22nd & 23rd Sept)

Come and see me in the Arts & Crafts Pavilion. Gonna have a ridiculous amount of stuff there... I'll be sharing and I'm always caring so that's a given.

My friends Rhonda's coming to visit!!

Got A Hankering For Some New Potholders

I like to make a little train-project, but since I've been home with the pneumonia (doing well now thanks), I've almost done them. It's been nice really, after the initial BLEH... I've managed to close-to finish Ruby's Wagga, work out some knitting projects, think, catch up on Carey Grant movies (then back to Ingmar Bergman), just generally play at a quiet, sewing/knitting/movies pace.
However, today I am determoned to vacuum! My One True is sick now too, though not too badly... But he's a boy, so it's all cold & flu tablets and tele and compulsory company. Nice too!
Obviously, you are more than welcome to use the design, and you can sell any items made (only) if it's for a charity.

Once the pencil lines are washed of (with a soap-loaeded toothbrush), the shapes are more subtle.

Hmmm... maybe I need to re-do the moustache? Make it thicker.

I'm usually very neat on the back, but something got tangled and I didn't notice and it odesn't really matter at all so it's false pride to fix it.

I just hope their little ears don't get burnt too much.

Pattern For Teacosy's

Not for commercial purposes, if that's ok, just for you and yer mates and fambily like.

I Do Stuff But I Don't Share

I'm trying to make some clothes. You'd think it could be a simple and quick thing to do for an old dressmaker, but that doesn't account for the Brilliant Idea that turns it into a long and difficult task.

I thought a knitted lining for the cuffs would look fantastic (and it will), so with the aid of the knitting calculator, I figured out the exact knitting increases etc. to do it. That was easy-ish. I found a couple of brilliant knitting books at the Oppy and found a favourite cable design and worked out how many repeats and how much either side etc. etc. Then, I lost my place and missed a crucial step in the cable and had to pull it back, which turned into a mathematical nightmare! I couldn't figure out where I was up to. Crikey!

And the only wool that suited is 2 ply! Of course.

It's all good now. Excepting that the jacket pattern needs adjusting.

What began as a simple thing - To Make A Jacket - had turned into a course in Patternmaking, an elaborate Brain Stretch in knitting design, a deeper understanding of Cable Methods, some very pretty new knitting needles and as yet no jacket! Ha ha ha! Perhaps my new, fit, boxer-cise body will be ready when the jacket is ready!

Then I soaked and washed this Pot Holder. The black fabric ran (I threw the black out ages ago but this is one of the first).

I said to the One True that it looked like he'd been beaten up or maybe fell of his bike, and he thought he needed a bandaid and some stitches. Still seems happy enough, even without counselling.

I've Finally Finished The Pot Holders!

And finally photographed them too. I think I'll keep the Opera Singer (Blow Up Doll). She's a favourite. There's one more and I want to show you the backs, but the battery is dead on the camera, so it'll have to wait.

I tried to have some of the eyes looking thother way! And yet here we are? What's that all about?

Finished. An In-Between Task

On the red back door.

Pointy head. The new one is always the best one. I have these still sitting here, and every time I'm in between things or sick of something I'll finish one. They're mostly for Christmas so there's no desperate hurry. Did I show you the other one below?

This is the back for Claire's Wagga.

Finished The Blanky

Baby's due next weekish too! I managed to buy a large cane woven carry basket, for sleeping at Daddy's house. Trouble is, it squeaks so loudly when the handles are moved (as in every time you pick it up by the handles) that poor baby would have a heart-attack! I'll have to stitch some felt in there or something. It's pretty, and some people go Oooh Aaah, but I wonder if it's cheerful enough? I'll have to accessorise it with brighter colours, in sheets etc. Matching of course. It does feel lovely but.

This is 'Blow Up Doll' potholder, coming along. More tears. I don't really know if she's really, really moved by the singing or if she's upset.

More and More and More and More and...

Baby. I've just put eyebrows on. 1 1/2 anyway. I like this one.

You can't see it, but just off camera there's a really funny clown. He just told a joke about a goat. I wasn't listening so I'm not really sure.

This little vampire/blow-up-doll was meant to be singing. She looked like she was a choir girl kindly singing Christmas Carols on a frosty Christmas Eve somewhere in the 19th Century.

I can't think. Dad's just had a hip op (worked well) and I'm staying there looking after him. I'm doing Cert IV in Training & Assessment too, which is so huge and arduous that this alone would cause my brain to freeze. Of course, our company has decided that we should do the course over 12 weeks, in spite of the Tafe continuously asking them to review the situation... lotsa homework and Dad to boot. It's brought the whole Mum dying thing back too, the same hossie, the same sleeping over. And I'm such a home bod, I need my home quiet time.

Stop ya whinin' woman.

Not whining, just sharing! Be nice!

Anyway, these take no brain. Pity I forgot that I'd smallened the eyes (I know smallened isn't really a word) on the previous incarnation of this design. It looked better too. Bugger! These are for the kids and two spares.

Jaden's Pirate

I can feel a ne Pot Holder coming on. The little boy is 9!! Well, on Thursday, but we're having cake tonight.

It's Late, I'm Tired, The Photo Is Out Of Focus

But you get the idea. The other one is done too...

The binding is from an old pair of boy's shorty pjama's. I've used them is so many things, I though they deserved to have the tag used as a thanks, of sorts. Endeavour.

It's still wet, by the way, from washing off the pencil marks (with a soaped-up toothbrush).

Here's the otherey. I scanned it and it (the program that I never use) decided to crop it and I'm too too tired to do it again properly. Sorry folks! I'm busting to do the next one now, but, I'd better knuckle down and study for now. Cert IV in Training & Assessment. Or, How to Bore Yourself to DEATH in 12 Easy Lessons.

P.S. Same exact template for the face.

Playing Ninja

Step One for the binding.

I've left it uncropped in case you want to print it out... the size should be right. Not that it matters. This is for the previous one, obviously.

Nearly Finished.

My fave.

Just have to choose a binding.

These pics are scans so they're not as nice as photo's. But it's late and dark... I'll get to it (I always say that).

Progressive Observations Of The Mouth

Can't decide whether or not to use it otherwise than as a potholder???

Now I notice mouths. How many teeth show when a person laughs. How many show when the grimace. How many teeth and how much of them. Kerri-Anne had the whole top row showing and then just a few off to one side of the lowers, not the middle but most of the side teeth. I'll have to draw it while its fresh.

.

More teeth than the last photo.

And No, I don't usually watch Kerri-Anne, but I have to go the accountant and do last years tax today. Why I didn't make an appointment last year and therefore have to organise myself as I have today (at the last minute), I don't know. But it's a lovely autumnal day and a pleasure to be home. I've light-boxed the recipe for MY birthday cake, the one Mum almost always made me, in her handwriting, onto the Grandma Curtains. It completes the curtains. I had to take them down because of the fire threat, one of the things to take, and so now is the acceptable time to do it. I lazily hadn't attached the lining to the top either, as in just catch it here and there down the sides so it doesn't fold out, so it's a good thing.

The light box clenched my choice of a man. His rich dowery. Worthy of a lifetime committment.

She Nearly Wet Herself Laughing

This is how it'd done you see. Easy Peasy. I'll try to find my sketch... I think I gave my only drawing to Betty (my daughter Claire) and cut up the copy... I'll go have a squiz while I'm waiting for the pictures to upload...

Nah, it's gone. But you can just use this picture here if you're inclined to make one.

I embroidered the teeth this time. I like the felt teeth but it wouldn't have suited this girl. Oh, and contrary to my nature I have used FRAYSTOPPER. It's a stinky, glue-type substance that Mum had (for doll making it's very useful, on fingers) and it makes the wool behave. It's brilliant actually, and I'm not any kind of gadget lover. I used it on the edging of a jacket I made (a copy) that had raw edges. I've had the jacket for years and it doesn't fray.

So, you can see that the eyes are done in a Reverse Applique method. The extra felt gives the stitching for the nose, chin and under the eyes a quilted look. Dimension. Texture.

For the tears of laughter, I did a little outline in Stem stitch before working the Satin. It makes a lot of difference.

When I do the binding I'll post the pictures so you can see how easy it is.

x

Just looking at the picture of Sadie, I'll have to copy her laugh...