Little Doggies

This guy has a brother - two crafties I made as Christmas gifts this year. One boy lives in Melbourne the other in MacKay. Cousins to Pairie Dog and Clever Mr Fox. The pattern is from this book Sew Me, Love Me: Best Friends to Make. 

My Dad took it touring with him while he was on holidays there recently!

Her is my darling London niece in her smock!

Other Christmas making can be found here

She has arrived!

A little while a go I posted about a doll I started to make for Hj and I am proud to say that I have finished it - although the sewing is not the bestest of all bestest I love her & I hope Hj does too!

Here she is sitting in a doll crib that my Grandfather made for me & now Hj's Great Grandfather. I am also giving this to Hj for her fourth birthday. I made a little quilt for her and today I found some doll blankets that my Great Grandmother made for me!

Today she started playing with my old barbies - I am so glad Mum saved them. I would have thrown them out for sure. We spent quite a bit of time playing together today - didnt get any of my household chores done!

Stitching is apart of the stuff we do

Kd is into his second week of school as a Grade One boy & also a new school. One of our "start-of-a-new-year" ritual is sewing key tags together. Here is 2008 and then 2009
This is the orginal image - I nearly passed out when Kd handed it over - as it is so detailed - but I think we did an Ok job! Kd stitched the black line around the outside of the design.

Below is an image my darling brother in law sent through of my sister soon to have her baby in April with her birthday scarf on. Her birthday was in Novemer, and I sent her gift to London via the ocean - I think she got it mid Jan! It includes french lace left over from my wedding gown, placed over some lovely velvet I found.
I have also fallen in love with this amazing paper sculpture that Kd created a few weeks back - completely brilliant

Oh when will I ever be brilliant? Speaking of embroidery brilliance check out these embroidered chairs.

Childfriendly

Last week I put my hand up to join a local committee the child friendly city working party.

Did you know that Bendigo is the first city in Australia to be recognised as a Child Friendly City by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in 2007. That is pretty exciting!

Not long ago I had a job interview with the Children and Family services with the local council to be one of their project workers and put together their children's festival. At the interview I experienced total memory recall of a past life working in a local government setting and it wasn't the greatest! So I decided to stick out my current job, despite working within unrealistic hours and goals. - but then who isn't?

So I hope through joining this committee I still have the opportunity to focus Council's activities more sharply on children.

There are a lot of things happening with children services and schools here that make me cross - this concept of SUPER schools, the one stop shop for childcare, kinder and maternal childhood services - madness - completely kills community, culture and simply builds a bigger bureaucracy for people to wade there way through - forget encouraging exceptional children, families. This is one reason that we are selling up and leaving the community we are living in. I am not keen on my children growing up in a SUPER sized community.

inside a caterpiller

Latest Music

Remember that embroidery for that music star I did - well her Cd is now for sale.

And here is the latest film clip coming out of Sailors Gully, Eaglehawk. Critics have called labelled it laid back beats, underscored with a consistent ferocity engaging hoo-la type moves.

fixed to a line

Doesn't it look like our house is being gently pulled up into the sky?

Our house is on the market now - a for sale sign out the front and it is listed on a real estate web site.

It has been hard work getting it ready for sale. We are all really enjoyed having a de-cluttered living space - much more livable!







Saturday night I finished piece for the Castlemaine State Festival it is ready to be packaged and delivered tomorrow. This work is curiously biblical. Reminding me of the story of Noah and the great flood and the promise of peace and goodwill after destruction.




But is also makes me think of this photo at the top of this post our house. Of the power line connecting us to the grid - but it looks like our house is about to lift off into the sky. Perhaps there is a another work to be made of our house at the end of the stick the dove is carrying.

I wish I stitched this whole thing in grey and didn't introduce colour. I thought the blue would give the feeling of hope - but it doesn't at all. A bird carrying a stick is enough symbolism of hope - colour really isn't required at all.

Last week's stitching

Kd and I enjoy our studio moments together - but they are much more infrequent now that he is at school 5 days a week.

Kd drew onto the fabric using a washable fabric pen - I then embroidered the drawing - using colours that he picked.

Lots of Mum's have done this - and the inspiration for me came from Amanda Soule's book Creative Family and also the Angry Chicken's Bend the Rules Sewing - essential reads for any crafty Mummy.

Here are some lovelies here too




Wednesdays are my complete days of joy - as they are spent in the studio. Here is a sneak preview of my work in progress. Gee not sure if I like it - let's see what I think in the studio tonight.

This work needs to hurry up an resolve itself - due for delivery next week for a local festival - it is mentioned here

And Yes, I always sew with a hand gun sitting next to me!

Our new special joy

Darling Quinn, my sister's son, took a very long time to arrive. I was so very pleased and happy to have my sister call me in as a support person to her home birth. All together I was with her for over 24 hours - although she laboured much longer than this.

I was not prepared for the emotion of the birth - I have been crying all over the weekend.

But now deeply in love with this little boy. Isn't he just incredible.

No school today due to extreme weather

My boys sleeping in xxxx

Art Cards

Kd stayed home yesterday from school due to the high fire danger as did Hj. J and I both worked half days. I don't think the day was really bad as we were lead to believe. Oh well.

This means I have to now work a full day today on a Saturday all by myself in front of a computer - oh drats!!!

Wednesday was Kd's last preppie midweek holiday and we did some crafting. Kd is making art cards for an international kid's art card swap. We are also making a special bubby present too. Shhhh, keep that under wraps - this bubba is arriving any minute now!

Loddon River Picnic

Great way to spend a late Saturday afternoon next to a quiet River during the late Summer. We sat right next to some ancient trees and rocks. I heard the river and the wind talking to each other when we went for a walk. The wind flew down and rippled tickly on the surface, I think they have been friends for a long time.

Thanks Jase for organising this special evening at the perfect, but very low, Loddon River. Also a special thanks for the Long Gully crew who pulled up and pumped out Star Fm for us to enjoy while we ate our meal.



This was my treasure find on the way out of the reserve - a special bark necklace.

Last Weeks Warrnambool Trip

At the opening of Come on the Scene, Warrnambool with the very special Carly Preston (in the middle) and the darling Trevor Flinn.

Me in my latest opshop find in Colac - half price day - perfect therapy for calming nerves after a car accident.

Hmmmm - I wonder why I have one hand in my pocket - what am I trying to hide? It seems that I haven't given up hope of pretending that my bottom isn't really that big!



Here are some more special people that I caught up with in Warrnambool for a quick breakfast. Again life arriving to me in my thirties in little snatches of wonder.
This is Kel who I spent many leisurely hours enjoying life while we were meant to be at Uni - what a great time before mobile phones, ipods and the internet thing... In fact we were living in caves around smokey camp fires and scratching our bellies - how did my bottom get so big without a computer for so long in my life?

Slicing, fighting and winning

Did you know that I have three awe inspiring brothers.

One winning bike races



One fighting fires, right now as you read this - prayers and love with you Sammy




The other a programmer and server of yummy things.


However, no matter how brave they are, I do know how to freak them out. Check out these stitches I got in my head on Monday.

A recent collaboration

This little stitched work is a the outcome of a creative afternoon with my son.

Good fun in our cellar studio.

It recently arrived safely as a gift to two special people living in London xxx

I have enjoyed visiting this playful blog this evening.

Assessories

A girl who always knows what hat for the occasion.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to make an art smock or library bag for Kd and his prep year- I am very good at talking myself out of using a sewing machine. However I did enjoy myself stitching these little beauties up.






Still experiencing the anxious Mum thing with Kd starting school - have I done enough to prepare him? Am I there enough for him before and after school - have I wrecked his life by sending him to creche? Am I communicating in a positive way to him? Mummy guilt.

Hang on some more worrying - is he sitting in the shade to eat his lunch? Has he got friends to eat lunch with? Does he worry and feel anxious at school?

I wish I could go to school for him -

Hetty was wondering why people go to school. I replied to her by saying; We go to school to learn things so that when you are an adult you don't get lost, because you will know about lots of things, and it is easy to get lost when you are an adult.

The First Day

Yes J and I did cry and got lost in the crowds of parents & no one warned me how hard it is to get a park - biking it into school will be much easier.

Kd settled into his new environment very quickly. He found a group of boys, a car mat and some hot wheels and I had to ask him to kiss and cuddle me good bye.

Packing lunch boxes & afternoon tea are now my major interest in life - I am off to do some strawberry smoothie ice blocks and rum balls now.

Thanks for everyone passing on loving wishes for this mile stone in Kd's life.

(sob)

- incase your wondering he tucked his shirt in himself!