Perseverance and restraint

Of late I've been practising some serious restraint - I've been itching to start a new project and even have the fabrics picked out, but am trying to persevere with some of my many unfinished items. While I really should be working on the stitcheries for Alex's quilt, it's been cross-stitch that's captured my attention recently.

As with my quilting, I have various cross-stitches on the go at once. One such project is 'Tempting Tango' by Vervaco... one that I'm really hoping to actually finish one day and hang on the wall! It shouldn't be too difficult - it has a pre-printed background (first cross-stitch I've worked on that has this) and no backstitch. Over the last couple of weeks I went from having the gents hat completed...

To having two faces :)

Hopefully I'll have upper bodes before too long!

And remember my Seaside Cottages? This has been plodding along also, and has gone from this...

to this... almost 2 houses complete!

I'm so lucky - both my little ones go to bed at a reasonable time, leaving me to a few hours of stitching before calling it a night. It's so great to have a bit of 'me' time. Here they both are having a play together this morning (Alex is convinced he can get Sofia to play with him and his cars soon - here he is trying to put one in her hand)!

Until next time x

Couch companion

Can you believe it - I actually finished the stitching for the Leanne Beasley couch companion I blogged about earlier in the month!! Time to cut it out and choose fabrics...

I went with "Sonnet Collection" by April Cornell for Moda as my 'main' fabric, accompanied by a selection of William Morris fabrics. I had actually earmarked the fabric before starting this project, making sure that my cotton choices for the stitching matched :) Time to get to the machine...

I thought the pincushion part of the couch companion would be tricky to sew, but as you don't need to stuff it very much, it was easier than expected. The companion came together really quickly, with only the hand stitching of the binding slowing me down. At last another finish for 2013, another tick off the 'UFO' (unfinished objects) list!! What do you think?

The perfect companion for my new couch :)

Now onto other UFOs...

Until next time x

New adventures and a new seat

My life's journey has been more of a roller coaster ride over the last 12 months, taking some very life-changing turns. Of course there was the move to Bali, and then the pregnancy followed by welcoming my gorgeous little Sofia. Also, a few months ago I moved back to Australia - back to my hometown in Tasmania. Coming 'home' has been hard at times, but I'm also finding excitement in the new adventures ahead of me. Currently I'm settling into our new house, and having lots of fun making a house a home. 

The house has a great yard - someone has done a good job with the landscaping, and here's hoping I don't kill too many of the lovely plants with my not-so-green fingers. Alex has already been testing out the concreted area immediately as you step out the house, by riding his bike up and down the area. I'm also hoping to enjoy the backyard, so today my stitching got put to the side and I got busy creating something else... putting together a 'jack and jill' style seat. 

I had a keen little helper...

And after not too long, it was all set up!!

And the view from the seat...

Now that the weather is warming up and the wind calming down (the wind has been crazy of late), I'm looking forward to spending some time sitting outside, cup of coffee handy, doing some stitching while the kids (well, Alex for now - but Sofia will soon catch up!) play and enjoying the garden.

Until next time x

Yet another project!

After being away in Canberra and only working on the one project really for 3 weeks I needed a change... yes, my attention span on the one project is rather limited!! So when I got back I decided to pull out yet another unfinished project I occasionally work on. Leanne Beasley's couch companion:

I really liked the colours in the stitchery that Leanne Beasley used in the original so mainly stuck to the same, just chose what looked similar from my existing collection of DMC threads, and matched the fabric I plan to use. The main difference is that my 'button' flowers are two shades of orange rather than light pink, and my tulips are a deep red rather than dark pink.

I stitched the pincushion component that goes on the inside about a year ago:

And am now slowly but surely am working on the outside flap...

Still about five tulips to stitch and then I need to commence on the brown flowers... and then to stitch it all up. I'll see how I go finishing this before the end of the year, although knowing me it may very well get put back in the UFO pile. Fingers crossed I keep up the enthusiasm for it though, would love to share another finish on this blog soon!

Until next time x

Cuddles in Canberra

I currently have my two little lovelies sleeping (at the same time!!) so I thought I might quickly jump online and share what we've been up to.

The wedding of some friends was enough of an excuse to come to Canberra for a couple of weeks. It's been great to catch up with so many friends, introduce Sofia and even do a bit of stitching. We've had lots of play dates with all my mummy friends, so Alex had lots of cuddles (here with little Raf from our Mothers Group)...

Sofia definitely had her share of cuddles (here with the gorgeous Elena)...

And Alex continues to love cuddling Sofia...

I managed to get to the stitching group I used to attend when living in Canberra. It was lovely seeing all the ladies and their current projects in progress. And despite needing to take both the children with me, I amazingly got a few stitches done myself! Work on Alex's quilt continues, but will share more of that at a later stage :)

In a couple of days our little holiday will come to an end and we'll start our journey back to Tasmania where we'll be based for the meantime. At the end of the month we'll be moving into a new house, so it should be a busy few weeks - I'll try and keep you updated on my new adventures to come...

Until next time xx

Slow progress...

Ok, so I didn't quite finish Alex's quilt before Sofia was born but I haven't forgotten about it! I'm finding all the stitcheries in Annie Downs' 'A Boys Story' rather time consuming but I am plodding away at them when I have the motivation and between other projects. I find they're rather good to take with me to craft mornings as they are a single colour and therefore don't require my carrying around too many supplies!

Hopefully some more progress to share soon on this ongoing project...

Beautiful and treasured gifts

Since Sofia's arrival we have received lots of lovely gifts from family and friends. I thought I'd take a moment to share some of the extra special gifts that have been handmade especially for Sofia.

My mum knitted a cute pair of socks. Before Sofia was born we were a little worried that they wouldn't fit as they seemed so small, especially around the ankle. As it turns out, they're still a little big!

A friend of mum's from craft group had knitted some goodies in 'prem' size - perfect for our tiny Sofia (despite her not actually being prem!).

My godmother has also been knitting up a storm, making some lovely cardigans that actually fit my little girl

Mum's friend Judy (who visited us in Bali earlier in the year) has knitted Sofia a lovely bright cardigan for when she's older. I love the fluffy wool she's used on the edging!

It was such a delight to receive a crocheted blanket from a close friend of mine in Canberra. I really like the colours she's picked as well as the design. I must confess that so far it's been used more by me, keeping my legs warm during cold middle-of-the-night feeds! It's snuggly and warm and I know it will be treasured for many years to come.

Another family friend of my mum's has also been knitting, sending Sofia a cute dress with matching cardigan and booties. I'm looking forward to Sofia being big enough to wear this outfit :)

This same friend of mum's also knitted up a gift for Alex. All up, Alex's gift comprised of a colouring book, home-made pencil roll (filled with pencils), a knitted hat and this cute aeroplane:

The plane has been a huge hit with Alex (who is 'vehicle' obsessed - if he's not playing with cars, it's either buses, bikes, trains or planes!). I couldn't keep him still enough to even get a decent photo! This one below is slightly less blurry than the others I tried...

Thank you so much to everyone for all their well-wishes following Sofia's birth, and to those close to us who have created such special gifts. They are much appreciated and will be forever treasured.

Until next time xx