Frazzy Dazzles

Monday morning sees me packing up my little basket and trotting along to do a bit of stitching. It’s always nice to play show and tell when you get together with a group of like minded people. For this reason I took along this little frock. Made for the sole purpose of flashing this gorgeous fabric about. I’m thinking that the little pinny at the front needs a pocket. The Little Bush Princess loves a skirt with a pocket. There’s always so many little things that need to be taken from one place to another isn’t there?

I liked the skirt fabric so much that I think it needs to be the border on the ‘dance with a dolly’ quilt. It’s just so pretty.

 If you own a fabric store and you see me coming you might want to reign me in when I start pulling fabric off the shelves. I was only in the place for ten minutes and this was the mess that I’d made! It’s fun to be able to pull bolts off the shelves and arrange them in ways that make you happy. If you’re visiting a good fabric store they should let you juggle your options before you buy.

Fabric and the inspiration for how to use it comes from so many places. Fabric is a medium for so many senses. It’s a tactile creature as well as a visual delight. It can even appeal on an audible level. I love the sound of a pair of strong metal scissors cutting fabric on a hard surface. I even like the satisfying sound of fabric being ripped…except when it’s the knees of The Golden Childs jeans!

Not so satisfying then….

I think of fabric as a very feminine thing. Designed, manipulated and shaped by women throughout the centuries. Purposed and repurposed until it could be useful no more. I know it’s not entirely the relm of women…but for me it holds that connection. I think of women through the years who have used it to solve their problems, dressed and warmed their families with it. Tucked their children up beneath it. Kept the warmth within their homes and add colour to the furnishings within them.

It’s a powerful thing.

 I’m rambling now…again!

My next quilt will be one using these funky little Japanese prints and some gingham, spots and stripes. A baby quilt that remains largely gender neutral…I hope! We’ll see I guess.

 p.s….don’t worry I’m leaving the orange out of the baby quilt. It just didn’t work for me…you have to leave something behind for the others don’t you?

Indulge me. I can’t help it.

These are our newest little goatie babies. As I write this they’re yet to be named.

Twins. Boy and girl.

So beautiful!

I’ve made no secret lately that I’ve struggled with what ‘to do’, how to ‘do it’ and if I even want to keep ‘doing it’.

‘It’ being follow my creative thoughts or let them flow away.

Then I went to sewing on Monday my friend offered me these little beauties to take home and make some eye candy for her store.

Free reign. Do what you like. See what you can come up with….

Penny drops and I start to feel the threads of thoughts start to disentangle themselves and rise to the surface.

Doing ’something’ seems not only do-able but probable!

In one day there was a really simple ribbon or strip quilt (above) hung over a chair. Fabulous for the first time quilter or the stitcher who needs quick results to feed their sewing desires. A pattern that almost writes itself and will be easy to follow. Keeping it company was a bright, girly frock and a fun little skirt.

The quilt top isn’t bordered or even quilted yet (I’ll post some photo’s when it’s finished) but I’m loving the bright rays of colour it’s bringing to our family room. Made all the sweeter that I got put it together while my lovely friend and I chatted and drank tea!

The fabrics are from Michael Miller and Patty Young’s ‘Play Date’ range. There’s also a splash of that gorgeous blue spot of Michael Miller’s that has my heart! Love it!

The quilt top left more than enough for a bonus little spin skirt. No point in wasting fabric when it can be used!

How wonderful it is to be doing ’something’ again!

I know that I’m supposed to visit around here a little bit more often than I have been….but I have an excuse. I actually have a lot of them.

Firstly I had surgery for my wisdom teeth to be taken out. Then I had to have surgery within that fortnight because I had another gall stone emergency. How you can have a gall stone emergency when you no longer have a gall bladder had me flumoxed…but there you go.

Enter school production and living under the stage of the local theatre with a kindy class for a week. Stressful, enlightening, eye opening and rewarding. A rich tapestry!

Then I was forced to realise that life can be cruel and good people can be taken from those who love them before their time as I witnessed the pain and sadness of losing a mother and wonderful wife wash over our family friends. Seeing a gorgeous and magical woman lose her life made me wonder what on earth I’ve been doing with my own. I look at how she lived, loved and was loved…it’s made me think that I need to start living the life that’s mine a bit better.

Now I have my hands full with children and school holidays. Keeping little people busy and happy while the winter weather takes that challenge up a notch.

…..there are lots of reasons why I haven’t been here. Some of them good, some of them not so good but all of them have played a part in my absence.

So now I feel like I’m standing at a crossroad. In a week my kids go back to school and I will be on ‘my own’ again. I feel like I’ve learnt a lot since I was here last.

I just need to decide what I’m going to do with all that valuable time.

Paint and draw?

Sew?

Design?

What ever it is I need to do something. The time for treading water needs to be in the past.

I think I need to make a list….or seven!

No excuses.

I know I haven’t been around here much lately. Things have been busy and hectic to say the least. Scott’s been away a lot for work leaving me busy with the kids. Then last week The Little Bush Princess had to spend three days in hospital with the effects of a virus. Scott was away for work and I had to rely on a truly wonderful, kind and generous friend to care for The Golden Child and be there for TLBP and I.

It was stressful, upsetting and hard for everyone…but it’s over now!

Another time consuming activity has also been completed. I’ve finished my contribution to the school concert…stitching up eighteen little dresses and pairs of pants. The last week has been smoother and apart from having to have four wisdom teeth out tomorrow….urgh….hopefully things will be back on a more even keel now.

Out on the farm things have been bubbling along whether we’re there or not. Our goat herd has increased again. Taking our numbers from the original eight adults to eight adults and four babies.  We spent our day out there yesterday with friends. It was lovely.

My baby with our new twins, Titus and Lucky.

All of our goat babies together. May is quite a bit bigger than the others. She’s grown so quickly! She’s half the size of her mother already.

This little lady is our newest addition. Her name is June. She’s the softest creature in the world!

She’s blessed with the most attentive mother in our herd. Soft and gentle, kind and concerned.

Hopefully things will be back to being a bit more normal once my teeth are taken care of and I’ll get back to posting more regularly.