Maiden Ramblings: 2010

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

9 Flower Wednesday

I managed 9 flowers and 12 half flowers this week. I'm going to try to get them all connected before my baby arrives. I'm currently 1 day over due so I don't know if I'll get a chance. If I had a choice I would rather have the baby out, although the quilt is covering the floor in the baby's room at the moment.

It's good to know the quilt top will be finished soon. Its been a while since I've finished a quilt and this will be the first one that I have ever made that will not experience a sewing machine.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Keep a little sunshine in your pocket...

I'm loving having this time off before the baby arrives. I'm catching up on projects and doing easy things for the baby. One of those projects is my "Sunshine in your pocket" stitcheries. I've now completed all 9 and now have to look for some cream and red fabric to cut up and make into a quilt. This one was half done and lost in my sewing room a few months ago but rediscovered when I finally had the time to make my messy sewing room back into an organised sewing room.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Ready for the baby...

I may be due next week but the nursery has been majority done since April. Every time I walk into the baby's room I can't help but smile. I just love everything about it and how it signifies the beginning of our family. Although the room is blue we haven't found out what the sex of the baby is. It's more of a sky blue to suit the decals I bought off etsy. I've finally found a place for the baby quilt I made a few years ago.

I made up these easy to sew softies from Saffron Craig that are sitting on an old chair that I recovered in some pretty cupcake fabric.

I've had to put a baby gate up to keep my dog, Rupert, from getting in there when no one's around. He's managed to sneak in their a few times as it's the brightest room in the house and he loves lying in the sun. He managed to take a rubber ducky and chew it to smithereens. But we still love him and he can go in there as long as I'm there too.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

30 Flower Wednesday...

Spring has arrived in Australia, so I figured a flower update was in order. I have sewn all my previous flowers together and completed another 30 flowers. I still don't know how big this quilt is going to be...

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A lazy day on the couch...

A lovely girl at work knew I loved owls and bought me the Sublime stitching Bib embroidery Kit. It didn't take much convincing myself to sit on the couch to do them today.

It's only 1 week til my due date so the couch has become my best friend lately, although I did manage to walk around 5 holes of the local golf course on the weekend following my husband. One of his friends had forgotten his wallet and because I'm such a good friend I wanted to personally deliver it to him and figured I might as well walk the rest of the course with them.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Twenty One Flower Wednesday...

This week I have added another 21 flowers to my garden... I think it's time to start filling in the 'foliage' so I'm not left with a million little white hexagons at the end. After all these hexagons my thumb is a little sore. I've built up my left thumb muscle so much that I think I could beat anyone in thumb wrestling!!

Monday, July 5, 2010

26 Flowers in Bloom...

I've wanted to do a Grandmothers Flower Garden quilt for quite a while now but I wasn't keen on buying the homespun as I wanted to delve into my current stash. So I think what I'm making is now called a hexagon quilt.
After realising I'd have enough 1930's repo fabrics left over from my Dear Jane, I researched my bum off while at work. Being Pregnant and stuck in the office where I feel like I'm work experience I get a lot of time to surf the net. The result is a hexagon sheet downloaded from this site and a fantastic tutorial from Sew Many Ways. Each side is a little under 1 inch.

It took me 7 days to do all these. I am having so much fun doing these while watching some Cold Case DVD's. I seem to get addicted to 1 project and go for gold. At least my Sewing Machine is getting a well deserved rest. Maybe she should be treated to a service.

I went and bought a big piece of batting and have started a design wall. A couple of stick on hooks and a spare wall later and I have this. Unfortunately the only wall suitable is in the lounge room. Every other wall is either too small or not well lit enough. (They're my excuses anyway)

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Proudly introducing 'Candy the Kitchenaid'

For over a year I have lusted over the 90th anniversary Candy Apple Red Mix master... I have had various celebrations over the last year where someone had said they would get it for me, But to no avail. I was then devastated to discover it was not being made anymore. No stores had it and when I saw it in Person at a friends 30th i got a little emotional. And putting it up my top to sneak it out was not an option. Have you felt how heavy these things are? And then she informed me that the store her husband purchased it from only had 2 left in the country!!

I bit the bullet and within 2 days it was in the mail. I even spoiled myself by getting the ice cream attachment. Isn't she hot. The microwave even got banished to the laundry so that she could be the focal point of the kitchen.

I have already made Vanilla Slices, Lemon meringue pie, and Banana bread. I'm still to make any ice cream although the bowl is chilling in my freezer. I'm not ashamed to say she gets a LOT of caresses when I'm near her!!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A busy year...

I have been going CRAZY with my Dear Janes lately. And I'm a tad over them now. I really need a break. I've had the busiest year so when I could get back into sewing again I jumped at my DJ's and neglected my blog a tad.

Here's an update on what I have been doing....

Last October I married the love of my life at the beautiful Cleveland Winery in Lancefield, Victoria. The beautiful Bernadette had told me about it when I first mentioned the idea of getting married a few years ago. We made it into a whole weekend deal and there was not a niggle of stress the whole weekend. It was truly amazing...

My dress actually has a train which is tucked up underneath the dress. Thus the boffy bit at the back.

We then delayed our honeymoon til February so we could spend 4 weeks in America. Visiting LA, Vegas, New York and San Francisco. The highlight was definitely New York. We travelled Business Class like rock stars.

In Las Vegas we saw the amazing Cirque Du Soleil production of Beatles Love. We loved the amount of acrobatics in it.

The strasophere casino. See the thing thats hanging from the side of the building at the top? Thats a ride that I went on and nearly pooed my pants on it's that scary. You are basically looking at the ground while it goes around in a circle.

Me with my feet firmly on the ground with Vegas as a backdrop.

This is the night we arrived in New York. I couldn't believe it was snow and not rain whizzing past my window as the plane landed. Times Square just before midnight. Luckily we left New York just before a MASSIVE snowstorm hit.

I visited a few craft stores in NY and just had to take a photo of the window display at the Lion Brand Yarn studio. I bought enough wool to make 3 amazing starfs that I haven't got around to making yet.

On to San Francisco and a lovely bike ride over the Golden Gate bridge. I wish we would have caught the ferry back from the first town of Sausalito instead of trecking it to the following town that wasn't as close as the map said it was, and hubby had a cold to make it worse.

We drove from San Franciso to LA in a convertable and I just had to visit the Winchester Mystery House on the way. Unfortunately you cant take photos inside the house. Can you see the door on the second floor that opens to the ground? Basically this house was built by a desendant of the Winchester Gun company and she was paranod that spirits of the people the guns had killed where after her so she kept extending and renovating the house until her death in the 1910's. There are over 100 rooms with secret doors and even stairs that turn a corner then go into the roof. The front doors were made by Tiffany & Co and only 3 people ever walked through them because she hated visitors.

Near LA, behind skyrise buildings is Marilyn Monroe's crypt at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. It's a miracle we found this place as there are no signs to get there and all we had was an adress. We had to drive between 2 huge buildings to get to the entrance.

I didn't want to bore you with too many photos but It's been an amazing year so far.