Done!!

Was it just me? Or were the few weeks leading up to Christmas totally hard core FULL ON???!!
PHEW! Oh good! I wasn't alone!!

A few posts ago I told how I was deflated thinking that I had set myself up to fail by aiming too high... 

WELL... TA DA! 

I did it! I surprised myself and everyone around me by completing 5 crochet beanies and about 12 ten minute table runners!!
BOO-YA! 

For the beanies I made;

1 Teddy Bear

2 Flowers

2 Dinosaurs

The beanies went to my nieces and nephews and every couple in the family received a table runner as well as a block of chocolate... I really quiet enjoyed making those beanies... I ended up turning out one every two evenings of work!! 

The ten minute table runner pattern found on YouTube, after being informed of its existence by a fellow crafter and very dear friend... I watched the YouTube clip once and set about making many... 

I had only 4 more table runners to complete when i discovered that my silly machine threw a hissy fit after I changed the bobbin and wouldn't sew properly!! Something happened with the tension causing my thread to bunch on the underside of the fabric... I had already prepped and cut the fabric needed and it didn't seem to matter what I did, I couldn't seem to fix my machine... So I had to make do with what I had made... 

Now having thought on it and after discussing this situation with my MIL (Mother-In-Law) who by all rights and definition is one of the most amazing quilters I have the privilege of knowing and working with (not to mention the ability to steal all of her beautiful scraps, discarded projects and the like)... She suggested to me that maybe the issue of tension in my machine was due to my needle?? 

Mmmmm.... thinks I... Maybe...

So now I must wait till the end of the week when I return home and am able to confront my machine about her behavior, to see whether or not this is the case! 

Any hoo... This holiday period has been lovely, BUT I cant wait to get back to my crafty nook and simply BURST with ideas and stuffs that have been invading my head since I left home!! 

So for now... TTFN... Ta Ta For Now... xoxox 

Trystan 

Aiming too High...

Sup y'all?! 

HOLD THAT THOUGHT - Gotta change a dirty nappy... Hum a song for a moment would you?

S'all good... DONE!

Back too it...

Last month (that being October) I thought to myself, 

"Christmas is coming up! So why don't I make some gifts?" 

Harmless thought you say?? WHATEVER! I have 20 nieces and nephews! So after that realization I says to myself, "NO WAY!" Then the Hubbs suggests to take all of the children to the movies as their gifts! BRILLIANT me thinks!! But then it occurred to me that there will be three (from my side of the family - the rest are from Hubbs side) that live far away - as in Melbourne far away. So i thought, "I'll just make them a beanie to keep em cozy in winter. And that can be there present..."

Surely learning and making three crochet a beanies all by Christmas shouldnt be too difficult - I being pro at teaching myself how to make things and all... 

This is what I wanted to make...

It started off good... But that is where all the goodness stopped...

Sigh... I really need to stop tooting my own horn when I cant back it up... 

I've been teaching myself from YouTube videos for over a week now... So far I've made an adult side beanie and a newborns beanie 

It doesn't even fit my two yr old... The top left corner is the adult one half done...

But cant seem to get a grasp on the toddler sized one... not only that, I seem to have done something wrong in the one that I'm working on now and its puckering as it were and wont sit right... Not to mention my darling daughter (3 1/2yrs) thought she'd be sooooo helpful by cutting my yarn off at the last stitch I did, successively undoing much of my work... 

sigh...

I dont think that I'll get there by Christmas... I'm feeling rather discouraged...  :(

Trystan...    

Halloween...

My children and I have been invited to a Halloween party on the 31st of this month!! 

I'm sooooooooooo excited!! Even though we live in Australia and don't celebrate this holiday as largely as American's/ Canadian's do, there are some of us that love to do what we can to have some fun and dress up at the same time! And i like to use this as an excuse to goof off! 

I've already made plans for costumes for the children and for myself!! My SS (Sewing Sister - who also has been invited) and I have decided to make ourselfs into Pioneer Women!! 

Today we went together to Spotlight and picked up a pattern and fabric too, as well as the bits and bobs needed for our dresses... I'd post a picture but can't seem to do it from here... Boo!
My SS is coming with her children to play tomorrow - rather the children play and we cut out patterns!! I'm soooo excited!

Trystan... 

Sewing Sisters

A few weeks ago a friend of mine stated she wanted to learn to quilt! "Well!" says I, "I'll teach you!" And so it began!

WE got together at my place with our little buttons (four of em') in toe and sewed all day...

This was the set up, in my dining room...

By the end of the day the house was trashed, children were wasted but very happy and the mummies were tired but satisfied with the days efforts!

We had both put together a quilt top made from a layer cake!

This was what mine looked like... 



That day my friend (of whom I call my sister) and I decided to get together on a regular basis for sanity's sake as well as feminine enrichment and learning!!

So last night was the first time we were able to get together to just sew and chat and be ourselves... All in all there were three of us sewing UFO's (Un Finished Objects) and sharing our birth stories - as you do!! LOL

Can you see three machines??

It was really a relaxing evening with the girls... no children to bother and distract or there was nothing that needed our immediate attention or that would take us away from our machines! It was a night that made me smile and gave me so much personal enrichment and satisfaction...

I have dubbed us the Sewing Sisters (one of the ladies sewed a dress... so this guild is not exclusively a quilters one)

 I was only able to get one block done...

This is the first block of baby quilt I'm making for a friend from church... Her baby is due in November.

I decided to use a small jelly roll that I had laying around and looked on YouTube for a tutorial on how to make a quilt with it... I found this tutorial done by the Missouri Quilt Co featuring Three Dudes Quilting, that showed me a simple yet effective way to make this block! I have to say that now I'm completely hooked!! I font know if I really want to give away this quilt when its done!!

Since I was only able to get one block done last night, I've decided that tonight I'll continue on in quilting style!

I'm baby sitting my cousins two little girls (my two little girls have some too) at her place tonight and have bought all of my sewing gear with me... (Between you and I - the stuff never actually left the car from when I said goodbye from my friend this morning!) So when all of the children are in bed I'm gonna SEW, SEW, SEW!!

Trystan...