Mini Art Quilt Finished

Yay for finished projects! I finished the mini art quilt I have been working on. I've taken some close shots so you can see some of the detail. I wanted to make the girl a scarf, and was originally going to knit a miniature one, but ended up making one from needlelace instead, which is a method of weaving a needle and thread inside a cotton wrapped wire shape. It's an old school technique for a modern piece.


There's something just so soothing about looking at stitching...


One more close up...


I'm happy it's finished. Next I'm finishing off a cushion cover that's been half finished for ages.


I'm slowly working through my collection of art projects here in my studio (which isn't really a studio, more like stuff spread over a couple of rooms at the moment) and deciding what to finish, what to sell and what to keep or store. I'd like to be all orgainsed when our house gets built and I finally have a real studio for all of my stuff. The house plans are coming along! I cannot wait to decorate my own house!

Hi, remember me?

I'm not sure I even do- I have morphed into a baby-food making, nappy changing, baby entertaining machine. I'm quite good at it all now I reckon, because that is all I do. And being comfortable with that for the time being is making me happier, so some things have to give. Like blogging. Oh golly gosh I repeat myself a lot.

News and stuff:

- We snuck off to sunny Palm Cove (North of Cairns in sunny Queensland) for a week. Yay! It was very warm and lovely to not have to cook for a week. Stevie was a great traveler and she loves to swim and meet lots of new people. Smiles all around for everyone. Cheeky bub.

- Cluckers is looking very much all better. She has grown her feathers back and we are mighty pleased with this.

- Stevie is just about to crawl. She is terribly, terribly inquisitive, and I think once she gets going I will be following her around non stop pulling dangerous things out of her paws.

- Jim has gotten all crazy and obsessed about aquaponics. It's like hydropnics but with a fish tank to feed the plants. He is making a small practice one with a goldfish tank in our sunroom. I think it's all quite funny and a little cute. We bought some fish today for it.

- We are starting the ball rolling in getting OUR HOUSE BUILT! Very exciting and I have been on the lookout for different and unique things that I can get within oz. I have my heart set on hand painted tiles at the moment.

Now, some art!!!


Do you like my recent moleskine drawing/painting/collage? I feel like even though I haven't been drawing or painting for ages, that my style has been evolving internally anyway, and I got really excited when I started to draw again with all the possibilities and new directions I could take with my art. It's strange how it has changed (or it feels like it has) without me actually literally working on the evolution. Maybe it's because I have changed so much in the last 8 months from becoming a mother. I'm looking forward to getting back into it but I have also made an internal shift recently where I am ok with this break from my art and relaxing into my mothering role without resentment. I am taking time to "smell the roses" (or baby I should say), and not stressing myself out with personal expectations. Sweet!

I hope you have enjoyed my little update, it's been nice to check in :)

Odds & Ends

It was my first Mum's day last week!! Jim, I mean Stevie, was really nice and bought me my favourite flowers, Aussie natives. I then got bacon and eggs cooked for me for brekkie. Nice. Eggs from our chooks of course. Well, chook.

It seems Pecky (a.k.a. bitch-face) has been pecking Cluckers. At first we thought a baby fox got into the pen, coz I accidentally left the door open all night one night. Did I feel terrible. Then we thought it was rats (there are a lot of rats out there at the moment- and on a quick google search I found that hens do get attacked by rats!! Yes: EW!!) but now we have seen that it is Pecky. We think we may have to separate them, but in the meantime I have been remembering to let them out and give them lots of scraps to peck at to alleviate boredom to see if that helps. Any tips or advice is most welcome! I also read on the internet that vinegar in their drinking water helps, but I could find no explanation on why this works. Dumb! Frustrating! Anyway, Pecky is still laying, but Cluckers has stopped out of distress I imagine. Poor little lady.


Today I read somewhere on Sally's blog that she has drawings from her little 6.5 month old. I thought, shit, why haven't I gotten Stevie to draw yet? It seems ridiculous that I haven't, me being an artist and all. So we went to my desk for a drawing lesson. Stevie was much more interested in trying to eat the pen and the paper, and then did some banana vomit which went all down her shirt. But I did manage to show her how to draw a weird cat-dog (what the hell is with that nose), a stick figure man (I thought with a drawing lesson this would be the best place to start), and some other little cute shapes. She managed some lines & a dot & some drool spots as she is thinking outside of the square and breaking all the rules already. She is a drawing rebel.


Went shopping yesterday with my Mum, my Auntie Di & my cousin Kez. I have wanted a watch for ages, and have been eyeing the one off that Bridget wears on Neighbours. I think it looks pretty cool. (Don't die Ringo! Actually, I don't care, you annoy me anyway...)


So... I bought one from fossil. On comparison it looks pretty similar, I reckon hers is a fossil watch too, and I think hers actually looks more manly. I was pretty happy with it and thought it was great until I got home and showed it to Jim whose comment was, "wow, you're really making a statement with that." Said in a not-so-enthusiastic manner. Now I have been scrutinising it and wondering if it does suit me. Another comment from the darling fiance of mine was, "it's something you'd expect to see on someone younger." So now I'm not so sure. It certainly is chunky and big and does make my wide chunky engagement ring look dainty! But I look at it and think I love it, but then from a different view or angle I think, do I really like it? Does it suit me? Bugger it, I think I do like it. What do you think? I love how you get a funky tin though, I like the one I got with this watch.)




I do feel I'm getting old though and liking different things and my Mum and I were joking about how we are looking at different shops now. My eye is being caught by the shops Mum used to shop in, and she is quite worried that the shops that my Nan used to shop in are catching her eye!! It is quite a feat going shopping with a baby too. Not much actual shopping time by the time you minus nappy changing/ feeding/ nursing time. But it was still a good day and I got myself a dressing gown, new jammies and some cute clothes for lil miss nugget.

I also got some Sarajo Frieden cards. I love this artist. I think I may frame these.


And sorry, once again, for the lack of posts!! I am always thinking of new posting ideas for my little blog, it's just finding the time that is a problem (I have blogged right through my dinner time tonight! It is now time to eat!)

See you soon :)

Stuff For Stevie

I finished the cardie for Stevie! It's extra thick & warm which is just in time for winter. I finished with less than 30cm of wool left over, can you believe it? Lucky!!!

This thing took ages coz I am such a slow knitter. And all through this project I was thinking, why did I start this? I could have made a bunch of stuff in the time that it's taken me to make this. But even tonight I was tempted to go through the pattern book that this cardie came from and start something new. Ridiculous. I'm not going to though, I have other things floating around in my mind that I need to get out.

And check out the old-school type booties I got for her from an op shop recently. I love them. They have sheep skin sewn to the bottom of them.


I have been wanting to make Stevie some clothes and to quickly satisfy this urge I did some quick jazzing-up of some preexisting items. I got these orange pants from a second hand store too, and I thought they were a pretty good find until I took them to the counter and the woman said, "Oh, isn't that cute?" as she pointed to the little paddington bear emblem on the leg. I said (unenthusiastically) "yeahhhhhh..." thinking, "oh crap I didn't notice that before", so upon getting home I got out this cute fabric I have with toadstools on it and covered up the (gay) little bear!!



And I thought, what a quick way to make cute funky looking clothes, so I cut out a pic from another piece of fabric and stitched it to this plain target top. Awesome! She'll be the best dressed baby on the block in no time... if only she will stop vomiting/ drooling/ spilling food on to all of her clothes...

I've Caught the Knitting Bug

I am naughty. I never finished my mini art quilt project before I started something else! I've already broken my new rule of "one project at a time". The quilt is nearly finished though, and I will not be starting anything new until it's done!
But I did recently finish knitting this nappy cover for my little nugget. It lay unfinished for yonks because I made a mistake, and mistakes that you need to fix often make you loose motivation to finish things. Right?
Anyway, so I finished it and then I had caught the knitting bug. So I started a little cardigan for Stevie from this lovely alpaca/ wool blend from my local wool shop. As you can see I'm a fan of the multi coloured wools.



So I will finish the quilt soon & show you when it's done. Promise!

In sleep news we have had a break through. Since introducing dinner to my little girl, she has slept thought the night twice. A full night's sleep is like heaven!

Let's finish up this post with a word from the little gal:

.; u vh n vb h b ,jm v f

Oh my Stevie, your typing skills have really gone downhill since your last post. (Yes, she typed that herself...)

Sleep? Sleep? What's that!?

Hey there. My name's Stevie. The girl who has decided she does not like to sleep.

I'm setting out to annoy my Mum. I generally like to have really short naps and then spend the day cranky, unless of course, my Mother is right there in front of me entertaining me. I mean, who wants to sit happily in the stupid bouncer while Mum cleans the shower? Not me! Mum should do that boring stuff while I have my short naps, but she usually eats or naps too, the lazy woman.

Then there's the night time. Waking every two or three hours is my new trick. There's so much playing to be done, so who wants to sleep? So Mum thought I may be waking due to hunger and started me on solids. (I was getting extra hungry during the day, too.) I'm pretty good at eating, love the stuff. I have only had rice cereal and stewed apple so far, but I love it. At first it tasted weird and I spat it out, but it got better with each spoonful, so I gobbled up the whole lot.

Mum is confused about what to do about my sleeping. She's waiting to see if I will magically start sleeping better again at night, but I have news for her... he-he :) She's hoping that when my belly is fuller that I will sleep better. But hey, there's no hurry I reckon. In the meantime she's trying to ignore advice to let me "cry it out", "get rid of the dummy", and "How old is she? 5 months? Oh no, she doesn't need feeding at night." Thanks to sleep school for that last one. I like feeding at night!

So, just thought I'd pop in and say hello coz my Mum is slack when it comes to blogging so thought I'd better post something for you all. And tell you how smart I am, learning how to type already and all.

The Stitches & Craft Show- Melbourne

Went to the Stitches & Craft show on Friday with Stevie & my Mum. Discovered some awesome work by crochet artist Luisa De Santi.



Went a bit nuts at the Amitie Textiles stand. I live a bit of a drive from the shop so thought that a good enough excuse to stock up on some cute fabrics. None of which match each other to use in the same project which means my project to-do list just got a little longer ;) I'm thinking either a skirt or decorative tea towels for the top fabric. Stevie will probably benefit from the other designs...



A cute hoodie for Stevie from Twiglet. Such nice individual earthy designs...


And a really cool book with heaps of skirts and bags in that I want to make right now. There are probably a dozen skirts in this book that I would wear which made the $31 price illegal to pass up. I also bought a copy of Mixed Tape zine which is a great read from what I have seen so far and I'm thinking of taking up a subscription. It gives me the same pleasure reading it as I get reading other like minded crafty people's blogs, only in tactile recycled paper form. Nice.


I also met Liz from Betty Jo who's stuff looks mighty awesome and funky online but even better in real life. I saw some other people too from blog-land but shyness came across me and I did not introduce myself! Bah, silly girl!

All in all it was a good day. Hot, but good. Got loads of inspiration and if funds had've allowed it I could've spent a bucket load... but I think I spent enough!

I did forget at one stage though amidst all the excitement that I am actually a mother and need to change nappies. Sorry Stevie..!

Parenting Thoughts

It's true. I made a mini-me. Stevie is at the top, I'm in the next photo with my Great Grandmother.

My my how time is flying. It seems Stevie is doing something new everyday. Her newest thing is doing this movement with her right arm that I like to call "helicopter arm". Maybe she will be right handed? Not a molly duker like her Mum.

I am currently asking all Mum's I know why the heck they did not warn me how tough this job would be. I guess being a parent is hard to explain to someone who has never been there. Maybe that's why.

I have been through so many ups and downs. But where I am today is a good place.

I still stress out and feel completely overwhelmed at times and to be completely honest I did suffer from a bit of post natal depression. Before I had Stevie I wondered how one could suffer from depression at such an exciting time, but if parenting has taught me anything (and of course it has, it's taught me a lot) it's taught me that all preconceptions regarding parenting are going to be extremely challenged and most of the time far from how things really are.

I say I'm in a good place now, though I am still struggling. I am tired. My body hurts, I miss my art. I complain and then feel bad for being so ungrateful and not living up to my own expectations of being a "perfect" mother. One who does all she needs to do without ever whinging about it. But what is this facade we all try to put up and for who's benefit is it for anyway? Ours? For others? It doesn't help ourselves not to share with others how hard we are finding things at times. And it certainly doesn't help other Mum's when we lead them to believe we are doing just super and have it all together with a clean house and a home cooked meal on the dinner table at 6pm every night. It's our duty to other Mum's to leave our houses messy when they come over, and to share the fact that sometimes we just can't do it all and that we are not perfect human beings. Then maybe it will help them to not feel so bad when they can't keep their houses as clean as ours.

This is the hardest & most emotionally intense job I've ever had. And yes I admit, I'm a bit of a lazy person. But it's also the most rewarding. I complain, but I'm not looking for sympathy... I just don't want to pretend that everything is perfect and be all la-de-da here as that would only be telling half the story. I am happy, but I have my moments.

And so even though right now my back is aching, the little nugget is asleep in her cot & I am looking forward to holding her again when she next wakes. I am looking forward to the new milestones that the next week will bring. She is on the verge of rolling over and new sounds are gurgling out of her mouth frequently. I am excited about starting to introduce foods to her (we bought a pretty funky high chair today). Her smile is the most awesome thing in the world.

So I need to rest up and prepare myself for another day. Another day where I need to remind myself that this time will go fast so I need to enjoy the present and really enjoy Stevie as she is now. Not to care so much about a messy house- which is easier said than done. And remember that any great achievement usually takes a lot of hard work... and that I'm not alone coz there are a stack of other Mum's out there that are doing the exact same thing.

Mini Art Quilt Project

Been working on a new project and proudly sticking to my new rule of one project at a time. I've been really drawn to sewing and stitching recently so I decided my latest project would be a mini quilt. I love creating a "painting" using fabric and thread as my paints and paint brushes. I get so obsessed about methods to the point where I think about them all the time. I've been really thinking about hand sewing & how I love it when pieces of fabric are sewn together by hand to form a nice tight join with rather naive stitching. As they get sewn together, the loose folds are pressed down to a new permanent form. I don't know what it is about it, but I just love it. Like this:


I think I have finished all I want to do for the main image. Oh, except I want to knit a little mini scarf for the gal. Then the next step will be to add some batting and some quilting stitches which is such a fun part. Kind of like adding varnish to a painting.

I love love love naive hand sewing and this album cover (Joanna Newsome- The Milk Eyed Mender) has been a favourite sewing piece for me for a long time. So inspiring and probably got a lot to do with the fact that I make so many sewing projects now.


I try to make my stitching naive but while my subject matter is on the naive side I think my stitching always ends up being a little too neat for my liking. I like looking at the stitching on the back of my projects as I like the messy look it has. I wonder if could make a sewing project from the reverse side? There I go again... jumping onto ideas for a new project. Focus girl, focus.

Nice Day For a Walk...