Craft-a-thon results

I just got through reading some of my favourite blogs. Some from people I know in real life, some not, and I have come to the conclusion that bloggers are awesome! Marc wonders where the last five days (Easter and Anzac day holidays here in Australia) have gone, here, and then shows us what she has achieved in that time. And Jodie despairs with what she has achieved during her two weeks of holidays and then lists her achievements here. She is disappointed, but what she has done is amazing! I love that these people blog and that I get to see inside their houses and lives. I love that they share their achievements with me. In a way, I like to see that they expect more of themselves, that they fall short of their goals. This is comforting to me I guess because this small crocheted cardigan is the sole finish from my five day craft-a-thon. It is a three months size and it is the only thing I made for the new grandchild over the past five days. Of course, that doesn't detract from it's awesomeness! I really like it. It is the first crocheted item of clothing I have made from a pattern. I really love the yarn I used too.

So, here it is. An awesome tiny cardigan that took me five days to make. I like it!

Happy Easter and the craft-a-thon.

We decided on Wednesday that we quite liked the idea of Easter running into Anzac Day. What's not to love about a five day weekend? Even so, we were a little down because this is the first Easter that we wouldn't get to see all of our kids. (In fact this weekend we are down to three kids because one is visiting in Adelaide.) So, what to do to cheer ourselves up?

A craft-a-thon!

Wednesday Miss 24, Miss 14 and I went to Lincraft and Spotlight to top up our supplies and then we started crafting! Hmm..... considering how much time we have spent crafting there's not a whole lot to show yet. Miss 14 made the Easter basket above. All up she made five of these baskets and has baked some choc chip cookies to go inside of them for her church youth group leaders to say thank you for the camp she attended last week. She has been quite productive!

I finished this crocheted rug, finally! Dawn commented last time I showed it that it looked like a patchwork crocheted rug which thrilled me, because that was exactly what I had in mind as I crocheted it. I crocheted it for our new grandchild who will be arriving in July. I also finished stitching the last of my Tis The Season blocks. I have yet to put borders on all the stitcheries, but plan to do that next week. My crafting efforts this weekend though are concentrating on that new grandchild and I am crocheting a cardigan and sewing some clothes. Miss 24 is busy knitting booties. Anyway, I must get back to it. Hopefully there will be some more finished articles by Tuesday!

A little crochet.

This is what the crocheted rug is up to. I have also been stitching. Almost finished my first Tis the Season stitcheries. It would be a good idea to actually finish something, rather than almost. I'll try to do that this week. (Yesterday I took Miss 18 to the airport. Yep. She went home. We miss her already.)

A Sad Discovery...

Well, I heard it straight from the horse's lips. Miss 18 is NOT a quilter! It is a sad day here I can tell you, but, we are bearing it as well as we can. Lol! Actually, we have had a great couple of days. Miss 24, Miss 18 and I sitting in front of DVDs ("As Time Goes By", "Doc Martin", "M.A.S.H") and crocheting. Miss 24 and I are old hands, but Miss 18 hasn't done much crocheting before. She is charmed by it's speed. Here is a hat she crocheted last night and this morning.


This afternoon she decided to give a beret a go. No patterns for her, she is "winging it". (This is the daughter who sews clothes by laying down on the fabric and cutting it around herself.) It was the beret that triggered my discovery. As I went off to bed she was saying,

"No! I want to finish it now! If I can't finish it in a day I don't want to make it. I thought crochet was supposed to be quick!"

Yes, that's when I discovered she is not a quilter. She laughed and wondered aloud why I had been so slow to catch on. Ahh... you live and learn! Life has been busy and fun this week because she has been visiting. Tomorrow Miss 14 comes home from camp and we will have a fun couple of days together before Miss 18 goes home to Adelaide. I will miss her, quilter or not!

Inside out pants day report.

When this strapping fellow was about 6 years old he decided that his birthday would be known as inside out pants day. He has continued that tradition and his siblings join him in wearing their pants inside out. (His sister is in the background wearing her dress inside out.) This year they even made it a facebook event. So, everywhere they have gone today their pants have been inside out. (Craziness. It's genetic, isn't it? This is all my fault I think.) So, today he is 17. And just as crazy as ever!

Tis the Season Progress

The one thing I have done this week is stitch. I even managed to complete three blocks this week! I really loved these fabrics when I bought them and was thrilled with them all over again once the blocks were together. One of the kids keeps asking me why I am using blue and lime for a Christmas quilt. I don't know why. I just like it. I have bought some more traditional Christmas colours to make a second of these quick-to-do quilts though. I'm sure I'll like that too.

What was I doing this time last week?

I was at Val's place at a bloggy stitching day. Val has such a lovely quilty house! You have probably seen Val, Claire, Shay and Loz's takes on this. It was a great day! I was sitting here this afternoon wondering what I had done all this past week and this fun filled day came to mind. I have done some things this week. Just have to think what they are!

The doll quilt I made.

This is the doll quilt I made for Cindy. The top photo shows the colours more accurately. I forgot to take a photo of the completed quilt until I was at the post office. Fortunately I had my camera in my bag, but their lighting is pretty awful! The hexies were little, but not tiny. (I'm sure you've all got a fix on their size now after that description!) Hand pieced and hand quilted I left the edge all hexie-like, so instead of a typical binding I slip stitched the front to the back. I'm quite happy with how it turned out and Cindy likes it too! I am looking forward now to round two of the swap.

Some April cuteness!

It's shocking that it is April already. In fact it's so shocking it's taken me a couple of days to register this fact. Three months of 2011 have already passed. So, what does April hold? A lot of sewing I think. That's my plan anyway.

April started while I was in Adelaide watching this cutey. Do you like my granddaughter's gorilla nest? We spent lots of time watching her and her brother. Back home again now. Home and busting to get into the sewing room!

Doors - Snappy Friends Challenge

Okay, so these are not amazing photos, but work with me here. I had a complete vision of what I would do for this challenge. It involved a trip to the inner city where front doors are right on the footpath, then I would take some fantastic photos. But this week I went to my daughter's graduation. The graduates were taken on stage through a door to the left of the stage. When the door opened there was a sliver of light and I thought of the metaphorical doors that would open for these people because of their graduation. So, here are my thoughts this week on doors represented by these two photos.

Check out the Snappy Friends blog.

Did I mention she graduated?

On Monday I went for a drive. To Adelaide. And this is the reason why. Miss 20 graduated this week. When she was finishing up her degree at the end of last year she kept saying, "Have I mentioned that I'm graduating?" She was pretty excited then and three or four months later at her graduation she was really happy. (I'm talking constant smiles!)

Of course, you might think that her smiles were because she was leaving university behind. No. Not at all. She was back at uni the day after her graduation. That's because she has been saying to us for the last two months, "Did I mention that I got into honours?"

Here she is with her sister Miss 18, who wagged a couple of lectures to be at the graduation so I could take this photo.

And a photo with her bloke. (Who is pulling a funny face! Pretty sure he was telling a joke at the time.) She says she wouldn't have graduated without his encouragement. It's so cool when your children become adults and they find others out there in the world who want to cheer them on. Of course, we haven't stopped cheering for her either! Well done Rosie!!!