Where on earth have I been???

Before I answer that question, below is the final Beehive block for Karlyn. It was due for October, but I have been a little preoccupied...

I loved making this block, mainly because it looks so spectacular and was easy peasy. So, what have I been up to these last three months? Well, it just so happens that I'm pregnant... 20 weeks to be exact. While I have been lucky this time around with no nausea, I have been tired and wondering where on earth this little one is going to fit in our apartment. So the study is no more, actually it's a no man's land, and we are trying to prepare Brigi for having a little brother. I have been furiously trying to tie up projects (hopefully a post for next week), and find some down time amongst the chaos.

More news... my girl is having her gastrostomy button removed in two days. No more tube feeding. Big relief but I'm a bit scared, it's been a lifeline for so long. So a big week this week, just in time for Christmas. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for us on Wednesday, it's going to be a looooonnnnng day! Bye for now, Bec xoxo

Tom's quilt

A friend of ours has just given birth to a little boy, Thomas, and I made him this quilt to keep him warm. Unfortunately the photos were really washed out so this is the only half decent one to post. In a nutshell it was strips of white and assorted prints charming fabrics, with a multitude of prints charming on the back. Very cute for the little one! My sewing machine is still in for a service and is still quite ill so I have been twitching around trying to find something else to channel my energy with but to no avail. Hopefully it will be ready in another couple of weeks. xoxo

Beehive blocks

These five blocks were made for Andi for the Beehive for July... yes, I know, a couple of weeks overdue, but hopefully worth the wait. My poor sewing machine is violently ill and I barely finished the blocks. So now it's a two week drought of sewing, then apparently machine will be good as new. Guess I should have paid more attention to the warning about running over pins!!

Ice Cream Social dress

This was my contribution to the ice cream social sew-along, although I was a couple of weeks late in entering! It's a little less floral and pretty than other entries but I like it.

The flecked fabric is a navy and white linen, and the gingham is a navy cotton voile. The linen, although I am sure will drive me nuts having to iron (unless I embrace the crushed look!), was great for this dress as the bottom panel weighs down the gingham well. Both fabrics are from Tessuti.

The trim was bought from some lace shop or other in Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong in my insurmountable trim stash, and the button is probably from Tessuti.

Picking up the sticks

This is a scarf I have made using some Noro wool- I think it took up three skeins and I really enjoyed making it. Beautiful colours, beautiful wool, this was a great winter project. The coat hanger has sentimental value- my grandma used to buy these for me in gaudy colours and I love them because they remind me of her.

The pattern was from Morris & Sons, called something like Suzy Swirl but I think it's more of a curly whirly twisty twirly. I'm now onto my second for my mum. Now the next pic is a comical shot of me trying to show you what the scarf looks like on- makes me cringe and laugh!!

And last but not least, this is a far better model shot of Brigi in her knitted red dress- with love from her nanna. Now I think she's a far better poser!

Beehive May & June

To make up for my hectic last couple of months I had a Beehive weekend and caught up on my blocks and amazingly, I am back on track. Above is the block for Julie for May, and below is a block for Amy for June.

Hope you like them ladies! Bec x

Hong Kong hangover

So where on earth could I have disppeared to over the past three weeks? It feels like AGES since my last post. For those of you stopping by, thanks for checking in!! But at least I was having loads of fun in my silence because I was shopping up a storm in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.... oh I have goosebumps over the sheer frenzy and I could write a whole book on my shopping ventures but here are a few snapshots...

So much designer-style (if you catch my drift) above and below are some Dior style pearls ( didn't even realise I was a pearl girl until I saw these babies).

These clothes are just a sample of what I had made at the tailor's in Shenzhen. I went to Adah (Shop 5138A LCC just in case you're interested) this time and was thrilled with her results. I had so many clothes, including suits for my husband, I had to sit on my suitcase to zip it shut. Lucky I had extra baggage allowance.

That frilly skirt on the left would have driven some poor person crazy- it's silk chiffon, and is three tiers of gathering. There was definite method in my madness in getting that skirt copied, I was crosseyed just looking at it. So, just a little summay of details in case you are heading over there anytime...

Shenzhen is really the shopping mecca as far as labels go, and by the way, all those prescription glasses in the first photo cost me about $45 a pair including the script. OMG. All I had to do was give them a pair of my glasses, they read the script off those lenses and an hour and a half later voila! Five pairs of prescription glasses for the cost of one pair of lenses here. Go to Suzy and Dragon on Level 2 Louhu Commercial City (LCC) in the jewellery section, Stall 17.

Designer bags- my favourite place in all of LCC was Shop 2127. She is a real wheeler and dealer but her bags were top notch.

The Miu Miu and LV scarves were from the ladies markets in Hong Kong- the guy was lovely. I paid 70 HKD for each one- bargain ($10 AUS).

What I didn't show in the top photo were some designer style shoes I bought from Vickie on Hong Kong Island, off East Luen St for about $55 AUS- Chanel flowers if you don't mind.

This photo is of me, Irene and mum in the Jade Market. She is stall number 278 and she is a lovely lady who knows her stuff.

Tim Ho Wan- it doesn't look like much on the outside but this laminate table diner has a Michelin star- I kid you not- and you will be lucky to break an AUD $10 note. I didn't and I ate like a horse. Believe it or not there is a military shop next door selling guns and face masks- just ignore it! The food was delicious and worth the wait outside (and the officious ladies out the front shouting numbers in Cantonese!). Kwong Wa St Mong Kok. MUST order the pork buns. Think of me if you ever try them...

Sigh. There in a nutshell, there is so much more but I'm out of time. I hope you enjoyed this post, I promise it won't be so long until next time!

Bec x

Beehive block for April

This is my very belated block for the April Beehive- the instructions were to make a block using circles. This for some reason provided a mental barrier for me, and when I finally bit the bullet Vliesofix became my new BFF.

In case you're wondering, it's an elephant going for a walk with some balloons, wrapped around its trunk. No, I was not on medication when I came up with this but I think it looks pretty quirky and cute!

Hope you like it Tanya! Bye for now, Bec xo

Mmmmm....

Hi everyone, my apologies for my silence this past couple of weeks. I have a private blog where I write about my adventures and trials with Mu. I haven't even had time to write in that blog the last couple of weeks, but we had a revelation in our house last week and I thought I'd share the latest entry I made in my private blog. This isn't going to be a regular thing, I'm still a crafty mama but this is worth sharing...

28 April 2010
This is the date of my dad's 62nd birthday. It's also the date that Brigi started to eat. Yes, eat. And all I can think, 5 days later, is, can you believe it? I mean can you believe it??? I can't believe it. I can't wipe the smile off my face. Each day I wake up thinking, it's okay if she stops today. She isn't going to eat today. Then she's hovering over my vegemite toast and is asking for banana. I can't believe it. Nick is in awe, he finds it amazing, and asked me last night if we should stop feeding her after a while. It's as though we are too scared to truly believe it, like we want to jinx ourselves just in case. Vicky (mu's carer at preschool) rang me and told me she had all her banana (a 1/4 of a banana!), 2 chips and a breadstick- for morning tea. She hasn't even had lunch yet. That was all the banana I packed. And the crazy thing is she has barely wanted to touch banana until now. She has always loved sucking on strawberries, but suddenly she wants banana like it's going out of fashion! Nick rang me to see if she was still eating, I said she has upped the anti! I can't believe it. It's a wash of relief and euphoria and disbelief of the past 3 1/2 years. It has been since January 2007 that Mu has not eaten. I just find it overwhelming to think of all the stress and pain we have been through, how sick Brigi must have been feeling all this time, feeling like a failure as a parent, feeling pushed to the brink of broken. It's amazing, I am pinching myself. It's wonderful. I hope I wake up tomorrow and it's still real.

Crafty shoulder pads

Just as I said to Brigi "smi-ile", she turned around and gave me this huge grin! Cheeky monkey, she makes me laugh! Below are the shoulder pads I made for her backpack, as I noticed that with the weight of her milk and machine the straps kept on digging into her shoulders.

They are approx. 4" x 3.5" with cotton wadding in the middle. I machine quilted them and then overlocked the edges. They are reversible- paisley on one side and flamingos on the other, although when I put the flamingoes on the outside they become headless. Bummer.

Until next time, keep on smiling!! Bec x

Beehive March

Yes, that is right, March. I have a reason though, I only received my fabrics from Katrina last week. The poor thing had a run in with Canadian post office people and half her fabrics were returned to her! Worth the wait though, the fabrics were gorgeous and the block looks beautiful.
I am very pleased with this one, although so many squares and triangles have sent me a little crazy. Time to get a coffee and some chocolate...

Half baked

Not that this cake is half baked, it's more a title to describe the past fortnight- I managed to get through alot, I just don't feel like I achieved it triumphantly!! It was Nick's birthday on Sunday and bless him, he requested the easiest cake in the world to make- Madeira cake with lemon icing, only it ended up being a smidge runnier than anticipated. Delish though.
Missi Mu has been sick for two weeks, which for me definitely heralds the end of summer. It started as a cold and turned into an ear infection and currently she is battling croup and some mysterious disgusting virus that is resulting in runny poos. YUCK. So yet another half baked photo, my dress I have been trying to finish. I thought I'd show you now just in case it ends up taking another two weeks! It's a beautiful Nani Iro double gauze fabric I've had in my stash for a couple of years and I thought it would make a beautiful loose fitting shift like this one. I am not sure if the neckline has worked as successfully this time as the double gauze makes the fabric more "cumbersome" in the pleating but I'm still happy with the outcome. To cheer myself up I have been wearing a lovely sparkly pair of shoes (Juicy Couture) that I have been wearing non-stop and make me look dressy even on the most ordinary of days (which is the kind of fashion I love and rely on!). A little over the top for the park and the supermarket but hey, who cares?? And last but not least, to top it all off I have gone brown... a vast change from the platinum but I couldn't keep up with the regrowth!!! I do this every few years, get blonder and blonder and then I become a brunette until I start going blonde again. Don't worry, give me time, I'll get there again... I hope you have had a more successful and less sickly couple of weeks than I have! Bye for now, Bec xo

Embroidery nirvana

I am very blessed to have a wonderful Aunt who tucks herself away on the Sunshine Coast and in her precious spare time whips up glorious, sometimes off beat and always sensational pieces of craft- from quilting to fashion to emroidery to "other", and when you least expect it an unassuming Express Post bag arrives on my doorstep with a little snippet of something special. And that is exactly what happened last week.
This beautiful skirt arrived as a "skirt front" to my mother. Sue had embroidered the flowers using her very high-tech whizz bang Pfaff (see Tessuti blog post). My mother then fininshed the skirt and triumphantly presented it to me, labels and all!!
Johnnie has-been you wonder? Well, Sue is in awe of the embroidery on Johnny Was designs- they are beautiful- and this inspires her when choosing her embroidery layouts and colours. In Ode-To-Johhny Was, Sue likes to sign off as Johnnie hasbeen! I think it's fortunate she didn't use Johnnie has-been-here as there is no way I could wear that label on the outside!!

And to top it all off, here are the gift tags she has made especially for me- Sue knows I have a thing for bunnies, especially quirky ones wearing white strapless gowns! Aren't they adorable? Lucky me, thanks Sue xo

Meet Mr Mu

Here is my husband, Nick, in a slightly wild eyed frenzy, triumphantly pulling out freshly baked banana muffins at 10:45 last night. He had an urge at 10pm for a muffin and became totally obsessed so he found the wooden spoon and set off to work. It was a delicious supper and a lovely surprise!!

Market treasures

On the weekend Brigi and I made a cameo appearance at Mathilda's Market at Paddington Town Hall. This is what we found...
A spotty raincoat (will I ever get over red and white spots???) in a size (1-2) -miraculous- most raincoats start at size 3 and they are too big for my chicken. Some 3/4 pants, perfect for transitional weather... and some stripey "resort wear" (ie slouching around at home).Unfortunately any attempt at stylish photos were thwarted by Brigi, who insisted on being my assistant...
Thanks for your lovely comments last week, it helped to lift my spirits! Brigi went really well in hospital and I am muddling through our new routine (milk and tubes flying everywhere). She is on the pump 22 hours a day at the moment, but as you can see she isn't letting it stop her from enjoying herself...
xx

A polka dot vision...

This is what I have been frustratingly making this past week- a backpack for Brigi!!! Why so frustrating? Well it seems obvious now but coated cotton has no give and such a little bag with so many curves was difficult. So what makes this project unique?

Well, I'll tell you a little about my Mu. She has to go into hospital this week to have a tube inserted into her intestine for feeding... this means she has to carry a machine and milk around for 20hrs a day. So as a mum I figured she might as well look super cute-she deserves it...speaking of which, this is what Brigi will be doing when carrying milk- climbing furniture just to get her fave book at the moment!


I love you Brigi. I wish I could take your pain away.

Polka dots...

...seem to be something I just LOVE on Brigi. She has red polka dot hats, swimming cossie, dresses from when she was a baby and leggings with polka dot frills.
This latest polka dot is a beautiful Moda fabric, it is a vintage coloured red with off white spot and is plastic coated cotton, but not so shiny and stick, more muted. This is a unique project, I will unveil (with any luck!) on the weekend.

Frockalicious

Remember this fabric from a couple of Sunday Stashes ago? Well I have busted my stash to make this beautiful gelato coloured summer dress, and what a great little one this is. It is perfect for hiding a tummy after large dinners and easy enough to throw on before taking Missi Mu to the park.
The pattern is Vogue 8552, and although it says very easy and ended up being easy, it required comcentration on reading instructions, as the darts in the back weren't standard and the neckline required me to focus. I did about half the basting in the instructions and the pleats at the neckline are staystitched into place to create a lovely ruffle.
This pattern was overall really detailed and logical to follow. My main issue with it was the armholes- WAY too small (unless I have somehow in the fashion world been classified as 'tuckshop'!). Fortunately it was easy to fix. After sewing the side seams I tried on the dress and pinned around the armhole of one side where I wanted the seam to be. Then in my undies and bra with pins flying around me I stitched the bias binding on this line. Instead of rolling the bias binding to make an edge on the armhole (as it said to do in the pattern- I wasn't too fussed on this idea anyway) I folded on the seam and then staystitched the bias underneath, which complemented the stitching at the neckline. I then measured from the finished armhole to do the same on the other side.

Sunday Stash #19

Wishing you a happy Valentines Day...

xx

Lucy's quilt

Remember the quilt I made AGES ago here, well this was given to little Lucy. And you know when you make a present for someone and you know how much effort you put into it and then you wonder if it is ever going to be used or just left in the cupboard??? Well I never realised until Lucy's Christening last week that her mother (and my oldest friend) Marie uses the quilt all the time, so I am totally stoked!!


This is Lucy trialling "tummy time"! Dear thing, grand old age of almost 2 months and she can fall asleep anywhere (now that is what we all aim for!).