See, I don't kill every plant I buy!

I don't kill EVERY plant I buy, but unfortunately the 'tree man' we got in to prune around the balcony (before we begin its long overdue overhaul) went a little overboard and took out a couple extra...

So... here are the pictures of the home-grown fruit I was about to harvest:

1. Gold finger bananas 2. Passionfruit on the vine (there were about 100 almost ready to pick, now they're probably all at the tip) 3. Passionfruit flower (the fruit grows from the centre of the bloom) 4. Ripe passionfruit and the two banana flowers which are also edible

Jase made the man come back and replant the one banana tree that wasn't totally wrecked (unfortunately the one with the largest hand of bananas) so not all is lost... with a bit of luck :)

I just love this dress :)

here is the most gorgeous dress... If I were getting married, I think this is the dress I would choose...

I can't believe you can get someone to make it so cheaply! I hope the person doing the actual sewing gets paid a fair wage...

Now if only I could find somewhere to wear it... (and lose about 15kgs!!!)

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home...

I love that quote! It's by choreographer and dancer Twyla Tharp and pretty much sums up my way of life where art is my way of escaping all the responsible things I should be doing :)

I'm procrastinating again today, but this time I'm actually folding laundry because I'm scared to get started on Zander's quilt!!! Here's a sneak peak at some of the fabrics I've collected:

I know once I get started I'll work out what is missing and I'll be back to Spotlight for more material!

I think I'm going to work on the applique designs first and then put the quilt together afterwards. I'm thinking it will be lots of long horizontal lines, possibly wobbly lines (if I can work out how to do it) with a rocket and maye an alien/astronaut on top. Wish me luck!

One down, two to go!

When I was pregnant with Nat, I made two tiny quilts to go onto the toddler beds in the room that she'd share with Zander. Now that my 'big kids' have moved onto full-sized singles in their own rooms, I thought it was time to make some new 'mummy-blankies' (as Zander calls them) :)

Here's what I've made for Nat.  

I wanted to make something that didn't need ironing after washing, so I did a sort of 'scribble stitch' over the squares so it always appears wrinkly and soft. Being that I haven't had any sewing lessons since Mrs Vanstone's class in year 9, it is decidedly home-made looking but made with love nonetheless!!! I put coral fleece on the underside (something I never intend to sew with again, way too stretchy!) and Natti has pronounced it 'soft like a bunny' to sleep under :)

Here are the quilts that are on the 'out' - relegated to snuggling under on the downstairs couches for our movie nights at home :)

Next... Zander's quilt. He's picked out some material, I just have to get the guts up to begin! I'm going to applique some rockets on his (seems to be a shortage of 'cool' boy fabric here in Bundy)... wish me luck!

Warm, woolly happiness...

In two weeks we're off to Melbourne! Can't wait to enjoy a bit of cool weather, it has been way too hot up here!

Despite the heat, knitting/crochet has been way more appealing than folding laundry over the last few days, so here is what I've got up to while I'm watching telly at night:

This is a cocoon that I've made for the new bubby... can't wait to put him in it on a sheepskin and take pictures of him sleeping! It seemed sort of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie...

This is the beginning of a blanket I'm making for him. Couldn't resist this wool at the end of last season - seemed a great unisex colour and only 50c a ball, so I'll have plenty for another project...

And here is Natti wearing her finished beret - all ready for the cold Melbourne weather...

Where there is love... (Burundi proverb)

My Natti is afraid of the dark. I have always found the darkness very suffocating and have recently been thinking of a plaque I used to have on my bedroom wall which comforted me when I was younger. I wanted to make something special to hang on her wall to make her feel less afraid.

I was browsing online for quotes and found a gorgeous photo of mother and son here. The words inspired me to create this for Nat's wall.

It came out a lot darker than I thought, and I'm not sure if it's quite what I envisaged but it is finished. I've been looking at it for a week and can't decide if it's staying or going on etsy... I guess it has already served its real purpose - getting me away from marking assignments for a few hours and showing my girl that I love her.

First I cut the heart out of a sheet of navy felt, then I used chain stitch to embroider the words. I layered some red-tone fabric scraps underneath the heart and sewed everything together, finally using gold cord and a gold tone heart to spell the word love in the centre. I stretched it over an old painting I did a few years ago on canvas.

Nat seems to like it - she volunteered to turn out the lights herself the other night, "cos now I'm berry, berry brave".