The drought

I've done close to nothing this week, for two not very good reasons.

The first is the heatwave we've had in Melbourne.  Four days over 40°C in a row, preceded by some almost as hot days kinda beat the house into submission.  Mornings were spent going to sensibly cool places like the toy store (a new train set to abate the boredom), the supermarket (who doesn't love going down the up-escalator?) and appointments.  We even ventured Bub's first zoo visit early Monday morning.

The other reason is shopping. 
I've currently got two, almost three, sewing machines on my radar and I've been researching and comparing them in the time I would normally spend using them.

I've finding it hard to choose between the Bernina 350 PE and the Brother NV-400. 
The first is around double the price of the second, but with a 10-year warranty (10 or 2 times more than the other). 
The Brother has more stitches to choose from, but there are a lot I'm unlikely to use.  It does have three alphabets, rather than Bernina's two.
But the Bernina is so robust, and strong.  You can see how one could spend a lot of time on this choice.

And then my sister said "Have you considered Husqvarna?..."  So now the Opal 650 has taken my eye.  It's price is helpfully between the other two.

Anyone got any solid advice out there?  

 

Tip of the day: Fitting your craft time around your baby time

When they nap, you craft.  

Do the desperate must-do tasks* - chuck on the laundry or whatever is time dependent, do the baby's dishes, feed yourself - then skip the emails, the book, as well as anything you can do while Bub is up (i.e. other housework).

Then start your craft.  Start as soon as you can.  It doesn't matter if it's thinking, planning, organising, doodling, actually putting needle to fibre - start.

And here's the antithesis of that advice:  Don't put off starting because the baby 'might wake soon'.

This hesitation is the Achilles Heel of all Bubbamummas.  It's a furphy, a ruse, a con.  

Of course she might wake soon, but she might not...  What if you knew you had a solid 40mins guaranteed?  You'd start, yes?  Well, pretend you do and begin.  Even if she does wake in 5 mins, which she sometimes will, you'll have made a dint in something. And that's something!

That's the best advice I have about productivity with babies and toddlers.  I'm not sure at what point craft time can realistically overlap with their waking time.  I've done some simple knitting while she's pottered around me.  I've been able to sew while Bub lunches by me in her high chair, but I wouldn't try it when she's running about.

The only other thing that makes a difference to my productivity (besides sleep) is space.  I'm fortunate that Bub shows no interest in my craft stuff that's around the living areas.  It's not laid out, pins exposed with scissors in reach.  However my machine is on the table, out of reach but handy to me, and there are boxes of fabric about and snaplock bags of quilting squares.  But! I would love to have a room I could close behind me where the work actually is laid out, pinned and ready to go.  If you have such a room please stop reading this and go use that glorious box you lucky thing.

Here are some other posts I've enjoyed along the way of this blog... Maybe they have the magic recipe for you.

Check out guest blogger Kathy Stowell, and her post about Sewing with Kids, hosted by Sew Mama Sew.  She follows 6 steps to fit it all in, including using any 5mins you can get every day!

See if Abby Glassenburg's One Touch Rule, over at While She Naps, is for you. 

Or maybe Sara of Sew Sweetness has your style.  I call it 'going hammer & tongs': "Even though I take care of my family during the day and work a part-time job on the weekend, I devote every spare minute and stay up until midnight every night, so that I can work on my bag designs and blog. I have found my calling, and I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen."

*I write this under the premise that you're reasonably rested.  Sleep trumps everything, especially in the early days of mumming.  If you have to choose between sleep and food, have a bowl of cereal and go to bed. For the love of all things cheesy, sleep if you need it.  Can you name the day in under a second? No? Go to bed.  Trust me: I didn't and it was often a mistake.

D213: Chipping away amongst it all

So I made that cake last night so there was something for my folk when they visited for lunch. Too rich! Too rich! they said.  Oh well, more for us!

According to this, I'll be making quarter-square triangles (QST), not half-square triangles (HST).

I've been double checking my method for making up the QSTs.

I am planning to make up my QSTs by sewing two squares together, right sides facing, then cutting the sandwich into four triangles (squares when unfolded at the seam) by slicing corner to corner twice.  I'm hoping that what I've got will be sufficient for a cot quilt, otherwise I'll be wishing I'd discovered this HSTx8 tutorial before I began cutting:

There is also this tutorial for HSTs. I watched it with the sound off and it still made great sense, it's that good.

I also really like this tutorial, which also works without sound. Isn't video grand?



Four per square is not bad and it has meant I've clipped small portions off my scraps rather than using whole pieces.  There are some fabrics that wouldn't give me an 8" square, so all is well.  My only concern is not warping the pieces when making it up, but that's something to be careful of regardless of your grain direction.

Languishing

For a few days after my previous post I worked on the baby quilt.  I even purchased some fabric to make some binding and tried to problem solve the front and back being a little uneven (this is why people do plain backs).

I also made some spicy pumpkin muffins in preparation for the inlaws visiting to babysit while we went to our dear friends' wedding.  But I haven't been well so all else has paused since Friday night.  I've not been bed ridden, but I've been poorly enough to be completely disinterested in online shopping and three of the muffins went mouldy.  My crafting mojo is dormant.  Dark signs indeed.

I have continued pinning and liking things though.  I mean, I'm not dead.

D101: Quick Tip of the Day: Gadgets!

Today's creative thing is a short Tip of the Day...

Kitchen aid thingy plates

USE YOUR GADGETS!! (Creatively too!)

In the last few months I've used my kitchen aid thingy - I don't even know what it's called - and it's been marvellous.  Capsicum, mushrooms, carrots, fruit - so quick.

From slicing apples for the Apple Roses, to doing all but the broccoli in our dinner meals, to grating apples again! This thing has become very handy since I started pulling it out more.  My thumb says to remind people that the slicer plate is also very sharp. :(
I'm sure one day I'll use the zester, as well as that other plate for something other than grating when the grater needs washing...

Tonight, while cutting pears for baby food, I thought I recalled a corer in our drawer.  It's not the kind of corer I prefer for apples, so I've ignored it for ages (not even sure how it got there). But for soft juicy pears it was pretty much perfect, and way better than a knife.

Corer, spring mixer, parmesan grater

The spring mixer looks useless, but it's actually quite robust and excellent at fast mixing.  I usually use it for cake batters, but have used it to cream butter and sugar for other things too.

And the cheese grater... do you know you can grate frozen butter?  Well, not that neatly, BUT STILL!  I gave it a go!*

So I encourage you too - dig through your utensil drawer and remind yourself of the bits and pieces you've got.  I'd love to hear of any second uses you've found for what you have!  :)

*I also tried using the slicer to chop cold butter for faster melting, but frozen butter really is like a kind of stone - brittle yet changeable.  Oh well, now I know.

D89ish: Slump

Over three days this is about all I've accomplished as far as creative things go.  It is the thing I chose to 'pull out and complete' first, before all other things in my stash. Not especially exciting, and certainly not a thing I enjoy.  It may prove to be quite the speed hump.

You might have noticed that I'd skipped a few days over the Easter holiday break. I've decided to not beat myself up about missing a day here and there - it's meant to be for fun and health after all! But my days have been busy and we've celebrations this weekend too so I shan't make any promises.

There are so many things I'd like to have a go at -  cross stitching one of these quotes; some simple but interesting cushions; these little ninjas - check out my bad pinterest effort below, for a sample of my dream todo list. (Totally just got why I'd like, pinterest.  Right then.   Even as a delicious user.) You'd think I'd be super duper keen to chip away at the ooooooooooh dozen or so things I have either unfinished or unstarted - none of which are listed below.  I think I remember myself saying that the last batch of shopping would be my last for a while....

Omg this little girls' dress from Filcolana

This running stitch scarf...

...this McCalls dress...

...any of these...

...home made apple chips! Of course!

And now I realise my penchant for craft shopping is because it's something I can do while Bub's awake!

D79: Tinker

Today's creative efforts were somewhat thwarted again. Making baby foods was going to be my creative task, at a stretch, and I was all ready to argue that it was creative because I would be making it up as I go! Look forward to that, People.

Instead I turned to paper work again and made a mark on the roll of brown paper (something strangely delicious about a blank expanse to spend!) towards a skirt pattern.

A while ago, around 2006, I did a pattern making course at The College of Fashion Design in East Melbourne. (There's a reason you've never heard of it.) The pattern making method they taught was from Greece, called SITAM AB, and used two large square templates with various curves and markings in them. From these, plus a side curve (probably a substitute for a French curve), you could build any pattern piece, provided you knew how to use them. And each base pattern piece becomes your starting template for all others. They even provide books - one on pattern making and one on pattern altering. Once you get the knack of it, it's very quick, and quicker than metric pattern making. It's really very clever, but it does depend on having the rulers, which are rather cumbersome.

My SITAM stuff is currently in the garage. By which I mean, it's just a long long way away.
Today I sourced and found this blog, with its own How to for a skirt pattern, and I'm considering it as a new pattern making experience. The blogger even dreamed of going to the London School of Fashion: Yes, I looked at their handbook on my youthier youth too.

The instructions are for a pencil skirt, but I think I can use it to develop what I want. Anyway, as a result, my creative time was spent researching and learning. Not much in the way of pictures, but there you go; learning can be hard to capture.

D78: Calling it in

Last night was a bit long and today was a bit stuffed. As a result I haven't gotten a creative thing done, but I did tend to future creative things by shopping during the day. I bought some plain colours to pad out the quilt set I have. I just don't think that 6 different prints is going to provide enough variety across the pattern, and I thought some plains would be good. I might even appliqué something onto the panels. Why not?! Unfortunately, as I've taken the fabrics from the bag, I can see the pink is a poplin but the taupe is not. It's a lovely fabric but it's not the same... Grrr! I didn't notice at the counter. I'm wondering if it matters, especially since it's not quite the colour I'd have liked (this is quite dark, and they didn't have a light aqua). Sigh.

I also bought a red to go with this print. This matches quite well. I'm looking forward to what this might become.

So, as I've done before, I'm compensating with an internet find.

Creative Chicks is a sweet blog I've begun following recently. It's three sisters who create for their homes and families, each with their own style and interests, all very good at what they're doing. I especially like the quilting posts, so that's what I'm linking to here: http://creativechicksatplay.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Quilts
I think it's a fantastic idea for a blog and it's lovely to see the variety across the different posts.

Day 15: Busy

Today I pinned and hand sewed the seams of one cube. It's not much, but with appointments, guests and shopping I'm pretty ok with that!

In other news, did you know that those sharpeners with two holes are actually for the one pencil? One size is for the wood and the other is for the lead. They require different angles.

I kid you not.

Bam.

Postal goodness!

It arrived! I bought myself a gift pack from Spoonflower. It includes swatches of the fabric they sell, a gift voucher, a book, a notebook and a pencil.

I have yet to really look at the book but it's pretty spesh with a CD and all. It even has printed paper (like wrapping paper but uber stylish) in the back which I will never use because no occasion will ever be special enough and they’ll totally go to waste.  It even has a tutorial on how to make your own fabric patterns that you can upload and have created and mailed by Spoonflower. I do not consider my artistic skills anywhere near good enough for such extraordinary extravagances.

Ugh, now I have to decide what to buy with my voucher. Have you seen that site?! It's the hundreds & thousands of Alice in Wonderland. Drunk swimming through Jelly Bellies. Laying down in puppies.  I'll OD on the colours alone...