D297-307: Back in a tick...

Sorry... sorry.  I know.

I finished the ring stacking toy.  It's not perfect but meh good enough.  I did not enjoy doing the base.  Bub does enjoy playing with it though.

I haven't gotten any further with the bell capsules, although the toys that they're to go in are sewn and awaiting this.  My sister suggested I buy a heap of Kinder Surprises and keep the toy container... very sensible and tempting.  I could also buy a pack of 30 for a bit over $30, which is a comparable price against the chocolates, per capsule, and also save me having to faff around with teeny toys.  Something about the website puts me off though.  I'm not sure what... it just took a long time to find a supplier who sold them in batches smaller than "500pc" or "3kg" and they're unfamiliar...  I'm so precious.

I have also basted the gifted quilt mentioned here.  I ended up getting some rather thing cotton batting and a plain mid dusty green fabric.  It's quite a heavy fabric with an open weave (I can't even remember what its called, for shame) but it matches the greens in the front quite well.  So far I've done about two thirds of the ditch stitching.  It took some adjusting of the tension before the lower thread stopped breaking when sewing at speed, even with a new needle and the bobbin case freshly oiled.

I also mended some pants for a friend, including using the blind-hem foot.  It wasn't quite as hidden as I'd have liked, but time and suspecting it wouldn't actually be better without pressing, re pressing, and possibly leaving a ridge there anyway.... I just didn't want to over engineer the whole thing and make it worse.  such the optimist.

In other news, Bub has slept through three times now.  THREE!  (Not in a row.)  And I don't mean one of those ridiculous 5-hours-is-a-technical-sleep-through but an actual 8pm-7am sleep.  She's 22mo this week and she's slept through the night three times in her life.  I'm hoping it's a trend.

D106,107&108: Shtuff

Little peek-a-boo thing

Soooo... Absenteeism is high recently.  Three weeks or so is a long time to be away.  I'd apologise profusely but suspect I haven't enough regular readers for that to be necessary.  Really, though, I should apologise to myself for not sticking to things better.  Sorry A, you deserve better. For shame! I hang my head as I type. (Thanks bad posture, knew you'd come in handy.)

Project parts

Equally unimpressive is what's been going on since my last post: not much.  I'm still chipping away at this project for Bub.  Soon enough the little parts will have to be brought together in the larger piece and hopefully that last large step will happen in one go.  

I baked another two-tone brownie yesterday which was really disappointing.  It needs foil over it after the first 20mins to stave off burning, but we didn't hear the timer go, and the whole thing ended up underdone and weird.  It was so tall when I did the skewer test too - now looks like a dam after a bushfire :( Not even a pic for that accident.

Most of my other baking/cooking has been a few cakes, lactation cookies and good old baby foods, which rarely get more than two stars from our breastfed little Bub.  People ask if we're doing baby-led weaning, or whatever you like to call it.  We do both BLW and purées, and we can do purées better when she has something to feed herself at the same time.  We haven't found there's more or less food wasted in either because she'll happily refuse both.  Seriously, if you ever have a kid who'll refuse food, you'll realise it's all baby-led.  And we have no weaning going on either. 

We've done a bit of spring cleaning too (in autumn, such rebels), partly inspired by Bub's recent mobility.  I'm currently enhancing the 'change is as good as a holiday' feel around the house by enjoying new spaces and places for things.

Yesterday's bread.  Think the moisture at the
bottom is from using the hollow biscuit tray.

Another reason the blog has taken a backseat is due to a bit of work I've taken on.  (Just realised I can call myself a WAHM!)  I'm crunching the data of a school survey for the AP at my work.  It's about 20 classes of surveys so there's lots of data entry.  Nights in front of the telly have been occupied with that whenever I've had the wherewithal to do anything.  It may seem like I'm neglecting fun for work, but these little cognitive challenges are important for my wellbeing too.  I like figuring out formulas and graphs, albeit at an amateur level, and it provides variety in the challenges I work on these days.  And I get paid!

Apple and Cranberry Pie

Also, truth be told, my desire for crafting has had a bit of a slump.  No biggie.  Maybe I'm paralysed for choice, with ideas bottlenecked by tiredness.  (Recently added a fleecy romper to my wish list, emphasis on wish.)  But who knows!  It isn't a zero-sum thing, and it's not like it's going away, right?!  Ah the freedom having your own blog in which to shift the goal posts! ;D

So, I'm off to shower, and maybe afterwards I'll handwash that new fabric like I know I should, now that the sun's out! ;)  Happy Sunday folks!

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!

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.

D60: I made...

...an effort.

It's been really hot here for a few days and it's set to be hot till at least next Wednesday. Tonight we've had a bit of a cool break, but nothing to wash away the heat from the walls.

Bub doesn't sleep as well in these conditions.  So with activities, outings and short naps, I've not had hands or brain very spare today, especially since me and my cold slept badly in the heat too! Curses!

Not to sure about the dark character on the left...
that may be for the back.

Aaanyway, when the dark clouds mocked us this afternoon I decided we'd take another Save Our Sanity trip and off we went to a large complex where the car would be underground and the Spotlight fabric store upstairs.   I didn't even plan to buy anything!   Well, maybe a few fasteners for little bags.  It really was just an outing to visit some air-conditioning.

The good news is: I got the fasteners.

A complete impulse buy was this set of fat quarters.  I thought, people make simple quilts in a few days! I could do that!  But I won't.  Because I rarely keep any sewing project simple.   (Didn't even spare a thought for the poor UFO quilt that's neglected on the couch.)  That said, I hereby dedicate this stash to becoming a simple, quick and easy quilt as a project in self-control.

I bought 2m, just in case.

There. Fixed.

I also found this delightful floral fabric and it looked perfect for a romper for Bub.  The one we've got is perfect for this hot weather, better even than a little singlet as they can be quite warm.

Before I left, I considered my creative thing for the day could be drafting this little outfit from a vintage book preserved by my sister.

You rock, Enid Gilchrist.

It is close to what I want, but not actually what I want.  I'd only be doing it because I'm itching to have something like another romper for Bub. 

If years of watching my mum do random craft at CWA has thought me anything I should know better than to do another It's Like What I Want project.  The result is usually only almost satisfying and the item is duly ignored, buried away, ending up in the op shop bag after a time proportionate to the effort of production. 

Our cardinal rule of craft: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.


No, instead I went online and bought these two little numbers.

Butterick Patterns B5625 & B3405, both bought on their website butterick.mccall.com

Much more appropriate.  Now all I have to do is eat my hat until they arrive. (Not my sun hat. Lord knows I'll need that for at least another God forsaken week.  It's autumn, after all.)

D53: Robbed.

I didn't do a creative thing today because in the creative time I had Hub made me repair his shorts' button and he wouldn't let me put it somewhere creative.

Day 24: I ran out of time.

I cannot draw. Certainly not with my finger on a tablet. As proof, here is an army of ants, dragging a cube through the empty expanse, kicking up grey dust as they go.

I think I will learn drawing with a tool, like pencil or pen.

I will not be sharing this post.

Day 12: Couch

Today I knitted some more of my DNA toy. I'm hoping that the next time I sit down I can finish this section, but that might take a few Supernaturals in a row.
Last night's heat (think it dropped to 30C by 6am) made for a wakey baby and after a much-needed sleep in we had a much-needed afternoon out in cooler breezes. So, mindless couch-based handiwork was in store tonight.
Three cheers for the end of the week!

Supplementary content!

A few years ago I heard of a guy who did a drawing a day to improve his skills. It was over a long time and in his posts you could see clear progress over the years, going from slightly warped yr6-ish portraits to shaded and proportionate dragons. It found it really impressive.
I cannot find that guy's site.
[content totally changed coz I remembered] I think it may have been via Drawn, which is a thoroughly beautiful site that features artists' work and it's inspiring and warm and fuzzy and good artistic nutrition. Grab a spoon: http://blog.drawn.ca/

Maybe, if I get tired of fabric and yarn, I might take a month or so to do a drawing a day, or a painting a day, and see if I can't get my skills beyond their current Year 8 standard.

Day 10: ummm...

I almost finished preparing a cover for a cube - got the basting to go - but alas the day went and filled itself without me.

Let me share this awesome piece of crochet with you. There doesn't seem to be a pattern for it but I'm doing it when there is one. My nerdy heart hearts this to megadeath.

Crochet Rainbow Fractal by Andrew Salomone

http://blog.makezine.com/craft/crocheted-rainbow-fractal/?parent=CRAFT

Maybe nutting out a pattern for this will go on my rainy day list.
(Who am I kidding? Why do I write such things?...)

Day 9: Errr...

Today I was a bit busy, interrupted and quite tired. I got one and a half rows of kitting done. :| Not much.

Please find this link for fruit leather, by Katie Goodman, in compensation for this paltry post. Mmmmm, yummy and interesting. My favourites. 

I can't imagine running the oven for 8 hours, but I do love the idea of the leather. Maybe a dehydrator would work too...