Who needs a boring black office chair?

I lashed out and bought myself an office chair for my studio so that I could be comfortable and have good lumbar support when sitting at my work table.  And it's got wheels which is fantastic. The only thing is office chairs usually come in boring black like the one below or bright blue or red.

My solution to a boring office chair is to attempt a slight makeover.

I made a semi fitted cover for the back of the chair and for the seat I sewed strips of fabric together into a square shape and then trimmed the square edges to a roundish shape.  A hem was sewn and then elastic threaded through, pulled tight and sewn.  Hey presto a fairly respectable looking seat cover.  The green fabric with circles was from an op shop as is the bold patterned fabric.  The darker green fabric with the red flowers came from my quilting fabric stash.  I'm really happy with my amateurish attempt at making over my chair.

Somehow Sophie managed to get in the photo above without me noticing probably because just at this point of taking the photo I heard a loud explosion type noise followed by a long drawn out rumble.  We apparently had an earth tremor measuring 2.7, about 10km underground occurring a couple of suburbs away from where we live.  Nothing was damaged, the studio didn't shake or move although Genevieve told me the house did.  Just a bit of excitement for a Monday afternoon.

Anne  xx

A thank you, genealolgy and a quilt

Hello, how are you?  I would like to say a big thank you to Louise of Ramblings of a Roachling for sending me two books and the most beautiful card for my birthday.

I love the two books Louise selected for me. In this post Louise talks about reading "The Uninvited", a true story about a family living on a farm in Wales being visited by creatures/aliens not of this world.  I'm quite fascinated by the whole UFO thing and made a passing comment that I would like to read the book one day.  So Louise went to the trouble of tracking down a copy for me for which I'm most appreciative.  I read the book in one sitting and must say that parts of it were a little scary but compelling reading, for me anyway.  :)  The book about the interesting and at time weird exploits of some Brits is so much fun to read.  I love it when people can go out and do something difference and have a lot of fun.

And just how cute is this card?!!  You have the most beautiful cards in England.

 I've been kept very busy this past week continuing to delve into the intriguing world of genealogy.  I met two second cousins for the first time and it just happened to be the 60th birthday of one of them so I decided to have a little fun and bake her a cake.  Decorating this cake with silver ball things and butterflies was most interesting.  I ended up with silver balls all over the kitchen bench top and floor with very few on the cake and the butterflies wanted to fly away. 

I also made her a card from one of my sketches.  Very handy to have a stash of little sketches to make into cards.

I had a very nice visit with my new found cousins and was able to scan some old photos of family members, some of which I had never seen including my great grandmother Annie Ashby.  My granny is the baby and my great aunt standing.

About a month ago I discovered Annie's grave in an old part of a Melbourne cemetery posted about here.

Here is a photo of her grave, in the middle front of the photo without any markings.

It is a very special thing to have a photo of my great grandmother.

When I can tear myself away from my genealogy projects I have a quilt to complete.  Some months ago I put these squares together.

I found this cotton quilt on sale, it's a summer weight at a bargain price and had the bright idea to use this instead of the normal insert batting.

I need some advice from all the quilt making ladies out there.  The bought quilt is a Queen size and the squares I've sewn cover the top of a Queen size mattress so there is some extra fabric that needs to be joined to the edges to make wide enough.  Can I also have some suggestions as to what I could use for the backing fabric?  I was thinking maybe a quilting fabric but it would have to be joined down the centre to make it wide enough.  I'm also wondering what would be the best method of quilting the layers together? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this long post.  I hope you are all having a wonderful day/evening.

Anne  xx

Sewing and gardening

Hello, how are  you?  This morning I sat down and finished sewing the squares to make the cover of my quilt.  Hanging it on the clothes line is the best place to take a reasonable photo.

I'm very happy with how the squares are looking sewn together.  Now I'm on the lookout for some fabric for a border and will probably use calico as a backing as I have a roll of it to use up.

This afternoon I decided to tidy the front garden next to the footpath.  It is a large area that gets overgrown quite quickly if I don't attend to it regularly.  I've managed to take rubbish photos again, sorry, but at least you will get an idea of the area.

I've got leaves,spider webs and dirt in my hair but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing the green waste bag is full, ready to be taken away tomorrow.  Now I'm off to make a beef and vegetable pie for tea.

I hope you are all having a great day.  I'd like to welcome my new follower and thank you everyone for stopping by for a visit.

.Anne  xx

Emerging

Hello!  I'm starting to emerge from the fog, the fog of being unwell resulting from going on a detox programme.  I've been taking stuff (it's not worthy of a better name) for a couple of weeks now to help with various ailments.  I was told to expect some side effects such as headaches and a few aches and pains, but certainly did not expect a weeks worth of aches, woozy heads, lethargy and generally feeling ghastly.   Today I was feeling a little more myself, not wanting to collapse back into bed and sleep quite so much.

Anyway today got off to a glorious start because the postman delivered this to my door this morning.

I decided this book was something I wanted to savour the first time I opened it so got my chores done first.  The grocery shopping in the rain, last night's dishes, oops I forgot it was my turn, and other bits and pieces that needed doing.  I sat down with my lunch and a cuppa and devoured the pages.  This book has simply surpassed all my expectations as to what it would be like.  Each page I turned made me squeal a little more with delight and joy.  The colours, the patterns, the fabrics, the styling!  Selina is truly gifted.

This gorgeous photo from the book reminds me of some of the fabrics I've seen on the blog Bobo Bun.

 I'd be very happy if I could grow roses like this.  The next best thing is looking at them in Selina's book.

I don't buy many books but this is one I am so happy to have purchased and won't need to return to the library.

I've been playing around with these fabrics wondering if I can be brave enough to make a plain quilt made from 8 inch squares.  All I have to do is work out how to cut out all those squares.  HELP!?

They're rather an odd mix of fabrics, but that's where the fun begins for me.  The fun of moving away from something that is perfectly matched and ordered.

Well it's bed time for me as the head is starting to spin, a sure sign I need to rest.

Thanks for stopping by and catching up with my ramblings, it's been lovely having your company.

Anne  xx

Granny square throw, fabric and a pin cushion

Hello, how are you?  I'm tucked away inside today with the return of chilly weather and rain.  Yesterday was a typical spring day for where I live, four seasons in one day which included hail.  So back to indoor activities for me.

Here is my granny square throw to date.  I'm enjoying the process of choosing which colour will be next.

My purchase in Spotlight the other day was fabric.

The next photo is a better representation of the colours.  Vibrant aren't they?

I deliberately didn't crop this photo at the top because I like the way the bowl of oranges compliments the orange in the top piece of fabric.  I'm planning on making a quilt from this fabric.  Just a plain quilt made from squares, nothing fancy.  Would anyone have any tips on what size my squares should be.  I don't want anything too small, too much sewing.  :)  Karen, would you have any tips for me?

The other thing I would like to make is a toiletry travel bag for my overseas trip next year.  I'm wondering if I could make if from oilcloth so it would be moisture proof.  I would like a pattern that has different compartments to store items in.  I hate toilet bags where everything just rolls around together.  That is what I have currently and it's falling apart, so time for a new one.  Does anyone know of any patterns that might meet my requirements?  Any suggestions, information or links would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

Now for the pin cushion.  I haven't been making them, I am the pin cushion.   I've been having a course of accupuncture to help with various complaints such as hot flushes etc.  They are reducing slowly, but the biggest change I've noticed is in my irritation levels.  Things just don't bother me in the way they use too.  I am amazed at the difference I feel and would describe it as feeling mellow.  Has anyone else had an experience with accupuncture that they would like to share?  Positive or not I'd love to hear.  You can email me if you don't want to comment publicly.

I have one last photo to share with you.  Miss G. needed a baby photo for submission to the school year book.  All our baby photos were taken before digital cameras were around so we scanned this one for her when she was six months old.  It is a little faded so we adjusted the colour as best we could.  Can you believe the smile on her face!

I have gorgeous baby photos of Miss C. too, so I must scan some of those to share with you.

I hope you are all having a great weekend,

Anne  xx

Bright colours

Some time ago I bought some fabric which I loved because of the bright colours. 

The colours inspired me to start work on a granny square cushion and I'm nearly finished the second side of the cushion with only 5 more rows to complete.

I love these colour combinations so much I've decided to make a throw as well.  Thankfully I have plenty of wool left in these colours.

Another day of beautiful sunshine and another sun bathing opportunity for the girls.

They must be feeling very happy with sunshine and free ranging and rewarded us with two eggs today.  I feel a spot of cooking coming on.  

Speaking of cooking, I made apple muffins and gingernut biscuits on Sunday night and now there are only two muffins left and less than half the biscuits.  I can't keep up with the appetites of this family, I tell you.  Hubby keeps telling me to stop making yummy things to eat, but if I don't, well you should hear the grumbles.  Thinking I would have to bake again today, I suddenly remembered the carrot cake I had in the freezer.  A couple of weeks ago when making a carrot cake, I doubled the mixture so I could bake an extra one to put in the freezer.  Saves on electricity too when you double recipes.  I use to put leftovers in the freezer from our dinner meals too, but now hubby takes them to work for lunch.  :(  Perhaps I'll have to triple my dinner recipes!  Do you double recipes so there are leftovers for the freezer?

Bye for now,

Anne  xx

New cushion cover

Yesterday I had the urge to make something on the sewing machine and decided on a new cushion cover for one of the many cushions that sit on my bed.  The current covers are 12 years old, so I think a change might be needed.  I chose some fabrics from my stash and came up with this.

 The reverse side of the cushion is made from this large polka dot fabric which I love as much as the front fabric.

 I decided I would hand sew the buttonholes.  Although I can do it on my machine, it's difficult and I rather like sitting down doing something by hand.  I chose some pretty buttons from my stash to complete the cover.

The machine sewing is not great close up as I had a problem with the needle.  I didn't realise that part of the point had broken off and wondered why the fabric kept pulling.  After I changed the needle, all was well.

Have a wonderful day,

Anne  xx

100th post - Give away time

It's hard to believe I'm up to my 100th post. This blogging business is so much fun, time consuming, yes, but fun. I've met so many wonderful people doing all kinds of interesting things. Some are artists, some are crafters, some are decorators, some love to bake and cook and some talk about life. It's a fascinating world out there and I'm so happy to be a very small part of it. Blogging has challenged me to create more than I ever have before and I love it. It has been very good therapy for me as you will know from this post.

To celebrate this small milestone, I have a give away for you.  As some of you may know, I like to make things.  Things that are practical, helpful and pretty if possible.  So I've made four items that hopefully someone might be interested in receiving, and here they are.

The first item below is called a back sack.  It's made from cotton fabric, lined and is a cross between a back pack and a shoulder bag.  The bag is designed so that when you pull the straps, they act like a drawstring.  This is not my design.  I downloaded it a long time ago but can't find the link now so I can't credit the designer.

Thanks to Miss G. for being my model.

The back sack folds down quite small so you could pop it in your main shopping bag and use it for a spare.

The next item  is a roll up travel pouch for jewellery.  Or maybe even crochet hooks? :)  It's made from cotton and once again I can't take credit for the design, although I have added some of my own decorative touches.  The design came from a craft book my sister-in-law had and I don't have the authors name or title of the book.  Some of the jewellery I've used in this photo for display purposes, I've inherited.  Lucky me, I love old jewellery.

When you fold up the pouch, it's kept closed by tying the ribbons as can be seen in the first photo of this post.

The next item is an air freshener sachet (I showed you how I made them  here ), that can be used in the car or anywhere else you'd like, perhaps the wardrobe.  Put some dried lavender flowers, rose petals or cotton wool balls with a few drops of your favourite essential oil into the little calico bag and close.  Put the little bag into the pretty fabric outer bag and hang it wherever you want a nice aroma.

 I've left the ribbon long so you adjust it to suit your needs.

And now for the final item.  I've made bits and pieces of jewellery from time to time, earrings, bracelets, necklaces but never one of these.  It's a little bit quirky and I've used jewellery findings in unusual ways as decoration and added some charms.

It's a kilt pin brooch and quite heavy with all the added bits and pieces, so is probably best worn on a heavy winter scarf or jumper.

The materials used are costume jewellery items found at most craft stores. 

There's a very strong possibility I'll be adding something more to this give away.  Something to surprise you so I'm not telling.

If you would like to enter, leave me a comment telling me something interesting about yourself, anything.  I'd love to know a bit more about you.  If you are a follower, your name will go into the hat twice.  The close off day for entries is 30th November and anyone can enter.  I'll send a parcel anywhere in the world.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day/evening.

Anne xx

Flower power and a new fridge magnet

Experimental fabric picture using curtain fabric samples.

Here is a new fridge magnet to add to my collection on housework.

 

I love it

Have a lovely day.

Anne