Monthly Archive

Thanks everyone SO MUCH for the supportive comments and Wise Woman advice that you left on my last post. I needed it. And to all you single parents, May The Force be With You, Ye who are mighty!! You are unbelievably amazing, pretty and smart to be able to parent alone day in and day out. I’ve only had to last a week and a half - Pete will be here this weekend and then every weekend for a few weeks at least.

Yesterday I made another batch of log cabin blocks for Melly and Rosie’s Scrappy Cabin Challenge. These are my favourite two…

I must say that this is my current favourite amongst my pile of quilts. It always bodes well for a quilt when I can’t stop myself sewing it and I feel that it is my best one so far - it usually means that I won’t tire of it quickly. I get worried when half way through a quilt the whole process turns into one big chore.

This one is definitely a keeper. Thanks Melly and Rosie! I wouldn’t have done it without you!

Tell me, how long did it take for you to grow up? How old were you when you figured out who you are? When did you stop having doubts about yourself? Will it ever happen to me?

And while you’re at it, tell me how to help someone ELSE grow up. How do you do that? How do you advise teenagers when you aren’t sure yourself? What do you tell them about life when you are still trying to figure it out? Do you ever reach a point where you feel you have imparted enough of yourself to them - when you feel that they are ready? When you stop being terrified that they will be hurt?

Rooruu tagged me to do the quilt meme that Susan in Stitches created. While it is a very fine meme, I am going to replace it with this one: The Bad Quilt Meme by Tanya.

Usual rules: Bold for things you’ve done, standard type for the rest.

Made a quilt with no knowledge, no skills, and no understanding that either are needed
- I then even had the audacity to teach it to others!! (successfully, I must add)

Created an abomination and (at the time) was proud of it
We still have one of my first quilts, known since the day it was born as The Ugly Quilt.

Created a quilt that was so hideous it made people or animals go blind

Had relatives throw a quilt you made outside in the muddy yard for the dogs to chew - hmm, probably - my relatives are too kind to admit this one.

Used severely mismatched fabric weights when piecing, for example, heavyweight denim and lightweight cotton

Didn’t pre-wash fabrics and later had them bleed all over the finished quilt

Used badly mismatched needle and bobbin thread

Puckered seams

Misaligned pieces

Ugly colors

Polyester fabrics that pilled

Thick, scratchy polyester double knit fabrics

Batting that bearded up through the fabric

Huge bird’s nests of bobbin thread that clogged the throat plate of the machine and broke the needle

Cluelessly attempted to stitch with a broken needle for several moments, thus perforating the quilt

Made stitches big enough to put your big toe through

Quilting lines that were about 6″ apart and allowed - nay, begged! - the stuffing to migrate and bunch up

Finished quilts that weren’t “square” and/or were badly blocked

Hand-tied a quilt with heavy crochet or regular yarn, which required a really huge-eyed needle which left giant holes in the quilt

Erroneously equated a quilt with a blanket, and “finished” the edge of the quilt with a blanket stitch using scratchy acrylic yarn. (See previous item)

Had to use pliers to force the needle through the quilt, yet didn’t understand that this might be a sign that something was fundamentally wrong

Backed with a 100 thread count bed sheet. (Extra points for polyester) - I miss out on the extra points, but I’ve made up for that on other questions.

Quilted with fishing line

Bled/sneezed/spilled coffee on a large section of quilt while making it

Had people compare your quilt to one they saw at Wal-Mart - not Wal-mart (we don’t have that store here, but other cheap and nasty stores? YES.

Finished a quilt and only then realized that you hated it

Gave a quilt to someone and had them be speechless - and not in a good way

Trimmed loose threads on a gift quilt at the last minute and cut a hole through the top. (Thanks to SusanInStitches for this addition.)

Sewed one or more fingers to the quilt, then had to carry the sewing machine and quilt around the house while looking for a screwdriver to remove the needle.

Created appliques with satin-stitched edges, which after a shamefully brief time became frayed-edge appliques that flapped their way free of the quilt.

OK. Who’s going to take up the baton??

…and her name is Cellyne.

Today is my daughter’s birthday and the only thing in the whole world that she wanted was a pet rat. She had to convince Daddy. It wasn’t that hard

We have had a pet rat once before, so we already know how charming and friendly they are. Then we met Cellyne. She must be the Sweetest, Gentlest, Softest and Prettiest rat there has ever been. We like her and she likes us. And banana.

My kids at the school formal last year

My crochet obsession is waning. I am trying to keep enough steam up to finish this ripple…

This is ripple No.2 (Son of Ripple) (or Ripple: The Sequel). I think this one is more of a slog because the pattern is repeat and I need the uncertainty of what’s coming next to keep me interested.The only thing that’s keeping me going right now is that I’m going to have red pom poms on the points (I love red pom poms just as much as I love red buttons, red ric rac and red prairie points). I tried a blue stripe
and then chocolate brown
before settling on slime green (it’s quite a bit yellower than it looks in this photo). I do love red and green together, but all my greens need to be lime or frog pond or acid green or grass or apple. I don’t like pine, Hunter, forest or other such blech greens.

I had a great day yesterday! I went to Sussanah’s house and did scrapbooking. It was terrific. I whined and was needy (Sussanah, I don’t know what to dooooooo! Whyyyyyyy isn’t this workiiiing??), she gave me advice and supplies, she was kind and encouraging and NICE (heh heh, beige chick, heh heh), I used all of her stuff, drank her diet coke and then she even drove me home. I’m not sure what I contributed. Maybe she won’t invite me again.

I got up early-ish this morning. Good thing, too, because a courier van rolled up at the door and the driver handed me my BREAKFAST. LOOK WHAT MEGAN SENT ME!!!!!!!!!!!

(Doesn’t everyone open lolly packets with a rotary cutter??)
It’s a bit hard to talk with teeth glued together with pineapple flavoured chewy stuff, but I’ll try. These are Pineapple Lumps. I don’t know if you can get them in other countries or not, but I think of them as Kiwi Lollies. Part of a good Kiwi childhood is walking down to the dairy (corner store)to buy lollies (sweets/candy). And I always chose pineapple lumps. Even though they were 2 cents each and fruit tingles were five for 1 cent.

Oh, and there is FABRIC! Look at this gorgeous stuff! Even my non-sewing daughter noticed it and said, “Oh look - she chose fabric that looks like lollies!!” And pretty pretty red ribbon…

Thank you, beautiful Megan! That was a wonderful way to start the day

I started reading a new book this morning. “The Sunday Philosophy Club” by Alexander McCall Smith. He is described on the back cover as ‘A treasure of a writer whose books deserve immediate devouring‘. I certainly agree with that statement. I have loved his No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books (me and 2 047 789 622 other people). Those words got me thinking, though. Immediate devouring. That’s what I do.
Sussanah was describing the contrast between her and her sister’s approach to easter chocolate - she guzzled, her sister hoarded and nibbled. Yesterday I was talking with my mother about how she and my daughter both like to make slow, considered decisions. Mum told me that she enjoys the process of deciding. She savours the choice; enjoys the silences between notes in music as much as the note itself. I’m sure that’s why she is such a passionate reader - she lingers over every word and is absorbed into it.
I’m impetuous. I get frustrated and grumpy and irritated by people who can’t make a decision in ten seconds or less. I want to choose and get on with it. I want to know your gut feeling now, not your carefully considered opinion later. I definitely devour immediately. So, do you suck or crunch?

Circles are always such an appealing shape for me. Other people like them, too

Circle, originally uploaded by twolimeleaves.

Vintage buckles, originally uploaded by twolimeleaves.

What would you do with these??I found these in a thrift shop on Friday and thought $5.50 was too much for the bag of them - until I counted how many there were and realised it was only 50 cents each (I have a strong miserly streak AT TIMES). I love buttons from this era and in this style, but I have no clue what to do with these buckles! My waist prohibits the wearing of belts and I really do make far too many bags already. I think they would make very cool pins if something was added to them. Come on ideas!! Ulla would know what to do - she can make something exquisite out of anything!

Thanks for all the reassuring comments. It’s amazing just how many of us small-talking hating, snarky-pants women with messy houses there actually are. We should, like, SO form a club. And Paris Hilton would, like, SO not be allowed to join.

Shula and Syko have both tagged me for the Random Things about me meme. Well, I did this once before but you know how I just LOVE to talk about myself so this is hardly a challenge. Sit back, relax and prepare to be enthralled…

1. I don’t swear very often. But when I do swear, you can know for sure that I have chosen to use those words and I mean it. I also quite like the horrified look on my daughter’s face when I do. Parents should appall their children from time to time. I remember as a ten year old being shocked when my mother broke a casserole dish with that night’s dinner in it and exclaimed, “Oh damn!!” (Yes, that was Extreme Language for my mother)

2.For twenty years I have been overweight and, quite frankly, it pisses me off. I think I know why I gained weight in the first place, but I can’t seem to shake it now. I’ve had a couple of good attempts in the past few years. Twice I’ve lost ten kilos. Twice I’ve put it back on. I hate it. H.A.T.E. IT!!!! I need to lose about thirty five kilos. That is a crap-load of fat. I don’t talk about it much because people who whine about needing to lose weight annoy me.

3.I’m a total hypocrite. I say that plastic surgery is shallow and terrible. But if it was offered to me free, I’d be horizontal on that gurney before you could say “Sharpen the blade, Nurse.”

4.I put a lot of energy into biting my razor tongue. My anger usually comes out as bitey sarcasm. Not very attractive, but there you go. It takes a hell of a lot of effort to be Nice and, as I get older, I’m giving in to my snarky side more and more often. I’ll probably end up one of those nasty old women with more opinions than friends. Seriously, though, I feel as if I’ve spent my whole life being NICE and I’ve used up all of my Nice Quota.

5.My house is always a mess. But then if you’ve known me for more than an hour, you knew that already. I’m too busy to clean. I resent spending time on temporary stuff. Like cleaning stuff that will be dirty again tomorrow. Or putting away things that someone else will take out again in ten minutes time. There are books to be read and films to watch and there’s love to be made, people!!!

6.The older I get, the fussier I get about material stuff (like having down pillows and Egyptian cotton sheets) and the less I care about what other people do. I don’t care if you are into rubbing a budgie over your stomach while you have elevator sex with a stranger, just as long as I can have a cashmere throw for my sofa because polyester is just nasty. I’m not sure what that’s all about but I think it’s like when geriatrics don’t care about war erupting in Eastern Europe because they are busy eating a chocolate biscuit right now and, man, that chocolate tastes good. Besides, maybe my morals are sliding south or something, but what is so bad about elevator sex with a stranger? It could turn out to be Ralph Fiennes and how many of us would boot him out at the second floor? (Yes, Mother, I know you would!)

7. I have a very black sense of humour and often I will be the only person laughing, surrounded by people who can not believe that anyone would find THAT funny.

8. I’ve felt out of step with most of the world for my entire life. It’s like I live in another dimension and I just visit the real world sometimes. My interactions with people often feel very shallow and superficial to me. I LOATHE small talk. Hate parties and balls and dinners. My close friends are the ones I can just be with; the people who don’t demand anything of me. Fortunately for me, I feel understood by my immediate family and my husband. Occasionally Peter will shake his head, but usually he just smiles.

I can’t remember how many things I was supposed to write about. Probably less than eight, but 6 and 8 don’t make much sense anyway so they don’t really count (if you figure out what they mean, let me know).

I don’t usually tag people for memes but some of you don’t reveal much about yourselves and the curiosity is killing the rest of us. So spill ya guts, Rooruu, Dy and Anina. And Sussanah, you, too, because you’re new-ish and
we haven’t got enough to hold over you yet.

In amongst the sorting and unpacking caused by my move, there has been crafting happening! Every time I tidy stuff this happens. I find craft supplies that I forgot I had or there is too much of something to fit in a container and I think, “If I just quickly made a ???? from that, I could use it up and then I wouldn’t need to find a storage place for it.” It makes such good sense that, before I know it, I’ve spent six hours of tidying up time making some of these…
…does anyone have any other ideas of what to make with one ball of cotton yarn, other than washers?? My crochet skills are so limited (but improving!). I actually frogged so much crocheting while making these things that I probably made the equivalent of ten of the suckers.

And then I started sorting fabric and my scrap basket was jammed full and so…
…these are for the log cabin challenge. I’m really liking the way they all look together and so I’m planning for this to be a quilt for our bed.I have visions of red prairie points all around the edge of this quilt. But then I have quite a thing for red prairie points These are my favourite blocks from this batch…

I like tidying.

I moved. On Friday night I moved to Townsville. The weekend has been spent sorting, unpacking, cleaning and shoving stuff in cupboards. It feels so good it must be right (why does that sound like some lame-ass 1970’s one hit wonder?).

It felt great right up until yesterday morning at about ten minutes past ten when Peter left to go back to Hughenden. He won’t be back for two weeks. Then this morning I dropped Ali off at her new school - and said goodbye to her until Friday!! Her first day of school and she’s off on a four day retreat!!! It will be a good way for her to get to know the other girls…

Navel-gazing now complete. Here is my mosaic for Mosaic Monday…

Amethyst, originally uploaded by twolimeleaves.

Lemon Butter Cake3, originally uploaded by twolimeleaves.

Eating cake and thinking of you, Megan! It’s all your fault, you know

I’ve got mail!! My swap partner for the Vintage Button Swap was Erin from House on Hill Road. She sent me an awesome parcel that arrived just in time to cheer me up. Look at these goodies, all photographed sitting on top of the very FIRST issue of Martha Stewart’s mag that I have ever owned (yes, I know! Tell me about it!). Erin even sent the “Color” issue. How did she know about my colour obsession? *blink blink*

These are my favourite of the buttons.Octagonal!! And fluffy blue ric rac! I had no idea you could even get fluffy stuff (you may notice ripples on this page where I dribbled on the Lemon Tart photo. I have to make this). And there’s green ric rac…

Red and black buttons (I have quite a thing for red buttons)…
…and a beautiful wool pin cushion…
…and blow me down if she didn’t write a note on this card which just happens to be one of my absolute favourite Amy Butler prints!! I have a big chunk of this fabric Thank you, Erin *mwah* I love my swap stuff!

I have found some links associated with these beautiful embroidery images. The numbers are the images from left to right:

2 : Aimee Ray has so much beautiful stuff, it’s almost impossible to choose one thing for a mosaic! She has a website,etsy shop and blog.

3 : Is that THE most beautiful tea cosy in the world or what?? Bella Dia is well-known on Flickr as a prolific and inspiring artist. She also has an etsy shop, blog and website.

5 : The talented KariBombari is on etsy and has a blog

8 : Nicky Perryman has an inspiring website.

10 : Susan Sorrell is clearly brimming with talent and humour.

12 : Kerrin Quall is well-known in Australia because she is an awesome scrap booker - I didn’t know until I found this on Flickr that she uses other media too. Her blog is pretty entertaining !

13 : Karen (misses kwittys’) has an etsy shop full of cute stuff.

… and, in case you missed it, a reply from Meredith:

“Thanks for post, K. We’re doing OK. It was good to be able to help, but frusrating not to be able help the rider who was so badly injured. Thank you also to everyone who has posted their support. Its starting to leave my every waking thought- now I just need it to leave my nighttime thought.

The girls are doing really well. They keep talking and asking questions and almost slept through the night without needing me, last night. Kids are amazing, their logic and willingness to accept things. I’m hoping and praying this leaves their memories though. I believe everything happens for a reason and I’m trying to see the lessons in this. Aside from the obvious (DONT DRINK AND DRIVE YOU IDIOT), we’ve learnt we CAN cope. We CAN do what needs to be done in the face of something horrific. And I hope that the kids involved can take some small comfort that a stranger cared for them in a desperate situation.”