Totally love this. For little and big kids. Link to tutorial.
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August 2010
Pattern to make this wrap / shrug – have a look at all the lovely ways you can wear it! [thanks ina] [see comments for where to find this pattern - link has been removed due to virus reports]
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love these yarny butterflies you can wear on your hand – so sweet [thanks ina for sending in this link]
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I am away from home this week away working at the Melbourne Art Fair – do come and say hi – I am at the Art Monthly stall.
This weeks newsletter brings a good reads edition – Its been about 6 weeks since the last one – so here are a few books that are not exactly crafty but rather creatively inspirational – all themed around the home – I hope you like them.
Interviews and imagery from creative women. I love/hate images of other people’s beautiful studios – jealousy and incredulousness at the perfection of these rooms can make my head spin. However while this book might crop out the messy bits, it keeps in the riot of colour and texture that inhabit these spaces. Lots to admire and get inspired by in this book.
A Very Modest Cottage. By Tereasa Surratt. Published by Hearst Books.
A journey of discovery while renovating an old holiday hut. Tereasa relocates and renovates an old cottage that has been in her family since she can remember. She takes us on her journey with her, researching its history and renovating it with love and modesty. With renovation tips and advice, how-to sand a wooden floor and choose appropriate paint colours, how to shop for the period and style you are interested in and how to start from the beginning with a plan. The lovely thing about this book is that it has a story, and a happy ending and along the way we are taken on the journey and given the tools to go on a journey of our own.
Full of practical how-tos and design solutions for a multitude of practical and lovely manly sheds. Yes this is a book for a man with a shed – but actually I think I want one – it would be called a design studio though! One downfall if you are not USA based is that many of the materials described are very specific and may not be available where you are located. But if you handy they you can adapt and improvise using this book as guide.
Ok – Wow! This book is a treasure trove of good advice and innovative ideas. From the usual ‘What to grow’ and ‘How to garden’ to using the garden as a teaching tool and a creative starting point. This books takes you from getting funding and drawing up plans to finding materials and resources. Creating the garden and using it as an outdoor classroom and of course healthy foods and cooking are all part of the process. Fabulous resource for schools but also for families who want to get more out of their patch of land.
This book, like most interior decorating books, is full of wonderful images of gorgeous rooms. There are no how-to’s or tutorials to help you achieve the look, rather tips and ideas of how to incorporate recycled objects and materials into your space. This book really is for those with a penchant for second-hand shopping, antiques or junk – and giving you ideas of how to then incorporate your special finds into your already eclectic style. I am not sure how ‘practical’ these types of books are, but for me they are all about eye candy – filled with beauty and lovely things.
Cooking from the Garden: Best Recipes from Kitchen Gardener. By Ruth Lively. Published by Taunton.
The recipes in this book are compiled from the magazine ‘The kitchen Gardener’, focussing on fresh garden produce – unfussy and simply delicious meals. And indeed the recipes are versatile and easy to follow – pity about there being no photographs – But I think most people will find this book simple to use and there are some real gems in here – from basic advice like peeling a tomato and making croutons to roasting vegetables and making mushroom soup. I know I will be making the flavoured vinegars and the Orange Peel and Rosemary-scented butter cookies look divine. Here is the recipe – give it a go and let me know what you think…
Orange Peel & Rosemary-scented Butter Cookies
… and don’t forget to join in on the whipup quilt-along.
Hope today brings you something nice..
Kathreen
xx
Whip Up Mini Quilts
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For more kids craft, creative ideas and activities go to the Action Pack website
Do you have a copy of the Whip Up Mini Quilts book? Lets make the quilts from the book together. Post them on the whipup flickr group under the tag “Whip up mini quilts”.
Each Friday for 6 weeks [more or less] – I am going to post one of the quilts from the book that I have made – and give you a few tips and ideas to help you make it. + 6 books to give away in that time – Do you want to join in?
And if you don’t yet have a copy of the book but want to join in straight away – there are 2 free Mini Quilt patterns available for download from the Chronicle website + The pattern and templates for Kellie Wulfsohn’s little girl’s applique wallhanging ‘A little birdie told me’ is available at the Woman’s Day website
The first week I showcased my version of Lisa Call’s ‘Modern Geometric’ mini quilt, and the second week I showed you how to make my Shibori Sampler. the third week was Crazy Cats – the pattern, instructions and templates for this quilt is available online from the Chronicle Website. And last week I showed you my version of Boo Davis’s‘Two heads are better than one‘
This week its Alexandra Rasmussen’s Blattwerk quilt which I made into a pillow.
There was an error in the instructions which neglected to mention the need to flip the template, so I have explained here how to make the leaves. [Corrections can be found here]
1. To make these leaf motifs you will make five 8×20 inch strip pieced blocks. You can make these strips from any width pieces – recommended is 2inch wide strips and 20 inch long. You will then place your traced template on one side of the strip pieced block and trace and cut it out – then flip the template and cut the opposite shape on the other side of the pieced block of fabric.
2. Then cut the motifs in half lengthwise – point to point – and mix and match the two opposite sides to make your leaf shapes. These are then raw edge appliqued onto your quilt top. At this point I used a little basting spray to hold them in place while stitching. Alexander also recommends using light interfacing on the wrong side of the leaf motifs to stabilise them while sewing and you might also need fray check if you are using fabric that frays excessively.
Have fun making this one – Don’t forget to post your results in the whipup flickr pool – under the tag “Whip up mini quilts”.
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This simple hand-stitched skirt is made from a jersey knit fabric and is perfect for layering underneath another skirt or to wear on its own. Get the tutorial/pattern at sneezerville.
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Knitting 24/7: 30 Projects to Knit, Wear, and Enjoy, On the Go and Around the Clock
Being a fairly new convert to knitting, and a fairly addicted convert at that, I can understand the feeling of wanting to pick up a knitting project and pick off a few rows wherever I can. In the car, before breakfast, waiting for the kettle to boil (and then forgetting that the kettle has boiled and having to boil it again when an hour has slipped by on the needles without me noticing…).
Véronik Avery, prolific knitting designer and author, has created a book full of projects that are mostly portable, quick to make up, and can easily satisfy a knitters yen to knit a bit wherever she or he may be. The projects include hats, bags, mittens, gloves, socks, scarves, slippers, a headband, bookmark, vests and a few sweaters. I am looking forward to knitting the Lacy Cable Socks, the Fleur De Lys Hat and the Ostrich Plumes
Stole. Like other STC knitting books I have seen, this book contains classic knitting designs. There is a techniques section, but it is not as helpful as it could be for beginners or those learning techniques, being only text with few diagrams.
Reviewed by: Kate is a busy mother of four with many craft projects on the go, including, but not limited to, crochet, knitting, sewing, dyeing, paper making, spinning, felting and bookbinding. Kate has challenges in the areas of finishing things, saying no and craft supplies storage. She also has a very very patient and tolerant husband.
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*Cough* now this is my quilt from Kath’s book and the only reason I’m doing this post is that she’s gallivanting around Melbourne at the moment. Thanks Julie and The Storque for posting my quilt! My design is definitely tongue in cheek, but it is also directly related to an incident with nanna’s false teeth and my cardigan pocket…Link to pattern.
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