Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Curtains with sweet little birds for my room...

Why is it so hard to take photos of curtains - all the back-lighting.

Rental houses. Great things - living in amazing locations with minimal outlay, able to have things fixed without ongoing expenses. Bad things - having to move, often crappy things that you can't change, chronically terrible colour schemes. And I've not once lived in a rental home that has curtains either. Always blinds, cheap blinds. Yuck. And in cream or beige. Adding nothing to the character of the home, challenging to clean when we move, lifeless really.

But our current flat had one set of curtains! Ugly ones though. And a curtain rod that extends the entire length of the wall despite the window only being a quarter of the width. And four massive curtains covering the wall and the small window. What was I to do? Make some curtains of course.

I'd been eyeing this fabric off for some time. Found it featured in a design catalogue a few months ago and I'd been keen on a project to use it in. Fabric was easy to locate - from Ikea - and stupidly cheap to boot. I made sure that there was enough to cover the width of the window by at least double, and then added some more on for good measure. Full curtains require significantly more fabric, but with such thin fabric I really didn't think it was needed. All it took was the sewing room/study being cleared of boxes and some table surface being found. Then a day off, some good tunes and a pair of curtains was made. Hurrah! The tab tops were a little bit of work, but nothing taxing. Just some ironing and folding and pinning before sewing carefully. I was lazy and didn't remove the selvages as I thought this would be the easiest way to ensure a straight edge on them.

I have hung them in order for the fabric to drop before hemming. Now I just need to have time to finish them off, as they have been hanging so they drop for over two weeks! Ops...

How sweet is this fabric? How lovely is it against the beautiful plain trees on the street? I love that the fabric is soft and thin and simply defuses the light. No blocking out of the sun in my room if you please. And the simply illustrated images of those birds, with splodges of green... Can you tell I spent a few hours looking at this fabric fondly while sewing?

It was a real joy to make these curtains and consequently to make my rental flat feel like it is my home! It also made me long for the day when I can paint walls to match the curtains if I choose.

The tab tops while being pressed and sewn into place.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Friday, lightboxes and community-based craft...



Wondering what to get a Friday morning started with. Maybe some mellow guitar based lyricing. Mixed with craft if you will. The lightbox background of this clip is very sweet, with owls perching and flying fish. The transparency layering is very effective and makes for an interesting clip. Enjoy.

By the by, walking through the streets of in-Melbs and I've discovered a craft encouragement shop! Yep, it wants people to craft. Don't think it is about selling craft, or selling products. Rather about selling a love of craft to the community. I had a sticky beak in the window - a couch strewn with crafting off-casts, bunting, home made softies. It looked delicious. At the desk was a lady who looked like she had been crafting for many a year. Oh, why didn't I go in? Want to go on a craft excursion with me?

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Cozies completed...

Knitting is winding up. Getting a little sick of the tea cozie. More just needing new projects. So I've been cooking and enacting my domestic goddess skills - sour dough bread, olives soaking in brine, hot cross buns. And planting in pots on the balcony - sweet peas, lovely tasty peas and some spring onions. It has been really thrilling to see the shoots pop up a week after the seeds were sown. I find it so encouraging and a little touch of a miracle to see the plants growing. Give it a few weeks and we will be eating freshly grown spring onion tops - a.k.a garlic chives. Then a few months more and we will have peas! What amazing things can be grown in a pot with regular watering and a little sun shine.

Here is the final lot of current cozies... But perhaps I still have two more to make. One for the sister-in-law's birthday, the other for maybe a birthday for a particular bloke. And there is a sweet pattern of a mushroom covered cozie. I'd love one of those for me!

Maybe these finished projects will encourage me, and you too.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Maybe Martha...



Lovely images from www.marthastewartliving.com

Is it just me, or do you have a secret desire to be in the audience of Martha Stewart? She is on telly around 4 p.m. ish. I've not figured out the exact time so I'm pleasantly surprised every time I find it on. Today she was featuring rescued dogs, who long to be loved outside of the RSPCA version that they have in America. Yesterday (on St Patrick's day) she featured valentine's Day. With super candy brownies and pop up kissing Valentine cards. Very sweet. Martha does not seem to get all that excited though. She is a little dry. But boy the show is crafty and creative. Cooking, craft, pets - delicious! Maybe one day I'll be on holiday in the US and get tickets to her show....






Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Cozies all cozied up...

A holiday Kukaburra at Taggarty

A sweet little stich counter from the op shop and some precious tortoise shell needles from my nana.

I've been well and truly bitten by the tea cozie bug. And what a warm, itchy yet delicious bite it is!

Here are a few of my reflections on what I love about knitting cozies, but I have gotten a little carried away... They can be whipped up quickly, just in a few sessions really. They are appreciated as they are not every day things (but they should be). They give me an abundance of opportunities to try out new knitting techniques - such as intarsia knitting, which I am becoming a bit of a gun at now. Small, seemingly useless bits of will can be used up and maximised to their full potential. The finished product makes sensational gifts. And they are just so cozie!

I'm loving the book I bought, as mentioned previously. And recently I've had time on my hands, such as a weekend in the country to knit, knit, knit. Please enjoy this one finished project and the two works in progress. Flicking through my how-to cozie book, I've got around five more that I want to try out. And then there's that article in the most recent Mixed Tape zine about the amazing lady who makes her own cozie designs and then wins prizes at the Red Hill show. Oh, I could dream and knit for a very long time...

Well, I gave Con her super cozie, the one with the mega lining and sweet reverse knitted sheep. And despite her having a relatively big tea pot, the cozie was huge! And her pot's handles come from the top of the pot not the side. Drats! I think I need to come up with a plan for the good old top handle tea pot model. After all, I have one too that I use at work on cold days. I'm thinking two pieces, with no covering over the lid. Tight fitting too.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Lemon delights...

With the amazing weather in Victoria recently, I think my lemon tree has grown overnight! Hurrah! I was quite apprehensive about buy the tree. After all, the poor thing would have to live in a pot and be exposed to endless exhaust fumes from a busy road. I also worried about the amount of sunlight it would receive, and whether its owners would be consistent in giving it some regular water and fertiliser. But oh, how I love lemons. Lemon butter, lemon slice, lemon cake, chicken and lemon, lemon in guacamole, in a white lady (that refreshingly sour cocktail), roasted with root veggies... Oh, I could go on.
No fruit so far, but new shoots which make me smile. Yep, those little redish brown shoots are new growth! They are my lemon tree getting bigger. I'm thrilled, and very surprised that it has not died. Any tips around growing successful lemons would be much appreciated.
A little tree dweller.
By the by, how sweet are these little biscuits? Ikea had some gems of cookie cutters, and who could resist a squirrel biscuit with a cup of tea? Or fantastic Mr Fox even? Perhaps iced in vibrant orange with a chocolate sprinkle tail...

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Tea if you please...

I'm on a bit of a tea cozie roll at the moment. First there was the delicious sea horse cozie. Then I started that bubbly purple and turquoise one and became frustrated with it - it remains on the needles in a vain hope of one day being completed. Then my girlfriend Con requested a sheep or tea cup embossed cozie. Now it is one for sis Sue, as mentioned. That one is done, but I used a thin acrylic for the main fabric. It was simply a matter of itching to start and using what was on hand. So my solution is to make a lining. Thicken up the fabric, increase the heat-retention properties, double up on coziness. Hurrah!

But Connie's is done, and I thought I could brag. It is the most intense cozie I have ever seen. The pattern was even more over the top. Knitted with two strands of wool, with a lining also made from double strands. Despite recommendations to do so, I chose to forgo adding stuffing between the layers. I also left off the white rose from the top of the cozie. Now all I need to do is package it up and give it with lots of love to Con. Then sit back and sip some tea if you please.
The extra layer - secret cozie lining (makes a stellar beanie).

Monday, March 1, 2010

Glenferrie Road wandering...

Well my day off today has not been too crafty, but it has been one of discoveries. I went for a stroll down Glenferrie Road with my sister Sue and took in the sunshine and loveliness of it all. What did I discover?

One of the classics, Nordliving where I ordered a Finnish sticker for the car.

Some granny square prink leggings from Romance Was Born - think this dress by in stretchy pants.
Too much curry at Tandoori Express.

The second Tea Cozie book, following a request from Sue for a tea cozie. Who wouldn't want and I heart T cozie?
Plus scoring a generous offering of free clothes from the lovely sis. She is too kind.

After this great day, I'm keen to sew and craft and create. All I want to do is make some Scandi inspired things, contemplate an adorable stars and moon mobile that could be made, get out the needles and whip up that cozie, and perfect the granny square. Oh, drats... back to work tomorrow.