Sometimes you just have to sew...

It seems so hard here sometimes to get going on a project - whether it is new or old. Because I have no sewing area, each time I have to plan and sit and and try to get a good amount done. So to fill the creative urge I have decided to try some small projects. So a few nights ago ( quite late) I worked on this. It is from Little Charmers II and I used a charm pack of He Loves Me II fabric. The charm pack only had 25 squares so that limited things a bit but with the addition of a few fat quarters from the first line of He Loves Me fabric I was able to do the stars and added a border to make it a little bit bigger. Because it was late at night some of the points are a bit wonky but at least I actually did some sewing. The machine is packed away again but there is no excuse not to sandwich this - maybe this afternoon.

I love the little charmers patterns and I have just discovered that there are two more new ones ( III and IV) shown at the Fatquartershop. I have a few charm packs here so expect to see a few more. I am looking forward to making some more of these, especially to practise my machine quilting.

I love this range of fabric - it reminds of the wallpaper I had in my room when I was still at home with my parents, which had daisies going all the way up to the ceiling on one wall.

What is it?

At my Friday Craft Group this item was shown. It had been bought at a charity shop for 20c - which is a bargain just for the wool alone. (I am joking) The middle section is stitched on plastic canvas and the top and bottom frills - well, I don't know how they were done. I am sure that someone, somewhere thought/thinks that this is the perfect decor item.... if only we could work out what it was for. A number of things were thought of - it was too big for my head to be a hat. Maybe, it is some sort of clothing item or some version of a sea creature.

We did find that it was possible to fit two toilet rolls inside but in the end we decided that is was a tissue box cover. (Perhaps the fact that it did fit a tissue box inside gave that away) None the less we are still open to suggestions for this classic item.

Welcome Iris...

Meet Iris - who was born last Sunday morning ( 6th of May) at 9 lb 1 oz. Here she is at about 12 hours old with her Lynny ( that's me, I'm her step grandmother)

I'm still trying to finish her welcome card (cross stitch)- it's nearly done. It's been fun doing cross stitch again.

personal stuff...

I have some things to blog about but somehow I don't feel very chatty. I have been to a craft show and will write about that another time. My problem is that we have been helping my mother to move. I have come to realise that my mother has a very serious problem and I doubt that we will see it solved. Her problem - well, she keeps everything. I have had arguments with her about keeping old magazines, paper, plastic bags,curtain clips and things that should have been rubbish twenty years ago. You name it - she has kept it, and expected us to move it. Her new place which is is a nice new duplex in an retirement village is full and over flowing. She cannot park her car in the garage. And nothing we can say seems to get though that she will have a health hazard - both through dust and tripping problems. I could go on and on....

One thing which has come out out of all this is the realisation that I carry a lot of her thought patterns around in my head as well, and I need to do something so that I don't have this problem when I am older. I know that over the past 30 years since I left home I have grown and come to understand the issues that seem to be my legacy. However I do find myself saying things to myself that I know are things that she says - the biggest one being that I might need it one day.

With the state of the things that I have seen recently I realize the need to use things up and not get into the mindset that everything could have something made out out of it, or have a use to someone. I want my mother to enjoy her life,to take pleasure in creating, not being ruled by possibilites. An example - I found an old water damaged wooden bread board which she gave me permission to throw. But the thoughts must have been working because then she wanted to find it in the pile of stuff going to the dump because she could make a coffee table out of it. After I had gone she did get it out and yes, it is now in her new place, along all the other junk. I know that she will never do anything with it. (sighs) She had a chance to let something go but could not take the step.

This is still all very muddled in my head and I will work through it. I accept that she will remain this way, much as I wish she wouldn't, and when she passes on we will have to go through all this stuff again, although it will be easier next time. All I can do is try very hard to not repeat this for my own children.

So I will be working on going through my 'treasures' and enjoying using them. My stash will still get added to but I will be tougher on myself. I also need to organise things better so I can find everything. It could take a while though....

Just a photo of something peaceful - one of my favourite birds - a Pelican.