Equilibrium

I am feeling this week like my optimal balance is out of whack. The weight of life and family commitments is drawing on my resources. You know, all that stuff you don't really want to do but have to do! Despite having a fairly sizeable and weighty stash on one side of my balancing act the other side keeps weighing me down to that hum drum side. I keep adding stash to try and compensate so I can make it to the woo hoo side ....but it's not working!!!!!!!!!!

All those Mum's out there will know just what I mean when I say that there's four of us in this family, so that's three people wanting my attention all to themselves, those three people see only one person....as for me.... it's all three at once and no fourth....you'all know who that fourth is right?

Consequently the vast majority of what I have achieved this week seems to be prep with a little peek of a newbie I have been working on for a couple of weeks. 

First up, the ongoing saga of Mountmellick. Whilst seeming fairly easy peasy and stress free this part 4 border involves a reasonable bit of time just cutting, pinning, stitching and pressing. I have never done hour glasses before and thought the cutting was quite clever. Four squares of fabric, a light and a dark each with right sides together and on top of each other. Cut corner to corner diagonally and voila four triangle groups with each colour to make four hour glass squares. Nifty.

The four hexie flowers for the four corner border squares. Aren't they sweet!

And here they are placed on the fabric ready to be stitched and cut into squares. This is the only hand stitching for this border.

Two piles of hour glasses....two to go....

Here's the next lot awaiting stitching...they've been waiting there a few days now!

I am so hoping to finish this up in the next week, the rest of this week is not looking flash for time spent in my studio though.....darn it!

Now I also did a teeny tiny but of prep for a future project. The tracing is done. Guess what I am going to try my hand at....never done this before! Loving those cute as little balls of Valdani 3ply! This is Manor at Strawberry Hill by the amazingly talented Brenda Gervais.

The other project that has been going a couple of weeks is also something never before attempted by me in either traditional of modern style. It isn't going too badly and I am loving the result. 

I am adoring the french vanilla look of this design. The threads and beads are cool to work with. Dancing Threads is a great name for this project.

Can you tell I am winging it....I have learnt the basics of needle weaving and can see now that I need many more warp threads but I am still loving the outcome.

Winging it with a little bit of help....ok...a lot of help....

.... from Hazel's new book! Hazel, your designs rock and crewel is cool.

Off to do some more balancing....have  a great week 

Rae

The Climbing Of Mountmellick

At last, Mountmellick Part 3 has been 'knocked off'. The pinnacle has been reached and the steepest part of the mountain climbed. At times it flelt like a vertical rock face. That part 3 border sure was a trek into the upper echelon for me. It seemed to go on forever but at the same time was a totally rewarding and utterly satisfying journey. And the result, well the result just speaks for itself....

Broderie perse is challenging, extremely time consuming and a whole lot of gorgeous fussiness. I love it! Not sure I would want to do it all the time though!!!

I feel like the journey up Mountmellick has plateaued as I head into Part 4. Part 4 is simple, not many hexies and no broderie perse....aaagh, I should have this border wrapped up before the next issue of Quiltmania is released in September. Better get on with cutting those hour glasses!

After all that applique was done I managed to squeeze another Patchwork of the Crosses block into the end of the week. Here's my latest combo....

Hope you have a fantastic week.
Rae

FNwF and Goodbye Procrastination

Last night was my first night joining in with the Friday Night With Friends (FNwF) ladies over at Gone Stitchin

It's kinda nice sitting in on a Friday evening knowing that there are other's sharing their comfy stitching chair with you. I'm sure going to enjoy visiting the other blogs over the weekend to see what everyone got up to.

Thanks for sharing your time with me ladies.

So onto sharing my accomplishments for the evening. I worked on a couple of projects last night. One was an actual finish, the last step for that project and the other was another small step in a very big and very long project.

The Finish....now anyone who follows my blog will know that things don't move very often from the WIPs to the Finishes label. I tend to work on larger projects that take an age and I have many on the go. This finish all up took me only around 48 hours to complete, that's the accountant in me keeping a rough tally of the time spent each day on a spreadsheet, I just knew that career choice would be handy for something I actually like doing...lol. But you need to know that I actually started this project on the 1st January and it is now the 1st of August....7 months for 48 hours work....an indication that my project rotation is rather large....but it was worth the wait....

The Winter Casket Keepsakes is finished. Once I finished procrastinating about starting the jolly finger braiding and did a test sample in a thicker thread, it turned out there were only 8 steps to the pattern and 3 of those steps were tensioning. What was I worried about! Oh, and Amy Mitten's written instructions were as easy to follow as ever and I didn't need a video. BTW, thanks so much to all those of you who sent me a link to a video of the finger loop braiding. I did look at them and they were most helpful for basic understanding however the pattern was specific to the project and so I returned to Amy's instructions.

Please know that I really appreciate all your comments and if I have not responded directly it is likely because you are showing as a no reply blogger. I respect your right to privacy but if you want reply's to your comments you can get help to fix that....here or here

Now back to the finish....Here's my sample braiding done the previous day....

....and here's the for real braids x 2 that I did Friday in preparation for my FNwF stitching in my comfy chair....

All I needed to do last night was to thread the braid through the eyelets ....

....and voila....

Aren't they just so darling. A needle keep and a thread winder keep. These are designed as casket toys and only measure a teeny 3 inches from top to toe. Thanks Amy for another cool design. Next is Spring Keepsakes and a truckload of needlelace petals.

So with Winter Casket Keepsakes duly completed I picked up the next project....my Patchwork of the Crosses. This is what block #4 is starting to look like. I am loving this project and getting to actually use my stash in imaginative ways is way cool. PotC is very addictive!!! 

So that was my Friday night....how was your's?....off to make a cuppa and check out what fun the other FNwFers had.

Rae

Procrastination, Swiss Chintz & Mary

Hello fellow bloglanders

It's official, we just had the coldest weekend of the year in Auckland. But the sun is shining today and the chill is passing. Not long now until the magnolias in our garden begin to flower. The kids have been back at school a week. The DIY hubby has been renovating all week. All is good in this neck of the woods. 

Not so for the progression of the final part of the finishing for my Winter Casket Keepsakes. The last step is something I have not tackled before. Now Amy Mitten's instructions are fabulous but this particular bit looks like you could get yourself into a little bit of a tangle and you cant stop part way through. I put this off over the school holidays and now another week has passed....next week, I will do this next week....fingers crossed....no that won't help....I need those for this task....

These are my practice threads and the table clamp to assist with the finger loop braiding process. I put them out on the dining table as you need a bit of room and a suitable surface for the clamp but I did this putting out there maybe, dare I say it, about a week before the school holidays, now that's scary, that's at least 4 weeks of moving this on and off the dining table each time we eat. How ridiculous is that. Putting it in my face would not seem be working as a motivational tool....

This series of pics will give you an idea as to why the procrastination has got a firm grip....

Just get on with it I hear you say. Well I will I say!!! I have the relevant instructions printed out and I think I might just write the letter codes on the appropriate fingers so I can keep track...it can't be that hard surely....Amy has a video but is goes too fast and with all those fingers tied up....how you going to pause it!!!!!! I am talking about it to make me do it so watch this space.

All my stitching time this past week has been dedicated to the ongoing Mountmellick. Those borders for part III sure are mega intensive and time consuming. But I have all the hexie flowers and leaves on all the borders now and one border has the broderie perse finished and the second half done so I am well on my way.

I had fun cutting up the chintz for the broderie perse....it sure does look like a piece of swiss chintz after all that fussy cutting....

As for Mary, well that would be Mary Delany. I have just finished reading a most enjoyable book about the paper flowers created by Mary in the 1700's when all things botanical were at there most fashionable. Mary was in her 70's when she started this amazing study of flowers that numbers nearly 1000 specimans. She had to stop due to failing eyesight in her 80's. Of course like any gentlewoman of the period she did all things needlework as well along with creating the odd shell grotto as was popular at the time. I sure would have loved to have met her....it was a great age.

Now this is not the first book I have read about Mary. A while ago I also read the book written about the life of Mary by Ruth Hayden which is a broader read about her entire lifetime and equally as interesting. 

An ingenious mind is never too old to learn ~ Mary Delany

Rae

No One's Asked What's For Dinner....

Yep, I haven't heard 'that' question today so far and it's a sure sign that something is back to normal in the household and so is this....something's missing from this picture?....

....yep, school bags....the kids are back at school....time to have  a cuppa and a catch up....

A catch up with the beautiful blogs over at My Desert Cottage

The party is now over but the 116 links to the studio hangouts of these very creative ladies are still active. It's worth a peek, some very inspirational spaces that could be food for refreshing ones own studio space. I am definitely going to join in again next year.

Thank you so much for the lovely ladies who came over to my blog and visited my space. Your warm, friendly and encouraging comments are very much appreciated.  I did notice though that there were an awful lot of 'no reply bloggers' who commented which is a shame as you cannot respond directly. A little tip on checking this setting might be an idea for next year!

Thanks again all of you who shared a little piece of your favourite space.

Rae

What's A Girl To Do On A Cold Winter Holiday

The short break is over, the sun shone but it sure was cold and still is. That southerly wind chill sure is mean and makes for sitting in cafes in Tauranga who all had the doors open and NO heaters, rather a cold affair. I don't really get that, not an outdoor or indoor heater in sight!!!

But we had fun none-the-less and what's a girl to do on a round trip when things are chilly, head indoors of course at every patchwork shop you pass!!! All that excitement generates it's own heat!

Hubby decided to go through Gordonton and through Cambridge to Tirau which was the first destination. I course I let him sort the navigational plan and then quietly suggested that...since we are going this way....he walked right into it LOL

So Grandmother's Garden was my first quilty related stop off....youngest daughter in full support of the decision....

Then it was on to Tirau for lunch and a most definitely planned visit to my favourite homeware shop Notting Hill Interiors. I found a couple of trinkets most suitable to sit in my studio. The birdie paper weight will be great for holding down the edge of projects worked at my desk and....

....this sweet little jewellery holder  has been repurposed as my applique pin dish

Kiddies and their father went off to the sweet shop and came back loaded with stuff to satisfy their sweet tooths, we were all happy.

Then it was off over the Kaimai's to Mount Maunganui. The sky was clear and blue. The surf was not up to much on the main beach though so no easterlies passing through there of late but there was of course plenty of activity along the boardwalk.

This was the sunny view from our apartment at the Oceanside Resort the whole time we were there.

But of course that didn't stop the entire family spending the early parts of the next morning on iphones and ipads and ignoring the view....

Of course....what was I taking the photo with!!! 

We spent a cool couple of days visiting parents and eating way too much but it was nice to get away for a change of scene even if you did have to rug up big time.

My parents live in Rotorua and so I of course I could not resist the opportunity to check out the new and improved Cottage Flair while visiting them for lunch. Jill's new shop is lovely and my Mum is a regular customer, lucky her. Couldn't walk out empty handed of course....the family went off to occupy themselves at the local ice cream parlour and were gone a suspiciously long time....I know this because I didn't have anyone come back telling me to hurry up....when they did turn up just as I was ready....turns out hubby took them all on a short scenic helicopter ride and they loved it. Again, all were happy.

On the way back to Auckland we took the scenic route up through KatiKati and Waihi. And, you guessed it, Cushla's Waihi is on the way. Hubby and eldest uninterested daughter parked up on the kerb outside the shop next to the very ironically located telephone booth where there is a Telecom Wifi hotspot so they were sorted and the youngest and I went for a gander inside. Again I was tempted and I did find a great Yoko Saito book called Strolling Along Paths of Green that has the best pictures and instructions for her techniques that I have seen. Score.

Heading North again we stopped off for a planned lunch at Karangahake Gorge at a place we have visited often the Ohinemuri Winery. We always share the platter and the kids love it. Once again it did not disappoint.

Back home today chilling and laying low away from the chilly outdoors before school starts again tomorrow.

I did get a few stitches into my Patchwork of the Crosses while I was away but not as much as I planned. Still it is all progress.

Before we left for holiday on Wednesday I did manage to get this far with my four Mountmellick borders....loving the look so far

I found a brochure while we were away....something to look forward too....not long now....

Rae

Where Bloggers Create....My Creative Paradise....

I have just seen the most gorgeous studio, filled with creative ephemera on one of the blogs I visit. Oh my, I love, love, love seeing other creative spaces where amazing talent brings  beautiful objects to life and vintage objects abound. Where the parts of a stash become a whole and beautiful creation displayed side by side with the aged patina of pre-loved treasures. What an inspiration! And what do you know....it's a party....can I come....yes I can....I just need to share my creative space to join the party....

This is the link to the party facilitator Karen over on My Desert Cottage and this is where I saw my first ephemeral eye candy of the party over with Vicki at 2 Bags Full

Now for my 'space sharing' so I can link to all the party fun....

My name is Raewyn and I adore having a space that I can call my own, my own little bolthole within my home, an oasis of calm where the stash is housed and the creative passion can stir without having to put everything away all the time, but, it's not big enough!!!

This is my beloved stitching chair, my night time hangout with my needles and thread....

The pieces of the stash on the journey to evolving as one object of beauty....

Surrounded by vintage and handmade treasures whilst I relax in my Queenly stitching throne of an evening....

My studio is a room just off the front porch in what used to be the church minister's office, we live in a converted church in semi rural New Zealand....

My stash is ever growing but feels teeny tiny compared to some creative spaces I am seeing on this party....what I am also seeing on this party is that I need to have a tidy up....feeling guilty....yes!

Now this stash needs to be stashed....but it's SO pretty that I just want to look at the cool threads all the time....

Plans are underway for stashing this stash more attractively, I am repurposing a large mirrored jewellery box and it is ordered....I am eliminating plastic storage from my crafting space, there is something about storing beautiful natural fibres and threads in petroleumn based plastic that is so not right in my world and likely the planet!!! It is a slow process of finding gorgeous & often vintage storage possibilities that will fit the bill....

I love my ORT jar,  I only started this a few months ago!

I have a small space off my studio set up for designing....

I have so much stash now and so many projects on the go that my Creative Paradise needs a bigger footprint. I want to move out here and include some of the balcony in my studio....

....but my DIY hubby is too busy renovation more important parts of this....

So I will carry on feeling most gracious about the paradise that I have and enjoying the visual eye candy of this party....off to link up....and to stop by some more blogs. Thanks for stopping by if you come visit me.

Rae