caro-rose-creations

A quiet day

After the rush of finishing the mini quilt I have had a quiet day today.  Most of my time is spent visiting Doctors and Physio's with this foot.  Breaking my foot has put a major spanner in the works.  Not only am I off work the lack of activity has seen me put on a little weight.

One of my new year resolutions was to loose weight and I have, all 22 kilograms.  (That's about 3 stone.) But not being able to exercise has seen a couple of kilos go back on.  It is strange the places I lost weight, like my fingers.  Non of my thimbles fit anymore. I don't think that I will be able to loose the kilos before my son's wedding in three weeks time and when I tried on my outfit it was tight.  Not so tight that I couldn't get into it but tight.  So, I have started an alteration.  It is turning into a major job.

The difference between of the peg and Designer clothing is in the finish.  There are no seams that are easy to unpick, they are all french seams or the seams are covered with bias tape.  The lace jacket required the use of a magnifying glass to see the stitches but I managed to get all the darts out and not cut the stitching of the lace.  I found that steaming the fabric put it back to it's original state.

 

The blouse is a different story.  It is made of a fine cotton and the front pleated section is also lined. I unpicked the darts but then had to take out one of the pleats on each side and then unpick the lining and reposition it.  I tried washing a small section and this lessened the holes made by the machine needle.  I think I will have to search for matching thread.  Surprisingly the skirt is fine.



I also bought a new 'thick' book today.  When he says origins that is what he means.  We go right back to the making of the continent.  I like Thomas Keneally's work and most people know him as the writer of 'Schindlers List.'   There is evidence that our indigenous peoples have been here for over 100,000 years.  That means they were here when the mega fauna was around. That is really something. 

Velcro dots

I just LOVE Velcro dots.  They are the best thing since sliced bread.  I have a number of gifts to send to friends and relatives so I have been busy making gift bags.  Some I wanted to make into an envelope and the best and quickest way to make a tie?  A Velcro dot.

You just make a fold and stick the closed dot (top & bottom) onto the top edge and press down at the closing position on the bottom edge.  So easy.

 I have just finished reading  "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer. It was recommended to me by Maggie and I just loved it.  I had to ration the amount I read each day to make it last, a bit like chocolate.  I see your can buy it on Amazon and they also have a little video interview with the co-author you can watch.

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet

I have managed to pick up some terrible bug this week and am unable to move too far away from my bed.  I think it is some kind of virus as the Teachers Aide had the same thing as did a friends son.  All that aside, being confined to bed does not sit well with me but I found a book to keep me company.

Colleen Mc McCullough has been a favourite author for some time.  I find her style 'reader friendly' and in her 'The Masters of Rome' novels, well researched.  'The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet' takes the reader into the world of the Bennet sisters some time after the conclusion of 'Pride and Prejudice', especially the life of Mary, although, all the sisters and their partners are characters in this book.

The book doesn't read like a Jane Austin novel but is entirely believable and entertaining.  It is clearly written by someone imagining events at that time but the story flows at a pace that keeps the reader engaged at a level that one overlooks those 'modern views'.   I found it light and easy to read and felt well pleased when I had finished.  I don't think it is a mans' book but woman will love it.  The book is published by Harper Collins.  ( ISBN 978-0-7322-8722-1 )

Books I am finding inspiring

I have been searching for inspiration for some new designs and have come across two quite different sources.  The first is by Alexander McCall Smith ( of 'The Lady Detective Agency' fame) and it is a gentle rewrite of stories about the Celtic God 'Angus'.  The God of dreams.

This is part of a 'Myths Series' .  Some of the other authors in the series include; Chinua Achebe, Margaret Atwood, Natsua Kirino and Sally Vickers.  I am going to try and find some of these other books as I find so much inspiration in old myths and legends.

The second book was a chance find.  It is actually about old coins, it is called 'Convict Love Tokens'.

I came across a mention of it when looking at the Sydney Power House Museum site.  This led me to the National Museum of Australia .  Most of these coins have naive designs that I think would translate into embroidery.  They are about the size of a 50 cent coin and would make great scissor keepers. 

A new Book

I had almost forgotten that I had ordered this book.  But, it arrived today and it is fantastic.

There is just so much in this book that I don't know where to begin.  I think that  the material about Elizabeth Fry is important because only one quilt survives. 

I have three convict woman in my family tree. They all arrived in Australia in the 1790's.   One was transported because she couldn't pay a one pound fine, she was given to Corporal Lauchlan Ross and had 2 children.  He took his son when he left and she kept the baby girl.  Another because she stole alcohol from her employer, she was given to Corporal Thomas Tollis. They were married but she died in childbirth and he soon after as a result of a fall from a horse.  I have the Account of sale of their household effects and in this are listed 4 blankets.  Could one of these have been a quilt?  The last  was the mother of my great, great, grandmother and we don't even know her name, only that she was a convict.  All of these woman would have received a quilt parcel from Elizabeth Fry.  The stigma of being descended from a convict would have caused families to discard these items I think.  What a shame.

This book is full of the most wonderful pictures of quilts. This one on Page 39 by Mary Ann Wellen in 1860 has the most wonderful appliques.

If you are interested in buying this book you can order it from Dr. Annette Gero

Keep on running.

I just couldn't stop when I got back from the island yesterday.  As usual, once we were on the barge we past through that veil into another time and space, or that is what it felt like.

I found that all my exercising made pushing that lawn mower around a lot easier but I was so dirty.  When we arrived it was a very low tide and looking over the cliff in front of our land the mud flats were clearly visible.

This island is a bird sanctuary and there were parents and chicks all over the island.  The Kerloos, which are a endangered species, moved over the island with their broods.  Being able to get up close to these birds is such a thrill.  Not such a thrill is their calls at night.

I always find something to photograph every time I go to the island.  This time there were blooms from the ginger plant, the Crepe Myrtle and a climber, who's name I forget.



Also the wonderful tracks to the beach or through the bush.



And I found a descendant of the Lone Pine from Galipoli, in thick bush, it now has a fence around it and a plaque noting who and why it is there.




And today Sharonb put up the first of the 'Stitch Explorer Challenge' and this month the technique is chicken scratch.  For me this is most fortuitous as I have this stash of gingham fabric that I have no idea what I would do with.  Now I know.

Chirstmas Gifts

I got a great book for Christmas this year.  It is called The Elegance of the Hedgehog  by Muriel Barbery.

I think that it is going to join the list of my favourite reads and I think it will be a book that I will re-read a number of times.  It is quite beautiful.

The other book I read was my friend Rod's book that he received from his son, who is my God son, Gerrod.  I also loved this book, but in a different way.  I will have to investigate all the research quoted in this book.  We are implementing the "Essential Learnings" in our class rooms.  Some of the research quoted here makes me wonder just how sound parts of this is.

So two new books, both of which I enjoyed and both of which have opened up other vistas for me.  Who could ask for more?