Thursday 19 January 2017

Physalis scarf



With the Australian Open (tennis) currently on, I am getting a lot of knitting done! The other day I finished my Physalis scarf. I love the pattern (by Anna Kuduja, available for free on Ravelry) - it looks complicated but is actually very easy. Very happy with the scarf as well :-)



Now I have picked up my Baby Blocks blanket again. It's about two-thirds done, but progressing very slowly. The baby I had originally intended it for was born in November, I gave her the Lone Star Baby Quilt instead ;-)



I have also started a new quilt! Can't show it here yet, but it's very exciting to finally work on an art quilt again. I needed some fabric for it so searched for my local quilt shop and found it in Daydream Street; how appropriate is that?!

Friday 13 January 2017

Pattern Scrappy Lone Star Mini Quilt now on Etsy



Remember the Lone Star Mini Quilt I made last year? I'm happy to announce that the pattern is now available in my Etsy shop.



This little beauty measures 8'' square, so this is not a project for the faint of heart, but very satisfying when it is done!



In the meantime we are having a great time exploring our new hometown. Yesterday we visited the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Royal Botanic Gardens, then took the ferry back to the Northern Beaches. Here's a pic a friendly lady took of us:



:-)

Friday 6 January 2017

Hold the door



When we moved into the new house, it soon became clear that we really needed  some doorstops - there are a few doors that just don't want to stay open.



In the first weeks we used whatever was on hand to prop them open, but a more permanent solution was called for. Of course you can buy one of those ugly wooden wedges, but why not use some stash fabric and make a nice one?



For the first one I grabbed the cow fabric that I bought in Holland in 2012 and used in 2014 to re-upholster an op shop ottoman.



For the second one I dug up the scraps of fabric left over from the Dutch vintage post bags that I used to make messenger bags for myself and two friends in the Netherlands.



I filled the doorstops with some cat litter (clay) and topped it up with scraps of quilt batting.



The hardest part was hand-sewing the last seam closed!



But I'm really happy with these two small projects. I had hoped to start on an art quilt this week, but didn't have the fabric I needed in my stash. In Brisbane I could cycle to at least three different fabric shops, but here they are all quite a bit further away! I've ordered some fabric online and hope to start on the quilt next week.



In the meantime I am still knitting my Physalis scarf. The Australian summer of tennis has started, so it's progressing steadily!



PS The title is a reference to the sixth season of Game of Thrones, that we finally got to watch! (we've had the DVD for months, but the DVD player was in storage!)