fiveandtwo

Completed Creatures

Two likely lads, about to set for a stroll.

The lad claimed by Linsey has facial features (and a bellybutton).

This sleepy one has its own reversible bag for snoozing in.

I did a post about the book the patterns are in here. I really like them, enjoyed "bringing them to life".

However, I don't think I'll make any for a while.

I really  need to focus on only two or three  (perhaps one or two) particular art/craft endeavours. My usual method is really scattered. So many projects, none of them completed. So often exploring new inspirations, while those previous, they languish.

Then there's my love affair with blogland, I need to rein that in somehow.

But you people have been so supportive, you've provided feedback on my various projects, empathic comments when things have gone pear-shaped, useful links and snippets of wisdom. A special window to your own experiences and making of splendid arts. Enjoyed immensely.

How do you lovely people resolve this dilemma? I aim not to occupy the computer during the day, but the evening is when the teens want to use the machine. I always defer to homework do-ers. Linsey is the only one at the moment (year twelve). Sometimes I get up really early to "catch up", and do a post. Depends on the lateness of the previous night. Not from partying, oh no. From waiting up to pick up offspring from their part-time jobs!

Basically, I think I should close my blog rather than post sporadically. Particularly since there isn't much continuity. Subject matter is quite random I imagine many of you have reached this point. How have you made the decision?

Mouse Bus

All these little mice (been cut out for a while) got sewn up on Thursday.

Clare and Ally've been playing with them, this is the mouse bus.

Lovely to watch the small fry play, a pleasant interlude from teen wrangling. 

I was at home on Thursday supervising Leah's suspension from school.For truancy, last Friday with a bunch of "mates" and on Wednesday she took herself around to a year eleven boy's house for the day. It was in chasing up the students who were absent on Friday that it was discovered Leah wasn't at school on Wednesday. She had stayed overnight at a friend's house in a town not far away and was definitely dropped of at school that morning.

Our attempts to locate her mired us in a web of deceit. Leah claimed to still be where she slept over due to missing the bus in the morning...each friend she claimed to be with was accounted for at school...her friend's mum was going to drop her off, but wasn't there for us to speak to...denying saying anything about being kicked out of home and living with a foster family.

I later had much more revealed when, rightly or wrongly, I found her phone and went through the inbox/outbox messages. The frantic texting that went on as they all tried to align their stories and cover their backsides was sickening. The messages to and from the boy Leah was with disturbed me. It ain't good to be with someone who texts you saying, "Say my name and you're wrecked".

And then the message to one of her mates, "I've been f***ing kicked out of home, I'm with an f***ing foster family".That explains the school wanting to know if Leah still lived at home.

The Secondary College discovered that thirteen-year-old Leah was at a year eleven party in yet another hearby town on Saturday night, went nowhere near the friend's I thought she was sleeping over at (that lass was at a different party). I guess I've just assumed she'd do the right thing, took her word for it, and trusted her - been spoilt by Linsey and Giles.  To the school's credit, they've had a lengthy discussion with the boy about the "appropriateness" of a seventeen-year-old/thirteen-year-old relationship.

I now wonder whether Leah was where she said she was the times she texted me asking if it was ok to go to so-and-so's place after school, or to sleep over...

After she finally came home it was to pack some stuff because she was going to live at a friend's house. My husband took her down to a local family support agency (rather than DHS) to see if someone would talk to her more objectively than we could about how fostering actually works, that it doesn't mean you front up to a mate's place and move in. Leah learned that there were no places for teens in this town, therefore a foster placement would need to be found elsewhere in the state (that chills me). She stayed the night with an aunty after it was suggested it might grant her some thinking time to do so. We also got a referral to the LINX program operated here by the local community health service. This program endeavours to prevent family breakdown due to teenagers running away and the like. My sources say the adolescent/ family counsellor is very good.

I just feel I can't trust my girl any more. It's a horrible, horrible feeling. Worse than the stony silence, the glares, the curling lip.

I know she'll grow beyond all this. Sometimes I see glimpses of what I like to think is the real Leah. That lovely, sparkly girl that I adore. Keeps me going, it does. Keeps me trying. Keeps me hoping. I think it will sustain me these next several years. Heck, roll on the development of her frontal lobe!

Good Company And Crafting

Linsey, the small fry and I stayed with a good buddy at St Andrews last weekend.

Linsey had her first experience of city driving and did really well. It's not easy for a novice to keep an eye on traffic both sides of the car, in front and behind as well as things like traffic lights, road signs and so forth. I don't think I stressed too much, although I do remember saying, "Brakes!", rather loudly once or twice.

I made sure our visit to St Andrews included a Saturday. Can't miss the excellent market held there, no way.

Following a lengthy browse at St Andrews market we took ourselves to Fitzroy for a look at the Rose Street Artist Market. Such talent, such beautiful goodies. My husband rang while I was there (computer glitch at work) and I crowed about how I was surrounded by wondrous things and hadn't spent a cent. Well, in the next five minutes a bought an etching of a magpie by Bridget Farmer! Heh, that'll teach me.

My buddy is keen to bring the fiveandtwo the business out of recess, so we had coffee and crafted, sipped wine and crafted and just plain crafted. The perfect activity for a good catch-up. I swotted on the sewing machine the day before leaving, nothing like leaving it until the last minute. But I then had a pile of things to finish with hand sewing and stuff, plenty to work on for sure.

Behold, finished items:

The felt pups are from ages ago, the dachshund just needed some buddies for the photo opportunity.

I was trying out patterns from this book:

These in particular:

Apples galore. Quick to make with a sewing machine. Sew, stuff, sew up the stuffing hole. Done. The stalk is leather thonging which, fortuitously, I found many metres of at the op shop only the week before! The stalk I sewed in with the last seam. Easy.

From this book:

Minus the beads in this (not very good) photo.

A pair of hedgehogs (echidas?):

From this book:

Horses from fabric. I don't think they "work" - poor choice of fabric perhaps. The felt ones are better, I reckon.

And, finally, this fellow, who's yet to have eyes and nose. Already claimed by Linsey. Very happy with him. Made from scraps of linen and some really soft wool bought from that recent bountiful garage sale.

And this is the book the pattern's from:

More are cut out, including one of these "sleepy" ones. Sleeping in its own bag. Very cute.

One more page from the book:

Hmmm, perhaps you've noticed my current penchant for Japanese craft books? Bounty of last year's Family Tax Credit. What use are they if you don't craft from them. These little projects are mighty good for using up scraps of fabric. You know, those tiny pieces of wonderful stuff that you can't bear to toss.

One panel of an apple (or pear) uses a miniscule amount of fabric. Also the dachshund and the car. More for the mousey-doggy animals.

An extremely productive weekend. It's definitely easier to be productive not being surrounded by all that household stuff that needs attention!

New Needlebook

My old cardboard needlebook was falling to bits. Plus I wanted a small project to actually finish.

A plain green leaf didn't look right, hence the stitching.

Inside I was able to use some of my collection of old flannelette. Leaf : flowers, goes together, right?

The leaf template came from a kid's sewing book that I picked up at the op shop recently called Busy Little Hands - Sewing, illustrated by Douglas Hall and published by Hamlyn.

There's also a pattern for a little hedgehog (echidna?) pincushion where the pins form the quills.

Clare and Ally have been inspired to sew. I must say it's easier to teach them now than it was even a year ago.

Clare's flower brooch and angel, Ally's bracelet. They used my felt and fabric scraps. I helped with needle threading and knot tying.

I'd forgotten how relaxing it is to sit stitching and chatting. Or to be lost in thought if I'm on my own. I think there's something magical about handwork.

Purses

Some that I finished while away at Christmas. The ones not completed on the Mooloolaba trip mid-year.

Obviously the tail-end of the group. A couple there that I'm not really pleased with.

So umm, radical, a different shape, well, different for me!

I think my designs for the other shape are better.

Christmas Cards Finished

Stars and trees. Another design didn't come up well in a test print - ditched that one.

I did lino cuts and printed from them. Domestic mass production.

I used block printing ink (Derivan) and, of course, the prints are vastly better than when I was using my acrylic paints. Heh, I thought I was being frugal, you know, using what I already had. Sometimes you need the right stuff to get decent results.

Clare and Ally have taken the dud prints and set up a shop in their bedroom doorway "selling" them.

The kitchen table is half cleared. Sewing machine and overlocker still occupy the other half. I'm partway through making some skirts and pants for me to wear this summer. I made a four- gore linen/cotton skirt that I'm most happy with. The fabric had a lovely striped selvedge which I turned to the outside as a design feature (cough, cough - couldn't help putting that in- design feature  hahaha) on the seams. Had a win with that one!

In Progress

Christmas card factory.

We're eating our meals all over the place right now, not at this table. I need some big table elsewhere. Likelihood: nil! Warm weather means we can eat together at the table on the deck. Having the kitchen table appropriated for craft and sewing on practically permanent basis is not good. It's important to me that we eat together as a family. Any ideas from blogland? Where do leave your half-finished projects? Do you have to clear up each evening? We have no spare rooms/space. I find it hard to regain momentum with a project if it's packed away out of sight.

I think this is a dilemma encountered by many crafty/arty women. How to get your own space for leaving things as they are. Space is available, yeah, but like the kitchen table...then where do you eat together?  On another level, I like to think I'm instructing my daughters in making themselves and their art and craft work important.Gee, I hope so.

Giraffes and Horses

The animals are finished and about to be hidden away for Christmas at their new home.

Always pleased with these little fellows. The markings are painted on using my artist acrylics mixed with fabric fixative. Only because that's what I've got. Fabric paint would work perfectly. Wouldn't be suitable for mouthing babies/children.

Mare and foal sets. The foal is the larger pattern reduced (photocopiers - very useful). Realistically coloured animals were requested - not purple or green etc which suits other tastes.

The patterns come from this book, which is excellent.

It's written in German, but if you've ever made animals with a head gusset and "underpiece" ( my German-studying daughter tells me this is the translation of unterteil) basically inside leg and tummy piece, you should be able to tackle these. The animals I made are about half the size of the patterns in the book.

As for the book, I got it at Winterwood Toys several years ago. I just checked (carefully averting my eyes from other tempting things on offer) and it's still available. I get my wool felt, wool stuffing, doll making materials and assorted other supplies from Winterwood Toys as well. Another book (also sold there - hey, could I get a commission?) which has some really nice animal patterns, is Feltcraft by Petra Berger.

As for doll making, Jenny has covered this comprehensively in this post. She mentions the books I use. Plus, Jenny's dolls are really beautiful.

How Do You Know If It's Wool?

This question was asked after my last post and my pic. of wool fabric, an op-shop find. So, how did I know?

It felt "woolly". Vague description, I know, but after years of fondling the stuff it becomes familiar. Acrylic/synthetic, or a high wool-to-synthetic ratio feels "squeaky". I am very technical in my descriptions.

If the fabric is really lovely or potentially useful and I'm confounded by the fibre content I bring it home and subject it to the burn test: snip off a small amount of fabric and hold it to a candle flame with long tweezers. Wool smoulders and doesn't burst into flame readily. It also smells of burning hair. Synthetic fabrics melt when burnt. I have a chart from Threads magazine, Feb/Mar 1999, that lists the types of fibre (or fiber, since it's a US mag) what happens approaching the flame, in the flame, removed from flame, odour, type of ash.

However, if it feels like wool that's good enough for me.

Change of subject entirely.

I've really enjoyed this book recently.

An amazing house, highly decorated by  two of those living there: Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.

These two were part of what is known as the "Bloomsbury Group" something that's fascinated me for years. Their appearance of arty bohemia perhaps? Unlike my own life? They had their petty squabbles, their rivalries and griefs though.

I would wonder how Vanessa Bell had time to paint, then I read that there was a cook and housekeeper, as well as a gardener. And often someone to tutor the children. I'm glad of that, for her, otherwise she may never have painted.

Now I've started on The Art of Bloomsbury by Richard Shone, which is about the painting of Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. Lots of colour plates - mmmm, lovely.

Change subject again.

Appearing in my stats is a lot of images.google.com/imgres.  When I click on them a photo from one or other of my blog posts comes up. Can anyone tell me what this means? Am I being paranoid in thinking my photos are being "lifted"? Would appreciate any feedback you can give people.

Bags and More Pruning

That camp bed fabric I got from the Oppy last week, half of it has been cut out to make yet another bag. Truly, I've lucked upon some wonderful fabric over the years, and often my first thought is, "That would make a great bag!".

The pattern, which I've used many times (even enlarging it to make "school" satchels for Linsey and her best friend), is Nicole Mallalieu Design. I got it a few years ago from Perpetual Patterns, however, I've seen it in a number of quilting shops since.

Here's a few more:

I have some others made from different patterns that I use off and on, but the long strap so I can wear it across my body is the clincher. I have sloping shoulders and short-strap/one-shoulder bags just slip off. If you're having a good rummage at the op-shop you need both hands. None of this hanging onto bags stuff! As well, when I'm out with Clare and Ally I need to grab a hand of each  child when crossing roads.

Note ubiquitous bag-on-door-handle photos and, yes, the paint is coming off our loungeroom wall (those yellow patches). When the small fry stop sticky-taping things to the walls (which rips the paint off when removed) I will repaint.

And I think I need to learn that mosaic thing to do with photos so it's not an endless scroll down to see every picture.

On another tack: the prunings pile grows ever larger.

I've even needed to start another. The fruit tree prunings I'm going to turn into kindling for next year or the year after like Jenny. That's what the second pile is for. I'm pretty much done, just a few more snips here and there. I was taking advantage of the gloriously sunny winter weather we're having. Perfect for garden exertions. I try and do all the major digging, shifting hacking back etc in cool weather. Next up is the changing of a brick garden border to accommodate a new bit of dog fence. I am pleased with this = an opportunity to make another garden bed. Yay!

After not much deliberation I bought this book:

I had the earlier edition, but lent it to an acquaintance...who moved. Bye-bye book. I used that book extensively when I was tossing garden ideas around in my head (this place was just grass when we bought it). I was quite obsessive about this place being as sustainable as I could possibly make it. Jackie French was an even greater influence. Her books remain extremely useful references.  Jackie's book "The Wilderness Garden" was kind of formative for me. As a result, all the trees in our yard are fruit-bearing - Trevatt apricot, nectarine*, Buerre Bosc/Williams double-graft pear, in-one-hole Prune d'Agen and Greengage European plums, Golden Queen peach, Coe's Golden Drop European plum, 20th Century nashi, in-one-hole Geeveston Fanny/Northern Spy apple, Five Crown apple, Irish Peach apple*,Peasgood's Nonsuch*/Cox's Pomona apples(in-one-hole)apples, Stayman Winesap apple, Bruno kiwifruit on the side pergola and Black Muscat grapes on the front pergola. Those with an asterisk are not doing well or are too young to decide (nectarine - replacing a not-liking-it peach). Two Eureka lemons in barrels. These trees aren't commercially productive. Nor do I want them to be, I can't use/process that much fruit. Bear in mind, with my naming fruit varieties, that these trees are growing in my area. Others may grow better in other areas. Pick the brains of locals, reputable nusreries, catalogues of plants which can give you climate specific information.

I am very pleased with my ornamental/productive garden. It works pretty much as I anticipated. My kids are less involved than I hoped. Enthusiastic as little tackers, can't give a damn as tenagers.

And these big kids now require (demand) computer time.