from the mending basket

 I hadn't really felt much like sewing over Summer. A few halfhearted attempts ended in a couple of disasters, so I thought it better not to try to push it while my heart wasn't in it. I knew that eventually I would feel like sewing again, that the interest and enjoyment I once felt would return. It always does eventually, doesn't it? As Summer turned into Autumn and life calmed down somewhat, I did feel that pull to get back to the sewing machine.

The biggest hurdle was that darn mending basket sitting at the entrance of my bedroom as a glaring daily reminder. So one rainy day I tackled it. It took about 3 days on and off, and then it was done. Not so hard afterall, but the seemingly unsurmountable sewing hurdle has been accomplished.

After the usual sock and tiny hole t-shirt mending (what is with t-shirts these days?), there were a few patches  (you might recognize the fabric from here) to sew on some jeans for Violet, an adult dress and skirt to convert into skirts for Violet, and a dress for myself to take in. I couldn't resist the $5 dress sale at the local op shop and I had a feeling this dress would be easy to take in. I don't know about you, but I just can't pass up a good floral. With no zipper, and only the bodice being lined, it was thankfully quite easy to take in. But I'm still wondering if I can get away with a dress that short.

My quilt had long been waiting for some kind of closure. Poor thing had been sitting in the mending basket for some time. Me being the lazy sewer that I am, popped a few lace ties on, rather than time consuming buttonholes. As I hadn't had it on the bed for so long, it feels like a new quilt again.

I also came a across a whole bundle of half finished dish drainer towels (last batch seen here). I'd started them about 6 months ago and I had wondered if they would ever get finished. I had roughly put together some vintage tea towels backed with old towels. Isn't it funny the drama you can have with the simplest of things? I guess that's what happens when you don't measure properly and try to skip the pins. The first one I finished I had to unpick an entire row and broke two needles. Not fun. But after that things went pretty smoothly and I finished them before school pick-up.

My mental sewing space now appears to be cleared and I feel ready to move ahead with some bigger and better (hopefully) projects.


Does this happen to you? Do you too suffer from mending basket/unfinished project guilt?


What projects are you working on?

Or have you been taking a break too?

christmas holidays

Nigella's Italian Christmas Pudding Cake. Just like last year.

Violet's Christmas stocking made up with a little old wool, needlework doily, ribbon and a little appliqued Liberty.

Christmas came and went this year without too much of a fuss. Sure there was that dreaded last Christmas shop, a fair bit of cooking (but not nearly so much as in other years past), and many days spent at home both with family and just ourselves. There has been some adjusting and compromising along the way as we haven't had the liberty of time that we've had in previous years. Sad to say not much at all in the way of handmade. Though Violet did finally get her stocking on Christmas Eve.

Brown paper, stamps we already had, string, bark, black marker and gumleaves made for budget wrapping this year.

 It has taken almost three weeks to really get into the routine of holidays. Holidays should be easy, right? Well, it is nice to imagine that it will be, but reality often reveals a different story. Sometimes all that time together brings out the very worst in us. There were clashes (I felt like I did nothing but break up fights amongst the kids for 2 weeks straight), there was the annual analyze your life discussions, as well as stopping to count all the jobs that need to be done around the house.

So although I have a small pile of pretty fabric just sitting there waiting to be made into a summer wardrobe of sorts, my house is only half clean and I have a sore throat, I can happily say that we are just now beginning to get into the swing of the holidays and truly enjoy each others company.  We've been enjoying homemade ice cream, allowing a few more treats than usual into the house (anyone else love panettone?), changing rooms around, long talks and having movie nights at home.

Funny, isn't it, that the week full of swimming lessons that I had been dreading has turned out the be the best week yet? But life is like that. Swimming lessons have gotten us all into the pool, with a coffee, lemonade or ice cream afterwards. Followed by a few lazy afternoons.

Our bottle fed calf has kept us grounded at home this holidays, but I think this has been a blessing in disguise. It has been good for us to just be at home doing home things.

Sadly it may be the final week that we are together as Daniel may be back to work next week. But I'm hoping that we can bring just a little holiday feeling with us as we get back into the daily grind of life. The odd movie night and a few more ice creams may be just what we need.

I do hope you are all enjoying and have enjoyed your christmas and new years break. Happy new year!

meanwhile

Just to let you all know that we are still alive and kicking. A little tired, yes, at least on my part, but still here and well.

I wasn't intending to neglect this space for so long. But you know how life happens, and certain things just get put on the back burner.

So what's been happening in the meanwhile? Swimming lessons, soccer, sewing lessons, calf feeding, cow milking, two birthdays (Luca's 11th and Violet's 3rd), a gun license safety course, breastfeeding finished as well as bed sharing done with (yes I still can't quite believe those last 3 things). Plus all the other thousand and one things that you can probably relate to. You know how crazy it gets at this time of year right? All those things that throw you out of your normal routine?

 
I'm afraid I'm so terribly disorganized this year that christmas is going to be a last minute affair. I haven't done christmas shopping, I haven't sent cards out yet and I haven't even put in my christmas ham and pork order. I know, what is the world coming to? But I am optimistically hoping that it will all fall into place with minimum effort (perhaps a little too optimistic!) Please tell me I am not the only one!

While we see the end of daily swimming lessons today, and school finishes up next week, not to mention the extra hours Daniel has been working to wrap up his business for the end of the year, we are hoping that things will go down a notch in the next week or so.

Afterall, it can be easy to get caught up in the whole "getting everything done just right" before christmas, but what really matters is relaxed time together, some good, not necessarily complicated food and a few simple presents. I've let go of the online shopping for christmas this year and I will be shopping locally for presents. In the past I have thought it was the right thing to buy online from ethical companies, and I still believe this can be a good thing. But I have seen local small businesses struggle in our small town, with many closing, and while they may have the general Made in China products for the main part, it somehow feels right this year to be supporting the local shops.

Our christmas tree only went up this week, and although this is usually my domain, and I am sadly a little controlling about how the tree should look, I let Julia take the reigns this year. So yes, our plastic white (that is beginning to yellow) tree is decorated to the hilt this year, complete with tinsel and every decoration that we own, but I'm loving it in all it's tacky glory.

I had grand plans to knit dishcloths for teacher's gifts and gift fillers this year, but the cotton is still sitting there and I don't think I'm going to get that done this year. But you never know. Otherwise I guess it's not too late for a few biscuit batches?

In the world of craft I actually managed to finish a few things of late. Okay, only one actually finished. I have almost finished Luca's cardigan, bar the zipper, so let's hope it still fits come next season. I think it will. I will hopefully get to Ravel it soon enough. The other completed project is another Wiksten tank (the last one I made is blogged here, and I wear it to death), made up with some op shop cotton voile. I love this pattern. It is fairly quick and easy and such a great cut. I added the pocket this time. Certainly quite forgiving on muffin tops.

All three of our bovines are doing well. Bessie's steer calf is perhaps doing a little too well, and at 4 months now we are contemplating weaning him over the holidays. We're getting a little greedy for some more milk, especially since Shirley enjoys her little share every day, mixed with her milk replacer. Speaking of Shirley, she is doing quite well, and at almost 7 weeks now, has settled into our house and our hearts. Who knew cows could be so cuddly? She is still in her straw covered watertank/firewood pen, and she is being taught to lead and be tethered on the grass.

So that's about it. I promise I will try to get to this blog a little more often as I do miss it when I'm away too long.  I hope you are all well and coping with this considerably more busy time of year. If there is one lesson that I am learning myself of christmas this year, it is to let go of unrealistic expectations. Do what you can with what you have (I read that saying recently somewhere, but I can't remember where?) Christmas will still happen.

pictured

With all the busyness that the school holidays brought - kid's friends over, Bessie the cow and more kid's friends over, I'm afraid it all passed by in a bit of a blur. I can't pretend that I'm not a little relieved that school went back today. A little more organization the night before and this morning, enabled the drop off and milking routines to go fairly smoothly. It was nice to arrive home to a quiet house with a full milk can. A small bowl of popcorn is sometimes what it takes to gain ten minutes of quiet with a cup of coffee with no little person jumping all over me. 

Today is set to be a cleaning catch up day. The floors need mopping and the outside of the kitchen cupboards are not their best. Washing needs hanging out and sheets need changing. School holidays tend to wreak a little havoc, and they are certainly not the time to attempt any Spring cleaning. Which makes me wonder if I will even get to any Spring cleaning this time around.

I emptied out the camera the other day. There weren't many photos from the past few weeks. I believe the battery was flat on my camera for the half the holidays while I was looking for the charger. Time was not on my side these holidays. There is nothing very eventful here, just a few pictures taken around the house last week.

 

 While it has warmed up, we are still having cold days. Particularly early morning milking (Violets op-shopped hand knits)

Making lard.

First pig-tails.

Tea from Pop's old tea-pot.

Luca's Deckard. Picking the needles back up after an unintended knitting break.

Quilts and reading piles.

Bessie's milk cream line.

The Home Creamery, a book I have had for some time, is proving even more useful now. Last week it was ricotta and I would like to attempt the Farmer's cheese soon.

Dishes. Not a pretty sight, but it was a constant reality during the holidays. Some days you just feel chained to the sink. At such times I almost wished I had a dishwasher.


***

I could not end this post without saying how supported and truly moved I felt after reading your encouraging, heartfelt comments from my last post. It has made me feel that I do want to continue in this space, after a period of time that had me questioning whether I really wanted to continue or not. Sometimes there is a bigger picture at hand here, and if my little ramblings here brighten another person's day, encourage them to try something new, or make them feel that they are not the only square peg in a round hole, then that will make it all worth it.

So thank you, those that come back time and again, even waiting patiently when the posts are few and far between. I am afraid I am terribly slack and time poor as regards to replying to questions and emails, but please be assured that I value each and every comment and email that someone has taken the time to reach out with. I am truly thankful that your voices have helped make this space what it is.

nituna

It took a few weeks of sewing, mostly in the evenings and late at night, but finally Julia's Nituna is finished and hanging in her wardrobe. Julia chose the pattern (Figgy's Nituna) and the red wool from my stash of fabrics. I am hoping this will help increase the wearability factor. This sturdy red wool has certainly done double duty. You might remember this skirt?*  For the lining I found a red floral quilting weight cotton, also an op shop buy. (See Daniel, all those stored fabrics do come in handy sometimes!) The buttons were a market buy last year.

*skirt update - I finally wore it out for dinner a few weeks back.

The pattern pieces came together well, but I did have a few issues with the welt pockets.You don't see the welt pockets? That's right, I just couldn't get my head around the instructions, so I changed it to the patch pockets. The first patch pockets I wasn't happy with, so I ended up making a new pair and lining them, which wasn't in the pattern instructions. But I'm learning that sometimes in sewing you just have go with your gut feeling. And who knows, perhaps one day I will tackle the elusive welt pocket.

I probably wouldn't recommend this pattern to a beginner sewer. Though the cut of the pattern is quite good, there were some gaps in the instructions and a few diagrams that might have come in handy, but for the most part it wasn't too hard to put together. Next time I will remember the dangers of late night sewing, as it never seems to work very well for me. This time I sewed the buttonholes on the wrong side. By the time I realised it was too late.

Overall though, I am happy with this little project. It is the first time I have sewn anything in the realm of coats or jackets, and I quite enjoyed the challenge. It felt like I was dipping my toes into the world of tailoring.

my wiksten tova

 Isn't it great when you use a sewing pattern and all the instructions, diagrams and photos possible are there to help? Well it certainly helps prevent those usual pattern frustrations. Such was the case with my Wiksten Tova top. I purchased this pattern way back when I also bought the tank pattern. I was so happy with that pattern and the cut, that it has ended up being worn more than anything else I've made to date. The tova looked much more complicated and I wasn't sure if the cut would swamp me a little. It was a great deal more than I usually spend on a pattern, but with so many people making more than one, well, there had to be something in that.

Surprisingly it was a breeze to make, and I finished it within a few nights (though dinner was a little late on the table last night as I pressed seams and stirred the onions). I had made an old sheet version for sizing, and ended up cutting out the size small, graduating to a medium in the hips. It turned out to be spot on fit wise.

I used this cotton, a colourful plaid, and it is a little different to what I would normally choose. I cut some pattern pieces on the diagonal, using this top as inspiration.

I love it! It's comfy (very important!), and feels very "me". It feels good to get one outfit ticked off the winter sewing list, though I daresay this is a little more suited to spring in our climate. But then again, there is always layering.

I hope that this will be the first of several Tova's. I am quite keen to try the dress version. But until then, I have a feeling that this one will get plenty of wear.

everyday life

While looking through recent photos there were many little snippets of relatively uneventful, but no less special, little moments. It's those little things that you tend to forget over the years though, isn't it? But when you look back on older photos, often the seemly uneventful ones - at the clothes you were wearing, the small objects in the photos, the food you were eating, well, it is often these things that help us remember. The smaller details of everyday life that we don't want to forget.

It's been good to see that an old garage sale find a few months back has been getting a bit of use again.

 

One of the very few things in Daniel's culinary repertoire. Zabaglione taught to him by his Nonna. Made by hand whisking egg yolks with sugar. We tried  it with rapadura which lent quite a nice caramel like flavour and a little extra colour.

Our latest (grain free) pancake recipe, cococut flour pancakes. They are a little trickier to flip, but taste pretty good.

Knitting, this time for Luca. Rediscovering the joys of double pointed needles. Not quite.

Leftover soup (lamb stock, lima beans, tinned tomatoes, carrot, Italian herbs) as an afternoon school snack.

Trialling grain free bread (while still dreaming about making sourdough) and it's not too bad with plenty of butter and peanut butter.


Hoping that your week has been kind to you.