February 23

I haven't done anything more on the quilt, but I did make a large floor cushion out of some of the leftover corduroy.

February 21

My sweet sister has opened her birthday gift early, so I can now safely post a pic. She writes:
"Darling sister,
I’ve come home early to get ready for my coast trip. I stopped in via the PO and, with delight, collected a parcel from you. Now, of course, I could not possibly wait until next Wednesday to open it. And….. I love it, love it, love THEM. A beautiful knitting bag (complete with feet and bendy opening thing) and the sweet little knitting markers (is there nothing you cannot do??), in a gorgeous knit-y box. And I love the paper, and I love the card, and I love the NY envelope. And I adore my lovely pin cushion, my week 1 prize (I was secretly coveting one of these when I saw your friends with their pin cushion gifts). And of course, it will go very nicely with my brand new sewing machine (in which you held a conspiring role!!).
Oh, dearest sister. I feel so elated. And I feel pretty loved, too, after reading the birthday notes from all the Meltzerz.
I love you very very much.
sister"

Gave me the warm fuzzies, it did.

February 15

In a rare turn of events, Ian (nearly 17) was actually home on a Friday night. While I made my end-of-the-week curry (yes, this week it's curry, not chili) he hung out with me in the kitchen, playing Janis Joplin, Cat Stevens, and the Beatles, while we both sang along with gusto.

I had no idea, when I married Josh nearly four years ago, that I was also getting a son who would spend an hour or two in my kitchen on a Friday night rocking out with me to classic oldies music at loud volume.

How lucky am I?

February 13

We found ourselves unexpectedly child-free last night, so I decided to give Josh his Valentine's gift early. I think he loved it, though I'm not sure ... he didn't keep it on for long.

February 9

Evie and I again went exploring the stairways of our city, this time in West Silver Lake. This particular set of steps was immortalized in the 1932 Laurel and Hardy short film shown here. Suzanne kindly brought this to my attention. The surroundings have changed somewhat in the past 76 years, have they not? I would never have recognised the stairs if it wasn't for the plaque and signpost. You can see the rest of the photos from our walk here.

February 5

I picked up this remnant the other day for 50 cents, and tonight turned it into a little shoulder bag, just large enough for my essentials: wallet, keys, phone, glasses (reading and sun), pen, tissue holder, spare shopping bag (I get soooo much use out of this), business card holder and dental floss. What are YOUR essentials?

February 3

I've been buying corduroy clothes off the dollar rack for a while, with the aim of making a winter quilt for our bed. While I still love the bedding we bought two years ago, when it gets chilly (er ... that means 50°F/10°C) I yearn for some darker colours. With nap. (Only a sewist will get that pun.)

Anyway, today the planets aligned (males absent at Superbowl parties, daughter occupied with visiting friend, enough corduroy accumulated, weekend therefore little guilt about not doing "real" work) and I commenced The Quilt.

But now, Evie, I really need your advice. I have never made a quilt bigger than baby size, and this is huge. 75" x 95" (190 x 240 cm). How on earth do I feed this through my sewing machine?? (Damn, I knew I should have paid the extra $100 for the quilting attachments ....)

February 2

This morning Evie and I explored the hidden staircases of Franklin Hills, nestled between Los Feliz and Silver Lake. We are still walking our way through "Walking L.A.," and continuing to expand our knowledge and appreciation of the many, varied, delightful neighbourhoods in this amazing city.

And how can one possibly complain about a sky this blue in the middle of winter? I talk with my friends who are knee deep in snow, and know why the traffic is so bad on our freeways. It's the price we pay for our winter weather. Mmmm.
(Click on the pic to enlarge. That's the Griffith Observatory and Hollywood sign in the background.) More photos here.

January 31

In anticipation of starting a new job very soon, I made myself a lunch bag. This puppy is BIG. Big enough to hold my large square lunch-salad-sized plastic container. And a bunch of fruit, veggies, cottage cheese and high fibre bars on top. And a water bottle. Because when I start this new job, I'll be EATING RIGHT! I've heard that new employees at this company gain 15 pounds in the first six months, because of all the free, bad, food there. But not me, no-siree. I'll be LOSING fifteen pounds, all thanks to my new lunch bag that's large enough to hold a day's worth of healthy eating. Ignore the disbelieving expression on the button. You'll see.

January 27

The dark green grapeyness on the piano stool had to go. This was my first attempt at upholstery, and the results are pretty wonky. It's all in getting even tension while stapling, I've learned. Obviously, my tension was anything but even. Nevermind, we all think it's a great improvement and I'm glad to have tackled (if not yet mastered!) something new. Yay for the new sewing machine ... my old one would never have managed this job.

January 26

Following Barb's lead, I made some burp cloths for a friend who's expecting.

Some points to note:

(a) When I was little, I heard my mother refer to someone who was expecting a baby. I was surprised to later learn that this friend did, indeed, go on and have a baby. To my young mind, "expecting" didn't mean "having". I guess it meant more like "hoping". I mean, expectation and certainty aren't the same thing, are they?

(b) These burp cloths are made from what Josh calls "diaper rags" and Gerber calls "cloth diapers". This discombobulates me on three levels.

(1) We have many dozens of ratty diaper rags around here. Josh would buy them by the ton when he was a prop master, probably paying pennies apiece. But he's not a prop master anymore, so I was reduced to paying $13 for 6 of them at Babies R Us. That felt weird.

(2) I had to go to three different stores to even find cloth diapers. They seem to be going extinct. Except at the places that prop masters shop, presumably. But I didn't want a ton of them. I only wanted six, or twelve.

(3) Maybe they are going extinct because they are so thin and inconsequential compared to the luscious, thick, terry towelling nappies I wrapped my babies' bottoms in 20 years ago. How does this little thing soak up ANYTHING that spurts from the nether regions? They do seem quite bulky and absorbent enough for burp cloths, however, so I am satisfied with the results.

Oh, and speaking of nappies, it's Australia Day. And Rhea's birthday (the baby whose bottom I first wrapped in nappies 20 years ago.) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY GIRL!!

January 25

Another cushion -- paisley velvet enhanced with running stitch embroidery.

January 24

I've had a run on cushions this week. I've been wanting to re-cover the daggy toss pillows on the couch for a long time, and I was finally inspired by some great striped remnants, and got stuck into it. The patchwork one I made from my stash.
I made this one this morning, from a groovy knitted cardigan. I used the buttoned-up section of a man's shirt for the closure. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and am now eyeing all the thrifted clothes in my stash for more cushiony possibilities.

January 20

Lola and Sara loved their birthday gifts :-)

January 19

A regular Saturday morning event in my kitchen, before the weekly grocery shopping, is the making of what I call End-of-the-Week Chili. I sauté onions and garlic in a big stockpot, then throw in all the perishable vegetables remaining from the week. Today that included carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini, scallions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas, snow peas, and collard greens. I add anything else from the fridge that I think won't clash too much: salsa, steamed or roasted veggies, tofu, pasta sauce, tomato paste. Then I throw in a can of beans, and usually a large can of tomatoes (though today I used vegetable juice instead). Sometimes I'll add a can of corn too. At that point, I can add some broth and call it soup, but usually I finely chop one or two chipotles en adobe, because I happen to have five cans of them in my pantry (thank you, Lola), and call it chili. As the only vegetarian in a houseful of omnivores, this stockpot of veggie goodness provides me with daily lunches (and sometimes breakfasts) as well as dinners on the nights when I'm serving the family meat. Every week it's different, delicious, filling, and oh so easy.

It was another glorious day today, and I was itching for some exercise and beach time. Everyone else in the family had plans, so I took myself off to Point Dume alone. Since my childhood summers spent on the rocks at Kiama, I've always loved tidepools, so when I saw that we were expecting exceptionally low tides this afternoon, I had a yen to photograph starfish and anemones. I was hoping to spot some migrating whales, too, but no such luck ... I'll just have to go back again soon.

January 18

An apron made from the back of a skirt, complete with pockets, and ...
...following Juliette's lead I used three yards of flannel to make a blanket, change pad, and burp cloths for a dear friend's impending grandson. Fun, fast, and very cute!

January 17

I made two successful hacky sacks, and then the third one, for no apparent reason, turned out really huge. I'd used the same pattern, same yarn, same hook, but it was, like, fifty percent bigger. So I tried again, paying very careful attention to the number of stitches and increases, and this, my fourth hacky sack, turned out just right. I think maybe I started with one stitch too many on the previous attempt. By the time I did all the increase rows, I ended with a dozen more stitches, which did indeed make for a larger sack.

Anyway, I was relieved to manage another good one, but I have to say, I'm done with hacky sacks for now. I've nearly used all my share of the crochet cotton my sister and I dyed last year. Come back soon, Sister. We need to find more yarn and dye it. Among other fun things. I miss you.

January 13

I've been working on a Secret Project this past week, which I can't post until the recipient (who reads this blog) unwraps it on his or her special day. I've made a few other things in the meantime: another hackysack, and another beanie.Today Josh and I visited the Will Rogers State Historic Park on our way home from doing a little work at his school. This park has been on my "list" for oh, ten years, and I was finally pushed to go by reading this article in the paper the other day. We hiked the 2-mile loop trail and I recalled anew how much I LOVE hiking. Today was such a glorious day, too. 84°F/29°C in the middle of winter. Gotta love SoCal weather. I pocketed these three gumnuts as I walked, and when I got home noticed that they have four, five, and six "petals" respectively. What are the chances of that?
Then I made meat pie for dinner, including the crust from scratch. A very good Sunday, it was. How was yours?

January 6

A birthday gift for a special friend.

January 5

I've been making more of these ever-so-useful wrist pincushions for my sewing buddies.

January 4

Last week's beanie pattern called for the use of stitch markers. I'm not much of a knitter, so I didn't really know what they were. A quick google introduced me to the wonderful world of stitch markers (Etsy is full of them) and I knew I needed some of my own. So I called my beading buddy Sara, and went over there today for some bead play. My eyesight is pretty bad these days so I don't feel very adept at crimping thin bits of wire nice and neatly (I'll also blame the cloudy day and lack of Ott lighting at Sara's). So these may not be the most elegant pieces, but I like 'em!

January 3

My little kitchen helper fell in love with the apron Evie made me for Christmas, so I had to make one for her in similar colors. She's very happy with it!

January 2

A messenger bag I made (without a pattern) from thrifted clothes (oh how I love that dollar rack -- the outer layer was a corduroy dress, the lining was a hemp skirt.) It has internal pockets and a key holder. I thought it looked pretty masculine but Ian immediately started mincing when I asked him to model it for me, and Lauren burst out laughing at the sight of her brother with a girl's bag. Oh well.

January 1

Back to sewing again today, with the result being a groovy travel wallet, based on a pattern in Adorn Magazine. All the fabrics are from thrifted clothes. Excuse the crappy photos. It's late.

December 30

This beanie was meant to be adult-sized, but it turned out to be Lauren-sized. I immediately started knitting another one, intending to extend the stocking stitch by 3 or 4 inches before the decreasing starts, but looking at the photo now, I don't really care for the shape of the hat. So I think I'll abandon this pattern and return to one I used with success before Christmas.

December 29

More stitched and embellished cards. Have I mentioned how much I love my new machine?

December 28

More scarves, and matching cards. A cool way to use up the little scraps of fabric leftover from a project (the cards, that is.)

December 27

The last present I unwrapped on Christmas morning was a letter from Josh. Along with his expressions of love and gratitude and other things too lovely for me to repeat here, he ended with a poem that sent me off to look under the soap in the bathroom.

There, I found another clue leading me outside under the tree in the front yard ... where I found another note telling me to look in the trunk of my car. There, I found a new sewing machine!!!!!!!!

We had such a frugal Christmas, because of Josh and I both losing our jobs earlier in the year. But he got a surprise bonus last week, and allocated all of it for a new machine for me. He made it clear that he had no idea what model I'd really like, so if the one in the box wasn't totally to my liking, we could exchange it. Which today I did.

I am now the very excited owner of a Brother Innovis NX-450, my first ever electronic sewing machine. It totally rocks!

I immediately whipped up a silk scarf (something my old machine would not have coped with). Goofy Josh decided to model it for me. He wished he had a pipe (and maybe a beret) as a prop but had to make do with spectacles.

Lauren did a slightly less comic modelling job, showing off the complementary brooch. I can't wait to sew some more!! I am so lucky!!

December 26

The light was perfect at the beach today.

December 25

Here's Josh and I in our festive headdresses. We had 15 here for lunch, and we repeated last year's "cracker" icebreaker before the meal. I made my own Christmas Crackers which each contained a sheet of tissue paper plus various other bits and bobs with which each person had to fashion a party hat. You can see more of the crazy results here.

It was a really lovely day, despite a few hiccups like the washing machine breaking, and the power going out for more than an hour in the middle of cooking the Big Meal. But my handy husband hooked up the generator to the stove and I kept right on roasting (and later, he ordered a $20 part to fix the washer). For me, it was what Christmas Day is meant to be. Lots of cooperation, love, laughter, good food, friends, family, phone calls with those absent, and general warm fuzzies. Loverly.

December 15

I am back in cyberworld after more than a week without internet. Wow, it was tough! I did manage to get some stuff done, including studying for my finals, planning the Christmas menus, making more gifts, and wrapping 23 loaves of banana bread.

December 6

Last week Ian asked me to make him a hackysack. He and his friends are right into the 'sport' these days; they call themselves the Sack Tappers (you can be sure they get a lot of teenage male humour out of THAT.) I was delighted to oblige -- how often does a teenage boy actually request a hand crafted item? I took it very slowly because my finger still hasn't fully healed and crochet puts a lot of pressure on that particular spot. But tonight I tossed him the finished ball; he immediately put it into action and declared it to be great.

I used the only cotton I had (working from two balls to try to thicken it up -- recognize it, sister?) but it was still too thin. Next one should be thicker cotton, and a darker color. But all in all, we're both pretty happy with it.

December 4

Lola came over for some art play tonight. We had such a good time. It's been way too long since I played with glue and crayons.

December 3

Got the Christmas card designed (and 10 printed before I ran out of the right paper) today. I feel like a bit of a slacker for creating a strictly-graphic card with no hand work this year, but I'm forgiving myself, because my Christmas list is still really long. Despite having been making gifts all year, I still have to:
~ Print, enscript, and address 50+ cards
~ Make a tree (we're not buying one, and I have an idea, and a bunch of branches ...)
~ Make 14 more gifts for Josh's colleagues, plus a half dozen for Lauren's teachers and special people
~ Knit a beanie, decorate a couple of boxes, make a stupid sock creature, a doorstop and a bag for my Aus contingent (these need to be mailed, oh, next week at the latest)
~ Plan (um ....) design and make gifts for Josh, Lauren, Ian and half a dozen girlfriends here
~ Make pyjamas for us all (Christmas Eve tradition)
~ Plan 4-6 days of meals for when family is visiting; cook ahead whatever I can.

Oh yeah, and study for final exams, and earn some money. While, of course, caring for a house and family. Yeah.

Christmas cards with no handwork are fine by me.

The Christmas Boutique

Last week I launched my 2007 Christmas Boutique, a virtual "store" where my family members (all 19 of them) could select their own Christmas gifts from the goods I had been making all year. As I said in my email to them all, "There's nothing worse for a handcrafter than to give a gift that the recipient doesn't want or like. It's bad enough to do that with a bought gift, but even worse, in my opinion, to spend hours making something that is a 'miss' rather than a 'hit'. It's embarrassing for everyone."

Here's how it worked. I gave them a url to go to, where they could browse through the photos and leave comments under any that appealed to them. I encouraged them to select more than one, and to feel free to pick any that others had already selected. This was not a 'first come, first served' scenario. I reserved the right to make the final decision, and figured I could make whip up another one or two items if any were particularly popular.

My goal was to (a) give people something they really wanted (b) learn more about my loved ones' preferences; after all, it's been 10 years since I lived in Australia and spent any meaningful time with them; some of them weren't even born when I left.

Well, my family embraced the idea with enthusiasm (whew!), and promptly cast their votes. There were a few surprises.

Children and grownups alike clamoured for the locked boxes, so I'll be scouring the op shops over the next few days for more wooden boxes suitable for this purpose. I've started knitting another beanie (index finger stuck awkwardly up in the air) and I'll try to make another couple of stupid sock creatures.

Nobody was interested in the batik placemats, which is fine, because I love them.

All in all, I am really happy with the response, and hope that my idea has reduced a little Christmas angst. Other handcrafters out there might like to try it!

December 1

My new all time favourite dinner: Roasted Fall Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza. I made it tonight and it was ohmygod delicious! If you're lucky, I'll make it again next time you come to dinner :-)

Crafting has been difficult in the past few days, with a finger bandaged up. But it's getting better quickly, so hopefully I'll be back at it tomorrow.