Apologies ....

I ahve tried all weekend to get that post up about the baskets but I can't so I am sorry you will ahve to trawl back through my posts until you find one for April 10th.

This is the Easter Basket tutorial as I promised.

This Friday - we will be making lunch sacks and mug bags. You will need a couple of fat quarters of fabric (or 2 x 45cm ). A sewing mahcine, something thick for the middle (polar fleece ?) and a button.

daisymum

Green Sewing

I follow the Quiltville blog - Bonnie is an amazing quilter who uses almost every piece of fabric to make into quilts she has written a book about recylced quilting called Scraps and Shirttails. Today on her blog there was a video of a woman who pieces all her quilts on a treadle machine - no electricy "people power" only and from there a link to her sisters site where you can see the "amazing Annie" free motion quilting on a treadle. After all you only need a straight stitch really for quilting. Imagine the dedication needed to lug a treadle machine to a weekend workshop.

For those of you not into quilting forget the terminology the point is these people only use people power for their sewing, so if you have a treadle machine dust it off and get sewing with it. I only wish I had one, my mother taught me to sew on a treadle but hers got turned into a table that lives at my sisters place not sure whatever happened to the actual machine.

I think it makes so much sense for me, sewing is a relaxing thing to do if I can indulge my passion and use the worlds resources more frugally then it will me even more of a pleasure for me. I already reuse and recycle fabrics, as many of you do, I use my smallest pieces and when they are too small for me to use I give them to the local preschool to be turned into works of art, or they tie up plants in the vege garden or I use them as weed mat with the newspaper - as they are all cotton they break down eventually.

Green Sewing think about it ......

daisymum

PS: here is the life motto my friend wrote:

"Patchwork & Quilting is my creative outlet, it completes me – the fact that others may benefit is a bonus and not the reason for all the projects. This may appear self centred, but as a wife, mother and nurse my life is totally full of caring for others, patchwork is were I care for me. This was my belief prior to Mum getting sick with Ovarian Cancer, but the way she used her patchwork to assist her to get the best quality out of her life was the best confirmation of my life Motto."

It is still Friday somewhere in the world what is your life motto!!

The great lap quilt in five days challenge.......

Wednesday last week we got an invite from my SIL to her 6oth birthday - wondering what to get her I settled on the idea of a quilt.

I had a few handpieced blocks from a hand piecing course I did (4) so I only needed five more to make a lap quilt. Sunday I got stuck in and made another five blocks (machine pieced of course) and last night I added some sashing (thats the reddy coloured strips between the blocks). This is what it looks like so far.

Plans are for a scrappy one inch border then a wider greenish one then quilt and hopefully bind it in the car on the way to Bundaberg this Friday. I might if I have time add some flowers to the edge of the basket block but I think might be just a bit too ambitious given the time frame!!!

Now that I have given up my sewing business I am rediscovering how much I can get done in my sewing room in a short time. And the pure joy of sewing because I can not because I have to.

Have a fantastic day

daisymum

I told you I would get it all done................

Yesterday I sewed from 5am until 4.30pm. I finally got some of the projects out of the fabric in box and into cupboards and wrapped as presents

This little simple dress is for daisygirl to wear at the beach the fabric is a voile so it is so fine I ahd to use two layers so it wasn't see through but it looks cute on her.

Sorry you will have to turn you laptop or your head to see these properly. They are the pants I made to wear to daisydads Christmas drinks on Friday night. They look much better with the black silk top I am wearing them with and some gorgeous platforms with black straps. they are kind of 60s evening pants very full leg and easy to wear and cool. It is hard to see but there is a tie belt attached so they tie in the front. I am really happy with them

A pair of white shorts for holidays, a pair of white pants and a pair of taupy coloured fishermans pants.

This is a Christmas Table runner I made not sure who is getting it yet maybe the driver of the mini bus who brings daisyboy12 home from school - we are using her shuttle bus service on Friday night to get home !!! After we have had numinous drinks (see the simple things for an explanation)

This is the table runner I showed you as fabric a few days ago it is for the table when we are at the beach. Me being "clever" decided I didn't want the novelty print in the centre of the blocks I wanted the plain trouble is when I had already started cutting I realised I didn't have enough of the novelty print to go around the outside of the block so it isn't quite how it was supposed to look but I am happy with it anyway and it is the right colours for Christmas at the beach.

Although having made this has caused an upset in the carefully laid Christmas plans, I have to buy different bon bons as we have decided to wrap the presents in white paper (the back of old christmas paper) with pink ribbons so I am now hunting for white bon bons or perhpas hot pink as I also found some gorgeous pink rattan light strings in the decorating cupboard that I am taking with us. (they have never been used I think I bought them for a party once and it rained so there they sit all ready for Christmas in pink at the beach!!!) - I did warn you all I was quite dotty about such things....

CHRISTMAS TRIVIA: The Christmas Tree

16th-century Germany fir trees were decorated, both indoors and out, with apples, roses, gilded candies, and colored paper. In the Middle Ages, a popular religous play depicted the story of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
A fir tree hung with apples was used to symbolize the Garden of Eden -- the Paradise Tree. The play ended with the prophecy of a saviour coming, and so was often performed during the Advent season.
It is held that Protestant reformer Martin Luther first adorned trees with light. While coming home one December evening, the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of a fir inspired him to recreate the effect by placing candles on the branches of a small fir tree inside his home
The Christmas Tree was brought to England by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert from his native Germany. The famous Illustrated News etching in 1848, featuring the Royal Family of Victoria, Albert and their children gathered around a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle, popularized the tree throughout Victorian England. Brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans, the Christmas tree became by the late 19th century.

Have a wonderous day

Daisymum

Tuesday is SHOPPING DAY!!!!

Today we are off for our once a year shopping day. We get photos taken with Santa, the kids buy their gifts for each other. We get the all important Christmas Chocolate stash.

And generally have a whole day at the shopping centre. I do not as a rule enjoy shopping centres I hate them in fact and buy from our local Main Street retailers as much as possible. But this one day is the exception.

This year as an added bonues we have daisyboy20 with us again as he is still off work recovering from his surgery. The little ones are so excited their big brother is coming with us.
These covered coathangers are what I ahve made for my Secret Santa gift for patchworkers. the party is tomorrow....

Someone asked me how I went yesterday well I had a great day and I am indeed organised.

I made three of these hangers, further down you will see a book and a pile of bags they don't look much but the background squares for my BOM applique are now done. Tonight I will trace out the designs on Velisofix and if I have time I might attach them to the material and cut them out. So that project is well under way now to be ready for handsewing while we are away.

The other photo is a Strip Club pack I bought from our local Patchwork Shop it is (or will be...) a Christmas Table Runner. It is so bright and funky just perfect for Christmas at the beach, this was how it looked yesterday at 5pm, and now it is cut out and laid out ready to sew together so i will post more of that tomorrow.

CHRISTMAS TRIVIA: THE CANDY CANE (those of you with children finishing school this week will no doubt have a houseful of his rubbish I wanted to know where they came from....)

It was not long after Europeans began using Christmas trees that special decorations were used to adorn them. Food items, such as candies and cookies, were used predominately and straight white candy sticks were one of the confections used as ornamentation. Legend has it that during the 17th century, craftsmen created the white sticks of candy in the shape of shephreds' crooks at the suggestion of the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.
The candy treats were given to children to keep them quiet during ceremonies at the living creche, or Nativity scene, and the custom of passing out the candy crooks at such ceremonies soon spread throughout Europe.
According to the National Confectioner's Association, in 1847 German immigrant August Imgard used the candy cane to decorate a Christmas tree in Wooster, Ohio. More than 50 years later, Bob McCormack of Albany, Georgia supposedly made candy canes as treats for family, friends and local shopkeepers. McCormack's brother-in-law, Catholic priest Gregory Keller, invented a machine in the 1950s that automated the production of candy canes, thus eliminating the usual laborious process of creating the treats and the popularity of the candy cane grew.More recent explanations of the candy cane's symbolism hold that the color white represents Christ's purity, the red the blood he shed, and the presence of three red stripes the Holy Trinity. While factual evidence for these notions does not exist, they have become increasingly common and at times are even represented as fact. Regardless, the candy cane remains a favorite holiday treat and decoration.

A Note about CHRISTMAS TRIVIA: Yesterday I had an email from a reader who was most upset that my Christmas Trivia was "all centred on religion" - I would like to explain that although I am a Catholic and my faith is very important to me I also have dear friends who are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and even Ba'Hai I have other friends who do not discuss their spirituality - after receiving your email I dicussed it with them and we all agreed that religion is inevitable in any discussion about Christmas as it is a RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL.

I have done some research and I will be including some trivia from other spiritual paths and the traditions that they also follow at this time of year.

I honestly thought this was a bit of fun and interesting - I sincerely hope that it has not offened or alientated anyone who visits Daisy Mountain. My personal view is that faith is a personal thing and whether it is tied up with ceremony, meditation, or pomp and circumstance is not an issue with me I am who I am and I embrace and accept who you are.

Mind you this has all lead me into some very interesting trivia territory so stand by to have your collective end of year season trivia knowledge expanded beyond the "traditional".

Wish me luck six kids, santa, shopping and crowds.....................

daisymum

By todays end I will be organised!!!!!!!!

A quick one today I am spending he hwole day in he sewing room getting on top of my gift sewing. No lunches to make ,no trips in the car, hopefully no arguing children!!LOL

Wish me luck.

CHRISMAS TRIVIA: "THE NATIVITY SCENE"

From the early days of the Church, believers painted scenes of the birth of Christ beginning in the catecombs. These scenes became a staple of Christian life and carried on through the years. In the time of St. Francis of Assisi, the images had taken a new form: faithful Catholics would set out mangers in front of their local church, but these mangers were often jeweled and made of gold to represent who they held. St. Francis marvelled at this and felt that the people were forgetting the humble, poor birth of our Lord Jesus.

So in 1223, St. Francis created the first living Creche in a small cave in Italy. On Christmas eve he gathered with others to act out the Nativity scene in all it's impoverished glory. This re-enactment is credited as the first Creche (which is French for "manger") and from that point forward the creche was designed in a more realistic way by depicting a stable scene.

A creche traditionally includes two animals: an ox and a donkey. These were the two animals participating in St. Francis' creche because he wanted to allude to Isaiah 1:3 which states "The ox knows its owner, and the ass its master's crib; but Israel does not know, my people does not understand."

Another important consideration is that the shepherds and the wise men shouldn't be at the creche together. These days, we tend to simply sit all the players out and leave them there for the season. However in many countries they add and remove characters based on the day. So for example, the manger should be empty until Christmas day. The next day shepherds show up. But not until early January do the wise men show up (by which time the shepherds have returned to their duties). And the nativity should stay up until February 2nd, which is the feast day of the Presentation of the Lord.

And your thought whacking out the nativity scene was the easy part of Christmas decorating!!!~


daisymum

Wednesday cleanup...

Well the last few days have been busy. Daisyson7's school is still closed today but hopefully we will be back tomorrow. It has just rained and rained here all night the dam is filling and filling it should overflow in the storm that is predicted for his afternoon which will be great it needs a good flush out. The world is weird here at the moment the colours aren't the same in this strange rainy light..

The top photo is the dam two weeks ago and the bottom one about two minutes ago......

For an idea of far it has come up look at the base of the gum tree.

A DARK ONE...

Yesterday I went to the launch of the ACRATH Stop Human Trafficking website. This is an interactive resource for everyone to access, and is a SAFE site for teenagers to access appropriate information, it has all kinds of information on slavery and human trafficking - yes even here in Australia. There is a survey they are running to see how much people know about human trafficking so if you have the time click the badge on the sidebar and it will take you there.

This is something I am quite passionate about it ties in with how I bring up my children and how I was bought up. When you value the work that you do and the rewards or payment you get from that work then it is a much easier step to respect that others have the right to reap apporpriate rewards for their work( there is a link from the ACRATH website to one that tells about which companies use "slave" labour to produce their goods). When you instil in your children that you must work for the things you wish to purchase, that it isn't a right or having the money it is easier to explain to them that not everything and therefore not ANYBODY is for sale.

When we bring our children up to have respect for themselves and their families they gain a respect for others and their families. Once the sanctity of the family is established in a child's mind (no matter what form that family takes or how it comes about) the concept of a safe place is firmly entrenched in their hearts from there it is hard to imagine taking someone by force or against their will from their safe place.

This is what I believe and why I do the things I do here in my family.

A GREEN ONE....

Whilst at this launch I got to speak to a man who has just launched a green website - I have only briefly looked at it, but it seems to be a place where we all might find something positive, helpful or insightful for out own green journeys.

It is called http://www.supergreenme.com/ - check it out. I regaled him about all of you and the things you all do , so he may very well visit your blogs as well.

A RAINBOW ONE...........

I was trying to think of something I could do for the people whose homes have been trashed by the storm here on Sunday night. If any of you have been through a cyclone think that kind of damage...the last time I saw damage like this was in 1985 when a huge storm hit Brisbane.

I have taken a cake down to the SES volunteer station and some homemade quiche. And I think I will wait a week or two and then plant some seeds once I get them going I will just drop them off to a street so that they can plant them out I figure it will take six weeks before anyone will be in the postion to do that so it may be too hot I might wait until say February and then take them. Who knows someone who hasn't ever had a vegetable garden before may start one, and for someone who lost one it might be helpful. What do you think???

A BRIGHT ONE.................

By the time the sun comes out in a day or so I will have all the pyjama pants I have started for the kids finished and some more for me and a diary covered for a swap and my secret santa gift finished. So I should have a lot of great photos to show you all of my efforts.

Have a terrific day whereever you are.....and if there are storms predicted make sure you pack away all those loose garden things, have batteries, water and something ready to heat up on BBQ for dinner!!!!!!!!!!

daisymum

A quick note about patterns

In my endeavour to save a bit of paper (plus the fact that I keep losing paper) I try to source as many patterns as I can off the internet or buy them in pdf format. I then save them into a pattern file (which I then subdivide into clothing and quilt or stitchery patterns) so I don't lose them in a computer crash I also then save them onto an external hard drive so I will always have a copy.

A long time ago I started cutting my pattern pieces out of heavy interfacing, so they last a long time.

I tend to reuse the same patterns over and over again, so I find this method works really well for me.

The old dairy asked me where I got the pattern for Thai Fishermans pants from. There are several places on the net but I think I prefer the one from mediatinker.com. Burda also had one but there seems to be some problem with the download of that one.

If you are a larger than life type try taking your most confortable pair of pants folding them in half, back halves together and tracing around the front for the front pattern piece. Trace a centimetre or so outside the pants to give you a seam line.

For the back piece turn them inside out and pull one leg inside the other one (so the right sides of the fabric are facing each other this will give you the curve for the back piece, trace around this.

Then it is a simple matter to cut a rectangle to fit across the top (remember the seam goes on the outside because when you fold it down it will be hidden. You can make this fold down piece a different colour if you like.

There is also a pair of japanese style pyjama pants on that site you might like to try I prefer the loose leg of the fishermans pants better.

If you are new to sewing buy some really cheap fabric or use an old sheet and make a trial pair first. That way you can iron out any mistakes on the practice pair. I make several paris out of white calico and it is very cheap so if you want a white pair you might try that as it is usually 150cm wide so it is very economical you can get a pair out of a metre to a metre and a half and it will cost you about $6.00Aust.

You can even make them in flannel for winter lounging pants.

If you try this pattern let me know how you went.

daisymum

Roses and ramblings..............

I am so tired today. Daisyboy7 is home from school with a runny nose and a sore throat figured I would keep him home today, and try to get him to rest, that will give him three days to let it run its course.

Yesterday after my cleaning job I got home and sewed like a maniac to get that formal dress finished so the girl could come and get it yesterday afternoon.

Just got that done and was about to step in the shower when my sister phoned they have been away at a conference for a few days. On the way back to Toowoomba from the airport they thought they would drop in.

My house looked like a war zone - no seriously - I knew I had about 40minutes so I vaccuumed, mopped the floor, dusted, tidied, swiped over the bathrooms, did the breakfast washing up ( see Caroline you are not the only one!), tidied and cleaned the kitchen, made a salad for dinner, put a load of washing on ( the one that had been sitting on the laundry floor since 6am), and even managed to fill three vases with flowers !!!! Guess it wasn't as bad as I thought because in 45 minutes it was clean and tidy. Mind you the middle three kids came home off the school bus just in time to help out so I wasn't alone.

What a great thing an unexpected visitor can be, I woke this morning, and the house was clean, so I got the rest of the alterations done that are being collected today. Now I have one shirt to hem and the stuff to get labelled for the Arts and Crafts Show this weekend and I can finally do some fun sewing.

Today I am going to finish off some block of the month blocks, that I am so far behind with that today will be called "almost a year in day". And I am going to print off some dishcloths patterns that I want to get to this weekend including a really cute one with a rose.

There is the folding to finish and the ironing to do and dropping off the A&C show stuff this afternoon. And we need milk and toilet paper. But still I will be able to sew before I have to go.

One of the reasons my sister dropped in was to give me a quilt she has made for her granddaughter (she is 9 years older than me so my youngest son and her eldest grandchild are 3 weeks apart - weird)

My sister is my big sister with everything that title entails she is organised, generous, busy and I want to be just like her when I grow up. But last year she came to my patchwork groups quilting retreat and it it was the strangest thing - she was asking me for help.

So here I am at 45 and for the first time in my life I know more about something than my sister, well maybe that isn't strictly true but she defers to my opinion or asks my advice about it and that is a real honour for me.

She has done an amazing job on this quilt but is nervous about quilting it so I am doing it for her.

I posted photos of some of my roses I would have had more but I cut a whole bucket full this morning to give to a friend of mine for her b&b. I should have remembered to take a photo of the bucket before I gave it to her!!

Happy potteirng in the garden weekend

daisymum

A play day...........and a mystery

Today I am hiding.

Yesterday was a busy and productive day so today I am free to play!!!!!!

And today I purposely kept the day free of any appointments, clients, or "have tos" - so what am I going to do with my free time??????

sew sew sew and then clean the sewing room, I was going to do it the other way around because I am always so much more productive and inspired in a clean work room but I haven't really been near the machine for "fun" for weeks. Here are the "before" shots

Sewing for me is fun so much so that I feel guilty sometimes just sitting there all day making things but it is one of the real joys of my life. As you can see cleaning up after I have been sewing isn't so much of a joy!!LOL

And as I am writing this I remembered that I am putting together some items for the Arts and crafts show at our local school, I have done it for the last few years and it is amazing how much I sell, the school keeps a percentage and the rest I get which is really great this close to Christmas.
So it won't just be sewing for fun I have a few teacosies to make and some appliqued teatowels and some lunch packs and maybe another hobby horse or two.

Have a wonderful day -take some time to play and think of me!!!!

daisymum

PS: Does anyone know what this flower is it is a big caney kind of bush that I planted I got it cheap from some nursery about three years ago but it didn't have a tag. Please don't tell me it is a declared pest or something I just love it and if I had known how lovely it would be once it grew I would have bought more of them.

A real day off...........

Well here it is again that one day a week when I don't have daisyboy4 with me. I have cancelled all my plans and am staying in to do a whole list of things that I haven't had time to do for the last few weeks.

I read on someones blog about how living this simple life is hard work - and it is but I relish being able to stay in and have a whole day to accomplish things.

The Garden:

Yesterday I planted some seeds, beetroot, beans and carrots.

Today I am going to do some more weeding, move some logs to the fire pile. Mulch the vegetable garden, and fix up the temporary fence at the front to keep the dogs off the garden.

The house:

Yesterday I got the laundry tidied up and did the folding and some of the ironing.

Today I am going to finish the ironing and start cleaning my sewing room(this might just take all day now that I look at it again!)

Oh and dust and sweep and mop and vacuum and clean the bathroom. (the usual)

The Christmas list:

Yesterday I did nothing

Today I will get some things organised, so lots of cutting out and I will finish off a baby quilt I have been working on. Add some borders to another quilt. And start my secret santa gift for my patchworking group I am still not sure exactly what to do but I have three things in mind so I will see what fabric I have.

And then some baking:

I am going to make a few batches of Fridge biscuits to keep in the freezer with all these extra visitors the biscuit barrel looks very empty at times. Sometimes I cook a few batches and freeze them (this works really well for Rhonda's cranberry walnut biscuits - without the icing) But I love the smell of freshly baking biscuits so I make them up roll them up and freeze them to cut and cook later.

I was telling one of the mum's this yesterday at the bus stop and she tells me you can buy them in rolls from the supermarket ! I asked her how much they were and she said about $4.00 so I chekced it out and worked it out....and.... the homemade ones will give you five rolls the same size as the one from the supermarket for $4.25.(bearing in mind we have our own eggs)

When I was a bit younger and the kids were smaller I made a rule never to go to bed until my daily list had been finished. Result? Jobs done really quickly and not well and years of not nearly enough sleep!!! The other day I was feeling a little overwhelmed because I had been away from the house so much and then I sat back and thought oh well I can do that tomorrow. Not a great idea if you have a real deadline looming but honestly if the floor doesn't get mopped today does it really matter??

Wish me luck it looks like my day off is filling up with jobs fast!!!

daisymum

PS: Here is a photo of the only lavender I have been able to grow successfully in any of the five gardens I have lived in. It has to be the tyres!!