Lifting Spirits

This has been the month from hell! Well maybe not quite that bad (there were nice bits as well, Olivier turning one and now walking)...but viruses, tummy bugs hayfever(family) and then the final touch a lovely case of severe allergy reaction to "something"by me. I won't frighten you with the gory details, suffice to say only a mother could love what I look like at present. Went to the doctor today and have medications to stop itching, swelling etc. Fingers crossed they work as I'll be writing the next post from hospital otherwise.

I took some lovely photos in between puffing up and they do make me feel better. Hope they bring a smile to your face too.

Pots outside my studio door.

I surprised myself by finishing a new doll for Christmas....

Playing with buttons.....

A few leaves...

and here's "Holly".

Well it's the end of the school holidays here and it is back to study for another 8 weeks at least and then Christmas holidays. Boy has this year flown. I'm looking forward to that time of year again though.

For now, off to medicate and apply a cool bag...try to sleep...........more importantly try to get up in time for a hectic morning.

Take care

Deb

ps. I finished a cute drawstring bag to accompany the pink/choc quilt. Will show pics next time.

Spring Sprung!

The last of winter...

The birds are tuning up and perfecting the sounds of Spring. I'm sure I heard something that sounded awfully like a Barbara Streisand tune this morning. Chirping, trilling and tweeting abound.

I love this entrance....it's like steping into my own little sanctuary.

Okay, I also love IKEA. Don't they have some clever solutions. I finally found the perfect sewing table, even though I went for a computer station, but hey! It's nice and strong and for once really simple to put together.

A lovely shelf ( ready and waiting) to display some treasures and gorgeous fabrics to colour my world.

Working on some cute cases for glasses. They have magnetic closures and are padded for protection. I have been using up some of the gorgeous fabrics I brought home from the last Craft Show.

As promised some pics of the completed "Pretty Windows" quilt. I allowed myself a limited pallet to see what could be done and I'm happy with the results. Something for everyone I hope. I love applique so this quilt's in a combo of raw edge applique, embroidery and embellishment. It is easily adaptable for needleturn or blanket stitch...however you like to work it.

Not the best shot, but you get an idea. Pattern writing and testing to complete and it's off to Helen.

Take Care

Deb

Close up

The finishing touch for my room is this gorgeous painting by talented local artist, Karen James. So many cute details and yes, that's me sewing....I even have a little "bee' pin.

Must get up early for a busy day tomorrow as I'm off to the Exhibition helping supervise a group of yr 10 students...then back to finish quilting my chocolate & pink quilt. It's coming along nicely and I'm really happy with it. Hopefully I'll have a picture of the finished quilt to share next post.

Wishing you a lovely day also.
Deb

Studio time

Finally downloaded some peeks of my studio. I feel very at home there and it is a pleasure to work in. A glimpse from outside. I'm thinking of a cute little awning over the front door.

Still sorting, culling and finding homes for everything. I've had the big old table on the left for a long time. It has served many functions over the years and I suspect it had a pretty interesting life before I found it too. Later on I'm going to ask my friendly carpenters for benches to house my sewing machines and computer, but for now this is it.

No shelves either till I decide where things will stay.

I love collecting vintage sewing bits & bobs...didn't want to hide them away. Some of the buttons came from the vintage habby shop in Melbourne that I mentioned in an earlier post.

At the moment Holly & I are working on some cute projects for an upcoming Gala Night (early Christmas) at school.
The rain is pouring down tonight as it did most of the day. Tomorrow we have a public holiday for the Ekka (Exhibition) in Brisbane and then Thursday as well for school children..Yeah!! I'm hoping for a couple of lovely sewing days.

Whatever you are up to...have fun!

Deb

The old days

Not exactly our flight home...but what a display! I love the glass and the open expanse of light and sky.

A panel of a very pretty quilt ( not the best photography through glass) made by Martha Bergin in 1843. Born in Ireland, she moved to Australia in 1851 and lived a full and adventurous life. This beautiful delicate handstitched work was spotted at the museum. Her father was a draper so she obviously had a great choice of fabric scraps to work with. So much detail.

Paragon shoes...I don't think I'd get too far in those.

No visit to Melbourne would be complete without seeing Pharlap.

A view of the city.

Just taking a break from transferring all my treasures to my almost complete studio. It is such a lovely space and I feel very lucky to have it. Will take some up to date photos to share as soon as it stops raining. We have little things like trims and the front door to paint but apart from that...it's all good! I'll get some benches made to suit the sewing machines and office area later but for now any old desk etc will do.

Is it raining where you are? I don't mind if it keeps raining until the weekend, so much nicer to work with the gentle sound of rain splattering over the metal roof.

Have a lovely day

Deb

All aboard

Outside the Melbourne Museum...I love this image and I thought our fishing mad sons would be envious of "the big one" shown here.

An amazing transformation.

Lining up to board the Titanic. This exhibit was well worth seeing and beautifully presented. Without spoiling anything if you are going to visit yourself, the trip starts with being presented with your boarding pass. Bothy Hubby and I were first class passengers and after reading our little bio it made the experience much more interesting as at the end you can check whether you survived or not. I was really surprised to find I went down with the ship ( may have had something to do with the amount of luggage I was supposed to have taken)and my hubby survived....not sure about that one! I was also surprised to find quite a number of Australians had been working on the ship during the voyage.

Felt like I was being watched in the museum. An impressive display but also a little sad.

Take care

Deb

Back to normal

Hi everyone,

Just in time to have a holiday from my "holidays". Yes, it's July already and I feel like time is slipping away. We will be getting ready for Christmas before we know it.

Melbourne was wonderful, apart from being freezing. They had the coldest day on record just after we arrived home so it could have been worse. Melbournians (think that's right!) are geared for the cold, unlike us, so they are better prepared. They also are very helpful and have setup helpful information centres everywhere (it seems) for visitors. I love the free shuttle buses and City Circle trams as they have commentary on route and you can't get lost. I was the guide, as I had been before, and I usually have a terrible sense of direction but we found our way around without hitch.

On the Sunday we decided to head to St. Kilda and the Esplanade markets. Lots of wonderful handmade goods found on a surprisingly clear day. The smell of salt and seaweed was strong walking along the boardwalk...not unpleasant though. And yes, we did indulge in a couple of St Kilda's famous ( rightly so) cakes. Coming back the tram broke down. We thought we were really clever finding an alternate one and it broke down as well. After walking along St. Kilda road FOREVER we gave up and caught another. Does this happen regularly? Couldn't believe I didn't have my camera strapped to my body as usual and it was too late to go back and get it so I missed getting any shots of that day.

Our room was cosy.........

Okay, not actually our room but in the 19th century a typical bedroom in Lonsdale St. I really enjoyed seeing the Melbourne Museum. They had some amazing exhibits and in particular, the early days of Melbourne.

Inside a huge shopping mall............and there is this incredible glass tower for a roof. it covers an old shot tower. Certainly unexpected.

Outside Federation Square and the Tim Burton Exhibition. Lots to tell about the Titanic exhibition & more.

Almost forgot, while exploring I found a gorgeous Vintage Haberdashery shop at The Nicholas Building 205/37 Swanston St. The owner was lovely to talk with and I collected some wonderful items to use in decorating my studio. She also has a Blog www.luccello.blogspot.com . L'uccello is open Thursday-Friday 10-6 & sAT 10-4.

Take care

Deb