Cosmic Adventure

I am very excited to be a finalist in the Fabric 8 competition this year from Spoonflower and Robert Kaufman Fabrics. The theme is Cosmic Voyage, a topic I was very happy with as I love space and science fiction. We now have to put together a collection of four designs and voting will begin around the 17th of July. 

Emmylou the Elephant

Emmylou was originally designed as a heat pillow to contain wheat or rice that could be warmed in the microwave. The baby elephants were designed as pocket warmers. I thought it might be a good idea to sew them up as little soft toys maybe suitable for a baby with contrast fabric on the back and embroidery stitching on the front.

I did a simple running stitch in embroidery thread around the main detail on the elephants.

The back of the elephants are contrasting fabric from the same collection.

The finished elephants.

It was a nice simple project and I really enjoyed the hand stitching.

Faux Suede Zipper Pouch

This swatch, Lantern Pattern Blue, from my Chinese Lanterns collection is printed on the new Faux Suede from Spoonflower. It is lovely and soft, my son was rubbing it against his face and said he would love a pillow made with it.

I thought it would be great to make a zipper pouch. The other fabric swatch is also from the Chinese lanterns collection but printed on basic quilting weight cotton.

It was very easy to sew, amazing what you can make with a swatch.

I think it will be used to store a small craft project or maybe my sunglasses or make-up.

Fabulous Finds - Victoria

I was very lucky on our trip to Victoria that my husband stopped at all the thrift and collectable stores I requested, as a result I found many 70's treasures.

These were from the first second hand store we stopped at in Keith, just before we crossed over the border. I think they were a bargain at $16 but I had to shop quickly so I probably missed quite a few things. Everything in the shop looked 1950's to 1970's, I wish I had more time to look around.

I love this one!

These cups 50 cents each, what a bargain!

The next stop was the Salvation Army shop at Kaniva. Two plates only 40 cents each.

This jar was from the church thrift shop in Hastings, also found a Guitar Hero guitar for only $1.

From the Salvation Army thrift store Geelong.

We stopped at the sweetest collectibles and second hand store just before the Grampians. They had so many fabulous things piled up everywhere. The tray was only $2 and matches my flour sifter, the pyrex citrus jug was $5 but it is something I have always wanted, my grandmother has one when I was a child. The Johnson's plates were only $1 each and it is one of my favourite patterns. 

I did get a selection of fabric and items from another thrift shop and market, all very inexpensive.

Road Trip to Victoria - Day 3 & 4

On Sunday we decided to go to the Torquay farmers market with my brother and sister-in-law and then the boys took the football to have a kick around the oval.

 There were some great stalls at the farmers market, one produce stall had fabulous 70's floral sheets on every table, I would love to know where they came from.

The bread lady had amazing cakes and breads, the date scones, quince cake and mini pizzas I sampled were delicious.

In the afternoon we drove up to the Geelong waterfront, lots to see here.

These wooden people sculptures are along the entire area, possibly over fifty of them.

There was a large playground and skate park for kids. We went to the Geelong cinema to see a movie with the boys then back to Torquay for a lovely roast dinner with fresh veggies from the farmer's market that morning.

 We tried to get an early start but left around 9 am the next morning for the long drive back to Adelaide, of course we decided to make it even longer by taking a detour and going through The Grampians on the way back. There was not a lot of opportunity for bush walking as we were pushed for time but we hope to come camping here soon.

Road Trip to Victoria - Day 1 & 2

We have just returned from a driving trip to Victoria for the funeral of my husband's grandmother on the Mornington Peninsular. Even though it was a sad occasion it was good to catch up with relatives and meet some for the first time. After one days journey we stayed with my brother and sister-in-law at Torquay and took the ferry from Queenscliff to Sorento to drive across to the funeral at Hastings the following day.

 The journey from Adelaide to Torquay through farmland and small rural towns with interesting thrift shops and second hand shops. The best finds were at the second hand store at Keith which was filled with items from the 50's to 70's.

Many towns have beautiful old buildings, windmills and wheat silos. Usually there is at least one hour of solid driving between the towns.

The boys loved the ferry ride to Sorento the next day, it was very chilly but the sea was completely flat with no wind. The morning light was beautiful as it hit the coast.

Sorento looked like a beautiful town but there was no time to explore as we drove on to Hastings.

Lots of gorgeous farmland and orchards along the way, much greener through here. We stopped at an orchard to buy some fresh apples and pears.

After the funeral we drove up to Toorak in Melbourne where my husbands family was staying. They were on the sixth floor of an apartment building overlooking the beautiful old buildings on Toorak Road and the train station. We could also see the trams travelling up and down Toorak Road.

For dinner we had pizza, hot chips and doughnuts, a great combination, but first a walk up Toorak Road and a look at the many interesting shops.

A view from the apartment at night. After the dinner was the drive back to Torquay, the city of Melbourne is so beautiful at night.

From the Garden

A little look at the garden in May, I'm a little behind as we have been busy with work and away in Victoria. All the Autumn leaves are just about gone now, there are a few clinging to the Chinese Elm which the Rosellas have been nipping off to get the seeds.