30th project

It's my 30th birthday this week! I don't really feel 30, but I thought I would create something throughout my 30th year as a memento of this time in my life. So I've decided to sew a quilt.

Our family has recently moved out of the city down to the lush green foresty south coast. The quilt will be made in a forest colour theme.

All the fabric for the quilt is donated by my dear friends and family. Everyone chose something they thought was beautiful, represents their personality or significant to them... a scrap from a cushion cover they have in their house, covered in insects and bugs because of their love of nature and creepy crawlies, soft gentle and floral patterns or bold bright and dynamic. So many beautiful greens!

I love the idea that a little piece of everyone that is significant in my life will be sewn into something I can wrap around myself and keep me warm.

umbrella girl dresses

I'm working on a new baby dress. It will be a reversible wrap dress, lavender, with a cute spotty lining material. A screen printed umbrella girl is appliqued on the front. I can't wait to see them finished, they are going to be so cute. I think I will have to make one for Hannah. They will be in my Etsy shop soon!

hannah's quilt

I made this quilt for Hannah when I was still pregnant. My first finished attempt at making one. I used the same fabric I used to decorate her bedroom, a cotton/bamboo wadding and a fleecy cotton for the backing. She is big enough and it is cold enough for her to start using it now.

winter nest

I've been wanting to make new cushions for the couch for a long time. So while watching the Australia/Ghana World Cup game I made them. I found this beautiful hand printed fabric from Australian textiles designer Kristen Doran.

wintery warmth

Winter has definitely started. A wet and rainy week and everything needs a little bit of warmth.

knitted railing

woolly bmx

VW

tree scarf

knit the city: phone box cosy


knitted bus

giddy up

I always wanted one of these when I was a kid, and just had the kitchen broom to ride on, but now I have two. Well not actually me, but the girls do. I've been on a bit of a creative frenzy making things lately. Made from scraps of material they are now horses with personality. My handy man made up the beautiful wooden poles and wheels.

fruity mushrooms

I've had this colourful fabric sitting on my 'to make' pile for ages, and finally this weekend I managed to make it into something. Lucky Hannah.

playtime

Will's sister Abi made this beautiful play rug for Hannah, which she uses every day and has become a permanent fixture in our lounge room. We love it! The fabric comes from the Ikea Fabler range, which she cleverly created into a unique blanket with ribbon and stitching detail.

I didn't want to buy another activity gym for Hannah because nothing would be as lovely as her rug, but I still wanted to hang her toys above her and encourage her to roll around. So I made some flexible foam arches using insulation foam and irrigation piping and covered them in fabric to match the rug. If I get more time I want to gradually make more interactive, rattly or soft toys to hang from it, but she has a dragon fly to start with.

mum's wall hanging

I was given two of the most special birthday presents this year. One was this wall hanging Mum made when she was in high school back in Holland. This is Mum's wall hanging and her story, so I will let her tell it:

“I was 16 years old and at high school when the arts teacher asked us to create a 'painting', using a different medium than paint. The task was to create an imaginary 'space', where we could place ourselves one day later in our personal life. I dug through my mother's boxes and boxes of materials, to find little treasures for my project, and I painted a place of my future, snipping and stitching it together, layer over layer. Well, my prediction through this 'painting' has well and truly come alive: Thirty years ago I immigrated from Hilversum, a major city in The Netherlands, (after bumping into my husband Kim on a bush track in Australia), to the most incredible natural environment in the world: a peaceful valley in the middle of the Karri forests, with old growth trees, permanent creeks, abundant bird- and wildlife and wild flowers galore. It is here that I became a mother of three absolutely beautiful children. I loved my pregnancies, the bonding and mothering and truly can say that I feel rich, despite all the challenges. And there were plenty of them!

My art teacher told me that she was impressed with my work, but she also asked me: "Do you really think that this is where you will be one day Marianna??" Wouldn't it be interesting, if Mrs De Lange could come over to see me here in Australia today? I can't remember what mark she gave me for the wall hanging and that seems totally unimportant.

I seem to be able to predict, without trying, certain events in my life and I have been very accurate with my predictions at times. So, it is not surprising to find me today in my 'painting'! I am hoping to stay here, in the beautiful green valley of my 'painting' for as long as I can!"

One of my earliest memories is looking at this embroidery, studying all the colours and textures and daydreaming that it was me lying in Mums arms at the edge of the forest, not realising that she actually created it with this image in her mind all those years ago.

Now that I am a mother myself I feel so lucky to have this image hanging in our lounge room. Despite it slowly deteriorating with old age, I hope it will continue to be an image in our family of new life and new generations.

broody hens

Hannah was given these comical chickens by our gorgeous friends Pat and Christina. They are beautifully handmade in India and imported by a fair trade company in Freo. Each of these beady eyed hens have their own individual personality... they are completely unique!
Inquisitive, moody, shy, anxious, loyal, impulsive, melancholy, calm, confident, compassionate, suspicious, optimistic, meticulous, worrier, emotional

happy 30th manda

You would think finding a birthday present would be easy for a friend you have known nearly your whole life and is almost a sister! but no. Her wardrobe is already packed from her love of shoes, clothes and handbags. And I wanted to give her something special for her 30th. So I decided to sew a doona cover set. I love it, I want one for myself now! mmm maybe I have enough material left over.

fabric blooms

I made some of these flowers for Hannah's bedroom curtains and as a gift for a friend. They became quite addictive to make.

Cut 5 circular pieces of fabric approximately 6cm diameter, one for each petal.

Fold each circle into quarters. Zig zag the raw edge to prevent the petal from fraying.

Using a needle and thread, gather the petals together along the curved edge using large stitches.

Keeping the thread intact gather each of the petals together and tie off.

Either glue or stitch a button to the center of the flower.