I want to believe the hype. I want to believe that I can make this the most memorable Christmas ever if only I buy the right things. My Christmas memories blend in to one long stream of continuous Christmas days and really, I haven’t had a most memorable one yet. What I do remember is the time spent preparing and celebrating with friends....

Continue Reading

The last line of this poem has been in my head for days.Caliban in the Coal Mines GOD, we don't like to complain;We know that the mine is no lark.But — there's the pools from the rain;But — there's the cold and the dark. God, You don't know what it is —You, in Your well-lighted sky —Watching the meteors whizz;Warm, with a sun...

Continue Reading

All adults should be equipped with Super Powers that can impress kids. You don’t have to be a parent to be working on those skills and hell, you don’t need to ask the parents either. Think of it as a wholesome party trick.My superpower is being able to blow big bubbles using only my hands and shampoo. This super power is very handy...

Continue Reading

I grew more and more attached to this blanket each time I finished it. It was a lesson in taking my time and giving a project some space. I started making it for a friend who was moving into a new house in August 2009. The colours were chosen to fit the new house. Only it was delivered, reluctantly, a year later.The pattern...

Continue Reading

With a little help, I have laid out the quilt, pinned, stitched and bound it. The kids thought it was a fantastic game and they rolled over and over wrapped in the pieces. I can see that this process is not quite so simple when little hands are around and I can also now proudly say the Circus Pinwheels Quilt is finished.For the...

Continue Reading

Thank-you to everyone for their kind words and ideas when entering the giveaway. I have read through them and will give the suggestions some thought. It appears that the kids stay in the blog. Which is just as well, because I have often have very little time for anything else.Viv has suggested that there be more about the books I’m reading. Viv has...

Continue Reading

The following tutorial looks at how to make a Grandmother’s Fan quilt block. This is a traditional block that was very popular in the 1930’s and reflects the sunburst motifs of Art Deco. It is much like a Dresden Plate block but allows for a little more tolerance as it is only a quarter circle. This tutorial includes making the templates for a...

Continue Reading

I have had some requests for instructions on how to make a Grandmother's fan block. As you can see Miss H and I have been working on it together. Grab a cup of tea and meet me back here for it soon.In the interim, the grandmother's fan block is much like a Dresden plate, so I will leave you with some links for...

Continue Reading

There are ancient mysteries that lurk in our collective memories and modern ones that are small but mightily irritating. Odd socks are one of those small mysteries. I now know where odd socks go, and so do my kids. I still have to work out where mine went, but at least our smaller family members are sorted.My mother used to have a paper...

Continue Reading

I've been keeping my eyes open for potential goodies. Today I'm adding some Japanese Christmas fabric to the international bundle and a tractor hottie cover for the National one. I haven't stopped looking for more things to add so watch this space.There is still time to enter the give away here. ...

Continue Reading

I might be the last to know about this brilliant E-Zine. But just in case I'm not - pop along to see the latest issue of Inspired Ideas. There are instructions about viewing and downloading here and it's free. I'm off to make my self a hot chocolate and peruse the pages while imagining myself in a Northern Hemisphere Winter. It shouldn't take...

Continue Reading

I’m a few months short of 3 years writing here. A number of things have changed at home over this time – returning to work, the arrival of Miss H, birthdays, returning to work again. I have been thinking about making some changes to this space too.Before I do, I thought I should ask what changes you would like to see. Let me...

Continue Reading

Little E and my dearest disappeared to the community store to get some milk and came back with a new tomato sauce bottle and a cosmic racer. “It’s for tomato sauce and it’s a tomato!!” exclaimed Little E as if explaining the punchline to a joke she was very proud of understanding. I just had to get a photo of her delight.As for...

Continue Reading