*crickets*

Well hello blog. Long time no see. Remember me? Here's a photo in case you've forgotten.

Yes I know. It's been worse than silent here.  *crickets *  I’m surprised I have remembered the password let alone how to write a blog post. You’ve been long neglected dear blog. I don’t expect you to forgive me but it would be great if you could take the time to at least listen to my excuses.
 

I got a full time job! Hooray! I’m working in a library surrounded by books which is just perfect and I also get to do crazy craft with kids...like this....ninjas and rocket jet pack!

AND sing silly songs  AND yes! I even get paid for it. I know. It’s hard to believe.  I love it.

Here's me on my first day smiling my face in half. I wore my 'specially bought Our Lady of Guadalupe frock.

Starting a job after being home with kids for over 9 years has been *ahem* challenging. And I will write more about that...later.

To add to my new roller coaster life there has been the school fete. In the past I have made things for the Made in Merri craft stall and the enviro stall and shown off my creations here for you all. This year I made a little...

button necklaces...

 pom pom hair bands and clips...

crochet card boxes and bowls...

 

 

 

but I was also one of the dynamic duo of gals who coordinated the WHOLE SHEBANG!It was huge! An organisational (nightmare) feat!  (stay tuned for the sitcom "Fete Mums") But it all came together and we made $70,000 for the school. A great achievement and I was so glad to put in the hard work and be involved.

And just because I wasn’t quite busy enough I also formed a band to play at the fete. We’re called Best Western and we did a short sharp set of Country duets.

So yes blog. I’ve been busy! But I’ll try and swing by and tickle your fancies when I can!

Doppelganger take 2!

More love bundles have arrived from across the Nullarbor Plain. Kylie has sent me another parcel (what would I do without you Kylie?) and look what it was! 

She saw this in an op shop and thought of me a) because it looked a bit like me (thanks Kylie - if only I had smooth transculecnt face that doubled as a useful container rather than a receptical for this rather frenetic brain of mine!) and 

b) because she though I could make some for our environment stall at the school fete!

And she's on the money there - It ticks all the boxes. Recycled and fun and lovely! I have lots of scraps of fabric perfect for the head scarf and oodles of ric rac to make more of these dolly faced containers. 

I just love her! And I know she is supposed to be a container for hair rollers and pins but I couldn't resist accessorising with her and carrying her as my better smoother doppleleganger hand bag! It's fun to walk along swinging my own head from my wrist. Too much hilarity! I could wear my doppelganger earrings at the same time and become so self referential I almost cease to exist!

Can't thank you enough Kylie. Blogger friends are the best (should I put that on a t-shirt? Actually I always wanted a t -shirt that said: I blog therefore I am....not that I really wear t-shirts...ever...but still... if I did....)

Recycled Jumper Quilt

I was inspired by the rugs the Made in Merri team made for our retiring school Principal and I decided to give it a go. Mine looks like the cheap knock off version but it's been great to try the techniques gleaned from those group crafting sessions.

The jumpers were felted in a hot wash, ironed and cut into 12 x 12 squares.

After playing with colour combos and contrasts, placing the squares on the kitchen table, I settled on patterns and gathered up each row in order and pinned with a number of which row it was.

With the sewing machine I stitched each row together....


Then the rows were pieced together on the machine. As it wasn't for a super duper important gift I wasn't as neat and super duper as the Made in Merri crew.


Then I backed it with linen, straight stitch around the edge.

My final (maybe)* step was to edge it with left over rib. The made in Merri gals made BAIS binding for their quilt and maybe they even STITCHED IN THE DITCH - far beyond me I'm afraid. Instead I overlocked ribbed bands together then attached to the quilt with the overlocker before turning the rib over and hand stitching it on the other side.

 

My plan is to keep going with these and hopefully sell the cheap knock off rugs at the school fete next year.

*Made in Merri ladies did a quilting stitch by hand around some squares and I still may attempt this just to hold the back and front in place.

The Office of Tyre Tube Rubber Recycling *

I was listening to neuroscientist Daniel Levitin on the radio the other day - he's just released a book called "the Organised Mind" - and one thing he touched on was how we are wired to put things into categories - no matter how weird and wonderful those categories are. Our minds are by their nature bureaucratic.

I'm in  recovery mode after the frenzy of crafting for the school fete environment stall almost left me limp with RSI,  but I also wanted to share some of the good and not so good things we made and was wondering where to start.  Categories seem as good a place to start as any.

So today, as CEO of the Craft Commission, head of the Department of Environment Stall, I'm letting you into the Office of Tyre Tube Rubber Recycling.

The truth about tyre tubes or
Rules and Regulations of Rubber:

1. You can get them for free from CERES or ask your local bike shop.

2. They need lots of cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning and wiping.

3. They can be sewn on the sewing machine with the help of some silicon wiped on the rubber and the needle.

4. Do not attempt to knit the tubes. Really. Just don't bother.

The assistant director of the Office of Tyre Tube Rubber Recycling, lovely Chris Black, had the mindbogglingly genius idea of doing macramé with the tubes. It was such a perfect collision of material and form - and worked a treat. We simply used cable ties for the macramé "knots". Unfortunately we didn't get a good photo of them and they sold so quickly it was as if we had dreamt them.

I had a few craftastrophes with the tubes. I extended the idea of the macramé to a bag.......which looked good but the cut off cable ties are sharp and scrape your hand whenever you get anything from the bag. Sigh.

So I might remake this bag and tie knots of rubber instead. Because it looks good!

My other craftastrophe was the knitting episode. Really. The less said, the better. Shhh!

Here are some things that did work with the rubber - necklaces using the curve of the tyre and the printed text on the tube.

Tassels and

loop earring.

neckpieces...

Next year I want to make wallets and more bags.

The Department of the Environment Stall have a pinterest board (which kind of gets us back to the bureaurocracy of the brain, doesn't it? All those boards? Named and categorised?) for our recycling ideas if you are interested!

*title of this post inspired by a book I just finished called "A Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmade Lists" by Jane Rawson. Excellent book!

Button Up!

Okay I know, I know -  I should be making not blogging! But just quickly....here are some button necklaces I'm busy making for the Merri Creek Primary Fete (March 21st!)

 

 

They look like a rainbow of lollies. So today's outfit to match my craft is a rainbow too -  yellow linen shirt dress with embroidered yoke and POCKETS, pink tights, orange sock, trim covered wedges, flowers and pom poms.

Look I'm so busy I'm blurry - the handmade pom-pom earrings will also be available at the fete!

Double Denim Days

Have you noticed? It's back. Double denim, denim patchwork, combined faded and dark denim  - a denim dream. Let's face it. It can be awful. But somehow also rather wonderful!

Here's my little take on it in the form of recycled denim coil pots for the school fete.



(Just in case you didn't know, I'm making things for the up coming school fete  for the Environment Stall. We are recycling everything and anything we can get our hands on. It's been experimental, at times frustrating, often fun and even therapeutic - you know,  all things that crafting can be.)

There is something about the gentle faded blues, the cotton string and the coiling form that I'm finding really pleasing. 

 

And I'm even wearing the perfect 70's maxi frock to compliment my denim work...

 - fake patchwork with FAKE DENIM PATCHES!!! Ah...the Seventies. Does it get  much better than that?

For more double denim inspiration, I'm including here some vintage denim delights!

If it's good enough for Johnny Cash....

Dolly Parton....

 

and Debbie Harry....

Then it's good enough for me.

What in Tarnation 2

It's a pom-pom crown.........

......or a necklace!!

All from recycled t-shirts. Making these for the environment stall at the school fete. Next up tarn pom pom hair ties! Yay for TARN.