ScrapHappy September

...........with two lots of scrappiness this month


Firstly, red and blue scraps, lots of handstitching and buttons to finish.........

  You might remember back in June I posted about the quiltlet I made with scraps I found after the flood, here.  I had put the quilt in the Murwillumbah Art Trail "Big Flood" Exhibition and a friend who saw it wanted to buy it, but I wasn't keen to sell.  She was setting up a new studio for her paper and print making as hers had all been washed away, and so she asked me if I'd make her something 'nice and bright' to go in it.  She said she loved reds and blues, but would leave the rest to me.

And this is the result, cheery red and blue bunting.

***

And secondly, woolly scraps

Ooh what a mess

 I turned some of those tangled bits into these tiny Christmas stockings. They'll be going to Knitting for Brisbane's Needy, who are asked for thousands of these every year by charity organisations around Queensland.  They're given out at Christmas lunches, with a few sweets inside, to homeless people and those doing it tough.  For some, it might be the only gift they receive.

Waiting to be sewn up

Check out the links on Kate's blog  to see what others have done with their scraps this month.

......till next time

Update to add these links in case anyone wants to knit little stockings.  It's a free Jean Greenhow pattern here.  Scroll down past about 8 other patterns.
And here's some info about Knitting for Brisbane's Needy.  I'm doing these stockings for a  Knit4Charities charity of the month, but you could make them and send directly to K4BN, the address is on the contacts page of their website.  Or you could find a local group to make them for. 
Happy knitting. 

Photos retrieved

...... no new camera yet 

I've been looking though, reading reviews, asking others what they have, but haven't made a decision. I only want a compact, but most of the newer models have lots of bells and whistles I don't want, so the search will continue until I meet the right one.

In the meantime, I wanted to show the bunting/banner I made for Fran in Tasmania.  I showed a little peek of it here, but now that Fran's received it, I can show it all.

It's double sided, wool embroidery on hessian and is about 40cms long by 30 cm maybe....I didn't measure it before I sent it......plus the long tails and the bead dangly thingy.

Fran blogs at https://theroadtoserendipity.wordpress.com  about her busy, productive and mad hippie life on a farm in Tasmania, living sustainably and growing vegetables safely in The Sanctuary away from her rascally dogs.  This bunting and others sent from all over will soon be flapping happily there.  Go check her out and see what she has to say.

That's all for now.......

'til next time

Morning stitching

If you've come looking for the Grow Your Blog Party, that post is here. Be sure to leave a comment there for a chance to be in the draw for a great give-away. 

A quiet moment with tea and needle and thread yarn as the clouds start to clear and the sun tries to make an appearance.  There's been gentle but steady rain all night, ideal for softening the ground nicely, so soon I'll head out to the garden to weed and start digging a hole for a new tree.  For now though, I'll sit here and put the final stitches into this surprise gift, that will soon be heading off to Tasmania to decorate a beautiful garden.

I hope there'll be some quiet moments in your day.....

'til next time

Getting on with it

..........the scrappy birthday gift, that is

I made quite a bit of progress today, after umming and aahing about what to make.  Remember in my last post, here,  I talked about the 'fabric' I made from scraps that would be made into a birthday gift ?Well, I played with a few ideas.....a heart to hang, a needle case, a little amulet bag.....nah, none of that worked.  Well, eventually, I had an 'aha' moment and finally knew what I wanted to make.  I added a few pieces of lovely wool felt for making extra bits, and then I was ready to stitch, bead and generally fiddle...it's a fiddly little project!  Now that all the hard decisions are made, it's coming together nicely, and as it needs to be ready to give tomorrow, when, with two other friends, we're meeting for lunch, I'll be stitching away tonight to finish it.

Pieces in play

Not saying what it is yet, but soon enough all will be revealed......any guesses?

.......til next time

A little orphan bird and some stitching

little watchful face.....he gets frightened and scrambles away up high if I get too close...

(taken with a zoom then cropped )

catching some early morning sunshine

little bird fell from way up in this poincianna tree

 

sheltering from a sudden and heavy downpour

 This little fellow, a fledgling rainbow lorikeet fell from the poincianna tree literally at my feet on the footpath about a week ago. After a chat to WIRES (wildlife rescue service) a friend and I attempted to get him to stay in various trees, as his parents flew frantically around. Too young to fly, he kept falling out and would waddle around my front yard, worrying me that he would come to a sticky end. He eventually settled on the one he's in now, and seems quite ok.  I watched him yesterday fanning his little wings at the very top, strengthening, practising for flying.  Unfortunately his movements drew the attention of other bigger wild birds, and he quickly retreated where they couldn't reach and attack him.  I'm relieved and pleased he's survived this long, although I see adult lorikeets flying around, I'm not sure if they're his parents and if they're feeding him, but he seems to be doing ok. I hear him calling at dusk, but can't bear to watch and see whether his calls go unanswered! I'm worried the next stage is going to be hard for him, as he starts to fly he's at risk from other birds, but I can only watch and not interfere, if he's going to survive he has to do it on his own and he's managed so far. 

 

early morning autumn rain.......

 

 and afternoon autumn sunshine, still warm but it's lost the fierceness of  summer

 

 red lentils, cooked, pack and ready for the freezer.....just add fresh vegetables and rice and a quick delicious meal

 

***

 

this little scrap eco-dyed with tibouchina flowers

 I've been enjoying some slow stitching, working on these prayer flags.  Individual little flutters of cloth and stitch with encouraging words to be sent off on a breeze, a sigh, a thought. Just made with scraps of recycled fabric gifted from friends, pieces from old doilies and lace and bits of op shop (thrift store) finds and some of my eco-dyed fabrics.

 

 

Enjoy your day.

Blue Moon: Swimming in Cosmic Tides

was Mary Pat Lynch's description of the full moon, a blue one, as this is the second full moon for August, on her blog Rising Moon Astrology.  I loved the images this conjured, and so I stitched a happily swimming blue moon, with fishy companions, as this full moon is in Pisces. Clouds covered the moon as it rose here, so I've included them across the moon. My moon circle's a bit wonky, as I was distracted as I was watching an excellent  Australian documentary "Go back to where you came from" as I stitched.  Click on the link to watch a preview of this hard hitting, heart wrenching, often confronting story that deals with the human and political side of asylum seekers and the debate currently raging in Australia about "boat people".

 

 

Joining with Woman with Wings once again for her Drawing down the Moon series of art inspired by the energy of the full moon.

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, I hope you're keeping warm if you're in the eastern states of Australia, where winter is having a last blast at us, and sending temperatures way down.

Moon worship

The full moon of a few days ago saw me celebrate with Mirrhi, the new little being who has recently...just a week ago.. joined my household.  As the moon climbed high in the sky, I sat outside, freezing my butt off, waiting for her to stop playing and do wees before bedtime.  Despite the cold, it was such a pleasure to be outside, all was quiet....apart from the odd bat or two flapping over...the night sky looked dark and crisp, the stars were bright pinpoints and the moon cast a gentle light over the garden.   I've joined  Woman with Wings again for August, and made full moon art.  Who better to be seen gazing in wonder at the moon than Miss Mirrhi herself?

The "ground" she's sitting on is part of a piece of linen I wrapped in a large rusty bolt and sun dyed in eucalyptus water.  The colours are appropriate, as I've just top-dressed my backyard, and put in gravel paths.

And here's the girl herself, being cheeky and playful, as she settles happily into her new life.

She's such a delight, too smart for her own little blue nose spots, lots of fun. ....and growing way too quickly.  I'll do a post on her another time, and how we're settling in together, and the joys and challenges of integrating an exuberant pup into a household full of cats, but now, after a full and busy day, "the baby" is napping and it's that time of night to put my feet up and relax for a bit before a last trip outside before bedtime.  I have the last of the centres of the dresden plate blocks to stitch down, and hope to get them finished tonight. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Full Moon Art

A little late, but I'm sure the moon is still full ..or almost...somewhere in the world.  I was preoccupied with a sick chicken and so this photo wasn't taken until the moon was a few hours above the horizon, with a few clouds gathered to enjoy the light.

Once again, I've joined Peggy at Woman with Wings and others, creating a small piece of full moon art.  The full moon of March is in Virgo, a wise woman who is both pragmatic and a dreamer/visionary.  I had a very different idea for my piece this month, something about doorways and stepping stones, but the doorway looked like a piece of old spaghetti, and the stepping stones like cow patties.  Rip it all out and start again....aah, so Virgo means for me to walk the path, finding the balance, being compassionate with myself and paying attention to the details, rather then blythely skipping along stepping stones, paying little attention.

Woman with Chicken

Virgo is an earth sign, nurturing, holding and encompassing, so perhaps it was fitting that it was under this moon that I sadly tucked my little red hen Freya into the earth, when she decided she wasn't going to get well and it was time to go.

I'll miss this sweet little hen.

Forecast is for wet and stitchy



Non stop rain for so many days I've lost count.  Some of us are fed up already, not sure why, all they do is sleep anyway.

I've been stitching these little cq hearts......

Building more houses from scrap....one finished

 one halfway there.....

 and a lovely gift in the mail from Kaite who sent me a little pack of critters to peek from my house windows, the rooster above was part of the gift.  Thanks Kaite *beams*

If the rain doesn't stop soon, we'll all have fish swimming in our windows!

I did get out on the weekend and headed to Currumbin Beach  in Queensland where it wasn't raining (then)  and had a walk and a paddle on the beach

I'm going to have paddle my way to town today to do a food shop, those bored kitties don't take kindly to being told the cupboard's bare.  I live close to the river and with this much rain there'll be flooding in the lower lying areas, one of which is my only way out, so I'm off .  This rain is pretty widespread across most of New South Wales and Queensland, and likely to continue for another week, so if it's wet where you are keep your tail feather's dry, or stay warm or cool, depending on where you are.

On my mind - op shop gleanings

Joining in with Rhonda Jean at Down to Earth .................

Looking forward to playing with these lovelies.