Townmouse

A treehouse party

Henri turned 7 yesterday.

We gathered a few of his friends who were also holidaying down our way.  With siblings this resulted in a casual treehouse party for 12.

The older boys organised a treasure hunt which led the children to the treehouse.  Once there, a game of pass-the-parcel was orchestrated in the enclosed part of the treehouse on the second floor, again by the older boys.

After a main course of BBQ sausages and lamb chops, impromptu pyramids were constructed and wheelbarrow races run.

It makes me immensely happy to see children enjoying the great outdoors and creating their own fun.

Hide and seek took place, and Max hosted some running races for the assembled two year olds. Meanwhile we adults enjoyed a catch up and a glass of wine as the sun set.

Birthday cake was individual pavlovas.  Notice how Adelaide has her eyes firmly on the prize.

This one loves her food. I'd go as far as to say she is a little glutton. She polished off this rather sizeable serve of pavlova with no second thoughts.

Lolly bags were given out a little early by enthusiastic Henri, so there was even more sugar consumed before the party came to an end.  It was only the dropping temperatures that called an end to proceedings.

All in all, it was a very happy night, and the children had lots of fun.

A year of crafting

The year just passed was a very busy one in our family.  There was less time for crafting than I'm used to.

There was more dressmaking than quilting.

Adelaide has been the main beneficiary of my sewing endeavours.  

Here's to a productive 2012 for us all.

Last stitching for 2011

Before we packed the car and headed for the beach I just had to sew one last-minute skirt for Adelaide.

It was prompted by the Christmas Eve purchase of these cute grey shoes from a French brand newly available in Melbourne.

So while Adelaide slept and the boys and Will were out of the house I pulled this pretty grey Lecien fabric from my stash.

Adelaide approves and the skirt was happily worn with her new favourite shoes.

Henri is very handy to have around when photographing Adelaide.  He keeps her distracted long enough to get a good shot, and always obliges with a smile.

French style lantern

I am very excited about this Christmas present we received from Will's mother.

It's a lantern with pretty bevilled glass.  It looks lovely in situ on our outdoor table.  Although at the time of taking this photo it was pouring with rain and I had to bring it indoors.  I can't wait to use it.

One more Liberty sundress

Thankfully Christmas has come upon us in a rather stress-free fashion this year.  Not churning out Townmouse orders until the last Christmas mail has certainly helped.

The only moment of panic was when I went to turn on the larger of my two ovens this morning to cook turkey for 10, only to find it non-responsive.  I had visions of driving to my mother's with a basted turkey on the passenger seat.

The crisis was averted when 11 year old Max asked, "What does 'Auto' mean?"  I'd set the clock the other day and, when pushing buttons randomly, had set something awry.  Thank goodness for that.  Max was congratulated for saving the moment and was rewarded with free reign to eat the chocolate Christmas baubles on the tree.

Well, he'd had tic-tacs for breakfast, so he was on a roll.  Why not eat chocolate before lunch.

This Liberty sundress was perfect for our hot and humid Christmas day.  I made this on Christmas Eve while we waited for the boys to fall asleep before putting the presents under the tree.  The dress will come in handy for January at the beach.

I also made a little bikini bottom in my favourite fabric.

There is a matching sunhat in the works too.  That I plan to finish on Boxing Day.

I hope you and your families had a lovely Christmas day.  I, for one, am very much looking forward to a slower pace over the next few weeks.  Enjoy the last few days of 2011!

Liberty doll quilt

Adelaide is receiving mostly hand-made gifts this year.  So much so, that Santa has very little to give her at this point.  

I finished the little doll quilt with Liberty crosses the other day.  It was very quick to whip up, being so small.

Adelaide has taken to tucking her doll up in her old bassinet blankets in a moses basket.  The basket is then put on the floor next to her cot.  It's very sweet to watch.

Let's hope she approves of this and it gets included in dolly's bedding.

A Christmas dress

I picked up this pretty Yuwa fabric the other day.  I'm always a sucker for a fabric with pops of red.

I've been meaning to make this dress style for Adelaide for ages.  I think this style is cutest on two year olds so I was keen to make it for this summer.

That pop of red always looks cute with red shoes.

Adelaide seems happy enough in her new dress.  Surprisingly she let me photograph her which is a rare thing.  Normally I only get the back shots as she makes a quick getaway.

Of course I got plenty of those too.

I dropped my beautiful portrait lens the other day.  While it is in for expensive repairs I'm having to settle for average photos with my standard lens.  Very frustrating and can't wait to get my favourite lens back.

Distracting quilt inspiration

I have been rather taken by this vintage quilt.  I love the sharpness of the fabric choices - citrus yellows teamed with bright blues.

I've been so distracted by it in fact, that I felt compelled to replicate it.

I pulled some random fabrics from my stash.  There's a bit of Hope Valley and Picnic and Fairgrounds, a bit of Loulouthi and Little Folks, a Kumari Garden, as well as various dots and spots.

I rather like the way it has come together.  I think the scale of my triangles is bigger than the original quilt.  I'm not exactly sure how the stars come together in that quilt.  So I think I'll make a few more and see how I feel about it.

What's your favourite shape for piecing?  I think mine is definitely the triangle.  I've created a gallery on flickr to try to narrow down my absolute favourite quilt using the humble triangle.  There are so many end results.

Home made doll's clothes for Christmas

Henri was going round the house with his clipboard this morning, asking his siblings what they wanted for Christmas. (He must have raided Tom's stationery supplies for next year to find said clipboard.) Adelaide's response was "doll's clothes".

This sweet little doll is so lovely to cuddle because of her soft body.  The problem is she needs high necks and sleeves to cover her undergarments.

I drafted a pattern block for Amelie (dolly's name) - a simple bodice block with sleeve.  

I used a few scraps to replicate my most favourite of all Townmouse dresses.

This one fits the bill with its high neck and elbow length sleeves. 

Now I know that the pattern block is a good fit I can create a few more variations for Amelie.

I have a sweet little suitcase, purchased from Lark, that I can put Amelie's wardrobe into.

A quick trip to the local button shop is on my To Do list today to buy some simple press studs so Adelaide can easily dress and undress her doll.

I'll let you know how I go with the rest of Amelie's wardrobe. There might have to be a few matching dresses for Adelaide in the mix.

In the studio

Two more days of school for the year.  That means I want to get all my Christmas orders out in the next two days so I can be free to play with the children once holidays start.

Today in the studio I'll be finishing off creche bags and Christmas stockings.  There are lots of t-shirts and bodysuits to detail too.  I'll be busy.

But before all that happens Adelaide and I will be making the most of this glorious sunny day and taking a walk to the local butcher to order our Christmas turkey.

Quick crochet project

Have any other Aussie readers discovered ABC iView on the iPad?  It's catch-up TV from the Australian Broadcasting Commission in a handy iPad app.

Last night it was me with my crochet hook enjoying "The Hour", "Brideshead Revisited" and "Restoration Home".  And the best part: I was tucked up in bed.  Now that's what I call a great Saturday night in.

Delilah quilt

Remember this quilt?  With only one pack of charm squares in its makeup it was never really large enough to sleep under.  But I did love the fabric range.  So I searched around online and bought some more.

Now I've made a second charm square quilt in the Delilah fabric from Tanya Whelan.  This one is big enough to sleep under, with enough to spare to tuck into the cot on either side.

Adelaide is happily sleeping under it now.  The boys are busy with their Lego in the other bedroom, but squabbles are errupting.  Might be time to head out on the scooters.  Will is away, again, and back in the morning.  So while he's been travelling I've been late night crafting.

I machine stitched the binding with much greater success this time.  Practice makes perfect.  Now I really should pull out that kaleidoscope quilt and see about finishing it.