Some kind of wrap up catch-up...

We spent a couple of days of the Easter long weekend at our 'own but can't live in' old/new house. The bunny with the eggs found the girls even tho we were not at "we're other home" and they delighted in the early morning hunt through the dew and native violets.

We did lots of tidying up. First we un-bogged the tractor which has been patiently waiting for some dry, not quite so slippery ground since our rain sodden last visit. The big girl got in plenty more practice on the ride-on mower; first actually mowing the couple of flat acres around the house and then later driving about doing pick ups with the trailor on the back.

We hunted about and made lots of new discoveries, especially in the very overgrown vegie patch. The wee girl filled her easter basket with loads of bright red cherry tomatos which we added to our inside dinner of 'campside' beans (I'd give you a recipe but it is different everytime!).

The girls and I found a tiny nest with four abandoned teeny tiny eggs and the prettiest little feather. I am not sure what kind of bird built and later left the nest, I will have to do some more investigating.

We have found a tenant, so there will be no more trips south to our little hinterland hidehole until we can call it home. So we left a new letterbox with gnome type personality to stand guard til we get back.

* Rabbit pattern is one from the talented Linda of Mamma-4-Earth Molly Bunny

day dreaming...

We spent the last couple of days in the Northern Rivers of NSW. We do it to ourselves quite regularly and as we gaze into the hinterland and later wiggle our toes in the sand we make plans, dream little dreams and imagine another life, a less busy one... one with a few acres of space and a river meandering through our own bit of rainforest.

This time tho we had found a fabulous home to be had in a little place called Dorroughby - in the pictures it looked perfect, the price exceptional and so we spoke to the agent, decided to make a weekend of it, packed the car and took off.

It sold before we could get a look! So disappointed but well, what can you do? It was obviously just like the pictures promised it would be and the current owner didn't want to wait for us to look and perhaps offer a better price "a bird in the hand..."

So we went anyway and gazed into the Hinterland, wiggled our toes in the sand, built a few sancastles and knocked them down again, splashed in the cool waters of Brunswick Heads, marveled at the luminous blue glow worms under the night sky at Natural Bridge in Springbrook National Park and then we came home again...a little sad but hopeful that something will turn up for us soon.

A lovely side-step to our trip was that I met Jo from Indigo Inspirations, she blogged that she had some beautiful little Belle and Boo Easter tins for sale and while at first I resisted, when I looked again I caved in and got the girls one each. Jo lives in Mullumbimby which is right in the middle of our Hinterland beach dream so I picked the tins up in person and we chatted a bit - was so nice to meet her. The girls were both asleep in the car even tho it was the middle of the day - late night glow worming! and so while I would have loved to have stayed and talked and had a really good look around the little co-op crafty shop of goodness it was not to be (this time).

Back home this morning for the Easter rabbit to do his thing, and a stunning morning it was.

And because my children are spoilt by a mother who can't resist a pretty thing, they got these too

from Purple Petunia here.

Little Easter Baskets - a Tutorial

 

May the glad dawn of Easter morn, bring joy to thee.

 

Easter Sunday is a week away... plenty of time to make a little felt basket or two!

 

I have uploaded the pattern template to scrib, you can find it here - don't be too concerned about sizing. I made a couple of half sized ones and about a dozen bigger ones; you could probably go bigger again and it would still stay pretty sturdy depending on the thickness of your wool felt.

 

Decoration, or none, is completely up to your preference and time... I will show you how to do the little wool twist and stitch a bullion bee, just make everything else up.

ok you will need the pattern template, some wool felt, scrap wool yarn-  about twice as long as the side length, various colours of embroidery floss, needles, scissors... maybe a little bit of raffia or wood curl shavings for inside the basket, that is it.

Cut out the felt pieces from the template - you should have three - base, side and handle.

 

Tie a little knot in the very end of your wool yarn and with matching thread make a few small stitches to secure it to your side piece of felt (notice that the top sides slope inward just a little? secure your yarn on one side about 1/2inch down from the top)

 

Start twisting your yarn, very quickly you will notice it starts to loop back on itself, working in small sections make tiny running stitches to secure the twisted wool yarn to the felt.

When you make it to the other end, tie a knot and snip off any remaining yarn, finish twisting and stitching and you are done with that bit.

Making a bullion bee...

Hmmm this could be as clear as mud but I'll give it a go. Bullion stitches are best made with straw needles - they are thin and even along the length, if you don't have one (and I don't even know if I do) use a needle with a really small head.. eye bit.. umm...one with even thickness along the entire shaft! It will help the wraps slide off smoothly if you do.

 

Any embelishments need to be done on the opposite side to the twisty wool bit and in the bottom two thirds of the basket side piece.

Ok. you will need black and yellow threads, I used two strands of each and don't snip them between bands (and they each have their own needle so I don't have to keep re-threading)

Bare with me cause I don't have photoshop anymore... Point A is on the right where you see the needle threaded with black disappearing into the felt and Point B is to the left about where you see the yellow thread hanging down. The distance between point A and B is the length of the bullion. You will need to make enough wraps to cover this distance.

 

With either yellow or black thread (knotted) bring the needle to the front at A, bring the thread through.

Take the needle to the back at B and re-emerge at A, LEAVE THE NEEDLE IN PLACE like the picture above..

With your thumb over the eye of the needle, raise the point of the needle up and wrap the thread clockwise around the needle.. pull the wraps reasonably firmly against the fabric and try to keep them even - to start with you should need 6-8 wraps.

Keeping the tension on the wraps with your left index finger, begin to ease the needle through the wraps.

Continuing the pressure on the wraps pull the needle and remaining thread free through the wraps.

Pull the thread all the way through tugging the wraps away from you, this helps to keep them tight.

Now pull the thread firmly toward you, The wraps (bullion) should now sit between Point A and B.

You can fiddle with them to make them even, if you need to, be gentle and keep the tension tight. Anchor the bullion by taking the needle to the back at B.

 

Now swap your colours and do another slightly longer one... keep going till you like the look of your bee. I like to end with a short black bullion 'head segment'

 

 

 Put on a couple of 'lazy daisy stitch' wings and he is ready to buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

I made a little tiny bee with three french knots (a very short bullion, just three wraps and anchor in the centre of A and B) and a running stitch buzzy path.

 

Putting it all together

With wrong sides together and using blanket stitch, sew the sides seam together from the top down

 

When you get to the bottom take the circular base piece and begin sewing it in place, easing as required.

 

Secure any knots on the inside of the basket, it is neater that way.

Fold down the top edge and secure with blanket (or any other stitch you fancy)

To make the handle, fold the two long edges into the centre and stitch in place I used blanket stitch...mainly because I think I can do it in my sleep. When you get all the way across secure the handles on each side at a depth of about the top fold.

That is it.. Happy Easter. May your baskets be filled with love (and a little bit of chocolate too).

 

Camping, swapping and reflecting.

I am feeling quite flat; I said to a friend the other day it just seems crazy for life to carry on ~ my friend's baby just died. It feels disrespectful to just keep going...but really that is all there is left to do isn't there? curl up in a ball or keep going.

So I will keep going tho my energy is lacking.

Over the Easter weekend we went camping; with my brother and his family and three other families too.

My brother has 5 acres of land just north of Gympie, loads of gum trees and a bit of creek - nothing else on it for now. So we all set up camp (I am not really a fan of camping. It generally rains, it is uncomfortable, there are insects, no bathrooms, blow up beds, bla bla bla).

I had fun. We met some really lovely people, the children had a ball just being free to be. Of course there was a campfire (read marshmallow on sticks, camp oven stews and fresh baked hot cross buns), chocolate, wine, music and laughter ...and NO RAIN!

A little post parcel arrived just before we headed off camping. I joined in the Southern Hemiphere Season Exchange again for autumn. Autum is my favourite season; I got married in autumn, my first child was born in autumn and it is full of comfort food and chilly winds blowing beautiful leaves everywhere ~ well it is like that in my memory because Brisbane is yet to show me an autumn leaf fluttering to the ground this year...

So I sent my partner a few of her favourite things ~ she doesn't have a blog so I couldn't stalk her and find out secretly, I asked. She likes knitting and crochet and felts, fibres, fly agaric mushrooms and loves autumn, it is her favourite season too. Think I covered it.

In return she sent and autumn fairy and a mobile of dancing leaves - just perfect.

Autumn faries wake today

Spread your colours as you play

Red and yellow, orange too

Purple, brown and golden hue.

Once each leaf is coloured so

from the tree it can let go.

We did a bit of easter felting at craft yesterday

I find it quite stressful some weeks coming up with something new and interesting to do; who's crazy idea was it for me to be craft group co-ordinator?- tho this week was easy because Easter is such a wonderful theme - we had a great morning hatching little chicks out of eggs. (I made the tiny "twins" on the right).

Short and sweet tonight because I am simply shattered with complete lack of sleep, my wee girl is not being very kind to me in the dark hours! goodnight all.