Small steps forward

For the first time in eight months, Steven has made some wood items.........


My very special Stitcher's Angel, Karen (who I HAVE to do a full post on!) has been busy sending Steven photos of projects she has found on the internet that may tempt him to start wood working again.


One of the ideas was a wheel to made finger pressing of foundation pieced or hand sewn work easier and better.


He finally felt well enough to make a prototype, which we sent to her for an opinion.
I was the lucky recipient of the second one, pictured below. Of course, he had to make mine out of Lace She Oak to match the second sewing box and other items he has made me.

The beautiful Karri sewing box he gave me recently was one he made early in 2008, before he became ill. He had planned to sell it if anyone was interested, but was very reluctant to, as he loved the wood. He finally convinced me to have it, which brings to 3 the number I have been given...... I absolutely adore them, not just because he made them, but also because you can fit so much in them - I pack a different project in each, complete with scissors and accesories, and can just pick them up and set to work instantly. They are also beautiful to stroke, due to the silky finish he achieves.


The third item is also very special - when I came home from a fabulous workshop with Gloria Loughman last Saturday, I was given this Karri needle case - Steven had made it for me to match my new sewing box.

Thes little projects represent a milestone in our lives - although Steven is still trying to recover from the spinal fractures and nerve damage done by the tumour, and it is unclear if he will ever return to how he was, the fact that he has been able to attempt these small projects means he is feeling a little more like himself. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful man as my partner, and I will continue to enjoy every spare moment I can with him.

February's completed projects

I have managed to complete a few items this month.......

The first is my geisha quilt. I gave up trying to work out a quilting design myself and sent it to Chris from Sandlyn House to quilt it for me. As usual, she has done a wonderful job.

In January, I attended a Cathedral Windows workshop with one of my favourite tutors, Julie Fenn at Somerset Patchwork.

So far, I have completed two of these nifty pin cushions, but I am hoping to complete more as, although they are time consuming, they are quite addictive!

Lastly, with the encouragement of my lovely friend Barb, I have discovered ATC's. Here are two I created for my group's monthly swap....

The theme was "Love is", and these were my attempts on the theme.

I'd love to hear what you think of my month's efforts!

One week on..........

It has been a week since the bushfires ravaged our beautiful state. Words cannot express the initial shock and disbelief, or the total devestation when the truth began to sink in.

So many lives have been lost, and countless thousands of people have been physically or emotionally scarred.

No one can imagine what these people went through during the fires, or how they will cope in the long term. My thoughts and prayers are with them, as well as the thousands of people who have had to witness horrors as they assist in caring for the victims, fighting the fires that still threaten homes and people, investigating the fires, identifying victims and attempting to find ways of ensuring such a tragedy NEVER happens again.

This account may give people some understanding of what so many have faced:

http://www.theaustralian.news. com.au/story/ 0,25197,25026912 -2702,00. html


Sunset last night was eerie - the smoke from the fires has reached us on the outskirts of Melbourne, and the sun was blood red. This morning, it looks like this:



I have always been proud to be Australian, but a tragedy like this demonstrates how united, caring and supportive we can be as a nation. In a time like this, the colour of a person's skin, their religion or political views are irrelevant - all that is important is that we make sure everyone else is okay, and if they aren't, we work tirelessly to do what we can.

I think that this 'Valentines Day' everyone should spend a few minutes assessing who they really care about. Possessions can be replaced, people can't.

Look after your loved ones, let them know how important they are - don't assume they know.

Live each day as if it was your last day on Earth.

Be kind to others - you don't know what is going on in their lives unless you live it.

Take care of yourselves...

January's completed projects

Aren't holidays wonderful? I have spent part of January organising and preparing several projects so I can just pick them up during the year and work on them. In this way, I am hoping to keep hold of my sanity and actually complete several of the ones from the list at the side.

So far this year, I have completed:

A bag for Alana

I was given a beautiful blue and yellow bag for my birthday by my angel, Sue Daly. Alana was very impressed with it, and Sue kindly sent me the link to the pattern. I used the fabrics Alana is using in her Little Macca's quilt, and were both very pleased with the end result. These bags hold an amazing amount of goodies!

Next I made three little gift bags, but gave two away before I could photograph them! Here is the one still to be given...... you'd never work out what her favourite colour is, would you?

The third item completed was the mystery quilt top I made last Friday. I am counting quilt tops as completed because I need to save up for them to be quilted, and can add the binding quite quickly once they are quilted. The construction of the actual top is what is challenging for me, due to the time constraints of working full time.

All four quilts made on the day were effective and were laid out in different ways. It was an enjoyable activity to undertake!

(Liam always comes in useful when I need to photograph quilts!)

Do you have this fabric for sale?

I am supposed to be using this fabric next Friday to make a mystery quilt with some special friends, but because I had to be difficult and choose a directional fabric, I need to cut another 2 - 9" half square triangles.

The fabric is:Momoyama by Sentimental Studios for Moda, pattern # 15711.

If you live in Australia (due to the pressures of time!) and have this fabric for sale, please contact me .

Thanks for your help

The Winner Is........

Hello this is Liam.

I have decided that all of your entries were great and all were special for their own reasons so I decided that it was unfair to only give one prize away. So if you could email my mum via her profile with your snail mail address I will send you off something each. Thank you for entering i hope you enjoy your prizes.

Our first competition!

Liam has decided to make a few special origami items for one person who leaves a comment on my blog. He wants to know:

What is the most memorable item you have made, and what made it so special?

We don't know how to 'do' the random numbers, so Liam will be the sole judge....

Good luck!
Al

My amazing middle child

This is Liam......

Apart from being a gorgeous son, he has an amazing talent for origami. He became interested about ten years ago, and over the years has produced beautiful creations made from paper.

He completed the 1000 crane challenge about 4 years ago. He made 1000 peace cranes out of various types of origami paper 5cm square. We then strung these and alternated them with some beads.....

and hung them all from a small bamboo hoop.

I love gazing at it, as I know how much patience and perseverance it took.

Here are examples of some of his other pieces - he has given away hundreds of creations over the years, bringing pleasure to many different people.

The latest recipient was Sue, my fantastic SCQuilters' Angel

A very special photo

I have decided to share this very special photo........When I started my blog, I thought I would try and stay as anonymous as possible, partly due to my job and also to protect the identities of my lovely children. Because of that (and the fact that I HATE having my photo taken!!) I have never posted my photo.

However, with Steven undergoing treatment for a major illness and also suffering extreme long term pain, I regret not having more photos of my family unit or of the two of us together as a couple.

I want to share this photo with my many blogging friends because it is a rare photo of the five of us together and because it reminds me of much happier times. Steven's diagnosis was so unexpected that we did not have any opportunity to plan, prepare ourselves or make any decisions........ this photo is my goal of what I hope we can do in the future if all goes well.

If you are like Steven and I and shy away from the camera, try and brace yourself and have a couple of photos taken - you never really know how special they may become!

Last wood photos for a while....

These will be the last wood photos for a while - my lovely man is facing a major health battle over the next few months, so no woodwork until he has won the war.

Here are some bowls he designed and created a while ago. They are amazing pieces, due largely to the unique qualities of the burls they are made from. You can never be sure how each piece will turn out- that is part of their attraction, I think! The colouring is so rich and luscious, and I just want to stroke them, due to their smooth, silky finish.

He also made a special container for each of our children.

The one on the left was designed by Liam - trust him to design a spherical shape! It is made out of huon pine and flame she-oak - both quite amazing woods.

The middle one is also huon pine - it has the most striking scent when it is being turned, such a rich and uplifting aroma!

The third container uses figured Tasmanian myrtle - yes, we love our native woods, particularly the Tasmanian ones.

It looks as though we will have to cancel our trip to Strahan for our 25th anniversary - hopefully, we can re book it when he is fit and healthy again. It gives us something to look forward to!
Please keep him in your thoughts.... it just may make a difference!