make a paper bag…

Posted on November 19, 2012 by rosalindentree

on a cold and rainy day

we had school at home

after songs and circle games

for morning tea some nuts where cracked to accompany our fruit

our morning craft lesson was making origami paper bags from an old phone book

then a ‘shop’ game evolved between the children

go get yourself a piece of paper, any size will do, try newspaper or an old telephone bill…

here comes the method to make a handy paper container to use for a multitude of purposes

including gift wrapping, games, shopping, seed saving, storage, envelopes and and and…

{hover your mouse over the images and the written instructions will magically appear}

i just think that’s a great re-use of our waste paper!

Lily made a bunch of little sacks to package little craft items in for the school stall.

today i feel like making a big sack to put over my head…

with giggles

ps let me know what you use your paper bags for

a little mending…

Posted on November 15, 2012 by rosalindentree

how to love mending as much as the making

i’ve been working on this and in the last weeks

gathered in the holey things and begun

wow! i’ve let them go a long time and some holes have grown noticeably

but here i go with my needle and thread and a little stillness

and a lot of enjoyment of handling these beautiful things again

and knowing i am giving them a new burst of life

Lily is not feeling well

as i wrapped her in her baby blanket {with big girl extensions}

i noticed those holes

so with children at one end and me at the other

i got to my task

feeling the texture and weight of this beautiful crotcheted blanket

how quickly it warmed my legs and memory

i was pregnant with my first big belly

traveling in a beautiful old yellow kombi van

Jesse and I on our first adventure together

i gathered yarn from my family and friends

along the way i gathered more

and as we drove often i had my basket of yarn at my feet and

this growing blanket on my growing belly

i wove into it all my wondering of who and when and how

all those pre mama feelings

who would i be bundling in this wool one day soon?

thousands of stitches thousands of kilometres and thousands of blessings.

from my reverie i glance up

and here is my daughter

bigger than ever

as i mended we talked about her birth

she and Cedar chatted and played

and i cherished this gift i made

once upon a time for a wee babe

a little sewing…

Posted on November 12, 2012 by rosalindentree

borrowed a vintage cadillac of a sewing machine

{dear stitcher, i have missed you immensely in my life these last 6 months…}

finished the job at hand then

treated myself to a tiny playful sewing make i had seen

on another funky mama

patch together scraps of this and that

make a long snake for the characterless camera strap.

then had fun taking snaps in the mirror for you

go on make one too. it’s fun for you or someone you look at….

i love bringing handmade to the pieces of modern technology in my life

and seeing what others do to theirs…

what do you think?

are you going to make something to brighten up one of your gadgets?

for practical directions

the dimensions of my patches for my canon strap {4cm wide}

i made a patchwork strip of 10cm by 90cm

folded in half, right sides together and stitched long seam

rolled right side out

and slipped over the strap..

tutorial ~ make a pocket gnome

Posted on November 6, 2012 by rosalindentree

assemble materials

cut yourself a pattern of the square body {6cm} and cap {5×2.5cm} has come curvature to it
two colors wool felt fabric
a wooden bead for the head 12mm or so
thread and needle {if child is making it, be kind and use bigger needle and thread/embroidery floss}
scissors
fluff to stuff {wool or cotton wool}
craft glue

cut pattern pieces

1x square for body

1x cap in matching color

1x square for pocket

1x triangle for pocket front

mark centre of doll’s body and firmly attach wooden bead head upright

use a dab of non toxic craft glue to secure the thread in the position of the ear line

stitch seam of the cap {i prefer blanket stitch, but over stitch is equally good and easier for children who are at the beginning of their crafting life}

insert a finger into the cap to open it out in readiness for the head bead

use a dab of glue to secure the cap on gnomes head ensuring you cover the strings

begin at one hand and stitch around the body two thirds of the way to the other hand

stuff your gnomes body with fluff

$body 2/3 stitched and stuffing in\" width=$

continue to stitch to other hand and bind off

tie off hands at the wrist with a little string

your gnome is complete, Yay for you!!

decorate if you wish

to make the pocket lay your triangle piece over the diamond piece and stitch the two outer sides

decorate with fancy stitchin if you wish {stars, flowers, colorful lines, beautiful embroidery etc}

{children can do ‘dolphin stitch’ simple in and out stitch in a line, like a dolphin diving up and down for decoration}

then pop your little gnome into bed!

too cute!

very sweet gifts, children’s activity, stocking fillers and a friend for special times

in a childs {inner children too} life when they need a comfort in their pocket

Crafting glimpses

Posted on October 17, 2012 by rosalindentree

Crafting glimpses

A gallery of crafting moments from my WA visit

centred on wool craft

I got my sister started on her felting journey

it was delightful to share some of my skills

we made her baby a playmat and some funny mutant animals

like the wombat sheep

inspired by the book

A Felt Farm

I made Cedar a playmat with roads on it for this wheel obsessed boy

a success and great for travelling

meanwhile other children getting soapy

and happy making colored balls

{a great place to start wet felting for yourself and kids}

and having nests made for small toys

on lemons this time

children weaving on braiding discs

and needle felting dolls and butterflies

and little fingers doing fine embroidery

and turning it into pincushions

and little animals cut out of fabric and made into 3d toys

and more

and sewing and having a sister for guidance and support just like when we where younger

and more

and knitting like crazy and discovering the ease and fun and singing

with the windy wool thing {umbrella swift and winder}

which takes your big skein and makes wonderful neat balls

I honestly could not figure out how Godmother wound such neat balls by hand!

der…

and this moment which cracks me up because i am so happy with this funny gadget

and have a vine wrapped around my head and giant mongolian slippers on

and I’ve just been singing with my four year old niece while she winds the winder

and looks up at me with fun in her eyes

thankyou mama for bringing me up in a crafty home

now i can make my own crafty home

all in one day

Posted on October 9, 2012 by rosalindentree

our last day on the farm or was it days?

entailed lots of outdoorsey horsey time

and lots of quiet knitting sitting with my mama

{see how fancy she knits}

i said to her

“when I grow up I might knit fancy socks too…”

she replied in the vein of

“when do you know you are grown up?”

“when i knit fancy socks of course”

on the winding deck on the eastern house side you can chase the sun all morning long… and maybe have a spontaneous yoga session…

after babies sleep we went to a friends stables and Lily got to groom, ride and feed a placid freckled nana horse…

I got distracted by the divine golden blooming wattles… mmmm… i wish i was a beethen after lunch off down the field to see aunty’s horsies

we all sat about and watched her give her horse Bowen and then work with another naughty pony which did not want to be caught

photographed cute baby instead of horses

no big trees to climb here yet, so miss monkey goes up other obstacles…

they are growing though… i remember a certain cold day with a very little Lily,

hands cold in the earth and mud planting some of the sheoaks and melaleuca ‘s at the bottom of this little forest

and now a date with the long oatey grass and my little ones

i was captivated by the sound of the wind in the long grass, i felt very still amidst the sea of green, the scent of sweet oats, children’s giggles and calls and falls,

memories of making grass houses just like this with my best friend of childhood, rolling about flattening rooms, making oaty meals, looking at the sky and feeling hidden and safe

i was trully enraptured by grasses again, this was the golden glow of my day, here simply laying in the grass, a truly happy simple moment to savour

it certainly sweetened me amidst all the weeping and longing of leaving…

then i managed to convince Lily to shoot me

in my newly hemmed more complicated than it could have been pocketed mama cheerful springtime skirt

really digging the clash of blue prints and red boots…

what do you wear on the farm?

goodbye to this part of our travels

filled with sweetness and mama love and family closeness

thankyou all of you who enrich my life and cradle me in the family nest, help me, encourage me, tease me, put up with me, hug me and love me

Unravelling

Posted on October 5, 2012 by rosalindentree

It was and now it’s not.

That big knitting project I was just hailing… Well let’s say BIG knitting project. Having never made a cardigan before with no idea how much the weight of the wool drapes and stretches ( it stretched around lily twice!) or getting my gauge, measurements and maths to add up

Oops…
So unraveling began amidst weaping and a wailing…
And attempt five begins…
I will get it.
I am persistent… ( stubborn)
I’m surprised in the end at how quickly it all comes undone, and at how much I really don’t mind! Because I loved doing all that knitting and now I have the pleasure of more knitting! And I like the way all those little stitches bump away as you pull the yarn out…

Waking up to…

Posted on October 5, 2012 by rosalindentree

Waking up to…

morning sunshiney

239 stitches
My biggest knitting project yet
I love a little post breakfast knitting while I defrost

Nana teaching Lily some new embroidery stitches and commenting how they both like miniature crafting

Happy anticipation of this afternoons sewing…
Hope my throat gets better one day soon as much as I like all this quiet crafting I’m missing the garden…
What are you crafting today?

Windy day Toddler Bonnet

Posted on October 3, 2012 by rosalindentree

The Windy Day Bonnet is born…

Well I did it! Yes I really did.. see evidence below…

I adapted this gorgeous bonnet for Cedar from another simple pattern to fit my boys noggin snuggly and embellished the designwork for my own interest, challenge and enjoyment.

You would not believe how hard it has been to find a pattern for this two year old in a bonnet style! who says children over one year don’t need cosy bonnets anymore… so now there are at least two bigger bonnet patterns out there! if you know of any more please share with me as I love this style, they stay on better at this busy age.

look at this lovely big boy… i mean lovely bonnet…

we rummaged for a long time through my mama’s button tin looking for just the right button. Important business for this fellow and me. While my heart swelled and stretched with the dual joy of having made something from these stumpy fingers of beauty and use, and the joy of quiet buttoning with my boy just as I did with the same buttons as a little one…

i am capturing all these glimpses of time here in my heart and storing them to replay in my mind as time zooms in front of me and my tears well up and I start packing my bags again to leave the nest of my beautiful family…

in the end he put aside the fabric covered vintage buttons, the carved bone, the plastic orange elephant, the sparkle encrusted jewel, the leather square, the big red retro and chose the plainest little white plastic button.

“now i’m ready to go out into this southwest wind and play mama…”

anyway, I now need a test knitter or two, game enough to knit up my pattern The Windy Day Toddler Bonnet and give me feedback before it goes up on Ravelry!

it’s easy, honest!

I used 4mm knitting sticks and about 70g of Misti Alpaca Tonos Worsted {aus 10ply} in Tealing Blue. You can use whatever you like of course…