and other things

Making a variation of the Banana, cranberry & pecan muffins in Julia Thomas's book Cake angels - gluten, wheat and dairy-free baking of delicious wonderment + Listening The harrow and the harvest by Gillian Welch + Reading No one belongs here more than you by Miranda July. You might remember her from her film Me, you and everyone we know + Watching Tomboy

Wishing you a safe and happy Christmas

Greetings from Darwin

I've made another tea towel bag. This one is linen and has Australian wildflowers on it. The colours are lovely - really vivid. I've lined it with a navy blue ticking stripe.
I find these cloth bags really useful. They fold up quite small so are easy to stash into your bag - perfect for that unplanned visit to the library. Also good as market bags.

One week to Xmas

If you're in run-down to Xmas panic mode, have a quick read of Nuno Magazine's online holiday mini edition. It has some interesting gift wrapping and decoration ideas using re-purposed materials as well as good general gifting advice - including some wisdom on giving handmade gifts. Time spent with paper + scissors + glue has to be good for you. At any time of the year.

Friday favourites

Liking: Rifle Paper Co. I love Anna Bond's art work. Naive yet clever.

Reading: Blue nights by Joan Didion.

Listening: Does anyone remember this from the 1960s musical Hair? Listen carefully to the lyrics. They are mystical. Gribby gloop gloopy .... nibby nabby noopy...

Ta-dah!

Here is the cot quilt - finished! I'm pleased with it. It has lots of straight rows of hand quilting so I got in plenty of practice. It probably could've benefited from a contrasting coloured thread for the quilting but I wasn't confident that my stitches were up to such scrutiny. It feels great to have finished such a big, time-consuming project. I started this in May.

I like this simple style of quilt. I'm wondering about making one with no piecing at all - perhaps using a solid on one side and a patterned fabric on the other. And maybe using a bobble trim instead of binding - a bit like this. So many possibilities ...

Friday favourites

Making: White Christmas slice using a very easy recipe from Australian Women's Weekly The cake stall. I made this for a shared morning tea at work and it was a big hit.

Watching: Beginners. Oliver (Ewan McGregor) comes to terms with his mother's death, his 75 year old father "coming out" and his own relationship issues.

Reading: The knitter's life list by Gwen W. Steege. This is not a book of patterns but a book of possibilities - techniques, inspiration, challenges, resources.

Listening: Wounded rhymes by Lykke Li.

Blue Rabbit

I often make glove rabbits - like this one - as gifts for new babies. But I'm losing my nerve about the handmade gift. We like to think that a handmade gift will become a treasured belonging but not everyone is going to like the stuff you make. Will they feel compelled to keep it just because you made it and they appreciate the effort and time involved? Maybe it's better to go to a store and buy something they can exchange?
Of course, this then raises the question about what to do with the stuff you make. Even though there is much joy in giving, I've decided no more handmade gifts. I'll continue to make things but only for myself and for anyone who asks.
So... I changed my mind about Blue Rabbit and decided to keep him for myself. I've sat him on my work table. He seems pretty content even though he looks a little on the sad side. Maybe he needs a friend. He reminds me of the song we used to sing at school Run, rabbit. Run, rabbit. Run! Run! Run! Do you remember it?

Friday favourites

Eating: Strawberries fresh from the garden.

Reading: Why be happy when you could be normal? by Jeanette Winterson. About her life growing up in Lancashire as the adopted daughter and only child of dysfunctional Pentecostal parents.

Listening: The history of the world in 100 objects on National Radio on Sundays. Brilliant. You can download a podcast here from the BBC. Or read the book by Neil MacGregor.

Watching: Re-runs of Mad Men.