All about the Kids and Tomatoes

I've been sitting at the keyboard wondering what to write about this week. Was there anything that I had done worthy of writing about? Where had the week vanished to?...then it struck me.
Last week was all about the kids and tomatoes so that's what I should write about.

Once in a while I take time out from Magazine deadlines and future pattern designs to make some things for the kids. My son has had a quilt in the making for 2 years now. Well it's almost finished it's just the hand quilting to go. Sadly over summer it had been shoved in a corner and neglected. When we redecorated his room this year in preparation for high school the fact that his bed was missing his quilt glared me in the face. In an attempt to make myself feel better I rushed to retrieve his quilt from the corner and placed it on his bed, masking tape and all. I then decided that some new matching cushions were needed and planned those for next weekend. Here's the quilt in question.



















It has a panel of appliquéd buildings at the top and some crows.














Three cushion covers emerged very
quickly Sunday afternoon. I had no pattern and I didn't even sketch them on paper first. Very unlike me, but surprisingly I found the whole process very liberating.

Here they are:















As I placed them on his bed I felt very pleased with myself and my Son's smile touched my heart.

I had crocheted the girls a scarf each last weekend so this was his little treat.
On scarf inspection for this post I visited number one daughter's bedroom (it is a mess!!!) but she has her scarf hanging with her favourite grey coat which is a great sign that she really likes it. I think Mum has done well.




















Here is the other one for my youngest daughter.



















And I am excited to say that out tomatoes are finally coming in so we spent some time in the Autumn sun visiting the veg patch . I'm hoping to have enough to make some relish this year. Although they look so good in the bowl that I almost don't want to cook them.


















And finally Hubby was traveling up North this week with work so I sent him on a quest for fabrics to make daughter number one a bag for her birthday. He came back with this linen and some Amy Butler fabric which will be perfect. Yikes hope she doesn't see this post!


















To think I was struggling to find something to share with you.
This week was about the kids and the tomatoes but that's OK!

Until next time!
Warmly Lenna

Little Green Cottage Workshop in Hobart

Feel like a day of sewing, painting, good food and laughs ?Then you are invited to join me. Little Green Cottage in conjunction with the Needlewoman are coming together for a day of fun!
This week I have been planning a workshop in conjunction with Delia of the Needlewoman. Delia had a divine shop on Liverpool Street, right in the heart of Hobart. It is brimming with beautiful fabrics and has an ideal area upstairs for sewing gatherings.
Some of my block of the month quilt patterns are currently on show in Delia's shop, one of which is in the front window. This quilt in particular seems to have intrigued many interested sewers who are eager to learn how I colourwash fabric. So all will be revealed in an upcoming workshop planned for 5th May.
The focus of the workshop will be on creating one of the panels taken from my Kiss of the Sun block of the month quilt shown below.




Here is the panel before I worked the hand embroidered garden.




The day will be a hands on approach so that you can sample this technique for yourself.

Here is another sample of this technique from the same block of the month quilt project.

















Hand embroidery stitches used throughout this quilt will also be demonstrated and I will be sharing all my little tips and secrets. Delia has a scrumptious luncheon organized and of course there will be some yummy morning and afternoon tea as well.

This is a special event that you won't want to miss.

If you would like to join me you can contact me via this blog site and I will be happy to forward all the details to you. Email me at littlegreencottage@intas.net.au

I'm sooooo looking forward to this workshop and hope you can join me.
Warmly Lenna

Sewing Projects For Kids

Sewing projects for kids are hard to find, do you agree?

As a mother of 3 children who adore all manner of crafts, I was always on the look out for sewing projects for kids. All too often I couldn't find anything that was suitable, this was especially true when the kids were younger and lacked the skills needed for most patterns.

In light of this I was not surprised when Danielle, the editor of Australian Country Threads contacted me recently with a project request. In a past conversation Danielle had expressed her excitement at stumbling across the kids section on the Stitching Cow website. She was both impressed and relieved to find patterns there especially designed with kids in mind. Thankfully the team at Australian Country Threads are taking on the challenge themselves and have decided to focus an upcoming issue on sewing projects for kids.
Naturally I was keen to be involved and immediately took pencil and paper in hand and jotted down some initial ideas.



















These evolved into some colour sketches.














Cute little girls started dancing across the paper.

And then another emerged.




















I sent both design ideas through to Danielle and she phoned me soon after.
"I just love them, can we have both?" she beamed.

This conversation took place before Christmas but as usual I have left everything to the last moment. They are now due for the post on Friday and I haven't made a start!
Yikes please don't tell Danielle.
I had better go and start sorting through my fabric stash for some yummy fabrics to work with.
I'll let you have a sneak peak at them before they go on their journey.
And don't forget to keep an eye out for Australian Country Thread's special issue jam packed with sewing projects for kids, my Miss 8 year old will be very excited I'm sure.

Chat again soon.
Warmly Lenna
http://www.stitchingcow.com

Treasured Finds

Just had to share with you my treasured finds from a "girlie's day out" recently.
Few people would get excited by these items, but as a fellow sewer I know they will not be lost on you.
Not only was I excited to find them all but the amazing thing is that I was surprised by how inexpensive they were. Or maybe that's me just thinking that because I love them sooooo much. My darling hubby didn't seem to relish in the same excitement although he normally pretends to be excited just to please me.
My girlie friends on the other hand, who are all proficient with a needle and thread, basked in the glory of the find. All praising me for my spotting skills.
My first treasure was being thrown away but luckily for me, and for them, I saved them from an unknown future. They now take pride of place alongside my fabric cupboard. Although I need to be on the look out because my 12 year old son spied them recently and stared waving them around as if they were "Light Sabres" out of Star Wars.


















My other treasures came from one of my favourite shops here in Hobart, Store and Co.
I have to admit that at first glance I thought I had found some lovely little soaps, luckily one of my friends set me straight explaining they were pencil erasers. This caught my attention because as all mothers know finding a pencil eraser in a household of children is an impossible task. Surely this one had my ownership stamped all over it, or that of a distinctive bee anyway.















The third of my treasures was a pair of brass coloured scissors made in India. I was concerned that perhaps they were not fabric scissors until the helpful shop assistant let me hack into a fabric sample she had under the counter. This was all the encouragement I needed.
Which of my finds do you like the most?
Until next time.
Happy treasure hunting!
Warmly Lenna
http://www.stitchingcow.com