Archive for October 2008 | Monthly archive page
Tweet There’s been a LOT of tomten busyness here in the Boot household. I’ve written the instructions, Julian’s drawn the pattern pieces and designed the document’s layout. And now I’m working on the Tomten class of 2008 – from my newly written pattern – to test out what I’ve written and see where I need [...]
Tweet I’ve packed little boxes with grape tomatoes and wedges of cara oranges. I’ve grated apple, stirred cornmeal and flipped pancakes. I’ve chopped celery, diced capsicum, and sliced spring onions. The chicken is simmering, the water is boiling, the pasta drying. The tomtens, however, are still gaping, the christmas cottages are empty, and the [...]
Tweet … prepare for Christmas of course! There’s yesterday’s bag of loveliness to delve into … which includes some dear little residents for the yet-to-be-built cottages, and that heavy snowfall … Christmas cottages to build … these little cabins make me think of the claim shanties of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books … they’re not [...]
Tweet There were grand plans for today but they disappeared into … aimless pottering. Don’t get me wrong, lovely moments were had – chitter-chat on the back porch with Carolann (whilst she pinned her four-patch blocks – SHE wasn’t suffering from inertia!), and a trip to the markets after school with Abigail that included a [...]
Tweet I have a pillowcase fetish. They are so simple and quick and pretty to make – Abigail has at least 20. I know, this is perhaps a wee bit indulgent, but they are such an inexpensive way to show off lovely fabric and we have them for all occasions and fancies. And I’m lucky [...]
Tweet You’re about to howl with derisive laughter but I finally GET what a stash of patchwork fabric is about! “What!” you shriek, “We’ve watched you buy yard after yard of fabric and yet you say you only now GET it!” That’s right! When I browse Fat Quarter and Z and S and take [...]
Tweet I cannot believe I am 38 years old and have never before bought a copy of this luscious, sumptuous, exotic and incredibly inspiring magazine – The World of Interiors. All those copies that have sat, year after year, on the newsagent’s shelf next to my much loved English Country Living – and I IGNORED [...]
Tweet Whilst watching the VP debate last Friday – I know, bizarre to be so interested in another nation’s domestic politics – but you know, you Americans occupy a fairly significant position on the world stage, and besides – it’s fascinating!!!! – all that folksiness got me thinking about more ways to needlepoint Christmas. As [...]
Tweet Stockings that is! They are so addictive and I’m really getting into a groove with their patterns – the more I do, the more refined I am about what I want – what colours, what layouts – so I couldn’t possibly stop at 12 – the Christmas stocking garland will be this year’s Advent [...]
Tweet When choosing wools for a new needlepoint project, I always start here … then, after a couple of stockings for the garland, my favourite colours were weeded down to a small duplo box … and now, here are my firm favourites, my madly in love withs, my cannot do withouts … but now I’m [...]