Working on

This is the second linen tablecloth that i found rummaging around on the sale table at craft.  It is a very pretty design in green but only a very small portion of the cloth (basically what you see) has been done.
I dont know whether I can actually be bothered to do the whole cloth - or shall I chop into a perfectly good cloth and make another purse ??

The crochet below had quite a few squares made whilst in the waiting area of the ICU unit when Caleb was sick..even when worried I like to do something although most of the time i really was too exhausted / anxious. But once he was awake and I could see he was fine I sat quietly in the corner crocheting.
This is now my on the run project, made from wool scraps and oddments of tapestry wools in neutral tones

And because I get bored.. I like to make a few flowers. Drawn and crocheted.. the doodle above is what I do when I watch a movie

Embroidery Purse

Firstly many thanks to all well wishers..my son is back on his feet and should be attending university again next week. He is a very fortunate young man and has suffered no ill effects from his illness other than 10kg weight loss and missing a few days whilst he was so ill. We are very grateful to have him alive and well. I makes me more appreciative of my immediate family and friends and also of the lovely extended group of friends that I have made through the world of blogging. So thank you to all.

Before Caleb was sick I picked up this lovely tin at craft. It was actually buried under materials and I wasn't sure whether it was for sale, but of course I asked. It has now been adopted to store incomplete embroideries (of the smaller variety) . The tablecloth was purchased a week later from the same table with another cloth..both are incomplete but came with the threads, so i can foresee many hours embroidering  in front of the heater on a cold winter's night.

This embroidery you have seen in previous posts..but I finally plucked the courage to do something with it. It is really hard to cut into linen and not know whether your efforts will be fruitful at the end of it. I bought purse clips off the internet and they had arrived just before Caleb became ill. So of course they got thrown aside until today.  A quick trace of the clasp and a bit of shaping with a paper template. I didn't really want to loose the embroidery that I had done (it takes me too darn long to cut pieces off and throw away) So I  basically followed the circular shape of the doily.

I think the material for the back of the purse echoes the colour and shape of the flowers and gives it a bit of a pop in colour.

The inside orange and bright. I hate looking around in a dark purse and not being able to see anything.
I decided not to chop off the bottom to give it a flattened surface to sit on - once again to preserve the embroidery

My first purse  complete. Pretty happy!
The last of the roses my sister gave the family when Caleb was sick. She is thoughtful that way .. always giving flowers to others to cheer up their day.

May..the month that was

Its almost over ...So happy to have survived the month of May..family intact !

We are well

I am pleased to say I'm back and my son has fully recovered from meningococcal bacteremia.

He had the initial flu like symptoms that I treated like any mother with whiny sons - gave him some panadol  and sent to bed. After a rocky night where he was obviously sick (he had headache which was quite severe- Clue number 1)  and a bit delirious he seemed to settle down and by all appearances sleeping... When I finally decided that he should have a drink and went to rouse him he lifted his head but had no real cognition and pupils were dilated. This alone was enough to cause me to be alarmed and advised my husband we needed to get him to hospital.

I initially thought we might be able to get him there ourselves but trying to get a 6"4 boy dressed  and his general state propelled us to call for an ambulance. Whilst they came I further noted a rash (Alarm bells!!) on his inner wrist which we notified the ambulance crew about...they were pretty quick to suspect meningococcal and called for backup from a senior and were able to administer antibiotics prior to transport to hospital.
Their quick thinking probably saved my sons life and at the minimum his limbs.

It didn't take long for the rash to become more pronounced and just goes to show progression of the illness can be very quick once it has taken hold.( the ambulance crew marked the rash with texta and within minutes it had progressed beyond the drawn line)  usually those that die from meningococcal are those that do not have family or friends looking out for them. If in doubt call for an ambulance..better to be told there is nothing to worry about than loose a limb or life.

We are very fortunate to live near a major hospital and the crew notified them on their soon to be patient. He spent a matter of five minutes in emerg before being whisked away to intensive care. Luckily he responded well to antibiotics and damage has been kept to a minimum. Even so, it is hard to watch your ventilated son and know that you won't know the effects/ damage of the illness until he is extubated. I was so scared he would relapse and that the course of antibiotics wasn't enough to keep the bacteria at bay. And may I say it is exhausting to spend all that time worrying- harder than going to work!

I am so thankful that we have such excellent health services in Australia and I pray that our government does not erode away at its core and essentially destroy a life saving service (budget cuts can cost lives). So a blanket thank you to all those whom participate in health care services and know that each day a family will find your efforts invaluable. Remember to treat the family as well as the patient, a hello and an identifier (who you are) can mean a lot to a worried family.

A big thankyou to all my lovely friends whom showed their concern and took the time to care.

Good health to all . xx

MIA

I know i've disappeared for a while. Initially it was just because I was back at work and had less time to spare but this past week we have dealt with a very  sick young man, who thankfully has pulled through his ordeal. My son has spent the better part of the week in intensive care, but we can look to a full recovery. Anyway this is to let you know I'll be back eventually but for now will give my undivided attention to my boy
Best of health to all xx

Palette Builder

Whilst visiting Pretty Little Quilts I was pleased to find a source/ link to the colour palette tool that you see occasionally attached to photographs. Cristina talks about a lack of motivation in her sewing and also the "in the rut syndrome with colour" when trying to choose palettes for quilts. She has used this tool to draw from some of her favorite photos sources to gleen inspirational colour palettes - even in colours that she shies away from
I've just played around with some nature shots to see what palettes pop up. If you particularly want a focus on a colour you can move the focus dots to a different zone in your photo or you can click on the + button to add another colour focus in your photograph. (It is really simple - the hardest part is selecting a photograph)

There is also the option of retaining the colour palette tool to match up with Kona fabrics

I have purposely not included the direct link to the palette tool just so you will visit Cristine's blog and have a look at her gorgeous photos (click here to go to Pretty Little Quilts) Have fun playing with your photos.
 Joining in on Giveaway Day with http://www.sewmamasew.com/ and at accessewrizehandmade. giveaway-day-foxy-pleated-pouch.html

O'Halloran Hill Reserve and Charity Quilt No. 1

This rambling old house is situated in the O'Halloran Hill Reserve only a short drive from home. Since the last time I photographed the rainbow monkey quilt i had been looking for  a suitable place to photograph the next quilt but not quite so far from home. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this spot only a stones throw from home..I must have past this place a million times  but never really registered it being there. In fact I regularly walk the other side of the reserve which is divided by the expressway, so it limits movement across the whole of the reserve without crossing bridges or traffic.

This rambling house is right next to the main road and is really only a few steps away from a major road at peak hour but really feels like you are in another world when you cross the boundary by straddling the barbed wire fence. (Fortunately this time  my jeans managed to remain unscathed)

The days are getting shorter and the sun was already laying low across the hills casting long shadows but I love the play of light and the golden tones that the suns rays throw at this time of the day.

Check out the weedy growth on the top of the wall protruding up to the sky

Lots and lots of photos around and in the house...but I love the brick work and the colourings!
This one is taken from the inside looking out towards the road across the field.

Some old farm machinery abandoned in the paddock

Thistles..new growth

And the old .. radiant in the sunshine

What a pleasant way to finish a day at work and then to"head to the hills" for a little peace and calm.
Oh and by the way that is charity quilt no. 1 finally finished. Lovely and bright ( there is plenty wrong with it but there is also plenty right about it!) The grammar is really bad I know but you get the picture