OneLittleThread

I am moving!

2011-09-17T16:11:00.000+08:00

I have moved to www.onelittlethread.wordpress.com
Please come and join me there

A few days in Beijing

2011-05-23T13:20:00.000+08:00

I just enjoyed a few days playing corporate wife in Beijing and tried to capture some images other than the usual touristy ones from China

Baby Pinwheels Quilt

2011-03-20T16:21:00.001+08:00

This quilt was made for DD’s piano teacher who is expecting her first baby shortly.

It was easy-peasy to make. We used 2 x charm packs of It’s a Hoot by MoMo for Moda fabrics, plus the same number of squares of plain fabric – in this case Moda Bella in Snow.

The pinwheels were made using this tutorial from Missouri Quilt Co.

Join 2 charm squares right sides together (one plain and one print) using 1/4” seam around the four sides. Cut diagonally through each side, which makes 4 blocks of joined half-square triangles. Form into pinwheels and sew back together using 1/4” seam. Trim back slightly to 5.5”.

Using 2 packs of print charms plus 2 packs of plain (or yardage), you will make approx 84 blocks. I joined them together in a 9 x 9 block configuration, using 81 blocks. I machine quilted in straight lines. Once binding added, finished quilt size approx 46.5” square.

The backing fabric is a Bubbles design by Keiko Goke

Reading the news!

2011-02-14T14:44:00.000+08:00

DD and I spied this chap reading his paper the other day in our local Chinatown

Block-A-Palooza Quilt Along

2011-02-14T12:28:00.003+08:00

Ok, New Year means trying new things. I'm participating in the Blogger's Block-a-palooza quilt along hosted by Quilt Dad

I have deviated from the fabric line the bloggers have used and found some 1/8 yard bundles of Park Slope fabric which needs to be cut into. It must be 2 years old, so probably going out of fashion fast!

Here are the first six blocks - rather bright, but fun nevertheless

What I've been working on....

2011-02-14T11:45:00.000+08:00

Poor old Blog...I've been neglecting her. Had a big trip to the US and Hong Kong over Chrismtas/New Year. Our big camera is at the doctor and I'm sad we may have lost lots of our photos :(

I am not good at NY resolutions, as they are usually unrealistic and fall by the wayside, but this year I am endeavouring to declutter my life and grab new opportunities when they arise.

We all saw the devastation in the media of the many natural disasters which have befallen most of Australia. I, and some of my friends, have begun making some Quilt As You Go (QAYG) blocks for Jan Mac of Oz Comfort Quilts who does wonderful work making quilts for many deserving charities. Her other blog Sew Many Quilts Too Little Time also shows some of the wonderful work she does.

Tutorial for making the blocks is here

Green Grocery Bag Challenge

2010-11-10T16:11:00.001+08:00

I love reading Sew Mama Sew and each year about this time they have a whole month of gift ideas for crafters.

As many of us have too much stuff and create too much waste, especially at gift-giving time, this initiative is

a great idea

For a free, step-by-step tutorial, head on over to Green Bag Lady where you can find a wonderful idea for

wrapping your Christmas gifts - something handmade, and hopefully useful for the recipient.

There are plenty of ways to personalise a bag as well.

Off now to hunt out some more ideas!

Friendship Blocks

2010-11-08T19:14:00.001+08:00

Our Singapore quilt group has quite a revolving membership, most of us being expats on varying lengths of postings.

We try and make a block for those leaving – which can take many forms. One of our group is leaving this week. Being a typical quilter, she found a design she liked on the floor of a shopping centre in Singapore!

The idea is great. The design looked good.

I printed out the pattern pieces; began to look in my pile of blue & green batiks -

I tried to get it right – 4 times!! Something was definitely screwy somewhere and going back to basics with the calculator and ruler still did not help. This is 3rd attempt….

Although I love the colours in this one, something bizarre happened with the pinwheels in the centre and instead of being 12.5” it came out about 10.5”

Next effort….

By this time I was running out of the fabrics I really liked, so I ditched the pattern and worked it out myself. Size is ok, all the points meet, but not sure about colour placements.

Oh well, sorry Tiiu. At least you will have a block tomorrow. But I’m not happy and will persist until I produce the stunner!

My Birds of Hope Valley

2010-11-06T12:09:00.000+08:00

Not the best photo; I'll try and get a better shot when someone can hold it up.
This was my entry in our Challenge "Curves and Circles" It is a pattern from Emma @ Ballarat Patchwork - machine pieced, appliqued and machine quilted by me.

New BOM

2010-10-25T19:07:00.003+08:00

I know, I know – shouldn’t be starting another Block of the Month before the last one is finished.
It’s called The Circle Game from Amitie. Loving the fabrics and the design.

These are blocks 1,2 and 3. Block one (the top one) was a cinch; Block two (on the right) was awful and block 3 simple as well.
Started off hand-piecing, but confess I am really a product of the century I live in, meaning I love technology and especially my sewing machine.
Got my BOM buddy to keep me up-to-date with this one, so I can finish something!!
And one more pic today of something else I’ve been working on…

My Mum – Nearly Insane

2010-10-25T10:48:00.001+08:00

Just had to pop in a pic of my Mum, Kay and her “Nearly Insane” quilt, shown here at her local

show in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia (Goldfields Quilters) on the weekend.

The quilt is all hand-pieced and hand quilted and won the Viewer’s Choice at the show.

Congratulations Kay! This is especially amazing after the awful year she has had, health-wise.

Shame I couldn’t be there, as they always put on a great show – thanks Wendy for taking the

pic for me.

A Burst on the machine

2010-09-29T20:51:00.000+08:00

Today was all about newsletters, updating websites, newsletters, meetings, brochures. Enough! I needed to clear my head and the Bernina need to go for a run. We found a jelly roll and some instructions for a Hexagon Quilt Along on Jaybird's Blog. I'm only 6 months behind, but thought this looked like something relatively easy and fun to do.

In less than an hour, I had sewn 42 strips together, cut out the triangles and put togehter the first 3 hexies.

The fabric line is Botany by Lauren and Jessi Jung for Moda

A day out in my own city...

2010-09-24T11:30:00.000+08:00

Yesterday a group of mums from school did a tour of Chinatown in Singapore - we sometimes forget what vibrant and colourful inspiration is on our own doorstep. It was the mid-Autumn festival during the week - hence the lanterns everywhere. We visited the medicine man, the tea shop, bakery, wet markets. My favourite pic is the coloured chopsticks.

Long Time, No Post

2010-09-12T16:12:00.001+08:00

Has it really been 4 months? DD has just gone back to school after being home for 13 weeks! Only 8 of those real holidays; the rest study leave for IGCSE exams. After travelling to Australia and UK to see family & friends, we are back to reality.

I'm busily working on my quilt for the Singapore Quilt Challenge, so no peeks yet. Just waiting for the border fabric before finishing it off.

Whilst I'll never have the patience for real hand-quilting, I can cope with the large-stitch, perle thread, sashiko version. This is my ‘99 Treasures quilt’ which feels like it’s been around for about 95 years.

I finally finished off another cushion, the design which came from Oh Fransson! at this sew-along at Sew Mama Sew.

The Spiderweb block was foundation pieced using odd-sized scraps. The fabrics are Lantern Bloom by Laura Gunn.

The machine quilting is just random spirals around the spiderwebs with a variegated thread.

Star Surprise….more blocks

2010-05-03T21:58:00.001+08:00

I confess to really not enjoying working with the striped fabrics, hence some of them looking a tad out of whack…oh well.

Block of the Month – Star Surprise

2010-05-03T20:56:00.001+08:00

I need some more space in my teeny sewing room and have found some UFOs which really need to be finished.
This one has been hanging around for a while now – if I have been away from home for 2.5 years, then it must be 3 years overdue …yikes. This block of the month came from Amitie in Melbourne and is called Star Surprise
by Trish Harper. I started sewing the blocks by hand, but realistically it will be another 3 years if I continue at this snail’s pace, so have done 3 blocks this week by machine. They are all 12” blocks

Wonky Log Cabin Cushions

2010-04-19T13:40:00.001+08:00

After an obscene quote for cushions to match my new chair, I decided to make my own.

I was thinking chocolate with subtle aqua and green which would match my new sofas and these beautiful

fabrics Lantern Bloom by Laura Gunn were just the thing

Then I fell in love with the cushion on the cover of this Stitch magazine

by Malka Dubrawsky who has a stunning Blog -

Stitch in Dye. Malka does some fabulous fabric dyeing and her quilts and pillows are gorgeous.

A few more fabrics were added to the mix, then the cushion seemed to take on a life of its own!

It’s a bit more colourful than intended and probably needs a few more ‘plain’ fabrics. Just gotta sew down the binding.

Now got to go and try something slightly more subtle……

Seen in my neighbourhood today…

2010-04-16T16:15:00.001+08:00

Got a bit of a shock when I was driving behind this cab this afternoon….

I was stationary when I took the pic and am hoping this is a publicity stunt and the passenger has not lost their luggage!

The new Bonds Baby

2010-03-17T12:42:00.002+08:00

How cute is this? Emma, our company’s new little Aussie expat on her new quilt. Just love the tummy Emma!

Happy Lunar New Year!

2010-02-12T14:44:00.001+08:00

Some local colour to celebrate – blossoms and peonies, together with some eucalyptus leaves from home. According to the guy who made this up, they are known as “lucky money leaves”

The quilt group enjoyed a CNY lunch, complete with “Yu Sheng” the seafood & salad dish, peculiar to Singapore, which must be tossed high in the air by everyone to usher in a long year of prosperity!

The waiter mixes each ingredient separately, which are all specific meanings and wishes for the coming year. My wish was for more members for our quilt group!

Hushabye Quilt for Miss M

2010-02-10T12:39:00.001+08:00

I took 2 of these charm packs – Moda Hushabye by Tula Pink

sewed them together, sliced and rearranged them to make a Disappearing Nine Patch pattern

added some off-white Kona cotton sashing

the backing fabric

and machine quilted it with a “meandering” design

The finished size is approx 50” x 50” . I hope baby Miss M likes her new quilt!

Joseph’s Coat Quilt A Long – part 1

2010-02-02T19:01:00.001+08:00

Finally something to show. After ordering the Kaffe Fassett jelly roll online from the US, I just knew the boat would be slow, or the camel would stop for a long drink, but I didn’t quite expect the parcel to go via Sweden to Singapore. The pigeon finally landed, but no jelly roll – it was on backorder. This would have to be one of my pet annoyances with overseas/online ordering. If I had known this I’d have cancelled the order and sourced it somewhere else. Grrrrrr.

I don’t know whether it is the heat, humidity or the cr*p glue, but the whole process has been quite tedious. The first lot of petals got ditched, but I’ve managed to finish 24. I’m now unsure whether to be picky about the colour placement or just stitch them randomly. Might have to make some more and have a play around.

After all my good intentions, I don’t expect to keep up, but it’s a start…sigh

Beautiful Batiks

2010-02-01T18:41:00.000+08:00

In Penang, Malaysia, I visited a batik factory. Everything is done the old-fashioned way and many of the designs were one-offs – made for companies and uniforms.
Very time consuming and makes my efforts at batik look particularly feeble!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-21T16:46:00.001+08:00

A few snaps of our family holiday over Christmas / New Year in Malaysia.

The bus we all wanted to ride on….the “First Class Massage Coach”

KL from hotel window and very wet…

Two quite different sides to Penang…

My favourite…the Cameron Highlands…

….then found this on the pillow…. and finally Malacca…

Merry Christmas from Singapore

2009-12-25T15:37:00.001+08:00

I hope Santa was not late visiting any of the children around the world. His reindeer seemed to have been waylaid and were snapped shopping on Orchard Road. Looks like they love shoes and makeup just like the rest of us….

Another Year, another Christmas Tree!

2009-11-26T14:16:00.001+08:00

I can’t believe how quickly this year has flown by. As always,

another huge tree in one of our local shopping centres, plus

incessant Christmas music which begins way too early! This

pic was taken in the first week of November!

Joseph’s Coat Quilt Along

2009-11-01T11:23:00.002+08:00

I have a book with this exact quilt pattern in it. It has been marked with a sticker as one of those quilts I’d love to make one day. Now I’ve joined the Quilt Along at Don't Look Now and am looking forward to getting stuck into it.

Mum’s Quilts

2009-11-01T10:32:00.002+08:00

My mother is a perfectionist when it comes to sewing/quilting. My grandmother was too, but I don’t think the genetics ventured further than that! Mum doesn’t Blog. She can send an SMS, but that’s as far as technology goes; she doesn’t even own a computer. I have her permission to put these beauties into cyberspace. They may get an outing in a local show which is only every 2 years, but I can’t even convince her to enter anything intothe major Guild exhibition each year. I think they should be seen by more than the inside of the spare bedroom!

Mum is a very traditional quilter – and I mean patterns, colours, everything.

The pineapples were done with hand-dyed fabrics Mum did in a class a few years ago. This is a major step away from anything she’s ever done. It’s only

a small, wall hanging size quilt (note to self to find the dimensions) and was a challenge in her guild which won a prize. I love it!

Apparently I gave Mum a bundle of FQs a couple of years ago – can’t even remember what they are. The hexagons have been paper-pieced and the quilt

has been hand quilted. It’s taken a couple of years, but a recent illness seemed to have spurred her on to finish it!

A close-up of Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

Lollipop Log Cabins

2009-10-31T21:07:00.002+08:00

I made this quilt from my many pink and red fabrics and ran very short of time to get it finished for a show. I foolishly tried to quilt it myself. I know a bad workman always blames his tools…..but…. I thought straight lines should be simple!! Firstly the table on my Bernina snapped in half, then I couldn’t find the legs to my big perspex table attachment; then I must have had the walking foot on incorrectly as the stitching was abominable. They say it’s all good practice :) But off to the Bernina Dealer I go.

Long Weekend Sewing

2009-09-20T13:29:00.001+08:00

This is my sewing table. Hopefully this pile will soon turn into the log cabin quilt I am making for the Singapore Quilters Challenge, due in only a few weeks.

It’s a Long Weekend here, so should be able to get some tasks on the To Do List out of the way.

Of course once again I was sidetracked and this was much more fun …

I love these bag and purse pattern from Nicole Mallilieu, but have been wary of the complicated looking buckles and other gizmos, so thought I’d start with the Make-up Purse pattern which I picked up in Melbourne recently. I’m really pleased with it. The instructions were clear and I only broke one machine needle sewing in the zip! What a Klutz!

Happiness is……

2009-09-08T14:02:00.001+08:00

a parcel full of fabric!

Have been a little under the weather and DH said there was a parcel waiting at home from WA (Western Australia) for me. It was actually (WA) in the US.

It was some lovely, new quilting fabric all the way from Quilt Home in the USA. This is one of my favourite websites for drooling over gorgeous patterns and fabrics, all bright and modern and just itching with possibilities. Some of it is for my quilt for the Singapore Log Cabin Challenge, but obviously I can’t show you any of that yet.

Hopefully Mr Postman will have some more goodies soon.

Friday Flaunt

2009-08-31T12:54:00.001+08:00

This is my first Friday Flaunt. I’ve been fiddling about with Log Cabin blocks and scraps. These two turned into a new pincushion. The old one bit the dust when all my pins became rusty – a hazard from the tropics.

and the back…

Now I’ve seen something really bizarre about my pincushion. Does anyone else have obsessive traits in their sewing rooms??

Some Quilting At Last

2009-08-23T21:09:00.001+08:00

There has been slim pickings around here for a while, as far as quilting goes, so I thought I’d better post a pic of something I’ve been working on….for a very long time. The Quilt is called 99 Treasures and is a design by Susan Briscoe which I found in a UK magazine (quite) a few years ago now. I collected all the Japanese fabrics and my quilting buddies in Melbourne very kindly helped out. The hand applique has travelled all over the world with me on holidays over the past 4 years and I’ve finally pieced it together. The border will be different as I couldn’t find any fabric like the one in the original. I’m now doing the sashiko quilting using red and white Perle 8 thread.

The Welcome Mat & Happy Birthday!

2009-08-20T14:36:00.002+08:00

One thing I love about living in Asia is everyone removing their shoes before coming in to your home. This pic was early on Saturday before Miss14’s Big Party. I think they are all girls’ shoes, boy are they big!
Another thing I love is that it’s always hot (well, I don’t love it all the time) and guaranteed great weather for a Pool Party. Miss 14 turned 15 and the party was great fun, apart from the complaints about the noise! I’ve Photoshopped some pics of the party.

We had a tower of cupcakes for the birthday cake, which was a great idea – it all got eaten for a change.
Mr Milo was exhausted afterwards!

“Bonzer” the Koala

2009-08-08T18:13:00.001+08:00

We are pleased to introduce “Bonzer”. During our recent trip to Victoria and the Quilt Show, Miss14 found the pattern for Bonzer and his mate Beaut by Melly and Me. She spent ages at the show choosing just the right fabrics and has now put the finishing stitches in. For someone who has sewn probably twice on a sewing machine, I think she’s done an amazing job! Machine stitched, machine applique, hand applique and embroidery.

Looks like we may have another stitcher in the family!

The Laundry Sack

2009-07-03T15:18:00.001+08:00

Made up the laundry bag using two of the pink Flower Sugar fabrics from Lecien

I used the tutorial from this blog ihavetosay which had lots of nice photos to accompany the instructions.

New Fabrics

2009-06-28T13:14:00.001+08:00

Decided to make a laundry bag for Miss14 to try and keep the clothes off the floor. They don’t ever make it to the existing laundry bin, so I’m hoping a colourful bag might do the trick. I found these fabrics at one of our local shops in Chinatown. They are ‘Flower Sugar’ from Lecien fabrics in Japan. At only A$14 equivalent per metre – I think they are a bargain!

Travel Itineraries

2009-06-28T13:09:00.001+08:00

We just had 2 nieces stay in between their backpacking travels around Asia. I hoped they enjoyed it as much as we did.

This weekend their 18yo brother and 2 mates arrived – DH finally located them at the airport – somehow they arrived at 2 different terminals. This morning they have been

making further travel plans and this is their itinerary for the next 53 days!

Day to Day Life

2009-06-28T13:00:00.001+08:00

Long time no post. There I was stuck in traffic a few days ago and was taken by this contrast between the old and new Singapore – beautiful old shophouses in the foreground and the new housing of the 21st century still under construction

I then met a friend for lunch in the busy CBD and this is at the front of her building – it’s quite soothing amongst the crowded skyscrapers and the heat and humidity.

Local Wildlife

2009-06-04T12:21:00.001+08:00

Yesterday when Milo McD and I were out walking we saw one of these -

Sea Eagle

It was walking along the ground a few metres from us and eyed the dog hungrily when he barked at it.

Most days we will see one or more like these in the jungle area across from our house -

Asian Fairy Bluebird

Asian Glossy Starling

However, today we came across something really scary…….one of these -

Cobra

The guards at our Condo call Mr Milo “Nooorty Dog” because of his antics with residents riding motorbikes, bicycles, skateboards etc.

We were walking along the grassy patch in front of the fence and he spied this “big stick”. Luckily I had him on the leash and thankfully tight on the leash as sometimes residents let their dogs roam free in this area. Mr Milo was just beginning to sniff and check it out, when the stick’s ugly head reared up. Now I am not a fan of many things in the wild – mice, frogs & cockroaches spring to mind, and they are all in plentiful supply in our neighbourhood. I often wondered how I’d react if I did see a snake and now I know. I can move pretty fast if I have to! And it wasn’t any old snake – it was one of those most deadly Cobras.

We then alerted the guards and stayed to watch them, a) go and find it, b) go and tell every other employee nearby, and c) try to catch and deal with it. This took a good half hour and was like watching an old episode of Keystone Kops. I was impressed though. They did catch it using big poles with rope, didn’t kill it, but had it with the rope around the neck dragging it along. They then have to contact the Singapore wildlife people to come and get it.

While we were standing around making sure it was gone, one of my neighbours told me she has found two of them in her house in the past two months. I so wish she hadn’t told me that.

The upshot is Mr Milo is now being called “Mr Hero” and “Goood Boy”

Finally…..some sewing

2009-05-16T14:43:00.002+08:00

Here’s a baby quilt I just finished for a friend. I’ve been practising my free-motion quilting a lot and was reasonably happy with the practice pieces.

However – I felt as if I went psycho when I put the needle into a Real Quilt and it is not as good as I’d hoped.I tried out my walking foot for the first time and didn’t like it at all for quilting in the ditch. Then I shadow quilted 1/4” either side of the seams, which in hindsight I shouldn’t have. Still, being a kid’s quilt, hopefully it will stand up to lots of washing.

The label was from a roll of labels fabric and I hand painted it with watercolour textile crayons in pinks, once I knew it was a baby girl.

Out and about in Singapore

2009-05-01T16:37:00.000+08:00

When I hear the name Christian Lacroix I can’t help thinking of Edie in Ab Fab and the wonderful 1980’s fashion she wore from this great designer.

The National Art Museum in Singapore is currently staging an exhibition of the designer’s work,consisting of Operatic costumes, theatrical designs and some of his more way-out fashion creations.

Even the artist sketches are beautiful and Miss14 and I were both really inspired by Lacroix’s work.

Birthday fun2

2009-04-27T16:30:00.000+08:00

And this is a hint to the number of years!

And my dear Mummy gave me this wonderful new gadget…

a portable cutting board with both centimetres and inches and pressing mat

Birthday Fun!

2009-04-26T16:18:00.000+08:00

Since I last posted I have enjoyed this…..

an old-fashioned, Aussie favourite…Ginger Fluff Sponge with real whipped cream!

And I was lucky enough to enjoy the following from friends and family

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T13:37:00.002+08:00

I managed to smuggle some Hot Cross Buns into the country which we enjoyed on Good Friday.

However the local ones we found were awful and full of peel, which no-one likes. We got out

the trusty Women’s Weekly cookbook and whipped up a batch this morning……very yummy.

Then the hunt was on for Easter Eggs. Could have kicked myself for not buying them weeks ago

when I saw them in the shops. However, did manage to locate some in Candy Empire all the way

from Pink Lady in Melbourne, which are the most smooth & divine tasting chocolate….

Happy Easter!

2009-04-08T10:30:00.004+08:00

This is what I miss about home! A good, old-fashioned chocolate shop, stocked for Easter with all sorts of goodies, very generous taste-testing, choccy coated licorice and giant chocolate frogs made from the smoothest, yummiest chocolate.

Not the best quality photo, but only had my phone handy and just wanted to get in to the crowded shop!

I’ve made some more blocks!

2009-03-25T19:11:00.002+08:00

And added them to these at my quilt group….

and have a quilt top for the bushfire appeal.

Bushfire Quilt Project

2009-03-05T10:58:00.001+08:00

Bushfire Quilt Project
Originally uploaded by GeorgiaMcDonald

I just had to show this top, made by Georgia, for the Wonky Stars Project. The colours are just perfecft against that sunny, Australian blue sky.

Hey Shorty!

2009-02-27T20:10:00.001+08:00

We know Miss14 has grown tall, but she will have to keep her eyes open in future!

Wonky Star Tutorial

2009-02-17T00:23:00.002+08:00

Here's a link to a tutorial by Silly Boo Dilly
http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com/2009/02/wonky-star-tutorial.html

A Few More Bushfire Quilt Blocks….

2009-02-16T23:32:00.003+08:00

I just had a rummage through the Bright Fabrics Basket(s) and put these together for the charity quilts. Hope to get them in the post tomorrow.

The photography is not great having taken them with my phone!

Bushfire Charity Quilts

2009-02-13T20:11:00.002+08:00

We have spent the week feeling devastated at the losses of life and destruction of property and the beautiful landscapes of my home state of Victoria. Such tragedy, but inspiring to see how the community has rallied to help the survivors.

Wanting to help in some way, I have joined in a group making blocks for charity quilts. The blocks are all 12.5" on light backgrounds with a 'maverick' or 'wonky' star. The button on my Blog takes you to the FlickR group, where everyone is posting pics of their completed blocks. I think they'll look beautiful when finished.

Here's the first ones I have done:

The Sweet Family - Christmas in the Tropics

2008-12-09T23:27:00.004+08:00

For a country with such a diverse population, culturally and religiously (and not necessarily Christian) the celebration of Christmas in Singapore is something you cannot miss (literally).

Growing up in a country where Christmas is part of Summer holidays, it always feels special to me spending this time in the chilly seasons of the northern hemisphere. Santa Claus has his toy workshop at the North Pole, so it makes sense that snow and reindeer feature heavily in the celebrations.

Incredibly, it features highly in the tropical Christmas in Singapore. It feels bizarre walking near Tanglin Mall, dripping with perspiration, past a giant gingerbread house with snow everywhere, then into the Mall to see the furnitue shop displaying a dining room complete with roaring logs on the fire (fake of course). This year's theme is 'The Sweet Family - An Enchanting Christmas'. The Orchard Road decorations are once again amazing with sweets and candy hanging from every tree for about 5kms, with sparkling lights everywhere. No worries about global warming or saving energy here! Even Miss14 was quite taken with it (it must be spectacular!). The supermarkets are brimming with imported foodstuffs from the West - though the thought of cooking a turkey in our dolls house oven just doesn't work.

Last year's lunch would have been over in an hour if we hadn't tried to slow the wait staff down with all courses typically arriving Chinese style in rapid succession. This year we are fortunate to be spending the holiday in the US so hopefully we'll see Santa and the reindeer in the snow I see is falling already.

Christmas Table Runner

2008-12-08T17:30:00.005+08:00

A few weeks ago I ordered one of my favourite magazines from the US taking advantage of the good exchange rate at the time (which was short lived), Quilting Arts. It's a rare event indeed that I have a) begun something from a current magazine and b) finished it and c) been able to use it before Christmas! Recently I did a machine quilting class with Ms Chan (whose first name I cannot remember!) from Kuching and I finally managed to do something other than practice on calico. Each section of this table runner is quilted slightly differently, but it was a great piece to test out some different stitching.

Some of the fabrics are from the "Olivia the Pig" range, which I sourced here in Singapore. They are lovely and bright and a bit of a change from the usual Christmassy greens and reds.

Peranakan Museum Singapore

2008-11-22T10:04:00.005+08:00

A visit to the new Singapore Peranakan Museum showed some lovely textiles and beadwork. The Peranakans or Nyonyas are known for their elaborate wedding attire, beaded shoes and bags and the distinctive bright colours of their ceramics, Nyonyaware.

These beaded shoes are still on the beading loom.

Unfortunately no flash photography was allowed, so it's difficult to see the true colours.

The embroidery and beading on this pageboy wedding outfit is magnificent.

The tiled floor outside the kitchen could be a new design for a quilt!

The beadweaving is almost a forgotten art, but has been rediscovered by a local woman who now teaches classes.

Stately Homes & More Gardens......

2008-11-20T11:36:00.003+08:00

This is the cottage garden at the stately home Stansted Park where my niece works in the tearooms (while she looks for a 'real' job). There is the chapel in the background and pretty English flowers which I really miss here in the tropics.

We haven't seen gardens like this for a long time in Australia either with the prolonged drought and severe lack of water.

Colour in Nature

2008-11-20T11:07:00.006+08:00

My friend Ms T came to visit a few months ago and we headed to the Orchid Gardensat the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
I am always taken aback by the colour and beauty of the orchids - they are just stunning.

I have taken these pics with my trusty Casio Exilim 10.1mp. It's a great little camera which travels with me everywhere so I can hopefully capture a good shot or two.

I am currenty taking some interior design classes and find that nature is a great inspiration for which colours go well together.

Now having to choose a colour theme for my living room, I have completely turned full circle away from the reds I originally planned. Living in the tropics has changed all that and I can feel a cooling green theme taking over, perhaps with a splash of another bright colour.

Holidays!

2008-11-04T17:26:00.003+08:00

It was great to spend a couple of weeks holiday in our home country recently. Miss14 and I drove up to visit my Mum and discovered the freeway now bypasses one of our favourite little towns, Malmsbury, which is well known for its great bakery. Being nearly lunchtime, we decided to stop there anyway. This is the lovely courtyard - perfect on a nice sunny day.

We only realised after seeing what we ordered how much we miss typical Aussie fare -
Big M, sausage rolls, proper toasted sandwiches, jam tart, a decent coffee and some yo-yo bikkies to take home for Mum. It was Yum!

Fabric Covered Journals

2008-10-10T08:34:00.009+08:00

My friend Melinda is running classes to make these fabric covered journals. She has sourced all the bookbinding supplies as well as the gorgeous fabrics and ribbons. The test group had a great time making these. She is also going run classes for her lovely quilts.
I then returned for another class to make a covered recipe book. Diaries, journals, address books and guest books are just a few of the other options. What a great way to personalise a gift for someone. Don't they look awesome?
Mind you, I haven't written a thing in mine yet. Anything less than gold lettering or stunning penmanship will ruin it I'm sure.

Milo McDoodle

2008-10-09T16:04:00.004+08:00

How cute is this little guy? He's perched in his favourite spot - on one of the armchairs with a silk cushion for added comfort. I have found a wonderful groomer who doesn't want to just chop all his wool off. Someone did ask me what I did with the leftovers - apparently I could spin it and knit the wool into a hat!

McPizza

2008-09-30T08:09:00.000+08:00

On a recent night out Miss14 discovered this delectable delight - McPizza. Normally I would nick a couple of fries off her plate, but this concoction really put me off. Doesn't it look awful???

More Old Houses...

2008-09-26T09:54:00.002+08:00

One of my favourite pasttimes is touring old houses. This one is Uppark near Petersfield in West Sussex. The first pic shows the front gate....
...then the side entrance, or probably the back door to us.
Uppark was practically burned down about 20 years ago and thankfully a lot of the artworks and furniture were rescued. It has been restored by the National Trust at great cost, but it looks fabulous and most people would not be able to tell the new from the original. Unfortunately we were unable to take photos inside the house.

They have a beautiful Georgian Dollshouse, a miniature of the house, which I could have sat and looked at for hours.

Oldies are goodies

2008-09-25T09:36:00.000+08:00

I didn't want to turn this into a travel blog, but since doing my art course I see things differently. We are taught about the importance of pattern and repetition and I wonder if this is what architects were thinking in the 14th Century or whether it just had to be bigger than anyone else's palace. This is a courtyard in Hampton Court Palace taken when the sun peeped out for a brief moment in July!
The clock has some amazing gold work on it and the colours are still quite intense.
We were lucky to see some of the costumes used in the recent film, The Other Boleyn Girl, which I just happened to watch on the plane on the way to the UK. These would have been worn by Scarlett Johannssen....
....and the hunky Eric Bana. Eric's can be seen on the left.

Christmas Decorations

2008-09-24T15:36:00.002+08:00

First, some fabrics with a Christmas theme. These are Japanese ones which I had in my stash.They are then cut into 2 inch squares and folded in various ways using Origami techniques

And Voila! A pretty bauble hanging from my bamboo plant outside. I did this class in a local patchwork shop one afternoon recently. Other participants were Chinese and made cute little mandarins which they were hoping to give as gifts for Chinese New Year.

Quilting Challenge

2008-09-22T23:14:00.004+08:00

Every year the Quilt Groups in Singapore have a challenge.

This year the task is to use at least a Fat Quarter of this fabric in something. It's a design by Iota called Every Iota by Robert Kaufman. Of the two colourways to choose from, there was only one left when I decided to take up the challange. Probably just as well, as I would not have been able to decide between them. Yuck. Of course there were none of the co-ordinating fabrics available, which would have made it easier. The challenge for me has been whether to make the fabric a feature or try and lose it somewhere. Fortunately Miss14 loves it. Teenagers seem to have a completely different view of the world of colour sometimes.

Bernice Bernina has decided to spit the dummy however, so the next challenge will be whether she's able to be fixed in a timely manner. I wonder why I think my machine is a woman? Surely I should rename it Bernie, as only a bloke would do this to you!

Oh I love Ikea!

2008-09-22T16:34:00.012+08:00

Voila! A gorgeous piece of artwork for the wall. Now have to find my handyman to put it up!

None of the four thumbs were harmed in this production

Miss14 had her eye on a lovely piece of Amy Butler fabric, which was hiding in my stash

We moved into a new house a few months ago and need to do some serious re-decorating. The house is only 5 years old, but the climate helps everything deteriorate rapidly.