Thursday 29 October 2009

Fat quarters and shiny floss

I stopped by Spotlight yesterday and found a few things that I never knew I needed until I got there. I also got some more felt, because you can never have too much (or is it enough?) felt.

Monday 26 October 2009

Beanz Meanz Photoz

Curiously, the beans have arranged themselves in a row of shortest to tallest in height. The middle one - the stunted second subject of yesterday's blog - was the first to emerge and has slowed his growth to fit into the line. Hopefully he won't become a has-bean.

Sunday 25 October 2009

Amazing nature

The two leaves on this beanstalk weren't there this morning! This is not the one I photographed yesterday but another one which has overtaken the first one in size and vigour.


Yesterday's one is a little stunted, and I'm wondering if an insect might have nibbled on its leaves.

Saturday 24 October 2009

New shoots and a new computer

I got a new laptop today! But I still have to wait awhile for Windows 7.:-(

A couple of seeds have come up, and we had a little bit of thunder and a light shower of rain this afternoon so I'm expecting even more to pop up tomorrow.

Here is Baby Beanstalk:

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Sowing and sewing

I finally got the rest of my seeds from Digger's Club and put them in this evening. So now the plot looks like this:

So I have four different types of tomatoes (Black Russian, Yellow Pear, Costoluto Genovese and Sweetie), rainbow chard (a.k.a. silverbeet), climbing beans, cos lettuce and basil. There is room for a bit more, the gap in the middle is for asparagus as soon as I can lay my hands on some crowns. The weather has not really warmed up much, aside from that freakish day last Saturday. I'm sitting here in trackies and a long sleeved fleece top which is usually unheard of for late October.

Here is another little pouch that I whipped up last night:

Sunday 18 October 2009

Reversible patchwork bags

I found a really nice tutorial for a reversible patchwork bag this week on Pink Penguin's blog, and couldn't wait to make one as my Friday night project. Here are some pics of the first one:





It turned out so well that I thought I'd whip up another one using some batiks that I've had for a while. I think it looks lovely in batiks, and would work well with stripes and polka dots too. I feel like making another one!




Tuesday 13 October 2009

Poor boy


I should say poor boys, as Eddie is feeling a little left out while Rufus gets all the attention. Rufie has to go back to the vet tomorrow for x-rays on his feet. Two of his claw sheaths are infected again. Apart from that, he is healthy and content to be hand fed for a couple of weeks while he wears the Elizabethan collar. I think he secretly enjoys the extra love and smooching on demand.

Tonight I have a journal to work on for a round robin so I hope the boys won't be too demanding and keep sitting on it while I try to write and draw. I need to illustrate a cookie recipe, and write a bit about myself, which I always find kind of tricky to do in someone else's journal. Then I need to think about some swaps that I have signed up for. They are a little bit different from the ones I have done so far, involving stamp carving and making some micro-zines (which have to fit into a matchbox!). It will be nice to have some new challenges.

Garden update: the poo crisis of the other day was averted by digging the top layer in with a spade. Simple really. Ha. Now I am keeping the bed watered while I wait for the seeds to arrive. My strawberries are still alive. We have a few warm days forecast for the end of this week, but then it looks like temps are heading south again! Very strange. I still can't get asparagus crowns because we are about a month behind spring!

Saturday 10 October 2009

Ready to plant?

I only needed to put eight more bags of compost on top of the second layer of pea straw. I put half a bag of sheep manure on top of that, but it was very lumpy and I ended up ruining a pair of gardening gloves trying to break it down. Then there were puddles on the top when I watered it - I don't think that's supposed to happen. Help!

Instant vegie patch

Well, it's sort of instant. Here's the story so far.



During the week I collected my first lot of materials. One 1200x1200x300mm flat-pack treated pine kit which Mum discovered a few weeks ago at Buggerybunnings. A large bag of pea straw and four 36 litre bags of improved soil. Eddie and Rufus were sad to see their favourite cardboard box disappear but I needed it for the base.

The picture shows that I need a lot more to fill the raised bed, so I'm going back to City Farmers this afternoon to get more bags of compost, I figure I will need at least 12 more bags. I also have some hanging baskets to replenish.

More later. I haven't made anything for a while and I'm itching to get back to my sewing machine and hand embroidery. Once the gardening is finished for the day I hope to relax over my needle and thread.

Monday 5 October 2009

Back in the saddle


After yesterday's embarrassment with the zipper, I needed to whip up something quick and easy last night to prove that I could still do it! I love these fabrics from Moda. I found the tutorial on the awesome Indie House blog.

Sunday 4 October 2009

It all went horribly wrong

The little bit of sewing I did before I went out into the garden has now been thrown out. Everything was going swimmingly: the reverse applique was in exactly the right place and the stripes were all lining up nicely, until for some reason I decided to cut the zipper off before I sewed the side seams. You can guess the rest.



Looking on the bright side, I got a lot more done in the garden since I was in such a huff. The bokashi contents are buried, and the rocket seeds I planted last Sunday are coming up. After a nice hot bath and a bowl of beef casserole I'm ready to sit down and sew again for the evening.

Feeling Lazy

I've used up a whole morning of good weather when I could have been in the garden. But I didn't feel like being in the garden, I felt like finishing off my little embroidery.



Perhaps this afternoon I will venture outside since there is a lot of work to be done and a load of bokashi to be buried. I'd better take a peg for my nose.
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