feathering our nest

I've finally, finally, made the cushions I planned at last year's Stitches and Craft show. They are all backed in a beautiful Organic denim from Tessuti. It wasn't the plan to be so extravagent, but I'd bought 5m of it almost a year ago for something "special". and I decided that the beautiful Australian printed linen was definitely "special" enough!

This is winter nest by Kristen Doran - I think I bought this from Kelani at the S&C show last year. Others by Kristen available here.

This I bought from Kelani fabrics, and it's birch by Lara Cameron, also available here. I've also go this in the charcoal on black colour way, which I'm stashing to make a quilt for our bedroom.

This is the quilt I've made to go with them on the couch - not matchy, just co-ordinating which is just the way I like it (unfinished binding hiding in this shot)

And here's the group - you can see the denim which backs them all. the other two cushions are rectangular. One features a strip of birch overlaid on plain linen (which backs the quilt), the other you can glimps I quilted to work in with the border on the quilt.

I'm really pleased with how they look, and how the work in with the couch-quilt (that is nearly finished too - unfinished binding hiding in the photo).

And in other exciting (for me) news - I'm delighted to have won a competition on Able Mae! 'ray!

My stacked coins quilt for our nephew

So I claim to be a sometimes crafter, but you'd never tell!

Here are some pics of my 2nd quilt project, washed and dryed and ready to post to our newborn nephew. Super crinkly - but I quite like that.

This shows it folded, ready to send. Admire the clever herringbone machine quilting pattern: it's puckering because I pulled the backing fabric too tight before basting. We live and learn. I alternated the direction of the stitching, so it does kind of look like it was on purpose (or "a dolphin" as we say at home).

This shows the backing - I loved the chocolate polkadots, and thought they worked nicely to balance all the green and duckegg blue.

And here you can see most of the front. I wanted a casual modern look, and I think the narrow quilted "stripes" achieve that well.

The patterned fabric came from Busy Thimbles - Cherish Nature charm pack. I fell for the egg and butterfly motif, and I'm really happy that the colours are classic with a modern twist.

The charm squares made it a really straight forward project, and removed the risk I felt in having to cut accurately.

Backing and plain fabric from my local patchwork shop. Batting is 100% cotton, so it's not too hot for a littley living in WA.

My SIL says she loves it, which is lovely and I was delighted to find that the duckegg blue was a colour she'd picked for the baby's nursery! Smiles all round.

Woops ahoy

So in other hilarities (posting blank updates included) I've just this minute discovered via http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2010/04/call-me-elastic-woman.html that Stitches and Craft is in Caulfield this year. Was it last year? I thought it was the showgrounds in Flemington, and so had happily volunteered to work 3 of the 4 days.

I thought it was an easy 7 minute drive from home. Not so. Au contraire: it's more like a 50 minute drive. Bother, said Pooh.

Getting back in the saddle

Complainication

I've been thinking, lately, about the way I communicate. That feeling I get when I feel someone really understands me, or the frustration I feel when I'm just not heard.

People are quick to boast "I don't complain", as if it really is something to be proud of. But to me, not complaining means not communicating and nothing good comes from not communicating.

If you go into a shop, and the shop assistant ignores you, treats you poorly or otherwise leaves you feeling pissed - then complain. If you don't, then the situation won't change - they'll treat another customer the same way, oblivious to the mistake they're repeating. When you complainicate, you give them the opportunity to change and you give them space to improve.

The same is true in our personal relationships. If you never complain when your partner leaves their towel on the floor, then they will never understand how much it irritates you, and they'll have no idea why you suddenly go postal after 15 years of it.

A few times recently, I've been reminded how important complainication is: SD and I are both tired, and stressed and worried. But until 2 weeks ago we both carried that stress for ourselves. We both worried about the highs and lows we felt in caring for our little lady, and both felt terrified about what that meant about our own state of mind.

Once we actually started to talk to one another, that fear was shared - shared in both the sense of balancing the load, and in the sense of being "heard".

All to often we carry our fears, complaints and worries alone. We say we're protecting those who care about us from the burden of our worries. We say we're "not complaining" as if that implies we're coping fine.

I disagree - bring on the complaints! Share your worries and fears. Acknowledge that you feel angry, scared, tired or stressed. Tell someone - complainicate. Trust me - you'll feel better when you do.

I want to talk...

baby-lo isn't a baby - before my eyes she's become a togla. ar a toddler. whatev. I should call her "lo" now instead.

a few times in the last week I've been faced with a situation which leaves me thinking. lo is busy learning news things and starting to assert her independence. the things I say and do will establish the ground rules for our interactions, and will really define the way I parent.

it's got me wondering what kind of parent I want to be, what is important to me, and how can super-dad and I ensure we develop consistency in our approach to parenting?

here's some examples:

1. on sunday, bl carefully pushed a stool over to the toybox in front of the tele and used it as a prop to clamber onto the toybox and reach a doll on the top of the tele


2. on monday while visiting a friend, bl was presented with a plate of sliced fruit. she wasn't interested in eating it and so tipped the plate over

so they're totally different instances, but for they've started me thinking about parenting philosophies and encouraging positive behaviour in toglas.

in situation 1, the most important issue is safety. but in some ways I applaud her ingenuity. I don't want to just say "naughty girl" when she's being inventive, not bad. I said "well done - great climbing. mummy doesn't want you so close to the tele though darling - let's put the stool in another room". but I don't want to encourage potentially dangerous climbing.

in situation 2, I was acutely aware we were at someone's house and I really felt like I was on display as a mum. I said "let's keep the food on the plate. if you don't want any, I can put it away". and yet I don't want to become an ineffectual mother who brushes aside delinquent behaviours as all being "cute". having said that, in that instance I don't think bl was being intentionally destructive - so it's not a strict discipline thing either.

lot's of book blurbs I've read talk about discipline which makes me a bit uncomfortable. I think there have to be ways to encourage positive social behaviours while still making clear boundaries. I'm conscious too, that consistency in approach will be crucial.

I worry about the messages children hear when we label them as naughty or nice, good or bad. I feel really uncomfortable when I hear parents talking about their child in negative ways - especially within earshot. I cringe when I hear parents describe children as difficult, high maintenance or highly strung.

praps I'm coming to this later than other mums, almost certainly I'm over thinking it. what do you do to encourage positive behaviours, and how do you respond to inappropriate ones? is there a book or philopsophy or mantra that you follow?

me wait?

I just wanted to get it done, so done it is. now to consider backing and borders and things...