FNSI results

Firstly sorry for the lack of photos...my camera is not co-operating but I promise once it does I will add the photos :)

I just realised that I didn't even post to mention that I had signed up!  Sorry for a long awaited blog post.  Mummy and I have not much to report on the sewing front (well mum has lots, buts its all things for the wedding) and we have both been busy, Mummy with sewing wedding stuff and with work, and I have been working most days now (I am a primary school relief teacher) so I have less time to sew than I did earlier on in the year!

Anyway to what I achieved last night (mummy and daddy are on holidays in Cairns at the moment so no Friday Night Sew In for her)

I pinned together the three layers for some mug rugs I have been making.  The pattern I have used is this one:  http://www.ryanwalshquilts.com/2010/11/dresden-wedges-mug-rug-tutorial-bliss.html

I then ironed all the pieces for an applique block, its a little colourful giraffe.

I also traced all of the designs so far on http://www.sewhappy.me/ christmas sew along.  I have been printing the patterns each week from her blog.  I will get some iron on pellon tomorrow so that I can start stitching them :)

We will endeavour to post more often from now on!  It's really nice sharing what we have been doing and looking at what other people have been doing also :)

Have a nice labour weekend to any NZers who read this :) and a nice weekend to those elsewhere!

Cornelia

Believe

I've just finished making a little wall hanging called 'believe'.  I subscribe to the new online magazine of 'Jenny of Elefantz' and this pattern was from her very first magazine.  She's an amazing and very talented person.  I have found the articles and comments in her newsletters to be very encouraging and inspiring and would recommend that you check out her blog if you haven't already (I'd put a link in but I don't know how to do that yet - google will find her).  Here's a photo of my 'believe' wallhanging. 

And here's a close-up...

I don't use black very often but it was included in the pack of eight matching colours.  I thought it looked quite striking. 

I recently revamped our noticeboard at work (which hasn't been touched in the five years that I have worked there I'm ashamed to say).  While my boss was travelling around the south of France for a couple of months I found some time to tackle the noticeboard.  I had such fun and along with articles relative to our line of work (psychiatry and psychology) I have also included a 'quote' heading, a 'did you know' heading that I'm putting funny little pieces of information and also an 'affirmations' heading which was inspired by Jenny of Elefantz including affirmations in her magazine.  Now that I have finished the 'believe' wallhanging I am going to put that on the noticeboard under affirmations, with a little note underneath that says 'believing in our hearts that 'who' we are is enough, is the key to a more satisfying and balanced life'.  I hope that it might be encouraging for the patients that come in.  The quote I've chosen is this...

It's just printed on paper and I tied the ribbon to it just for fun.  I hope no one tries to undo the bow because it's sewn on!

I'll leave you with this verse taken from The Message Bible translation, as it finishes off nicely for me the 'believe' theme...

'For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible...

everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him'.

Colossians1:16

CORRINA

A more positive post!...with SNOW

Sorry for the last few posts we have made, they have been very grumbly!

My knitting problems have not yet been solved!  I was going to ask someone to help me fix it at the UFO night that we have at my church for people to bring along their crafty things to do, however UFO night has been cancelled because of all the SNOW we have been having in Wellington!
Snow in Wellington has been my excitement for the day.  I am a relief teacher and I got called into relieve today, however by 11am I was sent home because the senior management were concerned that the teachers who lived in Wellington would find it hard and dangerous getting back over the hill to Wellington later in the day.  So home I came, I have a feeling the school would have finished early and I think  few other schools in the Wellington region were either closed today or closed early. Now I am just waiting to hear if I am teaching at that same school tomorrow or not.

Here are a few photos of the snow :)

 Going down the Wainuiomata hill back from school this morning (I was stopped at the rest area..this photo looks a bit like i'm driving)

 Outside my house earlier on this afternoon after I got back from a snowy outing to get some new warm PJs

 A few hours later...much thicker on the roof and grass

And 20 mins after I took the two above photos this is what it looked like, completely white!!!

What an awesome day :) as I was posting this we had a few massive thunder claps too.

On a sewing front tonight I will spend some time doing the Noah block that I posted about a while ago.  I will finish the applique tonight I think!

Cornelia

Knitting Frustration!

I am currently making the scarf that mum has already posted about here.  I am not a knitter my any means, in fact my knitting so far has amounted to one bootie (the pair was never made), followed by a pair of booties that I made earlier in the year (which still aren't finished as I need to remember how to crotchet to finish them), and now this scarf.
The scarf is knitted with each part separately (two halves) and then joined together at the back.  The first half I knitted perfectly happily, a few problems here and there.  Now that I am ten rows from finishing the second half (each row decreasing, so 10 is not a lot!) I have problem after problem! The row I just got to the end of I have already undone once, something is still not right so I have to undo it again.  Since this has happened for the majority of the last few rows I am a bit over it!
I though practice was supposed to make perfect?????
Fingers crossed there will be a post update with a finished picture in the next few days, but I wouldn't hold my breath!

Cornelia

Frustrating Computer Issues

I can't believe the issues I'm having with posting blogs. It took me four attempts this morning (Sunday) to get our FNSI blog to post. Cornelia had already tried several times yesterday and it just wasn't a happening thing. I'm going to have to get the computer looked at I think as the internet kept shutting down in the middle of the blog and even though it automatically saved it in drafts it wouldn't let me edit the post so I had to type it all again. Never mind we got there in the end. I haven't even had a chance to look at the lovely work you all did on Friday night so I hope to have a browse this afternoon.
Corrina

FNSI Results

Last night's Friday Night Sew In was lots of fun! It started with the most frustrating game of monopoly - junior monopoly I might add (and quietly admit that the three players were 15 and 22 years old, and mummy:o)) I spent the whole game trying to lose becuase I was keen to sew. Mum and Taya had a great deal of fun laughing at my increasing frustration! My cousin started sewing first while I discussed the wedding guest list with mum, dad and my fiance (everyone says that the guest list is the most complicated part, so I'm very glad it seems to finally be sorted). Taya made a cute cushion for her mum! She is very clever, as mum and I need a pattern to make anything, However Taya gets annoyed with a pattern and just manages to make things off the top of her head!I finally put the borders on my "Angels Kisses" Block of the Month and I'm so happy with it!

I have been working on it for about 3 years now, so to start to see the end in sight is very exciting. I am now trying to decide how to quilt it. I can't do the fancy stuff and can't afford to pay anyone to do the fancy stuff so was thinking a combination of hand and machine in the ditch quilting. Thoughts?

I needed a bit of help from mum, as I was having issues with sewing the blue border on and keeping the small red border looking even. So mum's Friday night sew in was really just helping us two girls!
We bought the material for the bridesmaids dresses today and I love the colour! and mum and I have started making the invitations. So wedding plans are coming along nicely.
Cornelia

A quick update...

So you will get a proper post from Mum and I tomorrow, posting out Friday Night Sew in photos as we are participating tonight :)

I am up in Hamilton with Mum and my cousin is here also (the one who received the bag mum posted about below as a birthday present) so we will all be sewing together, which will be very very nice!!

Looking forward to posting tomorrow and having a blog browse at all the lovely things you have been making. If you arent yet linked up to the Friday Night Sew in and want to participate go to http://handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com/

Cornelia
PS. I just posted this and have edited to add this question. How do I change the date/time on blogger, it is American time (so its telling you I am posting this Thursday the 21st at night) and I want it at least closer to NZ time! (Im really posting this on Friday the 22nd here in NZ in the late afternoon!)??

A Finished Project and some encouragement...

I'm feeling very pleased with myself at the moment because I have finished the bag I was making for my niece for her 15th birthday. Here is a picture of the finished product. I'm so pleased with the final result and the best thing of all is that she loves it. I did find it a bit of a challenge and it felt like I was unpicking more than I was sewing, but I got there in the end. The funny thing is that when I was packing away the pattern pieces and instructions I happened to glance at the part of the instructions that I couldn't seem to grasp when all of a sudden it clicked! It made complete sense and I couldn't see why I didn't fathom it out in the first place - so typical of me. Never mind, I'll know for next time. Taya has already used it and what she said she loves most about it is that it is unique which is so true about making things. I feel so blessed to be given the gift of creativity and doing things with my hands. I was reading a little devotional the other day on creativity which I thought I would share with you:

'Creativity is a God-given ability to take something ordinary and make it into something special. It is an openness to doing old things in new ways and a willingness to adapt other people's good ideas to suit our personal needs. Creativity is an ability we all possess, although many of us keep it hidden in the deep corners of our lives. The creative spirit is part of our heritage as children of the One who created all things, and nurturing our creativity is part of our responsibility as stewards of God's good gifts'. I hope this is as much of an encouragement to you as it was to me. I especially liked the part about adapting other people's good ideas to suit our personal needs as I'm always starting off with a pattern and then changing it around so much that it doesn't look much like what I originally started with but the finished result is always just so 'me'.

Winter has kicked in at last and it is very cold and wet. It may be winter but my garden has come to life. It is a very good all-year-round garden with flowers popping up all year but I think it takes a bit of beating the camellia flowers. This one is my favourite. Isn't it stunning! It is so big and the amazing thing is that it will stay standing up in the vase all week. I've got another camellia that I pick but the flowers drop off after the first day in the vase and they are only teeny weeny flowers compared to this one. I've got it sitting on the table in front of our stereo at work and you can just see the pretty little primula flowers in the background. They also last all week in the vase.

With the cold weather I've decided that I need a scarf or two so I bought a couple of really neat patterns on Etsy. I bought some wool yesterday and as it is bucketing down with rain today it is the perfect day to be knitting. I think it will be pretty and it feels so soft and snuggly. The wool is called Moda Vera - Chantilly. It says it's 70% acrylic and 30% milk protein which sounded weird to me but my husband says that milk protein is called casein and it's used in all sorts of things. Maybe that's what makes it feel so soft. Here is what I've knitted so far...

I shall leave you now and continue with my knitting. I hope that you manage to find some time for creativity this weekend.

Corrina

Noah has a very red ark-Cornelia FNSI

Last night I put together the applique for a modified version of one of the blocks from the Noah and Friends Kookaburra Cottage BOM. I had intended to make just the middle block into a baby quilt for a friend of mine, the baby's name is Noah. However AFTER buying all the fabric I am not so sure that's what I want to do anymore. Consequently last night went like this:

• Buy a "Handmade" magazine
• Look through magazine and ring mum-complaining about not knowing what to sew
• Get out lots of fabric and ring mum again (same complaint)
• Decide that I love the fabrics I bought and ring mum again (this time complaining about not knowing what to use the fabrics for since I had changed my mind)

Mum told me to just make the Noah block anyway and then decide later what I want to turn it into and who I want to give it to. Being the good daughter I am :) I listened and am now super happy with the result!

I am still not completely sure what it will end up being, but I think it is very cute and the colours are quite funky! If anyone has any bright ideas feel free to contribute!

Cornelia :)

Friday Night Sew-in

I do enjoy the feeling of knowing there are lots of other like-minded people out there enjoying their sewing at the same time that I am. However I seemed to spend more time going backwards than forwards. I'm making a bag (a Melly and Me design) and I had trouble with the little triangle bits on the side sitting right so I ended up unpicking it and doing it again - about three times! Then I started working on putting the zip in and I ended up unpicking that twice too even though I tacked it on first. The zip is in now so I shall work on getting the top part of the bag put together after church tomorrow. I was getting a bit disheartened with all the backwards sewing though so I decided to work on something else. My friend made this neat little cardigan for her beautiful granddaughter Bella and she wanted me to do some embroidery on it. Here's what I did and I'm quite pleased with the end result. She sure is going to look a sweet little girl in this outfit.

I hope you've all had a fun evening and I look forward to seeing what you've been up to. Until next time take care and happy sewing.

Corrina

Back again as mother of the bride to be

Here I am, back again. It's been a few very busy months but life should be a bit slower for the next six weeks. My boss is off on his annual trip to France, my typing is all up to date, my backlog of filing is complete and the office looks spick and span. I just have to keep the place ticking over nicely while he's away and I have to say that my wrists and hands are relieved to be having a break from constant typing! Now they have to be put to work at some sewing which is way more fun. It's my mums 80th birthday this year so that has been my first priority. I made a cushion for her.
I made it bigger than the pattern said as I wanted her to be able to use it as a support for her back for when she sits in her favourite chair. The original pattern had buttons as flowers as a border at the bottom but I didn't want to use buttons as I didn't want them to dig into her back, so I made the stitchery panel bigger and put my own flowers along the bottom. I'm quite pleased with the final result.

I am now making something for my niece but I can't show you that yet just in case she looks at our blog. Cornelia just told me that there is another Friday night 'sew in' this Friday so that just might be the incentive I need to get some more sewing done.

I'm very excited to be a mother of the bride to be and we are having such fun planning everything. I've been to a wedding expo in Wellington with Cornelia last month and in a couple of weeks there is another one here in Hamilton. Cornelia can't come to that so I'm going to drag my dear husband along with me. Just quietly though, he is just as excited about being father of the bride to be! The wedding is in January so it's not all that far away especially if the first half of this year is anything to go by.

I will look forward to seeing what you've all been sewing on Friday night.

Corrina

It's been a while!

So neither mum or I have posted in ages!

We have had a very exciting month really, and not a lot of sewing has really gone on.

From now on you might get some posts focussed on not just sewing as I have recently gotten engaged :) (hence the lack of blogging, I think all mum and I talk about is wedding plans at the moment) and I am sure we will pictures up of things like the wedding invitations etc as it is going to be a very much DIY wedding.

At the moment I am working on making some Save The Date cards like these ones...

http://www.makingthemoment.com/blog/2010/saving-the-date-with-style

We will try and start posting more!

Cornelia

Just a little something...

Mummy gave me the pattern for these little mice for Christmas. There are 4 different mice to make, all with similarly constructed bodies, heads etc, just with different details.

Im super happy with how it turned out, while I was making it, I was a bit unsure.

It just took the evening to make too, I like a little project that you can start and finish in such a short period of time :).

I rung mum this morning and told her I had made it. The statement she made was "well it must have been fairly easy to make, because you didn't ring me halfway through to say you were stuck!"

Sorry the photos aren't the greatest. My camera battery is dying and I have misplaced the charger.

Cornelia :)

I have just finished the cushion that I was working on for the Friday night sew-in. I decided to quilt it and I put little curvy ruffle thingies on the sides. I'm quite pleased with the finished product. I think I'll give it to my mummy. She's got a lovely garden so will appreciate the garden theme and she doesn't have a computer so she won't see it here before give it to her.

We have both received some lovely comments on our blog and I just wanted to say thank you so much. It's been a big booster for our self-esteem, not to mention great that we aren't just talking to ourselves!

Happy sewing

Corrina

My Friday Night Sew In

Mum and I both did the Friday Night Sew In last night. Mum and I live in different cities in New Zealand, her in Hamilton and me in Wellington. But we ended up skyping halfway through the evening which was nice and showed each other what we were doing that way (but the photos she has posted are more clearer than the skype image!)

In my previous post I showed the photos of my Angels, last night I ironed on all the bits for the last block and started to applique around them.

The cat (shown in my previous post also) has been driving me crazy today. He is determined to sit on my lap, but i'm still trying to sew, and he likes to play far too much for him to comfortably sit on my knee and have me be able to hand sew at the same time. I feel like a meanie coz he is a very lovely cute cat!!

Cornelia :)

Last night was my first Friday night sew-in and it felt good to sit here sewing on my own and yet knowing there were other people out there sewing too. This is progress so far on my cushion:Its a Cinderberry Stitches pattern by Natalie Lymer. I have a habit of not doing things exactly the way the patterns are written and on this pattern I just changed the wording a bit as the pattern stated 'prim gardens grow seeds of love' and as you can see I changed it to 'our garden...' Here is a close up picture of the left-hand stitchery:and the right-hand stitchery... It's a wet day here so brilliant weather for staying inside and sewing!

Have a good weekend.

Corrina

Cornelia's First Post

So I am the ‘me’ of Mummy and Me. I am 22 (so mums admission that she is over scrapbooking for a wee while…is really a year or more) and am a trained Primary School Teacher, and also have a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Music Studies. I got the stitching bug from mum, when she decided to do patchwork and quilting a few years ago. This is the first type of sewing stuff I have really gotten hooked on, mum has taught me to cross-stitch, knit, crochet and make a few bits and pieces like soft toys using the sewing machine. Now that I am into it I have started to appreciate doing knitting etc a bit more than when first taught.

I have been working on the Freckles Collection “Angels Kisses” block of the month for about the past 2 years, and have been sewing quite a lot on that recently, and am determined to finish it sometime very soon!

Blocks one and two (the first 3 blocks have all been finished and pieced together, but have to finish block 6 before I can piece the bottom 3 together). Coco the pussy cat was determined to get into every photo I took.

Blocks Two and Three

Coco making himself comfortable on my sewing (he is put out and me because im not sitting down and he cant make use of my lap!)

Block Five

I have just bought some fabric to make the Candy Girl single bed quilt by Janelle Wind and want to try and at least finish the top of the Angels Kisses quilt first.

Thanks for reading :)...Cornelia.

My very first post

This is my very first blog post and it feels a bit strange to be writing to I don't know who! I'm the mummy of 'mummyandme'. We thought it would be fun to blog about our sewing and things of interest to us, to keep a memory, to share with others and celebrate our achievements. I've always been a sewing come crafty person but only fairly recently became hooked on patchwork and stitching. I love to make the gifts I give to people and as there is always someone's birthday coming up (or Christmas which seems to come around too quickly) there is always some sewing on the go. Scrapbooking features in the pleasurable things to do although after scrapping my daughter's life from birth to 21 (which took about six months) I am sort of over it, well for a while anyway. I have been seriously thinking about scrapping the photos of my sewing so perhaps the scrapbooking things will come out again soon. I like gardening too and especially like having plants in my garden that flower so that I can pick them for my office at work each week. I work for a psychiatrist and a psychologist and I find that a smiling face and pleasant peaceful surroundings with pretty flowers can go a long way towards lifting up people that are feeling a bit down.

My latest cutesy sewing project is a mousy pincushion that I made for Cornelia for her birthday:I made the pins too just for fun and they have little ends to them as well so they can be worn as a stick-pin:

My flower of the moment is the day lily which flowers and flowers nearly the whole year long:

What I am working on at present is a cushion just to use up some scraps of pretty material that I had left over from another project and I will post a photo of it a bit later as I am taking part in the Friday night sew-in.

My quote for today is:

The happiest people seem to be those who are producing something;

The bored people are those who are consuming much and producing nothing.

My verse for today is:

Psalm 138.8

The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your love O Lord endures forever.

CORRINA