FNSI January 2012

I’m very excited to be able to participate in the FNSI.  It’s just me (Corrina) participating as Cornelia is just returning from her honeymoon today.  Before I share my sewing from last night I would like to share the exciting news of Cornelia’s wedding.  Here I am, a very proud mother of the bride with Cornelia.

These are just snaps that my sister took.  I can’t wait to see the photographer’s photos and will post some on our blog once we receive them.  I included a photo of Dean’s mum and myself lighting the candles as it is a good one to show Cornelia’s dress and Dean looking extremely handsome in his suit.  I love the way he is looking at his beautiful bride in this photo! 

Here is a photo of Cornelia and Dean cutting their wedding cake and I included this photo because Cornelia made the wedding cake which was a carrot cake with cream cheese icing and fondant on the top.  I just love the flower pattern on the fondant.  We went to the cake shop to get the fondant and ended up buying this really cool stencil that you roll the icing onto to imprint the pattern and then you just put it on the cake - brilliant!  She also made 80 cupcakes and iced them too.  She was a very busy bride to be the week before the wedding which by the way was on the 7th of January.

I was also a very busy mother of the bride because in a moment of madness I decided to make a little gift for each of our guests at the wedding.  I made these little coasters - a plain one for the boys and an embroidered one for the girls.  Laraine from Up in Annies Room (in Australia) laser cut all the little names for me and then I just sewed them on each coaster.  Instead of having name plates on the tables at the reception each place setting had a coaster as their name plate.  You should check out Laraine’s website as she makes really neat buttons and has other things as well.  Here is a link to her website:  http://www.anniesroom.bizland.com/, she is such a lovely person and even made some last minute names for me right on Christmastime - bless you Laraine.

Cornelia and Dean together made a bunting to hang behind their table at the reception so you can see that there has been a lot of creative things happening in our household since the announcement of their engagement at the end of April last year.

And then, besides all of that without Cornelia knowing I made a quilt for them but I can't show you any photos of it because I forgot to take a photo of it - silly me!  I’ll get her to take a photo of it and will put it on our blog at a later date.

Now to my FNSI project.  We have a little nest of tables that has a large table with four little tables that fit underneath.  A year or so ago I crocheted a nice doily for the large table and I thought that I would make pretty little doilies for each of the little tables and here it is, one doily completed, four to go.  Here is my photo:

And a close up of the embroidery...

It’s been great to be part of FNSI again and I am looking forward to seeing what you all have been doing last night, and perhaps to developing new friendships along the way.  I found a quote from William Inge who wrote ‘the happiest people seem to be those who are producing something; the bored people are those who are consuming much and producing nothing’. It is great to be happy and producing something!  I hope you have all enjoyed your sewing night.  Until next time.  Corrina

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