Knock, knock

Anyone home?

We went to Open House Melbourne on Sunday. I'm so glad we got around to it!

Open House Melbourne is a weekend of open buildings. Special places, amazing places, eco spaces, places not normally open to the public.

We queued for the State Library tour of the elephant lift (for moving around that spare elephant) - a 1920s wooden panelled lift with, we were told, idiosyncracies.

We peered over the bannisters at the compass rose on the floor under what once was a Foucault's pendulum. Pendulum now lost and, as someone said, probably holding down papers on someone's desk. Beautiful staircase.

Then down into the catacombs, surprisingly bright for channels running into dirt floored wasteland for dead office chairs. Everyone's favourite garage.

And out into the rain of China Town, for a tasty Grill'd burger and a gentle stroll down to Myer for the mural hall, sixth floor ballroom and hall for streamlined 30s types to affect a bored moue at fashion parades. Meh. Darling.

Playing with the mirrors in Myer's Mural Hall. 

Finally, everyone's favourite haunted tin shed -- the portable iron houses of the 1850s still in South Melbourne on a fascinating old street.

Portable iron house, c. 1850, South Melbourne. 

A lovely day. Three very different faces of Melbourne. Hurrah.

 

View from the freeway bridge as we leave the sunny city. 

Don't go on a date

... Where I can see you.

Or you might get scribbled.

As seen from my unobtrusive stool in the corner of the window. I couldn't work out why he was slumped so stiff in his chair until they left the cafe and I saw that his arm was in a sling. Not fun for Christmas!

Oh, and happy new year!

Looking and thinking and thinking and looking

The thing about out and about sketching is that it's hard to start. Daunting to sit there in full view sketching people as they pass by. I keep waiting for someone to challenge me for capturing their likeness, but increasingly I'm realising that they just don't give a damn. Or don't notice. Yippee for me, as I sketch away in the corner!

Now that we're on holiday, I've been out and about doing some more drawing. Yesterday (Boxing Day), down to the shops -- not to score bargains but to draw the bargain-hunters themselves. It was ripe pickin's!

After diving in, a few tries and it gets easier. The lines come more easily and they remind me of what I saw. It's learning to look as much as learning to draw.

Here's an early drawing from my second or third outing with sketchpad in hand. I'll share some of my more recent ones, too. Big scanning session yesterday, and now there's loads to show.

So, today...

Today, moments after I was introduced to her, a colleague said,
"I'm doing something for the Melbourne Cup".

And I said, "Melbourne Cup?"

"Oh," I said, "I'm not that much into football."

Which might reveal just how much I'm into horse racing, too....

Fun for me

I love buying myself presents. Today I wandered to the station and missed my train, so of course I just *had to* go in and explore the lovely shop in the Degraves St Subway, The Cat's Meow.

I saw many things I liked very much, but I'll be wearing my one of these tomorrow. Yay, Friday! Hoorah, pretty crafty clothes.

Good colours

Today's good colours were the muted tones of autumn. Tinny grey sky, dark green leaves and the spots of colour from gumtrees in bloom. I love this time of year.


We stopped at the most excellent cafe for a couple of cappuccinos and some chit-chat. Chocolate croissants appeared, and disappeared almost as rapidly. The dog had his own special bowl of treats.

But what's this? Something in my pocket...

Could it be, a cafe-themed piece of my own design Spoonflower fabric, carefully tucked in a pocket for an on-location photo shoot?


Could be, could be....

What's Cookin'?

Today was a recipe for a great day. Sort of in the ethos of the Slow Food movement, today was a Slow Saturday of cheer and sunshine.


It began with hot cross buns and coffee, a walk in the park and a chat with neighbours (and their dogs).

We don't buy hot cross buns very often, and I've sometimes tried to make my own, resulting in a hot cross me with little lumps of dough, rapidly turning rock-hard. Mr Tacc saved the day when he came home from the Vic Market on Friday and casually announced that he'd bought some hot cross buns. Not just any hot cross buns: gooey, sticky, yeasty, spice-laden raisin-hoarding buns from the bakery ladies. I forgive them a year of a mild taciturn tendency for these buns.

So, nice buns, tick. (giggle) Coffee, tick. Off I went to the market at Thornbury, to meet with lots of lovely crafters, gossip and eye the cupcakes, and generally just mooch around the colourful stall of goodness known as the Curlypops and Tinniegirl shop. Yay!

These two did a super job, and their colourful wares looked amazing. So amazing that I had to take some home with me.... yes, Ms Curlypops, I secretly had my eye on that orange apron from the moment the teatowel was glimpsed in the corner. And when it was revealed, well -- I decided that if the gods were smiling, it would be my new apron.

-It is!

So, welcome! Come on in, and make yourselves at home. Something nice is cooking and the chef has a silly smile at the thought of her lovely new apron.

Last year, I decided Earth Hour was an occasion, worthy of celebration with a fantastic dinner by candlelight, and maybe a game of cards to follow.

Here's what's on the menu tonight:


Organic chicken braised in wine with olives, tarragon and home-grown tomatoes.
Baked jacket potatoes, crusted with Murray River salt.
Pumpkin baked in olive oil, dusted in cumin, chilli and rubbed with garlic.
Crisp green salad.

Oops, we ate dessert already. Maybe a zucchini cake will get made while the chicken finishes roasting (says she, spying there's about 6 minutes left on the time).

Dinner's on! Must go and set the table, cloth and candles, while the bird browns. Earth's worth it.

Up to the blue -- or should dad be boo?

I got eight hours of sleep last night: this is an achievement! Up and out in the regular early, not the dark and extra-early early, and these autumn days are gorgeously crisp. Lots of dog walkers. Balloons in the sky.

I took this photo at about exactly this time last year, and although I forgot my camera today, this was just what the sky looked like. Pearly clouds and the jewel-bright balloons.

Sadly, sometime in that long sleep, I seem to have caught a cold. I've been sneezing my way around the house this morning, and it's not looking good. I've got one more busy work day ahead of me, and Sewjourn's quilting bee tomorrow, and dinner out, and more catching up with friends on Sunday, and I just want to go to bed and sniffle.

Doing the train stitch

I don't know whose quilt this is. They didn't tell us whose quilt this is! Lovely colours.

Today, I went to the Stitches and Craft show. Yesterday's rain scared me off, and 'though I had planned to go I stayed at home snuggled under a quilt reading Georgette Heyer novels and eating chocolate frogs.

There, I said it really quickly so that you wouldn't notice.

So today, off to the show! Down to Flinders Street.

- Doesn't that awning look like ric-rac?

I've never been in a completely empty train carriage before. How truly odd. Good thing I had some crochet in my purse to entertain me. And what does a girl do when she's making a scarf on the train? Why, the train stitch, of course!


The show (of which there are few to no photos: conjure up visions of colour in your minds, me lovelies) -- the show was in large buildings, threatened by rain and valiantly guarded by market makers in was proposed to be a merry, fun outdoor market. They looked very cold, actually. Not too merry, but trying with true spirit.

The main hall held lots of cheery friendly faces -- Hello blog girls! Familiar faces and new, lovely fabrics, lino badges, zine-scene, stamps and paper and bags of delight. It's great to see you there and all showing off your fabulous talents. We have so much to offer!

The show was a mixed event for me: the demographic is, as it always was, a mixture of kittens and cats, a little muddled as to what it is and who it's at. Maybe, in this first year of Living Creatively ownership, not sure where its best audience is. While a part of me wants to say that I would love to see a craft fair of the indie type here in Melbourne, I also know it's already happening, on a smaller scale, at different locations.

Part of the lovable likefulness (I just made that up) of the crafty scene here is that you have to look for it. But, like dust bunnies, and cute ones too, once you see it, you wonder how you missed so many places and things to see. It's just not mainstream, and the big shows need to cater for the big groups of people -- which is, by nature, the main stream. We've just got to make sure our little rivulet doesn't dry up.

A real highlight of the day, and something to get me thinking about the mixed love-hate relationship I have with the Stitches and Craft show, was watching 'Handmade Nation'. This film was put together by Faythe Levine, who wanted to document the stories of the crafters across the US who were defining the Indie Craft scene. Go see it if you get a chance! I thoroughly enjoyed the personalities in the film, the enjoyment in crafting and the questions it raised. Is this a passing fad? (Not for me, mate.) Whay do we love craft? (It's authentic! It's fun. It has a heart and a sense of humour, just like a good date.) Later, I bumped into Faythe on the train station platform, and wanted to tell her what a key part of the day the film had been. It was nice to chat, even though she must have talked herself hoarse after days of promoting and introducing the film. Thank you!

A word of advice to marading crafters?

I should be off, but I wanted to say a big WELL DONE to all of the blogland superstars who bravely put their wares on show, invested time and love and colour and spirit in the show. I'm proud of you. You lot done good.

So, about these quilts then...

There are so many thing whirling around in my head that every time I sit down to blog it all flies out my ears. Or something. And so I read all your posts and forget and have to dash...

I've been meaning to post about the quilt convention since last Sunday. I wasn't sure whether or not to go this year: in the past, I've been disappointed -- not by the quality of the quilts, but by the venues. (Though to be fair I might be remembering a poor Stitches show of years past -- let's hope those days are gone).

So, I had to go in the end: couldn't resist seeing the show quilts. Up off the sofa, hop on the tram and down to the the Australian Quilt Convention (AQC), in the fabulous Royal Melbourne Exhibition Building. Have I mentioned before that I love that building? I love that building, and so does Mr. Tacc.

As for those quilts. Well, they fit right in to their lovely surroundings. Wonderful and awe-inspiring, zany (those doughnuts!) and zingy -- there was lots to see. Sadly, I left my camera at home, but what I did write in the sketchbook gets my ideas going again. This is what I wrote:

• palest green border and high-contrast applique swirls -- Berneice Sayer's Magical Medallion with Loops - All I can say is: 'Whoar!'
  
• quilting grids of black and yellow (there were close-together lines, and ochre dyed textiles: it looked like burnt wood)
• Nichole Bridges' Ginko Garden quilt: lovely colours, all jewels, and fabric with calligraphy on it.
  
• Pretty octagon florals -- in the Brigitte Giblin Retrospective. And then I've written at the bottom of a rough sketch: "So that's what to do with those hexagons!" We have hexagons, we can make beauty.
  

But don't worry, that didn't stop me from buying just a leetle bit of fabric....

I want to post a link to this video and song that I have been enjoying and watched a few times this week. It's in my head!

The yarn lady's laughing at me

Well, after yesterday's excitement, posting the photo of my stitching practice piece, I could hardly wait for the day to end.

Not because there was anything wrong with it: just because when the work day is over, I follow the stream of commuters down to the station, and -- oops! -- trip over the doorstep of Cleggs. Now, I know their selection and prices are a little less and more than I'd like, but the fact that they are on the way home makes popping in as easy as picking up a take-away coffee. It has the same illicit pleasure too: I know I could look around, but it was just here, see, and it's so soooft, and it's blue!

Anyway, I was quizzing the lady in the yarn section about hook sizes for various yarn and asking her advice aout trying my first and one and only crochet scarf. She started to get a twinkle. She was very helpful. - And as she popped my skein of wool and hook in a bag at told me to have fun, she cracked a huge grin at my perky response: "I will!"

Oh my ears and whiskers! - As they say.

Good things! Gettin' on the bus

Bags for kids, big and small.

Remember the sewing bee? (Like we've forgotten already...) Well, the Rainbow Comfort Packs are on their way up to Kinglake. In fact, they should be there by now.

I'd like to think there's some kids enjoying their new notebooks, coloured pencils, softies and stickers, one of the many fun hair ties, or their t-shirts!

Applique items, ready to go onto bags and t-shirts.

There's a report on the delivery over at Beyond Pink and Blue -- drop by and say hello.

Waiting for the Department of Human Services bus to Kinglake...

Handmade items and help are still needed. You know where to go! And check out this article from the local press.

Cheerio,
B

Around the world on a Great Melbourne Day

I love the way that this city is sometimes a playground. - Or, at least that's the way it feels. Yesterday's activity took us from Italy to the Lebanon, through the Middle East and then to 1970s Australia. Into the city and it's the 50s, before Portugal, Italy (again), and a dash up to handbag heaven. Oh, and a short stop in Korea. Finally, music under the stars with an Italian in Algiers, two Spaniards and an Austrian. All in Melbourne.

Coriander, parsley, spring onions, fenugreek, turmeric and lamb. Mmmm...

How did it happen? With a morning start at the Mediterranean Wholesalers (coffee and canolis), we explored north to the A1 Lebanese Bakery, which was our landmark as we hunted for a shop that would stock fenugreek leaves and dried limes. We've been inspired to try some Persian cooking, and tonight's dinner of lamb with quormeh sabzi is quietly simmering away as I type this, sending interesting and delicious smells throughout the house. Sure enough: a very kind shopkeeper helped me to find both fenugreek and dried limes. This is why I love Sydney Road.

Dried limes. They smell amazing! Tantalizing. Fantastic.

A quick dash to Fitzroy to say hello at Meet me at Mikes, where a special stash-tastic suitcase of 1970s ladybird books was the pick-up for this secret agent. (Two old guys stopped later on and said it was a cool suitcase. "1950s!" said one guy, "And it's even been overseas...")

Off next to meet a lovely friend for lunch, I hopped the tram and - ding!ding! - down to Federation Square, where a flashmob of swing dancers were cutting up the concrete, swing jazz style, to the sounds of big band in a beatbox strapped to the back of a bike. Swing Patrol, kids! Do we love it? We love it!

Can't you hear those grooves? This is not Melbourne, but it's the same gorgeous style. The Swing Patrol site is down, so this is a photo from the Calgary swing dancers.

(Just lookit all that water. Can you believe that's where I grew up??)

But I couldn't find my friend.... Hmm, she said she'd be at Fed Square. Up the steps, down the steps - hmm, one of the dancers is waving at me between twirls - it's her! Turning a neat toe in keds and gingham, having a blast. We settled in until the beats moved on up to Town Hall. I'm not a dancer, despite some two-left-footed attempts, but I enjoyed watching the action and spying the tourists whose open-mouthed delight made my day. There's nothing better than a mob of people spontaneously breaking into dance! (and me without my camera)

Journal Cafe at the City Library refreshed us with Portuguese Custard Tarts (Go there. Have one. I never liked custard tarts before meeting these beauties.) "Let's go handbag shopping!" said my friend - so it was up to Catherine Manuell to try on all of the bags. She didn't tell me she'd been haunting the place and that I was to provide final colour call between two favourites (see pages 4-5). We left with her new bag proudly on-shoulder.

Could it get better? A stop at an Asian stationery shop was pretty divine and only cost a dollar ten (that stuff is addictive) -- and then it was time to race home, pack a picnic, and head out for a free concert under the stars at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Two cups of coffee, free music, and thou...

Nan went to the opening night, 50 years ago. We snuggled under the stars as my lovely Melbourne day ended to the sound of Rossini's overture for "The Italian Girl in Algiers", Spanish guitar from Rodrigo (Concerto di Aranjuez), Albeniz, and Schubert.


We're a little tired today. But happy, oh so happy.

Two and Two are Four. Four and Four are ....

... well if you didn't know by now, your sewing would be even more free-form than mine!

Six and six are:


Can you see it? Two feet and a hot dry Domain, reflected in a hub cap, lovingly shined for the Australia Day RACV Picnic.

If you haven't been before, it's rows and rows (and rows) of classic design details masquerading as shiny cars. Linger long enough looking with a silly grin at deco details and the old blokes who own the cars are likely to saunter over and say hello. I met some lovely people, heard some great stories and fell in love with a car I'd love to drive away in. A few times over.


Oh, and if you love massive purple American fins-n-tail jobbies, this is the place to be, too!


Top picture is the sixth image from the sixth folder of photos. Nice choice! More here.

The steady hum of activity - sewing-bee style

What a day.

Nikki, I sweep off my hat and make a deep bow to you (scrap that curtsey nonsense) - you donated your week to organising today's sewing bee, and you made it possible for so many good people to find a way to bring colour and cheer to families affected by the bushfires.

What was the best bit of the day?

Serious discussions about yo-yos was fun.


And super sewing stars ready and willing to learn new skills...

... and producing gorgeous results!

That was ace.

The hive of activity and the contented hum of concentration as bags were constructed. (Spot TinnieGirl thinking hard).

The lovely cutting shop, with slices and dices turning out the bags lickety-split, and the sorting area, with the goodies laid out by age group and gender....

...carefully observed by a sofa full of dolls, waiting to go to new owners.

Meanwhile, over in the embellishment room, zig-zags and fusing made merry!

While the first bags were being built, we got to work on yo-yo hairbands, yo-yo embellishments, fused applique animals, cowboy hats, pirate ships, flowers, ice cream cones, butterflies, matruyshkas...


...and more onto t-shirts, bag fronts, pockets, flaps and ... oops, a bag lining. Ah well. Beccasaurus kindly stitched a yo-yo over my most serious oops. It's a design feature! (But of course).

But the best two bits?

One was the way that everyone who walked into the sewing/bag construction room stopped and said "Wow!" spontaneously.


Wow for the lovely hum of many machines running together. The quiet, determined activity. And the results, oh boy.

The results! The piles of bags were stacking up as we took our weary souls home. Fresh sewing souls were still flooding in the door, so I'm sure the pile of presents grew. Notepads, pens, t-shirts and a toy in every bag - at the very least.


I'm thinking of the donors and the recipients, the families and children whose little bags of fun have so much potential for healing handiwork (drawing, making and colour), hugs -- and a reminder that we were all thinking of them with today's sewing bee.

I met so many lovely people, and it was a wonderful day.
Thanks everyone.

Just like momma (didn't) make it

I made a cake tonight. Or at least, I made something that resembles a cake and smells pretty nice, but it might actually be a distant cousin of a lemon pudding. -Or an offspring of an illicit affair between a sponge cake and a lemon tart (hem hem).
And I intend to feed it to you.

Only if you're coming to the sewing bee set up by the wonderful Nikki on Saturday, Feb 14. She's got the space and the equipment to set a sewing bee buzzing, so I decided that a little sugar and comfort food would be in order. Lemon cake, that's happy food for the depressed soul. Mom's recipe.
If you haven't already heard, we're making bags for the individuals left homeless by the fires. Kids of all ages will need activity packs to keep them busy - games and books, pencils and paper. And probably something to hug will be top of the list. If you can come or you want to donate, check out these links:

• Rainbow Comfort Packs
• Art Fights Fire - from the Kaotic Kraft Kuties
• Handmade Help
  

The sharp-eyed amongst us will notice the two new buttons on the left-hand side of my blog. They take you to just two of the efforts the fantabulous crafty community are organising. Short-term help is needed, but this practical bunch know that this is rebuilding for the long haul. Community, counselling, closure -- those don't come in a week.

Come on down and help. If you can't sew, make tea -- it might be needed to accompany the lemon spongetart delicious mess I intend on pressing into your hand (hm. maybe I'll bring some plates....)

B

Ashes

Like so many of us, I'm sick to the heart by the news of the fires and the escalating death toll.

I was going to post this picture of the crafty bonanza checking out the weather conditions, halfway through Saturday afternoon. Meercats and all that. But it's hard to laugh. It's such a beautiful country here, and harsh, and home to many.

Several crafty ladies have posted about what you can do to help. Rather than repeating what they say, if you don't already know where your donation will go and what it will be, here are some links and information.

Now, they need money and blood donations - later, they'll want all the things that people will need, who've lost everything. I'll be stitching some donations for later, and popping down to the bank to donate for now.

Donate to the Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.au

Donate to The Salvation Army Disaster Relief fund by calling 13 Salvos (137258) or at http://www.salvos.org.au. Monetary donations are preferred.

Just a few links:

Bits of a broken something: Bushfires
List of non-profit organisations in Victoria
Handmade Help
Silly Gilly: Ebay auction fundraiser
Meet me at Mikes - collecting donations

I almost felt guilty...

For cutting them all off the bush. But with the forecast for today sitting at a scary 46 degrees (which turned out to be true) - I knew they would never survive. So I cut them, every one - and we have them indoors to enjoy and admire.


The very natty mat is a lovely gift from Potty Mouth Mama. I won her de-cluttering blog giveaway, and last week a parcel of delights arrived: trim and ricrac, vintage tea napkins (love 'em) and this little tablecloth - just the right size for our outdoor tables. The lime green piping is from her stash, too - just-washed and bundled before this photo. Thank you, Ms. PMM!

It's funny how the weather predictions last night made me tense. All this talk about the 'Horror Day' of untold temperatures, and dire warnings not to go out unless it was absolutely necessary. It made me somewhat edgy, so I was out in the garden last night, fussing over the tomatoes and the basil, topping up the pots with water from the bathtub (now that summer's here, our last soap-free rinses sit in the bathtub, getting cool and awaiting re-use as footbaths, dog splashes, and garden water). The vine Mr Tacc gave me a few years ago for my birthday is scorched and the beautiful red flowers have all dropped off. Our lemon tree soldiers on, with one hard green little lemon on the way. Many other plants have turned up their toes. This season is harsh.

Where I grew up, it was winter that you hid from. Staying indoors until we were crotchety and got chucked out the back door, snowsuit to the eyeballs, big mittens on penguin-flipper hands. Crunching through the crust on the snow - will it hold me or will I fall in up to my.... oof. waist? Blizzard days of all white: no school, home to draw and listen to the radio, read good books and bake. Snow days.

Me, circa 1994 - New Brunswick, Canada.

Here, I'm beginning to get used to the fact that summer is the killing season: the sun scorches and kills the garden, and we stay in to avoid it. Keeping inside, in the dark and cool, reading books, watching movies. It's all the same things, just the layers of clothing are different.

I avoided today's dire predictions - did go out - went to sit in the cool and craft with lovely new bloggy friends (hello!) and to stay in, out of the harsh weather, crafting in the cool.

Some things don't change much, but at least I didn't have to shovel my car out before I could drive back home. (And there wasn't a mountain lion under someone's car, which there was one memorable Canadian winter crafting day .... but that's another story).

Sorry Franco Cozzo, we recovered it

This weekend was a pretty busy and exciting affair. (No, not that kind of affair, although if there was any falling in love to be had, it was with the fabric on N's new chair!)

Saturday morning I answered a plea for help. As in, 'Help, help, I don't know how to re-cover this chair!' - This from my friend N (recipient of the slouchy scooters bag), whose chair in question was scooped up off the nature strip some time before Christmas.

Makeover required: old walnutty wood, nice carving, upright dining-room chair. Eek! What is this shiny slippery Franco Cozzo covering on the cushion? And this one underneath! And this one, too. Cough-cough -- the dust smells very -- well, dusty.

Rip, shred, measure, bash etc. and theres a lovely chair all long-legged and bold. N - send me those photos! Or I won't go for coffee with you again.... (likely.)


Saturday afternoon's delight was the Mixtogether! Thank you to those lovely girls, Justine and Nichola, we had a lovely time. I met many gorgeous bloggers whose names I've seen 'round the traps online, but it was such fun to sit and sew and chat and munch on strawberries. (Reports of me snarfing TimTams are exaggerated). And a few little things lept into my bag, courtesy of the addictive nature of the Amitie fabric hoard. Ahhh.

I was also stoked to win a prize - thanks to Blog Portion for the world's most amazing bag of goodies, fabric and ribbon - even incense to keep me nice and calm as I rip out my seams. I was a bit overwhelmed by the generosity, and then I won a doorprize, too - $10 at Amitie. I promise you, that will be gone before I'm 6 feet inside the door next weekend for the Thornbury Craft Bonanza (which meets in Bentleigh, on the other side of the city, but nevermind).

So is it any surprise that not much happened for the rest of the weekend? A little snoozing, a lot of reading, some photos and more.... Maybe I knocked myself out with all that craft goodness. Time for a little slow time in the garden, stitching in pretty colours and looking up into the tree.

Ah.