SCONE DOILEY

I thought I would make a little doiley to keep my homemade scones warm in their basket on the table. I purchased a vintage doiley and wrote the word scones on the middle with a dissapearing pen. The ink fades after a few hours then dissapears completely. I embroidered around the letters in satin stitch.

SMILEY FACES

I can't resist the little smiley faces of pansies and although they should be just about coming to an end mine seem to be better than at the beginning of winter. What could be nicer than a single pansy in a pretty cup and saucer

one of my collections

I collect purfume bottles and am always on the lookout for ones of unusual shape. These are some of them

my inspiration

I am totally hooked on the uk tv programme The edible garden with Alys Fowler. I first discovered her on Gardeners World and was mesmerised by this gorgeous redheaded bundle of enthusiasm. I can't wait for Saturdays to come around so I can watch this lovely programme. I was born in the town where Alys lives in her Victorian terrace. She has turned her ornamental garden into an edible one and has a couple of chickens called Alys and Gertrude which she just loves to bits and talks to them like they were her children, she feeds them by hand with strawberries and goodies grown in her garden. Her little dog Isy (short for Isabelle) looks on.
It is a programme that shouldn't be missed, if like me you love to garden sustainably.
When it is too wet to be out in her garden she is in the kitchen baking and making all sorts of things from the goodies she grows. Her last baking session was lavender biscuits which I can't wait to make when my lavender comes into flower.

new to my range

This is the new addition to my christening wear range, a back to front cape. It goes beautifully with any one of my rompers. All made of silk. Visit my website to see the range. www.jeanetteannchristeningwear.com

heavenly

Isn't this the most beautiful picture. I couldn't resist it especially with the work I do, it looks beautiful in my sewing room. I can't stop looking at it

VEGIE GARDEN

The vegie garden is coming along nicely, I don't seperate them from anything else in the garden I just tuck them in wherever I can find a space as our garden is only the size of a postage stamp.

something I have wanted to do

Now I have almost completed what I have been working on for a long time, A book, This is the title "HOW TO TURN A HOUSE INTO A HOME Country Style"

THE FIRST SIGNS OF SPRING

At last the first signs of spring, these are our first daffodils, I couldn't resist picking them. Spring and Autumn are my favourite seasons. I feel like I have so much more energy so started to spring clean the house already this morning, just couldn't wait.

My latest creation on my website now

This is my latest creation a silk dress with heart diamente on the bodice, set includes, dress,bloomers with french lace, hat with bow and shoes.

recycling cosmetic jars

I felt like playing today and as I had some little cosmetic jars I couldn't bare to throw out decided to turn them into pin holders. First remove the lids, gather together your materials eg vintage fabric scrap, wadding, glue, scissors.
Cut circles of wadding to fit the top of the lids, glue in place. Cut circles of fabric to fit over the wadding and with needle and thread run a stitch around the circles, pull up to fit over the lid and pull gathering threads up to hold the fabric in place. secure with a few stitches. Cut a piece of braid to fit around the lid rim and glue. Next cut a piece of fabric to fit around the jar itself with enough fabric to hang over the bottom, glue inplace around jar, snip at intervals around base of overhanging fabric and fold over the base of the jar glueing as you go..Let the glue dry before replacing the lids.

chair and stool revamp

After much deliberation I decided to revamp an old chair and stool in the bedroom. I used scraps of upholstery fabric in a pretty pink and green combination. For the chair it was just a matter of lifting out the loose seat, wrapping the fabric around it and stapling it underneath. For the stool I just unscrewed the seat, removed the old fabric, cut around the circle leaving enough for turning under, staple at the back, screw the seat back on and glue a decorative piece of fringing around, I think with the pale green paint they look great.

MINIATURE DOLLS HOUSE FESTIVAL

At the weekend I had the oppurtunity to mind the trading table at the miniature festival for my cousin who is amazing. She makes so many beautiful miniatures as well as teaching the craft. At the same time as a trained chef, she does all the catering for the festival and makes every delicious mouthful herself. Ellen is one very talented lady. Here are a few of her miniatures.

Bishop gown

This is the bishop gown I made and is available from my online store www.jeanetteannchristeningwear.com or email me for more details

Some of my favourite things

Some of the things I like around my home, I change the dispays regularly to suit my mood

PICNIC

Decided to brave the cool weather and drive to the Barossa Valley for a picnic today. It was so lovely and green and fresh. We bought lovely locally made cheese from the Barossa Cheese Company in Angaston and homemade tomato chutney and sat in the park between showers and sunshine and indulged ourselves with tasty food and local wine from Jacobs Creek.

Some of my favourite things

I just love pretty,vintage cutlery like these. I bought the sugar sifter spoon the other day at a market for $5 It is so pretty.

MY FIRST CAULIFLOWER

This is my first cauliflower from my vege garden I started at the beginning of the year. It will be dinner tonight, cauliflower cheese

HANDKNITS

I just love handknits I find they are so warm and I think babies are so lovely in them instead of toweling grow suits. The one above is white with handembroidered roses in a size 1 please email me if you are interested. It is for sale on my website www.jeanetteannchristeningwear.com

Australian Made?

I dont't know about you but I get quite frustrated about more and more products we need are made overseas when we are quite capable of making or growing them here or even in most cases do.
I find it has been quite difficult to buy fruit juice without imported fruit concentrate,I have only just found one out of a supermarket full.
The riverland in SA are digging there fruit into the ground because they can't sell it It is a crime I think. I cannot buy a tin of Tuna that isn't a product of Tailand. The final straw came yesterday when we were travelling on the new trams in Adelaide. We wanted to get off at a certain stop and the voice over the intercom said we had to ring the bell to notify the driver that we wanted to get off, fine but where was the bell? 4 of us could not find it. As the tram sailed past our stop the conductor said" did we want to get off there, if so why didn't we ring the bell". I said "where is the bell", he pointed to a button on the door that said above it PRESS TO OPEN DOOR. How on earth does that translate to RING TO STOP. I then told this to the conductor who just shrugged, I told him that had the trams been made in Australia this probably wouldn't be a problem. Why? when Australia is quite capable of coach building, it wasn't given the contract WELL NOW I HAVE GOT THAT OFF MY CHEST I can get on with my next batch of orange marmalade which has RIVERLAND ORANGES bought on the side of the road and LEMONS FROM MY DAUGHTERs TREE,

WALKING IN THE RAIN

Had a really nice day today, decided to go for our daily walk even though it was rainy and cold so armed with a very large umberella and rugged up with scarves,hats,gloves and padded coat, walked to the beach and came back warm and feeling very fresh... must do that more often.

vintage tins

I have been collecting vintage tins for years. Every time I look at them individually I recall memories from the past. Does anyone remember icecream that came in tins, well I have an original Dairy Bell tin that I actually bought in the early seventies with icecream in it.

BAKING DAY AGAIN

Have to go to and eightieth birthday tomorrow. What do you get an eighty year old man? So thinking cap on decided a box of homemade Scottish shortbread. After lunch ingrediants out got stuck in but knowing me, when I start baking I think I am making such a mess of the kitchen, why not do a whole lot and freeze it.
Five hours later sitting down for dinner totally exausted (I can't think why) until I look at the pile of goodies, plus the dinner and desert, I think yes it is well worth the effort. I can end the day quite pleased with myself

EASY SCRAP QUILT

I am in the process of using up as much of my scrap fabrics a possible, and what better way than in a scrap quilt. It has to be a scrap one because I can't quite commit to all that cutting and measuring in the lovely quilts most quilters make. My grandma used to make quilts as a way of saving money. She used to get scraps of fabric from the cotton mills in Lancashire England where she lived. The fabric was that striped stuff that old fashioned pj's were made of. I had one of hers for many years until it dissintegrated. The lining was a worn white counterpane.

I have pictured the one I am making and included instructions, hope you have a go it's quite simple.

Choose the colours you would like in your quilt, I always seperate all my scraps into colours that go together in seperate bags, so that when needed they are already sorted. Press all your pieces. Take a piece of fabric for the back of your scrap squares, I used calico 22cm square. Chop off a piece of fabric from your stash for the centre of your scrap square. Cut 5 sides to the piece then pin it to the centre of your calico square. Take another scrap in a different colour and with right sides together place it over one of the 5 sides and stitch, fold this scrap back so that you cannot see the stitching and press. Keep doing the same thing as you go around the centre 5 sided piece. You should now have the centre 5 sided piece with 5 scrap pieces sewn around each of the 5 sides. Continue going round in the same manner covering raw edges of previous scraps as you go until you have covered the calico square. Trim around the edges of any overhanging scraps.

Take a piece of fabric 24cm square(I chose a floral and am using the same one for all my backing squares)but you can still use different colours, whatever you have.
cut a piece of padding 22cms square and place behind scrap square. Place the floral 24cm square behind that sandwiching the padding between. Turn the floral 24cm square over the edges of the other square (now padded)turning over twice to conseal raw edges,pin and then stitch with tiny hemming stitches.

You should now have a scrap, padded and backed 22cm square.

Keep making more squares and using tiny oversew stitches on the back, sew squares together to the required size.