Could it be?

Yes! I'm stitching.
There is a UFO craft group that gets together once a month at G and J's school and on Friday night I was able to go along and enjoyed chatting and sewing with a lovely bunch of mums I have gotten to know pretty well over the 6 years that G has been at school. You end up spending a lot of time with the other parents at playdates, after school park outings, sports events, parents dinners, etc and they're a lovely bunch. Of course, being part of a craft group that is just a few minutes from home is bliss!
I was able to get all the hand-quilting done on this quilt and should be able to get the binding on soon.
But you know how that goes... don't hold your breath :-)

Honeymoon chairs

Mr Duyvken and I bought these repro chairs at a second hand office furniture outlet in Forster just a couple of weeks after we were married 11 1/2 years ago. The fabric had worn right through them but they're very sweet little chairs and are still in great condition so, when my mum was having some dining chairs reupholstered before Christmas I got these done as well. We've had them back for ages but, since there's been very little crafting going on around here I thought I'd share them with you. Hopefully, my smoke and mirrors act will distract you until I get around to doing some stitching :-) I chose one of the fabrics from Anna Maria Horner's drawing room range. She always has a few fabrics available in home dec weight and it was very hard deciding between a few of them. But I am very happy that I ended up with this.The upholsterer selected the braid himself and he matched the pink chair beautifully but the turquoise chair has federation green braiding that doesn't match at all. Can I be bothered buying new braid and glueing it on myself? Um... no. Yes, I know it would only take a few minutes but I so can't be bothered. So, federation green and turquoise it is. I'm learning to love it.

Reading

Books about photography, The Swan Thieves, asbestos removal pamphlets, permission slips for G's first school camp (they're going to Bathurst in June - chilly!) and, of course, blogs.
Dear Lushie is wrapping up her time in Germany and heading to the USA. I am going to miss her humourous voice and her beautiful photos. I have enjoyed the glimpses into expat life in a small german village and her warm and cheerful outlook. I wish you well dear E and hope that you know there will always be room in my comment box for you, I hope you'll pop in from time to time. xx

The Reading List

We've discovered some wonderful titles recently and I thought I would share them with you because I always love getting reading recommendations from friends.

G is reading Chasing Vermeer and from how much she is raving about it I can't wait to read it myself once she's finished. All those little purple tags sticking out the top are pages she's marked. It's a 'find the clues, solve the mystery' type of book and she's taking it very seriously. She's such a delight!
C and JW are enjoying this lovely (and sparingly beautiful) book by Herve Tullet. Sweet William's godmother gave it to him for his baptism and, if we keep it in one piece, I am sure he will also enjoy it. It's like an ipad app in book form and the girls love tapping the pages and shaking tbe book. It's genius really. I can't resist tilting the book myself when I have tucked all the babies into bed and have it all to myself. I challenge you to find it in your local children's bookshop and resist the instructions yourself.

J is rereading an old favourite, Left-Handed Heroes and hoping that Sweet William will also be a lefty. Given the way Sweetie is favouring that hand so far I think it is definitely a possibility.

And I am reading Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves... such a beautifully written book.

Handmade furniture...

...on a chilly, hazy autumn afternoon.

11 weeks

For Blackbird.
I take requests, you know.

The Gown

~ May 1 2011 ~

Addition

Delicate glass christmas ornaments.
A fallen branch from one of the angophoras in the backyard.
Fishing line.
A hot glue gun.
A new mobile for G's room - hanging above her desk and welcoming each new day by reflecting the morning light.

4km

After sleeping through for the past week Sweet William decided to wake at 4 this morning which made it very hard to pull myself out of bed when the alarm rang at 6. I was very tempted to stay where I was but I managed to pull my hair back, put on my sneakers and make it into the Domain in time for the 7:30 start. The start for what, dear reader? The Mothers Day Classic. A fundraising event for breast cancer research and a great opportunity to run through some of the most beautiful parts of Sydney. I signed up a few weeks ago when it still seemed like I had plenty of time to train. Believe me, those weeks passed quickly! I did the 4km run in 30mins. It's not a particularly impressive time but I have been patting myself on the back all day nonetheless. Yay me!
The internal high-fiving continued when I realised that Mr Duyvken had made pavlova for dessert tonight making this officially a two pavlova weekend. Good times!
And thank you to D Beltt for the tips about how to fix the jumper that JW cut... I think that with a little help from my mother-in-law I'll be able to repair it.

On being 3

People moan about the terrible twos but three has always been much more challenging for me that the twos. There are moments when independence meets curiosity and combined with pretty good fine motor skills questionable things can happen. If mama is otherwise occupied the results can be... well... difficult to fix.
This evening while I was feeding the little man the older kids were making masks and JW stood up to triumphantly declare that she cut it all by herself. Turns out child-safe scissors cut through a much-loved handknit like butter. Yes, a handknit! Mr Duyvken's mother made this for G when she was a toddler and all my children have worn it.
The worst part is that I have absolutely no idea how to go about fixing this - any ideas? I'd love some suggestions.

PS sorry the photo is sideways, Blogger must have had a few too many margaritas to celebrate cinco de mayo.

A little time for stitching

Wraps for the cardiac unit at The Children's Hospital Westmead. More info here on Sophie's blog. And a bassinet quilt for a new baby girl born to two wonderful mothers. This it what I will be working on tomorrow night at The Craft Room.

PS the fabric is from the Verna range by Kate Spain.