Amanda Brooke

me...an Auntie!

 

Whilst making this card this morning I received the news that my nephew Zachary had arrived! It was joyous, not only to be creating after being sick for several days, but to also get such great news of his safe arrival! Mum and baby are doing well.

The stamped images and paper are from Stampin' Up! I coloured the stamp image using my beloved Stampin pastels and used a fixative to prevent the image from smudging.

I have also done a little bit of stitching too since last night, another great achievement after too many days of stillness.

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

Ladybird fly away home....

 

Several weeks ago I was honoured to make brooches for ladies attending a stitching retreat hosted by Sarah at Quilt Fabric Delights . One of the brooches made its way back to me for personalizing and this is the result. The new owner "Tessa" loves ladybirds so I couldn't resist hunting for a sweet little glass baby to finish this brooch. The brooch is now on its way back to Tessa and I am sure it will be a sweet addition to her collection of all things ladybird...

I have had some time to ponder through the pages of Anna Maria Horners book that I mentioned in my previous post. It is a great book and I love Anna's natural, chatty style of writing. You almost feel that you know the girl after reading a few pages. The projects are great too, very practical. I must say that I am not an orange fan but having her book on my shelf I am continually drawn to its colourful...orange...cover. Maybe I need to have a play with some orange????

I have some new things to show in coming weeks and the pattern will be ready soon for the farm landscape. I just need to make the cover and type up the requirements list...long overdue..but it is coming.

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

Girls only parcel!

 

I was tickled pink today to find that a parcel had arrived for me from Quilt Fabric Delights .

Inside the new book by Anna Maria Horner...a stunning book with great layout, attention to detail and fun, funky projects. I haven't really had time yet to sit down over a cuppa with it...but I will get to it over the weekend.

  

Then this great range of fabrics to make something with....not sure what yet...just happy to drool over it!

 

Then this...some sweet fabric from the Tilda range. The quality is lovely, fine cotton and the colours are sweet and pretty. I just love the Tilda girls too!!!

Now how am I supposed to get to sleep with all the ideas that are going to float around my head?

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

Autumn Holiday

 

Splendid Autumn colour welcomed us in Bright, Victoria last week when we travelled by car through the mountains of the high country. I have taken multiple photos of autumn foliage to file away for stitching inspiration.

 

One of my favourite moments was visiting Wallace's hut, a shelter built by three brothers, cattlemen, in 1889. The air was cool and crisp...snow scattered along the track winding  into this hideaway. It was serenely quiet, an almost surreal place to visit.

 

And here I am ...on top of the world...well almost! This is me almost at the top of Mt Buffalo, the second highest mountain in Victoria. I was actually above the clouds and that was a sheer drop behind me! It was also very windy so I couldn't wait for the photo opportunity to be over.

I am refreshed after my few days away and feel very blessed to have experienced some of the most beautiful country in my home state.

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

Housekeeping

A happy belated Mothers Day to all the special mums! I had a relaxing day with family and was spoilt with breakfast made by my daughter.

I have received several enquiries about my block in the current Homespun magazine. Thanks all for your lovely comments and again it has been a wonderful experience being a part of this special project.         

This is a close up of the knots on the dress of my Breast of Friends block.

 

Housekeeping...... the single numbers referred to on the stitch guide are Gutermann Sulky Thread and they are all number 12. I used two strands of thread unless otherwise stated.

Look out for my profile on the Complete Craft blog by visiting the link in my sidebar, it should be on the website Monday 18th.

I am away for a few days so I cannot reply to any enquiries about my block until after Wednesday 20th, please forward any enquiries to my email or leave a comment and I will respond upon my return,

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

Crafting with Cold Hands....

 

 

The weather here has been bitterly cold! Weather like this entices me to bring out the knitting needles and to attempt something new...wool felting! I knitted a bag from a kit and then washed it in hot water, shrinking and felting the wool. I then styled the bag into a creation of my own and this is the result! So much fun, quick and so original....I could get addicted to this!

 

I have enjoyed the process that much that I have started another one...slightly larger.... and it will be a gift....will reveal that one when it is received by the recipient.

 

I have also made two cushions from old pillowslips. I got the idea from an old magazine. You just cut the pillow slip square (approximately in half along the length) sew the raw edge and turn right way out. Insert a size 18 cushion and...voila...that's it!!!! They are comfy little things that I have thrown on the couch. I couldn't bear to cut up any slips from my own vintage collection, but found these on a recent creative excursion to a thrift shop...now searching for more to convert!

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

Gippsland Girl

 

This is where I live, amongst the rolling hills of Gippsland. It is a beautiful landscape, everchanging and rich in agriculture.

 

It is this landscape that inspired the stitchery I completed lastnight. The pattern for this design will be available soon. You can experiment with different colouring mediums, thread colours etc to make the design your own. The creator can even add their own elements to make the stitchery personal, different farm machinery, crops etc.

  

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

A Family Project

 

A couple of years ago my mother, three aunties and cousin from Pennsylvania selected and swapped a piece of fabric for a family challenge.This is the collection of fabrics that we swapped (bar one fabric I couldn't find at the time for this shot) and I have been procrastinating over what to turn them into. With the only requirement to use each fabric in the project, we could choose as many other fabrics as we wanted to and stitch them into any project that we liked.

Lastnight I started tracing and cutting and tracing and cutting and tracing and cutting....and this is what I have come up with!

 

Fun and cheery! I have never used black fabrics before in a quilt. My cousin chose this fabric and I have to say it makes the design "pop". I added several fabrics to tie it all together and included a black/lemon stripe to tie the black in. I belieive my cousin uses black a lot in her quilts and it makes it extra special that this fabric traveled all the way from America to me. My fabric is the red with cream spot and each fabric reflects the personality and style of each family member.

This quilt design is by Apples of Gold and is reflective of mismatched china.

I will baste the applique pieces onto the squares tonight and then I have a ready made travel project for a road trip I am taking next month.

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x

Happy Easter

 

Wishing all a Happy Happy Easter and a relaxing break with family and friends!

I am looking forward to an egg hunt in the morning followed by a plate of sticky lemon and sugar pancakes, a pot of tea and a restful day with my loved ones.

Enjoy!

Amanda x

 

Secret Womens Business!!!!

I awoke Saturday morning in anticipation of the weekend ahead....Secret Womens Business workshop...!!!! Yayy!!! I had been busy stitching and preparing for the workshop so it was great to finally relax a bit and just enjoy the atmosphere.

 

This is the team of lovely and talented ladies I had the pleasure of teaching with...Viv Robinson (centre), Brenda Ryan and Jennifer Knol (peering over her glasses)....sorry not the greatest shot, but the best out of three! It was a great two day workshop run by Natalie and a team of helpful ladies and all who attended I am sure had a great time.

And this is what I made for the workshop. A hexagon table runner, which you can make as BIG or small as you like using more or less heaxagons and big or small hexagon shapes. The technique I use to piece these gems is soooo easy and fast!

 

My Flower tile stitchery featuring hundreds of tiny seed beads and crayon colouring.

 

A cover for a Blessing book that I can write my daily blessings into each night. This photo was taken before the workshop and the cover wasn't quite finished (see raw edges of opening at bottom of cover).

Unfortunately I can't display all the photos from the weekend in this post so keep an eye on my sidebar for more photos of demonstrations and projects by the other designers.

This was my first teaching experience alongside Brenda Ryan too, and what a lovely, generous lady she is. Brenda's embroidery is exceptional! I am definately having a try at one of her gorgeous embroidered buttons. To make one of Brenda's embroidered buttons I am going to use this....

 

..... hand dyed threads of beautiful quality and colours. The threads will be available from Candleberry Country soon and are made by beautiful Pam. They have been developed for the surface stitcher so there is a short length of colour before it varies into the next, creating perfect shading and variations on smaller sections of your work.

I have been awfully busy with study and work so there hasn't been alot of time for me to be as crafty as I would be normally, however I am refreshed and inspired after the weekend and look forward to posting a little bit more regularly again in the future.

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda x