'COUNTRY LIVING'

These aprons - for Mother and Daughter - remind me very much of some of the photographs in English home magazines. I have made these aprons using a simple cream cotton homespun fabric, and the contrasting pockets are in linen with an olde-worlde rose theme. For little girls, the apron will fit from 3-5 years, but I can always make a larger one. Mum's apron is one-size-fits-all - same fabrics. These will be for sale on eBay, as well as on http://www.julesandme.com/. You can always email me directly on elainect@bigpond.com.

SWEET, FEMININE AND VINTAGE

I have been working on some cushions, made using a combination of new and vintage fabrics - I will be listing these cushions both on http://www.julesandme.com/ and on eBay shortly - I need to finish a few more to complete the range - I am also planning to make some little tote bags, both for little girls and their mums, using some of the same vintage fabrics - I just love them, I find them quite romantic, and hope that you do as well. Most of these fabrics feature roses (some are from Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic range), but I also love to use toile (the cushion at the very back is raspberry and cream toile, and I have piped it with cream satin piping - very delicious.

And speaking of cushions ... I still make them for your little one's nursery, and am always on the lookout for interesting, colourful and retro-inspired fabrics. Let me know if there is anything in particular you would like, and I can always make up a cushion for you. I have photographed these two cushions on a chair that belonged to my brother when he was just a small boy - I am mad about it, and hope that he forgets to ask for its return!! And don't you love the little knitted toys - these are knitted for me for a very clever lady here in the Blue Mountains - I have quite a few of them listed on http://www.julesandme.com/ - I love this little puppy very much - each one my friend makes seems to have a slightly different expression on his face!

THE HANDKERCHIEF QUILT

Well I have finally finished the handerkerchief quilt - many thanks to friends who kindly gave me hankies that had been tucked away in dressing table drawers for many years to add to my stash, (I now have enough to make another one)! And thanks also to Ruth Buchanan, whose article in Country Threads magazine inspired me in the first place. I had a little pile of my mother's hankies, which I just couldn't part with. She was very much a lady, who always carried a hankie either in her handbag, or tucked into her sleeve - I still have fond memories of tuck shop money tied into the corner of a hankie each school day. So Ruth's article was indeed timely. I have backed and bound the quilt with a soft floral cotton voile, that seemed to fit in with the theme of the quilt. Hopefully I will have a grand-daughter one day, and she can be lovingly wrapped in this soft quilt ... my Mum would have been delighted.

www.julesandme.com

I made a couple of little cotton items for the grandson of a very proud grandmother friend of mine, and was rewarded by some cute little photographs. Take a look at my online boutique, http://www.julesandme.com/ to see my range. I am always happy to make to order as well, so if you like anything you see but would like it in a different colour, or a size that is not shown, just email me and I can make it up for you. The photographs of Zac show a onesie. a PJ top and some very cute baggy pants ... I like using retro fabrics mixed with gingham for babies - way too cute! I also have some clearance items listed, and postage within Australia is always free.

Next post ... I should be finished the hankie quilt fairly soon, so will take some photographs.

GENEROSITY

I am not sure why the photograph I posted of the hankies hasn't appeared, I will have to try again. I have been given 20 beautiful hankies by a very kind fellow quilter - I belong to an online quilting group called Southern Cross Quilters, and the members are so incredibly friendly, and kind! So I now have no reason not to continue with this quilt - the hankies arrived beautifully packaged, all washed and ironed, and all in 100% perfect condition.

And speaking of gifts ... my husband and I have been given this magnificent quilt as a gift. I admired it when I first saw it in a beautiful home in Wentworth Falls, and the owner gave it to my husband as a thank-you gift! What a delicious surprise. The quilt is Japanese, and the fabrics are all upholstery weight - it is made up of a version-of log cabin blocks - simple, elegant ... as are all things Japanese. It will take pride of place in our living room, in a spot where I presently have a vintage wedding kimono hanging - we are short of wall space, so the kimono can have a rest for a while.

STILL RECYCLING

Have started to cut the hankies into squares, and am putting them together to make a baby girl's quilt. I need to collect more, but they are so hard to find! I have kept to ladies' hankies thus far, but might have to stretch the imagination a little and cut up some mens' hankies as well - some of the checks and stripes should look good. Anyway, here's a photo I took as the collection began, I will post a picture of the finished product. Hopefully that will be soon.

I had unfortunately deleted the photograph of the quilt-in-progress, but have posted this image instead - I love it.

IT'S ALL ABOUT RECYCLING

Browing through some local op shops through the week (one of my favourite occupations) I came across some beautiful old cotton hankies, in perfect, clean condition - some were 1940's florals, some soft pastel checks, some solid colours. It was interesting to think about who had owned them - when my mother passed away last year I came across a box of beautiful hankies in a dressing table drawer - she always carried a pretty hankie, (and always insisted that I did the same thing while growing up - I even remember tuck shop money tied into the corner of a hankie), and this collection reminded me so much of her. Coincidentally, I bought a copy of Country Threads magazine, which features a Sweet Baby Quilt made from old hankies. So I took home my find, soaked them in NapiSan, dried them in the sunshine, spray starched and ironed them, and cut them into 4" squares. The only sad thing about the cutting was that I had to cut away some beautiful scalloped edges and lace trim. So I now have a neat little pile of pretty squares, all ready to stitch together into a baby quilt .. hopefully there will be a grand daughter in my future, and the quilt will go to her.

I will keep you posted on my progress.

I also have a wonderful, ever-growing collection of embroidered tablecloths, doilies, tray cloths, embroidered hand towels etc. which I have been adding to over the years. I am currently looking for inspiration so that I can make a quilt using the best of these pieces - some have holes, some have stains which just will not budge, and some are simply wearing thin in spots. I will go through some of my magazines and hopefully find some inspiration.

My hexagon collection is coming along nicely as well - I have had tables at a few local markets recently, and take along my scrap bag so that I can stitch some hexagons while relaxing in the sunshine - I love these markets, love chatting to the browsers. and any stitching I do is sure to attract a few fellow quilters to my stall! The photograph above shows my progress thus far - some of these scraps of fabric have been hanging about for many years - some of them bring back fond memories of holidays, and some serious Fabric Acquisition Road Trips through the years!

Take a look at my eBay site, julesandme07 - I am going to be selling some fabric, vintage laces, books etc., you might be interested. Also remember my web site www.julesandme.com - interesting baby clothing, nursery items and some bits and pieces for Mum as well.

The Great Pyramids

Well, not sure about The Great Pyramids, but I have enjoyed sewing these pyramids - the incredibly creative stitchers from Southern Cross Quilters kindly provided me with the instructions, and once I got started I just couldn't stop. Filled with rice or kitty litter they make great doorstops (sand is perhaps better, but messy to work with); filled with a combination of soft toy stuffing with some kitty litter in the middle (fiddly but workable) they are a great way to store brooches, or for pin cushions. The small ones are intended to hold a book open - a great idea if you like to combine a book with a cafe visit. So thank you to the girls who sent me instructions, and ideas ... I am going to put a few on my trading table at this weekend's Lawson market, so wish me luck!

UPDATES

Not sure of how I have been using up my time over the past few weeks (almost the past month!!), but I have been getting ready for a market this weekend in Lawson (in the Blue Mountains), and also adding some new products to www.julesandme.com - I have made some aprons for little girls and for their mums, and also a new painting smock. These did well at a market I did a couple of weeks back, so I am hoping for some success in our online shop as well. I have included a couple of photographs here.

Now that the weather is cooling down, my thoughts are turning to warmer clothes - I am currently searching for some good colours in corduroy for pants, interesting fabrics for PJs, long sleeved t-shirts etc. Will keep you posted.

BACK ON AIR

I have been without internet/email access now for more than two weeks - we had some pretty severe electrical storms up here in the Blue Mountains - we lost power/phone/ADSL line/back to base alarm in one massive lightning strike - the lightning also popped a hole in our gas line, so I came home from a peaceful day of quilting to find gas bubbling up through my front lawn - and you can just imagine the smell!! So nice to be back on line!!

I had a stall at a local craft market this week, (Springwood) and once again was totally amazed at the quality of the work produced by local women - hand knitted garments, exquisite embroidery and cross stitch, quilted bags, jewellery to die for, hand made toys etc .... it is a bake/make/grow market so there is also a great selection of home baked goods, jams and chutneys, beautiful plants (especially bonsai) - you are doing well to take any profits home, any profits generally get passed around the other stall holders!! But such a nice way to spend a Saturday.

Speaking of hand made toys, I am just crazy about these little knitted creatures - they are made for me by a couple of very talented local knitters - I am attached to them, and find it hard to let them go to new homes!! They remind me very much of toys from the 1940's and 50's. Just look at those sweet little faces! I have many of these animals available for sale on www.julesandme.com - why not give one a home??

A few photographs

I found a photograph of Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt - the one with hundreds of hexagons - I think you will agree it is quite delicious - so very traditional - a great potential for a family heirloom.

I have some cot sized quilts listed on www.julesandme.com, and am always happy to make to order. If there is a particular theme, or a particular colourway that you like, let me know, and we can create something special. I particularly love vintage inspired fabrics for kids' quilts - there are so many great fabrics to choose from, and you can create a wonderful retro theme for a nursery, especially when the fabrics are combined with gingham.

I have recently purchased some new fabrics from the United States, and I hope to be cutting them soon.

EARLY MORNING BLOGGING

It's 5:45am Saturday, and I have been awake for so long, thought I might as well get out of bed and start the day. One of the worst things about not sleeping is the thoughts that seem to creep into your head that have no right being there ... why does everything seem grim in the middle of the night!!

One of my great passions is patchwork and quilting, and I have just joined the Southern Cross Quilters online group, which is just wonderful! I love seeing emails in my inbox, and with this group there are many emails each day, from the friendliest group of people imaginable - they are supportive of one another, interested in one another's activities - quite amazing. Anyway, they have got me fired up about quilting again, I haven't done much in a while. And I have already been invited to join a local group - a good opportunity to meet up with some new people - I find that quilters are always warm and friendly people, and nothing nicer than sitting with people who have similar interests, chatting and stitching. I have always wanted to make a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt - it requires hundreds of hexagons, so I always have a bag of supplies with me, so that if I find myself on a train, or watching a movie on TV, I can make a few hexagons - I have a mental race with myself to see how many I can put together in an hour - it's a great way to use up small pieces of leftover fabric.

I am always looking for inspiration for my online shop, www.julesandme.com, and I came across these wonderful aboriginal design fabrics on eBay this week, and plan to applique some t-shirts and pj's - something a little different - I just love these fabrics, they are so beautiful, I would like to hang them on a wall! The fabric on the left is called Emu Egg, and the one on the right is Spirit Place.

All I need now is more time in each day to accomplish all of the tasks on my "to do" list.

FORGOT THE PHOTOGRAPH

I thought I had uploaded the beautiful photograph from the Mt Wilson garden, but it didn't happen - here goes, I will try again.

THE NEXT DAY

Well that seemed to have worked well - I remain confused with user names/passwords/signing in to my Google account - I seem to arrive at a different page every time - it's all about patience I guess.

I just want to share with you a wonderful little piece I found amongst some papers - taken from Good Weekend Magazine July 17, 2004.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking about the future, anticipating my 60th birthday, which, given the way time speeds up once you've hit 30, is just around the corner. And here's what I'm working towards: forget the apologies and the cringing. I plan to borrow from a little-known Nepalese ceremony and be carried aloft through the best streets in town on a palanquin for all the world to see. I can just see the faces of the toned and implausibly right-faced women out walking their dogs as I am carried by shops like the one I passed the other day, where featured in the window is a boudoir pillow inscribed with the saying, "age is a number, and mine is unlisted". Just the thought of it makes me smile (adding a crease or two in the process). But what the hell. By then I hope to be well on my way to ageing dangerously".

Isn't that wonderful - I have passed the 60 mark, and it was not as ghastly as I had anticipated - in fact I thoroughly enjoyed myself - I had two weeks in Koh Samui with my family - what more could I possibly have wanted! And I still am quite surprised when I see a 62 year old face in the mirror ... apart from a few aches and pains, I still feel like a 30 year old!

I went out to Mt Wilson for a drive with my husband one day last week, and took a photograph of this beautiful lady - she sits in an old, gracious garden ... thought I would share her with you.

GETTING STARTED

Finally plucked up the courage to get started with a blog - I think I am pretty much the only person I know who doesn't have one ... well I do have one, but it is not relevant now. I will explain ... I had applied (if that's the right word) via Nivea's Channel 7 and New Idea promotion back in October last year to be a volunteer in Thailand, an opportunity to work for a month in a school in Chiang Mai, helping to teach English to students. I had to submit a written application explaining why I wanted to volunteer, why I thought I would be an appropriate volunteer, and filling the Nivea people in on my background in volunteering. I have done volunteer work for quite a few years now, mostly during time spent in Asia - specifically in Thailand and the Philippines - I have done Lifeline counselling here in Sydney, and have spent time working in op shops. I currently work in the Cancer Council op shop in Katoomba. I did make it to the final 8, which was a great, and quite unexpected, honour. Apparently close to 1000 applications were received. The 8 finalists met on December 15 with a panel of judges, as well as Yahoo 7 and New Idea staff - the judges had the difficult task of choosing the four most appropriate applicants out of the final 8 - two would go to Chiang Mai, and two to Pedwa in South Africa. I thought the idea was fantastic - women over the age of 50 were encouraged to apply, to show the world that we mature women still have what it takes to go out there and make a difference.

I am enjoying reading the blogs of the women who went ... the two Chiang Mai blogs are particularly interesting, as that was my chosen destination, mostly because I have spent quite a lot of time in Thailand - love the country, and love the people. The two women in South Africa are so far away from a township that they can only write their blogs once a week - from memory it is a one hour trip to the nearest internet cafe - the things we tend to take for granted!!

My point was ... Yahoo 7 provided each of us with a blog, so that we could tell the world of our adventures - my blog is still there, but as I said, hardly appropriate now.

So ... back to the real world. My focus now is my online boutique - www.julesandme.com - selling baby and infant clothing, toys, handmade quilts and nursery accessories. I love to sew, and have done so for myself and friends for many years. The arrival of my grandson in 2004 however redirected my focus to baby clothes. I bought him plain white t-shirts, onesies and PJs, and embellished them with retro fabric appliques, and made co-ordinating pants, bloomers and shorts. I tested the products on friends, who loved them. I then sold into a couple of boutiques in Sydney, as well as Bondi and Mosman markets. When I felt confident that I was on the right track, my son in law, who is a graphic designer, built a website for me. I love what I am doing, I consider the site a work in progress, and it probably will be for quite some time, but that is very ok!!

Once I work out how to post photographs to this blog, I will show you some of my favourite things. Worked it out! I didn't expect the photographs to show at the top, but there you go. You can see the latest quilt I have made, my gorgeous grandson, and two of the toys I sell - hand knitted by a very clever lady from Newcastle.