living...

well it seems i am destined to be an erratic blogger... i didn't intend to be away so long but life has been busy and i am just enjoying that right now... we have found ourselves all of a sudden in the land of "two"... miss a (as she now would like to be known because she is a "big girl") is delightful company and we have been having a lovely time getting up to all manner of adventures... yesterday we ate fish and chips in a charming beach shed by the water all white wood and sand, sorry no pictures... i've been erratic with the camera as well...

i would love to be able to say that in my absence i have been travelling to exotic places...


but no i haven't... my lovely sister kindly took time out to shop on my behalf (and thank-you t for waitng patiently!!!)


not sure what these will be, right now i'm just enjoying the folded-up goodness of them...


before i go i did just want to let you know that miss j's website is very near... do pop over for a sneak peek at her latest work, divine...

happiness...

WIP friday...

i've been meaning to post a WIP on a friday for some time now, i'm really enjoying the group that fiona started and find it really has helped me to focus on the process of crafting again...

so we won't discuss exactly how long this little number has been sitting on the work table... as you can see, the prototype is nearly finished with little piles for a few more cut and ready to go...

the idea for this bunny came from these ladies... i love the texture of the linen combined with the japanese fabrics and also the effect of the stitching on the reverse side of the denim...

now all i need is some time to finish them up!

we were thrilled to read that there are so many "tiger who came to tea" fans out there and do thoroughly recommend inviting a tiger to your next party, even though it will eat all the cake and drink all the beer!!!

ps...lisa, you are never too old for a tiger cake :)

tiger tea party...

when our darling little moo turned two on sunday, we had a small family celebration inspired by her favourite book...

but no matter how small the party is you always have to have balloons,


and cake,


and cupcakes,


and lollies!


the tiger cake design came from the 1970's edition of the Australian Women's Weekly birthday cake book (thanks mum), my sister made the gorgeous cupcakes (Donna Hay Kids #1) and the animal balloons are in Martha Stewart Kids (spring 2005)

playing catch-up...

there's lots to be blogged about and i am seriously behind in replying to queries and comments...

so, this week is about catching up on things...


on the weekend before last... miss j held her wonderful winter show, i had a lovely time making making tiny pink paper cranes to sell to raise money for chicks in pink...

i find the act of folding paper to be such a calming pastime and i was so pleased with how they turned out... they were surrounded by paper lanterns (martha stewart kids, summer 2005, page 28) and looked so pretty!


the weather was gorgeous, miss j's new work is simply divine (hurry up with that website miss j!) and i got to meet some lovely bloggers as well which was a real treat!

ps... thank-you all for your sweet blog birthday wishes :)

one...

i can't believe it, red felt flower is one year old today... it seems like only yesterday that i started here, emerging from the fog of being a new mum and finding my feet in a wonderful new world...


this corner of my home is a special one for me, i made these little framed pieces while i was still pregnant with little moo, filled with excitement and dreams for the days ahead...

one year on i feel like i am emerging from a fog of a different kind, but the words that are written here still resonate for me...

laugh, share, dream and create...

i'm currently re-organising my workspace and i'm so excited about starting to work on some projects again...

but for now, a big thank-you to all who stop by and especially to those of you who have become such dear friends xxx

red...

last but not least...

the final bundle, cheery spots and stripes in bright red...


as usual, the first person who comments and sends their details will receive this last box of ribbon...

all the little parcels will be sent out on monday, thanks for playing :)

blue...

hidden treasure...

beneath the satin and organza is a rather special ribbon...


it's quite traditional almost like a tapestry, heavy with a thick wired blue edge... i've had this roll for the longest time, i always had a notion that it was french...

i discovered today that it isn't, but it doesn't matter, it's still lovely...

be the first and it's yours...

black & grey...

whimsy on wednesday...

so todays bundle makes me really happy, although i do realise that it won't be to everyone's taste...


charcoal grosgrain, smoky and dense, i just adore these ribbons and use them a lot... and really there is nothing finer than to have a ribbon that you love in three widths, 6mm, 13mm and 22mm...

and there's a tiny bit of habu in there because you know i love that too!

you should know what to do by now...

brown...

perfect for a box of chocolates...

today we have some grosgrain, striped and plain and another lovely satin...


did you guess it would be brown?

be first to comment, send your details to redfeltflower(at)gmail(dot)com and this little bundle will be coming your way...

white...

more whimsy...

todays box of ribbon... are you wondering what's inside?


simple and lovely, cream satin with a some organza tucked underneath... heaven forbid i could only have one roll of ribbon it would be a classic satin every time... the weight of it in my hand, the way it falls with a nod and a wink to ribbons of old...


and yet happy to be thrown together with a touch of habu to become a thoroughly modern girl...

so be first to comment and send your details to redfeltflower(at)gmail(dot)com (the only rule being one bundle per person so the fun of the ribbon giveaway gets shared around)

a touch of white later today and more ribbon tomorrow sometime...

hee hee one hundred...

so here we are at number 100... hope you don't mind a bit of a jumbled post today as there is lots to make mention of...

firstly the divine package i received from eireann for the trimswap that she organised, i'm such a lucky girl, these ribbons really are exquisite... thank-you so much eireann, i love them!


and the little parcel that i sent to kristi has arrived safely... (take a peek at what was inside...)

Frederic Clement "The Merchant of Marvels" (isbn0811816648)

i love nothing better than to package up special somethings and as you probably know by now, ribbon is one of my favourite things...
so as well as exploring colour this week, i also want to share a little bit of whimsy with you... a different bundle of ribbon every day...


some pretty pinks to get us started, just imagine how sweet these would look around a bunch of freshly picked flowers... if you would like these ribbons, be the first person to leave me a comment and then send your contact details to me at redfeltflower(at)gmail(dot)com...

more to come tomorrow...

ribbons and trims...

thank-you all so much for your words of support after my last post, i really am so very grateful...

so back to some craft related posting... i'm really excited to have signed up for the trim swap organised by the lovely eireann... i get really really excited about such things and have had a lovely time playing around in my drawers trying to decide what to send, here's a sneak peak of the little box that is making it's way across the seas... will reveal more when it arrives at it's destination...


i just noticed that this post is #99... being that i had such a lovely time making up this little package i'm thinking i might make up some more to give away in celebration of my 100th post, stay tuned...

learning to walk...

it feels like i've written this post a hundred times over in my head and at times i've wondered if i would ever feel brave enough to write these words... but today is a wonderful day and i feel brave...

today we walked a very special walk... it was significant because in december last year i was diagnosed with breast cancer and a few weeks ago i finished the second part of my treatment ... though the the journey continues, i'm going to be fine...

so we walked...

and we celebrated the gift of life for which we are so very grateful...

some of my favourite books are cookery books, to read about food feels so sustaining and at their very best these books speak of life as much as food... i'm currently reading the book you see here, it's called "Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life" by Tessa Kiros (isbn 1-74045-748-x) ...not only is it beautifully photograped and styled, it is full of memories and dreams...


these pages remind me of my own childhood... they inspire me to create special memories with my own little family and to cherish each moment that we spend together... in the same way this wonderful community has helped to sustain me through these days... so thank-you dear friends...

oh and happy mother's day to all the mums out there...

a sense of history...

this is the back of the sewing machine manual for my new/old machine, a lovely bernina 1005 that belonged to my husband's nanna... she was a dressmaker who sadly i never got to meet... i was delighted to see that she had written on the back of the manual "(Exhibition) August 1989" - the place where she perhaps first looked at the machine or maybe even purchased it... it seems like such a nanna thing to do... i'm taking it to be serviced in the coming week and it pleases me no end that i will soon be sewing on her machine, hopefully some of her skills will rub off...

small things...

it's little projects that entice me at present...


peg dollies for little friends...

the joy of confetti...

i finally got around to trying my hand at making paper with confetti and waxed lunch paper... perfect for wrapping up little easter bundles... please don't laugh at me when i tell you that i did momentarily think about colour sorting the confetti for a more refined look... an idea that was quickly dismisssed as folly because surely to embrace the confetti-ness of this project is part of the joy...

update... this really is very easy, just position the confetti between two sheets of waxed paper (waxed sides together) place a teatowel over the top and gently iron together...

a gift...

from miss j, who has quite a talent for such things...


it's tiny, almost the size of a little matchbox...

what's inside you ask...


three little peas in a pod...

delightful, no?

thank-you all for your warm wishes for my blogging break,

it has been just the thing...

days...

"You will find that it is all very familiar...the strange and faraway places where you've never been. The wild unknown leads you to a place just around the corner. Take a picture when you get there...the road is you."

"The Road"

J.Bebe - R.Hammond

i read these words one day, they are written on the cover notes of a compact disc... the journey doesn't always take us where we expect, this i truly know... i remember a trip to the mountains... my baby looks all grown up in blue jeans and a piece of red plastic endlessly entertains my grown-up boy, it twists and turns and flutters to the ground...

we travel to the sea where we hold hands and walk across the sand... at night my head is filled with words floating in and out but when morning comes they are gone... although i love these autumn days i find myself impatient for spring, for new growth and silver linings...
but i will wait in this moment and take comfort in the motion of my hands,
in the rise and fall of my breath,
in the feel of fabric beneath my fingers,
in the sound of the world moving around me,
in the fall of my pen as it scratches across the page...

waiting for words...

there is so much to say that i hardly know where to begin...

a little blog holiday is in order i feel, not for too long...

just some time...

to make space for sewing...

and for sending mail...

to write daily in my journal again...

and to observe the change of the season around me...

retro food...

if my gorgeous sister were to start a blog it would definitely need to be a food blog... i neglected to mention that the sixties hors-d'oeuvres in my last post were her handiwork and tasted delicious in a retro kind of way... as you can see they looked fabulous on jackie shapiro french bull platters, take a peep at what they look like here and here...

forty years friends...

last weekend was the 40 year anniversary of the arrival of my dad and his best pal in australia... they came here as ten pound poms on the MV Aurelia back in 1966, we celebrated in style with a meal from one of the original ship menus...


and reminisced with a slide show, for which we had old fashioned mixed lolly bags...


a lovely time was had by all...

junk mail jungle...

and a bamboo hook...


what's a girl to do when the local mega-craft store has every size crochet hook but a 4.00mm... understandably i just have to drive over to threads and more to fetch a lovely japanese bamboo one (all the time repeating to myself that i will not even glance at the habu yarns or the new jo sharp book... yeah right!)

meanwhile the love affair with crochet continues... i'm currently working on the round string cushion from simple crochet by erika knight...

the comfort of crochet...

my mum crochets beautifully and after reading this post at show & tell
i decided it was time to learn... though it has taken a while to get used to the technique, i'm now taking great comfort in working small simple pieces... bath mitts of string and this cotton wash cloth, a gift for a friend...

more than words...

japanese craftbooks continued...

sorry it's taken me a while to get back to the books...


i first saw this book over in the inspiring images from craftbooks group pool on flickr, such a great place to while-away a few hours... and then the finder of all things cute posted a review here... the rest as they say, is history...

crazy happy...

firstly because we've been playing with paper dolls all day long... and secondly because staying up until 2.00 am in the morning for amy's mailorder was so worthwhile...