One Pair of Hands

A Present for Bonnie.

2012-01-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

Since way back in the dawn of time (my time anyway) I've loved to make doll's clothes. Collecting offcuts from Mum's sewing projects and using a needle and thread to gather strips of fabric onto a band, I turned out skirts galore. I was pretty chuffed with myself because I could do a proper waistband. I was allowed to use Mum's sewing machine only so long as I didn't turn on the power, (that

A challenge

2012-01-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

A friend who works in the newborn unit of one of our hospitals has given me a bundle of beautifully crocheted little blankets. They were intended as a gift for the unit's cots but are in acrylic and will not stand up to the very hot water that the hospital's laundry uses. Being a tiny cot size they are not large enough to wrap a baby so my friend was unable to pass them on to the hospital's

Zimmy

2011-12-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

This picture made me smile and I thought I would share it with you. A real performer, Zimmy is happy to be dressed up in all sorts of costumes to have her photo taken. She seems to love the attention. Zimmy belongs to my son's partner and has her own facebook page - Zimmy Dog. She is a real campaigner and fights for several causes, among them, Oscar's Law - a movement to end the cruelty of

Euphoria

2011-12-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes something happens that makes a day really special. Yesterday was one of those days for me. Our daughter had announced that she was taking us to the Royal Melbourne Zoo. The man of the house has been eager to visit the Zoo for ages as we haven't been there for many years. We were keen to see the new enclosures that have been built to make the animals more comfortable and so were looking

Our Special Day

2011-12-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

The Gala Day for the woodworkers has come and gone, and some of us are feeling that weird rudderless feeling that happens when you've spent a whole year working toward an event and suddenly it's over. It was marvellous seeing all our work stacked up ready for presentation. Everything looked so colourful. In all we shifted 600 toys, carting them back and forth like an army of ants as we loaded

The've Done it Again

2011-12-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

Those lovely ladies from the Pakenham Patchworkers and Quilters have once again presented the woodworkers with the quilts that we need to dress up our dolls beds and prams - 48 in all, if I've counted correctly. I've photographed just a few of them here. Each one is a tiny masterpiece of stitching executed with the same care and precision that would go into a quilt for a full size bed. These

An experiment.

2011-12-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

With the discomfort that I have had of late with my thumb, I thought I'd drag out the knitting machine and give it a run. A really simple project is a pair of mittens which I made up in an hour or two. They turned out well and fitted the man of the house perfectly, but the enjoyment of clicking away with my trusty needles just wasn't there. Into the bargain there was a lot more sewing involved

Last Chance Monday

2011-11-27T22:10:00.000-08:00

I know it says Sunday in Blogland but over here in Oz it's Monday and the last one before our big Gala Day at the weekend. That's when we will give away all our toys. There will be others working through the week but I won't be able to attend. Today I painted lots of blue paint on lots of aeroplane wings - not an exciting job but we've got to get them all finished today so that they can be

How I Spent Today

2011-11-20T21:58:00.000-08:00

These are some of the 24 old-fashioned hobby horses that Stuart, at the woodworkers club, has made to be given away in two weeks time. Since my painting job in the paint shed is finished I gave Stuart a hand to tack the horses bridles in place and glue their eyes on. Santa's Little Helpers, are putting all their effort into finishing up the toys we have been working on through the year and

Ready & waiting.

2011-11-18T17:19:00.000-08:00

I thought you might like to see the lovely, traditional rocking-horse that was made by one of the woodworkers. Bill makes one of these beauties every year as first prize in our annual fundraising effort. I think this is the 12th one he has made. It is about the size of a small Shetland pony and will take the weight of a fully grown man. This year, due to ill health in the family, Bill needed

That time of year again

2011-11-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I'm making our Christmas cake again. Here it is, all ready to go into the oven. It's no secret that I'm lazy and would happily buy one of the cakes put out by the Lions charity but our grandson is allergic to nuts and so I like to know exactly what goes into anything that he is going to eat - and he loves this cake. The beating and blending is better than a work-out at the gym,

Miscalculation.

2011-11-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

A friend gave me two large balls of this strong green coloured yarn. Although the colour is a little bright for baby wear I thought it would make a nice blanket and teamed it with the paler mint shade. Oops! I thought I had enough of the paler shade but discovered my mistake when I reached this point. Disaster!! What to do now? I really don't want to pull the work out so I hunted about in

First time effort.

2011-10-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

A visit to our daughter in Queensland always includes a trip to Mt. Tamborine to a craft market. Quite apart from the beauty of the area, I love the market for its relaxed atmosphere. I can always be sure to find something to bring back to Melbourne. I fell in love with these little beaded angels and bought a kit for two. Although I admire the work when its done by others, and I love the

A different hat

2011-10-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

I thought you might like to see one of the tiny treasure's I found in Mercy's basket. It's a little needle case worked in double crochet. (American single crochet). I thought it such a cute idea that I decided to make one like it. The crown of the hat holds a thimble and the base takes the pins and needles. It was really easy to make. I used a fine crochet hook that is labelled 2 and a half

Mercy's basket

2011-09-22T00:45:00.000-07:00