kootoyoo

My creative space...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:19:00 +0000

getting back to basics with a bit of crochet.

I am just like this...just visualise the chest as my head. I've been overstuffing for a couple of months & it's all just spilling out all over the place.

I'm using the granny squares & this lovely swap as packeruperers. Then I want to make a new handbag & get on with my doodle/quilling idea & my quilt plan too.

Focus.

I can't even remember last Thursday so no favourite from last week...sorry. I've got my pen ready for this week though!

Do pop in & add your link if you're playing along this week.

Not what I had planned at all...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:32:00 +0000

image credit Paul Thurlby

but oh my gosh.

I'm not sure how I hadn't seen this before but the very clever Paul Thurlby has the whole alphabet! I shall be starting with "A".

I was searching for "zip" on flickr & had planned a whole my handbag zip's busted thingy & needing to make a new one but now I'll just be killing a bit more time in Paul's shop & on his blog too.

Just so good.

Things I did in class...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:11:00 +0000

when I should have paid attention.

I coasted through school.

Worked just hard enough to get by & spent a lot of time drawing these & writing notes to The Date during class.

I've kept these all this time (20 years this year) and I've been thinking about them a lot lately & thinking about quilling too.

We'll see where this goes...

Storm, worry, calm, relax...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:57:00 +0000

...Just before

...24 hours after

We were away for Saturday's storm.

I told myself that the old & the new house would both be fine...I tried to believe it...I relaxed...enjoyed the night...& then went to sleep...& then drove back to Melbourne to check everything was OK...at 3am...everyone I've told thinks I'm nuts...except the two other women in my family..."would have done the same"...telling.

Hoping that my Melbourne mates are all doing OK in the mop up.

The rest of the weekend was hassle free...

Instant facelift...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:00:00 +0000

I had a lovely time with the cushion making. I backed it with some thermal curtain liner that I pulled out of the stash but you can get a gorgeous denim backed one from Aunty Cookie herself.

In my opinion this type of application for curtain lining is seriously underrated. Readily available in Op Shops, doesn't fray & it's hard wearing too. An excellent craft cupboard supply.

Just to add a bit of interest I triple stitched & button holed in red.

I love the way the cushion looks on the "roadside" chair & it will also look pretty ace in the little guy's room.

Return calls...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:50:00 +0000

Tabitha asks...

I am wondering if you can tell me of any websites for buying wool felt squares?

I have looked all over the internet and cannot find anything worthy.

I would appreciate your time immensely!
Tabitha

Hi Tabitha

Yes I absolutely can! I was lucky enough to win some squares from this girl last year & I can tell you that the colour range is beautiful.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/feltgirl

Happy shopping.

Excellent Melbourne Tradespeople & the old house...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:10:00 +0000

What I've been doing for the last month (& a bit)!

Thought you guys might like a tour of the old place.

Obviously not our furniture but I did do the bathroom & had to kitchenify the kitchen (nobody I know has three pairs of vases in their kitchen).

Trades I've used (& heartily recommend). This should be the "go to" list for Melbourne folk.

A bit of back history...I used to work in Property Management so I've dealt with a lot of tradespeople in my time & these guys were all amazingly accommodating & just a pleasure to deal with. I'm sharing them with you because I know how hard it is to find good tradespeople & it's so helpful to have referrals.

Garden Maintenance:
LC Mowing
Lucas 0409 998 508
This guy is a machine! I have never in my life seen a skip packed so neatly or efficiently. He just goes & goes until the job is done. If you need your lawns done, weeding & general garden tidy up then Lucas is your man.

Builder:
Glen Johnston Home Improvements
Glen 0414 325 722
Professional, helpful & extremely particular. Just absolutely top quality workmanship. Glen's the man if you're renovating or building in Melbourne's East.

Plumber:
Marty 0438 771 007
Just a complete champion. It seems to me that finding a good plumber is like the quest for the holy grail. Marty is it!

Electrician:
Armadale Electrical
9509 9133
Gary was "my" electrician when I worked in Armadale & frankly I'd never use another electrician. The guys from Armadale Electrical are all super professional & just lovely blokes.

General Maintenance:
Polished Properties Maintenance Group
Mark 0438 019 994
Mark was recommended by our Real Estate Agent as the guy "who does it all". He co-ordinated painters & carpenters & general maintenance items. He's professional & a pleasure to deal with.

Concrete:
RL Concreting
John 1300 790 775
John did the driveway at our new house (which is exposed aggregate) & also helped us out at the old house. He's professional, prompt & a pleasure to deal with. He went above & beyond offering advice & options for us.

Render:
Jolley Textures
Reegan 0425 773 684
The house was rendered about twelve months ago & it's transformed it! Probably the best thing we did for the place which was previously a hideous orange brick. Reegan was extremely flexible & professional & will be coming back to the new place to render our new fence.

Garden Design:
Imperial Gardens
Tracey 0419 200 116
Tracey came in & offered practical advice on excellent low maintenance (& not too costly) garden design. The difference the plantings have made to the house is unbelievable. Imperial Gardens have some pretty impressive "cap feathers" in Toorak & Hawthorn & Tracey is offering consultations so that you can DIY. She works with what you have & offers no nonsense solutions to maximise the look of the property.

Further details on the house can be obtained from Tom Ryan (0413 872 550) at Jellis Craig.

My creative space...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:54:00 +0000

Good morning!

I've got a couple of last minute jobs to finish off at the old place but then I'm planning on whipping Shannon's latest creative offering up into a cushion for the sewing chair.

You might know that I love red. It has to be just the right red though & this base fabric is ticking that box. It's just a perfect rich red. If you fancy one of these beauties yourself you'd better nick over & see Aunty Cookie.

Visit my favourite space from last week here.

Pop in & add your link if you are playing along this week.

Time management...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:01:00 +0000

"I can do that...it's a 20 minute job - tops".

This is pretty much my motto. Of course, most things end up taking me a lot longer than 20 minutes (& I often get myself into trouble) but really I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm not totally unrealistic & I didn't for one minute think the "old house makeover" was going to take 20 minutes but I did seriously underestimate just how long it was going to take...

...& I've still got another coat of "black japan" to go.

Anyway, this is my bathroom in the old place. This was the only room I was in charge of & I confess it's my favourite.

Scrubber...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Hugely inspired by Trixie Delicious & my love of stating the obvious. This just gave me a huge giggle.

In the words of teenage girls everywhere "no offence".

If you know someone who might appreciate this (or something a little less blatant) there's a template over at Feeling Stitchy today.

Return calls...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:50:00 +0000

Stem Stitch (sort of)

Bits 'n Pieces said...
Beautiful stitches! But it looks like you don't use a hoop? Do you have a backing on your embroidery to make it "thicker" for both the embroidery and to hide knots? Thanks again for your tutorial!

No, I never use a hoop. To be honest I don't know how people can use a hoop for stitches that "run" I seem to fuss around for so long trying to get the needle up & down in one motion.

I sometimes use a backing. It depends on what the piece is going to be used for. If I plan to wash it I would never use a fusible product for fear of the wrinkling that sometimes occurs when the glue starts to wear off. If I'm making something just for show then yes, I back. I use a lovely iron on interfacing which I buy from Bustle & Bows in Melbourne. Sorry, I don't know what it's called but will ask next time I'm in the shop & update this response.

Nancy said...
Ah...you don't use a hoop? How do you keep the fabric from wrinkling?
I do my stem stitch the same way...what are we doing different?

I don't ever use a hoop & sometimes the wrinkling is an issue. I try to stretch & correct the base cloth as I go. If, once I've finished the piece the wrinkling is still obvious then I wet it & then give it a light press (face down on a nice thick towel) while it's still damp.

Actually quite a few people said that they stem stitch the same way as me. I guess it's just a slight variation. If you have a look here you will see that traditional stem stitch is worked slightly above the previous stitch & not through the same hole as the previous stitch.

Twisted Cord

Pamela asks...

I understood your instruction to make cording out of thread but what if I want to anchor the thread first onto my needlepoint canvas and make a cording which will serve to "outline" a shape on my canvas? This way the cording is secured in my needlepoint project but I want the cording to outline a shape and then anchor again at the "end" of the shape. How does one do this if the shape being outlined is not a straight line, but rather a circular form?

Good question Pamela. You could "couch" the twisted cord to the base cloth.
It would be very easy to hide your couching stitching inside the twists of the cord. See how to couch right here.

Phone a friend...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:40:00 +0000

As many of you would know the blogger comment system drives me insane! I loved the ability to respond to comments when I had kit comments but that whole system caused an enormous amount of frustration both for myself & you guys too.

I've had a number of questions recently that I feel we could all benefit from & so I thought I'd introduce something a bit different.

Lexi has been answering questions over at her place & I love the idea of formspring but my "form on the track" indicates that I won't keep that up.

I've got a couple of questions to answer from the stem stitch video which I'll answer in the morning.

Hoping that this is a valuable craft resource for you. If I am unable to answer I'll try to find a "guest" with the know how to answer your question. We'll see how this works out...

Just fill in the form below:

Coke as a cleaning agent...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:41:00 +0000

you bet!

These brass burners were pretty badly tarnished. They've come up wonderfully (& with very little elbow grease).

I just gave them a light buff with steel wool after they had soaked in Coke for a few days. If you're going to have a crack at this...

-Get an airtight container (to keep the bubbles bubbling longer).

-Place your burners in the container & fill with Coke until they are well covered.

-Regularly change the Coke over the next couple of days.

-Buff with steel wool (not jex...the real stuff).

How to Stem Stitch (sort of)...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:20:00 +0000

It was so nice to have a bit of time to myself yesterday.

I've had a few emails asking for pointers on stem stitch & again I think that this is the kind of thing best learned by watching & listening rather than still shots or sketches.

I stitched a bit of lettering & thought that I'd share the video. I've kind of adapted my traditionally taught stem stitch over the years. Vick...if you're reading this - click away now. This is my "go to" stitch. I use it for lettering, for outlining & for anything with a curve. I love the flexible nature of this stitch. You can very easily rocket ahead on straight sections & then slow right down & do teeny tiny stitches around sharp turns. It's a forgiver...I like that.

Hoping that this helps you out & you become a (sort of) stem stitcher too.

Now that I watch this video...is it any wonder my stitches are so tight. Just look at how I "correct" each stitch.

My creative space...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:43:00 +0000

The "dusk shoot" was last night. I think it went fine, we'll wait & see what arrives on email for approval.

I've bought myself a bit of time as the first open isn't until next Saturday. So today I plan to work on a little bit of stitching just for me. It will be worked in DMC 702 which is just about my favourite colour at the moment.

Embroidery on thrifted/opped sheeting.

I was lucky enough to pick up a big pile of hospital weight sheets from the Op Shop a couple of years ago & I'm still working my way through it.

Thanks all for playing along so nicely last week & I look forward to catching up with you.

Don't forget to pop in & add your link if you're playing along this week.

Just as an aside...learning to touch type was the very best thing I ever did.

Shower mitt...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:52:00 +0000

This shower mitt has evolved from the tea bag soap saver I made a couple of years ago.

Mine has been in constant use since it was made & I love it BUT it annoyed me I had to kind of fold the top of the bag over & wrap the drawstring around it.

So, one day on the run I thought about adapting it to a mitten.

The sampler stitches act as a bit of a loofa & there is a little pocket inside the mitt to hold your endy bits of soap.

Good morning...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:59:00 +0000

It's drizzling & it feels fresh & lovely.

Muesli...juice...coffee...swimming sports...sparkling clean old house...heading to Bunnings.

Just a good day for up!

This fabulous set was purchased at Camby market years ago...also lovely. Hoping your Monday is the springboard to a great week.

A collection..

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:22:00 +0000

is being fed with these offerings from the garden cleanup.

I'm just super loving all things "rust".

My creative space...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:02:00 +0000

I'm boring myself with all the talk of the old house so lets just say I'm being creative in a whole other kind of way & leave it at that. This other creativity is going to keep me away from you all this week but I'll look forward to catching up with you all after next Tuesday...that's D Day. The photos are being taken then (at 7:30pm...pretentiously called a "Dusk shoot") & after that it's out of my hands & into the hands of the real estate guys.

Visit my favourite space from last week right here.

The kitchen is also my creative space this week but there's no cooking going on. I'm soaking the gas burners in Coke & hoping for the best.

Thanks for playing along & thanks also for popping in to other players to say hello. I like Thursday...it's friendly.

Coming up daisies...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:57:00 +0000

This is the very first thing I have ever made for The Date.

Daisy fortunes & apple stalk love interests were all the go when I was in about Year 5.

It wasn't for Valentine's Day or any day really. I think all the hearty stuff that has been popping up around the place during the last couple of weeks certainly had an influence though.

That's what the petal folding was all about & the French Egg too.

I reckon he probably needs the affirmation at the moment because Kirst on a deadline is fairly hard to get along with.

made using juice bottle lids & cotton from an old bed sheet.

...back to the old house for me. x

How to embroider a French Knot...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:00:00 +0000

I do love French Knots & I trot them out at every opportunity. Time consuming if you cluster them - yes. This lot represents about 4 hours of knotting!

But I remember they were mystifying for such a long time. Maybe it was the quick movement of Vicky's hands...they always seemed beyond my reach. I always ended up in a French mess!

I've had a few people ask about French Knots so I've prepared a little video of how I French Knot. For me the key/secret is the "correction" which you'll here about & see if you watch the video. I hope you find it useful. It's a great stitch to have in your "kit".

I'm working on my video skills. Obviously I was holding the piece too close to the camera...ah well...practice, practice, practice.

Video made using The Flip.
Thanks to Flip Video, I love this piece of equipment.

I can't help it...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:34:00 +0000

I started out intending for the knots to be fairly sparsely placed.

I've progressed a bit further since I took this shot & find that my knots are getting closer & closer together. Just like my crochet & my knitting, my embroidery is pretty tight.

It's just the way things are.

I'm a faker...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 08:11:00 +0000

& proud of it.

We've had a quote to replace the fence which is absolutely beyond our reach at the moment. So today I've fashioned myself a render look fence using shade cloth & cable ties.

I just wrapped the old cyclone wire fence in the cloth, pulled tight & then used my hand stitching skills with cable ties to hold everything in place.

Imagine my delight when I found that they actually make shadecloth in "Woodland Grey".

Proving that having a crafty mind is useful for all sorts of thing.

Where I was...

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:33:00 +0000

Thanks for playing along with my "Where am I?" yesterday.

I had to go down to the beach yesterday to give my parents in law a hand & treated myself to a stop at The Mill Markets on the way home.

My grandmother had a set of these (without the Pimms branding) when I was growing up. I don't care to remember how many cups of Tang or Orange & Mango juice I drank from them...always accompanied by a Tic Toc biscuit.

Where am I?

kootoyooblog@gmail.com (Kirsty) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:38:00 +0000

Where am I?, originally uploaded by kootoyoo.