quilt candy

This morning I visited the Craft & Quilt Fair which is on this weekend in Melbourne. Aside from all of the fabric and supplies you can stock up on, there is an amazing exhibition of quilts on display adjacent to the main area of the fair. I only had my little happy-snapper camera with me, but there were some lovely quilt ideas and designs that caught my eye ...

If you're planning to visit the fair, my advice would be to go early or late if you can - I was there around late morning and it was very busy. Also, don't forget to stop in and see Nicole and Brianna at Nicole Mallalieu Design and get her new A-line skirt pattern (this was first on my list of things to do today!).

Have a lovely weekend!

cutting + folding

It was all about fabric cutting and folding here this morning, with orders for a number of lovely customers and stockists to fill. It's one of my favourite jobs! I took a few minutes to take some photo's ...

This set of fabrics will be at the lovely, crafty Onabee shop in Kensington tomorrow. I hope you are enjoying a sunny afternoon wherever you are!

gayware

Thanks to Kylie (from Lucy Violet Vintage), I now know (by looking at the bottom of my canisters), that I'm a collector of Gayware!

Have a great day!

worth it!

The cold and the rain this morning at Camberwell Market was totally worth it, because I found these pristine beauties ...

These lovely red canisters will be right at home with my other little canisters also found at Camberwell Market (and the subjects of one of my tea towel designs) ...

I love the colours, shape and text of these retro canisters ... I think I'm now a "collector".
Hope you've found some good stuff lately! See what other treasures have been found this week over here.

carlton gardens

I had a lovely morning in the city today, visiting some very clever people at Design:Made:Trade (which is open to the public this weekend, and worth a visit - some amazing talent and excellent products). No photography was allowed inside the event, but while I was waiting for the doors to open, I had time for a stroll in the morning sun around Carlton Gardens ...

Have a lovely weekend!

P.S. Thanks Sophia for your lovely email this week, I really appreciated it (for some reason your email address was incomplete on the contact form so I couldn't reply to you directly) - I hope you see this!

the buzz box goes home

The buzz box went home this week - our trial is officially over, and aside from the formal surveying part of the trial, I thought I would reflect on our experience with this unique vehicle (you can read my previous posts on the trial here, here and here).

My overall feeling about the car is very positive. This is what I liked about it:
~ It's all electric - a step in the right direction from an environmental perspective
~ It's easy to drive - small, but perfect for the city or just around town. Four people fit comfortably.
~ The driving position is high (good vision), and getting little kids in an out of car seats is easier than a normal car because of the extra height
~ The electric engine is nippy - no lags, just power on demand. Better than I expected
~ It is amazingly easy to park - probably my favourite thing about driving it!
~ I have loved talking to people about it - so many people have been interested in what it is and how it works. I've had lots of people stop and talk to me in carparks and on the street. The feedback I've had from people has been 100% positive
~ It used far less electricity than I expected to charge it - almost un-noticable which is amazing considering that we were charging it every 3-4 days

For balance, here are the things that I didn't like much about the car:
~ The range of the charged engine - about 80km (give or take depending on drive mode and terrain). It's just not long enough. Without public charging stations and/or very fast charging (it takes 6 hours to charge a tank from empty) it is frustrating and easy to get caught out.
~ While electric vehicles are a step in the right direction, if our electricity continues to come from unsustainable sources (in Victoria's case, brown coal) it's hard to argue the full environmental benefits
~ The price of the car has just been announced ... $48,000. In my opinion, too expensive relative to other hybrid (and non-hybrid) options that offer more space and more reliability. This car will be available to buy from August.

It has been wonderful to be involved in this trial - I am truly grateful to the Victorian Government (especially the Department of Transport) for running it and seeking the experiences of real people in order to improve the product. There are some exciting things happening in this area at the moment, which is heartening. If you'd like to keep up to date with what's happening with the trial and future developments with electric cars in Victoria, visit this website.

Thanks to many of you, too, for your interest in this project. I have loved reading your comments.

mail loot + my brooch!

Yesterday, I picked up the large pile of mail that had been collected while we were away. There were the usual bills and such, but also this lovely loot ...

You might think that these two lovely items came from the same person, but one of them came from the USA and one from Sydney, Australia ...

I can't believe my luck ... this is my brooch from Jess at A Life so Peachy, who (unbeknown to me) was my partner in the Flowerpress Brooch Swap. I am so impressed with the design and thought behind this brooch. I'm wearing it today! Be sure to pop over to Jess's blog, especially to see the amazing layer cake she just made!

A few weeks ago I spotted this beautiful framed embroidery over at June at Noon's etsy store, and I knew it had to be mine. It is so beautiful - the design and the colours. Thanks Gretchen - I love it!

I hope the postie brings you something nice today!

home

It's cold and wet and dark, but I couldn't be happier ... we're home. Melbourne, you are loved.
I'm looking forward to dusting off the sewing machine and visiting Design:Made:Trade later in the week, but in the mean time, I need to get back into the timezone ... I've been awake since 2.30am!

Have a great Tuesday!

hasta luego España {see you later Spain}

It's our last night in Spain, and we've just arrived home from a lovely dinner out in town, followed by a walk around the beautiful ancient streets. We dined at Zazu (pronounced Thathu in Spanish because z's are pronounced with a lisp). Little Mister played with the French kids at the next table, and we enjoyed amazing food and wine in the warmth of a summers evening. Europe is a magical place. It's been wonderful to experience as a local (of sorts) as opposed to a tourist.

The Plaza Mayor at night

We'll be back in Australia soon. Until then, have a lovely weekend! Before I forget, thanks for your interest and kind comments about my time in Spain. It's been lovely sharing it with you.

a new fabric design in the works ...

This week I've had some time to start turning some of the ideas in my notebooks into actual designs. The abundance of carved wood, ornate stone buildings and the influence of art nouveau in Spain has featured heavily in  my sketches. This is a sneaky peek at the design I'm working on at the moment ...

This design is at the final tweeking stage. When I get to that stage, I print it on to some paper backed fabric (just through the computer printer) in colours I'm thinking about. I always find a need to feel it and drape it all over the place before I decide whether to go ahead with handprinting yardage. This one is nearly there. If you haven't already, sign up for my newsletter (top of the column on the right under "about me") and you'll be the first to know when it is released. I'm thinking fresh new colourways in pale blue and cool green ready for spring ... thoughts?

In other news, the Yardage Design SHOP is now OPEN again. I will be back in Australia on the weekend, so orders will be posted from Monday. Early birds will snag a few left-over bargains!

More creative spaces here.

days ...

Days pass by quickly here ... even though they are long and light (about 16 hours each day). We haven't been near an airport for more than a week and it feels good - just hanging around and taking it all in. Here are a few of my favourite pics from the last week ...

A quiet Spanish Street, sheltered from the heat of the sun

"Rain in Spain" on the roof

Ancient typography

Flowering oregano in garden

Amazing architecture and art

There's been a bit of designing going here this week too ... more on that tomorrow.

One last thing - Yardage Design is now on Twitter!

Have a lovely day!

bee

Chuffed with this one - taken with the macro lens in the garden yesterday. Have a lovely weekend!

reading material

This is what I'm reading at the moment ...
Oh Comely ~ a cool mag about creativity and quirkiness that I picked up in London
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs ~ chick lit with a crafty plot about a woman who owns a yarn store in New York. I'm really enjoying it - no thinking required!
Gardens Illustrated ~ a British garden mag with the most beautiful photography. I bought this in London too, but I buy this mag at home in Australia regularly.
Mollie Makes ~ the new "it" craft mag ~ lovely! The new edition was released yesterday ... pity there are currently no stockists in Spain!!
Smoke ~ a "london peculiar" ~ stories celebrating modern London. Edgy, alternative, interesting - I enjoyed reading it.
Black Cab Wisdom ~ a small tome of pearls collected by a London cabbie from his passengers ... "if you think your life is bland, then you haven't added enough flavour", and "you are the pink flamingo on the great lawn of life". Genius!

What have you loved reading lately?

london calling

I had been looking forward to our long weekend in London for weeks and weeks, and it did not disappoint. Aside from all of the lovely family things we did (sightseeing, eating, shopping, eating!), I managed a few hours to tick some things off my crafty list ... starting with a visit to this lovely store ...

Liberty of London has to be one of my most favourite stores. Aside from the beautiful fabric, it is just full of beautiful things - an old fashioned department store with wonderful service. Lucky for me, Liberty is currently having a sale, so I came away with these gorgeous fabrics. The top four are 1m remnants that were half price, and the bottom fabric (the same as the one hanging over the chair) I bought 3m of ... I love it!

I also visited The Make Lounge (thanks Jennie for the tip!) - a gorgeous craft shop full of lovely bit's and pieces. I finally got myself a copy of Mollie Makes from there.

It was just so lovely to be back in London again. The city is in "spruce up" mode - getting ready for the Olympics next year, so the place is buzzing. As an Australian, London is such a homey place to visit - similar food and lifestyle and loads of Aussies! Here are a couple of my favourite snaps from around the town ...

Back in Spain now for a couple of weeks. Cheerio!