my place + yours ... my pin cushion!

I'm joining in with Vic and the gang in the my place + yours meme ... I probably should seeing I suggested this week's theme, which is .... show us ya pin cushion!

This pin cushion came with me from Melbourne, along with a few other sewing/crafty things that I could fit. It's handprinted and handmade, but not by me. I was the lucky recipient of this pin cushion in the Fox's Lane pin cushion swap way back in April 2010. This one was made by Ruth at Little Tree Bird.

This pin cushion has been in use since I received it. In my studio I have a few pin cushions floating around, but I packed just this one. It's a worker, it's small, and it reminds me of home and lovely bloggers.

It has all the usual pins and needles in it. I had to buy some big darning needles to fix the seat of a leather lounge the other day. The set I bought also came with the really neat curved needle you can see at the back. The needle with the blue embroidery thread in it was used just before I took these photographs to mend Little Mister's new backpack ... three days of use and the loop that hangs the bag on the wall had broken. All fixed now.

So there you have it! I hope you join in too and show us your pin cushion ~ visit Vic for everything you need to know.

my place + yours ... kitchen love

I'm joining in the my place and yours fun this week, because the theme is kitchen love and I'm all about the kitchen love!

But first, let's start with a bit of background. When we bought this house a couple of years ago, the kitchen was the second worst room in the house (the bathroom was the worst - I still have nightmares!). The kitchen we inherited was a reno jobbie from the 80's with secondhand cabinets and bright blue accessories. The worst part was that there was 12cm difference between the height of the floor from one side of the room to the other, so everything rolled off the benches ... not nice! So last April, we did this ...

 ... it felt good - it all went - the kitchen, the dodgy plumbing, the appliances and the floor. And we replaced it with this ...

  

  

These are my two favourite spaces in the kitchen. The first is the open shelves that house all my odds and ends and a small selection of the cookbooks that I own ...

 

But this little corner of the kitchen is my standout favourite. I am lucky enough to have a fire engine red Kitchenaid mixer - my favourite appliance by far! The wooden bread board on the wall is french and antique. I bought it when we bought the house and it was my little incentive to make a kitchen that I would be proud to hang it in. The cannisters were Mr Yardage's grandmothers - we salvaged them from the old family farmhouse in NSW last year - they are very special and got their own little glass shelf to live on.

 

So that's my kitchen love, and one of the main reasons I like to make tea towels and other kitcheny stuff! To check out other great kitchen love or to play along too, visit Vic at Punky & Me (our lovely host) here. 

P.S. Our table was custom made from local recycled timbers by a guy in Richmond, and the chairs were a super splurge from Thonet - I love these too!

my place and yours - what i'm reading ...

Thanks to Vic at Punky & Me for being a super Theme Queen for the first My Place and Yours for 2010. This weeks theme is "What I'm reading". I read lots - magazines (I have a slight addiction - this has been the topic of many blog posts!), blogs, books, newspapers. Unfortunatley, I don't have a lot of time to read, so I end up with stacks of books and mags next to my bed ...

I love home mags, craft mags and zines, cooking mags and cook books. I got the Movida one for Christmas - there are some such yummy recipes in  there - brill for anyone who like Spanish food!

The last couple of nights, I have been reading this ...

This book was first published in 1903, and has been re-published ever since - it's one of those foundational texts for anyone interested in design. I came across it by accident and bought it for the beautiful designs inside, but it is a brilliant resource for anyone dabbling in pattern design.

To be honest, I really want a book to read for entertainment - I'm going to check out Vic's recommendation for a good laugh later at Borders.

If you'd like to share what you're reading at your place - head over to the Punky & Me blog - it's open all week! Have a great weekend!

my place and yours ... my collection ... vintage sewing machines

I'm joining in on the "my place and yours" fun over at Meet Me at Mikes for the first time ... how about you?

I collect lots of things ... I like old things ... things with a past, a story and charm. Today, I'm going to share my first serious collection - vintage sewing machines ...

It all started when my sister salvaged an old treadle sewing machine off our family property for my birthday about 10 years ago. The machine once belonged to my great aunt. The wood on the table was rotten, and the machine rusted beyond repair, but the cast iron base was lovely. Best of all, it was a WHITE sewing machine - an American brand, the same name as my maiden name. The addiction began. I still have the old machine in the shed, and I am currently sitting at the table I made from the cast iron treadle legs typing this blog post.

My rules for this collection are pretty simple - sewing machines must be hand crank or treadle (no electric models), they should preferably work, they must be lovely to look at, and there must be space to put them (this last one came from Mr Yardage - this from the man with every games console ever made - we both collect stuff!). I also don't have any Singers in my collection (yet) - not a rule, but I wanted to give the others a go and be a bit less predicable!

This machine is one of my favourites, and was my first aquisition. It's from a tiny antique shop in Handorf (South Australia) - it's German and still sews (once you get the hang of the hand crank!).

This one is also a favourite - a WHITE treadle in an art deco timber cabinet. It is in mint condition.

All in all, I have eight vintage machines - six on display in my home and two in the shed who need restoration (maybe when I retire??!). Five of the eight are WHITE sewing machines - I love them! This is definately an ongoing collection for me - I love the workmanship, the feel and the look of these old machines. To think that women 100 years ago made all of their clothes using one of these just amazes me.

Thanks to Kate at Fox's Lane for the brilliant theme, and Pip at Meet Me at Mikes for being a wonderful host!