Not a Quilt …

May 19, 2019May 19, 2019 / manicmumdays / 4 Comments

… but a finish all the same ☺️

I scored this gorgeous barn chair from a crafty acquaintance having a sell out a few years ago. It has had a couple of spaces in our home and recently got handed down to my youngest son who requested a colour change.

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I think that was a fair request, it had become a lot chippier since I bought it. I knew red was going to be a challenge to cover so I primed first. The test spot bled thru the primer big time! So I invested a few more hours sanding time and used a tinted undercoat primer to block any remaining red.

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I was actually really in love with this grey! But Master 9 could not be swayed … He chose a lighter, and more green colour than what it ended being, but it looked a bit insipid with the blonde seat pad so we chose a deeper shade with a bit more blue. For anyone interested, it’s called Dulux “Zuni”

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We all agree this is a much better colour! In fact, Master 9 is in love :

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Hope you’re all having a wonderful Sunday!

KATE Sig for Manic Mumdays

Still Here …

April 19, 2019 / manicmumdays / 1 Comment

I have been a bit absent, but still pottering along … A few interesting things have happened.

Not long after my last blog entry I had surgery on my right hand for Carpal Tunnel.

Ouchies!

I had 4 weeks off work and even more time off sewing and crafty type things. I am considering having my left hand done this year. It’s not as bad yet tho.

To get back into the swing of sewing early this year, and because I wanted something I could just mindlessly do, I made a big push and completed the top of my Leaders and Enders project!

Excuse the bad photo, but I do love this one!

Then, in early February my city had a “500 year weather event” and experienced catastrophic flooding from days and days of torrential rain. The local dam was so over full that authorities decided to open the flood gates and release millions of litres of water which inundated many, many homes and businesses. We and our home thankfully stayed safe and dry – despite always being told we were on flood plains! While a lot has returned to “normal”, a lot hasn’t for many people.

The floodgates are opened!

Up close

I haven’t done much sewing since then, but plan on quilting my Leaders and Enders top in the next few weeks. It will be the largest job I have attempted on my home machine and I am a bit nervous lol

In the last 2 nights I picked up an old hobby that I re-discovered while cleaning out our spare room closets – X-stitch! I chose a dead easy project to attempt to get me back in the game!

Night one’s efforts.

Night two.

Well, that’s a bit of catching up for now. Hopefully I will have some interesting things to share in upcoming weeks.

I hope you and yours have a safe and happy Easter!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Bag Lady – Another finish!

May 17, 2018 / manicmumdays / 3 Comments

I am a bag lady.
I love carrying a bag to put all my essentials in. I generally have a handbag for every day use; a backpack for when I need to have my hands free; and a large tote style for work.

I had a couple of days off last week and made myself a new work tote!
It was from a mini MODA charm pack I had hanging round and some scrap denim I have been cutting up for another project I have on the go.

I just free styled all the charm pieces together and surrounded them with recycled denim, sandwiched and FMQ’d the front:Then I put two pieces with pockets together for the back :
A couple of long 4″ strips sewn together, turned right way round and double stitched each side for added strength (those faded seams in the middle of the handles are from wear at the bottom of the jeans!):Tagged! :
And a gorgeous pop of Tula Pink colour for the lining! Here I am turning it in the right way after stitching it all together:
It’s a pretty good size too, at about 18″ long and 16″ wide at the mouth. It fits a lot of bits and pieces, so is perfect for work or even shopping 🙂 I gave it a rectangle bottom so it looks tapered.
❤
While I was making it I decided that since the denim had a bit of stretch, I should over-lock the seams. But I was lazy and had a look thru my unused stitches, sure that there would be a solution. If nothing else, I would zigzag the edges. I found a locking stitch!! Look at this below!!
Just like an over-locker but I didn’t have to drag mine out and rearrange my sewing table lol I love finding new features! ❤
Not sure what I will sew this weekend. Might work on a UFO … What are you sewing at the moment? Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

Another Finish!

April 28, 2018 / manicmumdays / 2 Comments

Yes! You read that right! I have finished another UFO quilt! 🙂

This one is the baby quilt for my little nephew who is about to turn 2! At last, oops!

Here is the front :The back :The awesome striped binding and it is tagged! :

I did a FMQ meandering stitch all over (yay me!) and it finished about 54″ x 48 “.

Going to see if I can squeeze a new start (and finish) into the next couple of weeks 🙂 Hope life is treating you well, thanks for stopping by! ❤

My First Finish

March 29, 2018 / manicmumdays / 4 Comments

Even tho my 2018 word of the year is “Finish”, they are thin on the ground so far this year … But, I did finish this beauty a few weeks ago now. You saw a sneak peek here and on my Instagram. A granny square quilt and made all from Bonnie & Camille’s “Hello Darling” fabric, I am calling her “Hello Granny”! ❤
She’s already moved on to her forever home, but she took a piece of my heart with her.

At slightly under 80″ x 90″, she’s a good size! Too big for me to quilt so I had her long armed by a local quilter, Cheryl. I LOVE her work and will definitely book her again! If you’re in or near Townsville, Qld and want her contact details, let me know 🙂

Please excuse the inside pics, we had days and days of rain before I took the pics and there was no way I was going to lay her in mud lol

I’m working over Easter and school holidays, but only short shifts so I hope to get a little sewing done … And I need to play catch up on my course in which I have fallen badly behind. Hope you have a happy and safe Easter ❤

2018 – Friend or Foe?

January 2, 2018January 2, 2018 / manicmumdays / 5 Comments

Well, most people I know think the last couple of years have been, to quote the Queen … “Annus horribilus”. And I tend to agree. It’s been a rough couple for our family too.

I wish for us all that 2018 is a better one. A “Friend” if you will …

If you’ve been round here for a while you’ll know I don’t make NY resolutions. But I do choose a word for the year. For 2018 I have chosen :

Finish is something I aspire to do more of in 2018. And I started off the year by living my new word. Wrapped around my 2018 word above, is a pic of my very first Quilt top finish for the year. Granted, it’s not a totally finished quilt yet, but it will be quilted soon and I will bind it and prepare for it’s new home … How pretty is that Bonnie & Camille “Hello Darling”? 🙂

Besides being horrible, the last couple of years I have found it challenging to actually make a plan and finish things. I make lists that don’t get completed, start projects that turn into UFO’s, extended my Interior Design course (again!!), and basically, constantly feel disorganised and chaotic.
I did not finish one single quilt last year.
NOT.ONE. ==> This one has been sitting for a year!!
I made blocks. I did a little sewing. I didn’t finish anything. Sad.

Anyhow. Here’s cheers to a fantastic, safe, creative and productive 2018.

Another Finished Project

August 18, 2017 / manicmumdays / 1 Comment

As I mentioned the other day, I was half way thru a project.
Well, I have now finished it! I have just sent off my entry into the Feast Watson Re-Love Project, and can now share some pics. This piece is for my own living room.
Here is how it looked before:And here is what it looks like now -> the front. I used Rustoleum Chalk Paint x 3 coats for the colour. I am so into blues at the moment. I finished it with FW Natural Wax.
-> the top. I mixed a custom shade with a couple of Feast Watson Prooftint stains and am very happy with the colour. I used FW Wax on the top.I found the most gorgeous drawer/door pulls. They are genuine antique and I am a little bit (A LOT) in love with them! I would say they are my favourite thing about this piece except that I truly love all of it! I’m very happy with how it turned out.
Well, there you go! Very happy to have crossed another project off my “To-Do” list!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Quietly …

August 15, 2017 / manicmumdays / 4 Comments

…. procrastinating.
That’s what I’ve been doing a lot of lately!

I have actually got a couple of projects happening right now, but the one I am sharing today, I just finished on Friday. A friend and I undercoated it last year, but silly me, I forgot to take a ‘before’ pic *sigh*
I struggled with too many colour choices and ideas … Which wasn’t a bad thing this time, because a friend recently gave me some leftover Dulux Concrete Effect paint which I used on the top! (If you would like some info on this paint, email me. I sell it and have used it a couple of times) I finally settled on a gorgeous turquoise for the rest.
It fits beautifully in our entryway and now Mr Manic is asking me to paint the little table we have there in a similar colour!! Which is quite a turn about for him – usually he prefers timber finishes 🙂How gorgeous is that Concrete Effect top?! So much texture, and I love the colour.For the carcass I made my own chalk paint using regular low sheen paint.
And I love the dainty crystal drawer pull I added.I finished this piece with a Matt varnish on the top and wax on the chalk paint.

❤

I am now working on (and almost finished) a TV cabinet for my lounge room.
Sorry, no sneak peeks of it tho, I am entering it in a category of the
Feast Watson Re-Love Project!
I’m entering a special category for my workplace only. The projects themselves are under auction right now! You can check out this year’s pieces HERE!!!

❤

I also want to share a new product with you. *This is NOT a paid post (but if you want me to review your products and pay me to write a post, by all means = contact me! 😉 As always, all opinions expressed on Manic Mumdays are mine and mine alone!)
As long time readers will know, for my day job I am a paint expert (Yes – I work at one of my all time favourite stores!!)
Anyhow, we had some training last week which included info on these “3M SandBlaster” sanding sheets pictured below. They are available in 100, 150, 220, and 320 grit. Since I am doing final and between coats sanding I tried the 320 grit.

My verdict : I absolutely LOVE them!
They are a bit more expensive than ‘regular’ sandpaper, but they also last a whooole lot longer than it too. Check out the pic below :
Pictured above is the same piece of sandpaper.
The left is the BEFORE!! It’s full of chalk paint after I sanded my latest piece … the right one is AFTER I rinsed it out under the tap!!
That’s right! You can rinse these off and use it again, and again, and again!
It’s bendable, fold-able, flexible and best yet – you get 4 pieces in the pack.
I am a convert.

❤

I have been on a bit of a hiatus from sewing. But I am back into it this week, so might have something to show for myself next time 🙂Above are pics of my first two roses from my gorgeous new rose bushes 🙂
Hope you are all happy and well,

X-Plan: Giving your kids a way out (#xplan)

February 25, 2017 / manicmumdays / Leave a comment

What a fantastic idea!!

Bert Fulks

Friends, as most of you know, I get to spend an hour each week with a group of young people going through addiction recovery. Yes. Young people. I’m talking teenagers who are locked away for at least six months as they learn to overcome their addictions. I’m always humbled and honored to get this time with these beautiful young souls that have been so incredibly assaulted by a world they have yet to understand. This also comes with the bittersweet knowledge that these kids still have a fighting chance while several of my friends have already had to bury their own children.

Recently I asked these kids a simple question: “How many of you have found yourself in situations where things started happening that you weren’t comfortable with, but you stuck around, mainly because you felt like you didn’t have a way out?”

They all raised their hands.

Every single…

View original post 789 more words

Wassup?

January 20, 2017 / manicmumdays / 7 Comments

Well, today is officially my last day of school holidays. I work all weekend and the babies go back to school on Monday. Which means today was my last sleep in *waahhhhh And I can’t see any possibility for a sleep in for the next month or so either! *double waahhhhh! I do SO love my sleep ins – can you tell? And more to the point, I love my late nights before the sleep ins. So I guess I have to go to bed earlier. Which encroaches on my ‘me time’. Which often includes my sewing time.
My boys aren’t very happy to be going back to school either. especially Mstr 10. It is his last year of primary school and he senses the effort required is about to go up haha
He is going to be school captain this year!!
We are incredibly proud 🙂

Anyhow. Here is a little of what I have been up to over the school holidays. If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen some of these.
^ I have a loooong way to go with these cute Granny Squares. I think I’m going to sash with cornerstones to add to the size a little. I love it so far 🙂
^I have joined in with Molli Sparkle‘s Honey Pot Bee! Here are my versions of the Starflower Block. Molli’s January block choice (via this Ellison Lane tute). I could totally see myself making a whole quilt with this block. It’s so easy and effective!
^Here is my version of the Strawberry. It’s Angie from Gnome Angel‘s January block choice (via this Skyberries tute) I couldn’t resist including the cute little fussy cut strawberry.
^These two X Blocks are for Kate over at talltalesfromchiconia
Kate is making a quilt out of heaps of different Teal X blocks to raise money for Ovarian Cancer.

I think I’m kinda up to date with sharing. I hope to do some paint-y furniture things once the kids go back and I get some spare time (haha what’s that?? 😉 )
Do you play on Pintrest? There is a world of inspiration on there! You can find and follow me HERE if you’re interested. Forewarned tho, you might literally lose hours of your life browsing Pintrest 😉
Anyhow, hope you have a great day, see you soon!
P.S. I am trying to sew without buying this year! So all of these were in my stash, a bundle I’ve had for a while for the Granny Squares and scraps mainly for the rest.