Sunday, August 29, 2010

Revelling in roadside finds




I picked three of these great orange vinyl chairs up off the side of the road during the week. I was so pleased and young Z was sitting in the back saying 'look mum, we found chairs' while I stacked them into the car around him.
After an impromptu trip to Ikea on Friday I decided to cover them in this Maria Astrom print.
I'm really pleased with the end result. 1 down, 3 to go.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend. 66 xx

Friday, August 6, 2010

Started back in 1982

My brother dropped off a box he found when clearing out my parents house recently. I only just sat to rummage through it today and found this cross stitch I started back in Grade 6. It brings back such fond memories..., but I must confess, the back is very untidy and about 1cm think with tangled thread.


Thanks for popping in, 66 xx

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Spring on my sill

Hope is eternal. These little flowers restored my faith this morning. Spring is coming.


I came across these words today and they too gave me hope and made me smile.

Young souls learn to accept responsibility for their actions.
Mature souls learn to accept responsibility for their thoughts.
And old souls learn to accept responsibility for their happiness.

66 xx

Monday, August 2, 2010

1950's gem




We recently inherited this fantastic 1950's couch from The LF's step father. He's downsized his Melbourne pad due to spending more time at their beloved Merton country house. The couch is quite seriously sun damaged and in need of some serious TLC but I'm excited about bringing this gem back to life.



Here's a pic of Z, fresh out of bed (note the sleeping suit), helping me polish up the timber with my incredible French polishing recipe. You can almost feel is letting out a sigh of relief as it soaks up the oil. 'ohhh, ahhhh, thank you' it seemed to be saying but maybe that's just because I was delirious with joy!
Cheerio, 66 xx

Friday, July 30, 2010

The Emperor's Red Slippers





These sweet booties are a present for a teeny tiny baby, Miles. Miles is the new brother of one of Z's playgroup buddies, Sonny. I stitched them out of red felt, with blue lining. The buttons are from a stash I keep in my late grandmothers old baking tin.

Wish us luck. We are having dinner tonight with a few of Z's friends (and their parents) at Mr Wolf. It'll be a wild, crazy sort of affair. Deep breathes and a glass of wine will be in order.
Hopefully, you're not on the table next to us!!


Thanks for popping in & enjoy your weekend, 66 xx

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Buttermilk scarf

Last week I developed a craving for a yellow scarf. It was one of those cravings I just really couldn't ignore. Then, upon realising we were only half way through winter I decided it was DEFINITELY required to ease the dreariness of what seems to me an endless Melbourne winter. After a quick trip to Spotlight and two skeins of wool later I was on my to producing this scarf. Knitted in my favorite stitch, moss stitch.



Thanks for popping in, 66 xx

Silver linings







This is a little mobile I made, last night, for a friend who is facing a few challenges at the moment.
I'm hoping it helps to bring some strength and encouragement....... every cloud has a silver lining.


Thanks for popping in, 66 xx

Friday, July 16, 2010

Roadside pickup

My latest chair. This one was actually found on the road side. It was spotted by a friend on his way to work. He texted a photo & the location.. So, Z and I hot tailed it down there in the car to pick it up.


The smell, or dare I say stench, was quite something. A drastic dressing down was in order.


After a lot of hard work there's no more awful odour. I've stripped it back and begun anew with fresh webbing.


Stay tuned for further developments.

Have a great weekend and thanks for popping in, 66 xx

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Oma's adventure

My good friend, Lisa, recently took her 3 little ones to Holland for her Oma's 100th birthday.


I made them this little passport holder to keep their 4 passports and secret stash of cash safe and sound.

Thanks for popping in, 66 xx

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Old Bob

Here's my latest upholstery job. This old rickety chair belonged to my grandfather, Old Bob.



It's been sitting under our house for years. My Dad was about to send it off to the tip but I managed to rescue it and turn it into this....



The upholstered seat is made up of fabric samples (Sanderson http://www.sanderson-uk.com/ again) sewn together with linen.

Thanks for popping in, 66 xx


Friday, June 11, 2010

My new love, upholstery.

I started an upholstery course with my friend, Max, 7 weeks ago and have totally fallen for the whole process. There's something about the combination between the practical hands on and visual aesthetics involved in transforming a chair which really appeals to me.
Sadly, the course has now finished but I'm still hoping to dedicate my Monday afternoons to transforming chairs in our garage.
Here's my first attempt. The original chair was purchased from Wally Johnson's, in Footscray (previously in West Melbourne..now on the continuation of Spencer Street).
The fabric I used was Arthur Sanderson's 'Persian Poppies'. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

A revival......


It's been a long hiatus but instead of hibernating this winter I'm feeling like making a revival. I'm in desperate need of an update and overhaul...so here's hoping Z man sleeps for 2 hour blocks each day so I can manage to get some handy work done. Sleep is gold little man.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pink to go


A rather shabby shot..but a new quilt top I finished yesterday for Ziya's little pal. I'm not used to seeing so much pink in our house, so it's been really fun making this one up.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Angus' quilt


Finished back in December...some of you may remember i started this project last year. It's a quilt made for my nephew, Angus. Completely hand quilted and quite the labor of love.
It now hangs over the side of his cot, in preparation for his graduation to a big boys bed.
The fabric and pattern are all from Amitte. I especially love the sweet Japanese strips with the country scene....ambling bears and dreamy ducks...
Hopefully he'll treasure it forever (even when he does think it's rather daggy).

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Farley proof press


Farley proof press
Originally uploaded by 66 Stitches
This is a Farley proof press I acquired from a friend....a few years back. It's been sitting idle in my garage so last weekend I decided to get it out today and clean it up. Now I need to find supplies and research how to use it. Any tips are greatly appreciated.

Activity on the blog front has been rather slow since August of 2009, actually, it's been completely neglected but I have continued to upload my creative endeavours onto Flickr. For a quick refresher please pop over and take a peep.

Here's to a big bright 2010 full of producivity and more 'single pointed focus'...my greatest challenge for the year ahead.