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Max: Mowing on his own now.
Archie: Ear muffs - safe protection for outdoor work and fun for indoor play!

Joining with the 52 project

baby hat and booties

Our 'free range' friends moved from the Snowy Mountains to the seaside and gave birth to a beautiful little girl. I sent a small package in the mail - a beeswax candle and knitted baby hat and booties in Rowan softknit cotton; silver and sunset for a colour dipped look.

I borrowed Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali from the library. I've wanted to read this book forever.

"Mothers of small children are on their own. We often become painfully short of people we can turn to. In our premother lives working or studying, we probably had a community of people around us, including allies ever ready to discuss grievances or joke about difficulties.We may be feeling unheard, or worse judged."

These words would of been great comfort for me eight years ago when I had my first child! I like how this book is centered on the mother and illustrates an accessible form of Buddhism for every day life.  I've order a copy for home so I can take my time and read, pause and reflect mindfully, especially on the following chapters: Worrying about our children, Creating loving relationships and Finding happiness and loosing self-image. All very relevant for mums who often put themselves last!

So tell me, what have you been making and reading? Have you read this book?

Joining in with Keep Calm Craft On and Yarn Along.

the craft sessions

Natural dyeing workshop, using native Australian plants.

Botanical dye pot using Eucalyptus Obliqua Messmate also known as Stringy Bark. Belinda Evans checking our progress.

Carmen gently drying fabric and yarn samples. Jars of mordants to help fix colours to textiles.

Display of our botanically dyed samples using Stringy Bark. An example of how to record your yarn dyeing results and underneath a basket of Belinda's botanically dyed yarns.

Samples from other students in the workshop of botanically dyed textiles extracted from Argyle Apple and Wattle.

Beattie Lanser demonstrating how to sew "The Beattie" dress. The pattern cutting workshop.

Sewing pleats on the Beattie Dress. The Beattie dress in linen and cotton chambray.


I knew I was at the right event when I heard the heartfelt and teary introductions the first night at The Craft Sessions weekend retreat of creative workshops, inspiring people and all things handmade.

I first discovered The Craft Sessions last year, over at Tiny Happy and incorrectly thought it was held in New Zealand. I was so over the moon when I realised earlier this year that it was held here in Australia, my friend was eager to go with me, and we were able to get tickets 'by the skin of our teeth' as registration sold out in 40 minutes!

The event was held in Melbourne's wine growing region at Yarra Valley Estate, an award winning venue for their commitment in environmental and social sustainability. We were served delicious meals three times a day which meant no cleaning up or eating cold foods for all the mothers! Fresh organic fruit and raw sweets from Harvest Cafe for morning and afternoon tea just an arm stretch away. In the evenings, cosy lounges, wine in hand and coffee tables covered in crafting books to peruse at your pleasure after a glorious day of crafting. It really was bliss and the perfect 40th birthday present from the hubby.

The first two days, Belinda Evans taught us how to naturally dye plant and animal fibers with Australian natives. In my early 20's I tie-dyed vintage lingerie slips worn as outerwear for a Retro Clothing store in Darlinghurst, Sydney. When it was 'Hippie Day' at my son's school last year, it ignited my interest in dyeing and more importantly to explore natural dyeing techniques that fit in with our families journey in natural and conscious living.

I have a bit of a crafty crush on Belinda not just on her natural dyeing and weaving pursuits but on her personal health journey too. Apparently she has a huge following, you'll understand why when you check out her blog,  Elements of Alchemy and her instagram account, I am Alchemy.

Belinda showed us how to prepare textiles for dyeing by gently washing the fibers. This is known as 'scouring' however that implies aggressive washing which you should definitely not do especially with wool. Adding mordants to the dye process to help fix colours to the textiles and how to record your botanical dye results. Animal fibers such as silk and wool are much easier to dye with than plant fibers such as linen and cotton. Natural dyeing is a waiting game and is full of surprises and fits in wonderfully with the slow crafting movement. 

Sunday I spent the entire day in the Beattie Dress workshop, an original design of Beattie Lanser. Beattie is a skilled textile designer with a bubbly almost theatrical demeanor. I was a bit stressed out with airline issues in safely transporting my brand new expensive sewing machine (another birthday present!) but at the last minute, the organiser Felicia was able to arrange for me to use Beattie's demonstration machine. So relieved! In the workshop we learned how to cut out a pattern, sew darts, raglan sleeves, invisible zipper, elastic sleeve casings, neckline binding and pleats. I sat next to Claire from Harvest Cafe and we had a good chuckle about my chambray fabric resembling the dresses Amish women wear. I was delighted as I watch Amish documentaries and movies and I find their needle work and pie making inspiring.

Beattie circled the room helping people with the sew-along and at one point when she passed my table she cracked up laughing at the dozen of pins I used on just one side of the skirt. She removed them and placed two pins at the top and using her arms gracefully said "and let it flow." I love her to bits. She is so sweet and fun and super talented.

I had such a good time in that class. Some of us did not finish hemming our dresses, which is no biggie and easy to do at home, we were tired but elated. Sewing your own clothes really makes you appreciate the hard work that goes in to garment making. For me personally, sewing my own clothes is one small way of dealing with the awful fast fashion industry and the terrible treatment of the garment workers.

I feel truly blessed to have been part of The Crafts Sessions 2015. I'm still processing it all. So much more happened in that jammed packed weekend including free demonstrations - spinning, blocking with knits, spoon carving! It definitely deserves another post. Carmen and I snapped pics using only our phones but the lovely Xan took some great photos with her DSLR camera and be sure to scroll down to see the swoon worthy examples from the Textile Collage workshop.

The Craft Sessions creator, Felicia Semple created this wonderful 'unstyled' event to bring women together to learn, create and make. Her thoughtful words on mothering and crafting such as 'how intention is more important than mistakes and imperfections', can be found on The Craft Sessions blog. This is also where you can be on the look out for The Craft Sessions 2016 event. Maybe I will see you there!

Joining in with Keep Calm Craft On at Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along at Small Things.

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Max: Pirate for a day
Archie: Digs holes all over the yard and tries to chop down trees with his shovel.

Joining in with the 52 project at Practising Simplicity.

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Archie: Making friends with the neighbours.
Max: Helping his dad stack wood for our wood stove.

Joining in with the 52 project at Practising Simplicity.

beanies

Red slouchie

Better colour shot here.

Chestnut slouchie

Two knitted hats for me and one knitted hat for a friend.

That's sounds like good knitting karma to me!

We've all been out with the winter plague for the whole of August! The big one was off school for two weeks. Croup, fevers and constant coughing; one after the other, week after week till lucky last me. 

A broken oven and a grill that turns off and on every five seconds I am really over winter and can't wait for Spring or Sprinter. Have you heard about this? I always assumed early seasonal changes were a sign of global warming.

I'm so relieved I had homemade chicken stock frozen in portions to add to slow cooked meals. I can't emphasize enough the health benefits of homemade stocks for gut issues, eczema, arthritis or as preventative health... If you don't already make your own stock and would like to, I've pinned a 'simple how to' by Natural New Age Mum on my Pinterest board. Once you start making your own you can't go back to store bought. I've also pinned Nourished Kitchen's explanation on Bones, Broths and Stocks. Very subtle but yes I want to be Pinterest friends and I want you to eat yummy homemade nourishing stock.

Out of the kitchen, I'm on a quest to find the perfect beanie. After learning how to knit in the round with Caddy Melville Ledbetter on Craftsy the possibilities are endless. No more knitting flat hats and sewing up the side seams for this little knitter right here. I'm an insanely tight knitter so I cast on the large with 4 extra stitches. I love the big slouchie outcome which incidentally hides my inner highly strung, tight knitting tendencies. Details ravelled here.

 How are your crafty projects and seasonal transitions tying in together?

Joining in with crafty peeps at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm Craft On and Yarn Along at Small Things.

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Max: Sawing wood for the wood pile. He's a great help to his dad.

Archie: Climbing boulders and rocks and hop, hop, hopping on flat ground. He's a delight to watch.

Joining in with the 52 project