Monday, March 31, 2014

Not a Skerrick

No sewing this past weekend ...nothing ..nada. I wasn't inspired to sew a stitch. This no sewing jag I'm on is now getting to the point of ridiculous. If I don't create something soon - I may just explode. I did however play a lot of Hayday and Candy Crush Mania in between doing other stuff so I didn't feel like a complete slacker. 

When all else fails I like to do a little organising because I can convince myself that's a worthwhile activity and so I started with my pantry and wardrobe. I seriously have a lot of clothes and probably too much food. The too much food thing inspired the thought that I could probably eat out of my pantry and freezer for a month so I'm going to give that a crack for April. Stay tuned-I'm sure this will result in some very interesting meals....does anyone know what I can do with two jars of redcurrant jelly? And why did I buy a jar of brandy butter? Did I have a plan or was I merely enticed by the 99 cent price tag post Christmas? 

One monkey that I got  off my back this weekend was finally finishing the curtains for our bedroom. I bought the fabric in November...hemmed the sides of one half- put it up to check for length and there it stayed until two weeks ago when I finally hemmed them , and then got round to doing the second half. The second half has been sitting in a scrunched up mess  on the sewing room floor since then because the idea of pressing 10 metres of heavy fabric with blockout coating was just all too hard.....

It's nigh on impossible to take a good picture of anything hanging at a window but I gave it a shot anyway. I'm pretty much thrilled that I can open my curtains again and that they ended up hemmed at the same length (more or less) 


A spot of cooking this weekend. Prep for Bun Cha later this week 



And I hand made some gnocchi that turned out to be so large I've rechristened them gnoccioli( a cross between gnocchi and unfilled ravioli) 



My greatest achievement for the weekend was finding a floor rug for the guest room at the first shop I went into ....this room is still not finished but here are some "in progress" shots for you. It definitely needs some wall art and decor staging.   



A chunk of my weekend also went into transforming this 


into this....


Currently masquerading as a towel rack - it's destined to be a quilt rack , as soon as I screw up the motivation to decide which quilts I want to hang on it...folding them to fit just seems too hard. 



21 comments:

Sue SA said...

Nice rug and ladder. I have quilt rack envy! Ummm curtains are HARD, no wonder you put that off! So major tick for getting that job finished. Eating out of the pantry is a great idea (saved $ + more holidays or fabric, you choose!) and I once had roast beef with a redcurrent ju (think she basted the beef as well) that was so delish that I still remember it.....it must be about 15-20 years ago, cos my grandmother cooked it and it was pre goggling recipes (well for me) on the internet.

Kimme said...

Nice curtains Shay and your guest room is coming along nicely. I know I've made a recipe from Nigella that uses red currant jelly with lamb shanks. If that's of any interest let me know and I'll go find it and email it to you.

Katy Cameron said...

Lol, I go through fits of living out of my pantry entirely, especially when the freezer gets ridiculously full! Redcurrant jelly goes nicely with Bambi.

Have fun with the new quilt ladder, when you get round to folding them...

Paulette said...

I want that quilt rack. I am seriously impressed with your home decorating skills. You did grommets on those curtains? Who does that (and doesn't go buy curtains at Walmart)? They're fabulous. And that carpet? LOVE!

audrey said...

That's a big job, hemming those curtains so congrats on finishing them up. LOVE that rug--the color is yummy and your new quilt/towel rack is very impressive too. Looking good!

Karen said...

I wouldn't know where to start with curtains, they look so good! I have a ladder quilt rack too, it is so fun to see them displayed like that!

Lorraine said...

Good work on the curtains - I wouldn't even attempt anything with curtains - the spare room is looking fab - love that day bed - I will be getting my spare room back in a couple of weeks :( I think you accomplished quite a bit on the weekend even without doing any sewing! Living out of the pantry or freezer is very cost effective. looking forward to hearing how that goes!

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

I do think making curtains is sewing!!!! Maybe I'll go find a ladder....that's cute.

Joyful Quilter said...

Melt red current jelly with butter then use it as a glaze on chicken or Cornish game hens...great flavor. Cute ladder.

Jennifer said...

Love that dressing table and stool! After the last curtains I made I swore off ever working with heavy blockout fabric again.....it's like trying to wrestle an elephant through the sewing machine. You could always just eat the redcurrant jelly and brandy butter with a spoon.....you could even mix them together first. Or spread them on raisin toast......

Sooli said...

Curtains done! Great work, that counts as sewing and ironing so you need a rest now I reckon. I've been thinking about getting a ladder for my quilts in the lounge room. Did you find/scrounge and upcycle yours or was it a purchase new and paint exercise? I've seen some at Target but I'm too cheap to pay $40!

Larri said...

Geesh. For no sewing, you sure accomplished lots. Love the rug & yay for finishing curtains. Where did you find the gorgeous quilt rack? Don't be surprised if you find it pinned on one of my boards. Truly an inspiration! Hope your day went well. Getting ready to start mine. Happy Monday night! :)

the running hare said...

Despite your protestations, your list of what you've done is pretty amazing! How did you do the grommets in your curtains? I really like the ladder, I might have to steal your idea...

Rachaeldaisy said...

Who needs to sew when you're finishing curtains, busy cooking, inventing new pastas, buying rugs, painting ladders. You're so good at doing housey things, gosh all I did this weekend was ignore my house and sew, And you made time to relax and play Candy Crush and Hayday too.

Leanne said...

I DO love that day bed and I'm looking forward to Aprils menus I am sure you will create some wonderous things.

thea said...

Love the towel rack / quilt rack. Even though your sewing mojo has taken a hike, you still seem to have some sort of mojo. Curtains and everything.

Kirsten's Cooking said...

Wow! Everything looks great. Love the new rug, it looks so plush. Th ladder rack is awesome, the curtains look amazing.
I bet you needed a nap after the gnocchilini carb coma!!! Do you eat them with a tomato sauce?

Kate said...

The curtains look great! You've been busy, even if it hasn't resulted in any quilt progress. Love the teal and red color palette you've picked for the guest room.

Kristie said...

You are in the lull before the explosion of awesome creativity- hang in there!! xoxo

Elizabeth said...

I love the rug you found for the guest room! And the white furniture is beautiful! I love painted wood (as opposed to natural). I also love the use of the word skerrick. Your curtains turned out beautifully and your cooking creations look delicious. I wonder if I could use potato starch flour instead of regular flour to make gnocchi? That would probably be overkill.

xo -E

Unknown said...

I love the rug and the ladder! I have been looking for something like that for my sewing room. Love the room!