Kelly Casanova Weaving Lessons

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A fine Winter’s morn’

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” Its a little chilly but perfect for a stroll and a scratch, wouldn’t you agree Henrietta?”

“Oh, indeed, how right you are Miss Feathers, particularly now there is so much worthy greenery about and that dreadful moulting business is over. I almost felt I could never show my feathers in public again!”
“Miss Brown, I do wish the paparazzi would cease following us about, all that hovering and clicking makes me self conscious!”
Thought for the day:
“A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance”.
(Proverbs 15:13)

Some clips for the shop

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I made these ones yesterday, I’ll see how they go in the shop. Its lovely to work on something that is completely hand sewn, so I can rest on the bed and make something at the same time.


Just over 2 weeks to go, I had a baby dream lastnight, the baby was a boy. Another dream I had last week the baby was a girl. So we’re still guessing…….

The persuit of cute

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It took me a few days of contemplation to figure out what to do with the silver clips I bought from Charlotte . I already had the beautiful wool felt, just needed some imagination.

I experimented with glue and got a mess, so these ones are all handstitched. I have used clean carded wool for filling.

The girls love them!
I’ll be making some for my Etsy shop, but in the meantime I’m more than happy to take custom orders.
Remember the giveaway from the last post!

GIVEAWAY!

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This could be my last giveaway for a while, only 19 days until baby arrives!
This softie is a prototype, so she isn’t perfect and she’s a little unusual, but I’m sure someone out there would love her!
She is made from very soft flannel and stuffed with polyfil. She is 40 cm tall (15.5 inches) She is meant to be a cat, though my husband begs to differ.


Her button eyes make her unsuitable for a very young child. I’ll draw the winner on July 5th.

TO ENTER:
Please follow the link on the sidebar to my Etsy shop and tell me which item is your favourite and why.
Please feel free to link to this post on your blog (you can use the pictures of the softie too if you like)
This one is open to Australian Residents only please.

Wee little bairny

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I think my impending arrival has made me a little “baby mad”! I made this little waldorf baby this afternoon after fiddling around with a head and wondering what to do with the rest, it just seemed to become a baby. I needle sculpted her face, her body is polar fleece (really snuggly) and her hat is knitted from organic rainbow wool. She has a soft flannel wrap for swaddling that does up at the back with velcro. She is 8 inches long.

She will be in my Etsy shop shortly, I think I’ll be making another one for the little un’s 2nd birthday coming up. Just realised I won’t be able to call her that for much longer, there will be an
even littler un’!
And thankyou all for your positive comments on my last post, it means a lot to me šŸ™‚

Sweet Little Mary Janes

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I made these newborn sized Mary Janes from a pattern by Sweet Little Patterns. They are so

cute, a bit fiddly but not too difficult. These are for one of my husband’s work colleagues who is expecting soon.
Now to something not so cute that I just have to share. I received an email from my older brother this morning that included a passage that was upsetting to me. Here it is, he is referring to the impending arrival of our fourth child:
“Surely 4 will be enough…I hope for your sake you’re not going to go back for any more, otherwise you’re going to be 60 before you get to live a bit of life for yourself. Your decision of course…”
Hmm. Not sure how to respond to that, in fact at this point I don’t think I will respond. He only has 2 children himself and of course is not having any more. Its so saddening how anti – life our society is and how deeply penetrating it is.

How to roast your own coffee beans…

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My husband and I love to brew our own coffee in the mornings. We used to buy freshly ground coffee at the market each week until my husband made this discovery. Buying coffee beans in their raw state will cost you half as much as market coffee and much less than supermarket coffee (which usually tastes like dirty dishwater anyway!)
We brew our coffee in an Italian stovetop espresso pot (a marvellous invention).
Here’s what we do:

These are raw coffee beans. We buy Ethiopian beans from a little African supplies shop.


We dry roast them on a just lower than moderate heat in a deep frypan. The roasting takes about 20 minutes and needs constant stirring, so be patient! You want your beans to be very dark, crackling and smoking. It feels like you’re burning them, but its necessary to get a proper roast. The beans should also seem much lighter (in weight) and dryer by the time you’re done.

Once the beans have cooled grind them in a grinder (we use a little electric grinder that we bought fairly cheaply, it does a great job). The ground coffee in this picture is actually much darker than it looks here, yours should be nice and dark too.
Store the ground coffee in the fridge either in a lined paper coffee bag or an airtight container.
Enjoy your delicious coffee!

A little update

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I’ve been on bedrest for a few days with that awful pregnancy muscle pain again that means I can’t stand or sit for long, but lying down is fine. Not terribly practical when you have 3 children and a house to run! Thankfully husband has had a couple of days off work to help so I can rest.

I managed to knit this little fellow in a semi reclining position:). Its hard to find things to do other than reading (no sewing!) Less than 5 weeks to go now, I wish it could be tomorrow…….

Go and check out this fabulous giveaway on the Australian Etsy Blog , so many wonderful prizes to choose from, I’ve entered!

Kid’s clothes

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Since I began my sewing journey I’ve always been very nervous about sewing clothes. I did a couple of terms of sewing classes with a professional dressmaker initially, and although I did learn a lot I also found her teaching methods somewhat intimidating – not a great learning environment.
I just finished this top and am so happy with how nice it looks, it has really boosted my confidence.


I used Stella fabric in red from the Crafty Mamas shop (I’ve tried other knits, this is the best to sew with so far) and bought the little cherry iron on applique. It matches the Kaufman cord pants beautifully (also from the CM shop).
My daughter thinks the outfit is great, especially since its another dress she doesn’t have to wear! (Yep, dress hater!)