Be a Tourist in Your Own Home Town

How well do you know your own home city or town?

I thought I knew mine pretty well, so I was quite surprised recently to discover one of Brisbane’s most popular parks located only one kilometre from home. There are three levels; the top one has the car park which overlooks the large adventure playground complete with a fort and flying fox. There are also barbecues and outdoor exercise equipment. The third level has two lagoons and wonderful walking and cycling paths, all spread out over 14 hectares just perfect for a picnic or ball games. Dogs are not forgotten with a large off the lead fenced area with shade and seats.

Wild life abounds with fish, turtles, ducks and a wide variety of birds including flocks of noisy, sulphur-crested cockatoos which are a large white cockatoo with a bright yellow crest.

I am amazed that I have driven past this park every day. EVERY DAY. How could I have not noticed this lovely tranquil spot? So why not become a tourist in your own town and look at the old and familiar with fresh eyes. Who knows what you might discover?

Meanwhile, I’m off to feed the ducks!

They were just waiting for me to discover them

I was checking out some sewing techniques on the web yesterday and I accidentally came across some projects that were made out of selvages! Wait, surely not …. could they be those dreaded edges of fabric that we were told NEVER to use? How many have I thrown out over the years? OMG – a new world opened up as I saw what other people have been making out of these little strips; pot holders, bags, dresses even. Why didn’t I think of that …. obviously it’s the imagination thing again!

Anyway, I immediately went through my stash and here is the result .. ta dah .. my first selvage pot holder . Pretty darn cute don’t you think?

Sewing was delayed while Mischa had a cat nap

The front of the pot holder

and the back

If you like it and want to make one of your own, here are a few tips:

* Sew strips on to any cotton fabric. Good opportunity to use those “uglies” as they won’t be seen when you stitch the layers together
* When you choose the size for your pot holder, allow an extra 1/2 to 1 inch and trim to size after quilting
* Use cotton thread and batting
* You can round off the corners if you don’t want to mitre them when applying the binding
* For safety’s sake, use insulated lining and cotton batting. I used two pieces of batting and sandwiched the insulated lining in between

I’m already thinking of other things to make now that I have discovered my hidden treasure trove. I will just have to remind myself not to cut off really narrow selvages from now on.

Make and Take Time

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Is craft alive and well in Brisbane? Absolutely, as I found out when I joined the long queue for the first day of The Stitches and Craft Show. What a fun day, getting tips from so many talented people, trying my hand at making a greeting card using various new techniques with inks and stamps and checking out the stunning creations designed by the Textile and Design students at The Texstyle display. Quilts, beading, sewing, papercraft and the list goes on. I was very lucky to watch a demonstration by Julia Taylor, 2012 Masterchef runner-up and such a delightful person. Her passion for cake decorating and baking was such that I wanted to immediately rush home and get out the piping bag! Workshops, Make & Take Classes, demonstrations – it’s all there at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre for ideas, inspiration and a great day out.