Lenora Jenkins Designs

Better late than not at all

Oh dear, I nearly nearly forgot. ......Guess what I received for  Mothers Day?

A gorgeous new apron. 

(That's me feeding the calves)

Lenora X.

Doing my bit

A few weeks back I volunteered for some class room sewing. Mr 7's teacher was not too specific, just a general call for some help with a little project.

About ten days ago, a lovely package arrived home with meterage of calico, a bundle of braided banding and a pattern for an apron. I had volunteered to make 10 aprons.

The sewing that I have been doing was much more interesting, so the calico was put aside and I continued on. 

At school assembly on Friday, there was secretive whispers. "Are you doing some sewing for Room 8?"......"Have you started yet?"........"How are you doing it?"......"DOESN'T IT TAKE A LOT OF TIME!!!!!" I had not thought too much about the task, although Mr 7 had reminded me and a note had appeared in his diary with a due date. I drove home thinking I must schedule some time for the apron sewing.

The weekend came and went, and Mr 7 arrived home with the news on Monday that  "Everyone else has done their sewing Mum." The aprons were not due until Friday, but with the warning I had received, I thought it might be wise to get cracking. So I did. I ironed, cut out, over-locked, pressed, sewed and attached straps, and 10 aprons appeared. Mr 7 took them off to school, proud as punch this morning. I was so determined to get them completed, I forgot to take a photograph.

Now I have a sewing room that looks like a fabric bomb has gone off.

I have not asked any questions about what the aprons are for, and Mr 7 is quite smug, but I wonder if I will be receiving one back soon?

Lenora X.

Oh, forgot to tell you. I am off on a super exciting road trip tomorrow, I'll fill you in when I get back.

Unpacking the bags

We have been away on a family holiday exploring the beautiful Limestone Coast of South Australia. It was such a lovely time away, so nice to be able to put the feet up and relax.

A little mishap before we left meant that an extra set of 'legs' had to accompany us on the journey! We were hoping that the plaster could have been replace with a 'Boot' before we left, but it was not to be. 

 

We based ourselves in Robe, a lovely coastal town in the South East of South Australia. With a lot of the water activities off the menu, day trips in the car became our main entertainment.

 

 

 

 

 

It really is such a beautiful region to explore.

The beautiful coastline around Beachport.

The World Heritage Listed Naracoorte Caves.

The large Sink Hole in the centre of Mount Gambier, (to give you an idea of the enormity of this hole, they are large, green, bench seats sitting at the bottom)

and Mount Gambier's magnificent Blue Lake.

I am disappointed not to have taken any photos of the lovely Coonawarra wine region, the large cropping areas we passed through and the lovely shops around Robe.

As is now tradition, I took a knitting project with me. I have had a skein of sock wool for just over 12 months, and I have been looking at it with a mixture of fear and determination. For some reason sock knitting scares me, give me Fair Isle, give me Aran, but don't give me sock.

Determined to overcome the fear, I armed myself with two books, one of which contains a DVD.

I followed the instructions, watched the DVD, and now I have this.

(Sorry, you may just have to kink your head to get the real view.) I still have the toes to do, but so far so good, and I am even getting comfortable with all those needles. It is a basic, plain pattern, but just what I needed.

So as the sun shines down on the last of my holiday laundry, and my woolly fix is tended to, I am off to the sewing room.

Back again soon,

Lenora X.

 

 

Lazy Days

It has been a really lazy week, lots of housework and jobs to catch up on, but a body that doesn't seem to want to get moving.

So I took another day off today and visited Gum Valley Patchwork, then wandered about some open gardens around Timboon.

 

Nothing like a day in the garden. Maybe tomorrow I might go back to work.

Lenora X.

Winning and Grinning

Look what arrived home from school on Friday night. 

At school the P&F organize a weekly cake raffle. Families are rostered on each week to provide a cake and students can purchase tickets for 20 cents each. This week one family went well beyond the usual effort, and Miss 10 years was the lucky winner. You can imagine the smiles as each one of the children stepped off the school bus. Miss 10 is having an unbelievable run of good luck. I am going to stand close to her this week in the hope that it rubs off. 

Lenora X.

PS. Not mentioning the AQM words. Only four days left at home and I still have a few jobs to tick off the list. In a last minute rush I have decided to update some of my earlier patterns. I figure if you are about to stand in your nickers in public, you should ensure you have good ones on!

A New Pattern....i Holders

We are trying to teach our children that you have to roll up your sleeves and work if you want to achieve things in life. Not easy at times, but none the less we try. Living on a farm gives the children lots of opportunities to help out, and if there is something they are wanting, they can work to get it.

Back at calving time there was an abundance of work, and we had an abundance of help. Every time Jenks (everybody knows my DH as Jenks, so I figure it is time that you do too) walked out the door, he had a line of helpers running for their boots too....and a lot of evenings, help would arrive at milking time. I knew something was going on, but was not too sure what. Worked out it was ' i-pod touch's'.

So a few weeks ago, some i-pod touch's arrived in our house. I have been a little concerned about their vulnerability, and knowing how hard the children worked to get them, I am dreading something happening to them. So it was time for a new design, a little pouch to hold them.

Let me introduce my i holders.

 

They are the perfect size for the latest i-pod touch and the i-phone 4. They have a spring strip opening; squeeze the sides and they pop open. I have also designed a lanyard strap that clips onto a D-ring sewn into the back, and also a belt lug strap, so you can clip them through the lug on your pants. It is a way of making your i-pod/i-phone portable if you like to take it walking, gardening, or just close by so you can hear it.

I released the pattern early at our stitching day last weekend, but I have re-styled the cover photo, to show the bolt snap swivel hook that was not available until friday evening. (sorry girls, only the photo has changed, not the pattern inside).

For the present time, the pattern will come with a kit containing the spring strip, the D-ring and the swivel hooks for the lanyard and lug strap.

Check out my list of stockist, Gum Valley Patchwork has them in stock and ready to ship. If you would like your local shop to stock them, please ask them to drop me an email (address up there on the top left), I would love to hear from them.

Lenora X.

I guess it is the season.....

I have been seeing quite a lot of these hydrangeas lately. They are at the entrance of our doctors clinic. Chest infections, ear infections, and tonsillitis seem to be the order of the last ten days. I think we are all on the mend now..... well I hope so anyway.

I have been hatching a bundle of fabric, which I had a sudden urge to crack open last week. Progress has been a little slower than I had hoped....too many walks past the hydrangeas..... but if I sign off now maybe I will achieve some progress this afternoon.

Hope you and your families are all well,

Lenora X.

Home again, home again......

 
Have you missed me? I've been away, living the life of a Princess. No cooking, very little cleaning and lazy days spent bike riding, shopping and touring. It's sure been fun. And the kids loved it too. An extra week off school, and whole days spent with Mum and Dad, not a cow to be seen.

We have been holidaying in Bright, a beautiful town in the Victorian Alpine Region. This the view as you drive into and out of town. It is beautiful, especially this time of year with the autumn leaves starting to fall.

In the middle of town there is a lovely picnic area with a playground. I believe in the summer time it is used as a swimming pool. (Can you see the slide leading into the water in the background?)

 

There is a great 'Rail Trail' bike path which travels from Bright to Wangaratta, over 70km's. We rode the trail, not the whole distance, just a short way.

While we were away, Miss 9 turned into Miss 10, so we celebrated with a trip to the maze at Wandiligong. It was really enchanting, well worth the visit if you are in the area. I do love mazes, though I am not very good with my sense of direction. 

The scenery was magnificent and the weather was absolutely perfect.

It really has been the perfect way to wind down and relax after such a busy time with pattern writing. And I finally have made a start with the crochet....and the knitting...but that is a whole post on its own, so I will leave it till next time.

Better go and start cooking some dinner, back to reality again!

Lenora XX.

High Heels and Fancy Dresses

Monday morning and it is all back to reality. The weekend that had been checked on the calendar six months ago, has now been and gone.....my sisters wedding.

Saturday was the big day. The weather was exactly what you would order; the sun shining without it being too hot, and a lovely breeze in the air. I was asked to be her matron of honour, so there was the pampering of hair and makeup, a fancy dress, shining jewellery, bouquet of flowers  and high heel shoes.

Like most weddings the day went way too fast. Before we knew it, the guests had left and the candles were being blown out. It was way after midnight, but it certainly did not feel like it.

(The bouquet is now limp, but still in remarkable shape considering it is two days on.)

Back to work today and back to pattern writing.

Lenora X.