Hello

:: Forum Focus :: Hazelnuts…

September 28, 2009

We’re profiling some of the nice people that are chatting over at the Mike’s forum. Archaeologist Jacqui from Hazelnuts is first cab off the rank. You can join the forum or just have a snoop about here.

images via hazelnuts

Your name: Jacqui



Your website: Hazelnuts



Your crafty beginnings: My mum, she taught me to sew. She’s the most fabulous knitter, and spinner and weaver and she quilts. She also dances, gardens and X-country skis. I hope to be half as accomplished when I’m grown up! My dad is very good at technical drawings of specimens (he’s an entomologist), as well as a keen photographer and I think I inherited those from him. My maternal grandmother sewed her own clothes and made stuffed toys and lace, so I suppose that skill came down to me through mum. Not the lace part, but I do have a few of her doilies.



Name five jobs you have done… Newspaper delivery, page in a library (like an assistant), sales person in posh clothing store (I sucked), chef at a catering company, temp secretary. And now I’m an archaeologist and a mum!



What sorts of crafty things do you like to make? Mostly sewing oriented, but also embroidery. I love making clothes for my daughter (would that she loved them as much!), stuffed toys, clothes for me, home dec. stuff, and embroidering bits ‘n bobs although I have done big projects and needlepoint in the past. I particularly like useful objects that also look great, I’m all about good design. Anything to do with gorgeous fabric gets me excited 🙂



What would you make to eat : for a late Sunday Supper? Real comfort food, maybe a roast chicken with all the fixings? If I was feeling particularly indulgent I’d do Pommes Dauphinoise to go with it. And a plum crumble with vanilla ice cream for dessert.



Who makes you weak at the knees? Sean Bean. Oh! I mean my husband 😉



What are your five favourite blogs?

You have no idea how hard this was! In the end I chose ones that make me happy when I see them in my Reader, not necessarily the ones I might go to the most often for craft stuff.

Sweet Juniper

Sweet Juniper Woodcraft

Wee Wonderfuls

How About Orange

Whoopee

Ancient Industries



What ticks you off? People who are wilfully ignorant. Bad punctuation and grammar probably upsets me more than it should. Boy racers upset me just as much as they should though.

Name five people you’d love to invite for dinner… Oooo…I’m assuming alive people here! Stephen Fry (because he seems like the perfect guest – witty and urbane), Helen Clark (our ex-PM, I really admire her intelligence and integrity), Tim Flannery (for the biological/conservation/climate change side of the conversation), Colin Renfrew (for the archaeology) and Damon Albarn (because I like pretty much every bit of music he’s made).

What music would you play? Good background-y music, like vintage jazz or soul; I’m particularly loving NZ band Open Souls at the moment and they’d be great. I suppose if Albarn were there I’d have to get out The Good, the Bad and the Queen, never hurts to suck up in situations like that. Not that I’d know what dining with famous people is like!

What skill would you like to learn next? Knitting! I did learn when I was about 9 or 10 and knitted the obligatory never-ending scarf, but haven’t done it since and really regret stopping.

Why is this your favourite place? Our spare room (below) is my favourite place in the house. It’s on the SE side of the house so it gets all the morning sunshine (sadly lacking this morning hence the muddy photo) and it’s so light and airy. The previous owners of our house had pretty awful taste in wallpaper and we’re slowly getting rid of it and painting, but they did get it right in here – a lovely pale blue. This room is also where I have my desk which either has my computer or sewing machine on (sometimes both!), and there is usually fabric strewn across the bed or chest of drawers, and general mess. Naturally I did not take a photo of that! If I can get a minute to myself in the morning, sitting on the spare bed in the sun with all the pillows behind me, a good book and the cat is wonderful. The pictures on the wall are from a William Morris wallpaper calendar and eventually they’ll be mounted on blocks of wood. Eventually 🙂



Re: Forum Focus!

No Comments

Leave a Reply