Getting to know you...One Yellow Jumpsuit

Today I'd love to introduce you to Hannah. Hannah shares glimpses of her colourful life with us on her blog one yellow jumpsuit. She totally sucked me in with her super cute contributions to Animation Friday, and I think if I lived in Brisbane we would hang out all the time...
I hope you enjoy my chat with Hannah...(I think I have a little crush on Hannah's sneakers)

Tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Hannah and I'm a stay home mum to two gorgeous girls (Ava and Piper) and one amazing husband (Ash). We live in Brisbane and I love all sorts of craft, but especially sewing clothes for our daughters.

Why did you start writing a blog?
I started my blog simply to document my life for our children. It was just a place where they could look back and see all the things that we did and things that I loved.

Does the name mean anything special?
The name 'one yellow jumpsuit' came from when I was pregnant with our first daughter Ava. At the time we didn't know if she was a girl or a boy and all I could find for her was yellow jumpsuits. Even though they were cute, they weren't quite my thing, so I decided to start making things for her, hence the name one yellow jumpsuit.

Your style is pretty colourful, do you have a background in art or design?
I love colour and have always loved art and design, but I never studied it. Before becoming a Mum, I was a Visual Merchandiser for Freedom (Furniture). I spent 12 years there and I loved every minute of it. I got to play and be creative everyday.

Describe a typical day?
My day usually starts pretty early, as the girls wake up at around 5am. We have breakfast and the girls watch a DVD, today it's The Waybaloo's. Ash then goes off to work at about 7am and the girls and I head off for a walk and a play at the park. We normally get home at about 10am and do some painting or play with the Guinea Pigs. The rest of the day is usually filled with housework, playing with the girls and making lunch etc. I try to squeeze in some craft while the girls draw or play and at about 3pm we start tiding up, feeding the animals (our dogs, Kitchen and Geech and our guinea pigs, mavis and lenore) having baths and I start cooking dinner at about 5pm. The girls go to bed at 7pm and I'm usually not far behind them.

How is your 36 things to do list going?
Slowly. I keep forgetting to update it. The 'going out for ice cream' part keeps getting in the way of the 'lose 24kgs' part. xx

You mentioned about learning to sign at Ava’s school, does she have some hearing difficulties?
Ava hears words a little differently to us. So, signing helps her to communicate and to simplify the words. We use Makaton Signs (which is now called Key Signs) so we only sign the key words in a sentence. It's so much fun to learn and I love watching her little face light up when we sign nursery rhymes. Her favourite is Der Glump. (One of Emma's faves too)

You don’t really mention it in you blog but you do talk about her being in intensive care, is this something you would like to talk about, esp. in regards to your quilts?
Sure. Ava was born with a rare congenital condition called a Diaphragmatic Hernia which means that she had a hole in her diaphragm and all of her intestines were sitting in her left lung cavity. We are actually very lucky to still have her and that was when she spent some time in intensive care.
While Ava was there, she was given a beautiful quilt and it made a really sterile and cold environment feel warm. That quilt meant so much to us that it made sense for me to make some for other families in the same circumstances. I think there are a few quilting clubs that make them, but anyone can do it. I made my quilts 80cm x 80cm and it's best to use a thin wadding. They can have any design on them and you can drop them into any hospital with a Neonatal intensive care unit. I promise they will be loved.

Have you always lived in Brisbane?
I have always lived here. I love it here.

I’ve never been, what makes Brisbane and interesting place to live?
For me, it's just peaceful. I love going into GoMA (Gallery of Modern Art). They always have something fun for kids and my favourite clothing designer (Dogstar) is also here. It's just a really cute city.
(Looks like a trip to Brisbane should be on my list...)

Thanks for sharing Ava's story with us all Hannah, I really love the idea of making some special quilts with my vintage fabrics.
If you are in Melbourne, here is some info about Wrapped in Love, who organise the quilt donations at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.
Please feel free to post the relevant links in your local area in the comments.