omg Brad, I forgot to blog!!

Not really - I have been super busy and given I have absolutely no discipline when I get onto the computer, I thought it best not to 'switch on' - I have occasionally Instagrammed and Facebooked so I didn't manage to be electronic free - but I did delete all the electronic games on my facebook account as well as my new smart phone so I wouldn't be tempted - sad but true....

So the busy part - I've had another market which obviously involved making things, I've been teaching (but school hols now so no classes for 2 weeks), I've made a memory quilt for a client using clothes that belonged to her husband (and he used to ride treadlies so there was a bit of spandex - now that is challenging to work with!), I've created a more useful set of books for my home business in Excel and haven't yet transcribed all the receipts and purchases - but I'm a good way through that -  and I've had several quilts on the long-arm.  Throw in a few days of my Diploma plus homework and a day spent dyeing fabric at a class mates house, then re-dyeing the fabric because I didn't like the result and it pretty much sums up a mad month.

I haven't caught up on Blogs yet either but do intend to - I've put an egg timer in the study in an attempt to curtail the time in front of the computer so it may take a while!

Over the Easter break we didn't go away - which is the first time for many years - we usually head north in the camper trailer but this year, my eldest son is getting married so there was entirely too much to do - the wedding is this Saturday (6th April) and it was my intent to start sewing my frock after the last market - but, Sod's Law and all that - my sewing machine broke - AGAIN - same problem as before and as it was over the Easter holidays, Janome wasn't open - however, I drove off to their HQ this morning and they've fixed it - and suggested reasons why this problem occurs.  I'll be monitoring it over the next few months - the volume and the variety of the sewing I do, as well as all the different fabrics I use, means my sewing machine has to be robust enough to withstand the workload - I have to be able to rely on my tools - so we'll see.....

But for now, sewing machine is fixed...

CHECK

The beautiful silk fabric I dyed is dry, pressed and ready to be cut, the adjustments to the bodice have been made and tested on the toile, the remaining pattern pieces are ironed and the silk thread is ready...

CHECK

It's my intent to do some embroidery and artful stamping once the pieces are sewn together, but I'm going to wait to see what it needs when it's constructed. Hopefully this time tomorrow I will have a frock worthy of the mother of the Groom....