The wedding post.....and other stuff

Well, the wedding is done - the bride looked radiant and the groom (my eldest son) looked so incredibly happy that it made me all teary - one of  the most important things I want for both of my boys is health and happiness - and my Adam sure has both.  They're really enjoying living in Wodonga (about 4 hours from where I live) and are set to make as much of their lives as possible - excellent!

Here's the happy couple after being declared 'husband and wife' and after the obligatory kiss!

Lloyd and I with our great niece.  Miss Stella is just waiting for the signing of the register so she can give Dana a wedding favour.

The reception was an absolute hoot - there was much dancing and drinking - and my youngest son Ben had a 'dance off' with Dana's nanna - it was captured on a mobile phone so hopefully it'll be available on Youtube soon :)

So we're kinda back to normal - the unpacking has been done and the laundry completed and Lloyd went back to work today....so did I....I have another market coming up so there's sewing to be done......and I sold a quilt at the last market (I was sooooo excited) so decided to finish a top I'd had hanging around too long - it's now ready for quilting and binding and it'll be available to buy from Red Hill Market on 4th May...

Thanks Heather for suggesting a border of the 'scraps' from the main piecing -I really like it.

I also had a crack at some free motion quilting on the long-arm..........need more practice but definitely getting better.....

the pink is from my chalk marking

So onwards and upwards - have to get stuck into more market sewing (cos I'm also doing the Mornington market the following week, 11th May.....)

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....

Market Survivor...

Well, a combo of aspirin (because the strong painkillers just made me loopy) and antibiotics, a strong dose of adrenalin and excitement and the best wishes and sympathy I received from my gorgeous readers got me through on Saturday - thank you.

The day started a little awry - my bff hadn't seen my face until then so it was a bit of a shock to her - and then we got slightly geographically challenged on the way to the market - I'm blaming that on the 5.30m start!

We set up pretty quickly then it was  matter of waiting for customers and getting to know our stall holder neighbours - both of them were old hands at markets so had a few tips for young players!

The swelling went down as the day progressed so I was looking halfway normal by pack up time.  A strong contingent of friends and family came to wish me luck - and buy something (which was the SWEETEST thing ever! - thank you from the bottom of my heart) - and even wonderful people I didn't know bought as well :)

I think I'm calling it a modest success - I certainly got some lovely feedback and have a better idea of the things I could make and how things could be better displayed (there was a surprising number of questions about what the soft baskets could be used for).  So I'm doing it all again on the 30th March for the Mornington Easter Market.....back to the sewing machine!

On the tooth front, it was removed yesterday and while not completely pain free, it's certainly on the mend.

Thanks again for all your kind wishes - onwards and upwards.......

Timing is everything......

Went to bed last night with a bit of a headache - woke up this morning with half my face inflated like a barrage balloon.

I have an abscess in my gum - the result of ignoring a broken tooth (cos I'm a scaredy cat when it comes to dentists) and now I have the look of someone furtively stuffing her face and not so furtively storing said stuffing in the side of my mouth.  The dentist won't see me and remove the tooth until the swelling has gone down - so that'll likely be Monday - and the doctor has given me an antibiotic jab today and some sooper dooper antibiotics and pain killers to have over the weekend.  The pain killers could have 1 of 2 side-effects - they can make me hyper or they can make me sleepy.  I rarely take painkillers - certainly not sooper dooper ones - so I don't know what to expect.

I have my first market tomorrow morning.

I'm going to look like a rabid squirrel storing her nuts for winter (at best) or comatose under my display table and hoping my bestie can cope with what we hope is an onslaught of buyers.

So if you're coming to Red Hill Market tomorrow, I'm just saying that it's the painkillers - whichever way it goes.....or I go.........

Just a couple more things to do..

the lettering is deliberately wonky and the raw edge applique deliberately frayed!

There's brown paper bags to buy, a 'float' to organise and that's about it - then it's 'D' Day on Saturday.

Last week I contemplated going in the garden to eat worms - definitely a crisis of confidence - but all good now and philosophical - it's my first market; I expect there to be adjustments and insights to be gained - which is just as well as I've committed myself to another market at the end of March - I so want to succeed so I'm surprised by my silly thoughts of:  "Hmm, if I sell everything, I'll have to remake and restock - maybe it would be better not to sell everything so I don't have so much pressure....(my eldest son gets married the first week of April and there's frock making and fabric dyeing and banner making to be done in the meantime - oh, and a couple of client commissions which have waited around long enough so have to be done now....)

but no, sod that:   I hope it all sells :)

I'll let you know how I go, good, bad or indifferent.

Getting closer...

So I made the 100 items - bit later than I anticipated, but life does intrude hmmm??

Now just have to make the banner, buy the bags, have a mock run, sort out the display............

matching soft baskets - beautiful printed linen with  a solid lining

wee pouch, fully lined, using Prints Charming offcuts

I was supposed to have this baby quilt/play mat ready too, but I put a narrow red border on it and it needs another - I just don't know what - so it's hanging off my long-arm until inspiration strikes....

a mix of fabrics, featuring prints from Oz designer, Saffron Craig

So it's Friday and I'm off to school - and we're doing screen printing today - bit excited about that...

Sewing, sewing, sewing...

In between keeping up with my Textile Art Diploma course requirements (creating a repeat design using hand carved stamps),

preparing sessions for my Community Classes (my themes this semester are Colour Theory and Techniques),

and other sundry domestic chores,

including removal of some water hyacinth from the fish pond - but that had to stop when I was bitten by a very large, and very aggressive bullant....

I have been organising business cards and advertising postcards, and sewing up a storm for my upcoming stall at Red Hill Market on 2nd March...

large cushion cover with zipped opening

boxy, zipped pouches

journal covers

cushion cover with buttoned opening

There's still a few other admin type issues to sort out (source and buy paper bags, signage, still need to finalise the display etc etc) and I want to have 100 items for sale - so I have another 20 to make........

Best get back to it......