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......

doing Good

A couple of years ago I answered a call out from Rachel, of Stitched in colour, to establish a do.Good Stitches Circle here in Australia and the result was the Cherish Circle.  This wonderful group of women have made lots of stunning quilts, all destined to be gifted to people who would benefit from a quilty hug...here are a few of them.....

these can all be viewed in Flickr do.good Stitches group
Flickr

Late last year however, I made the decision to  bow out for a while - my school work is getting more full-on and with various other commitments, time is at a premium.  We found a new member to replace me and Anne very kindly took over the leadership.  All I had to do was finish the last quilt - which was supposed to be finished by November 2012.......

Anyway - yesterday I decided it was next on the list - so I loaded it on the Gammill (I have these new Red Snapper things that make loading and unloading quilts onto the frame an absolute breeze) and freehand feathery quilted it all over.  The backing I pieced out of a few lengths of fabric that suited and the binding - all done by machine (and I have those Clover binder clips - wow - they make such a difference too) - was a blue stripe I've had for some time too - so now it's ready for a label and then handover to the recipient.

crap photo - another thing on my list of things to improve...

I've really enjoyed making with the Cherish group - I'll keep calling into the Flickr groups to look at what stunners they have come up with and there's always lots of inspiration in the main do.good Stitches group too.

All the best ladies - you made my tenure as Circle mama so very easy and I wish you all the very best.

It's been a long time, now I'm...

coming back home....I've been away now, oh how.......

Hands up who was singing it in their head?? (Gotta love the Beatles).

I haven't been away too far, just very busy with Christmas, some commission work and getting stuff ready for my market stall...and I finished a couple of items too.

We here in Oz just celebrated Australia Day - it commemorates the first settlement of Europeans in Australia - it has been mired in a little controversy given the status of the traditional landholders, but it is still a public holiday and it is very traditional for folks to get away for 'the long weekend' (Oz Day is the 26th January and it happened to fall on the weekend, so Monday was declared a public holiday, giving us a 3 day weekend).

My bff, her partner and my husband decided to get away camping, to Noojee, a spot the boys recced the weekend before.  Gorgeous spot, next to a river and not too far to travel.  There's new long drops, lots of shade and given the weather forecast, it seemed like an ideal spot.

Oh dear, how wrong we were...

When we pulled in late on Friday afternoon, it didn't take us long to set up and get the kettle on and contemplate what we'd have for dinner.

Nicked the photo from my bff's facebook page

A Ranger came around to let us know there was still a Total Fire Ban in place, so cooking over the fire was out of the question.  No drama's - perfect opportunity to have dinner at a place called The Outpost in town (the schnitzels were amazing, real chicken breast and came with a multitude of different toppings.  The boys had a Billy Burger and declared them very, very tasty - we'd definitely go back again).

A couple of camping groups in the same area decided that the Total Fire Ban could not possibly apply to them, so they lit a campfire - given they had young kids in their party, this behaviour was completely irresponsible.  It was compounded later by the arrival of several dirt bikes - obviously they'd been out riding when we arrived and the noise they made on their return certainly shattered the serenity of the place - being in a valley added reverberating echoes all around the camping ground - hmm, not enjoying Noojee as much now.....but wait, there's more....

Several groups decided that they should play their music, loudly, so everyone could hear - so we had Jon Bon Jovi up against doof doof (I can't call it music - Gawd, how old do I sound!!) - not the same doof doof artist at each site mind you, but lots of different ones, just in case we didn't like one of them....

This continued for some time - but it did finish reasonably early on Friday night so off to bed and hopefully a better day on Saturday.

Have to say, Saturday not a great deal better - more bikes - a nice surprise though was that a Total Fire Ban was not declared so campfires legal and we looked forward to a good night around the fire.  Wasn't to be - the 'music' was louder - it appeared that each group decided their particular music should have centre stage - so they just kept turning the sound up - we even had the Bon Jovi group 'singing' along to their cd (don't give up your day job girls!).  The group behind us played a card game that apparently required a lot of shouting - things like f**k, a******e and raucous laughter - don't get me wrong - I love a drink and I swear - but omg, there were kids about and OTHER PEOPLE CLOSE BY.  The noise continued until 1.30am Sunday morning and I'd had enough - not enough sleep - terrible music - noisy bikes.....

I'd love to say I marched up to the ferals/bogans and demanded they thought about others besides themselves - but I didn't - they'd been drinking since lunchtime and I wasn't game enough - so, after breakfast Sunday morning, we came home - a day earlier than planned.  The good thing about that was I was able to watch the Oz Open men's final  - sorry Murray didn't win but it was a great match.

I love camping, especially bush camping, and the irresponsible idiots that tear up the bush, frighten the wildlife and think of no-one but themselves make me despair.  I know this type of anti-social behaviour happens in towns and cities all over the place, but I usually avoid situations where I have to deal with it..there was a time when I wouldn't have thought twice about confronting the perpetrators...I wonder when I got so afraid?

In the grand scheme of things, I've nothing really to complain about - we have people battling floods and bush fires in this great land - and I grieve with them...and send my best wishes to all them, including the emergency services members and volunteers assisting them.

Happy Australia Day..

The one where the music soars.....

in my head at least - and I danced a bit (my husband thinks I'm nuts) - because this evening, I finished the last FWQA blocks - yep, all 111 of them - and yes, I know I still have to sew the blocks together and finish the quilt - but Rome wasn't built in a day and all that - I started these blocks in June 2012 when I joined the FWQA and initially I made several each week.  However, as things go, my exuberance waned and I found it was months between blocks...they really did become quite tedious.....and then I got another spurt on and another til finally, they're done - the first 3 of the top row I finished last week and the remainder I've finished today - the bottom left block took me longer to make than the other 7!! - actually, that was the penultimate block and just because I really wanted to finish them all today, my sewing machine decided to start playing up - bloody thing - a clean out, a new needle and a change of thread and bobbin helped a little, but it looks like it needs a professional service.....but, it was ok enough for me to finish them all....YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

....and the stack all together...

It must be the right sort of day - because this morning I finished the machine quilting on this baby...

rotten photo - it's night time!

I've custom quilted this - there's feathers and lots of stitch in the ditch (ish!) - I won't win any prizes for the quilting but it's a whole lot better than previous efforts - onwards and upwards!  I'm going to do some hand quilting too so it's not ready for an official finish as yet - I started the quilt top back in April 2010 - I didn't know how to foundation piece so I signed up for a BoM with Stitchin Heaven - it's called 'Dancing with the Stars' and every block is foundation pieced.  It's a big quilt (80" x 92") - but it's almost Oz Open time so the hand quilting can be completed whilst watching the tennis.

On that note, I'm off to add the FWQA photos to Flickr then go to bed - funnily enough I'm pooped!

Someday at Christmas....

I have Stevie Wonder belting out his 'Someday at Christmas' album (first released in 1967!) and it never fails to evoke memories of Christmas's past - and it never fails to invoke a palpable longing to be holding my family tight around me - my sisters, my brothers and all the extended family that make up our Clan - alas, it's not to be - we're separated by many miles and many differing priorities so for now, Skype, Stevie and family closest helps.....maybe one day.....roll on a Tattslotto win......

I was out and about yesterday, for one thing and another, and received a note from the post office to pick up a parcel - I thought it might be books I'd ordered from Amazon - so back out I go to pick them up....only, it wasn't books from Amazon...it was a gift from one of my sisters - Heather, who has been arty crafty for as far back as I can remember - who has completed the City and Guilds course and who hand crafts exquisite things - she made me a most beautiful quilt.  It is in the style of Yoshiko Jinjenzi - a brilliant artisan and author of books - both of which I have because I'm a huge fan - and it has pieces of Kaffe Fassett fabrics in it - and it's red and white - and so tactile with dense quilting - sisters know hmm??

here it is on my couch

hanging at the back of the couch - dense quilting - and some delightful hand embroidered flowers

Heather tells me it's the first time she's attempted machine quilting - she usually hand quilts - and it just proves how clever she is - there's not a pucker nor missed line in sight - it's absolutely a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

Thank you so much - immediate reaction on ripping the the parcel open (and it was beautifully gift wrapped too, but that didn't last long nor was I patient enough to take a photo first) was to burst into tears - it's just perfect and takes pride of place in my front room so I can enjoy (and brag to visitors!!) it every day.  Love you Heather....