Tea and Bickies

Mosquito nights and x rated bunnies!

2011-11-28T21:34:00.001+11:00

What's it like where you are? It's hot and humid here, and most nights lately have been disturbed by one pesky mosquito that wakes me up by buzzing past my ear.
I've found that there are three courses of action that can be taken when in this situation.....
1. Bury yourself deeply under the covers and hope that "someone" else is woken too as he will always get out of bed, find it and kill it. This has two drawbacks as firstly it gets really hot under those covers and secondly, he often sleeps through mozzie attacks.
2. Hope the the mozzie will settle for the less than sweet blood of my husbands (mine is chocolate laced....no wonder they like it!) and then once fed it should let me sleep.
3. Get out of bed and find the mozzie spray.

What would you do? I go with number one every time. I bury my head and hope it goes away....hmmm, makes me sound like an ostrich!

Anyway, in the hope that one day I'll get to finish most of my ufo's I managed to complete my Wrenly quilt top....though my youngest daughter wants me to call it "Through the Window".... Actually, I think I quite like that name.

And as for my embroideries, well....!
Two things happened.
1. (I'm so into lists tonight!) I got in touch with the lovely Kate from Lilipopo as I adore her pretty embroideries and pictures and she gave me permission to use some of her pics to be embroidered for my "thirties" quilt! Yes, it does have a chance of being finished now. Now, make sure you pop over and look at what she's doing because she's just so very talented.
Here's what I came up with....

and this...

More on that theme to come.....

2. Oh, and the other thing that really amused me this week was finding that my bunny (from the last post) was featured on Mr X Stitch.
Warning....it's not a site for the faint hearted, it has some very adult content. Which is why it's all the funnier that my cute bunny ended up there!

Hand sewing and tadpoles.

2011-11-06T14:31:00.002+11:00

I've realised that in life I'm a "starter," not so much a "finisher".
It's obvious why, starting is full of excitement and great expectations. Whereas finishing requires patience and perseverance.
But that's all about to change! I have decided to gird my loins (I'm actually am not too sure what that means but it does sound appropriate,) and get some finishing done.

So, with that in mind I grabbed out some unfinished projects and am refusing to put them away untill they're done.

Firstly, here are some embroideries I started and am planning to team them with some gentle 1930's in pink and yellow.

I pinched the gorgeous linen that these are emboidered on from my lovely Polish friend, Patrycja. Thank you!

Next I have some appliqué that need finishing......

But what I really want to do is.......

Chocolate, flying saucers and new fabric......does life get any better?

Today I will confess that although I have lots of 'green' intentions.....the fact that my in-ground spa is full of tadpoles is nothing to do with environmental concerns.......it's a negative energy issue.
As the universe needs to be balanced perfectly with both positive and negative energy (yes, I watch the National Geographic channel,) there's nothing I can do about it. It's certainly nothing to do with me being too lazy to keep it clean.
Anyway, the world needs frogs!
Ribbit, ribbit.

I'm not ignoring you...I'm just slow!

2011-11-01T12:56:00.001+11:00

Sigh....I'm doing it again! Not keeping up with this blog and yet I had such good intentions.

I've been pretty busy working at the shop. Most days I come home and fall asleep on the couch for an hour. I used to call them "power naps" but now that I know I snore occasionally (thank you, Ruby!) I guess I have to call them "nanna naps".
But I'm not proud, I don't care....after you've been on your feet all day lugging hundreds of bolts of fabric around you'd fall asleep snoring too!

Luckily, in my blog absence I managed to knock out a few tops so here's the latest.......

It was quick, it was easy, it was fun. I just smile every time I see this fabric.
Want to make one too? Get yourself a copy of "Fat Quarterly" issue 5. Yeah, it's another Lily's quilt! I do like her stuff.

You know, the whole idea of working was to amass some money for holidays and stuff.....working in a patchwork shop sure put paid to that silly idea! All it does is feed my addiction for fabric, you should see how many metres I bring home each week.

I need help!

BTW...what do you think of the button my lovely hubby made for Gail's shop? It's over there in the side bar.....see.
I was impressed with it.
Now I've just got to get her to re-vamp her site.....little steps.

Wheels and weaning.

2011-10-16T18:32:00.000+11:00

It's flipping hard to take a photo of a quilt top in the wind!

I tried patience, I tried talking to the wind....I even co-opted my youngest daughter to hold the quilt down on one side. Sorry, but this is the best I can do under the (very) trying circumstances....my Lilys quilt, still waiting for me to quilt it. Ho hum.

So it's Sunday and confession time....by the way, I was so glad to hear I wasn't the only dog chocky eater in the world. Let's see if I'm not alone this week.

Have you ever seen a slightly mad looking woman, walking quickly along the street whilst clutching a loaf of bread tightly to her chest?
That would have been me.
It was a sunny day and I decided to walk to the shops leaving the kiddies at home with dad. All I wanted was a moment to myself out in the sunshine and some nice fresh bread.
What I ended up with was a tee shirt dripping with milk and a soggy loaf.
Don't ever be fooled by the term "weaned". Your child may know it but your boobs have notions of their own.
The simple act of a bit of jiggling in a looser bra plus a crying baby (not mine) in the bakers and I developed two large spreading damp patches across my front.
I had about a mile to walk home. No jumper or cardie to hide in. No car to slide inside and drive away. It was an embarassing moment in my life....did you see me?

Baby quilt.

2011-10-15T18:25:00.001+11:00

I have been busy this week, truely! Though, if you were to pin me down and demand to know what I've been doing I could only show you this.....

It's a bit of a cheat, but fun too. Just two bits of fabric, one for the top and one for the backing, quilted along the lines, bound and hey presto....a funky little kids quilt.
I love it, all the pieces in this range (Meet the Gang) make me smile.
Here's the back peeking over the corner. Just the sort of thing to whip up in an evening for a surprise gift.

If you want to see it in "person", it's hanging in the shop .

Confessional Sunday

2011-10-09T16:02:00.000+11:00

So this is what I made out of the leftovers from my Sanctuary quilt....doesn't it look different!

But I'm guessing your far more interested in my confession for the week, ok....here goes......

Back when I was twenty something (technical term for young and stupid) I owned a dog and she was pampered and loved but.....on occasion....when I was desperate....I would steal and eat her doggie chocolates!

No, the laxative effects never bothered me.
Yes, my hair was lovely and shiny
No, I never felt the urge to sniff bottoms.

I am ashamed of myself, and now ensure that the pantry is NEVER bereft of chocolate.

It wont happen again.

Hopefully.

Not....the fastest blogger in the world.

2011-10-08T17:37:00.000+11:00

So where did all my good intentions go? I was going to be a good blogger and a better quilter/crafter.
Hah!
So much for that! You didn't see how long my grass was....I've got calouses from all that mowing.

Luckily I did get a few tops done in my blogging absence so can pretend to have been productive by eeking out the pics.
This is one of my favourites, Sanctuary with some chocolate brown...mmmm....yummy!
I'll show you tomorrow what I made with the leftovers, how economical is that, using leftovers. Whatever next!
Oh, by the way....I'm making Sunday posts "Confesssional Sunday." So get your thinking caps on, I'll confess if you will....go on, you know it's good for the soul!

We have a winner!

2011-10-04T08:51:00.001+11:00

Sorry it's taken me soooo long to post this....but finally (drum roll please)........

The winner is....Karen P. with her comment "I'm just not that much of a risk taker & I love the heather bailey fabrics so much, so I'd pick those!:)"

I'll be sending you an email and you can give me your snail mail addy.

But did you all notice, Karen didn't choose the box! After reading your comments (some of which were hilarious!) I noticed that most of you wanted to know what was secreted away in the box, so just for you this is what wasn't chosen.......

See how the box was bulging! It contained a fat quarter of the entire range of Meet the Gang, (hehe... we got it before America) and a couple of Ink and Spindle hand printed fq's and a selection of cute Kokka's and Alexander Henry's. Oh....and a bag of bits that I'm just not going to show you cos there may be another time that I do this and it's too good a bag to spill the secret.

This is a slightly better picure...don't thinkI'll ever win awards for my photography.

Give away!

2011-09-25T17:39:00.003+10:00

So here it is folks, my "glad you hung around for me" give away.
But....I was thinking let's make it a bit more fun!

I remember when I was a young pup there was a t.v game show that always ended in the winner being asked to choose between a known prize........or choosing to "open the box!" The contestants never knew if the contents would be better or worse than the other prize but oh, how the audience would yell out for them to "OPEN THE BOX!"

So, here's my give away, 38 quarter yards of Bijoux and Pop Garden from Heather Bailey...........

Or..... here's the box!

What could possibly be in there? A pair of my nine year olds' dirty socks? A beautiful stack of Kokka fabric....who knows? And are you willing to take a chance?

All you have to do to have a chance to win (and let's be honest, you've got a flippin' good chance cos I've been off the radar for a long while) is leave a comment anytime between now and Sunday 2nd October and let me know in your comment which one you'd choose.

Good luck!
The draw is now closed......winner to be announced later today.

Thinking.....

2011-09-23T12:24:00.001+10:00

Hmmm....I'm thinking, deliberating, considering whether to re-join blogland.
Perhaps I could start with a give away? Though maybe I should start with cleaning up my kitchen.
And if my mum's reading this I know she'll be thinking "That'd be a first!"
Of course if I start with a give away that means I'll have to spend quite a lot of time rummaging through my fabric room........so the kitchen would stay a mess.
This is one of the reasons I stopped blogging....too many decisions!
Give away or clean kitchen?
Cleaning or fabric fondling?
So many choices, so little time.

Think Mr Magoo!

2010-12-22T19:14:00.003+11:00

Hi lovely people,
Because a few of you are wondering where I am and if I'm ok, I thought it would be best if I just put out a quick note to let you know what's happening.
I'm having a bit of trouble with my eyes at the momenrt, nothing too serious, just an inability to focus my eyes after using my computer for more than five minutes. This has meant that I've not been using it all...no blog reading (went through a bit of withdrawal with that, I can tell you,) no browsing, not even reading emails, I feel like I've entered the dark ages here. In fact I'm having to have a little help writing this but dictation is a wonderful thing and I'm sure I could get used to having a computer slave!
So, after Christmas I have an appointment with a specialist and I'm sure that with the help of a couple of thick bottle bottom glasses (think Mr Magoo) and a tweek here and there I'll be back radishing as usual.
"Grrr.... I said ravishing"!
You just can't get good help these days!
But as I'm not looking for your pity I thought I'd leave you with a few pics of fabric I've bought from work, at Patchwork at Gail B's. Now you're jealous, aren't you! HoHoHo.

Very rude noises!

2010-09-28T23:47:00.002+10:00

I'm a mum, and as such I'm really proud of my children. So when my eight year old daughter tapped me on the arm to get my attention and announced that...... she could make a farting sound with her hand, I of course..... blamed it on her fathers genes! I have never, ever made a rude noise with my hands and if I inadvertantly make one from any other part of my body, well, I wouldn't be boasting about it.
But it got me thinking........I am anal about some things, these wagon wheel blocks for instance. I just feel like I've won something every time that I piece one, turn it over and this little star in the centre appears!

May all your piecing be perfect!

Infatuations

2010-09-26T23:32:00.002+10:00

I'm overwhelmed by the infatuation I'm having! I just can't stop making these things......

A little voice at the back of my head keeps nagging me with the thought that joining them all together is going to be ....... hellish.
But right now I'm dancing with delight. I love this one best....no, this one....oh, and this one.......
Any volunteers to help me pull all the papers off the back when I'm finished?

And I really should say a big "Thank You" to Alex from insane-about-jane for nominating me for the Sunshine award. To say I'm surprised is an understatement, the last award I got was for the egg and spoon race back in primary school, this one is much prettier!

Quilting adultery

2010-09-24T23:10:00.000+10:00

I was thinking today, no....not that an unusual occurrence, I assure you! Anyway, there I was pondering the ways of quilting when I decided that (for me) making a new quilt is like starting a new love affair.
I start to ignore my family, their needs seem trivial to me. I pick a new design with trepidation.......then follows the painful yet exquisite feeling of release when cutting into that long hoarded, much favoured fabric. Blood, sweat and tears often follow....but the worst part is when "doubt" sets it.
Have I chosen wisely? Can I possibly finish it? Will it be the love of my life?

There is a little bird fluttering in my heart at the moment....this could be it!

I think I'm falling in love.....

Trying to make a decision.

2010-09-22T23:36:00.001+10:00

It's school holidays so that's why I haven't been here much.....nothing much to tell. Unless of course you want to hear about our outings....nah, didn't think so.
I'm trying to decide what pattern to do next, should it be this........?

It would mean paper piecing and while I can do it, it isn't really my favourite method.
Or should I try hand piecing a tea leaf pattern?
Decisions, decisions. I think tomorrow night I'll piece some tea leaves and then make up my mind.
In the mean time, have you ever seen "Posh Nosh "? My eldest son sent me the link, if you've got five minutes and want a real giggle go here..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzjR0yL4f0Y

Auto Cannibalism

2010-09-13T16:38:00.000+10:00

If you were a fly on my wall, well....firstly you'd get swatted or sprayed to death with half a can of ozone destroying agents, but if you managed to live through that you'd hear some pretty weird stuff.
Yesterday, for instance, you might have heard a disgusted scream followed by "EUGH.... Tell your father I hate him!"
Now hold on, just let me stop you there....I can see you reaching for the phone to call social services...... both my daughter and her father were killing themselves laughing.
You see I have a bad habit, I chew my fingers, (auto cannibalism my hubby calls it) and every evening you can hear him moan "Stop chewing!" about a million times. I'll even hide under the cushions to nibble at that loose bit of flesh hanging by my nail....disgusting, isn't it!
Well the other evening he'd been threatening me with the "stop 'n grow," foul stuff that you paint on your fingers and it''ll make you sick if you get even the faintest taste of it, and I'd been my usual adult self going "Ner, ner de ner ner" back at him when....he pounced! He grabbed my hand and painted it with the vile sticky stuff!
I, of course, just muttered something about not needing such a childish disincentive and looked down my nose at him as I carried on with my crochet.
Half an hour later, I'd forgotten (is this a sign of impending senility?) and stuck my finger in my mouth for a good chew........."EUGH.... Tell your father I hate him!"
But, to get away from my bad habits let me show you what Kelli has forced me to start....

Cutting out and sticking down all the little pieces is fun, I admit......but now she wants me to hand stitch the fabric edges in blanket stitch. I tell you, I'm surrounded by bullies!

Kamikaze possums and crochet!

2010-09-10T19:21:00.005+10:00

OK, I'm sorry, I just haven't been around much lately....not my fault....I just happen to live in an area with a high concentration of kamikaze possums.

You don't get the connection?

Well, there's some pretty appealing (to possums) power lines out the front of our place, and they will play their little games of chasey and dare, running along them. Get the picture? The first time I heard a BANG and the lights went out I was horrified to see a fried possum hanging from the power lines, but let's be honest, when your power has shorted out three times in one evening because of the daft buggers not letting go of one line before they leap to another....then....my pity becomes a little thin.

In short, my computer (and everything else powered by electricity) has been on and off more times than my knickers on my honeymoon!

Anyway....what would you want me to tell you about! Should I tell you about the incident where I very nearly set fire to my tennis team-mates hair? I wonder, if I actually had,(set her alight) could I be charged with some sort of assault.....I can see it now.......me in the dock....charges being read out in a deep ponderous voice ...."You stand here charged with grievous harm by birthday candle...."!

Hmmmm.......I think I'd get off....you'd be a character reference for me, wouldn't you?

But this is not what this blog is all about, let me tell you of my new passion....crochet! I know I've mentioned it before but I've now become addicted.

If you need to find me, I'm curled up on the sofa, surrounded by a rainbow of coloured balls of wool. All 100% Australian merino wool, lovely and soft, not "scratchy", it'll probably take a year to have enough of these squares to make a blanket but I don't care....I'm just having a bit of fun!

Laid back, lazy stuff.

2010-08-28T17:56:00.002+10:00

I've been messing about with a couple of new bits and pieces today. Stuff that has no asap attached to it.
This is the first (and may be the last) hexagon flower I've ever made.

I think if I'm going to continue with this I'll need some stronger glasses (of gin or rum) because making those tiny stitches is.....not easy!

Then there's the beginners crochet, or as I like to call it.......
Crochet's Really About Perseverance. It does has an acronym but we're in polite company so I wont mention it.

Yes I know, you don't have to point out the wonkyness and mismatched sizes, I can see it too! Maybe I'll just do just one more (a cushion cover, perhaps!) then go and buy some pretty colours.

Need a mug? See me.

2010-08-27T23:13:00.000+10:00

So, today I'm going to give you a piece of advice that will save you from countless hours of swearing and sweating. You can thank me later.

How to Deal with Teachers.

Firstly, if you are a pre-school parent, I know you wont believe a word I'm about to say, but bear with me as I'm only thinking of you.
When you take your little Zachary or Zinnia to school for the first time you want that teacher to love your kiddie like you do and are willing to follow teachers orders like they were etched in stone. You'll bend over backwards to ensure that your Winston or Winnie are "golden" children. Don't say you wont, cos I know you!

And if your offspring are a little older and already at school (and I'm talking primary school here) there's still hope for you but you will have to instigate this regime sooner rather than later.

1. Develop a scowl. This must be worn from the moment you enter your school gates and not be removed until you hear that gate close behind you. You are aiming to be unapproachable to teachers.

2. Wear something that says "NO." I don't care if it's a badge, or a tattoo on your forehead, or even if you want to shave it into your scalp but for your own sanity please just remember that little word. Actually, I seem to remember my mother telling me something like that but I'm sure she was talking about something else, just can't remember what.

3. Never, never volunteer for something....but if you must (and I know you want to) only do it on the understanding that it's the only thing you can do that fits in with your extremely busy timetable. Let it be known that you are a BUSY woman (or man!) and that you are doing them a huge favour by attending this ONE, and only ONE excursion.

4. Keep a phone in your pocket that you can suddenly "answer" so that you can look apologetically over your shoulder at the teacher as you walk away talking to yourself.

5. Do not under any circumstances admit to being able to sew or cook or craft in any way. If your child dobs you in, change schools....quickly!

This all sounds terrible doesn't it, I mean teachers are lovely hard working people aren't they!

Yes they are, but they are also very clever (which is lucky seeing as they're teaching our kids) and they can spot a weak parent in the crowd just like a lion picks out the weakest zebra. Once you're spotted, they're in for the kill! I also think they sell lists to other schools, so if you do have to change schools (see number 5 above) consider changing your name also.

No-one ever gave me this advice and in the last few weeks I've had to make half a class load of gingerbread houses..... I'd never made gingerbread before, so it's not like I knew what I was doing, I was just the weakest parent there......she must have spotted my gammey leg......broke my food processor.....had to pick pieces of plastic from the mix....spent a whole day doing batch after batch of the horrid stuff.....none of it's even for my kid's group!
Then I got dobbed in for making the nativity costumes.....I make quilts, not costumes! That's three wise men, three shepherds, three Roman soldiers, not to mention ma and pa in the stable, oh....and three angels!
The last few days I've been imersed in cheerleader skirts. Of course I can run up thirteen skirts (with two red ribbon stripes) in two shakes of a possums tail!

No problem!

Need a mug, see me.

Swapalicious!

2010-08-20T18:59:00.003+10:00

Today was the big hand over.
Rachal and I both dumped ourselves on Kelli's doorstep, demanded coke, cake and sweet tea and then proceeded to rifle through her bits and pieces......sounds naughty, doesn't it!
For entertainment she laid on a handsome half naked male, or as we knowledgeable women call it, a pre-schooler that can't pull his pants up yet.
The music was catchy too and I noticed that we were all humming the tune to Wallace and Grommit as we left.
I found myself with a totally captivated audience, in fact every word I uttered was met with adoration........from her new dog!
Both Rachal and I bullied Kelli until she gave in and attempted to teach us both how to crochet. I, of course, was a model student but Rachal on the other hand had the bad manners to be left handed so Kelli had to turn herself inside out and back to front in a vain attempt to educate the cack handed one. This is my magnificent start....See the sharp corners.......see the colour change........see and admire the tribble stitch I learnt.

What! It's a bit wonky! It's a "triple" stitch?! Blimey....you're so picky!

But you're not here to find out what we talked about (btw...we talked about you, wouldn't you like to know what was said now.) You want to see the swap don't you!
Well, my end was to quilt a quilt for Kelli's mum, here it is.....

It was a dream to quilt as it was all squared up nicely, no rippling borders.

But I've saved the best for last. This is what Kelli did for me......

Yes, she spray painted my sewing machine cover! Isn't it brilliant! I do have a habit of over doing the exclamation mark but blooming heck, it's absolutely fantabulous!!!!!!!!!!!
Look, even the back got a girlie girl!

Go on, admit it, you're totally jealous. I know you are cos even my hubby is! He wants me to convince Kelli to paint his computer cover now. I feel another deal in the making!

Life, fabric and teasing.

2010-08-19T22:16:00.001+10:00

Three things that I never thought I'd be doing at my age.

1. Discussing the colour of my daughters snot.....don't ask!
2. Doing physiotherapy on a guinea pig.......both pig and I feel like idiots, but we persevere.
3. Buying zit cream for a case of teenage spots......for me! Thank heaven for fringes, that's all I can say.

Ah well, such is life.

But.....
I've had a few great days. Spotlight invited me over for a "chat" and fed me chocolate eclairs, cups of tea and then gave me a voucher for $50....all just for giving them my opinion of their store. I wouldn't mind a few more little "chats" like that.
Then, my fabrics all arrived, such bliss. The voiles are almost too good to cut up, I will have to be very brave to take the scissors to them.

I did deviate a teeny bit while buying the voiles, couldn't resist these too.....

Tomorrow's the big day! I'm off to Kelli's place to eat cake and hand over our swaps, don't think I'll sleep tonight I'm that excited! She's posted a tease on her blog if you want to go and peek, but I warn you she really does TEASE!

Swaps

2010-08-12T17:10:00.007+10:00

I'm doing a swap with Kelli. Not the usual sort....more a skills swap.

I think I'm getting the better end of the deal though.....can't wait to show you...I'm really excited! I know when you see what I'm getting, you'll all want one.....but I got in first!

Here's a snippet of my end of the deal....

I have been very, very bad!

2010-08-10T22:53:00.006+10:00

Really and truthfully I am trying to be good! I lay the blame for today's slide down the slippery slope to bankruptcy fairly and squarely on Andi's shoulders.

I told you she came round the other day and brought with her a fabric gift for me........well, it was a large piece of Anna Maria's Little Folk voile....yes, voile!

I didn't have any voile in my collection (hoard,) not a skerrick, so this one, single, solitary piece looked sadly at me from the table and spoke of others like it in other designs and colours.

Yes, at this point I will stop and inform you that I am bilingual....I am fluent in fabric-speak.

So anyway, I spent half a day searching the net for more voile till I hit upon Hawthorne Threads, who not only have a fabulous on-line shop but also have loads and loads of beautiful voile......and they get cheaper and cheaper the more you buy! I was like a pig in mud......a bit of this, some of that.......and suddenly I found I'd bought over twenty yards of fabric.

I really was trying to be good, sigh, I can only hope that eventually they'll mate and I can become the world's first voile breeder.

Pride and tearfulness.

2010-08-08T20:24:00.009+10:00

I know this is supposed to be a craft blog, but I'll just spend a minute telling you about my eldest daughter.

She is an amazing woman and I love her. This weekend we took the car for a bit of a drive (nearly 600 km's each way) and went to watch her doing her passing out parade in Wagga Wagga (so good they named it twice!)

Yes, I did tear up a bit...... I am a mum after all! But I really enjoyed the day, even though it was absolutely freezing, and my sense of overwhelming pride, not only for her but for all the recruits remains with me.

I also got to give her the cushion which she liked (phew), now I've really got to finish that quilt!

Here she is with her little sister.

A bit of gossip.

2010-08-05T22:24:00.006+10:00

I think someone must have dobbed me in, because I can't believe with all the fantastic blogs out there in blogland my silly stuff caught the eye of Craft Gossip.

I will confess to whooping a bit when I saw they'd linked to me.....but like the sensible person that I am I wont be letting it go to my head, though I am thinking of having some letterheads printed and maybe a few thousand business cards....I wonder if I can get my drivers license changed to "Clair, as featured in Craft Gossip", then there's the school, they always want to keep up with any changes in your status, perhaps my will needs looking at too............

No, it's definitely not gone to my head!

Seduced to the dark side!

2010-08-05T22:05:00.005+10:00

I have been seduced to the dark side. Kelli came round today and brought a humungous box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts to share, I'd never had one before.....yes, I was a Krispy Kreme virgin.....but now my life has changed!

It's not like I'd never heard of them before now, to tell the truth I just didn't have much interest in them.....a doughnut's a doughnut. But I was wrong and I'm not afraid to stand tall and admit it.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are the BEST!

But where does that leave me now? I've no idea where I can buy the things locally, does this mean I've got to program the navigation system in my car to find a supplier? I think I'm having withdrawal symptoms already....Kelli, what have you done to me!

Just a teaser.

2010-08-04T22:25:00.009+10:00

I'm going to see my eldest daughter this weekend. There's no way I can have that huge quilt finished by then so I'm giving her a teaser.....it was a block left over.....just sitting there.....looking at me.

So I gave it life and turned it into a large cushion.

Hobnobbing

2010-08-03T20:11:00.006+10:00

I've been hobnobbing with a famous person. I can tell you're impressed! Andi of Patch Andi came round for a play date yesterday. Actually it was slightly amazing that she found her way to my place as she was using my directions and I have a habit of confusing my Lefts and Rights.....perhaps I should have warned her about that before she set out on the mamoth journey.

Still, she got to meet some of my neighbours who kindly redirected her and then we got to play.

I must say, I am impressed when visitors come bearing gifts and she was seriously impressive! She not only brought round lunch, and cakes but also fabric.....she's my kind of girl!

As I watched her master my monster quilting machine I was blown away with how quickly she got into the rythm of it. Her feathers are awesome! I did feel a bit like a "grown up" at times as I told her to "stand up straight" but you and I both know that posture is all important!

My only other claim to fame is walking smack into Dawn French's boobs in Sydney............ don't laugh! It made a lasting impression on me.

I'll keep this brief.

2010-08-01T22:58:00.007+10:00

When do you know you've spent too much time sewing?

Is it when your back hurts from bending over that sewing machine? No, that's what pain killers are for.

Is it when you're hungry? No, that's what chocolate's for, a fast acting energy food.

Is it when your child moans she's bored? No, that's when you let her friends come over and trash your place.

"Well, when is it?" I hear you ask.

It's when you go to your undies draw and the only pair of knickers left are so old and saggy and holey that you ponder the merits of going commando.

That's when you know it's time to do the washing!

Finished the last block!

2010-07-30T21:31:00.012+10:00

I finished the last block today.

I laid them out on the floor for arrangement, fussed around for a bit then went into paroxysms of fear....how the hell do I quilt this!

It's too big to get a complete photo of.........I no longer know what compelled me to make this.

Controlled sympathy

2010-07-28T17:09:00.004+10:00

I have a "sickie" at home today. Cough, cough....."Muu...uum", that's what I've heard all day. It's not that I'm unsympathetic, I gave her the day off of school, and made her lots of hot chocolate.

I have been, sporadically, a "good" mum, so I know what I'm supposed to do.....except, I have a sneaky suspicion that if I make "home" too warm and cosy a place I'll never get her to go back to school. With that in mind (nothing to do with me being a completely selfish pig) I have left her to her Lego and I've had a good old sit and sew.

I'm nearly at "Whoo-Hoo" stage, just knocked out blocks 21 and 22 today. It's getting so close to being finished, well....the top at least, that I'm getting excited!

Just another block!

2010-07-26T21:32:00.004+10:00

My youngest daughter has informed me that the title to my last post is "inappropriate"! She's only seven, but she rules me. So in her honour I'm going to be really good and NEVER mention the "v" word again on this blog.

She isn't yet aware that I know other words for it but I'll save her blushes (actually more like hoots and giggles) for another day.

I'm very proud of myself, I've broken the "twenty" barrier and have only five more full blocks to go in Hollie's quilt. Like it?

Vagina pink or Barney purple?

2010-07-24T21:33:00.012+10:00

This week's been pretty busy, firstly I got a call from a teacher at school to help with a sewing class....making softies for a charity. As my brain is not the fastest thing in the world I scanned all my favourite blogs and came up with these simple freebies for the kids to make. Many thanks to Jenny at Allsorts for the Scotty dog....I love making these,

and to Nina from ninana for leaving a cool tute on craftster for her crazy cat,

and I can't quite remember where I got the pattern for the teddy but he's fun to tart up.

Then I spent a bit of time yelping with a torn thingie in my shoulder, and finally I had a trip out (makes me sound like I was on day release from prison!) to the Craft and Quilt fair in Melbourne.

If I'm brutally honest, the fair was....ok, but the company was fabulous! I met up with a couple of nutters, Andi and Rachal, from the guild and (luckily) we all had similar tastes so all gravitated to the same kind of stalls, you know....Amitie, Ballarat patchwork, Kelani.... that sort of place. But it was while we sitting eating lunch that the subject of colour came up and it's been on my mind ever since. It just amazes me how differently we perceive colour, I was telling the girls about when my eldest children moved out and how after a couple of years we re-painted their bedrooms and I slowly took them over for fabric and craft storage. Cutting a long story short, my eldest son returned one day, looked at the new colour on his old bedroom walls and declared that "it would be like sleeping inside of a vagina!" Hmmmm....... funny how you never forget some of the strange things your children say. Anyway, back to lunch at the show and I pointed to Rachal's bag and said "look, it's the same colour as your handles. ~~She~~ Andi looked down at them and declared that it was the same colour they'd painted in their house but she insisted it was "Barney purple."

Hmmm, "vagina pink" or "Barney purple", what would you call it?

Of course I can't leave you with such crassness so here's a couple more blocks for Hollie's quilt.....getting there!

Lolly-popish and darker, more erotic!!!

2010-07-17T16:01:00.008+10:00

I've had many things said about my sewing, usually I hear the words, "lovely, sweet, pretty, funny" you know what I mean. But the other day I sent my eldest daughter over to my flickr page to see her quilt progressing hoping that she'd like it and she said some of the blocks "are lolly-popish, others are darker, more erotic." !!!!!!!

Never, never before has anything I've made been described like that. I am ...... thrilled!

I can see a whole new profession awaiting me in the erotic quilt making business. Yes, it will be my new niche market, I will corner it and slowly take over the world....opps....didn't mean that last bit, just got carried away! You know how it is when the word "erotic" gets bandied around people my age.....we get all silly and giggly.....well, I do anyway.

But to bring a bit of sense and decorum back to this extremely serious blog (!)....

I went to another of the MMQG (see sidebar) meetings last week and we did our badge swap. I got a great badge from ...blast it, I can't remember her name, but she's a lovely American lady.... anyway, I love it, especially the little red balls hanging down. Thank you.

I must admit, making one for Miranda was fun, even though I got frustrated a few times. And yes....I guess I'd do it all again, creating something small can make you inventive. This is what I ended up making....and I bet that bell drives her nuts soon!

And lastly, this is why I've hardly sewn a stitch this week......

Two more to go in the series, then I'll be back to normal......hopefully!

Swapping shame

2010-07-10T11:08:00.008+10:00

I've got a guild meeting on Sunday and a couple of weeks ago I signed up for a name badge swap. "That's nice" I hear you say, infortunately I think I'm about to be bannished from the swap......and possibly from all future swaps!

The trouble started when I read the rules......they stated something like "the badge must not be larger that 9cm's in any direction", well....I'm an "inches" kind of girl! I grew up with feet and inches (showing my age here) and have a natural affinity with imperial measurements. This new fangled "metric system" is strange and unnatural to me....and if I'm honest I think it's just a fad and wont last. But anyway I pressed on with the badge making a decent guess at the size.

The first hurdle came when I'd finished it. You know how you look at something and it annoys you......well I'd done a bit of a bodge job of joining two bits of ricrac and had tried to hide the mess. No one else spotted it but to me it stuck out like a sore thumb. So I undid it all, replaced the messy bits with a correctly fitting piece and put it all back together and smiled.

Till today.....when I measured it with a metric ruler.....Agh! It's over a centimeter too big in all directions! And that's when I squish it up small!

Well, I'm not taking it apart again! It'll have to do.......I'm hoping that the swap organiser wont have a ruler to hand. Or if she does, hopefully it'll just have "inches" on it!

Still pressing on with the aminé quilt....though slowly as it's the holidays and "someone" needs my attention a lot!

Reading, sewing and sulking...!

2010-07-04T14:03:00.011+10:00

So, where have I been? Not far....right here in fact. But I've been having a sulk. "Sulk!?" I hear you say, yes, I'm not too proud to admit I've been having a sooky sulk.

You see, I have this problem........I really, really, really hate housework and am the first to admit I'm not that good at it. You know those old cartoons where they sweep all the mess under the rug.....well I think it's a brilliant idea!

Anyway, I have found that there are only two ways to get me to do the housework....

1. Bribery

2. Trickery

We all understand how bribery works, I clean up and then can go and buy umpteen metres of scrummy fabric. See, I've "bribed" myself. And it works....or at least it did till my beloved husband found out that buying me fabric makes me happy, and a happy me is a happy he, as they say. Only now I have no incentive to clean up.

This leaves "trickery", and it's much harder to implement.

But I did it the other day and I've been sulking about it ever since.

I'd got to the point where even I couldn't shove any more stuff under the rug, things had gone beyond an "artistic" mess, my place was a tip.....there's no other way to describe it. So I tricked myself....I invited friends round for dinner. I invited them ten days in advance, so I let the chaos build for another ten whole mess filled days (as we all know there's no point in clearing up early as more clutter will miraculously appear as soon as your back is turned) and then .....two hours before they arrived I realised the mamoth task could no longer be put off and ~~tidied up~~.......shoved everything into a room that I wouldn't take them in!

The dinner was great, but I still have all that mess as it oozed out from the hidden room and is back, spread in all it's glory across every inch of my floor.

So now I'm sulking cos I'm back where I started, *sigh* maybe I should just knuckle under and do it.................but wouldn't it be nicer if I baked a cake instead!

But I can't leave you with a tale of woe, I'll leave you instead with the knowledge that even when sulking I can sew and am up to block 16....not bad, eh!

btw, it's not as wonky as the picture shows, that's just my bad photography!

I'm becoming obsessive!

2010-06-18T23:36:00.012+10:00

I find that all I want to do is sew at the moment. I don't want to cook, in fact I've got to the point where I work out how many clean pots and pans I have left and cook something that will go in them. I'm only scrubbing pots and pans once a week, I see this as an exercise in water saving and everyone's got to do their bit. My daughter was nearly late for school this morning as I just had to "sew this little seam" and of course one seam led to another and another......

OK, enough waffling, I've done another four blocks (each one 20 inches square) want to see?

My darling hubby took one look at these and told me (thoughtfully) that I'd sewn the Japanese writing upside down. "That's art!" I told him. Then I thumped him.

Only another 30 to go...........I'm thinking "takeaways" for the next month or so.

Another day and a bit more craft.

2010-06-16T20:19:00.006+10:00

What a great time it was on Sunday, I went into Melbourne for another guild meeting. Lots of laughs, lots of tea (a few trips to the loo,) a good bit of sewing and oodles of fabric fondling!

Someone had brought along her stash of beautiful wools from the Waverley Woollen Mills.....dreamy and so soft, all in shades of blue, purple, green and cream. Then, as if that wasn't enough, she pulled out of her basket handfuls of Echino, Kristen Doran, Ink and Spindle.....oh the name dropping was intense!

Having a complete fit of fabric envy, Rachal and I wisely decided the only option left to us was to nobble the fabric queen. We quickly worked out a devastatingly clever plan to knock her on the head and nick her fabric...... unfortunately we weren't overly quiet when planning our assault and as she was sitting right next to us she quickly got wind of our plans and escaped. Sigh!

Anyway, today I had craft group and this is what I came up with. Not sure I like the skin outline in black, but it's a couple of years since I did any embroidery so I was just messing about trying to decide if I still like doing it.

Harder than I thought...!

2010-06-12T11:29:00.008+10:00

So, I spent a whole day with my seven year old drawing up and colouring in a pattern to end up chucking it out. It wasn't a complete waste as we both enjoyed the colouring in bit, but as soon as I started sewing it together I realised that I had to loosen up a bit.

So now I'm working on, what I like to call, "storyboards".

I got the idea from cartoon comics, see if you get what I mean....

Never, never, never........

2010-06-06T17:39:00.000+10:00

....... try to do an inset seam when it's late at night and you're tired. This is a piece of wisdom that I wish I'd known last night.

Most of the blocks I'm doing for this animé quilt have stretchy weird angles but easy ones none the less. Last night I was faced with sewing a nasty inset seam.

"No problem," I thought. I mean I know the principles involved in sewing these angles.......just had never found the need to actually DO one.

Four attempts later and "inset" became the rude word of the night! I tried steaming it flat, but the fabric just bobbled up. I tried inking the offending visible stitches, (yes, idiot that I am I lazily didn't bother changing the thread to a darker colour and white does tend to show up against a black background.) I snipped and tugged and in the end said "that'll do" and went to bed.

This morning I looked at it and thought it just looked crappy. So I unpicked, (again!) trimmed it back a bit, got out my lovely quarter inch ruler (free gift from The Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild) and did it properly.

Now I'm happy!

Ask and you shall receive.

2010-06-05T20:19:00.001+10:00

Do you find that as soon as you say "Has anyone got a .........." (you can fill in the blank with anything) usually someone will pipe up and say, "Oh! I wish I'd known....I just threw one out last week."

Well, I'm here to assure you that miracles really do happen.

The other day I just happened to mention that I'd be making toys with the kids at school next term and one of my tennis team mates looked up and offered "a big bag of wadding." Apparently her husband uses a poly-fibre wadding for some sort of insulating and has loads of clean, unused off cuts, ideal for toy making.

She and her husband arrived today with the "big bag" in the back of their ute. The bag is SO big I couldn't have got it into my car! I reckon there's about one and a half cubic metres of the stuff, it took two of us to carry it into the house.

I am overwhelmed!

Seeing as I'm on a "ask" and "receive" roll, what shall I ask for next.......?

I know, a trip to Amitie!

You thought I was going to ask for good looks and an endless supply of chocolate, didn't you!

.......maybe next time.

Leaving you with a picture of some lovely fabric I got from the Amitie stall at the last Stitches show.

Fondling fabric.....mmmm!

2010-06-03T13:26:00.003+10:00

Look what the postie brought the other day..........I'm in lurve with Alexander Henry and Michael Miller at the moment, luckily I have a very understanding hubby!

Some of the bigger prints will probably end up in the animé quilt but I'll make badges with a lot of the smaller prints.

Have you ever had a go with a badge making machine? I can recommend it, they're great fun, I got one for last Christmas because......... well, just because!

So, I'm still churning out the animé blocks..... want to see my latest favourite?

I think it's going to be really hard to part with this quilt, maybe my daughter will have to bribe me!

What's this...?

2010-06-01T10:09:00.001+10:00

"What's this?" asked my seven year old

"Hmmmm...." mentally rifling through the books she's read recently."Ah! It's a brilliant leafy sea dragon!"

"No it's not........ it's a hermaphrodite monster."

.....well, that was going to be my second guess!

Progress....slow but steady.

2010-05-31T13:59:00.001+10:00

Fifteen blocks done, I know that doesn't sound very much but I have to choose every border surrounding those gorgeous girls with care. I take this job very seriously!My favourite block changes all the time but at the moment this one makes me smile. I think she's a bit "kick ass".

I've ordered 9 yards of different Kona solids to help with all the fill-in blocks, can't wait till they arrive. I'm thinking that lots of half square triangles and the odd log cabin block will be what I''ll make with them.

A quilt in the making.

2010-05-28T19:47:00.002+10:00

This is for Hollie, my eldest daughter. I've been collecting some of these fabrics for years and of course I wish I'd bought double what I've got.

2010-05-28T19:18:00.000+10:00

Well this is it folks, my first attempt at blogging. Having read everyone else's blog for so long and nagged by a few to get on the band-wagon (and having a seven year old that put me to shame by starting her own blog!!!) I'm finally here.

So this will be a record of stuff I'm doing and odd bits and pieces that crop up in my life.

Hope I don't bore you all silly.