yippity-doo-dah

I finally finished my pink and pretty quilt. While the kids were out visiting their friends and D was master of the washing line and the chief shopping list writer, I stitched on...and on...and on!

And it is done. I named this quilt Lorna. It was already on the go when I heard that my friend's wonderful mother had died. She was the sunniest, smiliest and friendliest Mum around. She loved her own bit of craft and tried her hand at many many different projects, quilting included.

Later when the horrible finality of clearing out her home and belongings was under way, my friend asked whether I would be able to use any of her leftover fabrics. Well, der...of course I could! As it happened, there was only one fabric that caught my eye. It was a soft limey green silky curtainish fabric and it jumped right out and became one of the many square blocks in my quilt.

So for Lorna, thank you for your inspiration and I will surely take some photos for blogging tomorrow.

Not too bad

The initial shock of saying goodbye to D has passed.
I was awash for most of Saturday in preparation for his 9pm departure.
I admit that I am a huge sook, but we have never in 15 years been apart for more than a weekend and the prospect of not having that companionship for nearly 4 weeks was very daunting. Still is.
In news from Beijing, D saw the rehearsal for the opening of the games last night and says DON'T MISS IT!!!I AM INSTRUCTED TO RECORD IT. So watch it everyone.
Mackie says that he has told his (young male) teacher that I am a single Mum and has suggested that he would be a suitable NEW DAD. Oh hardy har har.
I wonder if the children of teachers do their homework. Homework is seriously shitting me.
I'm happy to say that I have picked up the last baby quilt I was working on and I'm finishing it off (ready to embroider the new babes name when born..26th)
I have decided not to sew binding on, there's enough overhang with the backing to turn it over. I haven't done that before but I think it looks ok.
I need to find something to do when that's finished.
Is it a valid thing to just launch into a quilt with no recipient in mind?
I'd like to make a cutesy-pie one and I have been loving looking through my copy of Material Obsession. I certainly have plenty of scraps.

I AM HOME AND I AM 40

Well I'm here, back home after a fantastic holiday.
Bali was the perfect antidote to the 40 blues.
So, I'm IT, 40.
Don't see what the big deal was now.
I still have a party to look forward to in a couple of days, and I admit the freezing cold Melbourne winter isn't exactly my ideal for an afternoon tea party, but what can you do?
The frocks may be under wraps until the room heats up!
The cuppas will be flowing, the cupcakes will be filling and the company will be second to none!

I'm TRYING

I do love Christmas. I DO!!!!
I love it so much that I have lobbied this year to host the family Christmas even though it's officially not my year. There are lots of reasons for this..

• kids wanting to hang around exploring their stash
  
• parents (having both sets in the one place so as to avoid the doubling up of biliousness after the feast)
  
• general trashing of everything
• being able to "open house" in the morning and invite all the friends & neighbours to pop in and celebrate

I am not generally speaking the chaos loving type, but I feel that that's a bit of my comfort zone that is worth breaking out of. (sometimes)
I am planning an early champers & orange sort of breakfast cocktail, hopefully to prepare myself for being as relaxed & wonderously fun as possible.
I will try not to shriek at my kids like some demented extra from a horror film.
I will try not to get the dustpan & brush out until everyone goes home.
I will try not to overdo it on the champers too early.

Yesterday we took a little ride up the street to engage in one of my fave Christmas activities. Each year I take the kids to choose themselves one special Christmas tree decoration. We have made decos in the past & still do a bit, but these special tree ornaments are just gorgeous.
Soon we will be able to dispense with the cheap baubles from earlier days and just festoon the tree with the SPECIAL ONES.
So, even though I am stressed, and disappointed in the rudeness of some Christmas shoppers, I still love the event & I am so looking forward to the day.

I want to say a BIG thank you to all the lovely warm & friendly people who have supported my tiny cottage industry this year. I have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of retailers for my Utter Puffery range of clips & elastics & badges. Thanks to Pip & Cam at Meet Me At Mikes, Cintia at MyPoppet, Mira at MiniMeek, Melissa at Dymocks Melbourne, Liz at Rickety Kate & Sally at Lulu.
It's been so much fun to make something by hand which has been so well received.
I have loved the blogworld & being allowed to take a peek into the crafty world that is out there all around us, and honored to meet & spend a little time with some of those special folks.
I was delighted to get involved with the Mirabel Softie push.
And I thank Pip at Meet Me At Mikes for her enthusiastic & generous support of the local crafting community.

it's all so beautifu-u-u-ul

One of my most favourite things to do (and I've just done it) is to go to Amitie and wander amidst all the beautiful fabrics and projects and finished quilts, soaking up the crafty atmosphere.
When I make my little hair clips, elastics and badges I choose small pieces of fabric in all different designs and colours. I like to get little bits so that I don't get tired of using the same stuff over and over again, and of course so that every pair I make are different. Amitie (and other places) have enormous steel buckets full of fat 16ths of fabric, carefully & tightly rolled into cylinders and secured with elastic bands. I love to trawl through these treasure troves and always come away with about 30 or 40 little delights. It's so hard to choose which I want the most, so I usually buy as many as I can carry in my hot little hands.
I can't resist just one more peek into the buckets after I have paid for my stash, then I race home lickety-split and turn the iron on. I unwrap them all, flatten & iron them & dream about how gorgeous they will look in combination.
I know you will all appreciate the loveliness of them too!
Some grownups like to wear funky & different clips....some people feel that grownups are maybe a tad past the clip-wearing stage and just buy them for the kiddies, but I disagree. So many of the commercially produced & available hair accessories are totally blah, yuck and tacky (not ALL I hasten to add) but go for a hand-made product! Someone has loved sourcing the materials, combining the colours, and stitching the bits together with care. Someone thinks that you or your mates would look super-cute wearing them in their hair or on their lapel. They are the best sorts of things to have I think.