Busy Busy Busy and School Holidays

We are into our busiest and most stressful week of the year at work and I keep waiting for it to hit but either we are well organised this year (I seriously doubt this) or Wednesday is going to be the day from Hell as the last day in the month. Yesterday was steady a bit frantic but not too bad. The boss is probably going to have a nut's day today with back to back client appointments but I think I have everything ready for him so fingers crossed.

It is the start of the school holidays but the kids are a bit under the weather which for my son is situation normal this winter he has had a shocking time with bronchitis. I am taking him to the chiropractor on Friday to have him looked at just to see if she can suggest something to boost his immune system, antibiotics are working while he is on them then within a week of stopping them he is sick again. My Dr suggested moving to Queensland but that really isn't an option I am afraid. I know the rain is good for the farmers but some warmer weather would be appreciated in this house. Just so we have a quiet one we are off to the movies today I think we are seeing G Force and Friday we will see Shorts (as of course they both want to see different movies).

Yesterday my Sue Ross BOM arrived. Some of the fabric's are a little different from those used in the blocks that have been posted which doesn't bother me in the slightest because it isn't the fabric's that are drawing me to this quilt it is the blocks themselves. The first one uses templates and is handpieced. The second is a radiant star, both blocks will probably stretch me but that is fine. I think I will learn lots about colour or not worrying about colour and matching which I think restricts me a lot. I have an unwritten 5 colour rule which has developed over the years (no more than 5 colour). The first two block break this rule IN A BIG WAY. I want to show the sparkles on Wednesday my lovely packages and then I might have to have a play on the weekend.

I am also expecting another template for Jazz Hands from Material Obsession 2 which I am going to use what I learn above in colour freedom to make another hand pieced quilt (loooooong term project lol).

Message in a Bottle Necklace

Here is an item that I am going to load on Etsy a little later. It is one in a series of Inspirational Messages in a Bottle. I love this little glass vials they are the perfect size for a focal point of a necklace for a message or little pieces of ephemera.

This one contains the quote "It is never too late to be what you might have been" by George Eliot.

Busy Week

The last week of school term has been busy. On Monday night my son sang with the choir in the Instrumental Concert which was two and a half hours of pure torture minus the 2 minutes that he was on singing. No pictures of him as he was standing behind a kid with big hair and the conductor grrr.

On Wednesday it was my daughters turn and that concert was more entertaining the theme was outer space and her Class were the heavenly choir. They had to wear a national costume from a country. As we didn't have one I made one up based on something I remember wearing when I was doing ballet when I was a little bit older than her (she is in the red skirt with the ribbon round the bottom). I used the photo where most of them had there eye's closed as all the rest looked too demonic with their red eyes (haven't worked out how to photoshop that out yet) not a good look for a heavenly choir lol.

Girls Night In - Afternoon Stitching Day

The usual suspects have been invited for an afternoon of sewing, nibbling and fund. I can't invite everyone but if you would like to join us virtually and make a donation to Women's Cancer please click on the Link. Send some pic's of what you do and I put them on the blog.

I tried to upload photo's from last year but it doesn't seem to be working will have to add later.

Not Another BOM

I had to do it. I have signed up for Sue Ross' BOM through Material Obsession. When am I going to do it....well... I am sure I will fit it in somewhere. Looks truly scrummy, if you have been thinking about it and haven't signed up yet they are closing off very soon.

Did another batch of dyeing on the weekend, they are currently sitting in there baggies in the pouring rain. Don't think I'll risk bringing them in will let them cook a bit longer have to run out in a mo to pick up my son from school I am sure I will get wet enough doing that.

The Dryer Worked

Putting those lovely wool pieces in the dryer worked. They came up a treat and now they are all cut up into little pieces... you will have to check out etsy in about a week... I think to see what they have become. Better go and get sewing....

Told Off

I got told off for not blogging enough so I thought I had better show you a bit of what I have been up to. I can't give a full reveal as I have been working on birthday swaps as well as some stuff for the etsy shop.

I have been going to Hetties semi regularly for sit and sew which is a lovely break to sit down and just sew, I guess I have been able to make it every other week which is quite good I might even get two weeks in a row next week and then the school holidays start. I rushed home to put some dye bags together, Leanne had given me some wool blanketing and I had a suit all unpicked ready to dye so here is some of the finished product (well almost they are still dripping wet on the line). The suite is dk grey so the dye isn't very striking but the blanket came up good and I think it will be great for some etsy projects waiting in the wings. I chucked in some velveteen as well, I love the way it takes the dye and it misses bits and you get this really textured result. As you can see I went for super strong colours to cover the grey and they are just so bright and scrummy.

I am still deciding if I want to do some more my day is slowly wasting away and what have I achieved......not an awful lot... wish the clean up fairy would come and tidy my sewing room then I am sure I would be champing at the bit but as I can't see the sewing table again and the floor is a disaster I don't want to go out there. Maybe I will grab the wool off the line and give it a spin in the dryer just to see it a bit sooner.

MIA

What a week so far. I have been a bit under the weather the last few days with a cold and having a little emergency that needed a quick visit to the Dr's before work on Friday. Top this up with not one but two visits to the Show, one with the family and one with my son's class at school. No sewing has been done and very little of anything else. My house which is barely passable at the best of times is a real joke this week lol.

My son's class went to the Show to see their Sewing projects on display. Many of them took out prizes so everyone was very happy. My son decided he didn't want to enter. At least the good thing about going to the show with the class was that I actually got to look at the quilts. And because the kids had been told they weren't allowed to buy anything there was no pester power and they were just happy to walk around looking at stuff. We took them to the tasting areas and the scouts tent (which kept them busy for nearly half and hour) and did a bit on there worksheets that the teacher had given us.

Yesterday I got my kit for Girls Night In and I had better do something about that soon, I am leaning towards an Girls Afternoon Sew In, and have emailed the usual suspects asking their opinion which will settle things one way or the other. This year you can make donation online so I might leave a link on my blog so anyone can donate if they would like to. Girls Night In is an event similar to Biggest Morning Tea to raise money for Women's Cancer Research.

Miss May

I was introduced last night to the crowd at the Variety Launch of the Calendar as Miss May. That is the month that my picture is featured. I got to meet Jane Reilly who is an Icon in Adelaide and has been doing the weather forever. I was presented with a framed copy of my picture and 3 copies of the calendar. We managed not to get on TV we were just out of frame on every shot lol which was ok by me but my son who went with me was very disappointed. He did get Jane to autograph "his" copy of the calendar.

The Calendar goes on sale at the Show today and is also available from National Pharmacies in South Australia and is priced at $9.95 with profits going to Variety.

Carnival

So have you worked it out yet?

Here is a sneak peak of the Secret Squirrel Business, this is the first item that will be for sale... I am starting an Etzy Site. As I looked at this piece I have just remembered that I was going to change something, which I will do before it gets to Etzy.

I intend to stock jewellery and bags for present and maybe even use it to get rid of some of my out of control stash. I am in the middle of designing a couple of bags that will go up a bit later as these take a while to make and I am still nutting out the protype.

I have called this piece Carnival and the crystals are Swaroski featuring lt Amethyst, Peridot, Capri Blue, Emerald and Fushia.

I hope to make a series of other pieces called Message in a Bottle which will be similar to the give away that I did a few months ago.

Tonight is the Launch of the Weather Calendar so I am off to smooze with Jane from Channel 10 Adelaide Weather fame for better or worse I have decided to take my son with me, he will be lectured all the way, not to make a spectacle of himself as there is a chance we will get on the News tonight.

New Home

You might remember this little dolly from Leanne's blog. Well she found a new home today, and of course when you have a new dolly the clothes have got to come off. She will have to get use to being in various stages of nakedness at this house I am afraid. Love the fact that the dress is reversible. We tried that out first. I told squid that I would get the pattern and make her some more clothes so that she can swap and change her (don't think I will fit it in this month but who know maybe during school holidays it might happen).

I also got the latest edition of Somerset Studio, this is my all time favourite magazine and so are most of the sister publications. I feel about them just like I use to feel about Cloth Paper Scissors but CPS Ad content is just going up up up and I am sick of turning the page to find another ad. I think I might ask father christmas for a subscription to Somerset Studio this year.

Tomorrow I will head out for supplies for secret squirrel projects and with any luck I will be able to reveal some stuff early next week.