Merry Xmas

Merry Christmas from the Seabreeze household.  Work wise the lead up to Christmas was very busy, I ended up spending 3 days in Melbourne a day and a half of training and my husband had to work a week extra as he was interviewing people to work in his department.  

 During early December, my MIL stopped eating and drinking.  I think she was just tired and decided she had had enough.  Mid December she stopped speaking and the Dr suspected she had had a stroke. She died a couple hours after her 89th birthday on the 19th of December.

The funeral was yesterday.   I have always found that that time between a loved ones death and the funeral you seem to just go into a holding pattern and you are just waiting. After the funeral you start to breath again and life starts again albeit altered with the loss.

We are in the middle of a heat wave at the moment so we are avoiding going outside unless it is to hop in the pool and pick Maestro up from work.   He is getting lots of shifts over the Xmas period so is earning lots of money but he is getting pretty tired.





The pattern for Row 6 has been posted in my Etsy shop.  I'm going to try and get the final 2 rows posted in the next couple of days and then work on the instructions for putting it all together with the pieced rows.

The large Fan row will be discounted 1/2/2019 but you can purchase it now from my etsy shop if you wish.

Row by Row change over

Yesterday Tip Toe through the Tulips went on sale.  Head here for this months discounted pattern.

I've only got 2 more weeks of work and then I have a month off.  I have this quilt to finish quilting and the rest of the patterns to write.

Graduation

This guy graduated high school this week.  We have to wait until December to see how he went.  Though he did get the school award for the UAV project for the year 12 component so I think he did ok.  

None of his friends were going to the formal which was held straight after the ceremony  but we had paid for his ticket and up until the night he wasn't going. I had a feeling he would change his mind which he did.  There were mixed reviews on how the night ended as Adelaide was hit by a terrible storm which left 40% of the city blacked out but he got home safely.

This is the first week he has been home full time and he is already bored, we have shopped for clothes so he can have something other than t-shirts and sports wear to wear out and he has landed a job at a restaurant with a chief he worked with at his current job briefly.

He has only been getting a couple of hours of work a week to the restaurant close to home, this chief has offered him min 15 hours a week which will be good until Uni starts but it means he is going to have to get to know public transport a little better until he gets his licence as it is a 40 min drive from home so we are only able to pick him up at night.

He's caught a couple of concerts over the last few weeks and he is hooked on live music so he is going to be needing the extra money.  Mo's keen to go to see some bands as well as she is listening to more indie music now, so I see a discussion with DH about letter her go with Maestro in the near future.... Lucky Me.

Mo has only 1 more week of school for the year and she has a mountain of home work to get done in that time so I don't expect to see much of her.  I only have 3 more weeks of work, half of one will be spent in Melbourne for training and I have a bucket load of work to be done before then.  Wish me luck.

CYBER Sale

www.seabreezequilts.com.au

All PDF patterns excluding current Row By Row BOM are 50% off.

Find them at the link above or in my etsy shop:

Row by Row the Florist Shop is up for purchase

I'm slowly working my way through the pattens Row 5 is now up for sale in my shop. It will be discounted on 1/1/2019.  Enjoy

Purchase your Pattern here 

October was a bit of a Roller Coaster

October proved to be a bit of a roller coaster.  Usually my work starts to slow down but by the last week in October, there was just no tunnel in sight.  

Working this year has been really hard, my workload due to changes in software has pretty much doubled and I was bringing more and more work home and feeling guilty when I didn't.  I have been stressed and my blood pressure increased again and I had to change my meds for the 2nd time in 6 months and I'm back on prescription antacids.  

So I emailed my boss and said I needed help fast or I was getting out permanently.  My boss acted right away and we have put some stuff in place to relieve the pressure.    I'm working to rule (sort of) and we are only doing what we need to do and the boss is taking over some of the things  I do and we plan to outsource some of my work from January.  I'm starting to feel better and the blood pressure is back under control and the boss is going to keep checking up on me this doesn't happen again.  

I've been stitching more and have gone to a couple of Thursday stitching classes at Hetties for a couple of hours or R&R.  My Mayfair blocks have been the main winner.  I have 2 more centres to go for the quilt and then i will be starting on the surrounds.  

I've started adding colour to the quilting of the row by row.  I'm not stressing over getting it finished just doing a couple of hours here and there.

Below is a beautiful pin cushion I purchase from Sally Von Bibra you can check out her wares on instagram.

Maestro has exam's next week... Is he studying... maybe... at least he only has 2.

Row 3 Fan Row Now Discounted

The fan row is discounted this month.  So head to the row by row page or follow the link here to get your discounted pattern.

Row 4 is ready to download

Tip Toe Through the Tulips is ready to download if you just can wait.  It will be discounted from 1/12/2018.

Maestro Turns 18

My time fly's.  This picture is on our fridge.  His Nan made sure he was a crow's fan from a very early age.   

 These are my favourite photo's from when they were little this is from back in 2009.

Mo did some drawing in his card.

And here he is all grown up....oooh its scary but we've had a good day and he hasn't turned out too bad.  He's going with me to Mumford and Sons in January so hubby doesn't have to go with me.  

Row 2 Discounted in the Etsy Shop

I love this row.  I wanted the houses to look a bit quirky and a bit crooked.  Quilting is coming along but I've had a bit of a sore back so I can only do it in short bursts but all the background quilting is a about ¾ finished.

So head to the Etsy Shop to pick up Row 2 at $1 ($1.10 if in Aus because we have to add the GST 😒)

Hate September

September is our busiest month at work.  Pattern writing has taken a back seat.  I have continued to quilt the Row by Row quilt and there are 3 more big rows to do background stitching on and then I will be adding texture to the appliqué.

I was up to date on the Pretty Circle Game blocks until the next package arrived this week.  But I think I get brownie points for keeping pretty much up to date on this one.

I've also been hand quilting  my Spring Fever Quilt and I'm down to the last 3 blocks to quilt.  I've decided hand quilting is really not for me again.

The kids are off to Kangaroo Island next week for a School camp to use the Drones in the wild so for 4 days we will be teenagerless can't imagine what we will do with all that extra time that I don't have to be a Mum Taxi... Knowing my luck but my husband and I will be working late.

More Hand Stitching & Pattern Writing

The last couple of weeks I have been catching up with Pretty Circle Game.  I have finished 2 more blocks and have a 3rd cut ready to stitch and I will be up to date.  There is only 3 more months to go I think with 3 more blocks and then block surrounds and borders to go.  This is the first BOM (someone elses) in a long time that I have managed to keep up to date with.

Patterns for Rows 1, 2 and 3 are now for sale in my Esty shop.  Row 1 is discounted until 30 September, Row 2 is discounted from 1 October, and Row 3 from 1 November.

I'm currently quilting the quilt and testing out a new poly batting which I am finding very much to my liking.  It is Double Request Quilter Dream Poly.  It is very low loft and even with heavy machine quilting its drape is still soft.

The school year is zooming through, both the kids go on a school camp in a couple of weeks to Kangaroo Island as part of there Drone Project.  Maestro is unsure if he should go as a major assignment is due the same week and so far the teacher hasn't been very accomodating when he has needed time for the Drone project (even though we were promised that this would be the case when he signed up) so we are unsure if he can go.  But the work experience of flying a drone and doing actual tasks that drones are able to do in real life situations will be invaluable.

Pattern Writing and Pretty Circle Game

I hope to finish writing the Village row this weekend and post the pattern.  This will be discounted from 1 October.

I really enjoyed this row, lots of straight lines but the house are a bit quirky and probably wouldn't meet proper building standards.  The trees on the other hand are perfectly trimmed topiaries.

I'd like to thank those of you have purchased the first row.  It was a bit of a leap of faith when I offer the patterns for sale this year once again thank you.  I hope you enjoy making this fun quilt.

This week I have be trying to catch up on Pretty Circle Game.  

First Row by Row BOM is now available for download

The first row pattern is now available from my Etsy site.  I know it is no longer a free BOM but I hope that you still join the pattern will be discounted for the 1 month (a little longer for the first month to get the ball rolling.  The price for Row 1 is $1au ($1.10 if GST is applicable) on the 1st of October it will go up to $3au ($3.30 if GST is applicable).

I am hoping to get the rest of the row up for sale on my Esty site in the next few weeks.  These will be at the full price until it is their month.  

The BOM will run for 9 months with the final month including all the 3 pieced rows and final requirements for backing and binding.  

Fun Relaxing Workshop and Row by Row Finish

I haven't done a workshop for a while and a few months ago Hetties advertised Judy Newman so I thought I'd put my name down.  I hadn't done a class with her but my two co-conspirators had and had a couple of her patterns started.  

It was a lovely weekend of looking at quilts and learning tips to do with hand piecing.  Judy is a very easy going relaxed teacher, and I enjoyed the class even though she did insist on stitching a row of my block and choosing some of my fabrics.   I know a lot of students are happy for the teacher to stitch their block but I find it very hard to do that as I find that I learn better by doing.  

I ended up purchasing a few of her templates so that I could start stitching. I think I may do Mayfair first (block above) the blocks are quite large and there are only 16 in the quilt.  Although this block took me the better part of a day to stitch I think the rest won't take nearly as long.  

Yesterday I finished putting together the row by row.  I hope to have the first few patterns loaded by next week if possible.  It has turned out a bit larger than anticipated.  It fits comfortably on a king single with plenty of length to fold over the pillow.  If you don't want the extra length you could always remove 1 of the rows if you want to shorten it, or take out the pieced rows.  Next week I'll get batting and start quilting.

It is going to be wild and woolly this weekend so I am thinking it is going to be perfect weather to start pattern writing.  

A bit absent

Can't believe it is nearly a month since I last posted.  The row by row is nearly finished.  On the weekend the final appliqué row was completed and I am already more than halfway through stitching the fans for the final fan row.

Today I started working through the pattern writing.  Mid way through August with any luck I should be able to get patterns posted in my etsy shop and start the first row of the month.  I was going to do a border but I think the finished quilt is going to be slightly bigger than I first anticipated so it probably won't happen but will leave the final decision once all the rows are together and see how it looks.

I have 2 other quilts needing to be quilted but I think that this one will be bumped to the top for now.

There was also 2 sew it together bags stitched in the last couple of weeks.  The first one turned out better than the 2nd one which Mo wanted as a pencil case.  The only reason it wasn't as good was that  I rushed it because I didn't realise she wanted it for start of school and she told me Sunday lunchtime.

The kids have had school holidays and I got a couple of extra days off because I really needed some down time.  My stress levels have come down to an almost normal level now and I feel a bit more in control.

Mo has got another part time job, this time at a Fruit and Veg shop.  The first couple of weeks her anxiety really kicked in but now she is handling it better.  We go for a walk with the dog before her shift and she can download (talk my ear off for an our) and it helps her deal with the anxiety.  

Maesto's part time job took a turn last week when the manager failed  to tell him had a shift (even though he checked with her twice and he had been promised 2) the owner rang him when we were at the movies asking where he was.  He got no shifts this week even though it wasn't his fault.  He's had 2 jobs in hospitality and I really think it is a shitty industry to work in.

Catch you next time.

Slow Going

2nd to last appliqué row is finished and today I’ve finished cutting out the appliqué flowers for the final appliqué row.  

Work has been a bit of a nightmare for the last 6 weeks which is probably a bit of understatement.  The job is stressing me out, and for the past 4 months it has started to affect me health.  It has meant that I haven’t been able to sew as much as I have wanted to as I am just so tired when I get home.

I’ve been really looking forward to this final appliqué row, its my favourite of the whole quilt.  So I’m thinking this row won’t take too long.  Fingers crossed that work lets me get this done.