Ooops there goes another one

Another follower has departed, back into the ether.  Any more of these departures without an explanation & I'm going to stop doing this, I swear.  It's quite interesting, actually, what motivates people to write a blog.  I started originally over on MySpace & I still have a profile, but I never update it.  It's a bit too much the Facebook sinkhole, where you get sucked in & never fight your way out.

The first few posts I wrote were about my Dad dying, and all the dramas I had to go through to sort out his estate - he died intestate, in a typically self-centred act, and left it to friends and family to clean up the mess.  Not so bad, really, you might think, except that we hadn't spoken for 27 years, so I was a bit surprised to find out that the NSW Police considered me to be the next of kin.  

The other thing that amazed me about the whole ugly mess was how they traced me - my Dad had the original Document of Identity that we travelled to Australia on, with our full names & dates of birth - assisted passage migrants didn't need passports, in those days.  In 1984 when I was sharing a flat in Fairlight with my good friend Deb, we were burgled and the Police attended.  When the Police ran my name from the Document of Identity through the computer in 2007, they were able to match me to the 1984 burglary, then found my current address in the electoral roll and phone book.  Scary.

Anyway, I found the whole experience surreal, and so I started writing the blog.  Then I started sticking in the craft stuff, with the occasional rant about life, the universe and everything, picked up a few followers here & there, and now they're dropping like flies.  Not that I wanted thousands like some bloggers, but I do like the feeling that somebody is out there listening - apart from friends, of course (hello MM & Kaz)... 

Other news?  Went to a nice 50th Birthday lunch today, and the weather was amazing - we had hail, rain, sunshine, gusts of wind and complete calm all in the space of an hour:

  

and... Sunday night television is still shit.  So, remaining gentle readers... off to bed.  Ciao!

Sunday television is sh*t

Just thought I'd share that with you.  Mr G, having spent a busy day mowing the lawn for the first time in what looked like a decade, and then pruning the hedge between our eastern neighbour in preparation for a spring growth spurt, is sitting in his beanbag watching, simultaneously, the football score on his laptop, "Wipeout Australia" on the tv, and nibbling almonds whilst waiting for me to whip up a magnificent Sunday night repast of toasted sandwiches.  


I, on the other hand, have been extremely busy.  I went with my lovely wonderful MIL to the Mosman Town Hall today to an exhibition of embroidery, being held in Mosman Art Gallery, then we had a lovely fantastic lunch... then I came home and made these:

for lovely delightful Leanne at work... (note the lovely professional background?  It's the sewing machine cover - talk about classy)...

Edited to add:  I can't believe I used 'lovely' four times in two paragraphs.  Thanks, Baino, for pointing this out.  Woman, get thee to a Thesaurus!

Last week we were lucky enough to spend our long weekend in the freezing cold Hunter Valley - we went up on Friday night, and didn't come back until Monday night, because of course Monday last week was the August Bank Holiday - and Mr G & I both work in the Finance Sector, so we were both off!  

What'd we see?


Some interesting wildlife:

This guy stood there no more than 20 metres from us; he was at least 2 metres tall, and wasn't even slightly bothered by the dog.  He just watched us walk by, before walking (leaping?) off in his own time... 

A red-bellied black snake.  In freezing-cold August.  He, too, just sat there watching us, not bothered either.  Maybe the kangaroo & the snake were in league?

This was a kangaroo paw print.  Twice the size of my hand.  Maybe it belonged to the guy up the top?

These guys have just started their mating rituals, all twining necks and bobbing and weaving... looks like more swanlings on the way...

And a Sunday morning visitor, just a small one in comparison to the Saturday visitor - quite happily out the front of the house, nibbling away on the weeds... 

And how's this for a big tart?

Oh, pat me, please, pat me, pat me... 

It's all over now, Baby Blue

Yes, the lovely Ms Scurvy was correct!  I ran into her at lunchtime, me looking variously bedraggled and smart, (bedraggled because it rained pretty much all day and I popped out at lunchtime with no umbrella, and smart, because I delivered my first training today, a whole 15 minute chat to some new starters, all about the wonders of what we're doing on our Project. Wanted to look professional, even though I've felt completely frelled all day, but anyway, it seemed to go well, they laughed at my joke [singular, didn't want to go overboard], answered my questions and asked one or two of their own, so that's all good...


Anyway, there she was, with the very lovely Goodnight Irene in tow, and so we had to stop & chat - and I told her that unless she commented, I wasn't going to give out the prize!


So, she did, and I will.  3 lovely pinkish lavender bags for her mother, on their way.


More news on the quilt:


I have matched up pairs & quarters for the pies, and with only a couple of changes, this is what I think I'm going with.  These will form the four corner quarter pies:

These are the whole pies:

These are the half-pies:

  And there is still one to be photographed; I wasn't very happy with the final combination of one pie:

so it's gone completely & I've substituted some nice oranges - but it's not pressed, so I'm not sharing.  


I've only sewn one whole pie together so far, but it didn't take very long, and the next big choice is what the backing fabric is going to be - My Lovely Ma has suggested a very light grey, which could be good, or I'm thinking a very small blue spot?  Suggestions welcome!


And now, dinner.  I'm having a toasted sandwich - we know how to live it up here in Golightly-land!


Ciao!

Busy, busy

Today I swept the floor in the Small But Perfectly Formed Room.  Not a common occurrence, as it's only only me who goes in there (or more importantly, cares what it's like), and this is what I turned up:

Disgraceful.


Oh well.  I didn't even bother salvaging the pins or that peg.  Straight into the dustpan & into the bin.


Then, I made a doorstop, from this nice book:

Interestingly, it's huge.  I don't what where Emma Hardy lives, but maybe the doors in her house are ginormous?  

It's about the size of four house bricks stacked two on two, and her recommended filling is doll-stuffing, then dried beans.  Hmm.  I quite like the fabric combo:

and clever use of accenting ric-rak, but I don't need something that big.  You can tell that I got bored with trying to fill it up with wadding about 1/3 of the way through.  Shame on me.  Seemed a bit wasteful, I thought.  I made a calico bag & filled it with washed sand for the weight, then realised that I'd only left a turning hole, so I had to unpick the whole seam to shove the f****ing thing in there.  Much swearing ensued.  Anyway, it was an interesting experience, trying to hold up the weight, line up the sewing machine & stitch all at the same time.  Where is my other arm, anyway?

Remember how I said I wanted a challenge?  Some weeks I was in Cottage Quiltworks, trawling, as you do, for fabric, and  they had a finished version of an amazing quilt hanging up in the store, but the pattern wasn't available unless you were doing the class.  You know, those really accessible classes that run Monday to Friday?  

Bah, humbug.  Anyway, when I was back in there on Saturday, trawling for fabric, as you still do, I saw the pattern for sale.    I have decided to make this my first patchwork quilt.  OMG.  Be careful what you wish for, young Luke.  Hmmm.  This is the pattern:

And of course, I've decided to make 72 different quarter-pies, rather than do it simply & cut out a whole square, then but it into four, then cut off the curly bit.  This way, though, I get to use 72 of my favourite fabrics, and here's some combos (by no means finalised, so don't be falling over with shock!):

Anyway, there's a common theme, and there's a prize of 3 lavender bags for the first person to correctly comment what it is... although having a quick review of these photos makes me realise it might be hard to get.  However, perseverance is rewarded, so have a bash!

And that, for me, is it for now. I have to go & listen to the hypocrisy of politicians now on the news.  Hah!

Just for the Peppermint Penguin

This is what the seam in the lining of the boot bags looks like when finished:

Not too shabby, methinks.  You can't even tell where the turning hole was, and I guess that's all good!

It's Sunday morning, Mr G is wrestling with the washing machine (our 17 yo Hoover Electra 540) & I'm still in my PJ's, trying to find some inspiration.  I've been through all the whiz-bang new sewing books I own (you know, '999 reasons to sew again', 'I've reinvented the spinning wheel and you should all be grateful', and my all time favourite, '300 ugly and useless things to make with little or no fabric' and I can't find anything I really want to make.  

I've knitted scarfs, gloves, jumpers, cardigans, lace, beanies, neckwarmers and suits for dolls. I've embroidered tray cloths, cushions, samplers, collars and Christmas decorations.  I've cross-stitched samplers, bell-pulls, nifty little bags, pin cushions, hand-towels and bibs for babies.  I've mastered the fully lined box pouch, the zippered flat pouch, the boxed bottom make-up bag and the pencil case, I've made felt dogs and fabric dogs galore, I've made birds from that lovely and oft-stolen pattern from Spool Sewing, boot bags, shoe bags, lingerie bags and lavender bags, aforementioned Christmas decorations and far too many frogs to even discuss, and I want a challenge!   

Suggestions?

These boots were made for walking...

Actually, I've been waiting for the storage fairy to come along and fix my boot storage problem - I confess to owning two pairs of knee-high winter boots, and although I have a pair of inflatable inserts, they don't keep the dust off, amazingly.  Amazing, too, that we even have dust, being such good housekeepers like what we is.  


Anyway, I finally got the message and made not one, but two, bags to store the boots in, in fabrics I've been hoarding (surprise).   Because I didn't want to use these fabrics on something I wasn't going to see again, the boot bags were the perfect solution:

  
They take four pieces of fabric measuring 60 X 30cm, and I like to make mine a little differently to the norm - I cut out the four pieces, then stitch a top of facing and a bottom of lining, stitching the ribbon in at this point.  Then I make a big long tube, sewing both pairs of top & bottom together, leaving only a turning space in the bottom of the lining.  


Then I turn it right sides out, stitch the hole closed & then push the lining inside the bag, wrong sides together, press, and top-stitch round the top.  This way, you don't have to try & close a hole in the top where it's going to be visible, because nobody turns out the lining to inspect it (well, certainly not in my house!)...


The other news is that Mr Golightly has made me a lovely new set of cubicles in the bottom of my coat cupboard, taking a relatively useless space and turning it into something extremely useful:

He's cut me four holes in the back of the cupboard for umbrellas, which always fell down and landed on your feet whenever you opened the door, and five cubbies for shoes - one for a pair of short boots, and four for ordinary shoes, which currently sit on the floor in the bathroom, causing you to risk life, limb and broken ankles in the middle of the night.  


Marital bliss ensues.


Ciao!