Warranted...

AsyouknowBob, in July I bought a new laptop... which has now been replaced by one that actually works.  After a couple of issues in September, it went back for a new hard disk (lucky I'd backed everything damn thing up, hey?) and then it crashed again while I was doing a few routine updates... then the wireless card carked it, and I think they realised it was a Lemon with a capital ELL... so I got a new one.  Thank you James at Officeworks Mona Vale!

I owe emails to people in various parts of the world, my poor blog is sadly neglected, and I haven't moved photos off my phone for months... so I'm hoping that now I can get back to normal.

First things first - the stall... well, it was kind of hilarious - I've been following @littlepaperlane on Instagram, and she'd been so funny talking about her daughter and the obsession with the 'Frozen' dress, mass produced shit made in China, how much she hated it, how she tried to hide it from her daughter, to no avail... well.  Guess what my stall neighbour was selling?  'Frozen' merchandise.  Mass produced, all out of boxes labelled with Made In China, and she did not give a shit that she was peddling rubbish, made in factories by people who earn $20 a month... nope.  She was nice enough, but her products were just so foul... but every child who went past went "Frooooooozen".... and dragged their mothers right past my handmade loveliness...

However, I did have lots of lovely grandmothers pop over to buy gifts for new great-nephews and nieces, and grandchildren, and some lovely people who bought gifts for sisters and brothers... so we sold a bunch of stuff, but surprisingly, hardly any lavender bags.  Need to rethink the presentation of them, maybe??

Here's a pic of what our stall looked like the night before:

Suprisingly tidy, considering.  The tent guy was waiting for me, and we discovered that it's probably a shit load cheaper to buy one than hire it, but hey, hindsight... MGF Deb and Miss Pen came down to help erect and decorate, and we were all ready to go by 0900... there are photos somewhere of the finished product, but I don't have any.  Maybe next year I'll get those to show you...

By crikey it was hot, and the tent roof was dark blue, so it was like sitting in a sauna - my face tends to resemble beetroot when I get hot, and I personally blame that for the 
quietness of the market.... but everybody around us was saying how quiet it was, and how they thought the market was too close to the others... meh. 

I covered my costs, but I think I might try the St Ives craft market next time.  If there is a next time...

But now...I must away to the shower.  It is 12.53pm, and the cricket is at lunch... I don't like to rush into things, as you know... Ciao!

Wait! It's November?

Sometimes I really hate computers.  I wrote a whole long post yesterday about all the sewing I've done in October, put in loads of pictures, clicked 'save' multiple times, and then tried to publish it, but would it?  Oh no.  So I wandered off to do other things (more later), and now I'm back to it... and everything except the first two paragraphs is gone.   Gorne!  Arrgh!!  Anyhoo...let's do it again.

Can you tell me, Gentle Readers, where October went?  I'm pretty sure mine went into the bowels of my sewing room (did you even know it had bowels?  What a disturbing thought!!)...

I've been very busy making stuff for this market, which seems both terrifyingly close, and frustratingly far away - I can't even confirm until 19th November that I've even got a stall (unless they confirm first, which might happen, and it might not, my initial impression being that these people are not quite in the 21st Century (bank cheques, I ask you - but that's another story)...

So... sewing...

More bilbies, including some that look disturbingly like others I have already made:

And some new friends, as of last night:

I've also got bunting made, a stack of fridge magnets which I'm pretty sure I covered off in tiny detail in the last post, or the one before, and I've got lavender bags coming out the wazoo - MGF Kaz & I had 53 when we were last in the Hunter, and I'm just waiting on the supply of more lavender from the lovely Christine at Ratho Lavender Farm so I can stuff some of them & send them off to her... (Christmas orders in nice & early, gotta love that!!)... what else?  I have a few pouches made a long time ago in nice linens, and I made a few turtles, before I realised that the pattern is for personal use only & I can't sell them at the market:

And I've added in a few of these really cute guys, in dark reds, ideal for Christmas decorations or table centres, with cloves in them so they smell really christmassy.

And in news that's kind of come round unwelcomingly quickly (ooh, that's an ugly mouthful), it's two years tomorrow since the death of My Lovely Ma, and I thought some more of her work deserved an outing:

I still miss her everyday, especially when I go to things like Urban Stitches, which I know she would have really enjoyed.  I don't have any friends who craft, and so it was lovely to be able to ring her and talk about the latest disaster, triumph, hideous fabric I'd seen and beautiful things I'd seen on the internet... 

And that, Gentle Readers, is that.  Now that I have a little more time on my hands, I will endeavour to post more frequently.  What's that?  Why do I have more time on my hands?  Let's just say that things have changed.  

On that mysterious note, I will say only... ciao!

Can somebody stop me?

Well, Gentle Readers, I think it's Intervention Number 4.  It may be number 44 for all I can remember.  And what is it you're stopping me from doing?  Making these guys:

So far I've made 12 and there's no sign that I'm bored yet.  I've applied to have a stall at the Mona Vale Christmas Market, and I intend to sell these little guys, along with some fabulous fridge magnets made by Miss D yesterday and Monday - they look fabulous - she has such good taste, which is why she's my friend :-D

Yesterday I made the grandfather of all bilbies - I had the pattern sized up to 400% of original at a well-known office supply company, bought beautiful blue velvet and some grey polar fleece from the lovely Mr Fenner, and, three 1kg bags of stuffing later, here we are:

Yes, he's leaning slightly.  It's the leaning tower of Bilby.  You can see how big he is - the others pictured above are the medium size, which is 15cm/6" - the bigger guy, Mr Blue & Red is 19cm/7.5", and little Monkey-Face, who is about 10cm/4".  As I said to my good friend Miss JodieRicRac on Instagram (oh, wait, did I mention that I'm besties now with a celebrity?  Oh... well.  Hold onto your hats, Gentle Readers, there's so much excitement to come!!), it's like having a dog that doesn't need feeding or walking.

So.  Celebrity.  I went to Urban Stitches, the Parramatta one, not the Melbourne one, (more's the pity).  I had a great time, even though I was a singleton, because there were other lovely sewists there who also had no friends.  Who sew.  Yes, that's it.  Friends who sew.  We made things:

And I cut out and blanket stitched two legs of a fox.  I don't know how Miss Jodie does it, Gentle Readers, those tiny little legs and feet nearly sent me nuts, but anyway... The other two instructor/presenter/facilitators were Miss Mel, of Melly and Me, who gave me some excellent advice about publishing the pattern for the Bilby, and Rosalie Quinlan, who is a generally amazing woman.  Somewhere in the Ethernet is a selfie of Miss Jodie and me, and one day, when I'm very brave, I'll DM her on IG to ask her for a copy.  See?  Us besties can talk in code.  Can so too.

What else?  Fabric was purchased (of course), and eating and alcohol-free drinking went on.  Well, it was during the day... and I won a prize, a kit to make a felt teapot. Absolutely beautiful, and immediately added to the "maybe one day when I've got a broken leg" pile.  

Only complaints? - I'd only signed up for one day (there were two on offer), and the chairs got a bit uncomfortable after a while, which is absolutely nothing to do with the lovely organisers, and more to do with the Parramatta Novotel not understand the needs of sewists for a straight backed chair with support.

And I know, Gentle Readers, that you're wondering why I'm at home when I should be *insert music here* working for the man... working for the man... I had an operation on my nose, and I'm at home recovering.  No jokes about Joan Rivers, thank you.  And now?  Back to the Bilby Farm.  Ciao!