Christmas is coming!!!

Yes, once again, Christmas is sneaking up on all of us. This year I have been pleasantly surprised to find the idea for my 'teacher' presents early, and have now completed 22 reindeers! OK, they may not all be in authentic colours but, as Kirstie from BBC4 says 'What the heck. I think they are pretty, and that's all that matters!!'.

All I need to do now is to make some shortbread or chocolates to accompany the reindeers, and then that task is finished. I suppose I should now turn my hand to writing Christmas cards, but should probably clear all the stuffing, red noses and small black button eyes from the lounge room first, as it is looking slightly disorganised and messier than normal (I really didn't think that was possible).

My artistic friend, her artistic son and I, wandered around Spotlight this morning for an hour or so, and a very enjoyable time was had by all. I bought myself a laser cut wooden Christmas tree and some orange spray paint and seed beads. Who said that Christmas should be red and green?! Keep watching this blog to see the end result.

Well, back to basics - the washing machine has finished and the sun is still shining, so I had better get the washing on the line before I lose my eco friendly thoughts, and put all the washing into the clothes dryer.

Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer ....................

Glad to be back

I cannot believe that it has been so long (5 months!!!), since I last posted a blog. My artistic friend has posted at least 2, possibly more, in that time, and I am not quite sure why I have been so silent. I have started and finished 6 quilts during that period, so that may account for my silence, and I became addicted to MasterChef on the television, and time that I would have previously spent composing my blog (yes, it normally takes that long), was instead spent sitting on my bum watching very talented amateurs cook amazing dishes.

I have also been making treasure and dilly bags to sell, but this venture is going through a very quiet period at the moment. To be truthful, it has never been a very busy period for these bags, but I think they are great, and am very happy to make them to order. A big thank you to Silv who has bought 14 dilly bags for Christmas presents for her 14 nieces and nephews.

There have been some milestones since my last blog - my niece has turned 21 (her quilt is pictured), a workmate from my PDL days turned 90 (his quilt is pictured), and my sister's sister in law now has a grand daughter. My eldest nephew's 21st is in a couple of years and my sister has chosen the fabric and the pattern for that quilt. The big question now is whether I can get that fabric and pattern to look absolutely fabulous. Since we have never had much in common, this may be an interesting experience.

I have started organising all my fabric scraps into Bonnie Hunter's scrap user system. This involves cutting all your scraps into particular sizes and then storing each size in a plastic box/tub to be used in future quilts. All this really means is that the fabric scraps, instead of being shoved shelves in the cupboard, are just shoved into boxes on shelves in the cupboard. I have great plans to make quilts from these scraps, but don't feel the need to do this just yet. I am quite happy just cutting up fabric to fill the boxes.

I also need to learn how to put spiders on to a bug quilt - do I applique the spiders, or embroider them on? Both options seem a little fiddly, and yes, I have looked on the web for iron-on spider motifs, but cannot find any.

I think this is all from me for now, but don't worry, I will try and post another blog shortly.

Finished!!

I am pleased to say that I finished the really, really, really urgent project (memory quilt for a 50th birthday) on time - in fact 1 day early! I surprised everyone, including myself.

I was sure that I would be the one who 'put their foot in it' and let the birthday girl know what was happening before time, but even though she knew I was scheming with her husband and boys, she wasn't prepared for the quilt - which was great!!

So, now time to pack up all the green fabric and begin to get the 5" squares off the bed in the front room and put into a quilt with a New Zealand theme. The family is coming for dinner on Easter Sunday, so the cleaning of the house (massive job - cottons ALL over the floor), may delay this project for a while, but I have the Good Friday Appeal blaring away on the TV and if I just pull my finger out and get on with it, I may surprise myself again, and have the NZ quilt, if not finished, at least together, by the end of the day.

Happy Easter to everyone!

In a Lull

I feel as if I am in a lull - not a rut (yet!) - just a lull. I have lots of things to do, and one of them is really (really, really really) urgent, but I am not feeling overly stressed about it, and have a plan B if plan A doesn't work out on time.

There are 6" squares positioned on the bed in the front room for the next quilt, there are 8" 'Drunkard's Path' pieces in a flat frozen pastry sheet box ready for the quilt after that, there is the niece's 21st quilt that I just need to have quilted (by machine), there is a knitted reindeer (many thanks to the artistic friend for that idea!) that needs thought and concentration and a few unfinished objects. Not too much to get stressed about, but enough to keep me busy.

The sales on MadeIt.com.au have dropped off dramatically (I only made two!), so there is no need to refresh my dilly bag stock at the moment. I had hoped to make decorative long legged bunnies for Easter to sell, but the really, really, really urgent project put paid to that idea - for this year at least.

Anyway, I had better go and make further progress on the urgent project (I have even brought it into work so that I can do some quilting at lunchtime!).

It really works!!

As the market stall idea didn't really work out for us at the moment, the MadeIt.com.au website seemed like a better option, and it is!!! I sold a dilly bag!! Just one, admittedly, but it is still a sale, and the bag had only been listed for a day! What a success!!

Each seller is notified by email when they make a sale, so you can imagine my excitement when I opened Outlook to find a message from MadeIt.com.au advising me that I had sold an item. The only problem now is, everytime I open Outlook I expect to see a sold item email.

I have now listed about 8 treasure bags, as well as 7 of the dilly bags, and have them listed under 'babies and children', 'bags', and 'craft and made' items. This way I am sure to get maximum exposure and hopefully receive many more sold item emails!

The artistic friend is still waiting for the excitement of receiving such an email, but I am sure that success for her is not too far away.

Change of Plans .....

Although the 'artistic friend' and I were quite keen with the market stall idea, life has decided to point us in another direction. Due to children's weekend sports programmes, the practicality of attending weekend markets just didn't work. Therefore, a website called 'madeit.com.au' seems to fit the bill very nicely. It is a site that sells handmade items. I had been thinking of selling my products on etsy.com, but this seemed more appropriate for the professional artisan, whereas madeit.com.au has a more homemade/handmade feel to it.

Both the 'artistic friend' and I have stalls on the madeit.com.au website - toffeeandwren and retrogarnet. No sales have been made by either of us yet, but our stalls have only been operating for 1 day!

We are selling everything from podpals to dilly bags, beaded bookmarks, plastic covered bags and anything other craft item that we find we have made lots of and haven't yet given away as presents.

Our next effort is to design a banner for each of our stalls, and we should then look very professional, even if we don't feel it yet.

I have lots of photos to take of my dilly bags so that I can update my market stall, and I will keep all my readers abreast of our progress.

Success!

Although I wouldn't consider our first market an amazing success, we had some sales and by the looks of the small crowd there on Sunday, we may have been one of the minority of stalls who did. It was a very quiet market - that's just not us saying it, that was the overall feeling of the stall holders and operators. It was a great experience, and we were both very pleased that we had done a trial run of putting up the tent the day before, so that although we didn't look like complete professionals on the day, we didn't look like dorks either. Our stall was set up and decorated well before the 8.30 a.m. deadline, and in our cream coloured aprons with red and white rosettes (many thanks to the 'artistic friend'), we looked thoroughly in our element. We kept being told that it can take up to 12 months to make a success of something like this, so I will keep all my readers posted! I think we both have a little bit of restocking to do, but found that we had ample stock on the day to keep up with our sales.

On the tail of the market success, I completed both the wedding and engagement quilts. They both look fabulous, and I even remembered to take photos of them before wrapping them (which is quite unusual for me!).

This is a short blog for me, as I have run out of things to say (also unusual!).

Marketing Madness!!

The 'artistic friend' and I have decided that we should finally pull our fingers out and have a market stall - at Flemington Market. We decided to start big, and with about 2,000 people attending each Flemington Craft market, we thought this was big enough. I intend to sell dilly (drawstring) bags in two sizes - one big enough for sports shoes, colouring books, stuff for keeping the kids interested while travelling or as a library bag; and a smaller 'treasure' bag, for fairy stones, dead insects, iPods and headphones, shells - anything really that takes your fancy. I will also have beaded bookmarks for sale. The 'artistic friend' is making lots and lots of pod pals (small bean bags for iPods) and hand stamped note cards. We have decided that our theme is red and white, and that our market stall name should be a mix of our blog names - therefore - Retro Toffee.

In light of the red and white theme, I have learned how to make bunting (red and white of course) - harder than it looks - and have made a red and white tablecloth - easier than it looks - just hem the two ends and use the selvages as hemmed edges.

I have a 55 litre tub in the middle of my loungeroom and am putting market stall items into it everytime I think of something - paper bags, munchies, display item for bookmarks, munchies, display items for dilly and treasure bags, munchies, etc. etc. etc. You get the idea.

The only problem with all this sewing and organisation is that we are not sure that we have a stall yet! We are hoping to hear before the end of this week - the market is on Sunday - but if we are not successful, at least we are now prepared!! And if we are not successful, we at least get to sleep in and therefore don't have to be at the market at 6.00 a.m.!!!

I will blog again after the very successful (!) market!

One project is never enough!

I just committed a fatal mistake - going to a patchwork shop with the realisation that I have very few UFOs (unfinished objects), and am therefore able to buy yet more fabric without any great feelings of guilt. The visit to the patchwork shop was a valid one - putting two of the finished quilt tops in to be quilted. Perhaps the purchase of more fabric wasn't valid, but the colours will suit my house very well, and it is quite some time since I made a quilt just for me (that's my reasoning anyway!).

I am also half-way through hand-quilting the 'wine' quilt (it has only taken a week), so another reason for the fabric purchase is that when the new quilt top is finished, I can hand-quilt this one, which will therefore give me something to do on craft nights. I have also promised a friend that if she buys whatever fabric she likes, I will make her a quilt, so that will also give me something to do and will give me the satisfaction of making a quilt, but without the cost.

The 'artistic friend', who is back from Queensland, is very involved in various stamping projects at the moment, and although I think the results are fabulous, I don't seem to have any interest and am happy just to concentrate on cutting up fabulous pieces of fabric and put them back together in a different way (which was my mother's view of patchwork).

I went back to the beach yesterday with a second lot of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, which went down very well with all the kids (teenagers), but not very well with their mother. The niece and I knew that if we had told my sister that I was bringing more doughnuts she wouldn't have let me, so we just didn't tell her! Anyway, the first dozen disappeared within the hour, and the second dozen would have gone by now - so there is really nothing for her to worry about.

The fourth day of the Australia-Pakistan 3rd cricket test has been abandoned due to rain, so my excuse for just sitting in the lounge room and watching the TV has gone. Therefore, I will now go and rescue washing from the dryer, do a small grocery shop (as I don't have anything for dinner), and possibly do some ironing. Overall, not a great way to end the day, but necessary.

Chat soon.

Accomplishments and things still to do

I love this time of year - on leave from work and able to just potter around at home and get things finished that have been on my 'to do' list for quite some time. Not just patchwork items, but gardening (was up at 8.00 a.m. this morning pruning the roses in the front yard), getting some home maintenance items attended to and visiting Spotlight on average once a day every day.

While the 'artistic friend' is sunning herself in Queensland and in addition to the items above, I have been working my fingers to the bone (!) and now have 3 quilts ready for machine quilting and 1 ready for hand quilting (which I started today). I have a great sense of accomplishment over these quilts, but as I don't want to rest on my laurels, I have started collecting ideas for another black, white and red quilt for my oldest nephew's 21st (2012). I would also like to plan a baby quilt, but as I don't know who this is for at the moment, that may have to wait.

Although I did want to start my 'birds eye view' quilt over this Christmas period, that hasn't happened, but it will give me something to work on during the year.

Oops, I almost forgot the memory quilt I am doing for a girlfriend's 50th early this year. I have pieced together all the rectangles of fabric that have been returned so far, but am still waiting for the pieces from her husband and sons, and my sister and her children. I haven't thought of what I am going to do either, but I can always just depend on the label on the back of the quilt.

I go back to work on Monday, and although I have thoroughly enjoyed my time off, I feel ready to return to the grindstone. There is still lots of stuff to do at home, but I find that I am getting bored now and need other things to distract me - and if last year was any indication, work will fit this bill very well.

I am off to the beach tomorrow to visit my sister and her children - not sure how many children will be there as the 'cricket mad' nephew with the hotted up and very loud car may still be in Melbourne playing cricket. It won't be a direct drive to the beach, as I need to stop by the airport and collect 2 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. The niece has said that 1 dozen is never enough as one of her brothers (the cricket mad one), just inhales them!!

For all my readers, may you have a very productive year full of lots of laughs and finished projects.

Storms and the New Year

Here it is, the end of another busy year. Looking back I wonder where the time went and what I spent my time and energy on, but I am sure I enjoyed most of it.

The storms are just passing through Melbourne and I am thinking that this year, for me, was a little like this storm - a big build up (the fanfare of the new year), then the lull when the rains abate and the noise can only be heard in the distance (settling back in to work and the daily routine), followed by lots of noise, lightning and rain (the chaotic rush towards the middle of the year, and the realisation that once again, Christmas is looming large and fast), and then finally (and hopefully), the long steady downpour, with occasional flashes of lightning (the solid and steady race towards the end of the work year and another glorious Christmas).

I finished quite a few craft projects this year - a shabby chic quilt, a 21st quilt, a 50th quilt, one for an engagement (ready to be quilted), several dilly bags (aliens, Aboriginal print, rockets, spiders and fairy ballerinas), 3 pillow cases (spiders, ballet dancers and construction vehicles), quaint Craft Christmas presents, and various other items that I can't remember at the moment. I have a 50th quilt and an engagement one well underway, and then just need to get another 21st one quilted - ready for August 2010.

One project that I would like to start over the Christmas holiday period is the slash and whack quilt of a birds eye view of fields and paddocks (see the image in the post below). It will be a hit and miss quilt I think, but one that should prove quite exciting to do.

The storm is building up now, so I will take myself off to the back of the house to watch the show.

Wow - talk about inspiration .... for future quilts!!

I came across this photo whilst searching Stonehenge in England for my boss' future overseas trip. It is truly amazing - those different shapes and colours are actually fields and paddocks. I remember seeing similar patterns when flying over the Gold Coast hinterland years ago. I am mulling over in my mind a quilt to reflect this photo - probably a slash and whack, but each block would probably need to be very different from its neighbour. The second photo is of the area surrounding the Potala Palace in Tibet. Same idea, just no great variation in colour.

The blue balloons mark Stonehenge and various places of interest, including the Potala Palace in Tibet.

Progress!

I seem to have found the motivation that I thought I had lost! The Japanese quilt is ready for quilting, the 21st quilt has a label on it and is wrapped and ready to be given to the birthday girl (tonight), preparations are underway for another 50th birthday quilt and I found a piece of jewellery suitable to be given as a 60th birthday present to a cousin. I have been a busy bee!!

Perhaps now that I have achieved so much, I will be able to tidy the dining room and get everything back in order - fat chance!!

The next project is the Christmas challenge and the 10 individual presents for the craft group, and re-landscaping my back garden, so that I don't have to see a plethora of weeds everytime I look out of my kitchen window.

Stay tuned for a photo of the Japanese quilt!

Progress

Well, I am pleased to advise that I took my Japanese fabric to the Monday night craft group and cut more pieces for the blocks. That's as far as I got!! I have decided that I need more fabric (of course I do!!), and as I can't get to the appropriate patchwork shop until Friday (day off - yey!), I can't do much more on this quilt. Therefore, this weekend may bring more progress in the Japanese quilt saga - or maybe not!

I know what the problem is, I have been spending far too much time on my new iPod touch and not enough time on my quilting projects. I do not feel guilty (too much) about this, as I found a great quote that fits this situation perfectly - 'Time you enjoyed wasting, is not wasted time'!! That makes me feel a whole lot better about not getting anywhere on my sister's quilt.

Eureka!! I finally have my pc back (that was a saga of its own), and although my music on iTunes still jumps when loading other programs, I can download movies onto my iPod - how cool is that?!?!?! I have just tried a music program that the IT guy loaded for me called Foobar 2000, and the music doesn't seem to jump on that - which is good - the only problem is that I can't select playlists - but I can live with that. Anything is preferable to having the music jump and stutter its way from beginning to end.

All my readers (I think there's only one of you at this stage), will be pleased to learn that I bought some more Japanese fabric today (Friday - day off), and it is now washed and ironed, and one piece is cut. I then got bored, and played with my iTouch some more!

I also finished pruning the roses in the front garden today - filled the large green wheelie bin and a separate smaller rubbish bin, and gained two blisters on my fingers (yes, I did wear gloves!) - I must just have really soft skin!! Considering the wheelie bin was emptied on Tuesday, and won't be emptied again until Tuesday week, that seems to be the end of the pruning for the moment - and a great excuse not to mow the lawn - no room to put the grass clippings.

Until next week .....

Computer programs - who needs them??

Once I had my blog page happening, I thought I would only write one blog a week, and wondered if there would be enough happening in my life, quilt wise, to be able to live up to that goal. However, after trying for what seems like hours to get a program loaded on to my computer (unsuccessfully, I might add), I decided to write another blog, because this at least is interesting and fun to do!! I also spent a couple of hours pruning the roses in my front garden, and I have the cuts and scratches onmy arms to prove it.

I still haven't made much progress on my sister's Japanese quilt (too busy on the pc and in the garden), but I know what I want to do, so it shouldn't take long. It just needs motivation - anyone have any to spare?! I have 3 quilt tops ready to be quilted - 2 by machine and 1 by hand, and none of these are really needed until next year, so I have lots of time for the Japanese quilt - I just need to start.

Once that quilt is done, I would like to do another 'bug' quilt. That looked fabulous, and I know a couple of young boys who would love it. I also have 3 pillow slips to make - 1 with spiders, 1 with construction vehicles and the other is very girly - all pink with ballerinas.

I also want to scan all the photos of my quilt into the computer, so that I can put them on my iPod and on my blog page. Therefore, I should have lots to talk about in future blogs.

And about the computer, I have had enough - I will take it to the computer guy on Monday and see what he can do.

Quilts as gifts

I can't believe this worked! After one aborted effort of getting a name on my dashboard that I didn't like, I am now happy with everything, and it was easier than I first thought.

My sister laughs at me every time an event happens (birth, significant birthday, any other reasonable excuse), because I make a quilt to mark the event. I have made quilts for births, for weddings, for birthdays, for the fun of it, and with bugs, stars, shabby chic, guitars, cars, cats, cartoon heroes and Japanese fabrics, just because I can! I would much prefer to be sewing than out in the garden pulling out weeds. Some friends can't see the point of cutting up a 'perfectly good piece of fabric' and then putting it back together. I love it. I love the creative freedom it gives me. There are no rules. You can put spots with stripes and florals, and it does work! Quilts made of a varied design pattern generally look a lot better than those with just all florals, or all spots or all stripes. In my mind anyway.

I also like giving a quilt as a present - to me it says so much more when a present is hand made. Time, effort and thought has gone into that gift, and that usually means as much as the gift itself.

As you can see from the photos, I am not as artistic as a friend of mine who presents her quilts draped over various objects. Mine are just hung over my couch, so that the whole quilt can be seen.

I have a day off tomorrow, so I must make a start on a Japanese quilt - this time for my sister's 50th birthday!