Tonight…

After working today…

I did

• quilting on a client quilt
• finalised illustrations for a new pattern
• scanned the illustrations for a new pattern
• ordered a purple cooking pot from a fabulous kitchenwares website
• searched the house for Pip’s video camera
• found Pip’s video camera under a towel on the table
• made a video of a new quilt
• realised I wasn’t happy with some photos of said quilt, but it was too dark to take more
• answered the telephone seven times – everyone else just lets it ring

I did not

• write a blog post about said quilt due to my disappointment in the quality of the photos
• organise my lunch for work tomorrow
• iron my clothes for tomorrow (or for any other day)
• hang out the washing that Ashy had left in the machine
• do the 20 mins of yoga that I vowed on Sunday to do every day for ever and ever

Now I’m going to bed unsure of whether I should feel like I accomplished anything…

On the Road

Pip is officially on the road.

We need to dust off those L-plates because he needs to log one hundred hours of supervised driving over the next twelve months.

Guess what my Pete is doing this weekend?

A New Generation

Recently I found a blog called Rossie. The author of this blog has asked crafters to take a Process Pledge – to share the way that they design and work with their blog readers. I think this is a fabulous idea. (that’s because I think the whole world should be filled with crafters)

Generally I think I do this. I’ve shown my drawn designs before they become quilts, I’ve shown the elements I’ve used to create an applique design,  I’ve shown quilts which have failed to meet my expectations, I’ve even made a video discussing the concept behind a quilt. I will endeavour to continue to share my processes as I make new quilts.

Yesterday I shared my processes to my nearly nine year old niece, Chelsea. She drew up a design and chose fabrics that she liked. I showed her how to turn her drawing into a pattern and gave her all the materials she would need, then let her loose on my sewing machine.

She was the picture of concentration as she learnt new skills…

and even though her foot could only just reach the pedal…

she was so happy with her test piece…

that she decided to move onto stitching her design.

Now she has a beautiful new cushion for her bed…

and a desire to continue to sew.

She thinks she might ask her parents for a sewing machine for her birthday in August.

The Great Big Elephant is so Slow

Following my whine and moan I am feeling MUCH better.

My vim has returned and my glass has been refreshed to half full.

As the last few days of holidays approach I find myself desperately trying to do the fifty things remaining on my list.

If I’m truthful I will admit that the list was too long. I always believe that I’m superwoman when creating my start of the holidays list.

I have managed to make an elephant cushion. A lovely elephant cushion.

I made it just for YOU.

You can find a free pattern to make your own elephant cushion right here. There’s a link on my sidebar too.

I hope you’ll love your elephant as much as we love ours.

More photos here.

Polka Dots are Nice

I have just spent four days miserable with a virus. Even now I’m still lacking energy.

Four days ill means that my to-do list of self-imposed deadlines seems insurmountably huge.

I’m trying to clean the house, but rather than actually putting things away I only seem to be making huge piles of quilts, quilting fabrics, drawings of quilts and all other things quilt related.

My osteopath rang and cancelled the massage I had booked for this afternoon.

I’ve had nothing but vowels for three hands in my online scrabble game and I’m 100 points behind my scrabble mates with no chance of catching up. (These two are RUTHLESS! Not you, Lesley, you’re kind-hearted on the scrabble board.)

If the ironing pile fell over right now it could set off a chain reaction of earthquakes and tsunamis that would be felt worldwide.

There’s no food in my fridge and I hate shopping.

I’ve been wanting to update my blog for a while, but I’m sure that once I start it will take AGES to finish.

These are the days I wish I could just get away from myself. I’m so bloody annoying!

At least polka dots are nice…

Funky Flowers is Go

I have working on my Funky Flowers quilt for a little while.

I’m very pleased to tell you that it is now finished.

I love the centre flower.

Because Pippy loves his mum and is very sharing I have used his camera to make a video tour of Funky Flowers.

(I have a cold so I sound a bit huffy and puffy and snuffly.)

You can find more photos of Funky Flowers on the Peppermint Patch Quilts Facebook page and the pattern is available in my etsy store.

Thanks for indulging me…

Sixteen Years

That is how long Pip has been here.

Today is his sixteenth birthday.

We bought him this…

and used it to make this, showing his other birthday present.

In that last few seconds I was being arty and panning out. He was being bossy and assuming I didn’t know how to use the camera.

Things that are Good

Cupcakes…

made with a willing helper.

Neatly bound edges on recently finished quilts.

Pretty selvedges on brand new fabrics.

Crystal clear eyeballs after four days of a bloodshot eye.

Oh, Can’t You See?

Press Play – then read

Oh, can’t you see? There’s a bird on me.

Oh, woe is me! There’s a bird on me.

Stop your chirpin’ and quack, quack, quack.

Come on birdie, get off my back.

New quilt.

Sometimes I rediscover odd things in the back of my mind that offer fabulous inspiration…

I Mocked the Fates

I should have known better…

In my last post I was silly enough to remind you of Pip’s accident prone nature. I chuckled as I read it, in an exasperated kind of way.

I should have remembered that it is my life.

I should have remembered that there are further ways that Pip can require medical attention.

I should have remembered to just keep my mouth shut.

Yesterday on school organised work experience he was asked to drill into concrete in a windy place and not provided with safety glasses.

The late night GP says that he can’t see any damage, just extreme irritation. He said it would settle over night. It didn’t.

Today it remains irritated, weepy and sore.

sigh…