Mother and Child

Hello

I belong to a group of quilters at work known as the Hutchins Quilters (HQ).  We have work days scheduled to get together approximately every six weeks or so.  During our morning session we have a Try & Learn session presented by one of the group members.

This Saturday we did a silk screening session presented by Marja who is also one of our Art teachers.  A very talented lady indeed!

I have not been giving any of my hobbies a lot of attention lately due to the fact that I am trying to finish my studies and have been busy, busy, busy with doing assignments and submitting them.  So far, results are all in my favour, and I am deeply thankful for that!!

Breaking away and attending the HQ's work day is just what the doctor ordered!  When Marja told us what we would be doing, what we needed and had to prepare for the class, I immediately knew what I wanted.  The colour changed from the original black I had envisaged to the bright orange you now see.  And I still like it.  I will probably be making this into another wall quilt and am not too in a rush of how I will finish it off.  That will come with time.  I really enjoyed learning the art of silk screening and found it totally relaxing too.  Do I see myself going into doing silk screening at home?  Heck, I have no idea but I will certainly not write it off yet.

I have also confirmed my attendance at a squilter's retreat in Kiama, two hours drive south of Sydney for March 2011 as well as one for the HQ in April 2011.  This one is a local one we organised and will be at Southport in Tasmania.  I think by the time I attend the HQ one, I will know more on what quilters' retreats are about!  MDH will join me on the one to Kiama but he has been advised that he will be doing his own thing to keep busy!

Sunday afternoon I took my dog, Paxton, for a nice walk in the woods in the hills behind us and that certainly got a lot of fresh air into the fuzzy system!  I really needed that - thank you, Paxton, for nuzzling me until I eventually caved in!  Love you, my big boy!

Later that evening, whilst paging through Facebook, I sadly noted that my eldest son decided to 'ban' me from his Facebook webpage.  This dramatically changed my mood to one of gloom and sadness.  I ask a simple question:  What did I do wrong this time?  Still, I need to try and concentrate on other more happy and cheerful things.  When people have issues, I do not think we always realise the impact a small act may have on others.  Time will show and tell.

Now, got to find the roses along the way in life so that I can make time to stop and smell them!

Warm regards
 

Long weekend done

So what was my excuse for not doing any sewing this long weekend?  Well, to tell you the truth, I studied!  Yip, no word of a lie.  I am half-way with my Business Administration Cert IV and caught up with my 'overdue' tasks.  Now my trainer is overdue with her marking and updating the webpage (it is online study and work-based tasks).  Having been shifted from one trainer in Tasmania to another on the mainland, I have not yet got the 'feel' for the new trainer and can, therefore, not give her any nudges to get it done.  So, fingers crossed that she does it soon!

On Saturday evening I caught up with some of the girls of the 1973 alumnae and boy, did we chat and laugh!  Two hours later I said my goodbies!

Unfortunately, all good things must also come to an end and school starts again tomorrow which means that all peace and tranquility will be something of the past!  Now I have to look when is the next long weekend coming up for relaxing LOL

Also just realised that I missed going to the miniatures meeting tonight!  Still, I got my studies done and that counts more, I suppose.

Mmmmmmm, had a look at the Bernina 830!  What a machine for quilting!  Price is a bit of an issue right now!  Need to pay of lots more debt first before investing in such a top of the range model!  But, I am allowed to dream .............................

Warm regards
 

There is more happening than meets the eye

OK - So, not much is happening and I do not appear to be doing much either - but wait, there is and I am!

2010 World Cup Soccer commences today and I have been working on my studies, trying to complete my outstanding tasks.  There are two more questions to be done in the Excel section and then I can submit it, thereby bringing myself up to date again with all studies!  Will concentrate on this so that I can proceed with my quilting without any guilt feelings.

Also, in just under an hour I will be chatting to a number of the girls who graduated from Durban Commercial High School in 1973 on Skype.  I am sure we have all been looking forward to going on line and starting the conversation.

I have redesigned my blog as well - I suppose it will always be a work in progress until, finally, one day I will come up with something that I am totally satisfied with!

AND, I have booked accommodation for the 2011 SCQuilters Retreat in Kiama and paid for my Expression of Interest (just need to post the form off).  Will wait until closer the time for any airfare specials!  I will need to book Paxton (my puppy) into a kennel for the period we are gone and find a good home for Georgie, our Galah.  The other question I keep asking myself is whether we will fly down to Kiama from Sydney or whether we will book a car and travel down - just to see a bit more of the country.  Due to time constraints, this may not be possible - but I will weigh up all scenarios long before then.  I intend to have a great weekend, irrespective of MDH tagging along.  Told him that he will need to amuse himself whilst I am busy. 

Warm regards 

The First Snow of the Season has Arrived

Warm greetings from a snow dusted mountain in Hobart!

This is our first snow of the season and it looks great!  Sure, nothing to ski on or build a snow man from - just enough to please the viewer's eyes!  Mt Wellington always looks all dressed up with snow on her sides.  My location for taking photos was not the best as it was from work but I found it impossible to stop on my way in - the traffic was too busy and I kept having some idiots trying to pull into the back of my ute!  And this is our expected weather for the next couple of days!  Maybe I CAN get in some good shots.

Am meeting up with a group of my old school buddies on Saturday evening my time on Skype - will let you know how that went.  When I read the messages that comes in from the Girls, you can feel the excitement in the words and phrases!

Am taking Friday off to make an extra long weekend with Monday here being a public holiday for us.  Woo hoo - I can, hopefully, get some free motion quilting practice going.  Watched a free motion quilt DVD by Deborah Louie and she makes it look just so blooming easy!  Now I want to give it a go too!  I need to if I am going to be doing quilting!

Warm regards
 

Getting All Cooped Up

So what have I done lately with my various BOMs (Block of the Months) wall quilts?

Today I completed both the set-up of both All Cooped Up (ACU) BOMs I've received to date - the Hit the Hay and Sunny Perch.  Tomorrow I need to go and purchase some clear monofilament because of the light colour fabrics.

It is such a pleasure now that I have the hang of tracing the pattern, sticking it to the fabric, then cutting out each piece as I lay it out on the applique mat (cutting out a bit slow because the thin layer of glue keeps 'un-glueing' from the paper sheets!!), followed by a light touch of the iron, then pick-up and move onto the background fabric.

See for yourself what they look like - remember, I still have to do the stitching around the edges and, again, that is where the free-motion stitching comes into play and, hopefully, I can improve on my first attempt!!  You know what they say - practice makes perfect!

Here is my first of five roosters.  His eyes will be done later.

This is the second BOM called Sunny Perch - face will be completed later.

The third BOM of All Cooped Up is called Struttin'and he sure is one flashy-looking rooster!  Two more weeks before I start looking in the mail for him!

Love quilting!!!!

Warm regards
  

Technology

Hello

Gosh, where have the days gone when you had to write a letter by long-hand to get information from one location to another?  The only other way was with either the fax or the telex machine (and then I thought I was just the queen bee in the hive when I got that down pat!).  What about the old Gestetner to make more than one copy?  WOW - I think anybody in their teens today will think I am a fossil LOL (but I know that I am not alone in this club - phew).

Nowadays you can make contact with anybody anywhere in the world as long as you have access to the internet - and that is how people trace long lost school buddies, friends and family!  Today I am in contact with girls from the school that I finished my school years at - Durban Commercial High School, back in Durban, South Africa.  It is also how I came into contact with my very first sister-in-law!!

Making contact and catching up on the years gone by can be so interesting and exciting.  I have a major problem, though - I do not recall all their faces but most of the names ring a bell!  Now THAT is sad - as technology advances, so our brains sometimes regress.  Is it because we rely too much on modern technology?  I recall the days when I could recite the numbers of many of my contacts in the earlier years of employment!!  Now your mobile phone, address book on your email or other address software store your information for you!

Well, it also helps with sharing information - nothing like a scanner to upload an old faded black-and-white photo found in your bottom drawer onto your blog of facebook homepage; or taking a picture, now, uploading that, now, and sharing it with others on another continent, now!  Love technology!

Stayed in bed yesterday with my bad cold/flu (it is currently classified) but back at work today.  Time waits for no man (or woman) and I have deadlines to meet at work!  Feel like the dreggs at the bottom of a cold coffee pot but, hey, I can still operate, though it may be a bit slower than normal.  I keep telling myself that the medicine will kick in tomorrow - that was four days ago and the sun will still rise in the east tomorrow!

Not too sure I like today's blog but will let it pass for 'publication' anyway.

Warm regards 

Sneezes and Bless You's

Attishoo, a..a...a...ttishOOOOOO!

I think you get my meaning.  I have a cold building up and am feeling pretty sorry for myself with sniffling, coughing, runny eyes and sneezing my way through the day.  The medicine better start kicking in soon or else ........

Started to remove the fabric stabiliser from my piggies and the block is starting to feel less 'solid'.  I am also ready to re-start my All Cooped Up first block (I mentioned earlier that I messed that one up!!) now that the material has arrived - as well as block two of this quilt!  Once I get into action, I love how it flows from doing one thing to the next.  Howeer, I am not a happy camper when I get interrupted by either MDH or my puppy (OK, not such a puppy anymore at 37 kgs, still.....) - and I believe they both have a common sinister goal: to draw my attention away from my quilting.  Paxton will come and lay his head on my leg, my foot, my hand, nussle me under my elbow - first on the one side, then, if that does not work, the other side!  I cannot ignore him for long LOL  MDH will 'invent' many excuses that 'needs' me to look at something, help him with something or whatever other reason is drummed up.  Again, I cannot ignore him for long either - I have a growing guilt feeling build up if I do so for too long!

A...a....a....ttiiiii......shooooooooo!  Ah, thank you - just got a 'Bless you' from somebody walking by my office (needed that!).

Am thinking of taking Monday coming off to create a long weekend and then next Friday to create an extra-long weekend.  We have a public holiday here on the 14th.

This is what I saw when I arrived to work this morning - can you see her too?  C'mon, look halfway up the tree .... yip .... that is a possum that obviously stayed out too late last night and could not make it home in time!

And here is a close-up of her sitting up and conveying the noise that came from a worker behind me.  Not a happy girl!  Love the way she is leaning on the tree with her right hand, the left one on her left knee!  So cute sitting in this tree but a curse at home when they get into your plants, vegies and fruit trees!  Love her big eyes too!

Hope she gets home safely when darkness arrives - phew, must be tiring sitting up that tree all day with nothing to read or keep you busy with LOL 

Warm regards