Spoiler alert

I guess there comes a time in people's lives when they stop believing in certain things.

Maybe they stop believing in fairies or Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny....

Well there is no such thing as invisible zips!

Seriously ...if we had the power to make things truly ruly invisible, we would hardly be using it on zips would we ?

Returning to normal

I closed my Etsy shop a while ago so I could get ready for the Stitches and Craft show, but its time to return to normal and get in there and tidy the place up a bit.

I've listed the four new patterns

and some lovely Doctor's flannel for dolls as well as some packs of wool for robots..

A good mornings work if I do say so myself...And my reward???

I'm spending the afternoon with Milligan !

correlation

Miss almost-19 is on a gap year , you know that time taken between school and university- to learn about yourself,

to help you make those important who-am-I and what do I want to do with my life type decisions ? A time to cast off the childhood and become an adult?

Well , it is only May and already she has learnt one immutable truth

(I'm so proud)

and so it was

that I had another great sewjourn experience.
Despite the fact that it took Annie and I four hours to make a one and a half hour journey, we arrived and got straight into it. (We popped in to Drapers of Mt. Macedon on the way and I have to say this may very well be my new favourite patchwork shop)

I made a cushion for a friends babyand then completely stuffed up the next one...

yep , somehow the lining ended up on the outside...ooops but I unpicked and reorganised and moved on.and the weekend passed with lots of laughter - lots of swearing (from me as I attempted actual garments) and a wonderful sense of camaraderie between friends as the conversations ebbed and flowed over our craft and our families , our lives and which male persons we would hire as stable hands when we built our craftopia (and yes it was me wanting the stables and I decided if I had enough horses I could employ both Viggo Mortensen and Johnny Depp to help me.)

We visited the local shops and the Farmers market where I went a bit produce crazy and came home with jams and preserves and bread and sweets. I spent a crazy amount of time patting dogs and chatting to chickens, listening to buskers and generally just easing along.
I op-shopped, and book shopped and slowed down and hung out and (apart from swearing at clothes) had a great time.
and now with my new-found garment sewing skills I'm off to measure up Johnny and Viggo for some tight-fitting jodhpurs - I mean it's a bugger of a job but tight fitting jodhpurs are an Occupational health and Safety requirement!

Still swanning.........

It seems blogger isn't allowing photos today, so I'll just let you know I am off to Sewjourn for the weekend with a list of projects as long as your arm.

And yes if you have been reading this blog for the past little while you may have the impression that all I do is swan from one crafty event to the next and that's pretty much how this month has been, but never fear real-life is creeping up and ready to bite me on the metaphorical arse any minute.

In retrospect

Because I'm not so much into the crazy hundreds of comments type giveaway, I held a top-secret one recently...
It was so secret that you didn't even know you were entering but if you commented on the last couple of posts , you were entered.

and if you are Jennifer then you are the winner of a Dear Fi
hexagon flower brooch kit

and Cath wins a signed copy of whip-up Mini Quilts by the gorgeous Kathreen which I bought and had signed by Kathreen at the show

see ! personalised just for you Cath ,

and remember when this blog was about made stuff ? Well, I've been slowly plugging away at a make this week. I'm off to sewjourn for the weekend and aim to get this guy finished along with a bajillion or so other projects. I might even cut into the heart-stopping orange wool fabric I bought at Tessuti on Saturday..........

(might)

What can I say

What exactly can I say about Sew it Together?

Saturday started bright and early and the country travellers laughed themselves to the point of hysteria all the way to Melbourne.

I spent the day sporadically stitching in between chatting, talking, guffawing and hugging and then laughed all the way home again on the train. The train was full of blokes who had been to the footy but the loudest, most raucous, arm-flailing laugh-till-you-snort group were the five crafters in the end carriage!

I met a heap of fantastically warm and generous and funny bloggers in real life and even typing now I am breaking out into a huge grin.

The talent in the room was amazing - there was almost every kind of craft imaginable going on - but special mention does have to go to Andi who made a whole quilt on the day....I managed about 7 letters of embroidery and got some great advice embroidery from Cindy (thanks).

Sheridan put in so much work and so much effort and I really don't think she knows what she has started and she deserves the highest honours blogland has to give. Next year she will need a bigger venue to accommodate all the bloggers from this year plus everyone who missed out.....

and just in case there is someone who has missed me touting my wares all over the place lately - I made a bag for Homespun magazine a wee while ago and it is in their current "go Green issue" along with a bit of me banging on and the worst photo ever taken

(No seriously, someone at the show actually asked me why I had sent in such a hideous photo)

but the bag looks good

almost as good as Miss Claire's Frankie the Frog.

S I T !

Tomorrow I am heading off to join Sew-It-Together and I cannot wait. I am completely disorganised and thankful that the Ballarat contingent have organised me to the point that I know what time to meet at the train station.I'm wondering if people are actually bringing things to craft? I mean...really?

Sixty bloggers, lots and lots of whom have never met before? Can you imagine the noise level? the squealing? the hugging? Lets just say I'll chuck a bit of linen in the hoop, but I cannot guarantee more than a few stitches...

There has been some talk of show-and-tell.......
Are you bringing some show and tell? ....I don't want to be a Mrs Big Head rocking up with a suitcase full of toys for show and tell only to find no-one else has brought anything to show...

These pics are some of my loot from Stitches and Craft..and if you come back on Sunday I'll show you what I bought for you guys!

In the wash-up

Edwina Bolger's sweet chicky egg cosy above

and Super Nic's beautiful stall below

Still here, just returning from that other crazy world and landing back in the real world of day job and washing and notes for school.... and I seem to be a suffering a bit of craft-lag.

Just give me a day or two and I'll be fine !

dot points

Today was hysterical - it was like the festival of the blogs (man we should really start that !)...so many bloggers, so many hugs, so much laughing my face is aching....

(OK, this is foxy perfection...look at that little head tilt - again Winterwood)

Tomorrow night I am staying in Melbourne (so far, I have been up bright and early on the 7.45 train from ballarat each day) so I won't be posting. Then Sunday after the show (5pm) we pack up and drive home (about 1 1/2 hrs) so chances are there won't be a post then either as I'll be unpacking the man-car when I get home and then collapsing !

(Nikki (of course) from You sew girl) The woman is simply brilliant !

Yes, I will try and get some Bigger photos- like of the aisles and things tomorrow !

My across the road neighbour Wrens Nest studios - so delicate and the NICEST people you will ever ever meet)

The funniest ever thing today ??? Claire from craft shmaft taking her sausage roller dog (see last post) for a little walk up the aisle on his lead.... I love wacko softie people !!!

and this is Pauline and me . Pauline is from Funky friends and she does softies too and is my other across the road neighbour. She is an awesome neighbour as well

I just have to say I really lucked out with my neighbours - they are all awesome...in fact the whole incubator is full of really fun, crafty , kind of crazy people............... I feel right at home!

(and today I think I met almost every blogger in Australia - at least it felt like it.... Hello Everyone !) My face is sore from laughing, my feet are sore from standing and arms are sore from hugging !!! What a great way to feel so tired !

Thursday...only just

No surprise - I am knackered...but loving every minute...

The sausage roller from craft Shmaft ...unbelievably cute!!

Deliciousness from Nic at Yardage design

elegant style from Kylie at Blue Ginger design....

from Winterwood........(sigh)

and from Kate of Two little Banshees....Doesn't this guy just kill you ?

(I will add the links soon but for now you can just ask Mr Internet to help you, or you can pop in to the show and see it all for yourself...)

I can't explain (not without at least another 10 hrs sleep) how much fun I am having...

Thanks for hanging in there guys.

Wednesday..........

The bots had a great day

This little sweetie is next door

and these gorgeous women are just opposite

and Lucy Locket? Well she had to get in on the action didn't she?
Here she is presiding over the blogger board... If you pop in to visit, stick your card on here or just write it on a bit of paper and pop it on...I am determined to check out every one's blog......I'll just get through this week first !

(and squeezy hugs to my new friends...today was the bomb! )

on closer inspection.....

Pack the man-car
Get the supervisor's OK and head of to Melbourne

to an empty shell

Fill it was stuff from the man-car

fiddle and tweak until the driver of the man-car almost passes out with boredom

and then come home, upload the photos and think about the things you will move / change early in the morning before the real life visitors arrive!

One final rant

Dusting off the soapbox and turning it up on its end (I'm not very tall)..

Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to take a few minutes of your time to talk to you about the Stitches and craft show in Melbourne. I don't want to sell you anything I just want to suggest that you might like to attend.

Why?

• Well, its a craft show so I figure if you read here you are into a bit of craft.
• There are heaps of well-priced classes and FREE studios to attend.
• There are insanely good workshops and free craft bars where you can pull up a stool and make a wee item and take it home... for FREE
• There will be lots and lots and lots of other crafty folk there to bump into, have coffee with and generally be social with.

BUT..and here's the kicker guys.....

I think you might like to come along to support the people who support craft. Does that make sense?

In the craft world, the guys behind Stitches and Craft are the ones out there offering support to little indie businesses. They give us the chance to take part in a HUGE event and gain exposure that most of us couldn't normally afford to do (like not even close) . They help us figure out all the logistics and they sometimes even give people a bit of a kick in the butt to get them started (in the nicest possible way)

Why should you care?

Well there are the big reasons for caring - like supporting handmade, and the craft industry. But I think its fair to ask people to support Stitches and Craft because they are out there promoting and sharing and getting the word out about craft . Their show helps raise the profile of craft and handmade and that has to be a good thing right? Surely getting craft out there in the world has to have a trickle down effect, more people know about craft, think its great, are more likely to look for handmade when the need arises. More people get excited by craft and go home and take up knitting or sewing or raffia hat making or whatever fuels them....so our community grows and new exciting stuff happens...

and apart from all that ? Maybe one day YOU will want to get a teeny stall in the incubator and spend five days meeting people and showing off your stuff and having a great time, or maybe your mum will, or one of your blog friends. How sad would it be to say "oh there used to be this great place for little businesses at a craft show- I never went though, I wonder what happened to it?"

So maybe you are half-heartedly thinking about attending... Seriously tickets are only $10, or $15 for two days...if that's as far as your budget stretches, pack a sandwich and come and do all the free stuff.

But I say throw that $10 to the wind, and get to Caulfield, join in the big crafty love-in and show your support for craft. What have you got to lose?

For a full list with links - of all the people in the incubator go and check out jennies blog.

and for a comprehensive list of all the great retailers attending, check out the stitches and craft site

* hops off the soap box and packs it away to return to the sewing machine (where she feels far more comfortable)*