Heavens to Betsy !

As sometimes happens in blogland - an innocent comment can travel a long way. Some time ago I left a comment over on The Long Thread , admiring some beautiful wool.

A few days later I got an email from Erica saying she would like to send me some of the beautiful Heaven to Betsy Wool - I demurred only slightly before saying "YES PLEASE". Time passed and no squishy package arrived in my letterbox...however a HUGE box thumped on the back verandah reading....

Oh man ! Opening that box required some serious clenching of the lady-muscles. It was packed to the brim with delicious wool. I couldn't quite believe it and may have mentioned the word craftgasm once or twice.

but you can see why can't you, this wool is just beautiful. It is so soft and just perfectly woolly. Go and check out the far better photos at Heaven To Betsy...My favourite is probably Ferngully, but I love rustic Rooster as well and Hot Potato is destined to become a scarf ! These wools have been screaming SOFTIES at me for more than a week.

But really ! I can hardly keep all this for myself so I held a retrospective giveaway and Maree, Kirsty and Maxabella will all be getting a squishy parcel soon.

and everyone else ? You guys get a little down loadable pattern and tutorial to make some little birds of your own, its up there on the sidebar.

I am so sacked

Really, I deserve to be sacked......What happened to the midday winner ?

Without further ado and thanks to the Master Ric Rac random number picker - The winner is

A PEPPERMINT PENGUIN !!!!!

Thank you all for entering and please pop over to Jo's blog and visit some of the other raffles and auctions that are still running.

Baxter and I are off to dig some holes.

Hi Jodie, This is the Powerhouse Museum....

A little while ago I got an email from the Powerhouse Museum. (as you do) That email led to some fun phone calls with Deborah and ended with my Zipper mouth Monsters joining

Craft Punk.

Craft Punk is running at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney on April 30 /May 1st with drop in workshops and longer book-in type workshops. I can't be there, but my monsters will be and you can sign up and be taught how to make one by Colette of Tessuti fame. I'm so excited, Colette and I have been conspiring to make some not-too-naughty things for the monsters to say.

The patterns and all the fabrics, zippers , buttons and doo-dads are included in the class, and Colette is of course awesomely skilled so you can be guaranteed a successful monster.

How good does the diabolical doily workshop sound?

and you know what, if you fancy yourself a zipper mouth monster and can't make it to the class, you might think about donating $5 to the japan Quake appeal and joining my raffle. If you win I will make you a toy, pretty much any toy you have ever seen on my blog (No, Carmel not a robot from the bus-stop story)- a donkey, a craft clock, a little message-bot or one of the guys from my patterns. I could make you a Zippermouth monster with the rudest saying you can imagine inside his little zipper.

The choice will be yours.

Japan Quake Appeal

I know you guys who read here, are good eggs it has been proven time and time again, and unfortunately I find myself again - asking you for support.'

Jo from A bit of this and a bit of that has launched the Japan Quake appeal, and if you click HERE the link will take you a master list of auctions and raffles.

I can't get paypal to work with the red cross but it works through Global giving. Seriously I don't care who you choose to donate through....

I decided to run a raffle along the same lines as the raffle earlier in the year for the Flood relief Auction.

No, the prize is not a pile of donkey parts , The prize is a toy of your choice.

Click on my patterns page and let me know which toy you would like from one of my patterns - and I will custom make it for you - I can't guarantee those exact fabrics or anything but I will discuss it with the winner and do my best to make sure that you get something you are happy with.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

•This giveaway is open to everyone no matter where you live.

•I will cover all postage costs and endeavor to make your toy in a timely manner.
•To enter this giveaway you must donate $5 to the Red Cross.
•You may enter as many times as you like but each entry / donation must have a separate receipt number. (eg: donate $5 ten times if you want to donate $50- then comment ten times with your receipt number and yep its a pain in the bum, but that is as fair as I can make it folks)
After you have done this , return here and leave your comment telling me which toy you would pick and your receipt number.
If you don't have an account to leave a comment you can click on my profile and email me your name and receipt number and I will comment for you.

If you do not leave a receipt number I will delete your comment (not just because I am a grumpy old witch, but because it will make the random number picker doo-dad easier).

This raffle will finish on Friday 25th March and a winner will be selected at Midday on that day.

Three Little Maids

The Three Little maids pattern is all done, with the help of the ever talented and super generous members of the Senior management team, Lara and Michelle.

To get your hands on one of this patterns, check out your local craft dealer or you can get it online from Under the Mulberry Tree.

You can also take a look at my stockist page and see if there is someone near you or if not just hassle your local craft / patchwork store to stock my stuff

(Is it still called self-promotion if I'm asking you to do it on my behalf?)

If you look really closely you can see one little maid standing on an upturned jam-jar and the other one on a block of wood.

(yep, big-time professional photo shoot here at chez Ric-Rac)

Blatant advertising....

Did you know I'll be "teaching" this pattern at Drapers of Mt. Macedon in May ? In fact I have a page called classes up there under the header so it must be true.

If you would like to join the donkey explosion with Reuben, Etienne and Toulouse you need to book in , sign up or send smoke signals.

Three small French donkeys with impeccable manners would love to meet you.

(and me ? well I'm just mildy fruck out about the teaching thing , but its AGES away so am putting a complete and total meltdown on lay by for now...... )

Community Service Announcement

Remember when you were a teenager and people told you about puberty,

- all that gross stuff about body parts and hair growing in strange places ?

Did they happen to mention what happens in your forties?

and she should be ashamed....

Sewing all the way around a teensy little softie arm and not leaving a turning gap?

Perfectly understandable mistake.

Sewing all the way around two teensy softie arms without leaving a turning gap, even though you stopped to change thread colours ?

A lack of concentration perhaps?

Sewing around 12 teensy softie arms with four thread colour changes and leaving no turning gaps....

Sheer stupidity.