Bastard - the quilt (a musical journey through one quilter's stash)

Go on... let it out. Have a big guffaw at my expense.

It took me four days just to sew the top together. Admittedly not all day, I lost the will to live around 5pm each afternoon.

Before you ask..No I am not reallylearning to love quilt making.

 Although I do like quilt finishing.

 I think I could love it, maybe, if it weren't for all the precision - and the freaking pressing.

But truthfully, making sea stars was way more fun.

 Special thanks has to go to Emma who helped out with all the complicated maths.. and the instructions.. and pretty much everything!

The free quilt pattern can be downloaded on the Ella Blue website and it is called Leaky Boats. They could not be swayed to use "Bastard"  - bizarre ! but that leaves it free for the musical !

At last - the booth (part 1)

I have been home and back to almost normal for a week. There seems to be so much I haven't blogged that I don't know where to start. The truth is, I cannot move on until I have thanked all the amazing friends that helped me pull my booth together in such a short time.

Sexiest cushion in the world award goes to the uber-talented Janelle Wind. Long before my fabric was ready I saw a cushion in Janelle's instagram feed that I loved. So I emailed Janelle and worked out a deal. Janelle worked with the teeniest slivers from my strike offs and delivered this fantastic cushion. I am still wildly in love with this. It just feels all circusy to me.

Do you know Cherie Bobbins? I first found Cherie on Pinterest.  I kept pinning her pins. A chance conversation with Emma Jansen about her friend Cherie had me excitedly telling her about this chick on Pinterest - one in the same !!!

Part of the fabric deal involved me writing a quilt pattern (I know...) , and being one not to shirk one's duties, I did it. This pattern is called Circus Stars and is available as a free download on the Ella Blue website. Of course just because I wrote the pattern didn't mean I wanted to sew it. (I did do a test block I promise) Cherie to the rescue ! Cherie makes gorgeous quilts and has the funniest blog ever. I wish that we were friends when I had little kids, I think we would have raised a fabulous ruckus together. Cherie put up with my nervous crazy dumb emails and made me the most beautiful quilt. it is exactly pointy and perfect and wonderful in every way.

I do have real life friends !! Carole and I work together at my real job and we share our love of craft. Carole is an astounding seamstress and can turn her hand to anything. I was so thrilled when she agreed to make me a little frock. I was a bit vague about the details , just that I wanted a sweet little frock. Isn't it gorgeous? I just love it, those little puffy sleeves and the Peter Pan collar. Everyone who visited the booth commented on how cute it was, in fact everyone made that 'awwww' kind of noise when they saw it and then told me about dresses their kids had worn.

All these people (and some more tomorrow) are responsible for making me look good over there in the US. I am so lucky to have these people as friends, real life or internet. I still feel like I am a big fraud most of the time and that one day someone will notice and tell me to bugger off, but I felt very proud to have these beautiful items on my booth. Together, we totally nailed it !

New lists, the fabric gig and how she stopped her head exploding

Make a cuppa and come back, I'll wait for you.
I thought it might be time for a catch-up. How am I ? well, thanks for asking - I am lost in a list-driven world right now. There are lists by the computer, lists on the fridge, lists in the sewing room  and a master bi-fold list on the kitchen bench, hitherto known as Studio 2 as it has not been clear of craft clutter since January and is not likely to be clear until I board that plane on the 12th of May.

There are two main types of lists. One list, lets call it the Toy List is a list of all the samples I have chosen to send to market with Creative Abundance. This list, while extensive is mostly finished and will be ticked, crossed and highlighted into oblivion by early next week when I seal the box and send them all on their way. It was really hard to choose which toys to take, it turns out that some of my favourites are not really other people's favourite. 

Two elephants, three kinder girls and some chubby birds stand between me and the end of that list. Doable !

The sub-lists are tricky little suckers, they include things like; buy 3 weeks worth of cat food, get a haircut, buy some undies and sort out the technology. There are lists sorted into things that will take all day and small things that I can do after work. One list is actually a giant plastic tub. As I make, and move and generally fart about I put things into it that I want to take with me; things for the Creative Abundance Booth, things for the Ella Blue Booth, gifts, props and eventually the undies.

(This is the Ella Blue basics range)

Then there is the Fabric List, a great long list of pristine things still to be done. Nothing is ticked , nothing is crossed off. It is completely highlighter free. I have strike-offs of my fabric, kind of like those hanging fabric sample books you look at when choosing a new couch or curtains. The sampling (actual lengths of fabric) are not likely to get here to  my house and my sewing scissors until the extreme end of this month, leaving two weeks to turn it into objects before I leave. So I cannot begin to cross things off that list yet - it just sits there, growing and changing and re-prioritising itself in my head eleventy five gazillion times a week.
This has caused a seismic shift I the universe (and some bizarre anxiety dreams) and Jodie the control-freak to end all control-freaks has asked for help. I KNOW !!! What is more I have asked for sewing help? Yep, I am working with other people to help me fill my booth at market.I am buying-in the expertise that I don't have and I am sticking to what I do best, cute but useless (well, except for that one quilt  I have scheduled myself to make). 

(I made one quilt block and then promptly hand balled this project)

So, I just wanted you to know that it is not you, I am not avoiding you. I know we should catch up more often, go out for coffee like normal friends- even a dinner once in awhile. I should call  and email. I should also get out of tracksuit pants sometime between Thursdays and Mondays and go out into the world and mix with real people and I will.
I have penciled it in for June.

and...they're off !

It always feels like the race begins in February. I am back at my real job and I start to look at the calendar with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

I really am trying to be a bit sensible this year and space out the commitments and the travels and the teaching but already there is so much happening, (and sensible is not my strong suit).

 Firstly, I will be teaching in Mornington at Treehouse Textiles in March. I met Emma and her mum at a show last year and they had the most beautiful booth - and their store is the same by all accounts. I can't wait to see it for myself.

I'll be teaching Ginger and Blue 

and the Alphabet gang . Click on the link to see if there are any spaces left and to book and enquire all that stuff.

In May I am jetting of to Spring Market in Minneapolis.

Can you believe it? I still can't believe that this is me. I am going to America again ! and this time taking the ever patient Mr Ric-Rac with me. (Stay tuned for that particular brand of hilarity).

I am all booked and organised and there will be no passport hassles this time. We are going to stay after market for a little while so if anyone has any tips for us - please share. Mr Ric Rac is keen to visit Canada. As he says "It's just next door".

In between there are BBQ's and zoo visits and the day job and new patterns and new things. I will undoubtedly fall prey to booth panic again and I have blocked out the whole of April to be sewing things and fluffing things and freaking myself out.
The year of Dipstick is shaping up to be most excellent.