Makeover

 Baxter circa 2011

I am teaching a kids class in Ballan on April 9th so I thought I'd rustle up a new version of Baxter the Hedgehog. I was hoping for some fur in the rainbow sparkle family and was surprised that my local superstore didn't have anything quite tacky enough. So Baxter went all winter-white instead.

Baxter circa 2014

I have bucket loads of teaching coming up, both locally and not-locally. If you want to join in, you can check out my classes page. I am going to teach in Ballan, Gisborne, Tasmania, Warracknabeal, Sydney, Melbourne, back to Warracknabeal (and how does New Zealand sound?)

I had to get a yearly planner to keep track of myself, but now I have to remember to coordinate it with the diary in my hand bag and the calendar inside the pantry.

(this from a woman who can't remember where she parked the car when she leaves the supermarket)

 and Finn, who has no calendar and no diary and no idea of today , tomorrow or handbags says Hi.

(Arse-sniffing notwithstanding- the whole dog thing sometimes appears to have a lot going for it).

Fun by any other name

I taught a foxy class in Ballan at Millrose Cottage yesterday and had an absolute blast.

Even though it was a class for grownups, there was some very childish behaviour and a little bit of inappropriate discussion ( just how I like it).

Some topics of conversation were so enthralling (tattoo nightmares anyone?) that it took me four attempts to mend poor Ruben the Donkey.

In my down time I've have been amassing the army.

 

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On Friendships and Corduroy

I'm not sure how many of you know my friend Stephanie, we have been blog friends for years and last year when I was at Quilt Market we got to meet in real life. Yes, there were better photos but this one is my favourite.

Stephanie and I email each other a bit and we talk about life stuff and bloggy stuff and dog stuff and for a while now we have also been talking book stuff. 

Stephanie's book Uncommonly Corduroy has recently been released with Martingale. Now that I have my very own copy I have to share it with you.

I love this book! One of the things I often find with craft books is that they lack personality. They might be chock full of projects and brilliant instructions but they could all have been written by the same person.

So I was so pleased when I got Stephanie's book and thought - it sounds just like her !!! Every project has a little description explaining why it was made or how it got its name and I couldn't help but smile as I read them.

This quilt is Fairlane and Stephanie writes "Dad drove a 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 for more than 40 years before selling his beloved car. That was the car of my childhood. Dad's cars were always white with black interior - classy, just like Dad." 

The solid black in this quilt is corduroy. This is one of my favourite quilts along with the first one below.

 "Images from Uncommonly Corduroy by Stephanie Dunphy, Martingale, 2014; used by permission. Photo by Brent Kane. All rights reserved."

Its called Plenty of Raindrops and the green just kills me  - I love it. 

Stephanies book has heaps of large clear diagrams, making it look like even I could whip up one of these quilts or bags. You know, maybe its an age thing but I really like big pictures in books.

The book itself is beautiful. Glossy with gorgeous large photos and step by step instructions. Its clear , uncluttered and fresh. It has 17 projects including some really cute bags - The one above is called "I Heart Dresdens" There is a great section on working with corduroy but of course all the patterns work without it just a beautifully. 

I am so excited that my friend has written this book - and as always so very overwhelmed that this little blog opened the door to this crazy wonderful life of craft and crafty mates. 

I borrowed these photos from Stephanie's blog and also from her Supreme friend Candace's blog -

You can find out what was going on in that first photo if you read here.

You can check out Stephanie's book on Martingale or Amazon . 

Corduroy- it's not just for pants !

Done and undone

Craft camp was awesome (of course)

It was chock-full of food, laughter and fun. There was a distinct lack of sleep that left me feeling a little bit zombied but it's a small price to pay.

The tally reads:

2 chubby birds 

3 Teeny teapots (lacking embroidery)

2 girl dolls (one lacking hair braid)

2 boy rabbits

1 fox dress

10 boy doll faces

4 hedgehogs (lacking noses)
1 giraffe

and yep, that would be my socked foot in that last photo.
All class Jodie, all class.

wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff

I am just about to skip out the door to a long weekend at sewjourn. (crafty haven).

I have twelve of these little people cut out.... that's 24 teeny cheeks, 24 teeny shoes and straps and 144 buttons ! Finishing is not going to happen, but I'll give them a good crack.

My plan is to make some of  these,

and a few of these

and a couple of little teapots as well.

I am also packing the felt for 5 of these fellows just in case(I like to have every avenue covered -imagine the horror of running out of things to do!)

Do you gauge time well? Do you know how long a project will take?

I am hopeless. Things I think I can knock up in an hour take half a day, projects that are almost finished have another month of tweaking. 

I am used to it, but it doesn't make it any less dementing.

Blog-tired

I was given a very polite hurry-up at work yesterday. It seems my lack of blogging has been noticed.

(Do you find it weird when your work life/craft life intersect?)

Not-blogging is usually for one of two big reasons.

1. Sick of the sound of my own voice. 

2. More ideas than time.

Of course there are lots of other things that get in the way of blogging, but they are usually fleeting.

Yes, I am a bit sick of the sound of my own voice. I have been blogging away here since 2007 and I sometimes wonder if I haven't already said every single version of "Hey -Look what I made"  I feel a bit blog-tired I guess. 

I am also full to bursting point with new things - so much so that I have a new list (you know I love a list) to help keep me on track. So many things that are at the point of final tweaking, but no time to tweak. The busyness is a good excuse to let the blogging slide a bit, to tell myself that sewing is a better use of my time than farting about on the computer.

Have a good one bloggy friends.

(I need to give myself a kick up my own backside don't I?)

Don't you wish....

Yesterday my mum visited and she picked up this little friend and raved about it.

as did Annie Flowergarden when she visited. 

Isn't it weird? I had almost fallen out of love with this one (Telling myself it is way too simple)

I  wish I could look at the stuff I make with someone else's eyes. 

It got me thinking, we need a pact, you and I. 

The day is going to come (it might have already happened) when I show you something so ridiculous or so butt-ugly that you can't believe I blogged it.

When that day comes just lean in close in the comment box and let me know won't you ? Suggest I need a rest, or the world is not quite ready for that design or just front-up and tell me it is fugly...however you want to phrase it is fine.

I mean for gods sake , this thing doesn't even have limbs!