Blogstipation

Ever had that. You know you need to do something but the thought and the action do not come together? I often have that with house work....I have the thought and then immediately I practice my therapy....quilting of course.

I have not worked for the whole month of September. Time off is great but the pay sucks!! I am now feeling well enough to return to the job, just need to make the phone call!!

I have been busy sewing, nothing to specific, just sewing. I made a Ricky Timms' convergence quilt yesterday, using some of the batiks I got in Bathurst. It is only a small section 28 x 36" and I want it bigger so I will play with my EQ to work something out.

I also make the batik cats last month, I really enjoyed making them.

Two lap quilts also made, one is a snowball/9patch (see August posting) and the other a disappearing 9 patch. Made the top when I went down to Fairbridge with the girls at the beginning of September.

I love the butterfly material and I think that if it were for sale I could of sold yards of it, the amount of ladies that commented on it. I almost don't want to give it away!!! We will see. After all we don't need THAT many quilts in the house, do we???!

The kids and I made sock monkeys on Thursday. One of the weekly magazines had a pattern for them, so now we have monkeys in the house!!! I might even get the kids in a picture with the monkeys and send it in to the magazine.

Have also made these 3 kimonos to go into a wall hanging, when I can get motivated enough to finish them.

School returns tomorrow for the kids, I am looking forward to a quiet day and they are looking forward to seeing their friends.

Saturday, Schlep and Sunday

Sunday, I have got an ear infection so have commenced on antibiotics. The doctor I saw also helped work out a plan to take off the rough edges for the next few days. I feel better for that.

Yesterday was supposed to be my sit and sew day. Well I had the house to myself. DD was in joondalup with my parents and DS was with his dad in the morning the with his nanny and aunt in the afternoon while David and his dad went to the football. Go the mighty dockers.

I actually managed to do some sewing. I made a schlep bag from batiks that I have in my stash. Now it took me all afternoon to do this job and trying to calculate and figure out what I was doing and reading the instructions. But I did it. I do not need another bag but I needed to accomplish a craft item and I did. It will probably get put away for the Christmas gift collection. The fact I actually managed to achieve my one goal I set myself. I felt and do feel proud.

The link for the bag I made is below and it is an online freebie so go ahead and have a gander.

http://www.sentimentalstitches.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/so-sew-easy-schlep-bag.pdf

1 hour. We are back to that. Sleep. Feeling zombie like. The wheels fell off Thursday afternoon again. The kids went to nan and grandad over night. I don't remember much. All a bit of a haze. My folks came at lunch time today spent time here. Lots of tears. Took 1/2 tablet specialist gave me to help settle self but made me feel out of control and negative thoughts were worse. I can't take them.

Sarah will be staying the weekend with mum and dad and zach will be going with Dave in the morning so I can just rest sleep and try to get this out of my system.

The glass keeps changing levels!!! I wish it would make up it's mind. I know which way I want it to be.

And the worst thing. It is my monthly sit and sew get together with the girls tomorrow and I am not able to drive there!! Will have to try something little at home, if I can

Half way- glass half empty, glass half full

24 hours ago or even a little longer the glass was half empty, heck it was not even worth having that pitiful amount of milk in the glass. The withdrawal had hit the low point, nausea, extreme lethargy, and all I wanted to do was cry or throw things or curl up in fetal position or do all at the same time.

I was so on edge...every noise, from wind to cars to the phone...talk about feeling paranoid, it was all bad omens. I then decided to take .5mg of Valium. It sheared the edges right off. I was able to potter, get dinner out of the freezer, sew a couple of border strips, finish the binding on the kitty cats wall hanging.

I made fairy cakes for the kids sports carnival and even iced them today. I could take the kids to school. The other day I could neither collect them nor could I have even taken them to school. They ended up staying the night at their Nanny and Granddad's and they did the before and after school run so I could rest. Rest I did, but I did not stay in bed and sleep, although I wanted to.

I am into the 2nd week of the wash out now, this time next week the medication will be out of my system and I can start the new tablets...I am going to have my weekend away with the girls before I start the tablets though. I want to be at home with family before I start the new medication.

My glass is half, half full, and any space in that glass is for me to keep filling, day by day, moment by moment if I have to.

I thank all my friends for reaching out...and letting me reach out to them.

xx

Oh Blogging heck - I've lost time!!

"This is the song, Elmo's song" My darling husband in an Elmo fan from way back, so for his birthday in June I made him this lap quilt, the kids picked out the panel and away I went. Needless to say he loves it. DH has just started to play basket ball with the boys from work and Dave's nick name on his singlet-- yep ELMO 13.

Crazy cats. A friend at Thursday craft group had this pattern laying around. I just loved it. Borrowed and returned pattern the following week complete with the two wall hangings. I still have to complete the binding on the right one. I love the negative and positive effect.

Here she is. My Colorado wedding quilt, absolutely complete, bound and labeled. All that work paid off don't you agree. Not ready to put it on the bed yet, will be taking it away for the weekend with the girls to Fairbridge to use as my show and tell.....need my pat on the back.

Speaking of weekend away the next picture is of an adult bib..A gift for one or other of us who has the most "catty of moments, it is the help mop up the excess milk!!"

Just thought I would show you the corner of my sewing room. The tubs are all full of material, this room is a very small study that needs to be totally over hauled, that is last on my to do list. I can still manage.

These other items are all gifts that I am preparing for friends and family, the Geisha doll is yet to have her hair put on, the Christmas bon bon can be filled with small gifts, I have already made 36 more for the residents at the Lodge where I work. They only get a $5 budget for each person for a gift from Santa so I thought that I would add something extra. The snow ball and 9 patch is yet to have the last two borders on. I will be a wedding gift for a friend. I am yet to start the other one for the bride,

I am off work again indefinitely due to being on wash out from my Antidepressant. Day 6 today, I am having the joy of constant headache, anxiety, almost a paranoia feeling and today nausea has started. On the positive side I am almost half way. I just keep drinking lots of water and resting when I need. Please if you pray, keep my family in your thoughts as it is very hard on them. The children are absolutely wonderful and I am so proud of how they step up to help me and their dad.

Pam Bono - Colorado Wedding quilt

I have finished the quilt. It measures, 88" x 108". It is huge. I am taking it Greg at House of Quilts today after work to get it quoted. I am not sure of the design yet as, I need to evaluate the costing. If I get all the blocks done individually it is classed as custom quilting and the cost is considerable more. But in saying that, I am happy with Greg's work. I might even see what he suggests or let him go with something he feels is appropriate.

I will post some pictures later of the quilt on other works I have completed in the last weeks, but at the moment I really should be getting ready for work. The kids have been taken by DH to my parents house and he will be picking them up for me which means I can go out straight from work to complete the errand of the quilt.

I was hoping to have a quiet 2nd week of the hols but, we have a morning tea in the morning for our chef at work whom is leaving. Harmony is interesting in the work place?? And on Friday I have to go and see my specialist in Joondalup as I am having problems with my medication...AGAIN, and it has cause my have postural hypo blood pressure, so am getting dizzy and short of breath. I do not particularly like this Dr, pom pass, is the work that come to mind. But He does know what he is talking about, other Drs speak highly of him. I guess when I met him initially I was very unwell and I wanted my problems solved and I felt he sat on his little Royal chair and charged well for it!!!

I shall close now and sort out pics later.

Quilts, Children, Knitting, odds and ends

Zach finally passed his next level in TKD. He is now a Cho Dan Bo- probationary black belt. After 6 months of not training and working his but off to regain his confidence back, he finally got there. We are so proud of him. Only Zach could do the work needed to pass this level, we just took him to TKD.

I truely believe changing schools has made a difference.

Labor Day long weekend. We went to Kaloorlie for the weekend to visit our friend Brad, Dianne and the kids. Although the children only see each other at holidays and only for 1 or two days they still all get along like a house on fire. The boy are best friends and we have been asked to be LLeyton's God Parents. A great honour and one which we are proud off.

Bubble or pom pom wool. I discovered this in a shop at $2 a ball. It looks like little marshmallows. I made the pink one then the b&w one followed by the coloured one. I have since made 4 more scarfs. It knits up really quickly and is so soft.

Just one of the rat bags. Kings Park June 2010, I might be a bit prejudice but I think they are rather good looking!!

It is finished. My Pam Bono Colorado Wedding quilt. Much cutting, sewing, trimming, recutting and resewing before I could start the blocks tried my patience, but the quilt itself went together very quick once the blocks were all completed. The picture does not do the colour that much justice. On close inspection, the centre of the blocks is a self patterned shimmer, there are greens, pinks, a self patterned print with a blend of the colours. I guess it is more on the subtle side, but this time that is what I was aiming for.

Once, twice, three times a compliment - day!

Thursday 27th May was certainly a day for compliments.

My first compliment of the day: I was getting ready to go to my fitness class when my neighbour knocked on my door. She had a cleaner in from Silver Chain who was in absolute raptures over the memory quilt I had made for Kevin's 80th earlier in the year. I had picture of Kevin with his siblings as a child, senior cit, his marriage day and one of the family. This gentleman from the USA was in raptures over the wall hanging and wanted one for his "Mom" back home, wants me to make one for him and said he was willing to pay, must work out costs to see if he is serious!!

Kevin's Quilt- designed in EQ6; the 4 blue squares represent where I placed the pictures.

2nd compliment of the day was about our son Zach. He had done so well in TKD class the night before that he was singled out in class for his devotion, dedication and skill with all aspects of his class participation. This from where Zachary was a year ago, fills us with such pride. The climb through all the hard stuff has started to shine through.

Number 3 - I was at the school picking up the kids, I had actually gone to the class room due to rainy weather. Sarah was getting organised, packing bags, showing my where she now sits in the class, telling me about her day when a lady I did not know stopped and asked if "This child belongs to you?". I responded with a yes and was then delightfully informed by this lady what a lovely child Sarah is. Turn out it was one of Sarah's teachers. From my experience you don't often get teachers go out of their way to say things like this.

Then today I get an email from Helen at http://www.stitchabout.com.au/ who had a cross stitch kit I have been chasing for years that is no longer in publication (I met her at the Quilt show last Sunday and I just happened to ask if she knew of the pattern). The kit "In disgrace" by Bessie Pease Gutmann goes with two other completes kits I have on my lounge room wall.

Turns out that Helen had the kit ready packed in her car to bring over to Perth for the show but due to being over weight in luggage left it at home. She had only recently gone through all her older stock sorting it out and was still debating what to do with this pattern.

Funny how things all work out sometimes.

Pictures of some of my recent work - part 2

Early morning rising and a hug, I am off to the airport to go away to Bathurst for Southern Cross Quilters Retreat 2010.
Missy, our latest addition to the family. Can not decide if she is sleeping or passed out from the smell in Zach's room!!!
1* 2*
My latest 2 quilts, (1) a disappearing 9 patch, feature square is a multi coloured butterfly print, the last that I had in my stash unfortunately, some of the other colours have small butterflies on them. The quilting pantograph is of butterflies. I have labeled the quilt "Butterfly Patch". (2) A quilt kit I brought from Collingully. The pantograph is paisley style flowers to match the print.

Baggies full of cut strips and squares for my "Colorado Wedding Quilt" by Pam Bono. I now have to sew the strips together to then sub cut the parts of the blocks.

Pictures of some of my recent work

Sarah, attempting to do some sewing, she enjoys doing bits of craft.
Santa....***** 2" squares, $#@!^&***. Fiddly but effective in the end.

A baby quilt I designed and made for a lady at work. The owl Mum made for me on her embroidery machine, I used fabric from the new Lisa Chandler range and made a bag. Mollie Jane, a "Kids Quilt" pattern. A cute little girl playing in the garden sewn with varigated pink thread. Blue, gold, and white table runner. My friend Lisa in the US gave me some fabric that was from her wedding dress. I brought it home and made it into this table runner and called it "Old, new, borrowed and blue".


The two bright quilts are for the children. I found the panels and matching border fabrics which screamed "BUY ME!!!" So I did. I am waiting to buy some more wadding, I will be piecing the backs to include the quilt labels, which are the kids art works.

Still lurking

I had forgotten this little page. Life is so good at stopping the little things occurring. We all get so busy with living working, being, trying to catch up with the should and must do's that we don't stop to do all the I wants. Mind you I was raised with " I want does not always get" motto in my family.

O went to the craft show today with my dear friend Gail. I was very good and kept the purchases to a minimum. Although in my mind I am hocked up until the kids have great grandies! I brought myself a new cutting mat, large and I got some rotary blades from The Scissor Man. I really needed a large mat for my cutting table. And blades well you can never have to many!!

I had a look at the westalee (sp?) rulers too. Very tempting. Might still get one yet. They are displaying the rulers at the craft shop across the road from work tomorrow, mm, no make that today.

I picked up two quilts from Greg at House of Quilts on Tuesday ( well Steph did) and I am in the process of doing the hand binding of an evening when I get time to sit. I have also started cutting out a wedding ring quilt by designer Pam Bono this last week. I think I have cut 15 yards of material up into strips then sub cut into rectangles and squares. I now have to sew strips to subcut strip sets so that I can then have units all ready to go together to make the blocks a piece the top when I go away to Collingully in June with the girls.

I can not upload any pics using my iPod so they will have to wait till I get to the computer next.

Guess I should attempt some shut eye.

Night all