Wednesday 16 April 2008

Busy day

It's my own fault, I know. I procrastinated and all of a sudden two deadlines loomed up as one.

Deadline number one. I was to embellish a quilt top with flowers. Three of us had volunteered to make a quilt for a local Show Society to be used as a money-raiser at their show next month. The central panel was constructed by Margot last week and handed on to me to add the flowers. Yesterday, to my horror, I realised that I was to hand it back today for Joy to add the borders.

Deadline number two. Eek! I remembered that I was to conduct a small talk/demonstration at our quilt group today on embellishing quilts. There were four in our team and I didn't want to let the others down, but I hadn't a clue what I was going to do.

I was rummaging through my quilt cupboard and came across some threads which I had bought years ago as part of the Essential Material Requirements List for a workshop I was attending. Naturally, it was almost impossible to find and when I did locate it, it was VERY expensive. Not only was it not used at this particular workshop, but it wasn't even mentioned! So there it lay, sulking away in my cupboard, brought out on rare occasions, and thrust back into a dark corner. In desperation, I pulled it out again yesterday and my eureka moment arrived. At the back of my mind I had plans to make a quilt of our grandchildren's drawings. So far we only have one (drawing, not grandchild). Emily had sent us a drawing of a spider and it was a pretty good effort for a two and a half year old, even if it did look as though it had just been hit with a dose of Grandma's Welcome Spray. I knew at once I finally had a use for that expensive thread. The bottom thread on the card screamed, "Spider's legs".

I enlarged the drawing, added some text and printed it out on red fabric. I added the hairy legs (thank you, thank you) and a spotted body. Voila! My first block is completed. Now to collect some more drawings, which may take some time, as our youngest grandchild is only 14 months old. But I'm a patient woman.


With the block completed and ready for my little talk, the next thing on the agenda was to tackle the quilt top. I worked like a beaver for the rest of the day and was up early this morning to finish it. Whew! Why is it that we work best under pressure?























But now comes the good part. I have just received a shipment of the most BEAUTIFUL Amy Butler fabric which is begging to be turned into little girls' clothing, so guess what I will be doing tomorrow?

Wednesday 2 April 2008

Market Debut

WHO SAYS YOU can’t teach an old dog new tricks? On Saturday 29 March I joined two other BrisStyle girls, Helen (Ruby Red Studios) and Olivia (Scampsville) at the inaugural Paddington Fair Market. As my husband and I parked to unload the car, a large clown with fluffy red hair came blazing down the street on what looked to be a converted golf buggy, festooned with balloons and streamers. What a promising start to a day of fun.



We soon located the girls and after a quick set-up, Tony left me to my baptism of fire. Thank goodness for the experienced Helen and Olivia. In no time my little space was expertly revised and we were ready for business.

The location was ideal – a delightful playground and parklands set in the middle of an inner city suburb, with skateboard pathways and ramps for the older children, play equipment for the younger ones, and lots of green spaces and trees for all to enjoy - a true oasis. The weather was threatening, but the rain held off and by the middle of the day the sun came out - a typical Brisbane warm autumn day.



Being a fairly small event was a blessing in disguise, as I had to learn quickly. The crowds fluctuated, one minute sparse, empty spaces and the next the rush of people. We were entertained by live music and there was plenty of delicious coffee on hand to keep us energised.

Young families were the order of the day and all appeared to have a wonderful time, with lots of activities for the children, the music to add to the festive atmosphere, and lots of goodies to buy from us vendors. Helen and Olivia worked the crowds like the troupers that they are and we always had smiling faces around us.



It was a sharp learning curve, but one I truly enjoyed. I certainly learned some new tricks!

Photos courtesy of Helen Berthold.