I'm Baaaack

Its been a month almost since I have posted something on my blog. Its been a combination of being ill (although that had started before my last blog post), being away:- we went to Brisbane for Gamer Girl, our middle son's partner university graduation 13-17Dec and then we went away again for Christmas from 22nd Dec till 2nd January, being busy but mostly being without my laptop. On the 18th of December (9 days after my last post... ) my laptop screen was cracked in an unfortunate accident. Fixit Guy had borrowed my laptop to use at an activity at our church. It was an outdoor activity and afterwards whilst we were packing up a gust of wind blew over something that hit my laptop and... yeah cracked screen. We dropped it to (oohh not good choice of words when talking about a laptop - make that left it with  the repair place 2 days later (closed over weekend) and then went away for Christmas... It was fixed whilst we were away and I picked it up Monday, after we got home.

So... I could have accessed the blog from other devices but.... its harder and ... we were away... and there was no motivation... so... now I am back here with you all.

Not having my computer also meant that I couldn't update my stash inputs (quite a few) and outputs (a good deal less...) So I officially have given up on that for 2015 and will draw a line under it as at the end of November. I did rather well in the stash front for Christmas. KombiBoy (middle son) and his partner gave me fat quarters for Christmas as did my Non-Secret Santa nephew. Both of them had no idea what Fat Quarters were, what tone on tone fabric was. My nephew admitted he thought I might have been scamming him - the sewing equivalent of sending someone to the hardware store for a left handed hammer or a can of striped paint. They both did very well though... by bailing up a shop assistant and asking them. My son said he actually had my text message with details of what I would like. I'd sent it to him at his request. He read it out to the assistant who showed him a selection of fat quarters which matched my description and he chose. 

I have also done little  sewing in the last month which has meant that 

I finished off a quilt for a baby... Elephant Parade. I was pleased to get it to the family when he was under a month old. The one I made for his sister a couple of years earlier was delivered when she was about 6 months old. Mind you Grace was born the same year as several great nieces and nephews and 2 other friends babies... had quite a rush that year. Michael's has been pretty much the only quilt required this year.

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I thought that the rainbow striped binding was just perfect for the quilt - it caught up all the colours from the top.

 I had heaps of fun piecing the back of the quilt using up left over fabric from what I had used on the front 

I  got my Harry Potter POD quilt top finished. This involved making a few extra blocks for the side, top and bottom of the bookshelf. I was very pleased to get it done. Now we are back home after our trip away for Christmas I need to get the backing made for it and then I am going to send it off to my friend Kym to get it quilted. Fangirl (daughter) has claimed it so it will be her birthday (and everything else) present. That's the 6th of February so I had better get busy with it.



I made a couple of gifts for great nieces too. I saw the idea on Pinterest but now I can't find the original site to link to. The girls loved them. I am not sure if Elaine's is going to make it back to Western Australia with her or if she will leave it with her Grandparents for when she visites over here. It wasn't the kindest of gifts to give to someone who has to fly home..... There was no sewing in this project. It was all glued. If I make it again I think I will do a bit of stitching... it would be more secure.


 

Hmm - that is a reasonable amount of sewing when I add it all up! I haven't done much since we went away on the 22nd Dec though. I took hand sewing to do in the car. Had dreams of finishing off all the hexies I have left to do. I thought I had finished all the whole hexies but found a bundle still to be finished off. With over 3 000 kms driving in the car plus lots of socialising time whilst we were away I was sure I would knock them over, and all the half hexies, plus do the design for the quilt AND start to sew the hexies together. NOPE. I got about 20 hexies done in total. I got back into reading and finished 4 books I had with me. I slept a lot in the car as well.

I was getting rather antsy about missing my sewing machine whilst we were away and thought I would fall on my machine with great joy and much productivity once I got home but I haven't. I seem to have lost my mojo! I got the Christmas stuff packed up and put away (and am playing the oh look what got left out ever since) so that was something. Yesterday I got the go slows again... did nothing but watch shows on iview and listen to my audio book. I have a list of stuff I want to get stuck into both household and sewing related. Just have to get some oomph back.

Funny thing is I really missed my computer and my sewing machine whilst I was away but back home it took me 2 days to fire up the laptop (ie till an hour ago) once I got it back and I still haven't touched my machine!