half done

and the baby isn't due for 3 weeks! This must be a record for me. I bet she makes an early entrance...

crinkles and washing

How do you wash your quilts? I have been washing mine in cold water and then hanging them over a clothes airer to dry, but they don't seem to get that lovely crinkly texture of others quilts.

Should I be washing them with warm water or using the dryer to get those crinkles happening?

Is now the right time to tell you that I am one of those naughty people who never pre-washes fabric, but will hold their breath while the quilt is in the washing machine, petrified my hard work will be ruined? But still I don't pre wash. I will test a tiny piece of dark colours or reds in hot water though, does that make it ok?

What do you do?

it's oh so quiet...

Where did the time go? A week and a half since my last post has just flown. A big weekend last one with two shows (Tim Freedman and Wicked) and a friend visiting from Boston, so there has been no sewing for a while now... my fingers are getting itchy! I suspect I will remedy it this weekend - and hopefully return with a more interesting post next week. For now I'll just leave you with a picture of Tim... lovely!




Picture from the Adelaide Advertiser



Have a great weekend!

Mad Hatters Tea Party

Our move is almost finished now. We still have a pile of empty boxes waiting to go out, but I think we have almost unpacked everything now. Unfortunately with the move I didn't get my quilt finished for the baby shower on the weekend, but it will (should!) definitely be done by the time the baby arrives in March.

The baby shower / mad hatters tea party was lots of fun. One of the girls organised these gorgeous (and really yummy!) cupcakes from Cupcake Occasion in South Yarra.

I made a bunch of tea wallets to hold our teabags and for people to take home (there is a really simple tutorial here that I used). It only took me a few hours to make 16 of them. I also made a little toy for the baby, but I completely forgot to take a picture of it. Great simple idea though that I will definitely use again.

Everyone also got a sweet teapot tape measure.

I didn't get pictures of all the little details - like tags saying "Eat me" tied to teacups full of lollies or "drink me" on the teapots, teapots full of flowers or silver stands piled with sweet treats, but the effort one particular friend went to was amazing.

I have the best friends and it was great to have a girly afternoon with them.

Change

2010 looks to be a year of changes for me and my little family. It started on Friday night with our move. We have almost finished bringing everything over to the new place, just some plants and the BBQ are left to come across. I have to say, doing the majority of the moving on Saturday - when it reached 41 degrees in Sydney - was tough. It was made even tougher by the set of stairs everything had to be brought down, and the two flights of stairs it all had to be carried up.

The new place is looking great. I am loving the big screen door on the balcony which allows an abundance of fresh air into the house. I love the fly screens on the windows which stop the mosquitoes. I love having a dining room where we can put a table so we no longer have to eat dinner on the couch. Simple things can make a place so much nicer.

Another change for me this year...

I have decided to go back to Uni. After 8 and a half years of Uni previously and less than 3 years in the workforce, I have decided to try another career. I knew halfway through my postgraduate degree that I wasn't going to be happy being a scientist in the long term, but I pushed through and completed my degree. Partly because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. And I like to finish things that I start. Also because I didn't want anyone to think I couldn't do it.

So I have decided to do a Graduate Diploma of Education to become a secondary school science teacher. Working with teenage girls last year in the SISTER2sister program was tough, but so rewarding. Having thought about teaching for a long time, these girls helped to cement my decision. I am really excited about this new direction. The degree will take me two years so I still have some research in me, but it is a start - and I can't wait to get started.

Please meet Tilly!

My shiny new pink KitchenAid!


She came out of the box for a photo, but then went straight back in ready for our move this weekend. I think her first test will be Karen Martini's pizza dough.

I hope we will become good friends.

Quilt top - check

Even with all the packing we did on the weekend, I managed to get this quilt top finished. The sun shining through it distorts the colours a little, but I am pretty happy with how it is looking. It's much nicer than when the blocks were separate that's for sure. I really enjoyed piecing this quilt as it was simple and quick which allowed me to see results quickly (yes, I am impatient!). I put it together from 16 fat quarters and some white yardage. I do love quilts that use lots of fat quarters as they tend to be the predominant pieces in my stash.

Only 4 days until our move and I can dismantle mount cardboard! Thank God!

And today is Sampson's 5th birthday - happy birthday little man!