TIF September finished !

Sharon's theme for September was lists. In a previous post I showed progress on a workshop taken at our Embroiderers' Guild NSW recently, and promised to finish it by the end of September. Well, I ALMOST made it, a few days later than planned, but hey! who's counting ?

This little fairy slipper was inspired by an article in "Stitch" by the Embroiderers' Guild UK. Our version uses Angelina fibres and a red chiffon scarf fused to yellow felt for the uppers, while the sole is fused with purple velvet and gilded. I also painted inside the upper with Lumiere paint in gold, even though you can't see it unless you peer inside. All self-respecting fairies should have a little gold on their slippers, don't you think? This one has a definite Arabian Nights feel to it, probably helped by the wired toe which is slightly kicked up with a little gold beed on the point.

I'm pretty pleased with it and very happy to have completed a project for one more month of the TIF challenge. Let's be truthful here, I haven't been able to show too much actual stitching just lately for various reasons, not the least of which is my ongoing committment to volunteering at historic houses etc.

A few of my favourite things!!

I know I promised not to show TOO many photos of my new grandson, but he's so cute!!
My own youngest (DD no.3) turned 23 on Sunday so I entertained 15 for lunch. Or should I have said Riley entertained 15 for lunch. He was the perfect guest as he kept everyone enthralled AND he brought his own lunch, VBG.

Yesterday I was Guest Speaker at an historical society meeting, where I talked for about 40 minutes about vintage underwear and showed items from my collection as well as some reproductions I've made. My original Edwardian petticoat (middle photo) has the most gorgeous laces on it, and a real c.1890's chemisette (collar shown above) has exquisite tape lace with needlelace fillings. I'm always amazed at just how much stitching and textiles are entwined in every aspect of my life.

TIF September, some progress!

My to-do lists continue to grow, I'm sure they're breeding in the dark.

I can cross one item off the list though.

Yesterday I took a great workshop at our Embroiderers' Guild here in Sydney with Annette Hinde. The subject was Fairy Slippers, which appealed to my sense of fun and also my interest in miniature things. They were inspired by an article in "Stitch" from the Embroiderers' Guild UK. Annette changed the working method quite a bit, resulting in a messy workshop with vleisofix, Angelina fibres, chiffon scaraves, gilding, sequins, threads, felts etc. You can imagine the fun had by 15 women all making wee fairy slippers. No-one was able to finish in 5 hours, but we all made design decisions and were well on the way by the end of the workshop. The variety of embellishments was quite remarkable, and I'm looking forward to making time in the next week to finish at least one slipper.

So, I've decided that the fairy slipper will be my TIF Challenge project for the month. It satisfies the criteria because making something miniature, and stitching a full project (for once) has been on my to-do list for quite a while!!

The photos show the slippers pictured in "Stitch" magazine, and the progress so far on my own version. I've used yellow felt and 2 different colours of Angelina fibres fused down under a red chiffon scarf as the background for the upper. The first round of stitching is chain stitch in orange stranded cotton, then a round of Palestrina stitch in a variegated silk Colour Streams stranded. Then a round of orange irridescent sequins. I think it needs some green in there, and the star sequins will be a motif on the vamp part of the shoe.

The finished slippers are about 1 1/2 inches finished. If I made a pair they'd look great framed in a shadow box with an illustration of a fairy as a gift for a little girl's room. Hmm, another idea for the "to-do-one-day" list!!

September Update

Half way through the month already and not much stitching progress to report, apart from the to-do list, on this months TIF challenge. I've crossed several committments off one list, including the Open House at Linnwood this weekend, and teaching my YTFG class on Saturday. More about that next time.

One thing I nearly missed though, and thanks goodness I realised just in time, is that this Friday 19th September is a special day. Its INTERNATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY !!! See here for all the details. Any excuse to dress up and talk silly and I'll take it!! Could be difficult if I have another committment that day, so I might have to make it Talk Like A Pirate Weekend instead, hee hee. Last year we dressed up and went to Pirates of the Carribean 3 at Parramatta, very enjoyable and I'm sure everyone thought we were quite nutty. You're only young once though aren't you?

I promise to act my age and position (as a new Nan) any day now, but it might have to wait till next week!!

P.S. this post was NOT just a good excuse to show JD in full pirate mode!!

Bonnets and Boats

Christina Henri's exhibition "Bonnets and Boats" opened on Friday night last at Parramatta Artists Studios with about 1000 bonnets on display, and I managed to take a quick photo or 2 of the walls. Here in the 2nd photo is the bonnet Christina commisioned from me for Mary Wade, a young English lass 12 years old when transported to Australia. Mary and an accomplice lured a younger girl into the "privvie" (lavatory or WC to you?) and stripped her of her clothes, including a cap, presumably to sell. The bonnet is exhibited on a fine line strung from the ceiling above a plinth decorated with dried rose petals. The bonnet rotates slowly with the slightest air movement, quite ghostly ! I hope Mary likes the bonnet I made in her honour. The embroidery is in vintage silk thread, and I researched the Victorian Language of Flowers for some suitable symbolic blooms. I chose baby roses for girlhood, daisies for innocence, and Gypsophila or babies breath for future children. The little heart is formed from some narrow fine vintage French lace edging, and is held down with chain stitch (convict chains). A bullion yellow ribbon for rememberance completes the design. Now to duplicate it for the other bonnet to be presented to the VIP whose ancestor is Mary Wade.

I recommend the exhibition to you. Sydneysiders should get along to 45 Hunter Street Parramatta between 12 and 4pm daily to see this fantastic tribute to Australia's convict women, entry is free. You could combine the visit with a trip down Church Street to the Parramatta Heritage and Information Centre for "Women Transported", open 9 to 5 daily !!

I've also been working on another project on my TO DO list which I can't elaborate on because the recipient may read this blog! I'm almost to the point of showing her the current status as a decision needs to be made about the final design in the very near future. As soon as I do that, I'll post the results here. Nothing like a teaser, is there, VBG ???

TIF September, first thoughts

I decided to post early this month before things get too hectic, as they usually do around here. Sharon's theme this month is Lists, who makes them and uses them.

I've been making lists for years. In my teenage years it was lists of possible future careers. I can remember some of them - window dresser, fashion designer, book illustrator, greeting card designer, you can see the pattern here. Problem was the Careers Advisor thought I was more suited to Librarian or Teacher. Well I think she'd be pleased to know that I'm currently doing a little bit of all of those careers at the moment, although not as paid work!!

Then when I married I tried to write shopping lists. Haha, I left the list on the kitchen table on my way to the shops more often than not. A shopping list did come into its own though when my 2nd and subsequent children were born. I always shopped in the same small supermarket, so I could write a shopping list for DH in the correct aisle order! All he had to do was push the trolley down the aisle, look right and left and grab the groceries. He was far better than me though in coming home with a few "extras" not on the list!!

I've tried to write TO DO lists but they seem to be never ending, as soon as one item is crossed off another appears. Sometimes the paper gets worn out before the list is half finished. These days I use a white board on the fridge to write short lists, and I think with the list visible to everyone they realise how much I do each day / week. I maintain a small handbag appointment diary, and that's full of lists as well. Then there's the little purple spiral notebook I carry around my bag, with its matching purple pen, to write lists to myself. Life seems to be governed by lists at the moment. I have to keep several. Lists of things I should do by the end of the day, the end of the week, the month. Then there's special lists, like the status of a particular project. I'm about 2/3rd the way through refurbishing a 4 poster bed for an historic house at the moment. We are meeting next week to generate a list of things yet to be done and tick off those already completed.

I'm sure I'm not the only person carrying lists around in their head either. I mentally tick things off, then sometimes commit the list to paper. Isn't it interesting that in this technological revolution we still list things on paper? They're far more portable that way than on a PC, unless you have a Blackberry or such toy. Give me the spiral notebook and pen any day !!

The photo above is of just another thing crossed of the list of things to do this week. I was commissioned to produce 2 identical embroidery embellished convict bonnets for Christina Henri's "Roses from the Heart" project. This is one of the pieces completed for her exhibiton Bonnets and Boats at Parramatta Artists Studios. I wish I'd had more time, but as usual something higher up on my list had priority, and now the deadline has arrived. I'm delivering this one tomorrow, and the other will follow in a few days.

I'd like to produce a finished piece for TIF this month, fingers crossed it doesn't get bumped too far down the list of things to do for September.

Introducing....Riley John

Photo of the "man of the hour"
Weight 3.10 kg (thats about 6lb 12 oz)
Length 55cm (21.6 inches)

A good looking chappie, great lineage. Spent a little time in special
care nursery due to arriving earlier than expected, but looking better by the hour so Mum and Dad hoping to get their hands-on very soon.

ETA photo updated to day 4, discharged from nursery and Nan's first hold.

I became a Nan tonight!!

My son's first baby son has arrived tonight 2 weeks earlier than due. We're all a little surprised here at the moment, I was expecting to have another couple of weeks to prepare for being a grandmother for the first time, but babies wait for no-one ! No details yet except that he's a little 'un at 7lb ish I'm glad I bought baby clothes size 000 for the baby shower 2 weeks ago. Now I can start looking for baby boy stitching designs for some little handmade gifts.

This baby is my father-in-law's first great grandchild, and my daughters are aunties for the first time too. Congratulations to Pete and Bel on their safe delivery of a baby boy, name yet to be decided.

TIF Challenge August

Sharon's theme for August is balance, and how we achieve it. Well, I read recently that "Life is like a circus, full of balancing and juggling acts"
That's SO true, and I'm afraid I've been falling off the teeter totter and dropping lots of balls lately, VBG.

I really think it's to do with being a perfectionist, never being satisfied with anything I do. I'm not sure what to blame this on. I'm a firstborn Capricorn child (AHA I hear you all say, that explains EVERYTHING! ) My mother always advised me to "do it properly every time" and so I frequently re-work things to the Nth degree. I used to re-write my notebooks at school, I think that helped me do so well.

N.B. this is the 3rd edition of this post!!

I belong to many interest groups and Societies, and volunteer at historic houses. I REALLY enjoy them, but sometimes I feel overstretched. There MUST be an easier way to balance your interests with your commitments, I'd love to find it but I'm sure there's no magic forumula.

My particular area of interest is costume and textiles, and last weekend I took a workshop at our Embroiderers' Guild of NSW rooms with Christine Bishop. Her specialty is counted thread work, particulary withdrawn thread and needle lace. The subject was Lefkara Byzantine, a form of needlelace worked in Cyprus. My photo shows my sample piece in progress and I can see lots of faults. My next piece will be a LOT better. I put too many wraps on some of the bars, and my picots are abominable on the edge!! Christine was very patient with a full class of 13 ladies to juggle. She managed quite well, with the ladies having experience from beginner (several ladies including myself) to "turbo needle" Jennifer, who incidently was a Royal Easter Show prize winner in 3 categories. We all enjoyed our 2 days with her but came away very tired from concentrating on the 30 count linen.

I can't promise to finish this piece as it is, I think I'll start again on the other end of the fabric and make a little mat similar to the antique examples Christine showed us on Sunday.

TIF July - Finding time to stitch

It's been even more difficult to focus on Sharon's TIF Challenge than usual this month, even for me, LOL. I make lists, and cross off jobs as I complete them, but the lists just seem to get longer and longer. I'd love to know how other people are so productive in the stitching department. Are they early risers who get all their housework finished early then settle in to stitch, do they do minimal housework like I do, or are they just superhuman, LOL? Do they have partners who like to clean, wash and cook for the family, do they have housekeepers (my dream, by the way) who take care of everything leaving them with leisure time to while away stitching? Or are they like me, snatching a few hours of stitching once in a blue moon when all other obligations have been met? The photo shows what has been my focus this month, the finished Australian convict woman costume for the Exhibition at Parramatta as worn by my youngest daughter Bron, who's pretending to spin for a photograph. The costume was my design and completely handsewn by volunteers.

I've always had a problem with time management, even in my teenage years. I was a good student until I hit middle high school when our family situation required me to be surrogate mum to my younger brothers while Mum worked to put food on the table. Study had to come after the family, and I was less successful than I had hoped at my final exams. I really envied the students who had great sporting success, were on the debating team AND were among the top students at my school. I wish I'd asked their time management techniques back then. Perhaps that should be a compulsory subject at school, I'm sure I'm not alone in this department. Perhaps it's all about less sleep and more productive waking hours, didn't Einstein only sleep for 4 hours per night, LOL?

Now I sound like a real whiner, perhaps I'm just too tired tonight. The Exhibition goes up this coming week, thank goodnes, so that's another job to cross off the long list. It's almost the end of July, and I really WANT to produce something for TIF this month. Still a few days left, and I intend to take the time off everything else to catch up and regroup!! I think an ATC will have to suffice this time, still not sure if I'll go with the colour scheme which I love, or with the theme. Let me sleep on it!!

Rest in Peace Ollie

Our dear internet friend Olive Riley passed away peacefully on Saturday 12th July in the morning. For those who didn't discover Ollie's "blob" (as she called it) until after she passed, you'll need to wait a few days to access her official blog, because it appears to be down due to the overwhelming volume of traffic.

Update As of 19th July, you have limited access to recent posts


Olive was 108 in October 2007, yes that's not a typing error. 108 years old and very with it till almost the very end. Her "biographer" Mike Rubbo helped Ollie to record some of her memories, video taped her for YouTube and even made a movie about her. "All about Olive" has been screened on Australian television several times. When Ollie was 104 she decided she'd like to visit her home town of Broken Hill in far outback New South Wales Australia. This was no mean feat for a frail older lady, as they travelled by train with Mike and their entourage. Broken Hill is pretty remote, only small planes fly in, and Ollie needed a wheelchair. Actors approved by Ollie took the parts of her school friends, herself and her family to show what it was like growing up in country Australia. The movie is very poignant, especially when Ollie went to the cemetery to visit her beloved sister Emma's grave. The family couldn't afford a headstone, but on that trip it was finally resolved. I'm sure Ollie will join Emma there soon.

I could fill pages of posts about Ollie, I've been enjoying her blob since I discovered it about 18 months ago. I can't remember where from exactly, but I think it was linked from one of my textile friends' blogs. Mike felt sometimes that he was pushing Ollie to recount her stories which were sometimes painful and upset her. He didn't know if he should continue, having found her himself through Eric Shackle, another older blogger. Recently Mike took his daughter on an overseas trip, and Eric set up a temporary blog for Ollie here
There are several elderly bloggers around the world, including a lady in Spain, but Ollie was certainly The World's Oldest Blogger, VBG. We assured Mike that Ollie's story was fascinating and very worthwhile to tell, and I'm so glad he managed to film her and record her so often. It's prompted many subscribers to think about doing the same with their own family elders. After all we need to learn from the past as well as look towards the future, don't we.

In a few days, I hope Ollie's "blob" will be up and running, and that people will go back to the beginning and read all about this Most Remarkable Lady. In the meantime, pop over to YouTube if you'd like to see our dear girl.

TIF Challenge July, first thoughts

I know it's past the end of the first week of July already, but I've been very busy working on a couple of hand sewn garments for an Exhibition for the local Heritage Centre, and the deadline keeps changing. Don't you hate that when it happens, VBG.

The theme for Sharon's July TIF Challenge is "what is it to be at the half way mark?"

When I first read it my immediate thought was that I'm already past the "half way" mark in age. The average life span of an Australian woman is 83 years, and I'm only 30 ish years away from that!! Then there's the issue of my dear SIL having a serious illness recently. It really does make you examine what you've accomplished in your own life up till now.

When people ask what I do for a living, I have to admit I don't "go to business" as my Nanna used to say. I "freelance" from my home doing historical and theatrical costuming. Not quite the brilliant career as a fashion designer I saw for myself when I first left High School, but very satisfying in its own way.
I've been married to the same wonderful man for 34 years, been a stay-at-home mum and raised 4 bright and independent young people. We now own our own home, and I keep in reasonably good health. I've been lucky enough to be able to indulge myself in quite expensive textile hobbies, realise my ambition to work on some great professional theatrical shows and for the Australian Opera. I've been fortunate to be a (nervous) guest speaker at various club meetings and done several local radio interviews about our local historic house where I volunteer. I've dressed in historical costume and gadded about the countryside being shot at by re-enactment "bushrangers", visited cinemas in themed costumes and hosted school groups at historic sites in appropriate costume. I'm an enthusiastic volunteer for organisations I belong to as well. And I'm going to be a Nan soon!!

You could say I've had an interesting life so far, and I'm just over the half way mark!! Tonight I made an appointment to see an illusionist who needs some new costumes made, and last week I made a Narnia lion costume for the dancing studio. Life is never dull in my corner of the world, that's for sure.

I think this month I'll have to have a closer look at Sharon's suggested palette of colours and design some stitching around that. It's been a couple of months since I produced a finished piece, so I'm thinking ATC size, perhaps for a promised one to one swap I'm arranging? Watch this space !!!

TIF Challenge for June.

The theme for June at the TIF Challenge was a no-brainer for me. Stash stories! You want my stash stories? As Sharon often says, make a cuppa and pull up a chair!

Some of my very earliest memories of my mother are of her sitting at the kitchen table at our home making clothing for my brothers and me on the Singer machine. I was taught to machine sew on that Singer portable machine which had a knee press for the throttle. This proved VERY interesting many years later when I first sat at an industrial machine at College, only to find that the knee press was to lift the presser foot, NOT make the machine go!

Mum used to save scraps of fabric and trims, which I dutifully turned into doll's clothes. I'm somewhat amused to read a designer's biography where they say they made doll's clothes from scrap fabrics in their childhood, as though it was something rare and wonderful. Well, in my days, it was the norm, rather than the exception. We didn't have Ipods or Wii games (or TV for that matter) to amuse us, so we used whatever was to hand. Gosh that makes me sound so OLD, but the point is, we recyled and re-used everything out of necessity, not because we were "stash busting" as we say these days. I'm not knocking that most excellent idea, just that I believe in building it first!

I've had many opportunities to build my stash over the years. I saved scraps from sewing jobs, bought remnants at sales "just in case" including some real horrors which I look at now and think "why did I ever think I'd use that hideous colour/ design/ texture?"
Then there are the purpose bought fabrics and trims for projects that just never happened due to time and more urgent things coming up. I have boxes and boxes of those! I have wonderful remnants from the professional theatrical shows I've worked on - Grease, Sound of Music, Annie, The Producers - and some smaller Club shows I've designed and made. You never know when a piece of white fur, a purple net ruffle or flashy sequined fabric may be exactly what you need for your current project. Often my stash of theatre fabrics has come in handy when I needed just a little of something and the shops were closed. Or my current textile class needs a touch of glitz and I have just the thing under the cutting table in box no. 4! Of course, I'm just kidding about box 4, I'm not THAT organised!! You ought to know me better than that!

I have been known to turn the sewing room upside down (quite literally) to find a piece I remember seeing last week, when doing exactly the same thing for another project! It would be heaven to have the time to organise, catalogue and label all the boxes, and one day it might happen. It's quite fun though to "rediscover" the secrets of the stash from time to time, and each box holds so many memories.

I can tell you the history of each little piece of fabric. Some are neatly rolled and tied, others are just stuffed into bags within the boxes to keep all the scraps from one particular job together. This can be very helpful. This past week I've remodelled a lion's head for the dancing studio I contract for. I needed some orangey beige fur to supplement the mane, and I knew I had some. Finally found it, but not large enough. Did find a piece of the Zebra suit I made about 4 years ago though, enough to make a hood to go on the unitard and this gave the Studio an extra animal to put into the production number. Oh, and the Studio found some long haired fur vests used 5 years ago in a 60's number, which I cannibalised to make the mane. Problems solved, thanks to a substantial stash. I guess you could call the Studio costume store room a stash too!

This month I've not been able to complete a piece of work for the Challenge. I have 2 major projects underway. The deadline for the Women Transported Exhibition is looming, and work is piling up on me. My dear SIL has been responding well to treatment for her Leukemia and they are looking at sending her home for 2 weeks later this week. I've a secret project underway for her, can't say too much in case she subscribes to this blog, VBG. The photo proves I was hard at work at the recent Craft and QUilt Fair, and guess what? in August there's another one coming up closer to home. I see some serious stash building activity on the horizon!! Did I mention I'm a founding member of "Stash Builders Anonymous?" The photo shows what I bought over 3 days of "working" at the Fair. There are some great sequins for the kids' classes, some patchwork fat quarters for my WISP quilts, some push molds for little dolls faces. Also my latest wonder product Misty Fuse for hand applique without the tears, some laser cut wooden charms (so cute and so cheap at $1 each) and a few other bits and bobs. Not shown is the walking foot for my new Bernina sewing machine and a couple of fat quarters for making ATC's (which were already cut up by the time this photo was taken.)

I've been tagged by Margaret!

One of my fellow Stitching Sisters has tagged us all, it will be interesting to see the answers to these "in depth" questions. I've just come home after a day setting up for the Embroiderers' Guild at the Quilt and Craft Fair, so I'm pretty tired, but it feels so good to sit down to answer these questions.

Questions and Answers
What were you doing five years ago?June of 2003:
I can't honestly remember doing much different to what I'm doing now, except for no. 5, so
1. Volunteering at an historic house (Linnwood)
2. Attending Embroiderers' Guild groups and classes
3. Teaching a kids embroidery group
4. Not doing enough personal embroidery due to other committments!
5. Doing "Embroidery by Design" an intermediate stitching course with my Guild

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?
1. Make labels for the display at the Craft Show
2. Find a tablecloth for the display (forgot to pack one !)
3. Pack a project to demonstrate at the Craft Show
4. Pull out clothes to wear tomorrow, early start!
5. Go to bed early, darn that early start !!!

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Chocolate bars
2. Chocolate drinks
3. Jelly snake lollies
4. Potato chips (but shouldn't!)
5. Cashews and Madadamia nuts

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
1. Buy my kids the homes of their dreams
2. Travel to England to visit all the museums and galleries
3. Buy FIL a retirement village unit (would solve lots of problems!)
4. Start a Bed and Breakfast crafting retreat somewhere warm in the country
5. Get a live-in housekeeper !

What are five of your bad habits?
1. Procrastination (me too Margaret !)
2. Sleeping too much (well, some people need more that others!!)
3. Drinking too much tea
4. Eating too much (this seems a common one!!)
5. Being totally lazy one minute, then madly productive the next (isn't there a name for that condition?)

What are five places where you have lived?
Have always lived in suburbs of Sydney, NSW
1. Epping (North)
2. Arncliffe (South)
3. Bexley (South)
4. Lurnea (West) for 10 years
5. Guildford (West) for 30 years

What are five jobs you’ve had?
1. Office Assistant
2. Library Assistant
3. Trainee Dress Designer
4. Costume Technician
5. Mother of 4 children

June TIF Challenge, first thoughts

When I read Sharon B.'s June TIF brief I thought, you beauty! That's an Aussie expression, meaning great! wonderful! No-one has a more varied stash than me, I'm sure. I have scraps from professional theatrical shows I've worked on, pieces from my daughters' dancing studio days, pieces from wedding garments I made dating back to the 1980's, even scraps from my own wedding garments 34 years ago! Then there are pieces I bought as "stash enhancers" for my patchwork and quilting efforts, some still with the paper band and prices around them. I'm a great believer in buying fat quarters at craft fairs. In fact, tomorrow I set up the display for the NSW Embroiderers' Guild at the large Darling Harbour Craft and Quilt Fair which is running till next Sunday. You would not make a fortune betting on me buying at least a dozen new pieces of fabric for my 2 WISP hand pieced quilts. I also stash build with embellishments and materials at the Craft shows. As a non-driver I like being able to shop in one place with all the latest gizmos and trends on display, so I try to limit my spending to cash in hand, otherwise you can get a nasty surprise when you arrive home and look at the credit card slips !!!

This fortnight has passed very slowly, with SIL undergoing her treatment for APL on the Central Coast of NSW. I've had a house guest as well, FIL has been staying with us for a while. I'm very far behind on several major projects, and I have a deadline looming which I must get on to this week without fail! Now the digital camera has died on me, causing me to borrow one to take to a family wedding to take photos for SIL. I think I'll have to revert to using the good old scanner for adding photos to this blog till I master the DD's camera, or buy a new one. What's that old saying, it never rains but it POURS!!

We have the Queen's Birthday holiday today, so DH, FIL and I will be driving up the coast to visit SIL in hospital with some requested supplies including Chicken Noodle soup, ice blocks and strawberries! I promise to post some stash scans ASAP.

May TIF Challenge, an apology.

Well here it is, the second last day in May, and the teddy picture says it all. I'm wearing the Black Belt in Procrastination again, and I'm sorry to say that time has beaten me to present a finished piece for Sharon's TIF challenge.

This week was going to be my catch up week. Things started well enough, I finished another urgent sewing job for the Heritage Centre, and it's all packed and labelled and ready to be picked up for a photo shoot tomorrow. Then on Tuesday a very disturbing phone call from my SIL Gail. She's just been diagnosed with APL, a rare form of Leukemia which requires urgent extensive treatment. Poor Gail was given the bad news at 4.30 pm, phoned me at 4.58 to tell her brother and father, and left for hospital at 6.30 pm. We visited her there on Wednesday about 1 1/2 hours away by road, and she has been offered a clinical trial of a new drug therapy that includes arsenic and Vitamin A in massive doses. Sounds very scary, but results so far overseas have been encouraging apparently.

It's been even harder than usual to concentrate on stitching just at the moment, I had a brief burst of hand stitching last night after dinner, but alas! no solid idea has come for the May TIF challenge. I DO consider myself a costume maker and textile enthusiast, but in reality I'm just this little teddy, sitting wearing her black belt staring at an empty PURPLE box :) and wondering what's it all about??

I've joined stitchin fingers !

Exciting news again this week. Sharon B. has initiated a new group for textile enthusiasts to share information and knowledge and called it stitchin fingers
As of today there are over 300 members! The word sure has travelled fast, with lots of familiar faces turning up every minute. You can even join special interest groups, such as crazy quilting and fibre books. I've joined hand embroidery and postcards, as these are 2 areas which especially interest me. And look what arrived in the mail today, my postcard swap from Cyber Fyber artist Susan Lenz. It looks even greater in the flesh than on her website, I'm so honoured and thrilled to own it. I've made a new backing sheet for my April TIF challenge card which is soon to travel to Susan in exchange for her wonderful art. Hope she likes it, I certainly enjoyed making it, in the end, after lots of putting on and off of the Black Belt in Procrastination, LOL.

Cyber Fyber exhibition

I followed a link from Doreen G's Creative Meanderings yesterday, and found the Cyber Fyber Exhibition page. Susan Lenz is a textile artist in Columbia USA who will trade your ATC's and postcards for some she has made especially to exchange, and they will be in her exhibition of international fiber art scheduled for January 2009. I emailed Susan and offerred my April TIF challenge card in exchange for her card number 207, and she has agreed to swap with me. My card will join lots of others from around the world in the exhibition in South Carolina in January, how exciting is that! If you'd like to join in, have a look at the site at
http://cyberfyberexhibition.blogspot.com/
and follow the link to round 2 postcard swaps.
PS many thanks to DD's boyfriend Steve for showing me how to do hot links! Woohoo!!

Artist Trading Cards received!

Last year a good friend of mine told be about Scquilters, or Southern Cross Quilters. This is an online friendship group of patchwork and quilting enthusiasts which also has a Yahoo forum group. Now I'm not a prolific patchworker or quilter, in fact I'm still to finish any major quilts. I've made one Blanket of Love with my Embroiderers' Guild group, and I'm hand pieceing a star and hexagon quilt, and a pioneer braid quilt. But I'm definitely an Enthusiast. I just love antique quilts, and later this year I'm reproducing the inscription from the Rajah quilt for an exhibition which is to commemorate the Women Transported to Australia in convict times.

In May this year Scquilters is holding a face-to-face retreat in Perth, Western Australia. As not all of the 2,000 odd members intend to go, one member suggested we might need cheering up, VBG. So the Cheer Me Up Artist Trading Card Swap was born. As a "warm up" project, several one on one swaps were successfully trialled, and now the ATC swap site has grown like topsy, to include regular ATC swaps. I've pictured my cards received today in the Cheer Me Up swap in 2 groups, as well as the lovely one received for Mothers' Day in a one on one swap with Liz Needle from South Australia.

The makers of the cards in order from top to bottom are:
Shirley Mason
Ann Halden NSW
Carol McGill QLD
Joy Vale VIC
Sasha Nelson
Jenny Loveder
Julie Donovan QLD
Helen Ducker TAS
Robyn Williams
Anieta Barendrecht ACT
Mandy Collins NSW
Tania Mancia NSW

and Liz Needle SA for the Mothers Day card.
A BIG THANK YOU for all my cards, I'm very grateful for such talented and generous fellow textile friends.

May "Take it Further" Challenge

This month Sharon has asked us a curly question. "What do you call yourself and why?"
Since 1996 when I first started working in the theatrical costume world I have thought of myself as a costumer. Before that I guess you would have called me a dressmaker or seamstress, as that was my main source of "income" (if you don't count the DH's salary, VBG) These days I introduce myself as a freelance costume maker. That causes some confusion, as lots of people think I mean I design and make swimsuits !

I'm technically unemployed and any money I do earn is as a result of my "hobby" of making theatrical and historical costumes. By the time I deduct fabric and trimming costs, power and light, depreciation of equipment etc. I actually make a pittance, but that's not why I do it. I get a thrill seeing my clothing in performance, whether in a major stage production like Sound of Music, Annie or the Producers, or in the dancing studio shows, or on stage in a major Club show. Of course it would be lovely to receive a fair payment for my work, but they couldn't afford me, LOL, and neither could the historical house I sometimes sew for. Now that's not to say that I work for nothing, but I have a fee scale dependent on the type of work. Most seamstresses work this way, and the fee will vary with deadlines and difficulty of the work, as with any other "business". That's the part I hate, quoting on a job.

I've never considered myself as a textile artist, but I'll answer to an embroiderer, miniature enthusiast or lace making enthusiast. I'm certainly a collector of an eclectic mix of items. I have antique and vintage underwear, babies clothing, and enough theatrical costume pieces to run an ad hoc costume shop for my friends and relatives!

Now, how to translate some of that into a textile piece by the end of the month?
Some more thought is definitely required. Or is it time for a piece using the colour palette for this month, above? It's right up my alley with a purple shade included!