Season's Greetings

MERRY CHRISTMAS and Good Health and Happiness for 2011

A Challenge

I am not a spontaneous person! Important decisions need mulling over.

In Our Craft Forum a new season of challenges are being issued; well one at the moment, though as the new year begins, I am sure there will be many more.

After considerable dilly-dallying I have decided to enter the Row by Row Round Robin. Last week I had no idea what a RxR Round Robin was. I made enquiries as to how this challenge worked. And, I received replies that sort of gave me an idea. A few web sites were offered as I didn't know the difference between Traditional and Paper Piecing. I looked, and decided I could tackle this Row by Row Round Robin.

It will be a case of try, and perhaps try again, but a challenge was offered, and I have accepted. Roll on 2011! Though I will confess I have already told My Man that life may be difficult for a few hours as I work my way through this challenge.

Bits 'n Pieces

Christmas is drawing near. Unlike some parts of the world we have no snow, or winter. Instead the summer sun shines brightly.

Most of my Christmas shopping/making is complete, apart from those small 'stocking fillers', and it is those small items that have kept my mind alert these past few days. One day was spent flicking through magazines. I knew I had a pattern for a small tissue pack, and another of luggage tags. Of course looking through magazines is a task that sends the mind into a spin. All those wonderful patterns of items I must make. If only the days were longer and our time on this planet was not restricted to under one century.

I found the tissue pack holders. After cutting and sewing it became clear the tissues in the magazine picture must be a different brand to what I have. The holders were too wide and a tad too short. Two tissue pack holders later I had the correct measurements. I even managed to write the measurements down for future reference!

I had it in my mind to make a luggage tag as I intend to take to the air next year. Three different luggage tag patterns in the magazines to choose from. I chose one. It was not exactly what I imagined. The window just didn't look right!

I slept on it.

This morning I awoke with an idea. After measuring and cutting slowly the luggage tag began to take shape. My 'reverse stitcher' came into use more than twice! But ... any project worth its salt needs patience. I was happy with the first tag I completed. It was a vast improvement on the efforts of yesterday when I followed a pattern.

Why not make a second tag? No reason! A colourful fabric found its way onto the cutting mat. I chose a cotton to blend with the fabric, and began to sew. Oh dear! The sewing machine, which has given sterling sevice for three years, began to make a noise; not a healthy sounding noise. Notwithstanding the fact that I have had the sewing machine for almost three years, and that I had never cleaned it, I surmised that perhaps this might be the day to perform that task.

I admit here ... I am not mechanically minded. Once before I read the instructions of how to clean the sewing machine, and gave up. Today I once again found the instruction book, and handed it to Dave. I instructed him to read the steps out to me ... while I tackled the business end of cleaning a sewing machine. Screws needed to be undone. A lint brush was brought into use. Dave read out that the vacuum cleaner could be used. He hauled out the vacuum cleaner, switched it on, and I manipulated the nozzle end. What a lot of fluff! No wonder the machine made such a strange noise.

Putting everything together was not as difficult as I imagined!

Soon I had the second luggage tag completed ... it was a delight to work a quiet machine! We forget how they should sound, and as the fluff clogs up slowly, it is unnoticeable.

Lavender Blue?

On our recent trip to Perth I purchased a bag of lavender. Two years ago I attempted to grow lavender bushes, but the heat of summer combined with our absence for a few days, meant the demise of those bushes. And I had such high hopes!

There is only one alternative if growing lavender fails ... buy some.

As there were a few FQ's in suitable lavender shades it didn't take long to construct half a dozen lavender sachets. Their perfume permeates the room. One of my long held dreams, only a dream I hasten to add, is to sleep on freshly laundered lavender perfumed sheets every night. As I have no desire to change the sheets every day, this remains a dream.

I will place two of these sachets in the drawer where I store the sheets. That way my dream is partially realised, and who wants to achieve a dream 100% anyway? One needs a dream.