Craft Rooms Thoughts

I am lucky enough to have a spare bedroom all to myself for all of my crafting stuff - well except for any scrapbooking or card making, that's stored elsewhere.  I appreciate the fact that whenever I like I can disappear into my girl-cave, shut the door and generally not be bothered - sometimes for hours on end.

It's only a small room - 9 foot by 10 foot and it has an inbuilt wardrobe.  There is 1 small window on a short wall.  I have squeezed in a large desk, a bookcase and a LARGE set of industrial shelves (they must be 8 feet long and nearly go tot he ceiling).  This space is also where I iron ad I tend to use the ironing board as an extra bench.  I am sure I have talked about it before.

When we put in the shelves I did do a bit of a clean up.  I labelled tubs with their contents.  I got rid of some bags of fabrics and bits and pieces.  Things looked tidy for a little while.

But now it is back in a mess again!  There is basically only enough space to walk to the desk and back out again - barely enough room to swing a cat as they say.  I can't get into the wardrobe with all the items laying on the floor in front of the doors.

I was sewing a knitting needle roll yesterday - a quick simple project - and a set of drawers on the desk was getting in the way.

So now I think it is time I go thru it all properly and get rid of stuff.  There are a lot of projects and kits I have purchased over the years that are half buried and not being made up.  There are tubs and tubs of fabrics, paints, cross stitch paraphernalia, etc.

So what to do with it all?

I have done a quick count of the things I have listed on the blog - 57.  That's a lot.  To make it worse, I have even bought a few more kits/boms since making that list.  There must be 70 different things!!

I am heading towards getting rid of everything that is not already packaged up - and I mean everything!!  Perhaps try to recoup some of the money I have spent on them by having a garage sale.

Considering I have diverse interests in all things craft that's a large garage sale.

What do you guys think I should do?

Cali Mum's Quilting Bee #3

I have finally gotten around to finishing off my 3rd lozenge for my Cali Mum's Quilting Bee quilt.  Hubby and I spent 6 days doing nothing but listening to cows and sheep recently and I took some craft supplies with me.  One lot was to work some more on this quilt.

 

 

I have also cut out and sewn up 2 rounds for my 4th lozenge and am half way thru putting together the last round.  Won't be long before it's done also.

 

 

Another of the mum's asked about me making her daughter one of these quilts.  I told her she would not want to pay the price I would ask for it.  Whilst away I did some math.  To make one to fit a single bed - approx. 160 x 200 cm - if I charged $10 an hour for my time and passed on costs for fabric and wadding she would be up for around $2500!  To make the bigger one that I am doing the cost would be more like $3600.  I haven't told her yet - didn't get the chance when I saw her last.  As much as she loves her baby girl (the child's 7) I doubt very much that she would pay this much for a quilt even if it is entirely hand sewn.

 

Whilst away I also finished off a sock that has been on the needles for some time and I knitted it's friend.  Sadly though, 1 of them is either to big or too small.  I have to figure out which.  I was not thinking and managed to knit the second foot about 1.5 inches longer than the first one.  Oppsy!

 

I also worked some more on my Cross Stitch Dolls House bedroom carpet.  It's being worked on 32 count even weave linen with 1 strand.  when I first started it I needed a magnifying glass to see the fabric.  Now - since it's been so long - my eyes have altered and I can see it quite well so long as I don't wear my glasses.  I am short sighted after all.

 

 

In a week I am going to my first market in over 2 years to sell some hand made goodies.  I am taking along a couple of small quilts, all my cloth dolls and some bears.  Hopefully I make some money.

 

This lady is one of the items for sale.  She is designed to hang on the wall.  I will make her a friend wearing a cream dress with gold stars.  The friend will hold some bells on rope.

 

This little bunny will also be at the market...

As will this lady....

 

And this Owl...

 

Small Quilt Swap sent and received

My parcel has arrived, so I can now show you what I sent to my swap partner, Anna.

First up is her quilt.  I made it from stash fabrics, including some vintage fabrics I have been given.  there are 41 different fabrics in the top!!

It really was a pain in the arse to make.  All those bias edges, I should have paper pieced it.  Oh well, live and learn.

This is the back...

A lovely softly coloured piece (bought new) showing typical australian animals.  Anna lives in Wisconsin USA so the Aussie animals were perfect for her, I thought.

A close up of the label that I hand embroidered.  It was done freehand too that's why it's rather wonky.



And lastly the fabrics I sent to her and a mug rug.  the fabrics were all purchased new.  The green in them is a gorgeous turquiose that is so popluar right now - at least in the interior design world.



She said she liked the quilt - I hope she did.  She also said she was going to use the mug rug and the fabric in a mini Australia lesson to the 3 yo children she teaches. I may ask her how many children that is and then send over a clip Koala with flag for them all.  They aren't all that expensive to buy.  Postage is a bit dear though.

I have a parcel from her too.  She sent the quilt.....

and some fabrics, 3 patterns, a porcelain doll that she made in the 70's (I don't think she knew I had a doll house), 2 flags and a tourist brochure for her town in Wisconsin.

The doll is really sweet and means my children and the baby now have a mother (in the doll house).

One  of the patterns was her hand drawn one for the quilt she made me.  I may have a tinker with it to see if I can get bottom half of the quilt (see the pic above) to repeat.

Mini quilts group Swap

Yesterday I signed up to the yahoo group small talk quilts' mini quilt swap.  Should be some fun.  At the end of the month I will get paired up with someone else in the swap, exchange a few emails and them make them a mini quilt.  They will do the sme for me.  As most participants are from the USA I imagine that is where mine will also be from.  I notice that there a few ladies who are after something Civil War - I have no idea what that means for quilts, so if I get one of them I will have to do some research!! 

Yesterday was also JOY DAY so I made a mini for the March 2013 challenge.  The brief was to make a certain pattern in 'ugly' fabrics.  Since I couldn't be bothered going thru all of my fabrics to find different colours and I had my purple stash bag already out of storage I chose to use purples only - oh and with white.  I think I found some ugly fabrics in that bag.  This is them....

 

 

Once I started sewing I found I had only cut half the number of white I needed.  Silly me.  Oh well - back to the cutting board.  A few hours later and she's all done.  Lo and behold all cut up and together the mini quilt is actually quite nice - uglies and all.  It measures at around 17" square.

Now I still have to quilt it and bind it - though I'm not too sure which purple I used as the border as those I have seem to be a bit off colour.  I'm sure I'll find it.

I had bits left over when cutting the Half Square Triangles, so I made a mini mini quilt.  This will go with a doll to be sold at a Market Night I am going to in November.

Isn't it just the cutest??  It only measure 8.5" square.  I know it's a bit rough with seams not matching but Amish Sarah will love it (that's the name of the doll I have yet to make).  I hope she ends up going home with some lucky person.

Comfort Doll

I was on the Comfort Doll Project website just now (http://comfortdollproject.blogspot.com/) and I saw that they have an Australian contact who will organise the distribution of these dolls.  That's great news. 

I had thought of making some of these and sending them off, but the thought of them going to the US was a bit daunting considering the postage rates.  Now I can make as many as I like and send them to an Aussie lady and they will go to other Aussie ladies in need.