Out With The Old & In With The New

The last week has been all about changes at Maison Pyjamas. Improvements have been needed for some time and it appears I've decided to tackle them all at once. I started with myself. 

This was me at our Not The Farmer's Wife Get Together last week at Lozs' place. (pic stolen from Loz's blog!) 

I've been thinking about a drastic hair change for a few months. A mohawk seemed too extreme. I've done purple and pink hair before, and its sooooo 2009. The only thing that was left was to go longer. So all of you who go to the bother of growing your hair for months or even years are doing it wrong cos it only took me two hours to "grow" mine.    

This was my sewing machine last week 

In with the new- I've had this home since Saturday and so far it's beeped angrily and told me off about 587 times. 

I really have to work out what all those buttons do. I'm currently shit scared to touch them because I don't know which one works the ejector seat. 

More renovations are in process at Maison Pyjamas. This was our linen cupboard last week.

And while technically its not in with the new yet because we have a gaping hole there - the new built ins are being custom made ready to be installed in a couple of weeks. And the hole is new... 

The great sewing room clean out continues and I'm being ruthless.....For the first time ever I binned a WIP . The recycled shirt blocks have gone to the great quilt graveyard in the sky. And I'm not sure what I was thinking when I bought this fabric - because it really isn't me. It's time to own that this one isn't getting finished either.

My last foray into pastels ended in disaster too.  If you think you'd like to finish it (or pull it apart and make something new from those huge pinwheels) let me know and I'll send it to you. The fabric range is Paris Flea Market and there's a layer cake worth of pinwheels waiting for someone to love them. 

I have da Whoopy Cough :(

For all of you who got upset last time I wound out a story about my personal illness only to tell you at the end I was fine, you'll notice I've been up front this time. The outcome is in the title. I wasn't being deliberately  mean in the previous post, I just enjoy building the drama. I'm hoping at some point for the writing equivalent of an Academy Award for best dramatic performance. Please feel free to drop my name to the writer's guild or someone else with the power to make my unfulfilled dream come true.

So... the doctor phoned me Monday morning and the verdict is back. I have whooping cough and have had it for a while, which explains why I've been feeling like crud for much of winter. Aside from the fact winter sucks , that is. I am much more a Spring/Early Summer  person.  I've taken  this week off work to get over the "I'm constantly tired" thing. I  have been pushing myself for too long and need to rest. Before I fall down. I bet you're all glad none of you have been in my immediate vicinity lately or you'd likely have da whoopy cough too.

The bummer of having a week off work is that I had a massive week planned, none of which will now come to pass, because this is about rest and relaxing , not about stripping chairs, and sanding desks  and making quilts.  We'll see how I feel towards the end of the week but at the moment, I'm content to trawl through Blogdom, surf the Internet and hit the online fabric stores. Mr. P is less impressed with the "hitting the online fabric stores " partly because so far I've managed to buy this fat quarter bundle to go with the 7 yards of Picnic Parade  I already have.

I love Jenean Morrison fabrics. Did you see her California Dreamin' range? Spectacular.  

And I scored these vintage butterfly and bird appliques off US eBay.  I know I said I would never do another applique quilt after the last one almost killed me (there goes that dramatic licence again folks )  but I need something to do when I'm not at the sewing machine or in front of the computer reading your fabulously interesting blogs. I'm planning for this to be a very long term project. I've been dying to do something with a 1930's feel and was contemplating a Dresden plate quilt but frankly that just seems too hard. I think I can get the feel I'm looking for from these vintage fabrics.

Beck over at Sarcastic Quilter posted this gem in the last couple of days posing the question "What is my sewing/quilting/crafting/recipe making schedule"? Frankly until she jogged my memory I had no idea we were anywhere near Christmas. I was serenely minding my own business and blissfully ignorant.  Now I have been jolted into realising  it is scarily close.

I'd like to get everything on my WIP list done by the end of the year but I fear that is a lofty ambition that will not come to pass. So, I'm going to set myself following goals and anything else I get done is a bonus. 

1) Complete desk re-do

2) Complete meat safe re-do

3) Finish computer room revamp (yeah I've kept that one quiet)

4) Finish Little P's Love U Quilt

5) Finish Indy and Lola's Quilt

6) Finish the Christmas Coin quilt

I love the idea of a handmade Christmas and Jenni at Baa Me Kniits talked about this in a recent blog post. The last couple of years I've said  I'm only going to give handmade and every year I cop out. It's hard when half your family doesn't really appreciate handmade. I don't want to waste my time and creativity giving a gift that will get chucked in a drawer after I hear fake "that's  beautiful " comments.   So...here's my question for you because I really need to pick your brains  - what are your ideas for great handmade gifts and  whats your ultimate given or received gift? I have a few ideas that I think might fly well but I can't say publicly what they are in case the recipients are reading my blog!

I'm off to hit the Book Depository....