Tomorrow is Monday

No house renovation, furniture stripping or painting occurred this weekend. I really needed the weekend away from all of that stuff because essentially if I looked at another paint brush or piece of furniture that needed stripping  I was going to shoot someone.   And that would probably have  been Mr. P - and for the time being I need him alive. So he can finish the painting. Ironic huh?

In breaking news, I think a demented burglar with a craft /sewing fetish broke into our house overnight , used every single thing in my sewing room, threw half of the Moda factory around the room  and snuck out again  because there is no way I left my sewing room looking like this...

You'd think I'd been too embarrassed to show you that room wouldn't you?  I have no shame people. Don't you know that by now? 

Needless to say I spent most of the morning cleaning up the vandalism. I found stuff even I didn't know I had and then had to find places to hide it all so I can get excited again next time it surfaces and I've forgotten I had it.  And I've come to the conclusion  I need a bigger house. Or a less observant husband... 

If you promise not to tell him I'll show you what else I bought this week...

Promise? Pinkie promise?

And I got 12 of them...imagine the trouble I can get up to with that lot.

I've been  feeling decidedly un-quilty this week and I have the attention span of a goldfish so I've been concentrating on smaller more easily finished projects to get my crafting fix.

I made a pencil and a crayon roll for a friend's little girl. You can too . The tutorial is here .

I made a journal cover for myself. These are ridiculously easy. I even followed the pattern after I read it 33 times, and then did my own thing which meant some unsewing, but I'm used to sewing most things twice. (Case in point I've sewn  the same piece of binding three times this week and unpicked it twice. The third time  I cut the binding off and started again. if patience is a virtue I guess I'm not virtuous.  I got so mad at one point I think I invented some new swear words. (Email me if you'd like to extend your personal repertoire- I'm a sharing kind of gal)  

I wandered around looking at all the gorgeous creativity at the Bloggers Quilt Festival. There are some seriously talented quilty people out there folks. Go have a peek at some of the fabulous-ness and prepare to be amazed.

So I pottered, I meandered, and I waffled round not doing much for most of the weekend. I feel  relaxed for the first time since about 2003.  So far today I haven't even got out of my pyjamas and it's after tea time. And I had chocolate pudding for lunch. That's one of the perks of being a grown up. And I didn't brush my hair today either.

I did other crafty things this weekend  but you'll have to wait for Tuesday's post at Thrifty Christmas Challenge for the big reveal,  assuming I don't need to cut the binding off again. (At the rate I'm going this project is going to end up the size of a postage stamp!) Until then, have a great week. And thank you for your lovely comments on my blogiversary post. They made me feel very special.

P.S. Has anyone used those printable fabric sheets? What are they like? What brand do you recommend? Thoughts ?

Bloggers Quilt Festival - Fall 2010

If you're a first time visitor who has landed here  due to the Quilt Festival - welcome to my crazy piece of Blogland. Feel free to have a look around  and please leave me a comment so I know you've been ! I'm always thrilled  to discover new blogs and I'd love to reciprocate by visiting you.

Amy over at Amy's Creative Side  is hosting the Fall 2010 Bloggers Quilt Festival. I missed this last  time, so this time I'm jumping in. A lot  of creative genius liberally sprinkled with profanity goes into every stitch I sew. I might as well share it.

Sometimes you see a quilt idea and you're immediately inspired.  When I saw this quilt at  Cluck Cluck Sew  and  then a similar design at  A Commonplace Life  I had to make it.  

Fabric choice was a no brainer. The moment I saw this quilt I  decided to use the Moda Oz I had in my stash. I'm not afraid of colour.  I like loud and bold. So does Sanae.

So I fused the fabric onto the double sided heat bond, then cut out about 81 circles , and then fused those onto squares. And then I laid it all out to see what it looked like. At this point I got nervous about whether I should cut those 81 individual blocks into quarters and started second guessing my original plan. 

But since the  original idea was for each block to have 4 different quarters I knew I wouldn't be happy unless I gave it a crack  and so I went with my gut and leaped.

I looked at the 324 bits, (which don't look anywhere near as scary neatly stacked  in this box as they did spread out all over my kitchen table ) and when I thought about all the seams I was going to have to match up I almost  vomited on the spot. Wonky seams upset my Virgo-ness.  And then I realised. It's just fabric. Quilting is about trying new things.  Enjoying yourself. Experimenting. Loving the creative process. Getting jiggy with the seam ripper if you have to.  

A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, so I started sewing.

And by the time I finished this is what I had...

This quilt isn't perfect. Some of the seams don't quite match. That's OK, I love the way it turned out.  This is my favourite quilt of 2010.  Thanks for stopping by and letting me share it with you.

A Year of Fortunate Events

Once upon a time in a land far far away there was an Aussie chick who decided to start a blog......

I did that because Facebook is far too common and revealing and everyone knows MySpace is for dweebs. And, you can only use 160 characters on Twitter, which given my verbose nature isn't nearly enough.   After due consideration I decided the internet would be around for the next million years or so and that was my best  shot at immortality. And so a blog was born.

I've written about things that might have seemed inconsequential to some , but are  of actual importance to me  and as my  confidence grew and my  blog posts started to show more of my actual personality "Quilting in My Pyjamas" started to be a bit like the movie  Field of Dreams..."If you write it, people will come". 

To date I've managed to  rattle off 265 posts, amass a whopping 2500 comments, have had 2070 profile views (about 1000 of those were probably  my Mum) and good golly Miss Molly I have  98 readers. Thats 91 people more than the fiefdom  kingdom  I rule including all of the QIMP pets.  If current trends continue, by the time I'm 100, I'll have 5488 followers and 140,000 comments assuming the world doesn't implode before then.

You've shared Slack Tea Thursday, Translation Tuesday, and Favourite Things Friday. You've shared the trials and tribulations of renovation hell, the Bakerella wars, ups and downs, craft and sewing projects that didnt go quite right, and questionable tutorials. You've met Little P, Miss P, Mr. P , the P pets, and the rest of the P family. You've all stuck around through the Princess Whiny Arse Phase, Da Whoopy Cough epidemic of 2010,  the occasional rant, and me using Little P for illegal child labour by loosely calling him an "assistant". 

I've  been reflecting  on how this blogging experience has enriched my life and how  grateful I am for the connections I've  made, the people who read , the comments you make,  the stories and aspects of our lives that we share. A few of you have gotten to know me well and  I'm proud to call you my friends.  One of these days I'm going to lob up and visit some of you and you'll come for a return visit and stay in my guest room, assuming Miss P doesnt stay here forever. Being part of the Blog world has enriched my life in ways I could never have imagined. I've learned new things, shamelessly copied quilts and other craft projects,   been exposed to ideas out of the realm of my belief and experience, and been challenged and I am so thankful I've "met" each and every one of you. 

I've had my taste buds tempted by your recipes, (Kirsten- how I lost 25 pounds this year I have no idea )  been cheered on with never ending faith that I can eventually learn to FM quilt, and I've laughed out loud till I cried over many of your posts and emails.

I've spent nights playing internet sewing races with Marg, plotted a spiders death from 1500 kilometres away via email ,  drunk Skyped  Becks the day Mr. P lost his job, and I seriously wet my pants laughing  the day Cynthia posted her eating vegemite video.   I am constantly reminded by Shevvy not to become a Barbie Doll wannabe (I dont want to have a "Stepford Wife " blog) , Lisa gave me my first taste of Lucky Charms and helped me realise a childhood dream  and Elizabeth and I have deep and meaningfuls and save the world  via email several times a week.

There are too many other things that have come about as a result of all of you for me to list every single one individually. For the generous gifts, swaps, emails comments and chats, thank you to all of you for those moments over this past year. You all pick me up when I need it, kick me in the arse when I deserve it, and celebrate with me when I have something great to share. This is a community.

My blog  is one  year old today.  And all I have left to say is

P.S. The single most popular post from this past year is the toilet roll tute - go figure.  

Favourite Things Friday

Friday only rolls around once a week and you know what that means...It's time to show off your Favourite Things again! So join in by popping your link at the bottom of this post so we can all wander round and have a look at your Favourite Thing.

I know I said I'd be late posting FTF late this week.  I left you all hanging with a teaser and now I'm here cap in hand to tell you I've  got natch, nada , bupkis. I'm not a liar - honest. I fully expected to be late and to have  an exciting  post for you because I had planned to post about something that was meant to be happening TODAY . Except it's not happening until next week sometime.   That means my fantabulous FTF post will have to wait until next week (fingers crossed).

It might surprise you to know that one of my favourite things is silence and solitude.  In my job I talk, talk, talk all day. And listen , listen, listen to other people talking  all day.   I don't mind. I like to talk. I like to listen. But by the time I get home sometimes I just crave silence and solitude. I don't want to talk. I don't want noise. I want silence.  Solitude. Thinking time. Peace. I want to block out all the noise and focus on just one thing. Me.

I like to be alone with my thoughts. That's why sewing is such a great hobby. It's not a team sport. I can lock myself in my sewing room and just be creative. No external auditory or visual distractions.

In my busy house , silence isn't a thing that occurs very often. I treasure the times when I have have  the house all to myself and can just listen to the quiet. It's music to my ears.  

With silence you can just be. You can hear what's going on in the world. You notice small things more.  Silence is a great way to de-stress in a busy world.  

I hope you can all find time to create  some silence and solitude  in your lives this week.

Slack Tea Thursday

I'm breaking with tradition here. All this has going for it was it was quick , and I probably burned through more calories chewing it than I actually ate which makes it really healthy food.  I present tonight's Slack Tea Thursday .....

Anyone with a heart condition should take some extra medication now and sit down before viewing the next picture.

 This was dessert...

Clearly I'm not feeling  my usual self ...Hands up if you're in shock...I'm so sorry I did that to you without advance warning.

How many of you believe that fairy tale? C'mon. Really.

 

 That's better. Much more like Slack Tea Thursday. I can feel my arteries hardening already.

Join me for Favourite Things Friday tomorrow. Oh and you can go here to see my first Thrifty Christmas Challenge post unless you are Little P.

Thrifty Christmas Challenge

Larri at Seams Inspired wrote this post last week, which was in a  similar vein to my handmade Christmas vow.  If you want to be part of a thrifty Christmas you can join in too because Larri is going to have a page on her blog where you can showcase your fabulous finds/ creations. You might just do one or two handmade gifts, and want to show them off. I'm so excited by this idea and can't wait to participate.

Since I'm planning to work on some handmade/thrifted  presents this year , I was wondering how I'd show you all my glorious progress without family finding out my plans because Miss Pyjamas, Sister of Pyjamas and Patty (Mother of Pyjamas ) read my blog. Problem solved. I've created a second blog just for Christmas. Patty and SOP you can't go over there. SAJ you have to stay away too. Ditto Miss P- and  anyone I work with. Little P if you're reading this post - I'm inclined to tell you that it's not for your eyes either, but frankly if you're able to read this post you're a child prodigy at 15 months of age  and you can do what you like.

I'll post here when I have a post there which at this stage will be on Thrifty Christmas Tuesday.  You'll be able to find me here. I hope you'll stop by.  Unless you're family ..or a friend...or someone I work with. You can stay away.

The best laid plans...

You know when you have a week of activity all planned out, great finishes in mind and an anticipated plethora of achievements to brag about for your Sunday post?

The universe has been very unkind to me  this week  chucking roadblocks in my path and generally jumping in front of me screaming "NER NER NE NER NER  " and sticking her tongue out.  My plan for this week was to finish  all manner of crafty and renovatey things and pretty much none of it actually transpired.

The week started so well...I finished Little P's quilt.

I planned to prime the desk twice and get a coat of enamel on this weekend.  Didn't happen. I was going to regale you with tales of my brilliance in getting the windmill blocks sewn together. Didn't happen. I had visions of proudly unveiling my finished meat safe. It's  not finished. No unveiling this week.

However I did do some more of the project I started last week.  

I acquired a monster. Isn't this little guy A-DOR-ABLE? His name is Marvin. He is made by the talented Kris from Life at Rosemary Hill and the equally talented Mrs. Picklesticks.  (Little P already spied this and screamed "MORE" twenty times- I'd say it's a hit.)  Thanks for holding him hostage Kris.

I bought another  chair to restore because I LOVED doing the last chair so much.

Fortunately this one was easy. I spray painted it as soon as I got home. I'm going to sew a funky new cushion cover- just as soon as I teach myself how to insert a zip.

Last night I had a go at FM quilting. If it had been successful, I'd be showing pictures. Notice the absence of visuals ....I think I'm one of those dumbarses that needs to take a class or three.

I made Little P a crayon roll.... I did this to convince myself I wasn't a complete dud, after the great FM quilting debacle.

The leadlight windows are  finished and in place. I distressed them with sandpaper but I was kind of wussy about it so you cant see much detail. I figure I can always go back and have another crack at them later.  These will look fabulous when the custom made blinds go in over this window. And the backyard is tidied up. And my windows get cleaned.

And my pantry door finish moves ever closer. The mesh is here , and the door has seen several licks of paint.  A has a few more to go.
 

What did you get up to this weekend?

It's gonna be a busy week. The best I can do is hang on for the ride. Hope your ride this week is fantastic.  

P.S. Just a heads up....Favourite Things Friday  will probably be late this week, which will probably be on time for our Northern Hemisphere friends but late if you're in the south of the world. Some thing is happening Friday that I want to share so I wont be posting until Friday night or Saturday morning my time. It'll be worth the wait I promise.  

Thrifty Christmas Tuesday

Larri at Seams Inspired has come up with a brilliant idea for Christmas 2010. The Thrifty Christmas Challenge . You can read all about it here ...

And she has a page where you can link to your blog posts and show off your finds/ creations here . Feel free to play along!

The deal was I opened my big mouth and said I wanted to do some handmade gifts for Christmas. In public. On my blog. I am an idiot.  It snowballed when Larri said she was doing Thrifty Christmas. I said "What a great idea" In public . On her blog.   I am an idiot. Just kidding. I'm really excited about this idea.

By that time I was committed to the concept, so   I created this  blog because I don't want family and friends snooping round looking  at what I'm up to. My family are sneaky that way. My friends are even sneakier.

So here are my rules:

• I'll try to make , thrift and use whatever I have wherever I can.
• I want the gifts to be meaningful for the recipients so I can't  buy/make any old trash. Bugger. This is going to be hard. Kidding!  
• I have a budget and I have to stick to it. I can buy supplies to make my creations or I can buy presents outright.
• Augmenting or embellishing gifts  with additonal purchases is OK as long as the budget isn't exceeded.
• I can re-gift , recycle or use things I already have stashed and it doesn't count towards the budget limit.
• I will not make my Dad a tie for Christmas. Or an apron for my sister.

This week I'm showcasing Little P's presents  ...most of which you will have already seen.

Love U Quilt - Handmade from Stash (by Quilting in My Pyjamas)

Marvin the Monster- Handmade (by Kris of Life at Rosemary Hill )

Car Playmat - a garage sale find a year ago. Meets the thrifty criteria.

Crayon Roll  (handmade by moi)

I'm planning to make another one of these and fill it with pencils. And I bought some art paper so Little P can scribble to his hearts content . At his place. Not on my white floors. Yeah I'm the world's worst Bella. I'm waiting till he moves out then I'm going to buy him litres of poster paint. That stuff never washes out despite what they say on the container.

Anyway , I'm still under budget , and appear to be batting 100% so far!

Happy Thrifty Christmas Tuesday for this week.

Favourite Things Friday

If you want to join in the special-ness that is Favourite Things Friday just write a post about your favourite thing and pop your link in at the bottom of this post. It's great to watch everyone get around and comment on each other's favourite things. I love all the Friday love and visiting that happens between all the people who participate. 

There are all kinds of surprises. The kind you'd rather not have ....

The  "Holy Shit , I found a spider in my ugg boot " kind of surprise.

The "Holy Crap , I was supposed  to file my tax return yesterday " kind of surprise.

And there's the " Holy Cow, I cant believe I found you in bed with a goat " kind of surprise, which I suspect would be particularly nasty. For the goat , in some cases.  

And then there are the nice surprises. Like winning lotto. Losing two kilos without trying. Finding that errant chocolate bar in the back of the pantry when you really need chocolate. How did it escape everyone else's notice?  Divinity my friends. Divinity. The universe was looking out for you.

For me the best surprises are usually the ones that entail tripping up to the post box and finding a parcel. That I didn't order from Fat Quarter Shop, or The Quilted Castle. A surprise surprise. The nicest kind of all.  

That's what  happened to me this week.  I got a surprise in the mail. Remember when I did my FTF two weeks ago about the Babushka measuring cups? This week I added to my collection through the kindness of a blogger friend, Aunty Henny.   That  was a sweet surprise.   

Who knew Babushka had her own coffee mug line? That girl gets around. She's everywhere.

She's on this mug rug.

And she popped up on the card as well.

Thank you Helen . It's all so lovely. And so coordinated. Round here we're lucky if we can find the sticky tape when we need it. Or clean undies, but that's kinda irrelevant.

So this week surprises are my favourite thing. What's your FTF?

P.S. I wasn't making fun of anything Holy by my irreverent use of the word in this post .It just seemed to fit somehow.

Slack Tea Thursday

I'm economising on words tonight.

What's aussie, cheap and photographs like a massacre in a sandwich shop?

A Fritz and Sauce Sandwich.

Nobody really knows what that meat is. We're too scared to ask. Tastes good but.

See you tomorrow for Favourite Things Friday.

P.S. I caved in on the two minute noodle thing. Yes, I'm weak.  Marg posted this recipe to tempt me and make me eat not only my words but two minute noodles. I did. They were delicious. And noodles are cheap. A 5 pack cost me $1.84. No wonder people love them so much. I've already googled 1,386 recipes that can be made using 2 minute noodles.  At this rate I reckon I can get my weekly shopping bill down to about $12.89

Finished: Little P's Love U Quilt

I am proud and amazed to announce the finish of Little P's Love U quilt. About 30 minutes ago. Finally.

Little P has seen me working on this a few times over the past few months and every time he's grabbed it, cuddled into it and made "this is the best quilt you've ever made me Bella" noises. We've had a few conversations about the animals on the back while I've been working on it too. He particularly likes it when I make monkey noises. And grab under my own armpits like an orangutan. I wouldn't act like a wild stinky monkey for just anyone. This kid is special.

This quilt  is a Christmas present. I hope Little P gets excited when he sees it again  in a couple of months. It seems kinda weird to be sewing this in front of him then stashing it away.

That's another WIP off the list. Yay! And only 4 projects left on my "I have to finish this before the end of 2010"  list. I might just make it!

P.S. Yes I did hand binding again. All of you people who say hand sewing is restful are nuts. In the nicest possible way of course. Stone cold nuts.

An Unusually Quiet Weekend

It has been a much quieter week/weekend  than usual. Not much actually got finished.You'd think that would make this a short post right? Nuh huh...

I participated in FNSI and  finished 50 Windmill blocks.
 

My pantry shelves are in.  I am one happy camper. This is where three hours of my weekend went. Making my pantry look pretty and carting everything in from the linen cupboard.  Now I'm itching to get the door done because I think it will look so unique.

Mr. Palm Sander and I had a date with the door this weekend. This picture is practically porn because the door is now completely naked. I started the sanding and Mr. P finished it. As Mr. P pointed out to me I loosened the paint for him so his bit was easy. Repairs next. Then painting.

I bought new cushions for the guest room which I just realised don't photograph anywhere near as beautifully as they look. Frugality and my inability to pass up a bargain won out. I got these for 65% off. They scream French Boudoir. You will also notice I am thinking positively about having a guest room at some point in the not too distant future. When I do, you're all invited to come and stay. At the same time. Wouldn't that be fun?

On the "I'll-reclaim-my-guest-room-back-someday" train of thought,  Miss P and I went to look at some houses for rent. Fingers crossed. I also want everyone to cross their toes, their eyes and any other body parts you may have that are that flexible. 

I decided to start  a fabric inventory after I went insane Saturday night and bought 33 yards of fabric online. Damn you excellent Aussie dollar! (insert fist shaking here )  I swear no alcohol was involved. It's time to face facts. I have an addiction.  I'm wondering if I could put myself on a small fabric budget for 2011 and actually stick to it. It's an interesting thought. I still don't have as much as some of you and consoled Mr. P with this thought when I informed him we wouldn't be eating for the next two weeks.  

The leadlight feature windows for the kitchen window got painted by Mr. P after I sanded them. This is in the pre -state. It's insane to me that I sanded these, to have them painted and now I'm waiting for the paint to dry so I can sand bits off again...Madness I tell ya . Madness.

I started another  project...

Crafty posts may get a bit cryptic between now and the end of the year since I decided half the gifts I give this year have to be handmade. How many of you have Etsy stores?  Handmade doesn't mean  I have to make it and I'll need to hook up with some crafty peeps to save my bacon. I'm heading down to the Marion Life Market next weekend to do some handmade shopping to get me started.

I watched some episodes of this while I continued binding little P's quilt ...I love me some 90's drama and this show brings back such memories. I'm at the part where Jane has slept with everyone on the show and has had so much drama happening there was nothing else left for her character so they wrote her out. Kimberley is dying for about the third time but this time it's for real, Michael just married a prostitute, Kyle's wife is really Peter's ex sister in law except nobody else knows, Amanda is still a bitch, and Alison thinks she's pregnant. Billy is still a dork. See...just like real life. It was good escapism.

I hope your weekend has been fantastic and your week is even fantastic-er.

Last thing- Suzanne at Colorado Lady is looking for scraps to make a quilt with thousands of pieces. 2 inch squares and you don't have to cut them. You can just send her scraps.  Pop on over and let Suzanne know if you can lend a hand. Suzanne is one of the loveliest people in the blogosphere and was one of the first people who ever started reading the mad ravings of a girl who quilts in her pyjamas.

P.S. And I finally caved in today and washed my hair in boiled kettle water hanging over the bath. It was nice to wash my hair. I think cooties were living in there.