A couple of finishes and a christmas gift

Hexi tablerunner

My new dress. It's one of those magic dresses that wraps around in different styles

My hexi quilt finally finished

The back of said quilt

The recipient, my lovely Nan

And again.

Looking to the future

Just a short post to tell you what's been on my mind lately. I have had a heck of a year and now that it's just about over I've been thinking about my plans for next year, particularly since I'm not at uni anymore and thus am not tied down to sydney for half the week. So here are my goals, crafting and non in no particular order:

• spend quality time with boyfriend over the break - day trips and picnics etc
• finish my hexi quilt for my nan for christmas - I see a few all nighters in my future
• work on my health and fitness
• cultivate a following on the blog
• find and frequent the craft markets
• organise a car
• work on my income
• work on my business endevours
• take better care of myself -maybe dress and groom like a real girl
• organise my tafe course
• find somewhere else to live
• set up a craft studio - organised and stored well etc, easily accessable.
• do things to keep myself happy no matter what 'they' say
• spend more time with the people who actually matter to me

I believe that's all for now, I will add a list to my sidebar though so I can add to it later.

My year in retrospect + a new quilt

Do you remember this post? I pulled out my scraps and started sorting and sewing a few weeks ago. Finally it is finished, and with it comes closure of the year I've had. I am aware that the lead up to Christmas is not the best time to write this post but 1) there is no good time and 2) I want to start next year free of the things that have dragged me down this year.

That being said, my year has been full of small victories too. Here goes...

• This year, I found a great place to live where I can do my own thing without interference from room mates, then survived flooding to the flat a week after moving in.
  
  
  
• I split up from my partner of 4 years who then decided he couldn't commit even though we'd been talking about it for ages. He enjoyed keeping me at arms length in a long distance relationship and only calling me every few days. I however was not a fan, hence the split. My heart broke. He did the whole 'you deserve more than I can give you' spiel but it still hurt.
  
  
• I went on a cruise. That was fun. It was so nice to get away, even if it was with mum.
• I had a major falling out with my mother and elected not to talk to her because she causes me so much pain and doesn't listen when I speak anyway, plus nothing I do is ever good enough and of course she is ALWAYS right, just ask her. She of course was completely oblivious and I was contentedly detached from her until.....
  
• I was raped. There I've said it. Me the strong independent young woman who has always taken care of herself and stood up for herself (except where mum is concerned) got taken advantage of. Me the girl who has few friends and chooses them wisely because she can't stand the gossip and bitchiness that comes with spending time with some people, let someone into my world who hurt me. Every day I'm reminded that things are different. Not always in obvious ways and often in small ways but it's always there in the back of my mind. The way people treat me is different now too, despite being told that I want to get past this and live my life, my family are still determined to tell me what they think and tell me my lifestyle is unsafe even though I live the same way I did before. It hurts that they don't trust me anymore. They think I need someone constantly looking out for me now. That is just not the case. I made an error in judgement, I went against my gut feeling trusted someone I felt uncomfortable around for the sake of being a good Christian and giving him a second chance to be my friend. It was my mistake,yes and and I'm dealing with that. Moving on......
• I've lost most of my friends this year, some because of what happened and others because of distance and life getting in the way. I really only have 2 people left, one who will always be there but is often unreachable because she is not well and the other is always there, always reachable and is my world.
• Finally up to the good news, I met someone new. He's so wonderful, wants everything I do, is affectionate, sweet and loves all the random quirky things about me. We are like two peas in a pod we're just so suited. He is amazing, he knows about what happened and is supportive of me and every decision I make. I love him with all my heart.
• I decided to move out of my area 1) because I have no friends here anymore, 2) because it's way too close to my mother and 3) because HE lives in this area and I'd rather not be looking over my shoulder every time I go to woolies.
• I survived uni!! woohoo!!!! I did my (hopefully) last exam a couple of weeks ago. I'll find out my final results on wednesday but I'm fairly certain I passed everything. I had to ask for help a couple of times (special consideration) but I got through it. Which means no more UWS. Next years plan is tafe, work, markets and church. And spending lots of quality time with boyfriend. I want a quieter year after this one thank you very much.
• Also, my laptop died, taking with it all my music, writing and patterns. Very sad. I have a loaner PC at the moment but it has a love hate relationship with my internet so I'm not online as much anymore.

Now about the quilt. I did make more blocks than that, intending to make a single but there were doubles of some colours and I couldn't stand looking at another UFO when there was so much attached to it. So yesterday I put together the blue strip, added the sashing, hand quilted it and did a rolled back binding and it's a lap quilt. It is now all done and finished and once it is no longer in my house I'll be even happier. This is the first quilt of mine to have a name too. I call it 'The pieces of my broken heart'

More card pictures

I've been busy with Christmas card orders and making some for myself to send to friends overseas. These are a few more of the designs I've been working on. 

The Ruffle bag and markets

I spent most of last week beading to add to my stock.

The aforementioned ruffle bag.

My stall at the local market, with a cameo of my sister's finger

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth

Firstly, let me say my laptop died last week, a couple of days before my final exam for uni. I made do with the study notes I had and got through the exam fine. However I am without a laptop now. A friend set me up with a desktop but it doesn't like my internet very much so I haven't been able to access my emails and blog for a while. Not happy Jan.

Also, while I am back online (for the moment) I would love to show pictures of the MANY things I have been working on but I really don't want to chance it with blogger at the moment. Maybe later in the weekend I will borrow someone else's computer with a faster connection and tell you all about it.

I can however tell you what I have been working on. I currently in the middle of Christmas card orders for friends and family, I've been commissioned to make a Santa sack for my nephew and am DETERMINED to finish my hexagon flimsy. It's staying on my couch til it's done. I have all the hexis basted and good to go, I just need to spend a few days filling in the blanks.

Also, I went to the local markets last week so I spent a week adding to my bag and jewellery stock to sell. It didn't go fantastically well, as expected but I was able to make the stall fee back. Next time will be at craft or farmers markets, where people are actually interested in buying handmade items rather than cheap rubbish from overseas or things that really should be at a garage sale.

I think that's about it for the moment, that and getting ready for christmas. I'm on top of my gifts already and am determined to give my family things they will actually be able to use/do and remember rather than just adding to the clutter in their houses. I.e. my brother is getting a magazine subscription to his favourite hard to track down mag, and I'm sending my parents out for dinner.

Also, I should be heading down to Melbourne in a couple of weeks to catch up with family and run away really, I feel more at home there than I do here sometimes.

Ok, now that really really is it.

Happy Thursday :)

Picture time

The time has come. I pulled out my scrap bag the other day and some empty containers and started sorting.  

A while later I had colour sorted overflowing containers. Crumb quilt here I come

 I acquired a new couch the other day but it's a tad lower than my last one so I figured I would make a foot stool to help the lounging.

8 FQ sewn into 2 squares, using a circular template made from newspaper I cut  the top and bottom pieces.

Tada!!

Apologies for the blurry photo. I used  a black rectangular piece for the sides, pinned and sewn

The (mostly) finished product. It needs more stuffing but that's the general idea. I'm stuffing through the  sides.

Hail yesterday afternoon.

Oh woe is me

I know this is not my usual type of blog post but I really am just over uni. I have 2 weeks to go and I can't wait to be finished but I have an essay I'm writing currently due this week, a couple of summaries to submit before classes this week and another essay and an exam the week after next. It's not that it's difficult, just that I have so many other things I'd really rather be doing. Like:

• Making scones - just cuz I can
• Listing things on ebay
• Working on my Christmas card orders
• Beading
• Adding to my paper piecing project
• Daydreaming about moving house
• Writing my novel for National Novel Writing Month
• Watching Gilmore Girls....again
• Reading the book I started last week
• Putting together the I spy books I cut last week
• Making more Thai pants
• Trying out new bag ideas

Sigh.... Uni really is boring sometimes. Ah well. Only 2 weeks to go.

some progress pics of my star project and the first I spy book

The inside of the book

Pieces cut and ready to go/sew

Fleur de lis ready to make round 3

getting the pieces ready for round 3

Round 3

The top row is the inside ready to be sewn and the bottom is the outside including clasps.

The stationary clasp 

The clasp up close

The tag clasp

The front cover

The back cover

The first couple of pages inside the book

book pages

The back when its all opened out.

FNSI pics

Snowman card design

Angel card design

Star card design

cut templates and fabrics to make a wheel of fortune pattern

row number 1 - a lonestar

round 2

more templates cut and fabrics lined up for the next rows.