Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Bears and Bras

"Have you seen my bra?" is a question that can get you into trouble when people don't know that you have entered a competition for Breast Cancer Awareness month. The name of the game was to decorate a bra for a competition for our gym. So using the bear pattern from my blanket I made Bear Boobs. This proved to be a lot easier than the flower pots I had thought I would do. There are some absolutely stunning bras on display at the gym so hopefully lots of money will be raised.
Mr Barking Mad is a very creative fellow. Apart from picture framing, mosaic making and wind chime designing he is undertaking a welding course. Now in a very Rocky Horror kind of way he is making creatures with blonde hair and a tan and lots of other bits.
I have been known to complain a bit about teenagers especially my own 15 year old Barking mad male. Said young man knew I was keen to get to the gym as many times a week as I could so he volunteered to cook on Tuesday nights when his dad is out learning to weld so that we don't end up eating dinner at midnight. The first night he cooked he planned everything very carefully. So carefully in fact that on my home way he called me to ask what was keeping me because every minute I delayed was further ruining the dinner he had so lovingly prepared.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Yes I am alive!

A whole month has gone by and I haven't had a chance to make one post and Annie is up to 50. The new rule in our house is, 'If you muck with the internet connections because you think you know so much about computers you will die!' The 15 year old mad one has now got the message and thankfully we have internet access at home again. The term holidays are about to end and I shall return to school with several projects completed. Yeh!!! The little baby who is now some months old is about to receive her gifts. The teddy blanket is now complete. I learnt quite a bit about ribbon while doing this rug. Linen ribbon frays like mad and is most obedient when hemmed with iron on hemming tape. Bows need to be sown 'shut' before they are appliqued to the rug. Watch out for ribbons with copper wire running down their edges. It does help a bow to sit nicely but isn't very nice when poking out of ribbon appliqued to a rug. Each teddy has a different face but all of them are slightly mad.
I am very proud of Miss Kitty. Melly and Me provided the pattern and the fat quarters plus one lovely mum of a skinny fat provided the techinical support and emotional counselling as I attempted to make my first 'thing' using my sewing machine. Ric Rac thought I should be in a remedial class. Flower Garden thought I was very stressed and was worried I may never use my sewing machine again. Kate's mum was very, very helpful but probably secretly thought I was nuts (which I am). I was stressed and rightly so after 20 minutes of trying to wind a bobbin and another 20 trying to thread the machine correctly and even though sewing a lining in a little dress was very confusing to say nothing of sewing curvy, round bits I did actually enjoy myself and am delighted with the results and don't worry Flower I will do it again. Maybe next time I'll try straight line sewing first. Seriously though, we had a lovely time at Ric Rac's house sewing together and chatting and eating and chatting and sewing and eating.
Katy Did and Flower Garden both had lovely holidays. Kate is still in France and Flower had a bloomin wonderful time in Queensland. Ric Rac and I were left alone in Ballarat to whine and envy them. not to be out done we got ourselves some travel passes from our regular gym and went holidaying at their branch office in sunny, salubrious Sebastopol (the Ballarat suburb one not the Crimean one). Our holiday snaps don't have the award winning scenery of Kate's but we think that they show Sebastopol at it's best.