Back Soon

Hi Everyone,

I am about to disappear for a few weeks - be back after that,

In the meantime, I am still loading the Melba needlework book on Flickr in spare minutes.

And, by the time I get back I might have my next Comfort Doll finished.

Selling Mum's Stash

Today was Stash Sale Day for me at the local market. This photograph is not good.

But it is the only photograph I have. The batteries went flat as soon as I took it. Then, the spare batteries were flat!!!!!

We sold a bit, but are more hopeful for next month, by which time I will have produced a flyer for local patchwork groups and Neighbourhood Houses.

And processed the four more boxes that are still waiting.

Nearly there .....

(And, if you are ever caught doing this - the lids of archive boxes are magic. I made them all up beforehand, then just walked in with them from the back of the station wagon, as trays of pre-sorted fabric. And they packed up even quicker)

Market Bargains

My lovely DH has just decided that I needed a market break. So off we went. I got the lot above for $5 - the two doilies and the tea cosy cover (same design on the reverse) were a dollar each. And the Doiley press was just $2. I love doiley presses - usually two round pieces of cardboard, covered in fabric, sometimes with a little batting. They are used to store doilies not in use. There are only a couple in the Old Gippstown Collection, where we now have a "Doiley Bank", so we can move them around. So this one is heading there.

But the real bargain was this:

And it was just $5!!!

The book is undated, but has a feel of the 1930s or maybe 1940s. Any ideas Maz???? It is published in Melbourne, by someone who also sold transfers and pre-printed linen. It reminds me of another book I have which has now gone to another home. That was Craig's needlework book, which had an interesting story, that just got more interesting as time went on.

I was uploading Craig's book on another Flickr page, before I bought a pro account, but I have lost track of that now. (Read - cannot remember the password/user name). So I have started reloading it again on this account. And simply made a Melba set and a Craig's set on my Flickr account. So you will find more details of them over there.

Selling the Fabric

Oh Dear. I have had a couple of enquiries about buying The Fabric from my Mum's stash - and I would love to pass it along to anywhere, but being a great procrastinator, I am having trouble working out how to do it.

Current plan is for me to take it to the market next Saturday, the 28th. I can cope with that, as people will see what they buy, and the choice is theirs. I did toy with e-Bay, but do not have the time to do all the detailed work necessary to have fair descriptions on there. Nor do I have the specialised knowledge about the fabric. I knew there was a reason I was not into sane patchwork!

But yes - if any of those nice people out there would like to acquire some, I am more than happy to assist. For readers of this blog, the special deal is -

1. Purchase and post to me a 500 gm prepaid bag. Write your address on it.

2. I can fit up to 25 fat quarters (or slightly less than 50 fat eights, as they are generous) into a bag.

3. Throw in some money with the bag. Market price is $2 for a fat quarter, $1 for a fat eight, but I will be giving discount at the market for bulk, sooooooo......... I reckon since you read this blog, I am happy with $1.50 for a fat quarter, 75 cents for a fat eight.

4. And you don't have to get the full 500 gms - just it is quicker for me with the packaging, and I don't have a lot of spare time at the minute - we have just got another six archive boxes of fabric out of one of the cupboards! So just decide what you would like to spend, and I will probably be generous.

5. And, if you want to go this way (hopefully I am not pushing!) - drop me an e-mail at kapana[at]netspace.net.au letting me know a bag is on the way and, more importantly, what sort of colours/patterns you are after. My Mother was Queen of the Small Prints. That way I can keep them aside, even if the bag does not arrive before I go to market. And e-mailing me might be handy if you don't know my address!

Australian buyers only, please, as my brain cannot even bear to think of working out getting money in and out of the country, and it is too heavy to make postage economical.

Back to the ironing board. I have a friend who is cutting down, and I am assembling/sorting. You should see the mathematical precision that goes into sorting out bags of fifty five-inch charm squares.

A whole lot of fabric going to a Women on Farms group who make quilts for all sorts of people. Such as large bolts of lightweight stuff that was intended to back quilts. And all the scraps that don't fit any of the sizes. I sure hope they are going to be into scrap quilting.

And a significant portion of the money is going to supporting the textile collection at Old Gippstown, where I catalogue.

Comfort Doll #3

Comfort Doll #3 is on the way. This time I wanted to experiment with just one piece of fabric - in this case denim. This one has her own personality - she is a little bit of a toughie (the denim), but has her own serenity. And she is a "hug" - that is why her arms are out wide.

I like this shape, it just needs a little bit of refinement.

Pat Winter has opened a blog just for the Comfort Doll project.

I am enjoying working on these dolls - I need small projects at the minute that I can easily achieve. And that allow experimentation.

This one will probably go to Pat in the US, as I think the distance they travel gives them extra power. So I will make another for Jo to distribute after that. I already have an idea for that one.

And I still need to finish my own.

Spirit Doll 3a

This is my latest Spirit Doll. I like making them, as they are small projects that are both meaningful, and easy to complete. This one is for me. She is made using a piece of the unfinished embroidery by my Mother, with one of Mum's faces, and diving into the scrap bag from the quilt. As in the quilt, I am working only with crochet cotton in the colours of the fabric - pink, green and ecru.

There have been a few changes from my other two. I have tried touching up the face with colouring pencils, and I quite like it. You probably can't see the slight blush in her cheeks, and the eye shadow.

I have also been wanting to try the more equilateral shape, where the base points straight down. It is sort of more "ethnic" to me.

And she is smaller. The last two just filled an eight-inch hoop - this one is in a six-inch hoop.

But I do have an idea in the back of my mind for another Comfort Doll. Things are a bit hectic around here, but I will be back. Only it may be a while.

Pricing Fabric (again!)

Not a lot of sewing happening here, as family matters are taking over. But I have been rendering down my mother's stash. A very kind friend has cut it all up into Fat Quarters, then the leftovers into Fat Eights, and the leftovers into Charm Squares. (Or is it Fat Eighths?)

So the dining table currently looks like this, as I pack Charm Squares:

Now, my question for all those kind people who helped me to price before. Given that the rendition is not of perfect fabric - it has been washed, there are creases, and some, although generous, are not totally square, what should I charge?

I was thinking $2 for a Fat Quarter, $1 for a Fat Eight and 10 cents a Charm Square. Except the Charm Squares are in bags of ten different squares or fifty different squares. So ten squares for a dollar, fifty squares for $5. I don't want to go up in price, but will they sell for this?

All suggestions welcome.

And there is a little bit of sewing going on here. This Doll is going to be for me.

When I am working on a project, I keep a bag handy for small scraps. So I have sets of scraps everywhere, with the colour and fabric choices already made. This bag is from the Apple Blossom Quilt. So that is where this doll will come from.