Going Home

These bulky creations are going home today. The biggest item is the engagement gift blanket. I started it just under a year ago and it's been nearly finished for ages. A couple of weeks ago I took it to the Neighbourhood House to tie off the fringes. Yesterday I was back there to start the quilting on the Raffle Quilt. J and I had arranged to meet to get that job done together. We took turns quilting and resting. That way we were forced to take suitable breaks--quilting can be tough on the shoulders and hands and I for one find it hard to stop once I've started. I'm pretty much incapable of sitting still, so I packed a couple of items to keep me occupied when it was my turn to rest. I wove in the last few loose ends on the blanket. There werent' many because I designed it in stripes with the ends forming the fringes. The other task I brought, you can just see peeping out from the black plastic bag on the right. It's the new back for the doona cover which came to grief with the family dog. It needed to be ironed. It's huge! I'm struggling for workspace at home. In the big North Studio at the Neighbourhood House ironing it was a manageable task. J even took a turn when it was my turn to get back to the quilting. H just laughed at me when I suggested she do the same while I dealt with an enquiry for her in the office. Oh well, it's done!I'll be glad to send these items off. Lately they've been just sitting around getting in the way and adding to the clutter at my place. That was never the idea. Now I can bundle them up with all the love that was intended and send them to their new home. There are a few other bits and pieces I've been saving to go in the same parcel: a couple of scarves and a hat or two or three. They'll arrive in Brisbane just in time for August, which is usually their coldest month. Great! Now to walk away from the computer and complete the task before I do anything else, come on now . . . .

OK, to complete the task I need to get a big cardboard box out of the car. I got one at the hardware store in anticipation of this occasion and it's been rattling around in there for weeks. A bit of clever construction work with some packing tape and scissors and I'm off to the Post Office.

Packages

Gone are the days of "brown paper packages tied up with string", but packages are still one of my favourite things. This little pile of gifts and challenges arrived yesterday morning. There's a sweet little parcel tied up with pretty ribbon which I can't open until my birthday. I've also been told not to squeeze it . . . intriguing! Then there are two large pieces of fabric making their second interstate journey: a length of red wool-blend suiting and some purple seersucker. These have travelled from Melbourne to my friend D's house/s in Queensland, but have remained in her sewing space with their destinies unfulfilled. They've come back to Melbourne to see what I can do with them. I'm thinking about cutting up the red to make some scarves/wraps and the purple might just become part of a fun summer skirt for me. The red floral fabric is part of a party hosted by D at her blog, Make Mine Silk. The challenge is to turn the fabric into something and blog about it. I'll have to get my creative juices going on that one. By the way, invitations to that party are open, so follow the link if you'd like to take part. There's a challenge of a different sort obscured by the hand-written note. That's a pair of fingerless mittens I made out of my handspun wool-silk. The moths have had a nibble at them. I have to find a way of securing the frayed ends and darning the hole, so D can enjoy them--hopefully this winter.

Australia post is going to do pretty well out of us this month, because the mittens will soon join a pile of warm pretty things which has been building up at my house ready to send up to my friends in Queensland. Then it will be D's turn to open up her package and enjoy the gifts and challenges I've packed up for her.