The Market Report

The day started out with great excitement and anticipation.....
...and then when the sales didn't come in as thick and fast as she'd expected (and people were not absolutely fascinated by her demonstrations of the wonders of colour-changing marker pens) the wee girl took off to the kids'craft table and face-painting area, leaving me with a new companion...

...looking like I was exploiting my poor child's artwork to make money out of my limited sewing talent and child-like inability to merchandise and display.

In the meantime, I was able to chat to friends old and new, get to know Ali and her beautiful photographic work and eat Cathie's delicious soup and cakes.

The wee girl was happy with her day, too. She got to play with friends, eat copious quantities of sugar, get her face painted, buy a balloon doggie and use up most of the glue at the craft table. And she got to keep all the takings for the day.

My worries about agreeing to her doing this market (along the lines of "I don't want to encourage her into a life of being an impoverished artist") were soon put to rest. The girl has great business smarts. She'll go far.

Oh no! Not AGAIN.....!!!!

It appears that my website has been a bit too popular, and has blown bandwidth allowance again.

Hopefully we'll have it sorted out very soon. EDITED TO ADD: Lovely web hosties sorted it out for me. Thanks, web hosties. I'll upgrade my plan (again) very soon!

To Market....

I've been working on a secret collaborative project lately, and will be at the Made 'n Thornbury Market on Saturday, wearing a slightly different hat.... shhhhhh.....

Other talented folks will be there, too, including the lovely Cathie, who'll be there with her fabulous baked goodies.... mmmm....

Do come! (Map here).

On my holiday, I.....

... stayed in my unfashionable suburb and made Leonie's apple and sultana cake with apples from our non-stop-apple-producing tree. We drank cups of tea and ate cake under our enormous backyard lemon tree - the man, the child and me. Lovely.
There were successes and failures on the knitting machine.... lots of absolute absorption in the process... a few impolite words....
...and a fair bit of poncing about in long wraps.

A small part of Auntie Wilma's nylon ribbon stash* was fashioned into woven homewares (for the cat).*Plenty more nylon ribbon where that came from! If anyone would like a ball or 6 of it, feel free to call in and pick some up!!

This Easter/Anzac Day weekend, Melbourne turned on the best of its Autumn weather for us, and I soaked in the big, blue sky. I took the bike out for a ride and discovered a bike path that will take me nearly all the way to work.

I rode beside the creek behind my house, and smiled at the way the fruit trees, vegetable gardens and free-ranging chickens spill over back fences and onto crown land. As I neared the city, I saw the back fence landscape change to graffiti and jasmine... and noticed the bluestone lanes, fashionably dressed people, the smell of good coffee.... and thought how lucky I am to live in both of these worlds.

I saw a small red felt heart hanging from a tree branch, silhouetted against the brilliant blue sky. It made me smile.

Today I held my mother's soft, frail hands, and remembered how they were once strong and swarthy from years of clothes-washing, bread-kneading, chook-plucking, garden-digging ..how capable they once were.

I was reminded again to seize the day.

Released!

Photo by Denise Nestor

It seems that my jumping the gun on the release date (at the AQC) has sped things up somewhat on the official release date..... You Sew, Girl! - Le book - is OUT!!!

(And yes... my hippy-haired-fairy-girl is in it!).

It has been spotted - indeed, PURCHASED - in bookshops across the country (at least, across the state of Victoria, as far as I know). I even chanced upon it myself today, while on a mission to buy The Wonky Donkey.

So, it's now in MY shop! Woohoo! You can now order* your own signed copy!!

*At the risk of sounding like a pushy sales-person, I thought I'd let you know that within Australia, it costs as much to send 3 copies as it does to send 1... or you can add a few bits and bobs to the parcel. You might like to get more bang for your postage buck and do a group order...? Internationally, you'll find a better postage rate through ABC Books, although I won't be able to sign it.
***
Ok... back to my knitting and Lindt Easter bunnies..... Happy Easter, folks! (And by the way... I can highly recommend The Wonky Donkey!)

Numero Uno

...and duo.
I hadn't forgotten about my raffle for the glam pattern... I was just so busy (and then so BLAH) with the AQC stuff that I couldn't find the time or headspace to deal with it. I was also somewhat disheartened that only 2 people donated to the Red Cross to go into the draw. So....I'm sending Jen and Tanya a pattern each.

In other news, I think that the bag-robber inadvertently did me a bit of a favour. Thanks to the super-good people of Blog-and-Facebook-Land, the spread of the news about the bag has had an unforseen effect.....

Ok.... so it doesn't actually mean BEST SELLER*... but it's nice to be at the top of a list! I'm embracing positives here.

* It just means that people are looking at this this page.

Right now, my number 1 priority is to relax and unwind... spend time with the wee girl... see how much chocolate I can consume... stuff like that. The theft of the bag brought up a lot of hitherto unaknowledged grief, stress and exhaustion. For once, I'm not going to plough on through it. I'm going to stop for a few more days.

I've re-started the re-knitted, dyed machine-knitted project. Hopefully this time it will fit someone larger than a newborn.

Oh, and by the way.... If you'd like to learn to knit, why don't you join the Beginners Knitting course that the wonderful Jules is teaching in my space through the winter? We have a lovely warm room (with SIX NEW DAYLIGHT LAMPS.... which I'm LOVING!!!), music, food (and I'm thinking a glass of wine would also be nice...) and conversation with other knitting novices. Jules will be able to give you lots of attention and gently lead you step-by-step to well-beyond-scarf-knitting. Go on.... treat yourself!

Recovery

No - unfortunately, the stolen bag hasn't been recovered.... but I'm working on recovering body, mind and family relationships.

I'm always wiped out for a week or so after a show, and this time, I'm not fighting it.It's school holidays, and the wee girl and I are hanging out, making lavender bags and going out for sushi lunches. Having lots of snuggles.

Her drawings continue to charm me.
I want to thank every person who has left a message, written an email or posted the button to "find the bag" on their blog or Facebook page.... but I'm afraid I'd be stuck at the computer for a looooong time if I were to attempt it (and right now, I need a break from the computer for a while).

It'll be a triumph for the people if we recover it. If we don't, I think that team spirit and human kindness are still to be celebrated. Personally, my faith in the kindness of most people has truly been recovered. I'm truly, deeply, touched. Thank you.

AQC - the good, the bad and the heartbreaking.....

One day to go at the AQC and I'm tired ....and somewhat emotional. It's been a rollercoaster week. There was huge relief that I'd comissioned my brother to make tall pattern-display shelves, which also act as the 2nd wall I was execting to have in my exhibition space....but didn't. (The wall-of-patterns solution almost made up for the stress of the 2000 purse frames that were sitting in Australian Customs instead of in the new purse kits.)

There has been much poking-about-under-the-shelf in an attempt to fix the glitch-ridden slideshow display of photos from the book. Even the lovely Sarah-from-next-door came in to help (pictured, above....under the shelf cover).

I've been really happy to meet lots of wonderful people, loyal blog-followers and customers and people just "discovering" what I do. I've been overwhelmed by the response to the book. I've caught up with lots of bloggy friends. Lovely.

...And then someone stole this bag from my display ...the one in the precious Ink&Spindle fabric with a button from my (long deceased) Nan's stash.... the bag that was the conversation-starter on the stand, to introduce people to the book....

Its loss has triggered some deep sadnesses and tapped into all the stress I've ploughed on through during the production of the book, this bag and this show. It has - once again - shaken my faith in people. I've been an emotional mess all evening.

...and THEN.... My heart has been warmed by the wonderful crafting community and VERY GOOD PEOPLE who have already launched a campaign to find the bag. Cam posted this picture on Facebook within minutes of Jodie suggesting it... and then followed with a blog-button campaign here.

I've received loads of caring messages from wonderful people who heard the news. Thanks, people - even if the bag never shows up, you've restored my faith in the goodness in MOST of humanity.

Sneaky peek

..at some of the images from my book. Yep - another wrap skirt. This time shorter and with a panel of feature fabric. The top is a pattern-free number that ties at the back (like the black one in yesterday's post). There's a babushka backpack made by Lara (one of my fabulous pattern-testers) and a spot of Ink&Spindle loveliness made into a shoulder bag (by me ...and on me). The brown top I'm wearing is a variation on the pattern-free cowl top - this time, made with a sleeve.

All images were taken by the amazing Denise Nestor (have a look at her work here!!).

You might be able to win yourself a copy of the book if you pop over to visit Cam. Otherwise, get yourself to the AQC next week, to get one from me. If you're overses or interstate, the ABC Shop has really great postage rates....

Still poncing about...

This time in wrap skirts from my book. I made LOADS of these as I developed the instructions, so I have a seemingly endless supply of wrap skirts to wear to work. As always, there are a few variations on the theme....(If you'd like to make a skirt to fit you, but need a confidence-booster and a bit of help... and a nice girly lunch... come to my Wrap Skirt Workshop on 28th May).And I'm still swanning about in made-in-an-instant pattern-free tops, pretending they're high-fashion designer things. These tops are in the book as well. I also have lots of other variations that are not yet photographed OR in the book. No doubt I'll be posing and poncing about here soon enough, to show those to you.

If you'd like to win yourself a copy of the much-talked-about-in-these-here-parts book, head on over to visit Curlypops and put your name down in her giveaway.

While you're there, you can vote for Cam in the Cosmo Fun Fearless Female awards. I reckon, if anyone deserves this award, it's Superpops. She embraces life and rises to any challenge that it throws her way, she can turn her hand to just about anything crafty, is a super-nice, super-generous (and very fun) person and ....well.... she does GREAT BLOG!

BTW - If you're going to the AQC in Melbourne next week, you can buy my book directly from me there. The lovely publishers have let me jump the gun on the release date (which is supposed to be 1st May). Come and say hello, and pick up a signed (by me...!!?) copy.

Did I mention that I'm quite partial to a costume drama...?

They're always so very inspiring.... (and I'm always so easily influenced!). And since I finally knitted something wearable on the knitting machine.... ..I've been poncing about.... ...like Tess's ghost.

A few people requested photographic evidence.

Here 'tis.

One thing at a time.... (pffft!)

Thing have been a bit quiet on the bloggy front here. My week was a tad full with things other than time to blog. While organising my AQC stand (and associated display, staff and stock), there were negotiations about a big secret-surprisey-thing..... shhhh....

There was preparation during the week, for a workshop on the weekend (with a great bunch of Essendon Quilters). Thanks for the fun day, girls!

I was also working away at the new purse pattern, aiming to get it to some pattern-testers by the weekend (...done, by the skin of my teeth and without the purse frames being sent out).

This purse is for basic-intermediate skills, so the instructions have to be perfectly clear and achievable.

I agonised over things like straps.

Really.

I also wanted to get the purses finished and photographed so I could let you know that THIS is my idea for a fund-raiser for the Red Cross.

Rather than do my usual New Pattern Giveaway, I'd blatantly steal Jodie's idea again, for a raffle. Leave your receipt number for your donation of $5 (and a way to contact you if you don't have an email address enabled on your google/blog profile) in the comment box below (or email me with it).

There are so many areas in need right now, I'm not fussed if your donation is for Japan, Christchurch or the Victorian floods. The Red Cross are doing a amazing job, trying to keep up. They need all the support they can get.

I'd planned to make a draped purse in quilting fabric, to balance out the more "serious" satin, georgette and wool versions (and give me more options for a cover photo for the packaging). I haven't managed that one.

I had plans for an applique/felted/patchworky version, too. That didn't happen, either. Meanwhile, there was simultaneous ordering, photographing and uploading new products to the website, and negotiations with fab arty-crafty tutors (and scheduling/uploading exciting new classes to the website). There are more workshops to come, including garment fitting with the marvellous Sooz.

I was also working on a printable form of the worshop schedule. Again.... not completely finished, but a good way to being done. Check out the new classes online here.

And there was a late-night rendezvous with my new love, the knitting machine.

I made a really long wrap-around-and-tie, Tess of the D'Urbevilles-inspired garment. My first ever non-neck-scarf knitty Thing For Me. I've worn it constantly since (and have learned a valuable lesson about pennanular cloak pins and delicate knitwear...).

And this morning I started knitting the food-coloured-machine-knitted wool yarn into something for a very small girl... while I wrote this blog post.

SO.... how was YOUR week??

*****

Don't forget to pop your Red Cross receipt below for a chance to win the new pattern!!!