A weekend at home.... the other one, I mean.

Ah... Sewjourn....

Each time we go to Sewjourn, it feels more like home. 

It's a haven where time and routine don't exist.  Or... at least not until about 2pm on Sunday, when the buzz of sewing machines takes on a somewhat desperate pitch as we all silently begin to realise that it's nearly time to go back to real life (... but not yet....I just want to finish this...).

Despite Lara's husband's advice, it was actually perfectly alright to stay up too late. 

And it was also perfectly normal to be up at the crack of dawn, sewing in pj's.  (Some of us were up quite a bit later, having been sewing until ridiculously close to the crack of dawn.)

 And it was absolutely bloomin' marvellous to be able to sew all day! 

There were loads of finished garments and lots of sharing of ideas and knowledge.

Lara's scrap box was the scrap box that kept on giving.....

Annie was quilting up a storm ...and a rather fetching grey knit top (not from the scrap box).

Megan was paper-piecing an amazing shades-of-red piece, which I failed to photograph adequately.

 And I somehow found myself slipping to the dark (and scrappy) side.

Oops.

Thank you - once again - to Kathryn, Rachel, Annie, Lara, Megan, Karen and Tanya - for being the remarkable women that you are.  I can't wait until November so we can do it all over again.

Lara has some lovely photos of the weekend here.  

Sewjeen

In the Irish language, the suffix 'in' ("een" in English) means "little", and is often used at the end of a name, with affectionate connotations.  You may have noticed that I sometimes call the wee girl "the girleen".

Today, Lara and I had a little Sewjourn, for our little girls.  It was a Sewjeen.

The bigger girls used their own machines and 4-year-old Stella used my old Singer - unplugged and acoustic style (hand-turning the wheel).  Lara and I caught up on a few works-in-progress and a bit of a chat while the girls sewed all manner of creations.  I finished my big quilt (photos forthcoming).

 I also quilted the "Modern Quilt Blocks" quilt (known here as "the panda quilt") and hope to have the binding on by tomorrow afternoon. 

And another quilt has been started....

 Carefully made by my own girleen, these 'blocks' have been arranged on the studio floor.   I'm loving them, and hoping she sticks with the project long enough to make something from them.

And I'm hoping that this year, when I escape to Sewjourn, I don't have a stowaway in my luggage.

Getting serious

My little holiday in quilting land saw me back at GJ's yesterday, investing in some batting, thread, extra fabric and EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE (again).  I think I've learned as much about quilting from the help the GJ's staff have given me as from any other source.

 
And today, I fell in love with my machine and my studio space all over again, as I free-motion quilted the scrappy quilt.  Binding is tomorrow's task.

In other news, the wee girl decided that she must cut her hair.

But was only willing to let go of the length below the elbows.  And she wanted a fringe.  She looked a bit like this (and I didn't like it).

 Today she was fed up with mid-length hair getting in the way of everything she did, and insisted on a shorter cut.  We found a hairdresser with a vacancy and we now have "an easy little bob", which has been flipping about the place since, while the wee girl sings the praises of half a metre less hair.

I've been marvelling at my confident, competent girl.

Here she is, sewing up bags (of her own design, with no help from her mother welcome or tolerated), confidently threading the machine,changing stitches and ....ahem...wearing the wrist band from the swimming pool yesterday.  Doing her own thing.

She asked, "Can I go to Sewjourn?"  

Ah, Sewjourn...

A little oasis of calm and a much-needed break from busy-busy brain and crazy-crazy life..... I need a dose of Sewjourn at least twice a year. 

I'm incredibly lucky to be able to go each May and November.  I'm truly blessed to share the experience with an amazing group of women.

Lara, Annie, Karen, Rachel, Kathryn, Megan and Tanya, THANK YOU for a restorative, calming, inspiring weekend. You are truly wonderful people and fabulous company.  I'm looking forward to May already.

 Jodie and Catherine - you were missed and we hope you can make it next time.

It was lovely to see Tanya making my Petal hat (from my book).  I'm sure it'll look even cuter on a little someone (with a head).

The fashion parades were great, too.... Lara was busy making tops that fitted and suited Kathryn, Rachel and Karen.  And it was a thrill to get up close to the amazing array of Annie's quilt blocks that appeared on the design wall.

I didn't get any sewing-for-me done.  I didn't even get the planned  AQM bag samples done.  I finished the wee girl's quilt.

 That colour kinda hits you in the face a bit, doesn't it? 

I was up into the wee hours, free-motion quilting hearts all over the thing. 

Before I started, I had NO IDEA how long it would take to do the quilting bit.  That was probably a good thing.  I'll be thinking long and hard about all-over motifs if I ever venture into Quilt Land again.

Another surprise was how long it took to decide on the arrangement of the patched-together backing.... and how much it resembles a Licorice Allsort. 

But I think my trip to the craft show in Caulfield a week or so ago, to get a fat quarter of the "I love my Kitty" fabric, was worth it.  It really brings the whole thing together ...don't you think?

Sewjourn weekend

'Twas grand..... A weekend of sewing, laughing, eating WA-HAY too much chocolate and enjoying the company of a bunch of fabulous, generous, talented women (including two blogless gals).

BTW - I've decided that when I grow up, I want to be able to make quilts like Annie.
Although there was much laughter and conversation (and the odd glass of wine), the emphasis was definitely on sewing. The dining room table was mostly re-purposed as a cutting room with my sewing buddy's and my new super-sized cutting mats. There were late nights and finished garments.
I began another textiles-magical-mystery-tour - this time with knitted bits of wool and linen gauze. So far, the road has taken an unexpected turn.... (and I'll return to this story when there is some sort of ending in sight).

Many thanks to my fellow Sewjourners. It was an absolutely soul-reviving pleasure to spend time with you and I'm counting the days until we return.

NEWSFLASH! Did you know that Cath still has THREE of my books to give away??? Sorry if you missed out on Jodie's giveaway (she just drew some lucky winners!).

My kind of camping.

I'm just back from a theraputic dose of Sewjourn. I jumped on board Sooz's Craft Camp train. I met some new people, spent time with some great people I know, ate amazing food and enjoyed the serenity of the place.

Most theraputic of all, I got to live and breathe what I love - with others who simply got it..... and I didn't have to clean up my fabric scraps for two days.

Sewjourn is feeling more and more like home.

It was great to see that Storky is still standing (at least at the front end) and that the winter woollies are still serving him well.

All good things must end, unfortunately.....and finally, three days worth of sewing scraps had to be cleared from the floor.

Three cheers for Ms Myrtle&Eunice for moving mountains with a mole-hill-size broom.

And heartfelt thanks to my wonderful co-campers who helped restore my creative soul these last few days.

Soul food weekend

I nearly cried when I saw the sign for the little town of Lancefield on Friday. It reminded me of coming home to Melbourne after an absence of many years (or like when I got lost as a child, and only cried when I finally found my mother....).
I was home. Home... where it's normal to sew in pajamas before breakfast and to sew into the wee hours of the morning. Home, where it's normal to know the names of fabric ranges and designers and to talk endlessly about patterns, books and overlockers...where ideas and sewing tools are shared.

I was inspired, entertained and nourished - bodily, emotionally, creatively and mentally.

I loved seeing Annie's quilty genius in action (at lightning speed). I loved seeing Lara embracing the OFM attitiude, and my sewing buddy's drapey tops becoming EVERYONE'S summer wardrobe. I loved watching Megan prepare for her upcoming crochet classes. I loved the exquisite work that went into Rachels and Karen's little-girl-dresses...and I loved that I whipped through a pile of simple dresses for my girl, and made a few things for me.

Most of all, I loved that I got to share a weekend with a group of wonderful, talented and generous women who were the best company I could have wished for.

And it was lovely that Blogless-Kerry was able to drop in for a cuppa... and take photos for us. (Really Kerry - it was great to see YOU. And thanks for bringing that bun!).

And then I came home to unpack into a new home.

That'd be 3/99 Helen St Northcote 3070. Nicole Mallalieu Design just grew up and got her own apartment.

Just like the school holidays when Mum wouldn't let my sister and I out to play until we'd tidied up our room...

I keep finding things to play with.... I found one of my books from Grade 1 at primary school.....

Nice to know that I'm still friends with three of the people in the picture.... and I've since learned to spell Julie, Glenys and Fiona.

There were lots of amusing drawings and writings.

I particularly loved this picture of The Sermon on the Mount. (I went to a Catholic primary school).

I don't remember my teacher correcting my spelling. She must have just had a quiet smile to herself.

The girleen has been packing, too. I made a deal with her. If she chooses the patterns and the fabrics she likes and wears what I make for her at Sewjourn, I'll keep making things for her. If she rejects them, then no more making things for her.

She narrowed it down to a 60 litre tub of folded fabrics. I explained that I may not get it all sewn up in a couple of days. She suggested that I could stay a week if I needed to. (IF ONLY...!!!)

So... I'm off to Sewjourn for about 48 hours..... (which, incidentally is about 24 hours short of the time it took my sister and I to clean up our room that time. We had a ball!).

The Weekend That Wasn't Long Enough

I'd like to live at Sewjourn. I certainly didn't feel ready to pack up and come home yesterday.

It was a relaxing weekend with a fantastic bunch of talented people... a very colour-conscious bunch they were, too....

Megan had jars of colour-sorted buttons.

Lara's wine was in a careful tonal arrangement with her threads.

Kathryn and Rachel created a very pretty white and pastel table setting that co-ordinated beautifully with sauv-blanc.

Jodie's multi-coloured thread stand matched her multiple crafting talents. I particularly liked how the reds in the stand matched the Coopers label.

And it was extraordinary how Catherine and I managed to co-ordinate glass-filling time.

Annie somehow evaded my camera, but was her usual multi-talented, colour-co-ordinated self.

Thanks girls, for a fantastic weekend of great fun, food and laughter, and the opportunity to be present amongst so much talent and damn fine company.

I'd also like to thank my camera battery charger for having a cord that (amazingly) fits a Bernina Aurora 440. Without it, I would have been doing a lot of hand sewing for the weekend.