Miss Frou Frou has entered the building...

Well, I'm back... not sure for how long... but am here anyway...

To any of you still checking in occasionally I have no excuses for not posting very regularly apart from the fact that I haven't felt the need to say much of anything.

What's been happening?

Working for the man... Well - I had a job interview early December, that didn't pan out - which is probably not a bad thing... but it's left me in a bit of a quandary - I feel restless and unhappy about some elements of my work, and there are lots of opportunities out there at present, BUT I love the team of people I work with and while there are days when I could cheerfully throttle others around the place, the team make it all bearable. I know I could go somewhere else, possibly earn more dollars, and also find a role that would reduce some of the stress I'm currently under...

But I'm wondering what is important... the fact that I've found a little niche for myself, working with a group of people I love and respect, who appear to love and respect me (on my good days) and tolerate my eccentricities and histrionics (on my bad days). Or the need to have a job that fulfills me in a way that my present one doesn't completely... and run the risk of finding the job, but not enjoying the people quite so much... (sounds a bit like my eternal quandary about men!)

God bless rest you merry gentlemen women...
I had a quiet, contemplative Christmas/ New Year that has rolled on into most of January. Lots of reading (2 to 3 books a week), watching TV (catching up on shows from 2006/2007), sleeping and even some quilty things...

Wherever I lay my hat, that's my home... it looks likely that I will need to find a new home sometime this year, as my landlords have decided against offering me a new lease, as they are thinking of selling. I got very, very depressed at this... this is my 4th year here, and it is very much my home. Initially decided if I have to leave, then I want to do it on my terms, and got even more depressed looking at what passes for decent, affordable housing around here. But discussing this with friends have decided to just wait and see what happens.

The Queen of stuff... Have spent the weekend sorting through my 1930s reproduction fabrics partly because I was inspired by stumbling across this post on the Happy Zombie - hooley dooley I'd love me a stash like that says I... then realised I've probably got close to a stash like that already! Have well over 200 different 1930s reproduction fabrics -let alone all the other fabric I've accumulated.

Now, considering Ms.J. has twisted my arm painfully (yeah right) to go along to a Dear Jane workshop and maybe start one of these suckers, I figured using 1930s fabrics might be the go, if I had enough of them (ha,ha, ha...).

But seriously, my fabric obsession seems ever so slightly out of control... I don't even know what I've got anymore... so, progressively working my way through and sorting and folding seems like a good idea... and maybe culling?

moar funny pictures
Am also doing the same with my book collection... with 7 full height bookshelves groaning under the weight of books, I'm going through and being ruthless... have I read it? Yes. Do I want to read it again? Yes - then keep, if no - dispose. If I haven't read it yet do I want to? No - then discard!

If I am going to have a move, then I need to get organised so that I'm not taking anything with me, that I don't want or need. I've still got boxes from the move 4 years ago, that haven't been unpacked!

A room of her own... Well, I've got a whole house, but have also got organised and bought myself a decent desk, chair and a new monitor and keyboard. I am currently churning out a suite of policies and procedures for work. Churning being the operative word... have been more productive this month in this area than I had been all year - I think primarily as I've been set up with remote access at home, and encourage to spend a day a week at home working, which is blissful without the everyday distractions of people popping in and phone calls.

I've discovered I can be quite disciplined with this working from home thing... hoping that when the current mad spurt of work is over I can roll that over into being disciplined to do some creative writing of my own.

The writing of anything for pleasure has gone by the wayside at present, too much professional writing happening to even get into the right headspace... another reason why I've not been posting much.

And so it goes... as for personal stuff... I'm good. Nothing momentous happening, just enjoying myself, probably being a bit more solitary than I normally would be at this time of year, but not unhappily so... though I'm busy organising a sort of birthday bash for mid-March which looks like being fun - dinner and dancing with some mates, and generally making mayhem!

Oh well.... need to get back to fabric folding... catch you later...

Arty, Crafty, Space Cadet....

I'm a compulsive hoarder of things...and a compulsive buyer and collector of things. I deny myself pretty much nothing, if it takes my fancy and I'm financial at the time and I'm a girl of eclectic interests and tastes so there are lots of things that I collect, buy and hoard but the thing that is getting completely out of control is my craft collection...sigh...

I am addicted to fabric... and the joy of cutting up bits and putting them back together and have pretty much concentrated all my crafty output in the last 8 years on patchwork and quilting. Except in the year that I was working and studying I didn't have a lot of time for preparation of quilty things so rediscovered my love of knitting and cross-stitch...

I am also a compulsive starter of projects, and have so many things on the go at any one time that it's scary. And then there's the collection of things I've purchased, that are not yet started, cross stitch kits, knitting wool, and bundles of fabrics earmarked for a particular project.

My Mum says it's good that I've collected so much stuff, cause if I ever have reduced circumstances I can happily play away for the rest of my natural life and probably several dozen descendants lives can too! Someone will make a killing on ebay after I'm gone!

Even I know that my accumulated stuff is getting a bit ridiculous, so decided to sort through things methodically to work out just what I have and what's required to finish it. A bit inspired by other people making this the year of the UFO (unfinished object) and Sheila listing her Creative Hopefuls - things she'd like to get finished, and then listing the finished items for the year, so I've started an Excel spreadsheet, which I will update as I work my way through all the items I've got buried away in boxes and baskets...

In the interim, I'm going to post photo's of my current WIPs (Works in Progress) - can't just be working on one, need to alternate between a couple of different things!

CROSS STITCH
The Patchwork Hermit - this pattern was in a magazine 2 years ago and I happened to mention to Mum that I liked it. She went and bought the Aida cloth and all the different coloured threads for me and gave it to me for Christmas 2005... and being me... I started it that afternoon... It's meant to be a Santa, but I'm going to omit the sack of toys he's carrying, as it reminds me a bit of The Hermit in the Tarot, and that means I can display him year round... when he's finished...

HANDPIECING
Bushfire Quilt Blocks - A friend and I at work are coordinating the making of two quilts for local CFA Brigades as part of Jasmine's Bushfire Quilt Drive. A bunch of about a dozen newbie quilters at work that we have taught the basics of handpiecing. In between making up little block kits I've been piecing some of the blocks.

APPLIQUE
Butterfly Baskets - I'm crazy about 1930's reproduction fabrics, and have amassed a huge collection of them. I already have one quilt made (by Mum as my Christmas present 2005) in these fabrics that hangs across the bottom of my bed, and these Butterfly Baskets will finally be a bed size quilt. I've prepared about 90 blocks so far, using a different 30's reproduction fabric each time, and have buttonhole appliqued about half of them. Have run out of background fabric, but may have to make extras (still have lots of fabrics that I haven't used yet) as I want this quilt to completely cover my very high antique cast iron bed. The alternative might be to just thinly sash them with a 30s fabric or a solid colour and add a wider outer border, but I'll decide that when I'm done. This is good pick up and put down project stuff... alternating between these and some piecework.

QUILTING
This is Mum's very first quilt - the sampler she and I did in our first class together at Patchwork Addiction. I, of course, haven't even finished my blocks... sigh... I like handquilting, though I don't profess to be an expert, though I've started to quilt this, just either in the ditch or a 1/4 of an inch out. This is middle of winter work... as the quilt is very warm and heavy... should plan a Sunday to just sit and do some of this work sitting in the family room which faces north and gets lovely light.


KNITTING
A scarf I started last year. I actually made another one using the same wool, but it was too wide, so gave it to my sister for her birthday, and bought more wool to have another go. Simple, brainless knitting....

The weekend that was...

I go back to work tomorrow.... sob, sob.... Part of me is glad to go back, I miss people, have some interesting things that are happening or I'm trying to make happen... but the problem with having a 10 day break is the more time I spend away from work the more realise I'd prefer not to work at all...

Did I do all the things I wanted to do during this break... nah! Though I've had a good time, enough social interaction and solitude to please my slightly schizophrenic personality.

My girls, Gertie and Gracie have loved having me home, especially Gertie, wherever I've been she's been for the last 10 days. Sitting watching TV, she's either on my lap, on the arm of the chair or on the footstool. In bed, she's beside me... we've napped together a few times. On the PC, she's usually sitting on the keyboard, or trying to climb on top of the monitor. Even having a bath, involves her curled up on the ledge over the bathtub, occasionally patting me on the head.

The last couple of days have been weird though... probably why it's not a bad thing that I'm going back to work, as I suspect this is what my life would be like if I didn't need to work... and it's not pretty..or particularly healthy...

Friday
Up reasonable early for me on holiday and pottered around for most of the day sorting through some crafty stuff (will blog about that separately as I'm making a list of all projects both unfinished and yet to start - yikes).

At the same time, as sorting through stuff, I made a pot of minestrone soup. There's a reason why I refer to myself as an undomesticated goddess... and that I don't cook very often... soup is terrible. Not inedible, but not great.... sigh... even Gertie, who loves all human food, wouldn't touch it...

Seemed to fritter away the day, just pottering and a bath and reading both books and blogs, and watching some TV... am slowly watching 'Tripping Over' that Mum taped for me last year.

Lost in Translation on TV Friday night - so watched that... not as good with commercials... note to self - buy DVD!

Bed before midnight, go to sleep almost instantly, and then:

3.00am... wide awake .... sigh...

3.30am give up and get up... back on pc's doing some work on my blog, just adding and reorganising things, while reading others... and checking out ebay...

6.00am... gee I'm tired... back to bed...

Saturday
1.30pm... woke up... for once the cats haven't done a not so happy dance over my head demanding food... both curled up asleep beside me.

2.00pm... I feel cottonwoolly and headachey and awful... it's overcast and I'm cold... so put the heater on briefly...make some breakfast and coffee (and panadol) and sit down and watch another episode of Tripping Over while doing some handpiecing of Bushfire Quilt blocks.

3.30pm Went to the loo and coped a look at myself in the mirror... my hair looks a bit like Cameron Diaz' in that scene from There's Something About Mary... so shower... bugger getting dressed, so clean pair of pj's.

4.00pm - Set myself up with some cross stitch... the Patchwork Santa/Hermit.

My vision has changed in the last 12 months, so I can't wear my glasses to do fine work like cross stitch, but need my glasses to watch TV... and usually end up with a cricked neck from the constant peering over the top of them to do handwork. So, no TV this time, sitting in absolute silence while I stitch only occasionally stopping to get a cuppa or cuddle Gertie.

6.00pm - watch the news, and feed animals. Not hungry yet, and can't decide what I want... another cuppa

6.30pm - TV off again, back to the cross stitch. Decide I might as well do my week's washing, mostly tracky's and pj's, while I'm working.

8.00pm - should eat I guess... decide to put frozen quiche in oven... heah... better than my first thought... a packet of potato chips... more stitching...

9.20pm - start to tape Rockwiz - love that show... get dinner and patchwork out again, and settle down to watch The West Wing. I've so enjoyed the double episodes on the ABC of the last season... only one more week to go and it's finished... wish they'd start all over again... note to self - buy DVD... more patchwork... 3rd block this time...

10.50pm - still patchworking.... and watching North and South... love that show too... I thought Colin Firth's Mr Darcy was dark and brooding, but Richard Armitage's Mr Thornton is better... oh la la... he's good... he declares his love for Margaret and she rejects him... stupid cow! Note to self - buy the DVD

Midnight - bed...reading for awhile... but nodded off with the book in my hand around 1.00am.. as you do...

Sunday
8.00am - awake... but still tired... up and feed girls and then back to bed...

11.00am - awake again... though could be tempted to stay here... have a scratchy throat... that would be great, back to work with a cold... should I stay in bed?...no... up...

Coffee, reading my book... fart arsing around....

1.30pm - breakfast... have bought bacon and eggs, but decided I'll have those for tea... so cereal... and watch taped Rockwiz from the night before. Josh Pyke and Neko Case guests. Saw Josh Pyke when he was touring with Tim Finn at the Forum. I like him - note to self - get CD!

Start to meaninglessly channel surf - The Horse Soldiers with John Wayne, or Beethoven or sport... sigh... waste an hour or more just channel flicking... and naval gazing...

3.30pm - internal debate... what to do? Do some ironing and get organised for work tomorrow? No - back to the Patchwork Hermit, but set egg timer for 1 hour, to make sure I do something else productive...

4.30pm - Something productive! Writing this blog and another entry with my current crafty projects... will post that later after taking some photo's.

5.30pm - need to do dishes, and tidy up at least a little, garbage etc. - if I go to work tomorrow with a messy house, I'm going to be cross.

Plans for tonight... Cooking a fry up dinner... eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast (cholesterol heaven!)

Then the ABC again, I think... Einstein Factor, News, Robin Hood (Richard Armitage again.. woo hoo) and The Abduction Club...

This kind of weekend, which I've largely enjoyed, despite the strange sleeping/habits is one of the reasons why I don't think I'll ever settle down with a bloke... can't imagine any guy being happy to have this sort of weekend... well, I guess someone who had his own hobby I guess... who would go off and do his own thing, while I did mine. Maybe I need to find a guy who'll happily stay during the week and then disappear of a weekend?

Live long and prosper...

Yes Jonathon, not all quilts are pretty....

Isn't this the most amazing quilt top!

This is a quilt swap that was started in February 2001, and many years, and tears and frustrations later, we have our completed quilt tops back.

It was originally meant to be a Sci-Fi Round Robin - a Round Robin is were you make a centre, and then progressively it is sent on and others add to it, and you receive other people's quilts and add to theirs.

Almost immediately it became apparent that we wanted to do Trekkie quilts - except poor 'birdwoman' who wanted a Red Dwarf quilt...

I wanted to make this for my brother, who has been a die-hard Trekkie from the beginning. And I converted a Spock pattern from a jack-o-lantern pattern I found on the web. And off it went in February 2001 and has been on a journey where no man has gone before ever since.

We had quilt tops that went missing in people's house moves, only to resurface years later - this was one of those! And I took a quilt top to a shop to buy fabric, and came home with the fabric and no quilt top... that one was re-done (almost) from scratch.

And well... life just got in the way for a lot of us... and I discovered I don't cope very well with enforced creativity... give me a priority on the creative front and I'll find everything under the sun to avoid it. ** But we persevered and the rewards speak for themselves.

It's particularly poignant and fitting that the final round - the row of purple and aqua flying geese 'saucers' with the squiggly text has Vulcan script that says 'Live Long and Prosper, Micheal' considering my brother is slowly recovering from having lost his kidney, appendix and gallbladder to cancer early in the New Year.

So - to the Sci-Fi RR girls - Sonia, Sheila, Judy and Angela - thank you.

And below is a picture of Sheila's finished quilt top - my bit is the final text around the edges - took forever! We managed to sneak quite a lot of 'Red Dwarf' into it, wouldn't you agree?


** Should have known - I started to knit a jumper for my then brother-in-law's 21st birthday, and finished all of it, except one sleeve...he's 45 this year and now very much an outlaw!

Does not bode well for the wedding quilt I started for my 'first true love' and his lady... they've just celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary... sigh...actually don't like it now...