School started back on Monday ... I really could have used another week of sleep-ins! I almost cried when the alarm went off at 6am on Monday morning. During the school holidays my sewing time tends to creep out ... and toward the end of the second week I was finding myself creeping into bed at 3am or worse! So the early mornings this week have been harder that usual.
Since the Christmas holidays we have been telling Joshua that after the next holidays (meaning the next Christmas holidays) he would be starting school ... well suffice to say that he assumed that these holidays were the ones we were talking about ...
... my poor boy was so sad and not just a little pissed off on Monday morning that he wouldn't be going to school with the big kids this week. With these tears in mind and a looming Mother's Day stall what better time to dust off an old Tissue Cozy tutorial?
I wrote this tutorial last year and thought I was very smart using a photo album format to display it ... then I had endless trouble trying to work out how to order the photos and it all got too hard so it has just sat in Typepad cyber space until a few weeks ago when I managed to tame the photo album beast!
Tissue cozy tutorials are a dime a dozen out here in blog world so there isn't much new here, however, I do square off the corners to make them a little more tailored. A whole stack of these little guys can be whipped up in a couple of hours and they make you look like a total hero and alleviate all of the guilt that you may have for not actually helping out with all of the other school fund raising activities that happen through out the year!
Please feel free to make these Tissue Cozies for non-profit fund raising activities and for your own personal use. I have a couple of other little things to make that are good for fund raising stalls and the like, that I will post over the few days.
There have been a few new retailers take on my patterns over the last week or so. First up there's the gorgeous Kim at Honeysuckle Cottage. Kim has a beautiful shop and great on-line store that is well worth taking a peek at. She also sells Homespun magazine for all of you non-Australians!
Claire & Denise of Hot Possum way over in Perth are also stocking some of my range ... can you call 4 patterns a range? These girls have some amazing patterns of their own that I have loved for a very long time and their ability to make fabric work is truly fantastic.
Finally there's Julie of A Quilting Passion. Julie is just starting out in the internet shopping world so I'm thrilled that she has chosen to stock my patterns. A Quilting Passion is also traveling across to Perth for the Craft & Quilt Fair in May and will be taking my Garden Party along with them ... so make sure you take a peek if you happen to be wandering by :)
I am also offering the same giveaway that I have offered for Jet & Peppermint Stitches for these three stores ...
I will send a sock monkey to the first person who contacts me with verifiable proof of purchase of one of my patterns from each of these stockists ...
yep ... I must be mad!!!! :)
I have also confirmed my first class!!! Well actually we are calling it a work shop ... yes that noise you just heard was a little squeal! I will be holding a 2 day workshop at Patchwork House in Hawthorn, here in Melbourne on the 6th & 13th of August (consecutive Thursdays). The class will involve making either;
Sweet Little Garden ...
or Sugar Candy...
... the choice of cushion will depend upon your previous experience with the techniques used in the class. We will cover;
colour choices & fussy cutting fabric use of fusible web raw edge applique & free motion stitching trapunto - time permitting introduction to free motion quilting pillow construction - including inserting a zip with a flap torture binding
....yep, there will be no time for breathing!!!! The class will only be a small group so if you would like to come along please make sure you put your name down quickly because I know that at least one or two spots have already been taken. If you would like any more information contact me here or speak to Kylie at Patchwork House.
So other than all of this ... I have made a start on my next project ...
sadly you will only get to see little snippets of this one until much later in the year ...
Other than this ... I have been trying to finish off the monkeys that go with the last giveaway ... to those of you still waiting for yours they aren't far away!