Mini DIY disasters

For ages I've been hankering after some pin boards to go above my desk so that I can pin all manner of bits and bobs that inspire me...hopefully into some action....so finally last week I got my arse into gear and popped down to Ikea and got myself four boards. Having had some experience handling a drill (thanks to some lessons courtesy of my lovely father-in-law!) I really didn't think they'd be much to it....

...but how wrong was I! Two hours later, after much swearing and stomping of feet, I finally managed to get the boards up...but I also managed to put about a squillion erroneous holes into the wall! Oh well at least the boards hide them well...I suppose I better get myself some polyfilla now!

The dreaded C word

Yes I hate to say it but probably like many novice quilters out there, most likely when doing your first quilt, I've encountered that dreaded C word...CREEP! After spending what felt like about a gazillion hours piecing my quilt as precisely as I could do it...I've fallen at the last hurdle with the basting and stitching-in-the-ditch. The fabric had moved just a fraction or so out which meant a whole lot of unpicking and re-sewing...but I think I'm finally getting there...one more long night and I should be ready for the binding.

The stitching on the back turned out to be a cross...which is rather poignant as I did feel like I needed saving at times!

The aftermath...thread balls the size of tumbleweed scattered all over my kitchen floor!

A new beginning...

Last night I was busy doing internet research aka googling/blog surfing (aka being in procrastination mode)...I came across a real gem of a blog (yeah so I suppose I wasn't really wasting time!) Blu Shed by Lu Summers. Although it was her amazing screen printed work and quilts that initially drew me to her blog, I found her blog made such compulsive reading that I ended-up staying way past my bedtime reading her latests posts, in a rather non-sensical reverse order...and most of this evening reading her blog again, but this time in a far more sensible order i.e. from the very beginning. I think what really makes her blog so compelling is that she writes in a very honest, authentic manner...yeah so she may swear now and again...but it really does feel like she's just nammering on in her own true "voice". Up until now, I realise I've not really enjoyed writing my blog because I've been too cautious about how and what I write. It's been exhausting. It's no wonder I've not enjoyed the blogging process and have been treating it like homework, something to be done and dusted, and forgotten for at least a week (until my guilty conscience creeps in). It's also been ridiculous and embarassing how long each posts took me to write...two or more bloody hours for a few measly sentences! It's no wonder I've been avoiding it like the plague! But this is not for me anymore...from now on I'm going to blog in a way that is true to myself...it's going to me, the real me, warts and all! I'm going to let it all hang! (I'm sure you're getting the picture now!). I feels great! So liberating! YAY! Thanks Lucie! Maybe I should rename my blog Eight treasure rice: for all of life's little and big disasters (me being one of them...at least at times!). Anyway, I thought I'd start the dawn of a new blog era by not posting a picture...because a) I've not taken any photos today b) I'm a rubbish photographer c) I've not actually got any of my projects finished to show-off and it's probably getting boring looking at half-done projects (not that anyone apart from my dear husband and mother-in-law actually read my blog!).

Anyhow...I hope that me being me doesn't scare people off my blog...or get me a divorce summons ;P

Good night!

p.s. Damn it's past my bedtime again...but yay this blog post only took 30 mins!

The light reveal...

Remember the light I was working on for college? Well the project was actually completed weeks ago but it's currently undergoing a face shade lift! Each paper cut fish (that's 100 to be precise!) was cut by hand and individually attached with permanent double-sided tape. Sadly my first prototype, lovely as it is, has started to prematurely shed fish (clearly double-sided tape just does not cut the mustard!), so this time I'm going to re-do it with a stronger adhesive and jazz it up with some patterned tracing paper for a more textured effect.

As you can see it's not quite finished yet...but fingers crossed it'll work this time round!



ps. I will post a picture of the finished light soon...provided I don't get side-tracked with quilting (my latest addiction!)

The joys of quilting

Although I've been a bit quiet on the blog front lately...I've certainly not been quiet on the "making" side of things! I've been busy busy busy...along with everything else I'm already doing, one of the things I've always wanted to learn is quilting (you just can't beat the artistry and pure homespun cosiness you get from a patchwork quilt!)...so I've started a short 4-week course at Mandors and have spent the last two Sundays in a haze of quilt-making euphoria. I am just LOVING it...that and my new Husqvarna Viking sewing machine. Getting a double quilt made over the course of 4 Sundays is no mean feat...so I've been getting extra tasks to complete between classes. Hence my evenings have been filled with much cutting, sewing and pressing of seams....and learning that basting is not just for turkeys!

Here's a little sneak preview of the quilt I'm making...