Fiddling with Fibre

Goodbye Joan

2011-03-17T06:59:00.002+08:00

My dear wife Joan has left us. She battled the beast for over a year and died on February 25th, 2011.

She is sorely missed by me and her offspring, Helen and Martin.

Kevin

Binging on books

2011-01-10T12:42:00.004+08:00

I have been very slack about stitching - the only time I have been into the sewing room for months has been to do some trouser shortening for Martin and some repairs for Helen and Kevin. I have been feeling so tired that if I wasn't sleeping I just wanted to sit. So I have been reading and rereading.

Last year I reread all the Phyrne Fisher novels by Kerry Greenwood and was delighted to discover a newly published one which I promptly devoured. Then Stephanie Laurens came out with the final book in the Bride Quartet, so I had to reread the first three before I read the new one! This series is set in India in the early 19th century and involves a group of four East India Company soldiers who discover the villain behind a vicious cult and have to take the evidence to England, hotly pursued by the cult. Naturally each encounters a lady along the way and romantic entanglement ensues. I enjoy SL's story telling, but have to skip large chunks of the sex scenes.

Then the final volume of Nora Roberts Bride Quartet came out. This is modern romantic fiction and good light reading, but of course I had to reread the first three before I could finish off the series!

I also read "Ape House" by Sara Gruen. I loved her first book "Water for Elephants". I was less taken by this, mostly because the story timing was inconsistent throughout the novel - events moved very quickly, then slowed to a crawl, then heaps of action at the end. I may have to reread it to see if my first opinion is justified.

Since New Year I have been indulging myself in the "in Death" series by JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts). I read the latest volume "Indulgence in Death" (appropriate) and started rereading the entire series from the beginning. Some days I have read two of them, so I am now half way through #11. I suspect I am getting a bit tired of them, so I may stop soon.

I have only one completely untouched book waiting - "The Distant Hours" by Kate Morton. I enjoyed her first two books "The Shifting Fog" and "The Forgotten Garden", so I expect to like this as well.

The Wedding

2010-12-20T10:55:00.005+08:00

Helen and James tied the knot on Saturday. It was a lovely day. Here is is a pic of the park where the ceremony took place and of a couple of onlookers.

This is the happy couple at the ceremony and at the reception.

Another picture of the bridal couple and one of both lots of their parents. It was great that Gail and Dave were able to come over from Queensland.

The reception was lunch at a riverside restaurant, the Red Herring. The food was excellent and the wine waiter efficient. I managed to eat a fair bit - particularly of the vegetables in the antipasto. I fail as a food blogger - no pictures. If you want more pics, there are others on the family blog and my other blog

Another Christmas Party

2010-12-16T12:41:00.003+08:00

This one was Secret Drawer, my friendship sewing group that was started 22 years ago. Members have come and gone, but there are still two originals - Mary and me.

Unfortunately Mary could not come yesterday. She had heart stents inserted last week and thought she should wait for an all-clear from her doctor before venturing out.

The gathering was at Jenny's house. As usual there was ample food, and I surprised myself by how much I ate. The desserts were great. There was a pavlova and a strawberry custard tart, as well as mincepies. I took one of those home and Kevin ate it later.

I had a lovely time - pity the photo is out of focus.

Designing Women Christmas Lunch

2010-12-12T11:47:00.003+08:00

Saturday was the Designing Women Christmas lunch which I was really looking forward to. I was sick in the morning and Kevin thought I really should not go, but Juliet had offered to take me and I knew I could just sit. I am glad I went. There was an impressive array of food (I didn't eat much, but I managed some savoury food as well as some of Pauline's to-die-for icecream cake) and Delys made a wonderful non-alcoholic fruit punch of which I drank at least 5 glasses.

We always exchange a handmade Christmas decoration and I received two lovely baubles from Jan.

In addition, Jaslyn gave me a lovely angel.

It was a very pleasant afternoon. Delys has a wonderful house, full of the beautiful dolls she makes and lots and lots of vintage china. We had lunch outside in the alfresco area which is really lovely. Thank you Delys - it was great.

A birthday

2010-11-29T20:24:00.002+08:00

Today was Kevin's birthday - as one of our friends said "you have exceeded your biblical allowance of three score and ten" - he is 71. We had a little gathering with friends yesterday to celebrate. It was also Helen's birthday so she and James came as well.

Today Kevin and I went to Garden City to buy the iphone that is my present to him (I also bought him a cover and a car phone charger) We got a beginner salesperson who was firstly a bit taken aback that we didn't want/need a sales pitch and then proceeded to take such an excruciatingly long time to complete the paperwork that we both almost lost interest and walked out. We were a bit too tired of the whole bit that we didn't check our invoices/receipts and found when we got home after 4pm that we had someone else's. The phone wasn't in action by then either - activation was supposed to be within an hour. We plan another visit to another salesperson tomorrow.

We then went to have lunch while we were at the shopping centre and decided the Asian food train looked worth a try. You select what you want, and pay according to the colour of the plate the food is on and the number of dishes you consume. As usual these days, I wasn't very hungry, but some rice paper rolls appealed (two to a plate for $4.50). I enjoyed mine and so did Kevin and he could have eaten more. Unfortunately, it seemed that there were no more available and so we paid up and moved on. A couple of prawn dumplings from another stall and an iced coffee from another and we had had enough.

When we got home I Googled rice paper rolls and found several recipes. All the necessary ingredients (except peanuts) were in the pantry or fridge/freezer so I made some for dinner tonight. They were very nice, though Kevin wasn't too keen on the coriander I included. I/we will make them again.

Rich in Stitch

2010-11-15T14:31:00.005+08:00

This exhibition celebrates the tenth year of the Designing Women textile group and is the sixth exhibition the group has mounted. We went to the opening last Friday night. This is Thelma Cluning who did the honours. She is a textile artist herself.

This is some of the audience.

There were 76 pieces on display. I don't have photos of many, because though I took my camera I didn't pull it out of my bag, and Kevin, as official photographer, was concentrating on the opening crowd. I loved these two nuno felted and stitched pieces by Juliet.

This lovely piece is by my sister Dorothy. It was made in response to the challenge "10" and has several tens included. One you can't see is a ten-cent piece hiding in the undergrowth.

I will take more pictures of the works when I do my turn of exhibition sitting next week.

UFO finished

2010-10-27T10:45:00.003+08:00

I have been very lax in updating this blog, though I must confess that I have not been fiddling much. I have been reading lots and I may blog about that later.

I wrote about the quilt top I made from nine-patch blocks which I swapped way back in 1996. I finished off the top recently by adding a couple of borders and sent it off to be quilted. A couple of weeks ago I bound it by machine, so it is finally finished. My only problem now is what to do with it. Here is a photo.

More ATCS and some other stuff

2010-10-05T13:42:00.004+08:00

I finished some ATCs yesterday. These are for the Metal theme of the bimonthly (is that the right term for every second month?) swap for the Aus-NZ Art Quilters list on the internet. I am running a bit late because they were due at the end of September, but I was assured that it would still be OK. I forgot to take any photos, so I will have to wait until I get my swapped cards.

I have been unpicking some trouser waistbands to try and shorten the elastic so I can still wear them. Having lost close to 25 kilograms and approximately 20 cm from my waist since November, everything literally falls off me. I have donated a couple of bags of clothes to the Good Sammies, but I am hesitant to pass on some, because I like the fabric so much. I will see how it goes on one pair before tackling any more. I have fabric to make some more, but I lack the energy to cut them out as yet.

Australia Wide II exhibition

2010-09-24T15:27:00.004+08:00

I am really chuffed - I have had one of my quilts selected for the second Australia Wide exhibition (I had two selected for the first one - but who cares! Just one is a great ego boost.)

Here is a tiny peek of a bit of the detail, since I am not sure whether it is acceptable to show the whole quilt before it it is put up on the Ozquilt Network Inc site.

I posted it off today so it should get to Sydney by the end of the month. It needed a hanging sleeve and a label as well as the facing to be stitched down and I was a bit concerned that I mightn't make the deadline because of my stint in hospital. However I felt energetic yesterday, so the necessary bits were finished.

Today Juliet drove me around. We went to a framer - I want the piece I did for the Melville Art Awards properly framed for the Designing Women exhibition, then to the Post Office to mail off the quilt and then to Heathcote to see the Stitched and Bound exhibition. I loved some of the pieces, especially the triptych by Lisa R, but I felt that the overall exhibition did not address the cutting edge of contemporary quilting. There were several pieces that were immediately recognisable by the maker's style. Lovely pieces, but hardly avant garde. Maybe I got it wrong, and the aim of the exhibition is no longer to stretch the boundaries.

I am pleasantly tired after today's excursion, but have decided not to take a nap. I plan to go to bed immediately after the "Collectors" show on TV tonight.

2010-08-31T09:58:00.003+08:00

Yesterday I sent off some digital and hard copy prints of photos of one of my textile pieces for possible inclusion in a book to be published at the end of the year. It is the first book to be published by TAFTA (The Australian Forum for Textile Arts) and I am not sanguine about my chances of being selected. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I don't think I should show a full photo, but here is a tiny detail.

Friday Flowers

2010-08-27T17:43:00.004+08:00

Kevin has planted broad beans in the rose bed in front of the house. I don't mind at all, because I love young broad beans. We have already picked a couple to try and I was able to eat them, so that's a plus too. The main crop is still quite a way off, although there are plenty of flowers.

Another bonus is that the beans hide the pruned rose bushes, which aren't exactly pretty to look at. However, a couple of roses have managed to burst into bloom already, so here they are.

Wind ATCS

2010-08-25T17:11:00.006+08:00

I received my selection of ATCs from the swap co-ordinator, Diana in New Zealand, today. They are fabulous as usual, and cheered me up after a really crappy letter I received.

Thank you to Dorothy Faithfull (from NZ) for the top two on the left, Cherie Hoyle from Adelaide (top right - balloons), Amelia Ruscoe from Wellington (well, they certainly know about wind there!) for the turbine, Marie Bezzant from somewhere in Australia for 'Walpa' (aboriginal sign for 'wind') and Jenni Strachan from Werribee, Victoria for 'Wind Blown Grass'. I love them all.

The next swap theme is 'Metal'. Must get onto it - it's due at the end of September.

Checking in

2010-08-23T09:36:00.004+08:00

I have been very lax in updating this blog, both because of lack of energy and the fact that I have done almost no fibre stuff for weeks.

I did manage to finish off a quilt top I started back in 1996 and it is now with a professional quilter. I promise a photo when I get it back. The quilt started as a nine-patch swap between Scquilters - the Australia-New Zealand online quilting group. There was so much interest that we were broken up into groups according to our favoured colours and I ended up with the mid - to - dark green group. I joined my swap bits up pretty quickly after I got them and produced a top and that is where it has remained for the last 14 years. I decided it needed two more borders and finally finished it off last week. Phew - only 3 more quilt UFOs left. Let's not mention other kinds!

And here's a photo of some fibre related stuff: Amber posing on a cushion next to a stuffed needlepoint tabby.

A good day out

2010-08-05T16:38:00.006+08:00

I went to have my blood test this morning, then Juliet and I set off to the Holmes aCourt gallery in East Perth to look at the Stringmakers exhibition with indigenous artists from Warburton in the North West and three others from Perth: Nalda Searles, Holly Story and Bronwyn Goss.

We had omitted to check the address, but eventually found it - largely due to my hazy memories of a previous visit. Then there was the problem of access. The official entrance is down a flight of steps to the boardwalk which I was reluctant to negotiate (no handrail), so we entered the building at street level and found a lift that went to the lower level, but opened into a small hallway with several closed doors. We investigated one (labelled Restaurant Toilets) and found a narrow corridor which led to the restaurant which is next door to the gallery. Boldly we marched in and a helpful young waitress told us where to go next. Unfortunately we were there an hour before opening time.

We decided to fill in the hour with a visit to another gallery (the Old Bakery on 8th) in a neighbouring suburb, and enjoyed ourselves looking at the exhibition there, browsing through the gift shop which has some wonderful objects, including some spectacular knitted and felted scarves, and having a coffee at the attached cafe. Then back to East Perth.

After we negotiated our way through the toilets again we finally got to see the exhibition. It was well worth our effort. Most of the exhibition is huge felted pieces, called "blankets", but not intended for use on beds or as rugs.

There is a most moving paper scroll about 25 feet long which was a collaborative effort by all the artists. Nalda had written about how the paper piece had come about and then screen printed the words on to long silk scarves dyed with native vegetation. They were exquisite, but definitely out of my price range!

Nalda also had a blanket dyed with natural dyes on which she had couched tufts of human hair, then embroidered the words "mangko warntu" on one side and their translation "hair blanket" on the other. It was hung so you could see both sides.

I liked it, and the installations by Bronwyn Goss, but I LOVED Holly Story's pieces. There was a set of four tiny framed scrolls, dyed with plant dyes and imprinted with various leaves from the Warburton region - fabulous. However my favourite was a diptych where she had imprinted tree branches on to woollen blankets, one branch from Warburton and the other from the South West where she lives. This technique is one she was taught by India Flint and she gives credit for it to her. The dyed pieces were then emboidered with red and white silk threads in a design derived from Indian symbolism. Absolutely stunning.
I also loved the string hanging. A piece of string travelled backwards and forwards from Perth to Warburton several times, with every artist adding in bits. The finished length was looped to hang on a wall. You can read more about the process of putting the exhibition together on the Stringmakers blog site.

I had a lovely day. Thank you to my chauffeur Juliet and to the artists whose work I so enjoyed.
Also thank you to the photographer whose images from the catalogue I have used. I cannot find a name to credit.

Sunday at the Craft Fair

2010-08-02T19:03:00.008+08:00

Designing Women had a display at the Craft Fair that was held on the weekend - and for once I remembered to take a photo. This is Jan on Sunday morning and the display which was beautifully set up by Liz and Stephanie.

We had an excellent position - right opposite the entry to the display of Jenny Bowker's quilts and in full sight of one of her beautiful quilts. I looked after the stall in the afternoon with Dorothy and then we pulled it all down with Juliet's help - in much less time than I am sure it took to set up!

I spent the morning looking at the stalls, with a break to listen to Jenny Bowker's talk about her quilt journey, which was absolutely fascinating. I met and talked to lots of people, but was extremely restrained about buying, because I need to downsize, rather than accumulate. I did buy some wool to nuno felt a silk shawl that Helen gave me because it has some holes in it. That won't affect the felting, and I will give it back to her when I am done. I also bought an ingenious dish and holder to use for grating garlic - I hate garlic crushers because they are so hard to clean, and chopping with a knife makes your hands so smelly. I haven't used it yet - I still have no appetite.

My favourite part of the Fair is always the Art to Wear section. There were some great creations this year, but the piece I liked best in the Adult section was a felted jacket by Carole Redlich.

The student section was absolutely fabulous - especially the garments from Penrhos College. The girls had to use nothing but plain calico with a theme of geometric and there were some wonderful interpretations and some superb fabric manipulation. I loved this one, but I failed to take photos of some of the other spectacular creations. What a dill!

Australia Wide

2010-07-31T12:45:00.004+08:00

The Australia Wide exhibition travels throughout Australia for two years. The quilts are a uniform size (40 cm square) and are supposed to be representative of contemporary art quilting in Australia. I was fortunate enough to have two quilts accepted for the first exhibition which travelled from late 2007 to early this year. The quilts are still to be seen on the Ozquilt Network site. Click on Quilt Exhibitions, then the Australia Wide Online Exhibition.

I had been toying with the idea of entering the second competition and had collected some bits of fabric together. It took me a long time to get going, but last week I completed two pieces and sent off my entries (digital photos, not the actual quilts). They got to Sydney by yesterday's deadline, so now I just have to wait until the selectors' decisions are announced in September. I hope I get in again.

I can't show any part of the quilts yet, but I promise I will show them in full later.

A mushroom harvest

2010-07-27T15:01:00.003+08:00

Some weeks ago I decided that I would like to try growing mushrooms again. My first effort (years ago) was notably unsuccessful - something to do with not watering the compost regularly, I think.

So I bought a mushroom farm from Bunnings. I chose the Portobello one because I believe that variety of mushrooms has more flavour than the white buttons. I followed the instructions carefully and a week ago discovered some itsy bitsy buttons coming up.

Today we harvested three enormous ones and I actually ate almost all of one - quite a feat in view of my present aversion to food. Kevin ate the other one and enjoyed it, which is another plus. He is not really a mushroom fan.

Here is a photo of what is growing today. The big one at the back is actually one that we had already picked - it just got put back to show how big they are. Looks like a pretty good harvest tomorrow, too.

Recycling Workshop

2010-07-26T20:46:00.002+08:00

I went to Jody Pearl's first Open Studio yesterday. It is a great studio and just down the road for me. Jody's "filing system" is to die for! You can read all about it here, and see lots more pictures. After a demonstration of some of Jody's more popular refashioned garments we moved outside for morning tea under the jacaranda.

We did have to fish the odd fallen leaf out of our tea mugs, but it was a lovely setting and will be fabulous in November when the tree is in bloom. Then we had a workshop on fashioning men's ties from the op shop and recycled zips into accessories. These are the two I made - there were several more exciting ones.

Friday Flowers

2010-07-24T09:56:00.004+08:00

I have wanted a new car for awhile, and was determined that it should be red - which my first car was. We looked at several makes and models and eventually decided the Ford Fiesta was the most attractive option. The salesman told us there was a red one (I insisted on an automatic) on its way from Germany, and it would be here in six weeks. Very good. But then it was discovered that the red one had been sold, and the wait time for a red automatic would probably be six months. This is not a viable option for me, so I opted for a silver one, on which there was immediate delivery.

We picked it up yesterday, and to my surprise I was presented with this red flower arrangement as a small consolation.

700th Post

2010-07-18T12:33:00.003+08:00

Who would have thought it? I know lots of people do giveaways at major milestones, but I haven't got anything, so I won't. Maybe at 750?

I have just finished my ATCs for the latest Aus-NZ Art Quilters swap. This is a theme swap every two months and this time the theme is AIR. Once I remembered (and finally found) the balloon fabric I have had for years, they were really quick to make. I also found some sky fabric (blue with little bits of white) while I was looking, so it all went together very well.

I will post them off to Diana in NZ tomorrow.

I am progressing well with the art quilts I plan to enter in Australia Wide 2. I was fortunate to have both my entries accepted last time, so I will keep my fingers crossed. No pictures yet, of course. The deadline is July 30, but because the entry form and images need to be in Sydney by then, the actual deadline for me is Monday 26th. I think I will make it.

A new book

2010-07-12T11:12:00.003+08:00

I preordered this from the Book Depository and it arrived this morning. I haven't even flipped through it yet, I am waiting till I have a bit of uninterrupted time (diarrhea today, yuck!).

I was fortunate to do a 5 day workshop with Jane at FibresWest at Bunbury in 2008 and learned so much about surface design. I have had her first book, Complex Cloth, since 1997 and it has been probably the most used textile book I own - and I own lots.

So I am looking forward to this one.

Friday Flowers

2010-07-02T14:50:00.004+08:00

No fibre again this week, but my roses are putting on their final flush. Soon be pruning time.

This was last week.

This is this week.

Pets

2010-06-20T20:56:00.002+08:00

I have been neglecting this blog - sorry! I have been making more regular entries on the cancer blog, so you can catch up there.

Yesterday we went to visit our daughter Helen and her partner James. As usual, Kevin had to do some sort of maintenance. This time it was the cord to the heater which their Staffy puppy, Ruby, had chewed and destroyed.

You wouldn't think it of her, would you? She looks so sweet and innocent!

Amber has settled in well. She has been exploring outside for a week now. We did take the precaution of blocking the gates with shade cloth, so she is confined to the back yard. I am hoping she is too heavy (and relaxed) to jump fences.

Fire ATCs

2010-06-11T18:51:00.004+08:00

I have just received my batch of ATCs from the "Fire" swap. This is organised by Diana in New Zealand and members of the Aus-NZ Art Quilters Yahoo group send four to six ATCs every two months. In January the theme was Water, March's theme was Earth and May's theme was Fire. The theme for July is Wind, and I need to put my thinking cap on.

Here are the cards I received this month.

From left to right, top row first the artists were:
Evie, Marie (countries of origin unknown), Carolyn, Dorothy, Sharon (all from NZ) and Nia from Australia.

Bag finished

2010-06-07T16:57:00.007+08:00

Today I finished the bag I made from the kit I bought at the Craft Fair. I am a bit disappointed in the size - if I ever made it again I would make it longer - but it looks quite good. Now I will have to use it!

Here are two pics - front and back.

Yesterday we collected my entry for the Melville Art Awards. Now we have it home I have decided that I will have it framed properly and then I will have a piece for the Designing Women exhibition in November. I quite like it as it is, but I think framing will improve it.

Here is the whole piece

and a closeup.

I have not been very well for the last three days (see the cancer blog). I am hoping for better days to come.

More frogstitching

2010-06-02T17:31:00.005+08:00

I have been neglecting my sewing room in favour of the computer (I am the editor of the newsletter for one of my groups and the June issue was due out on the first of the month). I made the deadline, and so today I ventured into the room (the door has been securely closed to limit Amber's exposure).

I thought I might be able to complete this bag I had started, so that I could start to whittle down my huge TO Do list. I sewed for a while, following the instructions carefully. Then I realised - chemo brain had struck almost back at the beginning and I had sewn the outside panels together wrongly. Fortunately there were some bits unaffected by the error - the lining and the zipper insert - so about 45 minutes of unpicking saw the outside bits back to the point of error. After careful pressing and LOTS of thread removal, I have now joined them correctly, but haven't made any further progress. I plan to do some more tomorrow in the morning before my appointment with the eye specialist.

BTW - Amber is settling in well, but is a guts. I am giving her only as much food as the Cat Haven recommended, but she is very demanding. She even came into our bedroom in the early hours of this morning. I didn't hear her, but Kevin succumbed.

Amber Arrives

2010-05-29T13:55:00.005+08:00

My sister Dorothy gave me a cat (to be adopted from the Cat Haven) for my birthday back in April, but I delayed the selection till we got back from Queensland. Yesterday was the day.

We met at the Haven and inspected some of the range of available cats. I had already decided I wanted a cat rather than a kitten because of toilet training. I also wanted a female because there are two males that come and fight in our yard and I thought a male might want to get involved - even if neutered.

It took a long time but I eventually chose Amber. She had been the pet of an elderly couple who had had to give her up when then they moved into a retirement home, so I thought she would be used to sitting on laps and people who don't look where they are walking.

Amber is 5 years old and has the most wonderful bushy tail. I had always thought that all ginger cats were male, but the girl at the Cat Haven assured us that ginger females were becoming more common.

She tolerated the long trip home in the car very well - not a peep out of her, for which I was very grateful. Our last cats hated the car and started yowling the instant they were put in which was very stressful on the driver. She has not settled in yet, and has spent most of today hiding under and behind couches, but she is eating and drinking well and using her litter tray. Last night she even jumped onto Kevin's lap, but she is less friendly today.

New machine

2010-05-28T10:26:00.002+08:00

I have had my overlocker for possibly 20 years. It was the second one I ever had and it has served me well. Recently there have been a number of new overlockers released by the various sewing machine companies and I began to think a new one would be good - especially if it did a cover stitch which my old one doesn't.

Some weeks ago I gave in to temptation and ordered a five thread Pfaff overlocker. It arrived the week of the Craft Fair, and the seller was really too busy to give lessons, so I waited till this week to pick it up.

Yesterday was the big day. I had a long lesson and I have set it up ready to go. Now I just need to sell my old one. There is nothing wrong with it and it has some extra feet, so I shouldn't have much difficulty, I hope.

A new bag

2010-05-25T19:59:00.004+08:00

I don't usually buy kits - I would rather put my own spin on a design - but I couldn't resist this one when I saw in at one of the demonstrations at the Craft and Quilt Fair last week. It is called a Bac-Pac and uses some Japanese style fabric and shashiko stitching. It also has the zipper neatly concealed, so that it it is pretty safe from unwanted fiddling.

Today I cut out everything and even fused the iron-on pellon to the main pieces. I thought I might have to make a quick trip to Spotlight for the pellon, which was the only thing not supplied in the kit, but I discovered a couple of metres in the bottom of a cupboard. There are definite advantages to having a stash - though I rather wish mine was better organised!

No photos - I will take some as I progress.

ATCs

2010-05-24T21:18:00.004+08:00

I did much better than I expected - the ATCs are now on their way to New Zealand!

I am not sure what happened to some of the tree images in this photo.

Fire ATCs

2010-05-23T19:53:00.003+08:00

This swap has been on my TO DO list for too long. I emailed the hostess, Diana, in New Zealand this evening to notify her I was still a contender, even though the deadline is the end of the month.

I have actually made some progress. I painted some vliesofix in fire colours last night, and today I have ironed it onto some red fabric and added lots of flame like pieces of organza. Tomorrow I will free machine stitch the fabric. With any luck, I should be able to post the ATCs tomorrow night - or at least on Tuesday.

Melville Art Awards

2010-05-22T18:12:00.002+08:00

I have been entering this since 2003 or 2004. I live in hope that one day I will either win a prize or have my piece purchased by the City of Melville. I don't think either is very likely!

I woke up in the middle of the night and decided that my piece needed to be restitched. There are some silk organza inserts and they were puffy, rather than smooth and flat. So I pulled the piece off the canvas and unpicked and repositioned the inserts, this time with a dose of spray starch and lots more pins. Success. Then I stretched it over the canvas again and Kevin stapled it for me. He also did the hanging wire.

I started the refurbishment at 8.30 and the piece was finished by 11.15 am. Off to the Council Chambers to deliver it before noon. I arrived in plenty of time and met Juliet and her husband Chris who were delivering her piece. As we left there were probably eight or ten people bringing their pieces. I think there are more than me who only just meet deadlines!

Craft Fair and QuiltWest

2010-05-21T19:26:00.008+08:00

I went to the Craft Fair today. I had volunteered to assist with manning the Contemporary Quilt Group stand in the afternoon, so I went in the morning to look at the stalls and watch some demonstrations.

I was going to take the train, but Kevin offered to take me to Perth, so I arrived fresh and full of energy. I paced myself well, interspersing two demonstrations with stall browsing, then a sit down for lunch (which I took along to avoid the high prices for show food). A final bit of browsing, then off to the CQG stand. I was able to sit down for most of the time I was on duty.

I did manage a quick look at the major quilt display. There were some fabulous ones, and I took lots of photos, but don't think you are supposed to post them on blogs. I can, however, show the pieces I had in the CQG display.

I also had a piece in the WAFTA display, but I didn't get a photo of that. I came home by train and we have had takeaway for dinner. Tomorrow I must finish stapling my entry for the Melville Art Awards to its frame and attach a hanging wire, then deliver it - all before noon.

One step forward, one step back

2010-05-19T18:52:00.002+08:00

The piece for the Melville Art Awards is going well. I would have finished the background stitching today except I got the edge folded under and managed to stitch about six by six inches before I realised what had happened. Quite a bit of frogstitching (rippit, rippit) and all was well, but I didn't have time to finish before we were due to leave for my oncologist appointment.

Another setback. My white blood count is low again, so the Xeloda is delayed for a week in hopes it will improve. I did get a low dose of Avastin though - with a full one supposed to happen next week. Also, the oncologist is going to the US for a conference at the end of the month, so my next CT scan won't be scheduled till he is back.

Moving along

2010-05-18T16:19:00.004+08:00

Using double sided tape and photographic paper worked and the printer duly delivered two A3 size prints on fabric. They are one photo split down the middle and will be joined together as the background for my piece.

This morning, after some cogitation and measuring of pre-prepared canvases, I decided that I needed another A3 print for the background. A bit of Photoshopping later, I had altered one of the background prints sufficiently that it could join reasonably seamlessly to the others. It also printed without hassle. Obviously, freezer paper is too flimsy for large prints - the printer needs a heavier paper to cope with fabric as an additional layer.

I have now fused all three prints to a background fabric and have stitched one third of it. I am taking a break - my back is aching a bit from hunching over the fabric as I freemotion stitched. I will do another hour after I have had a little rest, and tomorrow I should be able to fit in another two hours or so before we have to go to the hospital. This should mean the background stitching will be finished. Then I have Thursday to complete the piece. I am hoping to be able to go to the Craft Fair on Friday - the piece is due for submission before noon on Saturday. I will probably make it!

Melville Art Awards Entry

2010-05-16T21:21:00.001+08:00

As usual, I am right on the deadline. The piece involves photographs printed on fabric and collaged. It has to be submitted on Saturday morning.

I printed the A4 size ones with no problems - both on poplin and organza. The trouble began with the A3 pieces. Kevin bought an A3 printer secondhand some weeks ago specifically for me to do this. The paper jammed and the edges frayed. We have given up, and I will try again tomorrow.

We think the freezer paper is too flimsy and does not hold the fabric enough. Kevin has some A3 photographic paper and we will try taping the fabric to that.

Home again

2010-05-12T20:38:00.003+08:00

We arrived back from Queensland last night. So glad to be home - our own bed and ensuite, kitchen etc. Even the laundry!

We did not have Internet access for the last three days of our trip so no blog postings. I am not sure whether I want to do a catchup or not. Kevin has done a bit on the family blog.

I resumed my group meetings today - I went to Husqvarna Club, which is a week early due to next week's Craft Fair, and in the afternoon to my friendship quilting group. I haven't been able to attend many meetings this year because it is usually a chemo day, so it was lovely to catch up with everyone. We worked out that I will be able to host the next meeting in a fortnight, so I am looking forward to that.

Tomorrow I need to collect the pieces that were in the ShowOff exhibition, plus finish two pieces for the CQG exhibition at the Craft Fair. I WILL be busy.

Someone is looking after me

2010-05-07T17:40:00.006+08:00

It is day 4 of our Queensland holiday and we have had a great time so far. Kevin has been writing about things we have done in our family blog. But today I have an incredible story.

We checked out of our Brisbane hotel before 10 am and set off for Ipswich, where there is a Railway Museum and, more importantly for me, an exhibition of historical Australian quilts from the collection of Annette Gero.

We enjoyed our museum visit (we are both fans of technology museums) and went into Ipswich itself. We found a parking spot and I pulled out my purse to give the assorted small change to Kevin for parking, then I set off to the Art Gallery to look at the quilts. They are lovely, especially the 19th C crazy quilts, but the one I found most graphically interesting was one made by a man. He was a tailor for an army regiment in the Second World War and the quilt consists of 1200 (?) colour patches from the regiment stitched to a grey Army blanket. It is not quite finished and you can see the blanket, but the regimented red and shades of blue coloured patches are visually very impressive - it looks like a painting from the distance. Photography was not allowed or I would have taken one of that.

After I had finished my visit we set off for the Gold Coast and our next stop. We had got about 50 km from Ipswich when I suggested to Kevin that some food and drink would be a good idea. We pulled into a shopping centre and I went to pull my purse from my handbag. It wasn't there! Panic! We remembered the small change episode. I must have dropped it then. What to do? We went straight back to Ipswich. On the way I rang the Art Gallery - no luck there.

Once in Ipswich Kevin looked in bins near where we had parked and went to the Art Gallery to check again. No luck. So last resource - go to the Police Station. It was hard to find - it had moved from where it was on the road directory we had. I joined the queue - people wanting to pay fines and another lady reporting another lost wallet. Finally I got to speak to an officer. Just as I started on my story, the officer taking the other lady's details asked my name. They had my purse - completely intact, including more than $200 in cash. It had been picked up by an elderly lady. She was supposed to have written me a message and left it in the purse, but I can't find it. I am going to ring the police station tomorrow to try to get a contact for her. She is an angel and I want to acknowledge her.

Castaways at Rockingham

2010-05-01T15:16:00.006+08:00

We drove down to Rockingham this morning to look at this year's Castaways exhibition on the foreshore and beach. It opened today and runs till May 9th. In my opinion it was better than last year's , especially in the use of recycled materials. I was particularly taken with this installation. It is by Claire Davenhall and is titled Lost Soles. A quote from her artist statement: "The chain and rope connects lost soles from generation to generation".

Other sculptures I really liked in the recycled section were Spent Seed Pods by Greg Gelmi,

Reptilian Roadworks by Robin Yakinthou

and Extinctus (made from old tires) by Leon Zuks.

In the section with an aluminium component my favourites were

Tania Spencer's Light Shadow

Ruth Acton's Red Fish

and Richard Fry's Egg.

There were heaps of other great pieces, and I thoroughly recommend a visit if you can make it down to Rockingham in the next week.

ShowOff Opening

2010-04-30T20:51:00.002+08:00

My sister Dorothy and I went to the opening of ShowOff tonight. I have 3 pieces in the exhibition. We both thought the standard was better than last year. As always, the nibbles were spectacular, though I couldn't taste anything except one vegetable dip. Sad - Dorothy said they were great.

I fell in love with a piece by Margaret Coxall called The Grove. Unfortunately (or fortunately, according to Kevin) it was sold before I could use my credit card. $600 saved- but it was a fabulous piece. You can visit her website here.

Digitising and Cake Wrecks

2010-04-27T21:57:00.006+08:00

Pamella gave a great workshop today on digitising various insects using 4-D Design Creator. I enjoyed it, though I found I could not maintain the level of concentration needed for very long and I frequently fell behind. Thanks to everyone who helped me catch up!

Apart from the workshop, no fibre today. I delivered the pieces for ShowOff, filled a pile of scripts at the chemist and visited the podiatrist to have a painful callous on the sole of my left foot removed. It already feels better.

The podiatrist doesn't have magazines in his waiting room. Instead he has quirky art books. On previous visits I have enjoyed looking at pictures of shoes and handbags. Today I was delighted to find a copy of Cake Wrecks. This is by the author of one of the blogs I have on my Gooogle Reader and I enjoy seeing what appalling examples of the cake decorating art she can come up with. The book has examples I had not seen before. The blog is definitely worth a visit.

Fiddling with framing

2010-04-26T20:49:00.002+08:00

I finally finished framing the last piece for the ShowOff 6 exhibition which opens on Friday night. They have to be delivered tomorrow.

I needed spacers to hold the glass clear of the embroidery. I had tried strips of foam core, but they were not wide enough, and by the time I realised this it was too late to buy more (Anzac Day long weekend).

So it was off to Bunnings this morning to buy a strip of wood. OK - right size and Kevin cut it into the right lengths for me BUT it needed painting. I should have taken up Kevin's offer of spray paint. Instead I used acrylic paints.

The first 3 coats sank straight into the wood. Instead of being white it was a pale cream. After another 2 coats I decided enough was enough and assembled the whole thing. It was only then that I discovered the bottom of the frame was warped.

Too late to use anything else. It is sitting with a heavy weight on it which probably won't help. I think I will just have to offer a professional framing option if anyone buys the piece.

Craft Fair

2010-04-25T18:02:00.003+08:00

My sister Dorothy and I went to a Craft, Antiques and Collectables Fair this afternoon. It didn't open till noon (Anzac Day today means the morning is devoted to services and marches) and was jampacked by the time we left at 2.45.

I had wanted to go so we could listen to a talk on recycling and refashioning clothing by Jody Pearl, and we did. It was worth the admission fee in itself. Only problem is now I have yet more projects to add to my TO DO list.

We wandered around the Craft part and I bought some pickles (an African Mango Pickle) from Armanda whose Eggplant Kasaundi is absolutely fabulous. I usually buy that, but I had a full jar at home. I also bought a pack of vegetarian dahl and some passionfruit butter. I could actually taste what I was sampling which was great.

By the time we got to the Antiques section I had run out of puff, so I sat on a chair while Dorothy did a quick round. She resisted the temptation to buy anything.

Journal Making Workshop

2010-04-24T17:32:00.003+08:00

Suzanne ran a fabulous workshop for Innovative Stitches today. She showed us how to make a journal from card, cartridge or drawing paper, stitch and a selection of other bits and pieces. It was full-on and lasted for five hours with a half hour for lunch. I kept up pretty well till the afternoon when my energy levels dropped considerably. However, I stayed till the end and took copious notes so I hope I will have no difficulty in actually finishing it.

Here are my covers with a button and machine made cord tie to hold the whole thing together when it is assembled . The covers are made from very textured handmade paper that I bought from an Asian import shop some years ago. Yesterday I painted it with a soft purple acrylic paint, then stamped it with a deeper metallic purple and a striped handmade stamp. The paper was so bumpy that it didn't print well, but you can see some of the stamping in the middle near the button. I then brushed the paper first with lilac metallic oil pastels, then with silver.

These are some of the bits I am yet to use. The fabric is for the spine of the journal and the stripey holographic paper is for the endpapers.

A busy day

2010-04-23T22:44:00.003+08:00

I have done lots today. I went shopping this morning and bought some things for the house at Kitchen Warehouse and Spotlight, as well as doing the usual grocery shopping. Because I went to a supermarket that I don't usually patronise I found myself retracing my steps often so I got a bit of a workout that way, which has probably contributed to my tiredness.

When I got home I completed my entry for Stitched and Bound. I had to copy the professional photos onto another CD because the images were labelled as Untitled, rather than the proper name of the quilt. Then I had to print one image and found that the colour wasn't true, which is a requirement for the entry. A bit of Photoshopping and prints from 3 different printers resulted in an adequate image. Checklist complete, we took the entry down to the Post Office and sent it off. Hooray! another TO DO crossed off.

Then I made some twisted yarn cords with my machine for the journal making workshop I plan to do with the Embroidery Guild tomorrow. Finishing the collection of the materials required took quite a bit of time and fossicking in various storage places. I also had to decorate some paper to use as the cover. I finished this after dinner, so no photo - the flash wipes out the detail. I promise a pic of the finished journal.

Over the weekend I have to finish the framing of one of my entries for ShowOff 6. The others are done. Delivery is Tuesday.

Feather Finished

2010-04-21T17:15:00.003+08:00

I finished my thread sketched peacock feather today. I fused the painted fabric to a lightweight polyester wadding and backed it with very lightweight poplin before I started free motion stitching.

When I had finished I made an "escape hatch" binding: another layer of fabric with a strip of vliesofix and a hole slashed in it. Stitch the quilt and backing around the edges, trim the corners, turn through. Iron carefully, pulling the slit edges together. If you're really fussy, cover the slit with your label.

I am really pleased with my piece. It is intended for the Contemporary Quilt Group display at QuiltWest in May.

Bobbinwork Bag

2010-04-20T17:01:00.003+08:00

I went to Husqvarna Club this morning with some Show and Tell. Last month's challenge was to use thick threads in the bobbin, stitching from the wrong side so the thread developed texture on the right side.

I decided to use two different threads - a cream crochet cotton and a variegated brown. I threaded the brown thread through the tension and stitched it on cream.

The cream thread, stitched on brown, was not threaded through the tension. I love the bubbly look, but it took about 20 bobbins to do, all wound by hand.

I made the bits of fabric into a bag. I think I will have to start giving some of the bags I make away - I have so many hanging on the sewing room doorknob (both sides of the door) that they keep falling off.

Friday Flowers

2010-04-17T09:48:00.001+08:00

The flowers I was given on Tuesday are now in full bloom and looking gorgeous. Thank you, Noelene.

Yesterday, after I had been to the hospital to have the pump removed, I went to a lunch-time reunion of women who have connections to Wongan Hills. This is the small Wheatbelt town where I (and my sister and brother were born, and where we lived till I was 12). The lady who organises it was my Standard 2 (Grade 3, these days) teacher. In the past year she has had a minor heart attack and a lump removed from a breast, so yesterday she passed the organisation on to a classmate of mine, so I think it will continue for a few years yet. It was great to catch up with old friends like Judy and with relatives like my cousin Sylvia.

I caught the train home from Perth to Cockburn. It was jam-packed. The Mandurah line is obviously a very successful addition to Perth's public transport.

OUCH !!

2010-04-15T17:43:00.002+08:00

Today's project was going to be a tote bag with some bobbin work decoration. My fingers are tingling as a side effect of one of the chemo drugs I had pumped into me yesterday and I am somewhat clumsy.

I was cutting out the fabric when I cut something I did not intend - a slice out of the forefinger of my left hand. It bled profusely and is still seeping into the dressing. I think the slow clotting is due to the Clexane I am having to inject daily. If it's still seeping tomorrow when I go in to hospital to get the pump unhooked I will get a nurse to have a look at it.

So I didn't do any sewing today. I didn't want blood on my work.

Socialising

2010-04-13T18:54:00.003+08:00

Noelene came to morning tea today. We worked together at Safety Bay Senior High School twenty years ago (Yikes!) and have kept in touch.

I did the full morning tea bit - tablecloth and napkins, flowers and pretty cups, saucers and plates. I had to go and have a blood test, but when I came back I made sandwiches (no crusts, but not cucumber) and some raspberry pastries.

We had a very congenial time and Noelene brought me some lovely lilies.

The house is full of cut flowers at the moment because I have been given several bunches as late birthday presents.

This afternoon I stitched out the block for my heart quilt. I think it is a bit large, but it will be OK. I also sandwiched the peacock feather ready for thread sketching.

And it has been raining - wonderful!

Play day and a few other things

2010-04-12T18:22:00.007+08:00

I fell in love with the thread sketched peacock feather on the cover of the latest issue of Quilting Arts and was determined to replicate it. I don't usually do this - I haven't made anything from a kit since the 70's, and never copy exactly things that appeal to me. But I made an exception in this case.

I found the pattern on the QA website, downloaded it, adjusted the size to fit A4 paper and printed it out. I traced the colour patches and I have now painted the base fabric. Next step is to stitch the ribs of the feather. I think I will fuse the painted fabric to a very thin wadding before I do.

Today I also digitised the tenth block for my heart quilt. I put the names of the contributors inside a heart shape formed of hearts. It looks great, but I had a problem with the stitchout. Several of the hearts don't stitch out properly. Then I broke the lever on the hoop I was using.

Time for some professional help. I took the stitchout and the hoop to Bestway. David fixed the hoop in about 30 seconds (DUH!) and suggested that the stitchout problem might be due to the foot I was using. I hadn't noticed that I had the open toe on, rather than the usual embroidery foot. So I will try another stitchout this evening. While I was there I had a good look at the new Pfaff and Husqvarna overlockers. I covet one that will do a cover stitch, but the variation in price between the different models in both makes is huge. Something to think about.

I haven't blogged about the Contemporary Quilt Group meeting on Friday where there was a great workshop. I didn't take any photos there except this one. Any guesses what it it is? A clue - it is not in the main part part of the hall. Love the texture.

Finished

2010-04-10T21:42:00.002+08:00

I have just finished stitching a label to the back of my Stitched and Bound quilt. Tomorrow morning early I will go to Bunnings to buy some lath and some eye screws if I can't find any in my box of picture fixings which is somewhere . . ) Then I will deliver it to Margaret so it can be photographed on Monday.

I am reasonably (actually quite) happy with it. I just hope it is selected for exhibition.

It was Designing Women meeting today. We worked on finishing off UFOs. I took bits to do the Back in Black challenge, but ended up working on the reverse mola T-Shirt which Iris demonstrated last month. I decided to stitch the design by machine before cutting it back, and am very glad I did. Now I need to stitch around the design by hand. I think I might take it along when I have chemo next Wednesday.

I lasted till 2pm today before I had to pack it in. I had very bad diarrhea last night, but was much better today.

The Devil's Number

2010-04-08T21:36:00.002+08:00

My last post was number 666. I don't think it was very devilish - or even slightly supernatural.

Today I have done quite a bit - household shopping, a visit to the GP and a flu jab and even some fibre. I bought some more balls of yarn to add to the shawl I am knitting. I had ten different yarns, but it wasn't going to be enough.

I have nearly finished the hand stitching on my Stitched and Bound entry, but I am not sure when I will get it finished - I have meetings tomorrow and Saturday. Maybe Sunday - I will be really under the wire to get it to Margaret for photography.

I am reading

2010-04-07T20:08:00.006+08:00

a couple of books on digital printing for fabric. There is not a lot of information in either that is not available elsewhere (I think Gloria Hansen's Digital Essentials is the benchmark) but I am enjoying the eye candy and it is interesting to see how the the same basic techniques can result in such different textile pieces.

I have not been reading as much in the last week or two because I have been working on the Stitched and Bound quilt, but I have finished the two latest episodes in Laurell K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series - Swallowing Darkness and Divine Misdemeanours. She is the author of the Anita Blake Vampire Killer series which I have never been able to get into, but I like this series about the fey living in a contemporary USA. I also read LE Modesitt's The Lord Protector's Daughter and a Diana Gabalden - Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade. Believe it or not, I have never read any of her books about Jamie Fraser - my sister is a great fan and recommends them, so they go on my list. At the moment I have two books on the go - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian and Naomi Novik's Empire of Ivory. And I am knitting.

ATCs

2010-04-06T21:54:00.006+08:00

I have received my latest ATCs from the centralised swap that Diana Bahler is running from New Zealand. It happens every two months - the last theme was Water, this one is Earth.

I like all my cards, but especially Cathy Smith's Ploughing the Earth.

Cards from Cathy Smith, Q, Sharon Andrews, NZ, Margaret Ware, NSW, Amelia Ruscoe, NZ, Cherie Hoyle, Australia and Carolyn Jackson, NZ.

It is interesting that so many people have used the Earth from Space image - I did too.

Moving right along

2010-04-05T16:33:00.004+08:00

I have finished the machine quilting on my Stitched and Bound entry. The next step involves hand work - I am arranging some embellishments and tomorrow I hope to start the stitching. It needs a bit of thinking time before I dive into it. I may even make the deadline of Friday to deliver the quilt for photography. Or I may not. I can deliver it to Margaret on Sunday - she says Monday is too late!

I have discovered yet another project I want to try - shabby chic roses as demonstrated in a video on Roben-Marie's blog.

Add these to the felted flowers I discovered in an issue of Yarn I borrowed from my friend Lois, plus the other projects in the lineup . .

Aim: Finish Stitched and Bound tomorrow - I don't have any other jobs to do. Then start the DW Back in Black challenge (must look at my Lutrador/Rainbow Spun collection to see if I still have some silver left) and at least one of the pieces I want to make for the Contemporary Quilt Group display at QuiltWest in May. I don't think they will be ready by Friday when they are supposed to be delivered, but I am sure I can finish them before the actual display date!

Country Trip

2010-04-04T10:12:00.003+08:00

We decided to make a little excursion to York yesterday. There was an Antique and Collectables Fair on as well as a photographic exhibition, and it is a lovely town and a nice drive. It was a very pleasant afternoon. I bought a couple of things at the Fair for very reasonable prices - including an set of eight old EPNS dessert spoons and forks for the huge sum of $28. Most of the exhibits in the photographic exhibition were quite ordinary, but there were some photos of textures (wall surfaces and leaves) that I liked and some Photoshopped images which I found quite interesting as I tried to work out what the artist had done. Nothing terribly technical, mostly colour inversion and some filters.

Today we are going to Helen's for lunch, so we are having quite an active social weekend. Unfortunately, no stitching and those deadlines are looming!

Happy Birthday to me

2010-04-02T17:34:00.003+08:00

No stitching today.

My sister shouted us to lunch at Spinnakers which is situated on the end of the mole at Hillary's Boat Harbour. Great position - we were seated right at the windows so we could watch the passing procession of boats and the fumbling attempts of some boatees to pull up to the jetty for fuel.

The food was excellent, though as usual far too big a serving. I had a tasting plate which I could easily have shared, since there were two of everything. Somehow I managed to finish it though.

My pump finished by 2.30 so off to the hospital for disconnection. The Ivy Suite was closed because it's Good Friday, so I had to go through General Admissions and was then taken to the Cancer Ward. Quick and easy once I got there and I am always pleased to get rid of it.

We are now sampling a bottle of Moet which someone gave to Kevin for HIS birthday back in November. Not sure whether we will need any dinner.

A little progress

2010-03-31T22:27:00.003+08:00

The rebagging was successful and I have basted the quilt horizontally and pinned it vertically. Why? Because the first quilting will be freemotion stitched text and I plan to use the basting lines as guides. It will also be easy to remove the pins as the stitching progresses.

I bit the bullet and submitted a request for professional photography. I now have 10 days to finish the quilt.

I had my 7th dose of chemo today which didn't finish till 8 pm. I had good news from the CT scan last week - the liver tumours are shrinking and there are no new ones. Full details on the other blog.

Frog Stitching

2010-03-30T16:10:00.003+08:00

or rippit! rippit! I bagged the quilt for Stitched and Bound instead of doing a conventional backing and binding. Binding would not suit the quilt at all. Turned out the bagging was too baggy - the wool front of the quilt is quite stretchy, while the backing fabric is cotton drill which is very stable. I hadn't pinned it well enough, plus the uneven edges of the blanket no longer had a country like feel - they just looked as if they hadn't been properly straightened.

So this afternoon I have been unpicking. I have trimmed the edges straight and pinned really closely. Just need to stitch around the edge, turn it and re-pin for the first lot of quilting. I hope to begin this tomorrow morning. I have chemo in the afternoon - cycle 7, provided today's blood test shows the white blood cells are OK.

Struggling

2010-03-27T20:20:00.002+08:00

Why does the reality rarely match the vision? And why do other projects seem so much alluring when you know that THIS project needs to be completed?

I have been trying to finish my entry for Stitched and Bound and am having problems of many kinds. I took today off to step back from the project (I needed both the break from it plus a day to recover from a nasty bout of diarrhea). Tomorrow the family are coming for lunch to celebrate Martin's birthday, so the break will be two days. Hopefully I will resume work with renewed enthusiasm on Monday.

A Change in the Weather

2010-03-23T19:03:00.006+08:00

There were major storms here in Perth last night, especially in the northern suburbs. Here it wasn't too bad, though the hail sounded like cannon balls landing on the metal roof of the veranda. After the hail came the very welcome rain, the first since November last year.

I did a 4D Pro computer workshop today which I really enjoyed. It is the first one I have done this year because they have coincided with chemo days. I plan to stitch out the project ASAP, but it has to go to the end of the queue of WiPs. I have several deadlines to meet in the next fortnight.

I finished modifying photos I want to use on one of the projects and plan to print them on Tshirt transfer paper tomorrow morning before I go to my sewing group. I tried the TAP paper by Lesley Riley, but the photo didn't transfer successfully to the dyed wool blanket I am using as my base fabric. I know the Tshirt transfers will work. I hope I can finish that part of the project tomorrow.

Sculpture by the Sea

2010-03-22T11:02:00.004+08:00

We finally made it to Cottesloe Beach on Saturday evening, just as the sun was lowering. For the first time in the years we have been visiting we were in time to see the small sculptures which are displayed in the Surf Club rooms. I really loved some of them.

This is a maquette of the large horse sculpture which Kevin really liked.

I was greatly taken by these bathing caps. They were made of glass.

This is my favourite of the outdoor installations - a comment on the Nanny State we seem to live in. Title: Because I Said So.

Also loved these:
An untitled piece of stainless steel lace in a pod shape

The Sky is Falling

A plywood swimmer - Sead

And the flag installation at the northern end of the beach.

Challenges

2010-03-16T21:37:00.005+08:00

At the February meeting of Designing Women we were challenged to bring along a small plastic bag of textiley bits for an exchange.

All the bags were put in brown paper bags and then we had to select one of them The challenge had two parts: make something from the bits you got using a dissolvable such as Romeo or Vilene 541 AND decorate the brown paper bag and bring it back in March.
This is what I did with the bits I received.

And this is what Juliet did.

And then, as if I didn't haven't enough deadlines with Stitched and Bound (which is still two pieces of fabric and a pile of photos) and QuiltWest, I embarked on a new project - crazy squares using some of the collection of lace I have been hoarding for years.

The centre bits are textured fabric using various techniques. I started them yesterday, but ran out of steam, so no square has more than two rounds of lace attached. At this moment I don't know if they will be a quilt or a cushion.

Melville Sculpture Walk 2010

2010-03-13T17:09:00.004+08:00

Last night we went to the opening of this exhibition on the Canning River at Deepwater Point. We were early enough to be able to walk around all the sculptures before the official opening. There were several that reflected their setting but the one that appealed most to both Kevin and me was an installation of a large fish "Bottle Bream" and several sea creatures made from plastic drink bottles. The artist was Rachel Wyder.

I also particularly liked these other pieces - textile based of course.

This was a series of felted pods (42 of them according to the artist Tanya Peters) hanging in one of the trees on the foreshore.

Alexandra Rossi has included all sorts of textile bits - yarns, buttons, laces along with other found objects in a wooden box with a glass lid that is buried in the sand. The title is Archaeological Dig: Buttons and Laces. I loved it.

The opening was one of the best I have ever attended. Good wine and food and a place to sit. Well done, City of Melville and Hannah in particular.

Purple Circles

2010-03-10T19:51:00.004+08:00

I joined my fortnightly group Secret Drawer this afternoon after I had had my PICC flush and visited Dale to hand in my Textile Tantrums. I wanted to buy some green Opulence interferon ink, but Dale was out of stock. Lovely lady - she gave me her own jar. Thanks heaps, Dale.

I spent the afternoon constructing more purple circles - buttonhole rings. I am not sure what they will be used for, but they are a good portable project, and I am liking how they look.
Before I left for the hospital I finished (I think) the chocolate box I covered with foil and painted with Opulence inks.
I had intended to take it along to show Helen who gave me the original choccies for Christmas, but I forgot. Didn't matter, Helen and hubby are on a trip somewhere and she didn't come.

Finished fiddling

2010-03-09T17:45:00.006+08:00

I completed my two entries for Dale's Textile Tantrums exhibition and will deliver them tomorrow after my visit to hospital for the mid-cycle PICC line flush.

I decided not to reprint the labels and just fused them on the back of each piece. They are legible - just look a bit mucky.

The first piece is called Tantrums in the Weave and was inspired by Maggie Grey's "Stitches, Straps and Layers" book. I used some failed pieces of embellished felt, added more funky yarn and silk sari ribbon, cut it up and wove it into a new piece, held together with some freehand stitching. Still looked unfinished so I added some beads.

The second piece used up some circular skins I had made at least 2 years ago from Plaid dimensional paint which I have had had for yonks. I painted some quilt wadding with acrylic paints, arranged the skins, covered it all with a piece of green chiffon scarf and free motioned in circles. Then I attacked it with a heat tool, removing the chiffon from the skins. I have called it A Circular Argument.

I made another booboo with the phototransfer for the ATCs by printing the images on the paper side instead of the film. Not a biggie - just reprinted on the correct side. I am quite happy with the ATCs and have posted them off to New Zealand for swapping.

So I have had a successful day of fiddling.

Fiddling, failures and bungles

2010-03-08T21:19:00.001+08:00

I did some more fiddling with my Textile Tantrum entries today - I think they are nearly finished. I decided to print the labels on to a ready prepared fabric sheet. OK, followed the directions and rinsed after leaving for a couple of hours. The ink ran. Decided it was still legible enough and left to dry overnight. First failure.

I also started work on the March ATC swap for Aus-NZ Art Quilters. I wanted to photo transfer onto black felt and foil over it. I printed an A4 sheet of images on TAP paper and attempted the transfer. Didn't work at all - probably the felt was too dark and too soft.

Next attempt - I dug out a packet of Tshirt transfer sheets for dark fabrics and printed off another sheet. Used a hot iron as required, and ironed on cardboard rather than the ironing board, also as required, but couldn't get it to work. I had cut out all the images and was trying to do individual transfers. I finally gave up in disgust and went and made dinner.

Then I reread the instructions and found that chemo brain had caused me to miss a crucial step - the image is printed on a paper backed film and the the two layers need to be separated. DUH!
So I have left it till tomorrow to try again.

Foil and Fabric paper

2010-03-04T17:28:00.006+08:00

I have been playing with kitchen foil. This is the top part of a chocolate box. I glued on some letters then covered the box with foil when it was dry. Today I have dabbed the foil with some Opulence inks in blue, purple and aubergine. I still need to add more colour around the letters. Not sure whether to leave them unpainted or to colour them so they are just textured.

I made some fabric paper with crumpled foil a couple of days ago and daubed it today with Opulence in blue,teal and green. I think it needs something else - maybe one of the interferons.

Remember the bit of knitting I tried to felt and scorched? It looks much better sprayed with Radiance colours. I plan to use the embellisher on this.

I also have been playing with adding more colour to the fabric paper I made a few days ago, but because I have used Moonglow sprays it hasn't dried yet (I only did it 10 minutes ago!) so no pic.

All the products I have mentioned are available from the Thread Studio.

What I have been reading

2010-03-03T20:19:00.004+08:00

ALL the Phryne Fisher mysteries by Kerry Greenwood - the whole 18 of them. I have read them all before, some of them more than once, but still found them most enjoyable.

I also read Fantasy in Death by JD Robb (Nora Roberts). Enjoyable, but not as good as the previous one in the series: Kindred in Death. I have lost track of how many novels are in this series - more than 25 I think. And yes, I have them all. Not quite ready to start a reread of them as yet.

While I was having chemo today I finished The City and The City by China Mieville, which I saw recommended on some blog - where I can't remember. It is a murder mystery/fantasy set in a place somewhere in Eastern Europe where two cities coexist in the same space and time. I found it fascinating and a good read. Another author to be added to my library list - I did borrow this one instead of buying.

Still trying to read from my own bookshelves, I found 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs. I have no idea why I haven't already read this one. I will start it tomorrow and sandwich reading with working on my Textile Tantrums (Dale has extended the deadline) and my entry for Stitched and Bound which needs to be finished soon if I am to have it professionally photographed.

Playday 2

2010-02-26T16:36:00.007+08:00

Today was a play day of a different kind. Juliet and I went to see a textile and ceramic exhibition at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre Gallery. There are interesting sculptures outside the Centre.

This is the entrance to the Centre and Gallery. Love that slumped glass.

There was some very interesting work in the exhibition and some attractive wearable art garments. I took my camera, but forgot to take any photos. (The photos above were taken on a previous visit).

Then we went to a newly developed part of Mandurah - Dolphin Quays. It is an interesting area - lots of high rise apartment buildings with shops and cafes on the ground floor. I hope the shops do well - there didn't seem to be too many people around. We had a very nice lunch at a cafe called Moka. I recommend it.

A most pleasant day. Thank you Juliet.

Playday

2010-02-25T21:17:00.001+08:00

I started playing with some bits today with nothing definite in mind about what will happen to them.

First I made some fabric paper - 50% PVA glue and water on calico with torn bits from paper napkins (coloured ply only). Then, when it was dry, I sprayed it with some Starburst Stains. I think I was a bit tentative with the colour and it needs more depth. I will spray a bit more and also add some stamping. The napkins have been saved from afternoon teas with the sewing group I met with on Wednesday - it has become quite a joke that I always put mine in my bag at the end. I look forward to showing the finished project off!

I was given this piece of knitting a couple of weeks ago. It is done with three yarns and I had no idea what fibres they are. I decided that I would try felting it. Into a pot with water, onto my new cooktop, power boosted to high and left to boil for rather too long. When I came back the water was gone and the knitting had scorched in spots.

No evidence of any felting so the yarns are obviously synthetic. Never mind - I will try some paint and then the embellisher.

The embellisher was put to work too. I finally changed the needles and it is meshing the fabric much better. There are a couple of pieces now in progress.

Disappearing 9 Patch

2010-02-24T20:18:00.003+08:00

I really like this block and I thought it would work well with the hearts that my sewing group gave me.

So this has been my textile effort over the last few days. There are 10 of these blocks.

I was given 9 hearts and I need 10 to make the quilt work. Sheila, who organised the heart presentation, did not have any more of the background fabric, but she found another than everyone agreed was colour perfect, if a bit heavier than the originals.

So what am I going to do for the 10th block? I will try to digitise everyone's name within a heart shape. If that doesn't work - I am definitely not a master digitiser - I will do the same thing with fabric pens. Watch this space!

I've been published again

2010-02-20T19:19:00.009+08:00

I received the new Textiles DownUnder magazine yesterday, but didn't start reading it thoroughly till today.

I am impressed - there is a big gap in the Australian market for a magazine which focuses on textile art. The magazine Machine Embroidery and Textile Art has been going for years (and I have to admit I have every copy - more stuff to get rid of) but the few articles on techniques other than computerised machine embroidery are not usually all that exciting.

One of the features was on ATCs and there are two ATCs attributed to me. However, I am positive that one of them is not mine - I think it may be on the opposite page under someone else's name. Sorry to whoever actually made it - what a shame.

The one I know is not mine is in the middle on the left - the gumnuts. Definitely not my style.

Friday Flaunt

2010-02-19T19:08:00.004+08:00

Quilting Down Under, which is one of the Internet groups I belong to, has a "Friday Flaunt" where members who have blogs post examples of work they have accomplished during the week.

I think I need to flaunt something and this is really the only bit of textile stuff that I have finished all week. This was a challenge for the meeting of the Husqvarna Club last Tuesday - seminole patchwork constructed with an overlocker. I made 2 pieces and used them to border hand towels.

The piece of woollen blanket which I dyed with lavender and an iron cog looks great. It has come out in shades of dark olive green/khaki. I think I may dye another piece or maybe two - I have a couple of blankets in different colours and I would like to see how the lavender takes on them.

Another Tree Trunk

2010-02-17T16:24:00.002+08:00

I have been taking photos of tree trunks for years - I just love the textures and the colours.

Yesterday we went to Perth to look at a new laptop computer for Helen. The shop was opposite Russell Square which is bordered with huge ficus trees. I just had to take a photo of this one's tortured limbs.

Today I have been dyeing a woollen blanket with lavender leaves and a large iron cog. It is still sitting in the pot, but looks quite yummy.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

2010-02-14T11:48:00.005+08:00

The February challenge for Designing Women was to interpret the song title in a small textile piece measuring 35 cm by 15 cm (14" by 6"). The results were amazing. Here are some of them.

This was mine, made from lace scraps stitched onto Vilene 541

Margaret P used the Flower Stitcher foot for the background and is now adding more 3D shapes.

Linda recycled a piece she made on dissolvable in her student days and added silk paper.

Margaret F thought of a snow white dove as she did lots of stitching.

Helen did some recycling of home decor fabric and lots of stitching as well.

Dorothy has heavily stitched a sandwich of fabrics, then added a feather and some flowers.

Delys has used stitched and stamped water soluble paper, tyvek and printed paper scraps.

And the piece de resistance - Juliet's free machined images from the song lyrics.

Using the dragon leaves

2010-02-11T19:59:00.003+08:00

I have finally used the leaves from the dragon tree. I made a coiled pot from wrapped macrame yarn and stitched the leaves to the outside.

It is supposed to be a bowl, but maybe it is a hat?

My hearts

2010-02-11T19:50:00.003+08:00

Here are the hearts I was gifted with yesterday. They are so lovely and each one is so typical of its maker.
From Helen, Sheila and Lois

From Jenny and Anne

From Marianne and Jannie

From Fairlie and Mary. Thank you so much, all of you.

A gift of Hearts

2010-02-10T20:03:00.002+08:00

My sewing friendship group presented me with a wonderful surprise today. They had each made me a block with a green heart or hearts. I will take photos tomorrow, they are all quite wonderful. Making a quilt from them will be a priority.

Water ATC Swap

2010-02-07T19:41:00.004+08:00

I joined in the Water swap and sent off my ATCs to New Zealand. My swaps came back on Thursday and I am really pleased with them. Most also had a haiku attached - the ones I sent off didn't, but I may consider it for the next one.

From left to right, top line first.
Jan Cotton, New Zealand; Amelia Ruscoe, New Zealand; Diana Bahler, New Zealand.
Sharon Andrews, New Zealand; Karen Dean, ??; Dagmar Kessler, Germany.

I am really happy with the ATCs I received.

I've been published

2010-02-03T08:47:00.003+08:00

The West Australian newspaper has a daily column called "Burning Questions" which invites readers to respond to trivial questions, listed under the response of the day. Last week I decided I would respond to "what is the difference between a herb and a spice?", sent off an email and surprise! had my answer published on Monday.

Doing nothing much

2010-02-02T16:51:00.004+08:00

except reading, but I started a textile piece today. It is the challenge for the Designing Women meeting on Saturday week: "a whiter shade of pale". I am using some of my large collection of lace. No photo until the meeting - I want to keep it under wraps.

As for the reading, after I finished reading Ian Rankin's The Falls, which I really enjoyed, I have been rereading Kerry Greenwood's Phyrne Fisher series and am now about to start number 11. But I am also reading the other Ian Rankin which Sheila loaned me so I may give Phryne a break for now.

The pile of books that I have not read, as opposed to those I want to reread, doesn't seem to lessen. I am appalled by the number of unread books in my bookshelves, and I am still buying. Trying to restrict myself to secondhand stuff, though - I bought A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian for $2 at swapmeet last week - I have heard good reports of it and the price was right.

Friday Flower

2010-01-29T20:29:00.003+08:00

This is the beautiful orchid which my sewing group gave to me. It has lasted three weeks so far, even with the high temperatures we have been having. I have been remembering to water it too!

Neckpiece

2010-01-27T18:45:00.005+08:00

I had a few bits left over from the ATCs, so I decided to make a necklace with them. The cord is twisted knitting yarn. Each "bead" is two layers, the cord is sandwiched between them and it can be moved along the cord, so they can be grouped or separated.

After I made it I felt it looked a bit boring, so I decided to add beads. I'm pretty pleased with it.

I am reading

2010-01-19T17:42:00.004+08:00

lots of books and gaining immense enjoyment from them.

On Sunday I finished Geraldine Brooks' "People of the Book" which I really liked. Juliet has now given me her first book, "Year of Wonders", but I am putting it to one side for the moment. Last night I finished "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. (You were quite right, Jennifer, I loved it). I enjoyed it so much that I think I will read it again almost immediately - I know I was so involved in the story that I probably missed a lot. I think Kevin may enjoy it too.

Tonight I am going back to Ian Rankin's Rebus. I read a heap of them all in a rush and suddenly had enough. But I have two that Sheila loaned me months ago so I will attempt them before the next gathering of our sewing group in mid February so I can return them to her.

And I went to Husqvarna Club today. I hope to keep up with as many groups as I can - I will just stay firm on not taking on too much within them.

Elizabeth's Open House

2010-01-18T19:35:00.002+08:00

Once again, a great afternoon at Elizabeth Morley's , even though numbers were down due to the appalling heat - another 42 degree plus day. I must confess I thought about staying home in airconditioning, but Juliet had offered me a lift so I went.

I had over-estimated my stamina so spent most of the afternoon sitting under an airconditioning vent and chatting to others. Lovely to see people like Zoe who have moved away from the city. I forgot my camera so didn't take any photos of the Show and Tell which was excellent as usual. Dale had the most fabulous Flower Stitched piece - I covet it and ordered her new booklet on the spot.

Thank you, Elizabeth. I have been to every one of your Open Houses and I look forward to it each year. And thank you for the threads - I will remember that I owe you.

ATC Swap

2010-01-17T14:44:00.009+08:00

I thought I would join in the Aus-NZ Art Quilters ATC theme swaps this year, as they are small commitments (4-6 cards) due every second month.

I fiddled furiously today and I have completed my first set. The theme is water.

For the base I used painted felt (which I already had) and scattered over bits of angelina and some metallic threads. Then I covered it with a nylon organza and quilted it in a sort of wave design. Suitably watery, I thought.

I was in two minds about embellishing. I tried a freemotion bubble thing and decided against it, though I will keep them as extras. I had more painted felt, so I repeated the base process then stitched some leaf shapes.

" Leaves fall into water " is the title of the series. I will take them to Show and Tell tomorrow at Elizabeth's if I go, which I probably will since I am feeling well, but tired, then send them off to Diana in New Zealand for swapping. I will actually be well ahead of the deadline (January 31st) for once.

I have also been playing with "skins" (acrylic paint on freezer paper which you lift off and reattach to a base. These ones are made with Plaid dimensional paint which I have had for yonks).

Not sure what will happen to these, but I quite like the look of them on painted felt.

A bit of fiddling

2010-01-12T21:16:00.003+08:00

I finished the pillowcases this morning and I am pleased with them. Helen will be able to mix and match or use all of them at once. She is coming tomorrow to try and sort out some of the 20 or so tubs of teaching resources she has in the storeroom so I will give them to her then.

I tried to coil the dragon tree leaves, but they are too brittle. I am reluctant to compost them since I love the colour of the ends (wish I knew the technical term). I think I might try stitching bits to a background.

Started the second round of chemotherapy this afternoon. Details on the other blog.

Followup on 'The Quilt'

2010-01-11T18:21:00.003+08:00

When I gave daughter Helen the quilt on her birthday she was very pleased, but it didn't take long before she decided she needed/wanted some matching pillowcases. This wouldn't have been a problem if I hadn't used up almost all the fabric. What was left was in small bits and I really didn't want to piece it all together - it would have looked like leftovers, not planned patchwork.

So I googled Klimt fabric. Found some in the US that exactly matched the backing fabric I used for the quilt and another that went well with it and sent off an order in the middle of December. I had an email back in a couple of days that said it had been sent, but that US Post was experiencing long delays with international mail and it could be 6 - 8 weeks before delivery.

Not a problem - I had other things to worry about. However the fabric arrived in the first week of January (2-1/2 weeks after ordering).

Today I decided to grasp the nettle and make the pillowcases. First problem: I hadn't done any calculations on how much fabric I actually required and found that I didn't have enough to make the 4 pillowcases I had planned. But I did have all those scraps.

I have finished 2 pillowcases and almost the other 2. I had planned a photo, but I had to go to the dentist, so that is tomorrow's task: finish and document.

Tomorrow is Day 1 of the second round of chemo, starting at 1.30. I will have enough time in the morning to finish them off.

Dracaena Draco

2010-01-09T18:15:00.004+08:00

or Dragon Tree, a native of the Canary Islands. Helen gave me a smallish specimen in a large pot for my birthday a couple of years ago and it has survived my haphazard care. In fact it has almost doubled in size.

Today I noticed a dead leaf so decided to do some tidying. There were quite a few dead fronds.

The dead fronds have the most fabulous colouring and textures on the ends that were attached to the stem.

They were on their way to the compost, but I am now thinking coiled basket. I am sure I have some fine red-orange coloured cord somewhere . . . .

Two good days

2010-01-08T17:16:00.003+08:00

Yesterday and today. Actually got stuff sorted and paid some bills today.

Yesterday was our 44th wedding anniversary. We went out to eat Chinese with Kevin's brother and sister. Very nice.

Books are fibre, aren't they?

2010-01-06T18:33:00.002+08:00

It has been wonderful to have complete justification for losing myself in a book every day. I confess to not being able to tackle anything heavyweight as yet and my textile books remain unopened. Maybe next week. In the meantime I am devouring mostly crime and fantasy/SF.

I have been hoarding the Bujold books - she is an excellent writer (Miles Vorkosigan, anyone?). This seemed like the time to read them - especially since there is a fourth volume due out in late January. I have ordered it from Amazon and will read Volume 3 and 4 together - there is a logical break between them and the first two. I thoroughly enjoyed them and will now reread the Miles books soon.

Kerry Greenwood is one of my favourite Oz writers. I have all of her Phyrne Fisher series (something else to reread), but felt like wallowing in more contemporary Melbourne. This is wonderful fantasy crime. I started with this

and have now reread all but Devil's Food.

I borrowed from the library for a couple - I do not actually own every book I have ever read - just a lot of them.

Other books I have read and enjoyed in the last weeks include Body Double by Tess Gerritsen (definitely a white knuckled page turner) and The Bread with Seven Crusts by Susan Temby.

My sister loaned this to me some months ago and said I would enjoy it. I did, though I felt the ending was less satisfactory than the body of the novel. It is the story of an Italian POW working on a farm near Southern Cross in World War II. Our father employed Italian POWs during the same time period and it brought back many memories, even though I was only five when the war ended.

Tonight I intend to read a Nora Roberts. I feel like some very easy reading.

My Cancer Blog

2010-01-04T22:28:00.003+08:00

I have started a new blog where I intend to chronicle my battle and eventual victory over my cancers. This way I can keep this blog as a record of my forays into fibre fiddling.

Unfortunately, there has been nothing in the way of fiddling as yet in the New Year.

A bit of sewing

2009-12-28T17:22:00.004+08:00

Not so long ago, before everything turned upside down, I cut out some new trousers that I intended to take on the cruise, which of course is now cancelled.

Today I tackled the construction. There was a slight hiccup when the machine I was using refused to feed through the fabric. I was about to use the other one, but I was short of matching thread and unwilling to make a special trip to Spotlight. Each machine has a different bobbin. I let the machine have a rest while I googled recipes for turkey leftovers - guess what we're having for dinner tonight?

After a good clean around the bobbin area the machine decided to play nicely again, so the pants are nearly finished. Just some topstitching, elastic insertion and hemming to go. I think I might be able to finish them on Wednesday.

Tomorrow I am having a PICC line inserted in my arm which will be used to deliver the chemotherapy for the next 6 months. We are due at the hospital at 8.30 and I suspect it will be 4pm or so before we leave. The chemo treatment itself takes 3 hours, and then I am attached to a portable pump to deliver more over the next 46 hours. The pump will be disconnected on Thursday, but we have to see the oncologist, so that will probably take most of that day.

Friday Flowers

2009-12-26T10:38:00.004+08:00

Part of my Christmas present from my sister Dorothy - she also gave me some earrings and a goat. The latter is in our names to a poor family somewhere.

We had a good time. No family dramas, everyone seemed pleased with their pressies and most of the food was eaten. The frozen Christmas pudding I made was a big hit - think it will be the start of a tradition, because most of the family don't like the hot version, but they all hoed into this.

I went to bed very early. This morning Helen and I each played with our new iTouch.

Ready, Set, Go!

2009-12-24T20:53:00.002+08:00

I have prepared the frozen plum pudding. The bubbly is in the fridge. All the presents are wrapped and under/around the tree. The turkey is cooked, and ready to to go in the fridge to be sliced tomorrow. I am knackered.

Happy Christmas/Holidays to everyone.

Another day, another hospital, another blood test

2009-12-23T17:17:00.004+08:00

We had an appointment at Royal Perth this morning regarding the clinical trial. There is one chance in two of being selected to have the radiation therapy as well as chemo, and I wasn't. So my treatment will be chemo alone. However I still have to have most of the clinical tests including yet another CT scan which will probably happen after New Year. It's a lousy time of the year to try to get things done.

The oncologist has decided that I need to have daily injections to prevent the formation of blood clots (I have a blood factor which predisposes for them, and there are some small ones present in my lungs). The commencement date of the chemo was moved up - I start on Tuesday now and will be pump free for New Years Eve. Not sure I will feel like celebrating, but it will certainly be a new start.

Hurry up and wait

2009-12-22T18:42:00.002+08:00

We spent nearly 8 hours at the hospital today, but it was eventually productive.

We arrived at 8am, parked the car in the multistorey carpark, and went for a blood test which was done promptly. We then walked to the radiology clinic (outside the hospital) for a 8.45 appointment. We were early for this so were prepared to wait, but at 8.30 I was ushered into a cubicle, told to put on a gown and left there, sitting on a very hard wooden bench with no reading material. By 9.15 I was a mess. No-one had come near me, I had heard the CT machine operated twice on people who had turned up after me and we had been advised that processing the films and preparing the report would take at least two hours when I had a 10.45 appointment with the oncologist. I was really stressed out.

Finally, they were ready for me and the scan started at 9.40. More problems. I needed to have a dye infusion and they couldn't pump it in - first one arm, then the other and a third attempt on the original arm. Success at the price of an aching arm because I had to hold it up straight while all this was going on. The scan itself took almost no time.

More waiting faced us, but we decided to walk down to Subiaco Square and have a coffee rather than sit in the waiting room. We collected the films at 10.30 and went to the oncologist's rooms. More waiting. At least this time Kevin had something interesting to read - he had spent over an hour waiting for me with only New Idea and Woman's Day available as reading material (he reckons he can now answer any quiz question on Brangelina) - but the oncologist has aviation magazines.

By the time we left his rooms at 11.45 we had received some more bad news (there are some small tumours on my lungs) but had treatment organised for the whole shebang. I am to start chemotherapy on New Year's Eve for the first of 12 fortnightly cycles. We were advised to make an appointment at the chemotherapy suite for an information session. We asked for one today, not wanting to drive all the way back, but could not get one before 2pm. So, yet more waiting. We had lunch at the hospital restaurant - quite nice sushi - then sat outside under shade for an hour and a bit.

When we fronted up we had to wait a bit longer - and fill in another set of forms! The oncologist rang on my mobile - he had got a waiver for me to take part in a clinical trial of a new treatment. This involves radiation as well as chemo. We have another appointment for tomorrow at RPH.

The information session took over an hour. The really good thing was that they swapped our parking ticket for a fully paid one, so no parking fees today. They would have mounted up, too, at $2 hour.