The Fabric of Life

Woke up feeling utterly bleurgh, sore throat, throbbing head... and I am sure it's just because term has ended. We were saying in the Staffroom this week that a high proportion of teachers just collapse with exhaustion once the End of Term/Annual Production/Everything Else finishes. I'm only a part-timer, I really feel for colleagues who are full-time.

But although I feel a physical wreck this morning, I am quite happy, because there is a lot to celebrate.

Tom and Alex are having a really productive time in Tanzania - check out Bob's blog for details

Scott and Anjanette, our link missionaries, have got their visas through - so the family will be flying out on August 19th.

And Steph's getting home at midday for a weekend visit.

I had a little parcel of goodies from Liz in the post last week- including this lovely Fat Quarter [for you non-craftspeople, that's a piece of fabric 18" x 22"] I have yet to work out what to do with it. But isn't it cool? My daughters are so good to me!

She included with it a postcard from the place on Brick Lane Market where she found it, and suggested I look at their website for ideas.

There was a link to another site, which stocks their goods, and I am already wondering when I can get to this place

They have lots of goodies, much of it Fairly Traded. I don't need any more mugs, but isn't this fun?

They don't have a picture of its sister "I'd rather be sewing"

Isn't the knitted cupcake cute?

But what do you do with it? It would just sit there and collect dust - and you can't eat it!

Now the costume making is out of the way, I decided my fabric stash needed sorting, so last night I began the process.

A lot of my fabric was stacked, higgledy-piggledy on shelf in Steph's bedroom [there's more in the loft!] and recently I have been pulling bits out in a hurry and pushing bits back and it is a mess, prone to throwing itself out in a heap over the rowing machine [thus preventing any attempts at exercise!] I save all my scraps, in my attempt to be the ultimate Mrs Make-Do-And-Mend. Some of them date back to my teenage dressmaking projects - and others are inherited from generous friends - so there are YARDS of fabric squirrelled away round the house. Perhaps I could put it all together and quilt us  a retirement property!

So whilst watching a whole episode of 'Wycliffe', and then another of 'Touch of Frost', I trimmed pressed the pieces, discarded the too tiny scraps and packed them into neat ziploc-type bags. Categorised by plain cottons and polycottons, printed ones, and 'specials and Christmas' I haven't even started on the other fabrics yet [nets, fleece, felt, jerseys, lace...] But here's a picture of last night's marathon effort. It all looks much tidier and more manageable now. And if I ever do decide to make another quilt, it will be much easier to organise the pieces.