Now that my husband will be starting his new job in a couple of weeks, everything is changing.  There is a new sense of urgency in the house.  Urgency to do the household repairs that haven’t been done.  Urgency to organise a cleaner, to service the car, to update technology, to figure out childcare.  Urgency to get the tax done, to come up with meal plans, to work out how our lives are going to be conducted for the next while.  I won’t be able to drop back to two days for another six weeks, so we are going to have some weeks where my husband is working full-time and I am working four days per week and how will we get the kids to school and still get to work in time and how will we get to collect them from care on time, yada yada yada.  But I know that we’ll figure it all out.  The planets have aligned so far, and fingers crossed that they continue to do so.  This will be a huge change for us.  My husband has worked from home since before we had Clare, so he’s always been around for school drop-off etc while I leave super early for work, and he’s always been around in the office upstairs for me to pop in and say hello during the day when I’m not at work.  There will be a great deal of adjustment for all of us.  Thanks so much for your congratulatory messages!

Clare and I had a ball at the Quilt and Craft Fair on Saturday!  Sadly, my mum couldn’t come along this year, but we were thinking of her.  Clare especially requested that I didn’t spend too long talking to people I knew – and of course within a few minutes of arriving I had run into and was busy chatting to Anna, then Bec, then Nikki, then Rachel, then Cathy…… the day continued on in that vein!  But I did take her wishes into account.  We went to an arm-knitting demonstration by Teresa Dair of Dairing (wow, fantastic yarns and fibres and yes I did make a purchase or two) and Clare got to have a go.  She was a natural!

Then it was on to have a look at the incredible quilts that were on display.  We wandered over just as sewing classes for kids were starting.  So of course, Clare wanted to take part.

Kate from Kate’s Sewing Centre had pre-cut pieces of fabric and wadding, and taught the kids to make their own patchwork placemat. Clare did an excellent job, if I do say so myself.

She did such a great job that combined with the excitement of my husband’s new job, I bought her a sewing machine – one of the little Bernettes that she used in the class!

We collect it on Thursday, and she’ll have another lesson on how to use it at the same time. Looks as though I’ll be sharing my sewing room and having to make some space in the stash.

My focus this year really was more on the yarn than on quilts, I must confess. I did enjoy the display, but barely glanced at the fabric that was on offer at the many stands! I managed to say hello to Nikki in a rare quiet moment between customers – she was deluged with business and her A-line Skirt pattern sold out. Another seminar that we attended was on the Sitam patternmaking method. I was very impressed and will definitely do this course in order to draft blocks that will fit me properly. I know that my sewing techniques aren’t an issue, but getting fit right is a whole other story. If I can start with pattern blocks that are drafted to my measurements, then surely it will take my sewing to another level.

Check out this yarn – it’s fabric strips! I bought a kit to crochet a bag with it. It’s really just the same principle as the old-fashioned rag rugs. Nothing is new under the sun, there’s just different ways to tweak it!

So there goes another Quilt and Craft Fair. We had a very enjoyable day and it was dark by the time we caught the train home. Poor Clare was exhausted (and so was I).

The yarns in this post are from Dairing, Prudence Mapstone and Zpagetti. There were many lovely yarns on offer at a number of stalls this year….