Teeth Extractions, Orange Challenges, UFO days etc

Thankfully, the last parent evening at my kids' schools is over - 3 kids in 3 different schools makes for interesting times - now life can take on a resemblance of normalcy (:LOL - what's normal?) The next big challenge is to get my one son through his teeth extractions on Saturday - he needs 4 out - the baby molars and the adult teeth underneath them. He is having it done under General Anaesthetic. He will be off school for about 3 to 4 days. I'm told there is going to be a LOT of swelling afterwards.

Then..... it's time to get back to the quilting again. On Sunday there is special UFO sewing day. Yay - I can't wait. Being "forced" to quilt is such fun. I have also joined the Orange Project Challenge - need to photograph a pile of Orange fabrics and post them. I LOVE orange and all the values and hues around orange.

Added to all of the above fun, I am started to teach guitar lessons in the afternoons to kids. Life works in circles. It is amazing. I started my post school career as a music student, worked as a professional musician in a military band for a number of years, moved away from music, had kids, became a computer programmer both through necessity and interest in the subject. Now I seem to be moving back to music again. Need to prepare some guitar lessons for next week :LOL

UFO Day and Memory Quilts

Today is the first UFO day and I am finishing the memory quilt for a friend who teaches David (my Aspergers lad) dog training. It started out as being a wall hanging but there are too many photos - I am just making up all the photos into blocks - log cabin blocks with a twist. and then the blocks into strips. Who knows how big it will end up :-) Having great fun and that's what counts.

The first 3 photos are the strips and blocks that I completed before today.

The next 2 photos are what I did today. It's slow but rewarding work. Because I am designing the quilt as I go, I need to make one block at a time and join it to the next block. Each strip has to be sewn, trimmed and ironed flat before I can move onto the next strip.

Note the cat on the last photo. This is my pregnant Lilac Burmese cat. She has taken to sleeping on our bed all the time. She might even choose to give birth to her kittens on our bed - could be interesting :LOL

I am having such fun I think I will sew some more :LOL

I REALLY need to build a design wall - taking photos flat on the bed standing on a chair does not make good photos......

Saluki Platform

My DB Saluki loves standing on high furniture and sleeping on the back of the couch. My husband caught her on the table with all the computers on. :LOL It's not a brilliant photo - was taken with a cell phone camera.

UFO days, Start of School, Empty Nests and things....

The first UFO day is this coming saturday. I am so looking forward to it. I wonder what I should work on.......where to start. Lots of photos are forthcoming - the blog will no longer look so plain :LOL. I miss the bright photos on my blog.

The eldest son was dropped off at his boarding school yesterday afternoon to start the school year today. The house is so quiet. I miss his singing and cheerful "noise". The other 2 kids start school tomorrow and wednesday respectively. They are in day school so need to be dropped off every morning and collected every afternoon. The daughter will be playing sport most afternoons of the week all afternoon so life will soon be back to it's usual hectic self. Life with triplets is certainly interesting. It is actually awesome watching each child grow and develop into the best he/she can be. I love watching it. Maybe there is a series of quilts in that :LOL

All the baby kittens are sold. The last 2 are being collected this weekend. The house will really be empty then, until the next litter of kittens is born - should be last week in Feb - can't wait.

Hectic, Hectic, Hectic

The summer holidays are over and the new school year starts next week. Each child is in a different school so I have 3 starting dates..... Life is rather busy at the moment - buying school requirements, working etc. I haven't posted any photos of quilts for a long time........ sad but true. Oh well.....will get back to it as soon as kids have settled down in their new classes. This time of the year is particularly difficult for my Asperger's lad - new class, new teacher, new everything. The school has even changed the uniform :LOL

As an aside, I am finding Dena Crain's Ladders and Crystals course very challenging but very stimulating and rewarding. Maybe that's why there are no quilts to be photographed :LOL

Have a wonderful day

Crystals and Ladders

I have started a design course through Quilt University with Dena Crain called Crystals and Ladders. Wow, it is really challenging me. I have to draw designs with a pencil and paper - Everytime I am called upon to draw, I have a panic attack and run away. This time I am determined to overcome this fear and master the challenge. It is really scary......

World Visitors

I add the NeoCounter and am totally stunned and amazed by the visitors to my blog from around the world. This is one of the awesome things about blogging - you get visitors from all around the world. Just think - I live on the Southern tip of Africa (well, more South East coast) and I have friends from all over the world. Mind blowing........ I can't wait to visit my blog every morning to see how many new countries have been added to my blog.

Late New Year's Resolution...

Oh yes... the bit I forgot was that I need to finish all the UFO's that have been accumulating over the last 2 years.....Wonder if I'll ever get there. I also have a couple of needlepoints to finish as well. It is going to be a wonderfully hectic year.

New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year to everyone who follows this blog. May it be a creative, fun filled, loving and sucessful year for all of us.

I have been thinking about where my quilting is going (or rather not going)..... and have decided that this is the year for learning as much as I can about quilt design and techniques from as many teachers as possible. Some of the best ways to learn is to take courses through the Online Quilt University and Ruth Blanchet's Academy of Quilting. I have just started Dena Crain's "Ladders and Crystals" course and then onto a "Getting Started with Quilt Art" course with Ruth Blanchet's Academy of Quilting.

The best news of all is that Nancy Crow is coming to South Africa in August - am busy collecting the stash now so I have enough fabric to take with to the course. Valerie Hearder is also coming to Durban in May so... there are awesome opportunities to learn so much this year. I am so excited I can't wait....... To use the old cliche...."Watch this space"