Another word for busy with no tangible outcome!
I have lots of things on the go, I’m actually quite busy, but nothing really post-worthy on its own, which is why the photo is pretty random – we took doggo and a picnic to the newly-developed Riverside leisure area in Mackay for a bit of a change. Beautifully done: loungers, tables and chairs and benches under cover, very nice amenities, ample rubbish bins, and best of all, a couple of free filtered-water dispensers for people and doggos. We’ll be going back again soon.
The entire central panel of the Delft quilt is now entirely stitched together, a mammoth undertaking. I’m currently cutting borders/ working out what I want the corners to look like, preparatory to taking the project away with us when we go travelling at the end of January, as handwork. Stitching the hexie edges onto the straight border should be challenging, as well as
tedious time-consuming. It’s easy for things to get puckered and bubbly if your stitch tension is too tight.
I’m making a skirt out of a thrifted pair of pants. It’s a work in progress… If it works, I’ll show it.
I made a work apron out of a pair of the Husband’s old work pants. More on that for ScrapHappy Day on the 15th.
I made a waterproof iPhone hiking pouch for a friend. Fold-over press-stud top for waterproofing, and zippered bottom for quick access.
I made a set of 3 ‘feminine hygiene’ kits for a young lady of my acquaintance who is going to need them soon. Ecologically friendly, washable, comfortable, colourful, practical, discreet, and nothing to landfill or the sewage system.
The red kurta is still on Rosita, my dress form. I have opened out the side seams and basted in muslin panels to act as patterns for the eventual final inserts. And there it has stopped. For now…
I have a green silk thrifted top that is waiting to be altered with a patterned silk insert. It’s a gorgeous colour, but as an occasional-wear item it’s not high on the To Do list.
I just finished making a set of napkins from some beautiful French red and white striped linen. I wanted super-large ones (nearly tea towel-sized), and you just can’t buy them that size.
I carved, vacuum-packed and froze the rest of our Christmas ham. I made pea and ham soup from the bone and smallest scraps. The shells from 2kg (4 pounds) of prawns are still sitting in a bag in the freezer waiting for me to make a stock from them for a bisque. The soup I made from the two chicken carcasses is almost history already. And that’s the end of the Christmas leftovers.
I am 3½ pages into the instruction book for my latest miniature kit. The booklet is 24 pages long… The kit is a surprise gift for someone, so I’m not going to be showing any pictures, but it’s one of the most content-intensive ones I’ve seen, so there are literally dozens of pieces to make for it. And I’m on a deadline. Why do I do these things to myself? Oh yes, because it’s heaps of fun!
And finally, we gave Miz Lizzie the caravan (travel trailer) a major bath and beauty treatment. After years of restrictions, we are finally getting ready for an out-of-state 1400km/870 mile trip down south to Nambucca Heads in northern NSW, where the Husband and I will both celebrate birthdays with friends and family. Miz Lizzie is looking very clean, shiny and spiffy. She will shortly be off to visit the caravan repair yard, to have two more inline bilge fans fitted to her new air conditioning system to help the cold air shoot out faster. The new system couldn’t be fitted in the old location due to size, and the new ducting is much longer, so the built-in fan loses efficiency and the cooling is reduced. We fitted one in-line fan at home to test whether it helps. It does, so she’s off this coming week to get the rest of the work done before we go away. I hope it gets done fairly quickly, as we had to strip the interior to get at the relevant ducting, and it all has to go back in again before I can clean and start packing!
So, as you can see, my comparative radio-silence has not been evidence of idleness, but rather of too many irons in the fire and not enough completion.
So clearly, my word for 2023 will continue to be FINISH.
Wow, busy! Mouse seems to be demonstrating the art of being ready to leap up and get going…I hope you had a few restful cups of tea in there, and nice meals and pleasant walks. Your upcoming vacation sounds delightful!
He was actually checking out all the ‘sniffs’ in the area, making sure it was suitable 😊 Since that photo, we’ve been back with friends and had a really nice time – it’s a perfect place on a summer evening, with a fresh breeze off the river.
The Riverside is really nice! Would be cool to offer up the shot of Mousiekins on his floof and your quilted covers to the powers-that-be for advertising.
Hopefully, amidst all that you’ve been doing, you had a chance to get a little rest in. Looking forward to reading about your out-of-state adventure.
I finished fostering (she’s back up for adoption — cross your paws!) just in time for tons of rain to foil any trips we might be making. Perhaps next month. At least we’re getting some snowpack in the mountains, so I’m hopeful that the drought won’t get any worse this year.
The place is so new it doesn’t even feature on the council’s website yet, but once it does, I may consider offering some photos, particularly once we’ve held next week’s greyhound social club gathering there.
I don’t have as much on the go as you do, but feel very much in the same boat. Nothing share-worthy or it’s difficult to photograph so nothing’s been on the blog in recent days. Hope the new ventilation system can be installed well before you plan to leave!
I like progressive posts, but when every photo looks the same it’s not so much fun, and a whole bunch of half-finished stuff isn’t interesting for anyone. Hopefully in a few days I’ll be able to show the borders basted on for Delft. The caravan is off to the repair yard on Tuesday, and we should be at the head of the line for repairs since he failed to fit us in as promised before Christmas! Cross your fingers…
You’ve been busy! But all those irons in the fire sound fun. Enjoy your trip when you take it.
It’s good to have things on the go, so much better than feeling blah and uninspired
And… such is life as we know it also. When conversationally asked -as happens even more during the festive season- so, what have you been doing, how on earth do we answer… For the casual enquirer, a response of not much just keeping busy, seems simplest, but you and I both know there is much satisfaction in the doing and its rewards.
“Not much” is such a catch-all phrase to cover “a helluva lot actually, but nothing you’d be interested in or that I can show you”!
I’m getting impatient now 🤩🤩🤩🤩
Me too, a bit! I just need to get Delft to a certain point so I’ll have handwork to do if I feel like it or if it rains. Miz Lizzie is looking very clean and spiffy – makes a nice change!
I’ve got the weather up on my phone so fingers crossed it stays the way it is now 🤩
No one could accuse you of sitting on your hands doing nothing. If the hands are quiet, the mind will be whirling. That’s a lot you have going on there. I’ve been in bed for 2 1/2 days trying not to bust a rib from coughing or sneezing. Not covid, doesn’t feel like a cold so who knows. Today was better, tomorrow I hope more productive. Happy Ms Lizzy is getting a bit of a lift for your next trip. I also made pea soup with leftover ham from one of our meals at the Senior Center. Had the kids and a neighbor over for it Christmas Eve.
Take good care of yourself, Marlene, ‘something’ on the chest is so dangerous for you. I’d give gold to sit with you for an afternoon, talking about family, books, food, the past, what we’re making…. well, you get the idea. How is your internet signal. Is it good enough for Skype? Or, if you have an iPad, a FaceTime? Let me know if you can, and if you’d like to.
I can see why you might be focusing on finish again. My middle son when asked how he is says”Busy, busy, busy”. Sounds like you are having a lot of fun doing the things you enjoy the most.
I am, I just wish there were more hours in the day to spend on each of those enjoyable things 😊
You sound very busy! I’m glkad you have found somewhere nice to go for a sit and a picnic with Mouse who looks very elegant there.
And he knows it! Arranging themselves elegantly is part of a greyhound skillset, as well as absolutely bonkers, pretzel-type arrangements to show how flexible they are…
I learned a lot of yoga from Orchid!
busy times are happy times, just can’t sit around doing nothing. Have a lovely holiday in Ms. Lizzie.
I for one find myself incapable of doing nothing, especially when I can do what others would call ‘nothing’ *and* sew at the same time. Maybe that holiday is a bit overdue, though…
Oh, my! You HAVE been busy!
Ayup. I looked at my work table and tried to think why it was so crowded. Once I started totting up the stuff it started to get silly – especially when I thought about the non-sewing!
Busy busy busy! I find if I’m juggling lots of projects then every so often I feel the need for a few finishes 🙂
You can only keep so many balls in the air before you either drop some or realise you’re not giving them the attention they need. Just now, I’m concentrating on just two things, switching between the two. It’s helping!
Just WOW – made me tired just reading it…
I know… Just reading the list made me realise just how over-committed I am, and that a few solid finishes are desperately needed!
My busy with no tangible outcome is put to shame by your busy with tangible outcome. Wow.
I think it may depend on your definition of tangible. Acquiring knowledge, dealing with paperwork, enriching the mind and taking well-earned rest are also tangibles, I feel!
I like the way you subvert the dominant paradigm!
Or, “I reject your reality and substitute my own”. Said from the luxurious position of time to do my own thing…
So beautiful – I always so happy to be able to drop in and see these warm masterpieces – the display is kind of cute too!
Anything can be improved by the insertion of a suitable dog…
I am always inspired by your creativity and wonderful projects. Can you tell me more about the “feminine hygiene” kits you have made please?
Thank you! I’ve sent you an email with more details and some photos.
Hmmm. Looks like the email address WordPress gave me for you isn’t working. If you’d like to email me your correct contact info, I’ll forward the email to you again.
Hi Kate, I’ve never tried to change our now defunct email address on WordPress….so my apologies with a bounce back. Email address that is current: lynleybrian54@gmail.com. Many thanks for doing that for me.
Thanks! Reply on the way.
Wow, the Delft blues are stunning !!!!
Those are quite old quilts I made for our caravan bunks! I grabbed them for the picnic because I knew those loungers were a little hard.
They are absolutely stunning. But I guess you have stunning quilts all over your house. It is an artform that is not very common here.
Ooh, Mackay has gone upmarket!
Good luck with all your projects, you are busy!
This sounds super busy! But with fun things to look ahead to.
It really isn’t, or at least, none of it is urgent!