"I dont work in Series 1 - 5" !

My five "Little Gems" (see more detail about them at the Quilters Guild site here) are almost ready to send out for the Festival of Quilts fund raising tombola. I just need to make the labels but as usual other more pressing things are calling to be done. This week 'Operation Prom' is delaying me. DD has her Year 11 prom on Thursday night and last minute alterations have been needed for her own dress and her friends.  I use to make a lot of clothes - in fact I started sewing when I was 12 and had made my entire wardrobe within my first year. I went on to sew many many more items for myself and others after that!  But for the last few years the only clothing I have touched is to alter the odd trouser hem. So dealing with a pure white Georgette and Satin and slinkly midnight blue polished jersey knit was a bit of a challenge for me. Mission accomplished though I can now move on to the terrifically important job of ferrying her around to get nails, hair and makeup done!   Shoes, bag and jewellery were procured last week,  dress only just before that (yes I know we left it late!) and transport (a New York taxi) was ordered by her prom dates mum ...so that was a relief! But my goodness what a palava these proms are! DH says I am like a kid dressing a Barbie doll ... well why not I say!  I doubt I will have the chance again. With only boys left - one of which I don't think be interested in a prom anyway I am making the most of it! 

So my little gem labels will just have to wait. I did have fun making them though. At only just 8 x 11" or so (A4 size) they are an ideal size to work on. I used them to trial a variety of machine applique, threads, quilting and edge finishes, plus they did double duty by coming with me as samples  to the European Machine Quilters Expo the week before last. I had a great week over in southern Ireland and Beryl Cadman (organiser) did a fantastic job setting everything up. Linda Taylor was the principle teacher focusing on longarm quilting. Rick Taylor did THE most professional job teaching machine maintenance and Todd Fletcher was equally as skilled teaching several Digitising classes. I taught 2 classes, Expanding the Possibilities (Longarm class) and Finishes for Exhibition Quilts.  I also took lots of classes, including a Feathered Star and a bag class (I'll show these in another blog) and had a jolly good break as well!   I am looking forward to next years retreat now too but I will drive over next time! Having to debate whether to take undies or a rotary cutter so I didn't go over my 20kg flight allowance isn't my idea of fun! Although it was a good job the house we stayed in had a washing machine LOL!)