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Sunday 31 October 2010

Friday Freeway Fender Fiasco

Ouch! I'm a bit sore today and the posts might be a bit light on for the next week or so becasue last night I had a bit of a bump in the car.  Well it was a fairly solid bump and I'm a bit brused but I'll survive. Can't say the same for the car of the lady that crashed into the back of me though. I have have several nasty car accidents which might make you think I'm a bad lady driver, but in fact I've either been a passenger or been rear-ended so I've never had an at-fault crash.

The lady that ran into me was really shaken up, I'm an old hand at accidents by now so I managed to remain calm... I didn't shout or complain or even swear (I am most surprised about the last part).

Here is the other car, the damage doesn't look too bad but all that liquid on the ground is coolant from the radiator that my towball went through. There was even some very dramatic steam bursts when the cars collided. I think it needed to get towed afterwards.



My car (my Husband's actually) seems to have have faired a bit better. We will need to get the towbar system checked as it is bent and the bumber and bottom of the rear doors are all damaged. So no going boating until it is all fixed up.


It is a bit hard to see the damage as both cars are black.  I couldn't believe I had to tell my hubby that I had crashed his new car. This is his second black X-Trail that I have crashed (the last car was hit by a truck and all the front and side got smashed) Still I couldn't stop thinking how lucky we both were.

The first big accident I was in required almost 100 stitches in my face, broke all my front teeth and had years of physio afterwards, the last accident (when I was also rear ended) I was 4.5 months pregnant and was petrified that I would lose my bub because my tummy slid into the steering wheel so hard.

This time I was alone - my son was at his basketball  game and my neice didn't quite manage to twist my arm to bring her home for a sleep over, there was no blood, no human bodies were broken, there were only 2 cars involved - I managed to not hit the car infront of me, and I could drive home my car. Apart from having a fair bit of aching muscles in my back and neck, I will be A-OK.

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Spring Fair Round Up

On Sunday we went to the West Coast Steiner School Open Day and Spring Fair. It was a nice warm spring day and I was very glad of the pop up shelter we took along with us, as we may have melted away in the sunshine otherwise. We presented a display table of temari items and spoke to a number of people about temari making. I met several Japanese ladies on the day, most of whom had seen temari when they were growing up but had never stitched one before.

We sold a good amount of caramel popcorn (a sample tasting always helps along with sales of this) and we only came home with two small bags (luckily one each for Mstr W and Miss D). We also sold some fabric journals, wired rings, temari styled brooches, and some yubinuki beaded necklaces and a temari or two too. The yubinuki were really cute, there was the red/white and purple/gold ones from last weeks post and also a red/silver one that I didn't even get a chance to photograph before it sold. I really am enjoying making these beads and I've started a new one already this time in navy blue and minty green... but it will need to sit for a week or so before I finish it because I am back to pattern writing and workshop preparation again today.

Progressive temari pattern 2010

Here is a link to the International Temari Appreciation Day blog where you will find the free pattern for the temari that was designed by 7 members of the Temari Challenge Yahoo group.  While you are over at the ITAD blog check out some of the other activities that were organised around the world to celebrate our day.

Friday 22 October 2010

Today is International Temari Appreciation Day!!

Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!!  Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!!   Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!! Happy International Temari Appreciation Day!!

Thursday 21 October 2010

ITAD is tomorrow

As the title says... there are just a few short hours until ITAD 2010. Many people all over the world will celebrate temari in their own special way. Actually many people are stretching out the fun over more than 24 hours. You can check out some of the stories and photos at the ITAD blog and Flickr sites.

Sunday 17 October 2010

Back up the learning curve I go

I really enjoy making yubinuki (thimble rings) because they are fairly quick projects that can be stitched up in an afternoon. I haven't made heaps of them, less than 20, so I consider them a new skill. I have been so busy recently that I haven't had any 'spare' time to allocate to thimble making, and also I hadn't wanted to open the gorgeous silk thimble thread sets that Miho brought from Japan for me. But this week I had a little window of free time (read: procrastination and diversion from other projects) so I did treat myself to making some thimbles. I have almost completed 4 this week.


Here is the first one... abandoned half way through due to being too big in diameter and too poorly stitched on a dodgy base made with two strips of bias stitched together to make them wider... in case you are wondering - no it doesn't really work.



Here is number two (left)... this time I made my own bias strip but while the width was fine the length was too short so the join popped open a tiny bit. The stitching on it is better but the measuring was still a bit off so there are a couple of gaps. The circumference is still too big at 3.9cm. Also here we have number three(right)... I made the base but didn't even stitch on it because it think the bias might pull out at the join again. I was going to practice on it but really why would I bother to disappoint myself. So I have said goodbye to this one.


Here is number four... I made an even smaller base 3cm using Debi's paper method (I like this tutorial). Ok I think I am getting there now. Stitching much more even and made on a better base... I lashed out and spent $3 on some wider bias tape and  now my hands are getting more used to stitching on this small scale.



Here is number five... Still in progress but I think you will be able to see where I'm going with this one. This is also my first attempt at stitching paths in two opposite directions.



Did you guess I have been trying to make beads this week? I have been inspired by the lovely beads made by Dorian E  which have been submitted over on Chloe Patricia's Share your thimbles site. I am also inspired greatly by Quiltsummse's thimbles at the same site. You could also win one of the monthly thimbles given away at this flickr group just by trying out thimble making for yourself and entering the draw.

This thimble experience made me reflect on a saying I often hear... use it or lose it. Ok so this is usually in reference to avoiding hoarding for example if you haven't worn an item in 12 months donate it to charity, etc... but actually this translates to new skills too.

If you have recently learned any new skill (drive a car, speak a foreign language, or make a new craft etc) and then fail to use that skill for an extended period it seems to disappear. You need to relearn and practice to get back up the learning curve to where you were before. This is depicted in the graph above: The red line shows an unbroken chain of learning and practice and the blue line shows what happens if you stop using the skill. As you can see by stopping using the skill in between the two thresholds you will likely slide backwards to the first threshold. The good news is that going from 'I suck' to 'I kick ass' a second time is an even quicker curve.

So if you hit a stumbling block with your new skill acquisition or had to take a break from using your new skills, just try again, for a short time it may seem impossible but stick with it because very quickly you'll find you can 'kick ass' again.

Saturday 16 October 2010

October Workshop

Tomorrow I am taking a temari workshop in South Perth at Hazel McDougall House. It will be a beginner's class with 10 students. This is one of my personal ITAD activities for 2010. Here are a few photos of the venue.


I did some resreach about this building and I discovered this history. The parkland that this building sits on was actually the last dairy in the Perth metropolitan. Until 1946 dairies in this area supplied all Perth's milk and dairy needs. This farmhouse was owned by the McDougall's, a childless couple, who worked the surrounding land until 1952 when the local government purchased most of the property, which it redeveloped into housing.

After Mr McDougall passed away his wife continued to live in a small acreage while in the 1960's the land were developed into the current amphitheater, parklands and lake which provide shelter for local native flora and fauna which was the McDougall's wish. The buildings in the map below still exist today.

 When Mrs McDougall passed away she bequeathed the remaining farm acreage and homestead to the local government of South Perth with the understanding it be used to further arts and crafts in the district.  Now days many groups use this facility for sharing their artistic knowledge and skills. Thank you to the McDougalls for being so selfless with their community and giving us all such a wonderful gift.

Tuesday 12 October 2010

I got it from madeit.

A few weeks ago I did a swap with another seller on madeit. There are loads of art and craft websites on the www and madeit is probably the Aussie version of etsy. The difference is that there are no supplies sold on madeit and all items sold there can only be made by crafts people in Australian.  I gave a set of 15 flower topped pins similar to these shown below.



I received this cute little felted Chickie Mini Purse from Cassie at Rainbow Lollies. The photo is a little dark but the outer is a nice deep navy blue. Click on the image to see it a little larger and you'll see all the details.


You can see the cute packaging featured in the middle of the picture... it really felt like receiving a gift when I opened the parcel. Cassie is running a 3 for 2 special at her store at the moment click over and have a look. Right now my own madeit store is empty :( I've been focusing on my temari supply store recently but when I get a few minutes I will pop up a few listings at made it.

I'm not sure if I will keep this for myself or gift it to a lucky friend... if I can bear to part with it of course.

Saturday 9 October 2010

2 weeks to ITAD... Here is a competition to celebrate.

Here is a cross post from my other blog:

Today I am announcing a giveaway competition for everyone celebrating ITAD 2010. We want to know how you celebrate ITAD.


Here are the entry guidelines:
General: Take a photo of whatever temari celebration you do on (or during the week of) ITAD. Upload your photo and a caption description just a few sentences long to the flickr group or email it directly to me at this place [intl.temari.day(at)gmail.com] The entries will be added to the ITAD blog so by entering you grant the International Temari Appreciation Day coordinator permission to use the image and text in your entry.
Time: Competition will commence on October 22 2010 and close at Midnight October 31st 2010 local time. I live in Western Australia so the time here is GMT+8.
Photography: Please ensure you have permission of any individuals in your photograph as they will be published on this blog. Ensure your photo is named in an identifiable way. This will ensure you get all the credit for it.
Caption: Please tell us what you did and where you were. No long essays needed just a few sentences, no more than 100 words. This can be in English or your own language if you would prefer. I can always translate your text if necessary.
Prize: A little parcel of 7 DMC perle 5 and 3 Kreinick braid threads, one card of 3 needles and a JTA V-ruler will be posted to the winner. Here is a picture of the giveaway.

Draw: One winner will be selected at random from all the entries received before the competition closing time.


Here's a sample entry. I have used an old photo from my other blog and just added a few sentences about it underneath. The are about 60 words which is more than enough:

This is a plum blossom tree in my front garden in Perth, Australia. A few months ago (back in the winter) we had an unusually warm and sunny day so I decided to dress up this bare tree with some temari balls. Lots of neighbours walked past and wondered what I was doing. I had a great time and I love this photo. By Rebecca from Perth

Monday 4 October 2010

Mark your calendars

Upcoming Events in Perth - Mark Your Diary!!


October and November are busy months. There are bookings for a  1 day beginners workshop in South Perth on the 16th and a 2 day intermediate workshop booked on the 6-7th of November. The first International Temari Appreciation Day will be held on October 22nd.

West Coast Steiner School
In addition we have planned our next fair appearance at the West Coast Steiner School Open Day and Spring Fair on 24th of October. The fair will run from 10am-3pm at 15 Mayfair Street, Nollamara. We will present many handcrafted items made by our group including journals, wristlets and hand bags, wired jewellery, brooches, bookmarks, hair accessories, munchy crunchy corn.... and of course there will be a display of temari & yubinuki and some of the group will have temari items for sale. So if you live in Perth please come along and visit us at this open day.

I better get my berocca on!!!

Saturday 2 October 2010

Pattern play part two

I've been stitching my heart out lately but there's not too much I can show right now.  This week I have been playing with patterns again. I have been trying out different colours on a wrapped bands pattern. This is a fun activity and I learn a lot every time I do this. I've done four balls in this design and while I think I prefer the blue and red one, I can't really place the other three.

Which one do you prefer?

I have also been playing with one of my favorite patterns from Cosmo 1. I've mixed it up a bit and am plugging in different colours to see how they look. I really like the shape formed at the pole area. I can't say that I have ever seen this shape before... could I have stumbled on something new? Not too likely, with all the hundreds of thousands of temari that have been made over the years since the first temari was stitched, I am sure someone else has stitched this before. I've never seen it though.

Which colours do you like best?

This last set are to temari I made this week working from a pattern I stitched for my JTA submission (the red one) last year. Please excuse the stitching on the pink one, it is a bit wonky... I was watching a German movie while stitching this one and as I don't speak the language I was mostly reading the subtitles... when will I learn that I can't 'watch' a subtitled movie and stitch temari at the same time? I might go back and try to groom out that flat side which I hadn't noticed being so bad until I saw this photo.



The more I play at making temari the more obvious it is that selecting colours to use on a project can be harder than working out the pattern when written in Japanese. Sometimes the colours I select are bang on perfect and other times what seems like a nice combination in my hand looks hideous on the temari. I have grabbed a bunch of lovely pale colours only to see them turn out all faded out on the surface of my temari. The 'pop' factor can be somewhat elusive. Occasionally I've grabbed random colours that don't seem to match only to see them sync up on the ball like magic.  Also interesting is that the same set of threads can look wonderful on one pattern and terrible on another. This is why I really like the exercise of trying out several colours on a pattern.