Quilt Show Ramble

I found out this morning that the Craft and Quilt Fair had moved to Townsville. So I jumped on the phone and called a friend who was already about to go. So we had a good look at all the quilts that were on display - I couldn't stop myself from looking for mistakes in the quilts. But not because I wanted to find fault with them, no, it was because I think a mistake in a quilt brings a human touch to it and a perfect quilt is never quite as nice as one with a couple of faults. I was impressed with the number of quilts so far north. But there was so much of everything else as well, which got me inspired (for a while, anyway). Lots of ceramics (I want to get into pottery - there must be a potters wheel and a kiln sitting somewhere waiting for me to make use of), knitting (must learn how to do that), crocheted jewellery (need to learn how to do that too), and even spinning yarn (wonder if I can pick up a cheap spinning wheel somewhere - and the wool, and the time to spin the stuff). There was a lady with a big weave maker thingy which produced such beautiful fabrics - but I was not inspired to start that (far too much time and patience involved). Sewing machine stalls (I could pick up a do-it-all sewing machine for a cool eight grand) and of course the regular quilting, stamping, scrapbooking, embroidery stalls. Bought a few chilli fabrics (hence the -stolen off the web, don't sue- picture above) from a man who was at the Canberra Craft and Quilt Fair (I was there as well). He was from Brisbane, so we both lamented at how cold Canberra was at the time (which was the middle of winter after all, but being from the north, it was just too much for us). Britt also picked up some fabrics for her next quilt. Yes, her next one. I'm teaching her to quilt and her first one is pretty intricate (for a first quilt), and she's already talking about the second, so she must like it a bit. Although, she hasn't started the actual quilting yet, so she has a hideous surprise in store about how tedious it will be. Anyway, I'm not sure what I'll do with the chilli fabric. Everyone who has seen it has suggested pot holders or placemats or an apron. I'm thinking more along the lines of a quilt I can hang on a kitchen wall or something. I'm sure it will be a while before I get to it anyway. I have my sister's quilt to get started on, then my mother's to have a go at. I also have a baby quilt top that I have started for a friend and a stash pile that is flowing over the box I bought (from a garage sale) and painted especially for spare fabric (it looks good when all the fabric fits in the box). But, I will have time for all these projects now that....

....I had my job interview!! It didn't go too badly. I was warned before I went in that I would be prodded and heckled for answers that I couldn't give, that I would hit a wall and come up with a blank - and I did. But I think I probably has less blanks than some of the other applicants, since I've been doing very similar work for almost the past year. What would you do if one land owner was complaining that his neighbour was getting more water than him and there was conflict (man, do I ever hate that word). I said all the usual stuff, even some of the stuff that they wanted to hear, but they were searching for words that, if I knew them, they were not going to come out of my mouth that day. Anyway, it's over. And this is the best weekend I've had in so long. I'm so relaxed. And happy. Although.... does anyone want to come over and clean my house???

Okay, this is probably the longest post ever (for me), and it's time to go and paint some of the stuff I've papier mached (spelling?) recently (would provide pictures, but alas, no camera - still).

Oh, and as a postscript to one of the previous posts, the Cowboys lost the rugby grand final last weekend. Townsville has been surprisingly (and thankfully) quiet ever since, which it wouldn't have been had they won. Like I said before, I'm a fair weather supported and, while maybe not proud of it, I'm at least honest about it.