YAY for deliveries!

I have recieved some very exciting things in the post over the last 24 hours.

1. my third package from FQS - 4 weeks after the first 2 arrived and nearly 6 weeks after I ordered it.
2. some new shoes for the girls that I had ordered from Preschoolians. There'd been a bit of a drama with my order (without boring you with the details I just want to make it clear that Preschoolians have been FANTASTIC the whole way - love 'em!) so it'd been a bit of a wait. I was very excited to receive them.
3. My new camera. Happy dance!!!!! (that arrived at 8:30am this morning - when I commented on how early he was the poor delivery guy told me someone shut his hand in their front door yesterday and broke his finger. It was all bandaged up but I could see the dried blood leaking from under the bandage and his finger was heading off in an odd direction from about 1/3 of the way up. He said he's off to the hospital this afternoon to have it set. Can't believe he was still working. OUCH!)

Also, according to the tracking website for UPS my pram should be here today. Oh my, I will be beside myself if it really does turn up. Scared it won't as I have to go out tomorrow and Monday so chances are I will miss it and I don't think I can bare waiting until Tuesday knowing it's in the country. The first one of these prams I ordered (the one that got pinched) they initially tried to deliver on a Friday, 5 mins before I arrived home and so I had to live the weekend through waiting for it. Please can I not have to endure such an horrendous experience the second time around?!!!!! (especially given this time I have no pram at all whereas last time I still had my side by side run-of-the-mill twin pram). - ***UPDATE*** Oh crap, the tracking website is now telling me it's due for delivery on Monday (and given I'll be out means Tuesday - don't even know who the local carrier is so can't call them to tell them). Why, oh why could they not have updated with that when they updated with the "in transit - on time for delivery" (which I had been advised previously was estimated for today)? My expectations were all built up and now they've been just been shot down. I realise this is nothing to do with sewing. Just venting. Between that and finding out that something I have spent hours and hours and freakin' hours on at work is a pile of poo because I was given incorrect data from my team mates and I'm feeling all lousy and dejected. Bring on wine o'clock, I say!

So, with camera in hand, it's time for some photos.

This is what arrived in my belated and final FQS delivery yesterday. The left hand 2 are flannel so will likely become PJs next winter (or PJ tops at least because I think there may not be enough for a full set but I'll get some plain flannel for the pants or something). The right 2 items are the ones I have been waiting on so impatiently. The top right is the backing fabric for my table runner (with which I now have a date this weekend) and the bottom right is for the second dress I want to make at my sewing course. Of course I ordered another 1.5 yards of the backing fabric so that is now on it's way from Fabric Shack. It can bide for another project. It's got a Christmas vibe but is not necessarily limited to just Christmas so it can be used for something else or maybe I just hang onto it and use it for little outfits for the girls next year. I had also ordered more of a different fabric from Fabric Shack for the second dress at the sewing course. So, once that arrives I will have 2 fabrics to choose from. Interestingly they were the first 2 I wanted but there wasn't enough of of one of them at FQS so I ordered and received the other one and started making the dress. So, now I have to choose the second dress from both of my first preferences. Oh the challenges life brings!


Here is what I picked up on sale from Hanc**k's when they had their free shipping offer. This is the stuff that arrived last week. This pic is the yardage. I got 1 yard of each.

And this pic is a fat quarter bundle of batiks that I picked up because they were pretty and cheap.


And now onto the update from my sewing course. This is what I have made so far. Looking at it like this it doesn't look much for 3 weeks of 2hr sessions. Bottom left is the top of one of the girls' Christmas dresses. Middle is the almost completed PJ top and top right is the fabric for the second set of PJs. Once I've finished my TR I might start doing some of this stuff at home. If I can find time, of course, between babies and housework and working etc.

Think I'll leave it there for now.

Bye!

Yipeeeeeee!

My order from Hanc**k's just arrived (insert happy dance). That took 2 weeks. If my FS order only takes 2 weeks then I'll actually get my Christmas TR done on time (gotta be posted 1 Dec). I'd love to take a photo of it for you. But, alas...

Oh, and can I just say, the delivery man really does need to think about investing in some deoderant. Even after he left and I bought the packages upstairs to open them (also recieved a dress I had ordered online yonks ago and a new toll pass for my car as I had to cancel the other one when the car got pinched) the smell was lingering. Ewwwwwwwww! All packaging has been speedily removed and turfed in the rubbish bin (outside - don't want to retain that in the house!).

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

Still no third package from the Fat Quarter Shop (henceforth known as FQS because I'm sick of typing it in full). Nor have I seen the stuff from Hanc**k's AND now I have a new fabric order to add to the list of things I am waiting for. I re-ordered the backing fabric for my Christmas Table Runner (TR) swap since it's in the missing package from FQS. I ordered it from the Fabric Shack (FS) as they had a half price delivery deal (cost me all of $2.50) and it was cheaper there. I have heard from a few others on the EB web forums that they've ordered fabric from the US that has taken a month or more to arrive. We are jointly concluding that Aus customs may have had a minor meltdown with everyone taking advantage of the current state of the AUD and doing so much shopping online from the US. It has instilled in me a little hope that maybe, just maybe that third FQS package will arrive and in so doing made me feel impatiently cranky every day that it doesn't. Boo to that!

I'm also still waiting on my new camera and iPhone from my insurance claim along with a new pram (that was in the back of the car). Oh, and some new sandels for the girls. They found our car, by the way. The rotters (for want of a better word) who stole it took it for a joy ride through the bush (it's a 4WD). It was found dumped in the rather up-a-beaten-track carpark of a hardware store that sells to tradies. It was covered in mud and scratched down the entire length of each side from trees they didn't bother steering clear of, has a few dings in it, stinks of cigarette smoke (they kindly ashed all over the drivers door), has been so thoroughly cleaned of all it's contents I am surprised they didn't vacuum it for me, and is devoid of number plates. Currently with the insurance mob getting all fixed up.

Hopefully I will take delivery of the camera and/or iPhone this week (when I spoke to the case manager chick on Friday she'd received quotes for them and was going to authorise them so I can get my stuff) and then I can share some picks of where I am up to with my current creations including what I'm doing at my sewing course, the TR swap, and a few other bits and bobs. Might even have some fabric arrivals to share with you too by then.

But for now, off to internet research/shop for some new car seats for the girls for when we get the car back.

Beginning... well, sort of!

So, sewing class started Monday night. Only it didn't. Rocked up to find everyone standing outside the classroom, which was full of tressle tables, drop sheets, paint tins, rollers, brushes, etc. Seems someone decided to organise to have the room re-painted and didn't stop to think that meant we couldn't use it. So, instead we had a quick chat outside the room. Introduced ourselves, showed each other the patterns we'd chosen, asked the teacher a few questions to make sure we were all ready for next week, and left.

My final cushion cover and tutorial is going to have to wait a bit. Got broken into in the early hours of Sun morning and the lovely people who so nicely welcomed themselves into my home decided to generously help themselves to both my iPhone and my DSLR (among other things - including my car!) so I can't take the accompanying photographs. Sorting the insurance stuff out and will do it when I've got replacements. In the meantime my girls keep doing cute things I'd so LOVE to get on camera but can't. Trying not to get all bitter and twisted about the whole thing.

My third package of fabric never did arrive. The tracking information I have (which is only while the packages were in the US) shows that it was scanned through US customs to leave there a couple of hours after the 2 packages that I already received. Didn't think it would get to me over a week later. Think I'd better email the Fat Quarter Shop and let them know. Maybe they can track it down somehow.

And lastly, I am now waiting on some more packages of fabric. I took advantage of the Hanc**k's free shipping promotion. I could get quite addicted to filling my house with pretty fabric.

Another Day, Another Package

Don't you just hate it when you're stark naked in your bedroom deciding what to wear for the day and a delivery man knocks on your front door? Yikes! Threw the PJs back on (which isn't how I usually like to answer my front door but hey, better than naked) and ran to collect my next bundle of fabrics from him. Seems they've decided to drip feed them to me as only the second package arrived today. Another one tomorrow I guess. Lovely, aren't they?!



Oh, and here's a shot of my new cushions for the lounge. I have just one green one left to make. I have decided I'm gonna do it as a tutorial. Feel like a bit of a fraud given I'm not really a master sempstress or anything and it's probably not done correctly from a technical perspective but I did make the pattern up myself just by looking at some other cushions we had and it is REALLY easy so can't hurt to share. Maybe someone else can make use of it. Anyway, I'll sew the last one when I've time to also sit and photograph and take notes along the way.

And last but not least, Hanc**k's of Paducah are running a free shipping promotion. Just posting that in case anyone does stumble upon my blog and would like to take advantage of it.