Just some quick puppy photos, we're still busy dismantling the workshop. Today I want to take down the thread racks and box the spools, but the ones with already wound bobbins will have to be put in ziplock bags to keep them together, and then all the pegboard hooks taken out and put somewhere safe. I still have about four days of quilting left before the Statler is taken apart, so I probably won't be able to find the thread I want, sigh, but I don't want to leave it till the last minute either.
I hate to think of the dust we'll find when we shift the workshop furniture, because some of it hasn't been moved for years but we'll just deal with that too.

And I've been jumping every time the phone rings, because that little bump in this post is now three days overdue, and I'm expecting an exciting announcement! And in other news, first-born son John and his lovely partner Liz have announced their engagement, so we'll have to celebrate with them as soon as the move is over. My head's spinning a bit, but as John says, "It's all good!"
Isn't this so stinkin'cute? One little girl is the current leader for favourite puppy,look at those little paws....

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I've got my new design wall up and some blocks on it for inspiration, a few of my "gorgeous things" spread around and I'm ready to start a new project as soon as the huffing and puffing are over. The movers won't come for another ten days or so, which will give me time to concentrate on more customer tops and I may be able to fit in a bit of mindless sewing for myself. I just want it all over and done with.

There was a little break from quilting and packing last weekend when Keryn and I got to sit down and relax for a few hours. Bonnie and Macca (Dolly's parents) were expecting puppies again, and I had vowed I was going to drop everything the minute she went into labour so that I could sit with her. She conveniently started on Sunday afternoon and only took about four hours to have six puppies, so it was an exciting little interlude in between our other chores.
I don't know if our coaching helped her in any way, but she loved being the centre of attention and looked so pleased with herself afterwards. The pups are gorgeous, and as Dolly will be going to live with Keryn at the hall, I might be in the market for a dog. If one of them stands out as much as dear Panda did (I really would have loved to keep her...) then I think I'll be owning it.

Expect puppy updates in the future, they are always good blog fodder.....

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I feel so bad about neglecting the blog, but life has dealt us another surprise that has taken up whatever spare time there was. Our workshop is located in a rented building and the owners are coming back, so that means we have to move. And as Keryn lives in the house attatched to the workroom, she has to move too! Boy, I thought my relocation was upheaval, but Keryn has to shift all her printing and office stuff- paper, files, pattern stockpile, computers, printers and paraphanalia, the many bolts of fabric we have for sale and all her teaching stuff as well as the household, and I have to worry about the things related to the quilting side of things, boxes of customer quilts, rolls of batting and backings, threads etc, and most concerning of all, Millhouse. We're leaving that to the professional movers, and I'm pretty sure they've never seen a longarm before. They seemed puzzled that we actually mentioned moving a 'sewing machine' specifically so they might get a shock when they see it.

I've been trying to finish as many quilts as I can so that they can be picked up and out of here; the less customer tops I have to keep track of the better. I feel torn between quilting and packing, but they're both getting done in a frenzied sort of way.

So there has been much lugging of stuff and packing and an unnatural interest in cardboard boxes lately. It's much harder now to find a good cardboard box because a lot of them are broken down for recycling and we never see them. But the little supermarket next to Keryn puts some out the front and they are eagerly snapped up so we've taken to haunting the place lately. I know from moves in the past that this interest persists long after the need has passed, and it feels wrong to leave a particularly 'nice' box in the pile.

We've uncovered a few items that have been missing since Keryn moved into the place three years ago ("So that's where we put it!") and we're trying to downsize at the same time. I was feeding bags into the Goodwill bin the other day, and was quite embarrassed to find I'd filled it up and nothing more would go in.

One of the things we found was perhaps our oldest UFO, a Double Wedding Ring started in about 1979 or 80. Keryn drafted the pieces from a picture in an American Country Living magazine, and not knowing any better we thought it was made in square blocks, hence the seam through the centre piece. We chose the colours to make this graduated effect in the rings, and I'm still quite happy with that. But the horrible calico background and the seams in it put us off and it has lain untouched for all these years.
In our memory it was mostly in pieces, so we were surprised to find that the blocks were all sewn together except for the last row, which is missing two blocks. All it would take would be a blank label block or two, a few seams and a quick border. Not gonna happen this year, but now that I see how little work would be involved in finishing it, I will have a go when we're settled in.
I felt very sad when middle son Rob remarked the other day "Mum, your blog's Dead !!" and decided I have to resurrect it. I've loved having this record of the years, and months have gone by without a word. Internet problems will occur with the next move too, but we'll try to work round them and get back to regular posts. Stay with us, we'll get there in the end....

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