The Giant T-Shirt Quilt - The End

So here it is..... finally in all it's quilted glory!

Such a lovely backdrop (ahem) I realise, but this quilt is sooooo big that there's nowhere else to hang it for a photo.

Each piece was originally 15.5 inches square, which means that this quilt in now approximately 75 inches wide x 90 inches long or 190 cm wide x 228 cm long.

It's really difficult to see, but Bec straight line quilted in white thread either side of each seam line, and then quilted the diagonal lines in invisible thread (so that the stitching wouldn't interfere with the prints).

It's finally time to let go and send it off to live with its owner. It certainly was a learning journey!

One roll of stickytape = 2 hours of entertainment

Yesterday my sister and BIL went along to see Daryl Braithwaite, Vika and Linda Bull, Ross Wilson and Mark Seymour at Legends on the Lawn at Werribee Park.

Although I would have dearly loved to go, access to any type of concert really isn't great for someone like me, so I volunteered to babysit the twin munchkins instead.

I'd picked up some cheap and cheerful pirate craft kits in the mark down bin for $2.50 at Spotlight a while ago...

They were quite a hit!

I couldn't deal with the amount of mess that would have been created with glue...

So we spent two hours making artwork using stickytape..... just check out that concentration!

All I had to do was sit across the other side of the bench with the stickytape dispenser. Cheapest and easiest entertainment ever!

The Giant T-Shirt Quilt

Brianna (or B-Fab as we like to call her) and Bec

Yesterday was deemed to be the day of quilting the giant t-shirt quilt (although I somehow managed to forget to actually tell Bec about this particular part of my plan before she arrived)....

The first step was the congregation of about a million safety pins.... the big wooden bench made this much easier (thank god).

Then the quilting began (notice how I'm not actually doing anything much other than snapping photos?)

Quilting is hungry work, so it was time for a homemade pita bread pizza break!

There was also cake.... there has to be cake (and the host always gets to keep the leftover cake - but that might just be a rule that is in place when I'm the host).

We decided to put the child to work....

....and reminisced about Bea from Prisoner (please note that it's not actually turned on).

There was a looooooot of quilting, before it was finally time to start on the binding.

Mmm lovely binding.

We finally finished the entire quilt just after dinner time thank goodness! I would never have been able to finish this without the wonderful help from Brianna and Bec. I'm indebted to you two ladies! I learned a lot about quilting today and had lots of fun too.

I don't have any photos of the finished quilt just yet, so I thought I'd share the out-takes instead - enjoy!

Here Chook Chook

Did you ever used to wander around the backyard as a kid yelling out "Here Chook Chook" with a handful of stale bread?

Gosh that brings back some memories!

The very lovely Vic shared her Chook drawing with me this week.....

.... and now 'Here Chook Chook' has been CurlyPops'ed.... poor technicolour chicken. I wonder what colour eggs it lays?

And the winner is.... and whoops!

Thanks so much to everyone who left a comment to join this lovely giveaway, and a huge thankyou to Jess for donating two copies of *bespoke* to give away to two wonderful winners!

After checking my giveaway post, I've only just realised that I was supposed to draw a winner lastnight... whoops - sorry about that!

So without further ado - there were 65 entries. Winners were picked by the random number generator:

Winner number one is number 32 -Carolyn from Clenbar Cottage

Winner number two is number 9 - Jennifer Rose from Fuzzy Dragons

Thanks ladies, I'll be in touch to get your snail mail addresses and your copy of *bespoke* will be on it's way!

My Creative Space

Researching, Testing, Thinking, Working, Dreaming...

..... and wishing the best of luck for dreams coming true!

The home of my creative space

Plain Jane

Sadly (ahem), not everyone is a fan of my penchant for bright colours... but just look! I really can do plain.

This one was a request for a very plain blokey flex-frameless sunnies pouch.

But I couldn't resist adding just a little bit of fun.

Abandoned

My sister found this poor little dolls cradle for the twins, abandoned on the naturestrip a couple of weeks ago.

It had the mattress and pillow with it, so I made some new covers using leftover Bot-Camp scraps. They even have zips so they can be taken off and washed (completely necessary with those two rascals).


Sure it needs a slight bit of repair, and a new paint job....

But Woody is quite happy with it just the way it is...

*apparently Sisters hubby isn't quite as impressed that his twin sons have a new dolly cradle!

Belting

Another belated birthday present..... I'm really not doing well with the handmade birthday present planning so far this year!

I was a little bit lost for ideas, so I asked Jack's mum what he would like. She said that he absolutely loved the belt that I made him for christmas, and so could I please make him another.

The most difficult thing about it was finding a fabric in the stash with a small enough print to use as a feature, but this one ended up being perfect!

Tiny Treasures

 After playing with vintage cotton reels last weekend, I've finally managed to put some tiny treasures back on the wall.

My printers tray has been hanging around completely empty for sooooo long. It looks so much prettier with a bit of colour and a bit of bling!

But still plenty of room left for more....

A Bespoke Giveaway

Have you heard about *bespoke* Magazine?

It's a sweet little full-colour Australian print zine which is also available in digital download form.

*bespoke* is published by Jessica Van Den from Epheriell Designs.

I bought myself a copy of Issue 1, and will also be buying myself a copy of Issue 2 (especially with that beautiful cover)!

Issue 2 of *bespoke* features a huge array of Aussie and international crafty types, and has articles including:

• Vintage crafts - rag ruggin'

• How to find your vintage era

• A tutorial on how to carve a sweet birdie stamp

• The stories of 3 women who gave up corporate careers to launch thriving creative businesses

• Thrive - an interview with a crafty lady making a full-time living from her upcycled kimono jewellery

*bespoke* is written totally by the community, for the community and is always on the lookout for submissions from artists, photographers, handmade and vintage business owners etc.

The good news is that Jess has very generously donated two copies for me to give away on the blog. All you need to do is leave a comment. Please make sure that your email address is enabled within your blogger id so that I can get in contact if you win.

I will draw a winner using the random number generator at 8PM Thursday 17th March..

Good Luck!

My Creative Space

Trying to get the production line going... not very successfully.

Too many ideas, too many crazy tangents, and not enough time!

The home of My Creative Space

Pursed

There's a very lovely brand new purse just about to be released over at Nicole Mallalieu Design.... which I was lucky enough to be able to test run last week.

I chose to make the base version, without the overlay, using this gorgeous fabric that Tinniegirl brought back for me from her US trip last year.

I'd been saving it for a special occassion to make something just for me!

I've never made a purse with a curved frame before, but this wavy fabric suits it perfecttly.

To get an idea of the size, here it is with my *barrel purse.

One of the things that I most enjoyed about making this one was sitting on the couch, stitching the beads and frame into place at the end.

Can you spot my little accidental design feature?

If you're super quick, and pop over to Nikki's blog, you may still make it in time to guess the name of this new purse, and be in the running to win a copy.


* I found money in my barrel purse - $7.80 Woohoo!

Stars and Stripes

In case you hadn't already noticed, the t-shirt quilt that I'm slowly working on, is made up of tees that were bought by the soon to be quilt owner on a trip to America last year.

She wanted an American themed backing fabric (which I couldn't find here in Australia), so I searched around online for some options for her to choose from. She's chosen this American Tribute Waving Flags fabric which I found at The Quilters Garden.

I ordered a little bit of extra fabric so that I could whip up another Kitchenaid Cover for her.... and I couldn't resist taking a photo of it on my beautiful Australia tablecloth!

Waste not, want not...

She's also ended up with a pot holder!

Acetylcysteine - Part Two - How Government red tape ruins everything

Just when I thought everything was sorted, Government red tape has ruined it:

Following my correspondence to you last week regarding the 1st May 2011 PBS listing of Omegapharm Acetylcysteine Solution. 

I received notification on Friday from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) that our submission will now require Federal Government 'Cabinet' approval. This decision was made without any consultation or warning from the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon and has come as a great surprise to both myself and the PBAC.

Prior to last week, the PBAC were responsible for approving medicines under $10 Million per annum. For products over $10 Million the PBAC refers to the Federal Cabinet for approval. The Federal Cabinet will now be responsible for the review and approval of all PBAC recommendations.

Even though Omegapharm Acetylcysteine is well below the $10 Million level (and the product was recommended for listing in April 2010 by the PBAC and was accepted for a May 1st 2011 listing last week) the product will require Federal Government 'Cabinet' approval. 

The decision by the Federal Government will affect the May 2011 listing of Acetylcysteine. The Federal Government confirmed that it will 'put the needs of patients with serious conditions and limited treatment options first', so hopefully they uphold this statement and finalise the PBS listing of Acetylcysteine quickly.

So what does this all mean right now. We urgently need you help!

As part of the new 'Cabinet' review process, I have been asked by the Lung Foundation, Thoracic Society and the PBAC to seek feedback from Prescribers/ Specialists on the effectiveness of Acetylcysteine in patients that have the following lung conditions:

·         chronic bronchopulmonary disease (chronic emphysema, emphysema with bronchitis, chronic asthmatic bronchitis, tuberculosis, bronchiectasis and primary amyloidosis of the lung);

·         acute bronchopulmonary disease (pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheobronchitis);

·         pulmonary complications of cystic fibrosis;

·         pulmonary complications associated with surgery;

·         post-traumatic chest conditions;

·         atelectasis due to mucus obstruction.

·         lung cancer;

·         tracheostomy care;

·         anaesthesia.

Therefore, we URGENTLY require the following information;

Name of your Specialist

Location of your Specialist

Telephone Number of your Specialist

The Lung Foundation and the Thoracic Society require this information with the next 48 hours and will be writing to the Federal Government and PBAC.

If you feel uncomfortable providing us with this information, please send the details through to the CEO of the Lung Foundation Mr William Darbishire @ Williamd@lungfoundation.com.au

To date our company has done everything it can to provide affordable access to this important medicine. While the delay with the TGA and now the Federal Government is well beyond our control, our company is committed to ensuring Acetylcysteine Solution receives the PBS listing.


I think I might need to head down to Julia's office with a letter of complaint on Wednesday.

Reeling it in

It was such a lovely sunny day yesterday that I just wanted to relax and have some fun......

So I spent the afternoon playing with vintage reels of cotton, and other little treasures, while filling up my printers tray.

I'll share some photos when it's finished and back on the wall.

Back on Duty

It's been a while since since good old Frances has had to work on any blog modelling assignments.

She's been patiently waiting in the corner, draped in all sorts of random junk that makes it's way into my office.

But today is her lucky day.... the random junk is now piled on top of the heater, and she's bathing in dappled sunlight.

I haven't made a teatowel apron for the longest time! This one is for a male friend of Bec's who has Scottish heritage (hence the lack of floral fabric).

Now if I could just find my metal snaps and snap setter to finish the adjustable neck strap......

It's getting there.....slowly

The t-shirt quilt is finally on the home stretch.

I'd been waiting for these text panels to arrive for a few weeks now, but they finally turned up yesterday, so I sat down and finished the quilt top lastnight.

It's ended up being really quite large - about 2 metres wide x 2.4 metres long.

The backing fabric is also ready to go, so now I'm just waiting for the batting to arrive. I've booked in next Saturday with my helper and we're going to quilt up a storm!

My Creative Space

Slightly blurry pic today but I'm in a hurry and I'm scooting out the door....

This week in my creative space, I was trying to use some of my illustrations to make art prints for my wall.

I only managed to print one (the disco ball on the left top of photo).... before I killed the printer. It's only about six months old and now it won't feed any paper through.

I also learned a very important lesson - do NOT use double sided tape to put artwork on the wall.... it falls straight back off the wall when you least expect it!

The home of my creative space

The Owls Have It

Things have been so crazy busy around here that I completely missed a 2nd birthday a couple of weeks ago...

So I whipped up a super simple and super quick little skirt.

It's just two rectangles - the front one appliqued with a lovely row of owls, then overlocked and sewn together, hemmed, and elasticised.

The applique is a strip cut from my Owlie Oracle fabric.

It's hard to see in this photo, but I pressed and topstitched the side seams in pink thread, just for fun!

I'm off to deliver it today, with fingers crossed that it fits... here's hoping.

Acetylcysteine

Totally non-craft related post, so you may want to move on....

For those who may remember my post last year.

The manufacturer of one of the nebulised medications that I use three times a day, stopped manufacture early in 2010 without any warning to patients, leaving no equivalent alternative.

After doing my own research, I found a company who was working on getting TGA and PBS approval in Australia.  Unfortunately, having gone without it for so long, I ended up in hospital on three separate occasions.

At the moment (while it's still not on the PBS), I've been lucky enough to obtain a month by month supply which is being funded through the Respiratory Department at the Alfred Hospital.

I've been in contact with the new manufacturer throughout the approval process, so I was overjoyed to receive this email tonight:

I am writing to update you on the TGA and PBS listing for Omegapharm Acetylcysteine.

As many of you are aware the Omegapharm product is the only version of Acetylcysteine Solution available in Australia. The molecule is the generic equivalent of the Bristol-Myers Squibb's (BMS) Mucomyst 20% 5mL which was discontinued from the Australian market in late 2009.

 
Omegapharm via the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) was able to secure a 'Section 19a' listing that enables pharmaceuticals registered in the USA to be supplied into Australia. In April 2010 Omegapharm Acetylcysteine received an approval by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).  However the product could only be PBS reimbursed once the molecule received full TGA approval.

Therefore, I am extremely pleased to announce that we have (finally!) secured TGA registration. This registration will see the product PBS listed from the 1st May 2011 and will guarantee patients pay no more than $5.40 (concession) or $33.30.

I would like to thank you for supporting our company and acetylcysteine over the last twelve months. I understand that the process has been very frustrating. However I feel extreamly satisfied that we have been able to secure the best possible outcome for all patients guaranteeing affordable access to this vital product.

I would also like mention that our company has provided over 2,300 packs at no charge under our compassionate use program. The program has helped those patients that could not afford the product to have access. I would like to thank Symbion and the Pharmacists who helped distributed the stock to patients on our behalf.

 

 

It's taken twelve months longer than I expected it to.... but at least it's finally happened - hallelujah!

Good things come in threes

Good thing number one:

I had to pop down to the post office yesterday to pick up a delivery of fabric that I'd ordered as the backing for the t-shirt quilt.  For some unknown reason, it was sent to me as registered post, which meant that I had to take in ID and sign for it.

When I arrived, the line up was already out the door. I counted seventeen people in the queue ahead of me (council rates were due today). I stood for five minutes tweeting on my phone, until luckily one of the employees called people forward who were just there to pick up parcels.... hallelujah!

Good thing number two:

There's an op shop just around the corner from the post office, and I hadn't been in for a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd pop in for a visit.

I found a cute little basket, and a skirt. The skirt had a purple price tag, and when I arrived at the front counter, it was half price day for purple tags!

Good thing number three:

I scooped up my goodies and got back into the car which was parked right outside the oppy, when another car pulled into the park directly in front of me.

While I was sitting there, a man and a lady got out and started unloading things from their car.

I spied some sparkly arkly bits under the mans arm, and as they came closer, I realised that he had two small chandelier style light fittings..... and they were the exact same type of light fittings that I was looking for to install in my new dining room.

I wound down the passenger side window and said "excuse me"... no answer, so I said a bit louder "excuse me"... still no answer and getting desperate, I yelled "EXCUSE ME"!

They both turned around and came over to the car, and so I very politely asked if they were giving the chandeliers to the op shop. They replied that they were, so I asked if I could buy them instead.

They wouldn't let me buy them, but they insisted that I take them. Apparently their daughter had bought a new house with these fittings and she didn't like them so she took them down, and asked her parents to get rid of them.

It was fate, I'm quite sure of it....