Introducing .... Slow Moe

Hello. I am the Stegasaurus Ribbonus, from the Cretaceous Creatures age.

But you can call me Slow Moe.

I existed in ancient times, when I would mosey along the ribbon riverbank and pull up ribbony weeds to chew eeeeeeever soooo sloooooowly. They're what gives me my wonderful ribbon colours.

At night I would sleep in a nest made out of lace and braid, snuggled in next to the French knots with my snores gently punctuating the night air. Fern fronds would curl around me.

But I'm not just a pretty face, you know. These ribbons aren't just decoration, they're my defence as well. I'm slow-moving freight, so I need something to protect myself with, and these dandies do the job just fine. What pterodactyl would swoop down on me and try to get through these babies?

And I'm pretty thick-skinned too - everybody says so. Sticks and stones, insults, criticism, you name it - they just roll right off me, thanks to this textured hide. It's made from teal upholstery fabric by Warwick Fabrics. Isn't it the perfect colour?

I've moved to Sydney already to live with the Sober Judge and the Sister Of My Heart, but you'll be able to see one of my long-lost cousins in person at the Skirt and Shirt market down at Abbotsford Convent on Sunday 16 August. Come by and say hi .... I've had no one to talk to for thousands of years, ever since I've been extinct, and I'm looking forward to a bit of conversation.

But now it's time to go. I've got an appointment to get to, and if I don't shift my butt I'll be late.

They don't call me Slow Moe for nothing, you know.

(Plus, I only have two legs. Seeya.)

It's Tuesday and I can't wait to ....

It's Tuesday and I can't wait to ... finish this bizarre upholstery job that I'm doing at the moment!

The story goes back a few months, to even before Christmas. It was at one of my stalls at the Shirt and Skirt Market at the Abbotsford Convent.

A lovely lady and her husband came up to me and looked at all the things on my stall, and then asked if I could re-cover the seats of her stools. I thought about it for a minute (I have re-covered exactly ONE, count it, ONE drop-in seat in my entire life) and then I figured you know what? I can probably do that. And hell, if I see the things and decide I can't, then no harm done.

So I passed over a business card with all my details and forgot about it.

Cue the phonecall then, about seven months later. What a surprise! Of course I immediately remembered them, they were a lovely friendly couple, and admittedly it was pretty easy to remember ... even with my memory, which is like a sponge. Not because it soaks everything up, mind you, but because it's full of holes. I'm a bit like Homer Simpson - every time I learn a new thing, it pushes an old thing out. I have recall of about five seconds on a good day. See, even just writing that, I forgot that the point I was trying to get to was that it was easy to remember them because I have only ever had one single enquiry about upholstery, and it was theirs. (phew, got there in the end.)

So anyway, we arranged a time to meet. They'd bought the fabric and when I arrived at their house, she showed me the stools.

Two were easy - the two on the left of the photo, I knew I could do that. Straight lines, easy! I've wrapped enough presents in my life to be able to cover straight-edged chairs. And sure enough, they turned out well. Isn't the fabric lovely? It's a Warwick upholstery, in gorgeous tones of plum and antique gold.

The other two though, the round ones .... I wasn't so sure about them. ESPECIALLY when she showed me the fabric, which - although it's another Warwick product - is less a fabric and more a tricky vinyl-type thing. So seats, curved. In a vinyl, which doesn't stretch and isn't easy to get to curve as a result. If it was ordinary fabric I'd simply have cut the material on the bias and everything would have been hunky-dory.

So we talked it over and agreed that I'd do the two easy ones, and if the circular ones were beyond me, I'd just bring them back and she'd find someone else (someone with experience and skill in the area!) to do them. She was a really gorgeous client in that concern - respecting my limitations and very understanding.

As I was loading everything into the car she called out "You can do it! I have faith in you!".

And what do you know? It turns out she was right!! Isn't it great when a client has more faith in your abilities than you have in yourself?

So this is my first formal, commissioned and completed upholstery job. It's not my talent, it's not my style, but boy am I pleased with the results.

Now, just two tiny cushions to go (out of the plum and gold fabric) and I'm done. Consider it another professional mountain climbed!!

And now pop on over to Lou at ButtonsByLouLou and see what everyone else can't wait to do with their Tuesday.....

The birth of the Bowling Pin Bunny

Ah, the fruits of today's labours. They look like they're enjoying hanging out together, too.

On the right is a new variation on the Hoot theme. This one's made from sublimely soft paisley flannelette, in this bright pink and yellow pattern. I think I got this fabric off eBay last year, and I made myself a pair of pajama pants out of it for winter. These are just the leftover scraps, and don't they work well as a Hoot?

The wings, ears and feet are made out of an old flannelette pillowcase I found on that great anniversary weekend to Mildura - my, that was a productive weekend!

On the left is a new creature, made freehand today out of a few scraps I've had for a while. The warm furry bottom half is really textural and lovely, like a soft chenille robe. It's a colour my mother has always called Elephant's Breath.

The top half is a gorgeous pale pink Warwick upholstery fabric - again, it's got a lovely texture. The ears are backed in the same fabric but lined at the front with a Liberty print in chocolate and pink.

I stuffed him with cotton wadding, so he's really firm and good to hold. He'd be a good toy for a really little kid, because there's nothing on him that could be a choking hazard - his eyes and mouth are embroidered - and he's just the right size to grab with one hand.

I freely admit he looks a bit like a bowling pin with ears, but I think he's pretty cute regardless! I'm going to call him the Bowling Pin Bunny.