Its Party Time in Sydney

Sydney must be the ultimate party capital. Everywhere you go there are parties going on, works parties, family parties, friends parties, corporate parties. It's a mad time of year. Just standing at Circular Key at all times of the day waiting for the bus I can see girls dressed up to the nines with 7 inch high heels tottering on and off the ferries, travelling to all parts of the Sydney harbour. I am staying in an apartment by the harbour in Pyrmont which is close to Darling Harbour, the entertainment centre of Sydney and there is a lovely park running all along the harbour edge. This is full evenings and weekends with groups getting together after work and in their leisure time to have barbecues or picnics or just exercising. A really outdoor city.

Here are some images from one of the parties seen. I couldn't walk past without snapping a few pics. Crazy people!!

Look at these windows in the Louis Vuiton shop in Sydney. I think they are wild and so clever.

Deskbound guys and gals play with wool

Last week I ran an 'Away Day' aka fun day out for a media communications office team. They wanted a team bonding event and I devised the perfect scenario for them....a chance to design their fantasy office layout. This allowed them to have all their favourite items around them, the bar, the swimming pool, the pool table and of course the sun loungers.

They worked in five teams of three and after brainstorming and scribbling ideas on paper they cut out the layout and design in pre-felt and then wet felted all the plans.

Working in a Picasso sort of way, in both plan and elevations, they created some ingenious schemes. The groups then had to explain to each other group the concepts, the methods and the finished effect, all washed down with copious amounts of tea and coffee and the most delicious cupcakes from Cakeophony. Check out that colour!

Look what I came home with from the Designer Makers Fair on the weekend. I can never exhibit as these fairs without buying the other stallholders work. I fell for Uncle Albert (as he is being called now). He was looking very festive with streamers and a mince pie in his saucer but the mince pie had to go. I think he is just fab and James Cochrane who made him is so clever and talented.

I will be at this Designer Makers Fair on the 12th and 13th November. It will be at the Hampstead Town Hall, Haverstock Hill, London NW3 4QP.

It promises to be an excellent event with 22 different Designer Makers there showcasing their wares. As you can see I will be showing my little friends.

Admission is free and the times are 11am to 6pm on saturday 12th, 10am to 5pm on sunday 13th.

Hope to see you all there.

Well, I've been in my shed for the last few weeks hatching out new friends to add to my collection. I'm showing a few of them here. I've now added rabbits to my obsession and a couple of sheep thrown in for good measure. I have such a good time making their little clothes. When I was little I used to make clothes for my teddy Buttercup Billy ( a teddy with gender confusion). I was given lovely fabrics from my aunt who was a dressmaker and used to construct beautiful evening dresses, so Buttercup Billy was the best dressed teddy in town with his/her green satin evening dress.

Hope you all like my new friends. PS. I still have Buttercup, hairless but still loved.

happy days at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally

What a lovely lot of people I had for my workshop at Ally Pally. The show was as wonderful as it always is. Lots of interesting things to see and to look at, not that I had any time to look except for a very quick visit to my favourite woolly people Piiku to buy some of their gorgeous wool. New colours this year, great excitement. I had so many nice people come to visit my stand, the first time I had taken a place of my own. Wonderful Nicky Bibby came to help out on the Friday and Saturday and of course I had my good friend Jill Denton who was sharing the stand with me this year.

My workshop was for felt inlay pictures using the delicious Felbi pre-felts, of which I am the UK supplier. The pieces my class made were truly gorgeous. Here is a sample of what they did.

I also had some of my needle felted friends with me and a few of them didn't come home with me. Here I am with Maurice Mouse, named by his new mummy who apparently couldn't live without him and contacted me afterwards for a sale.