Resolutions...or not!

Remember the giveaway post here...when I joined in with the Quilting Gallery's 4th Birthday Blog Hop.
Well for your edification and enjoyment I present

 The Analysis of the Data post!

Yes!... you asked for it...well some did and I thought it was worth running with as well...

The background: to make the comments on the giveaway post a little more interesting, I asked entrants to tell me what resolution they kept or failed to keep in 2011.
As the comments poured in, I thought it would be fun to have a bit of a look at all the reasons people gave, whether they made them, kept them, and why or why not...
Let me say straight off, THANK YOU to all who commented. I couldn't reply to you all, though I did try at first...but you left me with a song in my heart and a goldmine of fun comments. THANK YOU! 

Before I launch into the results, I have to tell you that I worked as a Psychologist, pre-children, and really enjoyed the Uni courses on statistics and scientific method and carried out a few research projects in my time. Now the reason I tell you this is that I had a really hard time not turning this into a mini thesis with and Introduction, Method...aaaarrrggghhhh!!!…don't worry I'm not about to - it would have taken up far too much sewing time...

So in pictures here’s the graph of the answers to the post question:
GRAPH #1 
These were the categories that I took out of all the answers. Many had to be grouped together because this was getting to be bigger than BenHur and remember I want to get back to sewing!!!
The first three listed below are items only mentioned once in any of the replies - I should resolve to do the 'snip loose threads as I go' it would save a lot of "grrr-ing" at the end of projects!



So by far, most people (excuse me - I mean my readers!) don’t make New Years Resolutions.
The next most made resolution involves getting fit/losing weight/eating more healthily.
I was glad to see that the third most frequent resolutions have to do with quilting/sewing; including finishing specific projects or UFO’s (some a few yrs - or more - old) *coughs*, taming and organising fabric stashes and sewing areas. For some that was setting up their sewing area for the first time. PIGS are Projects In Grocery Sacks...I love that name)
[The reasons that fade to dots are: tame/sort/use fabrics or organise/tidy up sewing room,  and
be a better mother/wife/daughter/take care of self & manage own time- my graph skills are rusty as...]

RESULTS: (sorry couldn't help myself - it's like being on automatic!)
Ok enough of looking at the types of resolutions…how did we go at keeping those we made…
GRAPH #2 [The raw data people - like you really needed to know that!]

So the way to read this is

 the bars in blue show the number of resolutions that were KEPT

The bars in red are those that were PARTLY KEPT, either till part way through year, or slower than the person wanted.

eg the reader who wanted to read 52 books in the year only made it to 43

 – I say only with total awe in my voice!

The numbers in green are the one's that WEREN'T FOLLOWED through *sigh*,

and

The purple are those who were brave enough to propose a resolution, or continue with one, into 2012!

(disclaimer: I think the numbers tally, but there were multiple answers and multiple reasons - which just shows how lovely bloggers are to take the time to make considered and careful replies - so forgive the odd miscalculation...not thesis...remember)

GRAPH #3

DISCUSSION: (oops it happened again...)
Ok, so what does it all mean...(and note that in the above graph #3 "resolution not done" doesn't mean that it was a total failure, as it may have been partly done - (or in the case of don't make resolutions is that "not done" 'cause they weren't made or "not done" cause they didn't make any LOL- {see Graph #2})

* Don't make resolutions and you'll never, ever  have to worry about breaking them, remembering what they are, or feeling like a failure...

* You are more likely to keep a resolution that involves your hobby.
* You will be 100% successful if you choose to start, or better, your blogging skills
* The next most successful resolution was to improve your quilting skills - almost 90% of those were kept!
* Other successful resolutions were to finish a specific projects (just under 70%) and UFO's (50%) were finished. 
* You will also be quite successful if you plan to tidy/tame/sort/ fabrics or sewing area - about 45% followed through and of those that didn't, over 50% did at some stage, but it got messy again as they worked on projects - I'd call that a win!

*You are less likely to keep a resolution based on "getting fit/losing weight/ eating healthily" - that's not to say that you won't...but it seems to be one of the hardest to stick to...

Ok now we come to the bit where I put in some fun anecdotal information that came out of the data!
*  write it down - then you won't forget it
*  Projects In Grocery Bags - well I laughed and then frantically tried to put my projects into anything but!
*  someone found that making mid year resolutions worked better for them!
*  Dont make resolutions, set yourself A GOAL OR A PRIORITY...it sounds better and isn't limited to a specific year!

Ok that's it...I'm cured of ever wanting to make another resolution...THE END...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL...

Your comments on here

Your blogs I've read

have made this a fun year, 

No looking BACK for me...

It's all FORWARD into 2012,

with a smile on my face, 

a bazillion projects in my head

and a sewing room beckoning...

thanks for taking a peek over the fence in 2011

PS Just in case there is someone out there who feels the urge, there really is no need to critique this (pseudo) scientific study. If I ever put it into the Journal of Social Psychology, then you can tear it to shreds! OK? Good!

Happy Birthday...

Two special celebrations today:

The Reason for the Season:

...and 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME.

A very Peaceful and Joyous Christmas is my wish to everyone who stops by here to have a peek over the fence

and, like always...

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Buying and Using Fabric…

Not long ago these fabrics found a home with me…they were on sale and I couldn’t leave them languishing on a shelf somewhere feeling unloved (I’m too kind for my own good).

 


Luckily, almost all of these have a purpose: The two pieces of blue Saffron Craig fabric are to re-make the bag with the disastrous tension issues. The second piece of the Saffron Craig flowers is for the Bloggers Block of the month.
The purple bundle was a total impulse buy – I’ve never, ever bought a fat quarter bundle, and couldn’t resist – it’s purpose, at the moment, is to be admired.
The same with the Tammis Keefe…that is until Miss Bee was trying to think of what to get Ms Princess for Christmas. I suggested a pillow with a pouch for her iPod, an idea prompted by this tutorial…and she chose my Tammis Keefe print!!! And we decided on a doily as the pouch, which makes it a very easy project and super easy and quick for a last minute gift idea.

The evidence that I really did have to cut into it! This was a half yard piece that I trimmed to (approx)14" by (approx) 140". This gives a decent overlap and doesn't gape at the back.

Here's the young lady herself hemming the sides. The fabric is going to be overlapped around the pillow form to make a big sideways pouch (necessary because of  the direction of this print).

We wrapped the fabric around the pillow and used pins to mark where the overlap would be.
Then pinned a doily where the pocket on the front sits. We sewed around most of the doily, leaving a gap large enough to be able to put the required electronic device in. A cute rose button is sewn onto the doily for decoration.

Then the top and bottom hems were sewed, and the whole thing was turned inside out through the gap in the back.
A size 14 pillow form was stuffed into it and...

The finished pillow

with the handy overlapped back.

It's all wrapped and under the tree already.

One happy little sister who can't wait for her big sister to open her present.

This took no more than an hour! Seriously!

I'm happy I sacrificed this beautiful fabric. It will have a full and happy life, rather than sit in a bin just being admired...not that there is really anything wrong with that!!!

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

While Shepherds Washed Their Socks…

Yesterday I took 2 of the girls into town to do our Christmas Shopping.

A highlight of Christmas in Sydney is always the David Jones ( a huge department store) Christmas window display.

This year the Story of the Nativity is the main focus of the window display, as it should be for Christmas. In each window there is either a Christmas Hymns or a carol playing with animatronic puppetry for each scene.

My photos inevitably have bad reflections in them, but you can see them in all their glory in this link: David Jones window Christmas Display.

I wonder how many other people have spotted this little bit of humour?…












There are a few other quirky  touches:
In the "Little Drummer Boy", one of the little mice is playing a colander:

Just look at the patchwork hems of the Shepherd’s cloaks!!

In fact the City seems to have embraced ‘patchwork’…

One last wonderful display we saw... In The Galeries in George Street...
A book sculpture that hangs down a few stories like a giant chandelier...

Lovely, quirky displays like these do help take your mind off thinking about how sore your feet are (from walking from 10.30am to 6pm)...or wondering whether that bag full of books from Kinokuniya really will drag our shoulder out!

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Winner…

Whew, I’m exhausted from the Quilting Gallery Blog Hop Party!
I hope Mishka had a fabulous 4th Birthday…a week long party with presents for lots of bloggers, is quite a spectacular way to celebrate!

Thanks everyone for your comments...and a special thank you to all my new followers...I will have my own celebratory giveaway for reaching the milestone of 100 followers and (almost) 300 blog posts...so stay tuned...


Now without further waffling…oh, except I didn’t count some comments as they were totally anonymous…I couldn’t find an email to contact them…some others at least had an email contact on their profile…and one accidental duplication of a comment…

the winner of this:

is

#146

I have sent you an email Judith, so all I need from you is an address to be able to send your prize out.

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

RSI…

…aching wrist, tingling fingers…probably started by manical data entry as the school office prepares for the end of the school year and preparation of next years classes and other admin tasks, not helped by blog hopping.

Actually it’s interfering with my blog hopping to try and win copious amounts of fabric, patterns and even shoes (follow the link and see what I mean), to take me through 2012 with plenty of quilting and sewing projects...I'm dreaming!!

Also, I am madly trying to reply to 140+ comments and counting. Sorry to those I don’t get to reply to…I don’t know if I am up to the task…but I’ll try...


Anyway, a little sore wrist or two can’t interfere with a bit of Christmas present making.


I finished the green one for one of my work colleagues...but forgot to take a photo. This has some fabric in it that came from her Aunt who had to move into a smaller house. She noticed straightaway! I love it when handmade gifts are so welcomed!

I desperately need to finish the purple one for Monday, so no more blog hopping for a while for me!

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

What goes out...

 What goes out...

must come in...

My rainbow swap charms have arrived.

75 rainbow 5" CHARM SQUARES

I am still working out what they will become...there are a few ideas brewing...

************************************

I have been overwhelmed by the response to my Blog Hop Party Giveaway. 

Over 124 entries.

and I now have 101 followers.

Thanks to everyone who chose to become a follower. I didn't make that a condition of entry so I am hoping that you enjoyed your little peek over the fence and are happy to come back for more.

The giveaway is open till December 17, so go back to this post and take your chance!

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

MPAY - The Christmas Party

I'm playing along with Vic's My Place and Yours with the theme

"The Christmas Party"

The Party starts at the front door...

a wreath liberated from a garage sale (ie they threw it in for nix when the MaTH bought the fridge and the surround sound speakers for a song too!)

 Partying continues in the lounge room where my first ever Christmas quilt gets the royal treatment

 - pride of place above the mantlepiece...

 Careful you don't stumble and knock over the stained glass candles on the coffee table...first ever Christmas tablerunner made too

I didn't even know that I could do this to photos...highlight some colour and make the rest B&W...looks good though...

This weekend there will be a bit more setting up for the party...(when I can find where I put everything when the old cupboards were dismantled!).

Head on over to Vic's for more Christmas cheer...

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Blog Hop Party...Giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED NOW
WINNER ANNOUNCED SUNDAY 18 (SYDNEY TIME)
THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO ENTERED.

blog hop party

Just what you've been waiting for.

The GIVEAWAY announcement

I'm joining in with the Quilting Gallery Blog Hop Party. There are about 155  edited to over 250 now! sbloggers who are all putting giveaways up on their blogs - just for the heck of it...'tis the season and all that!

I've chosen to go with a CHRISTMAS THEME

and here is what you can win...

In this little package there are two very yummy half yard pieces of Christmas fabric...

... and this pattern for a wall hanging...

What do you have to do?

1) Leave one comment only telling me which New Year's Resolution you kept this year? If you didn't keep one, which one do you'd wish you kept?

 One of my New Years Resolutions for 2011 was to change my needle for every new project I started...a very practical resolution and one that should have been very easy to keep...I just didn't count on needing new needles at odd hours of the night... The verdict  - I mostly did manage to stick to that resolution...and there were no guilt trips if I didn't do it straightaway...I think I've got this resolution business all sussed out! I'm looking forward to reading your stories!

2) Open to International bloggers.

3) That's it...no hoops...

Comments close on December 17, 6.00PM EDT( ie Australian Eastern Daylight Time)

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

This post will be up earlier than some of the Northern Hemisphere blogger, so check the Quilting Gallery Blog link from December 10 onwards to enter other bloggers' giveaways.

Don't Panic 2... & a giveaway coming

You guys are so funny! I didn't mean to publish the previous post...I was trying to save the title*...and the combination of a slow, misbehaving computer (that ultimately crashed), a nextdoor neighbours computer suddenly appearing on our wireless network!!! (no I can't understand why either) and a tired and flustered blogger...'nuff said...

Anyways, what I was trying not to panic about...
was all this fabric cut out, stacked and ready to sew...

Today I sewed these two tops together...today...you read right...I can't believe it either!

 I keep thinking about doing a tutorial for the tree. I drafted it in my "Quilt Wizard" programme and it comes together easily. There are two hard steps: aligning the strips at the top left and bottom right and and trimming the edges to bind it...
You can see the one I made a few years ago.

I also sewed the border strips onto this table topper too...it's the leftover from a table runner that I made for the school's end of year raffle.

 This is a gratuitous picture of the table topper in the new laundry...I have some of the cupboards, but still waiting on the linen press and broom cupboards to come. 

Also on December 9 I will be hosting a giveaway for Quilting Gallery Blog Hop Party - there's a button on my sidebar...
see you then...or maybe before...If I haven't... you know...panicked in the meantime!

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

*PS Blogger dudes...MOVE that "publish" button FURTHER AWAY from the "save" button...please!!!

Don't Panic...

A Happy Win & Rainbow Charms

During Blogtoberfest I entered a giveaway 

at Everyone Deserves a Quilt *. My parcel from has Joanne arrived!

In it was some lovely fabric, a great pattern and these nifty binding clips.

Can't wait to try these clips - of course that means I actually have to make something that requires binding...

Thanks so much Joanne for picking me!

*if Australia ever decides to include a Bill of Rights  in the Constitution, I'm thinking this wording should be Right #1

RAINBOW CHARM SWAP

I've joined another swap...a fabric sharing swap. 16 of us are a sending off 80 x 5" squares. The colours we were allocated are based on this colour wheel...

picture thieved from here

Here are fabrics I chose and am sending off to Sharon - Lillabelle Lane - to sort and send me back a whole lotta charm goodness.

Tell me that you recognised my colours as violet, red-violet, red-orange, green and blue-green! I did spend a great deal of time choosing the fabric...just to get it completely right of course...no  obsessing went on...ok maybe just a little!

Really, I can't believe how easy it was to slice and dice the required number of squares.

I keep asking myself why can't I do this with fabric I already have?...and then create all those quilts that, in my imagination, I am furiously turning out?

Let's see what I can do when that package bursting with colour arrives and school holidays start...maybe a combination of time and effort might actually work!

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Stash and Treasure Market

About a month ago, I went to Marrickville Markets (posted here) and met up with Cherie (her blog is here).

Cherie is organising a Stash and Treasure Market, to be held on January 14, 2012 at Marrickville Town Hall.

 link here

I am seriously thinking about getting a stall, not just to...ah...redistribute some of my hoarding...but because the Market is also supporting The Miracle Babies Foundation.

Help spread the word!

Thanks for taking a peek over the fence...