Link Love: Misadventures in Minecraft

Deciding to take January “off” has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. The difference between the second week of January and this past week are massive. I’ve gone from being an around the clock jerk to just a sometimes jerk. I’ve spent more time with the boys and I’ve even managed to get some work done on tasks that I was giving myself permission to ignore until February. I’ve been taking a hard look at the things I have on my to-do list and working out whether they’re crucial or nice-to-have and it turns out there’s not much that’s crucial. I’m also closing in on a full 30 days of no junk food, no soft drink and a minimum of 30 minutes a day exercise and I’m not-so-quietly pleased with myself.

The Little Man and I have been hanging out more together and just enjoying playing and doing nothing in particular. We have played a fair bit of Minecraft together which has been an interesting addition to our lives. (Nothing funnier than hearing a 40+yo man arguing with a 5yo about the ethics of blowing him up when he’s not looking. Also funny, hearing a 5yo yell “Fire in the hole!” and then giggling like a maniac only to be followed with a “You’re supposed to yell “fire in the hole” before blowing up the TNT.”) The only downside with so much Minecraft is that I’m starting to look at the world in terms of what I could do with things if they were in Minecraft. The other day we were driving around and I found myself looking at the houses and thinking about how I’d remodel them in Minecraft. (I may need an intervention!)

I’ve been sewing this past week as well and I’m just waiting to see if it’s ok to share it with you all. I feel like I haven’t shown anything new in forever and it’s really starting to bum me out. I’m prolific behind-the-scenes yet have nothing really to show for it. It’s so crazy. This week I’m also going to be finalising some special treats for my in-person teaching classes as well as some online classes that I have coming up. It’s all very exciting!

Right, better run I’m late for our Speech Therapy Appointment. (Who makes a speech appointment for first thing on Monday morning, I ask you!) Wishing you a fabulous week filled with love, laughter and fabric fondling!

Have you seen the new mini series on Craftsy called “Patchwork Nation”? It’s worth checking out (especially as the last episode is on the fabulous Marti Michell). Click here to read more.

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I love this idea from Amy at Diary of a Quilter. It’s a monthly charitable sewing prompt – such a great idea and a perfect alternative to participating in sew-alongs. Click here to read more.

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How cool is this sewing machine cover from Nadra at ellis & higgs + Dorthe of Lalala Patchwork. (The tutorials are in German, but you can use Google Translate to translate them for free – just put the web address in the box and it’ll do the rest!) Click here to read more.

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We’ve cut back on buying junk food and so we’re back to baking a little more these days and last week Hubby made choc-coconut slice. I do so love this recipe. Click here to read more.

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I’m loving this free quilt pattern from Kristina of Centre Street Quilts for Moda Bake Shop. Click here to read more.

In 2018 I’m going to be travelling around Australia teaching people how to fussy cut and I can’t wait. If you’d like to take a class with me I have the follow classes currently available:

Fussy Cutting FUNdamentals @ Amitie Textiles – Saturday 17 February 10:00am to 3:30pm. Learn everything you need to know about how to fussy cut for patchwork and English Paper Piecing. We’ll cover Improvisational Fussy Cutting, Traditional Fussy Cutting and Fussy Cutting for Colour. I’ll talk about fabric selection (including how to work out exactly how much to buy), colour theory and where to find those unusual prints to make your work pop. To book click here. (Hurry – this one’s nearly sold out!)
Amazeballs Tote Bag @ Amitie Textiles – Sunday 18 February 10:00am to 3:30pm. Using the Amazeballs Tote pattern from my book, Fussy Cutters Club, we’ll learn all about improvisational fussy cutting to make unique and one-of-a-kind projects. Participants will learn basic bag construction and techniques for adding fussy cutting to all their projects. To book click here. (Hurry – this one’s nearly sold out!)
Fussy Cutting FUNdamentals @ Hobbysew Belconnen – Saturday 24 February 10:00am to 3:00pm. Learn everything you need to know about how to fussy cut for patchwork and English Paper Piecing. We’ll cover Improvisational Fussy Cutting, Traditional Fussy Cutting and Fussy Cutting for Colour. I’ll talk about fabric selection (including how to work out exactly how much to buy), colour theory and where to find those unusual prints to make your work pop. To book click here.

I love to share the cool things that I find during my week of surfing the internet window-shopping and splurging. Here’s my top 4 from this week:

A. I’m sewing: Pink Door Fabrics have done it again with this Alison Glass Sunprint 2018 Lepidoptera quilt kit. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

B. I’m cat ladying: With the addition of Spike to our house I’m noticing a theme in the fabrics I’m buying. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

C. I’m watching: I was only talking about buying one of these clocks for my studio the other day and now I’ve found it on fabric. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

D. I’m chuckling: I love unexpected prints for fussy cutting and these hairspray cans from Robert Kaufman are just that. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

Have you got an event, a charity drive, a pattern release, a class schedule or something else that you think my community would be interested in hearing about? Why not drop me a line and let me know – I’d love to share it with my readers. Click here to email me.

Meredithe and Anne are hosting a challenge in 2018 where participants can nominate 6 UFO’s and 6 New Makes that they want to conquer in 2018. It’s a great way to find new friends and have an accountability framework in place for getting things done. Find out more by clicking here.
Sherri Noel has released two Tomte patterns which are a great way to celebrate Christmas, or you could make one for each season. You can buy the quilt pattern by clicking here or purchase the matching plushie pattern by clicking here.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a very small commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link, in fact in some cases I can offer you a better price via an affiliate link. I will not recommend something that I do not use myself. These commissions help me keep being able to provide you with great content for free. Thank you, in advance for your support!