Happy Dance 80 Followers

I don't set out each time to write a post aiming to get more followers. I just write what I feel and hope others will find it worth reading.   I don't hold giveaways looking for more followers.  But I do celebrate each time I get a new follower as it feels like validation that I have something worthwhile to say and something worth sharing and showing.  So thank you my lovely followers.  I really appreciate you sharing the ride along with me.  I hope I give you lots more reason to keep on coming back!

I forgot to show you the fabric that I bought last night - it is by Timeless Treasures and I knew I needed some as soon as I saw it!  I bought one and a half meters and I have put it up on the door to my sewing room where I can see it as I sew.  I will leave it there for a few days and gradually I will decide what I am going to do with it.   At the moment I am thinking that i might leave the fabric in one piece and use it as a backing and piece something for the other side that coordinates in plains......still thinking though...any ideas out there?

I have spent most of my sewing time today quilting Bruce's quilt.  I did a lot of quilting in the border, quilting in the ditch at each seam - oh la la do I now have a heap of ends to sew in.  I spent at least an hour doing that so far and still have half the border to go.  I think it was worth it though.

Tonight I had to help Fly Boy pack for a cadet bivouac.  He will be departing tomorrow - carrying a huge pack and water bag. 

 The pack contains only the bare minimum but it is still really heavy!  Sometimes they have to hike, with their packs for quite a while after they get off the bus until they get to their camp site,  Often with these bivouacs they set their camps up and then part way thru the night they get told that the enemy has found them and they have to relocate!  They don't sleep in tents but hutchies! What? you say!  A hutchie is basically a bit of canvas or tarp which lies across a rope strung between two trees,  kind of a make shift tent, then they put down a ground sheet and a sleeping bag!  Lucky them!!!!  they carry their own food - mostly two minutes noodles, muesli bars, a bit of cereal and lollies.  they do their own cooking on a little stove heated by flammable tablets - that is assuming that they will get time to cook.  Some times they just eat their noodles dry and amazingly they don't complain!

Once the packing was done I managed to squeeze in enough sewing time to make one more bag for Ireland,  I have one left to do!  this is one of my favourite Aussie fabrics. It has sulphur crested cockatoos on it and I just think it is soft and pretty.

One more school day before the holidays and I have to leave home early afternoon to collect Fly Boy early from school so that I can get him home, showered and changed in time to get to the departure point for Bivouac.  The shower is essential as he won't get another one till Sunday night.  There are no showers and no toilets - such fun!  Believe it or not there are actually girl cadets - lucky them!!!

I may be ex-Air Force and ex-Navy but bivouacs were never my favourite part of service life and luckily I hardly ever had to do them!  Phew.

So, a short day tomorrow but no running around tomorrow night so a good sewing night!

Till next time.......happy stitching!