No sewing, no sleeping, much computer work being done. Nothing blogworthy to report. I haven't even unlocked the door to my sewing room in 5 days, that's dreadful! I will have to go down today and breathe fabric fumes for a while, to restore my equilibrium.

My spare room is covered with stuff that I'm selling on Ebay, which is adding to the stress and confusion, but I think I have a system worked out and things are progressing. I have sold most of my vintage stash now, which might cause me a pang of suffering if not for the fact that I never used a bit of it. I was just the caretaker, and I decided to let other enthusiasts enjoy the bounty. I'm awfully good at preserving things that need to be rescued, but then I never do anything with them, or I get snowed under with stuff. So I'm liberating myself.

I used to visit op-shops a lot, picking up vintage fabric and laces and clothing. I had a marvellous hat collection, real monstrosities that women of my Mum's era considered essential for the well-bred woman. But when I sold my quilt cottage it all had to go. This pink crimplene one is the only one I kept; it's like a piece of sculpture! I keep repeating "I am not a Museum, I am NOT a Museum!" Ebay is the perfect solution. I rescue things of worth when I see them, and pass them on to people who are still in that acquisition phase.

Mind you, there are some things that I'm holding on to for a little longer. Like 3 metres of paisley fabric that is the same as a dress I made when I was 13. I adored the dress, but it was passed on to one of the cousins. We have at least 22 cousins, (would need to check the family tree for the exact number!) and there was a constant stream of possessions being passed down the line; Mum was a champion recycler, long before it was trendy. Now I wonder if I will ever make myself another dress out of that material? I certainly have enough fabric in this piece...

My most treasured vintage piece, that Ebay will never see? This rose fabric of Mum's, bought before the reality of having three children under 4 years of age dictated that there be no more sewing of her own clothes. I know the exact sort of dress she was planning, with a huge pleated skirt to show off her tiny waist, and a petticoat to make the skirt stand out even more. Maybe a couple of little buttoned tabs on the bodice for decoration, some little designer touch of the sort that she was so good at. But it never happened, and I lusted after this fabric in her stash every time I saw it. She gave it to me about 15 years ago, and I still adore it.

Quilty stuff? Nothing! Thing that pleases me greatly? My salad veggies thriving in the autumn sunshine on the deck. We have had three meals from this lot already, and the spring onions are a couple of weeks away from harvesting size. I even have more seedlings started so that there will always be a steady supply. I love spring onions....