Random things…

Gillian’s Quilted Dolls House

Back in February when I shared photos of Gillian’s quilted fold-and-go doll’s house lots of you asked where you could find the pattern.

 

After some research I can now tell you it’s called Pippi’s House and is the creation of clever cloth doll designer Jane Coughlan. You can order the pattern from Dollmakers Journey in the US and from Australian online store Idyll Pleasures . As well as Pippi’s House, you’ll find patterns for Pippi herself, her friend Pete, and Pete’s Garage.

There are even patterns for you to make plump padded cars with rotating wheels for Pippi and Pete.

 

The Fabric of Society Travelling Exhibition

Remember the fun had by “Team Di” last year when we flew to Melbourne for the day to see my Scrappy Hexagons quilt hanging in the Victorian Quilters’ Guild’s Fabric of Society Challenge Exhibition at the  Quilt and Craft Fair?

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When the announcement came that every one of the quilts exhibited that day would be included in a travelling exhibition in 2012, starting with the Australasian Quilt Convention in April, I was so excited. I’d never even had a quilt hung in an exhibition until now.

Unfortunately this was not to be. The AQC is on in Melbourne this week, and I received an email from the Victorian Quilters’ Inc, organisers of the Fabric of Society Challenge, a few weeks ago saying that owing to a perceived conflict of interest of sponsorship, and the fact that only one state had taken up the offer to host the travelling exhibition it was not viable for Brother International to sponsor and would therefore not go ahead.

I could feel their disappointment and sadness at having to let around 40 quilters know their work would not be displayed as they had envisaged, but these things happen and it’s been pleasure enough for me to have my quilt hung at all. It was, after all, only meant to be something to snuggle under while I watch TV in winter.

Word Verification

If you have a blog you probably have moderation turned on so you can check that no inappropriate comments come through before you publish them. It happens. Only last week, after my post about going to The Princess and Jack’s birthday parties a spam comment arrived in my box offering me a “female libido enhancer” to deal with my “problem”. I doubt this would have improved my “performance” at these parties and I’m relieved to have comment moderation at times like this when the Delete button makes short work of spam.

However, if you’re a Blogger blogger (there’s no other way to say that!) you may have Word Verification activated in addition to Comment Moderation and not even know it. I didn’t, until a friend told me.

We’ve all stumbled across this little box, with what look like smeary ant’s trails, when trying to leave comments. If you haven’t, then let me tell you it’s intensely irritating because those random letters you’re expected to copy to “prove you’re not a robot” are almost illegible to even the most sharp-eyed human being, and sometimes it’s just simpler to give up and not leave a comment on that person’s blog. No-one wants that.

So if your readers have been a tad quiet of late this might be the reason. Better check.

To change it, go to your Blogger Dashboard – Settings – Comments. Then scroll down to “Show word verification for comments?” and choose “no”. Trust me, you can do without it.

Oh dear, when I see some of the words I’ve used here I wonder what cyber-robotic ‘comments’ this post’s going to generate

Di