In the zone

It's Wednesday. My new design is ready: the first rainbow unicorn quilt in the "magical and mythical" series has been appliqued, pieced, and basted into a quilt sandwich.

Time to quilt it.

Made using Kaffe Fasset Collective fabrics and Fairy Frost, it glitters and glows.

The rainbow stripes are added in the correct order.... and it is exciting to sew!

Feeling totally in the zone.... today I also started tracing off the applique pieces for the borders of Diamond Hill. There's not really that much to go - the quilt is about 3/4 made. Christmas in July has passed, and costumes in August has also passed... let's get back to Esther's two quilts.. BECAUSE...

yesterday she released another new FREE BOM pattern!! Ohhhh my goodness!! EEEEEEEEE.

And so I am wanting to finish Diamond Hill very quickly now, so that I can start the new wallhanging. I see it in Kaffe Fasset fabrics... adding colour and coolness.... Yes... very exciting.

Enjoy your stitching everyone! See you at Esther's blog, getting the next free pattern!




Ok.. now it's Friday, and the quilt is finished and bound!



Whee!!


I JUST LOVE this quilt. I am excited to make more in this theme.

Four more

Incredible! I'm not really sure how I did it, But they are done! The bellydance costumes for this year's concert are finished. And that is a relief.

This is a bra I covered in a high end dress fabric. The "Princess Jasmine" sleeves were added following a tutorial on Sparkly Belly. I love that the turquoise colour adds brightness to an otherwise drab costume of bronze/brown/gold.



Then I made up this matching belt, and stitched another hand me down necklace onto it for tinkle and jingle during the Drum Circle dance. Also hanging from the belt is part of the dream catcher, and more feathers are in the hair. This is a tribal inspired bra and belt. I feel so comfortable in this outfit.



I will be excited to post photos later, of the costumes while I am wearing them.

Over the weekend another TWO little doll/teddy sleeping bags were finished (they just had a bit of binding to hand stitch down).




And feeling all inspired on Saturday morning after finishing the costumes, I went a bit crazy and designed a new quilt, then went to buy the fabric for it!

Um... ok... yes... it is now started. !!!! I think it is going to be one in a series following a "mythical and magical" theme....



You just can't keep a sewing girl down!

And to keep in the flow of the new little quilt currently forming, I am hoping to have the top pieced, and the back pieced ready to sandwich together on Wednesday at social sewing group.

Thank goodness for this blog, my quilting journal, or I would never be able to keep track of all these finished items.

Tambourine Tangerine

You guessed it! There's a hole in my finger! All this hand stitching on bellydance costumes!



This was a pink bra. Er.... well, it still is... But, it was a pink bra, and an orange belt. The belt was about a size 8... and I am about size 12-14... what to do with it? Aha! The belt has been stitched onto the bra, extra sequins added, and it's ready to go with the 25 yard full skirt in pink and orange ready for the tambourine dance.

Okay... now I have decided to start another new costume instead of wearing something I had... Eek! This really does sound like me... hahahahaha.... nothing like an outfit at the last minute!

Making the new costume consists of rustling up bits and pieces that I have already, including a $1 scarf from ebay, a dream catcher, a $7 bra from kmart, a hand me down necklace and some gorgeous bronze fabric.... I think I will make up a belt too.




For this one I have chosen a more tribal theme.. adding the turquoise feathers and fabric to brighten up the bronze/brown.

My dear Mother In Law just stitched me a bronze/brown satin skirt (she has made about 100 of them, and they are very fast for her... bless her!!)... Ok... I have only a few days.... Cheer me on!

Oh! And I made this patchworked teddy/doll sleeping bag....

Ouch! Hand stitching binding! My fingers!! We ARE suckers for our craft!

Two disco balls

I really have no idea where the weekend went... I think that's life when you are celebrating being a Family!

there at dawn... the first ones there...

warning!! gratituous shots of the warm weather at our local beach

Not much stitching to show after intensive family time... but I do have these to show you which have been progressing for a few days..

little 30s hexies

Little hexagons made with fabric leftover from the quilt I made for my expected bub while pregnant (He is almost two!!)... I have a few ideas for what do make with these little sweethearts... Any suggestions?

And from Friday Night With Friends stitch-in at home, I finished sewing the sequined fabric onto this bra ready for the bellydance concert in a few weeks.

the black velvet was already covered in stitched sequins, this was an easy one!

Some bellydance bras get a lot of embellishment... but this one is like a disco ball already... well... when I wear it, it's kind of like 2 disco balls. Hahahahahahahah! Oh! I think I'm funny... it's lovely to be in a bellydance troupe... It's my time to be a woman. I am grateful for my friends, the exercise, and the inspiration to work on more costumes!

Hmm.... I think this week will be dedicated to working on costumes. The dress rehearsal is on Sunday, and we need to be in all our costumes by then. Eek!

Celebrating Nineteen! ... And Nine!

Whoop! Whoop!

Celebrating the finish of 19 projects (even if some of them are small zippy pouches!) this year so far.

Scroll down on the right side bar, underneath all the little pictures of other people's blogs, and you will see a link to a blog post with every finished project in 9 years....

Wait.... I think my bloggerversary is this month! Whoop! Whoop! 9 years blogging!

And so, just what have I made to bring the total so far up to 19? Well, you'll never guess that making the traveller's pouches is slightly addictive!

Hee. Hee.

Alpaca My Bags travellers pouches set #2.



That's the last of this fabric. It's a light drill, and I just love the colours. Fun and playful. And I am pretty into puns too. Ipad and headphones bag, and passport/tickets or ipod or phone bag.

Forget The Siesta, It's Time to Fiesta.



Another set of travellers pouches. Also in a light drill. I feel the excitement of going on holiday just looking at these pouches!

A few years ago I made some of these as gifts, and the recipients just raved about them. It's wonderful feedback. I bought a stack of zips on ebay, so that instead of paying $1.53 per zip, I paid 10 cents each. I have over 100 zips. And I am feeling zippy!

I've got my eye on a couple of bellydance bras next, and almost finished the wedding quilt Time For Love...

Linking up to Whoop Whoop Friday, and settling into Friday Night With Friends...

My Pieceful Space

Even though it's not strictly "Christmas in July" month anymore, I am still kind of working on something! Hahaha! I wonder when I can make another block of time dedicated to Christmas.... or if I will "reward" myself for reaching my personal quilting goals...

My brain is just overflowing with great ideas. I keep waking up in the night with (of course!) sensational ideas... hehahehehahehehe... but first, they need to be made.. before that they are my intellectual secret!

What's been going on in My Pieceful Space? (That's my new name for the sewing part of the kitchen).

I finished two stitcheries for the Bronwyn Hayes "Wish Quilt". The angel is now part of this new block, that just needs a bit of applique stitched down.



The cat was a dog to stitch. I FORCED myself to finish it, by taking ONLY that stitchery to social sewing group. After I had oohed and aahed over all the show and tell, and taken mine too, there was nothing else for it. I gritted my teeth and it's over. Phew!



What didn't I like about stitching the cat picture? It was the satin stitch leaves in the border. I loathed stitching it, and therefore did not do a spectacular job. There was no patience left for a necessary job. I could have left out the satin stitch, but I know that from a distance it will add balance to the quilt. A necessary addition, in the end!

And so, there are ALMOST 4 of the 6 blocks finished, and the very last stitchery has been started. Hurrah! I think the project will end here soon, as it's less than 4 weeks until the bellydance concert, and I may need to decorate a new bra. *wink wink* I just don't think one I already have will do!

And here is a set of bags "Alpaca My Bags!" I made for a gf on her way to Malaysia next week.



An ipad bag, and a passport and tickets bag. The other side has her name free motion quilted. I love these bags... I think there may be some more on the way....

More!

But wait, there's more... today I finished the binding on the Superhero Comics quilt.

And here is the Violette Fields skirt set modelled by Miss 6! She love, love, loves it. The tshirt is her favourite colour. I chose the skirt fabrics with that in mind.

I also made some more travel bags today, and will photograph those for display tomorrow.

And that marks the end of my Christmas in July present and Christmas-themed sewing fest, according to the calender.

However, I do feel the urge to reward myself with other sewing if at least something of my main projects (Two quilts by Esther Aliu - Diamond Hill and Secret Garden) are completed every day. I am still definitely in the mood to machine stitch.

If you saw my sewing space now, and how crowded it looks, you would know I have lots and lots of projects to go on with, and just keep enjoying.

Something will catch my eye tomorrow, to be sure!