Kiwi Quilt #1

Here we go!! Another panel with borders... ... and this will be a lap quilt. I bought the centre panel in NZ almost one year ago (to the day!!)

And the abalone shell fabric too.... the others were in my LQS - perfect!!

I have another 3 panels... I will make two more lap quilts as gifts, and turn one into a wallhanging for myself...

How have I ended up with more machine quilting to do, when I'm trying to add to my list of finishes? Hahahahaha... at least this fabric is out of its box and has been played with...

Cranes

I fell in love with this Japanese crane panel.... then before I could even photograph it, I've added four borders and it's ready to quilt. It's going to be a gift for a friend after it is used as a sample in my LQS.

Oh my... another piece to machine quilt!!

I have the binding on the Saggy Baggy elephant quilt, ready for hand-stitching... I hope I will add another finished item to my 2011 list before the New Year!!

Whoops!

Whoops!!
I'm not really sure how it happened!! But here is a completed quilt top without any previous photos!!
I'm sure I took some, and posted them.... Uh-oh.

It's another version of the Persian Tiles quilt designed by my friend Carol.

I'm just going to piece the back... then ask Mum to quilt it with butterflies (I'm going to give it to a gf after it's been used as a sample for my LQS)...

It's made from a "Flora" jelly roll and layer cake... stay tuned!!

Kashmir - what a mess!

I've been cutting out these tumbler pieces for erm.... a long time... more than a year? Yes, I think so. *awkward grin* Andrea came over for a mad sewing Tuesday... and I finished cutting them out... then I laid them all out into the arrangement...

And I didn't start sewing until today! They are all pieced into rows now, ready to be pressed and joined...

But, what a mess! I had to get it off the floor as quickly as possible!!

The Little Red Baked Goods quilt

Last night I found myself sitting at home watching movies for the first time in a long time... (do you know, I freaked out at the surround sound? I wondered what was going on behind/beside my couch!!) hahahaha)...

And I enjoyed my hand-stitching.... I added the binding to The Little Red Baked Goods quilt.... Oh! It's a gorgeous little quilt measuring just over half a metre squared. It feels soft and snuggly already! I love it!

Then I snipped the edges of this little raggedy edged quilt made from the leftover squares (I added another fabric for the backing squares)..And here are the little pieces that came out of one little moda snack box....

While I was hand-stitching away, I also finished the binding on this tablerunner.... I know... shocking!! When did I start it? Months and months ago... I don't think I even blogged it! That's how bad it is!!

I'm definitely happy with these 3 little finished items towards the end of the blog year.... *wink*

Baking Day continues...

Everyone's quickly trying to finish their sewing projects before Christmas!! I've managed a little quilt top in only 3 days...

There are about 40 little 3inch squares left from the little snack pack...

I'm thinking I'd like to make them into a little raggy quilt. I haven't made one before, why not make it little? It's not going to need any batting, but I may need to cut backing squares - depending on how many little squares I actually have left (maybe I can just use these for the front and back)...

Baking Day

How cute is this little snack pack? It's a Moda BakeShop product. Oh, they know how to get us in with their packaging don't they?It's a mini- honeybun (the strips are 1.5inches wide) containing 6 red and 6 cream strips. Simply make four-patch blocks from the honeybun, and alternate with the pre-cut 3inch squares.
So fun, so fast, this is what I've done already!!The rotary cutter indicates scale. The finished quilt top will measure 56 inches x 56 inches. Only a little one, but I love little quilts!!

Rememberance

I didn't realise this wasn't a very good photo of the finished quilt "Rememberance".... I usually like to take photos of my quilts flat, showing the binding... but this was taken while the quilt was in the hands of the recipient. I finished sewing the binding down last night... What a pleasant past-time it is to sit on the couch ... watching a funny movie... ("The Guru")....

It's been a while since I sat down and relaxed with handwork in front of the TV. I miss it. There are so many other things we do: mowing the grass, yoga sessions, dance classes, socialising, taking walks... This reminded me how important it is to make time for all the activities we lenjoy.. even if it is only once in a while...

Christmas Sew-In

Yesterday I made new friends at Susan's "Christmas Sew-In'. Susan and I have been friends via an Australian online group Southern Cross Quilters (SCQuilters) for years. Now we are friends on facebook too. So when she created a facebook event, I was invited... (bonus! Susan only lives an hour away)..

Hmmm.. hand-sewing. It's been a while since I had to prepare anything... I took the vintage flowers stitchery quilt (hand-stitching to attach the binding)... but didn't get much of that done. Hahahaha.

I took part of the Kaffe Fasset mystery quilt I've been working on - I stitched on one star.

This is the only part of the quilt I am allowed to show you, as it will be a mystery project at my LQS.

I took the Basket Case quilt blocks and a Clover flower maker in case I felt like making flowers (never got up to it).

I completed hand-stitching one of the sides of this bag. I'm not going to make the bag. I'm going to adapt the pattern to make a wallhanging with 4 shop fronts in a double-story arrangement. I just love the little stitcheries, but, I know I wouldn't use it as a bag.

These pics are from the Whatnot Bag by Bronwyn Hayes.

I am going to make the Whatnot Wallhanging.

And of course, we ate, we drank (ginger beer for me), we enjoyed a tour of Susan's Christmas-decorated home. Oh wow. Lots and lots of Christmas trees. She takes 2 weeks to set up her Christmas display. I felt so special to be invited.

In Susan's home. We each selected a crocheted snowflake from her displays to take home to hang in our own tree...

Basket Case

Finding a good name for this quilt was really easy!! I certainly feel like a basket case!

I've just stayed up sewing and sewing... I can't put the baskets down!!

I filled six bobbins on a friend's machine. My machine really, really needs to be serviced... Tension bad, bobbins not winding, thread cutter on the fritz... poor workhorse!

A snapshot of a few blocks- each block has 2 borders... and I've joined them into rows.

I think they'll have a little ric-rac and/or ribbon for decoration, and some 3D flowers made with the clover flower maker... I'll keep you updated. *grin*

Oh, and hand-sewing? Mum has quilted my Flower Of The Month stitchery quilt. It's beautiful. I've machine-stitched the binding on... I'm off to a Christmas Sew-In at Susan's today, and I'll be needing some hand work.

Burnout...

I'm love-love-loving sewing at the moment... Definitely have my mojo back... and I'm trying hard to increase the number of finished projects for this year (they are significantly lower than previous years)... but... we won't worry about that...

So, I started the basket quilt. It's made from panels, with borders added around the printed blocks. (It's cheating really, the baskets look like they've been pieced or appliqued on.. Shhhhh...)

Each block has been cut out, following the printed design on the panel. Then I chose two fabrics to border each block before starting to sew.Ok.... it got a bit mad... I kept sewing, and even though my machine is on the fritz (the tension just goes in and out.. I'll be sewing along, and mid-seam the top thread will go all loose)... so I've had to sew a few of the seams twice!!

Then it became later and later at night... and I was still sewing!!

Wow! All the blocks have the first frame on... and I'm trying to fill a bobbin, and they won't fill. Uh-oh.... There's something wrong with the bobbin-winding motor. What can I do? Keep emptying bobbins.

Thank goodness I fill 3 bobbins at a time, and I have about 25 bobbins - most with thread on them at one point or another... There's a message here - stop sewing tonight!! I'm going to go with it... Zzzzz...

Emptying bobbins

Well... okay... it took two days to clear all those little pieces off the table!! What can I say? I've been terribly busy!

Here they are all joined together... I emptied a lot of bobbins... I kept thinking, "I just need to sew this bit, I won't fill a bobbin - what colour can I use?" So, I emptied a few bobbins in a range of neutral colours: grey, cream, sage green... they all worked...

I think you can see that there are quite a lot of seams... I'm loving the fabrics...

I can't wait to slice and dice the Sunburnt Grass to insert a zebra print. I'm hoping it will look like there is movement in the quilt...

Now, I just need a little bit of time please Time Fairy... *grin*

The next mad sewing day...

So, where are my sewing buddies? I woke to an early alarm clock - not wanting to be late for my quilting mates for our mad sewing session... and not one of them turned up!!

That's it, next time, I'm sleeping in!!! (I know you're reading this Rosie and Andrea *wink wink*)....

A good friend from out of town did visit me, but I didn't start sewing until after lunch... well and truly after lunch!!

I cut up the rest of the Bali Pop to make Sunburnt Grass:

I've colourwashed it into sections of green and reds....

Then I went to dance class, and thought I'd better come back tonight to stitch up what I can - it can't stay on the table tomorrow!!!

Uh-oh, this is all I managed to sew. I'll be up early again in the morning...

African Dreaming

I've had these African fabrics sitting in a shoebox for 3 years I reckon...

Tonight after work, I was so tired that I went home and slept for about 1 1/2 hours... and I dreamed...
Along with theabove fabrics I had a Bali Pop - it's like a jelly roll (pack of 40 pieces 2.5 inches wide) of batik fabrics.... I woke, scribbled down the ideas that had come to me... then I had to sew... so I stayed up fairly late considering how tired I was... but this is what I've made so far...

This is the African sun in the sky...
These are the pieces I have left from the Bali Pop - these are the grass fabrics...

To be continued...

Just In Time

Just in time for Christmas... I've finished the Calendar!

This little wallhanging looks so so much better than it did in a panel. The quilting adds a lot of depth.

I decided to use little black safety pins and make them a decorative feature, rather than try to conceal the way the date medallions were attached.

Just in time for me to clock up another finish... Hmm... now that's finished...what will I start next? Maybe I should finish something else first? Noooooo..... that would be sensible! Hahahaha.

Sewing and sleeping

So... Christmas is drawing near... and today I've had a "mad sewing day" with the girls... Okay, it wasn't as mad as last Tuesday. It was very peaceful... we were all doing handwork at one point (I've sewn the binding on! YAY!!)
Oh yes, it is quite narrow...

We were all feeling rather tired - Rosie decided it was our machines that usually keep us awake.... perhaps it's the noise? I suggested it was because we were up and down to the iron when machining... Whatever the reason, we were all stitching ourselves to sleep (except Carolyn who was fusing on a tree trunk and tracing leaves)... What can I say? We were soothed and relaxed.I know that after starting to sew the little date medallions for this hanging (on the machine) I was more awake... but I'm not sure if that was the Coke spider I drank or the machine... *wink wink*

I'm not sure how I am going to attach the medallions temporarily each year - it's a perpetual calendar, so the medallions will move. I tried to stitch a safety pin on the back, but even a tiny one moves so that it is visible at times.

Carolyn suggested I make a feature of the little black safety pins by pinning through the top. Well, at the moment, they just have sewing pins on them so they don't go for a walk... Hopefully I'll finish the other medallions tomorrow... I have a quilt top I'd like to add borders to tomorrow (if I'm not on the ride-on mower)...

Before the Countdown

I'm loving Julie Paschkis' Christmas prints... I've already made the Christmas stockings - now I am making the perpetual Christmas calendar.

It comes as a panel like this. Even the binding is printed on (it's a narrow binding I can tell you!!) ...

I've completely quilted the calendar piece which will be main part of the wallhanging. Oh, I had fun... only took a couple of hours... a bit with the walking foot, and a bit with the free-motion foot.

And now that it's trimmed back, I'm thinking... Wow! That looks great!! ... Binding next....

I've started this just before the Christmas countdown at the start of December.. and hopefully it will be finished before then...! Eek!

Elly-fump

Now that doesn't happen very often these days.... not very often at all!!

Not only was this quilt top made in 2 days, but that's 2 quilt tops finished in 3 days... (okay, okay, one of them was on the go for five years.... but does that count? Really?
Here it is.. the Saggy Baggy Helephump... awww.. can't wait!! I'm asking Mum to quilt it with monsteria leaves or something similar.

The Saggy Baggy Elephant is a sample for my LQS... the panel comes with instructions on how to turn it into a book, but it was saying quilt to me. I chose batik fabrics in the colours I think African sunsets should be.

Eventually, this quilt will be for a baby due in April 2012... and...

... this will be for its identical twin.... The Poky Little Puppy. I've chosen sympathetic colours to go with the panel, but they are not African jungle/sunset.... these are softer....

Awwww.. look... these little puppies already have quilts...

I won't be starting this one in a hurry... there is another sample for my LQS to finish.... (more simple straight line sewing)... but I'm afraid I will become bored if I do just this kind of sewing... I think it's time to crack out the audio books again!!