Behind the Scenes Roundup

There is not much to show, which is why I haven't posted lately.

Sometimes in our quilts, as in our lives, we are busy busy constructing the scaffolding behind the scenes that holds everything together, and can create something that will be even more amazing than we imagined.

Such is that time right now in my life, and my quilts.

blue Batman cupcakes with edible sparkles in the butter icing

black bats cut with a cookie cutter from roll out icing

Some days last week I didn't even touch my sewing. I burned the candle, typed pages and pages and pages, and even more pages. Then I caught up on sleep. And celebrated our son's 7th birthday.

Esther's Secret Garden block 2 continues

Finally, I was able to put in a few stitches on Secret Garden block 2, and it is going really well.

All of the stems, the peacock leaves, and the large flowers are attached. Just the bluebells to go,  the big centre leaves, and a little bit of the flamingo, then embroidery enhancement. I am picking it up between other things at the moment. Block 3 is released on the 1st of April. I would like to have all the fabrics for block 2 selected and basted by then, but I am not so concerned with having it all stitched on. My aim is to keep up with the preparation of each block, which seems to take quite a lot of brain power and time.

Diamond Hill block 3 was released. I've traced the design onto the fabric background, and traced some of the pieces onto freezer paper. Not all done yet. The plan is to prepare all of these pieces before starting Secret Garden block 3. And as Secret Garden inspires my creative spirit and is for me, I am keen to finish it first!

tracing block 3 Diamond Hill onto freezer paper

Guess what turned up yesterday while I was looking for my son's baby toy under the couch? Well, not the baby toy I was looking for... but I found my missing bolt of Emma Louise vanilla quilter's muslin! It was BEHIND the couch. The back of the couch is my sweetheart's fav spot to put stuff. Heh heh. I guess it got crowded up there.

Fistpump! Remove the fluff and we are good to go!

traced stitchery blocks for The Goblin King

After cleaning the fluff off, I was pretty keen today to trace off some of the Labyrinth stitcheries from Fandom In Stitches. It's a 16 week stitchalong (I think), and it must soon be time to issue the instructions for stitching it all together. I have only embroidered 2 of the 12 blocks released so far. Eep! I have decided to stitch in my most memorable movie quote prompted by each block. And, I've decided to keep the quilt, for a child to use when ours are a bit older and start to have sleepovers.

I am pretty keen to get stuck into the Labyrinth stitchery blocks, so that I am not far off starting to put the quilt top together around the same time as everyone else. Otherwise these blocks could never become a quilt!

But wait, there's more!!

Yesterday I went to social sewing at my local shop. I planned to cut, join, press and apply binding by sewing machine onto 2 quilts. Would you believe on the second quilt I was 15cm short, and had to cut another strip? Dang it! Hahahahha. I was rushing around, and only just got home in time for school pickup. But I feel great, both bindings are ready to stitch down.

binding machined onto the Time For Love wedding quilt

And! A new member joined the social sewing group, and it turns out she lives in my street! OMG! I am so excited! Sonya has invited me over to craft at her place as she is an empty nester. Hurrah!

peacocks quilted into the border 

Hand stitching the binding will be my evening hand stitching for the next few nights. I stress evening, because it's too hot to have a quilt on my knee at any other time here in the tropics.

Suddenly everything will come together in a few months,  and I will have 6 quilts (or more) finished this year! Alas, that is not yet, which means there is much more stitching fun to come!