And now this... !!!!

I'm supposed to be stitching projects for Christmas or with Christmas themes during July - as I had declared it "Christmas In July" month!

I don't suppose I can convince myself that these stitcheries from The Goblin King (Labyrinth movie) quilt are going to be a Christmas present for myself?

Ambrocious, the loyal steed

Well... (this is me explaining to myself).... I HAD to stitch these up. There weren't any Christmas stitcheries traced off ready to sew. I had no choice... *cough cough*

You know, I might almost have convinced myself there.

I AM feeling pretty happy to have a couple more stitcheries finished.

Toby

And now that this has happened...

A new sewing space of my own!

YES! My sweet man has given me half of our family kitchen to sew in! The sewing machine stays permanently in place! Hurrah!

I think you can guess what this means! A lot more sewing machine activity could soon be showing up, right here on your screen!

Doing the happy dance here!

Suddenly switching projects

I've stopped working on a few projects abruptly to commence Christmas In July!!

Another small (6 inch) block from The Goblin King is finished, and another 6 are traced ready to stitch in August.

And Toby is started, and almost finished. He reminds me of my own son... walking.. blonde.. blue eyes... doesn't say much (well, not in words we can understand)... looks cute in a stripey onesie, runs around like a garden gnome/playful goblin.

That's the end of the thread I had stockpiled in that colour. Time to go buy another swag of threads.

Secret Garden month 6 has been released. It's four intense centre applique blocks that require deadly accuracy as there are interlocking circles. In August it will be back to embellishing the first 3 blocks, appliqueing block 4, and machine piecing 40 x four inch blocks. Crikey! That should be a good warm up to the very specific centre blocks.

Stay tuned for Christmas in July projects!

Head down...

Only a couple more days left this month, and I am excited to do as much as I can on Diamond Hill, Secret Garden and the Goblin King quilts before July starts.

And when July starts, I will be just as excited to start a new challenge project, and to make Christmas gifts and Christmas themed items during the entire month. Ooh! What a great idea to insert a (hopefully) whole lot of finished items onto the annual list (see the sidebar on the right) in the middle of the year, instead of adding them all at the end. Hee hee.

Some people make gifts all year - one project a month, they call it. I think I've been making gifts all year anyway. Hahahahahhaha. Just really big ones, that aren't all finished yet!

Progress? Well, this is an English Paper Pieced block for a Diamond Hill corner.

It's the first one. And these are quite tiny. They will be appliqued onto a 4 inch finished square.

And this is the back.

A little bit more machine piecing... two out of four chequerboards are finished for the next border on Diamond Hill, which is mainly applique.

And another 36 little diamonds (not all pictured here) for the other two chequerboards.

Soon, the last scraps of purple will be used up, and that piecing will have to wait until I pick the rest of the background fabric from layby.

Secret Garden pieced blocks are being cut more accurately with freezer paper patterns ironed onto the contrast fabric, then rotary cut.



Today I pieced about 10 of them. Only 30 to go, then leaves to be added to each block. Next set of instructions (month 6) will be released in 3 days, and I am still working on month 4 and 5. A month off may be all I need to get really stuck into the blocks again in August.

And another block for The Goblin King stitchalong.



I love that line!!  As the quilt is a tribute to the Labyrinth movie I wanted to include any particular lines that come to mind from the character.

Right! Now it's time to stitch the next EPP flower or another stitchery block!

Head down, bum up... see you in a few days!

Deja vu

Sometimes we just need a change of scene. It's been all about Diamond Hill and Secret Garden applique BOMs for the last 5 months.

I started joining in the Goblin King quiltalong at fandom in stitches. About 2 months ago I lost the bag with the stitcheries in progress. Perhaps it was stashed somewhere very special by Master 18 months!! I stopped stitching, hoping the blocks would turn up.

Um. No. I even had to buy a new embroidery hoop.

Now that some people have finished piecing the entire Labyrinth quilt top, and I am feeling inspired to stitch a block or two again.

Look! Here is the new Hoggle block all stitched out. Next I need to print out some more patterns. I only have the worm to work on.

Ooh deja vu. Have I already stitched this? I can't remember.

And so, I turned to the other stitchery project I started this year (also a big project) - The Wish Quilt by Red Brolley (Bronwyn Hayes). It's a free pattern too.

This little block has been stitched onto a piece of waffled red tea towel. I'm loving the contrast in thread colours.

Cheers to all our slow stitching projects... that are hopefully coming together by the end of the year!

Ready for the next block!

It feels good to have a block of Diamond Hill finished! I have so many "almost finished" pieces on the horizon, it's time to share where everything is, ready to motivate me to keep going.

Diamond Hill block 3 is totally complete.

Diamond Hill block 3

These photos make the blocks appear to be made in a glow in the dark fabric. 

I really love the purple textured flower centre fabric.


When I went back, I realise I have a flower and a flower centre left to stitch on block 2!

So, this is what I have finished so far, in my MIL's favourite decorating colours.

And when block 3 is also finished I will be ready to start block 4, the next piece of the centre of the quilt. Next month on the 15th we will have instructions to assemble these four blocks together. I would like to have all four centre blocks finished by then.



Esther has released the free pattern for block 4. I tried to trace the design onto the background fabric today, but I had printed this one out on my own printer, and the lines were a bit feint. I realised I'd printed the rest off at officeworks, and the lines were much more solid and easy to trace.

This week I have absolutely adored the quiet stitching moments I have "stolen", even though there is a hole in my stitching finger. Ouch!

Tomorrow it's sewing group, and I will take my iron again to prepare as many pieces as I can. I seem to get lots done while I am there.

In the almost finished basket, are these two stitchery blocks for the Labyrinth quilt QAL at fandom in stitches.

these blocks are actually the same size, but they have photographed differently

I just need to find a quote for each doorknocker and stitch it on - that's my own personal touch. I can't seem to follow a pattern down the straight and narrow these days.

Helping hands and a hat

I'm pretty chuffed that I've managed to get these two blocks stitched! Yippee!

Thank you Fandom in stitches! All of the free stitchery patterns are still there so far. We are up to week 12. It looks like another 6 weeks of stitchery blocks to come in "The Goblin King" stitchalong.

It's a tribute to the movie Labyrinth, but I feel like it's a tribute to the late David Bowie too, as he wrote and sang the musical score.

Can you read the writing I've stitched in?

Each block will have a quote from the Labyrinth movie that comes to mind when I see the stitchery picture.

At the same time, it's busy here. I am typing another 10,000 word document, as well as cleaning up and stocking up to prepare for Tropical Cyclone Debbie.

It's a strange thing... do we really want to say "Debbie did Townsville" or not?

Oh! And Esther has the most gorrrgeous free Easter applique patterns ready to download and print on her blog here.

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!

Time to crack out the sewing machine

While the older children have gone to their grandparents' for a couple of nights, it is time to get the sewing machine out for a few days! It's lovely to swing between hand and machine work, and projects that stimulate compared to projects that soothe.

Last night I had a cosy night in... just me and my baby boy...

I finished this Red Brolley embroidery.

And worked this week's block from The Goblin King QAL.

I am pretty happy with my progress of both lots of handwork, and with some sewing machine time  I was thinking to start something with the Star Wars fabric before the next Project Quilting challenge is released on Monday.

I went rummaging under the bed in the stash and found 2 lots of 12 blocks already made out of comicbook superhero fabrics.

I felt like I shouldn't start something with the Star Wars prints until I have completed both quilts. (AARGH! Why do I feel that way? My cousin's son just turned 13, and has totally outgrown his baby quilt, maybe I am thinking of him?)

some panels for creative backings and borders

I have already pieced one set of blocks together.

Now to buy some bright solids to frame the leftover fabrics, and I can machine sew when it's not so hot this evening.

leftover bits for creative borders and backings

Up to date

I am grateful for a delightful Friday night sewing with friends. It felt lovely to stitch while the dinner was cooking, to grab a few minutes between childrens' bedtime and  watching a bit of the Labyrinth movie with the older ones...

I felt like I was smiling over a cup of tea and looking at my stitching friends... and that was just what I needed.

overheard while watching The Labyrinth.. Miss 5: That Goggling King is never, ever getting our baby

I actually finished the Sarah block from The Goblin King stitchalong, and started a Red Brolley stitchery which is just warming my heart.

Now that I am between challenges for Project Quilting, waiting for next one, and finished my weekly Goblin King block, I felt like rewarding myself with the start of the Christmas redwork wallhanging.

In terms of goals at the moment:
1. Project Quilting challenges (particularly using some rather gorgeous Christmas fabrics if possible)
2. The Goblin King stitchalong
3. Red Brolley Christmas redwork quilt
4. Finish the 12 days of Christmas birds quilt
5. Finish the 12 Christmas pear decorations
6. Have the Time For Love flimsy quilted
7. Ooh! And some Star Wars fabric is burning a hole in it's shopping bag... I have a plan!

Tonight I am joining Friday Night With Friends, while stitching at home!

As a reward for finishing my challenge piece, I am starting The Goblin King, a tribute to the movie Labyrinth starring David Bowie. It's a free Quilt A Long.

The first block is Sarah. I am going to embroider her.

Already have oodles of stitching fabric, and chose red and purple for the main quilt, so I popped into Spotlight to get some DMC threads and embroidery stabiliser.

Seeing the sign out the front Master 6 says: Spotlight. That looks like Toyworld.
Me: It's a Toyworld for Mum's.

A cup of tea, and my feet up, watching Labyrinth is in order as I start the first block.

The rains are here.

Have a great weekend.