A bit of shopping, finished stocking and a WIP

Thank you Universe for a wonderful, wonderful day today!

There had been a light shower of rain overnight (first rain for months). The sky was still overcast this morning, making the air so much cooler. By 9:30am, the car was full of the smell of fresh basil, and other assorted fresh fruit and vegies... so delicious!

 It was early enough, and cool enough to go to the Handmade Renegade market. I hadn't been before, and it's only on once a month. What a market to go to two weeks before Christmas! I had found my tribe! Full of artisans and crafters, passionate about what they do, and with stalls everywhere. Every stall holder wearing their felt jewellery, or cutlery jewellery, or hand made glass beads, or quirky clothes. I am definitely going again, and I will take photos. The feeling was intense. I have missed it so much (it felt like I'd been living somewhere remote in comparison). My creative juices started flowing (as if they weren't already going nuts!). I satisfied myself with a homemade Vegan (sugarfree, dairy free, gluten free) "Magnum" ice cream, and a pair of glass earrings (to be wrapped up under the tree from the children).

Next stop: I bought two skirt patterns, and some half price Christmas fabric. But first, I have some finishing to do.



Sampson's Christmas stocking.

The fabrics were chosen to complement the stockings  made for his siblings, so they look good hanging up together.















Then, continuing with the wedding quilt (which I am thinking of calling Time To Love). These blocks were trimmed.

How convenient is it that the blocks are all on point? They are mostly needleturn appliqued, with some wool felt blanket stitch appliqued, which really helps give depth and a glow to the quilt overall.

I think these will look particularly good as cornerstones on the next border.

The blocks turned out to be larger than I originally thought when I drafted the pattern in a coffee shop, so I've had to change the plan a little bit, with two fabrics in the next border. I think it will be pleasing. Sometimes spectacular results are achieved when we deviate from the plan.

 The quilt has come along just magnificently so far, in such a short time.

Just one border left to add tomorrow, and I should buy more of the lime fabric for the binding, as I used it today when I didn't have enough of the pink millefiori fabric.

This quilt is coming along very quickly, and I believe it's all just working out with a little help from Above... and due to the "just do it now" attitude I've had to adopt as a Mother using whatever spare time I have. (Although, I have to say Thank You, for just how much support I have at home, with Daddy taking bub to the neighbours for a play so that I could sew).

I am hoping the quilt top will be finished tomorrow!
Then I need a day wrapping Christmas presents and posting cards.

After that, there are two quilts that need binding.

Then I will reward myself with a fresh project - a Christmas skirt! Exciting!

Thank you for my sewing machine

I am so grateful to have my sewing machine back, safe and sound! Mmmm.. the smell of fresh oil.. the whirr of a freshly timed and treated motor... ooh.. it's purring!

You deserve it my darling machine! You've done a lot of work in 12 years - just look at the list of finished projects down the side of the blog!

The Janome machine needed a new bobbin case. It was jamming as it turned, and the needle was punching a hole in the plastic bobbin case. This has happened about 4 or 5 times before. So, I asked the mechanic what causes it.

Here's your tip for a machine with a drop load bobbin (such as Janome and Brother) rather than a separate bobbin case (such as Bernina machines): When changing to a different coloured bobbin cut the thread very very short, right next to the bobbin. If you don't, the bobbin case can lift slightly while the used bobbin is removed, bending something underneath, so that it doesn't move freely and jams. The bobbin case can also lift if there is a thread jam. No sewing if the bobbin case has lifted! Take the cover plate off, clean everything out, and replace the bobbin case nice and flat before sewing once again.

And now, let's see the applique blocks pieced together.

I am just so pleased with the effect of the sashing and cornerstones already.

The minty green fabric in the following border is a little bit frosted, and will be repeated in the quilt.

Oh! How satisfying it is to see this quilt come together, that only yesterday was a pile of blocks under my bed.

Tutorial: How to accurately trim an applique or stitchery block to an unusual size

I've been using my own technique - The Lorraine Lowe technique - for trimming applique and stitchery blocks for years now. It probably goes back to my first time using Lori Smith's quilt patterns as they often end up at odd sizes such as 7 7/8 inch finished blocks.

What do you do when nobody makes a square ruler in the right size?

For this tutorial I will show how I trimmed down oversized applique blocks  (There always appears to be a bit of shrinkage in background fabric during the applique or stitchery. It is wise to start with a bigger piece of background fabric, then trim the block after stitching).

My blocks are from a Lori Smith pattern, with a 13 3/4 inch finished block. This means I need to cut them 1/4 bigger along each edge.

First I have some template plastic with a quarter inch grid on it. I usually like to buy one big piece, then cut it to the finished size of the block, but I am living in a smallish quilting community and this is what I could get.

First I used paper scissors to trim away the clear edges without grid, and sticky taped the pieces together.

Be careful. Sometimes the grid won't line up exactly. It seems to be square in one direction, but not the other

I had to measure with the laser cut yellow ruler, then trim away about 1/8 inch along one edge of the plastic. Now it is square, and it is the finished size of my applique block after piecing in the quilt.


Next I write the size on the plastic with a permanent texta.

Then I mark the centre of the plastic with a permanent texta.

Keep your sticky tape handy. Press the back of the applique block then place it on your cutting mat with the design facing up.

Position the template plastic square using your centre marking AND ALSO looking at how much applique is near each edge. Try to ensure there is a pleasing amount of space around the applique. This is why the grid plastic is helpful.

Sometimes you need to make a choice when placing your template plastic. The  design may be too close to the edge, and you need to choose what to cut off and what to go around. Whatever is covered by the plastic is what will show up in your finished block.

In this block I chose to cut off the bottom of the trees rather than to cut the birds wings.

The template plastic square may need to be placed slightly diagonal, which makes the edges off-grain, and more likely to stretch (be careful!). I choose to keep them as square as possible, but with this particular quilt I was adding sashing, so the block should stay pretty square if I pin each edge very precisely.

When you are happy with the placement, use sticky tape to hold the template plastic onto your applique block.

With your ruler, line up the grid with the ruler lines, allowing the ruler to overhang the template plastic by 1/4 inch. There should be no possible way your rotary cutter can cut the plastic. The cut will be made 1/4 inch away from the template plastic. Cut one side with the rotary cutter. 

Try to leave the block on the cutting mat without picking it up to turn it (I like to cut mine on an island bench). If you do need to lift the block to turn it to cut the next side, lift it gently while supporting the plastic and block together.  Cut each side 1/4 inch away from the template plastic using the ruler to measure.

Lift the template plastic square off the block. The sticky tape will stay attached to the plastic.

Press another block, position the template plastic where it is pleasing, and trim each edge, adding 1/4 inch on each side.

I usually trim my blocks down when I am just about to stitch them into a quilt, so that the freshly cut edges are not handled a lot, and are less likely to stretch if they are slightly off grain.

In this block it was more important to have the petals of the flower an equal distance from the edges of the block, than to have the centre in the exact middle (it may be 1/4 inch skewed, but it is still pleasing to the eye).

In this symmetrical block, lining up the centre vertically was very important or it will look like the flower is leaning to one side.

Thank you for reading my tutorial using the Lorraine Lowe technique for trimming applique blocks accurately.

Please feel free to share the entire post without editing or sampling.

A bit of deliciousness

Ooh! What do we have in this bag?

It all started this morning when I met my best local quilty gf for coffee before she goes away over Christmas. I was gathering my show and tell, and came across some blocks I made some time ago. I guess I have been making them for a couple of years now. I started them in 2013 when I was living in a caravan and storage space was short.

 The applique blocks were prepared from Lori Smith patterns and Kaffe and friends fabrics in my stash, and they came along for the ride.

I was showing my cross-stitch progress to Su, and some more crocheted snowflakes (feeling a bit bored with those now), then out came the applique blocks. We counted how many were finished and thought about how they might be arranged. The Indian wedding is on today. I felt like making a quilt for the couple rather than giving one I'd already made. Bright colours are definitely their taste. Yes! I felt inspired! My sewing mojo is here!

So at lunch today, I drew on the back of a free calendar while sipping ice coffee. Here is a possible layout.

Fabric requirement calculations.

Right, now all I need is 20-30 minutes in the quilt shop. The fabrics I chose seemed to work.

Usually I prefer to make the centre of the quilt, then audition the next fabrics when the design radiates from the centre, but the quilt shop is 40 minutes away and it might close over Christmas JUST when I am keen to get my sewing thongs (not boots) on. I bought all the fabrics.

I've trimmed down the applique blocks, cut sashing and cornerstones.... and decided to write a tutorial on how to accurately centre and trim odd sized applique blocks. I have included it as a separate post.

Here are the trimmed blocks.


Tomorrow I get to pick up my fixed machine, Yay!! I can feel another "sewing retreat" weekend coming on!

Delicious fabric before it got the chop.

Christmas creations

It's a crazy time here at the end of the school year, heading for Christmas. Full of Christmas parties and get-togethers.

What a perfect time to create!

Staying up late, and getting up early for creative baking is just as exciting as it is for creative sewing (although it's a necessity here in the tropics to chill and roll out bikkie dough or to ice and decorate treats in the cooler times of the day). It's also child free time, when I will not be distracted by little feet running about, and perhaps touching the hot oven.

I had been planning to make extra oven mitts as gifts until the sewing machine became sick.  So at the last minute I was making these snowflakes as ornaments. I once went to a quilty gf's house, and she had garlands of greenery hanging everywhere absolutely covered in crocheted snowflakes. Susan gave every visitor in December one of her snowflakes. It made a stunning display, and a touching gift.

Even though there wasn't time to block the snowflakes and hold in place with ironing starch, I think they still look cute.

I was amazed one of the oven mitt recipients didn't appreciate her hand made gift. I don't even know if she knew I had made it, but it was brushed off as "I will have the chocolate, and my husband can have this".

It happens occasionally, but I think as crafters, we cannot be upset about what someone does with a hand made gift. We have given it to them. It is theirs now, and we have released it. Although we can be sure they will never bloody well get another hand made thing again!

Here are the baking creations made for the children this week.



Both recipes are from the December 2016 Coles magazine.

Andrea, I thought of you as I made the candy cane swirly bikkies. I remember you telling a story where Daniel as a toddler was able to describe how to make the curly twirly bikkies and you thought "Ooh, maybe we've made these more times than I thought". I wonder whether these are made in a similar way.

What to make next? I am keen to finish the owl Christmas stocking when I have my sewing machine back, and to machine stitch the binding onto two quilts ready to hand stitch for the children for Christmas. But, what else?

I was thinking of making quilts for two weddings I have been invited to. The first is in India (cannot take baby boy as it is too dirty for him while he puts everything in his mouth), and the second is in New Zealand (cannot go as it has been declared an adult only wedding, no children). Luckily I think I have two quilts in my stash ready to be gifted.

This one, Samsara, is going back to the town where it was made after the married couple return from India. Originally, I was going to keep it for myself. But the fabrics suit a cooler climate, and are too warm for my home where we wear cardigans for only 2 weeks of the year.

The other one is  a Persian tiles design which I've made 3 times now. Funnily enough I can't seem to find it on my blog. Did I miss adding a finished quilt? I am so curious I will go back to check.

.... Aaaah, here it is. La Petite Ecole Persian Tiles

And so, I will take a look at my projects to see what I'd like to work on next.

That sewing retreat weekend feeling...

It feels like I've had a weekend retreat! I left the sewing machine out yesterday. It was another very hot morning, and after a big Sunday pancakes brekkie, it was "free" time for everyone again. Including Mummy! Woohoo!

Another four oven mitts - not a scerrick of batting left. Then my sweetheart says "which one is ours"? Ummm... might have to make more...



As I stitched these ones, I found my natural rhythm and the machine just flowed under my fingers... *peaceful sigh* The stitching on these is a vast improvement on the ones I made yesterday. Ooh, I feel adventurous! What else can I sew? Most of my fabric is in storage 3000km away. I have plenty here, what can I make?



I have ideas of making mitts for the neighbours and our mothers too, but that would mean batting shopping, so we will see what happens (the shops are just crazy this time of year, and my gift shopping is finished).

Next I started to make Master 1's Christmas stocking. The older children each have one already, so I wanted to follow the same theme, although this one will have owls on it.

I got this far...

Two sides quilted and cut out, ready for owl appliques.

All the free motion done.... And then the machine decided it wanted a holiday.

 Dangnabbit! Something happened - I think it's the timing. The Janome bobbin case won't correspond properly and the needle punched a couple of holes in the bobbin case. This has happened several times. I wonder what causes it. Now there are so many of us online, I might just give it a google.

The Janome 6500 really has been a wonderful machine. The hours and hours I have used it, I just cannot count.

The funny thing is, according to my facebook history "on this day", the machine went to the Doctor at exactly the same time a different year! Hahahahha. I must know how to get into a Christmas sewing frenzy.

Let's hope it's back soon.

Enjoy your Christmas crafting. xo

Let it sew! Let it sew!

Oh! What a fabulous morning! And a wonderful day for the first weekend in December.

There's something about the decorations going up, wrapping gifts, and going to Christmas break up dos that makes me want to Sew!

While Master 6 was happily playing dinosaur cities, and Miss 5 was playing horsey play dough, Master 1 was playing all over and around Daddy watching a movie in the air con, Mummy bravely rummaged through her fabrics and pulled out some Christmas pieces.

Next thing you know, these appeared!



NB. Mummy had to dip her hair many times under the tap - it's hot sewing in the Darwin kitchen, but it was the only way to sew without worrying about Master 1 and electrical cords,

Ah..... The gentle feel of the fabric under my fingers..... the scissors skimming through the fabric.... the hum of the sewing machine...

Oops, haven't done this kind of sewing in over a year! The first two will be given to non-sewers (children's teachers) who won't notice if they are a bit wonky.

And I've started 4 more mitts! Then it looks like the end of the batting scraps I had. Looks like I need to make more quilts (just to get some batting scraps.. hee hee)...

To top off a lovely morning, we went to the local grandparents house (we are so lucky our children have two sets of grandparents. although one is far away), where the children helped to put up the tree.

We won't be putting up a tree this year at home. Master 1 cannot help himself and pulls off every bauble to chew it.

Oops! All the decorations are at the bottom!

We even took some presents to put under the tree, so that Bub doesn't unwrap them at home.