Sewing in the kitchen

When one is sewing in the kitchen, it's not the same as having a permanently arranged studio. For one thing, I have to clear away all the dishes and wipe the island bench immediately after dinner - it's my cutting mat area. (Usually a quilter on a sewing spree would just leave the dishes undone.) The freezer has a towel and iron over it. There are leads extending across the room.

Oh no! I am sorry darling! Are you ok? Ouch. He tripped on a cord. Luckily he is ok. Iron hit the concrete floor. Well, let's see if it still works.

A bit later... What's that smell? I rub the iron over an old towel on top of the freezer. Eww. Lots of brown is now on the towel. I'll turn down the temperature.

A bit later... Pew! That smell! Oh My God! The thermostat must be broken! The iron is so hot it is melting itself. YES! The plastic half an inch away from the metal plate has melted on one side.

Ok. Unplug and it's time to throw it out. Hahahhahahhaha. Oh! The casualties of sewing in the kitchen!

Because I had been sew conscientious yesterday, I had all my pieces cut, pieced and pressed. I was able to start the second tablerunner.

Meanwhile, adjustments are being made while trying to work out the optimum times to sew in the "Darwin kitchen". (This is Australian jargon for a covered roof with 'walls' enclosed only by shadecloth, with electric lights and fans on the ceiling. Cooking inside the house heats it up too much). It was lovely out there at 5am this morning and too hot by 7:30am. Slowly fitting into a schedule that allows family time, and sewing in the cool of the day (ha! Whatever that is!)...

Winter birds tablerunner is finished.

The binding should be finished on the Monsters quilt today.

Sewing Adventures

It's been a wonderful week of sewing adventures. I've finished a quilt, and started new projects. Feeling inspired and happy!

Now I have to slow down on the machine sewing and cutting mat part, and lean towards more handwork during the day.

It's too hot here to be outside, even under fans, and I've had heat stroke symptoms three times in the last five days.

Before it happened today, I was able to start the binding on the QAYG Christmas bird table runner.

...And a whole lot of cutting out - I cut the rest of the fabric, and found I had enough for another 5 table runners - that's 6 in total with the same fabrics. Yippee! Lots of presents on their way.

While I pieced pictures from the panel to make the 8 inch square centres, I also stitched the red squares that form the centre line of the runner, using them as leaders and enders. (There are so many projects going around at the moment with four patches, I am tempted to make one, just while I am doing other things. Hmmm. Maybe I could use this bag of fabric scraps I put aside for a wedding quilt for my sister, and actually make her something.)

Pieced centres

Scrap bags - looks like I started a double wedding ring by hand. Groan. Next!!

Daytime sewing of binding on the monsters quilt, and stitchery is going to follow. Perhaps I can make the next table runner tomorrow night in the cool.

Started one of the pear tree stitchery projects

The Horsey Quilt is finished!

Last night my baby boy was asleep at 6:35pm! I started sewing at 6:37pm, and had a dream couple of hours at the already-set-up sewing machine! Woohoo!

First I started this QAYG table runner. As it was the first one, it took a bit of time to set up. I have the measurements now, and will be able to make more much faster. (More? You say. Of course! I have enough fabric for another three.)

Really, I think I need to take a leaf of out my friend Jo's book. She has been making Christmas gifts all year. I need to do the same. Maybe I can say one per month. Surely I don't need to give a hand made gift to more than 12 people?? Even for me, who loves to give hand made. Twelve should be more than enough.

Then I moved onto the couch for some hand sewing, and finished sewing the binding onto the Horsey quilt. Hooray!

I am really excited to finish it in time for Christmas.

It's reversible, so you get to see both sides, and the dog.

And here is a gorgeous pic of the 40th birthday doiley in its new home.What a lovely place for it! On a lamp! And now, who minds it if sits flat or not?

I hope you are having a simply wonderful day!

A Sewing Holiday At Home

Today, for the first time in a long time, I realised that I had my quilter's head back. I'm not sure you could say it's my "normal brain", but it's a "normal quilter's brain".

What I mean is, I am actively enjoying the projects I am working on, and I have the next three projects planned, because I know I will be onto them soon.

What do I mean?

I went to Sunlit Blooms local quilt shop for the first time today. I had barely been there 5 minutes when I had been greeted and welcomed by 3 different staff, and asked if there was anything in particular I was looking for. It was such a contrast from the other LQS I had been frequenting -
 where they don't seem to take any interest in what I'm making or ask me if I need anything (although I do like their fabrics). I enjoyed myself immensely, and found out that SB have two sit and sew mornings each week! Although they are about to finish up for Christmas until February.

Next thing you know, I am fondly caressing the Christmas fabrics, and there was nobody there to stop me from buying things for the next project! Well I did go into the shop holding this pattern I'd had for a few years.

Right now I have finished the quilt top for the wedding - it was quite windy today, this is the best photo so far. I am hand stitching the binding on the Horsey quilt.  The binding is machined onto Monsters. Soon I will have the bindings on, and I will be looking for some handwork.

This will be the border fabric for one pear tree 12 Days of Christmas.

This will be the border fabric for another pear tree 12 Days of Christmas.

Now I can choose the colours for the stitcheries, ready to work on in the evenings. I've had this pattern for absolutely years, and hadn't made it. The pattern says to use cereal boxes to keep the pears stable. Erm. No. That's not my style. I did have this cheap stiff "felt" from Kmart, and it looks like it will go with the border fabric. Terriffic.

Now I need to wait a couple of days before measuring myself to make the Christmas skirt. And yet, there is more time available to use the sewing machine before it is put away for a while. The next project in mind is a Quilt As You Go tablerunner in Christmas fabrics.

This means I have six projects in my head: Time For Love wedding quilt, Horseys quilt, Monsters Quilt, Christmas skirt, QAYG tablerunner and the 12 Days Of Christmas wallhanging I've been meaning to finish since 2010 - that's six years ago.

Does this ever happen to you? Hahaha. I made sure the bobbin was full so I wouldn't run out just before I finished machine stitching the binding onto the Monsters quilt, and instead I ran out of binding. Dang it! Had to cut another strip. Thank goodness I have a whole bolt of black Emma Louise muslin.

Totally exhausted and it's not even 7pm. I think it's time to hang up my brain for a while.

No wonder I'm tired - look at this. I've used a whole reel of thread this month.

I usually use the large cones of Signature cotton thread in grey or ivory, but I had a few reels in this colour and was able to use some up in the projects I've been working on.

Thank you for joining me. Rest assured, there will be more to see in the next few days.

My head is swimming

All I can offer is a sneak peak of the finished quilt top (interestingly enough, which some people have nicknamed a "flimsy"). Today we enjoyed some light showers, which were welcomed with open arms, but it made outdoor photography unlikely to succeed

The top was finished today, on such a high! The intense energy of the wedding even from across the seas has been with me for days. And it's a full moon!

The couple partook in traditional Indian celebrations over a few days,  but the official wedding was 9th December.

I am sharing some eye candy of the beautiful wedding clothes, and such a stunning couple.

Surely you can now see why I had to make something new for them, and not give something I made quite a while ago.

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When I saw these photos, I knew at once I had chosen the right fabrics to make their quilt.

My colour preferences have changed drastically since I moved 3,000 km north to Far North Queensland 3 1/2 years ago. I used to love warm fabrics - rich colours like a Turkish carpet, and reproduction fabrics exuding warmth.

It's far too hot here for such things. We will only use a quilt with cotton batting in the Winter. Cool colours are definitely the favourite for me, here near the beach - teals, blues, turquoises....

I am in the mood to make table runners and French Braid, so I was looking for pre cut fabric strips, as I only have a small stash here. Oh! What a time to be looking at fabric! So close to Christmas, the big websites in the U.S. - Hancocks and Fat Quarter Shop are having flash sales every day for the 12 days of Christmas. It's a great time for me to buy. Instead of A$70 for a pack, I've paid U.S.$20. Even with postage I have saved an absolute bucket load. The price works out the same as buying a few packets wholesale here in Australia, without having to buy a whole box of packs in the same range.

Thinking I had used up all my scraps of batting I was very pleased to trim the Horsey quilt and machine the binding on, because I had enough leftover batting to make two table runners! Yay!

I am half way stitching around the binding. Looking forward to finishing it, and another binding before starting my Christmas skirt!

My head is swimming with ideas and projects. Also this morning I was thinking that my sister turns 40 in six months. I just want to make her a wallhanging for her music room, something with Jazz. I wonder what I could find?

Later today I looked in a box of fabric I have and found this!

There are six squares. Enough for a wallhanging and some cushions. What a find! Needless to say, I was pretty excited! I wonder what I have that will go with it.

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.