Sparkly Green Knickers

Cowls

2011-05-30T13:03:00.003+10:00

My lovely sister knit me this gorgeous green Gaptastic Cowl. She was originally making it for herself, but I subtly planted seeds of doubt in her mind ("That colour is too bright for you, but it's perfectly suited to me!").
It's like wearing a warm hug.
My girl child was quite upset when I refused to share it with her, so I've quickly crocheted her a Calm Cowl. I used a few balls of Moda Vera Mousse in grey and brown on a 4.5mm hook. It's a little more dense than it should be, but that's what happens when you hook from the stash.

Autumn #2

2011-05-30T12:44:00.003+10:00

Good weather for climbing trees

Tea Thyme

2011-05-04T10:12:00.000+10:00

Tea Leaves Cardigan knit in Tosh Vintage Thyme.

Knit in only 35 days! Woohoo! I feel like a friggin knitting legend!

Rav'd

Autumn

2011-05-03T13:30:00.002+10:00

I do love Autumn.
Melbourne has turned on some beautiful autumnal days this year.
The boy has been loving all those leaves.
He also loved meeting his dad for the first time ever.
I'm still processing it...

Snow Flower Wall Hanging

2011-04-05T14:09:00.002+10:00

Before:

After:

We live in a small house, Ollie's bedroom is actually the dining room, with double glass doors adjoining the lounge. For nearly 3.5 years we have lived with brown paper on the glass doors to limit the amount of light that streams into his room in the evenings. Today I got sick of looking at that bloody stylish paper, so rifled through the stash and found a Snow Flower panel that has been waiting for the right project. I sashed the panel in some Kona in Meringue, and the binding is possibly Kona Coal.

Much nicer.

(can't believe I waited so long!!)

::

2011-04-04T13:58:00.003+10:00

I don't know about you, but when I'm making something for someone I tend to think about them a lot while I'm doing it. It's part of what I love about receiving handmade goodies made especially for me. I imagine the maker has thought about me a lot whilst creating something just for me.

::

It's now been 5 months since my dad died, and I've set about working on this quilt again, made from his shirts. I started it about 3 months ago, but I needed to take a break from all that thinking.

I hope to have it ready for hand quilting in the next couple of days. Then I'm going to burn myself a cd from dad's extensive itunes library, and sing along while I quilt it. No doubt with a box of tissues at my side.

Circuit Board

2011-04-01T11:21:00.001+11:00

My sister calls this the Circuit Board Quilt. She has her eye on it, I know. Made using blocks created for me by members of one of the first quilting bees I joined - Bee Addicted 3. It's a work in progress - I still have two more rows of four to sew on, then a border, before the top is finished.

Remember these fabrics?

Cast on

2011-03-31T10:57:00.000+11:00

Tea Leaves Cardigan by Melissa La Barre

Tosh Vintage in Thyme

Sashiko quilting

2011-03-30T11:10:00.004+11:00

I bought a few indigo fabrics from a riverside market in Takayama, Japan, last year. I've made them into a simple strip quilt top and backed it with a Kona solid in indigo. I'm slowly hand quilting it in a sashiko design in white. I so love the contrast of the white on the indigo that unfortunately I don't even look at the japanese fabrics on the quilt front any more. No doubt when it's finished, though, I will flip it from side to side to give both sides their time in the spotlight.

Grandmother's Garden progress

2011-02-15T14:28:00.003+11:00

Remember this? I'm pleased to report that it has grown considerably, and now measures about 53 inches by 61 inches,about 135cm by 154cm.
I still have a fair bit of sewing to get it to a queen sized quilt, but it feels achievable! It became the perfect project to do when I felt my creativity waning, as I could sit down and baste a handful of hexies if I only wanted to do a little stitching, or sew together a bunch of hexie flowers if I had more time (and motivation). The more it grows, the more I want to work on it, too.

First Day of School

2011-02-04T11:22:00.002+11:00

Ollie is attending school for the first time today. Wow, where did that time go??

Last night I decided he needed a little mama-made bag tag so he could easily distinguish his bag from all the others. This little mini quilt seemed like just the thing for my dog-obsessed boy!

Kimonos

2010-12-09T13:11:00.003+11:00

I'm not usually one to spruik on my blog, but I've just come across a super sweet Japanese-inspired book for my Japan-obsessed Ollie.

(image from Booktopia - see link below)

Kimonos by Annelore Parot (which can be found here - check out some of the inside pages) is so sweet! Although it is mostly about a handful of Japanese girls in their kimonos, I think Ollie will adore it. There are a few boys and men pictured in traditional clothing, so I may even be able to convince him to wear something Japanese-y. Definitely one for his Christmas stocking!

November...

2010-11-28T16:12:00.002+11:00

was an awful one this year. Two days after returning from Japan, a close family member passed away. So November has pretty much been a write off.

We did have a couple of birthdays to celebrate though. My beautiful Ollie turned 5 on October 27th (when I was in Japan - that was a hard day for me, but he had a great day!), so we celebrated with a yummy chocolate cake. He's very excited to be a big 5 year old. One of the highlights so far has been Prep orientation. He's had 3 one hour sessions at his new school, and was so excited and proud to be standing amongst all his new class mates.

My birthday passed fairly quietly (and not without a few tears). I was just happy to have family around me. I did splurge on my gift to myself this year (with some help from mum) - a Horn sewing cabinet, purchased on ebay, and in near mint condition. Previously, my sewing machine was set up on a very messy little table in the corner of my lounge room. I'm so excited to be able to put it out of sight when I'm not using it, knowing that it's so easy to bring out again.

I've been completely lacking in creative motivation since I returned from Japan, so I was hoping that this would be just the thing to get me sewing again. As you can see in the bottom right corner, today I've been working on the French General Flying Geese (FGFG!) quilt from Fat Quarterly eZine, Issue 1. Slowly getting there...

Japan - It's all in the details.

2010-11-10T09:19:00.000+11:00

One of the many things I loved about Japan was the attention to detail. These were just a few of the gorgeous manhole covers we saw on our travels throughout Japan:

Miyajima

Tokyo

Hakone (technically not a manhole cover, but still beautiful)

Takayama

Arashiyama

Takayama

More to come!

Images of Japan

2010-11-09T12:27:00.007+11:00

I'm back! Here are a few images selected from the many hundreds I took :)

Jo-san

Bamboo Grove, Arashiyama

Takayama

Shinjuku

Imperial Palace Tokyo

I really enjoyed Japan. The people are absolutely lovely, so sweet and helpful; the public transport system is easy to use and oh-so efficient; and all the places we visited to were so clean and tidy. Stay tuned for more detail.

Freckles

2010-10-09T20:35:00.002+11:00

10 days, and counting!!

2010-10-05T12:57:00.004+11:00

Konichiwa!

With only 10 more sleeps (not including day time kips) til I fly off to Japan, I thought it was high time to get some Japanese holiday sewing done.

I bought some beautiful Nani Iro double gauze on Etsy a couple of months ago, and searched high and low all over the internets for the right pattern for it. I ummed and ahhhed for a good few weeks over the Summer Blouse pattern in Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing, but wasn't overly happy with the shapelessness of it. Eventually, I came across this tunic that Bec made, and I bought myself the pattern that night. It's the Schoolhouse Tunic by Meg from Sew Liberated.

It finally arrived yesterday (things always seem to take longer when you're in a hurry to receive them!), and I got stuck into pretty much straight away. It's a very easy pattern to follow, and I had good intentions to follow it to the letter (a rarity for me!). When it came time to try it on, though, it was too big. Only a size or so too big, but it was feeling a bit sack-like.

I spent half the night unpicking and resewing, with a few extra modifications along the way. For example, I've made the pleats larger, I've crossed over the front bodice sections where it joins the skirt (mostly to stop the gaping), I've taken length off the bodice, and I've added darts onto the bodice back.

This morning I unpicked the hem, and took both sides in about 2 inches, re-hemmed, and now I have a tunic that I'm really happy with. It fits perfectly, the fabric is so soft, and I don't think I've ever made a garment for myself that I'm as happy with as this.I'm off to Spotlight now to get some black thread for the overlocker so I can get stuck into Version Two.

More Bee Blocks

2010-09-22T21:06:00.003+10:00

Please excuse the muddled order of photos - blogger was not being helpful tonight.

Have I shown you this block made for Jen?
It has now been embellished and is ready to post. See the last 2 pics for embellishments.

The following 2 blocks are for an 'I spy' quilt my friends and I are putting together. More on that when I have more to show.
The star is for Tacha of Busy Bees. I used a free pattern found online for this one.
As promised, Jen's embellishments. Some cute little buttons;
and some colourful and sparkly ric rac.

Urban Home Goods Swap

2010-09-14T22:49:00.004+10:00

Once again, I took part in the Urban Home Goods Swap (hosted on flickr). As the name suggests, it is a blind swap involving any hand made goodies for the home.

For round one I was fortunate enough to receive some gorgeous place mats made by Isa of Denmark. Would you believe, for round 2 I received even more goodies from Isa! This time she created some super sweet pot holders made from a mix of linen and blues, as well as a large quilted tea cosy. Isa sews so beautifully, and her choice in fabrics is spot on. Thanks Isa!

I had a tough time trying to work out what to make for my secret partner. In the end, I went with a Space Invaders cross stitch hoop.

I googled Space Invaders to find some images, and found plenty of screen shots to use as a guide. I drew up the different game components on some graph paper, and got stuck into the cross stitching!

I spent way more time on it than I expected, but I love the results!

I also threw in a crochet heart garland (so hard to photograph a garland or bunting, don't you think?). Hopefully my partner likes it all!

Sk8er Boy

2010-08-21T18:18:00.002+10:00

That title probably makes me very uncool as a mother!

Ollie has been spending some quality time on his scooter at skate parks in the last few weeks. Miss J has even taken to dressing him up as a skater boy (think skinny jeans and shirts).
He's such a tough little thing. He has the occasional fall, but picks himself up quickly and gets on with it.

I was initially wary of the bigger kids (and men) on skateboards and BMX's, but they've shown themselves to be totally cool with a 4 year old on his scooter, even if he does cut in front of them every now and then.
Today a young man on his BMX even reached out his hand to pull Ollie up to the top of a ramp. Ollie was absolutely beaming - he was one of the boys!

I, of course, wanted to run up to the guy and gushingly thank him for being so kind to my boy, but stood back and let Ollie have his moment with the big boys.

::57::

2010-08-19T17:12:00.004+10:00

More bee blocks - forgive my laziness if you've seen some of these before - I can't be bothered checking old posts.

Big blocks for Sheridan:
Smaller blocks for Liz:

Orange blocks for Amber:

The Japan plans are coming along nicely. The airfares have been paid for, accommodation booked (just waiting on my tax return to pay that off), and we start learning Japanese through CAE tomorrow night! Only 57 sleeps til departure :)

My Multi Tasker

2010-08-11T09:37:00.003+10:00

Although I had seen these around the traps, I hadn't thought of making one til Annabel from Perle 8's got her hands on an old copy of Mixtape that featured a tutorial.

Annabel (very nicely) supplied me with the op-shopped placemats and blanket pieces required to make up the tool (as well as some sandpaper and vinyl that I didn't end up using).

Amitie provided the fabric (at a cost to me, of course!!), Spotlight the felt. (I had just admired a different colourway of the fabric at Perle 8's on Thursday before finding some at the Amitie sale for 50% off!)When closed (as above) the multi tasker may be used like a mini portable ironing board.
When opened, it reveals an A4 sized cutting mat on one side, and felt on the other side (which I imagine will be helpful when laying out cut pieces of fabric).

My end product is slightly different to the one in Mixtape as I've omitted the vinyl (or leather) and sandpaper, and used felt instead. I really have no idea what the sandpaper and vinyl would be used for, so I think using the felt works better for me. To see a multi tasker made according to the instructions, check out Annabel's.

Details (totally taken from Annabel): Multi Tasker Tutorial, devised by Kirsty from Kootoyoo, found in Issue 11 of Mixtapezine.

65 days, 21 hrs....

2010-08-11T09:12:00.003+10:00

Sheridan's Bee Blocks

Fat Geese Quilt

{ Handsome } Hexies Swap

Fabulous finds

2010-08-04T20:35:00.002+10:00

The quilt store gods were smiling down on me today - I found some lovely hard to find fabrics in a local quilt store!

Prints Charming bubbles

Heather Ross Gnomes

Heather Ross Mushrooms

Summer in the City Birds

Hand Quilting

2010-08-02T10:55:00.001+10:00

Goodness me! Twelve months ago I blogged about constructing this quilt top.
Today I can happily report that I've started hand quilting it. I haven't hand quilted a quilt before, but I've been inspired by the likes of Andi and Annabel from Perle 8's.

Please keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't take me another 12 months to finish it!

The Whirlygig

2010-08-01T14:15:00.003+10:00

Some months ago I was given a heap of fabric scraps. They weren't really my style, so they kind of stuck out like a sore thumb on my fabric shelves. I decided I had to use them up quickly, so I paired them with a Kona Indigo solid to make this whirlygig quilt.
It was fun to make, and I had a lot of help from my quilting assistant Ollie, who helped me lay the blocks randomly on the floor, then passed the blocks to me in the correct order so I could sew them together.
I decided on the pieced strip on the back to use up even more of the scraps, and teamed that with a Kona navy solid. The scrappy binding ties it all together.
I used invisible thread (in smoke) to quilt it as I didn't want the quilting to interfere with the look of the quilt. Navy thread would have darkened the whirlygigs, and a lighter thread would be too visible on the indigo. Although I like the finished appearance of the quilting, I won't be using invisible thread again!
It was too close in colour to my hair, so I was constantly confused as to what was thread and what was hair. It was a pain in the arse winding onto the bobbin - as you can see above it broke one of the bobbins, resulting in a tangled nasty mess. Never again.

On the plus side, though, the only thing I needed to purchase during the making of the quilt was the invisible thread. Everything else, including the batting, was from my stash. And who doesn't love a stash busting quilt??

Ice Cream Social Winner!

2010-07-19T22:30:00.002+10:00

I used the random integer thingy to choose a winner (out of sheer laziness, of course! I could not be bothered writing out all 21 names!).

So, the first winner chosen was number 4 - Karen! Except, Karen doesn't have a child who could wear the blouse, so I'll send something else to you Karen!

Second time lucky was number 21 - Judy! Unfortunately I have no way of contacting Judy, so if i can't hunt her down in the next week I'll have to do a redraw :)

Speaking of giveaways, I recently won these patterns from Louise. She even hand delivered them - thanks Louise! If I wasn't feeling so shite with a bad case of man-flu at the moment, I would be whipping up a little parterre quilt tomorrow for a baby boy who recently joined the extended family. Instead, I'll be groaning on the couch hoping for a miracle cure.

Karen and Judy - email me your details!

Japan

2010-07-19T10:09:00.008+10:00

My sister and I are heading to Japan in October. We are on the verge of booking our tickets and accommodation - but we need your help!

image credit

Have you been to Japan?

Have you heard great things about it?

Do you have some invaluable tips for us about traveling in Japan?

What are the must-see destinations?

image credit

We'll be in Japan for two weeks at the end of October.

I look forward to reading your tips!

Perle 8 thread

2010-07-16T15:24:00.001+10:00

15 balls of Perle 8 thread found in an op shop this afternoon.
Displayed on a spool holder found in the same store nearly 2 years ago.

Stars and Stripes

2010-07-13T11:46:00.001+10:00

Some more quilting bee blocks for the month of July. This time, scrappy stars for Nova from the Australasian Bee:

nova #1

nova #2

nova #3

nova #4

And stripes for Andi from The Beehive.

andi #1-#6

These blocks were all so easy to do! As long as you are prepared (ie fabrics cut to size, iron at the ready), it's just as easy to make a couple as it is to make 4 or 6.

PS: don't forget to enter my giveaway for an Ice Cream Blouse (size 2T). Go enter here. Ends Monday 19th July

The Ice Cream Social (and a giveaway!)

2010-07-12T10:22:00.003+10:00

Have you heard about the Ice Cream Social? It's basically a virtual sew-along of an oliver + s dress pattern called the Ice Cream Dress. It's co-hosted by Amy and Kate, the sew-along is starting soon, so if you want to play along, join up here.

Because I couldn't wait til July 18th, I've already made a start. This blouse (view C) is made in a size 2T using Kona snow for the yoke, and a deconstructed op-shopped skirt for the body.

It's modeled below by my petite 3 year old friend (her chest measures 52cm). I'd definitely go up to a size 3 if making one for her.

And of course, because it is winter here in Melbourne, she has had to model the top with a long sleever underneath.

The pattern was pretty easy to make. I'm not usually one for following a pattern properly (I like to make modifications), but I pretty much followed the instructions, for the sake of the sew-along. Next time, though, I'll be tweaking the pattern pieces a little here and there.

Overall, I'm happy with the garment, and would love to give it away!

If you'd like a chance to win this sweet blouse, please let me know in the comments who you'd give the blouse to. I'm happy to post internationally, so everyone is welcome to comment.

I'll randomly draw the winners name one week from today, at midday (Melbourne time) on Monday July 19th.

Good luck to all!

A Single Girl...

2010-07-09T00:20:00.002+10:00

...for a single lady. I'm doing a bit of an informal sew-along with Nova. She's already started, I've just tagged along for the ride (and for the motivation!)

Done!

2010-07-02T17:27:00.002+10:00

I love a quick knit!

And the boy is very happy with them too.

Fingerless Mitts...

2010-07-01T16:57:00.003+10:00

... for the boychild who admired his Aunt's splendidly soft pair.

Knit on ridiculously small Japanese circular needles.

Pattern found here (look in the sidebar for sucky thumb mitts).

The yarn is a mystery ball from the stash, chosen by the boy.

PS If anyone wins this Medina night out and is looking for someone to join them, I'm free!

Cute Pinafore Dress

2010-06-28T15:13:00.002+10:00

Although I love to flick through copies of Ottobre magazine to find new things to make for Ollie and his little friends, I'm often put off by the choice of fabrics they use. I sometimes have difficulty seeing past a fabric that doesn't tickle my fancy - too floral, or perhaps too pink?

I was therefore absolutely delighted to see this gorgeous Ottobre creation by Leisl of Jorth. Inspired!

I rifled through my stash to find some stretchy black denim and red and white striped quilting cotton, and set to work making this little pinafore for our little soon-to-be 3 year old friend who spends two days a week with my Ollie.

She is a gorgeous girl who owns far too many pink clothes for my liking (all hand-me-downs, I'm assured), so I steered well clear of anything pink.
Ollie and I made a mad dash to Chadstone at 9am this morning to find her some red leggings and long sleeved tee to coordinate with her new dress. I was very happy to see her wearing the outfit this afternoon for her party!

Pattern: Pinafore Dress in size 92cm

Mag: Ottobre 1/2007

Catching up

2010-06-21T22:23:00.002+10:00

After all the last minute sewing I did to get my sister's quilt finished in time for her birthday, I don't think I could even look at my machine for at least a week. Add in some girl-child drama's and some weekday work that sucked up all my child-free hours, and I'm feeling a little behind in all my quilting bees (four) and swaps (five).

Today I was very productive! I made triangle blocks for Angela from Busy Bees;

triangles for Angela

more triangles for Angela

I made boxy stars for Monika from the Australasian Bee;

boxy stars for Mon

and I made 6.5 inch nine patches for Kate from Busy Bees.

Kate's nine patches

This is my favourite little detail, taken from the selvedge of an Ink and Spindle fabric.

Remind me later to tell you all about a screen printing day I did a couple of weeks ago at the Ink and Spindle studios with Lara from Harvest Textiles. So much fun! (if you look closely you may find a pic of me in their flickr pics)

For now, though, I have some knitting to do (I'm knitting a blanket!) and last weeks episode of The Wire to watch.

It's done!

2010-06-02T12:56:00.006+10:00

After many hours of sewing in the last week or two, I finished this quilt for my sisters birthday.

Many thanks to the ladies in my Australasian Quilting Bee, who made most of the blocks for the quilt. Thanks must also go to my mum, who is a super speedy binder! Seriously, she'd done nearly 2 sides by the time I finished one!
I ended up adding borders to all of the blocks to make them 14 inches square. The final measurements are something like 170cm by 200cm. All it needs is a wash and dry to bring out the crinkles.

I love it, and more importantly, my sister loves it!

At some stage in the next few days I'll write out a list of all the lovely helpers I had to give to my sister, so she knows who made which block. Thanks ladies!

Quilt as you go...

2010-05-28T18:06:00.002+10:00

Penny from sewtakeahike hosted a little quilt-along earlier this year. It looks like a great way to use up scraps of batting and fabric, so I had it bookmarked for laters.

Then, Kellie from the Australasian Bee sent out her fabric for May, and asked us to make up one or two blocks using Penny's tutorial. I was only too happy to oblige. Kellie's blocks are the last two pictured (blogger didn't put the pics in the right order).

After making Kellie's blocks, I realised how great the individual blocks would be for making cushion covers. I needed two for a birthday party on Thursday night, and managed to churn them out pretty quickly.

The orange and brown one went to a 4 year old boy,

the blue and green to a 3 year old boy.

Their mums were delighted!

Below are Kellie's two blocks.
They measure 10 inches square,
and both feature a gorgeous little fussy cut Heather Ross print. Too cute.

I have loads of batting scraps taking up precious space in my fabric cupboards, so I look forward to making myself a 'quilt-as-you-go' quilt sometime soon. For now, though, I'm frantically trying to get my sister's birthday quilt finished in time to present it to her on Tuesday night. Wish me luck!

Grandmother's Garden

2010-05-20T11:15:00.003+10:00

I thought I'd post some progress pics of my hexie quilt top (and, in particular, the back!) after seeing Christina's work. When I saw how neat and tidy the back of her hexagons were, I felt a pang of jealousy (and a little bit of shame) that hers were so neat and mine are not. She has done a very beautiful job!
But then when I flipped mine over to photograph it, I remembered just how beautiful I think the back of my hexagons look. And really, not so messy as I had imagined.
In fact, I was discussing the back with my sister just the other day, and she commented that it looked a little like fabric origami. Then, as i recall, she said it would make a great scarf, and we both took a moment to stare off into the distance imagining a fabric origami hexie scarf....

My hexagons are made using 1 inch precut paper shapes and 2.5 inch squares of fabric. How do you make your hexies? Are they tidy like Christina's, or fabric origami like mine?

May Bee Blocks

2010-05-15T20:10:00.002+10:00

For Julie

Two for Nichol

Contemporary Quilt Blocks

2010-05-15T14:09:00.006+10:00

July is my month to send out fabric for the Bee Addicted 3 quilting bee, and after months of indecision I've finally settled on the style of block pictured below.

I made my first prototype today, and I'm really happy with how it looks.
I'm using kona cotton in charcoal for the background, white for the strips, and Kaffe Fassett stripes and shot cottons for the coloured pieces. This block measures 10 inches square.

When I'm deciding on quilt blocks for a bee I never draw up a plan of how the quilt will look, or what size it'll be. I figure that all that will be decided when I have all the blocks laid out in front of me. I can always add borders if it needs to be bigger :)

For those of you who make quilts, do you draw up plans first? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants like I do?

Glorious Colour

2010-05-13T11:48:00.003+10:00

My drought-breaking purchase of Kaffe Fassett stripes and shot cottons arrived today.

They'll be sent of in late June to my fellow Bee Addicted 3 bees with some charcoal or coal Kona cotton.

Sewing Machine Cover

2010-05-13T11:37:00.003+10:00

Here it is - the sewing machine cover I made for Nova as part of the Urban Home Goods Swap.

I was inspired, of course, by the Denyse Schmidt Single Girl quilt pattern, but opted to make my own version of the circle that was small enough to fit on the cover.

When Ollie saw a photo of this yesterday, he called out "My O! My O!". I now have to make him something with the 'O' for Ollie on it :)

Urban Home Goods Received

2010-05-12T08:53:00.002+10:00

I'm feeling very fortunate at the moment. Look at what I received in the post last week!

Four beautifully made place mats and a moleskin journal with gorgeous fabrics stitched to the front. Perfect for a quilt journal, me thinks. I can write down my ideas for new quilts, with block layouts and measurements, etc. Perfect.
This was all made for me by a talented crafter from Denmark, Isa. Thank you, Isa! I love them.

The goodies I made for my swap partner were posted late (but I used Express Post, so hopefully that makes up for it!), so I won't show you any pics til they've received it. Hate to ruin the surprise :)

(crappy photos taken on my phone)

Squid Eye

2010-05-05T21:08:00.003+10:00

What sounds like a terrible water-born disease of the eye is actually just the name of one of these quilt blocks - see the middle one.

Tanya from the Beehive asked for circles. She included a photo of this great squid eye quilt as part of her inspiration .

The two blocks with the coloured backgrounds are smaller, 6 inches I think, and the circle on white is 12.5 inches.

Aren't they great colours!

Catch Up Post

2010-05-05T20:14:00.002+10:00

April was a busy month for me. As well as working more regularly (and saving for a trip to Japan later in the year- more on that another time), I have been quite productive. I'm caught up on all my quilting bees, and have even posted off most of the blocks (I'm pretty bad at posting things on time). I've nearly finished my secret swap item for the Urban Home Swap, and I've also nearly finished 2 quilts - the smaller is nearly bound, and the larger is nearly quilted. Very good for me, I like to start things then lose interest well before it's finished.

So, onto the show and tell. This block was made for Katrina from The Beehive. It measures 16.5 inches, if I remember correctly.

This is a single bed quilt that I'm making entirely from the stash (saving money for Japan, remember!). The dark blue is Kona cotton in Indigo, most of the rest of the whirlygigs (or windmills) are made from a stack of leftover fabrics given to me by mum last year. They are not what I would ever buy myself, but I like how the quilt has turned out. I've thrown in a few other fabrics from the stash to get the size I wanted. I've quilted more than half (so far) with an invisible thread - not sure what I think of the invisible thread, though. I like that the stitching is, well... invisible, but it is shiny, which I don't like so much. Jury's out.
Below is a block I've just made for Julie, also from the Beehive. She sent out some gorgeous Kaffe Fassett stripes and shot cottons that have caused me to splurge on fabric for the first time since December!! It was a self-imposed fabric diet that shall continue from tonight onwards :)

Anyhoo, the block measures 13-ish inches (slightly bigger).
Last, but not least, Viv from the Australasian Bee asked for 16 inch blocks with 1.5 inch squares (but not limited to squares!). It's been interesting seeing the variety of designs that the other bees have come up with. I thought I'd throw in a curved corner since I'm not scared of them anymore :)

Circle work

2010-04-23T10:30:00.002+10:00

I'm really pleased with how my circle turned out (inspired, of course, by the circles in Denyse Schmidt's Single Girl Quilt).

I hope my swap partner likes it too!
The circle was easy enough to make, with no hiccups to speak of, but my mathematical skills failed me miserably when it can time to sash the block in more linen. I trimmed it an inch smaller than I needed it to be, and crookedly too! There was a good half inch difference in the two ends. Disgraceful! Not sure what I was thinking. All fixed now, and I hope to have it finished by the end of the day.

Wish me luck!

Oh, and PS: I've signed up to my sewing circle under my Ravelry name, LadyJo. Hopefully it turns out to be as useful a resource as Ravelry. I'm off to check it out again now. See you there?

new beginnings

2010-04-20T13:12:00.003+10:00

Despite having a room filled with unfinished sewing, knitting and crochet projects, I started a couple of new things.

The first project is still on paper (albeit freezer paper), but hopefully I will start cutting into some fabric for it today. It's a bit of a sneak peak at what I'm making for my partner for the {Urban} Home Goods swap.

The other project I've recently started is some hexagon flowers for a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. They are quite addictive, so I've churned out many more than I thought I would since Saturday. I'm wishing now that I'd kept some of Miss J's dresses from when she was little so I could add pieces of them ...

Vintage Dressform

2010-04-18T12:24:00.001+10:00

Miss J has taken a real interest in sewing her own clothes lately. She found a couple of 1980's sewing patterns in an op shop for no more than 50 cents each and has made herself a funky little top (updated, of course, to look like a 2010 version of an 8o's top). I must dig it out of the pile of clothes on her floor and take a photo.

Anyway, one of the things on her birthday list was a dress form. After watching a season of Project Runway, I think she had visions of pinning random scraps of fabric to a dress form and designing herself a unique fashion piece.

Dutiful mother that I am (and not-so-secretly pleased that she has a strong interest now in sewing), I trawled through the possibilities on eBay for a couple of weeks until I found this vintage beauty for a bargain.

Miss J was super excited when she discovered it on the morning of her birthday! I suspect, though, that she couldn't see past the gaps created when I painstakingly adjusted it to her size.

Solution? Cut bias strips from a vintage sheet and wrap them around the dress form. All those gaps have been covered, and the very happy smile on Miss J's face told me that I'd found the right solution.

fifteen

2010-04-18T12:08:00.004+10:00

Miss J turned 15 on Friday.

(aged 14 months, 1996)

Happy Birthday, my sweet!

Exciting times...

2010-04-14T12:43:00.003+10:00

at the House of Knickers. I just discovered this adjustable Blind Hem foot atop my sewing machine. It has proven very useful in accurately sewing those dreaded 1/4 inch seams. Perfect for sewing up a star block like this one for Katrina's month in the Beehive.

image found here

Busy Bees

2010-03-25T19:57:00.001+11:00

The lovely ladies in my Australasian Bee have been very busily sewing up blocks for my new quilt. I sent off a selection of olive, grey and white fabrics, and they have generously been adding some coordinating fabrics from their own stashes. I asked for improv squares with high contrast, ranging in size from about 6 inches (I think) to about 10 inches. This is what I've received back so far...

I'm so delighted with the blocks! I have no idea yet of layout, I'll wait to see what else I get back before I really start playing around.

The Lilac Dandy rides again

2010-03-24T06:11:00.001+11:00

Yes, I'm still lovin' the name of this quilt! It's slowly coming along. I'll make another 3 star blocks before sashing it, then I'll probably do some stippling.

I hope to have it ready for binding on Thursday, in time for another session of Perle8's.

I've been recording the amount of time spent making these blocks (just for interest's sake, not so I can flaunt it to all the rellies at Easter when I hand over the quilt to my Grandma), and I'm surprised at how long the blocks have been taking to make! So far I've spent 8 hours making 9 blocks, which includes cutting all the fabric too.

Penny's Pillow

2010-03-23T12:14:00.002+11:00

Whoops, just realised I hadn't blogged about my finished Pillow Talk Swap cushion cover that I made for Penny!

Here it is in all it's glory.

Swap Goodness

2010-03-23T11:30:00.002+11:00

As you are no doubt aware, I've taken part in a couple of great swaps in the last couple of months. First up was the Doll Quilt Swap 8 (you all remember the one I made for Anna). I was fortunate enough to receive this lovely blue green and linen mini quilt from Marilyn in the US.

Both the front and back are beautiful enough to display. Thanks Marilyn!
Next up was the Pillow Talk Swap (my favourite swap so far!). Who could forget the hand pieced hexies I made for Penny (listen to me tooting my horn :P ). In return I received this much coveted (by me when I first saw it) cushion cover made by Amy.
I totally had plans the moment I saw it to make myself a copy. Now, my plans are to make another so I have a pair of them!
Four diamonds down, two to go. I had quite a few of Amy's fabrics in the stash and in my scrap bins, so they'll be very matchy matchy.

I can't wait for the next swap!!

Return of the freezer paper stencils...

2010-03-23T10:38:00.002+11:00

I haven't done any freezer paper stencils in a while, and with the (slightly) cooler weather upon us I thought it was time to jazz up a couple of plain tops for Ollie.

I cut the stencils for these a couple of weeks ago at Perle8's and painted them up about a week ago.
Ollie's favourite is the scooter boy. He, of course, believes that I've painted a picture of him onto his top. I found the image here.

Keen to do some stenciling of your own? Hoppo Bumpo has all the tips here.

The Lilac Dandy

2010-03-13T22:01:00.002+11:00

Don't you just love that name? Sounds like an 18th century gigolo, doesn't it?

Alas, it is only the latest quilt block I have made (although pleasingly, I now have a name for the quilt!). I'm making a lap quilt for my soon-to-be 86 year old Grandma. I'm pretty sure her favourite colour is purple, so I bought the two lilac fabrics for her quilt at Spotlight this morning. The floral on white fabric is a vintage sheet from the stash.

I used a tutorial from Modify Tradition, called the Dandy. An easy enough block to sew, I'm sure I'll tire quickly of cutting all the squares for it, though. I fear I've been spoilt by quilting bees - after a couple of blocks I'm ready to move on to something new.

Anyhoo, I have procrastinating to do... or fabric to cut.... depends on what's on tv :)

Autumn House

2010-03-03T16:53:00.003+11:00

The quilt I made for the Doll Quilt Swap 8 is finished and sent!

I love it, and wish I could make one for myself. But of course I never make anything this good for myself! I'll have to change that mind-set, convince myself I'm making it for the great great grandkids or something :)
Now you didn't think I'd reveal the recipient on my blog, did you? Names have been blurred to maintain secrecy.

Outdoorsy Type

2010-02-27T22:16:00.002+11:00

This was too good not to share! On a quick trip to Darn Cheap Fabrics, Glenhuntly, this morning I spotted this freakin' hilarious fabric in the quilting section.

It even comes in a few different colourways!
I've never seen anything like it. And boy, did I get some strange looks from a nearby man when I was taking photos of the fabric! I'm sure he thought I was into a bit of fabric soft-porn :)

FYI it's called 'Outdoorsy Type' and it's an Alexander Henry.

Swap Teasers

2010-02-26T11:45:00.005+11:00

I'm participating in a couple of swaps, both of which end very soon! As always, I'm cutting it fine, but these will definitely be finished and posted off on time. I promise!!

First up are my mini little hexies for the Pillow {Talk} Swap. To give you an idea of scale, one edge of each hexagon measures 2.2cm (or 7/8ths of an inch). It's been very timely that I joined this crafty group as it's given me some dedicated hand stitching time!

I really struggled to think of something to make for the Doll Quilt Swap 8. To be honest, I started a few, and finally decided on this one on Monday. The pattern came from a quilting mag that someone had given me (which I will reference just as soon as I can find it again!!). I kind of followed the pattern, but cut the basic shapes (house, windows, door etc) the size I wanted. I really like how it evolved from a rather boring looking house to an autumny house with a lot more colour and dimension. A little more work to be done, but it's coming along very nicely, thanks!

Blocks for Rebecca

2010-02-13T00:04:00.003+11:00

February is Rebecca's month in the Beehive. She wanted a big pinwheel block (like that found in Material Obsession 2), and some smaller nine patches if we so desired.

Blocks for Brenis

2010-02-12T18:15:00.004+11:00

Brenis from the Bee Addicted 3 quilting bee requested improv blocks for her month. She didn't mind the size of the blocks, she just wanted some high contrast with the text/numbers fabric somewhere in the middle.

In my haste to get these to the post office this afternoon I didn't measure any of them - but I figure they range between about 8 - 10 inches square.
My fave to make was the one with the cross, but I do really love the thin brown strip on the block below (separating the spots). If I hadn't just cut up 1 metre of Kona charcoal last night for the Australasian Bee, I'd get stuck into some blocks for myself (featuring some very thin dark strips).
Next on my list of things to make is the doll quilt top for DQS8 and some more hexie flowers for the pillow swap. Hopefully I can make a start on the doll quilt tonight!

A month in pictures

2010-02-07T13:36:00.003+11:00

How does one start blogging again after a couple of months of complete slacking? Pictures, I guess. So here goes....

The beginnings of a cushion for the Pillow Talk Swap

My blocks have started arriving home from the Beehive quilting bee

Sandy Point Beach

Sunset at Sandringham Beach (or thereabouts)

Block made for Bee Addicted 3

I've also signed up for the 8th Doll Quilt Swap, started my own Bee, started applying for jobs, and am battling an annoying run of insomnia. More bee blocks have been made but not photographed - my darling daughter has misplaced my camera charger and spare battery. Grrr. Now hopefully I can get back into semi-regular blogging!

Giveaway Winner!

2010-02-07T13:08:00.002+11:00

Finally! I used the random number generator (but still cannot work out how to add a screen shot of that! So the winner is.... comment number 3 - Kelly! Congratulations, Kelly. I have your details already, so I'll pop something in the post to you soon.

Spread the word!

2010-01-17T23:07:00.003+11:00

If there are any readers still out there, spread the word - I'm going to start my own virtual quilting bee! I'm after a group that is fairly local to me, so anywhere in Australia or New Zealand, or anything geographically close to those are welcome to join. I need 12 participants in total, and already have a couple signed up. All skill levels are welcome. If you've not joined a quilting bee before, it works a little like this: there will be 12 participants, each of whom will be allocated a month. On your month, you send out parcels of fabric and instructions to all other participants, and we make your quilt blocks. On all other months you will receive one fabric parcel and instructions, and you make up the block and send it back home.

Interested? Let me know in the comments - and please leave some way for me to contact you. Alternatively, send me a message on flickr.

In other news, tomorrow is my 2 year blogiversary!! Although the blog has fizzled a bit in the last couple of months, I'm still keen to put together a bit of a giveaway. Leave a comment on this post to be in the running - that'll give me time to think about what to make! Rest assured it will probably be something quilty, but definitely handmade. Possibly even custom designed for the winner. So comment away!

And tonight I leave you with a photo of Ollie's very first sewing project - a drawstring bag! He cut the fabric (very carefully, I might add) with my fabric shears, then sewed it all up on an old sewing machine (no photos of the sewing - I was glued to his side making sure little fingers were not sewn to the fabric!). It was all at his request, he chose the pattern(with some guidance) and is very proud of his achievement (as is his mum!).

Flying Geese

2010-01-02T13:11:00.002+11:00

Here are some more pics of the quilt I made for my sister. I can't remember if I said I made it for her as a housewarming gift. I did all the creative work (designing and sewing), my other sister contributed to the cost of materials, so it's a joint gift.

Below is the back of the quilt. It's made using some leftover geese, some strips of unbleached cotton and chocolate handkerchief linen, and larger sections of a Lecien dot.

The outer border has been stippled, the geese have been zig-zagged. The binding is a darker brown with creamy strips.

For the front I used some chocolate brown handkerchief linen and a Momo Wonderland print for the geese, very fortunately I found some sheets at Spotlight that were a near perfect colour match to the linen for the outer border. This last photo is a truer representation of the colour - not sure why the other pics have come out really dull??
It roughly measures 160cm by 202cm (or 63" by 79").

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T15:41:00.003+11:00

Despite being absent from the blog for a month, I have been very busy! I have very nearly finished the flock of geese quilt I'm making for my older sister as a housewarming gift. It is mostly quilted, all I have to do is about 8 more rows of the zig zag quilting then it'll be ready to give to her in a few couple of weeks time (I've already bound it).Plus, I finally finished a Christmas Tree quilt for my mum (I hand stitched the last piece of binding on at midnight on Christmas Eve!). I has been slightly modified to make it a little smaller (I just left off the outer border).
I'm rally pleased with both, but especially so the geese quilt. I'll post more pics in the coming days (or weeks!).

Happy new year to you all - I'm off to Frankston to drink some Pimm's (and maybe a couple of Stella's) and to sleep in a tent (hope it doesn't pour with rain!!).

Cheers!

Simply Sunday

2009-11-29T15:33:00.001+11:00

Cookie Christmas Cards

2009-11-27T21:13:00.002+11:00

Have you spied this yet? I thought it'd be perfect for making this years Christmas cards.

I made the above card with a cute little family in mind. Even though the dad is not a well-dressed pirate, I thought they'd like it :)

Basically, I just cut and pasted the cookie people that I wanted to use, added the xmas tree, and shrunk down the boy in a box so he looks more like a 2 year old boy in a box!
For the gift cards above, I shrunk the original image and cropped it in half. I arranged four on the page so I could print them out onto card stock and cut them into 4 small cards. I bought the card stock from a little scrapbooking place in Ormond (Melb) that's closing down, so got it for 5o% off. Perfect!

Quilted Christmas Wall Hanging

2009-11-26T10:49:00.002+11:00

Inspired by the simplicity of this quilted wall hanging I saw over at Tallgrass Prairie Studio the other day, I decided to make myself a Christmas version.I searched for a Santa quilt block with no success, but knew I'd seen gnome quilt blocks around the traps. I ended up modifying this gnomeling quilt block to make the Santa. I also googled Christmas tree block, the star was a simple nine patch star. I've quilted it in straight lines that are roughly 1/2 an inch apart, and it's bound in red and white candy stripes. Now it's due for a wash so I can see how crinkly it turns out! After the wash, I'll sew on a little bell to the top of Santa's hat, and maybe a little gold belt buckle.

Another sneak peak

2009-11-25T23:09:00.001+11:00

This little guy is just waiting for the sun to come up so he can be photographed properly!

Hip Hip Hooray!

2009-11-22T19:25:00.003+11:00

I'm 35 today!

Card made by my mum - check out that mini quilt!

Some of my new goodies!

Someone's onto the fact that I like to bake and sew...

FMF Giveaway

2009-11-20T23:59:00.002+11:00

Really, if you have any regard for the fact that it's my birthday on Sunday, you won't enter this giveaway in the hope that you'll increase my chances of winning a lovely birthday present!

But, if you're not quite as self-centred as me, enter away! Just don't forget to add your name to the petition so that people like little old me can get their hands on some of this loverly fabric.

Grandma Twinkles

2009-11-20T20:42:00.002+11:00

I'm a sucker for a new (easy) tutorial!

November Blocks

2009-11-18T22:02:00.002+11:00

It's Meg's month in the Beehive, and she requested mosaic-y/beach-inspired improvised blocks using a beautiful range of fabrics.

The above block measures 10.5 inches square, the one below is 10.5 by 5.5 inches.
Over at Bee Addicted 3 it's Katrina's month. She sent these 2 solids, requesting wonky quarter log cabins.
My interpretation of wonky was the varied widths of each layer (as opposed to sharper angles). Having seen some of the other blocks in the group, my second block (incomplete, so not yet photographed) is ever-so-slightly more angular, but very similar to the above. This block measures 15.5 inches square.

December is my month to send out fabric for the Beehive, so I've been busily practicing blocks to decide (!!! - so late to still be unsure!!) what I want the girls to make. I need to have the international parcels sent off by the end of the week, so tomorrow (my child-free day) will be a busy one. And a hot one, I hear, so I'm hoping to squeeze in a swim at the local outdoor pool in the morning. I'm going to steal my daughters goggles and attempt a few laps - but I may end up just lounging on the steps instead....

Vintage Spring Quilt

2009-11-18T20:52:00.004+11:00

Like Sheridan, I too have been cutting up vintage sheet fat quarters. A friend has requested a pastel coloured quilt for her niece. I searched my stash in vain - there was very little to be found. Fortunately I have a good stack of vintage sheet fat quarters after this swap.

I'm not sure that I've ever made a nine patch before - I've made a couple of disappearing nine patches, though. The quilt top currently measures 45 inches square, so it'll make a nice little lap sized quilt for a little girl who loves to steal her big sister's quilt.

Finally!

2009-11-15T19:25:00.002+11:00

I made myself a new bag! I have searched and searched the internets for a suitable bag pattern, to no avail. Alas, I had to deconstruct my old bag to use it as a template for the new.

The old bag was one that I bought on Etsy from this seller - she makes lovely practical bags (highly recommended if you're in the market for a newbie).
My little Janome struggled over all the layers of fabric (I broke 3 needles on it!). My workmanship is a little shoddy, but hopefully it still lasts as long as my previous bag, which was of a much higher quality!

The front pocket features some fabric cut from an Aunty Cookie panel.

Sneak Peak

2009-11-15T01:10:00.001+11:00

The flock...

2009-11-13T11:41:00.003+11:00

...is finally coming along. It's one of those projects that I know I have to finish, so of course it sits on the back of the couch glaring at me, night and day.

I've just laid the strips out to get an idea of the finished size (my little helper there thinks I'm making a snake quilt - the triangle edges on the sides are apparently teeth). The strips are already joined in pairs, I now need to join those pairs up to finish the quilt top!

Skirts Ahoy

2009-11-09T22:11:00.003+11:00

Melbourne has put on some summer weather this week, so I thought it was time to get into sweat shop mode.

A super lovely person bought me this gorgeous Clothkits skirt a while back. The fabric panel sat on a shelf, washed and ironed, for far too long. I finally cut it on Sunday night, and sewed it up today.

I'm delighted with it!

Before sewing it up, I traced a pattern from the pieces. I figured if I liked the fit, it would be a simple A-line pattern to have on hand. Needless to say, I liked the fit, and made myself another! This time I made one from an upholstery weight fabric - perfect for the cooler months :) I can barely even try it on in this heat!

Oh well, at least I have the perfect skirt for next winter!

Tea Wallet

2009-11-07T22:29:00.004+11:00

A quick gift whipped up for a friends birthday today. I've seen these around the internets here and there, but just went with my own measurements as I couldn't be shagged hunting down a tutorial.

The colour is not a true representation - it's actually a limey green, but the time of day that I took the pics coupled with the dark green cutting mat has distorted it.
In case you haven't yet figured it out, it's a tea wallet. My friend drinks herbal/camomile/peppermint - types of tea (which I never seemed to have in the house), so I thought stashing this in her bag would be handy.

The outer fabric is Aunty Cookie's white on lime papercuts, the pocket fabric is from the ginger blossom range, and the binding is green and white woodgrain.

A pity the colour didn't come through in the pics - I really love the green!

Old meets New

2009-10-30T10:08:00.000+11:00

My mum upgraded her digital camera recently, and passed on her old one to me. On it I found some photos of her trip to the UK last year, including this cool one.

Triangles

2009-10-29T21:57:00.003+11:00

A WIP for one of my sisters, based on a Denyse Schmidt pattern, using chocolate handkerchief linen and a MoMo Wonderland print.

Four

2009-10-27T00:13:00.002+11:00

A bit wobbly looking, and very lumpy and bumpy, but recognisable as Lightning McQueen (I think so, anyway!).
All a bit last minute, really. Ollie decided this afternoon that he had to have a McQueen cake for his birthday. As soon as he hit the sack, I got crackin' in the kitchen.

Currently it's safely hidden away, ready for the big day tomorrow!

King Ollie

2009-10-18T19:26:00.003+11:00

It's all the rage wearing your crown low over your eyes.

Silky blue pantaloons are a must have item, too.
The outfit was well received by his princess girlfriend. They even had a big kiss and cuddle at the end of the party. Sooo cute!!

FYI the crown is a slightly modified version of one found here.

The Royal treatment

2009-10-16T15:01:00.002+11:00

Ollie's off to a dress-up party on Sunday, and has asked to be dressed as a King. His robes are coming along nicely - just need to elasticise the neckline, and maybe make it a little shorter. Pantaloons are next on the sewing list (I'm modifying a pair of men's silky boxer shorts), then I'll make a him a felt crown to wear. I've bought him some white stockings to wear under the pantaloons.

I can't wait to see it all complete! And I hope he doesn't have a problem wearing the stockings...

Adjustable Side Release Buckle Tutorial

2009-10-09T23:55:00.007+11:00

My son's birthday is fast approaching and I wanted to make him a camera bag with adjustable strap and side release buckle (for safety reasons). I had all the hardware I needed in my stash, so I assumed it would be a quick and easy sew.

In fact, it took me most of the day to make it - many hours of which were spent sitting on the couch trying to work out how all of the pieces needed to be threaded with the strap. I searched my house high and low, but could not find anything with a similar strap on it to copy! I googled it, hoping for an online tutorial, but found nothing suitable.

In the end I worked out something that I'm happy with - so here's my tutorial!

For the purpose of this tutorial, I have used a 20mm side release buckle and strap adjustor (bought from a fabric chain store). I have also made my own strap using a fabric that coordinates with the bag this strap will be attached to. Alternatively, you could purchase webbing or tape to fit the size of your buckle. I made a linen/cotton blend strap that measured 18mm wide by about 1.5 metres long.

Please note, I only used one of the strap adjustors pictured above.
Thread strap through the smaller of the two openings on the buckle.
Folding the end over to neaten, sew a fabric loop to secure the buckle. Cut the strap to the desired length.
Attach the end to your bag. I have inserted the end of the strap between the outer and lining fabrics, then sewn them all together.
This next part was the confusing part for me. I may have done this incorrectly, but it worked for me (any suggestions here are welcome!).

Looking at the photo above, I started threading from the left hand side.

Holding the strap adjustor by the tab, insert a length of strap through the opening furthest away from the tab, then back through the opening closest to the tab. Feed a bit of the strap through.

Thread the strap through the buckle insert piece next.

The same end now needs to be threaded back through strap adjustor to secure to the bar furthest from the tab. Please refer to the photo above.
Folding the end slightly to neaten the edge, sew the end close to the strap adjustor to secure it.
It should now look like the strap pictured above. Cut to desired length, then attach to the other end of your bag. Finito!

I hope you find this useful. If you find any glaring errors, please leave a comment and I will amend the tutorial as needed.

Please feel free to link to this tutorial on your blog, and send me a quick line to let me know.

2009-10-09T17:52:00.004+11:00

I've become such an inconsistent blogger, haven't I? If it weren't for the quilting bees I joined, who knows when I might have found the time to blog again....

I have been kept pretty busy with a 6 week stint of work that finished on Tuesday, as well as school holidays, and lots of drama when my car broke down 110km's from home! It's a long story, involving a very dodgy tow-man/mechanic and a week with no car. I finally got to pick the car up on Friday, sweet relief!

Anyway, onto the sewing! The following block is a big one, measuring 18.5 inches square. It's made for Belinda from the Beehive. She's making a quilt for her son, who likes aeroplanes (hence the one in the centre of the block, found in my stash). The pattern she's using is from Material Obsession, the Retro Starburst quilt. I look forward to seeing it when she gets all the blocks - I've had real difficulty visualising this one (having not seen the book myself).

The following two blocks are for Brioni of Bee Addicted 3. She sent a heap of yellow scraps, along with the unbleached cotton, and requested wonky stars floating on the unbleached background.
I've not made wonky stars before, so didn't get too adventurous with the design. I did try to mix up the centre squares a bit in an effort to use each of the fabrics she sent.
All posted today! Which leaves me set to sew birthday gifts for the mother's group kids, most of them turn 2 or 4 in Sept and Oct, and I'm a bit behind!

It pays to be nice, apparently.

2009-09-29T18:16:00.003+10:00

Ollie and I arrived home from child care today to find a parcel on the doorstep. We took it inside to open it, and when the fabric was revealed, Ollie exclaimed "The postie must know you are nice to bring you so many parcels of fabric!"

Note to self: leave a little treat outside on the letterbox for the postie. He clearly knows me well.

On a side note, Ollie and I are taking a little trip up to Sydney in early December with my sister. We'll be there for a few days (with a 4 year old), so if anyone has any hot tips on what to see and do in Sydney in December, I'd love to hear them. This will be my first trip there, so I really have no idea of where anything is etc. Thanks in advance!

The Possum Pelt

2009-09-29T13:05:00.004+10:00

Yay, finally finished last week - all I had to do for the last few months was cast off the sleeves and sew on a button. And yet, there it sat on the unfinished pile all through winter!

Anyway, done now. Used a button from my stash.

The free Shalom Cardie pattern is available as a pdf from here. I made a modification or two (not that I can remember them now!!). I think I reduced the number of rows in each of the top sections, maybe by 2 or 3 rows. I was also going to do 3 buttons holes, but forgot to do the 3rd. I'm happy with the one button though.
The yarn I used was a cheapy from Spotlight - I think it was called Mousse. A combination of wool and soy perhaps... Very soft, but very prone to pilling - as you can see in the pics above. It has only been worn 3 times. Oh well, I knew it as I made the purchase.

Sorry for the wishy-washy details - I'm blogging from 'work', so can't run off and find the leftover balls of yarn to give you more info.

FYI - I've named it the possum pelt, as it is a lovely browny-grey and super soft. Just like a possum. Feel free to feed me apples if you see me in the street.

September Blocks

2009-09-20T16:29:00.002+10:00

Did I mention i joined another online quilting bee, Bee Addicted 3? This one also started in September, and I'm the only Australian in the group (which means I need to buy shares in Australia Post!)

The first parcel of fabric came from Becca. She requested wonky houses of any size, untrimmed as she is unsure of how they'll all go together.

My first house is a little toadstool house. It was my first attempt at putting a curve on a quilt block, and although it's not perfect, it's pretty cute!

I wanted the second house to be a more 'traditional' wonky house, but decided it really needed a garage to house this cute car!
I've also been tossing up ideas for quilt blocks for my month (not until July of next year). I like the look of string quilts, and love the idea of using scraps to make it.
I made these four blocks using 1 inch wide strips. The middle strip of each block is made from charcoal kona cotton. The blocks are 8 inches square, and in hind sight, I really should have gone for a slightly wider strip, just to make less work for myself, but I do like the look of the narrow strips.

I think I'll make these blocks into a cushion cover, and I have enough strips left over to make another too.

Super-Puppy Photo Shoot

2009-09-13T17:54:00.006+10:00

The favourite puppy has had a great day today. As well as receiving a new puppy quilt, he was also lucky enough to get a super hero cape. He was more than happy to model it for us (despite the sad look on his face!)

It's simply made from a circle of stretchy red fabric, sewn onto an elasticised loop.
Easy for the boy child to put on when he thinks that puppy wants to fly (which is often).
Poor old puppy is looking a little worse for wear! He gets thrown around, sucked, chewed, pummeled, and cuddled near to death. I really must look for another, but this one was a gift to my daughter about 10 years ago, so I fear I may never find one the same...

Puppy Mini Quilt

2009-09-13T17:37:00.003+10:00

Yay, it's done! Not that's it's hard to finish a quilt that measures 13.5 inches square. But it's nice to finish something :)

Pictured with the boy child's favourite puppy toy.

Close up of the pebble quilting.

It has been well received by the boy - he immediately jumped on it and magically turned into a puppy! I didn't realise it was a portal when I was creating it...

His puppy has been bundled into a 'parcel' countless times already, so i'd say it was a hit.

WIP Puppy Block

2009-09-09T23:23:00.002+10:00

For the puppy-obsessed boy child.

Pattern purchased here.

Doll Quilt Swap 7

2009-09-06T16:58:00.002+10:00

There's nothing like living on the edge! This doll's quilt needs to be in the post tomorrow in order to make it to it's new home by Sept 15.

The most time consuming part (piecing the dresden plate) was completed ages ago, but I only just got around to sandwiching it and quilting it last night and today.

I used a natural coloured thread for the quilt top, and a variegated thread on the bobbin to produce a lovely effect on the quilt back (not quite captured in the photo, though).

All it needs now is some binding and a quilt patch on the back! I'm in a bit of a dilemma as to what to bind it with, though. Any suggestions?

Sweet and Simple Bubba Quilt

2009-09-06T16:11:00.003+10:00

Made for a new babe (sister to my daughter) who is nearly cooked. No, I'm not my babe, rather, the babe of my ex and his wife.

Very simply made from two of my favourite op shopped sheets, sandwiched with some cotton batting, quilted in random criss-crossing stripes, and bound in the same green cotton that backs these cushions.
Nice and simple.
Just awaiting the birth of said child so I can attach a quilt label.

Kitty Cushions

2009-09-06T15:40:00.003+10:00

The wife of my ex gave me a panel of screen printed fabric she found in an op shop, with a request that I make it into a cushion (they are expecting a babe at any time now, and the green coordinates with other things in the babes room)

I don't know her too well, and despite asking questions to work out exactly what she wanted, I was left feeling very unsure of what I needed to do (ie, she was very obliging, telling me to do whatever I wanted!). The panel is actually printed with all the pieces and instruction to make the kitty backpack pictured below.

Did she want the cat on there? Or part of it? Or bits of everything? I did not know. In the end, I just cut out the kitty's overalls (front and back), and teamed it with some green cotton for the back.

They actually turned out quite cute, I think. I particularly like the front panel, with the peter pan collar and buttons down the front.

Hopefully she'll love them!

I was also a bit pleased to have sneakily sussed the main colour of the babes room - I have made a sweet and simple little baby quilt in coordinating colours that will match well. More pics to come (once I've taken them!!)

One for the boy

2009-08-30T10:59:00.000+10:00

Linoleum Stamp

2009-08-30T00:15:00.000+10:00

Now I just need to get my hands on some ink pads!

Block-mania

2009-08-28T22:54:00.003+10:00

I've spent the evening sewing quilt blocks - the first two for Mel, the first recipient of our quilting bee "The Beehive" (see the link in my sidebar for more photos). She sent a really beautiful range of fabrics, all of which I would love to own more of! The first one I made is my favourite - I think it's the asymmetry of it.

Block #1 for Melanie

Block #2 for Melanie

The next couple are for the Christmas swap. I had made enough to post off, then decided that my workmanship wasn't quite up to scratch, so I made some more. I'll do a couple more over the weekend, then post them off to my swap partners on Monday.