Sunday 28 April 2013

One Day...Two Finishes...

Yes you read that right...in one day two finishes...and both before lunch!...don't worry I've not suffering from some kind of malaise, it's been all downhill from there so normalacy has resumed...

First up...
Toy Tales Disappearing Nine Patch baby quilt... 
(quilt is sideways, it was a space to take the photo issue)

I was given the fortunate opportunity in March to attend Urban Stitches in MelbourneMy darling friend J was unable to go and not wanting to waste her ticket kindly offered it to me...I was blown away by her generosity and gladly took up her offer...and I got to play with Rosie for the day too...such fun!  We had a lovely day, Rosie came across and I drove down to the venue in one of the Waverleys (I can never remember whether I'm in Mount Waverley or Glen Waverley), where we stitched, chatted, ate and shopped in multiple combinations of said activities, over-stayed our welcome by an extra hour chatting to a lovely lady, Jill, on our table who was making a whole weekend of it by staying at the hotel venue and going to both days, stopping at the pub in the next town before home for tea and chats with quilting friends, one who just happened to be there for tea and one who works there...a fabulous social stitchy day...thank you so much J...anyhow, friends have a boy version grandbubby due to make his debut next month and I had in mind blue and red for a quilt for him. Under the Mulberry Tree was, of course, the shop on the day and Melly's Toy Tales fabric was perfect...I picked out nine fat quarters, washed and ironed them the next day and the following weekend turned them into the quilt top.  I toyed with the idea of putting a scrappy border around but although it isn't huge, at about 37" x 48", it is big enough for the purpose intended - rolling about on the floor or in the pram/pusher. I knew I wanted the red clouds fabric for the backing and mail ordered the backing fabric from Under the Mulberry Tree once the top was made and I knew just how much I'd need...Great service, I put the order up on Monday afternoon and it arrived in my mail box Wednesday with very reasonable postage...simply echo quilted along the long seams with blue on the top and red underneath with a scrappy binding made from all the fabrics except red clouds...I hope the new mum (who I don't know, I only know the dad) likes it...

A couple of weeks ago I upgraded to a new phone...it's one of those smart phone flat screen jobs and I've lived in terror of the screen being damaged in my handbag ever since...I never took the sticky plastic filmy thing off the screen of my old phone so it didn't get all scratched up but this phone didn't have that...so...
pyjamas for the phone...

The ladies at Monday craft group have been making these using QAYG hexies for the iPads/tablets - I shamelessly stole their idea and downsized it...the bird fabric is a Tilda (I didn't realise that at the time) I picked up from one of the shops who visited Summer School and the aqua I found in the stash box, goes together nicely I think.  I also have the bird fabric in blue...I just love it...

Happy Stitching...

Thursday 11 April 2013

Art Ready...

A little while back Marilyn made her grandson an art folder designed by Thimbelina...it looked like the perfect thing for someone whose birthday was coming up...I think I had a month before the birthday...it's now a month after, don't rush me...so a couple of months later and ta dah!...
Ready to travel..
Inside...pockets for pencils, "stuff" and a sketch book...
 Sketch book fits perfectly...
**texta and biro for modelling purposes didn't want to open the
pens and pencils that are going with it in the present

I think it is the first time I've sewn with clear plastic (may have used it many moons ago and forgotten), easy enough to work with once I got over the challenge of being able to measure and cut a material that basically goes invisible when put on the table...got that sorted so next time that won't be part of the challenge...

Ready for art action...and another finish for April...

Happy Stitching...



Friday 5 April 2013

A Finish...or Two...

There has been a little bit of craftiness going on...before I made the felt Santa I had stitched up a little quilt top, sandwiched it and hung it on the tapestry frame...then forgot it was there...anyway, while in Blackheath for Summer School there was a trip The Stitching Post in Katoomba, where I could not resist a mini charm pack of Chateau Rouge by French General for Moda...a sweet little pack of 2 1/2" squares...as soon as I saw the pack I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it...
I simply stitched the squares together and added a strip at each end to bring it up to the size I wanted as a mat/runner for the top of a particular display cabinet...
I've used three fabrics from the range for the added strips, backing and binding...French General fabrics just call my name, love 'em...I was going to machine quilt it but P-faff is being stroppy and temperamental so I ditched that plan and went with Plan B...big stitch perle thread quilting by hand...

So here it is only 5 days in April and I've a finish...well the sewing part was finished two days ago but there was the washing and drying part of the process to get through...the pressure's off for OPAM this month!...

A final finish in March was this little pouch from Kathleen Tracey's book The Civil War Sewing Circle...a letter pouch...
it looks a little fat because it perfectly fits...
a block of Lindt! *LOL*...

Happy Stitching...