Take That Mocking Purse Frame...

Purse frames have been mocking me from the sidelines for many moons...I finally took one on...and won! So flippin' easy I don't know why I let it get away with poking its tongue out at me for so long...take that curved sew-in frame!

100mm Curved Frame Puff Purse by the awesome Nicole Mallalieu

Of course being a Nicole Mallalieu Design pattern it went together like a charm, the purse body only took a couple of hours from go to whoa - the chocolate strip choose itself by conveniently presenting a scrap of the perfect size and orientation, what to put with it, yeah that took a while...stitched up and halt! a roadblock...the frame is glued before stitching...the glue had turned solid (don't use it often)...so a week later, after finally remembering to get another bottle of glue, last night I set about tackling that frame...I choose the "with seed beads" method as I didn't fancy the way the thread is on the outside with the "beads optional" method for my first attempt...did I mention so flippin' easy?...glued and stitched in the frame while the veggies were taking their spa treatment for tea...

Without the benefit of knowing how difficult it was to attach the frame, I didn't want to create any bulk so used patchwork cotton for both the outer and lining with the interfacing supplied with the pattern (a sort of kit with interfacing and frame in the pattern packet) and didn't add any batting but there is plenty of space in there and a light batting wouldn't go astray and/or a thicker fabric would be fine as well - next time with this type of frame...

The glue & squeeze frames are re-thinking their mocking behaviour now fearing they may be next!

Happy Stitching...

Penultimate Miniature Family Member...

Three down...one to go! Yay!

Miniature Flying Geese Quilt - 10" square

Happy Stitching...

Here's One I Prepared Earlier...

When I posted my miniature Grandmother's Braid quilt there was a short conversation with Susan from her comment that it would work as a full sized quilt...a top of which I just happen to have living with its friends in The Quilt Top Cupboard...the weather this morning nice enough for an outing to the backyard to hang on the fence for a photo shoot...so...for Susan...as requested...

Grandma's Braid with Goldie's Twist (Strictly Goldie)

Yes I see the two that are upside down, I'm choosing to ignore that

 

Started in a class in Williamstown some time in the distant past with Goldie of Strictly Goldie (I don't think she operates as a designer anymore, she mainly designed cloth dolls & bears) I found some photos (not blogworthy) dated Anzac Day 2007 so that must be when I finished it.

Mmm, I said it had been in the cupboard for about 10 years (although that could be when it was started, can't remember), it's only 7! Whew, that takes the pressure off actually quilting it, still aged in a single digit!!! *LOL*

Happy Stitching...

Two Down...

The second member of the Miniature Family is quilted and bound...

Grandmother's Braid - 10"

All this finishing is starting me make me queasy....think I need to take a wander through the land of new possibilities and spend some time with the fabric in the stash boxes to retain my equilibrium...

Happy Stitching...

The Other Finish for May...

My other finish for May...now it is dried from its bath...

Rainforest Flowers - 20" square

The colour has come up way too yellow but the grey rainy day was most unhelpful in the decent light for a photo department...

The Small Quilt Talk yahoo group challenge for May was to use a flower block (based on the snowball block) by Kathleen Tracy (it is her group) any way you liked.  Being an American based group most of the members were chatting about it being Spring and Spring flowers. I pulled out the stash boxes but nothing was right, no inspiration at all...until I spied the little box that holds Australiana pieces...the frog fabric I used for the border reminds me of rainforest (not that I live anywhere near the rainforest) so it's now called "Rainforest Flowers".  I wasn't very creative when it came to the setting.  I did go way outside my usual "I"m very good at straight lines" machine quilting, going through my quilting design books and using a spiral centered sunburst one for each flower block and a cable design on the border with a variegated dull green Signature thread.

Onwards to the June Challenge - well, once it is announced. (*Edit - it's been announced and the scrap bins went wahoo! I love using scraps!!)

Happy Stitching...

A Day with Friends Results in a Finish...

Had a great day yesterday with friends over to play and after attending to a mending job - it was quilt related, repairing broken stitching on a section of binding so not evil mending - I moved on to finishing an in-progress quilt by stitching down the binding...

First finish of the Miniature Family - Stars - 10" square

What? You expected something larger for a day's work! *LOL*...

Would love to report the finishing continued but that was it really...I did move on to the next miniature to finish off the hand quilting but failed miserably...what I learnt was I don't do hand quilting well distracted by good company!...so after a few reverses admitted defeat...

I've actually two finishes for OPAM for May but the other quilt is drying after finally been persuaded to take its bath, the photo session is booked for later in the day...

The weather here is so woeful I'm thinking it's a great day to hibernate in the sewing room with Chookyblue and join in her Chookshed birthday celebrations...

Happy Stitching...