Lullaby...

Way back in January 2011, at the last Summer School hosted by Susan Smith in Wodonga, one of the quilts started with Karen Cunningham was "Lullaby".  It had been ages since I'd opened that box, thinking I had an issue with one of the triangle borders to figure out and a heap to do to finish the centre.  Getting ready for Scrub Stitching I opened its box to find it not so far off to finish that centre - the two cactus (which were ready to be appliqued) and the circles.  Right, get it ready to take on holiday and maybe get it a little closer to being finished.

 

After laying the cactus pieces out, I was pinning away and huh! one of pieces had gone missing - I have no idea where it went and it hasn't been seen since (I actually lost two pieces, from separate projects, that day and the other one turned up in a really weird place but this piece never has)...a frantic rummage through every box and project and miraculously I found a piece of the fabric and could re-cut the applique piece..whew!...

 

It didn't get finished at Barradine, it went to quilting group a few times but it didn't go back on the shelf...plugged away and eventually a couple of months ago...ta dah!...a finished top...

Karen used a plain white for the background and heavily quilted border...I didn't want white or the heavily quilted plain border.  The border is the fabric the centre square was fussy cut out of, the width determined by the piece of fabric (which was missing a corner square).  To bring it up to size needed a spacer...I was going to use the blue background fabric - it didn't look right...OK, make it smaller and ditch the spacer...nope too busy...needs a spacer but what colour...rummage through the scraps and find the perfect pink, of course nowhere near big enough to do anything with...that scrap took a trip to the shops for the closest to it pink homespun I could find...

 

Entirely hand sewn, borders as well...it is only a wee quilt a metre square-ish (very roughly measured - it is supposed to be 39" x 39").

 

No idea how to quilt it...that's a ponder for another time...for now, wahoo it's a finished top and a project box emptied...

 

Happy Stitching...

Ta Dah!...Scrub Stitchin' 2023 Drawstring Bag...

I started the embroidery for the drawstring bag kit that was in our goody bag at Scrub Stitchin' while I was there...

This was starting off...I did get all the words stitched before the early exit.

 

It didn't get any further until I was back home because, well, sick with the plague, when I slowly slowly did a few extra bits and then while zooming for what ended up being the day with Chooky and Chookshed Stitcher friends Saturday week ago I finished the applique/stitchery panel..

This last Saturday I made a start on preparing the rest of the kit and slowly slowly over the course of the day (because still sooooooo tired...it definitely would not normally take an entire day to put together)...ta dah! the finished bag...

  

 

It's very cute I must say and surprisingly roomy...and very soft and light because it has no interfacing or batting...I think it lends itself to also being made with a bit more structure (interfacing/batting and a template plastic base) so potentially options...this is one pattern I feel might get at least a second outing sometime in the future (with a change to the Scrub Stitchin' words)...I like it a lot...

Happy Stitching...

Tea Time Small Quilt...

This small quilt was years and years in the making - I can't remember when it was started but the pattern - "Tea Time Wallhanging" by Jack be Thimble - is dated 2001...I'd estimate at last 15 years, maybe more...so...you know...no rush! ha ha ha...

It's actually been finished since sometime in the middle of this year but it was so hard to take pictures and pick up the detail...I eventually gave up trying and just went with what was achievable...then of course forgot all about it again...oops...

 

The Centre medallion teapot and foliage...

 

It is quite hard, it not impossible to see, but big stitch hand quilted with a Valdani variegated thread...I rather over estimated how many balls of the thread I'd need to big stitch a previous quilt and I have tons of it left over - lucky me because I do like it and it was the perfect colour combination for this small quilt.

In the ditch around the the borders and around the teapot and the scallops with a swirly thing on the pink borders to fill up the space a little bit.

On the border between the pink and yellow different tea types are embroidered in a variegated thread - peppermint, lemon and such like - in retrospect rather too pale a thread colour and hard to see but it is what it is...

 

Auditioning binding...it was this pink or a green...I couldn't decide so used both in a two fabric scrappy binding which I quite like...there are small circles of pink on the floral border which don't show up well...this is actually somehow the best photo colour wise which I couldn't manage again...while it doesn't all blend together in reality it does when trying to get a photo of the quilt...

Not a wall hanging in my world, I expect it will at some point end up being used as a table mat.

Happy Stitching...39" x 32"

Kalamazoo...

I found this post languishing in drafts from 2015...yes folks, six years biding its time in drafts...Kalamzaoo...a Quilt As You Go by Michelle Marvig...

It had progressed from this to having its sashing strips sewn on and applique shapes vlisofixed down but that is where it had been left...and forgotten about.

 

A few weeks ago I quite randomly unearthed the quilt in the bottom of a tub on a Saturday night and left it out in the light determined that I should just get it done...the next morning my darling friend A texted me to say she was remembering us talking about this quilt years ago and was returning to hers...and I laughed and replied look what I found last night!!!!!

Nothing else for it, the Universe was telling me it had to be finished.  I sucked up the courage to do the applique on the machine (definitely not my best skill - let's face it I generally suck at machine applique) and after a little consultation with another friend for back-up went for it...and...

It. Is. Done.

Absolutely nothing near perfect or even worthy of being viewed from any closer than two kilometres down the road on a foggy day but done it is and it will do a job as a knock-about quilt.

And...it's out of the tub!

Happy Stitching

Nature's Journey

Spurred on by Michelle Ridgway showing her Nature's Journey blocks I pulled mine back out (let's be honest, it was a reminder that taken I'd it down from where it was hanging and tucked it away when the electrician was working here).  Started in 2015 when Chooky choose it for that year's stitch-a-long, the applique parts were long finished and a frame added to the centre square but I couldn't come at putting it together...when I pulled it back out I realised I had already cut enough 2 1/2" squares to fill in the space between the centre frame border and the applique borders...then looking for something else entirely came across a little pile of half square triangle squares in fabrics which worked just nicely and would make pinwheels to add interest, I have no idea where they came from, maybe a pile of scraps someone had given me at some time, but it didn't matter they were just right...rather than take the squares to the outer borders I decided to add another internal frame.

I've also decided that I don't want another border and will just bind it in the same fabric that I've used on the two frame borders. It's about 6" smaller than the original but that's OK, it's ended up being more or less based on Anni Down's Nature's Journey rather than a faithful reproduction of the original as I've mucked about with quite a few elements.  No idea how to quilt it yet, that will be a decision for another time.

Happy Stitching...

Zoooommmm!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I had my second-ever Zoom experience and this was one was much more fun than the previous (which was a meeting) as it was a virtual sit and sew in the Chook Shed, organised by Chookyblue of course.

Thanks Chooky for the virtual bloggy meet...it was great to see her "in person" again as it's been ages and I caught up with my friend Jo who I haven't seen for a very long time since we both moved away from where we used to be...not to mention all the other bloggers new and familiar to "meet in person".  A fun relaxing day and I'm very very glad I joined in.

I used it as an opportunity to get some "must do" stitching done for group projects for local quilt group...blocks for two Big Birthday quilts (secret) for which the blocks were provided and just needed to be stitched...and a block for a friendship quilt the recipient knows about, where she nominated a theme "High Tea" and a block size and left the rest up to the individual stitcher.

I started the first Big Birthday block Saturday night, which was blanket stitching applique...I chose to do it by hand as I'm hopeless at the machined variety...I kept on with that Sunday morning listening to the lovely chatter and before I knew it, it was done!...

I then picked up the stitchery for the friendship quilt...it had been languishing for weeks because what was left was the "fiddly bits" and I couldn't decide on floss colours so I'd been studiously avoiding picking it up other than to move it here and there...now was the time...the company of the Zooming ladies meant it was done without fuss...second "must do" finished!...

The design basis is an old Ella & Skysie Designs pattern "Two for Tea".  I added the tablecloth scallops and moved the words about to suit and played with the designs on the teacups - somehow it became a bit hippy dippy but it was fun and that was how it wanted to be so I let if flow...I hope she likes it.

That took care of the handwork and, after everyone signed off Zoom, I looked at the foundation paper pieced blocks, realised they weren't going to take very long at all and fired up P-faff...

Done! All finished, a run over with the iron and packaged up ready to return from whence they came...thanks to the virtual sit & sew...think it is the most productive stitching I've achieved at any sit & sew day (or a weekend retreat for that matter!)...might have had something to do with not flitting about the room checking out what everyone else was doing as it was all there right in front of me without moving and everyone was in on the one conversation...thank you ladies for your company...

Happy Stitching...

Stawell Quilters Fat Quarter Christmas Present Swap...Made and Given...

Again this year I played in the Stawell Quilters fat quarter swap for the Christmas dinner.  A fat quarter is given in a brown paper bag with your name on earlier in the year, the bags are put in a basket and randomly distributed to each player and a present is made for the person whose name is on the brown paper bag with/incorporating their contributed fat quarter.  I got someone I didn't know "HS" who had put in an interesting piece of fabric and was relying on my friend's knowledge of her likes.  Then I met her briefly at the Quilt Show and took particular notice of the quilts she had hanging (and her challenge piece).  My first thought at the start was to make a block keeper and I wavered back and forth and mucked about with patterns and ideas and in the end came back to my original - and made a block keeper.  I had found a watercolour type fabric in Spotlight not long after the paper bags were distributed which had exactly the right colours in it but I struggled with how to re-imagine the given fabric...which I really liked by the way...

Then inspiration struck and I came up with a dresden plate...

(I had to pinch a picture from the Group as I forgot to take one of it finished)

I was happy with how it turned out...not so much the project pocket that was to go with it that we won't discuss (it is still on the sewing table thinking about its bad behaviour!)...and HS said she didn't have a block keeper and was happy with it...she likes circles which I'd forgotten about from the Club challenge but which must have been there in the sub-conscious!!

While a little stressful thinking what to make I do like this swap and hope the Group continues with it...if you are on the BookFace and search Stawell Quilters Inc all the lovelies that were made from the fat quarters are on the Christmas Dinner post, I have no idea how to link to that particular post and BookFace is tiresome so I'm not going to even try.

Happy Stitching...

Stawell Quilters Exhibition Challenge...Circling Parrots

The Stawell Quilters Bienniel Exhibition was held in October and the member's challenge was ܏set - a green batik or, when the Craft Shop ran out of the green and there wasn't more to be sourced, a purple alternative, the theme: circles and a couple of technical parameters. Mmmm...from the fabric my mind went to Gariwerd/The Grampians and that led to birds and circles to looking out windows and the end result doesn't convey any of that - ha ha, an art quilter I am not!... At the last minute (like when my friend was collecting it from me at work to kindly take to the venue the morning of set-up) it needed a name so quickly we came up with "Circling Parrots". 

I played about with different things on this small quilt...crayon colouring of the birds then back stitching the outlines which I really enjoyed...hand and machine applique (consistently not flash at the machine applique so that became a design element in itself I decided - yep, artistic licence of the broadest variety, he he he) and a bit of machine quilting because the hand quilting wasn't working so it got frogged...

When I rocked up to the Exhibition on the Saturday I was told to "go look at the Challenges" ... huh? what? ... surely that is a mistake! a blue card pinned on my quilt - third place ... I'm still a bit flummoxed as to why but I'll take it and say thank you ...there it is hanging on the top right hand side...how fabulous are all the little quilts...

It was a fun Challenge...

Happy Stitching...

More Anna Progress...

The last post about Anna really was how she was about 3-4 months ago so while it might seem like progress in a short time...in reality...not so much...but to end Anna's 2017 journey she now has...

the four corner six-pointed stars!

Not quite there yet.  There is one more shape to go to finish off the borders - I think there are 24 to make before they can be stitched on so it will still be a while before she is done as a top...onwards she will go into 2018!

Happy Stitching...

Anna Progress...

Looked back to see when I last showed progress on my version of "Anna" by Karen Cunningham and it was 30/08/2015 when it looked like this...

with the tens of hexies prepped for the swags.  Oh well, it is a slow stitching project...so two years later...

Hexie swags all sewn down...I'm working on the next shapes to go on which will finish off the top..the four stars to go in the corners are nearly ready to stitch on but who knows how long the other shapes that go in the border will take to eventuate.

Happy Stitching...

SAL Update

The SAL blocks have escaped their box and jumped up on the design wall...

It took a little bit of switching about of individual blocks to get the various designs in a layout I was happy with but the basic configuration of large and small blocks is to Anni's plan.  As I've used fabrics from the scrap basket without any real planning, just going with what I liked for the particular shape on the day as long as it kind of fit in the general tonality of the other blocks, they go together pretty well I think...no one jumps out as a jarring non-fit with the others.

I have had the centre square background pieced for a while and now the blocks are all up together I'm going to have fun sorting out which fabrics to use for the centre applique (once I've finished cutting out the templates)...

Definitely not within time of the SAL but not forgotten...

Happy Stitching...

Nature's Journey Emerging from Hiatus...

Maybe it is the onset of Spring, all the lovely centres being shown on the Stitch-A-Long blog or just that taking a break from the project was enough to want to bring it back into the light, but for whatever reason Nature's Journey has emerged from hiatus this week...with two small and four large make-up blocks to complete before moving on to the centre, this week's result is...

The two small blocks replace the embroidered initial and year...the two large blocks replace the patched circle lower "corners", a second hexie flower and a second star - almost there, I got very bored with the chain stitch circle on the star Thursday night and just couldn't keep at it so it is waiting for me this week...the other two large replacements blocks are prepared, they replace the spikey flower shapes I didn't like...that will bring me up to the centre...I need to bring the box of patches back home when they are all done to pin up for centre applique fabric choices and to machine construct the background, so that will take as long as it takes...

Happy Stitching...

Nature's Journey - the June Final Report...

While bunkering down on the couch this morning hiding from the white crunchy (frost not snow) brrrrr world outside I finally managed to get the last stitch into the final of June's blocks...then the world went all blue and bright (apparently it's called sky & sunshine) so they went outside for photo time...

Two of the big blocks are somehow off centred but I'm choosing to ignore that...still some make-up blocks to do as I discounted some I didn't like along the way, decisions have been made and they'll be done soon-ish-ish...

Happy Stitching...

Nature's Journey - the interim June Report

I'm behind with Nature's Journey...here it is two weeks into July and I haven't managed to get June finished...nearly there but not quite...

Drat, the acorn one is upside down...ah well, you get the idea...

Fingers crossed for June to be finished before the calendar says July is over!

Happy Stitching...

NJ Progress...and A Finish...

There's been precious little progress to speak of stitchy wise in May...the interludes of Sewjourn and the Geelong Quilt-In aside which were long standing arrangements or they wouldn't have happened...the month taken up with starting a new job and the resultant head spinning having not done the work type for a few years...the rusty brain cells needed going over with a Jex big time!...the job not close enough to commute so splitting time between home and a flat...too tired and brain dead to do much with a needle and thread amongst the remembering and the cleaning and the setting up...but I have managed this week to get the May SAL blocks ticked off...

I didn't feel a whole lot of love for these blocks...but they are done and spread in amongst the others I'm sure they'll be fine...and they are done!!!!...on to preparing the June blocks...

At Sewjourn I started a zippered pouch...today I remembered it was in the sewing bag just waiting for the final bit of machine sewing to finish it off...


Thimblestitch do you recognise the fabric? The green bundle you kindly gave-away on your blog last year...

three of the fabrics for the outside of the body and binding...

and another for the lining...Thanks again, I really like the fabrics in this little pouch...Made using Quiltsalott's tutorial, which K pointed us in the direction of.

After it's something on the board for OPAM for June...finally something to report!!...

Happy Stitching...

April SAL Blocks....

It's been a bit of a frantic few weeks due to a change in the day-to-day stuff which includes for some of the time a shift in geography, and I completely forgot I'd put my April Stitch-a-Long blocks on the SAL blog but not here...

So while I'm home with a proper sized IT system and ADSL...here they are... 

The colours are seriously not quite right as I took the photo on a morning while the sun was still asleep before I took off to work away for the week, but it was a photo shoot in dodgy light or not at all...

May has been started...not progressing along very quickly but definitely started, all the prep is done and a few blocks appliqued, it's a start...the only project that travelled with me this week and I didn't manage to get much done but every stitch is a stitch towards the finish line!

Happy Stitching...

NJ Marched On...

A couple of blips along the way (halt to any hand sewing for a week or so) but I'm declaring March SAL blocks done...except the two spiky flower shape blocks which have been discontinued...I was having so much trouble even getting started on stitching those blocks...at sewing group on Monday, when they were all that remained, I forced myself to start by stitching the centre circles to the base shape...didn't mind that at all...quite happy about stitching the circles...OK, unit completed put on background...not so happy....a few stitches, put it down....a few more, put it down...not going well at all...back home...pick up, put down...slow and not steady...then yesterday it came to me...I don't like the spiky flower shape....not the stitching of pointy bits, the actual shape...the spikey harshness look and feel to the shape...it has to go...so I'm declaring March done and those two blocks are in the "to be changed to something else" pile with the small embroidered blocks from February...when all the blocks are done and laid out I'll decide which of the other shapes to repeat instead of the spikes...the blocks are quick so it won't be a stretch to make up those blocks later...

So as it stands...here is March...now on to April...so far I'm not disliking any of the shapes in the April blocks so that is a good start!

Happy Stitching...

Nature's Journey - Part 1 - Tick!

Amazingly for me, the blocks set for February in the Nature's Journey Stitch-A-Long are done...ticked off with days to spare! wahoo!!...

Not sure about the basket handle but I'll revisit if I can't live with it when the time comes...my applique is kinda wonky anyway so maybe it will get lost in the end with the rest of the wonkiness...

Happy Stitching...

Annette @ Jindi's Cottage

NJ - It's A Start...

The 2015 Stitch-A-Long project, Nature's Journey, is underway...background fabrics collected while jaunting around the place Summer Schooling washed and ironed (yes I'm a pre-washer)...sorted and resorted, until...six cream fabrics in the box...

A session preparing templates, except the centre panel, then moving on to applique pieces fabric selection...

from the scrap bin! looking for civil war/1800's reproduction fabrics/colours...the reproduction stash box made it quite clear of involvement in the project when it comes to the border squares and triangles...I just love playing in the scrap bin, there are all sorts of "donated" treasures in there...floss colours to be determined by the applique block winning fabric...definitely going with scrappy!

Progress so far...one finished, one almost there, and preparation underway...

Yes, I've changed the construction and embroidery stitch...you get that...

Happy Stitching...

A 2012 Start...A 2015 Top...

Some Kind of Wonderful...the 2012 Stitch-A-Long project that very much stalled into Not-Stitching-Along...is finally a completed top...

I'm not sure what is going on with the top border, whether it has stretched and needs to come off and have another go or it just needs a good iron (which isn't going to happen anytime soon so worry about that when the time comes)...anyway...ta dah...the little pieces of white paper are where buttons will go instead of the pattern's applique and I also chose to omit the stitched words on the top border...can't be following a pattern to the letter now!!

Happy Stitching...