A Set of Kansas Troubles...

Over the past week I've revisited the table runner from this post, stopped procrastinating and sucked up the fact that in order to get the binding strip onto the quilt I had to finish quilting  it...

My machine quilting still sucks but at least it is done and it fits the coffee table nicely which is a bonus...

The three pieces, table runner, placemat, coaster, done and washed, I like it when quilts crinkle up when washed...

Happy Stitching...

A Cushiony Finish...

Something that has been waiting around for ages to be put together finally got its turn today...a hand sewing cushion...

Nothing great and wonderous but done and dusted so the piece of foam (a $3 scrap bin off cut at Clark Rubber picked up months and months ago) is finally off the shelf and the fabric pieces no longer gathering dust on the cutting table...and something for OPAM for February and it isn't even the last day of the month!!!

Now I've an oops...I've been remiss and forgot to mention squishy mail...uploaded the photos and that was as far as it went...love the basket wrapping paper...

I was the lucky winner of some fabric from Thimblestich...

Pretty huh, it looks kinda blue in the photo but it is more green and I never seem to have greens in the stash when I want some so very welcome indeed...Thank you Susan...

Happy Stitching...

A Finish...Just Not Crafty...

A finish of the non-crafty kind but it is fabric at least...way back I bought fabric to make a skirt, left it in the bag for later, so out of sight meant out of mind...finally at the end of December the bag was unearthed and the skirt actually made...except for finishing the hem...I have always hand sewn hems, always, for ever and ever since dinosaurs roamed the earth...but this fabric, being cheap from Spotty as I wanted something to test the pattern, isn't really hand stitched hem friendly so I had to give in and machine it...P-faff's tension cracked the grumpies and didn't play nice which wasn't at all helpful...but finally it is a finish and with a month of summer still to go, the fact that we have minimums in single digits and are barely making maximums of 20 and it feels like autumn sliding into winter is a technicality, maybe summer has just gone on holiday and will be making a return appearance before December (please, a little sunshine would be lovely)...

 You Sew Girl by Nicole Mallaliu A-Line Skirt

(I'm not that skinny *sigh*, it is folded over for the picture

and the hem is even, it's not hanging straight either!)

A start to OPAM for 2015...even if it is of the non-patchworky/quilty/crafty kind..

Hope your stitchy year is off to a good start!

Happy Stitching...

 

A Finish or Nine...From August!...

Yes, that's right...from August...but I wasn't able to reveal as all the reciepients hadn't yet reciepiented...then I wrote the post and forgot about it...so before the year is out...

Mid-year a class/group of almost 10 years was discontinued by the shop where it was held, with advice that our August evening would be our last one. At our last-for-the-year evening last year everyone was very generous in exchanging Christmas gifts - except I was so flat out just trying to survive work/study/sleep it didn't even occur to me and I arrived empty handed. I was determined not to be found wanting this year. When the news of finishing up arrived it was time to get my act together. I wanted something that was useful and settled on a large square pincushion and, as it was a friendship gift, incorporated my favourite star - the Friendship Star block...Two friends couldn't make it to the last night unfortunately and their gift bags languished in the fabric emporium....of course they are two that read my blog!...but they finally made it to their destinations about three months later so now I can show...

Nine Friendship Star pincushions...

The photo colours are really really bad but it was winter, no decent light...

 

I tried to use colours for each that I thought they'd like...they ended up being a few different sizes as I kept forgetting what size squares I was using to make the star block and each time I made one just went with what I thought on the day.

Hopefully the friends have found them useful...

Happy Stitching...

OPAM Win....for June!....

I was soooo excited when I saw I was one of the OPAM winners for June...yes I said June, not July and yes I know it is now August...but it has been a journey for Peg just to get the mail delivered to me...Thursday when I picked up the work mail from the general store in another location (had it send elsewhere where it wouldn't get returned to sender a month later!) there it was...a red parcel post satchel just for me!...wahooo!!!!!!!!!!

It has been such a week that it lay on the dumping ground kitchen table until Friday night...and what I found when I opened it was worth the wait...

 

 

A lovely Peg journal, so pretty...a Bareroots pincushion stitchery pattern and sweet mini hanger...perfect...sorry the photos are pretty rubbish but it was late so no natural light...

Thank you so much Peg for the lovely goodies and Peg and Kris for OPAM...

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...

First Project for 2014...

I raced into Spotlight a couple of days before Christmas to buy a zip and came across a display of portable light boxes with a 30% off sign…I've looked at these so often but the $99.00 price tag meant look but don't touch…30% off, now that was something I could work with…so, Merry Christmas to Me!!!!…

The light box itself is quite thin and takes up very little space but the cardboard box it came in, not so much…a solution was required...

Some old old fabric found in the stash boxes and ta dah!...a quilted pouch…with a pocket added for the electric cord...

Less space to store and easy to pop into the crafty basket to take to quilty happenings…

First finish for 2014 and only five days in...this was what I went into the sewing room to make when I got distracted and made a cup bag instead...

Oh and the zip? Safe and sound in the same state I bought it home in…but hey, at least I have it now for when that project yells loud enough...

Happy Stitching...

Travel Style...

So I wandered into the sewing room this yesterday afternoon with the clear intention to make a particular thing…I even found a pattern packet and photocopied and prepared the paper pattern pieces for that particular thing…then somehow, while shopping in the stash for fabric, ended up on a totally different path and made a travel bag for a cup instead, as you do...

The pretty cup received from DF Andrea. It had been asking for a square travel bag (well as it turned out not really square, more rectangular) as it is keen to leave the house and play crafty events with me...

so I made one up and now it's all ready to go on holiday in a couple of weeks…

And a finish for the final OPAM month of 2013…

Happy Stitching...

A Finish to Welcome Spring...

Further work took place on uncovering the "started in 1988 still not finished" tapestry on the floor frame that seems to have become the dumping ground hanging storage space for hand quilting projects with the next in size now a done deal...coincidentally 30's repros again (as far as I'm aware the only two 30's repros tops in that pile), the top put together using left over units from Bonnie Hunter's Orange Crush mystery quilt project in 200?...hey, at least it's from this Century!...the binding finished Friday afternoon while waiting for new tyres to be fitted on the car, have to take advantage of all opportunities as they are still few and far between...

This one is 24 1/4" squarish (give or take an 1/8" or 1/16th here and there, which when it is given a bath and crinkles up won't be a big deal).  Quilted in big stitch using white perle 8 with circles, lines and scallops...in the light Friday night I couldn't get the quilting to show up...had another go this yesterday morning (yeah yeah hitting publish makes it work on the blog I know, missed that bit didn't I)...

Same quilt, same position, different light and it goes from flat looking to quilty crinkly...and it still hasn't hadn't been bathed yet (it has now and has crinkled up all nice and quilty)...(Mmmm, photos slightly out of focus, must look into that when I've more time - sorry)...

I have no idea what is going to put it's hand up to be worked on next...by the time I get to that point I may have my partner in this year's SSCS swap and new projects may be on the table, oh where will I send to this year, I love this swap - so glad Chookyblue found time in her life gone nuts to let us play along again...thanks Chooky and also Googy Girl for putting on your Elf hat to help her out and make it possible this year, so looking forward to finding out who I send to, stalk her blog, plan the parcel contents...

Happy stitching...

A Miniature UFO Finish...

Way back in the mists of time, at a crafty peeps weekend away in the year of can't  remember, some 1930's repros were turned into a miniature quilt top...eventually in a very much "on again/off again which spool of thread was I using oh who cares this one will do for this attempt" fashion it had over the ensuing years ended up at about 3/5ths hand quilted...Friday night it was unburied when moving something else and the weekend stitchy task became "get it from hanging over the tapestry frame in a state of being ignored and into the state of a finished quilt"...and wonder of wonders I actually achieved that objective...

The hanger is just for taking the photo, it will find a home on a horizontal surface.

Double X: from "Fat Quarter Quilting: 1930's Style" by Lori Smith", 16" x 20", hand quilted in the ditch

Enjoy your week.

Happy Stitching...

Red, Purple, Circles...add Stripes..

Take drunkards path templates, some red and purple fabrics and a monogram stitchery (from Michelle Ridgeway's lovely alphabet patterns) add a rectangular cushion insert and what do you end up with?..

It has been sitting finished for a couple of weeks and if it didn't have an initial on it that has no point in my house I don't know that it would have made it to being delivered to its intended birthday present recipient because I have to say I quite like the finished product and red/purple aren't even "my" colours.

I even almost stitched Michelle's monogram design as she drew it...

I did say almost...in the design the running stitch is on the inside of the letter but it sort of moved and ended up around the circle...I had fun playing with the drunkards path shapes and I really like the rectangular cushion rather than the regular square shape. I used parlan to stablise the pieced top and give a bit of body before doing the stitchery - the stabiliser I usually use for stitcheries being too fine and not wanting the bulk of batting so parlan was perfect.

Finally delivered yesterday only 2 1/2 months late - but hey, managed it before Christmas so that has to count! - I can update my OPAM page and sidebar too, a finish to count for August...

And the stripes? Well I came home with these...

warm and toasty toes...lucky toes!!!

Happy Stitching...

A Title Would Go Here if I Could Think of One...

A couple of posts ago (yes the posts are so infrequent May wasn't that long ago on this blog - sad but true) while at Retreat in Maldon doing my bit for the local economy at The Village Patch, I picked up a pre-printed mini wholecloth "Ribbons and Lace" by The Stencil Company.  Made it into a mini quilt finished at 16 1/2" square, the binding was stitched down in company Friday night while enjoying the fun and friendship of our regular 6-Midnight stitchy hijinks...so, without further ado...presenting...Ta Dah!...

my first ever Wholecloth Quilt...

Hand quilted using Mölnlycke Sytrȧd Core Quilt Thread colour 6644...the lovely turquoise colour quilting thread thread just demanded to be purchased at the same time as the cloth and I couldn't resist. It was a good way to practise the hand quilting and test drive the wholequilt concept without committing to a new UFO large project. The only thing I'd not do again is use a colour thread that was so close to the colour of the printing - it would have been so much easier to see where there was wonky not so even stitching and some not so invisible stop/starts and I didn't catch them all but live and learn and I was treating it as a learning project so not going to beat myself up over that. 

I was a bit concerned about how the printed design would wash out as it was printed with quite thick blue lines (almost the same colour as the thread I used) but I followed the instructions of simply soaking in cold water (and it's so nippy outside the water out of the tap is icy) for 30-60 minutes (so I left it for the full hour just to be sure) and it was just gone, like magic, no trace left.

I've not pressed it after washing (I did dry it flat on a towel) as I like the "crinkled antique-y touch me" look rather than the "polished perfect do not touch" look of a finished quilt, I want quilts that look like they can be used not hung in an art gallery, but that is just me so please forgive the wrinkles...

And I realised when uploading the photo...that is OPAM ticked off for August as well, wahoo!!! One project, two ticks, gotta like that :)

Happy Stitching...

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 Melbourne.  My 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...

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...

Good Mail and A Little Finish...

The mail box revealed much more fun things than bills this week...first up was a squishy yellow envelope with USA stamps...a lovely totally unnecessary but all the same very welcome thank you gift from Cheryl...

Isn't it simply gorgeous...with her signature polka dots and ric rac incorporated of course...and so perfectly made - excellent zip work there Cheryl *LOL* - thank you very much I will certainly put it to good use...

The next day the mail box held another yellow envelope with USA stamps...yay! more presents...only this time I knew what it held...

The lovely Erin had a "first to claim gets it" giveaway of a number of extras she'd acquired but didn't actually want or need...one of those times when what you want comes in a box of stuff and you have to take it all or nothing...I was lucky enough to be first in to ask for the bag patterns...thank you so much Erin...

As for any crafting going on...after the Disappearing Nine Patch quilt I was looking for something small and quick and spied the little project packs from the Daylesford Craft Experience on the shelf waiting patiently...

Felt Hanging Santa from Jodie's Woodland Christmas project...I made the Christmas Tree part of the pack up on the day at the event...a non-brain-strain easy quick finish to recharge the crafty batteries...I think he has turned out quite cute...

Hope your weekend is crafty...

Happy Stitching...

A Finish...At Last!...

At last, after much jumping through hoops, the Disappearing Nine Patch quilt is a done deal...

the backing and binding just happen to be

postive/negative from the same range

- gotta love serendipity...

...and that discovery was pretty much where the love ended for a long time...

...huge thanks go out to Mrs P for helping to get me through a weekend of trauma and tears with her encouragement, bribery attempt and not blocking my email address in light of much whingeing...awesome bloggy camaraderie indeed...one monkey down, one to go! (you had to be there)...

Now on to something less stressful...

Happy Stitching...

Sparrows Nest...

The Sparrows Nest block started in Susan Smith's class at Summer School back in January is an orphan block on longer...it was finished last night but it needed a bath before going out in public.  I always had it in mind to hand quilt the block with orange perle thread which I had yet to find in my travels, so coming across the spool of orange hand quilting thread at the charity quilt-in day a couple of weeks ago was close enough...

I used three different quilting stencils...starting with a circular petals design in the centre and dragonflies on each corner then decided it also needed something the sides and added a round petal flower...a bit of fun playing with different designs. Self-bound with the backing fabric instead of a separate binding, a thin poly batting and finishing at 13" square(ish) (it's a little bit not quite square).

A finish for OPAM for July...yay!...

Happy Stitching...

A Pincushion and A Couple of Hexies...

Saturday afternoon Rosie came over for a play day...such fun!...a quick reorganisation of the sewing tables and we had both our sewing machines set up and ready for go...and off Rosie went...and I sat there and fluffed about...I made the pocket for the satchel bag - and by making the pocket I mean I cut a square and a rectangle and stitched them together with a zip to create a flat six" square, not exactly rocket science or great and wonderous achievement...and then...I sat for a while and pondered and wondered and looked around the room at all the projects that could be worked on and then I spied the felt stash box and made a pincushion...well a pincushion corpse as I then realised - no polyfill...I am nothing if not under-productive!...with the attainment of polyfill after the Spotty stop on Sunday the corpse became...

a square pincushion...using handmade felt generously "donated" by the maker Fiona, which was a dream to sew...the pattern taken from Hokey Pokey Pincushion by The Birdhouse which I bought for the applique version but was too lazy to deal with on Saturday so I went for the path of least resistance (how unusal...not!)...it has a pouch of crushed walnuts surrounded by the polyfill stuffing. I bought the crushed walnut shells at The Home Patch in Bathurst for one of Anni's designs but it is a big enough bag for a few goes.

So that's another little finish for OPAM this month...and while I was moving things around on the cutting table I once again came upon these two little hexie coasters that I made either at the end or last month or the beginning of this month - anyway, weeks ago - and just seem to keep forgetting to acknowledge....

so there they are (they can be counted in May) and they will now go and join a couple of other things that I really must post off to the recipient they are intended for.  But those things have been sitting on the bookcase shelf for so long now that I think I've just become blind to them and their need to make it to the post office.

Happy Stitching...