Weekend Productivity...

Productivity in the sewing room this weekend...

A make-up bag using the pattern in Tilda's Sew Pretty Homestyle book...easy to put together...it is slightly smaller than it should be as when cutting out the pieces a couple of days ago, despite reading and re-reading the pattern...or so I thought...I couldn't decide if I needed to add a seam allowance so cut out to the size of the template...the first thing I see this morning is the very clear instruction to add a seam allowance!...it's still a good convenient size though that won't need a suitcase sized handbag to fit into.

Prism Needle Box...this weighs a tonne...most of it being glue! there is no stitching at all, it is all glued...so OK it doesn't weigh an actual tonne but it is surprisingly heavy for its size and materials...a project that belongs to a friend, which she asked me to put together so long ago the request is lost in the mists of time...there are two things she is not allowed near...one is paint and the other is glue...her patchwork piecing is scarily absolutely perfect but it's been decided that it is easier for me to do the painting and glueing myself in the first instance than conduct rescue missions...I had forgotten this project until it was mentioned in passing a couple of weeks ago...found this morning languishing in the bottom of the basket that time forgot, along with a number of other projects listed as missing in action...so that is one of her projects down and one still to be located...involves paint...and I know it is in the sewing room...somewhere...

oops! seems a bit of SSCS stitching may have snuck into the way of the camera's lens...another finish but can't be showing this one...yet...

It was so cold, wet and wintery today...and yet it is only one month until summer!...oh well a good day to spend in the sewing room...so I did!

Happy Stitching...

The Ta Dah Post...

At last...Ta Dah!...'Tis the Season...a finished, quilted, bound and labeled quilt!!!...

Finished this morning at local quilting group...happy dancing!...hand quilted in a chocolate brown perle 8 thread...much better than the aborted attempt at machine quilting, it really did not want to be machine quilted.  The 13th stitchery, the wreath, is on the back as the label.


On to the next stitch-a-long...My Some Kind of Wonderful book has been waiting since July and there are two bundles of fabrics  sitting with it vying for the lead fabric role, not quite sure yet which bundle will win out...it may be a combination of the two...but first...the secret stitching for this year's SCCS...I chose almost straight away when we were assigned our partners just what I am going to make and this morning I took a book out of the library at quilting group with inspiration to go along with that idea...now to make it happen...

Happy Stitching...

Let The Binding Begin...

Saturday night, after braving the elements to go the fire brigade annual dinner...it was raining so hard at the start of the night, which was held in the engine room of the station, it like being in a 44 gallon drum while the outside was being belted with cricket bats, at that point we couldn't hear the speeches.  It was a good night though, yummy roast dinner, service awards, brigade awards and 4 National Medals.  I was a bit disappointed though, as those medals are awarded under Royal Warrant, that Her Majesty didn't drop by to award them herself! a slack given she is in the country...I came home rather tired and didn't get much further along with the quilting stitching on 'Tis the Season...so I spent Sunday (yesterday) feverishly getting that quilting done and dusted...last night this point was reached...

and now...

Comfy cosy on the couch, Big Bang Theory on the tele...let the binding begin...

almost there...

And this morning at group I finished stitching the label so once the binding is done the label can go on and then it will be ta dah! time...so looking forward to ta dah! time...I'm over it now and just want it done...

Happy stitching...

October Friday Night Sew-In...

Last night was Friday Night Sew-In, hosted each month by Heidi & Bobbi...this month I see 195 bloggers signed up to stitch together, how cool is that!!...so of course my plans went slightly pear-shaped and I ended up working at one site all day and then powering to another site for the 1 1/2 hours I had planned to work there earlier in the day...this means I didn't actually get home and get to start stitching until 8:30pm...and because I had to work at Cox Plate (horse race meeting in Melbourne) today a late night was not in order...a couple of hours was all I got in but I did sew...made further headway with the hand quilting on 'Tis the Season...wahoo!...almost there...not photo worthy though...I've sewn a couple of more lines in the last 1/2 hour since getting home from work today but now have to pop around to the fire brigade for our annual dinner...my plan is to eat and run home to stitch some more...let's see if I can escape without anyone stopping me at the engine room door! *LOL*...oh great it just started raining and I had planned to walk...grrr....

Hope to be back tomorrow with a photo of the quilt...binding and all...crossing all fingers and toes and asking the universe to co-operate...

Hope your FNSI was productive...

Happy Stitching...

A Week's Work...

In the last week there has been some progress in the sewing room.  I finished my challenge entry for last weekend's quilt show...

My interpretation is quilt blocks hanging among the gum leaves...I used 4 1/2" blocks that I liked, taken from the book 501 Quilt Blocks. All my fabrics came from the Under the Sun range by Leesa Chandler that the challenge fabric came from.  I just love love love the beautiful jewel colours and gold highlights Leesa used in this fabric range.  I hand quilted with a gold metallic thread in the ditch around and in the blocks and around the gum leaves in the panels.

I also managed to get the centre hexagon panel put together for my version of Karen Cunningham's Anna's Quilt...

Next up is the inner border of coffin shapes...I've been looking forward to playing with that shape and using bits and pieces of lots of fabrics to create the border...

The project I started at Urban Stitches...Melly & Me's "Sketch & Stitch" (I think it is getting a new title which it may have by now) is a finished project...

Designed as a take-along organiser to hold a sketch pad, pen and basic stitchy supplies like needles & scissors...another easily put together fun project by Melanie Dekker...

And I'm still working away on finishing my 'Tis the Season so I can play along in the next stitch-a-long.  The hand quilting with perle thread is about half way done, I got a lot done at sewing on Monday but it is a bit hard on the old fingertips so I've given it a rest for a couple of days.  I also spent hours, and I do mean hours, turning photos into Smilebox slideshows and replacing the photos in posts with the slideshows to free up space on Picassa which was just about full to capacity without buying extra storage...should be good for a little while longer...

Hope your week has been productive...

Happy stitching...

Oh I just realised I can count two more finishes for OPAM for October! Wahoo!!

Kilmore Quilt Show...

Tour de quilt show a la Kilmore...enjoy...(you might want a cuppa it takes a little while)...

This digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

Happy stitching...

Quilts Amongst the Gum Trees...

Local quilting group, Kilmore Quilters, biennal quilt show was held on the weekend and wow! what a show...we opened the doors at 10:00am Saturday and the hall was filled with visitors in no time...the first customer was at our kitchen counter by 10:05am!!!...we had 9 (or 10 - I didn't count properly) tables which each held 8 chairs set out in the refreshment area and they were never empty all weekend...whew!...

The hall looked fantastic...filled with quilts, quilts and more quilts, two visiting shops (Patchwork of Essendon and Somerset Patchwork), our own trade table, the member challenge and a fanstatic display on the stage encompassing our theme of "Quilts Amongst the Gum Trees".

The challenge was, of course, based on the theme and a fat quarter of gum leaf fabric from the Under the Sun fabric range by Leesa Chandler.  The quilt item was to be no larger than 1 metre square, three layers, quilted and with the challenge fabric making up no less than 1/4 of the surface area.  Play the slideshow to see the 9 entries...all very different from each other...

Free photo slideshow customized with Smilebox

So did you pick the winners? Judged by viewer's choice the gongs went to number 9 as the runner-up and number 6 as the winner.  Well, they are awesome.

Hope you enjoyed seeing our Challenge, I'll be back with a selection of the main display of quilts later.

Happy Stitching....

Come One...Come All...Quilts Amongst The Gum Trees...

Looking for something to do this weekend...have a hankering to see some quilts...take a toodle up the highway as...

Kilmore Quilters Presents...

Quilts Amongst The Gum Trees

Saturday 14th and

Sunday 15th

October 2011

Kilmore Memorial Hall*

Sydney Street (Northern Highway)

(it's the main drag, can't miss it)

Kilmore  3764

9:00am to 4:00pm

$5.00 entry

100 quilts

Challenge

Trade Table

Shops

Award Winning Raffle Quilt

Refreshments - morning & afternoon tea, freshly made soup & sandwiches

Hope to see you there...I'll be hanging out in the kitchen...please come and say Hi!

 *Kilmore is 60kms north of Melbourne:

from Melbourne via the Hume Highway (south), take the exit at Wallan onto the Northern Highway and follow your nose...Kilmore is the next town...Hall is on your right about 100m after the 50kmh zone sign...easy peasy...

coming from Seymour and the Hume Highway (north), take the Broadford exit, turn right, follow Broadford-Kilmore Road until you run out of road and hit (not literally please) the Northern Highway, merge left and make your way through town, the Hall is on your left next to the Old Town Hall just after the pedestrian traffic lights.

from Bendigo...well you are already on the Northern Highway so just keep coming and follow the northern travellers... 

There is parking in Sydney Street, behind the Hall via Bourke & Patrick Streets, at the library via Bourke Street and behind Hey Dey Archade opposite (via Bourke Street uphill)...Bourke Street is flanked by the library and bowls club on the east side of Sydney Street and by Red Pantry Cafe on the west side.

If all else fails...Google it!...

Catching Up...

Time has been flying by lately...here it is the second week of October already...last weekend I wandered up the highway to Heathcote for a weekend at Heathcote Country Lodge with some of the ladies from Monday craft group...stitching, eating and cuppas...lovely.  I tend to not take the sewing machine on retreats, being content to work away on handwork projects...labels for my challenge quilt for this coming week's local quilt show and for 'Tis the Season...neither quilt is finished but hey they have labels!...finishing up a stitchery and putting some more work into the hexagon centre for Anna's Quilt...not huge achievements but I'm happy with small steps...you know it was a great weekend when next year's dates are already booked and all hands went up in the air for the return visit!!

The stitchery was one of Gail Pan's projects from Inspired Stitches in July this year...Gail's original was redwork but I went with a variegated orange...today the binding was stitched down making a completed small quilt (about 15 1/2" square)...yay!...thread and fabric from the stash...

I think this one will find a home on the top of a small (about 4' high) cupboard...


Yesterday I went for a drive up to Ballarat Patchwork for a class with Jodie...to create Smith the Dog...and here they are...a pack of nearly formed Smiths...

...just imagine they have four legs and faces...aren't the fabrics fabulous...mine is the flower power hippie child...a fun day out...

Today Jindi and I went for a drive back to the old country and met up with Mistea for a squiz at the North of the Yarra quilters show at the Eltham Community Centre...I didn't take any photos but they have a lovely slidehow on their blog.


Think that takes care of the last week or so...next weekend is our local quilt group's biennel show...I really must go and finish that challenge quilt!


Happy stitching...