I am back on line...finally!

Yippee after more then a week of being without the Internet, it is SO good to be back online!  Lucky for me DH is way more techno savvy then I am, although he claims he doesn't know how he fixed my PC, he has reconnected me to our modem.  The modem died and we then discovered it didn't have a warranty (it was written on the box - so cannot blame the company) but we did have the receipt.  So off DH goes to Officeworks and YES they not only happily replaced it (it was 9 months old) but they gave us a CREDIT for the difference, as the price had dropped since we brought it!  Yeah for Officeworks I say, definitely my new favorite store....well that's where I will send DH for all our techno needs in the future! 

OK now for some quilty progress.....

 While I have been without the distraction of the Internet I whipped up this kids quilt top for Heart Kids SA.  Its a bit bright and busy, but I was using what I had on hand and thought transport with dinosaurs would be an interesting mix?!  School holidays tends to reduce my fabric shopping how ever I managed to fit in a trip to Hettie's Patch yesterday to buy some more background print that I was using to make more of these blue nine patches. 

I had been cutting up 1.5" strips of blue fabrics from my reproduction stash (hmmm might have added a few lately) and just couldn't stop myself making nine patches.  I have become quite addicted to piecing and when I am a bit lost/overwhelmed by my to do list/or want a easy "non thinking project, I tend to piece .  I have always wanted to make a Nine Patch quilt and I have always wanted to make a Blue and White Quilt - however neither is on my current wish list! 

Still here is the beginnings of the Blue n White Nine Patch quilt, that I will be adding to my WIP list today!

What I should be piecing is the rest of the blocks for this quilt = Modern Quilt by Lyn Uphill.  I took this class two weeks ago and have made a bunch more blocks since, but then stalled.

 These are my fabrics (top centre - bright dots and strips) and all the fabric requirements come out of a jelly roll and matching layer cake, plus yardage for the sashing.  I love my fabrics and really enjoyed the class, but I have decided that I am really a traditional girl at heart with a love for reproductions.  Hence I am easily distracted at present!

Perhaps I could blame the weather/school holidays/lack of internet?  I have made a new pile of leader and ender spool blocks with all my piecing of late, however that project has resulted in me accumulating a collection orphan 1.5" squares.  So I decided to piece some of those into a mug rug for my sewing table!  Combining red and pink is very "out there" for me, but I love the colour combination now.  I also love the satin stitched edging I used, it was quick, easy and left me feeling like I was a little bit "modern"!

And I also spent some quality time in front of the telly sewing the binding down (finally) on my "Winter" Table runner aka the blue and white left overs from my big twister.

I was a bit concerned that I had under quilted it, but decided that I liked it as it was and will see how it washes up...can always add more quilting later!  Yeah right!

So while I have a Spring and Autumn themed table runner on my wish list, I have made a Winter one...but I was using up left overs, so that makes it OK, right? LOL.

Happy quilting Sue SA

PS I am linking up to Shays favorite things Friday...my favorite thing this week is blue/white quilts and Officeworks!

Post Easter Catch up

In my pre Easter clean up efforts (my sewing room doubles as the guest bedroom) I finally got around to making the boys their dinosaur cushions.  In an effort to also check how Mr 6yo would cope using my machine, I reduced my machine speed, lowered my office chair and got him to sit in front of me and "drive" the foot pedal, while I "steered" the fabric through with his help. 

Needless to say he was chuffed with his efforts (red cushion) and I think will be keen to do some more sewing in the future.   Mr 4yo just helped me to push (or pull) the fabric, while sitting on my lap.  Lets just say that I was glad we were only sewing four sides of a cushion!  He was equally happy though and offers to help now every time he steps foot in my sewing room...luckily he is still easily distracted with my extra long tape measure...loves counting the numbers!

We had a lovely Easter, hosting my in laws, who drove over from Victoria.  Before they arrived I planted winter veggies and annuals...which are just starting to bloom in the lovely autumn sunshine we have been having.  I harvested a few pumpkins, but I still have some green ones, so wasn't game to harvest them all...butternuts, my favorite for roasting!

 
 I won one of the Easter raffle baskets from DS1 Primary school, stocked full of chocolate....given I am lactose intolerant I have tried to restrict myself to the dark chocolate!  My Easter egg display (felted eggs on Right) was my dismal effort at Easter decorating.  I need to get my act together...I seem to have an oversupply of Christmas decorations but not Easter.  Mr 4 made the purple card, so cute...using his fingers and palm print :)

Without access to my sewing machine I was very pleased that the paper diamonds I had ordered from Hettie's arrived just before Easter.  I basted and stitched EPP diamonds all over Easter and made individual stars in many colours, so things are progressing nicely.  I finished sewing the blue sister together last night, (sorry no photo).

After the visitors left (and I had worked, caught up on the washing and ignored the cleaning) I managed a few hours stitching Friday and FINALLY finished this bag!  Just in time to take it to a workshop Saturday!

And just in case I forget who I am, I used these too pretty scraps to make a name badge.  This was an experiment in trying to use tiny pieces of fabric, using a method that I had read about.  I am interested in learning how to make miniatures, but clearly I need some help...HELP!  If anyone knows of any good books or a class/teacher in Adelaide I would love you to drop me a line, thank you.  Oh and by the way I used my snazzy magnetic closures that Lisa gifted me, so no nasty stabs from safety pins for me... when I get to wear my badge! :)

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

Donated quilts and WIP

I forgot to show you the quilt top that Therese quilted for Heart Kids SA, after the sewing bee.  She gave it to me and I put the label on and handed it in last week, along with my Red Cowboy quilt top. 

I  got as far as finishing the sashing and adding a border for another Heart Kids SA top, that didn't get completed at our quilting bee.  I now have some backing and wadding so I can pin and quilt it.....hum, well it is in the sewing room queue to be finished! 

I did manage one finish though, a quilt top I made last year (here) with some of my After Dark friends and I managed to pin and quilt last weekend.  Gasp horror, I know, its been sitting in the cupboard for months!  I just didn't have the motivation as I thought it needed a border and the pattern has piano key border, which is one of my favorites.  However all this fabric is from my stash (cut into 10" squares last year in the big stash reduction effort) and I had run out of most of those fabrics. 

 The pattern is called McGuffey and from the book "Schnibbles Times Two (quilts from 5" or 10" squares) by Carrie Nelson.  This book was a gift and I must say has been awesome, as this is the second quilt I have made from it...I have a few quilting books, and  this is only the second time I have I made multiple quilts from a book! This single bed quilt goes in the mail to Chooky Blue on Monday for the Caring with Quilts appeal, for those who lost their homes in the Wambelong fire, NSW.  

Yesterday I finally stitched the new curtains for the two doors in my sewing/guest room, (LH side) the old gingham to (RH side) the new Ikea print.  I am no seamstress, but the job got done and I am pleased with the results!

I just love this fabric for the hint of green and leave prints....love leaves and birds in fabric!

Then yesterday I heard the doors had open on the new patchwork store Widebacks in Flagstaff Hill and I couldn't resist a visit and Elaine came along to help me spend my money!  I got 4 charm packs...well they were on special!  Actually I decided that I am going to add a piano key border to the Indigo Crossing big twister quilt top - because it needs to be a tad bigger.  There were no more jelly rolls available in this fabric range, so hopefully the charm packs will do the job.  The other two charm packs are going to be made into quilts using my Schnibbles book.

 The important purchase I made was the background fabric for my Dresden Plates.  I was aiming for pink dots on white.  Hmmm, well at least they are dots!?  I am yet to decide on the colour for the centres.  Perhaps they can be pink?  This quilt is for a teenage girl.

 A short drive away is another quilt shop (opened last November) called Cotton Stitches in O'Halloran Hill.  We had a quick stop there, played with the Go fabric cutter machine they sell and I finally got some milliners needles for my EPP (to hopefully prevent the pain in my hands - apparently you need a longer needle) and some fabric out of the Kate Spain range (sorry no picture) for the first border on my Dresden quilt.  Right got to go and finish making the sewing room into a guest bedroom for our Easter visitors.  Happy quilting, Sue SA.

Stitching frenzy - the heat made me do it

Red Cowboy Quilt - binding on....forgot the label, so not quite a finish.

 All 9 of the Dresden Plates, completed.  Now just have to find and purchase some background fabric.  

Completed the outstanding three Scrappy Trips blocks and wasted  spent an hour or so debating layouts.  In the end I just went with it, the layout possibilities were endless. 

I broke a needle on the last Scrappy trips row.  You couldn't do this if you tried...managed to jam the broken needle back into the eye of snapped off point...and you were thinking I had made a miners pick for a mouse?

Then sufficiently crazed in the heat that I decided to count my leaders and enders...only cos I had run out of prepared blocks...which was perfectly timed as I had finished all my piecing.

 Colour coordinating them was optional, but like I said....the heat was getting to me..

I cut another 33 spool pieces ready to piece...they are in the brown basket ready to go....and as you can see the bag of 1.5" strips is nearly empty.  I think I will cut extra strips of specific colours that I am lacking next time, as I don't have a lot of yellow or orange spools. 

194 spool blocks made + 33 cut out = not enough, but guess you can call it the half way mark! The aim is 400 blocks, but will wait and see at which point I get bored/over it.  Please note the fabric (yellow/green basket) is full of left over scraps that I cut into 1.5' squares...cos obviously I am now completely nuts or bored.  Or perhaps both?  Must be catching, DS1 is now rolling over the completed Scrappy trips top...just rolling back and forth....?!!  

Signing off from the quilters nut house, Sue SA.

Dresden Plates and Sisters

The hot humid weather got the better of me yesterday and I left the house open in the hope we might get a breeze or that much promised rain. A few drops in the morning and that was all. As soon as I closed the house and turned the air conditioner on, my sewing room was the coolest place to be and LOTS of work happened!

In the class I took last weekend I completed ONE Dresden Plate.  But I had cut and made half the wedges for the remaining eight plates.  Yesterday I sat and stitched and ironed as well as cut and turned points until I made SEVEN plates....

 There is one plate left to make - I just need to check that is has sufficient diversity of fabric combinations and then I can finish piecing the plates - they are currently in three sections.  Because the plates are appliqued onto the backgrounds (machine applique is looking good), this could well be the quickest quilt I have ever made!  Hmmm, I still have to buy the background fabric..I am thinking white with a pink spot, but I guess that depends on what they have at the shop....hmmm shopping!

My hand piecing has been going gang busters - this is my Cheddar Sister, minus one diamond.  I have run out of paper diamonds...again!  Hettie's have got some on order for me, cos they had run out of them as well! :(

But while I am waiting (and letting my aching wrists have a holiday) I though I would ask for some opinions from my audience (that means YOU) about my colour combinations.  I was planning on making seven "sisters" - the next one under construction is chocolate brown..... 

 

Then I am told these are called "madder reds".  It wasn't my intention to have ALL dark reds, I wanted bright reds as well.  Some of the other sisters have more light/dark combinations in them.

 But the one bright red star I had made has ended up with the pinks.  Now I am thinking of ditching the chocolate sister, and having a madder red sister, fire engine red sister and an all pink sister.

 What do you think about that ? 

Is if fair to ditch the chocolate sister?  Chocolate is usually my friend, I feel harsh!

Or should I have more colours and make extra sisters? 

And while I am asking questions can anyone tell me if my EXTRA large photos take too long to down load when you are reading my blog?  Just out of interest as I noticed most people don't have such big pictures on their blogs...just wondering why?!

I use to cross stitch, before I became a patchworker.  Now I just admire, but if you love cross stitch there are some gorgeous FREE patterns to be found here at Freebie Gallery.

I hope your having a fun long weekend....for the majority of Australia that are experiencing one!
Happy quilting Sue SA.

New month, new project!

I just read Julia's quip "new month, new project" and liked it so much I pinched it! 

 

 The truth is that I booked this workshop a couple of months ago, but I don't need an excuse, as a Dresden Plate Quilt is on my wish list.  OK its suppose to be a red and white Dresden, but this class uses a jelly roll.  So when Moda get their act together and start making red and white Jelly rolls, then I will be in business...and so will they....haven't they seen the amazing response quilters have to red/white and blue/white quilt combos...think they need to employ me as their marketing consultant...I will work for fabric! 

 

Could someone please start an online petition and let Moda know what a great idea I had...wonder if I can patent that? 

 Just a bit of free advertising for Moda, so they really appreciate my marketing skills.  I might just add I thought this was going to be a pink and purple jelly roll...the quilt is for a teenager.  This is the first jelly roll I have brought, so while I am not disappointed, I think I will be buying a pink for the background, cos there is a distinctive blue scheme here.

So in class yesterday there was lots of piecing of strips (oh the joy of not having to cut the strips first!) and THEN there was cutting, then more piecing and voila = 1 plate!

Then I got a bit bored today and discovered YouTube...and have been distracting myself with face washer animals...cute bunnies hey?!  The blue one looks like a smurf with Mutant Teenage Ninja Turtle eyes!  I didn't have goggle eyes, so just up ended DH hole puncher on his desk and flinched some paper dots...these are going interstate as part of a baby present, so I am not hot gluing/stitching choke hazards on them...I think they look sufficiently like rabbits!  OK I will buy some nice ribbon to hide the rubber bands...just not today, too hot to venture out again.

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

PS Apologies for not replying to comments on Fridays post but I cleverly forgot my new email password (someone has been hacking our computer, or something evil cos there are dodgy charges on the credit card statement) after updating all my passwords :-(   

The worst thing is that DH is now going to be studying the credit card statements very very closely, so I am afraid for the ongoing fiscal health of Adelaide patchwork shops, my apologies to all small business owners in anticipation of their reduced revenue.

A very close call

This is the chair I sit in to sew at night.  Its covered in my flannel quilt so that I no longer loose needles down the side of the seat.

This is the mess that I produce on the small table next to my seat.  The mess that I search through to find a needle and my unpicker.

 This is the needle I found standing upright on the SEAT of chair I sit in.  I have been looking for that needle for three days...I had been sitting on it!!!!!!!

 This is my somewhat tidier collection of hand stitching bits.  As you can see I don't have a pin cushion but have resorted to using the flap of my scissor holder.

 This is the desired result of all my unpicking and stitching...a nearly completed green "sister".

Got to go, off to find a pincushion pattern, I know I have a cute strawberry one in the cupboard...somewhere!  Linking up with Shay at Quilting in My Pyjamas, my favorite thing this Friday is avoiding a trip to the Women's and Children's Hospital and explanation of why I have a needle in my Gluteus Maximus!

Happy quilting Sue.