Saturday's All Day Quilting

The patchwork group I belong to (After Dark Quilters) have about four "All Day Quilting" sessions a year, where we meet to sit and talk, eat, laugh and sew from 10 am to 10 pm.  Its great therapy and a chance to spend some time on big sewing projects that need extra room.  I use to bring multiple projects but have learnt that attempting one is easier because you need to carry less in from the car AND I am more likely to achieve my goal, therefore go home happy! 

 Yesterday my goal was to pin my Eastwood wedding star quilt = tick,

  help Stacy pin her Christmas quilt (yum love the colours and the block suits the big designs!) = tick,

and start a charity quilt = tick.

But Stacy and Erolyn helped me turn a large collection of fat quarters that I won from Homespun magazine into this....
 

 nearly completed top.  We cut, pinned, stitched, ironed, unpicked and measured for most of the afternoon, but its amazing what three people can do in a short time.  The side borders have been pieced (because we only had fat quarters) but I was too tired to measure and sew them on last night.  I never make it to 10 pm!

I won the fat quarters a few years ago for a handy hint that I sent into Homespun magazine.  The fabrics were donated by Marcus Fabrics and the range was by Faye Burgos, but I cannot find the title for it.    The fabrics had been washed and in the cupboard for a long time, but I couldn't decide what to make with them because they had lots of rose prints on them, and florals are not my thing.  However there were lots of non floral prints also, so when I discovered them in the cupboard this week I decided Snowball block would be a good way to see some of the floral but not be overwhelmed by them. 

 

 We also helped Erolyn pin her Fan mini quilt and gave her some ideas about quilting it.  Erolyn hand quilts beautifully but has a new machine and wants to learn how to machine quilt.  I think this is a pretty impressive practise piece don't you!

 Janet was busy making silk scarves, but her cute Suffolk puff Elephant friend keeping a close eye on her.  

 Julie was on a mission to finish quilting the three tops she had pinned and/or half started, this is the one she is going to use as a coffee table topper - I love the combination of these fresh colours and prints. 

Debbie was busy making more blocks for her Civil War quilt.  There are lots of small pieced blocks in between so so has a lot of work ahead of her, but she is a dedicated quilter!

Sorry I didn't get pictures of everyone's projects or the food for that matter!  Happy quilting Sue.

What I did during the week

 I intended to post during the week, but life got in the way.  I finished this pencil roll on Monday, its a gift for our niece who started school this  year.  I had made the top (and practised my free motion quilting) and quilted it, then decided that  I didn't want the seam lines from the inside showing on the outside.  I used a combination of patterns for this roll, as I wanted a quilted top, but didn't want to bind it.

So it went on the back burner, until I worked out that a piece of interfacing on the back of the inside should work, which it did.  I posted it off during the week, so its a bit late as a "welcome to school - your a big girl now" present, but I hope she wont mind.

 This is my cushion cover, all pieced and quilted.  The only other time I have made pieced cushion covers I didn't quilt them and they had a shorter then anticipated life expectancy.  Our cushions get lots of wear, the kids cart them around, jump on them, throw them, you get the picture!  Anyway our lounge is without cushions at present so I need to do some more work soon.

 But did I mention previously that I get distracted easily?  Hmm and that I like string piecing and red?

 Yep, reckon I did.  So this is what I made on Wednesday afternoon.  Its a free pattern (yes FREE) that I found at http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/ and its called Summer Table Runner.  I did alter the pattern slightly

because I wanted it bigger (just didn't trim it back as much as they suggested) and I didn't have heart shaped buttons so made my own freezer paper template for the seeds and needle turn appliqued them on.  Its pictured here on my coffee table, but is actually taking pride of place on my dining table at present.  This runner makes me smile every time I see it - I think it says summer loud and clear!
Happy quilting Sue.

All in a weeks work

Completed Log Cabin Quilt As You Go Cot Quilt



February Mug Rugs



Half square triangles - they just need a little something?

Now quarter square triangles / pinwheel

.

Add some newly found orphan blocks = cushion size block. 

Sweet treats

My first mug rug and some Rocky Road that I made this afternoon for DH.  I also made him peppermint choc chip ice cream for dessert, yum I cannot wait to taste it!    Dinner is in the oven and we are just waiting on our special guest, my Mum!  We are a very romantic household as you can see... DH did offer to cook tea, but I would rather have him pick Mum up at the station so I could squeeze in one last post! 
Happy quilting, Sue SA.

Happy St Valentines Day

I hope you got some of these today?  If not fest your eyes on This and I will show you what I did today! 

I knew there was a reason for keeping this scrap bag of pellon!

 

I love to string piece and just used bits from my scrap stash.

 Just a free hand drawing, but it looks about the right size. 

 All trimmed and ... oops its time to take the kids to swimming lessons!

Just sufficient time to get the binding on before more important jobs call me away.

Little happy dance

This weekend I dug around in the cupboard and unearthed from the depths of a box this UFO - recorded on my list as a  Log Cabin quilt as you go cot quilt.    So I put it on the design wall (which had to be rescued from use as a cubby house in my family room) AND I sewed, cut, trimmed, googled and sewed until

 it was NEARLY FINISHED! Can you hear the sounds of my little happy dancing feet?  Well the hips were swaying and the feet were grooving when....

Oh oh, that little voice in my head was saying...."why don't you make it bigger?" 

Hmm that's the problem, because it is a QAYG (Quilt As You Go) I could add another row quite "easily".  That's the dilemma. 

Its only a dilemma because I have lots of already cut strips and I stupidly recorded how much the fabric cost me.  Hmmm, this was about 8 years ago mind you!  The baby it was intended for is now at school and luckily got another quilt some years ago.  What do you think?  Its currently 33" x 44".

The main reason it has taken so long to do, is because the original instructions were to hand sew the binding strips on it - that and the fact I didn't actually own a walking foot when I started it, which was a really really bad idea!   I have had two prior attempts to finish it, but I don't really like the colours, so only finished a block or two extra.  Still it is plenty big enough for a cot now.  If I don't add the extra row I will need to decide what to do with the left over strips? 

This is my other "nearly finished" UFO.  I added a border - can you tell?  I don't know if it needs another border (pieced or plain), but I can say its big enough now (big lap), as I want to use it on our couch, so it doesn't have to grow huge. 

Happy quilting and dancing, Sue SA.

Sneaky finish

I just noticed that I still had DS1 doll bassinet and quilt as a UFO, when all I had to do was finish sewing down the binding.   So last night I finished it!  I quickly remembered why it was a UFO, as I used too thick interfacing, so it was very hard on the fingers, but its done now and that's all that matters!   I didn't think it deserved to be in this years list of completed projects though, so put it on last years.  Happy quilting Sue SA.