Working my way down the UFO list

 The Welcome Friends wall hanging is quilted, bound and labeled ready to be delivered to some friends with three little girls, who we will see next weekend.

 Then I finished this white button necklace, that I found nearly done in a cupboard.  That matches the

 brown one - that includes buttons from my grandfathers army uniform, which came from my grandmothers button collection.  And the black one, which I don't wear as often as the ...

 red and white one, which is what started me on button necklaces! 

 And here is a sneak peak at the wedding star quilt , as I am quilting it.  I decided I would do a few rows on Saturday and before I knew it I had done all the rows - stitching in a ditch around the blocks.  Today I did some of the stars which was a lot harder. 

Can you see the red star on the blue background?  Well that's Contact, cut out to use as my quilting template.  I did mark the quilt before I pinned it.  Which is a bit of a first for me, normally I get excited, pin the quilt THEN think about how I am going to quilt it, kick myself for not marking it prior and try to work round the pins with a stencil.  This time I was a bit more organised, but the pencil line was too faint and my sewing room is little on the dark side.  Then I remembered my friend Erolyn suggested making templates out of "Contact" (yes the stuff we use to cover our school folders with) and the local newsagent were selling it cheap so I got a roll of red tinted, which works well on this dark background.  I did buy a roll of clear at the local supermarket but DS2 was playing with it and somewhere between the check out and our house it disappeared.  Which was fine as I am sure it would have only given me eyestrain anyway.  So thanks for the handy hint Erolyn!
Happy quilting, Sue.

Nearly there... drat!

I achieved more then I expected to today.  But at 10 past 2pm on a Sunday of a long weekend, while stippling I ran out of thread in that shade of cream ...just millimetres from the "end"! 

I resorted to stippling the border (which was in mono filament because that purple was way to hard to match) and making the binding.  Even if its not finished I think it came up better then I expected - stippling worked today, some days I cannot stipple and other days it just works!

Happy quilting Sue.

Its been a slow week

Its been a slow week.  I thought I would piece the back of the Snowball charity quilt with all the left over pieces.  This was more of a challenge then I anticipated and has been very boring, so I was glad when I finally got it finished.  I also made the binding, so its all ready to go.

I found this wall hanging in the cupboard, when I was digging out the snowball fabrics.  I started this project three years ago when I was pregnant.  So you would think that that makes it a reasonably "new" UFO for me.  But in reality I brought (and lost) this pattern many years ago, before I was married or had met DH.  This is by the Chook Shed Pattern Company and came in a pack with two other patterns, one that I made,  with the view of making "Welcome Friends" when I had my first child/girl.  In the mean time I loaned the pattern to someone and it was never returned. Years later I was delighted when I found the pattern published in `Naive & Country Quilts' magazine (vol 1. No 1).

I was about five months pregnant when I made the top and started the applique while we were on holidays.  I tthought I would try out machine applique with mono filament thread, which I didn't like very much once I got to the small pieces.  So I made the dolls using needle turn instead.  I was about six months pregnant when I got carried away at the end of season sales buying pink baby clothes.  DH then asked "why do you think the baby is a girl?"  So I decided that I would start assuming the baby was a boy and put all the girly things aside including this wall hanging.  DS2 is a delightful boy who loves cuddles with Mum, bike riding with Dad and running around with DS1 - so I have no regrets that we have two boys!  However three years later with very little applique left to do I decided I could finish this UFO very quickly and got to work.  Now its just waiting to be prepared for quilting.  I think that I am going to spray baste the top as I want to stipple the background.  So that's today's job and then this week I might try and start some machine quilting...not my favorite part of the process!  Happy quilting Sue.

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.