I have a plan to put into action

Lots of excuses for my blogging slow down; computers/Internet that would not co-operate, visitors, boys birthday parties and generally life gets busy!  So with school holidays coming up, additional days of paid work, more visitors and a road trip to fit into the next three weeks, I need to fit some sewing in this weekend!  And I need to make some finishing progress on some projects, so I can pack up the sewing room for the visitors due next weekend.  So I have set myself some goals.

 I have been steadily making this wall hanging.  I had not progressed enough to take a picture before now.  The applique is all by machine, using a technique that is new to me.  I am loving the speed, but having my head down staring at tiny zig zag stitches gives me a neck and headache.  So I had taken a break.  Also I needed time to decide on flower colours.  My decisions have been hindered by a lack of colour choice.  More fabric has been purchased, but still doesn't excite me.   I am thinking more fabric purchases are likely to be justified ; )  However this weekend I am going to try and stitch down the vines (they are just basted at present) and as many of the leaves as I can.

 In a moment of sunshine last week I rushed outdoors to spray baste a couple of cot quilts.  It was windy.  I ran out of basting spray.  I then had to wait until the kids were at school and I could clear off the kitchen table (of its Lego constructions) and pin baste the second last cot quilt.  The last kids quilt is too big to be a cot quilt and too big for my table.  The likelihood of the floor been cleared and clean this weekend is remote.

This is my second Aussie Hero's quilt made from scrappy four patches.  My friend Elaine basted it for me with her long arm and returned it to me yesterday.  The basting has made the quilting infinitely easier for me...remember it was a bit wavy on the ends?  So the plan is to finish quilting this quilt and two cot quilts.  Getting binding attached on all three would be ideal, but perhaps too optimistic.  I would like binding on one, so I have some hand stitching to do in the evenings this week. 

 So that's the plan Stan.  We will see how it goes! 

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

Cushion, table centre or wall hanging?

 The sun was streaming into the lounge creating the perfect photo opportunity to display the quilting on my sunflowers.  The petals were going to be quilted in a more sedate style, but this fern curl (? you know the curly bits on tree ferns) just came to me as I sat down to quilt this morning.

So that just leaves the question, what do I make with them?  Two cushion covers or table centres or wall hangings or a combination?

While I am happy with them, I am giving them away (for palliative care fund raising), so just wondering which finished product will be the most attractive to potential buyers?  I am happy to hear your suggestions!

I made these two baby taggies for the gift box from left over minky  and some ribbon out of my stash.  I think I might wash them first, as the minky seems to shed fur.  I have some left overs of green minky that Mum gave me, so if I buy some more ribbon I could have both genders covered in the gift box.

Nothing else for show and tell I am afraid.  The stormy weather and grey skies have made for poor Internet access and therefore blogging difficult, so apologies for my absence.  

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

Queens Birthday - long weekend...long post

I finally finished the binding on the Cape Ann cot quilt.  The whole process was dragged out unnecessarily, but there are quite a few distractions at present.  This quilt is for a baby yet to be born...also gender unknown, hence my decision to make a few new cot quilts of late.

  I used the left over charm square and cut pieces to make this cute dolls quilt.  I gave it to my mother, as she is part of a team of ladies making items to sell at a market in spring, all proceeds will go to their local palliative care unit. I have donated a few other items to her, but racking my brain for other quick and easy items that will sell.  Mum has made some very cute teddy sleeping bags after seeing mine, sorry no picture!

Mum did make this cute lap quilt though.  Well I am not sure if they were orphan blocks or a WIP, but they came from the stash of a fellow quilter, Lyn who passed away.    Lynn's husband donated her stash to the quilt group and they have been putting it to good use making quilts and the plan is to sell them, a lovely appropriate idea and I am sure a cathartic process for Lynn's friends.  

This is a close up for the awesome free motion quilting my mother does!

We had a lovely long weekend, visiting my parents in country Victoria.  From there we took a day trip to Casterton to see the Kelpie Dog Show.  The kids had a great time and so did we, watch the well trained dogs. 

 I didn't take many photos, and I missed the dog!  The dogs were herding the ducks through four narrow openings (the white thing next to the man's legs), and were very skilled at it.  Most dogs I know would have just tried to eat the ducks!  I don't think I have seen black Indian runner ducks before, they were very cute!

We also enjoyed some time at the family farm, the boys in particular were taken with the "new toy" my brothers had purchased.  You can just see a hint of the blue Grampians on the horizon.  It was very cold overnight in western Victoria and made me appreciate the mild winters we have on the Adelaide plains!
On the way home when I got the opportunity to stop at the patchwork shop at Culburra, I brought this panel, somewhat influenced by the previous photo and the need to have another boy cot quilt!

And I also came home with these fabrics.  The bright blue will be great for making more I Spy quilts.  The coffee print is for a coffee cosy...its not on my list "to do", but should be! 

Sandy, the lovely lady who owns the quilt shop (Old Culburra Store) also has an orange tree and gave me a huge box of oranges and was most disappointed she couldn't make my husband a cup of coffee and show the kids the model train set that is inside the shop!  It was a good thing a) we had stopped for a coffee the hour previously and b) I didn't know about the train set, or more time and money would have been spent!  But now I do know I will be stopping on the Dukes Highway at the Old Culburra Store again!

Lastly these are the bright fat quarters I brought the week prior from the Fat quarter lady, who visited our quilting group....they were complete bargains and perfect for more cheerful kids quilts...well that is my excuse!

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

PS apologies for lack of commenting and posting, I think DH has sorted my recent IT problems, hopefully that is the last of them!

Progress on new and old projects

Last weekend I got a lot of sewing time, this weekend has not been so successful.  I dragged out my scrappy four patches, which I was putting together on point.  I sewed the last row on and some narrow borders, this quilt is destine for Aussie Heroes, for a serving member of our defence forces.  I am hoping that it is only wavy because of the way it is hanging, not because of all the triangles I used to piece it, fingers crossed!

This quilt was a great learning exercise as I had a photo of a quilt in this layout from a magazine (years old) and I just winged it.  However if if has lots of whoops in it, I wont be happy when I come to quilt it!  I will have to wait until it stops raining before I can get outside and spray baste.  I also used up some of the 2.5" squares in the pre cut scrap box - that is always a bonus, but I do have another project planned for the rest!

This the last of the Maisy cot panels I brought in January.  I am wondering if I might add a border on this one and make it a bit larger?  I think there is enough of the red fabric, but I am tempted to use yellow?  We will see, it is 43 x 30 " currently so it all depends on how much fabric is in the stash.  But I do plan on buying minky for the backing.  Minky is so nice, soft and cuddly - I am not sure that I will ever view flannel with the same affection again, after being introduced to minky!

 I used minky as backing on this cot quilt (44 x44") because minky is 150cm/59" wide, as opposed to the 115cm /45 " quilting fabric....I was being lazy and didn't want to piece in a extra strip!  No,  really  I did want to try minky and this was a good opportunity.  I thought it would be harder to quilt, but it wasn't, I think I spray basted it a bit too well and I did have to push it through the machine in a couple of spots.  I have been lazy and not finished hand sewing the binding on this quilt, but will this weekend.  I have come down with a cold and my youngest son has a very croaky voice, so I think that apart from the uninviting weather outside,  I will be happy to do some mindless hand sewing in front of the TV this weekend, while I wait this cold out.  Apologies for the last photo - inside shots are necessary today!  Happy quilting Sue SA.

One more childs quilts and a little shopping trip

What do you do on a Saturday morning when DH flies in with jet lag, desperate for some sleep and you have two excited noisy boys in the house?  I let the kids play computer games in my sewing room, but I was blocked from my latest project (which I had left in the lounge room) while hubby was napping.   These are my purchases from Hetties Patch - which I have started to prep, for a new project. 

That black print down the bottom is a Primitive Gathering, from the same range as the black and tan log cabin wall hanging I just made!  And the soft green print I discovered I already had at home in the form of a fat quarter!

This is my new project, Bittersweet Briar from Simple Graces (book) by Kim Diehl.  Its a large wall hanging and there are two versions in the book, this is the wool on cotton version, but the all cotton version has a cream background.  I would normally always go for the light background, but this colourway really speaks to me, so black it was - but I am using all cotton.  I am discovering that I don't have as many reproductions as I thought.  Hmm think I can justify some more shopping!  And to justify starting a new project, this is going to be my autumn wall hanging, as per my wish list! 

Unable to access all the goodies to start work I started eyeing off all the things IN my sewing room!

I quickly found the box of novelty fabrics that I had cut up.  I chose 4.5" squares, because there seemed to be a good pile of them and I was only aiming for another cot quilt.  I sorted the squares into colours and sewed them into pairs, then fours.  I did have to cut a few more blocks out of the stash to get a bit more variety, but fell in love with the effect.  

My previous I Spy quilts have been a riot of colour and this version gives your eye somewhere to rest.  I added a plain sashing that worked with the ultra busy border fabric.  All this fabric came from my stash.  I was aiming for a gender neutral quilt, but I gave up, I have far more boy fabrics in my stash then girlie ones!  

It feels good to have made a large lap/small SB size quilt all from the cupboard and all in one day!  Mind you DH didn't sleep all day, but he didn't mind that I sewed for most of it!

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

Cot quilts completed and progress on basket quilt.

I have been steadily working on the basket quilt, which is suppose to be a summer weight quilt for our bed.  In reality it is a UFO that is starting to haunt me.  However I have made some progress,  I have mastered the art of "perfect circles", enabling me to make the extra cherries for the 3rd appliqued block.  The pear and apple applique blocks are missing here - off getting their borders added.

I have added the neutral background triangles to the completed basket blocks.  It seems I am short one basket block and missing a handle on another...sigh! I am determined to finish this quilt, but keep getting distracted.

 A quick cot quilt, just added some colourful prints to the sides.  This is the second Maisy panel I have used this year and there is a third waiting in the wings.  I had some fun FMQ this one, but tried to keep it simple.

 The back is made up of leftover flannel I found in my stash.  I love flannel backings for babies.  

I have had this pirate fabric in my stash since our oldest son was a toddler, he is nearly 8.  

 So I couldn't go past using it as a backing for this panel.  I didn't even need to add a border to this panel, just quilted and bound it.  Another quick cot quilt finished, perfect baby gifts.  More FMQ fun was had. 

Now I just need some babies to arrive...at someone elses house, not mine!

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

Blue and white quilts rock!

Remember this flimsy?

Well my trusty long arm quilting friend Elaine Kennedy turned it into this...

I think I am in love!

I did wear a hole in my finger stitching down the binding, this QS quilt is big by my standards!  I finished the binding watching season four of Downton Abbey on DVD.   I cannot say I have been super busy this week, but I have been buying fabric and wadding.  That retail therapy enabled me to finish the cot quilt I started last weekend, add a border to a panel to make a second cot quilt and back another panel, all of which I then spray basted, so I guess that means I will be quilting all weekend!

Happy quilting, Sue SA.