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.

More February finishes

Can you tell that I didn't spend the weekend cleaning and the kids managed to occupy themselves in relative harmony? 

This is what became of the purchased pink flannel, I am so glad I didnt let it sit in the cupboard for a year!  I was saved from a trip to the shop as I found a scrap of visafix and the teddy was SO much easier to put together LOL!  I think he is much cuter to, I machine embrodered his features this time, only did his eyes by hand.  Hopefully that will also make him a bit sturdier in the washing machine. 

A shot of the second cube I made, I only brought two bells, so that's all the baby toys for now.

 This is a awful confession to make, as I have been a quilter for 11 years, but this is my first Little Quilt of Love.  Well I hope it is, as I have very scant directions as to what they are suppose to look like, but hopefully this will be suitable - its about 16 inches square.  I had a bit of a tidy up and found the beginnings of these four patches, left over from Phoebe's quilt, and some already cut border fabric, so it only took me a morning to make.  Therefore I have no excuse to not make some more in the near future.    

These are some strawberry pincushions I made a few weeks back, but didn't post about.  The pattern is off the Moda bakeshop website.  I only used scrap fabric, so I think that they would look nicer in different prints.  They were quick, easy and fun to make so will make some more in the future - when I have nice scraps from my planned red log cabin. That is on hold though until I do some work towards finishing another UFO....now just stop getting distracted! 

Happy quilting Sue SA.

More spending and some finishes

OK, so I know that I didn't need any more of ANYTHING but somehow these extra bits made it home with me last week.  I got the red/white bundle of fat quarters for a bargain $30 so you can understand why I brought that.  I am a bit fixated with heat bags at present, as I have had issues with my back for some time now and a hot wheat bag gives me some relief - however I was thinking these would make cute presents hence I brought another Millamac pattern!  These were purchased at the SA guild meeting and the rest of the fabric I brought on Thursday, when I popped into my local quilt shop...well I was child free and needed some pink flannel.  The car fabric is for a car cosy for DH nephew and the dogs, well I don't have many dogs in my stash! 

I would swear off going into shops, but I am out of visafix so I will have to go back today!

 This cutie, is the reason I needed some pink flannel.  I brought this baby blue flannel (with blue check on the back) about a year ago, to make this cot sized blanket, because I loved the pattern (from Quilt a gift by Barri Sue Gaudet) and knew it would be a great present.  The bear is suppose to be made of wool felt, but I only had non wool felt, so I made him out of scraps of flannel.  But I forgot to use visafix and traced him out using the freezer paper templates I had made for the felt.  It was all a bit of struggle, but well worth it,as I still think he is very cute!  I wanted to make a second blanket in pink, as we have six friends expecting babies in the first seven months of this year.  I already have 2 cot quilts made, (1 boy and 1 girl), but really didn't want to make anymore, I thought it would distract me from trying to finish some UFO's.  Hasn't made any difference as I am so good at finding distractions!

 And this is the latest distraction I made yesterday.  A baby "cube", its not really that small as the blocks were cut at 5".  I added a bell inside (a pet bell, 99cents from Woollies) so it makes a lovely sound and a hanger, so it can be hung from a babies gym or attached to the pram.  I was so chuffed with it I made second one in farm animal prints, which will have to be in a separate post as I am having more technical issues, eg. I cannot find the photo I took!

 Happy quilting Sue!

Technical gremlins

I don't know why but I haven't been able to rotate my photos lately, hence this picture got deleted out of the last post so I could download it again.  Anyway these are my purchases from today; finally some nice shirting's (yeah!), the greens for hexagons and a nice Marg Low pattern - which will be my 2011 Christmas project, which I will typically start in July, put down and race to finish in November!  Marg Low has a bit to answer for in my stash of late, lots of red and white appearing!  Happy quilting, Sue.

Just the bare essentials!

Just thought you might like to see what I brought on my mini shopping spree today and Sunday.  These are the cream backgrounds I got...just a bit wrinkled as I made the most of the extreme tempratures and washed and dried them straight away.  And yes that is more of the brown stripe I made my machine cover from (far left), I have plans for more matching sewing accessories!

 And because I have so many lovely mustard and brown hexagons,

blue and black hexagons,

red, rust and pink hexagons,

 I had to buy some more greens, so these completed hexagons didnt feel lonely anymore.  I had already brought the purples and purple/browns at the show in November, but alas I obviously havent made any new ones since then!

Happy quilting, Sue.