Opps, another top!

Double oops, where is that UFO to do list I am suppose to be sticking to!  I promise I tried, but after tearing the sewing room apart I could not find the 4 patch leaders and enders I had started.  No idea where they might be hiding.  But in the process I found the remnants of a project from last year - pink and green chevron baby quilt.  The baby quilt has been delivered - and the baby girl has safely arrived!

However the leftover fabric, or should I say the fabric that didn't make the cut (ha ha) was still in a bag along with plenty of white.  AND more importantly lots of already cut strips - 3.5" wide.  Now these were cut in error as the cot quit strips were 3" wide, but I couldn't see any point in them going to waste.  So I cut some white strips and started piecing.  And really it didn't take long to come together....and its all from my stash!  This is a good single bed size, but already I am wondering how much hassle adding another row to the width would be.  I have plenty of most of the fabrics, but not all of them.  Will see how I feel next weekend, as this week will be too busy for more sewing...kids are back at school tomorrow!  Oh my where did six weeks disappear to!

DH had a little stash project going as well today.  Using some of the excess tiles (from kitchen/family room) the previous owners kindly  left in the shed.  This our "front door", which is never ever used as a front door,  it leads straight into our lounge room.  But we hope to remedy that soon, having re done the wooden external door and surround garden, we just need a nice tiled entrance and some new carpet.

Frankly carpet shopping is boring.  You can get cream, beige, tan, latte or chocolate.  There was probably also grey, boring!  So while I am yet to make a choice DH has laid the tiles.  Grouting is next weekend!

I also finally got around to a job, that I have been putting off, for no particular reason.  Last year when I attended a class run by the South Australian Quilters Guild, they had these handy strips with just the prickly Velcro on the underneath, to reduce the trip hazard of extension cords in the classroom.  I made up two for DH to use in his home office, as the cords run right across the doorway!  I only used bright yellow because I had some scrap, that wasn't quilting quality...waste not, want not!

I hope you all had a lovely long Australia Day weekend, happy quilting, Sue SA.

I was wrong...

I wasn't 10" short of the star fabric when I did my math calculations...I was one 2.5" square short! Those two 1.5" squares on the right  were all the leftovers I had, even after I scrounged around on the floor hunting for "lost" pieces!

I ignored the new fabric I brought and rummaged through the scrap pile to find a suitable 2.5" scrap.  I did prefer the middle option (lots of tiny black stars) but ended up going for the black dots on the right.  Even though they are larger and darker, when you cast your eye over the whole quilt, that odd square doesn't stand out.  

I had decide to amend the overall size of the quilt I was aim for and spent yesterday afternoon, chain piecing.   I did not unpick the lovely soft blue and yellow wattle fabric, because it is so quintessentially Australian.  And it is nearly Australia Day after all!

So here is - now single bed size (43" x 76") and I am very pleased with the end result!

Happy quilting, Sue SA

All I seem to discuss is the weather...

...because it is hot, hot, HOT!  After a week of 40C plus during the day and 30C overnight, all anyone wants to talk about is how hot it is and when is the cool change due!

 

Some plants are just not designed for South Australian summers.  Don't worry I did watered this poor hydrangea!  Hydrangeas remind me of my paternal grandmother, so I planted some knowing they would need TLC.  Surprisingly the three I have in pots are doing much better then this one in the ground.    

This sunflower was given to my son's from friends Elaine and Wayne, who are very good at gifting "little" things that kids like!  The boys have enjoyed watching this grow taller and taller and now after a week of heat it is finally blooming!  Being school holidays, my boys have been stuck inside all week.

They have done a great job of self entertaining.  But even they were panting in the heat, as the carpet became the African plains and the animals had to cope with a heat wave.  Please note cows = water buffalo in this game!  An unlucky zebra was feed to the lions because he had a wonky leg, the 7 yr old explained!

I have done some unpicking, cutting and lots of piecing.  I also stopped to do some maths.  The result is I am 10" short of the white print (white with small brown dot), if I make this quilt the large single bed size.  So I went down the patchwork store and just brought the next closest fabric,  a white with black dot - who cares in this heat!  But looking at this photo I might just ditch the blue with yellow wattle fabric, as I can see three 5" blocks in the last row and now one of them reads as blue in this photo!  I have plenty of blue fabrics and now plenty more white, so this quilt might just get a whole lot bigger!

Spare a thought for the firefighters (volunteers and paid) out battling blazes around Australia, and my friends living in and around the Grampians - which are alight, I hope your homes are saved and that the cool change come early and without lighting strikes.

To everyone else, please stay cool and stay safe.

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

Red house cushion

I am really really LATE, but this my post for Friday Night With Friends to link up with Cheryl!  Hopefully next month I will be more organised!

I finished the red and white school house cushion!  It has found a home in our bedroom.

I then started making more blocks, using one solid and one print fabric.  

But I got bored!  So because I had racked up another finish I allowed myself to be totally distracted by this fantastically easy tutorial over at Seaside Stitches blog to make these cute fabric boxes!

This box is about 4" and was very quick and easy to make.  You basically quilt a square, fold it into shape, sew inside corners down and then add the buttons to make the outside corners sit down.  You can see that there is a bit of bulk inside, but these extra "corners" make great scissor holders!

I was going to make another one, but thought I had better get back to my wish list and this project has been cut out and sitting in a box for some time.  I am not sure what the patterns proper name is, but I am calling it The Milky Way Quilt.

The only problem is after I made this "test" block I realised that I was suppose to add star points at BOTH ends of the sashing!  But that's OK this block can be a corner!?  I want to make a big single bed size quilt, but there is lots of chain piecing and I got bored so stopped after a few hours Sunday!  My attention span is as long as a gnats at present and with a week of 40C degrees plus starting I think I need to stop fluffing around and get stuck into it, cos sewing under the air conditioner is about all you will be able to do at that temperature!

Happy quilting, Sue SA

Bargains from Hettie's Patch

 I did think I would hide my recent purchases from Hettie's Patches sale from you all, but what the heck I am amongst friends!

There are some fat quarters, some half a metre cuts and quite a few metres.  The blue polka dots had to come home, because at $10 p/m it will make the perfect border and backing fabric for some more kids charity quilts.  Thread is essential to life (like fabric), especially when its on sale and I did not have these colours in variegated and I am thinking/hoping variegated thread will make my FMQ look better!  Dont ask why I brought a pink and blue floral, as I am not a floral person!  Perhaps a bag?

Now the purpose of buying cot quilt panels actually alluded me at the time (5 in total, 2 are the same Maisy panel that made a cot quilt HERE), however that was merely because I could smell a bargain and my brain was distracted.  I think some women have that reaction when they see shoes on sale......for me its fabric!

I have a collection of pirate fabric, so I couldn't resist this panel!  I am not sure if I am going to leave to make the quilt run sideways (do you think kids care about this stuff?) or try and add length top and bottom?

Once I got home and realised that we didn't have friends expecting babies this year, I didn't care, as I want to continue making kids charity quilts and using up my novelty stash.  In addition they will be great for practising my FMQ on!

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

First finishes for 2014

I made the houses up into a cushion front which only confirmed further that I wasn't in love with them.  Pity as I used really nice reproduction prints!  I tried looking at them from a distance with my other mini quilts.

And up close.  Now I am convinced they would make a nice cushion!

I started this cot quilt last year and only had to hand stitch the binding down, but ran out of time before Christmas.  I wanted to use up some of the lovely bright fabrics I had brought to finish another cot quilt last year, which made good sashing.  The novelty transport prints were out of my stash and had been pre cut into sizes for ages, so it was a very quick quilt to make.  I had fun practicing my FMQ on the borders, sashing and blocks, using different patterns.

This quilt is more large lap size and I didn't fancy so much heavy quilting, so just used a simple grid, which I hope is sufficient when its washed?  I don't like quilting over the animals faces! I had to finish the machine quilting and attach the binding after New Year.  So it hasn't take me long to finish either of these projects, just had to make the time to get a photo opportunity outside!

I brought five cot panels at Hettie's Patch's sale last weekend.  We are not expecting any friends to have babies this year, but rather I am hoping to continue practising my FMQ and have some nice gifts at the end.

Happy quilting Sue SA.

a selection of Red and white quilts

Remember I said I wanted to make a Red and White Dresden.  But I kept thinking of what do you do with white on a light background?  Well this Image from Little Bluebell blog, pattern listed as Red Daisy by Sandy Klop probably answers my question...just let the red shine!

Image from  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608057045403/ it did refer to Quilts in the Barn, but I couldnt find it on her blog...but she did have more gorgous red and white quilt images! Love the geometric pattern here, but do wonder if it would bore you silly making this quilt OR if it would be a diddle and therefore a delight?

Basically I am pinching pictures from this Pinterest page, cos my previous attempts to join Pinterest failed due to my lack of IT skill or an interruption from small people - or possibly both!

Stars and four patch...be still my beating heart!

I might just have a heart attack, antique quilt of red baskets!

Image from Janet the quilters pinterest page - titled Red and White schoolhouse quilt posted by Margaret Mew at Quilt Station.

And I think this is where I went wrong with my houses (apart from trying to use the "easy" or paper piecing friendly pattern rather then the traditional pattern).  Use two fabrics not three and avoid large or busy prints,( I especially dont like the stripes) but dots are fabulous!  Can you see the gorgeous vine quilting she did on these cushions!

Or do I go the solid option. All the below images are from Temecula Quilt Co from their Red and White quilt show.

 Too many possibilities for future quilts!

I love baskets and four patch but stars are another favorite.  
Couldn't resist some eye candy for you!  Happy quilting, Sue SA.

Terra Australis

 Before Christmas I recieved some lovely prints (six prints from the Waratah on the right) from the Terra Australis range by Emma Jean Jansen from my friend Lisa.

I added some Moda solids to that collection on Friday at my local quilt shop - in a soft grey lavender, hot pink, orange (!) and lime green.  And for some reason the crazy chevron print at the front.  Using solids is enough to melt my brain but this print was "out there" for me!

  Of course Saturday when I popped into Hetties Patch, what was in the front window...Terra Australis!

So I added the four prints above the solid lime green.  

I vote to ditch the chevron and the orange...what do you think, am I being to conservative?

I used my new fabrics to make this!  My first block in the Stitchery dickory dock Sugar Block BOM I am happy with the way it turned out.  But as usual it was a tad smaller then the required size!  I really need to work on my 1/4" seam allowance, either that or start cutting a tad fatter?

 SEW I finally started a red and white school house block.  I made the one in the bottom left first.  Thought it was nice and proceeded to make another three.  And I don't really like them!  Not sure why, just not overly keen enough to proceed with a whole quilt.  So I think these are going to become a cushion that will match my red and white bedroom.  And perhaps I will try again, but in solids?  

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

All that your heart desires

My brother (rightly so) thought I would enjoy this card, as I love Lego!  He didn't realise the irony of the joke though as I hire the new staff AND work at head office!  Lucky my job is not firing the staff!

For my birthday I did not dream of a miniature table top sized Sulo bin, but that is what DH brought me! He thought it would be good for all the scraps and threads I create while hand sewing (or unpicking) at night....

I didn't have the heart to tell him I had a cute fabric bin!  I just hoped that he had a better idea for Christmas...which he did!

 Ahh, dream a little dream, make a little wish and one year on it happens!  Last summer I visited the sewing machine museum in Maryborough with my mother (see this post).  But I obviously I forgot to tell DH (he was working away) that I had fallen in love with the toy sewing machines we had seen there.  So when he brought me this cute Peter Pan toy hand cranked sewing machine, made in Adelaide post WW2, he had no idea if I would like it or not!  Like it, I love it so much I cried when I opened the box!

 I was also delighted to receive these cute prints and ready made yo yos (pack of 10 in cute vintage fabric) from Lisa, some French General from my folks (to match my layer cake) and the delightful Kim Diehl book from DH and the kids.  

I have just realised that I didn't list any of the great projects in this book in my wish list of quilts to create this year.  Hmmm that is going to be problematic, as I love so many of these projects that I am going to have a hard time deciding on just one!

I hope Santa was equally good to you all and that you are stitching away with your new presents, 

Happy quilting, Sue SA.

2014 Wish List

Quilts I want to make and need to finish....

Red and white school house quilt - this pattern has been on my wish list for far too long.  So perhaps I will make it in the reverse like this or the traditional red on white?  Either way it will probably be a miniature just to speed things up!

Picture from  Folk art museum

Applique; my skills are rusty, so I need to start on something easy, perhaps this wall hanging from the autumn issue of Quilt Mania 2013 (by Norma Whaley)

before I start work on the applique in my UFO, the Farmhouse Kitchen quilt by Ann Horton

 Blue star quilt (this is the pattern, but I plan to use all blue 5" squares,instead of the multiple colours).  

 this image is from http://www.pinterest.com/nancysfabrics/ I think, I get kind of lost on pinterest, as to who the original owner of the image was!

Log Cabin quilt doesn't seem to ever fade from my wish list so perhaps I can squeeze that in somewhere?

but honestly I don't know if I could decide to make it in reproductions, brights or scraps?! (image from quiltstudy.org) Perhaps it needs to be my....

 Leaders and enders project?  Or maybe it needs to be my WIP  four patch? Just know I need to do something, as I feel quite at a loss not having a leaders and enders on the go!

More charity quilts, some for kids and some for adults - using this pattern perhaps? (image from Cluck cluck sew) as I don't feel "done" with the chevron pattern yet!

 Delectable mountains quilt for my brother - another Bonnie Hunter pattern, picture borrowed from her blog/website Quiltsville.

 Dresden plate quilt, using the red jelly roll I brought, as I enjoyed making the last one so much ;)

(picture from this pinterest page)
There is also  a pre cut quilt, for a quilt I saw at the show using a layer cake and charm squares, that I want to make (but need to wait on the class or pattern being released) PLUS I am keen to make a few more miniature quilts using reproduction fabrics AND its definitely time to refocus on UFO's, including;

the All Creatures Great and Small wall hanging, before the kids get too old for it.

continue working on the Seven Sisters quilt (it is a slow burn project)

and the basket quilt featured earlier.

And last but not least I will be making my first Block of the Month run by Stitchery dickory dock along with my friend Karen, who kindly signed me up as a gift!  

Wish me luck, I am going to need it!

Happy quilting, Sue SA.