Baking and binding

I finally got this little Very Snuggly quilt quilted, simple straight lines through the blocks, stitch in the ditch around everything and stipple in the border.  When the weather was cool, I sat and hand stitched the binding at night while watching TV, which was lovely and peaceful!

We don't really have a tradition of Christmas cookies in Australia like the North Americans seem to, but I still end up baking a lot at Christmas time!   

Un cooked gingerbread people and sheep!  DS1 needed a plate for a class party and I personally have a tradition of making gingerbread with the kids.  DS1 helped with rolling and cutting, but was over it by the time it came to decorating (end of year tired), so I got to have all the fun!  No photo, but they had Go Hawks (footy team) and baa written on them!

There was a different party for the kids that competed in the HPV team.  This was a few weeks ago, and the night before I agreed to make chocolate cupcakes knowing that we had left overs for a easy and quick tea.  I then went overboard and made proper butter icing and decorated the cupcakes with the reindeer theme.  I just wished I had known about the little tubes of icing you can get, because these would have looked even cuter with a dot of brown icing in the marshmallow eyes.  Still the kids could not have cared less, all 24 were eaten on the day!

Happy quilting Sue.

Making Christmas reindeer

A few weeks ago a neighbours tree fell on our adjoining fence.  They are what I call farmers fences (wire) but still we wanted to clean it up....when hubby had time.  Luckily the tree missed squashing some of the new trees I had planted and hubby waters.  Thats our routine, I go overboard at the nursery and buy lovely plants, plant them (or set and forget I call it) and then hubby has to adjust the watering system, so they survive!

 I had a light bulb moment and went out with the pruning saw to "help".

I could not get the kids interested in helping, but hubby quickly got on board!

So now we have two more reindeers in our herd!  The one on the end was the original that I brought at a artists market a few years back.

He has one wonky leg that's a bit short, but a cute red nose!  I think he will stay as Rudolph, and the newcomers can be christened Blixen and Donner, if I remember the song correctly.

Its starting to feel a lot like Christmas here!

Happy quilting Sue.

Progress on some WIPs

A trip to Geelong for a family party enabled me to do some fabric (and Christmas) shopping.  I got this super cute Jodie Carlton designed sea gull fabric as the backing for my Modern Plus quilt.  I made the backing and binding all in one day. 

On the same trip I got this nice rust paisley print for the backing of my maple leaf quilt.  I fancied red, to bring out the red, rather then the brown accents of this quilt.  But after the major colour run I had previously with red and white Dresden I am avoid reds!  Bedsides I was shopping in the sales racks, so colours were limited, although there were lots of brown options!

My friend Lisa has been trying to fit in half an hour of sewing here and there. I have done the same, but chosen to dedicate a few minutes a day to making berries!  I think I have enough now for the border on my Warm Regards...but kept loosing count, so gave up!  

Definitely need more leaves.  But the biggest hold up with this project is no border fabric.  My trip to Geelong did not reveal anything suitable as Bellarine Sewing Centre has dedicated most of their stock to modern and brights.  So waiting for a opportunity to travel somewhere a bit different and see what I can find.  

Happy quilting Sue.

Tic tac toe table runner

I have been finishing lots of UFO's to the flimsy stage lately, but did manage to get this new project started and completed within a matter of days!  Still I delayed showing you because it was a special gift for a special person.  I used the Pattern  (but altered the block size) called Tic Tac Toe by Blossom Heart quilts, and my finished table runner 15 x 37".  

I used fabric out of the stash for the backing (top was left overs from another quilt), because the pattern suited the recipient and the colours worked as well.  Even though it is a traditional floral print and the top very modern, it worked. 

 

I quilted the background heavily with vertical and horizontal FMQ, not adequately described as squiggles....but that's the best description I can come up with...if it has a proper term please let me know!

I prefer heavily quilted table runners, but my right shoulder and neck do not like quilting.  I took breaks, but a trip to the physio is still in order.  

I brought some grey especially for the binding, because I fell in love with the secondary pattern and wanted to compliment it.    I chose to put the grey in a different placement to the original pattern, but only really fell in love with the overall effect when it was sewn together.  

Happy quilting Sue.