Special Delivery

This week I received my order from Green Fairy Quilts which I placed the other week.  They had a bit of a sale on and for $AU100 (incl postage) I got a jelly roll, two honey buns and a charm pack, all from Moda.

The honey buns are Clementine and Happy, both by Me & My Sister.  The jelly roll is Me & My Sister Favorites, and the charm pack is City Weekend by Liesl Gibson.

Of course I have no idea what I'm going to do with them yet, but it was a bit of a spending spluge since I haven't been out of the house much lately and had money to spend ;)

I haven't actually worked with a jelly roll/honey bun or charm pack before.  All the quilting work I've done has been from buying fat quarters or lengths of fabric so I'll be interested to see what I can come up with.

Also arriving a week ago was Abigail Mackenzie!  Born on Sunday evening 19th Sept at 10:53pm, weighing in at 4.02kg.  Is she now a finished project, or is she just the biggest work-in-progress ever?

Coffee Break

Has it really been over a month since my last post?  All this time at home and I never seem to get anything done.  Although, this post is proof against that because I have finished the coffee quilt for hubby.

It is 'inspired by' the 'Coffee's Up' quilt designed by Annalisa of Busy Thimbles.  We chose some different fabrics, and I made the quilt longer and wider to accomodate actualy sleeping on the couch, rather than just being a knee rug, which meant rearranging the coffee cup appliques.

We ended up buying a bamboo batting from Patchwork with Gail B in Bayswater, along with a binding fabric.  Not the original one I had seen (because they didn't have it in stock) but a similar colour one.  The advantage to making a quilt for your husband when you're 8 months pregnant is that he gets to crawl around on the floor doing all the pin basting for you and you just have to sit and watch!!

I'm not sure how I feel about pin basting now.  Between this quilt and the baby elephant quilt, the pins leave some rather large holes which don't disappear as easily as I'd like them to.  Maybe for my next quilt I will investigate other options (without having to hand baste the whole thing!).

The backing ended up being what we had originally planned, brushed cotton fabric in the middle and a border down the sides because it wasn't wide enough. I had a little bit of fun trying to work out what size to cut the centre piece so that the squares down the side were nicely placed.  In the end, the border fabric was practically the same size as the border fabric on the quilt front, so the quilting lines matched up nicely.

This was my first attempt at using monofilament as the top thread for quilting.  After some initial tension issues I got it sorted out and I'm rather happy with the result.  It also hides errors in the quilting where you go off a seam line!  I was going to get a bit fancy with my quilting on this one, but in the end went more basic, partly to get the quilt finished sooner as Premier League Soccer season has already started. 

I just quilted diagonally through all the squares, except for the coffee cups, which I quilting around the outside of the square and then tried my hand at free motion quilting around the cup.  My first real attempt at free motion quilting.  As you can see from below photo, my first attempt was rather wobbly, but by the time I'd done all 12 cups I think I was getting better.  Also hoping to do some free motion machine quilting on my baby elephant quilt so it was nice practice.  As with all these things, practice makes perfect.

I still have to make a quilt label for it, but at least it is finished now so it can be used.  The photos don't quite do it justice, I need to improve my photography skills for quilts, but at least this one gets to live in my house (rather than being gifted) so I'll always have the original to look at!

And of course my fuzzy baby had to "help".  To my annoyance, she claimed a spot on the quilt several times before it was finished, but now that it's being used on the couch she's allows to sit on it, as long as she shares.

Craft Show Round Up

I thought when I finished work I'd have more time to update here more regularly.  Doesn't seem to be the case.  Although I have had things on nearly every day since finishing.

The first of which was last Thursday going to the Craft and Quilt Fair.   I managed to stay within my budget, sort of ;)  I had a shopping list of supplies I needed for current projects but still hoped to pick up something a bit new and/or exciting.

I picked up a few essentials such as applique fusible web, embroidery stabiliser, bag wadding, needles for embroidery, applique and quilting, then I got some fun things.  I've been wanting to do another latch hook for ages (did one once as a kid), but could never justify the price of the kits when I didn't really have a purpose in mind.  Thanks to baby-on-the-way, I decided I could make a colourful rug for the nursery.  Don't need a rug as there is plush carpet, but anything to add colour to the room is great.  And the plus was that this came out of 'baby budget' and not out of 'craft show budget' ;)

The other fun thing I got was my obligatory quilting pattern (I seem to end up buying a quilt pattern at every show I go to).  I had decided that for my pregnant music teacher friend I wanted to make a quilted wall hanging for the nursery as a gift for when the baby was born.  I saw a pattern from Joan's Own Creations and just couldn't resist.  It's not particularly a baby pattern but I'm going to make it out of more child friendly colours and then it will also last long beyond them being a baby.

Instead of using gold for the brass instruments I'm going to do things like metallic purple.  I might even make the piano keys multi-coloured!  Who knows, I haven't thought that hard about it yet.  Got too many other things to finish first.  The baby is due in November, but I've got until Christmas to make it really because I'll be going up to Sydney then, so don't see the point in paying for postage just to get it there 6 weeks earlier.

I also bought some books on quilting to help me with my current projects.  Good basic details in the books, concentrating on techniques rather than just giving you quilting patterns etc.

I've started doing some hand quilting on my elephant quilt, but discovered that I need a lot more practice!  I also might need to attend a class to get someone to help me with the rocking stitch method as I can't seem to do that.  I gave up in the end and am just doing stab stitch.

And just because I took a photo of it, here is the bag wadding in action!  It's great because it keeps the bag standing up-right on it's own.  That's my fern bag making some progress (until I rearranged the sewing room and haven't got everything set up again yet).

Time for something new?

I almost feel justified in starting a new project!

Many of my work-in-progress projects are completed or on hold till I get more supplies.

The knitted poncho is finished.  I actually finished it a few weeks ago but I never seemed to get around to getting the photos off the camera.

 The fringe was still a bit crinkly when I took the photo as the wool had just come out of the ball, but it has relaxed a bit now and looks better.  It sits nicely over my big tummy and will be useful for when I can't wear my jumpers any more and want to look a little bit nicer.

I've done the straight machine quilting on the baby elephants.  I now want to do some hand quilting in patterns and around the elephants but I'm not sure what thread to use.  Will be looking for advice and inspiration next week at the Craft and Quilt fair.  There is also a book on hand quilting I'd like to buy before I dive straight into it.

I've just done quilting around each white square and then in between each block.  You can't see it in the photo but I think I really need to practice my machine quilting!  I also need to experiment a bit with thread.  But every quilt I do is a learning experience and I'm sure I'll just perfect the art as I get sick of making them ;)

The quilt top for the coffee quilt is complete.  Now I have to get some wadding for it.  Will also be looking out for this at the craft fair but I suspect I'll be at Spotlight later to get it.  Can't do much for a week or two anyway because I'll need a weekend to lay it out on the floor and baste it with help from hubby, and we don't have a free weekend for a couple of weeks.

As you can see, I even took progress photos as I was going along.  It's just posting them that's the problem.

Despite all the care I took, I obviously still need to work on matching my seams when joining blocks.  I thought I was doing so well but when it was finished I could see all the errors.  Oh, well.  You wont notice them once it's spent a week being used on the couch!

I'm rather pleased with the finish look so far.  It's the first time that I've actually bought the specific fabric that was used in the design (namely the border print in this instance).  It really does give it quite a distinct finish, rather than just a quilt with a common colour theme.   I should remember this next time I'm trying to be frugal with my fabric costs.  Sometimes it is just worth it to spend the money and get something nice than worry about the cost.


And the little lion cross stitch is basically finished, but I wont be doing anything about framing it till I've done the rest of the animals.  I want to frame them all together.  Not sure how long that will take me to do because I've sort of lost interest now.  Maybe when we get the nursery set up properly I'll see the need for more decoration! (and just realised I forgot to take a photo of that one)

I've just sorted through my unfinished projects box and have two more things I can work on for now.  There is the fern bag that I started oh so long ago.

There is also a knitted monkey which I started a year or two ago.

I think this will become my loungeroom project until I get the hand quilting on the elephants sorted.  The poncho has proved to me that having knitting in the loungeroom while we're watching TV is a really good way to get through it quickly!

I'm finishing up work next week so hopefully then I'll be able to update more frequently, and also do more things, like actually participate in the Montly Design Challenge!

Quilt Aid

Following a link from Cinderberry Stitches, I found out about Quilt Aid 2010.  I'd been thinking about it for a while but couldn't really justify the minimum $300 for a quilt which I didn't have a purpose for yet and while I still have two quilts on the go.  I really wanted to get involved though.

Finally the other day I decided to just buy a few blocks, and get some extra fabric and make a smaller quilt.  I think it will either end up as a baby quilt or a wall hanging.

So the four blocks I have chosen so far are:

by Liz Stanway, available through Quilter's Bazaar

by Helen Stubbings, available through The Quilted Crow

by Lynette Anderson, available through The Patchwork Angel

by Natalie Ross, available through In Stitches of Williamstown












I feel kind of bad that I didn't end up choosing Natalie Lymer's block (from Cinderberry Stitches) since that is where I first found out about it.  It is a lovely block and would be lots of fun to do with all that stitching, but in the end I only picked four and it didn't quite fit with the others I'd chosen.

Who knows, I may go back later and buy a few more blocks after all!

I'm giving myself till basically the end of the year to finish it.  The program runs till then so I figure that's not leaving it too long.  It will be really fun to be a part of something that other people are also doing, and see what other peole do with the same starting blocks!

I'm looking forward to creating the blocks, with all that embroidery!  Something that I can do while sitting on the couch and waiting for baby to bake (at least for the next two months)!

And all in the name of a charity that struck a chord with me at the moment!

Sweatshop

Once again it has been longer than intended between posts.  I've had the urge to write but not the motivation to photograph.  I think I should keep the camera a bit more handy so I take photos as I go rather than having a 'session' every so often.

I've spent a lot of time making clothes recently, mainly due to the expanding belly, but I think I might give it a rest for a while now.  I should have enough clothes suitable for work to get me through the next month, and once I'm at home I don't mind so much if I only have tracksuits etc to wear.

I've made a pair of black stretch pants, a stretchy circular skirt, two jumpers for my hubby and a 70's outfit for a party last night

 (I also had to let out and hem the vintage trousers hubby is wearing).  Whilst the top is very bright and 70's, it still should come in usefull over the next few months. Being made of panne it's a bit warmer than most things I have right now.  The flares are actually just leg tents I wore over some leggings so they'll just get tossed in the costume wardrobe for next time I need them ;)

On the craft front I'm making good progress with the knitted poncho.  I only have about 5 more pattern repeats and I'm finished the knitting.  Then I just have to sew it together and do the fringe.

I have also now cut out all the coffee cups for the coffee quilt. 

Got the extra fabric I needed at the Quilt Show.  Found fabric I liked for the binding but they were only selling fat quarters so at some point need to make my way over to Patchwork with Gail B in Bayswater to buy the fabric off the bolt.  This could be as late as August as I'm going that way then, but we might get around to making a special trip before then if hubby wants his quilt finished ;)  Just looking at her website, I think I might have to save up some money before we go so I can have a little shopping spree!


Last year I made a baby quilt for some friends and their new arrival.  This month that new arrival turned 1, so as a follow up I made a matching doll.

I've been working on the pattern for this on and off for a year now, hoping to be able to market it, but it still needs work.  I can't quite get the neck to sit right.  I guess I'll just have to make more of them and experiment a bit.

That's it for now.  I think I'll go and start ironing all those coffee cups together now.  Also taking a trip to Spotlight today to buy a new roller cutter before I have to start cutting up the rest of the squares for the coffee quilt.

Organisation

In a fit of enthusiasm the other day, I decided to fold and pack all my bits of quilting fabric neatly.  Here is the result:

These are all my fat quarters (or bits thereof) and other small lengths of fabric bought for quilting not dress making.

Now I just have to decide how to organise them.  By colour?  By pattern?  By theme?

How do you organise your fabrics?  If you have the same fabric in a few different colours do you store them together, or in their own colour piles?

Monthly Design Challenge: Music & Dance (A late entry)

This wasn't my first idea for the April Monthly Design Challenge but my first idea didn't serve any current purpose so never got beyond the research stage.

Friends of mine recently announced that they were expecting their first child, 7 weeks after me (who isn't pregnant at the moment??).  She had never really wanted children, he always had, she'd finally made the decision that she would do it for his sake because she didn't want to deny him that.  I've spent my whole life wanting to be pregnant and now am struggling with it, so I wondered at how she might be coping considering it's not something she'd ever thought she'd do.  I wanted to make her something to help her enjoy the experience a little.

I found that as soon as my belly started to gain a little weight and size, it was very uncomfortable sleeping on my side, but a small, squishy pillow I'd made my husband previously was just the thing to support the baby when I was lying down.  So I decided I'd make something similar for my friend.  Simple,  small, easy to post (they're in Sydney), and personal.

This is the result

The treble clef is machine appliqued and, although it doesn't show well in the photo, is fabric with music printed on it.  The back of the cushion is the same blue fabric.  It's machine appliqued using a blaket stitch.

My friend is a music teacher and her husband (also a dear friend of mine) loves dragons so I wanted to combine something of them both.  It's about 30cm high and is only fairly lightly stuffed so it can be squished and folded as needed to create comfort.

It was handy that she is a music teacher because a gift personalised to her also fitted the design challenge theme.  I had thought of it before the end of April, but everything around here takes twice as long now.

The only other creative-ness I've done lately is a pair of tracksuit pants to fit my belly and a t-shirt for my hubby.  This weekend I hope to start cutting out the applique pieces for the coffe quilt.

Why I hate dressmaking

Actually I love dressmaking, but even when I don't have an ever-expanding belly, in order to get a vaguely decent fitting garment, I have to turn this:

 into this:

And of course then adjust any facings and the back to correspond.  At least I don't have to mess with the armhole because that sucks.

For my efforts though, I now have these (from two different patterns):

I added fabric to the front of the woven ones so I have more space for my belly, but the knitted ones had a bit of room anyway.  Hopefully they'll last me for a few months.  The brown one was actually a bit of a protype before I'd done the proper pattern adjustment.  I was feeling lazy but realised if I wanted a nice top I'd have to put the work in.  I have fabric to make another like the purple one, but I think now I'm going to work on pants next.

Unfortunately I don't have any old pants I'm willing to cut up to make maternity pants out of so might have to try from scratch.  Otherwise I'll see what the op shops have to offer because I'm taking a tip today.  Also have fabric for trackie pants, but right now I need work/weekend pants that I can wear out.

Also want to have a go at making Megan Nielsen's maternity shirt, so will be looking for a shirt to do that to as well.  I can't pinch one of hubby's shirts because they were all too small for me before I got the big belly.  Damn skinny boys!!

On a separate note, off to the Australian Quilt Convention tomorrow.  I have a small spending allowance because hubby splurged on something last week, and I have a few projects that need some extra fabric so hopefully it will all work out well.  Either way I think I'm bound to see some lovely quilts!

Where has the time gone?

After my big catch up post earlier this month I decided I should dedicate to posting once a week.  Saturday and Sunday mornings I usually spend on the computer in the quiet before hubby gets up.  It's also a really good time to do photography as the sun is coming in the family room.

The first weekend came and went, so I decided perhaps fortnightly posts would be more suitable.  Alas a fortnight came and went as well.  The excitement of sitting in one spot and not having to do anything is over-riding the excitement of posting about my craft progress.

I am now posting from work so have no photos, but can give a descriptive update.

The elephant quilt has had the borders attached and been pin basted to the wadding and backing.  I'm going to attempt hand quilting, which I haven't done before, so went out and bought a nice quilting hoop.  I have lost interest a little because it was discovered that there is not enough fabric for binding even though I bought fabric as per the pattern.  The pattern leaves a lot to be desired, there are vague instructions and could have been other fabric shortages if I'd only followed the list on the back and not done the maths myself first....but that is a matter for another time.

I started tracing out the applique shapes for the coffee quilt the other day.  I have found that I need more fabric.  Not for lack of yardage, but because I need some more light value fabrics to make it work.  Hoping to pick up some at the Australian Quilt Convention next weekend.  Also should keep an eye out for some additional backing fabric.  We have one selected but I don't have enough of it so I need to find something to add as a border.  It might be difficult as it's sort of a flannel type fabric but I'm not sure if it is actually a flannel.

The knitted poncho moves along, I've done several more pattern repeats since I last posted.  I think when I posted last I was about 1/3 of the way through the second rectangle, so I might be getting close to 1/2 way soon!

And the little cross stitch made some progress on Saturday.  I have now finished all the mane and started working on the body.  Because I have left holes for the eyes etc, it just looks like a wresting mask to me!!  LOL

I've also made one top for wearing to work and am halfway through another.  Now that I need more clothes to cover the slight (and expanding) bump, this needs to take a priority when ever I am up to standing around and doing things (as opposed to just sitting on the couch).  Sewing clothes used to be so much fun, and I still love it, but the amount of pattern manipulation that has to be done to fit my figure takes a lot of the joy out of it.  For one of the tops I made I've chopped up the bodice piece and it appears to have been successful so hopefully now that the pattern works I can make a few tops out of it for my efforts.