I Quilt - Party Over Here!

Truth be told - I'm feeling like a bit of a blog-hosting-hussy of late!  But a blog friend has to do what a blog friend has to do......  And tonight, Ms Gemma from Pretty Bobbins is feeling rather poorly, so the I Quilt party is being held here!  Go throw your quilts in the air and shake em like you just don't care!  Ok, maybe not.....

Lucky for you I managed to stop off at the local park this afternoon, dodged the rain and froze my butt off - but got some lurvely photos of my latest finish.

I found a Vintage Modern charm pack amongst my stash a few weeks ago, and thought it would be perfect for the upcoming "I See Red" Showcase over at Harley Barley on FB.

It is a VERY simple design - all HST's laid out in a simple row, with a couple of red pinwheels thrown in the mix for added interest!  The little peep border is a first for me, and I just love what it brings to the quilt.

I've backed it in a green homespun I had here on my shelf - and I promise it's not all puckered and bunched up!  It had been folded for a week or two, and I didn't think to iron it before heading out!

I really love that a simple 42 piece charm pack can be turned in to something so beautiful.  My Aussie Charm Swap mates and I are pinning ourselves silly at the moment on my Charm Square LOVE Pinterest board.  Pop by and have a look!

This quilt has a finished size of 40" x 46" - perfect for a cot/toddlers quilt or a child's lap quilt.  It will be available to purchase on the 18th of June!

Now - I mentioned last week that I had lost my FMQ-jo.  This little project was the one that lead me to that conclusion.  I was so sad.  I wanted to free motion to heck out of it, but just couldn't get myself together, and instead went with some straight lines through the blocks.  I did manage to do a little swirly pattern around the outer border, which I think is darling and suits this pretty little quilt.  And I used my favourite Aurifil #2024 50wt thread to both piece and quilt.

Since then, I have purchased myself an extension table for my Bernina.  I've set it up and have had it in place whilst piecing a few blocks this past week, but am finding it strange to get used to.  I'm hoping with time, it will become part of my regular setup and will make quilting SOOOO much easier!?  Time will definitely tell - as I have two quilts tops ready to baste and quilt!

So tell me - how do you get your sew-jo or FMQ-jo back when it's gone on hiatus??  And have you changed your quilting set up in order to help?  Did it take a while to get used to?

SPILL!

Please link your quilty process below and visit three other linkers - it's always nice to share the love!

P.S.  Anyone notice anything different around here?? ;)

An InLinkz Link-up

Wee Wander Finish & A Little Deep & Meaningful

It's taken me a couple of weeks to get around to binding this baby, but today was the day!  I ended up getting some blue Robert Kaufman dots that co-ordinated perfectly with Wee Wander and frames this little quilt beautifully.

I got very motivated this afternoon after finishing it, and raided Chloe's bedroom for some baby-ish props for my little photo shoot!  Although this quilt started out as "just a quilt", after I had quilted it - my feathers/leaves/whatever they are - I thought it would be a good idea to add a hanging sleeve on the back, so that when the owner had finished using it for their baby, they could hang it on the nursery wall.  I was SOOO thrilled with how it looks on a wall!

If you had of told me a month ago I'd have a quilt with this sort of quilting on it, I would have laughed at you!  I'm really, really proud of myself for giving that feather business a crack, and will do it again!

I used my trusty Ikea numbers fabric for the backing, which shows the quilting beautifully.   Aurifil #2024 50wt was used to piece and free motion quilt.  This little 32" square quilt is the perfect size for a bassinet or pram quilt.  Or even as a little play mat - oh so versatile!

The idea for this little piece of loveliness came when The Handmade Library announced they were holding a Collaboration market.  The lovely Melisa from "Melisa Jane" joined up with me and after much indecision, we finally agreed on making a Wee Wander baby set.  Melisa has made THE MOST awesome nappy bag (Diaper bag for those in the US) I have ever seen!  Looky looky......

Both of these items will be available to purchase as a set on the 7th of May over at The Handmade Library.  Pricing and further information will be available soon!

Now, whilst I have your attention - I told Gemma from Pretty Bobbins that if I got off my lazy bum this evening and made it upstairs I would try and post a little reply to link up with her discussion over at I Quilt tonight.  So, here goes.....

Gemma asked us to share our successes related to our passions.  I'm taking a big gulp and going for it.....

1.  Being able to spend a couple of days each week to do whatever I please, which inevitably means sewing.  I had kids here at home with me for 15 years, so now they're all at school, I quite happily utilise the time for things I want to do.

2.  Learning to quilt mostly through online means.  I have asked hundreds of questions online, whether it be in FB sewing groups or direct chatting to my quilt friends - I have been so very grateful for each answer I have been given!

3.  I have sold a number of quilts to customers now!  I'm able to name my price and know that they are worth it.  And when customers say they want to buy something I've made, I'm ALWAYS thrilled to think they appreciate the time I've put in to my work.

4.  I've slowly but surely changed the direction of my little business over the past year.  Ms Midge started off making children's wear and now I've incorporated cushions, quilts and bags in to my repertoire - and my customers are still there!  Some of the same customers who have bought their children's clothing from me are now purchasing quilts.  I love that!

5.  Opening my inbox every day and finding emails from you guys - the fact that you take the time to comment on my blog posts and encourage me on a regular basis is fabulous!

6.  Friends.  I have met soooo many wonderful human beings through this quilty gig, and I wouldn't be without them.  I have always valued friendship very highly in terms of my success as a human being - so I feel pretty damn successful these days!

So there you have it.  It's now 11pm and my eyes are hanging out of my head - but a promise is a promise Gem!  Every now and then, when I'm rambling excitedly to my husband about how I got an email from this famous quilter, or I received a gift from another famous quilter he'll say "that's great, now you have to work out how to make money from this blogging business".  I always laugh at him, and tell him it's not about the money.  And it's not.  I agree whole heartedly with Gemma on that one.  Success is a feeling - not a bank balance.

Peace out.

I'm linking up - You can too!

A Wedding Gift & The End Of An Era

You know what I love?  I love when I make something and post a photo on my Facebook page, that someone else loves it too and immediately orders one!  That's exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago when I finished the ring bearer's cushion for my brother-in-law's upcoming wedding!

The customer requested specific fabric for the cushion - which I had none of!  Lucky for me, I'm in a few fabulous FB groups, and put a call out for scraps of Sugar Flower.  Even luckier for me, a couple of lovely women came to the rescue!  And yesterday, I spent the afternoon putting the order together.....

I adore this little paper piecing pattern by Quiet Play.  I already have another one printed out, ready to make a third!  I used the old faithful Aurifil #2024 to piece and quilt all the little pebbles on the front.  I'm getting pretty damn good at those damn pebbles!  It's taken a few projects to get in to my pebbling groove - proof that practice makes better.

Can you believe the back of the cushion is made from two scraps?!!?!?  Thanks Toni!!!  I love how bright and sunny this print is.

I heart hearts!

My favourite, but most nerve wracking part of these cushions, is the stamping.  I bought these divine little stamp sets before Christmas, not having any purpose in mind - just because they were cute!  And they have already been used twice!  Who knew!??!

And just because I've been talking about it for weeks now, Chloe started school today!  In what I can only describe as "an end of an era", today ended 15 years of having a child/children home with me.  Whilst I can confirm I did not cry when we dropped her off, I cannot deny my throat closing over and choking up last night when I got her uniform out.  And I can also not deny the tears that were shed this morning whilst I was by myself.  I'm sure there will be more tears over the coming weeks and months, when I find myself wondering where my little quiet companion is?

The four most precious "little" people in my life.

And the fifth, who started work late so he could continue the tradition of taking our kids to their first day of school.

THIS is what I will miss!

I'm linking up with Pretty Bobbins and Quiet Play - You can too!

Weekly Round up #2 - The Heat Wave Edition

As I sit here with leggings on (don't judge me - my top is covering my arse) and revel in the cool breeze, I can look back on the week that was and say "THANK GOD THAT IS OVER!"  You see, us Melbournians (and a few other parts of Oz) suffered through an exhausting week.  Five days in a row over 40 degrees (104+ farenheit) and we were all pretty much ready to crawl in to a rabbit hole and expire.  Thankfully the husband and I took the plunge a few months ago and invested in refrigerated cooling in the house.  We may be broke, but we were cool.  When inside.  On the few occasions I had to venture out, it was hideous.  Absolutely hideous.

Anyway.

I did manage to make a few things, buy a few things and ponder a few things.  For your viewing pleasure....

I ordered my divine Botanics bundle before Christmas.  And I seriously nearly hyperventilated when they arrived this week!  The colours and textures in the prints are just to die for.

Just because I don't have anything else to do, I decided to jump on board the Aurifil Designer of the month challenge.  Pat Sloan is the hostess with the mostest, and has a fabulous Facebook group! I fluffed around for a few hours trying to decide which fabrics to use, and then stumbled across my much loved Terrain scrap bag.  And that was that.  January's block can be found HERE.  It is a fabulous spool block, and I loved putting it together!  It also reaffirmed how much I love Terrain, and sent me in to a tailspin trying to track down more, so that when I've finished the full year of monthly blocks, I can put a quilt together.  I grabbed a bundle from #thegreatfabricdestash on Instagram.  Oh. My. Lord.  Did you all see that fascinating spectacle???  I swear I wasted at least a couple of hours that day cruising through everyone's destash photos, and freaking out at how big some people's stashes really must be?  Anyway, I also managed to find a fabulous store in NSW for us Aussies, who also has Terrain available, and at a very reasonable sale price!  You can find it HERE.

The freaking out continues as I put together all of my little Chloe's school items.  I was uber impressed with her fabric choice for her library bag!  I was gifted this gorgeous butterfly print from my Tokyo Bff.  Chloe was most impressed with my choice of pink Aurifil thread to free motion her name tag!  Win win!

My search for the perfect bee block continued.  My month as Queen is March, and I wanted to be organised.  I kept coming back to the block that was designed by Kate Spain for the Fat Quarter Shop's mystery BOM.  I made the block a few weeks ago, which you can see HERE.  So I took a leap of faith and emailed Kate last week, asking her permission to use the pattern for my bee.  Got a lovely reply, and went forth to experiment!  Now, if you just saw the original block, you would agree they look COMPLETELY different!  My vision for the bee blocks is for each bee member to choose a colour, and make this block in the different tones radiating outwards, from light to dark.  I wasn't sure if it was going to work, but I am really really happy with how my aqua/blue block turned out!  I spent some time last night searching online for a version of this pattern that isn't on paper.  If you have seen it on the interwebs, please let me know!  It would be far easier to point my bee to an online version, than scanning the paper pattern or re-writing it in PDF form!

And last BUT definitely not least in my week....... I received my Wombat Stew Secret Santa gift!!!!  Yes, it's a little late, but given that my Santa had an international move to contend with over the holidays, I was very patient.  That doesn't mean that when I saw the package in the post box and saw Gemma's name on it, I didn't run, hands flailing in the air, then ripping the parcel open?  No, not me.  What can I say??  Gemma is one of my closest on line friends, and she has made me the most beautiful sewing machine cover ever made!

Every single part of it is divine.  I spent last night staring at the free motion writing on the sides, writing down the words Gemma had shared.  Some of them I have had to write ? because they've disappeared in to the binding, but like a true sleuth, I shall deciper them!

 

This is the INSIDE!?!?!?  WHA??!?!?!!?  As usual, Gemma has managed to incorporate her beautiful free motion quilting in to the project.  Sigh.

Thank you so much Gemma! I absolutely adore my gift, and I look forward to another fabulous year of being a wombat, and getting quilty with you and the other ladies! xxx 

So that's it my friends! In a nutshell. Another weekly round up, because school holidays are still in force. ONLY TEN MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm off to the beach house (sounds fancy yes?) tomorrow, with the six of us stuffed in to our car, and trailer full of bikes and crap behind us. Five days of relaxing and sitting around. Who am I kidding? Five days of refereeing children at a different location..... I AM looking forward to it! Have a wonderful week, and I will see you all back here next week with another round up! I'm sharing this all over the place, cos I can! You can too!

Honey Honey Framed

First of all - HELLO to all the new peeps on board!  I truly have read each and everyone's comments on my Blog HOp with Giveaways post!  The blog hop has finished now, and I will announce a winner tomorrow, so be sure to check back in!  And now, on to more important business………

I finished!  This project has been one I ended up procrastinating about.  That does not happen often around here….  BUT - I quilted the first half a couple of weeks ago, and it KILLED my body.  So I really had to rev myself up yesterday to get it finished.  And I now need a massage…..  However, it was well worth it…..

 

I sewed the binding on this morning, using six of the leftover jelly roll strips, and then traipsed down to the local park with camera and quilt in hand.  I took lots of photos like the one above, but there was a lovely little breeze happening, so there was no way I would be getting a full view of it.

Cue the crazy quilt lady……  I walked over to a few ladies and their children, who were minding their own business, and asked if one of them would mind holding my quilt up for me whilst I took photos?

One of them agreed!  So yes, I've become THAT lady.  Hahaha……  I didn't have it in me to direct her how to hold the quilt though.  Thought I best just be happy with what I was given…...

And the beautiful back.  This delightful Honey Honey jelly roll went such a long way.  Not only did I get all the framed blocks on the front and the scrappy binding, I also was able to do a lovely pieced back.  I love the blue spot fabric - it just shines!

For the quilting, I used a beautiful baby pink Aurifil #2410.  I took a while to decide on this, but I wanted the quilting to be quite visual, and I think it worked.

I also took a while to decide on the quilting pattern.  I actually attempted three different patterns before once again, just letting things happen.  After unpicking the first three attempts, I really looked at the fabric.  One of the prints in this range has quite a definitive pattern to it (and of course I didn't take a photo of said print!), so I sort of started with the arches and it then turned in to what I like to call "organic baptist fans".  Basically because my fans/arches are not perfect nor planned.  Nor are they all uniform in their size and shape!  But hey, I like them!

Once I'd finished all the free motion, I thought the sashing needed some straight lines.  So they got the treatment too.  All in all, a very pretty quilt, that hopefully the recipients will love when they are gifted it.

The Stats - Measures 58" x 64"- A great throw/lap size

Fabric - Honey Honey by Kate Spain Jelly Roll; green and white homespun; blue spot from Spotlight

Thread - Aurifil pink #2410

Quilting - Free motion & straight line by Me on my domestic Bernina 430

Sooooo, another present ticked off my imaginary Christmas gift list!

Now, whilst I have your attention AND we are talking about Christmas - remember I'm hosting a fabulous Cushion For Christmas Blog Hop!  You can read all the details HERE - it starts on the 1st of December - not far away at all!  I would love you all to join in!  Prizes people - PRIZES!!!

I'm linking up EVERYWHERE - So can You!

The Go To Gift

A few weeks ago, I started thinking stressing freaking out about what the make the kids teachers for Christmas gifts.  Once I remembered I still had SIX WEEKS (cue the hyperventilating), I relaxed and put some proper thought in to it.

Fast forward to today - and I had only a few "have to sew" things in the morning, and once I'd ticked them off, I got down to the task of the first teacher's gift.  My "go to gift" - a cushion.

Isn't she beautiful?  I pinned THIS paper piecing pattern last week, and knew it would be perfect to use for a cushion.  And although I love the original I saw, with the coloured fabric centre, I wanted more negative space for quilting, so kept mine white.  I dragged out my bag of Sarah Fielke scraps - leftovers from my Flying By The Seat Of My Pants quilt - and got the star and borders whipped together in a couple of hours.  This is a GREAT paper piecing pattern for relative beginners.

And then I got my Free Motion on!  These swirly patterns are probably my favourite in terms of free motion quilting.  They seem to be the design I do best - my stitch length is uniform throughout - something I have a bit of trouble with when doing some other designs.  I used a white Aurifil #2024  for all the negative space quilting.  I then took to pebbling the outside border.  I used my recently acquired hot pink Aurifil #1011 for this - and I LOVE this colour!  Now my pebbling is far from perfect, but I quite like it that way :)

I think the straight line shadowing on the inside of the star gives it a bit of a 3D effect?  I just love it!

And the back?  This is from a fat quarter of the same fabric range (if you're wondering what it is, it's called "On The Pond") and was easy to make in to a concealed zipper back.  So neat.

So that's another finish off that invisible list of things to do for Christmas.  I'm happy to say that when Cadyn walked through the door from school today, and I showed him this - his eyes lit up.  He was thrilled when he saw it was for his teacher.  He has a real soft spot for this lovely lady, as do I.  She has brought out the absolute best in him, and he's gone from being a kid that was struggling a bit and was anxious about learning - to a confident young man who is excelling in his work and in her words, is eager to learn.  So, me thinks she deserves this little piece of heaven.

NOW - if you are still planning your handmade Christmas list, I have something coming up very soon, that just may interest you!  Watch this space!

I'm linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday, Fabric Tuesday and I Quilt - You can too!