Sew Cute Tuesday - Handmade Swaps

I've been remarkably busy this past week, and amongst the busy-ness, I've managed to get quite a few sewing projects finished!  I am in a number of handmade swaps and keep trying to come up with new projects I haven't made before so that not only am I learning something new, but my swap partner/gift recipient is receiving something original!

Last Friday's finish is this gorgeous little cushion.....

It WAS going to be a pin cushion, but even though I reduced the size of the pattern by 50%, 7" was still a bit big for a pin cushion!  So it became a gorgeous little mini cushion.  I used the Repository pattern from Good Golly Ginger.  I've had it downloaded for some time, and printed out regular size, but thought it would be cute in miniature - and I was right!  Lots of bright scraps used for the rainbow theme, and mixed with some Peppered Cotton

I used one of my beloved Black and White text prints for the backing with an exposed zip - my favourite kind of zip finish at present!

For my second trick, I made a trip to Spotlight this morning for some Insulbrite.  Insul-what?  The crinkly stuff you put in projects to make them heat proof.  You see, when I read Make Modern Magazine last week, I was very excited to see that Gina from Party of Eight had done a tutorial for her fabulous pot holder and tea towel sets!  (yes, I am easily excited some may say!)

I was lucky enough to receive one of these sets from Gina for my birthday in April, and was keen to make a set myself.  So I did....

And I am pretty damn pleased with myself!  I pulled out a bunch of Anna Maria Horner prints and some dark linen, then went to town!  You can find all the details of how to make this set, and the printable paper piecing pattern in this month's issue of Make Modern.

Now Gina is fabulous at hand sewing.  Me?  Not so much.  I prefer to use my machine for everything I can possibly get away with.  Which meant I used my FMQ to embroider "friendship" on the tea towel.  I used a 40wt Aurifil thread in the most divine shade of red.  You can't see in this photo, but there was a bit of pulling/tension in the fabric after I'd finished, so I think next time (yeh, guess what everyone's getting for Christmas??) I'll use some tear-away/stabilizer on the back.

I cut out some little hexagon templates and cut one in each size, with a little bit of fussy cutting happening!  Vlisoflex and Blanket stitching on the machine holds in all in place.

I love how the pot holder has turned out!  It was a little bulky to quilt, but definitely do-able!

And that, my friends, is a Sew Cute Tuesday wrap!  That's two handmade swaps out of the way, only five gazillion to go!

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Anything Goes Monday!

Whilst I haven't been blogging a whole lot lately, I have been incredibly busy here!  I've been working very hard on a couple of secret squirrel projects, as well as some not so secret ones.  Like these.....

My youngest, Chloe, turned six a week ago, and so began a Mermaid-fest!  My heart melted when I asked her what she would like for her birthday, and she replied "a mermaid doll and I want you to make me something, like a cushion or clothes or a blanket".  Bless.  So, this is what she got!

I adore her mermaid cushion!  Kristy from Quiet Play has done it again with another wonderful pattern.  I had loads of fun choosing fabrics, and I actually took it to my first ever sit and sew with a bunch of crafty bloggers - and gave a few of them a paper-piecing lesson! They all loved the choice for her hair, which is a scrap that was sent from one of my Wombat Stew buddies.

I loved quilting it too.  Lots of swirly wind amongst the clouds, gentle waves on the ocean and some scales on her tail.  All done with my beloved Aurifil.

Chloe is one very lucky girl!  This is what her bed looks like now!  The back two cushions and the purple one are all made by her Grandma - who is an amazing machine embroidery whizz!  And the Mermaid doll at the front is from Jacaranda Handmade.  Isn't she fabulous???

And this my friends, is Mr Fox!  I whipped this baby up for one of my daughter's friends.  Chelsea put in a request about a month ago, and I forgot.  She just happened to remind me a few days before said friend's birthday!  You can find the pattern by Shape Moth HERE.

This lovely bright paper-pieced star is for Alyce's month as Queen Bee for Wombat Stew.  She had very specific colours in mind, which always makes fabric pulls fun!  Loving how it turned out!

And this was a big surprise for Chloe the afternoon before her birthday!  I haven't made clothing for quite some time, so thoroughly enjoyed getting out my Ainslee Fox Disco Dress pattern, and making it mermaid special.

Double joy for Chloe on her birthday - it was "free dress day" as a fundraiser for cancer.  The theme was pink!  Winning!

Phew.  So that's a little bit of catch up from me.  There's loads more to come over the next couple of weeks, so make sure you keep up!

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Sunday Stash - The Birthday Week Edition

In the ten days since my last blog post, plenty has been a happenin'!  I shall once again blame school holidays for the lack of posts - and a very eventful week.  And because it is now almost 9pm on a Sunday night, and I have a glass of wine under my belt, this will be a fast and furious post!

These beauties arrived care of The Oz Material Girls.  I DIE over Art Gallery fabrics, and these Poetica prints were a bargain at $3 a fat quarter!  And the random Wee Wander was thrown in for good measure!  I happen to think the Poetica coordinates beautifully with those SJ prints!

April is here - which means a new block for the Aurifil Designer of Month BOM.  I stalked Pat Sloan's blog for a couple of days, and when it was announced I was so excited - I'd never made a bear paw block before!  But now - yes indeedy.  I ADORE this block!

And I happen to think this may very well be one of the prettiest and divine quilts I will ever make!  Now to show some patience until May.....

I managed to whip this baby up for a friend's little man's 1st birthday.  I'm loving these keepsake cushions for gifts!!!

The fire truck is one of Quiet Play's fab paper pieced patterns and was super easy to put together!

I whipped out the trusty Aurifil to do some meandering quilting and then free motioned his name and date of birth.  LOVE!

Now - what else happened this week?  Well, I turned 39!  Wha!??!?!!?!?  Still hard to believe I only have one more year in the dirty thirties.  But that also means I have almost a year to figure out the epic way I shall celebrate turning 40!

My 39th birthday started off a little shaky after Cadyn returned home from the zoo with a dodgy and irritated eye.  Turns out the giraffe that kicked up dust in his face really did a good job.  Birthday eve was spent at the GP and then local hospital, where we were sent home and instructed to take him to the Eye & Ear Hospital in the city the following morning.  So I was woken at 6.30am on my birthday and in the car 15 minutes later for the hour drive in peak hour traffic.  FUN!!!  Turns out the giraffe's dust only irritated what seems to have been metal in his eye - and it had formed rust on his cornea!  So my poor little nine year old sat for ages whilst an eye specialist literally drilled rust from his eye.  Made for interesting viewing!  I'm happy to say after another visit on Friday - he's been given the all clear.  No more zoo visits for the holidays.....

My birthday (week) got better!  I received some gorgeous handmade mail and was extremely excited!  The gorgeous Gina from Party of Eight made me this divine pot holder and tea towel!  I'm still yet to work out how I will ever use the tea towel for fear of it getting ruined!  It is quite literally one of the most exquisite hand sewn pieces ever!  Thank you Gina xxx

Another parcel arrived, this time from my beautiful friend Gemma (Pretty Bobbins).  You've heard me rave about Gemma a million times over, and will probably do so again in coming years!  Gem made me this UH-MAZING cushion cover!!!  Our Wombat Stew gals decided we would do a secret birthday present swap this year, and this is mine!  Hoorah!  That cover was cushioned within minutes and taken over by Bella the cat.  Thank you Gem xxxx

Then, two days after my birthday, my Mum and I ventured in to the city for the Australasian Quilt Convention.  It was again held at the Old Exhibition Buildings in Carlton Gardens.  One of THE most divine buildings I've seen.  It was a great week to have my birthday and the show collide, because my darling Mummy bought me my birthday gifts whilst there!  All the pretty fabrics are care of Mum.  I also bought myself a quick curves ruler (googling myself silly at present!), some new quilting gloves and rotary blades.  A slightly funny story - I asked the lady behind the stall if the black and white was Minimalista?  She tells me no.  I buy it anyway (cos I'm freakin in love with Quilt Jane's latest quilt - which I might add has been left to me in Jane's will!).  Get it home - and whaddayouknow?  It's Minimalista!  Don't tell me I don't know which fabric I'm stalking!

And I also found these dear little deer prints, amongst others.

I would like to give you a full blog post dedicated to AQC like I did LAST YEAR, however, my phone's camera is shite, and although I took photos on my Mum's phone - they won't transfer properly!  Soooo, unless some technological miracle happens, you will just have to believe me when I say it was FABULOUS!  So much talent and inspiration.

Birthday week has just ended this evening, celebrating with my in-laws.  So I shall end my post here by saying - I thank my lucky stars each and every day for the wonderful gift of friendship I have received through my love of quilting.  I am a part of many FB groups, Flickr, Instagram and the blogging world - and have "met" so many beautiful people!  And I feel like a whole other world opened up when I discovered quilting.  So thank you from the bottom of my heart for hanging around! xxxxx

Me - 39.  Chelsea - not quite 11.  Fair to say I'm going to be living up to my name in years to come -
the Midget of the family!

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