Sew Cute Tuesday - Back To My Regular Schedule

As I gently re-enter my regular routine, I've returned to gift sewing.  You see, I worked my proverbial butt off over January, doing what we call "sleepover shifts" during the school holidays, so I could be home with the kids.  Once the kids headed back to school, I had a glorious ten days off work to get this house, and my sewing, back in to order!  So today, I'm sharing a few goodies I managed to get sorted.....

A few weeks ago, I got myself one of these fabulous Moda Modern Building Blocks sets.  I've seen some amazing quilts being made on Instagram (check out the hashtags #modabuildingblocks & #modamodernbuildingblocks) and was looking forward to making my own version.

When it came to making January's Handmade Birthday Club gift for Leonie, I pulled out my handy-dandy-block-set and found myself stopping at block number 7!  It's an 18" block, so the perfect size for a quilted cushion cover....

One of Leonie's many favourite fabric designers is Tula Pink.  So I rummaged through my stash and found some Acacia to pair with the most divine Deer print from her Moonshine range.  I was incredibly happy with the way the colours played together, and love the way one block can look many different ways....

I used the gorgeous Dove Aurifil in 40wt for the quilting, and did a 1/4" version of matchstick quilting.  The textural finish is awesome.  Leonie received her gift yesterday and thankfully loved it!

Once I'd ticked that pressie off my to-do list, I moved on to something for me!  I have been in need of a new purse for a little while, but was baulking at spending a small fortune on something that wasn't perfect.  So I reached out to some of my crafting friends, and asked for a pattern recommendation.  It was a resounding response - the Necessary Clutch Wallet!  I would be lying if I told you I wasn't scared to death about tackling this pattern, but it was worth the fear.....

Because at the end of a day and a half of cutting, reading pattern, ironing, reading the pattern again and again and again, and sewing - I had these two divine purses!  Now, if you've been around these digs for a while, you will know I DON'T DO FIDDLY.  Until now.  Yes, they were a tad bit fiddly.  And yes, I had to be incredibly patient.  Especially with the installation of the clasp hardware.  But I got there in the end.

As you can see - there is plenty of space for cards, money, receipts etc - and there's a great amount of space in the centre section there, you could pop a phone or some lippy in too!  So my beautiful purse now lives in its co-ordinating handbag.  And the second one was grabbed up a friend who asked if she could purchase it. Win, win!

This little make up purse is for a family member as requested.  I'm being very brave of late, and am cracking open my Tokyo fabric purchases frequently.  This Enchino print is just so darn cute with its geometrics and the zebra!

Another family member's request - this time from my youngest son..... When in class last week, he announced to his teacher he needed a pencil case, said teacher asked him why didn't he ask his Mum?  (Said teacher received a pencil case from me for Christmas!)

I whipped this pencil case up on Sunday, after a couple of days of him asking if I'd made it.  This is literally only the second time in history Cadyn has asked me to make him something!  His quilt was made a couple of years ago, so I thought I best strike whilst the iron was hot!  He very proudly took it to school on Monday and has his pencils stashed safely.

And that, my friends, is my past week of sewing....  What have you been up to this past week?

I'm linking up - You can too!

Christmas Sewing - It's a Wrap!

As with every other household in the world, things here have been crazy!!  We've had my 16 year old God-daughter staying with us for three weeks - which meant I had five kids to sort out, children finishing school, organising school for next year.  Christmas parties, birthday parties and work work work.  I'm also struggling dreadfully with a horrid virus called "pityriasis rosea" - otherwise known as "the rash from hell". In between all of that and more, I've managed to get a ridiculous amount of Christmas sewing done.  I didn't actually realise just how much I had done, until I sat down to do this post.  You see, although I haven't been blogging very regularly lately, I HAVE been taking photos of what I've made and waiting until I had time to sit here and document it all!  Now is that time.....  Here are lots of pretty pictures, capturing all the pretty things that have been gifted or are waiting to be gifted!

 

Three lovely little zippered pouches.  The middle one was gifted to my Mum and is Liberty - it proved very interesting to sew.  Anyone with tips and hints on sewing with such fine fabric, feel free to share!  I love the other two pouches also, as I cut up little Cotton + Steel selvedges and added them.

 

I've become obsessed with metal zippers.

 

This yummy cushion cover has been sent to our December birthday gal from the Australian Handmade Birthday Club.  Simple AMH squares working together beautifully with linen and 12wt Aurifil thread.

 

I added a fat quarter of Tula and a little key fob.

 

We had our annual family Christmas party for my father in law's family this past weekend.  We only buy gifts for the kids under 16, and there's only our kids and two others left in that pool now!  So little Bianca received her own little personalised cushion.  She loved it!

 

Teacher's gifts have been received now.  This zippered case is for my daughter's teacher - a 23 year old man in his first year of teaching.  I was very happy with how enthusiastic he was upon opening it!

May have had something to do with the contents....

 

The prep teacher was gifted this yummy cushion.  I asked her what her favourite colour was a few weeks ago - yellow.

 

More 12wt Aurifil.  I freakin love using it for a distinctive finish!

 

After last week's horrible siege in Sydney, my lovely friend Molli took it upon himself to rally the quilting troops and whip up some of his hashtag blocks, which will be made in to some quilts for the victim's families.  These are my contribution.  If you want to know how you can help, head over to mollisparkles.com for all the details.

 

I joined the key fob gang, and whipped up these for little gifts.

 

I caught up on November's QCA Bee Blocks.

 

And put together this personalised cushion for my son's best friend's birthday.

 

And last, but certainly far from least, I participated in the Sweet Pouch Swap - Xmas edition - run by Ros at Sew Delicious.  This is my AMAZE-BALLS package I received from the ever lovely Peta!  I was gobsmacked, and thrilled with what she had sent me.  It was all a little overwhelming really!  The pouch itself it divine.  And when I took it with me to our Melbourne MQG get together, it got a whole lot of attention!!!  

 

In return - I sent off these goodies to Peta.  I forgot to take photos, so Peta very nicely sent these to me!  Peta is a huge fan of Bonnie & Camille, so I took out some of my charm squares and made her a linen and B&C pouch in Christmas colours.  The Christmas tree is really simple to put together - basically three little flying geese and then a trunk on the bottom.

And this is the other side.  Isn't she pretty?

So - that, my friends, is a WRAP!  I do have one gift left to make, but will get to it asap.  You know, given Christmas is two days away......

I hope you all have a super fabulous Christmas Day and enjoy time spent with family, friends and/or doing what you love.  I am looking forward to some time away after Christmas, so am unsure whether I'll be back here blogging before the New Year.  If I'm not, I'll just say Happy New Year now!
xxxx

Project Pictorial

Every now and then, I look through my downloaded photos to both Instagram and here on my computer, and I find finished projects I haven't shared with you!  So here is a little "project pictorial".....

My Christmas ornament for the Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild swap!  I cracked open my Liberty stash for this one, and love how it turned out.  We swapped on Saturday at our Sit and Sew day, and thankfully my recipient said she loved it!

I have had a few last custom orders to get finished before Christmas.  Last week, I managed to get two 241 Totes made - this one is made from some Home Dec fabric I purchased at Spotlight months ago and linen.....

And this one is from some of the delicious Enchino I brought back from Japan, and more linen blend fabric.  I love them both!

Now this little project I made months ago!  And forgot to share!  I wanted to make something for Kate Spain in return for her generosity during the Charm swap/along and also with my Pavement Puddles quilt.  I got all the teeny weeny scraps from my KS wall hanging and just made them work!

On the other side, I paper pieced a K and then free motion quilted the rest of her name.

Teeeeeeny weeeeeeny pieces of yummy fabric scraps!  I think the pouch ended up being around 12" long, so that gives you an idea of how small these are.

I filled it with yummy Aussie sweets and the lovely Quilt Jane hand delivered my present to Kate at Quilt Market for me.  Thanks Jane!

This delightful cushion started off as a bee block.  And went terribly wrong when I trimmed all 27 geese down to size, without realising the tutorial meant finished size PLUS seam allowance.  So I was left with all these yummy geese with nowhere to fly......  Then I read the bio of the November recipient in my Aussie Handmade Birthday Swap and see she loves yellow and orange!  Win win!  So I added some bits of white here and then to make it all fit and symmetrical, and BAM - cushion cover done!

I backed it with this beautiful Flora print!

And yesterday - well, I finished this amazing custom order cushion cover!  The customer requested a horse cushion.  So I searched the interwebs, and given this was for a 10 year old girl, I figured the horse should look as realistic as possible!  I used THIS pattern.

Fast forward to when I cut out all the pieces of pattern and nearly died at what I had in front of me!  But I am SO glad I didn't chicken out and just jumped in.  I am absolutely in love with the finished product and can't wait to send it off to the customer.  I used a multitude of fabrics and pieced and quilted it using 40wt Aurifil threads in brown, turquoise and pink.

And a little Wee Wander for the backing!

Phew.  That's it - for now!

London Calling!

It's finished!  

I feel like this quilt has taken me FOREVER, but in reality, it's just been a process of patience and lots of love.  It all started in April, when it was my turn to be Queen in our paper piecing Wombat Stew bee.  I knew I had lots of quilts to make for 40th birthdays in the coming 12 months, so tried to think of one in particular that could use some paper piecing blocks.  It didn't take me long to propose London themed blocks, and the lovely Kristy designed some amazing patterns for us to use, as well as Alyce designing her own Big Ben block!

 

The finished blocks started arriving and I was gobsmacked at how fabulous they were!  I received seven in total, so then just had to make up the rest myself.  I ended up with 13 paper pieced blocks, and added two fabric blocks to make up the numbers.  The lovely Deborah Gun on Instagram sent me a fat quarter of London subway fabric - it's amazing!  Putting the quilt top together was painstaking......literally, my brain was in pain with all the maths required.  Nine of the blocks were the same size, the others were all over the show!

So I just sat on my loungeroom floor with a calculator, pen and paper, and worked out how big each row of sashing needed to be between every single block, in order to end  up with a balanced quilt top.  I'm incredibly proud of myself for making it work!

 

When it came time to quilt, I really had no idea where to begin.  I threw it open on Instagram for suggestions, and I believe it was Melanie Sim who mentioned cobblestones.......  When I sat down at my first ever Melbourne MQG day, I thought I'd give it a go.  If you ask the ladies I was sitting with how much I enjoyed the pebbling process, I think you would hear a few expletives.  I think in total, the pebbling over the entire quilt top took me about seven hours.  I tried really hard to make the majority of them largish, so as to cut down the time - but really, who was I kidding?!?!?  I am very glad I stuck with it though, because I love the texture and character it has given the quilt.  I used a gorgeous variegated Aurifil thread #4060 - which is creamy/mossy/grey tones.

 

The backing I actually picked up at the beginning of the year!  I was at a Spotlight sale and this Union Jack/British newspaper print was reduced to $3 a metre!  I bought a few metres and stashed it away for the quilt I knew I'd make.  I did THE BEST print joining on the seam - you can't even notice it's two pieces of fabric!

Now - let me just take you through each block, because they're all so special!

 

I knew I had rain drop fabric stashed away for good reason.... Kristy upsized her umbrella pattern for me!

 

Marieka made this super cute Bus!  I free motion quilted the LONDON on!

 

I pulled out my stash of these dots for the Beef Eater, and was able to use the same prints throughout the quilt.  I also use felt for faces in paper piecing - it adds a great texture!

 

Gina sent me my London Bobby!  Isn't he fabulous!?

Alyce's fabulous Big Ben block!  The fussy cutting of the Comma fabric is spot on.

 

I also added the teapot. Another Quiet Play pattern.  It's actually one of my favourites blocks in the quilt.

 

A very simple but great Underground sign.

 

And my London Cab.  I wish I had "London" on fabric to use for the bumper bar, but thought French would work!

 

Kristy made the Guard block, and her fabric choices just make it pop!

 

Jane made the telephone booth and embroidered all the details.  Love it!

 

And Lara's crown block is awesome!

 

When I was one block short, Kristy just "whipped" up this post box block for me - she's amazing!

So - there you have it!  I finished it all off with a lovely navy and white spot for the binding, which I think works beautifully.  I am reallllllly looking forward to handing this over to one of my best friends tonight, she's receiving this as it is being published!

The Stats:

Size:  61" x 44" - Lap Size

Fabrics:  A cast of millions!

Thread: Aurifil #4060 40wt

Batting: Wool/cotton blend - it's fabulous!

Recipient:  Karen - who just happened to live in London up until 18 months ago, when she returned to Melbourne!

I'm linking up - This was ready to post yesterday, but I didn't want the recipient to see!