No Rest For The Wicked!

Last year I joined a quilting bee - the QCA Bee #5 to be exact!  I ummed and ahhed about whether to continue this year.  I was a little disappointed with a couple of the blocks I received for my quilt, however, I really enjoyed getting to know other quilty peeps, and learning new techniques and challenging myself a little.  So I stayed!  Our bee was meant to be starting up again in February, but we had over half the members leave and a whole bunch of newbies join, and everyone keen to begin, so it's already started!

Cue panic stations.  Not from the Queen bee for the month - Lisa - no, even with a newborn baby, she knew exactly which block she would like us to make her and posted the details within 24 hours!  How's that for organised?!!?!?  Her request?  The Stamp Collection block, using THIS tutorial by Oh, Fransson!  After being a little perplexed for a few minutes, I jumped in, went to Lincraft this morning and got interfacing and calico, and began just after lunch today.

Lisa requested red, black and grey for the colour theme, and for it to be predominantly red.  So I pulled all of those from my stash (excluding cutesy prints!) and got cutting.

The tutorial uses a technique I'd never even heard of, let alone tried.  It directs you to use a piece of fabric (I used calico) and draw a 20" x 20" grid, with 2" squares.  You then place a piece of lightweight interfacing over the top of it, and place your 2" squares on top of the grid like above.  And you then take the iron to it!  Now, I didn't think too much about it, and had to iron the fabric on to the interfacing whilst it was all like this on my cutting board!  That was interesting……

Three hours after beginning, I had this divine block!  I was a tad frustrated after sewing the first lot of seams, as it was apparent that it would not end up being 15.5" finished block size as the tutorial states.  I checked and double checked with the tutorial, and it didn't state to use a scant 1/4" seam allowance, but, if I were to do it again - I would!

And this is how ridiculously neat and tidy the back of this block ends up looking!

All in all, this was a really enjoyable block to make!  The cutting of the 100 x 2" squares was a little tedious, but not overly hideous!  I'm really looking forward to seeing the other 11 ladies' blocks!  And I'm contemplating whether I will make this block again!

So there you have it - my first bee block finished for 2014!

I'm linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday - You can too!

The Ring Bearer's Cushion

Today I began and finished the first project for 2014.  It was something I had on my to-do list for quite some time, and given the date it is required for is only a matter of weeks away, I needed to get it ticked off!  Success....

My youngest brother-in-law and his gorgeous fiance are to be married in February, and our three youngest children will be in the bridal party.  Cadyn is the ring bearer, and needs a ring cushion.  So, naturally, I asked if they would like me to make one?  This is the result....

Jason & Jamie are getting married down at the beach in Lorne, so the colour scheme is perfect.  I pulled out my three favourite turquoise prints and paper pieced three little love hearts using THIS pattern by Quiet Play.  That gave me an 8" block, so I then added a few more inches around to make it up to the 14" cushion insert - the smallest I could find!  The quilting was an easy choice - lots of little free motioned pebbles.  I also outlined the lettering with some free motioned love hearts.  It looks really sweet close up, as the hearts pop out!  I used Aurifil #2024 50wt to both piece and quilt the cushion.

The back is a simple hidden zipper finish.

I had pinned a bunch of ring cushions, but really didn't know which direction to take.  I liked the look of stamped lettering, and as luck would have it, I bought myself some divine little alphabet stamps just before Christmas.  The next task was finding some fabric ink - not easy.  I ended up making a trip to Riot Art & Craft and buying some matte fabric paint and a fine brush.  I lightly brushed the stamp with paint - just the letter not the surround - and very carefully stamped it on to the fabric.  I did a practice run first, but was still terrified of stamping the finished block!  It actually turned out pretty much perfect!  It only occurred to me part way through that I didn't actually have numeral stamps - so I had to wing it!

All it needs now is some ribbon to tie the rings on.  I'm sooooo happy with how it turned out, and hope they will be too!

I'm linking up with T.G.I.F.F. over at Quokka Quilts  & Crazy Mom Quilts - You can too!

New Year - New W.I.P's!

Happy New Year!  I hope you spent it with family and friends wherever you were!  We braved the trains and crowds, and headed in to the city for the early fireworks - and it was well worth it! 

 

'Twas a bit sunny at first!

 

The gathering was held on the grounds outside the MCG - perfect slopes for child rolling!

 

And the wait for the toilet line was far longer than the ten minutes of fireworks!  But it was fantastic!  Our three youngest kids really hadn't seen anything like it before - we are so glad we took them!

Now - on to quilty things….  What is a new year without new projects?  Nothing.  Well ok, life would still be alright, but you know…..

I asked you all a few weeks ago which direction I should take with my next quilt?  Which fabric collection should I go with?  Well, it was decided by both the majority of you and myself to go with Waterfront Park.  BUT - I then spent a ridiculous amount of time trawling Pinterest and Google for design ideas.  And was getting incredibly frustrated.  So I took a break from it all the other day, and in my desperation for something to sew, I pulled out my Fat Quarter Shop Designer block of the month packs.  I signed up at the start of 2013, and have received six or seven deliveries now, but was a little underwhelmed by the first month's block.  So the little packs have been put on the shelf each month…..  Until a few days ago.

 

I pulled out the one designed by Camille Roskelley and Bonnie Cottonway.  Love it!

 

So then I grabbed the next one designed by Kate Spain.  No words required.  But in Kate's words, who saw this on my IG - "whirly swirly awesomeness!"  I concur.

Anyway…….it lit the fire to get my Waterfront Park quilt started, so I headed back upstairs to the computer and googled for another hour or so.  And found THIS.  I'd been debating between star or cross blocks - this combines both!  BINGO!  I ran straight downstairs and starting chopping!

 

And this was the first block I fell in love with!  LOVE!

So they very quickly began to multiply…….  And today, I have cut out another seven blocks.  They are only 10" blocks, so it could do my head in by the end, but hey - when you love something……

So there you go!  My first project/s for 2014…….  

I'm linking up (if Lee is hosting!) to W.I.P. Wednesday - You can too!

2013 - The Year That Was....

In one word - exhausting.

If I were to look back at 2013, I would tell you that I got through it.  I landed on my feet - opposed to curling up in a ball.  So I guess I would call it a success?

On the creative side of life, it couldn't have been a better year!  I finished my 20th quilt for the year last weekend, and happily handed it over to my husband's cousin, for the new little man in her life - baby Archie.  And I have to say - the satisfaction that I receive when I've finished a quilt and am able to gift it to someone is unbelievably wonderful!  It adds to the enjoyment of the making.

I somehow managed to make the ever popular Swoon quilt too..... Which to my utter astonishment has had over 7500 view on Flickr after being picked up by Explore!  It seems people like a random photo with a cat!

I took my paper-piecing addiction to an all new high, by making this fairytales wall hanging....

I've made a gazillion cushions this year.  Plenty for gifts and plenty for a consignment that headed over to a homewares shop in Bali.  Happy to say they all sold!

There's been Bee Blocks.....

And assorted other projects....

And amongst all of the quilty things I've made for myself and others - I've made plenty of little people's clothing for customers (and my kids!).....

I think it's fair to say I spent a fair bit of my year behind my Bernina.

And on a personal note..... I think I've achieved a hell of a lot....

I've watched those four kiddos of mine grow like weeds.  Apparently I now have a man for a son.  My bestest friend moved back to Australia after 15 years in London, and I've been blessed to be a part of her two little girl's lives.  I've won fabric!  I bought a big kick-ass camera and am loving taking photos.  I've made cakes.  Lots of them.  I've spent countless days and nights with close friends.  I've learnt to quilt - properly!  I learnt to paper-piece, and became addicted.  I've bought a shit load of fabric.  I participated in my first ever crafty swap/secret santa.  I participated in my first ever quilt-along.  I went overseas with my husband for the first time.  I hosted my first ever blog hop.  And I survived Christmas!

I've had some pretty shitty times this year also.  I've watched my sister kick an almost 30 year habit and have been by her side to deal with the ramifications.  I've learnt more about mental illness, but feel like I will never, ever understand.  I've watched my teenage son become a man, and helped him through what could have turned out to be an absolute disastrous situation.  I've gotten along with his father - mostly.  I've seen families torn through in-fighting and poor decisions.  And I've been sadly reminded that life is too short for some, and to never, ever take the ones I love for granted.

2014 is shaping up to be a fabulous year.  Today is my tenth wedding anniversary!  In a few week's time, my youngest will be heading off to school, and for the first time in 15 years, I will have no children at home.  I am planning on working less weekends, and working more weekdays.  I am planning on diving in the deep end and pushing forward with some business dreams I have held for far too long.  But most of all - I am planning on continuing to see the great things in life and not focusing on the crappy ones!

So after that long, drawn out recap of this year - I wish you all a wonderful and happy new year!  May it be fun, filled with love and laughter.  I thank you all for coming to visit me here in my happy place, and look forward to sharing my trials and tribulations with you all again in 2014.  And a very special shout out to the wonderful group of friends I have made through quilting.  You have all become such an integral part of my daily life, and I love you dearly.

Love,

Midge

xxx

In The Right Direction - A Quilt

I am very happy to say I've just finished another quilt!  Unlike a lot of my projects, which are done and dusted within a week or so, this darling quilt was a long time in thinking before even being made.  And once I started it, took a couple of months.  BUT it's finished!  So without further ado, may I present "In The Right Direction"......

This project started out with the aim of being a queen size quilt, but changed to throw size part way through due to the fact I knew I wouldn't be able to afford to have it sent off to be quilted!  AND I came up with a plan for how I wanted to quilt it myself.  The lovely Kristy @ Quiet Play had altered her paper pieced Winterbound pattern for me, upsizing it for the queen size, hence my blocks are bigger than her original.

The design for the quilting came during the putting together of blocks.  I made an off centre arrow, on a similar angle to the blocks, using some sticky tape.  And once I was ready to quilt it, thought I was completely bonkers and was so completely worried about stuffing it up!  But I'm happy to report that it was relatively easy to conquer.  I just attached the silver bar thingamajig to my walking foot, so as to get even spacing between the straight lines, and off I went.  I used my trusty Aurifil #2024 to paper piece and quilt this beauty!

I intentionally bought a cream coloured Homespun for this quilt.  I think it works beautifully with the tones in the Dear Stella "Cleo" fabric collection.

The backing fabric is from the same range, and was chosen obviously for its same arrowed effect!  I absolutely adore it!

The stats:  Measures 57" x 63"

Fabric: Cleo by Dear Stella & Homespun

Thread: Aurifil #2024

Quilting: Straight line quilted by Me on my Bernina 430

This makes my 16th quilt finish for 2013!  It is a very special gift for a very special someone, and I can't wait to hand it over!

P.S. - Sunday is usually all about my stash, but I've been a very good girl.  Please pop over and see the lovely Fiona @ Finding Fifth today - it's her last post before she hands over the reigns to Molli Sparkles! xxx

The "For Pleat's Sake" Bag - Tips & Zippered Pocket Tutorial.

Thank you so much to everyone for your lovely comments on my Secret Santa gift reveal!  It killed me to keep it a secret for so long!  As promised, I've put together some tips for sewing it together, sort of like a review I guess!  I've also done a little tutorial on how to put a zippered pocket in.  So brace yourself for lots of photos…..

First things first - You can find the tutorial for this bag HERE.  It really is quite a simple bag to make, once you wrap your head around it!  To be perfectly honest, it took me many hours to get past the first step of getting the pleats done. And I ended up doing it differently to the tutorial, because the measurements just weren't adding up.  Now whether that is because of my lack of mathematical genius, or whether the measurements really just weren't right - You can be the judge of that!  I found the photos and measurements really hard to work out.  So this is what I did (after many times of measuring, pinning, un-pinning, re-measuring etc etc)…...

I ended up going with five pleats instead of six.  I measured the middle point of the bag pieces, and then measured 1/2" for each of the pleats.

This is how I do my pleats.  Clockwise L-R:  Find the middle point and pin.  Fold the fabric over right sides together with the pin being at the fold.  Pin the measurement for the pleat, in this case 1/2".  Fold the fabric back over to show the right side and pin the pleat down.

I then press the pleats well and depending how big they are, I will sometimes pin them further down the pleat also.  I followed the other measurements in the tutorial to a tee, in terms of how far down to sew them etc.  Because my pleats were different measurements, it altered the bag measurements when finished - but it was only by a little!

NOW - moving on to another little tip that I like to see visually…..

The tutorial gives good instructions on how to make a flat bottom for the bag, however, one thing I wanted to see, was this.  I find it quite fiddly to match up the seams, but if you can peek inside the bag and visually match up the seams, and run your finger along it, you can pin it on the outside to ensure it's still matching!

And pin that sucker down ready for measuring, sewing and then cutting.

PUTTING IN A ZIPPERED POCKET - I'm not re-inventing the wheel here, in fact, I used a tutorial from the pattern I bought to make my camera bag, which you can find HERE.  The one difference is that this time I used a decorative zipper…..

So once I'd sewn the pleats in to my bag panels, I then set about putting the pocket in.  First thing to do was find another co-ordinating fabric and cut it to size - I cut it 12" x 16".  My zip is 9" long. (I had to cut a second piece of fabric as the one pictured above wasn't wide enough!)

On the wrong side of the zipper pocket, I measured down 9" and marked a line, then another line 1/2" under that.  Then measure 1" in on either side and mark the lines to make a long rectangle.

Place your pocket fabric right side facing down on to the bag panel, centre it.  Also measure approximately 1 1/2" down from the top to where your top line will sit.

Pin in place.

Now you sew over the long rectangle that has been marked, making sure to backstitch at both the beginning and end.

Mark a line through the centre of your rectangle, and two diagonal lines like above.

And using sharp scissors, cut along those lines - being very careful not the cut the stitching.

You then need to pull the pocket fabric through the hole to the other side.

Giving you a neat opening.  Press firmly and neatly.

You then take your zip and place it over the top of the opening, pinning in place.  Sew around the zipper, making sure to catch the fabric underneath…..

And sewing over both ends of the zip.  If you're not using a decorative zip, you just need to sew the zip to the other side of the pocket, with the zip showing through.

Lastly, you bring the pocket fabric right sides together and sew all the way around, creating the pocket. (You don't sew the pocket on to the bag panel!) This will now sit in between the outer bag and lining.

And one last little tip for the construction of this bag.  And I am finding it very difficult to articulate this!  When it comes to sewing the lining and bag together, I had to unpick the side sections a couple of times and come up with a different way to do it.  Once again, I think more photos would have helped.

To start it off, you need to line up the V sections at the side.  But because of the bulkiness of it, it wouldn't turn through nicely for me, which was frustrating!

So I had to start off the stitching here a little differently.  I actually sewed straight across about half an inch at this section.

Like this.  And then line up the rest of the bag as per the tutorial and sew all the way around, just leaving the opening at the bottom.  I found it turned out relatively neatly this way!

^^^^^^^^^^  For those sections up there at the sides ^^^^^^^^^

And just because the tutorial doesn't mention this, to close up the opening on the bottom of the lining, just tuck the seam allowance inside and press….

Then sew along the bottom of the lining around 1/4" in.  This makes for a nice neat finish on the inside of your bag!

The tutorial also only calls for you to top stitch around the sides of the bag, however I chose to top stitch around the top also.

One last thing.  The bag handles.  The tutorial suggests where to buy them, but they are UK based.  I found some HERE on Etsy, shipped from Asia, and they are fab.  Not leather, but a great finish!

And there you have it!  I really do hope that all of this makes sense, and is helpful is you choose to make yourself one of these fabulous bags!  I have put one on my to do list - for myself!