Playing With Rainbows.
Posted on November 29, 2024 | 8 Comments
Sewing has taken a back seat for a month or more with other activities taking over.
However, I had completed this quilt top which went off to my LAQ. It came back last week and I could not resist getting the binding stitched down.
It is a simple brick design. This one is called Zip It by Emma Jean Jansen. It uses blocks to follow the rainbow colour pattern.
If you follow the rows going down then up, it is making its way through the colour wheel (twice).
As always, there was a breeze blowing as I was taking photos, but I managed to almost catch it hanging still.
There are 209 different fabrics used in the quilt, so a friend and I hit on the idea of sharing our resources. We have similar tastes but do collect a lot of different fabric lines. We each cut 5inch squares of as many fabrics that we thought would suit this quilt, then swapped with each other. Each square is cut in half to be used twice in the quilt. The colour pattern repeats a second time.
It was sometimes tricky working with the colour variations, but worth the time.
I had a bit of luck with the backing. At a recent sale I had purchased an end of bolt piece, and it measured one inch longer than what I needed for the backing. Whew!
I had another piece from the same range that I could use in the binding.
The quilting pattern chosen resembled echo waves. There were so many straight lines in the quilt that I felt it needed curves in the quilting.
It feels good to have a quilt finish in the middle of all the hustle and bustle leading to Christmas.
I am still enjoying all the plants growing so well in their pots this year. This time it is the hydrangeas that seem to be starring. I like growing them in pots so that I can enjoy the different colours.
It is hard to think that it is December on Sunday. But time always seems to speed up at this time of the year. I am looking forward to a few Christmas get togethers with friends before the big day. Hope you have some good plans, too.
Cheers, Karen
Using Up Bits And Pieces.
Posted on November 7, 2024 | 6 Comments
I have had some family requests for Christmas quilts using particular fabrics. But I only had bits and pieces of each one left. So I had to play around a bit with a simple design so I could use what I had. The end result was two similar, but not the same, throw quilts.
There are three different fabrics in the range that I have used – framed snowmen, tossed snowmen and stripes of snowmen.
Once I had put them them together I had to find a suitable backing for each one.
I found fabric with ornaments.
And Christmas themed rows.
It was a bit of a juggle, but I managed to get there.
I have also been working on a selection of little pumpkin pin cushions . I have used wool from a range of pieces picked up in many places. They are for a group swap.
There are still a few more gifts to work on, so fingers crossed.
The garden continues to thrive and I was enjoying the vibrant colour in this miniature hydrangea this week.
And this photo is for Marina. I have been discussing growing iris after she had posted a picture of her beautiful flowers. I was lamenting that mine don’t want to grow here. I have had these bulbs in a pot for several years with no luck, but this week I was totally surprised to see a bud ready to open. And here is the result.
It is only the one bulb flowering, but that is better than none. Yay!
We are loving our warm Spring days. Hope all is going well at your place, too.
Cheers, Karen
Making Progress.
Posted on October 20, 2024 | 9 Comments
Little by little, progress is being made on a variety of projects. I had a little mini panic the other day when I realised how close Christmas was. So I got stuck into a few Christmas plans.
These are small ornaments from Marg Low’s range.
These Santa sack decorations are about 3 inches high. And the stocking are about the same.
Even though we are heading into Summer, I am busy knitting a jumper for our granddaughter. I will make it in a larger size so it fits for next Winter. I am using an 8 ply wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills.
I found this fabric on a recent trip. No plans what to do with it, but couldn’t resist the Aussie birds.
Two more houses for my Sue Spargo quilt. Only 4 of the small ones left to go.
I lost track of the number of drizzle stitches in the tree.
I don’t normally promote things, but I will today. I bought a light tracing pad from Aldi. It was A3 and cost just under $40. I remember buying my A4 one a few years ago and it was nearly $100. They have sure come down in price. And the new one works really well.
I have been experimenting with growing plants in old cane baskets. Some things work and others don’t, but I will keep at it. Here is a small success. Poppies.
They look stunning but don’t last long.
It has been a perfect weekend in the garden. Hope you enjoyed yours.
Cheers, Karen
Steady Progress On Small Items.
Posted on October 6, 2024 | 10 Comments
After the quilt marathon it has been good to get back to some smaller projects.
I have managed to complete another four of the houses from Homegrown.
Mine are not always true to the original design. I have added different colours and fabrics, sometimes different stitches and even a ribbon or two. But the essential design is still there.
I have also made some progress on my giraffe embroidery. Slow and steady with this one.
Obviously still a long way to go.
Spring is a delightful time in the garden when the sun is shining.
The dark coloured orchids bloomed in July and August and now the lighter coloured ones are opening.
Some granny bonnets or aquilegias are opening.
And there are even a few sweet peas flowering. I planted these miniature ones in a hanging pot.
School heads back tomorrow so a lot of our normal routines will return. I have enjoyed the quieter week or two.
Cheers, Karen
Donation Marathon.
Posted on September 27, 2024 | 7 Comments
I have reached the end of my quilting marathon for donation quilts. I will be delivering them in the next fortnight so they can either be distributed or used for Christmas parcels.
I seem to choose windy days for photos, But I think I managed to catch most of the quilts with only a little movement.
The first one is a Strippie quilt using a design from MaryQuilts .https://blog.maryquilts.com/
I had lot of yardage of the Cat/Hat fabric, so used it as a backing as well. There was a red grunge in the stripes and a red/white stripe for the binding.
I was given two fairy panels. I managed some different borders for each one.
I found some different greens for the backings and some purple bindings.
This next panel came from a fabric pack I purchased a year or two back. I have recently cut out the fabric, ready to make a quilt top. But I had no plans for the panel, so it joined the donation pile. The fabric is Mint Crush by Lisa Audit.
I found some Nancy Halverstone in my stash that matched well for the borders. And then a large floral print for the backing.
It was finished off with a pink binding.
The last two are very simple panels in flannel. No extra borders, just as is.
I used the same backing for each of them.
This is the other flannel quilt. (There are actually two identical ones, so no need to show both.)
These also have the hot air balloon backing like the ballerinas.
All in all, with others made earlier in the year, it looks like I have 16 quilts to donate. I am very pleased to have used up a lot of my stash that would otherwise be collecting dust.
Spring is well and truly here with blossoms and breezes. My lawn again looks like confetti from a wedding.
We have an extra holiday, today, so a long weekend. And it looks like some sunshine, too.
Cheers, Karen.
Seeing Double.
Posted on September 20, 2024 | 6 Comments
Two identical quilts! Almost.
These quilts are single bed size and are part of a donation quilt marathon I am working on. I wanted to get a few quilts made so they can be given as Christmas gifts. I have been helped out by a few people with donations of wadding. I have plenty of fabrics to make tops and backing, but not a lot of wadding, so that was a bonus. I did, however, get given some panels, so started on those first. I only had to add the two blue and one white border to get to the right size.
I am well under way and have another six quilts quilted but waiting for binding.
These two unicorn quilts are also identical on the back.
They do differ slightly with their binding.
One of the things I have been asked to do with these quilts is to totally machine stitch the binding. This is to ensure that they can stand up to all types of use and washing. I normally machine stitch the binding to the front and then hand stitch the back. So I needed to do some research and some test runs on machine stitching both sides.
Making a great colour match with thread seemed to be top of the list. I agree. However, opinions varied between then straight or zig zag stitching on the front. I tried straight stitching and that was a disaster. Couldn’t keep it straight to save myself. I tried a very small zig zag and was happy with the result. I still have to do a lot more to make it invisible, but I was reasonably happy with the end result. Results in the photo above.
I am now ready to finish the others.
As a little distraction I worked on the next Fig’n’Berry ornament to arrive.
Crazy to think I am half way through them.
Okay, that’s all for this post.
Have a great weekend. Cheers, Karen
More Little bits.
Posted on September 14, 2024 | 5 Comments
September is strange. The trees are in blossom and the hail is falling. That’s Spring in Melbourne.
No such problems with the Sue Spargo houses. Sunshine all the way there. Here is the next installment of eight blocks.
I am pleased to be making progress on these as they have been waiting far too long.
Another finish made with lovely wools are these tag decorations.
Couldn’t resist when I saw this pattern at the recent craft show. I bought them through Winterwood Felt and Craft Supplies. I think a few more sets of these will be required.
I am getting out in the garden on the sunny days and the orchids and azaleas are looking wonderful.
Looking forward to the rest of the weekend. Enjoy yours.
Cheers, Karen
Little Things.
Posted on September 7, 2024 | 5 Comments
Our weather continues to cause a lot of problems. I think the only thing we have missed out on is snow, though we did have hail. But in the middle of it all, we had a gorgeous rainbow. And a gorgeous blue sky. We spotted this when out driving.
I have been finishing off a few little embroideries. I am never quite sure what to do them sometimes. I don’t necessarily want to make a quilt, so an easy solution is to turn them into hooped decorations. I have a spot above the sliding glass doors that is the right size for these to hang. I think I have a dozen at least up there and am running out of room.
The bear is a Bunny Hill design.
The stockings and tree are a Marg Low design.
This is a very old Santa design and I think it may be one from Christine Book, but I could be very wrong.
Keeping with the decoration theme, here are two Fig n Berry ornies.
These little felt pieces are part of an ornament a month club. They arrive in the mail each month for six months. There is another one due any day now!
It almost looks like I am getting ready for Christmas. Not quite ready for that.
Have a lovely weekend.
Cheers, Karen
Windy Weather.
Posted on August 30, 2024 | 7 Comments
Our days are warming but with that we seem to be having a lot of windy days. It has been quite destructive in some areas. The wind was very strong earlier in the week, eased off, and then returned last night. I spent a large part of the morning cleaning up my front yard which was full of rubbish from neighbour’s bins. When I headed out to an appointment I found a large part of the road blocked by a fallen tree. Spring starts tomorrow – let’s see what that brings.
In amongst all that I managed to take photos of a small quilt finish. The wind was still blowing, but a quick photo in the lull seemed to work.
On a recent visit to my sister in law, I was able to help her make a baby quilt for a friend. She then gave me all the left over giraffe fabric. So, obviously, I turned it into a donation quilt. Too cute to waste! And a good size, too.
To add some interest, I embroidered around a couple of the giraffes.
I found a suitable backing.
And a bright green binding.
It was lovely to complete this from my stash.
A week or so back I attended a workshop to make a collection of small bags using the waterproof Splash fabric.
All four bags were made in the one session using only two fat quarters of the fabric. I had not used this before, and found it very easy to work with. So much so that I have started making a few more.
That’s my catch up for now. Enjoy the weekend.
Cheers, Karen
Something Different.
Posted on August 23, 2024 | 9 Comments
These quilts are quite different to the ones I usually make. They came about due to a family request. We were recently visiting the US and my son came with me to a quilt store. He took a shine to one of the patterns and asked me to make it – twice. So we bought the fabric and home it came with me. Quilts are now made and ready to post.
Those of you who are eagle eyed will notice that the colours have been reversed. They are a mixture of grunge and solid fabrics. My son has a space on his office wall all measured up and ready for these. They measure 40 X 40 inches.
I had a lot of fabric left over so decided to piece it to make the backing. And then rotated one 90 degrees just to create a little interest.
The pattern is called Riding Mountain and is by The Blanket Statement. I kept to straight line quilting, the same as the pattern.
Winter is coming to an end so it is a good thing that I have also finished my scarf/shawl.
This one is a Patons pattern and is called a Crescent Shawl. It is made with Sierra 8ply.
A repetitive stitch that created an interesting effect.
It was finished with a simple picot edging.
And something sweet to end the post – some bouquets.
An orchid bouquet and a shortbread bouquet.
Enjoy your weekend. Cheers, Karen.
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