Steady Progress On Small Items.
Posted on October 6, 2024 | 7 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.
A Cast Of Hundreds.
Posted on July 26, 2024 | 7 Comments
Yes, hundreds, but not thousands. I have been collecting fabrics for this quilt for several years. Mostly my fabrics but also some from nearby friends and also bloggy friends. ( See if you can find yours, Susan.)
I started out thinking I would make a low volume quilt and started collecting and cutting my 3 1/2 squares and put them into a box.
But then I added more that were a novelty value.
There were more that fit into the I-Spy category.
And so in the end it grew into a collection of squares.
So it goes to show that I can’t stick to low volume, even if I tried.
I backed the quilt with text fabric, then used a stripe for the binding.
I quilted in straight lines making a chevron pattern starting at each side and returning from the centre. I quite like the result where no quilting lines cross.
The end result is using hundreds of different fabrics in one quilt. A lot of cutting but worth the effort.
It ended up at 60 X 60 inches.
Cheers, Karen
Using What’s There.
Posted on July 22, 2024 | 8 Comments
I have been looking through all my supplies and trying to use up fabrics. I made a quilt many years back with charm squares in a blue Christmas theme. I kept the ones not used at the time and recently found them again. I had plenty of blue themed fabric that could be added and so a donation quilt was created.
The photo makes it look like a lot of basic blue squares, but they really are Christmas themed.
I had a fun piece for the backing. Not Christmas themed but it suited the piece.
I added a couple of small borders and then a navy binding.
I am pleased it turned out okay. And an early Christmas finish.
We spent a few days away over the weekend. Bendigo to start with and a trip to the Woollen Mills for yarn.
Then off to the showgrounds the next day for the Wool and Sheep Show. So much to see! My hubby bought several fleeces for spinning. We found a few new ( to us ) sheep breeds for fleece, so they were worth a try. Some were from Sweden and the other from Finland. But we also stuck with the merino blends.
As always, we enjoyed watching the sheep dog trials.
Next we headed to Ballarat for some time with family. Ballarat turned on its typical cold Winter weather for us. Luckily we were prepared and their home had wonderful wood fired heating. Bliss!
Back home now and looking at what to knit next.
Cheers, Karen
Keeping Warm And Busy.
Posted on July 12, 2024 | 7 Comments
I have been outside keeping busy in the garden. I have been covering some of the plants as there is a frost predicted for tonight. It may not keep the plants warm, but it should prevent frost damage. Even with gloves on, my fingers noticed the chill.
I had a little celebration this week as I finally have my machine back home after nearly 10 months. One of the computer boards failed and it was impossible to get the part. After 7 months one arrived – and guess what? It was faulty! The company acknowledged they had a faulty batch, but still sent them. So we waited again. Finally, a good part and a fix. Lovely to have it back.
This is a sweet little stitchery that only took a couple of nights to complete, worked in variegated threads.
The pattern is Wee Gatherers by My Willow Designs.
I have been working away on my knitted scarf. It is a triangular design that starts off small then widens as it grows.
Even though I am up to the last 6 rows, it will probably take me just as long as the rest of the scarf, due the the increase in stitches.
I have also been working away on my collection of donation quilts. For these two I found a collection of charm squares left over from long gone projects. I was able to pair them up with other fabrics and the result was two baby quilts or floor quilts.
A little cat applique (from Red Boot Quilt Co. ) finished it off.
And this was the backing.
The elephant applique for this one is from Jenny of Elefantz.
And the backing was in pink.
I have had some blog hiccups with photos, but hopefully that is sorted. This post will let me know one way or the other.
Enjoy your weekend.
Cheers, Karen
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