Twisting Away.
Posted on October 13, 2012 | 16 Comments
I have managed a finish on my Twister quilt. It has a bright, summery feel about it and adds a bit of colour to the day.
The fabrics in the quilt are a combination of Going Coastal and Tidbits and Treasures.
Being such a busy quilt it really only needed outline quilting. I secured the blocks with stitch in the ditch and then simply stitched a half inch inside each shape.
I did straight line stitching in the border and completed the quilt with red binding.
And just to keep the seaside and Summer feel, the quilt has a crab backing.
This has definitely been a fun quilt to make and I am sure I will have to make another.
All Sorts.
Posted on October 9, 2012 | 13 Comments
The nearby city of Melbourne is well known for its changeable weather. This Spring has certainly been one of extremes. Three days ago it was bitterly cold and snow was forecast for some of the mountain areas. Today has glorious sunshine, blue sky and a gentle breeze. No getting bored with the weather here.
But the best part is being able to take photos outside in natural light. Can’t beat it.
During the recent school holidays I participated in a bag making workshop. It was a delightful and easy bag to make.
It has a drawstring top to hide the inside goodies. What’s great about attending a workshop is seeing all the different fabric combinations used by all the participants. It looked great made in one, two and three colour combinations.
Because many of us finished the bag early we had time to make this cute little gift pouch, too, from our left-over fabrics.
A few more cards have been made. They are similar to the ones I made last week but I have played with colour variations. I often choose not to add a sentiment to my cards until I know what I am using them for. That way I can make a general card design that is appropriate for a range of occasions.
I am not the only one who has been busy creating. Hubby has been busy knitting away again. This time he has made a small blanket using finely spun wool for our grandson. This will keep him snug and warm.
I am planning to spend time in the garden this afternoon while the sun is shining, because who knows what it will be like tomorrow!
Enjoy your day.
Little Stitching Finishes.
Posted on October 5, 2012 | 9 Comments
I have been enjoying working on some of Lynette Anderson’s small projects.
The first one is a pin cushion made from the pattern, Garden Pincushions.
I used a Cottage Garden Perle 12 thread called Oxalis for the stitching. This went together very quickly and is finished off with the gorgeous button that came with the pattern.
The next is a little 12 X 12 block using some designs from the book, Stitch It For Christmas.
Again, I have used Cottage Garden Threads and the fabric is also part of Lynette Anderson’s Christmas range.
I have been enjoying working with some smaller projects and being able to finish them quickly.
Hopefully there will be more stitching to follow on the weekend. Have a good one.
Snow Mates.
Posted on September 30, 2012 | 11 Comments
I have completed the little wall hanging that was well under way last week. It has grown from this…
To this ………
I had wanted to play with different colours to see how they worked.
The original has been done with white ribbons for the snowmen on a natural linen. That one is now at the LQS (Sewing Connection) as a sample, along with the patterns for the project.
The only thing I am missing for the blue snow-mates is a little bird button. I will have to track down another one of these.
I have really enjoyed the huge selection of ribbons available to make these, but have struggled to find a reasonable selection of white buttons. The majority of small white buttons are mostly the transparent type. I am after the solid colour that really does look white. That search will have to continue.
The Snow-mates pattern has used a lot of the techniques from the Ribbon Tree pattern from last year.
And of course I had to play with different colours for that one, too.
There are now ideas running around inside my head about some small decorations using the ribbons. I will let you know if they work and will be happy to share them.
Snowflakes.
Posted on September 28, 2012 | 9 Comments
Snowflakes in September! I shouldn’t joke about that. The way our weather is here, anything is possible, even though it is Spring.
My snowflakes refer to the felt ornaments I have been making. The first group are made using a mitten shape from one of the patterns from Rachel’s Of Greenfield.
I have than added my own touch. I have use a Stampin’Up die to cut the snowflakes using the Sissix. A little bit of embroidery has been added using the pattern ideas.
Once the idea of cutting the snowflakes had worked I decided to work on some more decoration ideas I had seen on Pinterest. I made a star template and also used the snowflake die cuts again. Same idea with a little embroidery and lots of buttons. I started with the red felt then started to play with the pink and the lavender.
I enjoy working with felt and it is always good to have a hand sewing project like this on hand.
Just a quick note on cutting the snowflakes with the die – I found that it worked best when I ironed vliesofix onto the felt first. I also ran the die through the machine twice for each flake.
If anyone has tips on better ways to cut the felt using the dies I am interested to hear about it.
Paper And Pins.
Posted on September 24, 2012 | 6 Comments
I have hardly had a chance to play with paper these last few months, so it has been great to get a few cards made. I really do need to get some scrap-booking done as the photos for this year are piling up. And I also need to think about getting some ideas for Christmas cards.
So far all I have done is a couple of cards for birthdays.
The pins part of the heading refers to me playing with ribbons. I have already made a couple of little wall hangings and decided to change the colours for this one. It should be ready to show in a couple pf days.
Not hard to work out, is it?
Playing With More Felt.
Posted on September 12, 2012 | 9 Comments
My little felt snowmen are completed. They are all stitched, filled and decorated. I even remembered to add a hanging thread.
I hope to make another batch of these, but am happy with this lot for now.
These are from a pattern and kit by Rachel’s of Greenfield, called Snow Folk.
I have another kit from the same company. This one has little gift envelopes.
They are a suitable size for gift cards.
Spring has gently eased its way in. The days are finally warmer and even though we are having extremely windy days, it has been a pleasure to be in the garden.
Can’t resist when there are lovely flowers around.
Favourite Colours – Red And White!
Posted on August 30, 2012 | 8 Comments
I have gone back to playing with my favourite combination of red and white.
I received some gorgeous blocks stitched by the amazing Pauline – Quilt-n-Queen. Pauline does the most beautiful stitching. I wanted to use the blocks in a quilt and make sure they were the focal point and not have the piecing take over. I ended up making very simple hourglass blocks in red and white, then alternating them with the stitcheries.
I hope to be doing the quilting on this top in the next few weeks. Pauline has chosen blocks that are appropriate to my state and I do love the selection.
But there is one block that is not on the front. I have saved that for a label on the back, and that seems appropriate because this building was always found out the back. :)
Thank you, Pauline, for your generosity.
A Top Completed.
Posted on August 28, 2012 | 11 Comments
After many months of cutting and juggling blocks, it is lovely to see this quilt top completed with all borders attached.
I have really struggled with photos over the last few days with the overcast and windy weather. Thankfully the frame stayed upright long enough to snap this pic.
I still am fascinated with the kaleidoscope process that created this quilt from just the one fabric. The border shows how the fabric looked before it was cut up into these little squares, then rearranged and sewn into blocks.
I am also pleased that there has been very little wastage. I barely have a fat quarter left.
Now to think about plans for quilting.
Block Work.
Posted on August 20, 2012 | 10 Comments
I really enjoy the way some blocks can be made in such a simple way to give quite a striking result.
I wanted to make these ????? blocks and saw that they were made quite simply using jelly roll strips. They are normally cut using a 90 degree triangle template, but I didn’t have one of those so I used my 6 1/2 inch square. It has a diagonal line across it that can be lined up with the edge of the jelly roll strip. Then it is just a case of alternating the template to cut the triangles.
Once they are cut it is easy to arrange each group of four into a block. I have found that I can cut 8 triangles from a jelly roll strip, so therefore can make 2 full blocks from each strip combination.
Here’s a different one sewn together but not trimmed up yet.
The fabric range is Sleepytime by Moda. I am looking forward to seeing how all these blocks look when they are together.
I have also been preparing a few felt decorations for that merry time at the end of the year. These are now ready for a little bit of hand stitching.
I think that jolly time at the end of the year is going to sneak up very quickly now.
Have a great week.
SEARCH THIS BLOG
AWARD FREE
Recent Posts
Translate
Quilting Gallery
