Hi...thought I would change the Header to something more quilty.

This is my quilt called Andrea's Rainbows, completed in 2003.Amazingly  it won a first in an AP&Q Jinny Beyer fabric competition.  It toured Australia for a year before I it got back. It is named for Andrea,  as of course I started it long before it was finished and when she was small. She watched me cutting the small 'petal's' out and we talked about her rainbows.

 It now graces our Guest bedroom.

It is made Quilt As You Go, and is all hand quilted, The blocks have been joined together by machine.  The back of the quilt is joined in strips of  the complete Jinny Beyer Pallette Collection - in order, and the  the flying geese border is also in order.

I used a dark green cotton for the quilting for the main area of the quilt and the plain black blocks are quilted with hand dyed cotton made by my good friend Liz..

Without Liz this quilt would not have started - or been completed!

Liz has been my mentor and teacher from the start, and without her I would not have begun this wonderful journey!

I may put up more of my other quilts later.

The photos were taken this morning in our garden, and as you can see by the tree - Autum is on its way, and the weather is becoming cooler.

Getting there.

Making lots of mistakes - but getting there slowly.

I am so pleased this is not a large quilt!

View of the sunset from our Patio, a couple of evenings ago, just outside my studio.

Perth had a really huge storm at this time - we are nearly 200Kms South - thankfully

         Yesterdays trial work.

Having problems with tension for the silk thread on top...can only actually see what I am doing if I use a distinctive thread...so I may now change to a mustard cotton thread and have another go today. ...on the real one!

Maybe.

As I have been tidying up my studio and stash/craft room, I have found projects I have not completed, so I thought I may be able to get some more machine practice in and complete some.

The first is a Jinny Beyer quilt from about 2 years ago. 

Trying to work out a design.

Preparing the quilt.

Trying to work out if the designs are suitable.

Looking at the quilt, I think maybe it would be better to quilt round the squares like a Diane-shiko design, as I may be going over too much of the actual quilt seams...then again maybe the squares are too big for that.

I can also see in one of the square designs I did that I have the pattern incorrectly drawn, as the feathers were meant to go in one direction and I have got them facing each other.

At this stage I am unsure how I will put the patterns on the quilt and may need to do this with the pounce pad.....decisions.  In the mean time I will keep pinning

Feel free to comment on what you think of the designs - or not.

Andrea is home from school with another migraine and sleeping at present.

She made it for 3 hours of school.

This photo of her machine quilting yeaterday with a bit more light to see our view....

and the cover on our frog pond

Thanks for 'listening' to my thoughts

From this corner you can see where my computer and Printer are where I work out and print my Inklingo pieces, and my Pffaf sewing machine, and my ironing board...which I shift round constantly!

The blank wall is waiting for another design board, still to come from the hardware shop when my DH gets there.

Cutting table and my Bernina that Andrea has, for a short while longer, been using to learn to machine quilt on.Hopefully she will be migraine free and back at school next week!

I have lovely views of hobby farms and the Leschenault Estuary from my windows. 

Unfortunately the sun was in the wrong place really for the photo.

I can see what the family is doing in the family room and in the kitchen when I am at my cutting table, which is at a comfortable standing height.

My design wall...with POTC blocks...have 2 more to do on the 2nd row and then I will actually join the first 2 rows, before I start on the next block borders

Have shifted and re done the shelves on the right. Everything labelled, which does NOT say the I will always be able to find what I want ....sigh..at least I hope I remember that I have whatever it is I am looking for :)

I hope I have got it right...but things can be re-arranged again if needs be.

Now back to my sewing!

Project completed...cushion finished

Andrea is now at my sewing machine, learning the basics of machine quilting....so its back to hand sewing for me for a bit while she is busy.  I am sure she will be putting something of her achievements up on her blog when she has done some more.

She has no school this week as she was excused from school camp because of her migraines.

We are busy having fun!

Finished the square. 

Full of mistakes but a great learning curve!

At some places I had missed drawing some of the lines in and punched holes in my tracing paper and used the pounce pad to remidy that.  Now I have 'blue' patches where I used the powder. 

Hope it comes out in the wash.

Will make a cushion of it..now off to get a zip.

Some progress on my designed sampler today, this time using a white gutterman cotton.  I used a cream on the bobbin, at furst, but changed it to white halfway through as the cream showed through  in center of the circular wreath.

I had to sort the tension out a bit too. 

Four small lady-bugs are included :)

Its been a learning curve...and learnt lots on what NOT to do!

 

The main drawn sections of the design are quilted, and I am off to bed and will work out the freehand filler designs tomorrow when I have time.

Another quilting sample - with monofilament.

One is my owndesign...the ladybug sitting on a nest of feathers...I like to quilt a lady-bug in each quilt I make...my signature.

The sample is a practise of course, and apart from the one design - its all freehand.

I did work on a UFO (foundation pieced years ago)I found in the cupboard...just as well its  a practise...I am not really that happy with it, but it was great to practise on...used monofilamont on this.

Couldn't manage a photo tonight - need sleep...will put it up tomorrow..if I can.

I did actually complete around another border and small sqaure on a POTC block - so I havn't forgotten them.

I had four hours late today waiting in the car for Andrea to do her ballet...but it got dark and I couldn't do much! I always have sewing with me, just in case.

I have another sample ready to do tomorrow..designed some feathers...and there is plenty to space to freehand. 

Yesterday after receiving and avidly reading my new book on quilting from Diane Gaudynsky, I tried a couple of different things.

If I get even partway as good as Diane...I will be more than happy

My quilting is VERY shaky!

The photo on the right was me playing with hexagons..trying to work out how to quilt my POTC's.  Tis the fabric I thought I may use for the backing...but not too sure now.. Havn't machine quilted for a time now, and I REALLY do need the practise. The larger square on the right was also a possiblity for the backing...but not now.  I tried a couple of differnet threads on it, but am still not happy.The lighter thread was better I thought.

Next week I am going to purchase some monfilament thread..to see what that is like and do some more samples. and get some finer needles if I can.

I will complete a couple of my spare POTC's to play on, when I am more confident what I may be doing.

Have found some UFO's that are ready to quilt - so may play some more today...then back to the POTC's

I am in the process of re-arranging my studio. 
I am  getting 2 new design boards to cover and increase my design wall as I am out of space with my POTCs and don't wish to take them off the wall
.
The shelves are going from there...lots of shfting things...and the new design boards will go next to the original one nearer to the window

You can see some of the progress of my sewing the blocks together.
The top row is complete, and I am sewing the block borders first and will then join and complete the 2nd row.


As you can see - it all looks a bit of a mess!

One of the blocks is missing as that's the one I am working on now.

The loom will go from here ...hopefully...and I can arrange tables to suit my machines for sewing under the two windows. There are two unfinished quilts hanging on the front of the loom.
It still looks messy!
My cutting table is in the foreground and covered with things to move.

These are the fabrics I got solely for my POTC Blocks...I have since sorted and put into my OTHER room with my main fabric stash!

This is my stash after I had it all sorted..

I have the full fabric collectiof the Jinny Beyer Pallette

The fabric on the shelf abover the wadding is what I have transfered of my POTC collection and next to that is my delicious fabric I received from Kathy ..of Kathy's Quilts in Maryland

It was washed - all 15 yards of it, with the help of my friend Liz , and Andrea.

This is what hides behind the other side of the 'mirror room' cupboard.

My other crafts which I do only periodically
Beading, Weaving ,Spinning, Dying wool, and sewing ballet costumes.
Would you believe this is a spare bedroom?

This has taken WAY too much time.. I have found it was difficult for me to work out how to get these bits in the order I wanted...and I havn't even shown you the shelves with all my books on.

Next  time...maybe.

I am now off to do some more sewing.

Andrea and her God Mother Liz

At Liz's suggestion...Andrea designed the skirt she wanted and Liz very kindly sorted out the design from the sketch, cut it out, sewed it together and brought the skirt down for her.
 It looked great and fitted really well!

Liz, her Dh and FIL stayed with us for the weekend

All the 'Lizard' family and Andrea played canasta and Boggle most of the the time.

It was a great weekend

Vegetables fresh from our garden tonight.
They made a wonderful meal