Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hoping every one has a merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

Merry Christmas

Some hand felted Christmas decorations I made some time ago

Top of this larger one

and the base.

These next two are smaller

Some Christmas beading - also did these some time ago.

Have a safe and prosperous New Year

Friday Night Sew in

Thank you to Heidi for hosting the Friday Night Sew In.

I did nearly forget about it, but made it in time...my Friday night comes a bit sooner than most countries 

so I am lucky and can do two :)

So - I have done some more work on my WCQ

I need to keep going on this as some of the markings are really fading. 

I am nearly round another section.

This is the top of course

and this is from the back.

Also ....

I have also sewn around another block ...Row 5 block 7 - so I can now sew this to the fifth row and I will have only one more blockto go for that row.

Then a heap of sewing to get the 4th row to the third row..Lots of hand sewing there...

Once those 5 rows are all together, I think I will add the bocks one by one to those rows

It won't seem such a lot to do that way.  I hope.

Only another 32 of the white surrounds, small squares and the smaller of the blocks to go.

Andrea has kindly said she will sew some of the 'threesies' of the white for me. 

She has done this lots for me before and it is such a help.

Now I am off to sew some more of the WCQ

My Labyrinth quilt is soaking :)

Patchwork Of The Crosses (POTC)

Last night I Skyped with Joanne and Wendy - both in Canada - the marvels of our computer world. 

We were all sewing our different things and chatting. Its lovely to catch up with them each week :)

I actually got one of my POTC blocks joined to the 5th row.

I keep track of the main blocks and the small corner blocks with masking tape as you can see.

I have two more blocks in this row to put on...the blocks are all done - I just put the outside cream ones on and then join them. 

I have the first three rows sewn together, and when I have done the 4th and 5th - which as you can see are joined - then I will sew those rows together before I put more rows together.

Now ... back to my
WCQ  which is slow going :)

Labyrinth Quilt - FMQ

At last - a finish!!

Just over a month from start to finish - not bad for me !!!

and some photos to follow showing some more of the details....

The second border row is why I will have to wash and soak now to get the blue lines out. 

No other marks anywhere :)

Can you see my trademark Ladybug ? Nestled in the corner?

Its not really very big, and hard to find when looking for it on the whole quilt - but that is the fun part.

Swirls to match the fabric - sort of..

I unpicked the border I mentioned earlier and "Leafed it"

Thank you again to Kim Stotsenburg for her book 'just Leaf It'

It worked a treat Kim and I also did some on the outer border

Blogger turned the one above and below sideways :(

Some of the back

The lower section of the back - as you can see my backing didnt work too well and I have a couple of 'gathered sections' 

I need to starch a little more for the nwxt big quilt.

As I didnt have enough of the cream fabric for the backing - I added some more batic - the brown and some of the same one in the outer border.

The outer border was done with green on the back as wlell as a darker shade on the top.

The leafed border I re=-did...is sewn with blue at the back as in the fromt.

I used Aurifil 50 weight on the top and bobbin, and for the dark blue Guttermans 50...but this was not nearly as good as the Aurifil  I only used up what I had.

I used mostly Microtex 70 needles but the best where the 70 titanium needles.

Now I think thats more than enough of this quilt!!

I am weary.... so today I will rest  and then...

start again on my WCQ.

Labyrinth Quilt - FMQ

I am actually onto the last border. 

Yes!!  I have decided to do some feathers...  I have also included my trademark Ladybug - somewhere in the quilting.

I have 'sewn' a design onto some paper - no cotton in the machine - and pounced the design on.  I . wont stick to that ( doesn't it look a mess ), but it will guide me. 

I might add I am covered in chalk as I had to keep patting the design so I could change some places. 

Large cream border

The blue here has large circles in the middle to fill the extra space.... The borders are all odd sizes.

First time I have attempted this one...all large circles in a line - to match the fabrics a bit.

More lines - and I may put some circles in the centre of this one too.

The small border i really loved doing -

If I have time I will undo this border and do it again....  its a bit too shakey for my liking... and I think I need to fill in some of the space with some thing like feathers of leaves...like I have done the small border.  I just don't feel it goes.  My DH thinks I am mad !! :)

The larger border of the 'circles' this was the first I did and was a bit of a challenge.

So there it is at the present. 

11.30pm and I am off to sleep as I can get onto it again in the morning. 

I guess the feathers will take me some time, and I also have to decide which thread I will use.

Also think I will use a different colour on the backing.

The backing is pieces of fabric I had, as I couldn't find any big enough for the whole quilt!

I will show it again when I finish... maybe before I do the binding .. or after if time permits!

Giveaway from Carla Barrett

Do go and check out Carla Barrett's Blog. 

She is having a fantastic 'giveway' of some of her wonderful beadwork.

Plus her next Quilt whisperer class starts in January on her StepOnPins.com site.

It s creative class on quilting designs for all levels of quilters.

I have done this previously and its  really fantastic!

Labyrinth Quilt - FMQ

I have been quiet  but busy.

I am working on some of the last few borders - working things out as I go along.

This is what I have done so far...so still a way to go. 

I am not doing anything feathery or leafy, as I want all the borders to show up, and feathers and/or leaves didn't seem to go.  All mostly lines and fillers.

I was fortunate to get some more tables and rearranged my sewing area -

As you can see it really worked out wonderfully.

Now I am surrounded by tables!

Nessie is performing so well - she runs like a dream.  I am actually managing the tension so much better...lots of learning!

Before I brought the extra tables in, I had some mess transference to do :)

As you can see I have a heap of sorting out to do here in the shelves !!

Back to my quilting now.