Free-Motion Quilt Challenge 2012 June

At last I have finished my last  piece for this months Free Motion Quilt Challenge with SewCalGal

and with our June tutor Cindy Needham

The sun came out between showers so I took a few photos.

 The center

 Lower left

 

 Lower Right

 Upper left

Back - where I played a bit with a different colours at first and tried to get my tension right - but didnt really!

The front again.

Now I need to get onto something else..

I have had such fun this month, but still hesitating about using my silk fabric.

It was lovely too last night as I was able to sit and chat on Skype to my friend Joanne ( Threadhead)

in Canada  for quite some time.  It was great to have the company while doing the binding

Thank you to SewCalGal and to Cindy for all your inspiration and help.

The great thing is - I get my Nessie back later today ( my 820 Bernina)

I have really really missed her!

Free-Motion Quilt Challenge 2012 June

Its slow going, so I thought I would post the progress..

I added some pearl seed beads.

I would never have thought of that if I hadn't seen Cindy Needhams wonderful work!

Another with the center circle and the beads.

Here you can see where I have satin stiched over some of the lace - big mistake - I should have left that as it was.  I have also  sewn cown each side of the satin stitch and the inside of the outer lace - if that makes sense.

I have begun now with random fillers... The next one will be done differently I think - maybe on some silk.

This one is on cotten... and its not very soft!

More later I hope.

Unfortunately we have to eat tonight :(

FNSI -Friday Night Sew In

FNSI and a big thank you to Hieidi for hosting!

I feel I am Really lucky as I get to be with friends on 2 Friday evenings.  

I started this on my Friday, and then did some more on 'the other' Friday

I really love Cindy Needams technique of quilting, so I am trying hard to see if I can do something as she does.  We are all so lucky that Cindy is our tutor for this Month for SewCalGals Free motion quilting Challenge.

As yet I have no idea where I am going with this, but hope to work on it tomorrow.

I have also managed to get another of the Grannies Hanky's blocks done and ready for sewing.

 

I am waiting - somewhat impatiently for my 820 machine to come home!

I Skyped with friends from New Zealand, Raewyn, and Canada, Joanne, today - only 

missed Wendy also from Canada 

That's it for now.

Free-Motion Quilt Challenge 2012 June

At last I have done some sewing today.  i have finished my doodle sample for SewCalGal's  FMQ Challenge June 2012 (Cindy Needham)- as far as I can for now - I may make this a wall hanging...but I am not sure what to bind it with..

I also made a move...which I hope to get up here...Have tried several times before, bu not been very successful.

I have used my Fine Line Ruler by 

Carol Olson  from Accents in Design.

 for all my border lines.... and made a quick movie of it,

This is what I used to get my lines..

 

Well it worked - Hope you enjoy - a few mistakes in the video - but it took me

SOOOOO long !!

Thats the last photo of these now...  I think thats probably more thatn enough.

\

Now its Friday night here in Oz,  so I am off to do something else else as its FNSI..

.

Hoping to catch up with some of my Four Corner Squilters buddies..

Home and family

We got through the storms with only trees down - it wasnt as bad last night as they predicted...but stiil nasty and some people lost their homes and are still out of power...at least we had power on - so that was good.

A lot of people were a lot worse off than ourselves.

Andrea has been off from school for 3 days due to storm damage there, and they also had no power, so when she is back at school I will be able to get on wuith my sewing again.

Its been a very unusual 3 days and hopefully it wont happen again for a long long time.

It was no fun with no power - no phones and no way to find out what was happening.

Till next time.

Home and family

We have had a huge storm here and for the last 24 hours we have been without power.  Its been quite 'hairy' especially driving back from Perth to be welcomed by heaps of huge trees down!  

Tomorrow we are expecting another similar storm so hoping this time the power will last.  Its been the worst power outage for our State ever...The storm affected an 800km radius, and we got some of the worst winds ... they say similar to a catagory 2 Cyclone!

Not looking forward to the storm tomorrow night at all.

Andrea and I went to Perth on Saturday to see her little brother's Eucharist..
Here are a few photos

Nite for now...back sewing soon... I hope..

Free-Motion Quilt Challenge 2012 June

A sneak peek at my nearly finished Doodle, and how I began it..

I began with the brown to outline... I think I really made this whole piece a bit big, but never mind its nearly finished now.

This is what I am doing for the border - takes a lot of time - when I looked at the photo I see a small patch I need to go back and do as its part of the border,

I will be busy over the weekend, so may not get back to this till Sunday. sadly...

Still ... I  do have some time tonight  :)

Free-Motion Quilt Challenge 2012 June

I have been playing with this all day - 

Will put up more photos when its finished...The border and a few more doodles to go

Using my 440 and REALLY missing my big machine!!

Off to bed - its nearly 1am.

Free-Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

I have completed my first piece for SewCalGal's  The FMQ Challenge 2012.

 This month June - is Cindy Needham,  which I have REALLY been looking forward to.

How wonderful that she is able to freely pass on her knowledge to us all.

Thank you so much Cindy!

 First Sample - I have some photos of the steps I took to sandwich and draw on the chosen fabric.

The backing has been starched and ironed, I have used a wool batting and blue satin for the top.

All layers have been pinned together ready for fixing together

My piece has been zig zagged together and marked with a Marvy purple disappearing ink pen.
The only problem I have with this is you need to get it sewn fairly soon after marking, as it truley does disappear.
The large squares are 1" and the smaller ones are 1/2 "

Here is the back of my piece.
Only the squares were drawn - it was all FMQ on my DSM
I used a 70 Top Stich needle, Aurifil 50 thread top and bobbin.
The tension was 3.0 eventually!

Yesterday I got these fabrics ..

The grean is silk satin I think..
The gold is Dupioni
And the last two are some sort of satin that I will use to practis on.

I have had issures with tension as I am using the 440QE...but for the moment it is sorted, and I am off to work out some more.
I am SO looking forward to when my 820 comes back

Oh - I nearly forgot.  I have joined the Superior Thread University to learn more about threads...I have been preparing to do the first of the  monthly lessons.  I have some new thread a lovely folder and it really sounds so interesting...oh and a DVD.

Small Quilt

I joined the yahoo small group quilts a couple of days ago...

Two views of the quilt - I actually completed it!!

I may quilt in the squares at some other time...but for now - its done!!

Granniess Hanky blocks

I am trying to catch up on some BOM's that I am way behind on.

Just finished setting these 2 blocks.

Have yet to sew them, waiting for my big machine to come back.

This BOM ran last year by Denise Russart.  I still have quite a few blocks tog!

Next one is cut ready.

I had some family down in the weekend and my youngest grandchild Emma wnated to do some sewing - 

No problems - so she had her first sewing lesson ... and I am delighted to say she is a natural.  

Photos follow.

Now she want to save for a sewing machineof her own!  :)

I have also made a small quilt with the yahoo small quilters group which I have just joined

seen below

Then I played in Photoshop and did some quilt whispering to see some different effects...they follow.

Thanks to my wonderful lessons with Carla Barrett from Step on Pins I had no trouble with the program - 

apart from some minor memory lapses,  which fortunately I sorted.

The family have gone back to Perth now...and i am beginning th quilt the small quilt now.