Patchwork of the crosses

Patchwork of the crosses

I am putting these here so you can see the whole collection of blocks on my Webshots page.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ellaamy101/ 

They can also be found in my album Joan's Photos at the Yahoo Inklingo group, where there are lots of beautiful pictures of all the inklingo groups work

This is when I had completed 3 rows

I am now up to the 6th row- Just :)

This is all sewn by hand using the Inklingo method - SO easy!

Quilt a Month

My July Quilt a month 2012! 

Yes - finally finished this...and have not go to the others as yet...not sure if I can as yet.

It is only small, just right for me at present... all I had to do was hand sew the binding.

Feeing good to have another finish

This was the June Quilt a month...

Which I think I have put up previously.

This was how I worked out the borders.

I did think of doing feathers on the squares, but thought it was better just plain.

See you again soon.

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

I have completed the Bonus challenge by 

Diane Loomis and I have had lots of fun doing this.
Thank you Diane for you great tutorial for this Bonus project
and also again - to SewCalGal
 for putting this Challenge together for us all.

The inspiration for this piece has come from Cindy Needham - whose books I have collected and am now taking a class online with her.  Wonderful to be able to do this.
Cindy has also been one of our Tutors in the Free Motion Qilt Challenge 2012 and her section on SewCalGal's blog can be found here

 I have used a wool for the trapunto, and a wool batting and A cotton backing I think I should have used a cotton batting for the whole  as the Diane Shiko section was a bit puffy... did think of doing something in the middle of each one...but left it for a reminder to myself.

I used a 2.75 tension on my 820 machine, YLI 100 silk thread on the top and Aurifil in the bobbin.  I used a Top-line 80 needle and had no trouble with all these.

And took lots of  pictures.....    

I also used a washable thread for the trapunto - and that did give me grief.  I need to try the Superior one I think.if I do any more.

 My trademark ladybug hiding a small rust stain

I used a pale avacado silk for the trapunto sections and a soft pinky-brown for the rest - White thread on the back

 That's it - all finished.

Great to actually have something completed!

Thank you again to SewCalGal for holding the Challenge - and to Diane Loomis for the tutorial.  I have always wondered about how to do Trapunto.

Free Motion Quilting Challenge November 2012

Free Motion Quilting Challenge November 2012

Here is my Challenge piece.  I am not good with circles and will be practising more soon.  

However  I have done November for now. 

Thank you to SewCalGal  for this wonderful chance to improve all our FMQ, with such a great group of expert tutors - one each month - it is SEW special.

This month we were fortunate to have the talented Sarah Vedeler as our November FMQ Expert.

  

I did do some drawings first ... but not many I must admit...and there I think I fell down.

Sarah has some wonderful  print outs for practise , and these we are able to copy and trace and PPP before we start the sewing, and more PPP.

You can tell I was short on time and need a lot more practise.
I started with the small ones, drew some lines yesterday with purple disappearing ink pencils... and it had all disappeared by this morning as it has been humid here. I did one line of the large circles trying to keep to what lines I could see, However after that I improvised... as you no doubt can see.

Then as I just love how have tried to copy what Janet McElroy has been doing on some of her pieces
for the Challenge.

Satin on the top Cotton on the backing and wool batting. the top is quilted with silk thread and the bobbin with Aurifil.
Not sure what size needle.
I used a King Tut thread on the top - Didn't quite go with the mat but its just a trial.
Unfortunately I done have a cording foot and am not sure how to improvise.

That's it for now.

Free Motion Quilting 2012 continued.

Still plodding on in between loads and loads of other things need to be done here at home..

We are all well however, though weary - and I  would rather be quilting :)

Here is what I have done so far.  Hope to get some more done and also the November challenge too.

Still working out what to do next... '
I did do a small red Ladybug on a small brown mark on the cloth...the cloth itself was a bit worn and had a few rust type marks on it.
Besides as the ladybug is one of my trade marks - it had to go somewhere :)

I was reading Jill The Quilt Rat's blog tonight and she has a great post on cutting out 'snowflake designs on paper.  I have always been intrigued by this   ...  so I tried it out  - not that it worked very well,l 

Here is my effort - paper too thick and scissors too small.  I could only find a leather punch , to make the holes with and that too was a pain.\

I also chopped out the middle section far more than I meant to - it was meant to be possums and flowers... but as you can see it didn't quite work out... I couldn't find my mirrors  large or small ( and it wasn't for the lack of looking!) as my craft things are meant to be organised into boxes...and labelled...

grrrrr... 

So now I am completely worn out and looking forward to doing something more on my quilting tomorrow.

What a wonderful surprise!!

Picked up the mail today - and there was a parcel from Canada!!

Oooo - wonder what this is :)

OH MY GOSH!!!

I do have some wonderful friends, and they are letting me know how they are thinking of me! 

How very very special! 

You should have heard me when I opened it up and this beautiful quilted cushion cover and wonderful card appeared.  

A HUGE thank you to Joanne, in the middle of Canada,  Wendy, in the far right hand side of Canada,  and  Raewyn,  in New Zealand!
( don't you love my directions ?? )
They each made 3 blocks!  It was a really fantastic surprise!!

Heavens but you all kept so quiet :)

You made my day, so very much.
You couldn't have done anything better..its a wonder you didn't hear my exclamations from here.
Lots of Oooo's and Ahhhh's and OH_my_goodness!!
AND I just happened to have the right cushion filling for it too  :)

Hope to catch up with you very soon...

Thank you!!!  ♥

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

Bonus exercise #3

Well I am slowly getting there.

This is what I have done so far.... still working on it..

                                       

I have done fine lines under the lace after pinning the little linen mat  and trapunto piece all together with the wool wadding and the backing fabric...all white.

The small stripes I have done in a very light avocado coloured silk - YLI 100 thread.

The feathers when completed are also going to be sewn in this colour.

I am getting there very slowly.  I have to complete the centre circles in the feather I have done ,,, and then do the next one.  

I will do the background quilting also with YLI silk 100 thread, but a different colour...a  light faun/pink.

I MAY do the butterfly with something else - but that my be white silk.

More later

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012 Bonus #3 from Diane Loomis.

Thank you to both Diane and to SewCalGal for their wonderful efforts to get us all working at our FMQ

At last I have done the wadding on my trapunto.

I did do some sketches... this one was going on the silk dupioni, but I couldn't get my machines to sew on it!

After trying first on  my Bernina 820,  I couldnt get the tension right...the top thread of my water soluble thread kept breaking.

Next I tried on y Pffaf 7550 - still no success.

Then I got my Bernina 440 , and I manged to get the thread to hold in the bobbin with the water soluble thread, but only managed a few inches at a time with the top thread...BUT eventually I got it all completed.  I used the long feather in sketch above for the sides of the pieced and then worked out a butterfly for the near center.

 Back of my Trapunto piece.

The front.

AND at last I have got some of Andrea's lone star sewn. 

 

I have come to a bit of a stop.  Where the side triangle was meant to fit in - it didn't fit!  So I am in thinking mode. 

I will unpick and sew to measured parts of the seam as see hope that it fits then.

Catch up again soon.