Welcome


Hi,

Welcome to my blog.

Thank you for visiting me :)

I hope you enjoy seeing what I have been up to
and that you visit again




Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Designs, Vintage quilting

Thought I would post what I have been doing the last couple of days ago with a doily that I found ...
maybe sewn by my grandmother or one of my Auntie's.

I have a lot of them and thought this would be a great way to go with them
 
First part


Close up of second part -
Now I need to think about what to do next!

I am sewing with YLI 100 silk - top and bobbin..its a pale soft greenish colour.

All sewn on my Sweet Sixteen

Wednesday, December 09, 2015

Joannes Quilt Along, Machine Quilting, Sewn on the HQ Sweet Sixteen

I have done a bit more quilting on Joannes BOM 
(from way back in 2011!)

Iam also trying to get some things done for Christmas...which I cant post for a while

So this is just a brief view of what I have done recently...

not much to show really.


This is a piece of curtain fabric that I was just playing on...
 I do love these colours


And this is another block - or two of what I have done on
 Joanne Thread Head's 2011
BOM

So in case I cant get to show more here till after the Christmas Season

I would like to wish you all a very happy and Festive Christmas

and a safe and Healthy New Year


Sunday, September 20, 2015

House and Family,

Hi everyone.
I have been  moving house with my DH... so you can imagine the chaos that has reigned!
Still some boxes to unpack...and my sewing room/studio has shrunk... so thats not sorted out yet.
I am so looking forward to getting on with my sewing..
No hope yet awhile though!

Hope to get back to it soon,
when I do I will let you know!

Saturday, July 25, 2015

I have been unpicking the first block I sewed on the large King sized quilt
I played for a bit with these


This was sewn with YLI 100 silk on top


This and the lower one was top stitched with King Tut


All were sewn on my Bernina 820.

Now some more unpicking to do, and hopefully I can get back to some serious quilting

Monday, July 20, 2015

Sewn on the HQ Sweet Sixteen, Sketchbook, Joannes Quilt Along,

This post is a little quicker than last time

I have been busy with my quilt and have completed another block


Well almost.  As I have been having a problem with tension..I am waiting till
I finish the main quilting ...and will then go back with different colours to go in the block design.


I have also been doing some sketching

the above design was show by a lovely teacher...Jeanie Harrison ..on Facebook
I really like it.


This was practicing some of Jamie Wallen's designs..
I was so lucky to attend his workshop in Perth Western Australia last year...
It was wonderful!

I hope to do a lot more practice.



and this is trying to get my head around McTavishing.

Now - back to my quilting.

Friday, July 17, 2015

FMQ and playing, HQ Sweet Sixteen, Joanne's Quilt Along,

Its such a long time since I posted...lots of things go on here
so time has not been favorable for quilting as much as I would have liked.

So I will put up some photos of what I have managed to get done
These photos are what I have just completed...more info further down







This is finally getting done...Joanne Threadhead's BOM


I first did the central block



This I will unpick..completely as I had the tension wrong, and I just cant face it now.
I did have a photo of the back of this, but am unable to find it. I think I put it on Facebook.

At the border...I had several mistakes and unpicked two blocks before I got it to what I was happy with.  the border is now completed.


Original design and practice piece






...

I have also been doing some sketches or doodling for practice

but I think that's enough from me just now :)

Enjoy your day

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Sewn on the HQ Sweet Sixteen, FMQ and playing,

Not much Blogging .lately due to family health issues...
However 
I have completed this in the last couple of days


I picked up some couching feet for my Sweet Sixteen last weekend during a brief visit to the Quilt West Quilt and Craft Show. 
Tried it out in the last couple of days and completed it tonight.  
Backs a bit Iffy... but I don't mind...
I had fun.

Its 13 1/2 inches square.. and I used some wool that I hand on hand for the couching...
Wool batting and some of my own long ago dyed fabric for the binding.

Now back to the Binding on the DWR quilt... I am halfway done and then need to get basting stitches out.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

DWR., FMQ,

Finished the quilting on the DWR quilt tonight - just have the binding to cut and sew on... just I say... think that will take time too.


I used a design I learnt fro a class with Jamie Wallen at Handcrafters House in Midland WA last year.

I will take more photos later...too weary just now...

Its after midnight :)

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Mother Superiors BOM 2015

March

Well just to keep up to date...I have begun again the quilting of my DWR quilt.
 So..as I had sadly taken out the first basting stitches...which had been done for me on a friends 
longarm  machine ( and which I SHOULD have left in)
I have redone the basting just in the blocks...with Ella ( my SS) behaving wonderfully

Love those basting stitches.


Then I started on this... Its Mother Superior's ( from Superior Threads) BOM.. and for March there are 12 blocks.. all cut out.. some of them wrongly and I have had to piece together bits to make up for what I messed up
I am NOT a patchworker.... I am a quilter...
don't like piecing.

You may be able to pick up some boo boo's I made.  The dark brown triangle is pieced with an extra bit... and the whole oranangey piece is sewn together in 2 triangles...its a make do... but hopefully it wont be noticed.

I am hopeless with patterns .. always seem to read them incorrectly.  

Thats the sum of my work today... 2 blocks of 12

I will tackle more tomorrow.. at least these two are actually 12 1/2 inches as they are meant to be.

So I will catch up more when I have something more to catch up with!

We have rain at last...result of the Cyclone from up Forth.. which is down to a low here.. and severe weather forecast.. good for sewing!

I will continue today with my DWR... which is really heavy to manage at present, and do more blocks tomorrow.

Friday, March 06, 2015

Free Motion Quilt challenge 2015 MARCH, Designs, HQ Sweet Sixteen, Machine Quilting,

I have just completed this month Challenge.

I must admit this one pushed out my comfit levels, and I really had no idea what I was doing till I came to each new step.
Then I thought, designed and came up with this.
Unfortunately I have the wrong sized pillow...so need to get a 20" one ...instead of an 18" one.

The front  before it went together


I drew the centre on first..and as you may be able to see... I had drawn borders 
which never did eventuate!

I really had a lot of fun using Ella to do my ruler work, though the curves were a bit of a challenge.

As I said previously - This one really challenged me!

Decided to do trapunto
Used washable thread in the top...and cotton on the back..which was not the best thing to do 
it kept apearing in little lumps when the wash-away thread dissolved...
I don't think I will do it that way again. 

However it did work.

Then I used the basting stitch on Ella - my renamed Sweet Sixteen
It worked really well and best of all..
NO pins!
The only problem with the basting - I need to watch the video of Paula Storm where she shows how to use the new basting stitch...no problem getting the top basting stitchwes out, but it was  a bit of a bother getting the underneath thread out.

I used some some aurifil thread, some King Tut varigated and for the filling I used Invisifil thread...alll in the top surface.
In the bobbin I used Invisifil thread... and it worked well

I had fun with new ?Template from Cindy Needham.( which I got in preparation for next months Challenge )   That helped me design the sections around the center Circle.  I did have something else planned for where the leaves are.. but I tend to change my mind a lot in the designing...For me it works to go away from it for a while



Details of the center follow, As it happens I don't think I really needed the trapunto..however I do enjoy doing that.


Details of the center follow,
Although it takes time - I do love to do the micro stitching.





A look at the back - didnt get the tension right for the leaves...
fortunately its OK on the top


The completed cushion  (Pillow)

 And here is a photo of the back - that didn't fit last months one..
Now I just have to make a plain back for that one...and I am all up to date.

Please forgive me not answering posts from my last post...I have had a few ore days in Hospital  and am only just coming good again :)

Catch up with you again soon






Sunday, March 01, 2015

Designs, FMQ, Free motion Quilt Challenge 2015,

I have a big problem! I have this cushion cover...which I have had for some time
 I am keeping it for myself 


The front
 

So - I have made...with a zip.. a back for it.... quilted and measured it incorrectly... too late to change... 
( I have never done that before and don't think I will again! )
So my problem is...I need to cut some of the lower border of the cushion cover to fit the front...my DH says it OK...its only for me
Its got lots of filler designs that I want to keep on the front for reference... and no one else will see it...but I cant bring myself to make the cut and make it fit the front... so I am putting it aside for now... I will cut it tomorrow.
Any thoughts?




Too late for the Challenge I think!

I may just make another backing with just fabric and think about what to do with the back! BUT not for a while. I am afraid I have missed the boat so to speak.... and I am WAY too tired! Plus I don't think I really want to cut it

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Patchwork Of The Crosses - POTC's

Well - its been a few years since I got to this stage

All sewn by hand using Inklingo method by Linda Franz

You may even have seen the picture below a few years back

 Here then there were nearly 5 rows completed... I have now completed that row and have 
started on Row 6... I am actually beginning to get a bit confused..
However................


I realised when I was completing Row 5 that I needed some more of the shape C in the POTC collection.  Well... thinking... how did I do that?

  

 So I found my collection... worked out which colour need printing... and how the printed worked :)
And ironed a sheet of my Freezer paper to my fabric..
(cut to a bit smaller than the size of the paper)
and it all worked beautifully.... fantastic.
I then cut the small pieces apart and have plenty now to complete the quilt - I hope!
 


 So.. now I am going to sew together  by hand - so very slowly-two rows separately and then sew those rows together.

This is my box of  my Inklingo previously printed and cut  pieces ready to sew to the already completed POTC blocks with the creme pieces
And ...
As I am again off to hospital tomorrow to get my pacemaker sorted... I hope to have these with me, in case I feel like doing some actual sewing...

I may be a while before I get back to my machine quilting... but I will hand sew as I feel up to it.

Happy sewing and quilting and hope to be here again soon.

Friday, February 06, 2015

More Designs, FMQ,

Some photos of what I have been up to before Christmas


 Trapunto


Close up of Trapunto



Another closeup of the trapunto and quiltig.



Quilting


Small gifts for Christmas


 Playing



Without Trapunto

Sherry Rogers Harrison's Designs



With Trapunto

Sherry Rogers Harrison's Designs

Back of Water Lily -
 a design by Liz Arnold which I made years ago..found and quilted  on my HQSS


Front of Water Lily

I cant find what Ive done with the whole of this... and am unable to use my
 sewing machine for a while
as I am still recovering from my Pacemaker Implant :)