Arrivals today.

Wonderful gifts arrived in the mail today from Wendy of Inky threads

I was so lucky to win the giveaway that Wendy had, and I so appreciate the

gift of Pathways from Quilt to Quilted by Sally Terry.  I KNOW it will come in very handy.

The two books are both written by Wendy herself, and I am so happy to see some of her other life of writing.  Wendy's books can all be seen here

Thank you so much Wendy :)

Wendy - it was so lucky I received them all safely as the envelope was open - when I got it from the letter box.

Well I have had enough of a break from my quilting, and really need to get back to that.

There will be 7 people here for the weekend, including myself my DH and Andrea,  so I wont get much done then...today I just may - hopefully.

Whole Cloth Quilt

Began a small whole Cloth quilt...yesterday

I am using gold silk on top and white Aurifil  50 in the bobbin.

Had a bit of a problem with tension, till I realised an error on my machine..silly me!

All sorted now.  

The coin you can see is a 5 cent piece ($Au) so you can get an idea that is quilted fairly small.

I have drawn over the right hand design and sewn with a blank needle, so I can reverse it and use the pounce pad to repeat the design on the Left hand triangle.

 I have reversed the design and used the pounce pad

Using white pounce powder, the design is now ready to sew.

Then I need to work out what I will do next.

I am in the middle of an online class through Carla Barret of Step On Pins

its called beginning Photoshop Elements 10.  Information can be found from Step on Pins.

Its the third time I have taken the class - yes ... slow learner :)  but I am finally getting it!.

Today I am registering with Step on Pins to do a Tablet class with Carla, so I can draw my design on my quilts to work out what I want to quilt on them using Photoshop... I have also done a Quilt Whispering Course with Carla .  The pre-requisite for the Tablet Class is that you know Photoshop 10 - that's the reason I am brushing up on that.... again

Now to do some sewing while I have a bit of time.

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

I am a bit sleep deprived as I was playing at feathers and fillers late last night - for the FMQ challenge that SewCalGal has on her blog for March by ... Ann Fahl....  here

Should never do that when the Nurses hat is on...Only had about 4 hours sleep.

This design I had drawn onin ink ... freehand on the fabric a month ago I think.., and thought it best to do something with it.

and then did some of the fillers. 

This is the page of my sketches I did before working on the fillers.

Pebble 'things'

McTavishing - my way :)

Swirls and flowers

And here are the three fillers together.

(May do some of the others tomorrow)

NOW - I am going to put my feet up, and hope all is well tomorrow..

I can but hope :)

I am Just...Too...Tired!!

Whole cloth quilt

Very hot here today, so I am having a small break from the small circles ...

whic will complet them in all the hearts in the border,

having finished the micro-stippling last night.

I am attempting to square up the quilt before I do the final border...

and I am not really sure what that will be yet.

I am pinning it to a carpet square..and its hot there on the floor.

This is my practise piece,  where I tried out different things.

and yes - they are my toes :)

I tried the corner lines out last night but not sure I like them.

I may try to imitate the 'butterfly' curves near rhe centre

I was goig to do echo quilting as you can see...but went with the micro stippling

Small circles against microstippling - I went with the circles

Here is what I call my butterfly curves. some fine and some larger.  I stuck with the larger

So now back to squaring the quilt.

I really feel as though I have been doing this forever!!

A little of this and a little of that.

I have again not been sewing as Andrea has continued with her illness.

5 weeks ago she had an emergency appendectomy!  Then a severe migraine. Again into Emergency

Two more trips to hospital ....and now..

Now nasty abdominal pains !

More Doctors visits..

I hope she is back to school next week!! 

So I have had my Nurses hat on!

However...

I did manage a quick trip to the shops :)  and...

I bought some gold Dupioni silk and some grey 100% silk!

I plan to FMQ them for cushion covers for my daughters.

Thankfully Andrea felt well enough - after medication - and hungry enough - to cook this wonderful meal

The recipe was made up, which is her style.

It was scrumptious! and so nice to have her cook for us.

The table cloth that the plate is on is a cloth that belonged to my Grandmother...and I plan to

back it with a coloured fabric ..and FMQ it...sometime :)

It has some bits missing and I have to figure out how to 'fix' that.

I am sewing now!  My WCQ ...which would be great to get finished.

Whole cloth quilt

A close up sneak peek at my WCQ.

The edge oif the photo on the right will be the edges of the actual quilt -

It doesnt look much to do, but its a long way round and I have to make sure I can get the quilt squared. before I do the next lot of quilting.

Its a slow work, but I am really enjoying it.

I can see the end in sight...I think :)

  

Sketchbook Challenge -Up Close

Playing with my Up Close theme today ...

for the Sketch Book Challenge...and FMQ some of the leaves I drew yesterday.

Varigated Aurifil 50 on the top and Auriful 50 in the bobbin.

This is the first one painted - it really is a mess!

Its done some with Intense pencils and the leaf on the right ...

is done with Art Spectrum paints.

I like to plain quilting so much better.

Green silk thread in the top and Aurifil in the bobbin.

Wasnt going to show the painted one, but I just finished playing with it, and decided to put it up anyway.

Now I am back to my WCQ soon... I am hand sewing some of my Patchwork Of The Crosses...one more block to attach to the fifth row - YAY

Sketchbook Challenge -Up Close

A very brief moment of sketching some Wisteria leaves up close...

For the February Sketchbook Challenge

As I put this photo up, my thoughts were - Maybe I should sew this - and quilt it :)

Light bulb moment !!

Maybe I shall later today.

Health in the family is now great - fingers crossed for next week !!!



Home and Family

Still not getting sewing done 

 

But in a few quiet moments Andrea

wrote this on the new whiteboard I

bought to practice more feathers on. 

 

I thought it was really good, lots of hidden meanings.

Too good to just wipe off.

 

She did the drawings too.

 

 

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

Havn't done a great deal of anything foe a while - for the Free Motion Quilt Challenge... due to issues of health with Andrea ... 

Did manage to get 2 small pieces sewn...and I was really a bit rusty.  I was using sik thread and playing with colours - not something I will keep.

Then I stared to play with a 3" square... then a feather and some filler.

Was happier with the feather... and worked well when I changed the needle and the thread stopped breaking.

I like the red on black too.

Andrea's health continues to be a problem.

Yesterday we went to Perth to see a specialist... away for the day so I took

my sketch book with me. This is what a

drew while we were travelling in the car :)

So .... I hope to get some sewing done  .... of something ....tonight as its Friday here in Oz...and its FNSI :)

We will see.

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

More February FMQ Challenge today.

Plumed feather  -  learning from the February tutorial by Diane Gaudynski.  There is also great info on her blog This photo didn't come out blue - obviously the exposure was wrong..

This is sewn on satin fabric - a piece that was left over from making a Tutu for Andrea for her ballet.

I have never sewn on satin for quilting before - I really enjoyed it...

I must admit that this small piece - approximately 6" x 12"took me All day to sew - but I did have a few breaks between. 

My concentration left me a few times...hence some lines that were a bit skewd ..

There is one of my trademark ladybugs in amongst the stippling.

This was my practise piece :)

A close up of the top corner cection

and a close up of the lower corner.

This was my Practise Practise piece where I tried out some of what I wanted to do.

This lovely satin fabric was a different blue and is from the very first Tutu I made Andrea.

My Sample is sewn with a very pale greenish YLI #100 silk thread on the top, Aurifil 50 in the bobbin. 

I used a 70/10 Superior Topstitch Titanium needle and had no problems with it.

I used my 820 Bernina DSM,   (Nessie), quilting stitch  #1324,   the tension was set at 2.0 and the presser foot was at 15.

I do love my sewing machine!

Andrea is going well - and I hope to get back to my WCQ tomorrow.

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

February- Free Motion Quilt Challenge  with Diane Gaudynski's great tutorial.

Diane has also got some wonderful information on her blog that is really helpful.

First I did some drawings...

And then I did some quilting.

It didn't quite happen as I meant it to - but hey !! ....  it happened :)

I have been away from sewing for just over a week, as we had some health problems with Andrea, however she is on the mend... and I have been to school with her for 3 days  - the first days of the 2012  school term-  to make sure she was OK.  Next week it is just taking her to school and picking her up - so hopefully I will get back to the sewing then.

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

This is my sample for Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

I forgot to put my Challenge sample up on my blog - so here it is

a day late as I got muddled and put it on my facebook page only  :)

This has been a wonderful tutorial from Frances Moore, and has been very inspirational for all those taking part I know - and a HUGE thankyou to

SewCalGal and Frances Moore. The Challenge site can be found on the link above.

A big thank you to Frances for her help and instructions.

Our next monthlyfree Challenge tutorial for the month of February is from Diane Gaudynski ...  who happens to be one of my favorite quilters, ...  I have both her books, and they are fantastic.

I have had a very quilt look at the tutorial and it looks wonderful - cant wait to get to it!

Sketchbook Challenge - Doodling

More doodling while I was away in Perth, and WAY too hot to do any sewing.
I have added some things for The Sketchbook Challenge as its nearly the end of the January theme..

First I did this in black and white, and then, as my good firend Liz had lots of lovely paints....

like the ones she very kindly gave me for Christmas.....

I got to play with the colours on it......

'Fraid the poor lady bug is about to be eaten    :)

Then.....

I made a quick sketch of one of the bays we have stayed at on Rottnest Island...

This time using some of Liz's water colour pencils, which I have never used before...

that was a bit different...

Then just to finish off my time in Perth... I did another Zentangle/Zendoodle

The whale was the last thing I drew, as it just seemed to pop out at me... and it was a bit of a giggle.

Must have had fish on my mind..

Its still terribly hot here with 42C forecast for Perth tomorrow - mercifully it will  hopefully be a degree or two cooler here.

I am going to go in the main bedroom and set up some hand sewing there- as the refridgerated air con is in there.

Till next time.

Doodling

Too hot here to quilt.

We have forecasts of nearly every day being 40C ( about 104F)  and on Saturday 42C  (107.6F)

Longest hottest run of temperatures for 47 years!  A cyclone is seeming to form off the West Australian coast west of Exmouth....

Definitely NOT sewing weather...and sadly  I have to go to Perth tomorrow with Andrea as she has a Doctors appointment.  We have her younger brother Patrick with us, and will go back to their father's after that for a couple of days - earlier than the 42C I hope.

Because of no sewing, I ran up a quick drawing of some feathers on fabric and hope to get it sewn and maybe painted on later.

Its drawn with a fine permanent black pen. 

Will think about what to do with it when I get back

I am onto the last couple of borders with my WCQ, but it really is way too hot to work on! 

Hopefully I will post some photos when it is near completion - if the weather would get cooler!

FNSI

FNSI with Joanne

Mostly my Friday night comes earlier than most ,

 so my FNSI was Friday morning for Joanne in Canada

As its near midnight for me here, I did some playing with FMQ

feathers...

As I look at this photo now, I can see where I missed a double line in the nestled feathers. 

Was early in the morning at that stage!

There is Joanne in Canada and I am in Western Australia.

Isn't technology amazing?

Whole cloth quilt

I am still working away at my WCQ.

Not good in the heat we have at present! 

Am now well into the borders being filled.

Front

Back

You may be able to see my trade mark lady bug in one of the stippled borders :)

I did small circles in the centre - which took me a week to do...

Micro stippling in the next border.... not so long.

Today I am going to start on some echo quilting, then maybe back to micro stippling on the final filler before the outer border

I think the outer border will be piano keys with a double line - I think... waiting till I get there.

I am sorry not to be able to show you much else, but I need to get this finished.

Its a heavy quilt as it has double batting - one of wool and one of cotton!

Quilted in silk YLI 100 and Aurifil 50 in the bobbin.  I am not having problems with this and it is quilting well with the tension I have.

Using my DSM Nessie - a Bernina 820.  The bobbin is set with the  inside bobbin case dot slightly to the right of the dot on the bobbin...the top tension is on 2.  and  the pressure foot is set on Zero.  Took me a while to get the pressure right but its all working fantastically now.

Now back to my quilt till I get too hot again!

Whole cloth quilt

Slowly a little at a time getting sewn.

The front view - these small circles take a bit of time - especially in the heat we have here at present.



The back view.

Off to have a game of tennis on the Wii with Andrea :)

Then back to some sewing for a bit. I still have a heap of those small circles to do.

Doodling

To have a small break from my WCQ  I have done some doodling .

Long time since I have done any, and I really enjoyed it.

This is for the Sketchbook Challenge - which this month is Doodling!

Now I will get back to my WCQ for a bit and may do some different doodling later :)