KEEPING UP................THE BLOG !

PORT MACQUARIE
RAINFOREST CAFE

Hello there!

Yes, it's me ......  really!     Gee whizz! I last blogged in January.....where did February,March,April and May go???

Let's get up to date......

FMQ ing ON MY
SWEET SIXTEEN

STITCHING IN THE DITCH
ON MY PQ1500

My current project is the Teddy Bears Picnic quilt.... I'm up to the machine FMQing, having already stitched in the ditch on my Brother PQ1500...  The pattern "The Teddy Bears Picnic" is by Toni Alexander of The Red Boot Quilt Company. I've changed the sashing - I love using partial pieced sashing as you can cut it all the same length.  I cut the sashing for this quilt on my GO CUTTER using the 2-1/2" strip die... I had a layer cake of bright plain fabrics so my sashing is 2-1/2" wide and 10" long.  I cut the applique blocks back to 8" square.  The formula for partial piecing is block size (8") plus width of sashing (2-1/2") less 1/2".

 I'm playing with a new gadget too! I bought the VersaTool ruler  and I'm using it to go around the applique shapes.... so far so good!

By Air By Rail By Sea
Pattern by Heathers Designs
Patchwork at the Bay Window

At long last I finished my By Air By Rail By Sea quilt!  I've been doing the machine blanket stitch on this project since 2014!!!!!

Fun backing

My Brother Rob and I gifted the quilt to Amos when the family were visiting recently.   Smiles all round!  I quilted this one on my Sweet Sixteen with Aurifil 80wt thread.  This required altering the top tension to almost zero! but once I worked that out the quilting went well,  I even had a go at doing artistic shapes!   I put two planes in the sky on the by rail row and seagulls in the by sea row.  Lots of clouds all over and some trees on the rail row.  Lots of fun and a good way to learn more about my Sweet Sixteen. 

Hubby was overseas on holidays during April so I went to visit my sister in Port Macquarie..  I had made her this quilt but did not get it finished in time to take it with me but just today I've posted the parcel!  I loved making this one..... I collected shirts from Op Shops - small print cottons and I backed it with a vintage sheet. Pattern is Fat Quarter Slide   Vintage sheets and shirts make such lovely and soft quilts.  I learnt a lot making this one... for instance I've never been successful in adding the pieced border, in this case the tumbler border.  I've finally worked it out!  you construct the pieced border first, then measure it and then that is the figure you need to work out the size of the filler border between the quilt top and the pieced border!

Fat Quarter Slide

Once the Air, Rail, Sea quilt came off the sewing machine, I decided to try another machine applique pattern - this one is Citrus Sizzler.  I'm using zig zag stitch with Konfetti thread in needle and bottom line in bobbin.

        

Another current project
Citrus Sizzler

Zoe Zebra is finished!  I took the finished quilt to show my friends in "Frame Quilters" group and ask about how to quilt the four cornerstones and also if the quilt needed any further quilting.   They suggested a flower like the one in the quilt top for the cornerstones so I copied the flower and reduced it by 50% and then made a freezer paper template to use for the FMQing.   They suggested the purple flowers needed something so I did more quilting in those too.  I need to get a better photo of the finished quilt.

 

I bought a new gadget for my vintage sewing machine...... a Pinker! it attaches to the sewing machine where the foot screws on.  You either remove or unthread the needle.  To have a play I pinked the edges of the join on the backing of the Air Rail Sea quilt. Click here to see the gadget in action on the Featherweight Schoolhouse site.  What fun!!!  Takes me back to when mum made little fabric covers for jam jars !  we always pinked the edges!

Quite a few years ago I bought the Curve Master foot, so lately I've been having a play.  I attached it to my Featherweight. 

The Car Quilt I'm making for my ODIBAG stash is waiting for backing and quilting. 

We visited Esk for another Antiques Fair and on the way we stopped at Wivenhoe Dam for coffee, just lovely!

I've been playing with curved piecing too!

My car quilt almost finished
this one for my ODIBAG stash

During hubby's holiday I was in charge of feeding the Kookaburras!
This is what I woke up to one morning!!

Another Siggy for my collection

Wivenhoe Dam

Enjoyed a few days of r & r at our
Unit on the Gold Coast

New Easter shirts

The view from our balcony on the Gold Coast

BLOCK # 37 CONFEDERATE ROSE - TICK!

Block # 37    Confederate Rose

Just added my latest Civil War block to my Flickr site... Confederate Rose.   The original pattern called for set in seams with pieces cut by template, but as I'm so far behind I decided to use the square in a square method.  My block has pieced up to a perfect 8-1/2" square, but my photo has the seam allowance cropped.  My stash of suitable fabrics is getting quite thin!  Lucky for me, the dark outside triangles were already cut and in my scrap box!  I found it difficult to find enough "rose" fabric but I'm happy with how this block looks.  One day, when I have time, I will piece this block using the method given on the Civil War site.

One more week of our school holidays to go!!  I have thoroughly enjoyed this first week (especially the bit where I went to the beach!!) and I have sewing days planned for this coming week plus I will take my Mum for a drive up to Bribie Island again, to visit with my sister.  As my son is in Year 12, school holidays will soon be a thing of the past for me :-(((     but then again, next year I won't have to do the dreaded morning drive for school drop off every day... now that DOES put a smile on my face:-)

Happy Sewing!!

WORKING BACKWARDS!

The Gold Coast

Hi there!

MH and I have just had a few days away at the Gold Coast - sun, surf and generally doing NOTHING!  Oh well, yes..... I did take some hand sewing with me!

I have decided to work backwards on my Civil War blocks, as I am quite a few weeks behind.  So today I made the current block... # 38 OHIO STAR.  You can see a pic of it on my Civil War page and in my Flickr Site.

More sewing tomorrow:-)

AND THIS LITTLE PIGGY DRIED THE DISHES!

Trust me..... it is a pig!! Rather colourful and looking slightly cross-eyed, but a pig! another tea towel completed.

MH and I had a lovely day today..... we went down to the Gold Coast, had a swim, long walk on the beach, coffee and a bite to eat then came home! It has been a hot and steamy day so the beach was the perfect place to go! The rain is returning tomorrow apparently, so back to the sewing machine for me!! I need to piece the backing for B.B.'s farm quilt and should get it pinned ready for quilting.

Happy Sewing!

3 BOYS AND A MUM!

Yep, I'm actually in my Unit at the Gold Coast! We left a little late on Monday, then got stuck in a traffic jam due to an accident somewhere way up ahead of us so instead of a 1 and a bit hour trip, it took about 3 hours! Anyways..... I'm here! I have been for a swim today - lovely water - took a little sun, then covered up and came home to feed the "boys"..... I now have 3 here (my own son, his best friend and now his other friend). So now that all the food is gone - these boys are 16 and eat like lumberjacks - I'm watching a lovely old show on Cable, it's all about Dean Martin and if you knew just how much I loved him when I was 12.... well, you would understand why I'm almost in tears watching it!!!!!

On my way out on Monday, I checked the mail and how lovely to find two new siggies:-) Thank You Donna and Manie!

In between swims and watching cable, I've been working on my own version of Flea Market Boxes. It's nice sitting here sewing as we have air-con and of course a lovely view.

We are heading home on Thursday evening but by then I'll be out of food and probably money and could even possibly have finished the sewing I brought with me:-) so, I'll be happy to go home!

O.K..... back to my sewing! see you all at the end of the week..... I'll be the one slightly tanned, looking a little relaxed (come on, I'm here with 3 teenagers!!) and probably a few pounds heavier (we eat out a LOT when we are here).......

Happy Sewing!

CAN YOU DRINK RED WINE AND SEW...... YES YOU CAN!!!

The photos tell the story....... my friends and I had a fantastic weekend at the Gold Coast. We left Brisbane at lunch time on Friday, stopped at Sewing World in Springwood - this shop has a lovely range of fabrics and some great bag patterns. Then we were off down the highway to Patchwork Pantry but sadly this store has closed. On our way up to the unit, we stopped in at Laraines on Isle of Capri but unfortunately her stock was quite low as the building is being demolished and she will have to move to new premises. So by now we were slightly concerned that we were doomed to purchase nothing else for the rest of the trip! No worries..... we were very happy to change into our P.J's and open a bottle with a nice curry dinner and read the new patchwork magazines I had purchased earlier in the week but had not dared to open and have a look inside! Some of us even got out the hand sewing!!! As you can see by the photo, we were NOT going to starve this weekend - I don't think my fridge has ever had SO much food in it!!

Saturday morning we headed off to Patchwork Dreaming in Currumbin. O.K., now with our previous track record we should have had an idea that this trip was not going as planned...... yes! Patchwork Dreaming was shut!!!! Well, there was nothing to do but go and have coffee!! We found the Currumbin Surf Life Savers club and thanks to the lovely lady at the front desk who enquired what we girls were up to, we found out about the fabric shop to beat them all!!! Fantazia! This place if fabulous! Most patchwork fabric is only $11.00 per metre. So we bought vast amounts of fabrics and headed off back to the unit to enjoy some more wine and nibbles before we commenced our Ruler workshop.

The ruler we decided to trial is the Wonder Cut ruler. We chose a pattern we found on the web-site and each of us made our HST (half square triangles) using the ruler method which was very interesting. Basically you cut two strips, in this case one light, one dark - you must cut the strips with the Wonder Cut ruler. You then piece the strips together with a seam down each long side. Then you use the other end of the ruler and cut triangles which open up into HST's! We found the method extremely accurate and were very happy with the end results. I made a Pinwheel block with some scrap fabric to check how accurately everything went together. We left the rest of the sewing to be completed once we went home to Brisbane. Another curry dinner and a glass or two of wine and we were very happy with our day!

Our unit overlooks the Nerang River and we were entertained on Saturday by the Rowing - we thought it was Schoolboy rowing.... it turned out to be Australia vs New Zealand! At night the river is quite a picture.....

The photos show the daytime/night-time view, the rowing and a beautiful Rainbow Lorikeet sitting next to an abandoned crows nest.

We walked up to the beachfront for breakfast on Sunday morning, then packed up and headed home. We were very happy with our Girls Weekend!!!

I purchased some more fabrics for the Popsicle Posies quilt (see my earlier blog). If I want to do this quilt with a different fabric for each block, I will need 36 fabrics!! I'm getting there!

Today we met at my home for a "show and tell" of our wonder-cut ruler project. All of the quilts have come out so well. Mine unfortunately is a little different to the rest - although I had purchased the correct amount of light fabric, it was the end of the bolt and one end was quite crooked which meant I was short by about 2" of sashing!!! So, my star does not "float" like the rest!!! No matter, it's a pieced top and looks o.k. I think I will finish it as a wall-hanging for my guest room which is supposed to be in a Polynesian theme.

This Wednesday (October 21st) my friends and I are going to the Craft Show in Brisbane. I'll be shopping for more fabric for the Popsicle Posies quilt, plus I'm getting together a stash to make a very bright baby quilt for a friend. It's done in black and white with many brights.

Well, that's enough for one post I think, you will hear from me again after I have spent huge amounts of money at the craft show!!

Happy Sewing,

TRIP TO TOOWOOMBA

   The trip up to Toowoomba was great!  My sister and I went to help out with Chloe's Birthday party - we were very popular!  I made the "party hats" i.e: cardboard butterfly feelers and my sister Sue organized the party games.  I took this photo at sunset when we were out at my Niece's property in Oakey (near Toowoomba).

I found a new patchwork shop on the drive through Toowoomba.   It is called Precious Time. These are the fabrics I purchased - I'm building a stash to make the Popsicle Posies Quilt.This will be another quilt where I should be able to use the wide binding technique - just love the fact that the binding is done and finished in no time!

This coming Friday marks the end of another school term..... two weeks holiday is stretching before us..... we will take one week at the Gold Coast and have a week at home.  I'm planning on taking lots of hand sewing --I have already started on yet another Farm Quilt!! - this one will be for Bridget.  I love embroidering the farm animals. You can see pictures of the animals in my photo gallery.    I just do them in back stitch, using two strands.  Someone commented recently on how neat my work was.... ah ha! I have a trick..... I use the 630 iron-on pellon behind my stitching.  It makes the embroidery "sit up" if you know what I mean!  If you don't like using pellon, there is another product called Weaveline which is a stabilizer you iron on the back.  It gives your fabric more "body".  I have also started a new Christmas Wall Hanging which is an applique project. The pattern is from the Homespun magazine.  Photos soon!

My birthday flowers have opened up into beautiful blooms.........

Happy Sewing!