HOW TO SEW ON A HOT DAY

FIRSTLY, THIS MUST BE ON FULL BLAST -  ignore the dirty blades!

SECONDLY, YOU MUST HAVE GOOD MUSIC PLAYING...  yes, I do have quite a selection in my iTunes!    As I am typing this, Dean Martin is singing La Vie En Rose and oh no, now I'm listening to the theme from Dances with Wolves (I still get goose-bumps when I hear this song!)

YOU REALLY MUST HAVE SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE AGES AGO, THAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED...  yes, embarrassed to admit it but this is our little Maisy's Teddy quilt that was supposed to be her Christmas present....  it's coming Maisy!!

Stitching in the ditch.  Using Gutermann Sulky  Cotton 30 in the bobbin (a lovely variegated thread col # 4031) and Gutermann Cotton 50 in needle.

When I sew children's quilts I always backstitch at the beginning

and end of the quilting row.  I feel this adds strength to the row of

quilting (will stand up to endless washing).

 

YOU SHOULD BE IN A HAPPY MOOD ... now this really made me happy - I received a complimentary copy of Barbara Brackman's new book "Civil War Sampler" - this was the weekly quilt- along I participated in back in 2011 ---- and before you ask, NO the quilt top is still not together.  I have a block in the book - Page 26  Blockade (it's the one on the bottom of the page).  How exciting is that!

but wait! there's more......

       

I had my first year of my Blog printed as a Blog2Print book!   Love it!  I'm now working on my second year. (sorry about the flash - if I didn't use it you couldn't see the book).

YOU SHOULD HAVE NOTHING ELSE THAT NEEDS SEWING (THAT WILL ONLY DISTRACT YOU!)...  I finished off this little quilt - I went through all of the scraps and leftover chunks of fabric I used making the Keep Movin' quilt and I put together this little quilt for a friend's new grandson.  It's only a small quilt - perfect for taking out to the shopping mall or the park - something clean and bright to use as a change mat or picnic rug.

I had the binding already made in my stash (it was going to be used on one of the toy twist quilts but I changed colours).  Although not a great colour match, I think it looks quite good and suits the quilt.

YOU SHOULD NOT BE INTERRUPTED BY FAMILY MEMBERS LOOKING FOR FOOD ..

Too easy... it's so darned HOT that nobody feels like eating anyway. Unless you count Frosty Fruits ice blocks:-)

So there you have it... how to sew on a hot day and believe me, we are experiencing terrible heat all over Australia.

I had better get back to the sewing, here's a bit of Dean to make you swoon (all those who do not like Dean Martin, switch off now)........

Happy Sewing!!
Cheers from Helen

... warning.. the above video may just make you cry-   better have a box of tissues handy:-)this of course only applies to those of you who love Dean Martin as much as I do.

Update on Fred:-  back to chemo again tomorrow and has had a rough two weeks following the last lot.  This will be # 5, so only one more session to go!   Thanks for all the lovely well wishes you send via my blog and email.

A JANUARY FLIMSY & SOMETHING FOR BUB

A long time ago in a sewing room far far away.......     well, not that far away really - it's just down the end of the hallway!

I started THIS quilt.  and then I didn't touch it until last weekend and now it looks like THIS!.....

KEEP MOVIN' -  DESIGNER:  KAREN DUMONT (click HERE)
PATTERN PUBLISHED:  QUICK QUILTS   SUMMER 2010

yep.. it's only January and I've already got a flimsy to show off!!    Our friends' little grandson turned two recently, so this one will be for him.  I made the Brights Baby Quilt for him in 2010 .......

I forgot to show you something else I made for the little baby due in February (my Niece Lauren's first)...

I purchased a wash bag which already had a pink zip! and
then I added the ribbon and the fabric trim!  too easy!

Lauren was really pleased with it and said it was such
a great idea....   but I can't claim it as my own...
THANK YOU... NOODLEHEAD (click HERE)  honestly, that
girl must never sleep... her blog always has such great ideas, tutorials
and patterns!

Love this baby fabric - so retro!

It feels good to have something ticked off my "to do" list!   Now, where are all those other PHD's lurking??????

Happy Sewing,
Helen

CIAO!

I received a lovely Siggy yesterday....    THANK YOU    Simonetta from Grado in Italy.   Simonetta is very new to the Siggy swap and has been learning patchwork for about a year.    Perhaps some of my Followers who are also in the Siggy swap would like to send Simonetta their Siggy block.  Her name is not on the list from Annelies as yet, but should be on the next one.

Today is much better weatherwise than the past week -  thank heavens!  but I have started the day with a headache so not a lot of sewing being accomplished.  However, I did FEEL like sewing, so whipped up another little Hot Cross Bun block.

My Keep Movin' quilt blocks have all been blanket stitched, now I have to put the ric rac road on the car and truck blocks and then I can start putting the whole top together!

Chubby Chicks blocks are now getting their Eye stitched, and then I will also be ready to piece the pinwheel blocks.  I can see a "finish" for 2011 on the horizon!

  

Happy Sewing!!

.... AND THIS BLOCK WAS "JUST RIGHT"!!

BLOCK # 8 - CIVIL WAR QUILT......This was a nice easy block.  At first, I just used a 4  1/2" square of the dark fabric with  3" corner squares to form the snowballs, but this resulted in my  X  being a little narrow.....   there are 4 squares to each block.

First try..    I like my fabric choices, but
my  X  is too narrow
(compared with the pattern)

I loved the blocks in the flickr group that
used striped fabric.  As I am working
with 10" squares, I didn't have enough
of any one fabric so I used two different
colourways in the same stripe, but
it was impossible to cut matching squares,
so my stripes don't match.
X  is still too narrow.

 

Success third time around!  I like the proportions of this
block.  I downloaded the template which was made with EQ6 and then
I just did the measurements from that.
This block used a  4  1/2" square with  2  1/2" squares for the corners
to form the snowballs - there are 4 squares to the block.

I really enjoyed making this block.  

MY HINTS AND TIPS FOR THIS ONE???

Well, I did find that precise pinning was a key point - I used my fork pins to match up all of the seams.  

I used a "scant" 1/4" seam allowance.

I did not use any steam in my iron until the very last press.

I tried pressing my seams open in the construction stages for blocks 1 and 2, but found that pressing to one side resulted in a better fit by the time I made the 3rd block.  I did press the final centre seam open.

All of my blocks came out the correct size....  8  1/2" pieced for an 8" finish.

It's been a very, very HOT AND HUMID AND STICKY couple of days here in Brisbane.... I'm surprised that I did any sewing at all!!!  It's kind of difficult keeping all the fabric where it belongs with the FAN on FULL BLAST!!  Still, it was cooler in my sewing room than other rooms in my house!

Hopefully I will get out to my LQS and buy some fabric to start on the ROYAL CRITTERS quilt - I am almost finished all of the embroidery on my Keep Movin' quilt so I will need a new hand sewing project soon!

Happy Sewing!!

HOT CROSS BUNS

HOT CROSS BUNS!  -  a pattern by Bonnie Hunter

No, not THOSE Hot Cross Buns (although they HAVE been available at the Supermarket since Boxing Day!!!!) .....  

As I have just little bits of leftover fabric after making each Civil War block, I was looking for a suitable pattern that would use up these scraps - and I found just what I wanted.  Thanks to Bonnie Hunter's "Addicted to Scraps" article in Quiltmaker magazine - Issue November/December '10.

This 5" finished block (5  1/2" pieced) uses  1  1/2" strips and squares.  It's a cute little block and might be useful in the border of the CW Quilt.

The Spike family are now regular visitors - I must do another video of baby - his call is hillarious!!

 A beautiful siggy arrived this week.... thank you Dorine!

SIGGY FROM DORINE

I have been working on my Keep Movin' quilt blocks - can only do the black blanket stitching during the day!!  

Happy Sewing!!

... AND HERE'S ANOTHER ONE!

RICHMOND, second version
this time with the correct value in
the triangles.

The photo is a little dark, but the flash made everything look way too pink!

I think I like the layout of the first block better than this one!

Spent the afternoon on this and really enjoyed the process.  I wouldn't mind having a go at a whole quilt with this block, but perhaps at the 12" finished size!

Tomorrow I plan to get back onto something a little brighter - might get the Keep Movin' blocks out and get them finished.  Seems like ages since I touched them!

Happy Sewing!!