A NEW YEAR .... 2020 ...

Hello!

Happy New Year to all.   I wonder how I will go with attempting to keep this Blog up to date this year... dismal failure for the last couple of years.  😁😁😟

and so to catch up..... where were we?   My goodness, my last Post was back in July 2019 .....

A NEW FARM QUILT IN THE MAKING
A BOY VERSION THIS TIME

CHRISTMAS SEWING ... COASTERS AND NEEDLE NANNIES

THE GIRL FARM QUILT READY FOR PINNING

AT LAST! THE NEXT BLOCK FOR MY HAND APPLIQUÉ VERSION OF LAND DOWN UNDER

TEACHING MY NEIGHBOURS LITTLE GRANDDAUGHTER TO SEW

CASABLANCA SUNRISE .. ALL SEWN ON MY 201K TREADLE

2020 STASHBUSTER QUILT

The STASHBUSTER quilt along can be found at BORDER CREEK STATION http://www.bordercreekstation.com/the-stash-buster-challenge-2020.htm

NEW SIGGY BLOCK .. THIS YEAR I’M INCLUDING MY NEEDLE NANNY

MY NIECE REQUESTED A COSY FOR TWO MINUTE NOODLES (RAMEN)
I THOUGHT IT WOULDN’T WORK BUT SHE SAYS IT WORKS PERFECTLY!

CHRISTMAS AT THE MCNAUGHTS

XMAS SEWING.... THE SEVEN PIECE FOLDED  HEXAGON  COASTER

WALKING FOOT QUILTING ON THE FARM QUILT

TRYING THE THREAD POST FROM THE FEATHERWEIGHT SHOP..
FEEDS THE CROSSWOUND THREAD OVER TO THE NEEDLE
SO SMOOTHLY

CHRISTMAS PARCEL... AUSSIE TEE SHIRTS AND NEW PILLOWCASES

CASABLANCA  SUNRISE BLOCK ON THE TREADLE

SET FOR OUR ANNUAL XMAS PARTY

SMOKE HAZE DURING THE TERRIBLE FIRES

CHRISTMAS SHIRTS

GO CUTTING APPLIQUÉ SHAPES

WASHING UP SCRUBBY

A NEW MAKE ... AN ECO FRIENDLY WASHING UP SCRUBBY

2020 STASHBUSTER .. JANUARY BLOCKS

CASABLANCA SUNRISE

The Casablanca Sunrise block is from the magazine QUILT NOW a UK Magazine. Issue 56.

The eco friendly washing up scrubby is a tutorial at HappiestCamper https://happiestcamper.com/diy-zero-waste-kitchen-sponge/. I’ve been using mine since Christmas and it works really well.

The seven piece folded hexagon coaster is also a tutorial https://babylock.com/learn-and-create/inspiration/folded-hexagon-coasters-project

So, as you can see,  I have been sewing.....

Happy sewing!
Cheers from Helen

JANUARY

Happy New Year !

January is not really the month to get much sewing done...... our weather is usually awfully hot and humid.  This January has been a little surprising.  We did have some hot horrible days but just lately it's been quite pleasant.  My projects this month ........

READING PILLOW
GIFT FOR A FRIEND

I love making these Reading Pillows but somehow I got myself confused with the measurements for the pocket so this one only has a very shallow pocket.  A little book still fits so that's okay 😀

BY AIR BY RAIL BY SEA
YES! IT'S A FLIMSY!

I'm pushing myself to get the By Air ...... quilt finished.  I cannot believe this but I've been working on this machine applique project for three years!  YES! THREE YEARS!    I finished up all of the blanket stitch and now have it to the flimsy stage, just waiting for more of the backing fabric as I fell short when I went to layer the quilt.

ZOE ZEBRA QUILT IS PINNED AND I'VE FINISHED
THE DITCH QUILTING 

Although I enjoyed making this quilt, it really was meant for machine applique (I did it by hand) so I'm pleased to be up to the quilting stage now.  I've done the stitch in the ditch quilting so now it moves over to my Sweet Sixteen for the Free Motion Quilting.

HERE'S THE BACKING

THE TEDDY BEAR'S PICNIC
 

My hand sewing project at the moment is The Teddy Bear's Picnic blocks .. pattern by the Red Boot Quilt Company .   It's a lovely project and I'm really enjoying it.  To keep the applique soft, I use the method where you cut away most of the fusible web from the centre of the shape (so on the head of the bear, it's only got the fusible web around the outside edges, I have cut away the middle area.... this makes it much easier to stitch through the eyes and nose.  Here is a tutorial by Pat Sloan.  I do this to the larger pieces but leave the smaller pieces intact.

Siggy Block

How lovely to still be receiving Siggy Block requests.  This one will be on its way to The Netherlands soon.  You can find the information about the Siggy exchange here.  I have been in the Exchange for many years now.  Today I was stitching in a coffee shop but sitting outside so I tried out my new battery powered fan from Aldi.... works a treat!

I sew my siggy blocks on my Singer 99K Hand Crank..... very peaceful and quiet using this machine.  It sews a beautiful stitch.  I like to give each of my vintage machines a project, this keeps them oiled and maintained on a regular basis.

SINGER HAND CRANK 99K

Cheers!

Helen

BEAUTIFUL SIGGY BLOCKS

A beautiful siggy from Konstanze in Germany 

and here is the beautiful siggy from Leonore also in Germany
I think this one will become a Pin Cushion as Leonore
has put my initial on it.

I still enjoy being in the International Siggy Swap and recently received these two lovely blocks.  Thank you Konstanze and Leonore, I love your siggies!  I think I will make some sewing machine covers with some of the siggy blocks I have received.  I have already made a wall hanging so now that I have so many sewing machines, I will make them some pretty dust covers.  I think that will be a lovely way to view the siggy blocks and will certainly be a talking point for visitors to my home.

Sewing time has been a bit hit and miss lately with our Summer hanging in so much longer than it usually does and the days just have not been conducive to sewing at all although a lovely cold change has arrived today!  I am continuing to work on the machine appliqué project - By Air, By Rail, By Sea.  I am using my Brother Innov-is 200 Quilters Edition for this project.  It does a very nice blanket stitch.

My newest addition to my Vintage Sewing Machine collection is the Singer 99K Hand Crank and I am making my Siggy Blocks on this machine so it gets some regular use.  I am really enjoying sewing on this machine - love being able to sew very slowly with the Hand Crank!  I think this machine will be great for fiddly top stitching and bag making.

Just yesterday I started a new project (click to go to Quilt-Along site)  on my Singer 201K Knee-Shift.  I gave it an Oil and clean and started making some Half Square Triangles on it yesterday afternoon.  I will be making a Table Topper - the Quilt-Along is called Scrap Dance Mystery Quilt Along and it's by "From My Carolina Home" - I have linked to the website above.  I found lots of suitable scraps in my scrap bag - all sewing related!  so this will be a Table Topper for one of my sewing tables.   I love sewing on this machine, it is so quiet and I can really control my speed with the knee-shift lever.  Note the new LED lightbulb!  Love it !  it is from April 1930s Sewing Shoppe.  If you have a Vintage Machine with the old incandescent light bulbs (ouch.... very hot!) you will love the new LED bulbs as they are so much brighter and stay cool.  April has them in both Warm and Bright White.  By giving this machine a project it keeps it oiled and cleaned and ensures some regular sewing time.  These old machines need to be used.

My Singer 201K Knee-Shift machine - a great little workhorse!
You will see I still have the manual pages beside me when I work
on my machines!

Here you can see how I am using the wide side of the normal Singer
sewing foot to sew my 1/4" seams down each side of the
drawn line.  Yes it's back to front sewing but it works like a charm!
I am chain stitching the HST's

My Hand Sewing project is coming along nicely.  I'm now up to the third border of boats.  As many of you know, I MUST have a hand sewing project at ALL times :-)   ...  need something to do when we go out for our daily coffee!

Today is a lovely cold and windy day - just finished some housework (boring but necessary) and about to head in to the sewing room to work on those Half Square Triangles.

Happy Sewing!

Cheers from Helen