TICKET?.... check ; SHOPPING LIST? .... check ; NEW BAG? ....

check!

Of course I had to make a new bag to take to the Craft Show next week.....

GEAR UP BAG, pattern by Sweetwater (link) two outside
pockets and one inside pocket.  11" x 11" x 3"

Outside fabric - Trefle created by Kokka, made in Japan,
sorry I don't know the maker of the pink spot fabric.

Beautiful fabric flower brooch made by my very clever sister...... love the antique button!

Inside the bag.  I only added one pocket (for the new iPhone), plenty of room for purse,keys and a bottle of water! plus
some rolled up tote bags for all of those purchases!!!

I love the inside fabric - A Stitch in Time - Allover by Nutex N.Z.

This bag went together very quickly.  Easy pattern and instructions.  I decided to make it out of some sewing theme fabric I had as I  already own so many 'handbags' so this bag will become a project bag for craft.

I love the fabric on the inside of the bag.  It was quite funny when I was making the bag, I kept trying to pick off the threads until I realised that they were printed on the fabric!

In other sewing news.....  I finished off a Teddy quilt top that I have had stashed away waiting for the time I needed a gift quilt.

The Beary Bunch, pattern by Toni Alexander - The Red Boot Quilt Company
just washed and out of the dryer!

Triangle label.
I usually do my labels like THIS but this time I tried this method where you cut a square, fold into a triangle and stitch the edges down when you add the binding. I wrote on it after I stitched it into the quilt, using a Pigma pen, then I hand stitched the diagonal fold down to the quilt back. Quick and easy! HERE are a few other label ideas

Pieced backing.  I used up some fabrics that I have had
in my stash for a few years..... great way to use up large
chunks of fabric! Stitch in the Ditch quilting although that often takes longer than doing a free-motion meander all over the quilt top. It gets a bit tricky when you have Appliqué blocks.

I always include a book or two with a quilt and this time
I also put in a little car

The Aiming for Accuracy quilt-along is drawing to an end, we are up to the borders this week.  Here is my quilt top minus borders...

Photo taken outside, quilt pegged to the clothes-line - bit breezy!

I'm a little behind with my Batik version of this quilt.  I'll work on it over the weekend I hope.

I was able to use another June Tailor ruler recently.  We had to make the ticker-tape block (that long skinny brown and orange squares block) and I found that the June Tailor Shape Cut Plus ruler worked perfectly to square up and trim the strips.  You won't be surprised to hear that June Tailor rulers are on my shopping list for the Craft Show !

We are experiencing an extremely hot day today, so not much sewing going on right now.  I'm sitting under the fan playing on my computer and watching Midsomer Murders.  Time for a cup of tea I think.....

Happy Sewing,

Cheers from Helen

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.

ONCE UPON A TIME.......

THERE WERE FIVE BEARS....

Okay, I know there were only three but in my story there are five!  okay?

and here is the first bear ...

THE BEARY BUNCH
Pattern by Toni Alexander
The Red Boot Quilt Company
link HERE
Poor little thing looks a bit washed out in this pic but in reality he is quite a bright bear!

I have previously made two of these quilts,  both in boy colours:-

This is the quilt I donated to Blair's Wish Foundation

I don't have a photo of the other quilt as it is only a flimsy at present, waiting to be quilted.

So who will be on the receiving end of this quilt you might just ask????     Our beautiful little Maisy of course!   Hey, I'm Aunty Hen and I can make as many quilts as I like for the little darling!  You may recall, Maisy already has three quilts from me (Royal Critters, Lullaby in the Night Sky and just lately the bright orange Toy Twist quilt -Hey Diddle Diddle) plus a stack of little pram quilts I whipped up in a hurry one day, terrible photo ..

Pram quilts (two fat quarters layered, quilted and bound-
great for practicing free motion quilting)

This quilt will be ready for Christmas I hope.

I tried something different with the Applique method this time - I used the "soft or window applique" technique.   This makes for a much softer feel to the applique therefore making it so much easier to blanket stitch the parts where there are lots of layers.  I cut the teddy head and body using the soft window method and I have found that it is certainly much easier to stitch through all of the layers.  It feels kind of strange holding the block as I stitch, as I am used to it feeling much firmer, but I'm getting used to it now.  A good test for this method was the eyes and nose of the teddy -  lots of layers but it was so easy to stitch without the fusible web being behind every piece.  I could have used the soft method on the muzzle too, might try that on the next bear I build.

UPDATE ON FRED:-          He started back on chemo last Monday (same as last time, plugged in for three days - wears the device home).  It seems to be having more of an effect on him this time but that's to be expected following a major surgery I guess.  He's feeling a little woozy and off colour.    The chemo will go on for 12 weeks so we will be having a low key Christmas.

Cheers for now,

Happy Sewing,

Helen