A NEW SIGGY BLOCK FOR MY COLLECTION

THANK YOU RIEK HENDRIKS

Hello !

I had a lovely surprise envelope in my letterbox this week.... a lovely Siggy Block from Riek Hendriks from the Netherlands.  Thank you Riek, your block is a lovely addition to my collection.

So what is new in Aunty Henny's world?    I guess the most exciting thing is my new HQ Sweet Sixteen quilting machine and table.  I purchased it at the recent Craft Show and just had it delivered this past week.

Unfortunately I am unable to have a play with my new machine as I have a slight fracture in my left wrist and I'm wearing a splint but maybe one more week will see the splint off and then I can sew!

I had finished most of my Christmas sewing prior to hurting the wrist.  Our local Spotlight had a new range of Aussie Xmas fabrics in stock so I did up a few items....

Yes, sewing with a splint!! 

I have been working away on the hand sewing for a Car Quilt to add to my ODIBAG stash (One day I'll be a grandmother) :-)   The fractured wrist did hold me back for a week or two but I'm back at it now.  

ODIBAG Car Quilt

I spent a few days in September school holidays with my Nieces, Sister, Great Nieces and Nephews.  We booked two units at Bribie Island so we could also visit with my Sister Sue.  We had a fantastic week.  I made a treasure collecting bag for the little ones to take to the beach ...

NOTHING FANCY BUT THE KIDS LOVED IT

Our little Maisy found a bag she desperately wanted in a toy shop but I told her I would make her a special bag.  I asked what fabric should I use and the answer was..... Unicorns, princesses and rainbows.... we promptly went online and found the fabric, ordered it there and then and it arrived the day I returned home from the little holiday.  I made a Ballerina Bag which was very well received.

Front of Ballerina Bag for Maisy

and the back.

Two of my Nieces were in Melbourne recently and found a little gift for me.....  thanks girls, I love it!

I already had the little tricket box on the left... now I have a cute little treadle!

Many moons ago I did the embroidery on these Elephant blocks.  They've been sitting in a box just waiting for the day to be made into a quilt.  Well, that day finally came and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I have it all ready to quilt on my new machine :-)

ELEPHANT QUILT

FOUND THE PERFECT BACKING IN MY STASH

MY CIVIL WAR QUILT ALSO HAS ITS BORDERS, ANOTHER ONE READY TO QUILT!

Our neighbour's daughter had a new baby girl, so of course....  a little Pram quilt!  basically two fat quarters with cotton wadding in between and quilted on my Featherweight 222K.

A QUICK LITTLE PRAM QUILT FOR A NEW BABY

So as you can see, I have been sewing and keeping busy.  If only this wrist would heal quickly I would be sewing on my new Sweet Sixteen !   Oh well, not too long now!

Happy Sewing!!

Cheers from Helen

NEW YEAR ... ANOTHER LIST OF THINGS TO DO....

Happy New Year

to 

everyone!

I had a bad start to 2016.......  was struck down with a tummy bug the day before New Year's Eve and didn't fully recover for a few days after ... but all good now !  not the start to the New Year I had planned.

Although I have said this before...... I will endeavour to post more to my Blog this year...... yes really! I will!  and to that end I have committed to a quilt along over here   (Whimsical Fabric Blog).  This sounds like a fun project - you make one block per month using scraps from a current project and by the end of the year you will have a quilt showcasing all the fabrics you have sewn with during the year.

I have been sewing for the past few days - I have my Civil War quilt all joined up to a flimsy but I'm waiting on two fabrics that might be borders..... I'm trying to grow the top out to fit our King bed.

Here are the rows just clinging on to my design wall a few days ago but they are all joined up now - I discovered I was missing a row....... found it!!!   so my top is 6 blocks across and 7 blocks down.

So my first block in the quilt along will be made with Civil War scraps - even though this quilt was pieced back in  2011  ...   as a finish for early 2016 I think it counts :-)

I have also "almost" finished my Table Runner from the quilt along I participated in last year.... Scrap Dance Quilt Along.  I decided to use up the seemingly never ending pile of "sewing" themed fabrics I had in my stash.  Here is the top pieced ...

I have since added a final border of scrappy squares and I pieced up a backing for it too but no photo yet!  I think the plan for the table topper size was a square table centre but I wanted a runner to go over my vintage treadle cabinet.  I should have made one more block to even out the pattern but I'm happy with how it looks.

So another WhimsicalFabric January block will be made using the leftover fabrics from the Table Runner - thankfully there aren't too many of those! but enough for one 9 patch block :-)

Brisbane has had some lovely cool rainy days for about two weeks but today we are back to warm and humid.  Sewing is probably the last thing to do on such a day but I'm just about to head in to my sewing room and set up my Featherweight to do the quilting on the table runner.  My 222K does lovely free motion quilting and this runner is just the right size project for this machine.  I would not attempt anything too large on my Featherweight as it is only a small machine with a small motor.

My sewing list for January.....

Finish Civil War quilt

Finish Scrap Dance table runner

Complete the embroidery blocks and make the four patch blocks for the Farm Quilt I'm currently working on... this one is a gift for our neighbour's little granddaughter.  Her birthday is sometime in January.

Start another "Boats on the Open Sea" quilt.... this one will be for my ODIBAG stash   (one day I'll be a grandmother).   This quilt will be my hand sewing project for quite a while :-)

Find a backing for my Teddy Quilt (another one for my ODIBAG stash).


Happy Sewing !
Cheers from Helen

I

Go Cutting ... And loving it!

The last few sashing strips to add to the left side of the first blocks in each row - chain piecing makes short work of this job. I learnt years ago to finish a seam with needle down and then butt up the next block to sew ... This way your chain stitching starts and ends with a full stitch right at the edge of the fabric and you don't leave too large a gap between blocks (not good to sew without fabric under the foot). 

I went through the scrap bin from the Civil War Quilt and started cutting the 2-1/2" cornerstones for the sashing - so much easier using the Go Cutter. 

Lovely cold afternoon here, perfect sewing weather.

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.

HOVERING HAWKS FOUND IN SCRAP BOX!

BLOCK #  39   HOVERING HAWKS

That got your attention!!   I made this block COMPLETELY from my Civil War Scrap Box.  I found the already pieced HST's and some matching squares, so this block came together very quickly.  I decided to crop my photos to show how they will look once "in the quilt" so trust me, all the points ARE there!

Also caught up with Block #  32  CAROLINA LILY....

This block called for set in Y seams, but as I have never done that I used all HST's and rectangles - I used some already pieced HST's in this one too!  I might have a go at the Y seams version later on down the track:-)   I made this one last night and I see my "pressing" is a bit rough!  (top row)   Will have to fix that!

I added to my Civil War stash this week.....  picked up a few fat quarters when my friends and I were on the Quilt Shop Hop on Wednesday.  We had a lovely day, down by the Bay. 

I just need to make BLOCK # 31  EMPTY SPOOLS plus the most current block put up last Saturday, BLOCK # 40  ORDER NUMBER ELEVEN which is an Applique Block and I will be ALL CAUGHT UP!  Thank goodness!  I wonder how many more blocks there are to come?  

The little baby quilt is waiting to be layered and quilted, might get that done over the weekend!

Happy Sewing!!

CurveMaster Foot ... TRUE TO ITS NAME!

BLOCK # 33   INDIANA PUZZLE

You know how you go to Craft Shows and buy lots of gadgets and stuff???   Well, last year (or maybe it was the one before!) I purchased the CurveMaster Foot.  The box has sat in my sewing machine drawer ever since.  In playing catch up with my Civil War blocks, I was very happy to find Block # 33 required curved piecing.  So, I said to myself "better have a go at that new foot!!"  and so I did:-)     I made two test blocks first and I must admit I found the foot very easy to use (I did go online to the website for the CurveMaster Foot and followed the directions given).  Once you get used to how to hold the top layer of fabric and allow yourself to trust the foot, the pieces go together very quickly.  You need the tweezers that come with the foot too otherwise you can't hold the last 1/2" or so .... honestly, it was quite easy!!  The pieces I made all came out the exact size and the block pieced up to a perfect 8-1/2" square.  I used the CurveMaster Foot for the curved piecing and switched to my walking foot for joining the quarters together.  I used a scant 1/4" seam when using my walking foot.  The CurveMaster Foot sews with a scant 1/4" seam allowance.  I could have stayed with the CurveMaster Foot when I joined the quarter sections together, but I find I prefer to use my walking foot and my fork pins when joining sections.

Another little trick I used today.....   I printed the templates for the Block onto Freezer Paper, then ironed them onto my fabric for rotary cutting -   too easy!     How did I print onto the Freezer Paper????   It is quite simple...

I cut my freezer paper the same size as a regular piece of printer paper for my printer, then I placed the freezer paper shiny sound down onto the regular paper & ran my iron across the top (iron about a 1/2" down).  Place the joined papers into the printer paper tray (all printers vary, but in mine I placed the joined papers in with the regular paper on top, ironed section leading in) and click print!  I had downloaded the templates from the Civil War site.  The freezer paper templates can be used over and over!

I can see more curved piecing in my future!!  I have the GO CUTTER die for the Apple Core block - I can't wait to try that out now!!!

Happy Sewing!!

STILL SEWING! YET MORE CIVIL WAR BLOCKS!

# 36  KENTUCKY CROSSROADS

# 35  STAR OF THE WEST

I have added Block # 36   KENTUCKY CROSSROADS  and Block # 35  STAR OF THE WEST to my Flickr site!     ........only FOUR more blocks to go plus the one from last Saturday and I will be all caught up.... yippeeeee!

Oh! and in case you were wondering......  NO, I'm not getting any OTHER sewing done :-(     MUST catch up with these blocks first!

I'll be back!

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:-)

WHERE TO START???

BLOCK # 30   PETERSON'S STARS & STRIPES
CIVIL WAR QUILT
 I cheated with this one and used a stripe fabric for the foundation and then appliqued the star with hand blanket stitch.

 I have had lots of fun making these Swatch Books.  The pattern is by Keyka Lou

  and it's great!  The blue and green ones I made for my stitching friends.

 This is the one I made for myself, it's already stuffed full of fabric and patterns AND.....
my quilting calculator!   Quilter's FabriCalc.

 I have made a little business card wallet, pattern also by Keyka Lou.  I have filled it with all of those rewards cards you seem to collect.  Keyka Lou does have a great pattern for a proper Loyalty Card folder, which I will also make when I find time:-)

Market Bag (you know I LOVE this pattern by Artsy- Crafty Babe)
this bag is for a friend who is having a market stall soon.

and here is one I have made for my Niece who is an artist!
I thought this fabric was just perfect!!

Last Sunday September 11th was my birthday (oh yes, yet another one!) and my BFF always takes me out to the Redlands Quilt Extravaganza.  I bought myself some lovely new patterns.......

Gorgeous new patterns!!
these are by "The Birdhouse" Natalie Bird

close up of the designs

don't you love the verse???!

I couldn't resist these lovely little books - full of beautiful designs for embroidery!

Close up of the Christmas Stitchings to celebrate the season designs.

Close up of the All Creatures Great & Small designs

Birthday cards:-)

Naturally I just had to make
myself a new bag for the day out...
this pattern is the
241 bag
by Noodlehead
LOVE IT!

How cute is this?!  It's a beautiful
sewing bag!

Finally found some new scissors!
The pink ones are Fiskars
& the beautiful big Tailor shears
are by Mundial (all carbon steel)

and a new sewing box for my table!

New Denyse Schmidt fabrics
have arrived at Spotlight
so of course, I just had to buy some!

New quilt pattern - my Niece is expecting
her first baby in February
So I've started collecting fabric!
The pattern is called..
Lullaby in the night sky
by Natalie Ross In Stitches

I KNOW!  more baby fabric -  but this is my
Niece's FIRST baby!!!!

Another fabric collection, the pattern is called
Hey Diddle Diddle
Designer:  Karen DuMont, KariePatch Designs
it was published in Quilt Almanac 2011
another quilt I am planning for the new baby
due in February.

So my friends.....  you can see that although I've been VERY SICK... I still managed to create, shop and buy!!!  Hey, what else could I do??!!!

You will need a rest and a cuppa after reading this post, hope you have enjoyed reading!!  and thank you for all the emails sending me get well messages..... they must have worked!!

Happy Sewing!!