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

ANOTHER FINISH!! and more siggies.... PLUS - IT'S RAINING!

MY SECOND FINISH FOR 2010 - MY SIGGY WALL-HANGING! Using just a few of the siggies I have received to date!

I really like this little quilt now that I have finished it off with little blue buttons. Putting the siggies together was a bit of a challenge - even though we all make them basically the same size, each one is slightly different to the other, therefore sewing them together was difficult shall we say! Anyway, now that it is done, I'm quite happy with it:-) I sorted through my collection and made little stacks of like sized siggy blocks, and I found that in one lot I had mostly blue siggies and that is how this wall-hanging was born! I then found I had four other blocks the same size as the blue ones and these became the four corner pieces. The border fabric was not even mine! I think I was given this piece when my friends and I were making quilts for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal last year. Well, it went with my siggies perfectly! The centre is ditch quilted on the diagonal and I ditch quilted around the border. Binding was machined from the front and hand sewn on the back. I just noticed I don't have a pic of the back! it is cream and blue Toile. I have a huge button collection, so I just sorted through all of the blue ones and added them where the blocks meet!

and speaking of siggies....... two more beautiful blocks arrived this week.....

Thank you Micky from Ireland and Pam from Virginia USA!

IT'S RAINING! Brisbane is receiving the best rain we have had in years!! Now my hill looks green and lush, just like the old days!! It's great weather for sewing too.. hence the siggy quilt plus I have put together the farm quilt for B.B. and tomorrow I will head off to my LQS and purchase the border and backing fabrics. Sooooo... another FINISHED FOR 2010 is on its way!

Happy Sewing!