As you can see I'm not going to be over my red phase any time soon. I'm very fortunate to have not one but three lovely patchwork shops in my area. Avonleigh Country Quilting (where I teach), Patchwork on Stonleigh and Carolyns Quilting Room.
And yes I do have plans for these fabrics and not in the distant future, within the next 12 months. Can you pick a favourite?
It seems like ages since I made a quilt. So I happily offered to make a baby quilt for my daughter's friend's new baby boy. I purchased these fabrics from A Day in the Country at the AQM.
I decided to combine them with white quilter's muslin. Did I have any in the stash? NO! So off to the shops for some of that and a bit of this - the animal print and orange fabrics. This is where you are allowed to have a really good laugh - I purchased 2.25 metres plus 14 Fat 1/4's to make, wait for it......a quilt measuring 22 x 28 inches. Do you think I might have a tad too much?
You'd think with all that fabric I'd have had no trouble deciding what to make. Originally, I did have an idea of sorts, it just that I decided to use the animal print in the top - not just on the back. When I should have been cutting and sewing I was still procrastinating about what to make. After lots of deliberation and some advice from Jan I decided to go with a strippy quilt. I'd planned to machine quilt it myself but it was all starting to get a bit tricky. The easy option was to have it professionally machine quilted. I guess the only thing that has gone to plan is its little!
Last Friday was my final class for the year. It was held at Attic Crafts, Bendigo. A big thank you to Teena and Donna for organising it and the the trunk show that followed. The day was lots of fun with the girls almost finishing their dolls. I did take my camera but somehow forgot to get it out.
This is Sharnie's Christmas Belle, so close to being finished. I'm sure she's finished by now.
The only good thing that can be said about the hot weather is the paint dried nice and quickly!
I was surprised and delighted so many girls turned out for the trunk show given the hot blustery, trying to rain weather!
I spotted this fabric as soon as I walked in the door and fell in love with it straight away. One of those impulse buys with no particular project in mind.... but an idea is starting to form. Something that doesn't involve cutting the fabric into smaller pieces - why would you - it already looks pieced!
I was only dropping some samples back to Avonleigh and ended up coming home with these...... Now this purchase can be justified (phew!) as I already have a project picked out for them.
And yes I'm still passionate about red. This was my first pick. Sharon showed it to me as soon as I walked in the door.
I'll have to make a decision soon about the type of red and white quilt I'll make this year. The longer I leave it, the simpler it has to be.
This is the fabric I couldn't resist buying last Saturday. There is something about red, white and blue... only a vague idea of what I will make, and that's subject to change, I just had to have it.
It's been a while since I've made a Greeting Card and thought I should make another one to refresh the memory for the class on Saturday. (I really wanted an excuse to use the cute sail boat buttons by Barb. Who wouldn't!)
As soon as I saw the buttons I knew I would have to use this stripe from the stash. Funny (interesting) how this vision was so strong I didn't even bother to consider other fabrics. Other times I can pull out every piece of fabric, even raiding unfinished projects and still not find the right piece.
More tempting fabric. How gorgeous are these! I couldn't believe how perfectly they complimented the birthday cake button (another one of Barbs). Just think how many projects could be made if the 'right' pieces of fabric were so close at hand.
And the winners of the Christmas pattern giveaway are:
Beverly (posted July 26 at 12.11 pm) - Simple Pleasures
Sue (posted July 25 at 5.03pm) - Stitched Blessings
Julz at Simple Stitches - Tree of Love
Lee-Ann (posted July 25 at 3.16pm) - Tied with Love
Congratulations! Please email me your addresses and I'll pop the patterns in the post.
Very little sewing has been happening at my place these past two weeks. Hopefully I'll find the time to rectify this later today.
This was a must do - Nicole's birthday present. Can you guess what her favourite colour is?
I've had lots of fun making the needle & thread roll for the Friday Girl's birthdays. You might think I would be over it by now, but no I'm still enjoying playing with the different fabric and colour combinations.
This is Michelle's hexagon quilt. Machine pieced using fabrics from Patchwork on Stonleighs fabric club.
This is what I plan to do this afternoon, make myself a hexagon quilt. First I have to decide what size to make the hexagons and quilt (only an afternoon - perhaps I'd better aim for a tablerunner or cushion), then which fabrics to use. Will I make it scrappy out of my fabric club fabrics or maybe red and white?? I just know I need to make a decision quickly, otherwise the afternoon will be gone and I'll have nothing to show for it.
It turned so cold here on the weekend all I could think about was snuggling up under a quilt. So enticing was this thought, I made the binding, sewed it on and then stitched the binding down while staying wonderfully warm. Binding is my preferred winter job, well that's my excuse for often taking months, if not years to bind quilts. Happy to say that this one has only taken about a month but only because of the weather.
I popped some samples into Avonleigh yesterday and walked out with these great fabrics. Kay and Sharon have had a huge delivery of fabric and I was very spoilt and allowed to look through the boxes. It was like Christmas and all my birthdays rolled into one.
They also have the border fabric I used in my quilt that appeared in Homespun Vol 10 No. 4.
My plans for Easter have hit a snag. There I was ready to spend all Easter in the garden. Very enthused I went to the nursery today for cow manure and some rosemary plants ready to make an early start tomorrow. I was right on track until I stopped off at the patchwork shop. How could I resist! The dilemma, do I sew or garden? I do so hope it rains, because I need an excuse to stay indoors.
Enjoy your Easter break!
Yesterday I went to the shop to buy one piece of fabric and came home with these. One piece became two, two became three.........well you know how it goes. Did I buy the piece I originally went for, NO! And do I have two metres of the pink check already, YES! Could I bring myself to cut into it even if the piece is so small I will probably never notice, NO! So much easier to buy a Fat 1/8. And now I must confess; I do have a little piece of this fabric somewhere in my stash, but the thought of coming home and searching for it when I could be stitching....... Lucky I love it! And how fortunate fabrics don't have a Use By Date! Just another reason why fabric is so much better than chocolate.
I was going to finish another project I have on the go but these cards are too tempting. Each time I finish one I think I might just try that button with this fabric and maybe I could write 'dear mum' on the inside.
And of course, how could I resist making a Christmas card. I do so love these buttons of Barb's.
How cute is the 'bunny in a bag' tag.
They're simple and quick to make and I think that's one of the reasons why I'm finding it difficult to know when to stop. However today I'm going to continue writing the pattern and maybe later on I'll get the chance to do a little stitching.
Here is someone else who has trouble knowing when to stop. Julie has made not one but three of the little Bird of Happiness purses featured in Homespun. I have wondered if others find my projects as quick and achievable as I think they are, so it's great to see that Julie has made three in next to no time at all. Beautiful work Julie!
Remember those lovely fabrics sent to me last week from Lynn at Li'l Blokes. Here is what I made. It seems to have taken no time at all. I've worked on a bit here and there while watching the tennis; well a whole lot more listening than watching. I find the tennis the perfect backdrop for sewing to. Just by listening to the crowd cheer you can tell who's won or lost a point. And if the points been won by a spectacular shot, you can always catch it on the replay.
I've already got plans for another bare spot, this time on a wall. I have been eyeing off this bundle of fabrics for quite some time. It's the bundle I've picked up, fondled and mused about, whenever I've been in the shop. Why I just didn't buy it the first time........
