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It's not often the kits are done before the pattern is back from the printers but I couldn't help myself. The Santa buttons arrived this morning from Barb, Theodora Cleave and I was looking for an excuse to have a break from computer work.
Fingers crossed the pattern and kits will be available this time tomorrow.
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Do you ever do this? Pick out fabrics, confident you will be cutting and sewing in the next couple of days and months later they're still in the same untouched pile. Perhaps they've been moved to dust around, but that's as close as you've got to do anything with them. Well I had that sort of pile.
Ever since I made a quick and easy quilt, Coconut Ice, I've wanted to make it again. To prove to myself it was as quick and easy as I thought and see if it worked as well in other colours.
OK so I'm still using pink but this time combined with green and a dash of yellow.
So how long did it take to make? I think 5 hours tops. That's to cut and sew. You will need to add extra time for choosing fabrics and laying out the pieces.
And the five hours includes reverse sewing after I chose not to follow my own directions and tried something different!
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Barb of Theodora Cleave, has been tempting me with her gorgeous new buttons. First came the pictures and then the real thing in the mail yesterday. I wanted to start playing with them right then, but there is a red & white quilt pattern that needs writing. After a day spent on the computer I decided I was entitled to a little fun and spent last night with pen and paper doodling and thinking about what to make with them.
First off I have to decide which one to use. All of them of course, but which one first? I keep swinging from one to the other. With so many ideas it's hard to choose and just start stitching. The next idea always seems bigger and brighter than the last.
I did think I'd settled on a fabric.
Until this one was delivered today.
Totally different but both perfect.
Does this mean it's back to the drawing board?
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I've been thoroughly entertained this past month with visits from these guys.
King Parrots are visiting. The two ballerina apple trees just off the back veranda are looking a little worse for the visits and it's lucky I wasn't planning on harvesting a crop, they've just about done it for me!
They were very entertaining last night with three vying for position on the one tree and the young one above perched off to the side waiting to be fed.
I guess they'll move on in the next few days once the apples are gone and then I might be able to get a little stitching done.
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At times you need to stop and appreciate the simplest of things.
Every time I walk past, I'm amazed this hardy succulent can produce such pretty delicate blooms.
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Bronwyn made these Dressy Hanger covers over the Christmas/New Year break and I immediately felt a longing to play with some colour.
I had to remind myself there was a red & white quilt to finish and no time to get lost in the pleasure of mixing and matching fabrics. The danger of playing with fabrics is thirty minutes becomes sixty and before you know it the afternoon has gone and not a jot of real work has been done.
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The first blocks for this quilt were made back in September. Work on this quilt has been patchy but I've finally finished piecing the blocks and have sewn them together.
None to soon as the classes for this quilt commence at Avonleigh next month.
There's still more to do, but I am going to enjoy this level of completion, for tonight at least, before working on the borders.
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Only one more block to go and then I can start piecing the quilt together. It will be done tonight and then I can lay the blocks out and begin the painstaking task of deciding which ones should go where. No matter how much care I take I always find I've placed blocks with the same fabric in them side by side!
This is my favourite block..... for now.
And this was a happy coincidence.
Imagine my surprise when I pressed open this half square triangle and discovered the print was perfectly placed. It wouldn't have worked if I was trying!
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My head is spinning with all the things I have planned for this year and I will need my diary more than ever to help me stay on track. I know you can use your smart phone or computer to do this but I love my diary. I like turning pages, making lists and crossing things off when they're done!
Making a new cover is how I start each year. It wouldn't feel like a new year if there was no cover to make.
Sometimes it's difficult picking the fabric, but this year it was the simplest of decisions. Could there be a more perfect fabric - I don't think so!
The fabric has been sitting out where I can see it for the last few weeks while I thought about what to put with it. I even had it folded around the diary at one stage to get a feel for the scale.
So nice to start the year with a finished project. Fingers crossed there will be lots more!
Have a fabulous 2013 with lots of finishes!
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