I'm not a hippy???

Last night I watched the movie 'Love Actually' (again, and it is just a coincidence that Hugh Grant and Liam Neeson are in it).  I hadn't seen it in such a long time and although I was stitching I was paying a lot of attention to the soundtrack.  So what does a girl do when she has a song in her head?  Gets on itunes of course.  My neighbours have spent the day listening to my 'Old Girls' playlist whilst I worked in the garden.  You forget how music can take you to a place and time and Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell were my partners in crime today.  Who are you listening to?

A busy week

Another busy week has gone by, I have finished all four corners for the 2nd border of Gidget, started a new ATC swap 'Zentangles' - another new technique and if nothing else is good practice for my free motion quilting, some more colour on my pillow cover and I'm now up to 11 blocks on my new project - Sylvia's Bridal Sampler. This quilt has a total of 140 6" square blocks, my goal is 99 and I will post some photos soon!  But here are a couple of other works in progress....

Blue and Browns added

My interpretation of zentangles???

A baby quilt finished off and donated as a fundraiser for Biggest Morning Tea Raffle.

 

And some autumn leaves.

J

It's nearly Friday

It's nearly Friday.  This week my background fabric has finally turned up, I have finished all my ATC's and I have been working on the corner blocks which I am doing all by hand - the applique that is - and I have decided on my next journal quilt and shh I have started another quilt.  So.....my family have booked me for most of the next 3 days!  Looks like it will be a busy night tonight! I am also having a play date with my sewing buddy Cathy between commitments tomorrow.

Journal quilt - on paper

Applique finished on first corner block.

Have a great weekend everyone!

J

Winter is early

Well, the fires' been lit, it's cold and windy outside and perfect for quilting.  My background fabric hasn't arrived yet, but my order has been located and is in the mail on Monday!  I'm continuing with the hand applique on border 2 of Gidget, and plodding along with the painting.  And i've made some ATC's for a SCQATC swap on my Featherweight.

The theme is rainbow and I am 'blue'.  Yeh, I had a couple of blue fabrics in the stash, pity I didn't buy more thread for the satin stitch binding.  I made some fabric paper flowers as my embellishment and highlighted with yellow gold and dark blue. 

So I'm back to painting and thinking about my next journal quilt - Canada/Silver Star maybe?  Painted? Fabric paper applique? Maybe a map to my brothers house?  Hmmm.. 

USA

Red and white embroidery done

Binding fabric

Close up of the Stars and Stripes

Finished!

I finally finished my journal quilt.  I coloured the flag using free motion stitching which was so much fun, I had a little bit of trouble getting the tension right using the Sulky thread, the amount of stitching also sucked up the fabric - lesson for next time - use a hoop, then sewed some US flag fabric on for the binding and topping the flag with some tumbled stones to represent the stars.  It's a lot of red white and blue but I think it is a good representation of the country.  The patriotism shown there is amazing.

Change of plans

It's Friday afternoon and my background fabric hasn't turned up so I can't finish the 2nd border of Gidget!  Okay, so I'll have to work on something else.....  I have done the red paint on my pillow cover and although I am certainly not a paint artist, I'm pretty happy with the results so far. 

I have also started my journal quilt for my artquilt group - the theme for the year is Countrys outside Australia. After our North American holiday and the red white and blue fabrics I bought over there I thought I would use that for inspiration...

 I have used 1/2 inch strips with vliesofix on the back and have woven them over a piece of white homespun.  Now for the thread painting, lots of firsts in this mini quilt.

J

Getting there

Wow, a busy couple of weeks!  With dislocated elbows, moving into first flats, driving lessons - and that's just the kids.  Work is very busy but I still have been finding the time to stitch!  I have quilted my white on white cushion cover and am now in the process of 'painting' it.  I buy the paint but when I get home I decide I should have a different colour, it's like building the stash but now with paint!  I have also bitten the bullet and started 'Gidget' a design by Monica Poole of Moon Shine designs ( http://www.moonshine-designs.com/ )- I have had the pattern for ages but spotted the perfect fabric in Sydney.  There is a lot more in this quilt than I expected, but having fun doing lots of hand work, if only I hadn't started appliqueing onto the backing fabric, not the background fabric.  Some reverse sewing and I'm now back on track.  My goals for this week include quilting another baby quilt, 2 more colours on the cushion cover and at least half of the 2nd border completed on Gidget.  Oh and some housework (maybe - hehe). And I've got my featherweight back, so will need to put some time aside for a play....

Pinning the frame on then with the first border

J

Green and gold paint

Sewing the bias strips by hand, I love this background fabric.

Back to the real world.

Arrived back from Sydney last night.  I  dropped the Featherweight off for Neil to service before I start using it.  What a lovely little machine.  I can't wait to have a play.  The show went well - 2 firsts, 1 second and 1 third with the cattle, and got to watch Max play soccer at Newington College yesterday morning, although they lost they were matching it with the favourites.  I also got to stop at Craft Depot!!  Lots of backing fabrics for my baby quilts.  Now to get to Singleton to use my Pfaff Grandquilter to quilt them.

Off to the Show

So excited, I just bought a Singer Featherweight 221K today on ebay.  Was most upset that I missed out on purchasing one on Sunday but I saved $210 on the one I bought today.  Can't wait to pick it up and try it out.  We are off to the Sydney Show in the morning so will get to deliver Zoe and Cooper's quilts.  Hope they like them.

J

Monday

Well, Zoe's quilt is quilted, Coopers quilt is quilted and bound and the cushion cover has been marked for quilting.  The house is almost tidy and the garden got watered, not weeded.  So nearly met all my goals for the weekend.  My daughter and her boyfriend came home for the weekend so no point in cleaning until after they left late on Sunday.  If only I hadn't run out of black thread (who does that?) and didn't have to make a 4m long curtain for Sydney Show I could have finished everything!  Still not a bad weekend.
Jane

Day 1

Okay, I've thought about it, had a look at everyone elses, and now my first post.  I've been setting my goals for my 3 day weekend - first I have to get the housework out of the way, this shouldn't take too long as most has been done just the bathroom and washing the floor to do, second; pin Zoe's quilt, third: draw the quilting design on the fabric for a european pillow cover (white on white), then of course is break out the sewing machine and spend lots of time doing what I love best - the quilting! Then if I get that done, I have to finish weeding the side garden and then I can make a cuddle quilt for Cooper - baby Zoe's big brother - in denim, ready for Sydney Show! Let's see how I go.....
Jane

Zoe's quilt 

Close up of Zoe's quilt