Sunday, March 31, 2013

books



Happy Easter everyblogreader! Are you sick of the sight of chocolate? Never!

I finished two books, the first is the kind you don't read. It is another block holder, from the same pattern as the two I made last weekend. A great pattern from the Sewing Essentials club .


I used Matilda's Own bag batting & a leftover panel from my sewing machine cover.


For the back of the block holder I 'up cycled' some abandoned blocks in my 'headache' box..........
If you have been following my blog for sometime you will remember this project!!!!
I decided to make this book a bit bigger than the last two, they were aprox 12" , this one is 17".
Look what I found to go in this book.................................



My blue & yellow Dresden's!!!! I love em!

Now for the other book I finished........................


"war correspondent Jenny King thinks she's just a temporary guest in her grandmother's Amish community while she recuperates from the devastating injuries sustained in a car bomb attack that changed her world. But when she meets Matthew Bontrager, the man she had a crush on as a teenager, she wonders if she can look past her emotional scars & bridge the gap between their different worlds."







Wednesday, March 27, 2013

need some colour in you life?



Well you've come to the right place today! I have two customer quilts to share with you that are vibrant.
The first was made by Jacki for her daughters 21st present. Apparently she loves VW combi vans.


Groovie aye!
 Jacki did machine applique for the vans, I love that she has two different styles/models. Jacki supplied the polar fleece backing, we also put cotton batting into the equation.


polar fleece backing


I used Madeira poly neon's & Gunold threads, a bit of curved cross hatching, some feathers, peebles & even some rope on the sashings. For the border I wanted to create a prairie point look.







Next is a cute baby quilt that was whipped up by one of our Country Yard friends using a lovely farmyard range of fabrics by Heather DuPont called : "Home to Roost".




Simple snowball blocks & little pinwheel blocks that have been framed. For the snowball blocks I did a large swirl using YLI 'wonder invisible thread' ( I used that for the ditch stitching too, I normally use 'sewart invisible thread, but it is no longer available :-( .
Large swirls, or any large design is tricky to quilt free motion on a DSM, you do have limited hand space, so if you click on these photo's you will my whoopsies!
For the framing on the pinwheel blocks I have a very hi tech name for that design : loopy things!
I also did loopy things on a larger scale using variegated thread on the borders.




Here is a view of the back when I had it draped over the couch.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter, with friends & family & the odd bit of chocolate munching!
I always enjoy your comments & visits!



Sunday, March 24, 2013

Productive weekend



What a fabulous creative weekend I have had!!!! Time to make stuff, I love that when it happens, just pottering & making things.

First a book for my Granddaughters' first birthday, these fabric books are so quick & easy to make.



I bought the panel to make this book from my favourite quilt shop.

Also from The Country Yard the first month of a BOM of sorts, a " Sewing Essential Project".
A block holder.............................

front of my block holder

back of my block holder

I personalized the back with the twill tape measure. I used Matildia's Own bag batting which is firmer than Iron on Pellon.  Each month I will get a kit to make a 'sewing essential'.
I found this a breeze to make, nice clear instructions that I decided to make another!


some Ricrac & ribbon on the back of this block holder

I didn't have enough bag batting for the second block holder,  but I was in the 'groove' so I wanted to make another anyway! The last photo shows you the inside, I made booboo with the pieced block for the front, so I turned it into a pocket.


Last Saturday I had a couple of hours spare ( I suppose I could have done some baking, cleaning or gardening???? ......yeah right!!! )I was keen to have a go at making a cat from a book I got at the Library called : 'Quilt & Sew' by Anne-Pia Godske Rasussen.

I am linking to Narelle for 1 Xmas item. All item's except the first block holder are going into my box for Xmas presents. Did I tell you how much I love this inspirational, motivational idea??


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

More quilts............................



Are you sick of me yet?? This is the last of the shop's New Years Launch quilts to show you.

Another BOM for you, this one is by The Birdhouse simply called "Love". The fabric range is "Fellowship" by Brannock & Patek. A yummy mix of piecing & sweet stitcheries.


Taken here under my old sweet apple tree, when the grass was green!


 
 
 
 
 
Just a few close ups of the stitcheries, aren't they lovely?
For the quilting I kept things pretty simple, ditch stitching, a must! Some mini stipple, straight line stitching, some of the loopy swirls I seem to love doing on sashings........did you notice that?
For the sashing around the centre block I wanted a bit of a feature, so I did a nice feather. All my quilting is done free hand, no marking, just the way I like it best.
Also included, ( which you see me do a bit of ) is orange peel, this time I echoed the first line of stitching.
For the border, a larger version of the feather I did in the centre.
 

 
True to form, Madeira & Gunold threads are the stars in the quilting arena! I love em!!!
Are you a fan of French General fabrics by Moda? Then I'm sure you'll love this next quilt.
 
"Chateau Rouge" is the range of fabric, the design is from the 'Simple Home' book, by Sweetwaters........a fabulous book by the way, one of those books that has many "must make projects!" 
 
Simple all over meander, using Gunold variegated thread for the centre section of the quilt.
Finished off with a simple hook feather ( I saw recently a similar feather called a banana feather ).
 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

More quilts.......................



Hello bloggy friends! A special hello to my new followers, always lovely to see :-)
Well I have some more secrets to reveal as I mentioned in my last post.

Anni Downs has designed another lovely BOM with her very own fabric range called : 'Love to Garden'. The quilt is called Tillies Lane, I love this name because my Dad always called me Tillie.

This quilt has piecing , applique with a touch of stitchery. I kept the quilting very simple, much like how Anni did hers.



Lots of ditch stitching........& cross hatching with a bit of echoing & stipple. There is still softness which is sometimes lost with heavier more intense quilting.

Next...............................

 A Moda design called
 " Wonky Baby" . Simple quilting, I created a nine patch on the plain solid blocks by quilting a' nine patch' in red thread, maybe if you click on the photo you will see.
With one charm square left I used in the backing....................................

 
 
here's one of the quilt hanging in the shop, see to the right?
 

I still have more to show you, but I wanted to share something I made when I got back from my visit to Julie's wee Threadbear Cottage . I was so inspired that I just had to make a bunting made from doilies. I dyed mine with Parisiane Essence for a 'Prim' look. I quite like it hanging in my studio, it seems to soften the harsh lines.




Hanging out in the old apple tree..............................................








Saturday, March 16, 2013

secrets reveiled..........some :-/




With The Country Yard's new years launch over I can share all the goodies I haven't been able to share with you up until now. Yesterday The Country Yard team set to work to make over the shop with new goodies we had stashed away for this special occasion.

 
 
 
 

I will have a couple of posts to show the quilts I quilted.....................lets start.
This is called 'Janet's Quilt' ( or if you have been following the shop's facebook page, it's Brian's quilt!! ) This is a Buggy Barn design, we used mainly Buggy Barn fabrics too. Large at 87" square, machine applique, black batting & backing. This quilt is running as a BOM.
 I kept the quilting simple, although I did have fun playing with feathers on those nice big borders!

The original sample that Buggy Barn did, the applique is needle turned, but I went with raw edge/ blanket stitched. I am making a cushion to go with the quilt, that is needle turned.


Next is a quilt designed by Terri Degenkolb from Whimsicals. This quilt is available as a kit.
Once again I quilted this simply, to show off the lovely pieced flowers & pinwheels.
 I love this saying!!!!!


"Simply imagine your life as a journey, an adventure to live, to create & be inspired...... seek wisdom, daydream, live in peace & without fear."