creamy delights & Christmas in July???

Joanne signed up for a class at The Country Yard some months back to make the Antique Lace Patchwork Quilt , you will remember I made the class sample back here. Joanne asked for hers to be quilted the same.

Ever so sorry for the substandard photo's, but we are having the most incredible relentless rain & wind here in Northland,  there was no way I could take any outside photo's of this pretty quilt!
Joanne tells me she now has a new found addiction. . . . . . . . . . . . . .collecting doilies! I can join her on that addiction, they are hard to say no to. What better way to use some of them though, in a stunning heirloom for generations to enjoy.

Joanne chose Matilda's Own 50%wool 50%cotton batting. The quilt measures : 62" x 62". I used a soft taupe Maderia poly neon thread, that just seemed to blend nicely into the fabulous linen & cotton fabrics. Honestly I wish you could see some of the fabrics better, the colours & textures made this quilt dreamy to work with.

Of course I had a few 'interesting' times with the quilting foot getting caught in the doilies! I had to take things real slow. I like the choice of sashing, a tone on tone, old world look brown, which Joanne says she will bind the quilt with also. Now that the quilting is completed, Joanne will add some of her collection of antique buttons, no doubt that is another addiction!!

                                                     Thank you Joanne, enjoy your quilt.

More cream to share, not a quilt, but a pincushion. I made this for my friend Raewyn, who had a wee birthday last week.

Made from a wooden coffee tree stand ( saw some rungs off & the top) & an old round cake tin, a dash of paint, then sand some paint off for that 'well-loved-vintage-chic' look. My total inspiration must & does go to my dear friend Julie, over at My Threadbear  Life, so much inspiration is she!
 Backtrack a few months to here where I made another one for a friend for Christmas. Then I bought this awesome one from Julie at my last visit. fun to make, but much easier to buy from her!!
Anyway, I used felted cream wools from up-cycled woollen clothing, & a small doiley all bought from OpShops (thriftshops). I made a flower for the top. I called Raewyn's pincushion "The Pin House".

It's always fun making handmade gifts for friends & of course receiving them! I wonder how well my handmade gifts will be received this month, as I signed up for a 'Christmas in July Swap'. I had to make three handmade gifts. We got to choose from a Christmasy themed list. I have no idea who I will receive from, but of course I know who I am giving to!! Here they are wrapped & ready to post.

I hope other Northland readers are all OK & of course anyone else out there in the firing line of this amazing, relentless wild weather.

A family heirloom quilt

"Chicken Scratch".......go ahead & Google that, just like I did. I had never heard of this type of needlework.
A Beautiful quilt is always more lovely when it comes with a special story, don't you agree? This quilt is beautiful AND lovely.

Andrea is no quilter, but what is a girl to do when she spent many hours watching her elderly mother lovingly stitch each block with excitement. Andrea's Mum had decided to make a special quilt for all of Andrea's children's children. This was to be a special quilt handed over as each of Andrea's grandchildren were born. A special family baby quilt, to keep the precious new member of the family wrapped in love. Sadly Andrea's Mum passed away before she got to finish this quilt.

Andrea's friend suggested she take it along to a local patchwork group & see if someone was willing to make these blocks & scraps into a quilt. One of the local ladies Helen, agreed. Helen then suggested giving the quilt to me to do the quilting.
Andrea arrives with a beautiful quilt top & a bag of LOTS of bits of Ginghams all in a lovely pillowslip that had liquid embroidery (Tri Chem.......remember that stuff?) saying "Happiness is being a Grandmother".

I suggested to Andrea that I use the pillowslip as part of the label, then piece some of the Ginghams to make up a backing. Please click on the above photo to see the label.
I also used the Ginghams to make a scrappy binding.
Cotton batting & Madeira poly neon threads for the quilting.

Feathers & pebbles seemed like the right thing to quilt for a quilt called "Chicken Scratch". I didn't quilt much on the stitched blocks as I felt they needed to speak for themselves.
The backing..........................

Thank you Andrea for entrusting me with this very special quilt.

five years

That's how long it took me to from start to finish........................

Heirloom Romance by Crab Apple Hill. Handbags & crazy patch blocks embroidered by hand. Trapunto behind each handbag & many beads.

 I quilted each background heavily to make each bag 'pop' with free form quilting, also known as doodling!
Each horizontal & vertical row is quilted using a embroidery stitch from my Bernina 440.

The last block which is in the centre of the quilt is a fan.

"Memories of by gone days & evenings of elegance & grace"

 I had the top sitting finished for a year, before I decided I should start quilting it!
 I did work on it in the evenings after customers quilts.

scraps, 30's, heirloom quilting & Barry

Jocelin dug deep in her scrap bag & made this colourful quilt. I was asked to do an all over design, so swirly flowers it was.

Denise made this quilt for a friend who has recently had a baby girl. Very pretty in 30's fabrics.

Next a sneaky peaky of what I been working on  for sometime in between customers quilts...................

Not sure when I will get to show you the finished quilt as there is still much to do, but a few hours here & there will get it finished........................
I finished a book by Barry Crump, called " Wild Pork & Watercress", I loved it! I didn't want it to end. The whole family has read it now, well not  the cats!
Thanks for stopping by to see what I have been up to!