Wednesday, 14 February 2018

No veggies were harmed....

During the quilting of this quilt!
LOL

So I played with the kiwi eye spy quilt after blogging on Monday, after a wee bit more shuffling around and I was happy to join all the pieces and in no time at all I had a finished top.
Which I loaded onto the frame and started quilting.
It was all fun and games, until the thread ran out!
And the shop was closed!
So on my way home from work yesterday, I bought more, and now I have a quilted quilt and lots of threads to tidy.
I used my blue water erasable pen to draw lotus flowers in each grey triangle, and left the coloured triangle un quilted.
Can you guess where I'll be today?
Its a good day for it too, very dark and overcast, with rain forecast.
Maybe I'll have another finished quilt by the end of the day.
Or maybe not, as we three girls are getting together later for a st1tch and b1tch after Debbie finishes work. That's getting to be a nice habit, sitting together watching quilty videos on YouTube while we sew and put the world right.


Monday, 12 February 2018

A finish and a start.

Thats how it works isn't it? If you finish something, you get to start something.
So the other day I finished the 30s cot quilt. Here it is all bound and ready to go off to its new home. When I pulled out the camera to take this shot, I spotted the rogue block!
One block has turned around.
 When I looked back through wip images of this quilt, it was always like that.
Even when it was in pieces doing the swapsy shuffle on the floor.
Sigh....
Too late to do anything about it now, so on with the next project.
I loaded it's friend on to the frame yesterday and got busy. See those lights in the background?
That is the cooker hood, I had pans on the stove. And was running from the frame to the stove.
Here's some of what was cooking.
Pear and walnut chutney.
Yum.
Before I gifted this jar, I even found just the right lid for it.
Also on the stove was a huge pan of tomato soup, for the freezer and some pickled veggies.
 So, with frequent stops to stir the pot and seal jars, eventually I was finished quilting.
Once I was finished in the kitchen I headed to my other room at the front of the house, and put on the binding. I was going to close the binding last night, but Debbie and Bruce called round, so we sat and chatted instead. But before dinner and before they arrived, this happened.
I made another start.
 When I was out with Claire and Debbie the other day I bought a wee bundle of Kiwiana fabrics.
I spy a new quilt in the making. There are no preserves to be made today, so once the domestics are done, it will be time to put all of these blocks together.
After I fix the naughty blue one at the bottom!!
One of the things Debbie and I chatted about last night was the moon glow quilt, that big kit I got in the mail last week. We had a quick look through the book, Debbie was blown away and amazed at what I'm taking on. So am I. One block at a time.....
But before I get to that, I have at least one more quilt to make.
Time to go and do, then I get to play.



Friday, 9 February 2018

Three in a row!

Three quilty posts in a row, with only minimal vegetable interruptions!!
I'm on a roll.
Maybe I shouldn't say that. LOL
Lets get todays veggie interruption out of the way first. It is still crafty.
I gifted some of my home made pickles and preserves to a colleague of Tonys, and made a cute wee bag for him to deliver it in. 
 It's not quilted, just a simple reversible baggie, just big enough to hold two jars.
Mr H tells me she loved it and thinks the sun shines outta my bum!!
Image result for smile emoticon
Its nice to be appreciated. LOL
*
On to something with real quilty content.
I loaded one of my very recent finishes onto my frame the other day and quilted it.
My first ever try at an edge to edge panto. It won't win any prizes, but I'm happy with it! I copied the pattern off one I saw on pinterest.
I'm very pleased with it.
I got the binding onto the quilt last night and plan to close it tonight.
The machine has been lifted off the frame and after I give it a good clean I'll get on with the next one.
*
And finally......
The postman called yesterday.
He had a parcel, all the way from America.
Inside the huge box was a quilt kit I have coveted for a long time.
Well in January I got an email saying that Craftsy were having a sale on quilt kits.
In the kit is everything I need to make an 86x86 quilt top and binding.
It's called Moonglow and was designed by Jinney Beyer.
And because it was originally a BOM programme designed as a confidence builder, there is also a huge instruction manual explaining several different piecing techniques for those beautiful stars and compasses.
This photo really doesn't do the fabrics any justice. They are sew beautiful. Black, greens, blues, violets teals, aqua. Drool!
Just my colours.
All for NZ$250
OOOOH!!
I'm excited.
I'll need to purchase some extra fabric to add a final border, to make it king size.
I want to use this beauty on our bed.
But, you know me. Before I let myself start this, there are other things that must be done first. I have two more smaller quilts to make, which will be four to be quilted and a wee angel cross stitch to complete, then I can start!!
That doesn't stop me from having a read through the book though.
Or dreaming.
Or stroking the fabrics.
Hmm, the less time I spend on the laptop.........


Tuesday, 6 February 2018

And another one.

After Saturdays efforts, which you can see in the previous post, I was able to sew again on Sunday.
Another new start, to use up that charm pack.
At last
 Don't precuts make life so simple?
In no time at all I had cut the white fabric and had all the blocks made.
 I played a little game of shuffle the blocks on the bedroom floor, then I was off again!
 And had this wee cot sized quilt finished in just a few hours.
 Now all three of my recent finishes are folded and waiting their turn on the frame.
 I had thought I might get a start on that yesterday, but the garden had other ideas.
Another dozen jars of preserves were produced instead.
I hope to get back into my room today, where hopefully I'll find just the right fabric pieces to back those lovely quilts and maybe tomorrow, I'll get time to make a start with the frame.
Though tomorrow afternoon we three musketeers are off on a short road trip to Geraldine, where we will be visiting The Pin Tin. A lovely friendly quilt shop. There is something special that I need, Claire and Debbie are just coming along for the ride. they say they don't have shopping lists. HA! I bet you they end up spending money too! LOL
See you soon.

Sunday, 4 February 2018

I sewed!!

Yesterday was a good day. I returned to my sewing room, not just for a quick visit to collect yarn or swap knitting needles, I actually stayed in there for almost the whole day.
And I sewed. I'd gone to bed the night before with my mews whispering away about a new kit I have ordered from Craftsy.  I decided that I needed to get something finished.
So out came the box of blocks for the batik chain quilt I've had going for a few years.
It gets it's first mention here on my blog, way back in August 2013.
I made all the blocks, before having to pack it away for the long trip to NZ. I remember messing about with it shortly after it arrived here in 2014 then putting it away again.
It gets it's next mention back in September last year. It has hung where you see it in that post ever since!
Yesterday it would seem was THE day. I finally have a finished top.
I can't say when it will get quilted though. LOL
It really didn't take too long to get that done, so I moved onto the next one.
I've had a 30s charm pack and jelly roll stashed away with a pattern for quite some time.
 I bought jelly roll in an effort to use up the charm pack, yesterday was the turn of the jelly roll and it got the chop. The charm pack is still whole and unused! LOL
 I cut and sewed. and played the block swap game.
 Then sewed some more. I go it finished just in time to go out to Debbies to watch rugby.
Needless to say I was very happy with myself.
Though this morning I can see a mistake which I will have to fix today.
Can you see it?
While we are on the subject of finishes, I finished another wee sweater for my expected Grandson.
In my basket now is another crochet project, just using up some leftovers and scraps of yarn I found in op shops.
In my sewing room I had a quick look through my project boxes before I went out last night, I didn't make any decisions though. Time for another look methinks. I still have to do something with that charm pack!
*
In garden news, a quick visit to the green house yesterday yielded loads of fruit and a look in the courgette patch on the way back to the house tells me I need to get my preserving pan out again some time very soon.
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Thank you to everyone who has commented recently. It's nice to know I still have readers after so much time away from blogging.
I apologise for not replying to your comments, I've had a few issues with my outlook and Mr IT didn't get a chance to look into it for me.