WIP Challenge

AJ has set a challenge, 12 WIP in 12 months. A WIP is "work in progress" and I have alot of them.  Rules in full here. Plan is that everyone will stay on track and some sewing rooms will be decluttered, yipee. Will link up my WIP with WIP Wednesday to keep on task.

My WIP List is on the side, in no particular order I would like to complete -->

1 & 2 - Castle Peeps, made using Mix Tape pattern, I made all the blocks and there's enough for 2 single bed quilts, I just need to sash them together, backing has been bought and I really want to see them finished and on the kids beds.
3 - Oliver's nautical quilt, (not that we live by the sea anymore), no pattern for this but I have a heap of fabric to play with, I made rows of flying geese to run parallel, not really sure why. No stress with this one, will be fun.
4 - Pink 9 patch, this was a quilt-a-long with Amanda Jean back in 2009, I'm not even sure where this is? Most likely to not complete, just being realistic, and if I do finish it (miracle or miracles) I will use as a teachers gift or donate somewhere.
5 - Huts, I really want to finish this one, the quilting will bring it to life and I fancy a bit of free motion. Looking forward to seeing this on my wall.

6 & 7 - Half Square Triangle quilts, I have 2 here that just need sandwiching and quilting, small size I could finish in a weekend? These would be make cute wall hangings or maybe a Christmas gift?
8 - Green Bento Box / half log cabin quilt, all the strips are cut and I think one block sewn?
9 - Neptune hourglass quilt, this was a jelly roll that I started, not to keen on finishing so will have to push myself.
10 - Black, white and teal quilt, this just needs the binding to be hand sewn down on.
11 - Pink and green squares, single bed top that just needs to be sandwiched and quilted then will be donated for a raffle prize somewhere someday.

12 - Queen Bed floral kit, the florals maybe a tad outdated but nice and bright. I bought the kit maybe 5 years ago?

13 - Oval Table Cloth. I started this on Boxing Day so will count as a WIP, my MIL asked for an oval tablecloth with an elasticated edge, plan to have finished for Christmas 2012.
14 - Another Christmas WIP,  Santa Sacks. I finished Stuart's in time for 2011 but just ran out of time for the other 2. Promised the kids I would have done for Christmas in July.
15 - Placemats Modern Style. I bought the fabric and mapped out the pattern, yet t do anymore.
16 - Sock Monkey birthday party table decorations. Don't ask.
17 - Assortment of Softies, really need to finish the platypus for Cate and work on some smaller bunnies.
18 - Christmas Stars, another started on Boxing Day!
17 - Walk in the Woods. Simple layer cake patch quilt for Cate's bed, I hope this will be my first finish for 2012, started piecing it last night.
19 - Twiggy, Emma has been politely mentioning this quilt for some time
20 - Couch cushions, have a heap of upholstery fabric picked out, just need to cut and sew.
I know there's more, most on here are largish projects, I hope to meet AJ's challenge of 12 WIP in 12 months but don't think I will get 1 a month completed but here's hoping!

Walk in the Woods

When out shopping for Christmas presents for my mum and sister at Ballarat Patchwork, Cate picked out a layer cake "Walk in the Woods" by Moda. I love this Aneela Holey print, I missed out on the Sherbet Pips bandwagon so hopping on now with Walk in the Woods. Fox anyone?

I was trying to find a layer cake pattern that will allow some prints to be used as a feature and others as border or in the background, while browsing flickr Cate unwrapped the layer cake and positioned her squares out. No cutting or piecing required, she wants them left big. And quilted in rows. And I can start right away. And she told me to tidy my messy room. Bossy boots.

Merry Christmas



Merry Christmas to all my blog readers, I hope you have a happy day. Xx

Little Donkey...and some horses

I found the dream spot to build my country mansion. Stunning area, just perfect.

Too bad the only ones who get to appreciate the lovely views are some horses and two precious donkeys. We need about 20 acres, and agreed we would get a pony, some alpacas and a dog. And lots and lots of cats. Now I need to add a donkey to the list. I had 2 bags of carrots with me (like all good country people), we really needed a 10 kilo bulk bag; have added to my shopping list.

Shy at first but happy to say hello, Cate starts pony lessons in a few weeks, she wants to ride but just enough to walk around, she plans on having a shepherd dog to round up her lone sheep?? Funnily enough I found her a riding instructor at the local patchwork shop, I wonder if I could pay her in fabric?

Another visit planned for Christmas morning, I've told her that Santa will NOT be bringing her a horse this year.   

Quilted Christmas Cushions

I made some simple quilted cushions for my MIL's couch, one is 14" and the other 16". I'm not sure why I made one smaller than the other?

Cate picked the fabric, reminds her of lollies. No linking up for WIP till the 4th of January.

Housekeeping

I love checking out other peoples blog rolls. My blog list on the side is mostly craft but on bloglines I have a mix of home renovations, overseas adoption and guinea pig couture. One thing I don't subscribe to is any of housekeeping blogs, the ones that offer cleaning tips and how to keep your home ultra tidy and uncluttered. Tip #1 is to make your bed as soon as you get out of it, how do you do that when you have a cat who likes to sleep in? Automatic fail.

I came across one blog yesterday and the writer confessed that they used to scrapbook but don't have the time now as they need to keep there house tidy and manage there blog, yikes!

EBDQS5 - Little Apples

I received my EB Doll Quilt today...love! I can't believe there have been 5 swaps, not that I have participated in them all. I find it hard to commit but this one had an extra long time frame which was perfect. Little Apples; love.

Made by Caz, its just the cutest doll quilt. The red, grey and aqua are perfect for my sewing room, I love this print range, its just a wonderful quilt, it makes me so happy.

The machine quilting is fab, I love the circles around the centre piece and the stippling is uniform, you would never believe Caz was not an experienced free motion quilter.

Thanks Caz, it's perfect. And thanks to AJ for organising another terrific swap. xx

Blog revamp

I have revamped my blog a tad, special thanks to Emma for my new banner. Meet Electric Bunny, she's still being tweaked but ultra cute, made from recycled 100% wool blankets, so soft and cuddly. Still yet to make her offspring.

I've not blogged for 6 months, so much has happened, sadly not much quilting but I in short I made 3 outfits for the school play that Oliver was in, Cate competed in 6 dance competitions and sat her grade 1 ballet exam, the kids all celebrated another birthday and last month we moved interstate to the craft capital of Victoria... sunny Ballarat!

Half Square Triangles

A productive 3 day weekend, my fingers are freezing as I type this at 4.00pm yet my kids are in shorts nagging me to take them to the beach. I've sewn 2 quilt tops using 64 half square triangles, I've made each one from the same fabric but changed the layout. Sorry for the bad afternoon light in the photo's, and a grumpy model.

Pinwheels~ And my fave layout, not sure of the name~Fabric is Sheri Berry Holiday, I have some precuts if anyone is interested, 2 of each print (32 x 5" squares) $12 + postage. Borders and quilting to come. Tutorial here.

Hmm where did May get to?

Slack blogger I am, I seem to of missed a month. What have I been up to? With the help of some lovely friends we made a mini house quilt for my dear sister's 40th Birthday.I made this little house with the side verandah, fabric by Jan Mullen. The annual Quilt fair came, I told myself I didn't need to qo to and have had regreated it ever since, hence the new spotty FQ collection.
Cate's been dancing heap's and is now in the advanced acrobat class, so proud. She has her Jazz solo coming up in 6 weeks and I have to get started on her costume. Her reading's improved and she's still ahead of her peers for maths and science, mini engineer in the making. I've been busy repairing and re sequining 12 purple and silver leo's for Calisthenic's, I have also sequined one homeless Russian mouse costume and made a start on 40 furry mouse ears; all with looming deadlines.
Stuart has had 3 trips to the dentist and I have kindly been informed he may need specialist treatment, ouch.
Oliver went into hospital and had his grommit removed from his ear, all went well and we were only in for the afternoon.
I remembered my other little hobby; Scrapbooking and have stocked up on a new album, heaps of papers and just had 80 photos printed. I'm going to a scrap night and thinking about enrolling in weekly classes too!And that's pretty much the month of May for me!

Oliver's orange quilt finished.

I can't beleive I finished this quilt top all the way back in July 2010. I sandwiched it in September then put aside and only just got myself motivated to quilt the darn thing!!Single bed size, it's been quilted across the width quarter inch apart lines, took forever, mostly quilted over the Easter long weekend and then a few more nights midweek. I used one and a half spools of orange, 13 bobbins went into the quilting alone.
Oh well, he loves it as do I, some of my fave prints are in this quilt. Will I quilt another one like this? Not on your nelly, mind you the quilting does look fantastic so never say never!

Christmas Quilt finished

It's a tad odd that my first quilt finish for 2011, is a Christmas Quilt. Simple and cute, bright and Christmassy, I love it. Perfect to just hang over the back of the couch."It looks like Clown Vomit" said Stuart. Brilliant, just the affect I was going for, not!Quilted in a simple straight stitch from one side to the other, some of the stitches cross over one another. Backing in retro santas and red spot, love!!

Meekatharra Sewing

I only took the basics away with me to Meekatharra; my sewing machine, rotary mat, ruler and cutter, some pins, thread, ergonomic unpicker, spare rotary blade, 2 quilt kits and a stack of Castle Peeps fabric I bought from Bec. First up, I sewed my Huts kit from Dyed and Gone to Heaven. Unfortunately I forgot my vlisofix so it's hutless in these pics, but I love the colours and I think it looks quite passable as an abstract quilt. I bought the kit about 3 years ago from the craft fair, the pattern could do with a little more instruction imo and more fabric really is needed, I had to make the smaller blocks using a scant 1/8th seam and was quite worried about running out. Also there are no set instructions on how to sew the blocks together in a particular order, so I would say that this quilt is best suited for an intermediate quilter who's up for a challenge. Next quilt, my squares. I bought this kit when I went to Melbourne so also a good 2 and a half years ago. I did buy 2 kits the same and gave one to my mum in a blue and brown colourway and mine was in the pink. When I was sewing it up I was a tad unsure about some of the prints but I think it has come together beautifully. Generous amount of fabric, there was enough fabric to make 7 squares from each print not the suggested 6, so my quilt is bigger and I have some quares left over for a matching cushion. I thought it would be for Cate's bed, but I think it suits an older girl so will put away for now and maybe when she's 10 pull it out and have it quilted. And from my Castle Peeps fabric, a while ago I was inspired by this quilt and I cut and sewed 116 mix tape blocks all 6" to make 2 single bed quilts and 4 matching cushions, photos to come. I bought the sashing yesterday amd have been sewing on and off over the weekend, I hope to finish the tops in the next 2 weeks, before the bunks arrive!

Happy New Year!! My finished quilts for 2010

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Years and set themselves some new challenges for 2011, mine are to go without chocolate for 365 days (gulp), travel more, I also have some mini career goals and of course, more sewing! I set myself a personal goal to complete more quilts than last year, not hard as I only made 5 and 2 were doll quilts! This year I have managed 6, woot! I have 2 more that are fully quilted and just need the binding sewn onto them, and another that is sandwiched and I have started quilting; so I am hoping to have 3 finished quilts in the next few weeks.
In January 2010 I made Black, White and Pink All Over for a friends 40th, I love this quilt, it came together quickly and was mostly from my stash. A work college had a baby girl in February so Sea Life was made to match her nursery decor. April came, I whipped up a Disappearing 9 Patch for a 30th Birthday gift, if I focus I can make one of these lap quilts in a week, IF, lol. I also completed another baby quilt for my manager who had a son, that we are yet to meet (I think he's afraid to bring him into work as were all a little baby crazy!!)
In August I completed Stuart's Two Rail Fence I made this quilt from a free pattern on Mary's blog, I just love it and his fave colour is lime green so he's happy with it.In December I made another Disappearing 9 Patch for Cate's dance teacher, mostly the same as the other but I added some aqua homespun. I have found these are great universal quilts, so hope to make a few and put away for gifts, less personal but great for the time poor worker, and I find that the Amy Butler daisy chain print suits sea side dwellers.So there you have my 6 quilts for 2010. Peak sewing times seams to be whenever I manage to get some holidays and there was a big lapse from May to July when I was sewing dance costumes. All in all, pat on the back for me, I work full time supporting a family of 6, the kids have sport commitments nearly every night, I run a Guinea Pig rescue, volunteer at the school, help fund raise for our Bali sponsor child and I would like to dabble in the occasional market, so my aim for 2011 will be to complete eleven glorious quilts! Eleven!! (with 3 nearly done plus 7 = one more than I made in 2010, lol)