Orange, Brown and Blue quilt top

A work friend is due in a few days with her fourth baby, she doesn't know the sex of her baby will be (I am leaning towards girl) so I was going to make both a boy and a girl quilt to be prepared. I love this brown and orange combo, but I don't think this quilt is boyish enough, the butterfly print is a tad girly, but it's not really girly girl so it looks like we may have to keep this one!!Fabrics include Heather Ross Lightining Bugs, Denise Schmidt Katie Jump Rope, and Amy Butler Lotus. The Heather Ross fabric was hard to stipple over, the fabric is super soft and it was like my needle couldn't get a good grip.All over stipple quilted in a pale grey thread, quilt measures 42" x 46", have thrown it in the wash and its now in the tumble drier so expect will loose another inch or so.Inspired by this quilt here, I just love it!

Excuse me Muffin,

but I am trying to quilt! Finishing off my strip quilt, we might keep this one, someone likes the fish!

Cate's Notice Board

I think I am quite crafty. I see something in a magazine and think I can do that. Or I see something at the shops and think I could make that cheaper and nicer. But sometimes my creations don't work out (like the button wreath that no one will ever see except Emma and she had to shield her eyes!). Sometimes my craft endeavours work out more expensive. Or sometimes they just cause me so much grief I think why didn't I just buy one!! For example, Cate's new noticeboard.To the non crafty eye it looks great, Cate loves it and she thinks I am super fantastic and "oh so clever".But for me, all I see is the stress it took to get the ribbon to sit right. I pinned it, and stapled it down then it moved or it twisted or just looked naff, then I ran out of ribbon so had to buy more, then the staple gun was pausing before firing and OMG the stress. So I had to get a man to do it. A man. A non crafting, couldn't care less, beard growing man. Humph.There's heaps of free tutorials to make your own, basically you cover an art canvas board with some wadding and top fabric, use a staple gun to secure and then attach ribbon across the board omiting the need for pins. We also added some self covered buttons and glued them to the ribbon and fabric so photos wouldn't slide through.Project cost about $15 to make, and a normal person could proberly complete in a few hours, it took me half a day and a glass of wine! Tutorial available here and here.

WIP Wednesday - 3 on the go projects

Wet and windy here, perfect sewing weather. I am working on a few things at the moment, I can't seem to get stuck into any one project for long enough so I have 3 mini work stations. The kids have been hindering my progress, we've been to the movies, visited friends, had sleepovers, stayed up late watching DVD's and eating popcorn, made copious amounts of jelly, been clothes shopping, cleaned the fish tank...6 more days and there back at school! So some random WIP photos:
Strip baby quilt, sandwiched and ready to be quilted~ A smaller version of my Disapearing 9 Patch with a Twist~ Black, White and Bright Greens Quilt~ I hope to stipple quilt the strip quilt by the weekend and finish the disappearing 9 patch top as well. I still need more greens for the black, white and green quilt but no huge hurry, I am nearly out of wadding and unable to buy untill after the craft fair in May!

Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt - finished!

I finished my Disappearing 9 Patch with a twist, the twist being I never rejoined them to become one big block! Sorry for the bad photos, the light was fading fast and my models were not helping. At our last house we had a great clothesline I could use to hang my quilts, here we have a tiny one on the wall, only good for a few beach towels so I have to rely on helpers.Fabric is Amy Butler Daisy Chain, I had 6 prints, half metre of each, ample fabric left over, as usual I cut to much. To make this quilt I followed the D9P tutorial here. In brief I sewed 9 patches together then cut down the centre, leaving me with 4 blocks. I have added a cream homespun sashing and then bound using the flower print with the most turquoise in it. I like the look of the blocks kept separate, I think it makes the fabric prints stand out more and it came together so quickly, a dedicated quilter could easily sew this from start to finish in a weekend. Each block is 8.5" square with a 3" sashing. Finished quilt 54" square. I pieced the backing using some left over blocks I cut too small and the matching cream homespun. I have quilted all over in a large stipple using 100% cotton, I went through 6 bobbin changes on the stippling alone, and one and a half spools of cream Guterman. Wadding is Matildas Own wool cotton blend, love how it washes. And I am happy to say, everything came from my stash entirely. Kipper gives it 4 paws up! This quilt is for my friend Tonian who recently celebrated her 30th Birthday, sorry it's a few weeks late.

I'm on holidays

For two glorious weeks!!! Sewing list in no particular order~

• DONE Disapearing 9 Patch - 20% done, need to complete and gift
• Black, White and Teal Quilt - sew binding down, label and gift
• Twiggy - top to be completed
• Glace Stacked Coins - top be be completed
• Hour Glass Quilt - blocks to be completed
• Dance Leotards - 3 trial sizes to be made
• Cushions - for the couches and floor
• Scrapbooking - work on Cate's dance album
• Baby Quilt for Mel

hmmm, this list should keep me busy for a while. The kids will be at school for the second week plus there's a long weekend for Anzac Day. The weathers gotten cooler here, hoping for some more rain. Muffin is enjoying the cooler weather, all that fur he get's hot easily. He likes to sleep sideways on our bed stretched out, but no room for anyone else, so as soon as I am up he's in.So naturally he is the reason I can't make our bed in the morning. Well that's my excuse anyway.

Fabric Buying Ban

For the whole of April, that's right, 31 days, (lucky I had that big stock up on 31 March!) I am committed to not buying any fabric or craft supplies, no new tools or patterns. And, as I am feeling confident, I will also restrain myself from buying any quilt fabric (no mater how much on sale) and anything quilting related until the May craft fair. Dedicated? Crazy? Or feeling poor? Who wants to join me? It will be fun!