more charity quilts

Over the past few weeks I have been making cot quilts for charity.  Some of them just a matter of putting a border  or two on a panel
I also made a single bed quilt from a British magazine.  It has Licorice all sorts on it.

On these hot days I don't sew in the afternoons as the area gets too hot for comfort.

UFO list is growing.

Hi
My sewing machine returned and I have done some of the needed sewing. I have stopped making runners, and am doing children's quilts.  I also hope to do some of the adult quilts during the summer holidays. There is a parcel of fabric somewhere in the Postal service, I hope the postie finds it soon so I can start on the twins' quilts. I have so many projects started, I hope I can finish some before starting on more. How many UFOs are we allowed to have?

Last night I finished  reading a Barbara Johnson book, even after about 20 years I can still laugh with her,  There are others on my bookshelf.

Ramblings

Yesterday I gave the baby quilt to the Mum to be.  I think she was thrilled with it.

I hope I can have my sewing machine back soon, there is so much to do.  So many projects in  progress, unfortunately I'm not one to finish a project before I start on a new one.

I still cannot get photos on to this blog.

More Reading

I've just finished reading Susan Lewis's book Not My Child, it had an ending I wasn't expecting! She is a British author, I hadn't heard of her before but she has quite a number of books published.

This morning I couldn't bowl, my foot was hurting when I walked, we won though.

The baby quilt is finished  and ready to give away.  I do so hope the mum likes it as there is quite an amount of hand stitching.  I have found lots of patterns for the next project or 10

Reading and more

I picked up Gone with the Windsors.  Although it is quite amusing in parts, it amounts to gossip.  I intend to put it down.  There are so many more worthwhile books to read.. I noticed John Bevere has new  books out, Good or God  and..........................

The baby quilt is ready to pick up, I will go next Tuesday, as on Wednesday I'm having morning tea with friends and will be able to show them.  I have a kiddie quilt half-way to finished but it is too hot outside.

I received an award this  morning for my bowling last week, for the most pins over average. Today, my season average went up one point..  Hoorah!!

Progress

The baby quilt is at the quilters.  I expect to pick it up at the end of the month, and hope that the baby does not arrive early.
I am doing another I-spy for charity, similar to the last one I did.  The camera and computer are still not co-operating.

Sewing, Sewing

Today, I received a letter,  It was such a blessing. I think I will frame the letter.

There is a Craft Show  next month at Caulfield, I will wait until  closer to the date before I decide whether I will go.  In the meantime I am going to Canberra for a week to stay with my sister in law.

Over the past week I have been sewing a quilt for Charity.  Only have the vertical sashing and border to add, it's quite bright (but not too bright) but still suitable for a boy/man.  Last week I made a cot quilt top  in 3 half-days.  The quickest yet.

I have recently read Geraldine Doyle's autobiography, and also of Jane Powell (she was in 7 brides for 7 brothers),  and lots more movies.  Still have Debbie Reynolds auto biography to read.

More reading

Monica McInerny writes about various places in Australia.  Hello, from the Gillespy's is another such one.  I couldn't put it down.,

I am now reading one by Wendy Alec.  Another book of hers I tried a few years back, I've forgotten the title but I couldn't get into it and had to hand the book back to its owner.

Baby quilt     I have completed all the handwork except for the binding..  I have to order more fabric of a certain pattern to make the project longer.    I am back on the strippy quilt, only about 6-8 strips to go.  Using up all my small pieces in my stash.  Then it's back to the snowball quilt..

Books   I am currently reading about a woman who was a maid in a mansion in the 30's.  In the past week I have re-read 2 of the Elm Creek series.  And a mystery, which is not my usual genre.

The Craft show

The craft show at Jeff's Shed is on from tomorrow till Sunday.  Must make a list of what I need (and keep to it).  I'm going on Friday.

The baby quilt is progressing steadily.  I'm designing it as I go.  There is a lot of hand work still to do before I put it together.

Thew row by row from 2010 has been added to.  I have been putting  a row of 5" maple leaves, only 2 leaves still to make then I will put it a way for a few weeks and get on with other things.Show

A UFO?"

This is my broken dishes quilt still unfinished, I am quilting it 'in the ditch' by hand.  I think I still have about  1/2 to 2/3 to go.

UFOs

I wonder how many UFOs are too many  There are too many temptations in all the magazines I have,
Just last week I started another large quilt in red and white, snowball pattern.  This is in addition to the Round Robin from 2010 that I pulled out of.   There were only 3 borders around the square I did to start it off.  I decided to make maple leaves but to make them fit I had to add another 1" border... The first side has been sewn on and there are almost enough patches for the next two sides. I can take it to the meeting next Wednesday

 I decided to do another quilt of 2.5" X 5" and use more of my scraps, This has been put aside until I get another project off the design wall..

Progress

It has been a few weeks since last post.  This last week  I  had a bad head cold but I've been feeling better now.  

Bowling
Last Tuesday I surprised everyone including myself, with 66 pins over average on Tuesday and 50 pins over on Thursday.  But only 20-25 on Friday.  I won some money last year and I'm using it for practice.

The baby quilt
I'm working on it steadily, I have until November to get it finished and ready for gifting.  No photos until then.

Bowling woes and progress on charity quilts.

What a morning. Bowling!! No luck for me until the last game which was over average, the scores I would like to see more often. My first and second games were under average, I couldn't take a trick. The ball sometimes missed the pins by a whisker but it still counted as a miss. The baby quilt is coming along ..slowly. Yesterday I found a piece of fabric with circus animals and clowns and put a few borders on it, just needs to be quilted and some lucky little tot can have it. I also found two pieces of scenic fabric and put borders around them as well. These need something more to make them big enough for a single bed.

Joining a new group

A few weeks ago, I invited a lady to come visit me. She belongs to Waverly Patchworkers. and handles the Gift Quilts. After a long chat, she left with four or five of my quilts. By Wednesday of this week she had given most of them away to people who needed them. I dropped into their quilt sewing session and decided to join up at their next meeting. In between making this baby quilt I will continue to make quilts but they will not be hanging around my sewing space but will be moved on to a new owner. I wandered around the big room where the ladies were busy sewing, and looked at the quilt 'designs'. I can do most of them if I had the right fabrics in my stash.

The Craft Show

I would have stayed longer if my feet were not hurting so much. Note to self - install inner soles before the next time I wear them. Those quilts were so amazing!!! Maybe if I lived another 50 years I may get to try the techniques and perfection shown. Some people have a gift though. I saw lots of beaut things but bought very little, more rotary blades, a pattern for the baby quilt, and a few other little things. I had a look at Gail B's stall but couldn't get near it, even on the second try. I brought home a Womens Weekly, they were freeeee! Such a lot of stuff was so dear.

New projects

Great news! Another of the young ladies in the Church is having a baby. I approached her this morning and asked for her favourite colour. She doesn't have one, loves all colours. Ah well! So I spent this afternoon going through some of my magazines trying to put together a design that would suit both girls and boys. I'll sort out fabrics tomorrow. Just as well the Craft Show is this coming week. There is craft evening this week so needing some hand sewing to take I decided to make a Teddy again. It's been so long since the last time. I've already made the pattern and cut out the pieces from white faux fur ready to sew together. I'll decide what sort of joints to use when I visit the show on Friday.

A full day

This morning I took my little pal to his "Dr" (read vet). He was looking very sad as we do when we are off-colour. It takes about 10 minutes to drive there and he cried all the way. Not a peep from him on the way home though. It seems he has arthritis in his back leg. We are having our ducted heating checked next week so he will be happy. He loves sleeping next to a duct. I didn't get to the sewing group because I found out the address too late. I was late getting to Vol job, but I stayed a little later to make up. There was a new consignment of books that had just arrived. I picked out several of Maeve Binchy's that I had not read and brought them home. I will start on them tonight.

Brrr. It's cold outside

I only spent a little time outside today. But I managed to finish another bag that has been hanging about for weeks. I was using the leftover pieces from another bag, I'll try to put a photo up soon.. Just as well the Australian Quilting Show is on in ten days time, I really need some more fat quarters for the second scrappy quilt. I think Sewing group is this week so I'll need to get some hand sewing ready. Then there is another Craft group happening, I have actually been invited to attend.

Next scrappy quilt is on the way

Last week at Sewing group one of the ladies found the scrappy quilt I had with me was her favorite. So I decided to make another in darker shades. There is also an Autumn quilt I need to start on, once I get the background fabric. A few years ago, I made an "I spy" quilt for a toddler I know. I bought some fabric with a forest, animals, tents, canoes, birds and fish on it. I used a nine-patch pattern in a book I found and gave it to him once completed. The child was meant to find as many moose, bears, etc on the quilt, and I told the older children in the family that was the idea behind it. Just yesterday,after Church, the mother came to me and told me she wanted to give it back to me. What!? Return a gift I gave her son? Apparently she didn't like the colour. This is the same mother who returned another quilt I made for her baby. It was a panel with Beatrix Potter rabbits on it. She did not believe rabbits should have clothes on. I gave it to another Mum who gave me a b-i-g- hug for it.

What to do next

Hi I have finished sewing the binding down on the quilt called Ophelia. Such a long way around. A bit of a quandary - what to do next. I have been given the phone number od a lady who organises quilts for charity. I could ring her, hoping she doesn't live too far away.

Good Friday

One of the delights of Good Friday is to eat heated hot cross buns. Scrumptious. Casey thought they smelt good too, he put his front feet on my lap and looked at me imploring me to give him some. Who can resist those big brown eyes. He knows Mum is a soft touch. This morning we weeded the bearded iris bed, which should have been done last Autumn, the roots had grown so much. I would like to buy some more colours before it's too late. There is another iris bed which Casey has claimed as his own. He has been digging in it, so far he hasn't dug any plants up. One of our boarders is leaving us next week, the surprise is that he stayed so long. We are hoping for another student like him.

Bags to match my outfits.

This is one of three bags I made recently, fully lined and quite easy to make.

Our 50th wedding anniversary was three weeks ago.   These sons of ours! one ignored the occasion and the other did not get the message, his wife did not pass it on.   Anyway we decided to go bowling and then to lunch at a favourite restaurant.
We have ordered  my eternity ring which is white-gold with a strip of 10 tiny diamonds and my solitaire engagement ring is being re-built.  The claws wore out and the stone fell out, and the actual ring was too small.  Almost as good as a party/

Slowly does it

Yes, slowly does it.  Or perhaps I am too slow.  I took some quilts to the sewing group on Friday, they love to see what others have done.  One of the members loved my scrappy quilt (the one with small pieces and a white print border.  I may make another in a different colour-way  Hand-sewing down the binding of one of those quilts is going very slowly

I am still working on one of those quilts, (9 patch with a drunkards path block worked around it).  I will put a photo up when I complete it. I have decided to make it bigger so it wouldn't need such a large border.

I have another quilt planned  next, the pattern magazine and  some FQs are in a  bag waiting for me to buy some background fabric.  But I am staying away from the fabric shop for now because my wallet has not yet recovered from my weekend in Sydney.  There is a Quilt show on in Melbourne (Australia) next month (April) and I am planning to go.

Back to the garden!  Tomorrow, we plan to go to the nursery to get the vegetable garden going again.A few bags of compost and several punnets of seedlings and  we will have some veges to harvest through the winter.

Autumn

On my way home yesterday morning I detoured to pop in at Kmart's garden department for some seedlings for our front garden.  I came away with 4 punnets of Cinerarias and a Gardenia, all of them strong plants.

This afternoon we spent a few hours in the front garden pulling weeds.  We cleared one garden patch for the plants I bought yesterday and planted the Gardenia.  The soil was so dry it was dusty.  The seedlings will go in tomorrow , maybe.

Next weekend we will work on the back garden.  I am planning on buying some more Bearded Irises, which I love,  Unfortunately they are in bloom for such a short time.

Planning, planning

The last three quilts are now at the quilters, so while I am waiting I am continuing with a 'wavy' pattern I found in a recent American Patchwork and quilting issue..
I was hoping to do a Winding Ways quilt but after a few blocks decided it was beyond me.  I found another pattern, Snowball/9 patch, and I think I will do that one next.  I plan to do it in red/white so I can give it to my son and daughter in law, hew favourite colour is red.

Recently, I bought 2 books, Circle Pizzazz and  Quilters Mixology.  Always reaching beyond my capability...

Using my scraps

There were fat-quarters in my scrap basket that had pieces cut from them.  I cut rectangles 5" x 2.5" and this is what happened.  It is a large single bed quilt with a white print border.  The backing will be solid pink, a large piece in my stash.  I have made 2 bags  from the leftovers, and still the basket is overflowing.

I spy with a difference

This is  an "I spy" with a difference.  There are flaps with pictures underneath that match the blocks without flaps.

It is a wall-hanging as it has a white background.

Ophelia

Here is my latest effort.  Unfortunately I went "off with the fairies" while I was trimming the large blocks  and cut the wrong side of the block. This only happened once, thankfully. The magazine is QuiltTrends, August 2014.  The original pattern was in grey and yellow with striped damask.

So, What's next

It has been a long time since I last posted here,  what  with camera problems or missing  cords.   I bought a new camera for my birthday.  No excuses now.

Over the Christmas break I have been quite busy making quilts and bags and finishing off a few runners.
This afternoon I completed two bags and found fabric for more.  There are two quilts ready to go to the quilter.  There is a third almost complete however I need a trip to  Spotlight for some haberdashery  items before I can finish it.  Another quilt is slowly growing on my design wall but it needs more fabric (of course).

By the way, I did finish the Storm at Sea quilt, I gave it to my sister for her birthday last October. She was quite impressed.  I can't find the photo for it yet, I may have to ask her to take a pic for me.
It is 60" square.