Let's get a sewing update!

This year, I have been doing some slow sewing in the evening, machine time seems to be a bit elusive at the moment, so I have been focussed on my Mrs Billings, inspired by my mother who has just finished hers!

Adding this hexie border really spurred me on to get the double diamond finished, it had been laying in bits for twelve months.

The diamond borders aren't attached yet, but that will happen in due course, I always thought I would finish with this border, because that final border with all the hexagons scare the heck out of me, but some how little squares and triangles have been cut out :)

And just as a break from all that pink, I busted out some other Denyse Schmidt fabrics and played around with churn dash block. Not sure what this will end up as!!

But I am loving that electric red!

          
....and in case you were wondering, I did get the French General Wife quilt finished and gifted, and it also had a little trip to Alice Springs last October for an exhibition. I kept the quilting fairly simple, with stippling around the centre, and straight line quilting for the rest of the quilt.

Happy quilting :)

Mrs Billing's...oh no moment!

Over Christmas and the last couple of months I have been plodding away on my Mrs Billings project, that I started last October. For new to me visitors, this is the end product, yes I have a long way to go....

I was hoping to have a ta-dah moment this post and share my progress by having my first diamond border attached...

but after hand stitching away on Sunday afternoon, I had an oh-no moment instead when I finished this little stripy border...

Spot what's wrong with this picture....should there be a very precise 1/4 inch over hang here? And after lots of head scratching I realised the answer is NO!

I pinned the strip on a 1/4 inch out on both sides, making the border 1/2 inch shorter than it should be...no wonder I had to ease the fabric as I was sewing!

And then I remember having the same easing issue on the first stripy border....yes I measured up and you guessed it, it was out by 1/2 inch too...I have done mitres before....I can't work out how I made such a dumb mistake...grrr....it really hurts to unpick hand stitching!

Other progress to share is my hexie flowers...I did these while travelling in Tasmania in January.

So cute don't you think? There will be twenty eight of these little beauties....

I am committed to doing this project....I am not going to put it away...I have made a pact with myself to have the borders out to the first diamonds done by the end of this month....

Quilting done!

Thank Goodness, I have got the quilting done on my scrappy trip around the world, it wasn't that hard once I actually sat down and it did it, I decided to quilt it every second square, horizontally, vertically and diagonally...

...and on my new Janome, it really powered through the quilt, I think it took around 8 hours, split up over two weekends! I used a Denyse Schmidt, Katie Jump Rope on the back, which is a nice happy fabric! So now all that is left is the binding...is there any such thing as binding avoidance?

With all the quilting out of the way I got stuck into my Bonnie Hunter scrappy baskets....which I am really happy with...

I have them all up on my "design wall", quilt batting held by coat hangers on a sliding door pelmet, ....ready to stitched together!

Speaking of which I better hurry up because the fan keeps on blowing bits and pieces off :)

Merry Christmas

Christmas is almost upon us, the last part of this year has just flown by, particularly since my return from Houston, when you bring home an extra 20 kilos of fabric and books, it takes a while to squeeze everything into the cupboards :)

My favourites things from Houston,  that were the last to go away into the cupboard were these darling dresden plates...I have 20 of these babies...these fabrics are so cute...

Whilst in Houston there were so many stores that sold felt, and I eventually succumbed to these projects.....

I left them out for a while because I thought I might work on them for this Christmas, but alas that didn't  happen...time conspired against me...as usual ! Note gorgeous hand dyed felt!

What I have been working on is a small gift for a friend, I had been playing around with my aboriginal fabrics a little while ago and made this...

 ...and really liked how the colours came together, so I used the scraps to make this little A4 quilt, it will sit flatter once I have finished sewing the binding on.

...the stamps are really fun, I am going to try and use them again.

And of course the "small" project that gets a bit of work from time to time, is my Mrs Billings quilt, it's looking quite smart! Although a little small still :(

And as I have a couple of weeks off soon I am hoping to get some work done it, unless I get side tracked onto something else of course...but the thing I really want to say today is Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a lovely time with your family and friends.

Something a bit crazy

Last weekend I did a workshop! A two day workshop, on a completely fabulous quilt....but for me it is something of a crazy project....this will be what they call a "slow boiler"... apparently the average elapsed time for completion is 12 months!

The Mrs Billing's Coverlet, you can find the original quilt online at Britain's York Quilt Museum and Gallery, and the pattern was drafted by Karen Styles (Somerset Patchwork and Quilting, Melbourne). Darwin Patchworkers and Quilters bought her to Darwin specially for the workshops.

This quilt will be made from Denyse Schmidt fabrics, of which I have many, including the new Chicopee range.

Day 1 was spent choosing fabrics and cutting out little triangles, and sewing them together by hand.

Day 2 was spent choosing more fabrics, and making up hexagons! Yikes...tiny little 5/8" hexagons and little diamonds ! The only sewing I got done was stitching the little diamonds together in the center

It is looking very fetching I think!

Eventually the centre will look like this

I am going to do all the borders on the machine, with the obvious exception of the hexagons. I am not sure whether I am committed to do the whole quilt, it is 94"x 94", and apparently there is over 6000 pieces....starting to get the crazy part now? I would like to do the first hexagon border, so we will see how I feel about the rest of the quilt then!

Despite feeling a bit intimidated by the complexity of the quilt, the templates and instructions for the quilt are easy to use, and of course with Karen's tutelage over the two days makes you think anything is possible!

If you get an opportunity to do one of Karen's workshops go do it...go and challenge yourself, you will be surprised how a good technique can make a "complex" pattern easier!

Karen has just blogged about her visit to the Territory...check it out here!

Crossed Block Quilt All Done

It's June already! In fact it's almost half way through June, May has completely passed me by, and so it would appear half of June! I have been getting bits and pieces of sewing done, but no big bursts :(

One of my bits and pieces is my Crossed Block Quilt, which I finished quilting in April, I was trying to get it done for the Bloggers Quilt Festival but missed the "boat"...boo hoo...now it has the binding on and has taken it's rightful place on my brand new red lounge...lookin' pretty good :)

Although, it might be a bit small, should I make something bigger? Or maybe some pillows... blue perhaps...or red and white...what a decision !

Very happy with how my quilt has come together...'specially luvin' my binding using the big red check from the Denyse Schmidt Picnic and Fairground range.

Lessons learnt from making this quilt:

1) Don't sew your cream blocks together with a neutral bone, which is darker than the cream...but you knew that right?

2) When using a light background be extra diligent on trimming back dangly threads...other wise you get to quilting the last row and notice that there is a big long clump of dark threads that you have successfully quilted through, and now can't get out without masses of unpicking (no, I didn't...too slack!)...but you probably knew that too :)

Essential details again:

Yield: 50x50" quilt
Fabric: Denyse Schmidt fabrics from a variety of ranges, Background Kona Natural
Tutorial: Crossed Block The LongThread

Crossed Block Quilt Quilted

Crossed Block Quilt Quilted....try saying that with chocolate easter egg in your mouth! I finished the Crossed Block quilt top last month, and thought it would suit straight line quilting, something I have been wanting to try for a while.

This weekend's quilting effort looks like this....

and the back...

It's very satisfying to sit back and stare at a finished quilt top!

I used a Gutermann Sulky Cotton 30 wt thread, with a cream to bone variegation, and since the thread is a bit thick, I used a size 12 metallic needle, it's eye is larger than a normal size 12 needle.

Now to bind this baby!

Inspiration - Crossed Quilt Block

Thought I would try a little mid week inspiration this week....

Inspired by The Longthread blog