Quilted. Not bound.

Not quite as nice as a Shaken. Not stirred martini but I'm excited nevertheless!  

The quilt top came together very easily and quickly.

I had to run into town to buy some backing because the sheet I'd purchased for this was too small.  I was going to buy more of the lilac because it was still on sale but I realised I'd pay the same for a bigger sheet that I wouldn't need to piece to make large enough so I bought a queen sized flat sheet this time.  The lady at the counter asked if I had the right size because there are no refunds on sheets you've previously opened.  It was as though she knew what I'd done...

I put the quilt on the frame.

And started quilting it.  I didn't get far before my thread snapped.  Then snapped again.  And again...

These pieces of masking tape are to mark where my threads broke so I could see them easily when I went to bury them.  Look at them all.  My quilt has spots!

But I got it finished yeah!  And I've actually put the binding on!

All I need to do is hand sew the binding to the back of the quilt and make a label.  I'd like to say that I'll be getting straight back to the Sunflower Farm quilt but...

I started something new!  Oops!

I'm on a (jelly) roll!

Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.  Terrible wasn't it? Ha ha!

I sewed all of the blocks together.  They were very quick to do.

I started cutting out the sashing and I was a bit worried that I wouldn't have enough because I'd made my quilt bigger.  But, luckily, the pattern was incorrect and even after cutting my extra sashing I had half a metre of fabric left over!  I'd have been very annoyed if I'd bought expensive fabric and only needed half of what was required and annoyed even more if I'd followed the instructions and cut out too many worthless pieces out of my expensive fabric!  But it worked out for me yeah!

I started adding the sashing and I sewed rows together and then joined those rows.

Two done, five to go.  It all goes together quickly so as long as I don't start something new I'll be done very soon!

What baby quilt?

So the Sunflower Farm quilt hasn't been touched.  It's not as though I have a deadline or anything ha ha!

I'm making a quilt for Karen, a lovely friend, who needs a bit of uplifting.  I looked through what I could reach of my stash in my messy studio and found a pink/red/purple jelly roll and then I went online to see what design I should do.

I found this free pattern on the Fat Quarter Shop site and all I needed was some solid fabric for the sashing.  

Judy reminded me that there was a sale on at Lincraft so off I went and although I was disappointed with the fabrics I did buy some lilac for the sashing and pink for the binding.

I used my new fancy ruler and rotary cutter for the first time and it seemed ok but it'll take me a while to get used to using something different. I cut all the jelly roll strips into 6 1/2 inch rectangles.  The pattern suggests this for a more random look otherwise you can sew the jelly roll strips into sets and then subcut them.

 

I decided that I wanted to make my quilt squarer because if I add another row to the side it makes the quilt look more even and I'd end up with a squarer quilt. I took these fabrics out because I didn't think they really worked so as I was making it bigger and I'd removed fabric I needed to add more fabric.  I used some of the pink for the binding and some purple I found in my stash.

I kind of randomly put the fabrics together into sets of five.

Then I was so impatient, instead of cutting the lilac sashing, I started sewing!

I've done a row!

Six more and sashing to go!

 

Retreat was fun!

Before I went to retreat I made a label for the panel baby quilt.

And I stitched it as well as the binding and the quilt is done.  It does feel a bit like cheating just quilting a panel but they're so cute!

I finished painting my walk in wardrobe.  It had all these scuff marks on the walls from the previous owner's suitcases.  That was twenty years ago, mind you, but who paints their cupboards?!  My cupboard is full of cubby holes and shelves so I had to use this little roller.  It took me forever.  Let's hope my bedroom walls are quicker.  That's if I ever get around to painting them!

Then Judy and I went to retreat yeah!  We usually stop at quilt shops on the way to Ballarat but we skipped them this time and went to a Craft Alive exhibition.  This particular exhibition is much smaller than the ones in Melbourne but I think it was better.  There were more bargains that's for sure!  I purchased a new cutting mat, and a couple of true cut rulers, grips to stop your rulers from sliding and a rotary cutter that runs along the lip of the ruler so it doesn't slip.  I'm hoping I'll have better luck with my cutting now.  Hans, from Know-how sewing essentials offered 20% off everything AND gave me a further discount.  Thanks Hans!  I was thrilled!

Judy bought lots of fabric.  She'll be retiring in just under two years (she's counting the days) and will be working away through her stash in no time!

We arrived at our lovely accommodation.  We've stayed here before and it's perfect for two. I started drinking work straight away.  After saying that the Easter bunting wasn't a priority this is, of course, what I started first!

Still going...

Then I moved on to my Sunflower Farm blocks.

I finished all I could do on the blocks and then I started sewing some blocks together before adding the animals that sit on the seams.  I have weeks of sewing ahead of me!

And what was Judy doing I hear you ask?  She placed a project on the design floor and ummed and ahhed over it for what seemed like all weekend.  Here's her sewing machine looking all lonely!

I have noticed this very strange thing with Judy at retreats.  She floats around doing what looks like nothing and then all of a sudden she's finished a billion quilts.  How?!!

Ok so maybe not a billion but Judy finished these three quilt tops this weekend.

 I've only just emptied my sewing things out of my car and so I haven't done anything since the weekend.  But I have to crack on if I want that baby quilt finished before June!

Ouch!

I did a bit more of the Sunflower Farm quilt but I wasn't really serious about it because I'll be sewing it at retreat this weekend.  Oh!  Tomorrow in fact!  Yeah!  Judy and I are going to Ballarat to do some sewing in an Airbnb and it's going to be fun!

Some threads don't blanket stitch as nicely as others and I don't know why.  I did pull the loose loops through to the back so it doesn't look messy but it's annoying!  I changed my needle and turned the thread on the spool in case that was the problem but it just kept looping.

I've stuck all the letters onto my Easter bunting.  I might sew some at retreat.  Maybe.

One of my son's friend's is having a baby girl in a couple of weeks so I decided to quilt this lovely panel for her.  I wanted a heart quilting design but the ones I had were too basic so I used the blossom design that I used on Barb's quilt because of the flower in the panda's hair. I'll have to look for a nice heart design sometime because they're always useful designs.

I didn't get off to a good start.  I quilted my finger.  The same finger I quilted while I was making Gail's quilt!  Ouch!  I didn't get blood on the quilt though!!

I've also been painting my walk in wardrobe.  The contents of the wardrobe are currently strewn around my son's old bedroom which also needs decorating so I have to get a move on.  I hope to do last minute painting tomorrow morning before I pack up the car (with things I haven't packed yet!) and go away for the weekend!

The attention span of a gnat

That title would perfectly describe me!

I've been working on my sunflower farm quilt.  I stuck as many appliqué pieces onto my background squares as I could.  Where you can see gaps is where other animals/flowers are going to go on the joins.  I didn't add the smaller details such as the eyes and noses in case they fall off before I get a chance to stitch them.

I started blanket stitching around the shapes.  I've been trying to do each colour at a time to save having to change the thread in my machine too often.  I did a fair bit and then took the squares to my social sewing group and I dealt with all the loose threads.  I usually sort the threads out straight away but I needed something to do at sewing! Plus the ladies are interested to see what I'm working on.

Also, I quilted a quilt for Barb.  Barb has been working on this hexy English paper pieced quilt for longer than she wanted.  She's been working on it at home and has taken it to sewing groups.  The first thing I did was press the excess hexies away from the white borders so that they wouldn't show through.

I used my new wrist pincushion woo!  Much better than pinning the pins to my jacket!

Here's Barb's quilt attached to the frame ready to go.

I chose a blossoms design which was fairly dense but not so that the quilt would end up stiff.

Ta da!  All quilted and my favourite part when the finished quilt is rolled off the frame.

I don't usually trim the excess fabric off the quilts but I did it this time.  The quilt was nice a straight which is the beauty of English paper piecing and properly measured borders!

I keep a close eye on the quilting machine as it's doing its thing but I had decided that I was going to tidy up a bit around the frame.  But did I do that?  Of course not!

The first bag I picked up to tidy was my Easter project bag from last year and I kind of got a bit distracted.  So I started making an Easter bunting!  I traced the letters HAPPY EASTER onto appliqué paper.

Then I got a bit carried away and started working on making egg shaped bunting without a plan in mind.

I made one too many eggs.  I'll have to find a project for the spare.

                                                     

                                                        

I was really happy that I didn't throw away my mess when it was time to adhere the letters to my eggs because I used the cut off piece of my template to position the letters.  I have three more letters to add.  I had a phone call and it distracted me from finishing ha ha!

Whilst Easter is just around the corner, it does come every year so there's no rush to finish it off so I'll start working on the sunflower farm quilt again.  That one has to be finished before June.

Things are moo-ving along nicely

The teflon baking sheet worked well and I managed to get all of my animals and people stuck together.

I don't usually do it like this as often if you stick too many pieces together at once they start falling off as you sew.  I decided to do it this way so that I could blanket stitch around as much as I could before I sew my background squares together for ease.  I do like how you can just pick up a whole piece in one go though!

I've positioned two rows.  There are other animals/pieces where the squares join and I'll do those at a later time.  I'm pleased with how it's coming together. 

I've been standing a lot doing this and I'm looking forward to sitting at my machine for hours now ha ha!