Bloggers Quilt Festival & May SewCalGal FMQ

Update on Bloggers Quilt Festival.  HERE is the link for voting for nominations.  It’s a little confusing – and I couldn’t find the place to vote for viewers choice but it’s not really about the winning.  There are just so many amazing quilts on display – like going to a quilt show in my pajamas!

There are about 15  categories you can put quilts into.  Some of my favorites that I nominated are numbers 477, 178, 567, 242, 35, 569, 21, 468, 3, 50, 214, 107.  

Several of you have asked and my number is 597.  

Now….on to my SewCalGal update for May…..

It’s hard to believe it’s mid-May already…..the year is just whizzing by!

This month Leah Day is the featured quilter with SewCalGal.  I’m doing Leah’s weekly FMQ challenges so was greatly looking forward to this lesson and I wasn’t disappointed.  She taught us two designs (double stipple and rail road tracks) that were simple but upped the technique a notch or two.

I chose to do the double stipple.  I decided to use this on my Magic Pudding top.  I did a large stipple in the center – probably about 3-4 inches between the loops in most places.  Then I went back and did the double stipple on top of that line.  My tension was good and I really enjoyed the process.  It was almost meditative.

One of the troubles I had with this quilt was the thread.  I really like variegated thread and so the last time I ordered Isacord thread, I asked for a recommendation (they don’t carry the Isacord variegated) and they suggested trying Hemingworth Poly Select.  It’s a 40wt so I was hopeful.  For whatever reason, I didn’t have much thread trouble  in the center part of the quilt – occasional breakage but not bad.  However, once I got to the outer border and doing the spiral flower I started to not only have tension problems but thread breakage.

I did the entire dance…..change needle, rethread, change to a different kind of needle (worse), change back, one-two-three, one-two-three, break-two-three, shred-two-three…..finally I finished the last border after what felt like a bazillion thread breakages.

I won’t be using this thread again.  I think I’m just going to stick to what works  - which for me and my machine is Isacord thread.  Or at least only do thread experiments with small pieces.  If it wasn’t for my dedication to staying in my ZEN ZONE, there would have been a whole lot of cussin’ going on (and mama don’t like it when I cuss!).

Here’s a shot of the ‘eye lash’ problems when doing the spiral flowers.  I think I just don’t have my speed and movement right because when doing other stitches, I don’t seem to have these types of tension problems.  I’m not discouraged though – and I love the spirals so I’ll just keep practicing.  Plus….I think once I wash this baby up, the eye lash issues won’t be very noticeable.

So, another small quilt done and dusted.  Label was sewn into the back and binding has been hand stitched down.  No identified use for this one – it will probably sit on the shelf until one of my nieces or nephews produce the next girl child.

Bibs

OK – I know that sewing bibs is not REALLY an artistic endeavor – but who cares, right?!  Sometimes a little basic sewing is just what is needed.

We were in Berry, NSW last week (see Mr. W’s blog for deets) and so I had the chance to stop at Sew and Tell (they don’t appear to have a web site right now)  - a delightful little shop that never disappoints me.  They have everything a crafter, knitter, quilter, needlepointer, embroiderer or felter could imagine and somehow, they always keep current with what’s new.  They also have a great little home decoration/gift area in the back so even the non-crafty people have something to buy.

I found this fun little girl bib pattern from Vanilla House called Diva Bibs.  Well, since we have finally had our first girl child of this generation, the pattern had to come home with me.  Friday I spent the day making bibs.  Yeah….bibs as in plural.  Why make one when you can make five?  :o)  There is a shower in May for this new girl child (Ruby Ellyn is her name) and so part of the gift will be these 5 bibs…..or maybe more……a girl can never have too many fancy bibs, can she?

Oh, and I just visited the Vanilla House site and they have the cutest BOY bibs patterns too.  Our boys are all too big for bibs but I’ll have to keep that in mind for any future male rug rats.

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Little Purse

Another project finished.

Over the years, I have purchased a few items from Nicole Mallalieu Designs for various bags that I have made.  When my local quilt shop, My Patch,  added these patterns and kits to her line – I had to buy one and try it out.

The green fabric on the sides is a silk that I’ve had in my stash for eons.  The middle section is a little strip that I randomly stitched together last year when doing therapy sewing.  The beads along the top are left overs from a wedding invitation.

Although it’s adorable – I don’t think I’d make many of them.  The hardest part was attaching the fabric to the frame.  First you put a bead of glue into the channel and then you shoved the fabric into it – let it dry – and then stitched through the holes to attach it.  I guess it wasn’t exactly HARD – it just wasn’t a piece of cake.  Then again – the next one will probably go together easier…..and they do make nice gifts….and I do have some more silk fabrics and pieced sections that would look lovely….. (oh dear……)

Here it is……a finished little purse to be used for coins, lippy or any of those little things that roll around in the bottom of your purse.  If you use a purse….which I don’t…..very often anyway.

So…..Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!  Hope you enjoy it.  Thanks for all you have done for me over the years – and especially thank you for your creativity and letting me get up on the sewing machine all those years ago!  Who’d of thought I’d be sewing 43 years on?  LOVE YOU and sending you a big cyber hug today!

18 years later

And this baby is finally finished!

In 1994, the women in my family started quilting.  I take credit for it.  We even had a little family quilt group (The Quilt Bags?) and each of us had a quilty name.  I don’t remember all our names – but Glue Bag, Baby Bag and Country Bag were among them.

Anyway, mom made a quilt top for each of her 5 children for Christmas 1994.  When I asked her about this top a few months back, she said  she actually made 6 quilt tops like this and that it was from the Quilt in a Day series by Eleanor Burns called Quilt Block Party – Series number three.

Mom, in her  wisdom, had my sibbling’s tops machine quilted and they have been using and loving the stuffing out of them for the last 18 years.  Me, on the other hand, in my naive quilting grandiosity and wisdom (HA!), decided I would hand quilt mine.  For 18 years, I have been moving this baby from place to place.  Occasionally it would see the light of day and have a few stitches put into it but for the most part, it languished in closets.

When back in South Dakota last year cleaning and organizing the few things I have left in the USA, I came across it and decided the time had come to finish it up and so I brought it back to Oz with me.  I’ve been slowly and steadily working on the hand quilting over the last 6 months and last Monday, I put that last quilting stitches into it!

I spent Tuesday squaring it up and attaching the binding, sleeve and label and the rest of the week sewing the binding down.

I LOVE IT!  After hanging in the quilt show next month, it is going to become my curl up on the couch quilt and I’m going to love it and think of mom each time I’m curled up under it.

THANKS MOM!

A few more finished projects

Another CrazyMomQuilts Friday link-up of finished projects!   It sure feels good to get some of these projects off THE LIST.

Labels attached to 4 more quilts (see “quilts in our home” for pictures”)

2 crocheted caps.  I’ll be wearing one soon as the temps are rapidly starting to decrease….winter will be here before we know it.  This pattern is from the Panda book called Modern Vintage Crochet.

Another orphan top quilted, labeled and bound

I’m sick.  Stomach bug.  YUK!  It doesn’t happen often – I actually can’t remember the last time I was sick.  We were planning a quick trip to Sydney today for an appointment but that has been scrapped.  I was looking forward to a few quilt shop stops on the way home.  However, today will simply be spent under a quilt in front of the TV drinking tea.

Fabric book finished

Another project that can be moved to the ‘finished’ bin.  Why did it sit on my shelf for so many years when once I made up my mind to finish it, it took less than a couple days?  You can see the rest of the pages HERE if you missed them the first time.

I added 4 more pages then inserted 2 grommets on each page, used 2 large rings and tied a bow onto each ring.  WAAAALAAAA!  Finito!  I have it sitting on a shelf in my little house.  Thanks K2 for organizing it and thanks to all the gals who made pages.  I love it.

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Fractured Reality 1 Finished

Fractured Reality 1 is quilted, bound and labeled.  It even has a sleeve on the back.  It’s about 40×50 inches.  It started life as boring quilt blocks and then was spliced and diced, stacked and wacked, then used as a practice quilt for the March SewCalGal FMQ assignment.

First prize in the Milton Show!

Our little quilt group, The Bawley Quilters, at the last minute – under the gentle nudging of Annette – pulled together a quilt to enter into the local show.

The theme was ‘garden’.  We were given a piece of neutral fabric and asked to embroider a garden scene – or something you’d find in a garden – using a specified red floss.  These pieces were returned by the first deadline.

We then cussed and discussed which fabrics to use and set to work making our joining blocks.

Me, being the anal (organized?) one of the bunch, put together little baggies (with fabric, patterns and an example of the block) to send home with everyone.

Once the joining blocks were finished and returned, Annette made a rough plan and we set about making 3 strip sets.  Then Pam added a few more joining strips to get the top to size; borders were added by Deb, quilting was done by Sonja, Robyn did the binding and Renee dropped it at the show.

AND WE WON FIRST PRIZE!  How cool is that?  The even cooler bit is that now a few of the less experienced quilters are really charged up and planning to enter quilts into the show next year.  That makes Annette and I VERY happy as we’ve been pushing for that all year.

Journal cover & matching pencil bag

Remember this fabric?  It’s from Prints Charming and I purchased it at Calico & Ivy in Balmain last month?

While sitting in front of the TV for a few nights, I used my supply of Finca Perle Cotton 8 to make a sampler of sorts on the striped fabric.  On the dotted fabric, I attached some trinkets on one piece and did some stitching on another.

And then before I dropped Ms. Janome off at the dealer for her spa treatment, I made myself a journal cover and a small pencil bag.  Cute, eh?  :)  Next, I’m working on a couple pillows to put on the front veranda.  My Patch has the bird fabric in stock so I think I need a piece of that to complete the look.

Side 1 (star bursts w/disks):

Side 2 (flowers and stars):

Sewing samples for the local quilt shop

About a year ago, a lovely little quilt shop, My Patch, opened up near me (no web site yet but soon).  I stopped in and checked it out, bought a few things, chatted the owner up and as an after thought, as I was heading out the door, I turned and said to her, “Say, if you ever need any samples sewn – any behind the scenes work done – let me know.”  Then I (sorta) jokingly said “I have more time than money.”  Walked away and didn’t think much more about it.

It didn’t take long (maybe a week?) before she gave me a call and I started doing some sewing for her.  It’s been a win-win situation for both of us and because of her and her fabric purchasing style – I have branched out on the styles of fabrics that I sew with.  Think CONTEMPORARY TO THE MAX here.  :)

Val dropped off a couple bags of projects/samples/custom orders for me a couple weeks back.  This time, she had me sewing pinafores and bloomers from a pattern company called Little Bird Patterns.  Great little patterns.  So simple and they would be perfect for the beginner or simply those of us that like results fast.  I think the bloomers took less than 30 minutes, start to finish and the pinafores were a snap.

I LOVE sewing little girl things – but I must admit, after 18 bloomers, 6 reversible  and 12 Lizzy  - I’m maxed out.  However, I pushed past my weariness and made two sets from my fabric stash – for the great-niece that is expected in a few more months.  Comparing the shop pieces and my pieces…..well, you can certainly see the difference in our fabric styles.  I love the contemporary look of the shop pieces as well as the old-fashioned, more soft & gentle feel of the ones from my stash.

Shop Samples/Custom orders:

Baby Girl Gerlach pinnies & bloomers: