Vicki's raggy quilt

While at our retreat last week I was able to finish on of my K.A.R.T.S.  I bought this flannel fabric while on last year's quilt trail, before Vicki was born, and had it ready to stitch - just hadn't actually done the stitching.  Most of the fabric is from a range called Snowmen Make me Smile.

 The raggy front

 The back

And sitting in the dolls cradle I have been given to give to her.  I think I will make a small sized raggy quilt for the cradle from the little bits of leftover fabrics.  Vicki has her first birthday at the weekend. Where has that time gone?

From one lonely orphan block........

 I needed to make a pin cushion for an pin cushion swap -in a hurry.  I unpicked the stitching back to the middle section for the pin cushion.

 Added a bit of bling to finish it off.

With the remaining corners I made 4 coasters and with the remaining 2 middle/side sections I made the mug rug.

That is one more thing out of the UFO cupboard, a pin cushion to swap, and  items to add to the Christmas gift box.

Ready for Christmas? - no not really.

Some years ago I was given the pattern to make this embellished Christmas trees wall hanging.  I started it last year but time ran out and I had not finished embellishing the trees.  It took just a few hours last night to sew down the binding, stitch on the tree toppers (stars etc) and finish embellishing the last couple of trees.

This is one I can put away to use this year for Christmas - or maybe put I should put it in the gift basket.

Embroidered tablecloth

In 2006 a group of 9 friends did a friendship quilt where it was handed around the group each month.  The "owner" didn't get to see their item until the reveal day at the end of the 9 months.  All the blocks made were temporarily tacked together so it could be seen by the owner on reveal day..

Here is mine when I received it.

I had decided to make a tablecloth and had asked each friend to make one embroidered block with a garden theme and a nine patch block in blue and white.  I supplied the white fabric and did the first block, the garden gate.  I needed to make another 6 embroidered blocks and more nine patches - well that does average out as one block a year since 2006, plus this year to do the border.

The embroideries are amazing - I hope they show well enough to give you an idea,
but the photos are not doing them justice at all.  I think I will take individual photos and post them on my blog.

I have used flannelette on the back, with no wadding, and have quilted around the blocks.  I dont know if I will ever let it be used - can you imagine a red wine stain on it - or coffee.  Aaargh.  But it does need to be on display sometimes as it is so beautiful.  What a dilemma !!!

I am so pleased to have this finished.

Not an April Fools joke any more

My first April finish is ready to show.  I juuuust didnt quite get it finished for March - because spending time with the Grandies was much more important.

I started this quilt in a class towards the end of 2006.  I had been doing a paper piecing quilt class (that quilt is also not finished) and at the end the teacher decided to go on to curved paper piecing.  We were to use brights - not something I was used to at the time, so that was a bit hard to cope with.  I assembled the first block as the teacher had in her pattern, and showed it to some friends who were speechless, very obviously because they just couldnt stretch the truth enough to say they thought it was even slightly ok.   Hmmm.  I didnt know if they didnt like the fabrics, the arrangement, the brights, or everything about it.  So I brought it home and put it in the cupboard.

(Teachers sample quilt)

  

Last month I pulled it out, finished off the blocks and rearranged them before finishing off the quilt.   I have brought the backing fabric over to the front, mitred the corners and stitched it down rather than a traditional binding. The quilting is simple - basically echo quilted but with the quilting lines about 1 inch apart.

(My arrangement)

sampler blocks are now a quilt

Most of these blocks were made in a class I went to throughout 2006, where we were given one pattern a month, plus the fabrics.  If we made up the block and took it back the next month we were given the next block makings free, otherwise we had to pay $5 for it.  I have added a few extra blocks  to make this quilt.

It has ended up big enough for using on a queen sized bed.  I didnt expect it to be so big when I started.  I did it as a quilt as you go.

(the prairie points are on the quilt underneath, they certainly are not the right colour for the top quilt).

This quilt is heading off to Chookyblue for the Caring with Quilts collection.

Finishing and Repurposing

This was a project from Sewing Club in 2010, using the Piping Hot Tool to trim our piping, then attaching the piping in a curve.  I had dyed the fabrics for this project and it needed to be finished and used.  I made it to store my inktense pencils and water soluble pastels. 

 

I dont have a "before" photo of the next one.  It is an older UFO, also a sewing club one.  We were to make a hanging storage "thing" - it could be used for toiletries when travelling, or sewing things  when going to a retreat.  I cant remember  how it was to be finished, but felt it wouldnt be a particularly useful item.  It had very thin pellon in, and was very "floppy".  So I cut mine up. 

There were 3 zips already sewn in, so I have cut it in a way to make use of them, and have ended up with 2 project wallets.  The plastic panel, and flower shapes were  part of the original project also.   The third section is not finished off yet, and I am not sure what I will end up doing with it - maybe just pulling it apart and starting again.  With the 2 I have done, I was able to add some cotton wadding and some quilting to them to add a bit of stability.

It is not 10 years old....

..... but getting close!

I have been spending most of my spare time lately working on a UFO quilt - quite a large one, which I had hoped to have finished this month.  However this afternoon I needed a break from it so decided to make something completely different.

 In 2004 (yes, I even dated it down in the right hand corner) one of the members of our Craft Group taught us painting and shading using folk art paints or water colour pencils, and fabric medium, on calico.  She had traced the picture for us and we did the colouring under her direction - I chose to use the paints.  I so enjoyed doing it but wasnt too sure what to do with it.
This month I decided it was time to continue working on it.  I outline stitched the girls, then decided to make a cushion for my little girl Grandie.

 I used some pretty trim that is like little tassels, and striped piping.  (love making and using piping, and it looks so good in diagonal stripes).

Apprentices finish UFOs

Although these next 2 finishes arent counted in my UFO tally, I thought I would share them nonetheless, as they are  using my UFO orphan blocks.

My 2 young apprentices did their first sewing today.  They found some stray 4 patch squares that I have had floating around in my UFO collection for some years. I also had a practice machine embroidered piece.  My 2 young Grandies, aged 7 and 5 collected up all the bits they could find, as they wanted to make quilts for their Teddy Bears.

Charlies has 4 x 4 patches, 2 squares and the embroidery piece, while Kai's is made up of 6 x 4 patches.  They then sewed on the borders, and a backing.  They look rather pleased with their work.

Aussie Hero quilt

Another one is done.
I had cut out squares and started making blocks for a quilt about 4 years ago before a Grandie was born, then the nursery theme changed, and I didnt carry on.  By adding a few more blocks, and changing it to a disappearing 9 patch I have now made an Aussie Hero quilt.

 This one is being sent to a person serving on one of our Navy ships. It is a combination of sailing, surfing, lighthouses, penguins and other sea pics, so hopefully he will like it.

   

Shoo, Flies

Another one out of the UFO drawer and ready for use -
 A few years ago we were making a mesh food cover at our sewing club.  We used the Double Mitre Ruler by the Sewing Revolution to make the frame, then a mesh fabric sewn into the frame.  The corners were to be weighted, but as I have not found the pattern, I am not sure how that was done.  I decided not to try weighting them at this stage, and can do so if needed at a later time.
I did the frame in the class, so just had to sew the mesh in at home.  

This will be very useful at picnics.  Every time we are eating outdoors I think I must finish this off so we can use it to cover the food from the flies that like to invite themselves along.  Now I just need to remember to pack it.

Christmas table topper

This table topper was almost a finish for last year.  The blocks were from a Christmas Ornament block exchange for members of the Creative Quilting Forum in 2008.  The fabrics I have sashed them in, and the border fabrics  were from a noodle swap from about the same time or even earlier, with the same forum’s members. 

Before last Christmas I had sewn the blocks together and – well I remembered that I had started the quilting.  When I pulled it out this month I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had finished quilting it and had put on the binding. It was just waiting for the handstitching, and a label to be made. 

Now it is finished and waiting to be used at Christmas this year.  It will be so good as all the blocks are signed by the makers, so holds lots of memories.

April finish

This month I pulled out some orphan stained glass blocks I made I cant remember when.  But after  talking to my daughter about them we think it must be more than 8 years, as she was still living at home and she had said she would like them when they were finished.  So better late than never, and she would still like them.  I decided the best thing was to make cushions, and she wants to put them on her bed.

I remember that I was trying different methods of doing the applique on these ones.  One was done with no vliesofix, one with vliesofix, and the third one I dont remember what I did differently. 
Now to choose the next UFO to work on.

UFO 3

My finish for this month is nothing major, but a finish just the same.  Last year at sewing club we made a "hold all" to hang near our ironing area or attach to our ironing board to hold all those things needed as we press our sewing articles - things like spray starch, scissors for trimming threads, and any other bits and pieces.  I had almost finished mine - just had to finish the binding and put on the gold fasteners to hold the top of the plastic pockets.  Each time I thought of finishing it I put it aside again as it meant a walk out to the shed to find a hammer (yes, so difficult !!!!) 
Now, with taking that short walk, and spending about 30 minutes, it is finished and hanging ready to be loaded up.

2nd UFO finished

Yesterday I went through my supply of UFOs to find something that I could work on and finish fairly quickly.  I found 4 heirloom stitched corners which were to be part of a pillow from a class at Sewing Club,  back in 2007 or  2008.

 I found the pattern which went with it, but I think I have used some of the fabric I needed for it, so had to find another way of making it up.  This fabric I used for the centre of it has been in my stash for a while also, and I love the large rose and the colours - it worked perfectly with the corners added.

The piping was part of the original pattern design, but it was meant to have a frill.  I used the lace as an edging as I thought the frill would not suit the fabric and design I had used I dont like sewing frills.

2012 UFO No.1

I did a class a couple of years ago to make this bag. It has lots of techniques and the idea was to learn when and where to use the different Floriani stabilizers. In the class all of the various pieces were prepared but not fully put together. The bag took much longer to make than the one day class run, so there was quite a bit to construct at home. That is usually not a problem, but the directions accompanying this pattern were very difficult to understand. So….. the bag got packed into a container for “another day”.
Last week that day came and I pulled it out, read through the instructions, thought about it, tried a few things, then got stuck into it. Needless to say, it eventually turned into a completed bag.

It is a beautiful bag, a really useful size with zippered pockets on the outside and pockets inside as well.
Marilyn  (http://mardimeanderings.blogspot.com.au/ )

Christmas Folders

This is quite a new UFO.  Last year through Among the Gum Trees,  Fee of Designs by Fee gave the pattern for Christmas folders.  I did the embroideries straight away but that was as far as it got as I worked on other Christmas projects. The time ran out and I didnt finish them.
But I am pleased to say they are now done - and took very little time to finish.  Thank you Fee for such a beautiful project and such well written instructions.  I love them.

I used left over strips for the cover of the second one.
Now I have 11 months to fill them with favourite recipes and Christmas goodies.  And it is a really early bird Christmas gift.

My first UFO finish

My first UFO to come off my list is my Daisy Do wallhanging (Jenny of Elefantz design).  Jenny's BOM started in July last year, so is one of my newer UFOs.  But not any more - It is now hanging proudly.