Days to not sew!

Today is one of those awful days -worked night shift last night and not sure if its morning or night!

should have cropped to picture , but they look crisp and fresh!

I have pieced one block 3 times, the first 2 blocks were OK then the 3rd which was the reverse was a total disaster. Its for a raffle quilt for the school fair next year, thought I would get in early and be prepared. There will be some coloured blocks too, but mainly blue and cream, crisp and bright.

The pink and blue is the quilt belong to my friend Michelle, not exactly my colours, this is the quilt I have been doing the machine quilting demo on at the Quilt Exhibition last week. The corner blocks I am very happy with, the border too. The thread is Wonderfil, 50 weight and has been quilting like a dream. You can buy it via mail order from Melbourne now, although I have enough to do a few more quilts now! So lovely to find great thread in great colours.

corner block

border

Volunteer of the week

Thats what I feel like!
Helping set up the quilt show, some demonstrations - the last day that made my back ache , I must be getting old!
Then today at school for a music function-  oh how I wish I could play the saxaphone like those 17 year olds! oh so jealous...
It was the last hurrah for me as President of the P&F at a major function! A few small ones to go then I have finished!
Pictures tomorrow when I get my head in order.

A little win

 A little blue ribbon, so very happy as this is a category of excellent quilters who I am priviledged to be amongst.

Almost ready

Almost ready for thequilt show demo, some vein lines drawn on, other drawings at the ready,  the centre quilted in preparation. A plan has been hatched.
Shame I have very little pink thread, oh dear might have to go and buy some more!
The blue thread I have looks sort of OK but I know that a deep pink will look better.

partially quilted

quilted, ready to remove paper

 I traced the pattern on cheap kitchen paper, pinned it on and then stitched through. It is an easy no mark system - till you have to remove the paper, the cheaper the paper the better! When it is crinkled it usually tears on the seam lines, not distorting the stitches.
Interestingly, M and I pinned the quilt together and you can tell which part I pinned, pins closer together, and as I was vaguely thinking of a quilting design, it is pinned quite differently on each side.

paper removed

Planning

I am in the planning mode, the annual Queensland Quilters Exhibition is on next week. I have been clever enough to win a prize! not sure exactly which one, but am very happy as I am in the profesional category, and the competition is tough.

I have volunteered to demonstrate at the Art Quilt able Wednesday, and the Machine quilting table Friday.

This means a bit of prep work.

The art quilt day will be making soft bookcovers, these are drawing books, and will be fun, bright and funky, they will be given to the craft stall at next years school fair.

I usually use Pellon or similar because it gives a bit of definition to the machine quilting, so out to the shop soon.



books for covering

I have some wonderful bright threads, including 'Brytes', a Superior thread product, its lovely and thick, and bright and looks great, they are the neon ones inthe box.

threads at the ready!

Hari Walner quilting design

This is the next planning bit, I am going to do some work on a friends quilt for the machine quilting demo, lucky me that she has plenty of tops to be quilted, it is soft pinks and blues so the quilting should show well and be a good quilt to demo on. 

It requires some feathers- which I can do with not much thought and talk at the same time! The Hari Walner design will be in the centre and then have radiating feathers freehand in the next border, with some pebbles maybe and vines?

Just got to start the middle and draw some guide lines.

a game gone wrong

My love for Scrabble took a wonky turn a few weeks ago, we went to Brunswick Heads to camp, I bought another board as I have a very posh  one that really should stay home and not go camping. This new game has the correct number of letters but the wrong sort - x = 4, s=6, n =2 and v =1 . An interesting concept, a bit funny when the xxxx came out! trying to contact Mattel is proving harder than I thought, might have to just buy an old set from Vinnies to get the right letters.

Job list

I can do a lot of time wasting or relaxing if you call it that, doing not much at all, lately I have been putting my skills to finishing this very small1000 piece jigsaw puzzle! such fun - just one more piece! Now it is done - hooray, the pieces are very small.

sample size of pieces, I could hardly pick them up!

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I am making a list  (and checking it twice) of pieces that I feel I need to get finished within the next year. In the past I have made similar lists and they have been a reminder, this one must be adhered to because I do not want to waste time ......

Not in any particular order-
1. hand appliqued hawaiian blocks - 3  or 4 to go
2. hand quilted quilt - border to go  - is there a theme emerging here?
3. Quilt for school as promised for the raffle next year.
4 Jane Sassaman inspired quilts to be finished x 2
5. quilt for husband for a weding gift - we have been married 25 years.
6. Art quilt - another place - small
7. Art quilt for 2QAQ-  largeish
8. hand applequied blocks to be opt together and quilted
9. I am sure there is someting to be finished lurking in the cupboard unfinished and forgotten
10. Start a new quilt!

 These are fun wooden stamps my daughter and I bought at Brunswick Heads last weekend, such a lovely relaxing time, might get to play with the stamps in the next few days off work.

Barcelona in 1 hour

This is my Barcelona piece for the group Art Quilts Around the World, its  a bit late, but done at last. I have been so busy tring to get my Queensland Quilters pieces done and then a weekend away - which was wonderful, then back to work - not much time to actually think and then create!

This piece is meant to be a soft curved Gaudi building! some shiva sticks lend a bit of patina to the piece. the binding is bright blue, as all the pictures I saw of Barcelona had brilliant blue skies - very inviting...

Otherwise I have been machine quilting and trying to stay sane.

Completeing a very small Worlds smallest 1000 piece jigsaw has helped with the sanity but it is a big time waster, a picture next time.