Web site launch

This week, I have with the help of my wonderful daughter Isabel Rundle launched my new website!

A little exciting!

It is janerundle.com

Featuring some class descriptions and quilt pictures-more to come.

Lets hope it can continue to grow and be  a new part of my life!

The quilt above is Grated! entered into Quiltcon! another first for me!

A little win

Last week I found out that I had won second prize in the Australian Machine Quilters Association Challenge, there were 4 categories and I was in the pieced, hand guided.
This included long arm machines and home machines. I use a Bernina 820 to machine quilt.

I am extremely happy with this win, as even though it was a small group of quilts the competition was quite strong and I suspect that many of the other quilts had been quilted on a long arm (more professional type ) machine.

The orange is a Lisa Walton hand dyed fabric, the grey is a perfect fit and  allows the whole piece to shine. I used some funky coloured threads, purple, green and blue.

Overall a very happy quilt and a very happy quilter!

Queensland Quilters Exhibition

What a great show, some fantastic quilts, some of mine included!
There is some very innovative work being done locally which is wonderful, some good use of colour too !
Here are some of my quilts. now onto next years exhibition pieces!!

Lovely quilt made by Kate Oszko and quilted by me, its for sale!

Class sample for next years machine quilting lessons!  its called OPTIONS-  that is Optins for design and  free motion quilting designs!

class sample

My blue and white- its called  Winter Wonder

Detail, I used my Westalee ruler for the first time on this quilt, now I will quilt the blue , maybe.....

Fruit Salad- a fun challenge quilt, bright and colourful!

Last years challenge quilt having another airing, sometimes you just have to do something different!

My Modern challenge quilt, some fun with the machine quilting and my new Westalee rulers! 

Improvising boldly

I have been following some modern quilters who are very improvisational in their work, now it is time to expand my own improvisational dreams! I am making a quilt as you go piece, easy and a little mindless, now I have finished my exhibition quilts for the Queensland Quilters show in October.
The quilt as you go method is easy to manage and I am having the thought process of " don't worry, just do it!" if it doesn't work I am not fussed as that is what learning  is all about. This is all about being impromptu and being fun. The smaller strips of colour are fun to use and I have so many it is good to use them up! They are small blocks to be joined into a larger piece later on.
I will be demonstrating this on the Wednesday at the Brisbane Craft and Quilt fair.

block in progress

finished and ready to trim and join

free motion sampler

 I have also been making some practice blocks of modern free motion machine quilting for some classes next year! This is great fun, I am loving this fun bright pink thread, it is a dream to stitch!
I have also learned some things about my Bernina 820 this week, just to make it all a little easier.

free motion sampler

free motion sampler with my new Westalee ruler foot

Finishing quilts and other things

I am madly binding quilts and adding hanging sleeves, its the annual Queensland Quilters show soon, entries are in and the pressure is on to get the pieces looking like award wining quilts very soon.
I have been a lot slack with blogging, Life got in the way a little, a trip to Melbourne, work and some big quilting happening.

binding this monster, who suggested a scallopped edge?

More scallopped edge

A little win at the recent EKKA- (queensland slang for Royal Exhibition)

the third prize wining quilt

While in Melbourne, I went to Rippon Lea to a Miss Fisher Murder Mystery costume exhibition, here is some fine lace, and me dressed in  Miss Fisher's finery, photo courtesy of the gentleman at the door!

Last years (oops 2013) France and Spain trip postcards, I am planning a large display in some great frames I recently bought, hope they fit!

I have had a lovely day with "my people" my quilting ladies- as Peter calls them. Sewing, eating, talking, more eating, ogling over their recent sewing endeavours- all so different.

here's to more sewing days with lovely friends!

Still madly Quilting!

There are some busy times ahead of me as I try to finish some pieces for the Queensland Quilters next show, however I have had an entry into the Wollongong Modern quilt show in Kiama this year. Peter and I went to Sydney for the weekend, had a great time, wine bars, nice food, great company and of course the quilt show. Vivid Sydney was on as well, which was a little treat in itself, especially for the photographer.

I have many projects on the go, some slow and some really wanting to be finished soon.
Sadly lacking time most weeks, and of course the neck problems of a machine quilter slow me down.

 A new but old project, my night group is having a Log Cabin quilt challenge, I have not started  for several reasons- no energy, no time, lacking enthusiasm! but I found these old blocks- circa 1990 and decided that they could be joined to make the centre block.

 Then I found this Tula Pink fabric in Sydney, Its perfect for the first border.

My current machine quilting project, almost finished, bright and bold and lots of fun!

Of course, the big question is! do I make small or large quilts in the next year or so? big ones are great, but I do have a few folded away not being used, of course, small ones are quick and easy- but what does one do with them??

115 years old and still marvellous! and some excitement!

This is my granny"s sewing machine, a Singer Treadle, released in 1900. I have been inspired by a friend, bought a new belt, had my lovely husband install it, and a little oil later we are running nicely. Granny used to sew all her clothes on it till she was in her 80's.

I am doing some textural machine quilting using Aurifil polyester thread, the tension is almost perfect.
However I do understand why Granny's legs were so strong and muscly!

Its almost like a gym session to get it working well!

                                                           Plain fabric and texture

 The serial number means that this machine was released in 1900. It has been well loved and used. I even remembered how to wind the shuttle bobbin and put it back in!

I have had a quilt accepted into the Wolloongong Modern Quilt Show to be held in Kiama at the end of May. This is exciting as I plan to go and see this exhibition! I did get one rejection, but that's not so bad after all, one quilt in is marvellous!

A little random stitching

As in the last blog, I have been enthused.
I have been doing some random and not so random stitching.
A new group on Facebook OMG quilts has got me a little enthused, however I have projects to finish before I really get excited but I have had a little play.

A little stitching each day seems to soothe the soul and make me happier!

A small quiltlet, random, but fun stitching. 3 small pods.

The new Down Under Quilts, which features a project by me 

the cushion project

The quilt inspired by the cushion project, its on the design wall, waiting for further inspiration, I rarely deign a quilt form start to finish, they evolve as they grow!

 I

Seed pods

Some seed pods, which is a quilt for a special group exhibition.

Reinvigorated

This week I have been madly quilting, I seem to have found the lost spark!

This is a quilt top made by my friend Kate, I have nearly finished the quilting, although the border is looking a little lost at the moment, it has been fun, and has kept me sane! The feathers are soothing

almost quilted

A quilters helper, this is the back of the quilt

some of Pauline's wonderful quilting

The blue and white raffle quilt is finished, beautifully quilted by Pauline Ball, This is the quilt pattern by Geta Grama. I am really happy with it, I will take more whole quilt pictures when it is hung at the exhibition in October.
Oh dear there is the next big deadline! the Queensland Quilters show, I have several quilts  ready to be quilted, so had better get my skates on!
We are off to the Wollongong Modern Quilt exhibition in May, just for a short weekend, looking forward to the inspirational works there!

Indigo dyeing with friends

This last weekend, I had a lovely day off in the country dyeing with a very smelly vat of indigo dye.

Such fun, I wore totally the wrong clothes! some of my friends took off their clothes, at least I was restrained enough to leave my white skirt on and not spill any!
Some of the prep work involved mad stitching just before we left and then some drawing up of threads in the car. I had a fair idea of what to do, but next time will make some more time available for the prep work! I wrapped some small pebbles with thread in an old fashioned way, this one is yet to be undone, that's a job for today.
Just hope not too much colour washes out in the rinsing!

Such fun to be able to sit and stitch with friends, some not stitching, some learning the finer art of making a quilt!
Some just chatting. Some brave men went and walked up a mountain, my husband went to the local golf course to play- only to find a tournament on!

Interestingly this years Queensland Quilters exhibition theme is blue and white, I have made one blue and white quilt- a pattern by Geta Grama, of Romania, who has kindly given us permission to use her pattern for our raffle quilt. This is it almost finished, the quilt is now quilted and I am putting a hanger on it, tickets available soon!
I have also made another blue and white for my daughter, blue scraps sort of, except the scrap bin is still full.....

Stitched, dyed and drying in the sun, the result is below, I think this is my favourite

Machine stitched lines in a long stitch, pulled up, this was a good car project, pulling the threads up!

Hanging on the line, its almost dark, but the design is pleasing

A simple folded design, this one was the longest in the dye pot, hope it doesn't fade too much!

Progress at last

I have been busy, both  at work and at home.

A long weekend away with the girls sewing, eating and generally relaxing has given me some inspiration and also sewing time.
There are deadlines looming, so the best way to deal with those is to start a new project!

A blue and white for my entry into the Queensland Quilters October show, more work on my hexagon quilt, and some fun stitching on some fun fabric by Ali George of Aliquilts.

Oh and a picture or 2 in the latest Down Under Quilts! you will have to buy it to see them!

Detail of cushion

more cushion

funky pieced cushion

detail of funky cushion

start of blue and white

hand stitched Ali quilts fabrics, a nice relaxing thing to do!