Two bindings and a motorbike

 Life has been full steam ahead, not stopping at all, busy fun and full of go go go moments...

2 bindings and one back, not for the same quilt!

This is my bible for the moment, I am on a deadline to finish the quilts for  the show, never mind that work has been ultra busy, must have been a very cold night 9 months ago, we have had so many babies born! Thank heavens they do not come home with me! did you know that newborn babies can feed up to 12 times a day! I must have been a bit crazy to have 2 close together!

Some crocheting, good for a plane trip to Tasmania a few weeks ago, keeps me busy, soft cotton and so nice to use. A great little break to visit some friends and my mum.

The other love of my life apart from my husband (and my Berninas) learning to ride his new motorbike! 
A little scary for this mother.......

A project published

I have had another project published this week, its in Love Sewing Australia, by the same publisher as Down Under Quilts. Its a cosy knee size quilt. I had this lovely large print fabric, that needed a snowball block design to show off the large flowers. It works well. I had enough leftover corner cut offs to make 2 generous cushions.

new issue

 Drawing of the block layout by my clever daughter.

Some small templates for another quilt, its a challenge piece, and needs some small  3 inch orange peels! hmmm maybe they are a bit fiddly....
I have been madly trying to get some quilts finished  for the August deadline for Queensland  Quilters exhibition, it will be a close shave but I think I will do it, some thread winging its way to me from Superior Treads and some fabric delivered today helping me get to the finish line.
Oh and more of that paid work stuff to get in the way of my true creative genius.....

Juggling

At the moment I am juggling work- paid work that is- and quilting- which, while unpaid financially is extremely rewarding and has a much needed feel good quality abut it, is taking a lot of time 

there is so much to be done

and 

I work best to a deadline 

shame  the deadline is closing in soon......

BUT 

I am inspired and it is making the designing and quilting so much easier, no more night shifts for a week or 2 which makes life easier too

Off to Hobart for a few days soon to visit my mother and a birthday party for an old friend. Shame most of my quilting is machine work, might have to resort to some relaxing knitting while I am away.

 Some blocks waiting for trimming

 the cast offs, not wasting a drop of fabric!

 the design wall

 The latest project, a sheep on the back

and a sheep on the front, soon to be posted to its recipient

Dreaming and planning

Lying in my bed under my colourful quilt, loving the quilting and colour..... dreaming and making plans for the next few quilts.
So much to do and so little time. Quilt show deadline is looming.
Really this work for wages is good and does pay the bills but it does eat into my creative time! especially night shift, but it does give me good dreaming time.....

This is the quilt in the machine at the moment, I am loving the Bernina 820 now that I have the tension troubles sorted out, thanks to another quilter who suggested some ideas, wonderful to have it stitching so well, and loving the wider arm space.

 This is the next quilt- needs to be circles and applique to fit the criteria laid down by my friend Kim- its a challenge and also the quilt show category, running to the last minute as usual, but my dreaming time and some innocent web surfing when I should have been asleep have helped me plan it.! Planning to start cutting tomorrow or Tuesday!

Detail of above mentioned quilt on our bed, fun feathers!
Also planning to attend some 60th birthday celebrations this year!

A busy life

My friends and I went on a scavenger hunt a few weeks ago, one of the treasures to find and do was a rubbing, this small piece of art was a good find. So many hidden treats on West End! it was a fun day, maybe we will do it again.....

 At the Queensland Quilters Art Quilters day we were shown how to dye tea bags- yes that's the used bag minus the leaves, dried and ironed if you please, they were folded and clipped with a paper clip then dipped in the dye. Now the big question- what to do with the things then?? I needed some postcards for another event- so they became fast and fun postcards, free motion flowers, all a little individual! not bound as I liked the white edges, some discarded batting scraps and some iron on stiffening, as I had run out of fast 2 fuse. Then some fabric paint at the last minute...  A good bit of fun.

 Below is the growing pile of "string "pieced blocks, just needed 38 more to make as of the final count last night, not that my scrap pile is getting any smaller, but my son loves it! he is 21.

 A small high this week as my blue and white :"Stones in the Ocean" named by aforementioned son was published in Down Under Quilts. I am really pleased with this quilt as it is so fresh and nearly modern. AND it used up lots of scraps! There are many versions of this style of quilt- rows of strips of differing widths with rows of some kind of applique, this is my version and I am happy to see it published.
Somehow I seem to be making strip style quilts this year, maybe its my brain trying to get in order!

A new design wall!

I have requested a design wall for the last three Christmas' .
Well today after a week at home lying low after a hit on the head with a golf ball my husband has made me a fantastic design wall....
I have many projects on the go, but decided to wait till the Bernina 820 is back in my hands so I can start to use it for machine quilting, so what did I do- I started a new project! I have a large box or 2 of scraps, not big enough for anything but a small appliqued flower or so, although some are larger pieces. I have cut some into strips and am making a string quilt, a rectangular A5 size block.
Its really easy, does not require too much brain power, I need to get up and press occasionally, so I am not sitting or long periods of time! and its growing fast, AND most of all I am remembering the lovely fabric and why I initially purchased it and what I use it for, or who gave it to me.
A lovely way to spend an afternoon.
I did finish a piece for an exhibition later in the year and have done some preliminary work on  another project.

scraps ironed and stripped

scraps waiting for ironing

half sewn blocks

hooray! new design wall, needs to be put in final resting place, but this is good enough for now!

Excellent reading, so much eye candy and great blog references. might even buy this one!

Multi skilled

The theme this week is multi skilled! I have been doing a number of little things, mostly trying to finish and get myself organised.

Dish cloths being the fad of the week- I have nearly finished my second one, its quite therapeutic to knit! 

My almost 21 year old son wants to knit himself a jumper, so its off to the wool shop this week.

These are cotton and fun.

 A few years ago, my friends and I made some birds to display at Warwick on  a tree. One of us works at a kindergarten and took the stray leftovers to work. the children love them, so in the tidying process a few days ago I found the fabric I had painted and also a great lot of wadding trimming I was loathe to throw out- which made excellent filling. These are a  few, maybe when I get my head in order I will make some more.

 This is Cactus silk- well maybe polyester... a sneak peek at a piece I am working on.

Lying low over the long weekend, I actually have it off as I am doing day work for 4 weeks. My lovely husband has a golf injury- so we are at home - oh- I might be quilting all weekend as he is in no fit state to paint as planned.