My Creative Space

I've decided to join in with Thursday's creative space - head on over and check out where others work their magic.

This is my space, I wish that I could claim a studio or even a sewing room, but alas I can do neither. My work is done on the kitchen table. Thank God for Summer - we can eat outside and I don't have to clean up this mess three times a day.


I have inserted some numbers into the photo to talk you through some elements of my mess.

1. This mural (scribble) is proof that I share my creative space with a toddler. The only room to yet escape her stealthy crayon work is the lounge room. It's the quick and the crayola around here.

2. This is my trusty Janome. I would love to see the stats of how many hours I have sat at it with the pedal to the metal.

3. My new favourite toy - my Philips GC3360 - who knew an iron could give you so much pleasure.

4. A quilt I am working on in 30s reproduction fabrics for my best friend's little girl.

5. Lisianthus, one of my favourite flowers, although I do prefer them in pink.

6. My trusty companion. My mini DVD player - locked and loaded with season 6 of Frasier.

7. My next two projects ready to roll. Aster Manor and Simple Abundance Jelly Rolls. Almost as delicious as the pastry variety.

Where do you create?

The Postman Always Delivers Twice

My love affair with the postie continues.....


This week he has brought me the following Moda loveliness.....



Simple Abundance. I have an abundantly simple project in mind for this. Hopefully I can finish it off shortly after I complete the abundantly complex quilt below....


Jelly Stars in Aster Manor. It is going to be delicious. I have sorted my jelly roll into the colour combos I like for the stars and I am ready to roll. I can't wait to post the first finished star.

Off to the Janome now. Frasier is waiting for me.

Shontelle of Green Gables

Hi All,

This week it is my wedding anniversary and we are going to Kangaroo Island (KI) to have a holiday and celebrate (much cheese and wine has been purchased in preparation).

When I was younger, I was obsessed with Anne of Green Gables (who am I kidding I still am) and I read the books and watched the mini-series endlessly. Anne of Green Gables has been a very strong influence in my life and I think that in many ways I still aspire to be her (although I have moved past the dying my hair red and wearing plaits phase). So when it came to booking our accommodation on KI I decided to completely indulge my fantasies and we are staying in a lighthouse keeper's cottage. I cannot wait! A lighthouse keeper's cottage I hear you say? But didn't she live on a farm at Green Gables? When Anne and Gilbert were first married they lived in a cottage by the sea and befriended an old sea captain who lived in a lighthouse. I have packed the book to read on our trip - Anne's House of Dreams...bring it on! (although Gilbert does look a bit gooby on the cover).


In honour of being Anne Shirley for a week I have decided to leave the Janome at home and take my English Paper pieced Grandmother's Flower Garden to work on. I was intending to have it completed for Scarlett's 2nd birthday but I'm flexible (read: prone to bird-like distraction by newer and shinier projects) and have pushed the deadline out to her 3rd birthday.


I have been collecting the fabric for it from various shops on my travels and love remembering the different places I have bought them while I am stitching the flowers. I decided to keep it traditional and have gone for 30s reproduction prints and hope to stop in at a quilt shop on KI and pick up a couple more.



While we are away I was also hoping to complete one of Anne Sutton's Bunny Hill free BOMs but I wanted to try this method of starchy needle turn applique and I've had a bit of trouble getting the Clover mini iron from the local shops. I have one on order through Ebay now and I'll just have to save that project for another time. However, I did manage to get some of the Invisifil thread that Wendy from Snippets of a Quilter recommends and I thought I might try it in my English Paper piecing and see how it goes.


I hope to post lots of photos of KI, which is renowned for its abundance of wildlife, when I get home. So for all of you international bloggers there should be a couple of cute Koalas and Kangaroos for you to check out next week.


Have a great week!

Shontelle.

Sew and Tell.

Just a quick post to show you the finished Kaleidoscope quilt. I stayed up until 4am last night working on it (was robbed of an hour due to the switch over to Daylight Savings Time) and then got up this morning at about 8am to finish it off. Needless to say I am now in a zombie like state.



The kaleidoscope block presents so many different style options but rather than having strong, definite circles I wanted a scrappy look so the circular effect is subtle and elusive. I am really pleased with how it looks - but it took a lot of unpicking to get there! First I had that light blue colour that read white to unpick, then I decided to make it bigger (not that that involved any unpicking, just the opposite really) and then I fussy cut a border print that just looked wishy-washy (sorry - there are no photos of that blandness). After unpicking that border I made an emergency trip to Hettie's to buy a navy blue fabric for the new border - I like the way that the dark fabric now frames the quilt.


I enjoyed making this quilt and in particular the challenge of the 45 degree triangle pieced border but I couldn't have done it without my side-kick Frasier. I have a 7" DVD player next to my sewing machine and when I sew I play Frasier to keep me company and now I measure a quilt's complexity by how many seasons I get through while sewing it. This quilt has a rating of 3 and a half Frasier's as it took me through seasons 3, 4, 5 and the first disk of 6.


Until next time,

Shontelle.