Friday Finish - Bloom Cushion

Last year for her birthday, my Mum asked me to make her a Bloom cushion out of Pom Pom de Paris and this week I got it done.  Her birthday was only in September.  No flies on me!

In my defence I did have a ridiculously busy year last year culminating in moving house, and of course all my sewing stuff was packed away for a while....but really any judge worth his salt would throw that defence out of court as the whole thing only took about an hour and a half to make.  If you like it you can find the tutorial for it here.  So happy birthday Mummy.....better late than never.

I changed the back from the original pattern to have a covered zip.  I don't know what I do wrong but whenever I try to do a decorative enclosure with buttons or ribbons my cushions always look like they're haemorrhaging an insert - not pretty.  For the covered zip I followed this tutorial.

I am linking up with Amylouwho's friday finish.....head on over an check out what's been happening this week in craftdom.

Galette

Time is ticking away and our Mannum Retreat is just around the corner!  I am really looking forward to catching up with all the girls, sharing some new tips and most importantly - sleeping through the night!


This year at the retreat we will be working on this quilt......

It is a quilt called Galette, made from Honey Buns, that I originally designed for Homespun back in 2009.  I named it after a French pastry called a Galette des Rois which is traditionally eaten at Epiphany.  Hidden inside the galette is a small token named a fevre, and the one to find the token in his or her slice is crowned king or queen for the day.  We were staying with some friends in France at Epiphany one year and I was the fortunate fevre finder.  Queen for a day - finally, the recognition I deserve!  Pity it only lasted for the day and really only got me out of doing the dishes. 

Yummy Galette des Rois

I made the original quilt in Patisserie by Fig Tree Quilts and this is my favourite block.

Since it has been nearly three years since I made it, I thought that I should test the pattern again before heading off to Mannum. To test it I used some scraps I had left over from a quilt I made for Mum last year.  The scraps are a bit of Pom Pom de Paris, some Blackbird Design Fabrics and some Howard Marcus Collection for a Cause fabric.  I have to say that I am a little bit in love and am now going to remake the quilt in these colours. 

If you live in South Australia and fancy a little getaway in March then there are a couple of spots left for the retreat.  Click here for details.

Pfaff Ambition 1.5

I would like to introduce you to my new friend, the Pfaff  Ambition 1.5.  My mum bought her for me and she is a beauty.  I had been idly thinking about a new machine for a while.  My main gripe with my previous machine (a Janome My Style) was that it was so noisy that I couldn't hear the TV when I was sewing. How's that for a First World problem?

I am a little bit in love with my new machine and here's why......

10 Reasons to heart the new Pfaff Ambition 1.5

• It has a speed control - you can go super slow for tricky delicate sewing or like a bat out of hell when you are piecing strips
• Compared to my old Janome, it is quiet
• It has a needle up/needle down function which I love
• You can set it to automatically reverse stitch when you begin and end sewing
• It has a top loading bobbin with a clear shield so you can see how much thread you have left (not that you need it because....)
• It has a bobbin alert for when your bobbin is about to run out
• It has a touch screen and a stylus to program the machine - very cool
• It has a bobbin thread cutter so you don't tire yourself out reaching for the scissors everytime you wind a bobbin
• The quarter inch foot is very accurate (I had to take to my old Janome foot with a power tool so that it would sew an accurate quarter inch seam)
• And finally it has an integrated walking foot.

Just when you thought I couldn't rave any more about this machine - check out the range of stitches!  (I can report that stitch number 1 works a treat...I may never use the others).

It also has  really neat built in storage for you bobbins, threads and tools.

And just before I go...will you check out this contortionist cat?  Here she is doing some kind of Yoga du Chat.  Bless her.

Bon Week-End everyone!!

Something done...finally!

This week with kindy in fully swing I have been treating myself to a little sewing time in the mornings. I should be trying to clean my uncleanable lino (!!!) floor, but I prefer to hide in my sewing room instead and turn a blind eye to the weat-bix that has set like cement under the highchair.

I have got some projects ready to go, but I have taken myself aside and had a stern word and have decided to finish off some old projects before I go charging off to cut up more fabric.

A couple of years ago I designed this table runner for a Christmas in July retreat that we held.



I played with a second option set on point that we also taught, but I never finished putting the borders on the sample. I decided last minute to fussy cut the striped border fabric and mitre the corners and so it has languished in the too-hard basket (literally) until this week. Here it is dangling from my washing line.





Here's a close up of the block. The block is called the Honeymoon Block and so I named the table runner "Second Honeymoon".




I also made the first version in Martinique and when it's quilted I'll give it to my Nana. It looks really classy hanging there next to my washing, doesn't it?

I am linking to Sew and Tell Fridays at Amy's blog.....go check out what other crafty peeps have been up to this week.

Mad March

March was madness. But in between getting through the first six weeks of Ethan's life and the completion of a total bathroom renovation (that was 10 weeks without a bathroom - what an effort!) I did manage to complete a couple of quilts this week. Here they are for your viewing pleasure....


This first quilt is for Scarlett. I saw the pattern for this in an Australian Patchwork and Quilting and I had intended to make it for her before she was born (hilarious!! she is now nearly 4). By the time I had finished making all of the little star blocks she was almost out of her cot, so I added a sashing and a coloured cornerstone and a couple of borders and voila! it is now fit for a single bed. The pattern is called Jake's Stars and is by Carolyn Konig...if you like it you can purchase it here or it is in Vol 13 No 12 of APQ if you happen to have one laying around.



When playing with so many different fabrics I think there is always one that becomes your absolute favourite and mine in this quilt is the lavender spot. Delicious!



Mum quilted the quilt for me using a pattern called "Pretty Posies" it is probably my all time favourite pantograph. I love it. Here is a close up of it from the back of the quilt.


My next finish is my string quilt. This one is for me and uses scraps from all of my civil war fabrics. I love this quilt, so much so that I am making another one for Scarlett in pretty colours - but more on that later. The wadding in this quilt is Hobbs Heirloom wool wadding and it is worth every cent. It quilts up like a dream and it is so snuggly.



This is such an easy quilt to make and this one is extra special to me because my husband helped me make it. I was demonstrating the technique at the Australian Machine Quilter's Festival and of course was running behind schedule - so Greg and I cracked out the spare Janome and after a quick how-to we spent the afternoon in a session of dueling machines whipping up blocks together. Nothing like a man sewing to quicken the pulse.



I love this quote from Teddy Roosevelt on the label...it is something that I am trying to live by and the perfect adage for a scrap quilt.


And finally a close up of the backing fabric. To me backing fabric is important and I will spend hours looking for the perfect one for my quilts. I particularly like cross-stitch prints for my backing...I can't remember which fabric collection this one is from but Blackbird Designs do a great range of cross-stitch prints.




So, goodbye March and hello to April, Easter, Anzac Day, the Royal Wedding and Hot Cross Buns!


This is how we ended March in our house.....storytime.

What did you do on the last day in March?

P.S. I am linking to Friday Finishes over on Amy Lou Who's Blog. Go for a visit and check out what other crafty peeps have been up to.

Sleepover!

This week's finish was actually finished the week before Christmas but I just didn't get around to blogging about it then. Better late than never.

So without further ado.....Introducing the Melly and Me Sleepover bag.



This was Mum's Christmas present. The fabric is Blush with some co-ordinating spots and stripes bought from Hettie's Patch. The pattern is the Sleepover, which I bought from Fabric Patch. The O-rings, cute decorative zipper pull and metal feet came from Nicole Mallalieu. How I love internet shopping!

This bag is huge! For the photo shoot I packed it full of 6 towels, 3 hand towels and 5 face washers. So clearly the sleepover bag can pack some heat! The bag itself was quite easy to make - joining the top and bottom sections took some fiddling but I got there in the end. I wouldn't recommend making this bag unless you have made bags before. The pattern could have done with a few more diagrams for the assembly part of the process.



All in all a gorgeous bag. Mum loves it and can't wait to tell people that she made it herself.

I mentioned in a previous post that we have a cat called Lizzie.....here she is trying to get in on the Sleepover photo shoot.



Crouching Tiger, Hidden Lizzie. It is unnatural to love a cat so much.

Another January Finish

This year I have joined OPAM hosted by Peg and Kris in the hope that I will be more motivated to completely finish all of the projects I have stacked up in the Tardis. So far, so good. I have finally knocked the Amy Butler Weekender Bag on the head and this week I finished off this little cutie.




It is a table runner for my daughter's room to go with a quilt that is still languishing borderless in the to-do box.

I made it using this the Easy Angle ruler by Sharon Hultgren - a great little tool for making half square triangles from strips rather than squares. I used the left overs from my Bliss Jelly Roll and some Moda Bella solid.




Mum quilted it for me with CCs in the pinwheel blocks and a leafy motif in the setting triangles.




It is my first time binding something that wasn't square and I used this tutorial from Heather Mulder Peterson for guidance. I also decided to include some ric-rac in the binding because you just can't beat it for cuteness!




I have a couple of projects set for completion in Feb - not least putting the finishing touches on my little tenant. It is going to be a big month!

Head on over to Peg or Kris's blog to check out what other industrious peeps have been up to.

Amy Butler Weekender Bag - Done!!

Well the Amy Butler Weekender is done! And like many things that you build up to frighteningly insurmountable proportions in your mind - it wasn't bad at all. In fact, I loved making it.

Here it is in all it's glory....



Ready to be packed and taken to hospital.


I read many blogs about making this bag before I started and on the advice of many other "Weekender Warriors" decided to add some inner pockets. For the zippered pocket I followed this fantastic tutorial at U-handbag.




For the pocket below I just used the outer pocket pattern, lined it in black and reinforced it with the sew in interfacing. For the finish along the top I used the same method as for the outer side pockets. I divided the pocket into two with two rows of stitching about 1/8th of an inch apart.



I was so in lurve with my AB bag that I decided I needed a matching toiletries bag. Voila!




So, in review here are what I consider the pros and cons of this challenging pattern and my hot tips for successful sewing.

Pros - The pattern is really well written and when it is finished it is a lovely bag that will hold heaps. For the photo shoot I packed it with 7 bath towels, a hand towel and two face washers. Now that's a lot of manchester for one bag!

The timtex can be very difficult to manoeuvre through the machine but the lovely stiffness of the the finished product is worth it.

Cons - it is a very expensive bag to make. If I made it again I wouldn't use Amy Butler fabric for the lining; I'd go for something like a cotton drill in a plain colour.

The cutting takes a long time.

It can be physically very difficult to coax the bag through the machine. I had very sore shoulders for several days after finishing the project. But no pain, no gain right?

Tips - These items could make your Weekender Bag experience much easier. They did for me.


The pattern calls for you to sew the many layers (in some cases over 6) together with a zipper foot. Craziness!!!! I don't know how anyone would even attempt to make this bag without a walking foot to help you evenly sew through all of those layers.

I also found using the binder clips to be a winner when in the final construction stage of the bag.

Finally, I attached a magnetic fabric guide to my machine mark the 1/2" seam allowance. This gave me something to butt the fabric hard up against and kept my seams nice and even.

For other blogs featuring awesome weekender bags check out

http://notquitevintage.typepad.com/not_quite_vintage/2007/03/for_dawns_weeke.html

http://jenandfranz.blogspot.com/2010/06/amy-butler-weekender-bag-part-3.html

http://marynannasews.blogspot.com/2010/05/thank-god-for-sallies.html

http://www.madebybird.com/4-weekender-bags-in-4-weeks/


As for the swearing....I have to admit to letting about 6 magic words fly during the construction of this bag. And they were all of the type that would make a sailor blush.

Good Gravy!

Several months ago I made this quilt from Minnick and Simpson's Bar Harbor line....



And this month it is featured in the lovely Homespun magazine.....



Scarily, the magazine also features a personal profile. It was very daunting getting a photo done that would be seen by thousands of people around the country if not the world. I had to call for the heavy artillery and crack out the war paint and the hair straighteners for the occasion. Don't be alarmed dear reader, I didn't let go of my true self - not that you can see them but I am wearing pajama bottoms in the photo!

A huge thanks need to go to Catherine and the team at Homespun for doing such a lovely job with the photo shoot of my quilt, converting my pattern for the magazine and the text in my profile. You are truly a pleasure to deal with and it is a real thrill to see my work in such and esteemed magazine.

And if not for my project you really should check the magazine out because this month it features a gorgeous project from Roslyn Mirrington of Bloom. You can see the project on her blog. Lovely, isn't it? I am pretty keen to make it. I am thinking of something in red and white and linen.

But for now I have to rejoin my daughter who is busy with her making box. An unattended 3 year old with glue is never a good idea. I thought you might enjoy a sample of her work....



What that girl can do with a feather!!

Cover me. I'm going in!

After about 18 months of procrastination and general task avoidance I have decided to finally put my Amy Butler Weekender bag together. I have finished cutting everything out (a Herculean effort in itself) and have even made the handles and some of the piping.

I have read on many blogs that the bag is a bit of a demon but I would really like to have it finished to take to hospital with me next month. To be perfectly honest I am less nervous about having a caesarean than I am about making the bag!

My plan is to tackle it slowly, one step a day, so that in a week I will hopefully transform these fabrics.....




Into this bag.....without any swearing.



I think I could be kidding myself.

Come on Down!!!! Quilt Show Alert!!!

Looking for something to do this long weekend?

Pop down to Mawson Lakes for a Quilting Extravaganza!

The Australian Machine Quilters Festival will be taking place at Endeavour College at Mawson Lakes from Friday the 1st to Monday the 4th of October.

There will be great shops and companies represented (including - Horn, Hettie's Patch, The Patchwork Apple, Patchwork on Parade, A1, Constantine Quilts, Sue's sewing world and many more) with super show specials.

Demos will be taking place all weekend. There will also be a fantastic quilt show to be inspired by - there will be over 90 quilts on display by some of the finest machine quilters in Australia.

This festival is for anyone who uses a sewing machine! More details can be found HERE on the official website.

I will be working on Mum's booth (patchwork on parade) and doing demos throughout the weekend so pop by and say hello!

See you there!

Friday, but not quite finished.

On Friday I spent a lovely day doing a workshop with Marg Low at the Patchwork Apple in Woodside.

We started the day with a little trunk show of Marg's designs. It was so nice to sit back and be dazzled by pretty things. Here is a little window into the lovliness....


A wee table-topper made from sawtooth stars in reproduction fabrics. I have in mind to make something similar using Ohio Stars.

A sneak peek at a project Marg has designed for the Red Club. It was very gorgeous. I am a sucker for hexagons.


Here are some super cute Christmas stockings sitting on a miniature quilt again designed for Red Club.


How gorgeous are those sweetheart birdies? I bought this pattern from Marg on the day and am keen to make them to hang on the door handles. The button is from Theadora Cleave. She makes truly lovely things.

Vicki fondling Marg's wares...

We went to next door to the Lobethal Bakery for lunch. As you can see I enjoyed highly nutritious, fat free fare. But how can you resist happiness in a can, a bolognaise pie and what are seriously the best jam berliners I have ever eaten (and believe me I have done some research into the matter)? You can't, so I capitulated and enjoyed every calorie laden morsel.

So what did we actually do with Marg? This....



Rhonda's finished journal cover

Kris's bookmark.


My half-finished journal. I was so happy because Marg taught me to needleturn applique which is something I have wanted to learn for ages. Cop the birdie! He's appliqued!

As usual I have come home, uploaded my photos and realised that I was too busy talking and didn't get pictures of everyone's projects. So I'll just leave you with another bird picture. Did I mention that he is appliqued?