So easily distracted.....

Well.... so there's Zac's quilt which really NEEDS to be done, and then there is new fabric which whispers sweet nothings in my ear........  What's a girls to do I ask??

This gorgeous new fabric which I am madly in love with is aptly named... "Crazy Love" by Jennifer Paganelli.  I arrived in our humble little shop just before Christmas but I didn't have time to play.  Yesterday I found time (ok, MADE time) and cut out an new variation on my Pyramid Parade pattern.  Its the same pyramids but with a completely different effect due to fabric placement (I've always loved the way you can make the same pattern so different).  Hopefully it will be put together very soon and I can show you... oh yeah... and Zacs. 

 

You can see here Zacs 'square in a square' blocks (NOT square with borders! ;) ) sitting patiently in the top right hand corner, with my new fabrics in the forefront.

Sheesh!  Better get a move on!

Squeezes,
Michelle x

Paris Traveller overnight bag

I love this bag! The pattern belongs to 'Fig Tree Quilts', and it works out just beautifully. This is the third one I have made, and this time I made it using the gorgeous Tilda fabrics (available at the Quilters Corner of course!). 

Have a great week,
Michelle xx

Perfect start to the Year!

I realised as I started cutting a new quilt today that it was in fact (of course!) the best way to spend the first day of the new year.  I'm hoping that it is indeed a sign of what is to come. 

Now you may look at the photo below and think.... what??  And I agree with you!  These are not colours of my choice but they do have a special meaning.  Zac is the son of very good friends of ours and in a couple of weeks he fly's the nest.  He has been accepted into the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra as an intelligence officer with the Royal Australian Air Force (near and dear to my husband and I as we met when we were both in the RAAF).  So!  I needed a special present, and of course and I didn't need to think too long. 

I am doing a very basic 'square in a square' quilt, which is never fail, quick, masculine quilt.  Our Zac is a mad keen soccer (sorry! 'football') fan (nut), so these colours represent his favourite teams.  The green and gold for Australia, red/orange/black and white for Manchester United, and orange/white black for the Roar (Brisbane).  The blocks will then be sashed in black.  I will post photos of the finished product.

Before I could even contemplate sewing today however, I needed to tidy my pigsty of a sewing room and actually make a path to the sewing machine.  My sewing room still isn't ideal, but I do have a sewing machine on a table (great help... sewing on the floor sucks) and a cutting table actually being used for its intended purpose (a treat indeed!). 

So without further adieu (to you and you and youuuuuu..... sorry... 'Sound of music' came into my head), I will make a start on those square in square blocks (although according to a customer the other day, this is completely inaccurate as it is a 'square with borders'... isn't it??  sheesh!... I did try and explain my way of thinking, but she smiled and shook her head, so I bit my tongue!)

Squeezes,
Michelle xx

p.s.  I'm very proud of myself as I have blogged every day so far this year, quite an achievement!

Christmas 2012

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  Mine certainly has been as  I've been surrounded by family and friends, with some more very welcome visits still to come. 

I didn't get any sewing done, but for the first time in years I did manage to do some traditional Christmas goodie baking, which was very rewarding.  And my nieces and nephews now tell me that 'my' rocky road (secret recipe courtesy of my sister) has now taken over the number one position from 'jelly slice'!

I was lucky enough to be spoilt with a very nice new camera.  I have been frustrated with the quality of my old one for a while, especially when trying to photograph detail in quilts, so I'm hoping to bring you lots of lovely pics this year.  Of course it is not all down to the camera, the person behind it has just a little to do with it also, so I'm thinking a little course might also be on the cards!

Speaking with on the cards..... so is lots of quilting!!  I can't wait. I can't wait to get my hands on some fabric and let my creative juices flow. And I wish the same for you.. may your 2013 be filled with many blessings, not the least being time to create...

Much love,
Michelle xx

Binding Tutorial

I did promise to get back to you with my binding method...
I also contemplated doing a video tutorial but that would involve you (and worse still... ME!), listening to my voice, and I just couldn't cope with that just yet!

So, I use a 2.5" strip for binding (unless using flannel in which case I use 3").  It needs to be the length of the perimeter (outside edge) of the quilt, plus a minimum of 15" (40cm).  It needs to be continuous and ironed in half lenghtwise.

Pick a starting point (I usually pick a side, about 2/3 the way down).  Leave a tail of at least 8" (this gives a little wriggle room at the end), and on the right side of quilt, match raw edge of binding with the raw edge of quilt.  Pin from here down to the first corner.

I stitch about a 3/8" seam allowance (1/4" is too narrow and will leave your binding too thin, 1/2" will be too thick and when you pull your binding over to the back to hand stitch down, it will not cover your stitch line.

Stop 3/8" from the corner, you can reverse here, then take out from the machine.  Turn your quilt as if you are about to sew down the next side (which, oddly, you are!). 
Fold your binding up, so the raw edges from your binding are in line with the raw edges of your quilt.

Now fold again downwards, so that raw edges are aligned on the side and the 'fold' of the corner is in line with your raw edges on the previous side. 

 

You can now sew down this side (right from the top) until you get to 3/8" from the corner.  Repeat all corners the same way. 

When you are on your final side, stop, and leave a gap of no less than 8" from where you started. 
Now for the fun bit!

You have two tails.  Cut one tail so it is just over half way (make sure it is a straight cut and at 90degrees). 

Lay the other tail on top, and measure on overlap of exactly(!!) 2.5".  And cut (eek!!  ... make sure you have this right). 

Now, join the two ends on a diagonal by placing them at right angles (as you do your binding strips).
 

Before you cut off the seam allowance, pull out and make sure it sit flat, which it should do perfectly of course (that's because you're an expert now!!), then trim off, sew the binding down to the final gap and your done... well.... except for hand sewing in down on the other side of course!

 

when I pin my binding down , I tend to do so only one section at a time, otherwise as I manoevre my quilt, it pricks me, causing me to say less than savoury words (I have no control of course.. especially since binding often involves a glass of wine!).  It is a simple blind stitch, taking care to travel your thread within the layers so as not to be visible.  Fold the corners neatly, like you would wrap a present.

Incidentally this is actually one of my favourite parts of quilt making, sewing down the binding.  To me, you have put a lot of love, time and effort... perhaps passion (and maybe even a tad of blood sweat and lot of tears) into this quilt, and now this is it.  The 'piece de resistance', or as I like to say the 'icing on the cake'!  I find it completely satisfying, if not a tad time consuming (especially when I have to stop to pat myself on the back regularly!)

So sit back and enjoy crossing the finishing line!

Michelle xxx

p.s. It might amuse you to know that I had almost finished sewing the binding down and taken most of the photos, when I noticed that I had sewn it to the back of the quilt... arrrghhhh (more unsavoury words!!).  Another lesson.. when you aren't feeling well and dosed up on cold and flu tablets, perhaps it is best to leave sewing til another time! (this is why, if you are really observant, you will notice a difference in fabric on the border.. its because in some photos, its actually the back!)

Quilting my bargello.....

I finally got to sit down in front of the machine on the weekend (and today), and have loved every minute!  I have been having a lot of fun quilting my bargello quilt (remember that??) with an all over free motion.  I can completely lose myself when I free motion quilt.. I just get in a groove and off I go... lose track of time (as daughter #2 impatiently waiting to be picked up from work will confirm! ...oops).  But fun I had, which after all, IS the main aim of the game!

Here is a close up of my little 'wiggly jig' that I did.. just a big doodle really.. and as usual I got in the groove of it by practising on paper first, just to get an idea of 'where' I would go. 

I used a specialised thread, something which I have not really had a lot of success with before.  It was 'wonderfil' and I placed in both the top and in the bobbin.  It was perfectly variegated in the colours of my quilt.  The only problem was it came off the spool too easily whilst sewing, therefore knotting up often.  Liisa had told me a tip to help with this was to pop the spool in a cup on the table, this helped a little but not entirely.  My cup accidentally fell over at one stage, and with it 'accidentally' finding me a solution!  A cup on the side, who would have thought? But it worked! 

So tonight? Binding!  I will do a little tutorial on this as I have been asked to show my preferred method. So pop back in a day or so to take a look at this.

Oh, and my little Elsie has been sewing up a storm recently... although I must teach her NOT to cut into the middle of my fat 1/4's when she needs a little scrap (eeeek!).  I let her have the use of my machine as I believe experimentation is the best teacher... But.... what I am most intrigued about is her technique... The chair has gone, which I understand as she often stands up to sew, but now the foot pedal has turned up on the top of the table, and I have no idea how she can possibly operate the machine!

Squeezes,
Michelle xx

This Goes With That....

I have to admit to being just a tad surprised at how long since my last post...
There has, as usual, been just a tad going on, and I think since finishing a number of projects around mid year, I have been thoroughly enjoying (ok.. maybe slightly 'obsessed') with 'This Goes with That'.  It is a block of the month project, designed by Sue Daley (of Busyfingers) being an 'English Paper Piecing' Hexagon Project. 

English Paper Piecing Hexagons was in fact the first ever 'patchwork' project I did when I was 15, taught as an end of year elective at school.  I became obsessed then too, and used to go down to the local fabric shop (no quilt shops in Adelaide back then) and spend my pocket money on a few snippets of coordinating fabrics.

I have done a couple more similiar projects over the years, but am absolutely in love with this one.  It is highly addictive and a lot of fun.  I have chosen to do my project in civil war fabrics, and maybe this is part of the reason why I am having so much fun also, as it completely different to what I normally work with.  It has lead to me looking into the history of such fabrics, and therefore the women sewing them at the time. Do you know that the women used their quilts in the civil war era as vehicles of political propaganda? They used to embroider little messages to the men on the front line... I love it!

So here are a couple of pics of my work so far.  I have chosen to join my hexies with triangles, but there are other options.  I just like to separate them so can be seen more clearly (and damn it! ..if I've gone to the trouble to make them, I want them seen!!).  The project runs for 8 months, and each month you get 2 hexie patterns, with the template, papers and thread to match.  At The Quilters Corner, we have two colour ways available, civil war and bright florals.  Please note however, that I have used mainly my own collection of fabrics as I started well before the shop :)

 

Enjoy your week,

Squeezes, Michelle xx