DQS#9 - Four Flowers at Last!

Well after a weekend of ironing, snipping and ironing again, I have all four flowers finished. I just have the circle bit in the middle to do. But that involves curves, yuck. I'll leave it till tomorrow to do that! I'm really pleased with how it is looking. Might have to pick another pattern for a quilt for me. Can't break the habit of making two now can we?

Second Flower....

Got the second flower on this morning......

First Flower....

I love Fridays! It is my day off from work, I get to crank up my favorite tunes from Glee on the ipod, ignore the housework and sew! I've cut out my first flower for the DQS#9. Lots of fiddly cutting but coming along nicely so far...

WIP Wednesday - DQS #9 Started!

Well it has been awhile since a WIP Wednesday shot. AJ has poked me into action and joined me in a WIP Wednesday with some WIP of her own! I'm still sewing down the binding on the Blue Squares Quilt but in the meantime I have turned my thoughts to this round of the Flickr Dolls Quilt Swap. I have scored one of those partners that has said "quilters choice." Excellent!!!!

So I am going to do one of the patterns from my Aunt Millie's Garden pattern. I have some sheets of the famous Steam A Seam to try out. A splash of blue, some green and red. Maybe some yellow and a dash of orange, maybe...

A Wagon Wheel?

I finished my dresden plate block this evening. It is 12 inches square but the wedges are just 3 inches long. I was a bit nervous about the inner circle as I don't have much luck with curves, but I cut out a circle with freezer paper and ironed it to the wrong side and then using some of the girls clag glue, I glued the edges under in place. Seemed to work, all nice and flat and a nice smooth curve! My worries last night about the whole plate lying flat amounted to nothing as I steamed it down and then with the white center circle, it didn't seem so bad.

I showed it to my darling husband as I had finished sewing down the binding and his response? "Oh that's a nice looking wagon wheel." A wagon wheel???!

My First Dresden Plate.

I saw this template on Lisa's blog awhile back and saw the groovy Dresden Plates she was doing and was inspired to get my hands on one of those templates and give it a try. So I cut into my Hope Valley and Kona stash which has been quietly sitting there on the shelf waiting for the right project.

Chain piecing it was fun. Turning the pieces inside out and getting the points to be pointy wasn't as much fun....

And so here we have my first ever Dresden Plate! Not bad for a first... It's not lying as flat as I hoped, I think I may have stretched it when I ironed it flat. Hoping Lisa can suggest a solution there!

May be the start of something for DQS#9, just maybe?

Quilting in Blue.

I don't often quilt in blue so I am really just indulging myself with this post! Lovely variegated blue thread.

And my even lovelier walking foot gliding across this quilting. It is just pure joy to use. I'm ready to put the binding on this one but no more photos as I think the mother of the baby it is intended for might take a peek at this blog occasionally.

Blue Squares.

I went to the monthly catch up of patchwork ladies who live in my town on Saturday. 6 hours of uninterrupted sewing time! I took my stash of blue fabric as I had the plan to start a baby quilt for a friend who has just had a little boy. I don't often get to sew blue things! The rough plan was 16 wonky improvised square within a square, wonky log cabin style blocks.

As the afternoon progressed I had my 16 blocks trimmed down to 8 inches and then sashed them with 3 inches of white.

Drapped in a tree all ready to sandwich.

Past Flickr Doll Quilt Swaps Sent.

Reading Lynne's blog the other night prompted me to follow her example. Its Flickr Doll Quilt Swap time again, round 9??!! I have been playing along since Round 3 back in April 2008. I've been a Mama for Rounds 4,5,6,7 and 8 which involves a lot of behind the swap doors emailing and stuff. Round 9 I'm going to help out on the group blog, but otherwise I'll be a good bebe!

Here is a wrap up of the last 6 rounds of quilts I have made. I have a habit of making two as I can't bear to post one away and its nice to have a little reminder of the work you have put it. (And also if you stuff up one, you have a backup quilt! LOL)

Round 3 was my first round. No pressure as my swapee was the lady who organized it! The lovely Tanaya. This little quilt became the inspiration for my one and only published quilt!

I made these two for Round 4. I kept the one with the red binding on the right and the other went to Tine in Denmark.

For Round 5 this one went to the other side of Australia to Kellie.

Round 6 saw me only make one..... Can't remember why!

Round 7 saw me back in a flying geese rainbow mood and I made two again, one for me, one for Terrie!

This one for Round 8 earlier this year went to Mandy's welcoming home. Bring on Round 9!!!

Daizie Quilt Progress.....

I have sewn all the strips together. It's looking like this.... I'm happy with it but not ecstatic. I think it needs another row on the height as then it will sit perfectly over the pillows. And the border, it needs something.... something yellow. I'm folding it back up and putting it in the later pile till inspiration hits me.

And this is all the scraps from the green when trimmed down to 9 inches.

Strips of Daizies.

A weekend of sewing has seen me finish the last 6 daizie blocks needed. I was a bit random, going for a scrap of fabric if it was the right measurements rather than cutting up something new.

Then I got the girls to cut up little squares of fabric and write on each 1A, 1B, 1C etc all the way to 1G and then all the way up to 9A to 9G. And then cracking the quilt Mother whip louder, I got them to help me pin a square on each block so when sewing them together I wouldn't get the order mixed it! Those are he white things pinned to some of the blocks in the photo. Once that was done, I sliced the sides of each block to bring it down to 9 inches wide. I didn't slice the whole block to size as I am always paranoid that the stitches will come undone before I get around to sewing them. But I got into a rhythm and got all 9 rows sewed together, here they are hanging over the sewing room door, ready to be all sewn together!

Becky's Blocks.

June is Becky's turn for our Around The Block swap. She requested Wonky Log Cabin and/or Wonky Square in Square style blocks. My style exactly! Only thing is I got so excitied and carried away I forgot her request of adding some fabric of my own. Opps! Sorry Becky, hope you like them anyway.

Thursday's Mail.

I knew I wouldn't get anything quilt related for my birthday unless I brought it for myself, so I ordered these from the Book Depositry. Great site. They arrived on Thursday! I have been eyeing these titles off for awhile, my birthday was just an excuse. Even though I love doing wonky blocks, something about the patterns in Aunt Millie's garden just make me melt. I'm hoping to get a partner in the upcoming Flickr DQS9 who would like a mini quilt like this, to give me the excuse of making one!

I have finished 4 more daizie blocks. So now I only have 6 to go.

Back to the Daizies....

Well seeing as though the Round Robin is no longer a WIP, its time to see what else I can finish off that has been loitering around the sewing room. I sooooooo want to finish this quilt! It has been my New Years Resolution for the last two years, think it is time to just stop talking about it and do it! I have taken all the blocks out and laid them on the bed. I need 12 more blocks to make the quilt top, that will make it 7 blocks by 9. After seeing this photo though I have decided that light aqua weird green, third up on the right? Its out!! There are two blocks with that background, so 2 more to make to replace them! I have no idea what I am going to do with the border. Smaller daizies? Just a wonky yellow wedge? Unsure, I'll just sew all this together and see.



These are based on Jan Mullens pattern available here. I have sort of tweaked it a bit. Her's were just one colour petals, but I adapted these to make it two colours.


So 5 sewn and 9 to go. Funny how your tastes change over the years. I'd be reluctant to use this green check in a new project now but seeing as though there are a few green check blocks already, thought I'd add it in. I'm trying to use up scraps of pink and orange as I go.

Scarey Grace!

I can't look at my eldest child at the moment. She is just freaking me out with this grin! Eating watermelon for sweets last night, her top tooth fell out. It had been wobbly for a few weeks...... She looks like someone has punched her in the mouth. I am just waiting for a knock on the door from the Department of Child Protection asking me what have I done to that child?!

Round Robin Quilt Finished!

Thanks to being glued to my seat on the lounge this week watching MasterChef, I have managed to finish sewing the binding down on my Round Robin quilt top and so, apart from the very important label, I have finished!

Yesterday the girls and I walked over to our local park to take some photos. That's our house just across the lake!

What do they say? Never work with children or animals? Grace was fantastic behind the quilt holding it up despite a strong breeze blowing. All was good until Matilda decided to help.

I love how they think it is totally normal to go to the park to photograph a quilt with their Mum. Isn’t that what every one does on a Sunday morning?

Lots of giggling later I think I got my shot.

It measures about 50 inches square. I’d say I would have used at least 2,000 metres of thread. I was using bobbin fill for the bobbin thread and I went through a 1,500 reel. About 500 metres was on other projects previously, lets just say I used a lot of thread…. But worth it as I’m really happy with how it has turned out.

After we took these photos we wandered down closer to the lakes edge and saw this guy just hanging in the sun.

Blocks for Rita.

May for our Around The Block swap is Rita's month! She requested blocks created out of half square triangles and squares, pieced as you desire, preferring small blocks that are more heavily pieced rather than a large block with minimal piecing. The top block measures 8.5 inches and the bottom pinwheels are 4.5 inches. Hope she likes these!

C's Dolls Quilt Finished.

I realized yesterday (thank you all for the birthday wishes!!!) as I was downloading the photos from the camera I hadn't posted photos of C's dolls quilt finished. I forgot to measure it before it was wrapped and handed to the birthday girl. It turned out a bit bigger than the size of a pillow case. C's Mum has told me that she uses it as a little quilt on her bed.


These blocks have had quite a journey to get into this quilt. At first they were going to be for this quilt! Half of them ended up in this quilt. Now I just have a few more to maybe make one more quilt out of. 4 quilts from one WIP, not bad!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Another year older, don't know about another year wiser though! Daz and I went out to tea last night, just the two of us too here. We are still pinching ourselves that he got placed in such a beautiful part of the world, we feel very lucky. The girls picked out this little painting for my present, done by a local artist Kerri Blades. Just love it.

Talking of lucky, congratulations to Shari who won the Giveaway Day Quilt! Yahhh! Thanks everyone for entering and all your comments. I have roughly done the results and it seems about $60 was the most popular going rate.