Christmas Runners.

While going through the holiday photos I found these shots that I took in the madness that was the last week of term last year. These were two small table runners I gifted for Christmas. One for my Mum and one for my sister.

This one was my favorite, I nearly kept it for myself. Just love the swirly quilting.

Thank you for the suggestions of a pattern from my last quilt, I think I may be on track now, just have to sew a test block. Stay tuned!

New Year, New Fabric!

 

Happy New Year neglected blog! I hope you have had a nice break, we are back from our whirlwind of a holiday. I took 600 photos in 4 weeks, not to bad. What would we do without the world of digital photography? Imagine taking that many shots on film?? Anyway, did just a spot of fabric shopping while away. Everyone kept having sales, its not my fault!

 

I did acquire this fabric too. I "borrowed" it from my Mums stash. My sister gave it to her a few years ago and it was still sitting there in it's original packaging..... So I sneakily popped it in my suitcase and brought it home with the plan to make the quilt and then post it back to Mum for her birthday in October and say it is from my sister and I, that is the plan anyway. The only problem I have is the pattern, it is so boring! I don't want to do it so I am now looking around for a nice quick and easy, modern but not to modern for Mum's taste lap sized quilt pattern. Any ideas?

A Pink and Purple Finish.

I made it! Finished the binding at 11.30 the night before the baby shower.
It ended up measuring 40 inches square. The Mum to be who received it, loved it.
A nice way to end a quiet quilting year.

We are leaving tomorrow for a four week holiday.
I hope I am blogging more in 2014 as I do miss it.
Merry Christmas everyone.

A Quick Baby Quilt.

 

 A lady at work is leaving at the end of the term and I thought I would whip her up a quick baby quilt. Lucky I know she is having a girl so it was easy to pick these pinks and purples.

 Starting to sew the squares up. No plan, just random thickness of squares, as long as they end up all qpproximately 15 inches.

 

Here I have all 9 ready to go. I'm going to slash them into quarters, rearrange them all and
sew them all back together again

A Finish!

 

Finished this runner over the weekend.
It measures 15.5 by 43 inches.

The back was made from scraps.
Next runner?

Jumping Crocs!

Hi, I'm Helen, I used to blog four times a week? Now it's like four times a month. Am I loosing that blogging buzz? I think about it every now and again and wonder why this is. A few reasons. As part of my current job I update and maintan the school website, so that may take the edge of my blogging bug. Other than that, just a combination of being busy, work, girls after school stuff, a bit of excersice and then sleep and the day is over to start all again the next day. And also holidays for us aren't staying at home anymore, well not at least for the whole holiday. We have just had two weeks off for the end of term three and look what we saw, jumping saltwater crocs!!!

We spent a week in Darwin, relaxing by the pool with friends, shopping, a movie, eating out, more shopping, visiting markets, more eating out and more relaxing by the pool! It was delightful. We did spend one day doing something touristy. I have wanted to go on a Jumping Croc tour for ages, booked one at last with this company here. It was so cool!!

When we got on the boat they did the safety speil and it was "all children sitting in the ailse seats please". Which annoyed the girls greatly as they wanted to see. Well, it didn't take long for them to work out they could see just fine in the ailse!! This is Daz's head in the above shot, shows how close they got and shows how there are no windows on the boat....

It was just amazing, as soon as we had travelled 500 metres down the river, two crocs just swam straight up to the boat, just waiting for the food. It was actually pig's heads that were being dangled on the end of the rope for them to eat. They are so quiet and then BAM, they flick their tail and propel themselves up and snap that meat and then splash down and have dissappeared into the brown water. If you fell in you'd be gone.

And after all that excitment we came home and I had three days to sew before we went back to school. I have decided to sew some table runners for Christmas pressies doing wonky stars. Using up scraps of white and Kona Sour Apple I think and some Christmas print recieved as a Christmas pressie from last year. I have two months to make about four. Doable? Of course!!

Pinwheel Runners

 

I purchased these charm square packs earlier this year and have made some pinwheel blocks. For those who know their fabric lines, it is Kate Spain's "Cuzco" line. I brought it because it was pretty. Slowly I trimmed and sewed them into these two table runners.It was going to be one big long table runner but friends at my local monthly quilting group talked me out of it saying that would be a looooong runner. Glad I listened to them! One measures 41 inches and the other measures 50 inches long. They are both 30 inches wide.

Back and forth straight quilting again. I love the texture it gives. I have rolled these two up ready for the season of gift giving in December to arrive.

Recycling Red Squares.

 

I'm recycling table runners. I've dragged this one out... Chopped one of the blocks down a bit and resewed it back together. From this...

 ...back in June last year. It was a baby quilt but then got chopped up to become two table runners.

I still have one stashed away in the emergancy present drawer. 

And now I am quilting it. Straight up and down quilting. I was thinking about pebbles but it's so straight looking, the soft curves of all over pebble quilting would look odd.

A Delightful Daizie Finish At Last!

Well it is finished. Finished! Complete! At last! I really don't have much more to say than YAHHH! I thought that I had started this one back in 2007, but reading back on my blog to double check I found this first post here which is dated January 2007 and that says the 40 daize blocks in the photo haven't seen the light of day since June 2005. I didn't start blogging till 2006! So I'm going to say that this quilt was started in June 2005 and finished in August 2013. Far out, that is a long time.....

 Behind every quilter is a paitent and tolerant loving husband. Someone to hold the quilt up at the end of the day for you. Thank you Daz!

 I sent this away to be professionally quilted at KoolKat Quilting. Its an all over meander in a pale green, its very subtle.

We went out to take these photos in a friends front yard out of town. Awesome boab in the background. The quilt is now on our bed, its taken eight years to get there! I am just very happy it is complete, well except for the label!

WIP Wednesday - Yellow Binding.

Well this quilt was sitting at the Post Office waiting paitently when we returned from the Gibb. I have finally trimmed it, sewn together two plus metres of yellow binding and sewed it on! Now just to finish sewing it down..... the end is soooo close!

A Spiral Quilted Rainbow.

 

Well it's been awhile between finished quilts but I finished the binding on this beauty during the week. The baby girl it is intended for isn't due till November so I am nice and early although November will be here before we know it at the rate 2013 is zipping past us!

 

 So I did one giant spiral for the quilting. And I learnt that even though one can pin a quilt together AND spray baste it, going in one direction the whole time is going to make the backing slip.... At first I was thinking argggggg! Have to sew another one, not good enough for this new baby! But then I showed it to a few people in real life and on FB and they didn't notice. Sometimes non quilters don't see the mistakes quilters see I suppose. Or are they being polite?

So it measures 35 by 47 inches, I'm really pleased with it. I'd like to do a whole range like this, blue to green to yellow or just dark blue to light blue or in greens or yellow to orange to red?? Oh the possibilities!

Half of the Gibb River Road.

Beautiful Bells Gorge.

My poor neglected quilting blog. It's been a month between posts! I have a really good excuse though, we have had school holidays and we went away for a ten day jaunt down the Gibb River Road and to Broome. It has taken me a few days to go through all the photos and find the time to write this post now school has gone back and holidays are over. There is no sewing talk or photos at all in this post, here goes...The Gibb River Road was originally a track to transport beef to the ports of Wyndham and Derby. It is only accessible in the Dry Season, it travels for 700kms through the Kimberley, it is an experience! When friends said they were going to do half of it for the school holidays, we jumped at the chance to join them.

Geikki Gorge Walls.

Day 1 - We leave at 5.30 for Fitzroy Crossing, its only 4 hours down the highway. After setting up camp at the local caravan park we take a boat cruise down Geikki Gorge and the kids are very impressed with all the crocs spotted in the gorge, I think 38 was the final total.

Milly and I modelling our new tracking shoes! Love the socks!!

The entrance to Tunnel Gorge.

Day 2 - We pack up camp and drive into town to buy the girls and myself some tracking shoes as I didn't think to pack them. D'oh! We found some for $15 each. We then drove onto the Gibb River Road and went to Tunnel Gorge, hence the need for waterproof tracking shoes! Tunnel Gorge was dark and scarey in places. Had lunch in the carpark and then back in the car to Windjana Gorge. Stopped at the way to look at the ruins of an old police station that held Jandamara once, I think it was here that one of Graces tracking shoes fell out the car..... Arrived at Wanjani Gorge and set up camp. Knocked 3 minutes off our tent erection time from the night before. Walked only a third of the way up the Gorge as it was getting late. Crocs are everywhere on the banks.

Grace hanging with the locals in Windjana Gorge!

Bells Gorge.

Day 3 - Woke up and walked the whole length of Windjana gorge, well correction, Grace, Helen, N. and I. walked the whole 3.5 kms one way, everyone else turned around at about the 2km point. Not the most impressive of Gorges. Packed up camp and we drove to Bells Gorge while the R's continued on to Charnley River station for the night as they had already seen Bells Gorge previously and we were to rondeveu with them later that evening. Bells Gorge was very beautiful. Due to time, we didn't walk down to the bottom tier for a swim. Next visit definitely would spend a whole day there. Meet the R's on the driveway up to Charnley River station, a 43km long driveway, was surprised that they weren't already there set up, they had got a flat tyre! Set up camp, knocked another 2 minutes off the tent erection time!

Walking down to Grevillea Gorge.

Day 4 - A leisurely morning around camp. We packed lunch and drove to a gorge called Grevillea Gorge. The kids liked this one as you had to climb down a ladder to get to it. Water was freezing but everyone went in for a quick swim. Back to camp to have chocolate orange cake for tea in the camp fire.

Hanging at Imintji Store.

Day 5 - Left Chanley river station and headed to Imintji Store for what was possibly the worlds most expensive sausage roll and choc milk! Headed down the Gibb towards Derby. Arrived in Derby mid afternoon. Not giving two hoots about our tent erection time now and added 12 minutes onto the time! Nice green lawn in caravan park on the very last row opposite a 6 foot mesh fence separating us from the mud flats of Derby.

Day 6 - A quiet night if you don't include the drunk telephone conversation at 2am from someone over the other side of the mesh fence on the mud flats who got left behind and was making sure we all knew about it! Packed up camp and then had a quick look around Derby. Brought three mud crabs for dinner and drove down the road to Broome. Arrived in Broome and set up camp on a small patch of dirt amongst backpackers that seemed to have been living in their tents for a few months..... Had mud crabs and takeaway Thai for dinner.

Day 7 - Did some shopping at the local markets then hit Cable Beach. Hired an umbrella, two deck chairs and two boggy boards and everyone was happy! Beautiful weather and the water was crystal clear. We noticed at the front of the caravan park there was a sign saying there was vacancys for 2 bedroom cabins which was what we had orignially wanted but were told back in March when we booked there was none available. So we quickly walked into reception and changed that! Dinner that night at Matso's, yum yum! Back to camp to find the backpackers had bit of a party going on at the camp kitchen table and chairs 2 metres from our tent.... Got the kids changed into their pjs and into their tents. Despite the noise they started to fall asleep until the backpacker from Scotland got out his Grandfather's bagpipes and started to play us all a jig! I went into our tent, Milly was crying "Mummy what is that noise? Tell them to be quiet! Don't they know we are trying to sleep?" Grace sort of went hmmffftt and rolled over and went back to sleep! Milly cried till they stopped 15 minutes later, Daz went down to the front office and got the manager to come tell them to be quiet. Quiet time was officially at 10, this was at 8.30. Funnily enough at 9.59 there was total silence as they had all gone to the local pub.

Day 8 - packed up our tents for the last time and moved into the 2 bedroom chalet. It was like moving into a palace! Took the kids to see Despicable Me 2 at the movies. Then back to Cable Beach to recline under the umbrella on the deckchair while the kids boggie boarded and built sand castles. I love that Grace is 10 and still builds sand castles. Dinner that night at a nearby cafe where the kids and men played putt putt golf. Back for an early night in our luxurious chalets!

My view from my deck chair on Cable Beach. It's a tough holiday!

Day 9 - Helen and N. go shopping alone, new running shoes, dress and bathers all successfully purchased! Then after lunch it was back to Cable Beach one last time to recline on that deckchair and watch the kids boggie board (again!) for the last time till next holidays. Dinner that night was at the fancy Wharf restaurant, oysters, chilli muscles, fish and chips, something for everyone. Back to the chalet to pack the car while the kids went to sleep.

My view of the road on the way home.

Day 10 - Left Broome at 5.30am. Drove and drove and drove till we arrived back in KNX at 6ish. Would have been an hour earlier but Daz and M. stopped outside of Doon Doon to help a couple change a flat tyre on their camper van. Everyone is very happy to be back in their own beds that night! So there is our adventures of Broome and half the Gibb. Hope you enjoyed it. Ten weeks till the next holiday!

A Ready Rainbow.

I have finished this scrappy rainbow quilt top. I found out today that the baby it is intended for is a girl. I'm peicing together a rainbow backing and hopefully can get quilting it on the weekend.

Nearly at the Finish Line!

Well after some sewing bursts I have finally, finally, finally finished this quilt top! In my last post I thought it would be okay with just one more row, but no, of course that would have been to close to the finish line. It needed another row on the other side. So 20 more daizie blocks later.....

Its huge. It measures 78 by 88 inches. It has been trimmed. It has been ironed. It is currently all folded ready for me to mail off to the LAQ tomorrow! I know I am not at the finish line yet, not till the binding is sewn down. Hopefully that won't take an another 6 years to accomplish like this has. How embarrasing to write that. Is that the longest WIP ever? 2007 till now?

Return of the Daizy Quilt.

 

Those who have been reading this blog for awhile may remember this quilt. Its been nearly two years since it has made an appearance on this blog and I am embarrassed to admit it, but I did hope to have this quilt finished by the end of 2010! Hahahahahaha! But this afternoon I did recieve an email that inspired me to pull it out of the WIP stash and actally finish it. Kathy from Kool Kat Quilting has an end of financial year special on edge to edge quilting.... I threw the quilt top over our bed to realize that it needs just another row length ways for it to fit nicely.

I took out the green draw from the stash, it is looking vey empty since the green squares quilt and the green windows quilt. (My Kona's are kept elsewhere, if the green's were included in here it would be buldging!) But I think I'll have enough to make the extra ten blocks needed.

Block number one unironed.....

And block number two. It took me an hour to do these too. A lot of measuring and remeasuring and ironing after each seam before slashing and resewing. If I had then all cut I think I could get three or four sewn an hour? The clock is ticking.....

WIP Wednesday - A Rainbow of Scraps.

I have been working on these rows of scraps for this baby quilt. I cut the rows of colour down to 3 inches wide and have sashed it with 1.5 inches of Kona Ash. It needs another two or three rows, I'm getting there!

Thanks to my new iron the back looks almost as good as the front!