Purple Squares.

I am so cross at myself. I stared this table runner on Sunday afternoon. Something simple and quick for a friends birthday coming up this weekend, and I want to give it to her this weekend, not like the last table runner! So I sewed some purple squares, very similar to the Orange Square Tablerunner. Sandwiched it this afternoon and then in my haste set to quilting it. Just straight lines, something easy. Something one wouldn't stuff up hey? So off I go, la la la, quilt, quilt, quilt. Looking good and then after about 10 rows I think, hmmm forgot to change the stitch length. Oh, its okay, I'll keep going on, it won't matter, can't be bothered to waste time unpicking it! La, la, la, more quilt, quilt, quilt. Then hmmmm the typical Helen pulling fabric, making it look like crap trick is happening! Again!!

But huh? It's not happening here! Why??! Same circumstances exactly! I get so impatient to get to the quilting, my prepartation seems to be lacking. So now I find myself having to unpick it all and start again, wasting my time. *sigh* My sewing time seems so rare and precious these days I don't want to waste it by unpicking! And now I have to decided to either just stipple it all over or increase the stitch length and try again. Argggg!

Another Table Runner!

I finished sewing the binding down on this table runner last night, wrapped it up this morning and popped it in the pigeon hole of the birthday girl. When she unwrapped it at recess she was more than okay that it was late! Everyone crowded around her and ohhed and ahhed which I'll admit I found embarrassing. I'm proud of my work but that part makes me blush.

Its adapted from the pattern Aunt Millie's Garden. I appliqued the shapes on just with the raw edge style, then pebble quilted it till it was as stiff as a board!

In hindsight, I should have done it 3 flowers on one side, 2 on the other. Oh well, next time!

April Bee Blocks

I have been playing catch up with my bee blocks ths months. These are actually all for April! Opps! Sorry girls!

These log cabins are for Bec. She asked for log cabins in any way we choose. I went for two traditional blocks.

And then four smaller ones sewn together. Sorry they are late Bec, they are all packaged and ready to post tomorrow!

And these are for Flickr Bee FF 2012 swap. These little people are for Sudi-Laura.

She asked for a light neutral back ground and bold funky colors for the actual people and their clothes. One boy and one girl. Hope you like these Sudi-Laura. Yours are also packaged up and will be in the post tomorrow!

Bloggers Quilt Festival - Spring 2012

It is Bloggers Quilt Festival time once again and this time I would like to share this quilt called Miss W's Wedding quilt. Being in a small country town and working at the same school my children go to, you do tend to get friendly with the teachers. We were so lucky when we first moved up here that Milly had Miss W as her pre primary teacher in 2010 and then she scored her again last year for year one. Miss W is one of these beautiful young ladies with a heart of gold. At first I thought I would make her a "normal" quilt for the occasion. But then after seeing the amazing quilt Andi had made with the 5 and 6 year old children in her daughter's class, I changed my mind and thought let's make a quilt for Miss W! This is how we did it....

I was able to sneak out at recess and lunch time and sit with 2 or 3 kids and assist them draw their square of 10 inch white kona. I've told them that it's for Miss W and Mr H and they are getting married, what can we draw?

Lots of love hearts, flowers and smiling faces. It's top secret from her, I have made each child pinky promise not to tell her and so far, so good! This one is by Milly.

There was 21 students in the class, 2 little girls don't attend regularly so I was sort of hoping that I could do one block for the both of them, but then they both came to on the last day! The above block is what one of them made, love the hair! So I had 21 blocks, not the best number to make a hanging from, so I added 4 more blocks, one for each corner, to say stuff like "Congratulations Miss W" and "Love from Room 12" so that will frame it nicely into 25 blocks, 5 across and 5 down. Then I sewed the red kona around the blocks, 2 inches it will come down too. I didn't have enough of these two reds, so I introduced another red and layed it out in sort of a Trip Around The World pattern. 

This is one of my favorite blocks. Alice is an indigenous girl, a mop of black curls on her head and the shyest smile. She was the wisest eyes of a 6 year old that I know. I think she has seen more than a 6 year old should see.

Then I quilted it, just in red ditched in the stitch. I don't like the way the kid's white squares "pop" out. I know its because the red area is quilted and the white squares aren't, so of course they aren't going to lie as flat as the red areas. And I know I can't quilt in the white squares as it that would just look odd. And maybe to a non quilter it isn't even noticeable. But otherwise very happy with the end result.

And here is Milly is all ready to give it to her!

We presented it to her a few days before term finished, I thought it would be nice to be in the classroom for a few days before term ended too. We asked Miss W to leave the room for a few minutes while we worked out what child was going to say what. Then she came back in and sat, very puzzled and curious. Six kids spoke a sentence each. "Miss W, we are very excited about your wedding." "We wanted to make you something special." (She starts crying about here!) "Miss Helen helped us do some drawings at recess and lunch." "It was top secret, we had to pinky promise not to tell you!" (More crying about here!) "We hope you like your present." "We wish you and Mr H lots of love and hope you live happily ever after." Then she got to open it and because the kids hadn't seen the quilt it was zoom, they all rushed in. Then there was squeals of "Look there is my drawing!" "Look that's mine up there Miss W!" "Look Miss W I drew you holding Mr H's hand!" It was fantastic!

Here's Miss W with Alice. I told Alice her block was my favorite, she got all shy.

And here is Miss W and I in that happy post quilt gift giving glow. She is such a beautiful lady, has a heart of gold, an amazing teacher, it is a joy to share her wedding day with her.

Here are the amazing kids of Room 12! Their art makes this quilt so special!

And then at the reception, we walked in, found our table, put our gift on the present table and I then turned around to see the quilt hanging on one of the walls! At the reception!! I was so surprised! And pleased. I thought to myself this must mean she really, really likes it. Later in the evening when I got to have a chat with the beautiful bride I said, wow, your quilt is here. And she then said that I have no idea how special it is to her and how much she loves it and how she'll treasure it always. Awwww, I'm glad it has gone to a loving home. :)

So that is the story behind my submission for the Spring 2012 Bloggers Quilt Festival . Thanks Amy for hosting such an amazing event and thanks for visiting!

Pebbling....

Well it was my friends birthday last weekend and I am still sewing her present. What excuse can I rustle up? I've sewn the vine and petals in place, did the yellow centers last. Now I have the pebbling to do. This time last week Daz was doing the Lake Argyle Swim. Photos and blog post here. But back to the quilting, going to try and push myself to finish this by the end of the weekend. I wasn't liking it much earlier in the week, but it is growing on me.

Milly got her face painted at the markets this morning. Amazing hey? She tells me she doesn't want to wash her face till Monday so she can show her friends at school. Hmmmm...

Piece of Cake Table Runner!

A friends birthday has crept up, it's not May already is it??! I want to make her a table runner, as it is Year of the Table Runner in this house! I did some sketches on the weekend and did some looking on blogs and in flickr but I came back to this. It is the side border from Aunt Millie's Garden. It still has the petals to go obviously! I'm going to do it like this mini quilt here. Spit spot Helen, you have a week!