Day 15 of Blogtoberfest - Thread! Thread! Thread! Thread! Thread!

My apologies in advance. It is day 15 of the Blogtoberfest, I am halfway there, starting to struggle a bit with witty and entertaining craft related posts! I feel another dodgy tutorial coming on!! In the meantime, read on to see how many teatowels Helen purchased today!

Despite going to Textile Traders twice within 20 hours earlier this week, to stock up on pellon and sewing machine needles, you know the stuff you still need but isn't as pretty as fabric. Despite that spending spree, today Spotlight had 20% off storewide and so I went childfree with my Mother to shop! We promised no fabric buying though as the ques on these days are a nightmare. I purchased boring things like 4 teatowels, 2 satin pillow cases for the girls, some modelling clay for Christmas stocking fillers, some ribbon and lots and lots of thread! Its just so pretty. I haven't used this brand before, QA Thread it's called. It says it is a machine embroidery thread, 100% polyester...... such pretty variegated colours. 1000 metres of each! I'll give it a go. Anyone had any experiences with this thread? Love to hear.

Day 14 of Blogtoberfest - Free Motion Flowers.

I went for the flowers. First I practiced on this.

Then I practiced on this....

And then went for the real thing.

Day 13 of Blogtoberfest - Back to School!

It seems like day one of term one was only yesterday and now here we are on day one of term four! The school year has zoomed by! This is my last term of Matilda in two full days, next February she will be in full time school. Mixed feelings there, happy for her as she loves school and is a bright little spark, sad cause all my babies will be at school. Growing up to fast.

Matilda took a drawing for her teacher this morning. Grace took a mantis she found on the weekend, its in the tupperware container she is holding. She named him Max. Max the Mantis, of course. That white long bit at the end? Thats his skin shedding! Ewwww!

Day 12 of Blogtoberfest - EBDQS #3.

I have finished the top the EBDQS #3. It is a simple design but graphic and fresh with a twist, whatever that means! I have altered the colours again.

Now to quilt it. I don't know whether to go something fancy. Bit of stipple then a flower?

Or something like Louise did on the beautiful dolls quilt she made me. Wavy straight lines?

Which would you prefer swapee?

Day 11 of Blogtoberfest - By Grace.

Hello. This is my birdie. I cut him up and then with Mummy's help we sewed him onto this blue sky with a sun. I sat on Mummy's lap while she sewed and my foot pressed the black thing on the floor that makes the machine go. When I am 7 I am allowed to have a go by myself. Matilda and I are allowed to play with Mummy's scrap material but not the material in the drawers. I like cutting up material, it is fun.

Day 10 of Blogtoberfest - Quilt Festival Time!

Its on again! The second annual Quilt Festival hosted by the lovely Amy from Park City Girl. I played along last year, my name is on the list, but I have trawled back through my blog and I can't find the post! Odd... so I can't remember last years favorite quilt! *edited to add 24 hours later..... Thanks Kit! For some reason I was looking in last years posts, not earlier this year. doh! So for the record, this was the quilt I featured last time here.* Anyway......

This year I picked this one. I called it Bricks and Mortar, it was from a pattern. Started in late July and finished in August 2008. I love it cause it was the first quilt I made for me. And I love it cause it took me two weeks from cutting to sewing the label on, the top took 24 hours to sew. I remember the joy of Grace being at school and Milly being at her only day of day care that year, popping Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version of course!) on the DVD player and just sewing, sewing,sewing!

The label says its for me, so I can't give it away!

I like how the business of the prints just speak for themselves.

Stipple with rainbow verigated thread.

And the back of pieced strips. As I write now the girls are snuggled under it on the couch watching morning TV. Might take advantage of the quiet and check out some of the quilts at Amy's festival. Great start to the day.

Day 9 of Blogtoberfest - Bye Bye Birdie.

Today was the day! I received the magazine in the post. I'll admit I saw the article yesterday. We went up to my folks house and walked up the shops to get a copy. Mum and I stood in this little tiny news agency and Mum started squealing as I flicked to the page, Milly is pulling on my top going "Mum! Mum! What is it?" I showed her and she goes "How did you get in a magazine?" How indeed Miss Matilda?!

So here's the main spread. My eye first went to that little bubbled bit on the bottom left. I pointed it out to Daz this morning and he said "What bubble bit?" and I wonder if I hadn't of mentioned it, would you have noticed? I did have trouble with my walking foot at the end and in real life it isn't as noticeable as here. Me being fussy I suppose. Otherwise I think the layout looks fantastic! Homespun took the photo, I sent the quilt to them for all the shots.

And here is the bit about me. I sent a selection of quilt photo's over, they got to choose which ones. I'm quite chuffed they choose the doll quilt I made for Tine in DQS#5 and my placemat swap with Sarah. My blogging buddies are a great support to me and I am thankful to have meet lots of lovely ladies along the way that have become friends. You know who you are!

Here is Daz holding up the creased masterpiece.

And here is the back. I was quite pleased with the back. Great way to use up extra strips.

And to complete the mail, my parcel from equilter arrived. The Aussie dollar is so strong in the US at the moment, seems a shame not to go shopping. More swirly fabric. Have no idea what I will sew with this, add it to the stash.

Day 8 of Blogtoberfest - Louise's Blocks.

I have finished Louise's blocks for this months round of the Around The Block Swap. Such pretty fabric she sent, it felt like spring sewing these! She asked for improvised log cabins or square in square blocks. I hope you like these Louise. I tried to keep the warmer reds, oranges, yellow, hot pinks in one and then the cooler greens and yellows in the other.

Seems that Homespun has hit the newsagent, I haven't got my copy in the mail yet and am a bit nervous about going down to the newsagent and buying one. Nervous but excited! I'll do it today, my Mum will make me. Thank you for the messages and emails saying congratulations and if you have arrived at my blog as a result of the article, a big hello and welcome to you. :)

Day 7 of Blogtoberfest - Starting the EBDQS#3.

Well it is time I started on my dolls quilt for the 3rd annual EBDQS. I'll admit I have been putting off starting as I haven't been inspired. A little burnt out from the flickr DQS#7 maybe? My partner wants an actual dolls quilt too..... I'd prefer my dolls quilts on the wall to be admired as little fabric masterpieces. Don't you?

I have altered the colours in photoshop, not to give anything away. Although I kinda like the aqua and green combo.

Day 6 of Blogtoberfest - Wonky House Part 2.

Still feeling a bit meek after my "tutorial" yesterday. Thank you all for your comments though, glad some of you got a giggle. :) I'm going to play it safe for day six of Blogtoberfest and blog about other people's sewing that has arrived in my mailbox for the Around The Block Swap. Part 1 was fantastic! Part 2 is just as impressive.

This one was from Lara. She based it on a photo of her house! Pretty cool.

This one was from Becky. Great swirls in the roof and windows here.

And this one is from our leader, Miss Sheridan! Love the cute puppy waiting for a home.

And here is what they look like all together. Thanks ladies, looking good and still more to come!

Day 5 of Blogtoberfest - Wadding Woes.

Day five of Blogtoberfest brings a tutorial. Keeping in mind that tutorials are supposed to be helpful...... do you ever have a pile of wadding off cuts that are simply to good to throw away? In my sewing nook, such scraps serve either being used as trials to practice free motion quilting on, or reusing them as wadding in a quilt or this case a runner. Total tight arse Tuesday stuff, maybe I should have kept this topic for tomorrow?

Firstly lay out what scraps you have to work out how much you need to cover your project. I'm doing this for the strippy runner a few posts back. These 4 bits should do.

So I trim them...

And then sew them together. Easy peasy hey?

Use the widest zig zag stitch your machine can do. And select the zig zag stitch that isn't a full stitch, the one that uses 3 stitches to make each zig.

And then sit back and admire how you have stuffed it up and wonder how on earth did that one bit gather on you??! Ponder how in the past it has worked perfectly and now when it comes to blogging a tutorial, you stuff it up! Ponder over if you can be bothered to unpick it and do it again..... Ponder if you can still get away with it...... Ponder over maybe just cutting a chunk out of your 4 meters of wadding might have been the best way to go.....

Day 4 of Blogtoberfest - Walking on a Zig Zag.

The closest thing I got to sewing today was walking down the Zig Zag. It's an annual event where you can walk 3 kms down this scenic road in the next suburb along from where my parents live. It's funny, one of those things that you never do in your own backyard. It's a real street you can drive down, one way only. They close it for the day. Seeing as though Daz is in study mode for exams at the moment, I took the girls and my parents out for the day. Spring is in the air, the weather was lovely.

It was great, everything was free! On every corner of the zig zag there was displays from different community groups, crafts for the kids, wild animal displays (Grace got to stroke a snake, she was chuffed) and camel rides at one point! We joined the que. Dad is holding onto Milly at the front and poor Mum is holding on for dear life at the back! I only got this hurried snap as just as they got on, one of my old High School friends Mum's recognized me and came over for a chat. Haven't seen her in years so it was one of those abbreviate your life in 5 minutes chats! So this rushed shot captures the moment at least.

There was also some sculpture along the way. This lady had made a beautiful swinging chair for the kids to climb in and pretend they were in a cocoon. The swirls in the fabric were just amazing that she had created with thread. I asked her what kind of sewing machine she had and she replied she wasn't sure. I thought that was a bit odd as when you sew, you know that brand of machine you have at least!

And also some music and street art. Milly was startled and then composed enough to blown a kiss to one of those golden mime statue guys. He was so still as we walked up the road towards where he was, we had to pass him, there was no other way and then when he slowly moved his hands up towards us to blow us a kiss, I was holding her hand and she literally froze with fear, I felt her tense up in fright. But then I spoke to her and we blew him a kiss back together and he then mimed catching it and holding it to his heart. Milly said "He loves me!" and we kept walking, or rather she was skipping, blowing more kisses over her shoulder to him. When we spoke about it later, how it was just a man pretending to be a statue, she replied, "Yes I know that Mummy but he did freak me out!" One of those moments in parenting when you are doing something right, watching your daughter conquer her fear over the unknown and then watching her win, realizing that it isn't that scary after all. It was a great day.

Day 3 of Blogtoberfest - A Strippy Table Runner.

Since I finished this quilt here I had a pile of strips just too good to donate to Matilda's kindy as I tend to do with some scraps. And I was thinking of sewing a few table runners for Christmas pressies, so decided to use them in a strip type of block.

I printed out some squares with 1 inch diagonal lines going across as a guide and then just sewed away.

I was thinking 4 blocks, but had enough to make 6.

Sewn together it looks something like this. Hmmmm, not grabbing me with excitement, but looking okay for a quick project. Hopefully will sandwich it tomorrow and then exercise the walking foot. Thats about the only exercise that does get done by me in this house!

Day 2 of Blogtoberfest - Fabric mail!

Well this beats the electricity bill that arrived yesterday! A fat parcel was waiting me on the doorstep when I got home from a leisurely Mothers Group morning tea/lunch. I was excitied as I thought it was my order from equilter but no, it was my other fabric order! I only have two coming at the moment, truely!

A few weeks ago I saw on Red Pepper Quilts blog that she got some of Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope range for a fantastic price at The Fabric Bee's Shop on Etsy. So I exercised my credit card and the great rate of the Aussie dollar verses the US dollar. A yard of each and half a yard of the brown and yellow. Lynette was lovely, she did a custom order for me so I could fit as much as possible in a satchel. I'm a happy shopper!

These are some fat quarters are from a range called Crazy Moon Dust by B. Stillwell. I do like a good swirl on fabric. Now just awaiting that order from equilter..... it was ordered, paid and posted a week before this order, hope it's not lost.

Day 1 of Blogtoberfest - Holiday Snaps from a 6 year old.

Welcome to October. Welcome to Blogtoberfest! I have just stumbled across it on a few blogs and well any excuse for daily blogging, I am there! A list of everyone playing can be found here.

I'll admit I am coming in unprepared! Nothing to blog about today, or so I thought at first, nothing sewing related. We came back yesterday afternoon from a 4 day break at Rottnest. One lovely day of sunshine and then cold, wet and grey weather. Where is spring?? So to amuse the eldest child one afternoon I let her free with the camera. Always interesting seeing the world through the eyes of a 6 year old.....

Like to go on the Underwater Explorer boat? Here are the times and prices!

Matilda trying to eat a lamington the size of her head! It took her two sittings to finish it, but she did!

A pelican enjoying the quiet before summer.

And Grace's favourite shot, "Mummy! Just as I took the photo he flew off, it was amazing!"