Giveaway at Retro Mummy

Retro Mummy has such a fabulous giveaway!  There are 2 Fat Quarter Bundles with 20 fat quarters in each of this very pretty range to be won.

No time to add anything else to this post.

Bye for now and Merry Christmas,

Rowena

Turkey Reds

I have been inspired recently by all the red in quilts I've seen around blogland.  I particularly love the Double Irish Chain that Kathie over at Inspired By Antique Quilts has made.  I've decided I have to make one for myself so I ordered these wonderful Turkey Red fabrics from Ginger's Needleworks and Quilting.  I have ordered the shirting for the white in the quilt but as yet it hasn't arrived.

I also made a purchase at my LQS of some more Luna Notte yardage to use in a jelly roll quilt I have planned and another fat quarter of a brown fabric for a Jo Morton basket quilt/wall hanging.

I've made a little more progress on the centre block applique and the star blocks for the quilt I've begun to work on recently.  I've been using the needleturn method for this applique and I find it fairly slow compared to the freezer paper method I described a few posts ago (orange peel quilt).  I would have had to reverse the pattern for some of the pieces, I now wish I'd taken the time to do so.  

Here are some of the pretty blue fabrics I've cut for more star blocks which will join the red ones.

Whenever I make these stars I use the little pieces that I cut off the flying geese sections to make small HST.  I am collecting a growing pile of them from various projects but haven't decided what to do with them yet.  I  feel quite noble, waste not, want not and all that!

Sorry about the flash reflection but you get the idea of how many of these little suckers I now have!  Any ideas?

I have a customer's quilt on my frame ready to get quilted so I'd better bestir myself and get on with it!

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and just about ready for Christmas.

Bye for now,

Rowena

Shelburne Calico Garden Giveaway

Sew Unique Creations is having a fabulous giveaway of a fat quarter bundle of this range of fabric. Check the post for 8th December 2010 and you can find out all about it. Good luck everyone! 

I've managed to get a little sewing done on my applique, not a lot, but it's something. I've also sewn two hexagon flowers for my Roebuck Quilt. I only have a couple more hexagon flowers to do and then I can get on with finishing the quilt.

Starting to get ready for Christmas, tree up, wreath on the front door and planning Christmas day lunch, writing shopping lists, on and on it goes!  I can't say I enjoy all the lead up to Christmas with the crowds at the shops and all the work but I do love Christmas day.  My youngest son is 10 and still believes in Santa Claus, which is lovely.  I think it's  because he is home-schooled, he hasn't been exposed to the cynical attitudes of older children at school.  I guess it won't last too many more years but we'll all enjoy it while it does.

Bye for now,

Rowena

Christmas Panel

I haven't done much sewing the past week or two.  I've been so busy caring for my Mum who is slowly improving after heart surgery but the medications they have her on are making her feel really ill, so she has needed round the clock care.  I also picked up the nastiest tonsillitis I've had in years.  I was so ,so sick, it was quite a shock to be so ill as I'm usually a very healthy person.  As a result of all this sickness not much sewing has been done  but I'm well now and have picked up my applique today.

As there has been little progress on my current projects I thought I'd post a picture of a Nancy Halvorsen Christmas panel I quilted when I had only had my longarm for a couple of months.

I chopped off some of the border quilting when I put the binding on, lack of experience not leaving space for the binding.  Thank goodness we keep on learning no matter how old we are!

Bye for now,

Rowena

Sue Spargo Block

I've not been doing a huge amount of stitching the past few days, I've tried but I keep getting interrupted.  I've made a couple more star blocks and stitched a couple more stems on the French Bouquet quilt, so not much to show you.  So I thought I'd show you a block I began at a Sue Spargo workshop I went to last year at Anni Downs' shop, The Home Patch.

Ooh yuk!  I wish I'd cropped that horrible batting from the top of this picture,lol.  Definitely not a professional publisher!!

I really must finish this, I only have 1 wing and 7 circles to applique and as little or as must embellishing as I feel like adding.  I love the colours and the unique style of Sue's work.  She is a generous teacher and the quilts she brought to show us were to die for.  I used cotton instead of wool for the background fabric.  I really haven't decided what to do with it, maybe a pillow.

I hope everyone has had a great weekend and for those in the US a lovely Thanksgiving.

Bye for now,
Rowena

Quilt Top Finish, Orange Peels

While waiting at the hospital with my Mum today I finished the last of the orange peel applique at last!  I couldn't wait to get home and put them up on the piece of batting that is my temporary design wall. I was so pleased with the combination of fabrics.

I fell in love with this small quilt on the cover of Kathleen Tracy's book,  Remembering Adelia.  This is the result of my evening sewing.

I've really enjoyed making this small quilt.  I've always liked to have a hand sewing project and over the past few years I've learnt to love applique.  Now I have to decide how to quilt it.  

I've been using an applique preparation method that the Blackbird Designs girls use for machine applique, the only difference is I use it for hand applique.  I iron freezer paper templates onto the wrong side of the fabric, cut out the pieces with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  I use an acid free glue stick to hold the seam allowance in place when I finger press it over the edge of the freezer paper templates.  

I usually prep a good number of pieces at a time.  I love the crisp edge this method gives and I find it much quicker to hand applique this way rather than the needle turn method.  Once I'm finished I clip away the background fabric behind the applique leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance then damp down the freezer paper taking care to dampen the seam allowance where the glue is.  I leave this for a few minutes and then the freezer paper comes away easily. I have tried machine applique with this method but I still prefer the look of hand applique.

I can now get on with the centre applique block for the French Bouquet quilt.  I've begun the star blocks and have been trying to stitch a couple each day.

Happy stitching,

Rowena

Pickle Dish and Santa Applique

I've been working on this Pickle Dish quilt from a class on paper piecing with Chris Jurd.  It's one of her patterns, Pickled Lilies.  I finished the centre yesterday.  I haven't pressed it properly yet.

 I have been working on the orange peels and have 2 to go! Yay!  I also thought I'd show you a little machine and fusible applique Christmas pattern by Nancy Halvorsen that I made.  It was in an American Patchwork and Quilting quite some time ago.  This was fun and simple to make. The project in the magazine was a tea towel.  I intend to back and quilt this as is and add it to my collection of small Christmas quilts in my entrance hall over the holidays.

Lastly here are a couple of blocks for the French Bouquet quilt I have begun.  I am doing needle turn applique on the centre block but haven't touched it for at least a week.  I really want to finish the small orange peel quilt from Remembering Adelia by Kathleen Tracy.

Well I'm going to finish those last 2 orange peels tonight, I'm determined!

Happy stitching,

Rowena

Accuquilt Giveaway!

There is an Accuquilt Go! giveaway over at Simply Solids that ends on 20th November 2010. Do go have a look.

Bye for now,

Rowena

Missing In Action

My Mum has finally come home from hospital but is needing very hands on care day and night so not a lot of stitching has been going on.  Her recovery from heart surgery is going to be slow, it has really knocked her around.

I have received 2 lovely packages in the mail from generous bloggers who held giveaways. I won the Kona Cottons Jelly Roll from Violette and have great plans to make an Amish inspired quilt. The Amish style quilt pictured is made by an Australian designer, Joy White. She has a web site where you can purchase her gorgeous patterns here...From My Hands To Yours.  I love the way the black background makes the solid colours pop.

The Kona Cottons are the Dusty range so they will be perfect.  I don't know if I'll make the Lancaster Stars or a Churn Dash block but I like the blocks on point.

Even though I've been really busy with Mum I did (a little guiltily) manage a quick visit to my LQS and made a small fabric purchase. Some browns and pinks for the Jo Morton basket wall quilt. I also picked up the latest American Patchwork and Quilting.  It has a great article on Jo Morton at home and how she decorates with quilts. Yum.

I have posted this picture of Jo Morton's basket quilt before but this is what the brown and pink Fat quarters are intended for.

The fat quarters below I won in a giveaway from Jera.  I won the Fabric Sicko award.  I confessed to being a total fabric- tradgic- addict!!!

Well I hope this posts because Blogger won't show me a preview!!!

Bye for now,

Rowena

Go Giveaway

Linda over at Lavender Ridge is having an Accuquilt Go! giveaway.  Go on over and take a look.

On the stitching front I was so excited thinking I was on the last two or three orange peels when I thought I'd count them.  Well...poop!  I had miss calculated and had one more row, sixteen more orange peels before I was done!!  So I have prepped them all and now I have to get stitching!

I've also started to cut out the blocks and the applique for the centre block for this lovely quilt.  I'm making this one for my bedroom.  I started the applique tonight.  I know...I should finish the orange peel quilt first but who can resist a new project?!?  I've really been loving the hand sewing, it's so portable and I love sitting up in bed at night watching/listening to a movie or show on TV while I stitch away.   I'm using French General's Rural Jardin and a few of the Rouenneries range as well. Oops!  Sorry the picture is sideways.

Enjoy your weekend.

Bye for now,

Rowena

Not much sewing

The past week and a half has been a week I hope never to repeat.

My eldest brother passed away on the 24th October after being very ill for the last year.  Even though we knew his illness was terminal it was still a shock to lose him.  He has left behind a wonderful wife who nursed him at home until the last and six children, the youngest only 6 yrs old.  So sad.

My Mum, who lives with my children and I in her own self contained part of our house, went in for heart valve replacement surgery on the 27th of October. Thankfully she has come through the op with flying colours and though she is sore and sorry she is on the road to recovery.

Needless to say I'm not sorry this week is over.

from Jo Morton's book Small Quilts with Vintage Charm

So I haven't done much in the way of sewing this week.  I was hoping to get the last few orange peels done but have only managed one or two.  So since I don't have anything new to show I'm posting a picture of a Jo Morton quilt (wall hanging size) that is on my to do list.

Because I like posts with eye candy here's some fabric I bought a couple of weeks ago.  The Jelly Roll, some yardage and a few fat 1/4's from Moda's Luna Notte range...delicious!  The yardage at the bottom of the picture is from Garden Party by Blackbird Designs.  The fat 1/4 with the light background(in the middle) is from the Vanity Fair range.

Luna Notte is such a beautiful range and although I've not really ever been drawn to fabrics with black I really love the contrast the blacks give this range. If you haven't seen it yet do go check it out.

Be well and bye for now,
Rowena

Look what I won!

I was so thrilled to receive an email to let me know I'd won a Fall into Fall giveaway held by Violette.  I've won a jelly roll of Kona Cottons, delicious!  I've always wanted to make a quilt with bright solids with a black a background.  Now I have to decide which pattern.

I've nearly reached the end of my little pile (64) orange peel applique.   I've really enjoyed stitching these and I'm looking forward to putting the quilt together.  I included a  photo of  a couple of hexagon flowers that are bound for my Roebuck quilt.  

The final photo is of part of a quilt top (Figtree Quilts Jelly Rose) I'm ready to put on the frame to machine quilt.  I've been procrastinating about the quilting design but I have decided, finally, to do a meander in the background of the blocks and a feather border and play the rest by ear.  Whether this changes when I get it on the frame remains to be seen but at least it's getting closer to being completed! Sorry the picture is sideways.

Now I'm off to watch The Wizard of Oz and finish a few more orange peels, perfect Saturday night!

Bye for now,

Rowena

And the Winner Is....

I have drawn the winner via the random number generator and

                      Karen from Briarside Lane blog

was the number comment that came up. So CONGRATULATIONS Karen!  I've sent you an email asking you to send your postal address to me.

I have been so amazed at the number of people who participated in this brilliant giveaway organized so kindly by Debi.  I am still making my way to the blogs of all my new followers, thankyou all for entering the giveaway.

Please check back every so often because I will definitely be having another giveaway before the end of the year, this was so much fun!

These are a couple of patterns I bought this year.  I intend to make a start on the Miss Rosie's Quilt Co pattern in the next week.  It's taken a while to put together the fabrics, some stash and some new purchases but I am finally happy with the mix I have.  I am looking for the right red and green for the Strawberry Lilies by Fig Tree Quilts.  I really love this pattern, as usual Joanna Figueroa has made a wonderful interpretation of a classic pattern.

We are in the middle of spring and I woke this morning to my 10 yr old son calling out "It's snowing Mum!!"  We were getting our pool ready for swimming in a couple of weeks!  Australia is a country of extremes in weather but I have never experienced snow this close to summer!  Where we live it rarely snows even in the middle of winter so this really is freakish weather.  It's a good excuse to stay inside and sew (but who ever heard of a quilter needing an excuse!!)  

Hope you are all having a great weekend with plenty of sewing/quilting time.

Bye for now, Rowena

Giveaway Drawing Tomorrow and 1/2 inch Hexagons

Tomorrow night I'll be drawing the winner of my Fall into Fall giveaway.  I'd like to thank Debi for organizing this.  
I've been overwhelmed by the number of entrants in my giveaway and I've had so much fun visiting everyone's blogs.  It's been such a fabulous way to get to "meet" new quilters and crafters.  So GOODLUCK to everyone!

Meanwhile I've been making these little hexagons using the glue method instead of basting stitches.  I plan on making a small change purse for my Mum with these.  I've been using the cottonbud (qtip) to apply a narrow line of watersoluable glue around the seam allowance then fold the fabric over the papers as usual.  It's such a quick and easy method.

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This is something I've had around for a long time.  I bought this pink floral a little impulsively with the intention of making a quick and simple strippy quilt.  I've been making these HST and sewing them into strips to use alternately with the pink floral.  I'm such a sucker for a pretty floral!

Lastly my pile of orange peel applique is growing.  I think I need 64 to make the little quilt on the cover of Remembering Adelia.  Of course I have another 3 quilts very near to completion and another 3 I'm ready to start along with all the wishes and want tos.  I love this obsession!

Bye for now, Rowena

Fall into Fall Giveaway

This giveaway sounded like fun so I've jumped in feet first! Click the scarecrow to go to the official site to check out all the other generous giveaway participants
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To enter my giveaway leave a comment and become a follower( if you have a blog ). Please make sure you have an email contact.  This is open to everyone in blogland!

You will win 2 books, one by Anni Downs and the second book is by another Australian quilter with a clever way to machine quilt before you applique and how to use a medium -large print as a guide for all-over machine quilting from the back. You will also receive a pretty quilt pattern and 2 small packs of repro fabrics.
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO GET A CLOSER LOOK.
The giveaway will be drawn on 15th October.
Good luck everyone and have fun!!
Bye for now, Rowena

Remembering Adelia

I love this.  I've been busy prepping and stitching the orange peel pieces to make the little quilt on the cover of this sweet book.  I even managed to pick up some of that wonderful blue stripe border fabric at my LQS.

It's school holidays here (I homeschool my 10 yr old son) so there's been more time for sewing, yay! 

I've also been having so much fun visiting all the blogs of people who have entered my giveaway.    

Bye for now, Rowena

Fall into Fall Giveaway ( or Spring?)

I haven't had this blog for very long but I saw this Fall into Fall Giveaway over at Quilting With Debi and thought why not join in.  If you click on the scarecrow image it will take you to the Fall into Fall Giveaway site.  Do go over and have a look yourself, you also might decide to be a participant in the giveaway along with an enormous lists of others.  As per the rules I'll post my giveaway details on 1st October so keep an eye out.

In the quilting department I've been busy putting together some blocks left over from a workshop I did with Judy Hooworth a couple of years ago now.  The workshop was based on the book Quilts on the Double (this link gives a great preview of the quilts in the book which you can make with this method) written by Judy and Margaret Rolfe, two very clever Australian ladies.  The method is based on sewing two contrasting strips together and then cutting quarter square triangles from the strip sets.  It's very clever and simple. See the photo.

You can see below the result of one set of strips put together from a selection of Kaffe's lovely pinks and greens with a contrast of a Jinny Beyer deep blue/purple and pink spot for the border.  One set of triangles became the quilt I finished with the pink spot for the border (quilted when I'd just got my longarm  :o !).  I've spent today on the other set of triangles which I've paired with a really bright pink Kaffe fabric my DD (18 yrs) chose and a little lime green batik that was left over from her birthday quilt.

I've also included a picture of a quilt I made out of everyones scraps left over from the workshop(they were going in the bin!!!)  I asked if anyone minded if I rescued the fabric scraps and they were all quite happy for me to take them home with me so "Kaffe's Scraps" was created.  I still have some small 1/2 square triangles left over from the workshop, probably enough to make a cot size quilt if I buy a little extra yardage.  This method in Quilts on the Double is perfect if you need to make a couple of quilts fairly quickly without too much stress.
Bye for now,
Rowena

A Perfect Pocket bag and How Did You Become A Quilter?

Here's a recent finish from an Indygo Junction bag pattern called Pocket Perfect . It was really quite simple to make with good instructions.  The fabric I used was a French General (stripe) and a Robyn Pandolph (floral).  I lined it with some Les Olivades fabric a friend had left over after making curtains.














When I was tidying up I found a silk embroidered heart I made a long time ago.  The boullion roses are done with Madeira Silk Floss which is a four strand floss that I have always loved to use.  I tea dyed the lace.  I used to teach embroidery and smocking at my LQS years ago and this was a sample.

The Attic Shirtings I ordered arrived in the mail today.  I'm going to use them with the repro's I posted a picture of last week.  Like most quilters I have more ideas for quilts than I have time to make but I sure have fun trying!

I was thinking about how we come to be quilters, I'd love to hear from you.  My Mother hates sewing but always had lots of unbleached calico (natural muslin) for me to sew on my Nanna's ancient Singer. Thats where it all began for me.

I used to be a dressmaker and collected fabric for making clothes.  During my 4th pregnancy I started doing handwork because I was in no shape to be trying on newly made clothes and I didn't need anything for the baby because I was convinced I was having yet another boy.  I fell in love with embroidery and cross stitch and satisfied my need to create by embroidering a baby's blanket.  When my one and only daughter was born
I was so thrilled to finally have my own little girl to sew for, I started the day I brought her home from hospital!  However the really special item I made her was a quilt for her cot.  What a wonderful thing this quiltmaking is I thought to myself as I chose the fabrics, perfect for a fabric addict such as me, Not only do I get to play with fabric but I get to play with LOTS of different fabrics!!!  That was a really great moment and I've never looked back!

Hope you are all having fun with your fabric and quilting, bye for now, Rowena.

Attic shirtings & more paper piecing