Hiya

hope you are having a great week where ever you may be. Quiet in my house with NOS away at the beach and NOD very busy with dancing, singing and drama activities. Oh to be that young with that much energy!

Not much of note to show you today. I still feel a little sad that I didn't have a new Kaffe to show you so I pulled out a very simple top I made last year just to give you a colour hit. I love these old grey greens he does.


Should turn it into a quilt one day!

Beginnings of my third MM block - it uses only two fabrics - I love these colours.


And the first part of the GTASB month 6 is done - 7 of these. Only one more block to do - called Day Lilly.

I will be up at Threadbears in Castlemaine on Sunday arvo with some of the gang. Di will be launching her new pattern Ann's Legacy. It's a beautiful quilt - I'm sure she will have the quilt there too. If you're in the area it would be great to say hi. How will I know you? Don't know - I look like my photo only older. We'll be the noisy group - trust me we're noisy.

If you haven't been over to Barbara Brackman's blog yet - it is certainly worth a visit. So much interesting info there about antique textiles and repro quilts. And you might see a picture that you recognise.

Have a great week,

Deb xoxo

Sunday after the Saturday before

Yesterday was a fabulous day - secret sewing group. It was the delightful Sue's turn to be the hostess - and what a hostess she is. About a year ago Sue and family moved from the city to the country so all of us except one made the trip up to her house - what a transformation she has performed in such a short space of time! It was a glorious day - she's a fantastic cook - I think I spent more time eating than sewing. Thanks Sue.

Actually the whole day was a bit more like a think tank than a sewing group. So many ideas and so much enthusiasm. I needed a cup of tea and a lie down by the time I got home.

Weird hot weather in Melbourne has not been conducive to sewing this week, but today is cool and we have had much rain overnight, so it feels a bit more like spring.

So what's been happening in my sewing room? Well I finished my MM block which was my goal for the week.


I really love this block - the colours are gorgeous and it is making me happy which is the whole reason I sew. Perfect.

Made one block of NOS's quilt to see how it goes. A bit fiddly turning squares into circles, but only 25 of them to do.


I think this will be a good quilt for a young man.

Next priority is to complete the GTASB blocks for the month. I usually have these finished quite early, but I just haven't had enough sewing time the last couple of weeks. Here they are so far.


More of the same coming up for this week. I have to say I am enjoying watching the Joseph's Coat quilts coming along. It looks like so much fun.....trying to resist the temptation, but it's not easy.

And just as an extra - for those of you who live in the Melbourne area. Di Ford is releasing her new pattern and will be in house at Threadbear next Sunday. The quilt is truly beautiful and is worth seeing up close trust me. Check out the Threadbear website for details.

I hope the weather isn't too extreme where ever you are. Especially if you're in a gondola on the Yarra.

Stay cool,
Deb

Sorry to disappoint

all you Kaffeicianados out there. But I have resisted the call of those seductive temptresses Cathy and Janet, and not started a new Kaffe project. I did flick through a few Kaffe books and picked out some treasures, but then my desire was sated just by looking (cooking magazines often have this effect on my appetite too). I feel the need to finish things right now rather than start new things. So I remembered that a long time ago I started a quilt for Number One Son. We had just revamped his room from little boys room with puppy dog curtains in pastel shades, to big boys urban cool room. He was 14 after all! So I thought he needed a new quilt too. Well he still does (even though he's quite fond of his cowboy quilt). So I should finish it before he leaves home. Maybe.


The pattern is quite old and I don't have a photo - so it has taken me a bit of time to figure out what happens next and how it is supposed to look. Next step is to turn these blocks into circles. Progress report later.

The GTASB package arrived this week. First up I need to make seven of these little orange peel blocks.


They are all ready to cut and sew.

My next MM block has quite a bit of work in it. Here it is today


I think I'm enjoying this project more than any other right now. I love the green/red/cheddar combination.

And last but not least - the next AWS block I'm going to finish is this one


Wow, so much to do and so little time. Weather hasn't been great for sewing or anything else this week.

A big thank you to all of you who have been leaving comments. It is very reassuring to know that other people like what you do when you invest so much time and energy in it. It also gives me a great opportunity to find other sites and see what's happening outside my little world. As you can see by my ever growing and fabulous sidebar, there are some amazingly talented people in ordinary houses all around the world. Truly inspirational.

Stay cool,

Deb

A lazy Sunday

ahead following on from a lazy Saturday. Just the ticket! Yesterday the children were happily engaged in their various activities and I had nothing on the agenda apart from the usual driving them to and fro. So that left me with plenty of time to potter around and do a little bit (emphasis on the little) of housework. Too hot to spend much time in the garden although it needs some TLC. The grass is about a metre high since the lawn mower still hasn't been replaced after the shed burglary. So I had no choice but to spend time in my sewing hideaway. It's a tough life I know. Today the kids are both out of the house, so apart from shopping I am once again a free woman.

So here's what I've been up to. Finished a couple of AWS blocks

these are set on point so that rose in the middle will have its stem vertically aligned.

Started prepping the next MM block

I really love working with all this greenery. Each leaf here is different fabric.

The I cut some basket blocks.


Each of the backgrounds is from the stash my friend sent and the baskets are from my stash . I really like it so far and it gives me a pile of stitching ready to go when I need something quick and easy to grab.

Not sure what' s on the agenda for today. I usually only hand sew at night and machine sew in the day - but I don't have any machine projects on the go right now - how odd!

I hope you have something interesting or fun or relaxing to do for the weekend. Maybe I need to look for a machine project...I feel a Kaffe moment looming..........

Ciao

Deb

A small Ta-dah moment

Good afternoon to all and I hope you are having a fabulous day. I'm very excited and ready to say "Ta-dah" because the first Mary Mannakee block is finished!


I'm very happy with the way it looks. The red, green and yellow colour combo is lovely. Deciding still on which block to tackle next. If you would like to see more blocks from this quilt, visit Kathie and Janet. Both of these very talented quilters have been given a mention on Barbara Brackman's blog! How cool is that - and very well deserved. The Civil War Bride Quilt was also mentioned on BB's blog - well done to Lizzie and all who are contributing such beautiful work and of course to Corliss for reproducing the pattern and her stunning version of this quilt.

Still working on my antique wedding sampler block, and have picked this one


to finish next. I love it because it's a seventeen pointed star - and you don't see too many of those now do you?

I thought I would show you this picture


which is a lovely folder that I bought at Zetta Florence the other day when I was buying paper for the box. Isn't it just too PRETTY.

And last but not least, an extremely generous friend asked me if I was going to make a basket quilt (from Blackbird designs). When I said yes, she said she would send me some squares of fabric that she had been using. Have a look at all these gorgeous fabrics


it seems like she's sent me enough to make the whole quilt! I was gob-smacked! Thank you so much - I'm now itching to start this quilt. Don't worry - starting is good for the soul and I'm being very good to mine!

What's on in your week ahead? Any plans to start new quilts - do tell!

I'm thinking - next MM block, and next CWB block to cut - the two antique wedding blocks, yes and I need to catch up with Di who is now back from the US and the next GTASB pack is about to arrive, and some baskets to start. I'm sure there's something I've forgotten.

Have a fabulously productive week.

Deb

A quick update

on the Antique wedding quilt. Pulled out this block


to work on next. As you can see it's almost there but the leaves in the corners and the star in the middle still need to be stitched. I think there is also a bit of broderie perse on this one too. That may have to wait until the end unless I can find some suitable fabric to use in my stash.

If you haven't seen Alma Allen (Blackbird designs) blog yet - take a trip over (link on the sidebar). She has some beautiful things there and does great tutorials on making all sorts of handcrafted pieces. Last week she made a fabric covered box - hers was very old fashioned, I had to try one but mine is colour infused!


Kaffe on the outside and some beautiful paper I bought from Zeta Florence (Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) on the inside.


I'd had my eye on their beautiful stationary for some time and was just waiting for an excuse to buy some. If you like stationary it is heaven there.

This one was a trial and I learned a couple of things on the way. A tip - if you are going to try - pick a smaller box than mine. It is about 9 inches tall (I didn't realise until later that Alma's was only 3). The technique is the same, but the larger pieces are harder to manipulate. So I have a few bubbles and crinkles. All up it probably took an hour and a half - but it would be much quicker with a smaller box.

Jean has also made a beautiful box - have a look at Linen and Raspberry (over on the sidebar).

Off to the coal mine now,

Have a great day,

Deb

New project revealed

So - are you waiting to find out what the new project is? You are? Sorry for keeping you waiting so long. The man of the house has been OS so the motherhood duties have increased and the work / life balance has been - well- unbalanced. So without further teasing go and have a look here.

Yes another of those projects from an old Primarily Patchwork pattern has been removed from its protective wrapping (aka plastic bag) ready to be completed. The quilt is based on the Charlotte Gillingham quilt but the PP version is not T- shaped. It is square with about 25 beautiful blocks set on point with a sashing between and some Broderie Perse. It is a combination of appliqued and pieced blocks. Here is one of the pieced blocks that I have already done.


I'm hoping to get it ready for the exhibition next year - but I have to say I thought I had completed quite a bit more of it than I have, so there is much work to do. It's great fun rummaging through these old fabrics that I have used for it. They are mostly Civil War but have a few old fashioned florals (Robyn Pandolph early style) thrown in - they were all the rage at that time.

I have spent most of my available sewing time this week on my first MM block. Here she is so far

it is fun to stitch. The background fabric (moda bella) is fraying quite a bit so I may have to overlock the edges. I usually cut my blocks 1/2 inch bigger than necessary so when I cut them to size, the overlocking will disappear.

I have also done a tiny bit on my Beatrix sampler. I made an error placing the corner motif so that by the time I got to the edge I was a stitch out. Now I don't get really uptight about these things, but this was BUGGING me - so I pulled it all out and started again. What's wrong with that? Wouldn't you do it too? So I only got to here this month


when really I wanted to get right across the top. Oh well..such is life.

The other cool thing is that MOTH came home from Belgium with gifts. Yes a new fancy camera for me - it's very nice but I need to spend some time figuring out how it works. So my DD is very happy because I have been using hers and she was SICK OF IT. She would be happier if we swapped cameras - but that ain't gonna happen - sorry sweet P.

Number one son is starting his written VCE exams tomorrow. Not showing too many signs of stress yet - but not showing too many signs of hard work either. He's a pretty chill dude. First actual exam was last Sunday - music performance, he was very pleased with the way it went so all is well. Roll on December 4 - his last audition and also sweet P's birthday - how big will that party be!

Until next time, may all your stitches be perfect,

Deb

A rare moment of peace

I won't go into the tedious details of why the last couple of weeks have been NUTS, but trust me, they have. So in my rare moment of peace today, right now, I thought I would give you a quick snapshot of my progress. I am on track for what I wanted to do this week - so feeling good.

First my last GTASB block for this month is done.


I think this one is pretty. Takes a bit of time though - mine are all hand pieced, and I'm slow.

And second I have my MM Block 1 partially pinned up - enough so you can see what's going on. I'm very happy with it - and a little bit excited - hence the need for the post. Do you like it? Please say yes or my bubble will burst.


I also found this


amazing what you put at the back of the cupboard and forget about isn't it? I woke up early one morning a couple of weeks ago thinking - didn't I buy some red/yellow/green fabrics last year?
What a dope! But lucky - they are perfect for this quilt.

The other thing I have bouncing around in my head is the Rouenneries fabrics . I just LOVE them - but couldn't figure out what I would do with them. If you haven't seen them, check them out here. Aren't they just tres chic? But then I remembered this pattern from Quiltmania

Might be good.....what do you think? I know it's upside down - just ignore it.

Moments over, have a great week.

Deb

This was the week that was.

Good morning on this bright and sunny Sunday. If you live in Melbourne, I hope the rain has given you an extra excuse to stay indoors and get some sewing done! It's been so heavy here that at one point I thought about building an Ark. I'm quite happy for it now to rain only between the hours of 6pm and 7am.

Yesterday was our sewing meeting - always eagerly anticipated and this was no exception. My turn to host it this time - always makes me a little stressed. We had lots to show and tell (sorry no photos - we don't usually do photos) and didn't get to start sewing until getting on for 12 (we start at 10). After eating chocolate and raspberry brownies (not my best cooking effort - sorry girls) getting a caffeine hit and reviewing our latest works, we managed to get some sewing done. Lots of laughs and good stories. Brilliant!

I completed the last of the PA applique blocks this week. Here it is


and the last of those that I completed earlier.


I'm very happy with the way it's turning out. I have had many inquiries about this pattern and have been passing them all along to Di who is currently in the USA - but I hope she will make the pattern available again soon. In the meantime here is how the whole thing should look.


Not a great photo - it's the only one I have, clipped from an old magazine ad. I am waiting on the fabric to come in for the background triangles, they have some simple applique on them which shouldn't take too long. The other thing I need to do is the outside border of little triangles. This will be a weekend job. I usually only machine sew in the day and hand sew at night. So that means I need another project for the evenings. I have one - but you're going to have to wait until next time to see it.

Oh OK ....here's a sneak peek


On the agenda for this week I have the last of the GTASB blocks for this month. It is half cut out so I can start work on that. I would also like to start my first MM block this week. I have the fabrics chosen so I just need to draw the template. And I also need to put some time in on my BP cross stitch. That should keep me busy for this week since I have a few other commitments as well.

For those of you thinking about the CWB here is the background fabric which arrived this week. I'm very happy with it. It is a lovely colour and subtle tone on tone print.

You can get it from Threadbear if you love it! See the sidebar for links to the CWB blog and Threadbear.

Didn't have time for the garden today, since I went for a 21st birthday lunch for my niece Caitlin. Happy Birthday Catie! And thanks for a lovely afternoon Senka.

But in my garden looking to one side of my backyard you can see

we have done some work on this barren wasteland and it's starting to look quite pretty. If I swivel around to my left

yep - still a barren wasteland. But stay tuned for the after shot (coming in another month).

OK I'm off to sew. Hope you have a great week and spend some time with people or things that make you happy.

Cheers,

Deb

Value adding

or turning credit card debt into beautiful works of craft. Seems like ages since I was here, hope you have all been well and happy. I have been chipping away at a few projects but not making enough progress to report on really. I am trying to keep up to date with the GTASB BOM, because I would really like to have it finished at the end of the program. When this months came I thought it looked like quite a bit of sewing and I was right, although it is quite easy.

The first block is a lovely hexagon panel


I just pieced mine, but Lurline is english paper piecing which looks like fun.

The other two blocks are called tulip blocks. I have finished one and will do the other next week.

My main preoccupation though is appliqueing the setting triangles for the PA quilt. These all look the same - so not much to show. Nearly finished and then I can get on to the last of the blocks.

The next two blocks for this quilt are here.




Anyone who is doing the CWB will know that there are many leaves on block 2. Well yes there are and I find trying to get a balance between variation in the colours and not making it look like a "random collection of every green fabric I have" quite difficult. I haven't quite finished but here it is so far.

OOps - it's sideways - can you tilt your head to the left?
I will post on the CWB blog when it is done - hopefully tomorrow. It does look like a jumble right now, but I think it will be OK when stitched.

The postperson continues to beat a path to my door (so exciting). Since I last saw you, he brought the background for my Mary Mannakee quilt. I'm really going to have fun with this. Have a look at Kathie's and Janet's versions for some inspiration. This is what I'm thinking for block 1.


These lovely things also came. The fabric I bought for my stash since Hancock's were having such a great sale. The book is one that Kathie recommended and it looks great. Can't wait to start reading that one. The yarn is for a crocheted scarf made of granny squares. The colours are dusty and beautiful, but I think it can go away until next winter. Can't imagine that I will need a woolly scarf for awhile. It came from a lovely store in Wangaratta called Sackville & Lane. They sell beautiful yarn and some patchwork fabrics and sewing things. Well worth a visit if you are up that way.


I assure you - this is rather more than usual shopping activity for me. And yes there is more on the way (but don't tell anybody).

My lovely friend also sent me these beautiful green fabrics.


How lucky am I? My MM quilt is going to be filled with these lovely fabrics.

So that's me done. Lots to do for the coming week and I have secret sewing here next Saturday. I'm really looking forward to that one.

Oh - and just in case you have the need of a new pattern, go have a look at Threadbear. My friend Di has just rereleased another of her old patterns called 19th C baskets. It's a beauty.

Happy sewing,

Deb

PS. Can anybody suggest words that I can use other than beautiful, lovely and gorgeous? I'm running out of adjectives.

Ding Dong!......better than Avon

Yes the postman is such a frequent visitor that the neighbours are starting to worry. Here's me up to my ankles in good gear. Note the very clean floor from my recent spring cleaning.


So you need a closer look? First up is GTASB month 5.


Looks like a fair bit of sewing in there this month. Lurline photographed this beautifully along with a picture of the whole quilt. Why tamper with perfection? Check out her shots here. Even though her fabrics are the same I bet we end up with blocks that are quite different.

A couple of books. Kaffe's latest - I love everything that man does even if I never make anything (which of course I will) it is pure pleasure to look.


Cathy has some shots from inside the book. Check it out here.

The other book is quite old and I have wanted it for a long time. Haven't had a chance to look inside yet but I can't wait.

These fabrics are called 19th century reds. The colour is washed out - but trust me it is really red.


They are lovely - I'm collecting for MM. And these reds are Quaker quilts with a couple of other bits I had to have.


The reds in the Quaker group have a bit more zing than the 19th C but they go beautifully together.

Still haven't done much sewing - work, kids, bit of a social life, but I thought I would show you some more flowers just to show the doubting Tomas's out there that I have more than one.

Foxgloves outside my study window.

California poppies that grew from seed I sprinkled at the wrong time of the year - aren't they a gorgeous gold?

We had a lot of irises with plenty of leaves but no flowers. So I dug them all out and replanted. This one has flowered (obviously). I hope some of the others do too.

Isn't this dutch iris a pretty one? See where my love of green and purple comes from?

Oh and the long grass is courtesy of the genius who stole our lawn mower a few weeks back - honestly!

So proud of my flowers, I'm really not a gardener. So a question for those who are.....when Dutch Iris have finished blooming should I chop off the dead flowers? Any advice appreciated. Uh Oh.......doorbell..I wonder who that could be?

Cheers, Deb