Two Quilts received & sewn on same day!

Last weekend a new client gave me 2 quilt tops to quilt and said she would buy & post the backings to me within the week.  In the meantime, I pinned one of her quilt tops onto the machine and cut the wadding for both, all ready for when the backings arrived.  I received the backings first thing Friday morning.

As I advertise....  "I try to return a quilt within a week of receiving it" 

I knew I had to buckle down and spend the whole day in my sewing room, as I am going away on Sunday for 1 week ("Nanna" duties in Qld) then home for a day then off again for 5 days (Craft show in Sydney, as a "shopper" not a stall holder).

I entered the room at 9am, left for a quick lunch break at 1pm, then back again until 7.30pm.

Both quilts were quilted, trimmed & edges zigzagged.  They both were 78" square.

 

The customer chose "meander" for the blue quilt. 

 

and a leaf pattern for the cream quilt.

 I found it interesting that even though both quilts were the same size the bobbin on the meander stitch  lasted 3.5 rows, but the bobbin on the leaf stitch only lasted 1.5 rows..... and took a lot longer to stitch.

This customer is getting "door to door delivery".  Even though she lives about 1.5 hours away from me, I realised I will be passing her house on the long, long (8 hour non stop) drive to Qld, so I phoned her last night and asked if she would like to save on postage and have me drop the quilts in on my way.....
I think she is happy with my service!

Until next post...
Jewells

My Stall at Quiltarama

The last 2 days I had a stall at Dungog's Quiltarama.

 My "stall" was half a billiard table!

 

 This was the first time I actually advertised that I am now taking in quilting.

Lots of people took my brochure... hope "some" of them actually try my services.

Until next post...
Jewells

The Cat in the Hat Quilt Started

I bought 3 lots of fabric of "The Cat in the Hat" fabric (a panel, red with writing & blue with writing) years ago, with intentions of finding a pattern to make a quilt up...  the fabric got put away after a short while, only to be "found" again last week.  

Unable to locate a pattern (must admit, I didn't look real hard), I decided to "wing it" and cut & sew as I go.

First I cut up the panel & arranged the pieces to the way I liked it:

Then found some fabrics in my stash that will go nicely with it and came up with this as the centre:

 

 and now I am working on the "blocks" that will go either side of the centre block:

Even thou I don't like working without a pattern, I like how this is coming along (so far!)

Must get back to it!

Until nest post...
Jewells

Set of TEACHER'S Cloths

 

I finished knitting the last of the cloths last night.  The pattern that I adapted is called "Teacher's Cloths".

They are knitted in an American 100% Cotton "Peaches & Creme".

Just in case you are trying to work out what each cloth is.....

 

 Book & Scissors

 

Globe of the World & School Bus

 

Apple & Pencil

 

and of course "ABC" & "123"

I am going to bundle them up with a ribbon.

I am quite chuffed about how they came out.

Until next post...

Jewells

Table Runners & 2 Quilts - My "Pickles" Post (333)

Firstly... as this is my 333rd post, I must call it my "Pickles Post"...

why???? lots of you are asking????
well....here in Australia, we can buy a jar of pickles called "333"
LOL!!
---------------------------------
When making table runners from border prints, I have realised that you get more for your money if you purchase fabric with the border print running the same way as the selvedge, NOT the width of the fabric.

 

I bought 2 yards of this Santa print, with the border running the width of the fabric, and only got 2 runners and 1 mat from it, where I got 4 runners and 3 mats from 3 yards with the print running along the selvage.

While I was quilting & binding the table runners, Mum was busy piecing this Christmas Kit...

 

 It came up very nice...

 I also pulled out a "kit" I bought last year, it consisted of a large piece of fabric, "minky" for the backing & a matching piece of fabric for the binding...

 

I quilted it together including wadding in the middle.  I loved the way it came out as it is SOOO soft. 

Mum is now asking for another project to sew or quilt. As I prepare & cut out for her, I had better go and find something.  While I'm at it, I need something for me too!

Until next post...
Jewells

I've gone clucky!

 

 Today, I have been cutting, sewing, quilting & binding these Chicken Table Runners & Mats.

From 3 yards of border fabric with the pattern running along the length of the fabric and with my 60 degrees ruler, I made:

4 Table Runners (40" x 16.5") 

and from the "upside down" off cuts I made:

 

 3 Mats that are 17" wide.

They are being added to my collection of items for my stall at Quiltarama.

Until next post...

Jewells

Knitted Cloths & Commission Quilts

 

 While watching TV at night, my hands are busy with knitting cotton cloths.

The Owl & the Rabbit are only 2 of a variety I have made...I think they are so cute!

Then I decided to modify some other patterns called "Teacher's Cloths"...

and made these with the end of a ball of cotton blend I had... the original patterns make 5.5" square cloths, but I feel they are too small, so I changed the patterns so now the cloths measure 8" square.

There is a set of 8 different "school theme designs", which would make a great Christmas present for a teacher at the end of the year.

Now that I have worked out how to make them larger, I want to try to make a set (or 2) for my stall being held in a few weeks, to see if they would be a good seller!

 

I also finished 2 commission quilts from a friend in Tasmania...must parcel them up and post off to her tomorrow.

Until next post...

Jewells

Quilting Machine Fixed!

 I forgot to mention before my last post, that my quilting machine (Mary) has been fixed....YAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well after all that...it wasn't actually "Mary" that had stopped functioning, it was the "Dell" computer that is attached to my machine that had failed.

After finally speaking to someone at Dell in Sydney, and him listening to the beeps the computer was making over the phone, he decided to send a technician (all covered by warranty) out with a new mother board.

Mr Fix-it arrived 2 days after the phone call, armed with new part and even thou he did replace the whole mother board, he said that what had let me down was the battery in the computer... do you know how large the battery is???..... it is like a large watch battery...the size of a 5 cent piece!

Apparently, the battery should work for the life of the computer, but this battery was a dud.  All that upset and expense over a $2 part?... at least it was easily fixed!

Until next post...
Jewells

Another Quilt Finished this weekend

 

Quilted and bound this Nursery Rhymes quilt (that Mum pieced) today as part of Chookyblue's sewing weekend.... even though I am not actually at Chookyblue's place!

 

I REALLY like this quilt...it was a kit I bought.  It was meant to have prairie points sitting on the last white border, but I didn't like that idea, so flying geese went there instead.

 The colours are so soft and all blend together nicely.  The quilt is nearing 60" square.

Next thing I must do is 2 commission quilts to quilt and bind.

Until next post...
Jewells