"Me Time" sewing today

 I have been busy quilting for customers lately, but today, as I am not feeling 100% (sore throat and temperature) I decided to do some sewing for me.

2 nights ago, I tided up one shelf (in my built in wardrobe) in my sewing room and came across 2 kits I have completely forgotten about.

Both kits were bought at Polar Fabrics, near my friend's place in USA.  I bought heaps there that day, as it was warm, cosy & welcoming in the shop and inches of snow on the ground and still snowing with a strongish breeze outside.

 I kept the 2 kits out, as I knew they would be forgotten again if I put them back on the shelf.

It was a pleasure to "play" today.  I actually followed the cutting instructions to the letter (I usually add more to make things bigger) and the pieces just fell into place.

 

 I had some scraps of wadding (as you do) and the backing plus binding came in the kit.

I have learnt from experience, that even though there are hundreds of stitching patterns on the quilting machine, the "meander" stitch suits place-mats the best.

 

 I have not decided what I am going to do with it...

sell it, send it in one of the swaps I am in or even keep it for myself.

While I was playing sewing today, 2 large quilts arrived from customers, plus I had one here I should have quilted instead of making this place-mat.

Even though I LOVE quilting for customers (after all these years of work, I am eventually LOVING the work I now do (quilting for others)...

..... one has to have "me time" every now and again.

Until next post...

Jewells

What I bought & a freebie!

 

This is only a few of the items I bought while at the craft show in Sydney this week.

From my favourite store "Kids Quilts" from New Zealand I bought this kit.  I ALWAYS buy something from them every year.

I also signed up for this cute block of the month with Kids Quilts.  It will start in August.  They design their own fabric too, so all the fabric & pattern is theirs.

I then saw this die cut of a car... it too is cute and I am crossing my fingers that it will work in my die cutting machine.

Now the piece of resistance!  I walked past this stall a few times that was selling embroidery machines.  On one of the machines they were sewing a Minnie Mouse, and beside the machine was an already sewn sample of Mickey Mouse.

They had Mickey & Minnie on the wall, already sewn together, advertising what their machines could do.

I was talking to the lady and by our conversation, she knew I wasn't a buyer, but in my mind I was trying to work out how I could ask if I could BUY the Mickey Mouse.  She must have read my face, because next thing I knew, she asked if I wanted Mickey and shoved it into my bag while no other customers were looking.

I WAS OVER THE MOON! 

I couldn't stop thanking her.

Of course, even though my stash is quite extensive, I didn't have any Mickey Mouse fabric to go with it, so I quickly found fabric at the Show to go with it.  (as one does!)

 

 I will use Mickey as a centre feature (he is 12.5inches tall!), frame it with red plain fabric and go from there.

I also received a pattern valued at $12 from another stall for free, as after I spent a fortune bit of money with the stall, I was about to leave when I saw another pattern I just had to have...I went to pull out the money and they popped it into the bag and said "don't worry about it".

It was a VERY good day!

Until next post...

Jewells

Cot Quilts-Quilted & Knitted- by ME!

As I still have hundreds lots and lots of metres of a pretty floral cotton fabric, (even though I have made a doona cover, pillow cases, single bed quilt with the floral hearts), I decided to make a couple of cot quilts to sell at my stall in July at Dungog's Quiltarama with it as the backing.

 

 I used a white fabric for the top and quilted with mauve thread on the top and white on the back.

             I suppose it could be used as a lap quilt for an older person as the pattern is "Daisies"             

 The next quilt I made was with a baby pink thread.

 

The pattern is "Baby Girl"

 

Definitely for a baby girl.

I took a break from knitting the "usual" dishcloths and knitted up these nursery squares. I knitted 8 different patterns in both colours using 100% cotton from Canada. (It's SO soft).

 

It is a BIG shame that the pattern doesn't show up in the variegated cotton, like it does in the plain colour. I thought that being mainly white, it would show, but alas, I was mistaken.

 

I am now knitting cloths with a heart within a heart..this time I am knitting the same blue as above, and a plain cream.  I am hoping to make 25 of them and make another blanket.

Until next post...

Jewells

More donated Quilts given to Flood Victims

 

I have today donated 2 more quilts to lovely ladies.

This lady lived in one of the aged units, and had

lived there for over 30 years. She was saved by a young man with a

wheelly bin (garbage bin).. by the time he got to her, she was standing

on the front verandah railings, holding onto the guttering of the

roof, with the water swirling around her neck... much longer and she would have been drowned, as she can't

swim... she held onto the bin, while he swam her out of danger.

She has lost everything and is now living with her sister here in town.

As you can see by the photo, (on her arm) she has dialysis (3 times a

week)... so does her sister.

She is one of the people who finds it hard to accept charity and was

overwhelmed with the quilt...and gently mentioned that others were worse

off than her and I should give such a lovely quilt to someone more

deserving. I told her that I had chosen her and would be honored if

she would accept it, as I knew the 2 lovely ladies who made it. She

cried and cuddled it.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about the above lady, but at the moment, she is living with her Mum, also in Dungog (ain't that something!, it is usually the other way around) and kept saying that she had NEVER expected to accept charity in her life, but now (in her words)..."well it is a different matter".

I have been very  humbled by every one's generosity in donating these quilts to give to those who were BADLY affected in the recent Dungog Floods.  I have met fellow Dungog people whom I have not had the privilege of meeting before.  THANK YOU AGAIN.

Until next post...

Jewells

Dinosaur Pyjamas

I bought some "Ninja Turtle" fleecy fabric online a couple of weeks ago, and only realised when I was cutting it out, it was in fact, "Dinosaur" fabric.

Goes to show, I didn't have a very good look at it when buying it!..  I saw green, red & blue...all Ninja Turtle colours..... I must have had a senior moment.

So, on Tuesday, as I was up to date with customer quilting, I cut out 9 pairs of pyjamas.

2 each of size 2, 4 & 6 and 3 pairs of size 8. 

I used the Ninja Turtle  Dinosaur fabric for the tops and cut bottle green fabric for the pants.

 Then on Wednesday, Mum and I went to Maitland (closest Cinema) to see "Tomorrowland".

It was OK, (wouldn't watch it again) but the class of kids sitting the row behind us was rather noisy, so it put a damper on the show.  Found out after the show that they were a class of "special" kids, and 2 of the girls were taken home half way through the movie.

Then today (Thursday), after being in town for Mum's hair appointment, I started sewing the pyjamas.

 

I managed to get a couple of pairs made, but then I got in and made a batch of Lemon Curd (Butter) and also a chocolate lolly log I saw on the Internet... it has to sit in the fridge for 5 hours before we can cut it... it has Maltesers, Marshmallows, crushed Marie biscuits, condensed milk plus other yummy ingredients in it...can't wait to try it!

Until next post...

Jewells

Garden & Garage Sale

 

Our Bird of Paradise bush is in full bloom at the moment.  It always puts on a wonderful show.

A few weekends ago, while out looking at garage sales I came across this wonderful Venetian Bowl, at a price I couldn't refuse..it is very large and very heavy.

Plus I bought this from the same lady.. another Venetian piece, this time a vase...

'

Apparently, the name of this piece is called a "Slag Vase", as it is made up of the left over glass of the day (called "Slag"), all put together and made up into something, and this lot was made into a large vase.

Still not sure if I like it...might sell it on eBay.

Until next post....

Jewells

Quilting for People.

   Quilting for customers is rewarding ....

and challenging..

 

One of he problems with this quilt was the last border was about 4" too short, so the owner stretched it as much as possible to fit, but it still was short at one end...

If I stretched it onto the frame it would have torn when the needle hit the tight fabric...

What do other quilters do?

Send it back & tell the customer to fix it?

I can't do that, as I'd say this was a first attempt at patchwork for the customer and EVERYONE is a beginner sometime...  so....

 

I unpicked the top and bottom borders, 

trimmed it, adjusted a few seams and sewed the borders back on.

Then I have pressed it with a dry iron to ease the seams

 I am about to pin it onto the frame now.

 

Until next post..

Jewells