New quilts, etc.

Did I mention that I had bought some Tana Lawn to make into quilts for each of the cali clubs we are associated with??

Well here they are:

They are not very big - just lap size - and each has different quilting on it.  Hopefully they will be well received by the clubs and by the winners of the raffles.


I also started to crochet a cotton wash cloth too.  It really hurt my hand / base of my thumb that holds the work in progress.

And I finished 2 of the crocheted cotton wash cloths.  They went to a friend of the family who is getting married in November as part of her Kitchen Tea Party - eldest daughter is part of the bridal party. I hope she likes them.

Today I cut out and sewed up an apron and 1 matching teatowel.  They are made from a cotton linen blend.  The pattern can be found here - another great site for things to make.

The apron is adjustable - the neck strap is the tie and runs thru a channel down the side - very clever.

MSNP has kicked in

Nasty Blogger has kicked in my MSNP Syndrome!!  After spending hours, um some time, looking around at blogs I got that old bug to start a new project.  Like I don't have enough already on the go!  I even have 2 versions of it floating around in my head.  Drawing up the design didn't stop the MSNP either - as it usually does.

Today I just had to get some fabric to start on this new project.  It's a butterfly/spooly type of block.  There will be 49 blocks sashed and bordered in the same colour as the background of the block.  One with bright wings and brown bodies and a black background, another in country colours, orange bodies and cream background.  They will be getting donated to some ladies I know who makes quilts for charity (local hospital cancer ward).  These same ladies will also be getting some of my stash - when I get around to sorting it out.

I also bought some Tana Lawn to make up 3 quick quilts that I will donate to the 3 calisthenic clubs are family is associated with.  They will be bagged affairs with polar fleece as the wadding in the middle - horrible I know to those die hard quilters out there - but it's all a matter of budget (or rather my lack of it) and they won't have any idea anyway.

PS.  Ever tried typing with a cat sitting between you and the keyboard???

New project - Suffolk Puff or Yo Yo quilt

I know I have a long list of things I should be finishing, but I just could not help myself making this....

I needed something to do of an evening and could not bring myself to get out the knitting again.  The colours are a lot softer than the pic tells it.  In seeing it on screen that plain green, the bright one, really grabs one's attention.

There's lots on white and grey in the prints too.  It could be left as it is as a table centre, but I am going to attach it to a solid colour quilt sandwich.  I'm thinking a mid grey, if I can find a nice colour.  Otherwise it will have to be white. Doing this will take it from a 24" piece to a 44" piece.

There are 22 different fabrics in this with 5/6 different prints.  I was going to make up the 196 puffs and then randomly sew them together, but I really can't bring myself to do random.  So after a bit of math, I came up with that layout.  What do you think?  I used fat quaters and have enough to make another quilt - this will be strips of colour down the centre with white side strips.  Hmm - need to buy some white.....


Last night there was a queue in my kitchen for the water bowl..

New Page

I have just added a new page to this blog listing the things I have started and really need to finish.

As they get done, I will cross them off..

Finished project

Well almost.  I finally, after about 10 yrs finished stitching my Japanese Bell Pull whilst on our 2 month holiday up north.  Being stuck in the one town really helped with getting it done.  Now all it needs is to be washed (hopefully I can get the mould out of it), lined and backed and then hung up.  I'll post a pic once it's all done.

Trip put on hold.....

At least until tommorrow.  We decided that we still had some things to do before we could go away.

So whilst hubby mowed the grass (can't call it lawn) I finished off blocks 3, 4 and 5 of Val Laird's Thoughts in Thread wall hanging.

Here's #3.

And #4 and # 5

Not sure if you can see it, but the swan is embroidered in off white thread.  So here's a close up of it.

And then all 5 blocks together.

I am really liking how this is coming together.  Seeing them all together like that on the floor actually made me go 'wow' - not something I do often with things I make.  I can't wait to get it all finished - but that won't be until October at the earliest.

The embroidery takes me like an hour to do, may be 2; and the piecing not even and hour.  So quick, so easy; lovely little bit sized chunks.

Thanks Val.

In 2 days ....

I'm packing up and heading off for a 3 month vacation heading north doing the grey nomad thing.

Hubby and I will be seeing the sights in far north Queensland without the encumbrance of ankle biters (kids for the uninitiated).  Hopefully we won't get stuck too often in mud or sand, or rained out, or eaten alive by small bitey things or see many of the large bitey things (unless they're fish we can eat).

I am taking prbably way too many handcrafts with me - there's some knitting (22 pairs of soul slippers), some patchwork (be attitude quilt to make), and a cross stitch or 2 (a japanese bell pull I have been working on for a few years now and Van Gogh's starry night).  There's also my DS going and 5 books.  I think that's enough to keep me busy. 

We are towing a camper trailer - that's a tent attached to a trailer - and the associated paraphernalia that goes with it.

With a bit of luck we will have internet capabilities, so I may be able to update you all along the way.