Scrappy Pincushion

Fabric Collage 2

so I finished stitching down all the scraps

here it is from the back - pretty cool

(backing fabric will cover this)

i built up the applique on baking paper

then carefully transferred it for fusing

here she is

you probably guessed by now that this is

"Girl on a Tree Swing" by Aneela Hoey

all finished

overall a quick project and lots of fun

This small quilt was submitted to my guild as part of a challenge.

Fabric Collage

So I cut some one inch strips

I cross-cut the strips to one and half inch rectangles

and placed them on to the sticky side of paper-backed fusible web

I had the fusible web resting on a square ruler for easy transfer to the ironing board

I only gently pressed so as to not disturb my arrangement

this is what it looks like from the back

I carefully removed the paper backing then fused it to a white fabric foundation
I then pinned it to my wadding, in this case, pellon

here you can see how I'm stitching it down

I have yet to stitch the green down

there's a little more to be added to the quiltlet after this

Christmas In July

For all of you working on Christmas items - good luck on a great head start!

For the rest of us... what's going on over there?

For more inspiration, Google Images Christmas Quilts.

When you're home sick...

I'm in the hacking/choking cough phase of my cold and it is impossible to be effective at work so here I am at home drinking hot tea with lemon and trying every cough syrup known to man. Alas, time will be the best remedy. All is not lost however, as I can still operate my sewing machine between coughing fits.

Our dear friend Lurline started making a quilt with this pattern using Liberty fabrics. Her life is turned a little upside down at the moment, and she has graciously consented to allow a few of her friends to work on the quilt for her.

Our dear friend Robin pre-cut the strips and supplied us with block kits.

For the centre pinwheels, Robin prepared the half-square triangles (hst) by placing right sides together with this gridded paper and then sewing on the dashed lines. I will cut on the solid lines, remove the paper gently and voila! perfect hst's!

The top left block is one Lurline made and was supplied to us as a 'sample'. Our strips included two over-sized strips for the outer edge to allow for trimming as that mysterious quarter-inch seam can be elusive when shared in a group.

So while I am coughing and spluttering and feeling sorry for myself, my dear Mr Fixit is busy detailing (i.e. painting) our kitchen/dining/family area (still). It's a long job when perfection is demanded. If he were a quilter, any quilt he made would be a masterpiece.

And I discovered this little chore to do in the laundry.

One of my favourite and oh-so-necessary-in-this-weather turtlenecks.

I think I'll go and have a little nap. Coughing is too much hard work!

Misc

I made this little dragon ages and ages ago. It belongs to daughter #2. My first softie. Cheap felt and over-stuffed but well loved. The eyes have yellowed over the years. I got the pattern from a book or magazine - can't remember - although I probably still have it here somewhere.

Back view.

My number 2 daughter made this as a school project way back when. She is now 22.

Detail.

Recent family photo just before we went to see "The John Denver Story" with Rick Price.

Left to right Daughter #2, Daughter #1, Daughter #3 (crouching), Mumsyblossom and Mr Fixit.

Lots of painting and fixing plumbing and fighting winter colds going on at the moment. No sewing - alas!

My Grandmother's Doll Quilt

My grandmother made this little doll quilt later in her life. It was occupational therapy while recovering from something or other (living in Oz the details were sketchy as they didn't want to worry me or something like that. Very frustrating.) These fabrics are not cotton. Think polyester.

These prints scream sixties and seventies to me.

The herringbone stitch is a nice touch.

A rogue woven fabric - a coat? skirt? vest?

My grandmother loved her polyester suits. But I'm sure she didn't have this many. I believe the fabrics were shared amongst the group in recovery.

Nothing like a good op-shop to find this stuff.

Incredibly, my family sent me a bag of polyester scraps and a huge polyester flimsy... which I've blogged about before but haven't done anything with yet... it's mind boggling and will probably be cut into small quilts. That one didn't have any hand stitching like this little beauty.

I'm sure my grandmother had a green poly suit...

What's hiding in your cupboard?