Sewing Class II

Aimee and Jessica saw the pictures on my blog of James & Jasmine's quilts and asked if they could make one too when they came to stay for a few days. They are a bit younger (4 and 2) so we were less ambitious for these quilts. They chose the pink background fabric and some pieces of ready vlisofixed fabric which we cut into shapes. They arranged the shapes on the background and carefully ironed them on. Then they helped me choose the backing and layer it with some cotton batting. I pinned them all together and then we quilted them. Aimee is big enough to reach the foot pedal while seated and did sew a few rows at a careful speed, steering between the safety pins. Jessica wasn't tall enough to reach the pedal and watch the fabric so she did the pedal bit and I steered. Aimee thought that looked like good fun so then they both did the rest of their quilts by holding down the foot control while I steered! After I had trimmed them square, under supervision, we did a quick edging with a zig zag stitch.

Birthday Card

Its my dad's birthday next week. I've found a big packet of large sticky raisins which I know he likes and can't get in the shops where he is and I'll also get some large sticky figs to put in the parcel. Here is the card I've made for him. Its taken from one of Terry's photos of an iris in Anne's garden. I vlisofixed the pieces to the background and ironed it all on to very heavy interfacing so it stands on its own. I also vlisofixed the backing to it and brought the edges round to the front to form the frame. Some free motion stitching, catching down all edges and adding some leaves and a birthday message and it was done!

And here is a progress report on Aimee's fairies too. I've finished adding flowers to the centre panel. The next step is to iron some facing to the back of the centre panel so that I can free motion stitch the flowers down and add the details of the fairy. I'll also add stems and leaves to the mix of flowers and maybe the outline of a few more butterflies.

A Day Filled with Treats!

Wednesday is sewing day - well, the morning anyway. And I enjoyed the morning with the rain pouring down so heavily at times that it was quite dark outside but I was warm and working well in my lovely sewing room with the lights as bright as daylight. I can't show you what I was doing as its the row by row challenge and who knows who might see their row quilt on my blog! But it went well and I'm happy with the finished row.

I had a lunch appointment with Jennifer and Terry decided he could be in town at that time too and would join us. So he popped up to the shed to collect the mail as I got ready to go out. And look what he brought back down to the house! My Four Seasons Swap Quilt! isn't it lovely? The colours and fabrics are wonderful and it is perfectly at home on my coffee table. I can look at it and smile whenever I pass the table (which is often as its on the way to the stairs and going up and down the stairs because I've forgotten something is what keeps me fit!) The quilt is beautifully finished and I think the pattern was a good choice for the fabric. There was also a parcel of goodies - two bag patterns, some ink jet fabric sheets and some fabric! What a fabulous package. I wonder if she knew that one of the other Challenges we have for the quilt show in April next year is "My Best Bag"? I'll enjoy making a bag from a pattern instead of guessing and fudging it which is my usual method. I'm going to make the one with the gathered side pockets. And you can see the box it was sent in in the background - she has even put a map of Australia and New Zealand on the box! I tried to open the box without ripping the map but I was too excited to be careful enough and it tore itself apart.

Well, I just had a few minutes before I had to leave to put a comment on my partner's blog to let her know it had arrived safely. Follow the link to her blog - she since posted about the quilt and tells of the problems she had making the quilt and why it was late arriving. I really didn't mind and there was no need to add the extra goodies - but it was wonderful to receive them!

After that excitement we carefully drove into town, still lots of rain about but thankfully, none as we walked from car to cafe. It was hosing down at the time we intended to leave so we all sat back down and had another cup of coffee and a gluten free biscuit. Then Jennifer and I spent a happy couple of hours shopping - clothes from "The Mill", and then a look at the $2.00 shop! Another drink and show and tell and then I dropped Jennifer off and came home.

And now the rain has stopped and the sun is pretending to shine. Terry is out planting nasturtium seeds in the orchard and I'm thinking about what to cook for dinner.

So - how about that for a perfect day? Sewing, shopping, a wonderful parcel from abroad and lunch with two of my favourite people?

Challenge Quilt

1. Limited Edition Choose an analogous colour scheme of two or three colours. You can also use shades (darker colours, moving towards the centre of the wheel) and tints (paler colours moving towards the tips of the colour points) of the colours you have chosen. You may also use one neutral colour (white, black, grey, cream). Your quilt must be A3 size i. e. 11.7" x 16.5" (297mm x 420mm). The edges need not be bound – be creative!

This is one of the challenges for our quilt club's biennial show which will be in April next year. I haven't felt like working on any of the larger quilts I have started (and should finish very soon) so I started thinking about this challenge. Here is what I've done over my last two afternoons in the sewing room. Do you like it? The orange around the edge is not part of the quilt, its the table its lying on.

And here is the photo that Terry took in Anne's garden in Canada and that I worked from.