roll up

The thing I like most about sewing is being able to make gifts for friends and family. Making something with just that one person in mind, something that they would like, in their favourite colours and hoping they will feel happy using it, knowing it was made just for them!


Our friend Eliza is turning five this week so I made her a little pencil roll using the pattern from Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts. She loves to make things and likes all things pretty so I thought it would come in handy.

Packaged up in a little tote bag for her so that she can take it with her anywhere....in her favourite colours. Happy Birthday Eliza!

another dolly

Is it just me or are the days getting colder? Spring seems so far away with our frosty mornings and windy afternoons. Perfect weather for quilting which is why I have a few pictures of the July dolly quilt from material obsession....just finished!


I'm used to patterns and structure, squares and triangles, so this was something new for me. It will be interesting to see how some of the other quilts turn out.

This one is quilted with a perle 8 cotton.

.....and bordered with assorted fabric tongues. Hope you all had a good (warm) weekend!!

lunchbag

A couple of our very close friends are living in Tokyo at the moment and the good thing is, we can visit them (we popped over last April) and they stay with us when they are in Sydney. Carol knows about my weakness for Japanese fabrics and craft magazines and always brings over some treats, so when she asked me to make a lunchbag for her daughter, I jumped at the chance! Her daughter is in daycare and apparently all the little children bring their lunches in fabric drawstring bags made in cute fabrics. I made one with a matching placemat with a yellow polka dot trim. The picture doesn't show much, which could be a good thing because I haven't sent it yet!

I did manage to send my quilt for the 4SQS but only took this picture of one of it's corners in the hope that I would take more on a sunnier day (but I forgot!). It's on it's way now to it's new owner....I hope she likes it.

it's a wrap!

There are so many great tutorials out there at the moment, one of which is this gratitude wrap which I managed to put together last night. It's nice and simple and perfect for keeping cards and stationery in!

The trickiest part was getting the binding on straight. I used some ready made binding but it was still fiddly around the corners!

Some other tutorials that I'm hoping to try are these pinwheel quilted coasters and some button top brads . If you have some time, make sure you have a peek at free design goodies too as they have some wonderful freebies to keep you busy!

mail

This arrived on my doorstep yesterday afternoon.....a swell summer quilt from Lisa. It is so perfect, the fabric, the colours....the stitching!

a peek at the back, I love this line of fabrics......

and it arrived with goodies!

A close up of the corner which had some giant ric-rac added on. I think I've been lucky to receive this quilt, thank-you so much Lisa, I love it!

another block

Another block is done on the ginger grove quilt. I started this quilt while taking quilting classes and the shop is now closing down so I'll be finishing this up on my own. It's a slow process, all those berries to stitch on......

a little escape

We spent a few days in Hunter Valley last week where we were surrounded by vineyards. We used to go there often before we had children and haven't been back there for years so it was like a nice trip down memory lane for us. A little different this time though....instead of sleep-ins, wine-tasting and dining out, we were up early visiting playgrounds, playing tennis and keeping busy with other kiddies activities! (poppies from Hunter Valley Gardens)

We did manage to pop into a couple of vineyards to stock up on some wine.....

and now we're back home again and Josh is back at school today....three weeks has flown!

pin pillows

I've been trying a little embroidery....something I haven't done much of before. The stitching is a bit wonky but it's relaxing and I like the idea of finishing a project in a couple of days.

......balls of yarn (just in case you were wondering)

....and some circles which were chain stitched in different colours.

......made into pin pillows and on their way to new homes!

anneliese

I fell in love with this picture as soon as I saw it here and just had to have one of my very own. It is sitting beside my sewing machine now and makes me just want to quilt all afternoon!

summer

Yesterday we spent the morning swimming and then we grabbed a quick lunch (good old happy meals!). We stayed home in the afternoon so I managed to do some sewing. I seem to get a lot more sewing done during the holidays, not sure if that's good or bad! I finished off the top for the summer quilt swap which I've just joined. I've had a peek at other little creations and it's a bit daunting to see all the beautiful work out there. Mine is very simple but I tried to use some summery fabrics to brighten it up!

Tonight I'm planning on starting the quilting!

sunshine

The sun is out and school holidays have begun! I'm looking forward to the next few weeks, without the early morning routines and just planning each day as it comes. Last night I finished up the quilting on June's dolly quilt mailout. It's a fun quilt to make, although I think I made the green border a little too wide (oops!). Making the prairie points around the edges is something new for me and I will definitely be trying them again.....


Here's a peek at the back.......

Have a good weekend everyone!

it's cold!

It's been so cold and windy the past few days......perfect for sewing and staying in, hot chocolates and reading books! These cute little fabrics arrived from amitie this week as part of their blog mailout (might be making some bibs out of these!).


I've started a few little projects here and there but I'm still trying to actually finish one. Here is a peek at some prairie points that will border a small quilt that is almost done!

simple things

Here's a quick project to use up those scraps! I used Amy Butler's business card holder pattern from her website and it's handy to keep those library/membership cards in. I needed a little project in between the quilts which seem to take me so long.


This morning we also managed a little baking for friends who are popping over today. We tried to make a chocolate sponge cake on the weekend and it was a total disaster. Flat as a frisbee and as hard as a rock. So we went for the trusty choc-chip recipe that never fails us!

rectangles and squares

This weekend the rotary cutter got a bit of a workout. I started on the May dolly quilt package which is made up a lot of small squares and rectangles. These packages come with fabrics chosen for you already which is great as I find choosing fabrics difficult and you have a chance to play around with colours and fabrics that you normally wouldn't choose.


I've also been meaning to make a little lap quilt for home to keep us warm (it's getting so cold!) and decided to try Amy Butler's brick path quilt pattern.


Once again the rotary cutter was put to good use.....144 rectangles have been cut, only 54 to go!

block 7

This weekend just flew by (don't all weekends?!) and in between lunches with family and birthday parties for friends I managed to start on block 7 of Sue Spargo's Ginger Grove. This block is made up 3 cotton heart shapes, with woollen stems and berries. I just need to find some embroidery thread in the right colour now to finish it off. Hope you had a good weekend too!

wheels

This month's dolly quilt was finished just in time. It's my favourite so far, using a segment ruler to make this circular pattern (something I have never tried before). Great for using up scraps as you don't need large pieces of fabric. I will definitely be trying this pattern again with what I have in my little stash!

party bags

Back to school tomorrow after two weeks of holidays. It's been nice and relaxing spending time with the kids and not running around trying to get from one place to another!
We had a first birthday party to go to on Saturday for our good friend Jamie and we packed his little present in a personalised canvas bag.

.....inside was a card with an elephant shape cut out, fabric glued underneath and an eye and ear stitched on with embroidery thread.

.....and the canvas bag with a circle appliqued on, woollen "j" stitched on top and red stitching around the edges. Happy Birthday Jamie!

hello again

There has been a bit of sewing going on around here. After a few months of trying to find the time and motivation to sew, I think taking a break has helped and I am slowly finishing up projects that have been piling up on my table. Josh's quilt is finally done, all it needs is a label and he is so happy to have one of his very own. It already has it's own little spot in his room...

I've also joined a dolly quilt mail-out which I'd recommend to anyone as it's a lot of fun! Each month a package is sent out with instructions and materials for a new dolly quilt. It's great to play around with different fabrics and to whip up a quilt in a matter of weeks. My daughter is slowly accumulating a little collection, perfect for her baby dolls!