Quilt Books

I thought I would show some of my more favourite quilt books. I do have a few Anni Downs (Hatched and Patched) books too but they don't have titles on the spine so did not photograph too well in this sitting.

These are my favourite Elm Creek Quilts books from the series of, about 14 now I think.....

Some of my favourite magazines.

Quilting a quilt that I made last year form Ginger Blossom by Sandi Henderson, used the Sassy Sixteen pattern by Kimberley Canou. I put an extra border into the quilt as it needed something to lift it a bit. The binding will match, the pink you can see.

I have ditched it all and now look forward to playing with my freemotion quilting! Very excited about this!

A few weeks back hubby put up some overhead cupboard units for extra storage, YEAHHH! I was able to alot of stuff off the floor but not as much I would have liked. At least I am not tripping over things so much now; and it is sooo nice to be able to see what I have instead of having to dig then have a working bee to put everything back!

What a Revelation!

I am certainly on the progress road with learning to think a bit more about what I can utilise here at home with my nonewfabricfornew projects ban.


Yesterday morning I was gazing at my fabric shelves that hold my fabric in project bundles and agonizing over what to design with the ButterflyFling yardage I bought last year. I bought enough to make a quilt for each of my daughters (yardage and one charming jellycake). Then realisation dawned on me!


In an earlier post I blogged about how I had won Joypatch's DragonFlight pattern and how I wrestled with taking on a new project that needed new fabric.
The solution was clear yesterday. Over the next few months I will make DragonFlight in Butterfly Fling! I don't have quite enough yardage but this is ok as the quilt is Queen size and I only need Single size, so I will make the quilt a bit smaller. Now this may SOUND like a new project but really (REALLY) it isn't. I had the fabric to make a quilt but no idea on what quilt. Now I know which quilt to make with the fabric.
Does this make sense?????

My only possible problem is that I may be a little short on this fabric above for the background/inside borders.

Fingers crossed!

This is my other bundle of Butterfly Fling for my other daughter.

I have mended the flannel quilt from the other day, it is hard to tell unless you are up close and the mending of the fray has turned out even better than I had hoped for.

The lucky quilt even got itself a label!

The past two days have been quite hectic here, my ds-just-turned-9 wanted to make himself a duffle bag. I told the girls (almost8 and 6) that they could as well. Good craft work.

Talk about NAG NAG NAG! and juggle. Have you had three kids in your sewing room all nagging and wanting to do THEIR sewing at once???? Then throw two toddler boys creating havoc...... oh my what a headache!

DS's bag is now finished and he is quite pleased with it. It was harder than he thought but he said he enjoyed making it. I am spending tonight finishing dd6's bag for her, sewing zigzag was enough for her. Will show dd7's bag soon.

Lisa is having a giveaway at CandleLiteQuilter. Some gorgeous April Cornell fabrics.

SixMonthBan News

Classes are not counted. To me they are educational and not a new project. Amanda (see sidebar) is doing a class soon, and this got me thinking about it.

Up for discussion.

I think Material Obsessions new BOM is more a class than a standard BOM - it is a pieced quilt using tradional but unusual blocks with templates, something new to learn for each block.

(lots of curves so very much a learning curve)

hehehe

Comment or email.

What do you do to extend yourself? What sort of patchwork/quilting do you love to do?

There are so, rephrase that, sooooo many different aspects to patchwork and quilting.

Comment/Email/Blog a post and let me know.

and books.

What books are your favourite patchwork/quilting books?

and magazines.

Which is your favourite and why?

classes.

What sort of classes do you like?

Gosh I AM nosey aren't I!

These are some things that I will be blogging about in the near future, send me some emails....

Have to add this PS.

Sarah sent me a link to this tutorial,

Make Your Own Knickers

They really aren't that hard to make, just a bit of time to fiddle and get it right.

They don't use much fabric either!

Why did Sarah send me this link? It's because I told her a while back that I was going to make my own bra, which (red faced) I haven't done yet. The good intentions are still there. I have this Sweet Blossom Lingerie pattern to make one. Looks nice and comfy, and not too hard to make.

Seeing Stars Again

A finish for this month, Baby Zak's quilt by Rosie Quinlan made using fabrics by American Jane. A Look'n'Learn FQ bundle bought on a really really good discount,discounts like this one aren't always easy to find but they are out there; and boy do you feel good when you find one!

I really thought I was going to have this quilt done in a couple of days but more than half way through the quilt kept getting thready knot monsters underneath.

I tried everything and even rang a few people in the know.

Not a single thing worked so I put the quilt aside and worked on another quilt for a while, with no problems what so ever.

Then back to what I now call Sophie's Stars, and I was back to those nasty thread monsters.

So I gritted my teeth, perservered with the monsters and after many painful hours the quilt was finished.

I machine stitched one side of the binding on, no monsters in sight then; and nothing had changed.

I really don't know where the little b****rs came from or where they went to, but boy do I hope they stay away!

On a more serious note I can only assume that they are something to do with either the tension discs or my machine having a drop in bobbin - these can bounce around once less than half full, causing knotty problems. I was still getting knots with a full bobbin, new correct size/type needle, checked the tension, same thread in the top and bottom, stitch size...etc etc. I checked, rechecked and rechecked AGAIN everything. Theoretically it should not have happened but it did.

The quilt is finished. YEAHHHH!

Don't mind it looking all bumpy and unironed, thats because it is unironed.

Do you see the colour pattern I did in the quilt????

I have heard that these stars have a nickname, have you??????

Over the past two years since I have been reading blogs I have excitedly entered into numerous draws, never to win anything. Gradually I stopped entering most giveaways and nowdays only enter an odd one.

Well Joy from Joypatch recently released a new pattern and had a giveaway that I entered AND WON! Boy was I EXCITED! I FINALLY won something!

Her giveaway arrived in yesterdays mail.

A copy of the new 'Dragonfly in Flight' pattern. You have to have a look at it on her blog or site, as the border is simply stunning, but a bit hard to see in my pic of the pattern here.

Some cool bag ladies teabags!

Coasters, dragonfly stickers, pencils, pin/brooch, cute little happy rock/pebble and a gorgeous little pink dragonfly.

Oops, better watch that cute little happy pebble, little fingers are trying to remove it!

Here it all is together, yes Joy wrapped it up in beautiful purple tissue paper with pretty pink organza ribbon - boy did I feel spoilt!

THANKYOU SO MUCH JOY!

While there is still a bit of light left outside, and before it cools off too much, I am going to repair this flannel quilt.

This was my first flannel quilt and I have learnt from it what NOT to do with flannel! As flannel is more openly woven than most cottons it frays more easily. I finished this quilt about twelve months ago and noticed not long after that it needed repairing.

It is a 50th birthday gift for my SIL, also kind of a thankyou for her too. She brought my mil up one week after I had my appendix out nearly two years ago, the day before dh went back to work. I really needed their help, even though I thought I would have managed I knew once they were here that I would not have coped so well. They stayed almost a fortnight and helped with everything. DH was pleased to have a visit from some of his family.

When my sil was here the kit arrived in themail and she admired the fabrics, so I decided to make a second one for us and give her the first one - she doesn't know yet. *grin*

It's a fabulous size quilt to snuggle with on the lounge..... and she lives in the Snowy Mountains, near Mt Selwyn in the highest town in Australia, so it gets VERY cold there. I am sure it will be well used.

How is your fabric buying going?

I've done alot of hard thinking yesterday and today about the new pattern that I won.

I have a jellyroll and a charm here that I could use to make it, however I would need to purchase yardage to go with it. This was not an existing project when I started my new fabric/new project ban, it is a new project. I can't keep to my ban AND buy the fabric to make the quilt. The quilt will have to wait until December, which won't take long to get here! When I did think about making the quilt in more REALISTIC terms, I know now that I wouldn't get it made with my other committments. By the time December comes I will have more time to put towards working on it. If I did it now, I would end up feeling terrible, not only for breaking my ban but for not being able to put in the time on the quilt that I would want to.

oh gosh. I have waffled! I hope it all makes sense.... *grin*

So to summarise, after much thinking on a NEW project that I had SOME of the fabric for, I have gone back to my original plan. No new fabric for new projects.

Good girl Bec!

Now if any of you in this ban with me face situations, I want to know. Let me know how you cope if you go into a shop. Send me an email to let me know if you blog about it so I don't miss it.

Computer Hogs....

Yes I have been shoved offline by some computer hogs that live at my house. In the past 4-5 days I have had FOUR other people vying for my computer in my 'free time' so I have not been here.

I have finished the baby quilt with stars, Sophie's Stars and also a second Christmas in July swap. No quilt pic's yet as I just haven't gotten around to it yet. soon. *grin*

My nobuynewfabric has been going pretty well. Some days harder than others. It is comforting to know that there are others out there also cutting back their spending. I don't feel so alone. If you have joined me How are you going? Any temptations? Give Ins?

Just touching base with you all tonight, will blog more soon. Bec xxx

Scared Hell Out of Me!

I was doing a quick tidy up yesterday and went to remove an empty box off the top of the (still large) ironing pile and this head popped out, scaring hell out of me!
The cats aren't normally inside but SeeFor must have snuck in and found himself a lovely place to snooze!
His name, SeeFor (had to spell it like that so you could get the correct pronounciation), comes from him having a large C on his back, so dh named him Cfor cat!

My mum has been working on a sampler quilt for about a year now (her first quilt) and has put it aside for the time being. She was so excited the other night to tell me that in a very short frame of time she has almost got another quilt top together, just needs one more border! Good for her! I suggested this to her a while back, to put aside the project that was getting tiresome and to do some that are quicker to finish; then go back to the first quilt.

Quilting Away

Still quilting away here.

No, I HAVEN'T finished the Sophie's Stars quilt yet.

I had it about half quilted and was weary of working on it (does that happen to you when quilting???).

I was determined to finish it last night but the machine had other ideas. It seemed that no matter what I did, I kept getting those hairy monsters, or nests of thread, on the back of the quilt.

I changed the needle, re-threaded the bobbin and top thread a few times; and even turned the machine off. Nothing worked so I put it away and will see how things go this afternoon. Frustrating, but not doubt if I were more knowledgeable I would have been able to fix it asap.

I pieced a tablerunner that is for my sil and her partner for this christmas.

We will be seeing them soon and they can tuck away their present ready for December.

I used 'Folklorique' charm squares, and will get it quilted and bound in the next week.

Buttons Buttons Buttons.

I love them. I buy them when I see them,because I need some you can guarantee I won't find anything suitable to use!

I am the same with trims, though don't have many here but I am slowly working on building up a selection to choose from.

It's so nice to shop from home, meaning shopping in your cupboard; esp on whim, like say 10pm at night when you just NEED to find that something.... *grin*

I found these buttons last week on my shopping day, a lovely mix of types and sizes.

Recently I was re-introduced to Jinny Beyer.

I had come across her site ages ago when browsing about the web, and while I was quite taken with some of her deisgns I knew there was no way I could ever do them. They were just too complicated for little me.

Thankyou very much to D for suggesting that I look to Jinny for challenging myself. I am waiting on Jinny's new block book to be published in August so also ordered her 'Quiltmaking by Hand'. OMGosh.

I am not very far into the reading but what a new dimension this has added to my quilt knowledge, my appreciation of quilts and what I hold in awe.

I CAN make one of her quilts, and I WILL.

Come December!

This would be a NEW project with NEW fabric so it will just HAVE to wait.

Actually it will be exciting to see what WISPs I can get accomplished in this time; to be rewarded with starting a Jinny Beyer quilt come December. Not to mention that I will be ready to start a quilt then, not just rushing in gung ho.

Oh My Gosh Oh MyGosh Oh My Gosh

How EXCITING!!!

Meet Jinny Beyer

I have to add too; dh doesn't like many of the quilts I make or admire but he does really like Jinny's Window's quilt that is on the front cover of the book. It is really nice to have him like something instead of keeping silent..... *grin* men!

Six Month New Fabric Ban News

I have finally got the side bar up with names, links and how long everyone will be joining me.

Let me know if you want to join - even for a short time; or if I have messed something up and I will fix it.

Remember it is a ban for NEW fabric for NEW projects. Existing projects is fine to purchase for, and it is only fabric not patterns and notions etc.

Chookyblue and Maree are joining until August, when they are both attending a retreat at Cottage on the Hill. Good on you girls, thankyou for joining me!

Myra has previously done this for a year, well done Myra! She did it so she could save up for a new sewing machine - what a fabulous reason to lessen the fabric buying. This is why Jenny is joining me, so she can get a new machine. Way to go Jenny!

My friend K told me a while something that stays with me; there is always new fabric, and nicer fabric coming. She is soo right.

So look out December here we come!

Oh Sew Busy News

The photograhy place that is doing my photos mucked them up pretty bad the other day and now I have to wait at least one week, maybe two until they are able to re-do them; free of charge thankfully.

So my patterns aren't out there yet.

However I will share with you the two that are 'on their way'.

Generations

Baby Woodlands

Fireside Gossip

You might remember that a few weeks back I went to Honeysuckle Cottage, not only ofr a quilting course but they also had a HUGE sale on.

Kim is very busy loading all the sales onto the web at the moment, so check it out over the next week (click on sales).

There are LOTS are gorgeous fabrics on FABULOUS sales;

time is limited so HURRY HURRY HURRY!

My friend Joy at Joypatch is having a giveaway of her new gorgeous pattern - 'Dragonflight', so head over and put your name down to go in for the draw.

Recently I spotted her Panda quilt 'Pandamonium' in the ad section of Australian Quilters Companion mag; I felt so excited for her seeing it in full colour being shown off!

My remaining news that I didn't share the other day was that by this time next week I should have two patterns to release under 'Oh Sew Busy'! I am sooo excited about this!

I have HEAPS more in the works - you know me, always loads going on here *grin*.

The majority of my designs at present are mostly simple ones, and ones utilising jellyrolls/layercakes and charm squares; things that are reasonably quick and easy to get together.

I have no doubt that as my experience broadens that my designs will change over time; this is exciting as I have NO idea which direction I will go. Maybe I will continue on this eclectic road of mine, who knows???? *grin*

So late next week I should have some details to give you.