Finished Project Number 3 and 4

Project Number 3
A long time ago I thought about starting a long-arm machine quilting business, to cut a long story short it was put on the back burner while I had my children, but I did manage to do a wall hanging with the business name that I wanted but never finished it. I decided that the name 'The Quilting Place' was very relevant to the area I use to do my quilting so I decided to finish it off and I am going to hang it over the door frame in my quilting/scrap/computer/junk room just for fun.

Project Number 4
I have finally finished a wall hanging that I started many years ago called Farmyard Express. I have to admit that my craftsmanship on this project left a lot to be desired. I don't think I used an iron on it and I also don't think I actually measured my borders when I sewed them together. I had a bit of 'fixing' to do as I went along. Thankfully it turned out okay and you can only see my 'fixes' if you look closely (so don't look closely okay?).

Actually you don't need to look too closely to notice that the red strip on the bottom left hand side is a little cut off on one corner! Oh well, it is done, it is finished and it will go in my DS's room on the weekend when I put the hanging sleeve on the back and buy a dowel to put it on. I'm on a roll!

I HATE basting!

I decided to baste my New Wave lap quilt today and spent all day doing it! I just don't know what I am doing wrong. How can something that is supposed to be easy, be so *bleeping* hard?! I redid it twice before I even took it to the machine. I only managed to sew two straight lines on it and realised that it was not going to work at all. I then undid it and tried again and took it to the machine and again managed only two lines before I realised that it was not going to work either. I have to add that this time I basted on a table. I thought I had it all right with the clamps etc but it just didn’t work out. This time I thought I would do it on the floor. Once I had it laid out on the floor I thought the backing looked 'wrong'. Not quite sitting square, but I persisted anyway. I have managed to baste it and I have not as yet tried to quilt it yet. I might have to settle for stippling rather than the straight line quilting I was hoping for. But as I think back to my backing fabric, I realise that I ripped it down to size from a much larger piece of fabric instead of cutting it. Would this make the fabric uneven?? Could this be my problem, rather than be being a complete dumb-dumb when it comes to basting?? I think in future I will definitely cut my backing fabric from a larger piece! Any thoughts tips or hints on basting on a table top??

Paintbox Quilt Along Progress

I have finished all of my paintbox blocks. Yahoo! 

I am now just patiently waiting (tap, tap, tap) for the sashing and backing instructions so I can continue - once of course I decide on a sashing colour. I am a little up in the air about it. I have placed an assortment of blocks on some natural/neutral fabric - what do you think?

Does this work with the fabrics I have used in the blocks. I didn’t think picking a sashing fabric would be so hard. If you have any other colour suggestions, I'm listening!

I have also decided to place the Moose on the Porch quilt-along on hold for now. I will continue to download the blocks as they come, but I will have to do it at a later date. I am feeling a little overwhelmed with how much stuff I have decided to take on. I still need to finish my New Wave quilt - it has a special purpose in mind. More on that later.

ProjectLife Catch-Up Again

It seems to be that quilting has taken over my life at the moment and everything has fallen to the wayside! Funny how I get so into whatever I am into at the time. My BFF calls me obsessed, I call myself focused!


So here they are, my catchup layouts.

As you can see, I haven't been taking all my POTD consistently. I was so good at the start of the year, but again as I get 'focused' on something, other things get forgotten. I will have to make a conscience effort to take a POTD everyday.

Camera Bags

I probably should have posted this product a while ago, but it has become so commonplace for me that I simply 'forget' how great a product it is. 

Jo Totes Camera Bags.  


I bought mine last December just before I went on holidays with my family. I had just bought myself for Christmas a Canon 450D and really wanted to take it with me but hated the idea of a separate camera bag and then having to carry a handbag as well. This fantastic bag was a combination of the two and it is perfect. I love the compartments, and even when I am not carrying my camera it is great as an everyday handbag. It is very affordable even having it delivered to Oz. I paid around AUD$100 for the bag and postage and it came very quickly. It is definitely a bag I would recommend to anyone wishing to carry around a DSLR often. It is not a small bag, but it is not huge either, but it can get heavy. Still, I love my olive bag. I am hoping they will come out with a smaller version soon as I will definitely be getting one too!

Finished Quilt Number 2

Yay! I have finally finished my daughters quilt, washed and dried it and it now sits on her bed. She is so happy with it. I am happy with it too, but I think it could have had a little more overhang.

I will definitely put more overhang on my next quilts. I think a king single really needs to have the dimensions of a double bed quilt. Well, a lesson learned!

I have also finished the quilt top of the new pattern that has been posted by Oh Fransson!

I actually taped it to my cream coloured wall so it loses a bit against the background. I found this pattern to be a little challenging. All the quilts that I have done have either had right angles or applique, doing a quilt with an odd shape was different. I had to unpick quite a bit to get the technique right. Finally managed to get most of the shapes lined up. I am still having a little trouble with aligning my open seams - not really sure why!


I have also finished the first block of the Moose on the Porch quilt-along.

I am using scrap pieces for this quilt-along and I am not sure I like this block. I think I might redo it. I might wait and see what the next blocks are like and see if it will go with the next blocks. 

I finally got my last book from Amazon, Precision Piecing . I have to say that I am really, really impressed with this book. In her introduction she talks about how she used to quilt, not worrying about the process just the end product and realizing that her workmanship was not that great. This explains how I used to quilt exactly, and how now I want to have good workmanship as well as a great end result. Sally Collins gives you the steps and know-how to achieve just that! I have read about a quarter of it and I can't wait to read the rest and apply what I have learnt. I managed to apply some of what I learnt to the Moose block, but still, there could have been some improvement on the block. Maybe another reason to redo it!

Ironing and Squaring UP!

Yesterday I finally started quilting my daughters quilt.

And as I was doing this very hot job (it was really humid yesterday and sitting under lots of bright lights and a King Single quilt made it hotter), I realised just how important it was to really, really iron your blocks. 


I know I do actually iron my blocks, but for this quilt and all the others previous, when I ironed the blocks is was a quick iron with some steam and that was it. And to be honest it never bothered me before, but for some reason after such a long break from quilting and coming back to it, I am finding that being more precise is important. Not only that, I am actually enjoying the process. I am enjoying the cutting, the piecing and sewing it altogether, whereas before it was all about just 'getting it done'. It wasn’t till I did the blocks for the Oh Fransson! quilt-along that I discovered spray starch and the fantastic crisp look you get when you iron, and just how flat you can get your blocks. I was really impressed with the result. I only wish I had used spray starch on my daughters quilt as it would have made quilting it a little easier.


Some of the blocks were slightly off and I didn’t bother with squaring off, (not really knowing that it could be done - for the most part I am a self-taught quilter) thinking I would 'fix' the process as I was sewing the blocks together. I read somewhere on one of the many blogs I read about squaring up blocks as well as your quilt before binding. I also realised had I squared up the blocks for this quilt, the quilting process would have been so much easier. I found on some of the blocks, just a little bit of 'extra' fabric that had to be eased in, and on other blocks there was none. These would be the blocks that I eye-balled where the seam line should be. Needless to say, it has been a very rewarding project.


I don't know if you can tell from the photo but I am listening to my iPod as I am quilting (the white lines running down my back). Another 'new' thing for me is listening to audiobooks while I sew. I need to thank my BFF for this wonderful introduction. I love the feeling of doing two things at once - sewing and 'reading' a book! 


My wonderful son has gotten the sewing bug. In an attempt to keep him busy so I could do some more quilting, I set him up with my el cheapo Janome JR1012 and gave him some fabric scraps and a quilt sandwich so he could sew the fabric on top to made a doll quilt for his sister. This is the result:

He is so proud of himself, that he had to take it to school on Friday and show all this friends and teachers. Needless to say, he has started another 'project' this weekend. He has all these ideas in his head that he wants to get down in fabric. He has also adopted my JR1012 and loves to brag that  'I have my very own sewing machine at home now!'


I love seeing this creative side of my son. 


On a different note, on a trip to Ikea the other day, both the kids went ballistic when they sew these cushions

we just had to buy them. We managed to talk them into getting just enough cushions for our new 'inherited' teal leather lounge, rather than one each! Love the fabric. Have any of you seen the amazing fabrics they have at Ikea? I have to admit I have never looked in there fabric section before, but wow, they have some really cool stuff. I might have to buy some and make something with it.