#4 of 4 FINISHED!

Now this finished #4 of 4... I started making this for my DB1's 50th birthday... he turned 60 last year...
It was never going to be a big quilt, just something to throw over his lap but... he gave me something really *#@^%$^* for my birthday so I threw this top down the bottom of my UFO pile and have maintained my rage! LOL I've softened over the years and have a much nicer quilt in mind for him now.
Having just bought a Supreme Slider and Hoop I decided I'd practice machine quilting on this little one. I pin basted half of it and was so impatient to start I did... I was going great guns and thought I didn't need to pin baste the rest sooooo off I went till... UhOh!!! Puckers galore! I decided to cut off the last three rows and turn it into an even smaller quilt but then changed my mind and went for it LOL It doesn't look too bad till you realize it isn't square!!!!!

I'm so quick to start new projects and so..o...o slow to finish them. This is the first finished UFO in a long time so I'm hereby giving myself a pat on the back!

She's Back... #3 of 4 Finished

This one has been hanging around for years, I made these sorts of Raggy quilts for my grandchildren, two brights for the boys and two pinks for the girls. This one uses up the last of my Jan Mullenz flannels. When I made one like this for my 6 year old grandson all my DD1's friends children wanted one so several mothers decided they wanted to learn how to make them themselves so I very carefully started this little sample keeping the stages separate then writing all the instructions and so on... but they never came... something always turned up but at last early this year a date was made and I was able to teach them but this little fellow just sat and waited unfinished. My DD1's friends have made theirs and at last I've finished off my sample... now I'm just waiting for the birth of my #5 grandchild in Macao and if it's a boy it can have this quilt and if it's a girl it can have yesterday's quilt.

Warning - There is a 'Show Off' loose in the top paddock! #2 of 4 Finished.

My friend Michelle gave me these lovely soft fabrics about 8 years ago, I washed them with something and the colours went dull so I napisan-ed them which improved them a little, then I cut the fabrics into 3 1/2" squares which left no leftovers and started sewing the fabrics together but as I sewed and the more I looked at the fabrics I could see another napisan was needed and I couldn't do it now because the fabrics were far too small... soooo.... this little project was put away and became a UFO... till last week when I really got stuck back into it.
It's for a toddler of the female persuasion and measures 40" X 43"

Another Warning... I've almost finished another little quilt...

#1 of 4 - Finished!

This FINISHED Tablerunner is the SCQuilters Mystery Quilt #4 - which I started on Saturday 3rd of November 2001. How precise is that!! No I didn't get that from my files (i.e. my head) I looked it up in the SCQ Mystery Quilt Group Files.
It's only small and when I dug it out I wondered why it had been hanging around for so long... now that it's finished and on the dining table I know.... I DO NOT like it!!!!!!!!! It's chunky, blocky and boring... it had 3D triangles which would have been perfect for catching things so I machine quilted them down. I liked the fabrics 8 years ago but... nah... it will have to go back in the box.

Warning Warning Warning... you will need to get your skates on to catch up to me :-)

I have been working on my pile of UFO's and have three lap quilts and one table runner almost finished, two are raggy and need clipping and two need their bindings sewn down... I will search my files (i.e. my head) and find the start dates for these four, finish them off and then 'Wow' you with photos this week.. Okay!
In this photo you will see the four quilts I'm working on and behind the 'decreasing' UFO pile.
I think I will do a little happy dance then settle down in the sun and sew... or clip...

A Surprise Finish

Saturday was full of surprises. I didn't think I'd get this quilt finished but it came together quickly at the last. "Double Choc" was my T-block quilt which I put together using quilt-as-you-go method. Each block is joined with a finished half-inch strip front and back. Of course put a quilt down and a cat will always appear.

Here is a close up of the cream fabrics.

"Toffee Bon Bon" is the log cabin quilt I completed in early March and now has a name. It looks like a giant bon bon wrapper to me so I went with that.

Both quilts were gifted last night at my brother's surprise "Big O" birthday party. Above is his and "Double Choc" is for my SIL who also celebrated her "Big O" with a surprise party earlier in the year. I was very happy to deliver his and her's gifts just in time for winter next month.
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Now to ponder which UFO will get my attention next. DH thinks I need to make our bed quilt next which will be another quilt-as-you-go log cabin but I only purchased the fabrics for it in January this year so it doesn't qualify as a UFO.

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Happy Sewing

feeling virtuous, stuff done etc but you'll have to take my word for it

feeling virtuous, stuff done etc but you'll have to take my word for it
Well I got up this morning and thought I should post my progress here on my blog, so here am I....sadly no photos to prove I have done what I am going to tell you, as DD2 Sarah has taken my camera to a deb she went to last night, so you will have to just take my word for it.
How many of you, and I can see heads nodding, download patterns, blocks of the month etc and print off or save them onto your computer? Do you ever ACTUALLY do them???
I realised I am very guilty of this the other day when I went thru a pile of stuff Id printed off for "later" and went to file them
There were hundreds!!!
Anways found six (yes six!!!) blocks of the month in progress that I had printed off.
All cute, all ones I still want to do - so said to myself "enough is enough".
Started on the first one bunny hill which started in January, of course I have ALL the months printed off so traced them all and did them - hooray!!!
Then quickly check the site and May was up, so I've done it too - I think this qualifies for saying I'm up to date
PLUS I finished the little quilt I made/designed in the class with Michele Hill at the southern cross quilters retreat in Adelaide
Amazing!!!
(but true - trust me, photos WILL follow)

An Answer for Pennie

Pennie - yes this is called Cutwork. It is a type of embroidery and can most certainly be done by hand. But not me -ROTFL - I do it on a machine!

I have an embroidery machine so it is really very easy to do. Basically the machine stitches out an outline of the completed design; I then carefully cut away the fabric where there is to be 'gaps'. Once the fabric has been removed, its back to the machine and let it complete the design.

The hardest part, apart from the careful cutting, is laying out the design in the beginning. Taking the time to draw centre and placement lines means a neater more professional finish, although I have to admit I am still not perfect in my placement.

The design can be as simple as a few areas of cutaway fabric to something almost like lace.

A Supper Cloth - or an Afternoon tea cloth - is a small tablecloth; the idea was that for supper or afternoon tea a full table is not set so a small cloth is thrown on one end of the table and set with china and yummy cakes etc. You could also use it as a topper over a larger plain cloth or on a small round table.

Yes, Its Another Supper Cloth But It IS Finished!!

Despite spending most of my time painting recently I did manage to finish another UFO.

This is another supper cloth that I started, er, um way back when....lol.

I had completed three of the four butterflies in the centre and that was as far as it had progressed. I finally got stuck into it and completed all the embroidery a couple of weeks ago and then did the wing needle edges and hemmed it this week.

I am a happy camper because I was thinking that nothing was going to get completed this quarter.

The corners are a sort of cut down version of the centre although they are quite large. I would normally put lace around the edge but I felt the cutwork was so heavy and so pretty it could stand alone.

The centre is a really pretty cutwork design and I was very pleased with the way it stitched out.

I have realised that my grandchild is due August/September so I think my next project is going to be finishing the Christening Gown I started last year. I have completed all the embroidery on the eight panels, sleeves, bodice and back so now I have to cut it all out then stitch it together.

I am not looking forward to it - it is going to be a very big learning curve for me because I am not a clothing sewer, and this is full of entredeaux lace and insert lace and ....oh my!

PS - the cloth has got a new home to go to - B11 forgot it is Mother's Day and started panicking about what he could buy his Mum. I offered the cloth and he jumped at it ..... rotfl..... just hope she likes it.

Finished Pattern tester, Floating Bubbles quilt.....

Finally finished the Floating Bubbles test pattern, my DD in law, Jen created. It is done and hanging in the quilt shop. I am so pleased with it...it was pretty quick and easy, and fat quarter friendly. I have another full sized quilt ready to have final borders added then it is going to be quilted. It seems to be getting harder to get my UFO's finished.... maybe its the nicer weather?Have a great week.