New Skirt Fabric and Block 9 Finished

Last night I completed block 9 in my Toes In The Sand quilt. All caught up now and ready for block 10 to arrive.

I found these fabrics from Finder Keepers, the closest patchwork shop to home. I'm ready to start some variations on my skirt pattern.

Thought I would start with these ones tonight. Still perfecting zipper installation. Got some great tips from a dressmaker this afternoon. Hopefully practise will make perfect.

I'm making the most of the last few days of the holidays.

Will work on these ones next.

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Summer Skirts

Recently I saw some simple skirts made in lovely bright fabrics. Unfortunately I didn't really like the price on the tag. WAY too expensive.

Then I saw this book in Spotlight and decided I would have a go at making one myself. The last time I made clothes for myself  I was pregnant for the first time. That baby will turn 21 in March. So...it's been while. A simple A-line skirt can't be too hard...right?

There was a bit of experimenting involved, tracing the pattern, making the lining, trying the lining on for size...ooops wrong size. More pattern tracing...hopefully the right size this time. Another lining made and this time it fitted. Hooray! Finally confident to cut out the skirt fabric and begin to sew the skirt and put a zipper in for the first time in years. Here is the result.

I made this one last night. This morning I went back to the shop. This time looking for fabric to make one to wear to work. Something a little darker and more practical .....did I mention I work with children. Light coloured clothes and young children, never a good combination.  I made another adjustment to the pattern and this one fits really well. 

So now I'm keen to try out some variations on the pattern. There are seventeen to choose from in the book. Not that I will need that many.

More Toes In The Sand

I am a little behind in my Toes In the Sand BOM. Ok....I've had two blocks sitting on my sewing table waiting to be stitched and another on its way to my letterbox. Time to catch up. 

Tonight I completed block 8.

Scrappy Maverick Stars Finished

The last few days I have been working on my scrappy Maverick Star baby quilt. I had a few ideas on how to quilt it, but in the end went for a diamond pattern.

I thought it might look a bit flat just making pink stars, so I threw a green one into each row.

I did cut out a stack of one and a half inch squares to make a scrappy border. However, when I sewed it on, it seemed to draw your eyes away from the stars. So I decided on a scrappy binding instead. I had just visited Crazy Mom Quilts and saw the  tutorial on machine binding and thought I would give it a go.

I was a bit worried about how the corners would turn out, but they weren't too fiddly. I would definitely consider sewing binding on like that again.

This quilt is going to Cheryll who organises Blankets of Love.

This is my first finished project for 2014 and I have just emailed Peg at Happy In Quilting so I can join in with OPAM again this year. Its was great to be part of OPAM for the first time last year. It really motivates you to get things finished and nice to pop around to other people's blogs and see what they are doing.

I could hear thunder rumbling late this afternoon. No rain yet...but hopefully tonight. Our lawn is SO brown and crunchy from the relentless heat and lack of rain.

Hope you are getting some work done on your sewing projects...and if you need it like we do...lots and lots of rain.



Maverick Stars

I purchased these books months ago and have been keen to experiment with some scrappy quilts. It's amazing what you can with the tiniest pieces of farbic.

 

I was checking out Kevin's blog and got to see the reveal on his amazing Celtic Solstice flimsy. If you pop over, you will see he is also working on some Maverick Stars. I followed the link and decided this would be a good project to start using some scraps.

 

 

 

I have made eight blocks so far. I don't have a lot of scraps, so I went with a plain background. Lots of fun. This is going to be a baby quilt.

 



 

First project for 2014

I stitched this little project on the way to the beach. I always enjoy making Christmassy projects in January. More time to relax and enjoy.

I have also been working on the third side of the hexagon border of my EPP Violet quilt. Nice to work on this project again. Up to row fourteen of twenty four. 

Can I just add, this is my first post created on my new iPad. A Christmas gift from Mr Stitch. I've had a few technical problems getting used to uploading photos etc. Thought the teenagers would be able to help. However, they were no use to me and I'm proud to say I displayed uncharacteristic patience with technology and worked to out myself!!

So nice to sit in the comfort of a lounge chair while blogging rather than an office chair in front of the computer. How lazy do I sound?

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and project filled 2014.

All I Needed Was A Deadline

It's been so long since I put up a post. Unfortunately I have not been whisked away to some romantic tropical island by Mr Stitch to lead a life of leisure. The sad truth is I just got out of the habit of sewing. 

 

I have hardly sewn a stitch due to a  series of events in my life the last few months. So much happening, so little time....just too tired, but mostly too many hours spent on the road. It seems sewing is a bit like exercise. You are either in the habit of doing it regularly or you're just not. Once out of the habit, it takes a special event to get me started again.

 

 I needed a deadline to get me back into the swing of things. So two weeks out from Christmas I decided I REALLY needed to get started on a stocking for my nephew's first visit from Santa. As they live far away, there was the chance it could get held up in all of the Christmas mail.

Here it is.

 

 

Fortunately it arrived in time.

 

Just a panel I quilted by machine, but a start.

 

Then three days out from Christmas I was still stuck for gift ideas for my boy's partners so I thought I would 'just whip something up'.  A jewellery roll seemed appropriate and I had made them before, so no time waisted trying to work out the pattern.

But you know what those days leading up to Christmas are like.

Amongst the business of cooking, cleaning, visiting relatives popping in, wrapping gifts, watering the garden in the 40 degree heat (that's 104 degrees Fahrenheit for those of you who measure on the other scale), I managed to complete one of the two jewellery rolls. The pressure was off slightly in that we won't see our eldest son's partner until the New Year. Have a few days grace on that one. It's stared, but not finished.

 

Evening of December 22rd, choose fabric and cut out pattern. It's hard to see in the photo, but the lining faric is a micro dot.

 

Afternoon, December 23rd, commence sewing.

 

At 11.39pm December 24th....item completed. So lovely to sit and sew again with Carols by Candlelight on the TV to set the mood. Our family usually turn all the lights out and light several candles to make us feel like we are there too. This year it was Carols by Candle/Craft Light.

 

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas day with their family and friends. Have a safe and happy holiday. I am off to enjoy the cooler weather in the garden, top temperature today only 31 degrees!!

Then a bit more sewing on that second roll.