Quokka Quilts

TGIFF

2012-03-09T08:00:00.000+08:00

I have another top finish - and a bit more! I actually finished the top and basted and started quilting THREE quilts in the last week. I have the scars to prove it. Look:

Of all the lame quilting injuries, this has to be the lamest. Freeze-burn from basting spray. It HURTS. I tried a different brand of basting spray and it leaked onto my finger. Owwy. Cold. Kept spraying. More leak. Wipe. Cold. Ow. Kept spraying. Hence, freeze-burn. It hurts to type 3 days later.

The first top I finished was the Lorax. I've been waiting on the border fabric to arrive and it was only a matter of attaching the borders and making the back. And basting it. With freezy-leaky spray in 37C heat. Gosh I'm dedicated.

Or a loony.

I resisted the temptation to rush down to our bargain fabric retailers and buy backing and pieced it all out of my stash. Hurrah! I actually like a solid backing. I'm not into the 'which is the front and which is the back?' type quilts. I put the work into the front and I want people to know that dammit! But I didn't have quite enough of anything so I must stop buying fat quarters and get more yardage. ;)

I had some autumn leaves fabric which didn't work with the project it was intended for but it seem quite apt with the Lorax. And my solid white jelly roll was FANTASTIC - so good not having to cut more strips at that stage of the game! I also used up my not-so-beloved bamboo batting. At least it's environmentally friendly which fits with The Lorax theme! Actually, it's fine to quilt with if you don't mind the squeak, which I think will wash out.

The SILLY thing I did was start quilting without checking the bobbin. So I have white top thread and black bobbin thread. Not happy. Also not unpicking it. It doesn't look too bad.There is some black on the fabrics on the back, so it kinda works... A purist would unpick it but... I can't be assed. Scuse my French. I may bow to peer pressure if you think I should... Please say don't bother!

Ok, it's TGIFinishedFriday over at QuiltMatters so head over there and link up. If you do link up, remember to share the love and include a TGIFF linky, like I have, and a link to MR's blog. Prospective hosts/hostesses, contact us through the TGIFF page.

Product Review - Basting Spray

2012-03-08T22:24:00.000+08:00

Dear Helmar Australia,

I recently purchased Helmar's 101 Quilt basting spray for the first time. I usually use Birch basting spray but decided to try a different brand. Unfortunately, Helmar's has disappointed me somewhat in its packaging. I noticed with the first quilt I sprayed (I did 3 on the weekend) that there was a leak from the nozzle onto my finger, and my finger felt cold. I wiped the excess off and kept spraying. Very cold, causing numbness in my fingertip. More leakage. The quilts had to be done so I kept working, basting 2.5 wall hanging size quilts in total. I was not aware that a combination of the gas and the product were causing freeze burns on my fingertip. Three days later, I am still finding typing painful due to the burn on my right index finger. I have attached a photo for your information. I can not see that I will be using Helmar's again or recommending it to anyone else if this is a normal issue with Helmar's basting spray.

Regards,
Laura

Hi Laura

Please advise the batch no. of the can – it is located either on the base of the can, or on the neck of the can under the lid.

Also, please advise the size of can – either 165g, 330g or 350g. I look into this further for you.

Regards

Customer Service

Helmar Australia Pty Ltd

Hello,

It is batch 18710/13035, 330g can.

Many thanks

Laura

Hi Laura

Thank you for sending the batch code. Our records indicate that there have been no issues in relation to this batch.

When using aerosol products, it is important to remember that the can must be held at approximately 45 degrees when spraying – otherwise, the product can leak from the nozzle. If the can is held at the wrong angle or upside down, then the inner tube picks up gas only, and this can be expelled on to your finger as you spray.

I hope this helps.

Regards

Customer Service

Helmar Australia Pty Ltd

Dear Helmars,

Thanks for your reply. With quilting being such a hugely popular everyday habit for so many Australians, and undoubtedly many hundreds of cans of basting spray being bought every minute, I can quite see how you would find it inconceivable that no one else had complained if there was something wrong with that batch. Assuredly the dusty tin I found in the back of a craft store that few people know is there (strange given the amazingly huge demand for basting spray) must have been the last of the perfect batch which leaped off the shelf into the (unburnt, unblemished) hands of so many Australians. 

Thanks also for explaining to me how to use an aerosol can. I really don't know how I can have got through 35 years of life without managing to burn myself with an aerosol. It is clearly a huge oversight of our education system. Being an ex-teacher, I will do my bit to rectify the situation immediately and take the can to school and get all the year 2s, 3s and 4s to practise using it. I hope you don't mind if I pass on your details to the parent body in the case of any burns.

Just in case it is your product and not my incompetence as you so kindly pointed out, I think I'll go back to Birch and continue to baste my quilts with their basting spray.

regards
Laura
PS. I'm blogging this.

FMQAL Row 4

2012-03-08T07:30:00.000+08:00

We're onto row four. I had planned to do four blocks of McTavishing, but I was having so much fun with the landscapes and seascapes idea that I kept going. But never fear, McTavishing lends itself well to seascapes, so we'll get onto that next week.

For this week, two more landscapes. Or plantscapes really.

A rose by any other name?

I have to confess. I swore I wouldn't unpick a block but I just had to. I found a lovely video with a very easy looking FMQ'd rosebud here. I dutifuly watched it three times, traced it, then attempted it.

It didn't end up looking like a rosebud.

I really can't show it here - although I did take a photo - because this is a G rated blog. It ended up looking like ... um.. How can I put this delicately? Well, when I was 12, my mum gave me a book called EveryWoman and said "Read it and let me know if you have any questions". There were diagrams in that book that looked rather like what my 'rosebud' FMQ effort looked like. When I stopped snorting with laughter, I unpicked it and went with my own rose design.

Pretty pleased with it, but the rose was looking a little lonely without anything else around it, so I went to Diane Gaudynski's blog for inspiration, which is where I found those tear-drop petals. She also does a little pattern she calls 'bouncing bananas' to fill in gaps. Have a look at some pics of Diane's quilting here.
The rose is not as hard as it looks. Start with a little spiral and flare out instead of in before bringing the end back in. Then just add petals.To be honest, I think the background is too busy, but I do like that pattern.

Spiral tree
You'll have seen a preview of the next block back on my Aurifil testing post. This is one to sketch a few times. I started at the tree root on the bottom left (you can see the thread end) and worked my way up the left side, down the right, across to the right hand side, and back to finish where I started.

This one could possibly use some background quilting, but ideally in red I think to not distract from the tree.

So pleased with both these designs. Hope you're still having fun. Get ready for McTavishing next week!

Oh, and tomorrow Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday is being hosted over at QuiltMatters, so hop on over and linky up if you have a finish!

Aurifil abuse: mythbusting

2012-03-04T16:38:00.002+08:00

The prosecution has alleged that nylon monofilament thread melts under heat. Eg. Ironing. I'm not sure why you'd iron a finished quilt (am I missing something?) but I HAD to try these Aurifil invisible threads out.

Anyway, I asked Senore Alex if he could confirm or deny the allegation. In between deciding what wine we'd have with dinner in my Aurifl coloured kitchen (don't you love how flirting is a national sport in Italy?), Alex stated emphatically that he never says anything bad about his threads but doesn't mind other people doing so. But he did refer me to a couple of posts where invisible thread had been heat tested. So I decided to indulge in a little thread S&M of my own and really put it the Aurifil through its paces. (It was masochistic because I flinched every time I put the hot iron on the thread. I'm really not good at deliberately trying to ruin things).

Please don't call the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Aurifil).

Being mean to thread means two things to me. One - Free motion quilting. If a thread or a machine is going to flip-up (you know what I mean), it will be free-motion quilting. Two - ironing. High heat. No steam. Not being gentle. I decided I needed a test piece that I could really see the invisible thread on.

I'd been doodling a tree design from a picture I saw at a function centre in Perth. Sorry for the really bad photo, but here it is. So I decided to doodle my own version with my machine, with the dark monofilament thread on a test piece of fabric.

First, I loaded and ran the dark monofil on a straight stitch. It worked fine. The only issue was that my Bernina 820's auto threader kept UNTHREADING the monofil immediately after threading and I wasn't fast enough to catch it in the second it was through the needle. Grr. So I ended up threading it by hand. The thing about invisible thread is... it's invisible. Or practically. So that was fun.

I deliberately did the dark thread on light fabric so you and I could see what it did when I abused it with the iron. So here goes.

Before:

Iron on hottest setting. Hold it on for 5 seconds at a time. Eyes closed and toes crossed...

And here's the result.

Can you see that thread running across it? You know I'm appalling at cutting my thread ends off. I decided this one was useful. I couldn't really tell if any of the thread had frizzled in the stitching, so I repeated the torture with that end-thread. Let's have a closer look. Look for any frizzling, melty bits or unevenness in the thread.

Can you see any?

Nope. I can't either.

So that is myth number 1 out the way. Aurifl nylon monofilament thread does not melt under heat.

I hope Mr Alex is happy with that!

I should point out that monofil works brilliantly with straightline quilting, not just free-motion. Particularly with bright colours where it's hard to choose the right thread.

There's still a chance to win the thread here. There are a heap of no-reply bloggers who have commented - please check your reply status if you are entering competitions. It makes it hard to track people down.

Happy stitching!

TGIFF March Hosting

2012-03-02T01:00:00.000+08:00

Well. I've suffered from machine issues, personal life problems, and quilter's ADHD. After bailing out last month and throwing TGIFF to the 'mazing MissyMac, I'm baaaaa-aaack!

This is not a 'real' finish in my book. It's a top finish, but that's it.I don't have a problem finishing tops. I have a problem getting further... I kinda lose interest at quilting stage and off I go on the next project. So I like my TGIFF finishes to be ACTUAL final quilt finishes, because that is where I'm challenged. But as M-R says, every finish deserves a party, so here's the pre-party. :)

This is from an alphabet panel I bought on a whim a few years ago. I love the pictures and it's very bright and cheerful. It is my second effort at improv wonky log cabin. I love how free that makes you but being able to use so many colours was a bit of a nightmare. I like things to MATCH. I used heaps of my scraps in making this.

Wind conspired to make photography difficult so I had to enlist a helper and a few rocks.

TGIFF as you know is a roaming hosty party. As we've been booked out for months, we haven't really advertised that. But it's coming up for time when there will be some gaps, so contact us if you'd like to host! Or if you have a finish, link away!

FMQAL Linky Party Row 3

2012-03-01T00:30:00.000+08:00

Linky Party number three is upon us already! That means we've done 12 squares. They're pretty fast, so it's not too late to start. I'm looking at YOU (especially you whose name ends in a y/i)!

Today, rather than my boring recap, I'm going to send you to look at Kate's blog. Kate is going with red and white for her quilt and she did this beauty...

She's doing some experimenting with some different blocks so it's worth checking out. Kate is a new blogger and a Quilt Club Australia buddy. She has 12 followers and I know that first 20 is the hardest ... So go and have a look and say hi!

Now time to linky up, and don't forget the flickr group if you prefer!

Have fun!

Porn for women...

2012-02-29T23:16:00.000+08:00

Have you seen a little book (or email) called "Porn for women"?

It's been around on email so many times I don't feel bad about 'borrowing' this image (but if you're looking for a funny gift for a friend, go out and buy it! There, I've done my bit to counter copyright infringement). It's full of pictures like this, and predates the Ryan Gosling meme by YEARS.

I promise if you google it nothing rude will come up in image search. I jokingly call one of the fabric ~~pusher supplier~~ sites I frequent Fabricporn. I think I have a second love after fabric-porn though. It might just be the moment the fabric arrives, but there was an extra special parcel today.

Look closely.

Thread porn.

What could be better than an Italian man sending you free thread? Now that is what I call porn for women! (The street address it was posted from was Via Como, so it possibly passed George Clooney on its way too... I can pretend...) But it came direct from Senore Alex Veronelli at Aurifil - Grazie Senore!

These are Aurifil monofilament thread. AKA invisible thread. I can't WAIT to try it. I'm just waiting on someone who has promised me setting tips for the Bernina 820 with monofil. (Apparently there's a trick to the setting. Given my luck lately with machines, I'm waiting for that email!)

Two reasons I love monofil:
1) It blends in with any colour. Got a multicoloured quilt top and want your thread to blend in? Monofil it.
2) It hides a multitude of sins. I did a lot of FMQing with monofil. A LOT. As it's 'invisible', imperfections are barely noticeable. So you think "gee, I'm doing quite well at this FMQ thing!" Then you swap to high contrast thread and think "HOLY CRAP, I'M TERRIBLE, IT MUST BE THE THREAD". And you swap back to invisible thread. You do some more and get better and better without noticing it, and all of a sudden, the contrast thread is not so much of a problem any more. Thank you invisible thread.

I am going to give the two small rolls, one smoke and one clear, away, to a lucky commenter. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd like to try Aurifil monofilament and I'll get Mr Random to choose a winner.

The big rolls have their own stocking to keep the unruly thread in line. If you don't have a thread stocking, one neat trick for keeping monofil inline and untangled is to pop it in a jam jar (that's jelly to you Yanks) - preferably an empty clean jam jar (I don't think sticky jam would do your machine's insides or your quilt that much good - put it behind your machine near the right hand side and then thread as normal from there. The jar keeps the thread contained but free to unravel as needed without getting caught on any of the top bits on your machine.

I also have five (yes, that's right FIVE) Aurifil thread sampler packs to give away at a later date. I've got to do some more testing before I can write a full review and launch the giveaway, but watch this space. I'll do one soon!

So comment away - why do you want to try Aurifil monofilament? What project would you use it on? Or, what is your best tip for using monofilament thread? One comment per person, except if you're doing the FMQAL and have linked in a FMQAL block on Thursday's post. Not that I'm bribing you at all, it's just cos I love my FMQAL peeps and am getting such a buzz out of seeing the blocks! ;) Closing date - umm... let's say 10 March.

WIP Wednesday

2012-02-29T04:30:00.000+08:00

Remember this?

Well I'm nearly there. I'm just auditioning borders. I had thought a solid but the solid Bella Iris I had chosen looked to stark. As did every other solid... So I found this lavendar tone-on-tone. Apologies for the pics. It was very windy and nothing would stay down.

I'm still not QUITE sure. The lavendar is a bit, well, girly...

But I couldn't find anything else that would match as well. I'll think on it a while. Do you like the lavendar?

Progress
Started quilting Soul Flowers
Terrain top near finished :)
Rabbit Tree #2 - some quilting done.
Typography challenge pillow - traced the wording.

WIPs (no progress)
Alphabet quilt
McKenna Ryan, Calling Me Home
Flower Fairies (just straightline quilting - I need to pull my finger out)
Washi Triangles
Good Fortune
Storyboek
Oh Fransson's Paintbox Quilt

Hmm, I'm sure there are a heap more I've forgotten. They can remain forgotten at the moment. I need to FOCUS!!

Snail mail!

2012-02-27T19:28:00.000+08:00

I bent down to get my purse from the footwell of the passenger seat as I arrived at work this morning, straightened up and - SNAP! My necklace caught on the handbrake and broke in four places. What a great start to a Monday! So it was nice to get home and find a parcel from Pink Castle Fabrics.

Yay!

A Bella white solids jelly roll. How much do I love cutting sashing? Not a whole heap, I'll tell you that. So delighted to get my hands on this lovely.

The other two are.... umm... well, the cut goes through the name of the light grey fabric that looks a bit like Alexander Henry Heath. I'm pretty sure it's not. It's made by "-s Fabrics". Does that help?

The other is part of Reunion by Sweetwater and makes a lovely addition to my text fabrics. Don't ask why I'm collecting text fabrics. I have no idea. I just had to give these lonely little lines a home. I know, I'm so kind and giving...

Have you been giving any fabrics a home, for no particular reason?

FMQAL Row 3: Blocks 3 and 4

2012-02-22T21:23:00.002+08:00

Hello! I'm back and I'm warning you, I woke up at 4am, didn't get back to sleep until 6, alarm went off at 6:30, I went to work, got called to super important meeting at Parliament House with a Minister (never been there before, was quite awed) so I'm not sure how much sense I'll make. I'm pressing Schedule and then going to bed!

We're still on landscapes and seascapes, so I've stuck with my orange toned blocks for the landscapes and the blue for the seascapes.

Landscape 2

Orange tones, for many of my friends in the Northern Hemisphere, mean autumn. For me and many Australians, rusty tones are the tones of our summer, when the land is parched of water and non- hardy plants start to wither and turn brown. The glorious red Australian 'Christmas Trees' come into flower. The following vine with its leaves turning down to deflect the hot sun is a nice Australian look for me. And I always seem to be battling with some creeper or other, whether wisteria or ivy or (at the moment) rogue wild passionfruit (no fruit dammit!), so here is 'my' block.

If this is not original, forgive me. I'm sure it's not. I may have seen someone or other do something similar - I really can't remember... But let's face it, I could decide to do a cross-dressing-tap-dancing-otters FMQ pattern and Leah's probably already done it. ;) But I'll save that for next week. JUST JOKING!

It's nice and easy and flowy, which is how I like my FMQing. :)

Here's how I did it.

Seascape 2

This block is another Leah Day, Sea Oats, which for her, are a grass that grows near the beach. To me, they were more reminiscent of seaweed, hence the blue. Take a look at Leah's one first. Mine I'm not totally happy with. I didn't get the 'lean' or the flow like sea currents swaying seaweed that Leah did. And it took me a bit of practice to work out a way of doing them that I was happy with. I'd practice drawing this one first!

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/day-42-sea-oats.html

I like the little baby ones. :) Ok, it all looks nice, but I do like how Leah's lean and wave a bit more.

So there are our first four landscape/seascape based blocks. Next week is linky party. How are you going with your blocks? Any inspirations for landscapes from your own area?

TGIFF: Madness

2012-02-19T23:30:00.000+08:00

Do you ever have a totally mad idea take hold that just won't let go? So much that you HAVE to see if you CAN do it?
I have nearly called my neighbour over a dozen times (he is one of the men in white coats).
It's all QuiltJane's fault. Her with her Dress Up Your Roll competition.

I started off being silly, and suggesting world monument toiletroll covers on twitter. A Vatican cover for you Poop-paper. And a few other unmentionable suggestions. But an idea took hold that wouldn't let go. No matter how many times I told myself it was crazy.

So, depsite beating myself over the head several times with bogroll, I've trod the line between madness and genius. Well, maybe not genius.... But there's a lot I'll do for a prize like Jane is offering....

I present to you...

The Leaning Tower of Pee-sa.

It fits 3 toilet rolls. It does lean due to an unevenly stuffed base (deliberate), but it doesn't stand up by itself. That's ok, cos it has a wall to lean against.

I don't think any free-motion embroiders are going to be quaking in their shoes at the new kid on the block's efforts. I can't decide whether it looks fab or foul. It certainly looks like it belongs in the toilet.

The idea has been rocking around in my brain for a while. I tried grey thread. Didn't work. The black is a little stark. I considered putting cream lace over it but it just didn't seem right.

I didn't have any appropriately coloured or aged-looking fabric, so I tea-dyed some natural calico to get that nice stained looking facade.

Yes, you are entitled to groan, raise your eyebrows, call me mad, call my neighbour to assess me, and/or laugh (I hope).

But I had fun. And I can update my list of interests on my online dating profile to "I enjoy long walks on the beach, moonlight dinners and quilting toilet roll covers in the shape of world monuments".

That'll bring the boys running.

FMQAL: Row 3, Blocks 1 and 2: Landscapes and seascapes

2012-02-18T16:11:00.000+08:00

I haven't been sleeping on the job of the FMQAL, I swear! Unlike the other member of this household I could mention... (DON'T ask about the sewing machine. I have BAD sewing mahcine karma. To cut a long story short, I have a loan Artista while the 820 gets fixed from being 'fixed').

This week starts off a part of the FMQQAYGQAL that I've been looking forward to. The theme is Landscapes and Seascapes. I've been doing a whole row at a time with on colour. This time, I'm mixing it up a bit. I couldn't see Seascapes in anything but blue, and landscapes - well, I live in "a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains, of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains..." So it's yellow through to red for Australian landscape colours for me.

You'll be pleased we've got two nice easy blocks to start with. Again, I'm using Leah Day's Free-motion Quilting Project. (I have done next week's blocks too, and one of those is mine - hurrah, I'm feeling unoriginal!)

Block 1: Landscape 1
This one looks nice and easy, but it's a tad deceptive. I just rewatched the video and worked out I haven't actually finished it. Ooops. Leah fills in all her hills. I kinda like the simplicity of not having them filled in, so I'll think about whether I'm going to do more on it or not.
Good parts - it's really good practice to go over the lines you have just stitched in such a simple pattern. And it's versatile. I can see this working for water too. I was thinking of looking for a landscape picture of a Scottish highland loch amongst mountains and trying to replicate the lines of the landscape. Maybe later... What would your ideal landscape picture be?

Tricky parts - getting the hills even. There's that middle mound that seems a bit outta place to me. Here's the back of it.

I like the look, but to be honest, stitching this design bored me slightly. Maybe because I didn't finish it. Was working with a new darning foot too and the thread broke early on, so I probably should have stepped back, had a beer and relaxed before tackling it. But it was 9:30am and I'm not keen on beer for breakfast. (Am going to have to get over that if I room with Sunni at Sewing Summit).
Watch Leah's landscape video here.

Block 2: Seascape 1

My yellow landscape block reminds me of sandy dunes at the beach. (Summer here, remember peeps?) So what goes with sanddunes but swirling waves? I LOVED sewing this one. Nice swirly lines, go wherever you please... Love the colour too!

The video is below - have a go!

Happy FMQing!

FMQAL - delayed....

2012-02-16T21:44:00.000+08:00

My machine is still at the shop!!! ARGGHHH. I have figured that it was probably Sunni's fault - I gave her the idea of voodoo doll pin cushions (joke) and I think she must have made a sewing machine shaped one and embroidered "Laura" on it. So it is all Sunni's fault that I can't give you the week's FMQAL blocks. She probably did it just so she can catch up. Anyway, I thought I'd give you some snippets from an email exchange I had during the week.

I received an email from Jenelle at Echinops and Aster (such a pretty blog!) asking an interesting question about FMQ. Jenelle said "I have been following along with your free-motion quilt-along fun and I am starting to get the nerve to join in... I have a Bernette 60--not the best admittedly for quilting but also not too bad--and I was wondering if you had any words of wisdom on starting FMQ with this type of machine (or any words or warning!). ...I am basically trying to decide if it is worth beginning to learn on this machine (and purchasing any needed accessories for it) or if maybe I might prefer waiting for when I can purchase a more suitable machine so that I am not turned off FMQ simply because of hardware."

Firstly - wisdom, moi? You're asking the wrong person! I felt quite flattered, to be honest.

But for what it's worth, here are my thoughts.

I actually started free motion quilting on a ~~crappy~~ low budget Elna with a non-spring darning foot, which looks like this.

Not having a spring means that it jumps up and down with every stitch, which is really distracting and jerky. Like many men (excepting Giles, and Alex of Aurifil of course, who are the only men likely to be reading this blog). I'd not recommend this type of foot to anyone, not if you can get a spring loaded one to fit your machine.

Despite this, I filled in all the background bits of this quilt with really tiny stippling and invisible thread.

Because it was invisible thread, you can't really see the mistakes and I got a lot of practice in. And practice makes perfect.

I think there is something to be said for starting with thread that doesn't contrast much. I've only recently been brave enough to use contrasting thread. Did you know Aurifil does invisible thread? And I'm getting to test it - Wheee!!!

Ok, I'll show you the back of my Stained Roses quilt. Lazy Laura didn't cut her threads. Shame shame shame...

I also learnt an important thing about choosing your backing fabric. Your bottom thread needs to not contrast highly with the FRONT of the quilt (in case your bottom thread shows through a little). So I had to go with cream bottom thread. Which means that a cream back would have been so much better.

But all the better to show you my early FMQing with, my dear Little Red Riding Hoods...

Ok, it's not toooooo bad. This will give you an idea of the scale.

And you can't notice any of those uneven jerky stitches from the front!!! Go the invisible thread!!! Lotsa practice, little disheartenment!

I told Jenelle that if she gave FMQing a go on her old machine with gloves and a springloaded foot, she'd be doing better than me. If you have an extension table, even better. But the main reason I'd start on whatever you have rather than waiting till you upgrade is this:

If something is going to go wrong with a machine, chances are it will go wrong on FMQing. If there are any tension issues, fmqing is where you'll find them. Shops often won't show you FMQing in their demo as it is the achilles heel of many machines.

I've sourced and tested a couple of second hand machines for friends in the last year. Another piece of Laura wisdom is that a GOOD secondhand machine beats a cheap new one. I found Erin a one year Brother ($600 new) for $300 secondhand. I took my springloaded darning foot and tested it. Perfect. Better than my $1900 Singer. The lady selling it for her mother didn't even know how to plug it in. She thought I was magic.

So when you are machine shopping, if you can confidently lower the feed dogs, attach the darning foot and check out the tension and feel how it functions (should be better than your old machine otherwise, why bother?!), you are much better placed to make an educated decision. It always helps if the seller - whether a reputable dealer or a second hand seller - gets the vibe that you have some idea what you are doing. :)

So don't wait! Start now, with whatever you have and however you can. Happy FMQing!

WIP Wednesday

2012-02-15T16:00:00.000+08:00

Do you piece for peace? Life has been so chaotic around here with Patches passing, new job, relationship issues and the sewing machine playing up (I swear I have bad sewing machine karma) that I've been cutting (fabric, not myself) and piecing...

Sometimes, sewing mindless straight lines is good.
Sometimes, concentrating on getting pieces in the right pattern and order takes my mind off other things.
Sometimes, the sweeping moves and intricate detail of free-motion quilting is something I can get lost in.

There has been some serious patchwork therapy going on.

The Washi fabric spoke to me straight away and it asked for triangles. The grey is linen which seems appropriate for Iheartlinen's fabricline. I think all the light coloured background ones need to be grey.

My two Terrain layer cakes were also waiting to be used. While I very rarely use patterns, the one Moda fabrics issued with it was too good to pass up. It required concentration (when they say 'read all instructions before starting' you really should. I am glad I had two packs) which was just what the doctor ordered to get my mind focussed on other things.

I'm not so impressed with the one-way fabrics - I didn't work out before I cut that they'd all need to be cut a special way (see bottom left). I'm thinking of hauling those ones out of the mix.

My new Bernina is at the shop getting the 'yellow screen of death' issue fixed. It was meant to be back today, but it didn't show up. :( So I may be a little late with the FMQAL post. It may have to be Friday or Saturday. I just can not go back to the Bernette for free-motion!

Stash Sunday

2012-02-13T07:30:00.000+08:00

Well, thank goodness I had a fabric binge before the US shipping prices went up. I like the shops best that say "I can fit 8.5 yards for $X". There are others that have a sliding scale. There's no way I'm paying $7 for 1-2 yards (and up from there) of fabric to be shipped (as I saw the other day), not when other shops offer $8.50 for 9 yards. I wonder if shops realise what a difference this makes to international customers? So I always try and fill my quota...

My latest parcel contained the following:

Some Alexander Henry Asian inspired prints (right) and some rarer (apparently) Half Moon Modern prints to round off my Asian and script collections.

Some Washi by Rashide Coleman-Hale (who is @iheartlinen on twitter and a LOVELY person!). Adore this line. It was a 'had to have' and I've cut into it already. (Piecing has been peaceful and I've been in need of peace lately).

And some Lemon Tree black n white that I spotted during the Blogger's Choice competition.

I adore black and white and it matches Lainey nicely. ;)

Lainey update (for those interested)

Lainey has always been a bit of a Nana-dog, like the St Bernard in Peter Pan. (Maybe because she grew up with Saint Bernards before she came to me. Hmm.) She used to refuse to go to bed until everyone else (aka Patches, the ex and I) were tucked up in bed. And if I'm late home, she talks. Literally sits facing me on my lap and does this grumble-snort thing like she's telling me off for going out and leaving her. She'd handed over that responsibility in the last few years, figuring that since she and Patches had shared custody of me, he could 'bloody well do his part thank you very much'. Since he's gone, she's been a lot more active (she spent two full days looking for him which made me dissolve into tears quite a few times). It's possibly anxiety, but she's giving me looks that say "I was looking forward to a rest in my golden years, now here I am with sole responsibility for a human again, and one that insists on going out. It's enough to turn my fur grey!". She's 13 which is a ripe old age for a cavalier (9 is standard, 11 is good) and she's got a 'dicky ticker', a touch of dementia and a little cough so I'm guessing she has about 4-6 months left, so we'll see. In the meantime, she's NO trouble and good company - easiest dog in the world. Strangest habit is (and always has been) a fetish for licking the shower screen but that's a quirk rather than an issue!

Typography Challenge

2012-02-12T14:45:00.000+08:00

What have I done???

Like I don't have enough on my plate, I signed up for the typography challenge over at Ricochet and Away.

To be honest, I already had an inkling of an idea for a mini project to trial my Aurifil threads properly when this came up, but as this is very much me:

So I'm not sure what my chances are... There's a Pinterest Pinboard for the challenge, so if you are a text lover, take a look...

I'm also meant to be doing QuiltJane (aka Evil Fabric Temptress)'s Dress up your roll challenge but I kinda ran into sewing machine problems and life happened and my AWESOME winning idea (which I will tell you was based around a series of world monument's decorating toilet rolls - there was going to be a VatiCAN one for you Poop and a list of others I can't remember right now).

Yes, MORE machine errors on top of everything else life has thrown at me recently. I had just about worked the machine out, managed to adjust the bobbin tension which was set incorrectly (or something got knocked during shipping) and work out how to use the free motion WITHOUT the Bernina Stitch Regulator (ugh, my brain, hands and feet work together fine thank you very much, faster than the computer apparently) when this happened:

FATAL error? The Yellow Screen of Death? (Sewing Computer?!) And it kept happening... So back to the shop with it today and should get it back Tuesday. Well, I can try to catch up on blogging and planning, designing and cutting. I do need it for the QAYGFMQAL and there is so much else to be quilted but it's still pretty darn hot to be sitting under a quilt so it's more piecing season...

Right, off to do more planning. Happy sewing!

Fugly florals

2012-02-10T22:18:00.000+08:00

When I started quilting back at the turn of the century (when a tablet was something you swallowed not something you wrote emails on), I had a bit of a floral fetish. Some of those fabrics have survived 12 years and it's time to say goodbye... So when I saw Lucy's Fugly Fabric party, I was in like Flynn.

There are a heap of joiners in the Fugly post, and some definitely 'so-not-fugly' fabrics there. (Don't believe Lucy's claim that there is Heather Ross, or rather don't bother looking because I'M HAVING IT. By the way, I'd sell my soul for a scrap of Fish in Bags if anyone has I'm willing to swap just about anything...).

What was I saying? Oh yeah, some are so not fugly in my opinion, so I'm hoping someone will not find these too fugly. Given my Laura-laziness, I'm not splitting these. (I'm also feeling disinclined to ship internationally given the US postage price rises. Seriously, it's gone from $12.50 to $17 postage overnight to us poor internationalites. I really don't understand why they let you people have guns and then do that sort of thing. It's just asking for trouble. Ok, I'll shut up.)

If you like em, leave me a comment telling me where you are in the world and if you want to pay postage. :P
I'm guessing no one will so if you want them leave a comment anyway and you may get lucky. (Apparently my mood is fugly today too. TGIF... And I've missed TGIFF too, so am feeling guilty, so go and check it out at QuiltMatters).

Same fabric, different light! There are roses, sweet peas, pansies. The two bottom fabrics below have some gold metallic in them. I do like them but I'm a bit sick of them sitting there. I have a bag I made from the blue roses which I love, but I can't see using any more of it in a quilt.

I'll be back on the weekend in a less fugly mood I promise!

FMQAL: Linky Week 2

2012-02-08T23:04:00.000+08:00

The good news is, I am eating again and got through a whole day without crying over my missing quiltdog (until about 15 minutes ago...). Lainey has been anxiously following me around like a little lost shadow instead of her usual routine of sleep, beg for food, sleep. She spent two days looking for Patches and barking when I left - and she is a dog who rarely ever barks. But we're both a little more relaxed today and hoping Patches is chasing flocks of white parrots through fields of beans (I have not been able to grow beans in 11 years as he chomped the first two leaves off as soon as they sprouted, effectively killing the plant. Strange dog he was.)... Thank you ALL for all the love and support. We're getting back on track and normal blogging and blog-reading may resume on the weekend.

I thought I had taken pictures of the blocks together but I hadn't, and it's too dark and late now, so I'm recycling.

Judee at MeincaMainer quilted a whole quilt with our stippled squares. Here's a preview, but pop over and have a look at the whole quilt. :)

Time to link up!

Saying Goodbye...

2012-02-03T18:02:00.000+08:00

Today I said goodbye to my shadow, my friend and my faithful companion of the last 11 years, Patches, quiltdog extraordinaire. Lainey and I are going to be lost without you.

FMQAL - Row 2, blocks 3 and 4

2012-02-01T16:30:00.000+08:00

This is going to be a lazy post. A very sick puppy has sapped my energy, so both today's block tutorials are courtesy of the Free Motion Quilting Project.

One of the lovely things about the Free Motion Quilting Project is that Leah rates designs by difficulty level. So I went with Block 3 as the easier rated first... But for me, block 4 was actually way easier. It certainly LOOKS scarier, but give it a go.

Block 3: Spiral illusion

I had a little trouble keeping the lines even with this, and I 'jumped' in one spot by accident, but it's not too bad.

Here is the video - and you can find more information here.

Row 2, Block 4

Now this one LOOKS scary, but I love the look of it so I had to try it... And it was much easier than it looks and I think it's spectacular. I can totally see myself using this one.

I'm really happy with this one - and my new Bernina 820 stitched it BEAUTIFULLY. The stitch quality is fantastic. I didn't used the Bernina stitch regulator for this - just hands, feet and brain!

More information on this design available here.

If you find it too difficult, you may like to try Leah's circuit board design instead.

Looking forward to seeing your efforts next week. There are a few more of people's Row 1 efforts up now, so you may like to have a look.

Happy FMQing!

Sew Modern Monday

2012-01-30T21:39:00.000+08:00

He was shortish and oldish and brownish and mossy. And he spoke in a voice that was sharpish and bossy.

It's modern - it's just come out - and it's not... It's been around for 41 years. But Robert Kaufmann has just released it as fabric, so I think it counts for Sew Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations.

The Lorax by Dr Seuss was one of my brother's favourite bedtime stories as a kid. I heard it far too many times. So when I heard about 6 months ago that the fabric was coming out, I was inordinately excited. :)

As my reward for organising the Blogger's Bundle competition, I received the bundle of Lorax Bright fat quarters from the Fat Quarter Shop. They are LOVELY. So bright and cheerful they make me smile. The bundle includes a panel from the book which is availlable from The Book Depository.

I really wanted the blocks to be wonky and fit in with the unconventionality of Dr Seuss, so I cut strips of 6.5" and then cut across them diagonally, 2.5" in from opposite ends (if that makes sense).

My name is The Lorax, I speak for the trees.

If you haven't read the book, do yourself a favour and get it. It's an environmentalist's dream, and well before its time. It hasn't dated.

It needs borders but I'll wait for the next order. Until then, it remains a WIP.

On other WIPS, not much progress. It's too hot in Perth to quilt, so it's cutting and piecing for the moment. I did cut up an entire layer cake of Terrain for the next WIP... :)

Happy Sewing!

Bikram...

2012-01-29T21:41:00.000+08:00

Have you heard of Bikram Yoga? It's essentially yoga in a room that is heated to around 36-40C (105F) to let your muscles stretch more. Apparently you sweat litres. I melt in that sort of temperature and turn into an ice-cream eating, cool-drink guzzling headachey sleep-deprived grumpy sloth. Which is why I've been quiet lately. Exacerbated by a sickly little pup who - feeling unwell - wants his mummy at 2am and 5am (and that's on good nights - the bad nights reap four wakeup calls). Grumpy Laura. And I've been unable to read blogs on my ipad for some reason, so I've been a bad commenter as well as blogger. Mea culpa :( Mi dispiace.

For the last week, it's been between between 36 and 42C here (with humidity, which we are not used to). The coolest it has got at night is around 26C. It was 33 in the city at midnight the other night when I was out at a show. Ugh. Hard to sleep, tempers fray and road accidents go through the roof. I spent Australia Day at home hiding from the 42C heat. Typically on Australia Day there are fireworks on the Swan River and half of Perth turns out. The better half of Perth decided to stay at home this year. But there was also a surprise skyshow - Mother nature put up some competition.

The rain was a welcome relief but it was back to high 30s and low 40s the next couple of days. Sigh.

Enough whinging.

The good news is, I've come up with two new exercise regimes which are sure to become fads and earn me bucketloads. I'm stating my intellectual property rights here and now. You heard it here first.

1) Bikram Furniture moving

This involves deciding to reorganise two rooms, and move furniture from one end of the house to the other by yourself, in 38 degree heat. As a fairly lightweight girlie, I moved a double bed, two bookcases, a desk, and two armchairs all by myself in 38 degree heat. I frequently have this problem, like I'm a Jack Russell who thinks it's a German Shepherd. Moving that furniture was crossing the line between determination and stupidity, and only by the grace of some higher being did I not put my back out, but I did it. I was soaked in sweat halfway through but didn't give up until it was all done. Could this take off as an exercise craze? Only works in over 36 degrees though, so maybe it's not a viable business idea...

Why did I do this? Well, my spare room (which has been used 3x in 5 years) has a ceiling fan and cupboard space (hence making it the spare room - I'm very considerate of my nonexistent guests). My study (which has a desk with sewing machine on) has no cupboard space or cooling/heating so I end up spreading over about 3 rooms to sew. Shifting the rarely used bed into the study room and the desk into the spare room means I now have a fan cooled sewing room with access to cupboard space. Hurrah! Why did I do this now? Well, there's a new arrival at my place and I figured she needed a new room to live in ... I gave it a bash for a few days and love the space, but it's still too damn hot to sew in that room at the moment... So I'm back in the kitchen, strategically positioned in the draft between the aircon vent and the door.

I even hauled ALL of the fabric out of the drawers, folded it and sorted in colour order. :) Lucy at Charm About You is having a Fugly Fabric party - I found a few from 10 years ago - florals mostly - that someone else may love so I have my pile ready...

And the new addition to the family is a REAL Bernina this time as my Bernette was so lovely. It's a Bernina 820 and weighs in at 16 or 17 kg. That's more than my two cavaliers put together. :) It was pricy but it's a 10 year machine... I can't see myself replacing it ever, unless I get the space and time to go into longarming... Which isn't likely. Life is here to enjoy and who knows how long we have, so I decided to go for what I really wanted. We had a few teething problems which required the lower tension to be reset, but we're off and running now. And I did spend 3 hours with the manual and instructional DVD before I even felt courageous enough to turn it on. And another half hour to thread... Believe me, this baby requires SOME getting to know. She certainly doesn't put out on the first date. (Full review sometime later.)

2) Bikram Quilting

I tried to finish off some larger quilts. Honest I did. But sitting under a single bed quilt in 40 degrees just didn't do it for me. Still, for more dedicated people, this could be a great new exercise regime!

I hope you are surviving your weather wherever you are.

Happy sewing!

QAYGFMQAL Row 2, Blocks 1 and 2

2012-01-26T15:07:00.000+08:00

Our first row is finished! One down, 5 to go. It was AWESOME seeing other people's work doing similar designs. I felt very honoured that there were people thinking my idea was good enough to follow along with. :) One big surprise was that Leah Day popped by the blog and said hi, and has offered to do a guest post a bit later on. I didn't ask initially cos I thought she was a) too famous and b) to busy to bother with a lil quokka from the other side of the world. But she is just a LOVELY person so look out for a guest post or two later on! And she was intrigued by the app I used to do the original video clips - it's called 'Explain Everything' - so expect to see some more videos like that popping up on Leah's Free Motion Quilting Project.

This row is a row of pointy edges. We've done curves; now we're going to practise free-motioning straight lines. Eek! Crack that bottle open, or don't as it doesn't matter so much if these ones are jerky. In fact, for the second block, ask someone to scare you at intervals and see how jerky you can get it. (Only joking - hit the bottle.)

Row 2, Block 1: Stippled squares

To start with, this block is from a quilt by one of my favourite modern quilters, Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson. It’s a variation on the loop-the-loop we did in the first week, but instead of looping, squares. You can see the whole post about this quilt here. Absolutely no curved lines allowed! It’s another liberating, go-where-you-want design. I’d practice first on paper, then go for your life!

To help you out, here's one of my ~~dodgy~~ little instruction videos.

And here's my finished block. You'll notice at the end of the video I couldn't resist pointing out all the bad bits in my block. There's that perfectionism I mentioned earlier in the week... I was having ongoing issues with the Singer playing up again, and last Friday was the due date when I'd either be returning it and waiting for a new machine, or throwing it off a bridge... So I was desparate to get two blocks out the way in case I was stuck without a good darning foot. Luckily, I got a refund, and something else came home with me the very next day... (more on that later). So expect a DRAMATIC increase in quality after this week's blocks!

Row 2, Block 2: Lightning bolts

Someone's probably already done this design. I started playing with jagged lines like lightning bolts early last year. So I'm calling it lightning bolts, even though they don't really look like it.

Sometimes a quilt just calls for jagged quilting. My baby dragon is a case in point. He needed something sharp and dense to give him some oomph, or the knights would get him while he was sleeping.

You can see the quilting a bit more clearly here.

And another lil video here:

:) Happy FMQing!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2012-01-23T20:08:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's Year of the Dragon - my year!

We dragons are described thus if you're into the zodaic thing:

Known as a born leader, the Dragon is the perfect child and adult. Extremely gifted with luck and strength, this person is usually well respected. Known as being a perfectionist and idealist, the person under the Dragon sign has a difficult time with aging. Because of this, you see the Dragon remaining youthful throughout life. Of all the Chinese zodiac signs, the Chinese see this as being the most desirable year to be born. Believed to hold some type of magical powers, the Dragon is said to have the ability to fly in the heavens and swim in the seas. According to Chinese legend, this individual thinks of him or herself as being invincible, often pushing things to a dangerous limit.

Hmm....Well, as to perfectionism, we've come a long way, from this:

to this:

A variety of FMQ in here with Aurifil thread. LOVE the orange... I've never used a thicker than normal thread before - I think I'm hooked.

That's all for tonight. Gong Xi Fa Cai!

And the moment we've all been waiting for...

2012-01-22T16:00:00.000+08:00

Alright, time to put everyone out of their misery....

From 242 entries in the Blogger's Choice Bundle Competition down to eight, and from eight down to three final winners, it's been a marathon effort by everyone involved due to the stiff competition and incredible entries. But Cara of CaraQuilts, Amy of Amy's Creative Side and Kimberly of the Fat Quarter Shop have made the very difficult decision of which of the bundles were their top two (just in case of double ups). Lucky I asked for a couple of choices ranked, as there was (completely unknowingly) a strong concensus for the top two bundles. Third place was tied, so as competition sponsor, I gave Kimberly the casting vote...

So I am happy to announce that our three winners are...

First - with two judges selecting this as their favourite bundle, congratulations to Deb of Triostitchstudio.

Second in was an early and very popular entry by Laine, of Laineybugdesigns.

And the final winner of the half yard bundle from Fat Quarter Shop is Ruth.

Ruth's taken a break from her blog but she may have to start up again after this!

Congratulations to ALL our shortlisted fabric fiends and everyone who entered. What amazing eyes for colour and design there are out there. My poor judges had a terrible time choosing. Hats off to Sunni, Megan, Heather and Megan for doing the shortlisting and Cara, Amy and, most importantly, Kimberly for making the final selection.

Community Choice
As I warned, this was just for fun - no prizes for this. 284 people voted for their favourite bundle from the whole list. Despite some hiccups with the survey not showing people they had voted, there was a clear winner. And that was...

... Number 252, Anne at AsDesigned.

Congratulations Anne!

Congratulations too to everyone involved! A special HUGE thanks to Kimberly and the team at the Fat Quarter Shop for making this happen!

If you need design inspiration, check out Megan's SewModernMonday, or Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday so you can plan your next quilt with an amazing combination of fabrics. And of course, there's always Talk'n Tuesdays with Cara on twitter to chat about it!

Now, time to go shopping!

TGIFF - the competition edition!

2012-01-20T08:58:00.000+08:00

The hardest part is over. I am REALLY having a Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday (or almost finished - the hard part is over at least!) re the Blogger's Choice Bundle competition. From dreaming it up, to getting the amazing response from Fat Quarter Shop, to keeping it a secret until Boxing Day then watching the entries come flooding in, to writing this second last post, it's been a bundle of fun. But TGIFF, really. I'm exhausted and I didn't even have to do the hard work of judging!

My amazing panel of judges has come up with a list of finalists. There are to be three winners thanks to the generosity of the Fat Quarter Shop, we've come up with a shortlist. The quiltblogging superstar lineup you will remember is as follows:

Megan of Canoe Ridge Creations

Megan and Heather of QuiltStory

Sunni of Love Affair With My Brother

(BTW, that Sunni: highest maintenance judge, without a doubt. Had to stamp down on bribery and corruption several times with this one. You'll understand if you've been following the blogwar.)

I figured I needed a local celebrity, being an underrepresented Australian myself, so I added one more guest judge to the panel, Miss Jane of Want It Need It Quilt - aka QuiltJane.

So without further ado, here is the shortlist of 8:

1) Laine@Laineybugdesigns (I was eyeing this right from the start so I was glad this one got in!)

2) Kristen @ KD Quilts

3) Inspiredbyfelix

4) Deb @ Triostitchstudio

5) Ella@throwawrenchintheworks First entry in, less than an hour after I posted! Speed AND skill!

6) Flyingblindonarocketcycle

7 Ruth B (flickr entry)

And last but not least....

8) Sarah of FairyFaceDesigns

I can hear the squeals from across the globe already!

It's now over to Cara, Amy and Kimberly to settle on the three winners!

I'm not sure how busy they are, but if I can, I'll link the entry announcing the finalists up with Megan's SewModernMonday, so you can plan your next modern quilt with a winning bundle!

Oh, and if you were wondering, TGIFF is a travelling linky party which has a home page here. If you want to host a week, we're taking bookings for March here, and if you want to check out this week's TGIFF and link up, KristyLou is hosting it here.

QAYGFMQAL Row 1 Linky party!

2012-01-19T11:03:00.000+08:00

I've decided that every third week of the quiltalong will be break week so you can catch up, I can have a rest, and if you are all up to date, you can post what you've done. :)

I have seen a little bit of the progress through a couple of blog posts and via the Flickr group. Here's one of the early stand out ones that grabbed me - it's from Sonia at SewHappy. LOVE the colours and I love the flower block variation. :)

Now it has just been pointed out to me that I am a crap Quilt-a-long leader and I MAY not have mentioned that quilting should only happen in the coloured squares at this stage. I definitely haven't mentioned it enough. Sorry. There are a few methods for joining QAYG blocks, but the one I know involves leaving the borders free to join the blocks together with... I am glad a certain quilter is in Canada and can not hunt me down and kill me (well, not easily). SORRY!

The next two weeks / four squares will be 'pointy' designs. Straight lines and pointy bits, moving away from the rounds.

Now, what have you been up to? Link up! :)

WIP it up...

2012-01-18T15:07:00.000+08:00

No more sewing machine complaints, I finally gave in and admitted that my Singer had got the better of me, put away the fourth quilt top that needs to be quilted and went back to some old WIPs on the trusty Bernettte.

I promise, I do not pose my dogs. I put a quilt out, turn around to get ruler, scissors or something else, and there they are, in the way. (I am tempted to finish a quilt off on the roof, just to see if they manage to get up the ladder while my back is turned.)

Scrappy Alphabet

This one is from an alphabet panel. I fussy cut the squares then attacked the scrap stash to crazy log cabin them. I NEARLY finished it. Just was a tiny bit short on my border fabric - when will I learn to measure before I cut? I have some spare that can be trimmed off a quilt backing - when it is quilted. It's waiting on a new machine. Say no more, say no more...

Ribbons of Pink - Breast Cancer Quilt

This is a very old one. My mum was diagnosed with cancer about 9 years ago now - primary breast cancer, secondary bone cancer. The prognosis was not good, but the good news is, it was wrong and she's happily globe-trotting 9 years later.

I saw this fabric and was reminded of the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon. I started it around that time as a kind of therapy - something to focus and concentrate on to bring order to a chaotic mind and family situation. I decided on flying geese as the feature blocks before I worked out how much making that many flying geese bored me. It was put away for a while as it's one of my 'organic' quilts. (Meaning I don't plan at the start very well sometimes. The quilts just grow. Sometimes beyond my skill level at the time they are being worked on, and so they go away until I'm ready to tackle them again). Anyway, the geese are now finished and I have a plan for the rest of it.

Lainey, being a sweet little girl, most uncharacteristically got to this quilt before Patches. I had to evict her because of her not so sweet habit of dribbling (and sleeping with her tongue out).

This DEFINITELY feels like progress!

No Weigh-in today - couldn't get to the gym in time due to a migraine...

Community choice bundle (sharing the pain)

2012-01-17T13:39:00.000+08:00

As so many of you are sympathising with the judges and saying that you are glad you are not judging, we thought why not share the pain?

The awesome Miss Kelsey at KelseyCreates has thrown together a little survey for you.
Go back to the original post where the 341 brave souls have put together a bundle, choose your three favourites (ok, you can vote for yourself) and we'll see who wins the community choice. I'll tally the winners on Monday 21 January 2012. Or hopefully, surveymonkey will do it for me. :) Have fun voting!!!

***By the way, this is JUST FOR FUN!!! No prizes so don't worry about asking people to vote for you! Let's find out what the masses really think! :)
***BTW2 - the votes apparently aren't showing up in some browsers. They are showing up in Googlechrome but not sure what else. I will post the results next week. Promise!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Bundles of fun!

2012-01-16T22:12:00.000+08:00

The Blogger's choice bundle competition has closed with 341 entries! What an amazing response. I hope to post the shortlist on Friday, as chosen by the following superstars:

Megan of Canoe Ridge Creations
Sunni of Love Affair With My Brother
Megan and Heather of Quiltstory

There are some amazing combinations in there. I tried to comment on all, I really did, but life and work got in the way. Silly work... We'll try for Friday, but as there are so many, it may not happen that fast... You've all made it really difficult to choose! I've had to promise the judges that drinks are on me, next time we're in the same state together. I could be pretty safe there considering I live Down Under... ;)

After the shortlist is posted, Amy of Amy's Creative Side, Cara of CaraQuilts and Kimberly of the Fat Quarter Shop will choose three lucky winners...

In the meantime, a bundle ordered before the competition even started appeared on the doorstep today. I ordered it in December but Christmas slowed the post down quite a bit. It's mostly Half Moon Modern by Moda - doesn't it make you happy just looking at it! :) The black and white prints are by Robert Kaufman but I think they fit in well with this batch.

Thank you once again for the amazing response to the competition. I'm looking forward to posting the shortlist soon!

TGIFFriday!

2012-01-13T13:41:00.000+08:00

TGIFF this week is over at QuiltMatters with MR.

My TGIFFs are blocks for various projects to be honest.

I'm a member of the Do. Good Stitches Cherish circle and the brief for December (which got postponed to January, thank goodness!) was 'grey and pink heart blocks.

This first one is grey homespun base, with a deep pink Hoffman Bali Hand-dye circle (turned inside out and satin stitched on), and the central heart is Anthology by Khristian A Howell. I didn't use stabiliser and should have, so it's a bit 'wavy' but that will quilt out.

I'm much happier with this nine-patch. I used one of my variagated Aurifil trial threads to blanket stitch around the central heart. Sewed beautifully but I think it needs a satin stitch to really show its potential. I backed it with wash-away stabiliser. I'm new to stabiliser so not really sure when I should use it and when I shouldn't and how to attach it. Tips appreciated.

I also started a Facebook Bee for our Quilt Club Australia. There are 12 of us, and we've taken a month each. Erin of MissyMacCreations asked for a scrappy string block for January. Now here's a question? Do you ever lose your sew-jo? This should have been SO easy, but I buggered it up again and again... I don't know how I did it, but I did it. The air was blue and by the time I finished, my shoulders were so tense you could have broken rocks on them with a sledgehammer and I wouldn't have noticed. Scrappy is NOT my thing. I MUST colour coordinate. It stressed me out having to not match.

Anyway, TGIFFriday is all I can say!!! Happy weekend to you!

FMQAL Row 1, Blocks 3 and 4.

2012-01-12T12:13:00.000+08:00

How did your first two blocks go? I'll post a linky party next week so you can link up pictures of your first four blocks. So rest for a week, or catch up, and join the party! Or, if you're an eager beaver and a flickr fan, I've set up a flickr group for sharing on Lyn's suggestion - thanks Lyn!

Remember, if you need more solids, Pink Castle Fabrics has a great stock, including 2.5" jelly rolls for sashing, with 15% off for QuokkaQuilts FMQALers with code QQQ15.

Now before we get going with blocks 3 and 4, a note about backtracking. Before I watched a Karen McTavish video, I didn't know about backtracking. I was only formally taught to stipple and you do not go over any line at all doing that! So seeing people go backwards and forwards along the one line to 'branch' out to other areas kind of blew my mind. You won't do this in the spirals, probably, but if you haven't 'backtracked' before, it's very liberating and opens up totally new horizons. So we'll give that a go in block 4.

The videos from the rest of today's post are brought to you by... the Free Motion Quilting Project, rather than me. :)

Row 1, Block 3.

Spirals are a basic essential for free motion quilting, but they take a bit of practice.

Here's Leah Day demonstrating the basic spiral from the Free Motion Quilting Project.

Here's mine - not perfect, but not too bad. I need more practice at this one!

If you've already mastered the basic spiral, try one of Leah's variations - the Spiral of spirals, Ocean Current, Spiral mess, or something similar. You can find videos for these on the Free Motion Quilting Project.

Ocean Current by Leah Day

Spiral Mess by Leah Day

Because one is never enough when Free-motion Quilting, here's the next!

Row 1, Block 4.
I'm quite pleased with this one. Ok, don't freak out... We've done curves, we've done flowers, and we've done spirals. Now to put them all together.

Start with a circle in the centre. (I tried this twice and both mine ended up off centre. I decided to make it work for me rather than work for it. You could always cheat and mark the centre of your block. That would be sensible, but I've rarely been accused of that.)

I've kind of worked a variation on Leah Day's Sunflower. You can watch how she did it here. Or you can take off and create your own. However, only use up about 3/4 of the space on your block.

Leah Day Sunflower

To fill in the blank space, we're going to use the spirals we practised in block 3. I came out of a point between two petals, drew a longish line before spiraling around, and then spiralling back to where I started so I have a tendril. then I 'echoed' that over the top a few times (not all the way around to the point always, as you lose the point as you add more echoes). Then move on to the next spiral. I chose to have some go one way and some go the other - it wasn't ADD, honest!

How's that? Manageable? It's not too scary when you break it down.

Would also appreciate your thoughts on the speed of this QAL. Is two blocks a week too much? The third week will be a break for a linky party where you can show off your first four blocks, so it's really 4 blocks in 3 weeks... Shall I leave the last week of this month free for those who are still doing block prepping to catch up? Then start again in February? Comments please!

WIP/Weigh in Wednesday 1 2012!

2012-01-11T12:30:00.000+08:00

It's the first WIP Wednesday for me for 2012! My current WIP is the Year of the Dragon. Last update, I had heavily FMQ'd the inside of the circle with jagged ziggy-zaggy quilting, and had started heavily quilting the outside of the circle with an orange Aurifil. Somehow, it looked too overpowering and drew the eye away from the dragon, so I unpicked and trialed using a neutral cream Aurifil and less dense flame free-motion quilting. MUCH happier with this. Hope you can see it.

Then it's back to the Bernette to use the walking foot to quilt in the ditch around the borders, then I'm going the orange Aurifil and doing some leaf patterns on the outer sections. Much happier now. (STILL wating on machine solution!)

VERY bad progress here. Regress actually. Total weight loss: minus 200g. Ok, weight GAIN 200g. Grr.
Exercise stats: ran 3.78km (bad), power walked 2.5km (first solo dog-free walk in 11 years - bit sad; pups too sick to go far), rowed 1km, did a 1 hour pump class and hammered myself at the gym. Can we call it muscle?
Diet: had to finish the Christmas chocolates off obviously, and it's rude to let guests drink alone. Now that's done, I'm totally committed. (BTW, does anyone feel like yum cha Sunday?)
Extenuating circumstances: 1) Weighed myself after pump class. How much does a half litre of water weigh? 2) Parents visited and father (who thinks he's Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver and Nigella all rolled into one) took over cooking lesson after asking me to teach him risotto. This necessitated copious amounts of wine to cope with suggestions of adding Chinese 5 Spice for flavour. Honest truth.
Now to wobble on over to MissyMacCreations and link up.

The Rabbits leave home and Blogger's choice update

2012-01-08T16:58:00.000+08:00

I just said goodbye to this:

My Rabbit Tree is going off to live with a little girl called Lola... Her mum is in love with it and I'm sure Lola will love it when she's old enough to love a quilt, but it was a little sad saying goodbye. Still, I can't wait to see how the photos turned out in Australian Patchwork and Quilting when it's published as a pattern in March.

Blogger's Choice competition
I left the competition open for three weeks because I didn't think many people would want to bother choosing 15 different fabrics and making a mosaic. I thought I might get 30 entries. There are currently over 260 (with still a week to go). I had NO idea this would go viral in the quiltosphere.

Fat Quarter Shop is very happy AND very generous. In case you missed it, there are now THREE 1/2 yard bundles up for grabs!

There are a lot of fabulous bundles. I'm not envying the judges one little bit. It's really interesting to see what people are choosing. So many talented quilt stylists out there! Tangerine is featuring, obviously, with a fair bit of aqua and lime green being thrown in.

Pop back and have a look for yourself. What's your favourite bundle?

TGIFF #1 2012

2012-01-06T09:25:00.000+08:00

Well I'm afraid I don't have an earth shattering finish for you... Machine issues and general busyness have got in my way. I'm getting soooo frustrated at having quilting (actual quilting of quilts) to be finished and the machine playing up so I'm reluctant or unable to have a good bash at it. Still waiting for a resolution on the Singer issue. My resolution may end up being to throw it out the window...

You may remember I showed you my Iphone cover using Kate Spain's Terrain Fabric.

Well, here is what it was sitting on.

It was one of my holiday aims to make a skirt and I had JUST enough yardage to do it with this Terrain print - yay! :) Might be back into dress making!

And just to show how ~~anal~~ fussy I am about things matching:

Iphone cover, earbud holder and skirt - I'm all styled up!

I also got all my blocks for the FMQAL prepped - that counts as a finish, right?!

Now, have you had a finish this week? Link up and let us know! Or visit some of the other linkies and say congrats. Make sure you sign up on tgiffriday.blogspot.com to find out where the linky party is, and contact us there if you want to host one yourself.

Happy sewing!

FMQing at last! FMQAL Row 1, blocks 1 and 2

2012-01-05T22:17:00.000+08:00

Now the blocks are prepared, it's time to start FMQing at last!

I'm assuming you are familiar with FMQ basics so won't go into that again. Cindy's tips may be useful to reread (putting some calming music on would be a good idea if you're not into singing lullabies!).

Here are my top tips to remember:

Blocks sandwiched and quilted in the ditch

Drop your feed dogs (Leah Day suggests not to - try both ways and decide what works for you).
Put a new needle in. Blunt needles make a negative and noticeable difference.
Get your gloves out (it took me years of scoffing to try gloves - now I can't FMQ without them. Mine are $2 rubber tipped stretchy gardening gloves from the local hardware store)
Set your needle to the down position if you can. Two reasons. First, this prevents drag when you stop. It stops you inadvertantly moving the fabric when you stop as you take your hands over it. Second, if you want to pause and pivot the fabric so you can go in a different direction, you can without moving the fabric away from your last stitch.
Have a glass of wine if it's the right time of day. :)

Choose your thread according to your confidence level:

Option A: You're really not sure of yourself and won't be able to look at this thing if there are loads of obvious mistakes - choose monofilament 'invisible' thread.
Option B: You're ok, you want to see your stitches but a bit worried about how it will look - use a medium contrast thread like grey or beige.
Option C: Really good or really want to put yourself out there, mistakes be damned, high contrast thread like white.

I was going to be chicken go B, but I decided to be courageous and going for C. Again, no claims to be an expert here. I'm sure some of your blocks will smash mine, but this is about me improving my skills and being honest about it. (I almost don't care what you think of my stitching skills! But please feel free to leave nice comments telling me how wonderful I am!) :)

The first four designs are going to be based on curved free-motion quilting. I'll give you two at a time and I'll aim for every week on Thursday. At the end of the month, I'll post a linky party as summary of our achievements.

To start with, choose your lightest block with the least contrast. (Although white on white is cheating!).

Row 1, Block 1 - practising curves

Loop-the-loop is my favourite FMQ design. It's great for butterfly and bee trails if you are appliquing flying critters. In a stipple you shouldn't cross over, but in a loop-the-loop, you need to.

It looks best (in my humble opinion) if you alternate the ways your loops go - so if you go down for one loop, go up for the next. Start in a corner. Loop up, loop around, loop down... Meander as you wish over the block. I've tested an app for my iPad demonstrating how this works. It's not as good as a video, but I'm working with what I've got available here!

Option if you don't want to loop the loop: Stipple or another favourite rounded filler (not spirals which are block 3).

Your turn!!!

A little while later...

Now, how fun was that?! A lot, I'm assuming. One is just not enough, so here's your second block building on the loop-the-loop.

Block 2: Flowers

This is a variation on the loop-the-loop. It's easier than it looks (but I can see at least one spot where I've screwed up so don't look too closely!). I'll show you step by step below the picture.

Ok, here's another ultra-dorky video from me... I will get better. Any suggestions?

Now, off you go! I'll post the next two next week, and the linky party a week after that. :) It's my first QAL, so any feedback or suggestions welcome! I'm definitely Trying New Things with this app!

Remember, if you need any solids, Pink Castle Fabrics is offering 15% off for QuokkaQuilters with the code QQQ15.
Have fun!

Angel is a Centrefold?

2012-01-03T23:00:00.000+08:00

Erin posted a really annoying song on her blog - so I'm retaliating. And before you ask, YES, I HAVE THE PHOTOS!!! (Photoshoot for Australian Patchwork and Quilting, March 21 edition).

One of the things I like most about interacting with people through blogs is getting to know some of the funny and talented people out there. It's especially good when you have the chance to really chat online (if not meet) and you 'click' in real time.

For new readers, I have to warn you. My sense of humour can be strange, controversial and downright warped at times. (And I sometimes use naughty words. Sorry.). Fortunately, there are others out there who are just as strange. Laughter makes my world go round, or rather, whatever causes laughter. Often, it's some of the comments I get on the blog. It's my fault entirely for cultivating and encouraging ridiculous suggestions like "you should quilt on the toilet" Danny, MommyForReals, or "pretend to be nude behind a quilt".

One recent chat with Miss Katy of The Littlest Thistle and my new BFF Erin of MissyMacCreations somehow got into trying to guess Katy's real first name. We'd been through the obvious ones (Katherine, Kathleen, Katrina). Then conversation (also including ran something like this:

Laura: Kaitlin?

Katy: No. You'll never get it.

Erin: Kermit?

Katy: It's a boy's name.

Laura: You have a boy's name?

Erin: Kevin?

Laura: You're a transvestite?

Katy: NO! Kermit is a boy's name.

Erin: Shame. Kermit would have been awesome.

Laura: Boring. Pity, I don't know any transvestite quilters.

Erin: I'm sure we could find some.

Katy: Maybe Giles would volunteer for the cause?

Conversation dissolves into hysterics.

I also have to thank you for the suggestions on how to quilt my Year of the Dragon Quilt. Danny again (I am renaming her Danny the Deviant) suggested I FMQ 'charred knights'. Thank you so much, that sounds manageble. I'll send the suggestion on to Leah Day for her next book. Giles suggested that I think of it from the Dragon's perspective. What would a Chinese dragon be dreaming of? "definitely some dim sum and those cute little cups of tea and some fortune cookies!". Again, will pass that onto Leah Day.

Now onto the photos. (AP and Q has already contacted me expressing disappointment over the lack of firemen, so don't get your hopes up). The quiltdogs behaved. Being so old now, they were only slightly more animate than teddy bears. Which worked well for the photographer, Scott Davies of myexpressions.com.au.

Laura and QuiltDogs on the Black Jewel

Laura with the Rabbit Tree

Laura with a real tree standing on Remembrance Day quilt

And finally, the one you've been waiting for...

Fresh Flowers baby quilt and Laura looking like she's only wearing her birthday suit behind it.

I was fully dressed behind that quilt. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

By the way, if you have a New Year's weightloss goal and want some company, Erin at Missy Mac is running Weigh in Wednesdays. I know I don't REALLY need to lose weight, but 5kg have crept on and I am too lazy to go shopping for new jeans when the cooler weather rolls around. And toning up would be nice. So I'm in and reporting that this is going to be a regular Wednesday accountability thing for me. I got off to a good start and lost 1 kg today just by taking my gym shoes off. :)

Guest Post by Fluffy Sheep!

2012-01-03T12:05:00.000+08:00

Cindy of Fluffy Sheep Quilting inspired so many people last year with her learn to FMQ linky party. I wasn't going from total beginner, so I didn't join in, but I followed with interest. And corrupted Cindy by suggesting she try wine before FMQing to loosen the arms and nerves... She took that idea up enthusiastically. ;) I thought it would be interesting to kick off our FMQAL with some tips from Cindy on what she learnt going from total novice to confident FMQer. So over to her!

Thank you, Laura, for the chance to giveFMQ hints to kick off your QAYGFMQQAL. This is a fantastic opportunity for FMQ-ers to learn and grow from oneanother by sharing their skills. I wishyou all the best of luck!

I am a newbie FMQ-er. One of my 2011 goals was to break thatbarrier and give FMQ a try. It’s hard tomake that leap, but you have to just sit down and start somewhere. Knowthat your first try will not be pretty, but you will get better with time.

FabricRequirements

To get a good feel for FMQ, you a quiltsandwich large enough that you can push/pull around your machine withoutgetting your fingers near the needle. Itried little charm squares, but that did not work well. I was always falling off the edge. Instead, take a FQ and cut it in half. Make a sandwich out of it with left overwadding scraps. This is a reasonablesize to freely stitch without getting too close to the edge.

As for the fabric, I found that a solid,dark (black if you have it) fabric and a light thread worked well for me. I could clearly see where I was stitching andwhere I was trying to go, as well as see the individual stitches to assessthread tension and the speed of my needle or push/pull. If you can make your FMQ look good on solidblack fabric with white thread, you are in fantastic shape to quilt a mug rugwhere your stitching would not be anywhere near as obvious.

MachineSetup

I am not the girl to tell you how to set upyour machine. Read your manual andputter around. Don’t be afraid – you won’tbreak it. I found keeping a normalsewing tension, 0 stitch length and feed dogs down worked for me, but you needto find the combination that works best for you. Stitch systematically so that with each passof the FMQ sandwich you adjust your tension or your needle speed. You’ll find the combination that suits youand your machine best.

Resources

Leah Day has the most spectacular FMQ blog,The Free Motion QuiltingProject, that you absolutely must check out. She offers great videos for the beginner,helpful ideas for FMQ patterns to try. This is the best instructional and inspirational resource I could find. Check. It. Out.

Equipment

I was very anti-accessories for this FMQadventure. Why spend more money onsupplies when I already spent tons of a sewing machine, fabric, etc? Although additional equipment is notabsolutely necessary, a few bits might really help.

Gloves are your friend. You can splash out on Machingers (which aregreat, by the way) or you can use gardening gloves or those post officefingertip thingies from your office supply store. You will find them helpful to better gripyour fabric.

The Supreme Slider and Little Genie MagicBobbin Washers are used regularly by FMQ-ers, who seem to continually singtheir praises. I still have to testthese out before giving my honest opinion, but you cal learn more here: www.freemotionslider.com.

Practice

What more can I say? Practice. A lot. This will be your path to happiness. Promise yourself that you will practice for a short 10 minutes beforeyou sit down to work on any other project.

Practice with your friends. Encourage one another; be supportive andgenerous when offering help and suggestions. The QAYGFMQQAL is the perfect opportunity to either start FQM-ing or toexpand your skills. Do not be bashfulwhen your FMQ does not go well. Photograph your grief and post it on your blog. First off, this will be a great laugh. (Laugh at yourself often.) More importantly, when your QAL buddies areblog surfing they will give out valuable suggestions and tips.

Some folks say doodling your design (overand over) helps before starting FMQ. Inever tried it, but should have. Theirstitching was always better than mine.

Relax

You absolutely will find yourself FMQ-ingwith your shoulders up to your ears. Relax. Adjust your seat so thatyour elbows are at right angles to your project. Otherwise you will feel those stressed musclesthe next day!

I have two tips to help you relax: wine andlullabies. One might work better for youthan the other. A glass of wine withdinner before FMQ-ing will do wonders. Not too much, though! You have towatch those fingers! Humming lullabiesworks equally as well. This is theoption I turn to regularly.

Beyond that, I wish you the best ofluck! Be kind to one another, offerencouragement and support. Do not beafraid to ask questions or show your FMQ disaster as it is the only way you willlearn and get better. Finally, have afantastic time!

Cindy

fluffysheepquilting.blogspot.com

fluffysheepquilting@gmail.com

Featured at MyQuiltStory

2012-01-02T16:30:00.000+08:00

My 10 year WIP finish - the Jewelled Stars (or The Black Peril) is being featured over at Quiltstory today. Check it out!

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-01T21:38:00.000+08:00

Officially, it's not Chinese New Year until 23 January, when the Chinese lunar year moves from Year of the Rabbbit to Year of the Dragon. As my Year of the Rabbit quilt was so lucky for me, and I'm actually a Dragon (now you can work out how old I am this year), I thought I'd do a Year of the Dragon quilt.

Started with a dodgy sketch, as I usually do.

And this is where I'm up to today... Couldn't get the camera settings right today though!

Decided the baby dragon needed spikey free-motion quilting rather than smooth, so did jagged triangular shapes. Not sure what to do outside the circle yet though. I tried out the Aurifil, but I'm still having issues with the Singer - hope to get that issue sorted in the next few weeks - and then I should really be able to trial the thread fairly. It looks lovely though.

I worked out that I HATE bamboo batting. Decided to try it and bought 3 meters. Grrr. It doesn't 'slide' nicely on the extension table when FMQing without backing, which is necessary for the trapunto technique I used, and it SQUEAKS like snow, which I hate.

Any suggestions on quilting the rest of it?
Now that's done, I can get on with the FMQ-along posting!
:)

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T21:07:00.001+08:00

At the start of 2011, I would not have imagined some of the things that have happened on the quilting front. I would not have imagined that:

My blog would grow from nothing to over 250 followers
That I'd have such awesome contacts and sponsors as the Fat Quarter Shop, Pink Castle Fabric and Aurifil
That I'd have a project published in Australian Patchwork and Quilting
That I'd meet a whole new group of friends and supporters via this blogging medium. I have to say that it's filled a hole and given me some direction in my non-work time. :) Amongst others, MR, Erin, Lucy, Sarah, Julie, Lynne, Giles, Nic, Cindy, Sunni, Danny.... Oh I'm sure I've forgotten some, forgive me please!

Wonder what 2012 will bring? A trip to Sewing Summit perhaps?Or UK? Or...

Wishing you ALL a very happy and prosperous New Year. Will leave you Northern Hemisphere peeps a photo of where I spent my afternoon.

Happy New Year!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More excitement and great generosity comes my way

2011-12-30T17:35:00.001+08:00

I have two thoughts echoing in my head today. The first is that sometimes things that are very easy for us to do for others can make a big difference to them. And secondly, what goes around comes around.

I had a lovely sewing day today with the gorgeous MissyMac. We played with her new Brother and put it through its paces. It has been named Laurie in my honour as I found it, road tested it and went and got it so it didn't disappear while Missy Mac was on holidays in Adelaide. It is no hardship to do favours for someone as nice as MissyMac. And I figure that "do unto others" is a good motto to live by. Or call it karma.

Anyway, we were sewing, gossiping and eating our way through the day when a post van drew up and a postlady hopped out with a big box. What the...? I didn't remember ordering anything box worthy...

When she said "it's from Italy" I twigged and got a tad excited. Missy Mac abandoned her Brother and hopped from foot to foot while I tried to open the box (Icould see her itching to take over and physically restraining herself). Then all this fell out.

An amazing Aurifil bounty of rainbow thread! You may remember that Giles suggested that I wrap myself in Aurifil for the photoshoot for Australian Patchwork and Quilting. I flicked the idea jokingly to Alex at Aurifil who loved the idea and was horrified that I hadn't been able to try Aurifil, living where I do. Hence this lovely parcel for me and a reader, and a matching one for Giles! Wow! One of those sets is to give away so hang out for that post in Feb sometime.

The other excitement was an email from the Fat Quarter Shop... Kimberly is TRIPLING the prize, so THREE people will win their dream bundles! And she will choose from the shortlist as a guest judge - hurray! So get your entries in!

So today I am thankful for friendship, community and the generosity of people who bring that little bit of brightness to others.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Home

FMQAL - Pre-preparation

2011-12-30T17:00:00.000+08:00

Here are a couple of pre-preparation bits I've been doing for the QAYGFMQAL.
:)

Quick quiz question for you: Lucy and others pointed out that I haven't put in the total amount of solid material you need on the requirements list. That is because:
a) it depends on what size quilt you are doing
b) I am lazy
c) Maths is not my strong point
d) all of the above.

Sigh. I've done some calculations. Here they are:

All clear now? ;) Can someone please invent an app to tell you exactly how much fabric you need?
For each square you need a 12" backing square, and 2.5 inch sashing. If you are using the bias strip method of joining your QAYG, you'll need enough bias in the same colour to join all the blocks one side. According to my calculations, that's approximately 3 yards. But choose a solid you can get again in case I'm wrong. It's a solid. You'll use it again.

Joining batting
I use White-n-Warm or Warm-n-natural cotton batting mostly. I'm just using that for my QAYG squares as I'm not sure how batting of different types, weights or brands would join. (Might be a bit uneven and messy. If you've done it successfully, let us know. If not, stick to the same type of batting for all your squares).

I tried special batting joining tape I bought at the craft fair. Not sure what sort I got, but it was poly based and kinda melted. Was not too impressed with it. Decided to try plain old lightweight fusible interfacing, the kind that you use for dressmaking. Worked like a charm.

Basically, Cut 2" strips of lightweight fusible interfacing (one sided).
Cut the batting pieces so each has a straight edge.

Butt straight edges together on ironing board. Iron your tape over - voila!

You don't even need to trim until afterwards. Your batting squares need to be at least 11" square. Bigger is fine. You don't need to be precise about it - it will all get trimmed back to 10.5" afterwards, but you need the batting to be bigger than your top square in the first place as things move around when quilting.

Preparing the blocks
2.5" strips. 6.5" squares. Solid colour sashes the squares thus:

I cut my backing squares to around 12".
Sandwich backing, batting and top piece.
Stitch in the ditch around the coloured square to anchor the layers together. (The batting I used is nice and 'sticky' so being such small squares and having such a good walking foot on the Bernette, I didn't even need to pin. If in doubt, PIN!).

TGIFF the Hide-n-Seek edition

2011-12-29T22:59:00.000+08:00

I suppose as the last TGIFF for the year, I should do a recap of all the year's quilts... But it's just been too busy to even think about it.

I just opened my blogreader for the first time in days and I am ALL OVER THE QUILTOSPHERE! I knew from the number of entries coming in for the Blogger's Bundle Competition that people were keen (and there I was wondering if anyone would enter or if it was all just too much work) but the number of entries and link backs has astounded me. :) Thanks for sharing the love y'all! I am trying to comment on everyone but I'm afraid I'm not keeping up. I'm on 'vacation' as our American friends say, and there's:

post-Christmas sales to hit
quilt-shoot for the upcoming Australian Patchwork and Quilting feature to do (yes, they did talk me into faux-nudie quilt shots after a couple of G&Ts - will post pictures I promise)
sick puppies to look after
the FMQAL to organise
strategy to plan in the ongoing blogwar with Sunni of IncestWithMyBrother blog, and
cleaning to be done. Bleugh. I mean, look at the state of my spare room bed - you can't find a thing in there:

Well, maybe one thing stands out. It has become fabric and WIP dumping ground and Mr Patches keeps sneaking in and cosying up (aka turning round and round and making a fabric doggy nest and making even more of a mess. Actually, yes, that's it, it's all his fault. Not me at all).

I have a blind sewing date with Erin of MissyMacCreations tomorrow which should be fun. (Except that she looks like a supermodel so I may get jealous and free-motion quilt her fingers together...) We live in the same city but have never met. Somehow, I ended up buying a second hand sewing machine for her that was being sold in my suburb - a really really good deal. Instead of getting the cash for it, I may just lock her in my spare room until it's tidy.

An update on the sewing machine situation - I tried the zipper foot on my Singer. Just as good as the dual feed foot. Good to know it has some consistencies. (Yes I unpicked it and redid it on the Bernette. Testdrove a Bernina 820. Totally and utterly in love.).

By the way, this project is FINISHED but I'll show it next week. For now, I'll ask you if you can spot my i-phone in the following pic.

Aha! How cool is that?!!! (Tutorial here)

Almost as cool as these ear bud cases that I made from a different Erin's tutorial. Don't worry, there will be a matching Kate Spain Terrain earbud case coming.

Have a great TGIFF and New Year's Eve! Pop over to LifeUnderQuilts to join in the last TGIFF linky party for 2012!

Choose your own Free Motion Adventure QAL

2011-12-28T18:00:00.000+08:00

Before I forget, Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday is over at LifeUnderQuilts this Friday. If you have a finish, hop over and join in!

And now, back to our regular programming and a few more details about the FMQ Quilt-a-long.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, you're going to have choices - this is a 'choose your own adventure' quiltalong. You can follow along with me and do exactly as I do - I'm not an expert, it's a learning project for me too - or you can take the idea and do your own variation on the theme.

We're going to start with filler designs, and then... well, we'll just have to see where we go. I have a rough plan and an end point in mind. Along the way, I am going to post other people's FMQing for inspiration (and encourage you to do the same if you are blogging about your FMQAL journey).

One of my favourites to watch is Karen McTavish. I saw a few videos of her quilting and thought "Oh. My. Goodness" and was thoroughly intimidated, then I noticed - well, the stitches are not perfect, the spacing is not perfect, it's sort of all over the place... This is an award winning quilter. The idea of backtracking over bits and not having only one line of stitching (but going over the same line numerous times) really freed me up to be a lot more experimental, which is a good thing. Take a look at this, if you haven't seen Karen at work before. Gotta love a quilter with dreadlocks and tattoos!

The other source of inspiration is of course Leah Day. We'll be following some of her videos, and I hope, reading a bit about her inspiration. She has several designs inspired by food - coffee beans and lollipops for example. So I hope at some point we'll be creating our own totally original designs. Sound challenging? Take a look around. I'm looking at the pattern on my coffee cup at the moment, thinking, "I could quilt that". :) At some point, you can choose to let your imagination take over. Or not. It's your adventure!

This is what I would like my last block to end up like.

It's Leah Day's Infinity Tree - Day 365 of her FMQ project.
It incorporates pebbling, tree roots (branching designs), waves and all sorts - all building blocks I need to master to get where I want to go.

So here is the (very) rough plan. I'm working on 4 blocks per row and I'll post two at a time. It's addictive so one is not enough and 4 is too many. :) Linky parties along the way for you all to share.

So here's the ROUGH plan. I'm sure there will be some detours! If you haven't yet, hop over to the main page and sign up!

Row 1 - Rounded designs

Row 2 - Pointy edges

Row 3 - Landscapes and seascapes

Row 4 - McTavishing

Row 5 - Feathers

Row 6 - Choose your own adventure

Laura's choice bundle

2011-12-27T09:24:00.000+08:00

Wow! I'm amazed at the response to this competition already! The first entry was up less than an hour after I posted - I spent AGES on the FQS site drooling and deciding. I thought I was ok with picking fabric, but the entries so far leave me for dead! Lucky I'm not entering! Have a look back at the linky party and see what people have dreamed up.I have a favourite so far, though I'm not judging, but don't think I should say!
Remember to link up here when you have chosen yours.

So what would I choose?

I started with Alexander Henry's Rivoli and worked around that. I used the shop by theme 'modern' browse option which was helpful (not helpful to my credit card, because I discovered a heap more designers and ranges that appealed to me!).

It was so hard limiting myself to 12 prints and 3 solids. There are SUCH lovely choices at the Fat Quarter Shop. I'm just grateful it's online and I can't get into an actual store and walk around - I think I'd have a meltdown faced with that much choice in real life.

For solids – I went with Kona because I have a Kona color card on hand.
I used this mosaic maker which is super easy and requires no downloads.

As this is fabricky, I'll link up with Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday (if it's running over the Xmas break).

Thanks to the Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring. If you win, you need to be able to provide the code (SKU) for each fabric, so mine are below.

For those following the blogwar, I'd just like to mention this post by Sunni. If you want her vote, you might have to go with 'smelly' themed fabric palette. I believe she's coming up with one herself featuring regurgitated carrot colour, baby-poo brown and snot and compost tones. (Twitter #blogwar). :D

1. RivoliSalmon and Black Large Floral Yardage SKU# 7496-C
by Alexander Henry Fabrics

2. Echo Gray Aneta Yardage SKU# 33408-8
Echo by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics

3. Lemon Grove Black Swirly Light GroundYardage SKU# C8609-BLACK
Lemon Grove by Alice Kennedy for Timeless Treasures Fabrics

4. Lost and Found Cream Large FloralYardage SKU# C2600-CREAM
Lost and Found by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake Designs

5. L'Amour de la Vie Red Velo FleursTossed Bicyles Yardage SKU# C8912-RED
L'Amour de la Vie by Hoodie for Timeless Treasures Fabrics

6. Lost and Found Pink Large FloralYardageSKU# C2600-PINK
Lost and Found by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake Designs

7. Emma Cherry Tonal Groovy PetalsYardage SKU# 6822-28
Emma by Michele Scott for Northcott Fabrics

8. Outfoxed Peach Dotted Circles Yardage SKU# 4116-LO
Outfoxed by Lizzy House for AndoverFabrics

9. L'Amour de la Vie White La Tour SmallEiffel Yardage SKU# C8911-WHITE
L'Amour de la Vie by Hoodie for Timeless Treasures Fabrics

10 CalypsoSwing Gray Spirit Yardage SKU# MC05-GRAYX
Calypso Swing by Mark Cesarik for Free Spirit Fabrics

11. Lost and Found Black Large FloralYardage SKU# C2600-BLACK
Lost and Found by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake Designs

12. Lemon Grove White Swirly Dark GroundYardage SKU# C8608-WHITE
Lemon Grove by Alice Kennedy for Timeless Treasures Fabrics

13 KonaCotton Charcoal Yardage SKU# K001-1071
Kona Cotton Solid by Robert Kaufman Fabrics

14. Kona Cotton Champagne Yardage SKU# K001-1069
Kona Cotton Solid by Robert Kaufman Fabrics

15. Kona Cotton White Yardage SKU# K001-1387
Kona Cotton Solid byRobert Kaufman Fabrics

Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle

2011-12-26T08:08:00.000+08:00

Competition now CLOSED!

It's finally here! Nope, not Christmas which a lot of you are still celebrating as I write this, but the day AFTER Christmas (known in various parts of the world as Boxing Day), which is the day I have been waiting for, the day I can reveal all... Very exciting sponsored competition! Sooo excited about this.

If you have looked through the Fat Quarter Shop's FQ bundles section, you will surely have noticed the 'Blogger's Choice Bundles'. Woweee, I thought. Wouldn't it be great to be so famous a blogger that you get your own bundle listed in the FQS?

I thought it might be fun to post what I'd put together as a bundle for FQS if I was a famous blogger.

And then I thought you might find that fun too!

Especially if FQS has hopped on board and offered one lucky person a fat quarter bundle all of their own choosing as a prize.

Well, sorry, that's not happening.

Nope, not a fat quarter bundle. They're offering you a WHOLE HALF YARD of 15 fabrics of your choice - 12 prints and 3 solids. The only problem now is that I can't win. Dammit.

What you need to do:

Go to The Fat Quarter Shop website and choose 12 coordinating prints and 3 solids from their selection. There are various ways of browsing - I started off in the 'modern fabric' section and went from there.
Either a) create a blog entry about your set of fabrics; or b) if you don't have a blog, upload them somewhere they can be seen in one link - eg flickr, picasa, etc. You must include pictures of your fabrics. You can 'borrow' these from the FQS site. It would be very helpful to the judges if you could do a photo collage of your various prints. Instructions below if you don't know how - new IT skills are always useful!
Come back here and link in your entry by 15 January. Please link your photo collage as the thumbnail if you can! I'm going to post mine in the next few days. I started with one print I loved and worked others around it. My 'shortlist' ended up at about 23 fabrics and boy was it hard to cut down!

As we know I'm easily corruptible and open to bribery, I had to find some independent judges. So we have (drum roll, quilter's hall of fame):

Superior Sunni (my arch nemesis) from Love Affair With My Brother (of course)
Magical Megan from Canoe Ridge Creations
Classic Cara from Cara Quilts
Helpful Heather and Megan (I needed two Megans) from Quilt Story

Each of these lovely ladies is going to choose ONE entry as their favourite. Then the amazing Miss Amy of Amy's Creative Side is going to be grand high judge and choose the best final entry from the finalists. She is well qualified as there is going to be an "Amy's Choice" bundle featured in the FQS in the new year.

So get browsing and share your inspiration for coordinating fabrics into a quilt with us!

The linky party will close on January 15.

How to make a photo collage

If you don't use Picasa, it's one of the best free downloadable applications for working with photos. One useful tool is the collage tool. You can choose your photos and arrange and rearrange them into a collage.
Mosaic maker is a free online tool. You have to have your photos uploaded somewhere first (eg flickr) for it to generate the mosaic for you.
Please provide any more tips in the comments section if you know of different, simple ways of doing it!

Guest un-Hostile Takeover!

2011-12-21T17:00:00.000+08:00

My hugely unsuccessful but vaguely entertaining blog-war with Sunni at LoveAffairWithMyBrother takes another leap today as I do a less-than-hostile takeover of her blog and reinvent my Super-Dooper-5-minute coasters. Go and take a look!

Quick excitement update

2011-12-21T13:37:00.000+08:00

A few quick excitements...

1) Cara of http://www.caraquilts.com/ is joining us as the final guest judge of the super secret Fat Quarter Shop 7.5-yard competition (oops did I let something else slip there?!) starting HERE on Boxing day (26/12).

2) I had an amusing exchange with Alex Veronelli from Aurifil who liked Giles' idea of wrapping someone in Aurifil threads for publicity. But Alex thought he might do it himself and get people to guess how many meters it took. I suggested that while he does have that Italian spunk thing going on, if he got George Clooney (who is regularly in Italy at his Lake Como Villa), that might be better publicity and, furthermore, I am selfless enough to go over and style the shoot for him. See how kind and generous I am?
3) I've put up a page for the FMQalong. It has the requirements list and will have the links to posts on it as they happen. There's a signup there if you want to sign-up. You don't have to, but it might just be nice to be able to visit one another's blog/flickr page etc and see how different people are going!

4) Finally, I've hit 200 followers - wheee! I'm giveawayed out so you'll have to wait until the 26th for the super secret super awesome FQS competition.

If I don't post before Christmas, have a beautiful and safe Christmas! See you on the 26th. :)

Bernette Vs Singer Round 2

2011-12-20T19:37:00.000+08:00

Well my Singer Quantum L500 is back from Sydney. Or rather, a new machine is back. They replaced it. Hurrah - there's hope, right?
The loan machine had the same issues as the original, so I was a tad doubtful. We also needed to eliminate user error. My basting and technique (quilt from centre out) was questioned.

I will doubt myself till the cows come home. But I hear mooing right outside the front door (MOOO!!!).
So just before I let them in, I decided to do some last experiments.

Key user error - Is my basting substandard?
Yes, I can be lazy at times. Yes, I have recently fallen in love with basting spray. Yes, I have been known to take short cuts. (And YES, I still manage to produce projects worthy of magazine publication - well, one...)

Test 1: Baste fabric within an inch of its life, then compare Singer with Bernette
I'm talking taping every piece of fabric and batting to the tiles, ensuring it's neither wrinkled nor stretched and HAND TACKING it together. Sore knees, sore neck.

I stitched down the middle with the Singer, then starting FROM THE MIDDLE to make sure there was NO possibility of drag from one edge to the other, I sewed from the middle line out. Then across at right angles to the lines giving me a grid. I have to say, it did pretty well. DOH, I thought, my basting is the culprit.

Then I remembered back 10 years to when I learnt to quilt by machine. I was a poor student and took a class as a birthday present. They said "you need a walking foot". Couldn't afford one. So I was told that you could get almost the same effect if you pin within an inch of its life.Ok, so I thought I'd try the Bernette on the same piece of fabric, without the walking foot. SAME RESULT. Hard to tell which was which. So the Bernette with no walking foot is the same as the Singer IDF.

Test 2: Sloppy tacking.
Let's face it, who has time to spend ages hand-basting? So I literally ironed the bits together and shoved 4 pins in the corners.
I did exactly the same as before but with the Bernette walking foot. Bernette is the black thread.

Again, not much to pick between them. Bernette with walking foot, slightly better. Singer, not too bad. But this is a small piece of fabric. Let's test it on a real quilt.

Final Test: Real Quilt, same seam.

I was doing this close to midnight, in frustration, so please please excuse the sloppy not-quite-in-the-ditch quilting. Quilted DOWN vertically with Bernette walking foot cos I know and trust that. Then quilted ACROSS with Singer.

Can you see the wrinkle(s)? I took the pressure on the presser foot as low as it could go. Same result.

Just to make sure everything was fair and scientific, I unpicked what the Singer had done and tackled the SAME SEAM exactly with the Bernette + Walking foot.

Can you see the wrinkles now? No? What? Are you blind? (Shhh Giles, we know you actually are). Well, that is because they are simply not there. Despite my basting, there is NO movement. The Bernette walking foot feeds it evenly, top and bottom. So the winner is....

The Bernette with walking foot by a mile.
This Singer is NOT the machine for quilting. Nice for dress making. Nice if you're a casual hobbyist and not a fanatic sewer. But I am very very upset with it. The nice Gary at Perth Sewing Centre is going to talk to Singer for me about a refund when they reopen after the new year, and the nice Tracy at Bernina said they would look after me pricewise IF I decide to go the Bernina 820 in the new year, after the Xmas sale ends. However, I have come away with a high level of mistrust of the Integrated Dual Feed system that Pfaff and some Janome and Bernina models boast.

I am planning to take this quilt into a couple of shops and try the Janome Horizon and the Bernina 820 (Please don't google the price if you are my mother). I will get back to you and let you know if I can overcome my distrust of the IDF!

Now let's finish with a nice calming image. This little dove is nesting right outside my back door, tucked under the veranda roof above the patio. I hope the cows don't scare her...

Between now and the end of the world

2011-12-19T12:30:00.000+08:00

I'm hopping on board with Giles' idea of making a list of quilting to-do's between now and the end of the world... Wanna join in? I feel the need to make a list but I can't get on board with Sarah at Fairyface's Winter quilting list, cos it's summer here. Cue another rant about hemisphere discrimination in blogland:

I can cope with a Spring quiltalong when I know our Autumn is warmer and shinier than many Springs around the world. But I can't do winter after 3 months of 'Fall', which includes Halloween (which we don't do), Thanksgiving (ditto) etc... The sky here is blue and the temperature is rising and heading for 30C for Christmas day.

I am going to spend Dec 25 at my parents' place in Yanchep. We may have a late afternoon drink at the national park where the kangaroos come out by the lake at sunset to graze on the grass. Or we may spend the sunset hour on their balcony overlooking the Indian Ocean with a cold beer or glass of chilled white wine or champagne in hand.
There will definitely be a turkey roasting in the Weber BBQ outside with the smell driving the three dogs mad.
Mum will definitely cook too much food and say "never again". (It happens every year).
I will definitely have a drink by the pool and a swim if it's hot.
I might pop down theYanchep lagoon and see if I can spot this guy:

Right, I feel better now. You can keep your winter. ;)

So, between now and the end of the world...

I'm going to make a dent in my WIP pile.
I'm going to make a Lorax quilt.
I will try and get the Year of the Dragon quilt finished and published.
I want to get a pattern published online, whether by patternspot or some other forum, just to see if I can do it.
I will learn to live for today instead of worrying about what may never happen.
The point above may include blowing a deal of my savings on a sewing machine that I love instead of curse.
It may also involve travelling for quilting and hitting something like The Sewing Summit or a Quilt fair in the US.
I will start Swoon.
I will learn to draft patterns and use design software.
I will weed out some of my old floral fabrics I will never use.
I will dye my own fabric and try sun-resist dyes.
http://www.we-r-here.com/coc/images/workshop/SunPainting/SunPrinting.pdf
I will have a go at batik again but for my own purposes instead of as a filler lesson for Indonesian language students at the end of term 4. Will go with this tutorial first: http://eyesaflame.blogspot.com/2008/06/demo-flour-paste-batik.html

What are you going to do between now and the end of the world?

Just for fun, here's a terrible Christmas song by Aussie icon of the 80s, about 6 White kangaroos who take over for the reindeer when Santa heads Down Under. Enjoy!

It's nearly time

2011-12-18T19:30:00.000+08:00

It's nearly time...
I dropped some hints a while ago about a BIG excitement that is starting on 26 December.
It involves a competition like none other that you have seen in quilty blogland.
It involves a prize like none you have yet seen (but a sponsor you are very familar with)....
It involves five amazing ladies:

Sunni from LoveAffairWithMyBrother
Megan from Canoe Ridge Creations
Megan and Heather from QuiltStory
Amy from Amy's Creative Side

And one generous sponsor:

How's THAT for a quilting hall of fame?!

Any ideas? Ooh I'm so excited I can barely keep it in.

Be sure to check back and get your excuses ready!!!

FMQ Quiltalong Winner!

2011-12-17T11:56:00.000+08:00

Hurrah! It's time to draw the Sew Mama Sew giveaway! (Double hurrah, Ifound out how to number comments so I didn't have to count up to 600+).

First of all, a huge thanks to Brenda for providing the prize of a mystery fat quarter bundle. Luckily this time, there is not only one winner. Brenda is also sponsoring the first month of the 2012 Quokka Quilts Free Motion Quilting, Quilt As You Go Quiltalong, offering 15% off your order. Just use the code QQQ15.

This is not a strongly prescribed quiltalong. I am going to offer a range of choices and options, so if you are not too confident with free motion quilting, there will options that enable you to come up with a fantastic looking quilt. Basic beginner skills are required.

For the Quiltalong, you need:

a range of solids in 6.5" squares
a solid binding colour, cut into 2.5" strips to sash each 6.5" square (Pink Castle Fabrics offers jelly rolls in a range of solid colours - perfect for sashing your squares - remember your 15% off!).
11" squares (times the number of squares you are doing) for backing each square
11" squares of wadding, preferably the same type. I am using white-n-warm and warm-n-natural because that is what I have scraps of. I am going to do a 'how to' on joining batting scraps for those thrifty people who have been hoarding scraps
For less confident, newer FMQ'ers, invisible or matching thread; for intermediate, a medium contrast thread (eg grey); if you're super confident or ready to see all your stitches, go for a high contrast thread like white.

You can determine the number of squares and size of quilt. I am doing 24 squares and am going to lay mine out like this and use solid grey sashing and backing.

If you're really interested in developing your FMQ skills, I'm going to suggest you also link up with Sew Cal Girls' 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge.

And now for the drumroll....

The winner, according to random.org, of 661 comments, is...
NUMBER 37
which is Judee of Meinca-mainer blog. :)

Judeesaid...37: This is my comment for being a follower. Pick me, pick me!

Thank you to everyone who entered and to all the new followers and those who have decided to join in the FMQAL. Roll on 2012!

TGIFF - Free Motion Trapunto Tutorial

2011-12-17T11:35:00.000+08:00

ALMOST missed it. Lucky the rest of the world is behind and I can catch up on Saturday. :)

I promised an easy trapunto tutorial. This is the method used by Kellie of Don't Look Now. She has beautiful work.
First, apply your raw-edge iron-on applique design as per normal, then spray baste a piece of batting and put your quilt top onto it. DON'T use backing fabric.

Free-motion machine stitch around the edge of your design, going over each raw edge two to three times.

The back will now look something like this.

Cut an extra piece of batting, big enough to cover the design.

Pin it in place from the front of the design.

Go over the outline of your applique shape one more time to attach the extra batting.
Turn your work over and cut away the excess batting as close to the stitch line as you can.

Put your backing fabric on and shadow/echo stitch around the outline, about 1/8" away from the design.

Free motion quilt with a filler design around. The denser the quilting, the more your trapunto section will 'pop'.

I used Leah Day's Lollipop filler design to quilt this - lollipops seemed appropriate for a Christmas piece.

Ta dah!!!
Oh deer, the back isn't nearly as pretty, but just to show you in more detail...

I apologise for the quality of the last few pictures. It's so bright out today I could barely see the camera screen to get the settings right and having to rush to get this TGIFF post in in time didn't help. I may be the last one in, but there are some lovely finishes over at Lucy's blog where TGIFF is being hosted this week!

Quilt photo follow-up

2011-12-15T21:43:00.000+08:00

Warning - this post is rated PG - Please Giggle.

Fantastic fantastic suggestions. You are all a bunch of deviant alcoholics and I love you all. I had such a good laugh.

The bad news is that just as the comments poured in on that post, I got an email from the Louise at AP&Q saying not to worry so much about the photos AND THAT SHE WAS ABOUT TO READ MY BLOG! OH DEAR!!!!!

And then a second email from Louise saying she voted for the quilting in the bath photos and had been laughing like a hyena at your comments all morning. PHEW!!! What a relief!!!

Here are a few of the highlights for those who commented early and didn’t get to read the other ideas!

Hanging upside down on Monkey bars
Running around with it flying behind you as a cape
Bury yourself in your fabric stash with just your head and toes peeking out!
You could do like the princess and the pea and sit on a pile of quilts. (I like this idea and my father would say it was very apt)
Dress in black, work on a quilting project for a few hours so that you are good and linty, tie a scrap around your hair and then take the picture. You would be like lady in add for rice crispy treats only a quilty version. (HA! Thanks Cindy!!! So funny!)
up a tree (naked) (thanks Lucy, knew you’d come up with the goods. I just don’t think you are prepared to deal with the splinters and have you SEEN how frigging hard gumtrees are to climb? Do you not KNOW why koalas have those MASSIVE claws?).
grab a loved one, wrap it around the pair of you and pretend you're running off after doing something naughty... (Thanks Katy. The only problem with this is that at the moment, my loved one is Patches and his idea of ‘something naughty’ is eating cat poo, which I’m not too keen on).

Danny gets extra points for deviance for suggesting a Jessica Simpson type Duke’s of Hazard videoclip scenario:

Grab the highest heels you have, the shortest shorts and a bikini (it's summer out your way, right?). Use one of your quilts to "wash" your car with. That'll get the guys' attention! I have done this sans heels and quilt, with half the men in Perth off at the mines, sometimes a girl's gotta do... Or, you could go a different route... if memorable's all you're going for, take a picture of you quilting on the toilet!

Even I refuse to quilt on the toilet.

Megan from The Bitchy Stitcher (woohoo, celebrity comment, I did ask on Facebook though – check out Megan’s calendar if you haven’t seen it!) said...

Okay, one idea would be you after a sewing bender. You're passed out at the machine, the sewing table is littered with quilts, fabrics, empty bottles of Jack (or a good Aussie equivalent), and your clothes are on inside out....Or get a trucker hat that says, "Rock Out With Your Block Out"

I am not sure when Megan dropped round and peered through the window but I *don’t* appreciate the state of my house and person being publicised. (But it was vodka not Jacks - get some glasses Megan!). But definitely check out her Quilter's Shirtless Man and Spicy Burrito Calendar.

Speaking of calendars, my friend Jason is a firefighter and is Mr July in next year’s WA Firefighter’s charity calendar. Here’s July 2012.

Oops, no sorry, that's Megan's calendar. This is Jason's:

I thought, purely from an artistic perspective of course, that it would make a good photo if Jase brought the rest of the calendar round and all 12 climbed ladders (shirtless of course) to where I was sitting on the roof clutching a quilt with flames photoshopped in. Jason being a photo-slut (sorry Jase, you know it's true) did offer to bring his ladder round and help out. (I was kinda hoping for all 12 but that’s probably just being greedy, isn’t it?). Louise from AP&Q took it one step further and suggested instead that they hold the quilt out like a trampoline and I leap off the roof into it… (I think this means AP&Q doesn’t want another project from me.)

OK, winners… I was torn. Runner up definitely goes to Giles, who amongst other excellent creative suggestions, said “Aurifil to sponsor “perfect stitching” and wrap you in nothing but their thread”. I have not tried Aurifil – haven’t seen it in shops here yet – and really want to. If Giles had emailed Aurifil and talked them into it, I would totally have done it and given him the prize and sent him an autographed photo. He's blind so I don't mind doing that and his wife probably wouldn't either ;) (If Aurifil is reading this, there's still time).

But for creativity and sheer persistence, I have to award the winnings to Erin who says:

“Of course, my original idea is the winner (quilted fig leaves) (is it wrong that I keep picturing it in my mind?) [YES IT IS AND I AM CANCELLING OUR SEWING DATE AND TELLING YOUR BOYFRIEND. Oh scratch that, he’d probably go for it. I know what boys are like]. Otherwise... to head down a non-nude path (boring!) how about you peeking over the top of a quilt... with just your eyes showing. No Photoshop needed! Uh huh. Genius. ;) Or... we could string a quilt up between a few trees and you can sit on it pretending it's a flying carpet. ;)

Flying carpets I like. I should point out that Erin lives in Perth too but we've never actually met. So we've got a blind sewing date over the Christmas break. I shall pick out some ~~yucky fabrics then if she's nice I'll change them for~~ lovely fabrics for her.

Erin also emailed me this picture as an alternative to a photo.

Of course, that's TOTALLY manageable by early next year. (I'm sure Julie could and would do it for me in about 5 minutes but the post from Japan is so unreliable).

Thanks so much for all the giggles! And congratulations Erin. Although of course, if Aurifil contacts me I'll be sending the prize to Giles. ;)

I'm too sexy for this quilt...

2011-12-13T22:57:00.001+08:00

Wow! An incredible response to the SewMamaSew giveaway! How exciting!

Now I need help.

Australian Patchwork and Quilting are doing a profile on me in March, but I have to organise my own photos. They want two photos of me, "but none of those boring standing in front of a quilt mugshots". (I think the new assistant editor wants to liven things up a bit). So how would you sexy up a quilt photo? Drape me seductively in a quilt? Wrap me in fabric? Quilting in the bath? (Just a bit concerned that all my ideas involve nudity. What does this say about the state of my psyche? Hmm...).

I know we are all giveawayed out but I could use ideas. I will send four random fat quarters to the person who gives me the most outrageous (yet manageable) suggestion. (I shall say right now that I expect the most deviant comments to come from Lucy, Giles, Sarah and Erin. Although there are a few others of you I suspect of having hidden depths of depravity. Don't disappoint me. Oh, checked facebook and Erin has already suggested quilted fig leaves. Any psychs following who could give us discount rates for joint counselling?)

Extra bonus points if you are a photoshop ninja and can make me look like quilting goddess/supermodel. Or send me a pattern for a quilted mask.

Now, random photo then suggest away.

Ready
Steady
GO!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Today's giveaway brought to you by the colour Pink...

2011-12-11T15:30:00.000+08:00

Occupy Attempt Two has had more success. I now have ALL the borders (2.5") on my 6" squares for the QAYGFMQQAL(Quilt as You Go, Free Motion Quilting, Quilt A Long for the uninitiated- starting in the New Year. Read about it here).

And yes, I have had a pedicure and my toes are now bright red. Orange is so last week.

I also knocked up this dear little... deer. Oh deer. Oops. Sorry. Couldn't resist. Will behave now.

I used an easy trapunto method which I'll do a tutorial for sometime. He IS cute, but don't fawn over him too much. (SORRY!)

But back to the important stuff. A few weeks ago, an obsession with 'script' fabric led me to Pink Castle Fabrics and Brenda kindly put together a special custom bundle for me. But that didn't make up the full quota you can fit in a mailing bag. (When we pay $12.95 for shipping to Australia, you want the full 9 yards, and I don't mean the Bruce Willis movie).

I had a pretty good stash of solids, but there are always room for a few more. One thing Pink Castle Fabrics has is a 'random set of solids' - 8 fat quarters in various colours (pic below is from Pink Castle's Etsy Shop). I thought I could do with a few more for my FMQQAYGQAL (I really should have picked a better acronym shouldn't I? I may yet change it to FMQML).

After I placed my order, I got onto my blog reading and the first blog I opened had a special discount code offer from (you guessed it) Pink Castle Fabrics. DAMMIT. I cursed my luck to Brenda, and she immediately refunded me the difference! She was under no obligation to. My fault for shopping before reading blogs. So how sweet was that?!

Anyway, they arrived in super fast time and Brenda had picked a LOVELY selection for me so I emailed her to thank her and told her how useful they'd be my FMQAL. She loved the idea and she loves solids, and she said that she'd like one of you to have a mystery bundle of solids too! I've also just discovered she has 2.5" jelly rolls in solids - (why didn't I think of this before I cut up all my sashing for the blocks?!).

All you have to do to win a bundle of 8 FQ solids from Pink Castle Fabrics is leave me a comment telling me what you'd like from PCF - I have my eye on this. Yum!

1 comment per person with your fabric-lust choice from Pink Castle.
1 additional comment for followers.

As per the rules of the Sew Mama Sew giveaway, winner gets drawn Dec 16 (let's say Dec 17, 10am Western Australian time).

Stop back here on the 17th to see who's won. AND, as a special prize for ALL OF YOU, Pink Castle Fabrics is going to provide us with a special FMQAL code for a discount! So if you need solids, jelly rolls or other assorted fabrical goodness, comment below and drop back in next week.

Happy hopping!

Occupy your sewing room - ADHD

2011-12-11T14:09:00.000+08:00

I was planning to occupy my sewing room, along with CatPatches, but I didn't get very far.

I did a bit of sewing for my ~~hostile takeover of~~ guest post on Sunni's blog (LoveAffairWithMyBrother) on December 21 when she is off at Jedi camp but I can't show you the results yet. (Don't tell her, it will spoil the suprise ~~attack~~).

So I was going to work on one of the 20,000 WIPs. But I have sewing ADHD so I will show you my excuses / what other people manage to finish instead.

Seriously, how am I supposed to concentrate when there are images like this around, from GenerationQ's article on working with felt?

So I had to go out and buy felt of course. Have. To. Make. Hedgehog....

There's also this pattern from DIY Fluffies which is also a terrible distraction and to blame for me getting little sewing done/finished.

So I went and bought fuzzy stuff. I got one wing done and the spine cut out.

And then there was Rhianon's twister quilt tutorial. I nearly got the Lily and Will charm pack out straight away, but I restrained myself. Rhianon does not suffer from sewing ADHD at all. I am jealous, so I keep sending her messages on facebook about how lovely and sunny the weather is here while she is freezing her toes off in Scotland.

Right, now to clean house and make more pasta before dinner guest arrives.
Maybe I'll occupy tomorrow instead...

A winner and a setback in the blogwar

2011-12-10T16:40:00.001+08:00

Oh dear, my blogwar credibility is in the toilet. The universe hates me, obviously. Look at who won my giveaway?

Grr.

Sunni, please send me your address, your alarm code and the measurements of your widescreen TV.

I am going to have to do a ~~hostile~~ takeover of her blog later in the month while she is off on her yak-riding course in Peru. (I actually spent the afternoon sewing in preparation for this, coincidentally. Can't show you just yet as the photographing is not yet complete. I am staging a photoshoot with champagne by the pool later this evening. The things I do for this girl).

Well, there is nothing for it. I will just have to do another giveaway. Wait a couple of days though. This one is going to be even better. :)

TGIFF - small finish

2011-12-09T09:06:00.000+08:00

Rabbit Tree Quilt

Eeek - NEWSFLASH. As well as my Rabbit Tree quilt being featured in Australian Patchwork and Quilting next year in March, I am going to be a profiled quilter!!! How exciting!!!

After last week's effort, we're lucky I did not collapse in a heap and not touch a project again. I nearly did, but I forced myself to do some sewing and got my sew-jo back.

Our vet has spent an inordinate amount of time on the phone to me advising about Patches and his medication. She could have made me come in each time and pay fees, but she didn't. So I thought she deserved something nice for Christmas. I got some very cute fabric (I have a weakness for 'cute') a while ago - no idea who made it and have been unable to track down yardage - but it's called Petshop. It's waiting till I have time to do another special applique project. So I chopped into a bit of it, teamed it with some Sweetwater print and a solid, and the combination looks lovely.

I decided I had better practice for my Free-Motion Quiltalon. The pressure is on. One of my 'intermediate criteria' for myself is to use thread that contrasts with the fabric.

Did some experimental free-motion quilting - wanted to try pebbling. Tried with the feed-dogs up as Leah Day recommends (dogs, ha! get it?! appropriate!) . Didn't notice much of a difference. I had some tension issues - more than usual - but not sure why that was.

As this was a 'quick n dirty' project, I didn't pin it terribly well - it could have sat flatter if you ask me. I should have changed to the walking foot and outlined the shapes first - that would have helped.

I popped it in a fabric gift bag (super easy, picked up at craft fair but forgot to take photo. Will make some more) and delivered it Monday. Of course I cut the loose threads off first. I hope she likes it.

:)

Now hop along and check out the other finishes at TGIFFriday at QuiltMatters!

Rotary cutters

2011-12-07T20:21:00.001+08:00

This is my second favourite rotary cutter

It goes with this.

And makes this:

I am not too good at making farfelle even ironically. I want to use my quilt ruler.

But it still tastes great!

Farfelle with red capsicum, chorizo, cherry tomatoes and parmesan. And a glass of red, of course! Yum!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Home

Thunder and lightning...

2011-12-06T22:23:00.001+08:00

... Very very frightening! (Me Galileo Figaro...)

Most unseasonal thunderstorms after days of hot and humid (around 100F or 36C). Really freaky weather for us. Doggles stayed inside. I had to go to work. BOOO.

When we moved out from UK when I was a tiny wee girlie, my mother thought we had moved into a 'poor' neighbourhood because of the 'poor little children running around with no shoes on'. We learnt that it is an Australian preference given both the weather and necessity to prove we are tough (try walking barefoot on tarmac when it's 40 degrees in the shade). So although there was thunder and lightning and a hail threat, I braved the back porch barefoot to take these for you (cos that's how I roll!).

Kona sour apple (my happy colour) bordered in grey. Plus a yellowy green and a lavender also bordered in grey

My grandmothers would have said I looked like a gypsy.

royal blue, pale blue and lavendar... And chipped orange nail polish - Laura needs a pedicure.

My work colleague says it is because I know my genetically determined place - I've got the barefoot right but not the pregnant or in the kitchen bit... He narrowly avoided a broken nose.

lemon, pale aqua blue and cornflower

Sorry, can't tell you the exact colours but can examine my Kona card later if you like.

I got this done on the weekend - I had to force myself and could only do some straightforward seams after my marathon finish. But as I have over 20 of you lovely people signing up to FMQalong, I had to do it. And I was glad I did. :) Colours make me happy.
Still time to win your own set of 6.5" squares in my giveaway! I'll draw it Sunday.

Post script:

I have been accused of favouritsm (showing photos of Patches and not Lainey), I'm evening up the playing field.

It is honestly because she's a bit camera shy. At least compared to Patches who is a total camera slut.

Lainey was a pre-not-loved dog - 3 years of mistreatment before she came to me and it took her a while to get over being kicked. Although she is not the brightest dog you will ever meet, she is one of the most gentle and sweet natured.

She is particular about being photographed with her own colours so the black and white quilt suited her to sneak onto yesterday. Lainey is a tricolour Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. This means that she is black and white mostly with touches of tan. She sleeps with her tongue out and DRIBBLES so I have to keep her off my quilt or that will turn tricolour too. (Patches is what is known as blenheim - tan and white, but he has been known to turn himself tricolour by digging madly in black mulch. He is my problem child.)

Look at how resentful she looks!

Now go enter that giveaway!

Today's giveaway brought to you by the letter P

2011-12-02T17:08:00.001+08:00

WOOHOOO! 100 FOLLOWERS!!! hank you so much for all the love for the Jewelled Stars quilt (aka the Black Peril) and all the other works and WIPS and posts. It's just hit 37C/100F here so not great quilt weather - I turned the aircon on last night so I could sleep under my new finish! But I really appreciate all the comments, suggestions, support and friendship that have developed across the world through this blog. So I think that means it's time for a giveaway!

But first, I'm going to be cheeky and ask, if you have a spare minute, could you drop over to the Quilting Gallery and drop in a vote for my Jewelled Stars before the end of the weekend? :)

Back to the important business - today's giveaway is brought to you by Patches, the highly expensive Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Patches with plastic head cone and red cast

Poor puppy. Emergency vet run after I discovered Patches had gnawed into his back paw. We get these nasty ultra-sharp grass seeds, up to an inch long, that cause animals all kinds of grief, but I couldn't find anything in his foot and he hadn't been limping. The vet thought it likely it had gone straight in and embedded itself deep. With a heart condition, general anaesthetic is tantamout to a death sentence so I was freaking out a bit (ok a lot, he is my baby). I was NOT ready to cope with a one way trip to the vet. But they managed to operate under local anaesthetic so he is back with a plastic bucket on his head and a red cast. Lucky he's an autumn colours dog. Or someone at the vet's has good colour sense.

If you don't know about the internet phenomena of FML and you're easily offended, don't look it up. But it was totally a FML morning. So I turned it into a FMQML morning - Free-motion Quilt My Life. I really want this on a t-shirt.

To keep my mind off my boy having his paw cut open under local anaesthetic (brave pup - mind you, if he was a little less brave he would made a fuss when he stood on the seed and I could have got it out before he walked it in), I chopped up solids, getting ready for my FMQ-along.
Don't they look pretty?

Chopping up two 6.5" squares was no harder than chopping up one, so I made two sets. What shall I do with the spare?

Well, I think I'll let one of you take it off my hands. You don't have to be joining the FMQAL - I'm sure there are plenty of other things you could do with these.

1) This one is for the followers, so just leave a comment letting me know you follow.
2) If you have my FMQ button on your blog, bonus entry. Just leave me a comment with your blog address.

I will draw it next weekend so you have a whole week. :)

Thanks for helping me celebrate my Centenary! Champagne and hugs all round!
Oh, also my good friend Erin over at Missy Mac Creations is having a giveaway too. (But don't bother entering cos I'm going to win that one). ;)

TFIFF (or almost Friday) - Genesis of a quilter

2011-12-01T12:00:00.000+08:00

No, TFIFF is not a typo. I'm just SO freaking relieved this is finished. It has taken a lifetime. Literally. This guy's lifetime:

Patches when quilt was started

Patches when quilt finished (yesterday)

Let me tell you a story...

1999: Girl gets Elna sewing machine as present. Girl decides to learn to quilt. On her own. (This is before the internet got big, when we learnt quilting from ~~stone tablets~~ these things called books).

2000: Girl starts a quilt involving triangles, cuts with scissors, buys polyester fabrics and poly batting. It ends up in the Salavation Army bin. Salvation Army gives it to the Lost Dogs home (for all I know). Girl gets puppy and names him Patches after new hobby.

2002: Girl takes classes, discovers applique and starts baby quilt for pregnant sister in law. Finishes quilt. Feels triumphant. Has BRILLIANT idea of designing own KING SIZE quilt as wedding present for friends. Finishes top in time for wedding (regularly tested by Patches). Grinds to halt.

Girl discovers fitting King size quilt through baby-size Elna potentially similar to giving birth. Takes 3 years to complete in-ditch quilting. Grinds to halt.

2003-2007: Couple intended as quilt receipients have first child. Girl thinks "gosh/darn/damn/crap/s$&#*/[insert increasingly rude word for each year here], I really should finish that quilt".

2008 - Girl gets Bernette. Girl discovers fitting King size quilt through standard size Bernette is still only slightly more feasible (and a lot less fun) than trying to fit camel through eye of a needle. Grits teeth and wrestles quilt through for straightline in-the-ditch quilting, bit by painful bit. Girl is faced by insurmountable problem of how to finish off quilting given large triangles of blank space. Grinds to halt.

2009-2010 - Girl either:
a) acts like dog that has had encounter with particularly nasty cat and pretends not to notice quilt every time she opens spare-room door or
b) wastes inordinate amounts of time pondering what to do with blank spaces in quilt.

2010: Original intended recipients of quilt celebrate 10th wedding anniversary.

2011: Girl suffers quilt induced nervous breakdown, buys new sewing machine with BIG space and extension table, works out what to do with the big triangular gaps in the quilt, starts TGIFF with M-R and FINISHES THE FREAKING THING.

So THAT, my friends, is why it is a TFIF Friday instead of a TGIF Friday.

Thank FREE-MOTIONQUILTING It's Finished Friday!
(That was what you thought the F stood for, wasn't it?)

Enough teasing, here are the proper photos. (For Giles, it's a black homespun solid with stars in very bright, marbled colours, set on diamond points, with little 1.5" squares crisscrossing diagonally across the quilt around each star. One very thin border with all the rainbow colours graduating and melding from red through orange, yellow, green, to blue, to purple, to pink and back again to red, all the way around, with a wider black border to finish off. Which is why it's called a jewelbox quilt - the colours fairly sparkle.)

Held up by camera assistant

Before nearly falling off wall with camera

Late afternoon sun on quilt in my bedroom

(I didn't get to wash it as it didn't fit in the washing machine!!! But I did sleep under it last night - first night sleeping under my own quilt!)

Now submit your own finish below or check out some of the other finishes. :) Thanks for joining me in this week's TGIFF. Next week is at M-Rs and remember to join the TGIFF blog to stay updated or sign up to host.
Posting this early (it's nearly Friday in New Zealand) to enter the Quilting Gallery's weekly contest, which is appropriately 'Stars'. Julie always wins so you may as well go and vote for her, and me too if you're feeling kind! Voting starts Friday. Your time, I'm guessing...

Frogs n Quilt Shows

2011-11-29T20:19:00.001+08:00

Sometimes I love the mailman. I had a lovely batch of goodies the other day, including a surprise from Kay aka Shocking Hocking. She suggested I add Haig's chocolate frogs to my advent calendar, and when she heard that we don't have Haig's in Western Australia, she was so shocked at our deprivation, she bought and sent me one. Thank you SO much Kay!

He doesn't QUITE fit in the pockets, which shows you how generously sized he is. YUM.

I am going to keep him in the fridge until Christmas Day. We have some 37 degree C days coming up and I don't want him turning into a puddle!

I stuffed the rest of the pockets with Lindt squares which are all individually wrapped and sealed so should withstand the heat!

And here it is - all ready for the first of the month!

Now hop over to SewCalGirl's Christmas Quilt show and check out some of the work!

Tops to Treasures - check it out!

2011-11-29T10:32:00.001+08:00

Cindy of Tops To Treasures, who is a professional long-arm quilter, has written a really great post on free-motion quilting versus longarm machine quilting. If you suffer from a bad case of long-arm-envy like me and have been in awe of long-arm quilters, go along and check out her post about Waldorf (I think I'll call him Wall-E for short), her long arm machine, and how he works differently to a domestic machine. It's a really encouraging post for us amateurs! Cindy is going to be guest posting next year when we get going with the QAYG FMQ QAL.

I've had a couple of questions from people.

1) How do you define intermediate?

In the absence of a definitive curriculum from the Quilt University (maybe there is one but I haven't seen it), I'm thinking about this and will post my thoughts sometime soon.

But one of my lines of distinction between beginning and intermediate FMQ-ers is that your intermediate person is brave enough to take the step of using different coloured thread to background fabric and is comfortable with the way it looks when you CAN see the stitches. (I recommend beginners to quilt a few projects using same coloured thread as background or invisible thread just to get the practice in and be pleased enough with yourself to put the work up on display when you can't see all the stitches clearly).

What do YOU think makes an intermediate FMQer?

2) I haven't FMQ-ed but this looks fun. Do you think I can join?

A few people have asked about joining in without being able to FMQ. I think the main point of this is to build your quilting skills from where you feel comfortable.

So if you want to join in and do your own quilting patterns using normal machine quilting and experimenting, you are most welcome. There's a lot you can do with a walking foot. I've seen people do circles, zig-zags and box type designs using a standard walking foot so please feel free to adapt the idea and work with us to suit your own needs and capabilities.

QAYGFMQQAL #1

2011-11-27T16:36:00.001+08:00

I am not good at keeping secrets. Holding in the sponsor-competition until December 26 may just kill me. And I already had one cat in the bag so two is too many. In my opinion, one cat in a bag is too many. I don't like cats. Except this one - I'd brake for this one because he is awesome and his name is Trouble. Honesttogoodnesscrossmyheartandhopetodie.

Dogs examining Trouble the black-n-white cat striking yoga poses in front of them. Right before the dogs freaked out.

So I'm going to let the first cat out of the bag.

I have been following with interest Cindy's fantastic Free Motion Fridays at Fluffy Sheep Quilting. One of my quilting aims for this year was to improve my free-motion quilting and I'm happy to say I've been getting better, but still have a long way to go. I had so many projects on at the time that I couldn't join in with Cindy and the gang. And it was mostly aimed at beginners, and I'm more intermediate. But I've been watching Cindy, Toni and a few others who have been FMQing their little hearts out and thinking what a great idea that was...

But I'd love to be able to use ALL of those pretty patterns in one quilt, so....

I decided that I'm going to do an 'intermediate' level, Quilt As You Go Free Motion Quilt-a-long (or a QAYGFMQQAL) starting in the new year.

You need basic FMQing skills, a pile of scraps of batting (or you can cut some up if you prefer) and a stack of solid colours, 6.5" squares.

I'm doing it to improve my free-motion skills and to increase my range and repertoire, but I'd love for you to join in too! I've talked Cindy of Tops To Treasures (what is it with Cindys and quilting?), Tamara of Quickstitch Quilting and Kay "Shocking" Hocking into doing a guest post for me as professional FMQ'rs but it will mostly be my dodgy domestic FMQ-ing, so don't feel intimidated!

I'm going to put up a linky party, probably on a fortnightly basis, for you to share your post on what you have done. It's kicking off in January, so if you're in, let me know in a comment and I'll either email you a requirements list or post one if there are a few people interested. And feel free to grab a button!

Weekly recap

2011-11-27T14:27:00.001+08:00

It has been an exciting week...

1) I have my first blog sponsor for January. YAY!!!! I had a brilliant idea for a post, then thought, why should I have all the fun? I know a HEAP of you are going to want to do the same sort of blog post... Then I thought, why not make it a competition? I flicked an email off and an extremely generous sponsor said they would donate a FABULOUS prize, but I'm not letting the cat out of the bag until Boxing Day. Trust me, you are going to want in on this one. (And you need a bit of time to think about your entry, so start preparing your excuses now for Boxing Day. Eg "Mummy/Daddy has a ~~hangover~~ headache and needs to go and lie down with the laptop for a few hours"). Sunny from Love Affair with My Brother threatened to put in 20 entries, so I've had to limit her to one with the bribe that she gets to be one of the 5 judges but is not allowed to vote for herself. Boxing Day - put it in your diary!

2) Same day, I walked into a flashy furniture store near work which houses one of the two cafe's in the area. I was wearing my Japanese Koi skirt, which I still love. A sales assistant pounced on me and asked if I had sewn and designed it myself (yes and yes) and we started talking. It ended up with me giving her a spare craft shop voucher I had and her asking me to bring some of my work in for the shop to see if they might like to sell it. :)

3) I got an email from Ireland asking if I wanted to enter the international quilt show being held in Galway next year. I'm sure they sent every quilting blogger they could find an email, but I felt special. Ireland anyone?

4) Finally, I said I wouldn't go to Spotlight (big Aussie craft store) and buy things I didn't need just to use the 'spend $100 get $40 off voucher, but I folded and bought a bias maker. (Get it, folded?! hahaha! Sorry....) What swung me was the quilt binding attachment - you can feed your 2.5" strip through and it gets all folded and ironed at the same time for you. The thought of doing the binding for my King Size Jewel Box quilt swung me. So I have a new toy to play with. 12 feet of bias in under a minute - I'm in. What they don't mention is the 12 minutes you spend winding your bias onto the spool and then trying to poke the fabric through the bias maker. I'm sure I'll get faster.

The jury is still out on whether I finish the Black Giant by Friday for my monthly TGIFF host... There are 2 triangles left to FMQ and the twin of the machine from hell (mine is still in Sydney or somewhere) is about as reliable. It was just going nicely when I ran out of thread. Grr. And then there is the binding...

Will I get there? What do you think??? How do you rate the Laura Laziness against the Laura Determination factors? Will this ten year old monster FINALLY get finished?

To be continued...

Nothing Finished Friday

2011-11-25T08:55:00.000+08:00

It's TGIFF again. Have I got anything finished?
Noooo.
But hop over to Sparrow In Flight and see what you can get finished when you're ~~having a high old time lazing around~~ pregnant. I mean, Shanna must have loads of energy from all that bedrest so I'm expecting some spectactular finishes. If she has popped the baby out early, I fully expect she's done it in about 5 minutes and finished off some hand binding at the same time. That's what Alaskans are like.

My turn to host is creeping up and I've been procrastinating like mad.

I swore I'd have the black ~~monster~~ jewelbox quilt finished for the First Friday in December. But will I??? I have been doing ANYTHING ELSE it seems. I mean, it's waited 10 years, what's another two or three?
Last week was busy socially. This week - well, Wednesday was 36 degrees C (that's 97F). The roses turned to pot-pourri on the bushes. Thursday was 37C/100F. Lovely weather for sitting under a KING-SIZE POLYESTER BATTED QUILT and wrestling it through a machine. But I finally got round to doing some dodgy FMQ-ing for the big gaps.Three to go.

Then a double line of in-the-ditch quilting all the way around, then binding (HA, binding a KingSize will be fun. It's so getting done by machine).

There are a few in-the-ditch bits I've missed but it's doubtful I will be going back to do those. No one is going to spot the missing ones.

Then I have a thousand threads to trim off the back (may not do that as you won't know whether I have or not) and 10 years worth of dog fur to remove. (I have 4 replacement rolls of IKEA sticky fluff-remover stuff for my lint roller. I fully expect to use them all.). THEN it is finished.

Sooooo... bets on whether I get there or not? Someone should be running a book on this. Place your bets in fat quarters... ;)