Why I do what I do

Many of you know that some days I begin to question why I spend so much time designing new projects and sending out instructions. This is  especially the case after someone might email me for lots of different BOM's we have finished  and would like the files. I gladly send them off and get disheartened when I do not receive a thank you or acknowledgement that they have been received.

 

However, I received this email over the weekend and this clarified for me once again why I do what I do. This is from Brenda who asked me to send her some projects.

I just wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying your blog.  It is as if you are in my head with your designs and creative items.  I am learning to quilt and would so love to be a part of your BOM group.   I love your pillows and I could go on and on and on.  I just love it all.  Everything is modern and just is so me.                              

I saw that you wondered if what you were doing made a difference.  I want you to know it does.  It just made me so happy.    Thank you for posting.

Keep up the great work.  It is such a blessing to have a kindred spirit in the creative world.
Thank you,
Brenda

and this is her reply this morning

What a wonderful surprise to get all of these this morning.  My mom has Alzheimer's and I have had maybe 2 hrs of sleep.  I am so tired an my day has just started.

This horrible disease just exacts such a heavy metal toll on all.  I can just loose myself in these wonderful patterns as time permits.  Because I have so little time for me, finding your site means so much to me.

Have a wonderful Easter and thank you again.

Lots of bits and pieces today

I have a mini roundup of what I am currently working on and also a couple of pics sent in by people working on my BOM's.

I have subscribed to a digital edition of Quiltmaker magazine so that I could get the instructions for Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery quilt called Lazy Sunday that she is doing as a four part series. As the next part is due out in a week or so I thought that I had better get a wriggle on and finish part 1. I just love he bright fresh colours . I am using black and white again for my  light background colour as well as purple, hot pink, orange and teal aqua.  You have probably all seen my Easy Street mystery quilt which Bonnie featured on her blog at the end of last year and is still available for download.

Lazy Sunday Mystery Quilt Part 1

I have also completed Block 14 in my Kenny Kreations Crazy Quilt BOM. This BOM will be 64 blocks in total. I will be writing up the lesson later on today and sending that out to those participating tonight.

Crazy Quilt Block 14

Nancy has sent in another pic of the Aristocat BOM quilt in progress.  We are now half way as the quilt will have 12 blocks in total.

Nancy's Artisocat quilt in progress

To conclude this post I now have a special quilt that has been finished to show you. Alana from Queensland has completed the Giraffe BOM quilt and I think you will all agree with me that it is just spectacular to say the least. Her treatment of the border is wonderful and is a great way to use up left over pieces if you have not got them planned in another project. The fancy sttiches on her machine also got a workout as she sttiched a border around each embroidered block.

Alana's Giraffe quilt

Glorious sunrise

We had a glorious sunrise this morning and in the few minutes that the colours stay like this I manged to capture a few photos.

I am working on a mystery quilt this morning. Will have some pics later of my progress.

 

Yesterday we had a wonderful lunch at the Cherry Shed with our friends Robyn and John from New South Wales. We were having such a good time talking and enjoying the food that  before we knew it 3 hours had  just flown by.

 

HIA Cat Block 6

It is so much better weather here today. I started off in winter clothes and then by mid afternoon was back to wearing my normal summer/autumn gear.

We did a bit of cleaning yesterday especially our glass /conservatory room. It is normally the home of our cockatiel in the summer when he is not outside and it is amazing where little bits of bird seed and tiny feathers end up even though the room is cleaned thoroughly every week.

 

 

I have not done much sewing the last few days but have managed to get Block 6 of the HIA Aristocat BOM done. I have also sewed together Rows 1 and 2. Will have those instructions out to those participating in this BOM later on today or tomorrow.

 

More of quilt done

We have had some rather ferocious electrical storms here last night but thankfully there was no damage done.

I have been working on the quilt that I am putting together using the Christening  Gown designs form the Martha Pullen Internet Embroidery club designs for 2013. There are not a large number of designs in this set that I can use but I am happily playing away and think that I can make this quilt look striking.Unfortunately the lace and ribbon does not photograph that well because of the shiny appearance of the ribbon.

 

I am doing this quilt using the same quilt as you method as I did for my candlewick quilt however, the black cluney lace is a little more narrow but it is coming up OK. I  am currently stitching out the next border row all the way around the quilt. 

Our Pic Made TV News

I put some pics up we took  of the lovely sunset the other night and I decided to send them to Channel 10 in Melbourne who have 2 weather related pics in their nightly new. Guess who they picked last night.

You can watch the weather segment here.

I have been working on my new quilt using the christening gown designs I talked about in my last post. Will have a pic for you in a few days when it is together a bit more.

New Quilt and It's a Cat's Life

I am having this week off from writing up lessons for BOM. So what did I do, started designing a quilt. not a BOM but will be done as a quilt along type of lesson.

As many of you know I bought the 20103 Martha Pullen IEC set of designs and it was my plan for the year to make as many different types of projects as I could with this one set of designs. I have made 8 or 9 I think to date and now I am designing a quilt using the  christening gown designs from this set.

 

The quilt will have medallion type  centre and then have borders coming out form this centre. This quilt is to be all embroidered. I am also going to join the sections together using my lace quilt as you go method that I for the candlewick quilt. I am using black Cluney lace with either the pink or purple ribbon underneath the lace.

Quilt Centre for new Quilt

 

 

I have stitched out  a practice centre, (took 7 hours) and I am happier with the on point look. It initially was not going to be on point and I did not leave enough fabric but this can be made into a large cushion.

 

The cats have been lapping up the sun both in my sewing room and outside. Great to have such interested helpers.

 

Aristocat Block 5 and some gorgeous sunset pics

Last night before we went to be volunteer penguin tour guides I managed to finish HIA Aristocat Block 5 featuring Houdini cat in our BOM and I am now working on Block 6. Block 5 is very straightforward with no modification of the original design. I hope to have the  instructions for this Block sent out later today or tomorrow.

Aristocat BOM Block 5

 

As we arrived at Lillico Beach last night (Saturday 16th) the sunset was spectacular with beautiful colours. As you can see from some of the pics there were very threatening clouds out to sea and just after dark there were a few lightning flashes. One of the visitors to the viewing platform arrived with a camera set up on a tripod and with he shutter open to capture pics of the lightning he manged to capture some spectacular shots. Unfortunately I do not have any to show you but if i find a link where he has shared them will post that  link here.

Lillico Beach Saturday evening March 16

 

 

In the last pic you can just see the Spirit of Tasmania the Bass Strait Ferry commencing its nightly crossing to Melbourne.

 

We met two lovely young couples last night. One couple were  from Minnesota in the United States and the other from Belgium. Both were on working visas here in Australia and were here in Tasmania for a few weeks. The couple from  Belgium were picking apples at a local orchard.

 

Block 2 of HIA Floral Sketches 2 should also go out this afternoon. Just a reminder that I am using Moda Cuzco for those two quilts . I am doing one quilt with the 5x7 designs and one with the 6x10 designs. However, you will be able to swap the blocks if you wish because both quilt blocks for each lesson will be the same finished size.

 

I am also going to do two quilts with  HIA Floral Sketches 1 and I am using Moda Honey Honey for that quilt.

 

Floral Sketches Block 2

This morning it has rained and it is no longer humid and revolting. I hop it is not too cold down at the  penguins tonight.

 

I have spent the morning working on Block 2 of Floral Sketches BOM using the Hatched in Africa Floral Sketches 2 designs. I think I am probably the first mad person to try and do matching BOM quilts, one with the 5x7 design set and one with the 6x10 design set. Both blocks end up at 16 inches square. In reality you can choose which block to use for each particular block placement. For example I could use Block 1 large with Block 2 small and they will fit together. I really like this  Moda Cuzco line of fabric by Kate Spain.

You can still sign up to for this free BOM by sending me an email.

Floral sketches Block 2 with 5x7 designs

Floral sketches Block 2 with 6x10 designs

Blocks 1 and 2 Large

Blocks 1and 2 Small.

As you can see I have transposed where their placement form one quilt to another.

I have also started stitching out a BOM using Floral Sketches 1.

 

Hop on over to  Oregon Patchworks and pick up 1 or all of the 10 of Hatched in Africa's $1 sets. They are at the top of this page but only for a couple more days. I could not believe that the Peapod Babies were there so I snapped them up to make a baby quilt down the track.

Linda's Block 4

Nancy's Blocks 1-3

 

A few more cat pics have come in from Lind and Nancy. It is just so great to see these and I think you will agree with me that it gives us incentive to get more of our blocks done.

Latest Project

Yesterday was spent making this quilt for my hairdresser. Last year when I told he that I had made one for my secret buddy at school she got very excited so I thought I would surprise her by making one for her. I dropped it off today when she wasn't there and it was waiting when she arrived for work. Her excited and emotional phone call was all the thanks that I needed.

Carlton Football Team Quilt

 

It is almost an exact copy of the quilt I made last year and is a great design for a sport colour quilt. You can find the details of where to locate the tutorial on this page,

 

I have also got a couple more pics to put up from people who are making the HIA Aristocat quilt BOM. Again it is so good to see how people choose their colours and how they combine them all giving very different outcomes.

Shirley's Blocks 1 and 2

Paula's Blocks 1 and 2

 

Latest Project- Project 9 -The Fan Pillow

I started stitching this project before we went to  Canberra and then I put it tin a safe place, well you know the rest. Managed to find it yesterday and have finished it off today. This is one of the projects where I am using the Martha Pullen Internet Embroidery Club designs for 2013. The design I used for this project is from the Recolor Vintage set. I also used some cotton emboroidered lace with ribbon theaded through it.

 

When I saw these designs I knew straight away that they were suited to this type of project. Many years ago OESD had a similar type of cushion with cats on it so I had that vaguely in my memory as they no longer seem to have that project on their site.

 

This cushion has curved sections and I have put a zipper in the back . I like the white on white palette but it would equally lovely done in coloured embroidery threads. I hope to have the tutorial sent out tomorrow to those who have signed up for my 2103 IEC Projects group.

Fan Pillow usnf Martha Pullen IEC design

Base of fan pillow

Zipper in Back of fan pillow

 

I have also had some ladies send in pics of their cat quilts in progress. I think we all love to see how other peole interpet colurs etc and it just gives us all a boost to keep going.

Nancy's Blocks 1 and 2

Bev's Blocks 1 and 2

Linda's Block 1-3