What have I been doing

 Not my challenge no 1, or anything much else really. I have been unwell this week with no energy. Snugged up at home and trying to stay warm.

However, I have been crocheting. A friend has requested some help with donating some 8” squares to charity. I could surely manage that. So out came some yarn scraps and off I went. I have made 20 C2c squares. That’s corner 2 corner. Easy to make without too much concentration. 

I have wanted to pick up my Kawandi tablecloth and get some more stitched but I felt it was too big for how I felt. Instead, I worked on a small project for a friend. I had an idea to make a gift card for her birthday card. I pulled some scraps of fabric with a few things she liked. We have travelled together, we both like scraps, she likes artsy projects, she uses script fabric, loves her garden, loves blue and really enjoys vintage things. I had mums old threads so used some to stitch with..

My idea was to make a Kawandi inspired card. 

This is the result….

Linking up with Kathy on Slow Stitching Sunday

June 21 & 28th Farmers Wife blocks.

 Chooky called a quick zoom session the other Sunday so I sat and tried to print my next blocks. The printer was playing up and wouldn’t pick up the paper. It nearly ended up in the bin. BUT I got my printer to work so while we were talking I printed out all of the remaining patterns. Tonight I have just finished sewing up the last blocks of June.

Block 3

Block 99

Block 45

Block 52

Now to get started on the July blocks.

These are only 6” blocks. Some take hours to make and others only a north amount of time.

This quilt has 115 blocks in it so I’ll be working on it for a while.

June 7 & 14th Farmers Wife blocks.

 It’s cold and wet outside. It’s the best guilt free weather to sit inside and sew.

So, I have been sewing all weekend. I had a few patterns printed out and I got them sewn. Went to print the next lot yesterday and had some trouble. So for the day I got blocks sewn.

Luckily there have been a few easier ones to catch up.

No.30

No.18

No. 66

No.62

Thanks to Susan Gatewood for easy to print out paper foundation patterns. This has made it so much easier to sew the harder blocks.

My Saturday at a fun sewing day.

 

I was at my sewing day on Saturday and was sitting next to my friend Chris. She was doing some paper foundation blocks an a project called Vesta quilt. I recognised the block as the same that Deanna was making.

I said how I knew Deana was making it too and she had fussy cut the centre circle. Chris had also seen this on the Vesta site. I emailed Deana to tell her my story and connect the two. So another story to show its a small world and quilting connects opposite sides of the world.

Now what was I working on…. I couldn’t find any posts about this project or fabric. Anyway, I bought a beautiful pack of beige/cream/latte/brown and aqua fabric from Judy’s Cornerstone Creations. I also had some fabrics at home that matched and bought some more at a quilt stand at some show/sew in. 

I wanted to make a quilt for our new van and just loved the colours. But, I have now decided, since getting the van, that these colours weren’t right. The quilt on our bed suited better. I needed a quilt for our bed….. Now to choose a quilt to make.

A friend of mine was making a beautiful quilt but didn’t know the name or have a pattern. She was shown how to do it. I don’t see her very often but then I came across it on Pinterest called Kira, Knock Knock or Magic Star. https://quirksltd.wordpress.com/2021/01/24/new-weapon/ had a tutorial showing how to make the block. SUPER EASY.

This was my inspiration 

but want to try to have a darker edge like this one.

Who knows what it will end up like.

After my Saturday sewing this is my progress so far. I have already cut all the fabrics into 10” squares. I got out as many as I could from the fat 1/4’s, and metreage. I have no idea what I have used.

Take them all out of the box and iron flat.

Put them into their light and dark piles.

Find the matching pair

All paired up with right sides together. Layered ready to make 1/2 sq triangles. The tutorial shows cutting them first then sewing together.

I layered them right sides together, drew the lines to sew on 

then cut. 

NOW………

Can anyone help me out.

I am going to be doing a Jill Christian wool felt workshop. I have to supply the wool felt. The thing is i am not going to do a big project and only need a few little pieces. Could anyone spare some scraps and post them to me. I couldn’t find any online/pinterest pictures of the project. It will have a possum, gum leavers & flowers. Picture will only be about 5” * 10”. 

Can anyone spare some scraps and pot them to me?

Farmers Wife - still catching up.

 I am still catching up with my Farmers Wife blocks. I have a few friends sewing along too. We were hoping to get 2 blocks done a week. Sometimes this happens and more times than not it doesn’t. I have a few more blocks to show. Thankfully some easy ones were done. Here are the blocks for May 24th.

Blocks 39 & 88

I use the easy 8 method and make 8 at a time 1/2 square triangles. I can then trim them to the perfect size with my bloc loc ruler.

Next up blocks 6 & 13 for May 31st

Slowly getting the blocks joined using the webbing method.

And here it is. Looking very pretty.

These are only 6” blocks and some have taken up to 5 hours to make 1 block.

Here is the next row ready to sew onto the quilt.

CHOOKSHED challenge . July no. 1 … Binding in winter

 Oh good choice this month. CHOOKSHED challenge no.1 has been drawn to work on in July

I will be working on finishing a binding on my Bonnie Hunter En Provence quilt started in 2017.

The binding was attached back in May 2023 

Now to get the binding completed.

I’m linking up with Deana

 https://dreamworthyquilts.blogspot.com/2024/06/july-chookshed-challenge-number.html

CHOOKSHED challenge end of month report. I finished it.

 Back to my sashiko piece. I was up to here.

We decided to go away for the weekend camping. It was close to home but the weather was nice.

We had a lovely view of the lake.

And the evenings sunset was so beautiful. Sorry about the grainy photo but you can see the colours.

Enjoyed some sewing time.

The next day was even warmer with the sun out. We had to put the awning out.

Enjoyed sitting beside the fire in the evening.

Only 3 sides left to do around the outside by the time we headed for home.

I was so close I had to continue the same night.

It’s done….

Hopefully when I wash it the drawn lines around the edge will come out. 

Fingers crossed.

Slow Stitching Sunday with Kathy

Maxine held a little tutorial this month.

 My quilt group has a tutorial each month held by one of our members. This month was with Maxine.

It was a cute little felt toggle/charm stitched by hand. No step by step photos.

We started with a strip of felt and rolled it up. Stitched a ribbon around. Did a decorative stitch top and bottom. 

I have it hanging on my bag.

Button on the bottom and ribbon around the sides.

Topped with seed beads.

More Farmers Wife catch ups.

 May 17th blocks 65 & 57

I really liked this block. It went together very well and looks pretty with these fabrics.

It did take a little while to make.

I did this one a little different to the pattern. I removed some seams. If the next piece was the same fabric I cut them out as one piece.

The hardest part is choosing the fabrics.

Down the rabbit hole and a Kawandi appeared.

 I have really enjoyed my big stitch quilting, Sashiko and the new to me Kawandi style.

So down the rabbit hole I went.

I wanted to try a smaller piece with a brighter effect. Into my tub of fabric sets and packs I found this cute one.

I found a nice pice of fabric in my Farmers Wife tub.

It has been cut to size and the edges have been ironed over.

The charm pack has been cut up ready.

Normally Kawandi uses a sari cloth as the centre for some body. I wanted a little more thickness so I added quilt wadding.

The fabrics have started to be stitched. The first round is done.

Once again.. sitting here listening to YouTube and slow stitching away.

Stitching lots of different fabrics.

Give it an iron to keep it flat

I went a bit crooked so I had to fill in the gaps.

I was asked how I end of my thread. So here goes. Tie 2 single knots close to the work but not on top of each other.

Go back into the same hole as the last stitch

Pull the thread through and cut off. The end is all hidden now.

Look at this beautiful cloth. Measures 16” * 26”

It looks lovely against the green.

A lovely table centre.