Machine maintenance time

Well, it doesn't seem that long ago I cleaned my machine but a picture tells a thousand stories.  

I opened the bobbin area to a mess

WOW, making my own felt

Sideways photo

That's quite a bit

That looks a lot better

And I thought that I haven't sewn much at all.

Now time for a new needle and off we go again.

My Brothers golf Placemat

 I used up all the scraps from the golf quilt and wanted a placemat for my brother. He liked the kawandi style one I was making when he last visited. 

This was made in May so doesn't qualify for my challenge this month.

I had enough fabric.

I draw the lines on with chalk. This way my stitching go straight. I also use 2 thimbles. The palm one helps push the needle through and the finger thimble also pushes as well as grabs the needle when it is tough to work through the fabric.

I'm getting close to finishing. Will I have enough thread?

I had enough thread. The Kawandi stitching is complete.

It was put on the table straight away and used that night.

What happened in May

 I don't know. Not much I suppose. I was missing in action. I found myself spending too much time reading blogs and watching Youtube. I was not getting anything else done apart from drs appointments. Ever since I got back from Scrub Stitchin' (post will still happen) my enthusiasm faded and I went down the technology rabbit hole. I did hide away and do some sewing which I will slowly post about during June.

It's a new month so I will do a post about my scrappy green mystery project (which I am still to complete) to link up with Scrap Happy Saturday. 

During May I did work on a mystery with Conquering Mount Scrapmore.

CHAOS MYSTERY QUILT

All the weekly clues make up this 20" block

So 16 blocks make an 80' * 80" quilt

I didn't have a big enough piece of fabric for the backing. I don't normally piece my backings. I thought because it is a scrappy block and a large block why not make an extra large block for the backing. So I made an 80" block like the 20' block. My rectangles were 16" * 32", 16" squares and instead of making large flying geese I made 1/2 square triangles measuring 16".

Now to assemble the pieces into the backing the same way as I made the block for the front.

I failed and didn't do anything with May's challenge, my Flip La K bag.

Chookshed Challenge June # 5

Hopefully I will have better luck this month. I will be working on making some more placemats for charity. 

Maybe I will do some in ORANGE. the colour for the month of June for RSC 

Scraphappy Saturday

***** EDITED ***** May CHOOKSHED challenge is # 8…. FlipLa K ruler bag

 Ok. So my challenge item this month is # 8… To make a bag for my Flip La K rulers. It was on last year’s list but never got done. I just went to get my fabrics out and the embroidered sign wasn’t in there. That’s 2 I have lost now. A friend did the signs for me. Mmmmmm

****** EDITED ******

Another friend had my embroidered sign mixed up with her sewing. AND it’s GREEN too.

You can read on my Previous 2024 post to learn more about it.

LINK UP

And it’s green month at RSC. Maybe this project will be green.

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/2025/05/green-in-spring.html

I am doing a quick post before April ends.

 Wow, what a month April has been. I will need to do a few catch up posts since my last one as I have been a little bit cheeky. I did make a quick, sneaky trip to Scrub Stitchin with my hubby. Everyone was surprised. We had a great time, arrived home exhausted and burnt out. More posts will cover this.

I am going to do this post about my golf quilt. Blocks were decided upon getting what I could from the fabric I had. I had a large piece of the check fabric for the backing but I needed to cut into it to tie all the blocks together and get them to fit.

I had a small piece of burgundy I used for the border. I cut it out as wide as I could get for the fabric I had. It ended up cutting at 6.5”.

The quilting was decided. Foot width either side of the block seams. 

As well as diagonally both ways from corner to corner.

I didn’t have enough of the blue fabric left for the binding. But I did have these 1.5” strips left.

Mmmmm. So I cut some of the burgundy fabric

And sewed them together

Which made 2.5” strips perfect for binding. When machine sewn on the navy will show and the burgundy will be hidden.

My brother loves chillies and even grows his own so I thought this was a perfect label.

All binding is hand stitched down and completed. 

The quilt ended up being 68” * 80”.

The backing fabric I had left after cutting in to it ended up being 1” bigger all the way around.

 It was just meant to be.

Blowing in the breeze with the beautiful sky above

This is for my brother who is 6 foot 6” tall so it is a good size for him. He also loves golf. I love how his has worked out. Starting from a pile of fabrics, just cutting and sewing from what was there. Not knowing what size it would be. I am a very happy person.

My April CHOOKSHED challenge # 4 was completed early April. You can read about it HERE

Click on the link End of month link up to see what others sewed this month

Planning a golf quilt.

 Ok, so while I have been home with Tony I have realised there are way too many projects in my sewing room. Whether they have been kitted, started, a flimsy, basted or just fabric, there is tooooo much.

I need to work on some. So I grabbed this one out.

It is all coordinating Golf fabric.

3 good panel squares and plenty of fabric.

There is also 4 metres of fabric that will go on the back.

I know who I can use this for. Just need a plan. 

The printed squares measures 14”. That’s my starting point.

I need a big quilt and the length will be about 2 metres, approx 80”

And width needs to be at least 60”…

I will make it as big as the fabric will allow.

A girls baby quilt done.

 I found another bag of baby girl scraps left over from a quilt I made years ago.  

What can I make from these?

Layout the pieces that were already sewn. Then cut some filler blocks

All pieced together

I found a piece nearly big enough for backing and binding

With the little pieces I had to join them to get a strip as wide as the backing. 

It needed a little bit of length to be perfect.

I quilted approx 1/4” (foot width) either side of the sashing strips

Added a label 

And spent my Sunday relaxing with some hand stitching.

Completed… measures. 34” * 45”

The strip added on the back looks good.

The label is on the side covering a little mark that wouldn’t come out.

Linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday

Neo Natal covers.

 In my charity tub were small scraps of baby prints.

I grouped them in colours and stitched away

Patched the boys prints.

Added flannelette as the backing

Then did the girls one. This centre block was a quilt member who was doing a tutorial on improv scrap hexagons/blocks. Too cute to waste.

Lots of scraps of flannelette was needed for the back.

These measure 24” square. No need for wadding. A flannel backing is enough.

A few more placemats

 I have a tub of leftover donated items and fabric scraps.

Amongst them were three pieces of trialled art pieces. Perfect for placemats

All I needed to do was add bindings.

DONE. This was an easy fix..

That’s 28 out of 50 completed.

I think I like this size so I am going to make mine about 12” *16”…

Scrub Stitchin & Clayton’s Scrub Stitchin

Well, so many are on the road and already at Scrub Stitchin. But for some this is the next best thing.

https://bushretreat2018.blogspot.com/2025/04/claytons-scrub-stitchin.html 

A CLAYTONS SCRUB STITCHIN…

So what have I prepared.

Potato Chip blocks

Get out my red box.

Cut plenty of 2.5” * 4.5” blocks.

All in Red….

Add it to my greens and yellow..

I have joined a swap and need to cut 5 lots of 20 pieces. I will add many other colours to this before I decide to post them out.

And the Village house blocks. I am following this tutorial to get the 5 * 2 blocks required for a swap.

https://www.alandacraft.com/2020/05/24/village-quilt-block-tutorial/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR4aPdpyWX2MzPm4jaojEAU3XHsCtfKDE_6hCHykr8ixs7biRzpvcJ-IkGfPOw_aem_9Q-Tolm1cZp8D_vQFow4Xg

I am taking part in an online swap for these and need to get a few cut and sewn. I am cutting what is required before I start sewing.

So let’s see where this takes me.

I can also link up with So scrappy Red month.. 

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/2025/04/scraphappy-saturday-now-in-red.html