FATHERS DAY 2014

I had a great day on this Fathers Day. We celebrated with the son and daughter out for dinner last night at Mount Macedon hotel. We had a great time. A very noisy night.. But fun. Hahaha.

So today hubby was a bit tired. We did do a bit of shopping then home for lunch. My time to disappear into my work room and leave hubby to relax & have his own time.

So I focussed on finishing off the last of the boys 21st puzzle quilts.

Then I have joined in doing an AUSSIE HERO QUILT. 

Read about it here...http://aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com.au/p/a-brief-history.html

My guy liked TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE so this is what I did.

He also has a laundry bay to go with it.

I am linky up with Val on her Tuesday archives. This is not a funny quilt really but I think it funny some of the requests from the AUSSIE HEROS on deployment. I hope this quilt puts smiles on a lot of peoples faces. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Vals Quilting Studio

http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/tuesday-archives-27-fmq-funnest-quilt.html

Then I continued on with my block swaps for this month.

Sue is enjoying a trip away so we got our partners for this month a little early and at the same time.

This is where it all began...

http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au

I like this idea because I spend one afternoon focussing just on them.

They are now done.

My 12" block for Traci. Traci wanted Dorothy's star done with a white background and any other
colour of choice. Mine was a nice chocolate brown.
http://www.quilterscache.com/D/DorothysStarBlock.html

Next for the day was my Paper Pieced swap for Anna. When this swap started we were partners for the first month. I am still getting the same block " Hunters Star. " but Anna has changed and now is wanting a 12" Atlantic Seas block.. http://www.quilterscache.com/images52/atlanticseastemp.gif

I think I still need a lot of work on paper piecing. My points are not matching. I hope Anna likes this block. It took me ages to do. These are shades of black and grey with a background of white.

Last thing on the list for the day was the 6" swap. Carolyn wanted any two 6" blocks done with 1930s fabrics. I'm not really sure if these are the right fabrics. I think they are. I do like these fabrics and blocks. I made a baby cot quilt with these pretty fabrics.A traditional Rail Fence and Spool block.

These are a very sweet pink so I hope that Carolyn likes them.

A Beautiful day. Sunny & Stitching

It was a beautiful day on Sunday.

The sun was out, flowers are blooming. Spring is nearly here.

The kookaburras are laughing and we had a visiting bird strutting through the front yard..

All the time I was stitching away watching tv.....

Such a relaxing day.

The bindings are done and 2 more finishes.....

A wonderful JIGSAW PUZZLE QUILT

& my HILLY HOUSES....

I am linking up with... http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/slow-sunday-stitching_24.html

& http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/ntt-time.html 

NTT ...... NEEDLE & THREAD THURSDAY.

More boys bindings

I'm just sitting here today watching the trees blowing, a movie on, the heater going and stitchin down the binding on another boys PUZZLE QUILT.

I'm linking up with Kathy from  http://kathysquilts.blogspot.ca  for SLOW SUNDAY STITCHING.

BINDING, BINDING and more BINDING

Scrappy Wonky Stars

This month over at Angela's at Soscrappy there is  SCRAP HAPPY SATURDAY going on. I have sat down and made 4 more wonky star blocks. The colour this month is RED. I need a quilt for a sweet friend of my son who just turned 21. The stars represent my son. So whenever she needs warmth she can wrap herself in this quilt and think of him... All the boys are getting the puzzle quilts, the girls will get a wonky star. I also got 2 more puzzle quilts quilted and the wonky star pieced and quilted. All have the binding attached so I can sit down on Sunday and start hand stitching it down and join in the fun with everyone over at KATHY's SLOW STITCHING SUNDAY

My blocks measure 18" square.

The quilts.
Wonky star measures 51" * 68"
Puzzle quilts measure 48" * 72"

After I got the bindings on I caught up on my RSC14 SAMPLER blocks over at Soscrappy.

The DONUT & HASHTAG block

I then realised I hadn't done my pink month for the bubble quilt. So here they are too.

I had an early start and a late night. I had trouble sleeping & it was freezing here. Instead of sitting and doing nothing I turned the heater up and put one DVD after another and sewed, sewed & sewed.

A very productive day......

Bindings complete

I have finally finished the bindings and labels on 2 of my puzzle quilts for the boys 21sts.

I haven't taken a photo of the labels as they are all similar to the one already done HERE

The one on the left was quilted with a free motion foot and the other one was quilted using a walking foot.

I am much happier with the free motion foot. It was quicker and easier and gave a nicer, flatter finish.

Have a look at what others were doing on Slow stitch Sundays HERE

4 Day Retreat with friends part 1

I was lucky enough to go away with my local quilt group, Kilmore Quilters last weekend. Our 4 day retreat was to the Alpine Ash retreat at Toolangi. We had a great time with lots of laughter and fun, of course, some sewing too.

This is what I got up to.....

 

5 BLANKETS OF LOVE  for CHERYLL

Another jigsaw puzzle quilt for the boys. This one is a little different. I ran out of some larger fabric and was left with smaller pieces. So I decided to cut some 6" squares and fit them into a 12" to give a different look.

 And of course we visited The Patchwork Teahouse in Warburton for lunch and shopping.

We also had Anna's Patchwork Quilt shop from Taggerty visit us

They are done

Here they are. The rest of my puzzle quilts...

I have been so busy and the flimsy's are done.......
Except 2 still need some more binding.
I had to get a day where it wasn't too windy so I could get a photo with all of them together.
They are looking good.

Since taking this photo I have finished putting all the bindings around the puzzle pieces.

All I have to do to them is quilt them.

These will be ready for the boys birthdays this year.

Link up this week is HERE at WIP Wednesday....

A busy week

Let's get in the Christmas spirit early.
I have decided to join in with Cheryll and a whole lot of others for the CHRISTMAS IN JULY swap.
Go over to HERE and see what it's all about.






MEANWHILE.
I have been staying at a friends house in NSW and catching up on some sewing. I have been very busy with lots more still to do.

Here is the view I have while I'm sewing, eating & watching tv. Isn't it stunning..
Merrimbula, NSW....

As you can see from the above photo the colour of this block is far more beige than the photo on the left.
Anyway, this is the block I have done for my swap partner, Carolyn, over at QBSA...

Then I have been working on more puzzle quilts for the boys.

I have another 4 to do...

My friends dog just had to get in
there.






So today I have continued to sew and join in the fun with everyone for
 FRIDAY NIGHT WITH FRIENDS

Easy JIGSAW PUZZLE quilt

I have started to make my sons friends their very own quilt for their 21st.

I made this for my son on is 18th so there will be lots of memories.

Here is how they are done.

You can choose any size block according to what fabric you have. The size of block & amount of blocks is purely up to you. I have cut my blocks @ 12.5". So across the width of fabric I get enough for 3 blocks and all the tabs.

Here are my blocks & tabs cut out, layed out in a pleasing design and ready for peeling the vliesofix & ironing in place.

I have stitched all the blocks together and am now ironing on the bias binding from top to bottom along the seam lines and around the tabs. Stitch down each row as you go. If you place all the bias it may peel off with all the handling.

 

Here I am placing the binding in the opposite direction. 

It is amazing how much the puzzle pieces stand out.

All the bias binding are stitched on & ithe quilt top is ready for quilting. I am not putting any borders on it. The quilt measures 48" x 72". It is a very fun quilt. Good to use theme fabrics or another way to make an I spy quilt.

I have only quilted either side of the bias to keep it looking like puzzle pieces.

 Here it is FINISHED and ready to give.

And yes there is a label too.

I printed it on Fabric and stitched it in to the binding

Life's like a Jigsaw Puzzle

I made this quilt for my sons 18th birthday. Unfortunately he only got to use it for 7 months before he passed away. 

It's a sad time for me thinking of his upcoming 20th birthday.

This year all his mates are starting to turn 21. They all speak of John & miss him so much. 

I have decided to make the boys their very own puzzle quilt.

I will make this quilt with 12" blocks with 4 across & 5 down. A total of 24...

I am going to put 1 plain black piece in to represent my son being missing.

I have cut out squares for 5 quilts, traced the little tabs & now I am cutting.

I need 2 for next week. Why did I leave it so late to start. I bought the fabric months ago.

Boy do I like a deadline. Will post photos as I finish them.

Now I have to choose a design for the girls.....