Relaxing time camping with my Kawandi

 We decided to go away camping with our daughter and family for a weekend. 

Of course I took my sewing. The blue Kawandi tablecloth. A little bit was sewn

It was a really cold day so we needed to be close to the fire.

This kept us a little warmer in the evening

Linking up with Slow stitching Sunday

August Challenge is no. 3 — My Blue 40th birthday quilt

 This quilt kit was a gift for my 40th birthday. I started it straight away and finished the top not so long after. I put it away for a while before getting it basted for hand quilting. I started the hand quilting and it got put away once again. This has happened a few times over the last 20 years but it’s time to get it back out and do some more. I do like hand quilting so let’s see how I get motivated this month. Thanks to Deana for spinning the wheel and selecting no. 3.

So here it is. My Blue hearts birthday quilt

This is how I had left it in my blanket box. Now that’s not really smart

I have even started sewing on the binding to protect the wadding going everywhere.

Quilting in the centre of the log cabin blocks.

The quilting on the back.

Echo quilting in the background. This wasn’t the best choice but it’s done so I will have to do the other corners the same.

Another shot of it in progress.

Now to go and find the thread I was using.

 Mmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!

End of month reporting

 It’s the last day of the month and I had my challenge item sitting on the couch, waiting to be worked on, until 2 days ago. My En Provence Bonnie Hunter 2016 - 2017 mystery quilt needed its binding. I actually stuck with it and finished the top in January 2017. There it sat until I finally got them Quilted in 2023 by Judy.

 Then it was trimmed and the binding machined on to the front. Once again, it sat in the cupboard.

But thanks to the challenge it’s number 1 was drawn out to be worked on in July. And I did it. The hand stitching is done.

It is finished and beautiful.

I have also put a hanging sleeve on and the label. So when I gift it everything is ready.

So cute all rolled up.

I am linking up with Deana over at

https://dreamworthyquilts.blogspot.com/2024/07/july-chookshed-linky-15-minutes-phd-and.html

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