Chateau Hexagon - Birdhouse Corner

I've signed up for Lynette Anderson's (Mystery) Button Club - Chateau Hexagon. It started this month and runs for 9 months.  I'm using the fabrics suggested by Lynette, which have the most wonderful, muted and muddy palette. At the end of it I'll have a 26" x 37" quilt to hang on my wall.

The first block is "Birdhouse Corner".

And I've finished stitching it!

 

It's a lovely block to start off with . . . and has the cutest little bumble bees!!! Now I'm into the swing of it, bring on month 2, I say . . .


Pattern: Chateau Hexagon - Month 1 - Birdhouse Corner
Designer: Lynette Anderson
Publication: http://lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/lynette_anderson_designs/

Badger Cottage

A little while ago I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a full day workshop with Lynette Anderson . . . and these two projects from the Badger Cottage pattern are what we worked on for the day . . .

A journal cover with the cutest little yo-yos (Suffolk Puffs) and a pencil case with lots of little hexies.

The main fabric for the journal cover is a beautiful brushed cotton (found while scouring the store for fabric with Lynette for the "Stitched By Me" quilt I plan to make).

I really enjoyed working on both of these projects and thoroughly enjoyed having Lynette as a tutor . . . her style really suited me and she was great fun!

I was really in need of a bit of stitching companionship and I'd have to say that this workshop came at just the right time for me. To make the day complete I shared a table with a great group of ladies . . . and we even managed a stitch or two amid all the chatting and eating . . .


Pattern: Badger Cottage
Designer: Lynette Anderson
Publication: http://lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/lynette_anderson_designs/

Hugs and Kisses

A gift was in order for a special little girl . . . and she definitely feels the cold.

So, at this time of year in Australia . . . a heat pack it is!


I made a slip cover (just like a pillow case) with thin wadding and some raw-edge applique.

The heat pack itself inside is just a simple bag, filled with rice and stitched closed across the top.

It slips inside the cover . . .

Gets heated in the microwave . . .

And there you have it. A little bit of warmth . . .

And hugs and kisses too!

Early Mother's Day & The Rajah Quilt

We celebrated Mother's Day a day early, to fit in with life going on around us . . . and what a lovely day it was.

We started by meeting up with Mum for morning tea at a great tea house called Adore Tea. They have over 200 different types of tea . . . we sampled a few of them, with Turkish Delight being the winner for us today.


These guys are the reason I get to celebrate Mother's Day - Number 1 Son, who is a gentle, giant, bear of a man, with a very, very dry sense of humour, and Number 1 Daughter, who has a smile that lights up a room and the most infectious laugh I know.


So we shared tea, hot chocolate, scones and Poffertjes. I would have shown a picture of those, but we indulged before I thought about photos, so this is what I can show . . .



Then, the kids joined me for a visit to the National Museum of Australia to see the "Not Just Ned" Exhibition - A True History of the Irish in Australia. The main thing I wanted to see at the exhibition was the Rajah Quilt, and it was amazing! A true testament to the generosity of spirit of our kids, they were infinitely patient while I viewed the quilt (which I'm sure took about 200 times longer than they would have hoped!!).

At 325cm x 337cm (128" x 132.5") the sheer size of the Rajah Quilt is impressive. But when you consider that this quilt was made by convict women on board the ship "The Rajah" during their 3 1/2 month journey from England to Australia in conditions beyond imagination, the end result is astounding. A broderie perse medallion is surrounded by no less than 12 borders, most pieced, some appliqued. To see what was achieved by these women in 1841 in the hull of a convict ship with limited skills and supplies makes me feel like anything is possible . . . all that's needed is determination and perseverance. All the mod-cons and fancy tools are just a bonus!

If you ever get a chance to see this quilt, I promise you you won't be disappointed.

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."
Elizabeth Stone

Crown Bag

Inspired by our night of royal-ness and wedding-watching, I decided to make a crown bag. Not that I have a crown to go in it or anything, but you never know!!

This is a really simple bag to make up. I've made it in several sizes now, from about 4 inches square up to about 10 inches square. The little ones are cute, but for usability, I think 7 inches is good.

So, I start with 5 squares of the same size . . . 7" x 7" for the outer, and the same for the lining.



I drew up a crown and used vliesafix to attach the crowns, ready for raw-edge applique.



I really like the sketchy look of straight stitch, raw-edge applique. When I am doodling or sketching I invariably find myself drawing over the same lines more than once, so the look of this stitching style suits me . . .


Once all the embellishment to the side squares is done, I join one side at a time to each side of the bottom square. Then stitch the side seams from the top edge to the bottom corner. I do the same for the lining, leaving an opening on one of the side seams for turning through.

I make 2 loops, 1 each (about 3" long) for opposite sides and a long strip (about 20" long) for the handle, which is attached at the other pair of opposite sides . . . so all 4 sides have something attached to them. On the smaller bags I've found using ribbon for the loops is really good. I pin the loops and handle right side out, facing down, to the outer bag squares and pin or tack them in place. Then I put the bag outer inside the lining, right sides together and stitch around the top edge, making sure to catch the loops and handles in the seam.

Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining side seam. Hand stitch the opening closed and voilà . . .



one cute and useful little bag - in all its "crowning glory". Slip the handle through each of the side loops, pull it up to close the bag and you're good to go!



If crowns aren't your thing, these bags are a nice way to try a new block or use some of your "just had to have it" fabric. The options are limitless!





Pattern: Crown Applique
Designer: Sue Hampson

Civil War Quilts - Block 3

Block 3 of Barbara Brackman's Civil War Quilts is "Seven Sisters"

It's been a while since I've done any needleturn, so I found these stars a bit of a challenge. I can needleturn circles till the cows come home, but my stars may have a slight starfishy-ness about them on this block! Still, Block 3 done! There's a flickr group going with lots of these blocks being added all the time. So if you're thinking of making a start on this block of the week, or you just want to see what others are doing with their blocks, it's well worth a look.

If you get a chance, click on over to Fiona's Blog - Peaceful Threads by Fiona. She's celebrating her 2nd Blogging Anniversary today. Fiona always has something on her blog to inspire and motivate, whether it's a glorious piece of stitching or wonderful pictures of her pretty special part of the world. Well done Fiona . . . and thanks for sharing!


Pattern: Civil War Quilts - Seven Sisters
Designer: Barbara Brackman
Publication: http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/

Alison's Puzzle

I started this quilt back in 2008 on a quilt retreat with a group of friends. At a retreat 6 months earlier, we were talking about things we'd like to do . . . and my friend Alison talked about how she wanted to try things that were a bit 'outside the square', or outside of her comfort zone. One of those things was learning needle turn applique. While we were there for the weekend, our hostess/tutor, Carol, designed the centre panel and made it up for us to see if we would like to work on it as project on our next retreat.

And we did.

And it was named "Alison's Puzzle".



The centre panel hung for a long time on the design wall (well, actually it was pinned on the top of another quilt that I could see every time I sat down to sew) until I made up my mind what I wanted to do with it.

Would it be an enormous cushion?

Or a small wall hanging?

A bed quilt?

I decided not to make a full size quilt, but rather I added pin wheels and a plain border to make a wall quilt, which is 50 inches square. I've used a striped binding, the same fabric as the inner border.

I'm glad to see this one finished and hanging on the wall. And I'm also glad to say that Alison finished hers into a single bed size quilt. It's in wonderful blues and browns. And it looks fantastic.

So thanks Alison for being willing to challenge yourself, and taking us along on the journey with you!


Pattern: Alison's Puzzle
Designer: Carol Pasfield
Quilted by: Quilts With Attitude

Re-purposed Applique

I've read how a few ladies like to applique or stitch with a cushion on their lap for a bit of support or to raise their work so they don't end up with neck strain. Well I use a Stable Table - a little lap table with a bean bag base. It's really handy, especially as it has a trough around the outside so things don't roll off. It's also slightly non-slip on the surface, so that helps keep things in place too.





Now while I find this table very useful, I wasn't really all that in love with the coffee beans image that was on the top. So I decided to do something about it.

I had made a start on some of the blocks in the Homespun Magazine "Breast Of Friends" quilt, but I lost motivation after about 3 1/2 of them (there are 12 in all, I think). The first one I had made was this one - it's a Leanne Beasley design and I really love the filled in backstitch swirls on this block.





So, rather than have the block sit in a bag and go to waste I thought I would re-purpose it. (If you're interested in more ideas on "re-purposing", check out NotJustNat - she's a wizz at taking something old and making it new again!) I covered the original coffee bean picture with my block, slipped it back under the surface . . .



and voilà . . .



One updated stable table that should see me through many more stitching hours to come!

How have you re-purposed your orphan blocks?

"Our Home" - finished and framed

Well, I haven't had too many finishes this year - LOTS of new things started, though . . . hmmm, does this mean I have finishing issues? Or just busy multi-tasking? The answer depends on who you ask!!!

Anyway, I have finished this . . .



It's the "Our Home" applique (by Lynette Anderson), which I wrote about here and here. It's been finished for a little while, but now it's framed and hanging on the wall. I put the year "2009" on it, even though I made it this year, in honour of 2009 being the year we moved into our current home.

I'm really pleased with the way it turned out - a little piece of cheeriness celebrating our home.

A Weekend of Stitching

Well, over the long weekend, amongst all the relaxing, spending time with family and a bit of pottering in the garden I managed to get some stitching done.



This is from the 'Our Home' pattern which I won from Lynette Anderson. It is a really lovely pattern.

The original pattern has 'Welcome to Our Home' stitched across the "grass", but I'm not sure that that's what I want on mine . . . I don't think it will be hanging near the front door, so the words, for now, will remain absent. So, this is a completed (almost) project for the weekend. It feels good to start and finish something in a reasonable time frame. It's a different head space from the more longer term projects I have on the go at the moment.

Did you get any stitching done over the weekend in your world?

Look What I Won . . .

I entered a competition on Lynette Anderson's Blog and I won!

This little parcel of goodies arrived in the mail . . .



It's one of  Lynette's new patterns called 'Our Home'. It a little applique and stitchery and is just gorgeous!




And what about these buttons? They are soooo cute!



Thank you so much, Lynette. Guess you know what I'll be stitching over the weekend . . .

P.S. You should go to Lynette's blog and have a look at her new quilt called 'Scandanavian Christmas'. This one I am definitely doing!