The Happy Quilt

The day has finally arrived for me to show off my finished quilt!

The Happy Quilt
The Happy Quilt

Better known as the Double Wrench Mini Block Quilt (phew what a mouth full!), I re-named this little treasure The Happy Quilt.

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I came about this name while I was quilting it.

The thought struck: everything about this quilt just simply makes me happy!

They include –

The bright modern fabrics.

The choice of block.

The uneven quilting lines (I could never get them perfectly straight, even if my sewing machine depended on it!).

The individual characters each little mini block seems to hum.

The brave choice of finishing with a white (eek!) binding (I’ll regret that, I just know it!).

The fact that I used a lot of my scrap and bulk fabrics up (yippee – that means I get to shop for more fabric!).

That a majority of the blocks don’t match or perfectly join up at the seams or points (adds a bit of character I say!).

The size of the quilt: perfect as a lap quilt | perfect as a wall hanging | perfect for the bed.

I’m happy with the gamble I took on how I quilted it (I was prepared for some major puckering!!), with my patience and risk-taking rewarded with a brilliantly textured quilt!

It quite possibly will be my entry into the 2014 Sydney Quilt Show (we’ll see what happens between then and now!).

I’m happy that I simply stuck with it and just got it done.

And…the overall me-ness of the quilt just makes me happy (and there’s nothing wrong with that!).

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So to sum it all up, I’m just totally smitten with this quilt!

But to be honest, I’m now feeling a little lost at the realisation that it’s finished and that I don’t need to schedule my time around getting it completed…

A bit weird? Yes.

A bit sad? Yes.

But that’s what happens in a Quilter’s life…

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Source | Pinterest

Unfortunately it’s time to move onto other projects and give life to another heap of fabrics, threads and batting! (I’ve got tonnes of that stuff lying everywhere!)

If you want to see more of the photos I shot visit this Flickr Set or alternatively, you can watch this video!

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

Quilting My Guts Out!

Eww…totally gross post title there!

I do humbly apologise, but that was the only way I could explain what’s really happening at the moment…

You see, I’ve set myself a deadline…

'The Happy Quilt'
‘The Happy Quilt’

This quilt must be finished by this Friday!

I’m so over seeing it lying hopelessly unfinished in my sewing room – it deserves to be finished!

And it needed to be finished yesterday!

Well no, not really – that’s just impossible!

'Just Keep Quilting, Just Keep Quilting'
‘Just Keep Quilting, Just Keep Quilting’

I have 25cm (10″) left of quilt surface to finish quilting (it seems like a little, but at the same time it’s a lot – if you know what I mean!) then it’s onto attaching the binding and label!

Then, and only then, can I finally say that this sweet-sweet quilt is finished and I can introduce it to you in its beautiful entirety!

Phew, if only finishing the quilt took as quick as it was to write about it!

The reason why I’m anxious to get it finished is so that I can dive (quite literally) head first into my Handmade Christmas plans.

I’m doing things a little different this year and will be buying a few things BUT these bought items will be packaged/wrapped in ‘handmade’ and they will all be accompanied with a handmade card or swing tag.

I can’t wait to get started!

But this quilt needs to be finished first!

That last 25cm isn’t going to quilt itself (unfortunately!).

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

Two Years Later…

Two years ago, on this very day, I found the guts to start writing a blog.

I was nervous, unsure and a little bit scared at the thought of writing and publishing my own quilty work on the internet.

But I was looking for a challenge, an expressive medium and a chance to reach out to other creatives around the world!

And two years later, here we are! Still writing. Still making. Still challenged!

I thought for today’s post I would look down memory lane of the past year – reflecting on the good (and plain-right exciting!!) things that have happened over the past 12 months!

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Main picture: Me with my Minimalist: 101 quilt at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Show – my first ever entry into this show!

From bottom left to top right –

1. Hexie Cushion, detail. (I looove hexies!!)

2. London Phone Booth Embroidery, detail. (I wanna go to London so bad!!)

3. Mini Cot Quilt – hospital donation.

4. Painted Flowers Embroidery. (Click here to watch it come to life!)

5. Double Wrench Mini Blocks, quilt top only (ATM!!)

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From left to right –

1. Olfa Rotating Cutting Mat – featured in my 5 Quilting Tools I Couldn’t Live Without post & video.

2. Small Plates Lap Quilt – This quilt featured in my Fast Forward Quilting video!

3. Scrumptious Double Wrench Mini Block units ready to be ironed. (Simply delightful!)

4. Coloured Hexie Stack. (I looove colour!)

5. A snapshot of my Fiskars Rotary Blade – featured in my #instagramjunkie post.

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From left to right –

1. An array of fabrics used for Quilt Expo 2013 at Spotlight

2. Xavier’s Baby Quilt – read the post here.

3. Hexie Pincushion (Click here for the video tutorial!)

4. Lovely fabrics used in the Double Wrench Mini Blocks

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From left to right –

1. I Heart Colour wallhanging – machine paper pieced wonky log cabin blocks designed by yours truly! Quilt made from 100% scraps – nothing new was bought to make this baby!!

2. Sewing Notions – from the post #instagramjunkie

3. Tape Measure – from the post #instagramjunkie

4. Scissors Embroidery – made specially for my new sewing room door.

5. Scrap-Happy String quilt, detail.

This also happened during the year…

Encouraging blog stats!
Encouraging blog stats!

And this is what happened in my life behind the blog…

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Main picture: I became an Auntie again!! My fourth nephew, Xavier, was born in August! (Isn’t he just the cutest!!)

From left to right –

1. I decided to grow my hair out long – I’ve always had it really short (think, pixie/short-bob style for 6 years!) and decided a change was in need! (Change is a good thing, right?)

2. I took my ‘challenge’ mantra to the next level and started making YouTube videos featuring quilty stuff, life stuff and lots of other stuff. (I think of it as a cleansing [and confronting at times] way of finding my self-confidence…). Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there – it’ll help boost my self-confidence even more!! 😀

3. I drank a lot of tea!

So…wow!

It’s definitely been a busy year!

And I’m thankful it’s been a busy one, otherwise I would’ve just gone insane! Literally…

Thanks to everyone who has ever read my little blog and has left messages of encouragement and support! It really does mean a WHOLE LOT!

I’m terribly excited to see what the next 12 months will bring!!

*whoop-whoop*

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

Oh! And one last thing…

This happened during the year too –

My own precious sewing space!!

My place.

My hub.

My den.

My heaven.

Spring Embroidering

It’s been a slow week on the sewing front, but I did manage to finally finish my Double Wrench Mini Block Quilt top! Yay!

Completed | Double Wrench Mini Block Quilt top
Completed | Double Wrench Mini Block Quilt – top only

The final measurements are approx.: 118cm x 133cm (46½” x 52½”).

I’m currently productively procrastinating (a big juxtaposition if I’ve ever heard one!) from completing a pieced back for the quilt and am instead concentrating on an embroidery project/idea I’ve been meaning to do for ages!

I spent this morning stitching in the glorious Spring sunshine, amongst the buzzing bees and twittering birds, anxious to get this mission finished!

Embroidering in the Spring sun upon my Small Plates Lap Quilt
Embroidering in the Spring sun upon my Small Plates Lap Quilt

This project involves stop-motion photography and a looming YouTube video and I’m pretty excited to get it finished, as all the stills so far are looking really great!

This is where I’m up to so far as I wait for my camera battery to re-charge!

Embroidery Pattern from urbanthreads.com
Embroidery Pattern from urbanthreads.com

So that’s it for today; short and sweet!

There’s nothing better!

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

Here We Go Again…

…And off I go again, making some more mini Double Wrench blocks on this glorious Spring morning!

This setup looks familiar...
This setup looks familiar…

If I didn’t think making 42 mini blocks was enough, I finally made my mind up to add another 14 blocks to the mix; totalling the block count to a grand total of 56! (That’s a whole lotta little 1.5″ squares!)

Lots of little squares...
Lots of little squares…

I  really didn’t plan on making this quilt bigger than what it is now slowly becoming…

…Oh well.

It has been a while since I’ve actually pieced and finished a big quilt – the last one being my Jacob’s Ladder Quilt, which I completed in December last year! (Ohhh, I just love that quilt!)

So the iron’s ready to go, my blocks are lined up ready to be pieced and a great playlist of songs are ready to be (badly) sung along with…

…And off I go!

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

Manic for Mini Quilt Blocks!

A few weeks ago, I had a hankering to immerse myself into making some traditional blocks.

So I whipped out my 130 Mini Quilt Blocks book by Susan Briscoe and found the Double Wrench block hiding in the Country Classics chapter.

A must-have book for any quilter's library!
A must-have book for any quilter’s library!

Bingo!

‘That’s the one I want to do!’, I whispered to myself.

I plan to create a quilt that predominately features a traditional block design but is constructed with bright and colourful modern fabrics that have differing scaled prints and designs.

And I think I’m on my way to achieving that…

Blocks lined up like little soldiers!
Blocks lined up like little soldiers!
Perfect little blocks...
Perfect little blocks…

So far I’ve made 35 14cmx14cm (5 ½ inch) squares with 7 more to go to complete the size quilt I want.

When preparing the blocks, I found myself patiently taking the time to cut, piece and iron each little unit that makes up one block and finding it hard to resist taking some scrumptious photos along the way… (and flooding my instagram and twitter feeds!)

A sweet pile of fabric goodness!
A sweet pile of fabric goodness!
Freshly cut and pieced mini HST...ah, such delight!
Freshly cut and pieced mini HSTs…ah, such delight!
Mini units ready to be ironed and pieced together!
Mini units ready to be ironed and pieced together!

The construction of these blocks are easier than you think and I find that as soon as I’ve begun making one, I was onto constructing the next within minutes!

My set up | Organisation is the key to success!
My set up | Organisation is the key to success!

So when time permits, I’ll sew up the last 7 blocks, piece them altogether and save and save and save for some batting and then get this baby quilted and bound!

Yay!

Happy Sewing! xx