Modern Quilting – Page 2

WIP Weekly Update | #4

Procrastination.

It gets the best of us most of the time.

As for me, it’s pretty much all of the time.

The 12 Types of Procrastinators Comic by Angela Liao | Pinterest

Drawing your attention to the comic above, I can define my past week of quilting procrastination as the following –

The Cleaner | Sewing room must be tidy before any quilting can get done!

The Listmaker | I must do this, this and this before I can sit and quilt so I don’t feel guilty.

The Sidetracker| See last week’s WIP Weekly Update post – something about a Quilt Show entry that needed to be started but isn’t due for another five months!!

The Internet Researcher | It’s vital I keep up to date with the latest trends and must-haves in the quilting world…right? (Plus, cat videos are always crucial to watch, no matter what type of procrastinating you’re doing!)

The Snacker | Who doesn’t love a good snack when you’re purposely avoiding doing something?

The Watcher | I randomly started watching season nine of ER this week… Boy that show is good!!

The Perpetuator | Come 9 o’clock, I’m ready for bed! I tell myself: ‘Tomorrow will be the day I get stuck into it…hmm, maybe… I do still have four more eps of ER to watch before I finish the season.’

It’s a strange and amazing thing at what I’ll let myself do and tell myself to do just to put off doing some quilting.

Please don’t misunderstand: It’s not that I don’t like quilting a quilt; heck I love it to bits!

It’s just the initial getting started – the motivation, the time, the mindset, the energy and the heat (quilting a quilt in the middle of an Australian Summer bites!).

So that’s my excuse this week for not doing any work on my WIPs.

I’ll always be the first to admit that I easily succumb to procrastination’s sticky fingers. It’s a deep, deep flaw that resides in this little quilter…

I promise to do better over this coming week!

Happy Sewing Friends!! xx

WIP Weekly Update | #3

Okay.

Confession time.

I haven’t done as much as I had hoped for this past week on the Rail Fence Quilt.

I did do a few more lines of quilting here and there over the days but not to the point where it’s worthy for a WIP photo opportunity…

In the moments after I finished writing the previous sentence, I had a quick squizz at my quilting efforts on the R.F Quilt and felt compassion. (Weirdo alert!!)

So here is an up-to-date ‘progress-report’ image…

Yeah….there’s not much difference from what it looked like last Monday.

I also must confess that I have been giving my time to another (new!) project.

I received an email Saturday morning from the NSW Quilting Guild containing information and forms for this year’s Sydney Quilt Show.

A more-than-mild wave of panic washed over me at that moment.

I hadn’t at all begun planning my entry for this show; the thought had always been at the back of mind but nothing else!

Although the Show isn’t until early June, it’s always nice to have things on-the-go from an early start!

Of the categories in the show, one or two stood out: Amateur Small or Wall Quilt (minimum size 40cmx40cm) as well as an Open category named Miniature (a quilt with a scaled down pattern with a perimeter of 200cm).

So early Saturday afternoon, I picked out a bunch of pretty and modern fabrics and raided my quilt book library for some block inspiration.

I had the thought of pairing two contrasting modern fabrics together and patch them together into a ‘traditional’ block formation.

In one of my favourite patchwork/quilting books, 130 Mini Quilt Blocks by Susan Briscoe, on page 46, I discovered an itty-bitty version of the Snail Trail Block that had a finished block size of 12.7cm or 5”! Perfect!

I have made this block before a few years back so I felt pretty comfortable tackling it.

Start to Finish | Mini Snail Trail Block

I quickly drew up a sketch to make sure the colours would sit well together – and they did!

The next hour or so I cut out all of the tiney-tiny pieces and begun sewing mini squares and HST together.

Four blocks were completed by yesterday; they were quickly sashed together and the quilt top is now ready to be quilted!! Whhhaaattt?!?!

(You know, I’m really liking this Mini-Quilt making thing – it’s quick, easy and non-stressful!)

The size of the quilt top measures 46cmx46cm or 18”x18” and fits into both Show categories as previously mentioned. I’m just not sure which one I’ll choose yet.

I’m also torn on what I’ll name this sweet little mini; I have two in mind…

Golden Trail

— OR —

Yellow Brick Road

Which one would you choose??

So there we have it.

Perhaps next week I’ll have more progress on my R.F Quilt to show and not have to confess that I’ve been distracted (again!) by other things.

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

WIP Weekly Update | #1

So I thought to keep me honest and on track with my WIP* New Year Resolutions, I would try my very hardest to post every Monday updating my progress on getting these quilts finished.

Whether this is a good or bad thing I haven’t worked out yet!

Believe it or not, I have made some headway in completing my Rail Fence Quilt. (You know, the quilt top with all the spots…)

During the week, I blew out my fortnightly budget by buying a whole lot of batting in preparation for all of these quilts I need to finish.

I set out the same afternoon and patiently basted up the R.F Quilt and it’s now ready to quilt!

Along the way, I also took some time out to start filming a little tutorial on how to make a very simple Rail Fence Block (perfect for all you beginners out there!).

This, unfortunately, is still in the editing process and will hopefully be ready to upload near the end of this week! Whoo!

So, without procrastinating anymore, I think it’s time to get quilting!

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

* WIP = Works In Progress

2014 Quilting New Year Resolutions

I’m not normally one of those resolution-kind-of-setting people making plans at the beginning of each New Year and then failing two weeks later…

So when I made up my mind to set out some quilting resolutions for 2014, I made sure I would choose goals that I knew I would happily follow through on.

(I may regret this!)

I start so many new projects each year, each month, each week, each day that it’s absolutely ridiculous!

Worse yet, three quarters of these projects don’t get finished or are ever seen again!

This year, that changes!

I have a total of six quilts that I’ve ‘started’, all at different stages of the quilt-making adventure, that I resolute to FINISH over the course of this year.

I may even go to the point of saying that I need to get all these finished before I start a(nother) new project! (Oh no! Can I take that back??)

So, there are four quilt tops that are ready to be sandwiched and basted ready for quilting and two stacks of completed blocks that need to be pieced together.

Some of these quilt tops may seem familiar…

From top left to bottom right –

This is a small lap quilt or baby quilt I began two years ago using the Rail Fence block along with some sweet polka-dot fabrics that I was madly in love with at the time. I’m thinking, once I’ve finished it, I’ll put it up for sale in my madeit store. Watch this space!
The next one is my Scrap-Happy String Quilt! I accidently made this quilt a whole lot bigger than I originally intended to last year after ‘trying’ to demolish the never-ending growth of my scrap fabric! I freely admit that the size put me off from ever wanting to get it finish. And yet, I know that when I do get around to finishing it, it’s going to be B-E-A-utiful!
Two years ago, I tried the endless struggle to not let my fabric scraps overwhelm me! (See previous quilt top!) So when I discovered an awesomely scrappy-kinda-quilt PDF pattern by Anna Maria Horner, I sung out loud the Hallelujah Chorus and pressed print! I have no idea why I didn’t get the chance to finish this little gem: the size is like a lovely cozy lap quilt and I simple adore the crazy mix-match of the prints together! (Hmm, that’s a head scratcher!) But the ball has been set into motion again and this little sweetie will be finished!
This would have to be the BIGGEST quilt I have pieced together! Seriously this quilt will be a beast when it’s finished! I remember I found the pattern to this quilt when I had a craving to tackle a quilt featuring curved piecing as well as one where I could only use block colours. Bingo! This quilt was perfect! The original design for this quilt came from Jen Carlton Bailey and her quilt 5-HTP Squared. I started this quilt (named Colourplay) this time last year (January 2013) and I distinctly remember that as it got to the part where I needed to baste and proceed onto quilting, the harsh Australian Summer decided to get even. In that week alone we suffered through 40-45C+ heat. Every. Single. Day. Because of this, I was put-off from quilting it (which I was also internally dreading because of it’s size!) and conveniently forgot all about it until a few weeks ago when I decided to commit to some silly New Year resolutions lark! I know completing this quilt will challenge me. I know that I’ll need to be as strong as an ox to quilt it. And I know that I’ll need to be so much more patient than I already am to reach that moment of completion! I say: bring it on!

And now onto the quilt blocks that are ready to be pieced!

At the top is my stack of Craftsy’s 2012 Block of the Month blocks that have, so unfortunately, been sitting on my sewing table over the past year, yearning out to be finished! This was and still is my very first Sampler slash Block of the Month type of quilt. It symbolises a lot of new skills that I learnt along with some simply wicked modern fabrics that I do and will always love!
Although I identify myself as an Australian, I’m also a self-obsessed Anglophile and absolutely adore the thought of quintessential British living! If given the opportunity to live in another country apart from Australia, I would choose England hands-down! From Sydney to London is my ultimate dream. Full. Stop. Thank you very much! So to help immerse myself into that dream, I started to make some Union Jack paper-pieced blocks with the intention to make a tip-top Britishy quilt all for me! Yeah…obviously that hasn’t happened yet. My quilt in progress was inspired by this quilt made by Amy Smart at Diary of a Quilter.

Alternatively (833 words later!), you can watch me display and chat about each of these quilts here…

Other Quilting-related New Year Resolutions I’ve got in the bag include –

Entering local quilt shows, in particularly the Sydney Royal Easter Show (application form submitted this morning!!) in April and the Sydney Quilt Show in June.
Challenging my quilting skills by attempting block patterns that force me into a spinning vortex of stress and anxiety!! *Falls into a foetal position*

Sooo, watch this space for these WIPs or ‘Works-In-Progress’!

I’m pumped and ready to get going!

Have I inspired you to get your unfinished quilts and projects out and onto the road of completion? Let me know and we can discuss our progresses together!

Happy Sewing Friends!! xx

PS. Happy New Year!

Day 10 of 12 Days of Christmas Crafts

Day 10 is here!!

Holy-Moly, can you believe it’s only 3 more days until Christmas?! Oh my!

Surprising, I’m pretty much ready for the big day. I have a few cooking chores to do over the next few days but apart from that, I say ‘bring on the big day!’

If you’re still stuck on what to get that special someone aaannnddd you’ve got a knack for sewing up some quick seams, stay tuned for tomorrow’s Christmas Craft…it involves a bottle wine!

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

The Happy Quilt

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

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

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!).

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…

5f3db12d7f057f34689363d3e25b2552 — 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…

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

Christmas Crafts & Itchy Fingers

Last Thursday eve I helped host a Christmas Craft Evening at my local Spotlight store. Together with staff and customers we had a very festive evening full of Christmas crafts, sweet treats and some lovely lady chats.

Here’s what we made!

Felt Bunting, Embroidered Homespun Ornaments, Fabric Scrap Quilted Christmas Tree Wallhanging — Felt Bunting, Embroidered Homespun Ornaments, Scrappy Quilted Christmas Tree Wallhanging

Hessian Birdy Ornament with hand stamped JOY message

The Christmas felt bunting along with the embroidered/sequinned homespun ornaments were the biggest hits as everyone was welcome to sit down, make and take what they had created.

Everyone did such a wonderful job – the amount of creativity that there is out there is just phenomenal!

+++

This week, like a moth to the flame, I found my way back to my Double Wrench Mini Block quilt and have finally started quilting it! Huzzah!

The quilt in it's current state! — The quilt in it’s current state!

As usual, I’m feeling very impatient to get it finished so I can share the sweet success of completion with you all!

My itching fingers have also found their way back to my Yellow Sampler Embroidery, which has been an ongoing project since earlier this year.

I’m on the home stretch to finishing it that today I bought a second-hand frame for it, ready to be hung quietly somewhere in my house!

Over the next few weeks, as Christmas inches ever so closer, I’m planning on filming a few Christmassy | Quilty | Crafty videos that I hope to upload onto Youtube (it involves hexies!!)

I’ll too begin planning for my 2^nd Annual Handmade Christmas – a pledge to make and give only handmade gifts and cards for Christmas.

(I made this pledge last year: you can read Part 1 and Part 2 here.)

So I shall say farewell! (As I quietly freak out to myself about how fast the Christmas Eve deadline is approaching! eek!)

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!

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!!)

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.

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

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…

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

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

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

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

There’s nothing better!

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

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