My clever family

As much as I think I can quilt okay (sometimes), I come from a very clever family.  My mother, grandmother and great grandmother all did (and do) fabulous needlework.  I often wonder how far back that gene goes, but I guess it's something I can only imagine.  I guess in the 'way back when', women didn't have the time to do their needlework strictly for fun and relaxation like we do now. 

I'm in the process of photographing all my quilts/embroidery/stuff for safe keeping. A lot of the stuff I have was given to me by family members.  My mother did these:

The top was a design on calico from a local craft magazine (years old, I don't even know the title) and the bottom one was from a Semco kit of many years ago.  It's on the loosest linen I've ever seen, so I think she did a stellar job.  I don't know how to do that sort of embroidery (or at least, I don't know how to do it well) but both my nanna and mother do beautiful handwork. 

She's a clever clogs, my mum. 

Happy Quilting!

S.

A finished flimsy

I've been UFO'ing like a mad woman lately.  Here's something else I finished over the weekend.  It is still just a flimsy and I need to stitch buttons on for eyes, but that will happen after I quilt it.  Which I might do in the next week or so.  It's called Noah and was a design by The Chook Shed, an Australian business which has now sadly stopped producing patterns. 

Was originally meant to be a shop sample, but as we've been out of the shop now for three years, I think the time has come to finish the jolly thing.

Happy Quilting!

S.

How I spent my weekend and other stories....

So, on my weekend, I was productive!

I pressed a million of these:

Which trimmed into these:

Which I pieced together to make these:

That when sewed together became these:

And then I made these:

I put them aside and then made these:

When when sewed together with the blocks above made these:

And with a little bit more sewing they became these:

Whack a border on them and they become these:

Stick four of them together and you get:

So..a big weekend, and I only have to make 48 more of these blocks and I'm done!  And every single piece was in my scrap basket.  Yay for me!

Civil War Quiltalong

According to Bigpond, the brand new house that I live in is in too old an area to have broadband.  So I must be content with wireless broadband.  In its defence, it's lightening fast.  But that lightening fast broadband means that I use up my 6gig a month well before it's due.  So they 'slow' me.  I'm now on a snail's pace broadband speed until tomorrow, so no large posts from me until then.  But here's my latest Civil War block.  I didn't piece it like the sample, but I figured an appliqued version would be nice too.  And it's done!

Farmer's Wife Sampler Quiltalong

One of my many UFO's is a Farmer's Wife Sampler.  I've been neglectful of it, and when I read about this flickr group I felt it a good time to dust the book off, join the group and get sewing.

So far I've done three blocks, and I present them for your amusement :)

The Jelly Roll 1600 Quilt

So I made this last night.  I think it qualifies as my quickest quilt ever.

It's a sideways piccie and it's only a flimsy and it's a fairly horrible photo, but I can't find the best place to hang them to photograph them.  I could go outside and hang it on the line but it's -292 degrees outside, or at least it feels like it, so this will have to do for now. 

I came across this post yesterday.  I found the concept quite interesting, and as I had a jelly roll handy I gave it a whirl.  It took about three hours from start to finish with lots of breaks in between so I'm pleased with that.  I don't love jelly rolls, I've decided.  They are too complicated to use if you haven't got just the right one, and then you need border fabric or layer cakes and I just figure buying 20 cm of them is a better deal.  But this quilt worked a treat, don't you think?

Show and Tell

Just on my way to do a school run, but in the absence of having something notable to talk about, I figured I'd do a bit of show and tell. 

I love 30's prints.  This is one I made from leftover four patches.  I will never ever run out of fabric, especially 30's fabrics.  I use every last, little scrap.  I'm pathetic.  This one is a flimsie.  One day I'll quilt it.  But for now, flimsie is fine.

Happy quilting!

Civil War Block No. 1 - Catch Me If You Can

I made this block months ago, when Barbara Brackman first began her Civil War quiltalong.  It was easy.  The next few were difficult and I fell in a heap with them, but I'm slowly working through them and will post more later.

Don't have much of anything to say today.  Hopefully I'll get all my housework-y jobs done tomorrow early enough and I can spend the rest of my free time sewing.  Fingers crossed.

Bye for now.

Sunday Mornings

Sunday mornings are the best.  I generally get to sleep in (the DH and I have an arrangement - he has Saturday mornings, I have Sunday mornings).  One daughter goes out, DH is generally out in the garden, and little DD is generally out following him. 

So I get my time. 

Mostly it's filled up with folding, washing, tidying.  But I do love to get a cup of coffee and surf some of the quilting blogs.

I generally follow a theme.  I'm currently madly into reproduction blogs, and my lordy there are loads of them.  I'm in awe of these ladies and their piecing skills. 

While I had a little time to myself, I took the opportunity to stitch up the latest month of the Civil War Quilt by Barbara Brackman.  This one was called Illinois Roads.  I've made three.  I have a lot of catching up to do!

What I've Been Working On

My current project.

I'm in a quilting group in the town where I belong to.  It meets twice a month at night time, and I don't often get the chance to go.  My husband's job is demanding and whilst he tries hard, sometimes he just can't get home in time to do the child handover.  And as tempting as it is to leave the little buggars home by themselves, I'm not that bad a mother yet.

They have a number of workshop/challenges over the course of a year and one of them is a Paper Bag Challenge.  New to me, but apparently a common thing.  You choose some bits and pieces you like - ribbons, fabrics, buttons, the choice is up to you.  You keep your identity secret by putting your bits and bobs in a paper bag and it is swapped with someone else. 

My swappee has chosen yellow.  Now I'm not real keen on yellow.  I'm not against it, and I've read you're supposed to put yellow in every floral quilt to 'keep it real'.  But let's just say that yellow and I are not really friends.  I am finding this challenge a real challenge, which I guess is kinda the point. I sincerely hope that my swappee likes it.  I'm doing my best.

I won't reveal what I'm doing with it yet just in case she reads this (hah!).  But when I do the handover, I'll show the big reveal.  I do hope she likes it.

A hundred years from now….free pattern

My daughter is at school now.  Her teacher left to pursue other interests amidst a bit of a mid life crisis.  I felt bad for her, I thought she was a lovely, engaging teacher. 

So rather than give her a card as normal people do, I designed the little stitchery below.  And now, I offer it to you as a free download.

Be gentle with me!  It’s my first freebie and I’m not sure that I even know how to upload it. But let’s give it a whirl, shall we?  I hope the size of the picture doesn’t blow away your computer download limit, but I don’t know how to resize them yet.  As I said, I’m a baby.  I think if you right click on the image, and print to a4 size, it should fit. 

A Hundred Years From Now

A free pattern for Silly Goose Quilts blog readers

Please feel free to share this pattern with your friends.

Thankyou and enjoy!

Requirements:

12” x 16” calico or cream coloured background fabric

12” x 16” thin iron on wadding

Light box (not necessary but helpful)

Lead pencil or brown/black micron pen

Coloured pencil or crayons (I used my daughter’s - don’t go silly and buy fancy schmancy ones, cheap is fine)

General sewing requirements

Embroidery hoop

DMC threads - I suggest the following though please feel free to change them:

• 938 brown

• 818 flesh

• 319 green

• 310 black

• 309 red

• 743 yellow

• 962 pink

• 335 pink

• 632 brown

• 209 purple

• 333 purple

• 349 red

• 919 red

• 798 red

• 3799 very dark grey

• 798 blue

Instructions:

Using a light box or window pane, transfer your design to the background fabric of your choosing.

Iron the wadding to the wrong side of your background fabric. Fix the embroidery hoop in place.

Using two or three strands of embroidery floss, stitch design using our photo and picture as a guide. I have used a basic backstitch for all of the embroidery except the eyes, which I have stitched using a french knot. I’ve assumed a working knowledge of these stitches. If you are a newbie, there are loads of free tutorials online or on you-tube that can help you out.

I’ve given you a list of DMC colours that I have used, however feel free to adapt your pattern to reflect your own tastes. I used the following:

all words - 938 brown

faces, arms, legs - 818 flesh

grass - 319 green

eyes - 310 black

mouths - 309 red

first girl

hair – 743 yellow

bow – 962  pink

shoe and dress – 335 pink

second girl

hair – 632 brown

bow – 209 purple

shoe and dress – 333 purple

dog

body – 3799 very dark grey

mouth and nose – 310  black

first boy

hair –919 red

shirt, shorts, shoes – 349 red

second boy

hair – 632 brown

shirt, shorts, shoes –798 blue

Remove your design from the embroidery hoop.

When design is stitched to your satisfaction, lightly shade the dresses, shirts, dog and hair to your liking with coloured pencils or crayons. Start lightly, and continue shading until the design is as dark as you wish. Lightly press your design on the wrong side.

Now that your design is finished, you can do with it as you wish! I have framed mine in a wooden frame purchased from a cheap shop, though you could easily make a wall hanging from it either. My design should fit into a 9” x 7” frame insert, though check before you cut!

Thankyou for taking the time for stitching my design. Please check my blog often as I add new things!

I do hope you like it.  Please drop me a line or a comment if you have anything to say!

Happy stitching!

SG