Little Monsters ... Again

About a year ago, I showed you this:

which was my Little Monster quilt, bound and finished and hanging on the wall.

I had a few left over because I just couldn't get the maths working correctly - none of my measurements would make them fit.

This guy was left over

As was this guy (or is she a girl? I don't know?).

And this one too.

The bad news is that they are still not going to be used up, because the maths that failed me way back then continues to fail me this time. I will however, use them on the back of my current quilt.

But this guy:

And this guy:

And this guy:

are all going to find a new home in my latest Monster Quilt, made solely to use up old blocks.  I've made more work for myself because to use up three spare monster blocs, I've made about ten more.

They are ever so slightly addictive and I find myself scouring the internet, looking for monster pictures I can use.

I don't know how many I need for a new quilt (why bother with insignificant details??) but I'm loving the little guys I've done already.

No pattern to share with you, just random images from wrapping paper, cards and the internet.    Hopefully I'll get a chance to iron some more on tonight after the rug rats go to bed, and I'll show you tomorrow.  I did spend ages artfully cropping all the background from these pictures but somehow from the Ipod to the Laptop, they changed back.  Too bad....better things to do than worry about that!

Hope you like them, till tomorrow

Suzie

Show And Tell

I’m embarrassed to show some of these.  Some of these things I did a very long time ago when I was much, much younger.

Back in the day little artsy-folksy wall hangers were all the rage.  Nowadays, I don’t know what to do with the whole bag of these small wallhangings. 

Still, we should remember the old stuff – shows how far we’ve come as quilters.  Wonder how far I’ve come?

Till tomorrow,

Suzie

Some Eye Candy

In lieu of nothing to show you yet, I have some more eye candy for you.

This is one of the quilts Mum has quilted on her long arm.  The lady who made the quilt found a piece of wrapping paper, of all things, and adapted it to be machine appliqued.  Isn’t it stunning?

I’m always asked where I find my designs from, and the answers can be pretty obscure.  A lot of my applique designs are found on cheap and nasty wrapping paper, birthday cards, kid’s colouring in books – anywhere that a picture can be adapted to an applique design.

Mum’s done a marvellous job on the quilting. 

The back is as intricate as the front.  Very clever.

She keeps on telling me I need to learn how to use the long arm.  I keep telling her why should I, when she does such an excellent job.

Till tomorrow,

Suzie

Autumn Leaves

Another day of not much sewing.  I miss it.  I am struggling to do some of the very boring jobs in my sewing room.  Jobs like sewing buttons onto a cardigan –one which has been finished for too long and remains unworn because I haven’t got round to it. 

When I did get around to it, it took five minutes.  Procrastination is my biggest problem at the moment.  Just DO IT!!

So here’s some more show and tell as I photograph, record, and stitch on labels.

This was published in an Australian magazine many years ago for a project.  I was thrilled to bits to be asked, and I remain very proud of myself that I can call myself ‘Published Quiltmaker’.  One day, when I am designing again instead of finishing half started things, I might be lucky enough to be published again!

Happy quilting,

Suzie

2nd May 2014

So my laptop died over the weekend.  No real drama – just by sheer fluke I did a complete copy of all my files the day before.  Sometimes, life works out.

But I’m now on my newish laptop, the pristine clean one that the children will never (supposedly) gain access to, and of course it’s now the family laptop.

So in all the ‘Oh My God We Have No Technology’ dramas here, coupled with the complete PITA that is logging back into everything you own (Picase, Flickr, Blogger etc) and forgetting every single one of their passwords, I’ve not been sewing.

So here’s some show and tell instead.  I think I’ve shown you this before, but this is a quilt I recently did a label for and so I show you again:

 

This is a ‘Shop’ wallhanging.  Done as a shop sample from a pattern by the Chook Shed ladies.  He is is very cute, as is Rudy.

The Chook Shed ladies really knew how to make simple, cute designs that seemed to walk out of our store on their own two legs.  Always big sellers.  Things are different now – the country look is out of fashion and you are hard pressed to find this sort of fabric lately but I still think there’s a place for designers like the Chook Shed in quilting.

Winter has hit with a vengeance here in South Australia.  But, as always, there is no rain. 

Please think good thought for rain.  My tanks are emptying.

Maybe tomorrow will be a sewing day.  We shall cross our fingers.

Happy Quilting!

Suzie

The things you find out travelling

Mum and I drove over to the next town about ninety minutes away last week.  Their quilting group was holding a show and you have to support these things, don't you?

I'll post those pictures next week.  But we had to make a visit to the ladies room at the half way point, which is an even smaller town (couple of houses and a petrol station).  It's always been a very normal, every day half way point - place to get a cup of coffee and something to eat if you're desperate.

But I noticed this time they've had a make over.  Look.

My photos are out of order, but as you can see, they have painted the whole side of their building

I love people that take the time to do stuff like this.  There was no real need to - they've done it purely for fun.  

They've painted the drainpipe!  Can you see it there?

Can you see the doors to the ladies and gents?  Don't they look amazing?

Totally made my day.   

Don't forget your handbag!

Till tomorrow,

Suzie

More show and tell

I’m not sure that I’ve shown you this flimsy before.  This is an oldie but a goodie, and surprise, surprise – it’s in the thirties prints!

Amazingly easy, this quilt.  A simple nine patch, then matching triangles on the outer edges, sashed together with cream and thirties prints.  I loved this little one. 

One of these days, I will have to count up how many thirties quilts I have done.  I adore them.  I love their bright, happy colours and they way they cheer the sewing room up when I’m working on them.

I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of making them.  My only problem is that I’ve made most of the ‘traditional’ thirties patterns, I’ll have to expand a little.

What to do with all these quilt tops?  I asked my daughter if she liked it, and she said ‘yeah….I suppose – it’s just another quilt, right?’.  The cheek!  Though to be fair, she’s seen me plough through them one after the other, I think the whole importance of them has been diluted a bit because there are so darn many in our house. 

And she knows if it’s a dud quilt, which sometimes they are, well Mum will just make another one!

Between their mother, their two grandmothers and a very clever great grandmother, my children are swamped with handwork.  It touches every corner of our house.  I do feel great sadness for kids who have no access to handwork, or craftwork.  How sad for kids who only know store brought stuff!

Points are a little dodgy there on that block.  Such is life. 

(there’s a quick trivia question for you – who made famous the words ‘SUCH IS LIFE’?).

Happy quilting!

Suzie

Tutorial–Autumn Stars Quilt

As requested, I’ve typed up a little tutorial for the quilt below. 

You can click on the photo to be taken directly to a printer friendly PDF that you can download or print.  Please let me know if you have any issues.

And enjoy!

Suzie

Scraptitude Mystery Quilt

*Updated 5/6/2014 – this was a mystery quilt posted by the blog http://quiltingfortherestofus.com/, and the direct link is here:.  Enjoy!

 

I really ummed and erred about posting a photo of this quilt, just in case there was any readers were doing this mystery quilt and hadn’t finished it.  But I did a search on the quilt and there are solved pictures all over the internet, so I’m going to post mine and hope I haven’t ruined someone’s surprise.

I had a box of scrap squares, a roll of black homespun and a need for mindless sewing.  I found the solved Scraptitude Mystery Quilt here, and decided that I loved the design and my box of scraps would work well.  And I got to it.

I’m very pleased with it, though it’s very bright!!

It did go together okay, though not brilliantly.  It has a lot of bias triangles to work with and bias triangles and I don’t really get along.  Though I’m trying hard to rectify that.  To make them my friend.

Loving the black with the colours.  I think I’ll bind this one in black homespun.  Don’t look at the whooofy edges, will you?  Hopefully the quilting will sort them out, at least a little.

I told you I’d had a productive time while everyone is back at school and my husband is busy working.  I’ve been head down, bum up, sewing madly.

Anyway, my lovely readers – hope you liked my latest foray into scrap quilting.  Please drop me a line and let me know what you’re up to?

Till tomorrow,

Suzie