Green Coffee Cobblestones

My Fifth finish for the year – this was from my completed tops/backings/bindings pile.  I had completed the quilt top and prepared the backing and binding back in 2023.  This was originally an UFO from 2007/8 era and made with swapped 'cobblestone' blocks.

At the time I decided to embark on this plan, I had made a cutting and sewing error.  The error that I had made in cutting the blocks into quarters and adding the narrow sashing strip/cornerstone always seemed to so big in my mind; but in 2023 when I pulled it out to tackle it, the error wasn't that big at all.  In fact, after a few minutes of careful thinking and looking at my mistake, I was able come up with a plan to repair the error quite easily and then went on to complete the quilt top, prepare the backing and make a binding.  

And then it sat as a lovely bundle for another 2 years, until February this year when DH saw me starting to quilt it.  He loved it because it is his mother's favourite colours and he immediately asked me if he could have this quilt for his mother's 85th birthday gift on March 10th.

In the two photos above, I was trying to show the quilting.  I used a variegated yellow/taupe on the top and a burnt orange on the back - both 50wt cotton threads.  I am so happy with how my DSM quilting turned out on this one.  A very happy finish indeed.

I had been hoping for a photo of my mother-in-law with the quilt, which has caused my delay in sharing this finish, but sadly, that has not happened.  However, I can report with delight that she loves the quilt and is very happy.  (I was unable to make it to her birthday lunch).  DH is also very happy because they had a wonderful day together.

The quilt back.

A few days after the birthday celebrations, MIL wrote me a beautiful text message, saying thank-you.  She was also very happy that her 3 sons and 5 out of 6 grandchildren could be there with her to celebrate her milestone.  They were able to take her out of the nursing home and into the bush [forest] for a proper birthday picnic lunch.

The quilt label - written by DH.

I don't normally share the quilt labels, but this was so special and heartfelt by DH, that I felt I needed to share.

The completed quilt.

 

Details:

Green Coffee Cobblestones

Size:       46in x 52in 

Quilted:  by me on my DSM

Yardage: 6m or 6.6yds total

Pattern:   is my own design.

Daisy Patch

 Another UFO is completed!  This is one from my 1.5years of patiently waiting quilts to have the binding finished, and now it's done-done!  

Daisy Patch was a fun, easy, happy project to make.  Take 12 Fat Quarters, some fabric for applique and away you go.

The fat quarters that I used were in the Aldi "special buys" when it was Mother's Day a few years ago.  They have a calico base and required a very hot wash to soften them.  After washing, the fabrics were a dream to work with.

Large 1/2 square triangles meant that the quilt top went together very quickly.  Good pressing made my blocks nice and flat to make the machine applique easy.

After the applique was completed, it came time to quilt the quilt.  Initially, I took it to a friend's house to use her DSM which had a frame and we had quite a few issues with the thread tension as well as both of us trying to squeeze it in on a bleak weather Friday night.  In the end, I pulled out what we had quilted, which was simple and open and replaced the quilting with what you can see here in the pictures.

I traced the flower shape and randomly traced around it on the quilt top.  I then 'squiggled' in between the flower shapes, going around them when I got to them.  I outlined the appliques on the outside edges and around the flower centres.

       

The piece of fabric for the backing was not quite big enough, so I used the rest of the fat quarters and made more large half square triangles for an insert panel in the backing.

The quilting does show up quite well on the backing - you can see it, but it's not overpowering.

           

Finally, here is the completed quilt in it's entirety.  I love this pattern and I really like the quilt.  Unfortunately, because it sat folded up for so long, waiting for the binding to be finished, you can see the fold-lines in the quilt.  However, with some loving use, they will disappear.

This quilt will become a donation quilt.  I'm just not sure where yet.

The free pattern for this Daisy Patch quilt can be found here: Daisy Patch Pattern

An itty, bitty finish...

This very cute little project had been sitting for about 18months waiting to have the binding hand-sewn down.  One and half years is a long time for a little project to sit patiently!

It all started when I was gifted the small stitchery piece from a lady in my quilt group who had made many of them to give out to members.  I wanted the embroidery to be the focal piece.

So... after some thought, I decided to make a new cutlery roll for my work lunchbox, using a pattern that I had made up several years ago.  It's so weird to go back and re-read old notes in my quilting journals and see what I had been thinking at the time... A trip down memory lane...

Simple cross-hatch quilting, fusible pellon wadding and everything else out of "the stash".  A lovely, if I do say so myself, little project that is practical and shows off someone else's embroidery.  

Finished size:  12.5in x 17.5in

 

Boxy Evening Bag

So.... I saw a video on Instagram, which lead me down a rabbit hole of "Oh, I've got this, I've got that..." and apparently I had everything on hand that I needed to make this small boxy evening bag.

A bit of cork fabric, some tape for the handles, a raid of my zipper drawer, a little bit of thread and, viola - I had all of the materials needed, right at my fingertips.  

Unfortunately, the light shadows don't show up the inside of the bag very well, but it is a pretty little print of green and grey/blue, to compliment the outside fabrics.

On top, it is a simple zipper and little "pulls" to make opening and closing easy.

I love this zipper detail shown in the above photo.
 

I think this bag will be perfect for going out in the evening or for lunch - it perfectly holds a wallet, phone, tissues, glasses in their case and keys.

I plan to make more of this bag for gifts and next time, if I use cotton fabric, I  will use some interfacing to give the bag a bit of structure as well as making the handles a little bit longer so that they can slip over a hand and wrist.

Pattern used:  DIY Pouch with Handle from Kotobuki Sewing on Instagram

Chandelier Table Runner

 A very small and simple finish this week.  Another one that has been sitting in the binding pile for about 18months or more.  A table runner made from blocks leftover from this quilt that I made in 2020.  The second in my set of 3 Chandelier Beads projects. 

Detail of quilting and the binding.

I quilted the runner on my domestic sewing machine with a simple interlocking hearts/leaves design, using rayon machine embroidery thread.  I love how it gives texture over the top of the simple design and subtle colours of the runner.

Because the fabrics I used are so subtle, I chose a piece of multi-coloured blue/green/purple batik for the binding to give it a bit of a lift.

Backing folded onto the front with the lovely binding contrast.

I took this runner to a sewing with friends day recently so that I could finish the binding.  Sitting next to me was Marg, an 80+yr old with a huge heart.  She said to me many times how much she loves this runner.  Marg and I share our birthday day and each year on Retreat with our group, she and I go off and have a little 'cheers' to each other and share a red wine, which we both love.  So, with memories of great conversations, drinks and solving world problems,  I will gift this runner to her when I next see her.

This is my second photo of the whole runner because I realised for the full shot of the whole runner that I took when it was on the floor, it looked really bleergh!!  I retook the whole shot photo on my sewing table - soooo much better!

Although, I still managed to get my shadow on part of the photo - duh!  I'll need to work on that ;)

Interesting colours - the grey is not a true grey and seems to have tones of purple in it.  I really like the subtlety of the colour and feel that it will blend into any decor.   

Finished size is 37cm x 98cm   (14.5in x 38.5in)

A New Year and an UFO Finish!!

2025.  Hmmmm....  I remember as a kid, completing Year 11 in 1985, wondering in a conversation with my best friends, what I would be doing in the "next century".  And, now, here we are, a quarter of the way through that 'next century'!!!!

I know, it's been forever since I've posted on my blog, but now it's a new year and a new resolve to maintain my blog posts.

I have almost completed my new qualification to become a Science Laboratory Technician.  As I write this, I am waiting for the results of one more subject and then the awards/presentation evening.  It was so good to study again, but I had forgotten after so a decade since I last studied, how much time is taken up with research and completing assignments.  When I completed my Education Support/Integration Aide and Youth Mental Health First Aid qualifications 10 years ago, I was only working 1 or 2 days a week, this time I was working 4 days and attending the night classes and the 5th day was attending the practical classes and assessments.

Another resolve that I have, is to get some of my projects completely "done-done".  That is finished except for labels.  They will get labels when I know their intended home and I can personalize the labels for the recipients.  

My rough count of UFOs is sitting at 107.

• 5 in the binding pile;
• 27 to be quilted - tops, backings and bindings are together.
• 5 are 'quilt as you go' 
• 70 quilts and bags are in various stages of completion.  

So, without further ado - here is my first finish of 2025 - Grassy Creek.

Grassy Creek - how cool is the backing fabric?  It compliments the front so beautifully.

Started in 2020 as the Bonnie Hunter Quiltville Mystery, I completed the top and quilted it during 2022.  I even attached the binding to the front of the quilt.  And then it sat, for the next 2.5 years - that was a shock when I read my notebook! - I had thought on 1.5 yrs - ugh! until yesterday, when sewing with friends, I completed the binding and sewed in the thread ends from the bobbin changes during quilting.

Grassy Creek - the whole quilt.  

Utilizing the big open piece of floor where I was, allowed me to take a nice, flat photo.  I did changed up the borders to use the extra flying geese units so that the 'spare parts' were used up.  

Woo hoo.... that is now 1 of 107 completed!

Bungarra Court gets its day to shine!

What seems like a long time ago now, 2010 to be precise; the local quilt shop I was working in at the time was running a mystery quilt, led by one of the Tutors - Carol.  I challenged myself to make the quilt with only stash.  Turns out I had enough stash, except for 1m to make the entire quilt, including the backing and binding.

Each week a new clue was given out, until you received them all and were able to put the quilt together.  Unfortunately, there was a hiccup and the template printing for the angled squares had not been set to 100%, so some fudging was required.

Three different blocks were made, the easiest being the 'focus' fabric because you only had to cut it into squares!

 

How the blocks play together in the final layout is amazing, there is interplay between a diagonal chain, large stars and square-in-a-square blocks.

I got the quilt top together, which was a bit difficult, due to the before-mentioned error in the angled squares, got the borders on with some fudging - just, and I mean just, enough fabric for the borders.

Onto the backing!  I started by piecing together the leftovers, including the littlest pieces.  Then I hunted through my stash for a nice large piece to complete it.  Voila - there was enough - phew!

I made the binding, found a thread that I liked for the machine quilting, and then bundled the quilt up, put it away and waited for cooler weather before quilting it.  Well....... it sat, put away until a couple of house moves later and the year 2022 - yep, 12.5 years after starting it...  I hear that quilts, like a good wine or cheese, only improve with age  ;)  

In 2022, my friend Lizzie of Thimble and Thread Quilting was having a "sale" on quilts of a certain size and this one fitted into that category.  So, I bundled it up and took it to her.  Well.... let's just say, poor Lizzie did not have a very easy time of it - turns out one of my borders was 'wavy'.  She did an amazing job of the quilting.  We chose a nice grey-blue thread and a plant/leaf/morris style for the edge-to-edge design.

Finally, just 10 days ago, I put the final stitches into the binding and added the label.  This was timed to be able to give the quilt to my friend JMc, for a fundraiser, supporting Destiny Rescue at a "Gather the Girls" event which was held last weekend.

 My quilt was put into the silent auction on the night and raised $500.00AUD for the charity.  It is very heartwarming to know that my quilt is going to be loved and some young girls will be saved from the horrors of trafficking.  Sadly, other commitments had prevented my from attending the night, but I was kept well informed of all that happened by my friend.

It's a block party!

Blocks, blocks and more blocks!  During the 'down-time' that is the week between Christmas and New Year, I discovered that a "block party" was going to happen during the year.

The lady running it is local to me, which is very nice and it's fun to be able to catch up with some of the other participants from time to time.

I am such a sucker for a sampler quilt.  I really didn't want to buy anything for this project, so I pulled out an untouched bundle of Fat Quarters and background fabric that I had purchased for a different project, gave them a wash and got started.  Thank goodness I washed the fabrics - there was quite a bit of colour run from some of the darker prints.  eeekkk....

Chosen fabric pack + grey sashing/border fabric.

Some of the blocks are funky and modern, others more traditional.  I'm loosely following the colours announced by the Rainbow Scrap Challenge each month, with the aim of having a nice colourwash across my quilt top.

January Blocks - Blue

These blocks are fun to make and at 6in finished, they are a nice size and not too fiddly.  

February Blocks - Pinkish

I decided not long after starting this project that I would set my blocks with sashings and cornerstones.  I cut all of the sashing pieces in the first week and the cornerstones are being cut from left over block fabrics.  So far, as I have completed the full set of blocks each month, I have immediately attached the sashings and cornerstones, which hopefully will speed up the final construction when it happens.

March Blocks - Green

The colour for April is purple and I am yet to start the April blocks.  I usually wait until the last weekend of the month, make them all at once and then put the tub away again.  I have found that this works for me and frees my mind to work on other things in-between.

What types of quilts are you a sucker for? 

21 and Houses!

This is 3 of 3 for the 21st birthday quilts.  Oh, so much fun!  What's not to love about houses that look like Melbourne's bathing boxes on the foreshore?  

Starting with a free pattern that was generously provided by Moda Fabrics when the pandemic started and we all had to be "locked down" in 2020, I found the most perfect use for what was a recently indulgent purchase of a 300 piece x 5in squares batik pack.  

I thought with the 5in pack that I would have had enough fabric to make all the huts, but it wasn't to be and so into my stash I went, which thankfully gave me enough to complete all of the houses with no repeats.

So much glorious colour!  After laying out the colours and deciding what to pair with which one, the cutting began.  And there was lots and lots of cutting.

First up, I made all of the beach hut fronts.   Contrasting doors so that you will know where to enter.

Then I made all of the rooves, some with chimneys so that you know the fire will be burning during the colder months.

After all of the chain piecing and lots of sewing, suddenly the houses seemed to come together as entire units.  Each and every one is so gorgeous!

Then they needed to laid out.  It took quite a while to lay them out and get a colour balance that I was happy with.  Yes, there was input from the rest of the family during this process.  

This is a very happy quilt.  I kept on thinking of family, fun times and being outdoors while making the houses, so hopefully those thoughts have been infused into the quilt.

For the backing, I put together 2 large pieces from stash, which as you can see from the bottom corner, was not quite enough - oh oops!  I had intended to put the label on that odd corner piece, but as you can see in the photo, I inadvertently put the label on the top of the quilt... oh dear.  I didn't realise until after I had gifted the quilt and was looking at the photos that I had done that.  L said it didn't bother him, so that's okay.   Phew!

For the quilting, I quilted in the ditch along all of the long seams and then I used a tumbling hearts pattern from 'quilting made easy' for rows of houses, to symbolize heart and home.  In the border, I made a proper frame with a cable design, like the twist on a rope to echo the beach hut theme.

I used a light pale blue/white variegated cotton thread from  'wonderfil' on the top and the back.

Ta da.... here is the finished quilt.  In the bright sunlight, the houses are positively glowing, just like a sunny day at the ocean when the sun is reflecting onto beach huts.

L is very compassionate about others.  He is very empathetic to those who are struggling and has found a career supporting those who are less fortunate and are struggling.  Here is what I wrote on his quilt label: 

Village of Houses.  Your world is all about community, family and everyone mixing in together.   These little fun beach huts represent the awesomeness of diversity when you allow the doors to be opened up to new ideas and adventures.  We wish you so much love, happiness and joy as you make your path through life. 

To be able to make and gift quilts to boys who have grown up with my own boys into wonderful young men is truly humbling.  

Finished Quilt Size:  69in x 79.5in
Gifted in Feb 2023

Pattern can be found here.