Just Plain Nuts - Month 1

Now, because I forgot to post the first month of my Just Plain Nuts blocks, here is the first installment - after the second - oops. I am not sure what made Liz Lois design these blocks and print her book, but I sure am glad she did. I am having a ball!

Here is block #1 - easy does it to begin;

And block #2... A bit of spray starch and the use of templates, nice and rewarding.

And block 3 - too cute for words...

And, block #4

Then, to top that off, I have decided that my quilt will be a medallion style, so here is my central medallion, the pattern is from Perfect Precision Piecing by Claudia Clark Myers. Spray starch and foundation piecing were my friends making this block. I have enough segments made for another compass block or to make four corner setting blocks, depending on how I want my final quilt to look.

I can see that Just Plain Nuts is going to be a very exciting journey for me and hopefully for the other ladies who are undertaking this quilt adventure with me.

Until next time, happy piecing!

Andrea

Just Plain Nuts (JPN) - Month 2

Doesn't that block above just look awesome? Well, I think so, can I say that about my own work without sounding to full of my own self importance? It is block #30 from the book Just Plain Nuts by Liz Lois of Nearly Insane (the Salinda Rupp Quilt) fame. I am posting the preview of the block for the ladies who have joined me in another "Insane" journey. After uploading the photos I realised that I had forgotten to crop them, but for now I am going to ignore that as the PC/internet has been so slow today.

Enjoy the eye candy! Below is block #29. I am not quite sure about the orange triangles, I may need to change that colour. I will put it aside for now and look at it again when it is time to make the blocks for next month. Maybe some time will put a perspective view on the block.

Below is block #6. A little brag here, I made the whole thing, including all the little triangles around the outside with no foundation. All conventional piecing. It took a long time, but I am very happy with the result. A challenge to myself to see how small I could really piece without foundations. Below is Block #7. Another one made without foundations, but you can see the little pinwheel in the centre is a little off in one corner. I will fix that. I had thought it was OK, but in the photos it really stands out. I might to need to adjust the seam with a little handstitch rather than putting it back under the machine.

I'll post the blocks from Month 1 shortly.

Celtic Rose Table Runner - UFO #50

Here it is, my very first UFO finish of 2011 - yep, it's #50 on my UFO list.

Celtic Rose is the name of the pattern which I used - from Australian Patchwork and Quilting (Vol 14 No 8).

I used Australian Native Flower prints and put some insulbrite wadding into the quilt sandwich, so hot pots can go straight from the oven onto the table and none of those ugly white burn splotches will appear on the timber table top.

Now, I'm not sure what happened to my photo, but for some reason it just wanted to upload sideways, even though it wasn't that way in the file. Who knows, just a little gremlin inside the PC laughing at me I think.

The photo below shows the quilting from the back. I just love how dark back fabrics, with very light colour quilting thread makes the quilting come to life and gives the quilt a whole new facet.

A project which I started in 2005, is now done, gifted and being used. Perfect!

Oz Comfort Quilts

http://ozcomfortquilts.blogspot.com/

Jan MacFadyen is an amazing person. She is living near a flood zone, but if you click on her blog - above, you will realise that she is all about helping others whose homes have been flooded. 2 years ago, Jan and others (names I don't know), made, collected and distributed many quilts to Bushfire victims/survivors. This year she is using her extreme selflessness, with some help from others to co-ordinate a massive quilt drive to provide for those in both the Queensland and Victorian floods.

My photos here are the small donation I was able to make to Jan for her charity quilting:

A pile of 11in squares, ready for QAYG string quilts...A pile of cotton fabrics, washed and ready to be chopped up into strings for Quilts...

Then,into the box, complete with 22m of pre-made binding, ready for Jan to use.

Here is the message which Jan sent to me after receiving the box which I sent her for the Flood Victims:
We were very lucky not to be flooded this time and I really feel for the poor people in the Swan Hill area. The anxiety and worry about whether or not you will have flood water through your home is very stressful.
Many thanks for the lovely large box of fabric, binding and wadding squares. It will all be put to good use ASAP.
If you keep an eye on my blogs you should see some of them made into quilts very soon.
Thanks for all your help with this very large project.
Hugs Jan Mac

Jan - I am very happy to help in any way I can and I urge everyone out there to do their thing for Charity Quilting - a small donation of fabric, money, wadding, cotton thread or even quilt blocks and quilts along with help to distribute them can make such a big difference to one or many people.

Warm Fuzzies

I made the child that left the following message on my sewing machine.......
Just gorgeous!

Gum leaves

are on the tablecloth! Large, oversized appliqued ones with some free-motion gum blossoms scattered in between. I have taken the pattern from an old issue of Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine and 'liberated' it into the central panel of a tablecloth.

My MIL had a cloth which had been made by yours truly for a table in their old house. Now there is a newish house and a fantastic outdoor eating space. Roll call - one new tablecloth please - here is the old one - what can you do with it? Voila, take cloth, new fabric to match and adapt a pattern, then add elbow grease, sewing machine, rayon threads and time.

Happy table, happy MIL and FIL; I'm happy that the project is done!

Five Star Dining....

is what my lovely cleaning lady - Kathy - received for Christmas. I'm hoping that she liked it...

If you think you've seen it before on this blog - you'd be correct, as I made this pattern a couple of years ago and gave it to my Mum.

The design is by Corliss from Threadbear and has been around for a few years now. It is one of my favourites for something effective and easy that everyone likes. Perfect. And yes, I have more fabric to make another Five Star Dining runner in the future. A great standby for that last minute gift idea. One weekend or a few weeknights sees this little baby made in very little time.

Blossom Bag

I have the new Amy Butler's Style Stitches bag pattern book. It's gorgeous. I have recently (right before Christmas) made the "Blossom Bag" pattern, and here it is...I love it. Quite time consuming to make, but oh so worth the effort. I am hoping that my girlfriend Suzie likes the bag because it is her very belated '0' birthday present. Searching for the appropriate fabric to make the bag with took longer than I thought and then I found it on the day of her birthday. This bag has fancy little details around the straps, zippered pockets on the inside and lots of space for all those things a girl needs to have. The Style Stitches book is sensational with all steps clearly written and fantastic diagrams to boot. I have to say, Amy Butler and her team can sure write patterns well. Anyone with a bag fetish, such as I have, must own a copy of this book. I know I will be making more bags from the book, with the fabric for another 3 bags waiting in my sewing room to be made up.... stay tuned!

A Fun Bag

to take along sewing projects, made with shot purple cotton, a large floral print and some purple pom pom trim all topped off with a bright striped lining - LOVE IT!
I made this bag for my Kris Kringle recipient at the SS&Q Christmas dinner which was held early in Dec.

What's even better, the recipient loved it! She came up to me later very happy - what more can you want when you make something for some one in the group who you don't know very well? It certainly made my night even better. - aw shucks.......

To Do Lists.......

It's always around October/November that things seem to get busier and busier and not much happens in the way of quilting! :)

A few weeks ago, for the first time ever I compiled a list of what I want to achieve in the way of gifts to be made and other quilty things that I want to finish by a certain time. A bit like a 'to do list', but longer. So far, so good. My list seems to be working by not letting me get distracted by other things.

The list I mention won't get many UFOs completed, but it will clear space in my sewing room - mostly the sewing table and it will empty a few ziplock bags that seem to breed more projects when I am not in the sewing room.

I feel very calm since I have made this decision to follow the list. I will have to pay an UFO penalty to Stashbusters and will probably become their UFO Queen again before the end of the year, but that's OK because I am achieving projects which will make me happy, make others around me happy and I'll be having a few good catch-up sessions with friends when I see them to hand over the gifts - That is the important thing.

And.... the count of remaining UFOs and sewing room clean up will happen the week before Christmas when I have to get some projects out of the loungeroom and back to the sewing room so as to leave space for Santa to visit.....