I started something new

It's been a little while since I've blogged. The silly season put blogging and sewing fairly firmly on the back-burner. But 2012 has started with a bang and I've been sewing up a (relative) storm. Current big project is a hand appliqué medallion from Sarah Fielke's beautiful book. A fabulous book that every aspiring quilter must have!

I started this one when we were away over Christmas and have been making steady progress. LOVE hand-applique. Once all the leaves are sewn on there are a number of borders to be added, and then the whole she-bang gets a rather intense hand-quilting treatment. So I'm expecting this one will take a while. But I'm not in a hurry, and enjoying the journey....

Linking up to Lee's Work-in-Progress Wednesday for the first time in an eternity.

Ruby dear

I'm linking up to Lee's Work-In-Progress party today. Check in there to see "how everything is doing!"

The blogging police will be coming to check up to see that an impostor hasn't moved in - this is my third post in under a week!

With a bit of momentum under my belt, I put my foot to the floor and finished off my Ruby Dutchmen's Puzzle quilt. I've really enjoyed this one, the flying geese were fun, and I love the colours of Bonnie and Camille's gorgeous fabrics. It wasn't without its challenges however - the borders were more than a little tricky, but I'm very happy with how they've turned out.


While I was enjoying playing with Ruby, I thought I'd press on and make another block to be turned into a matching pillow.


And now I'm turning my attention to this big project, quilting Lilly Pilly. You can read about my progress on this quilt here and here. I don't even want to think about how long the quilting will take. I am going to do the full swirly catastrophe on it. It is, after all, 1.4 metres high by 1 metre wide. All that swirly quilting will take a long time and I want to take it easy, and hopefully avoid any repeat of my elbow problems.


So in between quilting sessions, I'll also be turning my mind to Christmas preparations - much as I'm in denial that it will be December this week and I really am so unprepared, even more so than in previous years.

If you have any top Christmas organising hints, I'd love to hear them! My first task will be to put up the advent calendar. I really love this idea - maybe next year!

Getting busy with the binding today. I do love a little stripey binding. I love this one so much I bought rather a lot of it. Then I bought a bit more.

Because you never know when you might need some more stripey in your life.

It makes me happy.

Scroll down for more pics of the birdie quilt, if you so desire! (God knows there are a few).

Thanks for visiting! I'm off to visit some more creative spaces.

Oh my goodness I forgot to blog!

Hello!!

I'll keep this short as it's late and I really should be in bed! Lots of sewing going on in the Elefants house at the moment, thanks in part to the new arrival:



A couple of WIPs to show you today. (There are a few others too, but I'll just stick with two, in the interests of brevity, and hopefully to be able to provide more fodder for blogging over the next little while...)

I've had this little birdie in a tree lurking in my WIP pile for a very long time. It's from a pattern by the marvellous Kellie. I had already started the quilting but wasn't very happy with it so put it away. With the lure of a new machine, I thought I would try and finish it. And I have! And I LOVE swirly quilting on my new machine, it quilts like a dream. I'm so happy with how this one has turned out. So I hope you don't mind the plentiful photos...

The binding has been added since I took these pics, now in the process of hand-sewing it down.

I've also embarked on a Swoon quilt. I bought Camille's pattern approximately five minutes after she released it back in May and had my heart set on making it in French General fabrics (of which I have a rather large, ahem, stash). Two blocks done so far. These are fun to make but deceptively rather intensive! Lots of cutting and trimming. But beautiful! And big! 24 inches.


And one more birdie pic!


Linking up to Lee's WIP party today.

Birthday party

Not so much sewing happening here, I'm afraid. Young Finn has turned 5. Hard to believe. He's been through such a lot in his short life, starting with his surprise arrival 12 weeks early. Seems weird looking back on that now. And 5 seems like a pretty big milestone, in the scheme of things.

So what better way to celebrate than with a dinosaur party?




Cue one dinosaur cake.




A game or two of pin the tail on the dinosaur.





And just having fun.

A gorgeous day for my sweet, funny, sometimes puzzling and exasperating boy.

A hex on this year going too fast!

Despite my best intentions, I once again find myself realizing it has been rather a long time since I (a) did any 'real' sewing and (b) blogged about anything at all. Life just kind of gets in the way, and all I can do in the in between moments is daydream about the numerous projects that are either underway, or that I would like to start.

I really should start documenting them all. Isn't that what a blog is for, anyway?

So, for today's work in progress, I hereby show you my progress with the hexy project, aka paper-pieced hexies. I'm really enjoying these, although they are rather slow, but nonetheless quite fun to do in the evenings in front of the box. And I'm enjoying starting to think about the secondary shapes and patterns that you can make with them. Fun. This might take quite a while to finish, but that's quite ok with me!





So, a little disclosure here. And let's hope my husband is not reading this. Here are the main goals:

Ruby dutchmens puzzle quilt (blocks made, sashing and borders to go)
Sherbet pips quilt (sandwiched and ready to quilt)
French General framed boxes quilt - approx half blocks done
Finn's very overdue baby quilt. Ahem. Ok this should really be at the top of the list. He has just turned 5. How, I do not know.
Lilly Pilly (appliqué done, awaiting quilting)
Swoon quilt - one block done
In Spring quilt - barely started. Some shapes traced onto fusible.

Quilts I want to start - have the materials, just need some more hours in the day!
Whirligig from Sarah Fielke's book
Prints Charming rocket quilt
Sarahjane children at play quilt
Little apples quilt
Tula pink windmill quilt

I know. It's ridiculous! So, how many projects do you have on the go?

For more works in progress, head over to Lee's.

Finally - a finish!

This quilt, in the making since January, was finally gifted to its recipients today (my sister and BIL, as a housewarming present). Before the gifting I actually remembered to take some photos. So often I forget.
Some of my favourite prints are in this quilt. So I may just have to make myself another. The solid is a Robert Kaufman linen/cotton. Hand-quilted with Perle 8 thread in various reds and pinks.

I love the binding on this - alternating Amy Butler dots and Keiki (the name of the line escapes me at the moment).
Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!