it's off!

My mod sampler is currently at the quilters. I can't wait to see it all together! This is the design I chose to match with all the daisies in the fabric.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get a good shot of the entire quilt top as I have been getting home when the light is terrible, but once it comes back I will get a nice one.

The back turned out lovely too. It looks a little dark here, but it is quite fresh and bright. Sampson definitely approves of it!


I finished work on Friday (hooray!), so now I have 4 weeks (hopefully!) to get things ready for the little Miss, as well as some presents to finish for her soon to be friends. I have binding on 2 of them that still needs to be sewn down by hand and I am about to go sit on the couch, put my feet up and get them started.

a finish!

I made this taggy blanket in about an hour a couple of nights ago. It is nice to have finished something - even if it is pretty small!



A simple cotton on the front, some satin, grosgrain and gauze ribbons as well as some ric-rac, and some super cuddly minky on the back.

I struggled to find any coordinating fabric in my stash to make a patchwork front, so instead I decided to make it textured. I used the 'shrinky sheet' I bought at last years 'spring stitch-in', however my cheap and old iron is not too good at steaming, so it took quite a while to shrink!


And look at these lovelies back from the quilters yesterday - now I just have to get onto binding them all!

progress

12 days left at work
6 weeks and 5 days until my due date
2 rows and outer borders left to sew

everything is coming along very quickly at the moment!

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Unfortunately, looking for a quilt for the bloggers quilt festival made me realise just how few quilts I have actually completed this year. I have a heap of quilt tops that I have finished (including 3 currently at the quilters), one that has been quilted for months and is still waiting on binding, but I think this is the only quilt I have actually finished in 2010 (not to mention any of the WIPs).


This quilt was made for Alessia - the first child of some very good friends of ours. I allowed my friend to choose the fabrics for this quilt and I was so nervous that it would not look any good once the blocks were all sewn together. Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised as the quilt top came together and it did not look like the dog's breakfast I thought it might. I quilted this quilt myself which I am so proud of. It is the biggest quilt I have quilted and it was a lot of work, but I am so pleased with the results. And I have it on good authority that Alessia loves it too.


2010 has been a big year for me - a move early on, starting a new Uni course, expecting our first child and now finishing off work and planning our move home to Melbourne - so understandingly, my sewing has stalled a little. However when I think that I am 32 weeks pregnant and I have still not completed a single handmade item for our baby, it does make me a little sad! I spent yesterday working on the quilt top for our little girl. However there was a moment of sheer panic when I realised that the instructions I was following have been taken down! Thankfully, the original instructions had been cached by google and my mini crisis was averted - phew! I hope to get this quilt top finished over the next few weeks which will leave the four weeks of maternity leave prior to my due date free to make up some bibs, burp cloths and finish my crocheted blanket too.


Head here to check out all the other gorgeous quilt festival entries

Sunday

Apologies for the low light photo - but in my defense, I took it at 11pm. I can't believe I stayed up past 9:30pm without feeling unwell! And I even sewed in the evening. I don't know what this pregnancy is doing to me!

I woke up yesterday morning knowing I had a pile of things I wanted to get done and a little nervous about completing any of it. However I think I managed one of my most productive days in a long time - one session of yoga completed, the weekly grocery shopping done, I wrote almost half of one of my big uni essays, a trial cake was made for my dear husbands upcoming birthday party (this one), dinners for the 2 nights we have birthing classes this week are in the fridge and two quilts and their backings were finished and ready to go off to the quilters.

So much for the vacuuming...!

I am still trying to make a decision on the quilting design for the above quilt - I am leaning towards this one which is what my windmill quilt was quilted with.

But then there is this one too - any opinions?

more than halfway

I have sewn more than half of my blocks together tonight for my mod sampler baby quilt. I am a little worried about one of my fabric pairs, but I am perservering...for now. I seem to have a lot of yellow in there... Otherwise, the blocks are looking really sweet. I am still waiting on a delivery of white fabric from my favourite store, so I won't be able to get the sashings on these blocks until then. I hope to have it finshed ASAP though so I can send it with my other quilt tops for some long arm quilting love after the school holidays.

This morning, Michael and I headed to Lakemba for some grocery shopping as well as some lunch. I'm not sure what it is, but ever since I fell pregnant I have been craving Lebanese food - and in particular, the dishes that I would eat as a child. Lunch today consisted of kafta, felafel, salad, bread and baba ghanouj at Jasmin's. Last week I made a lamb and okra stew called Yak'nit Bahmeh and after my exciting find on this mornings shopping trip, tomorrow I am making Jew's mallow or Molokhia with chicken. I wonder what it is that it causing me to crave these dishes of my childhood? It has been a great push though to finally learn how to cook these dishes which my Mother, Aunts and Grandmother have previously prepared for us. I only hope I can do these recipes justice.

The haul from our shopping trip today

now what?

Sometimes it pays to be slow. With so many babies due around the same time as mine, I was getting a little nervous about the amount of sewing I had in front of me. Thankfully, my UFO basket is full of half finished quilt tops which will be perfect for these little ones!

This is a top I started when we first came to Sydney just over 3 years ago. I remember now why I never finished it, because I couldn't figure out how ... and I still can't. I'm thinking a solid light peach border followed by a dark binding. The only thing is, the quilt top is still quite small- about 30"x 33". I'm thinking of quite a thick border, maybe 3" finished? Making the finished dimensions abour 36" x 39". Is that too small? I guess it could just be a little snuggle quilt, maybe for a pram? I would add more blocks, but I barely have any of this fabric left. Otherwise this weekend, I have finally put together my pinwheel sampler quilt top. I ended up adding a scrappy border too, similar to this one, as it looked too plain without it. Now I just have to get some backing, choose a quilting pattern and send it off. I can't wait to have this one finished and on our bed. Too bad winter is almost over! But that's what happens when you are slow!
Sorry about all the dark photos lately (including these awful ones). My husband assures me he has re-set the camera for me now!

I have a fear of triangles...part 2

Well my sewing mojo has well and truly returned and I spent much of the weekend at my machine. Although Rachel's quilt along began 9 weeks ago, I started on Saturday and have managed to get all 16 blocks done. Not bad for someone with triangle phobia!

A few of my favourite blocks

Pretend those loose threads aren't there please!

I don't think I'll make Rachel's 2 week challenge to get it all together, quilted and bound, but hopefully I'll at least have the top together in the next fortnight. I think I'll go with white sashing and cornerstones - maybe mini pinwheels.

I'm also thinking I might have this one quilted professionally as the thought of stippling over those bulky seams is a little scary. But I'm not sure whether to go with an all over design or have something different for each block - ideas?

I have a fear of triangles...

So I started a quilt comprised almost entirely of triangles. Nothing like facing a fear head on. I really love pinwheel quilts so I decided it was about time I make my own. I am following Rachel's pinwheel sampler tutorial and using a hunky dory layer cake.

This is what our desk looked like yesterday while I made a start on this quilt - I think I need a bigger desk!

Under the sea...

Some sewing over the weekend - no idea where this is going as yet, but I'll see where it takes me. I usually plan my quilts, but I thought I might just play with this one, and I am really enjoying it. I am also taking notes and photos, so perhaps it may become a tutorial in the future...or maybe I'll even get up the courage to submit it to a magazine...

I also had another go at some macarons and I really think I am getting there, although the tops weren't as smooth as last time. Same recipe, but this time I substituted 35g of almond meal for cocoa, and made a dark salted chocolate buttercream to fill them. Seriously yum!

Done and dusted

It's done! Less than 2 weeks after the baby was born, I sewed on the label and finished it! My running name for this quilt was Katya's baby quilt, after the Mum-to-be, but now it is Alessia's baby quilt!


Of course, as soon as I finished it, Sydney has had nothing but grey days which made it an absolute bugger to take photos of. I couldn't take any outside! But I am happy with how the quilt turned out - even with my uncertainty about all those patterns!

And I have really fallen for pieced backs and I'm so glad I pieced this one. It really brightens it up. I'm not thrilled with the backing fabric as from afar it almost looks like a solid, and doesn't look to match.

But up close you can see all the cute polka dots in the backing and the binding fabrics.

I hope Alessia (and her Mum) like it!

almost.... there...

This quilt has been a bit of a saga hasn't it? But it is bound and washed (with beautiful crinkles - thankyou all for the tips!), and I am just about to sew on the label I finished embroidering this morning...

Full pictures soon - I promise!

got binding?

The quilting is all done, now it's just the binding to go on - and the baby arrived yesterday!

crinkles and washing

How do you wash your quilts? I have been washing mine in cold water and then hanging them over a clothes airer to dry, but they don't seem to get that lovely crinkly texture of others quilts.

Should I be washing them with warm water or using the dryer to get those crinkles happening?

Is now the right time to tell you that I am one of those naughty people who never pre-washes fabric, but will hold their breath while the quilt is in the washing machine, petrified my hard work will be ruined? But still I don't pre wash. I will test a tiny piece of dark colours or reds in hot water though, does that make it ok?

What do you do?

Quilt top - check

Even with all the packing we did on the weekend, I managed to get this quilt top finished. The sun shining through it distorts the colours a little, but I am pretty happy with how it is looking. It's much nicer than when the blocks were separate that's for sure. I really enjoyed piecing this quilt as it was simple and quick which allowed me to see results quickly (yes, I am impatient!). I put it together from 16 fat quarters and some white yardage. I do love quilts that use lots of fat quarters as they tend to be the predominant pieces in my stash.

Only 4 days until our move and I can dismantle mount cardboard! Thank God!

And today is Sampson's 5th birthday - happy birthday little man!

chaos

Chaos and hot weather - not a nice combination! We are moving in a week and a half, not too far, just a few streets down in fact, but the packing and organisation is still the same as a big move. Our lounge room looks like a cardboard monster threw up in it and my sewing room...let's not go there.

I am heading to Melbourne at the end of the month for a baby shower and I really wanted to have my present finished to take with me. So I can't pack my sewing machine, or the fabrics I need, which is fine - but now I have no room to baste the thing because the floor is covered in boxes! We get the keys to the new place late one afternoon, so I wonder if I can convince my husband that before we move in, that I need to use the wide open floor to baste my quilt??

I am a bit nervous about this quilt. I let my friend choose the fabrics as our tastes are so very different. As I was sewing the blocks together I started to get very worried, individually, some of them are not so pretty at all. However I am hoping (and crossing everything), that when they are all together that it will look ok.

Last night in the heat I decided it would be a good idea to do some baking. The apartment is still about 10 degrees warmer than it is outside, but I do have some beautiful salted chocolate cookies to show for it.

Craft room girls - these are for tonight!

World Peace Cookies

1¼ cups plain flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

½ tsp baking soda

155g unsalted butter, at room temperature (it really does need to be soft for this recipe as there are no other wet ingredients)

2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar

¼ cup sugar
½ tsp fleur de sel or ¼ tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

140g dark chocolate, chopped

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together. Beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix just until the flour just disappears into the dough- don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Add the chocolate pieces and mix just to incorporate. Turn half the dough out onto a piece of cling wrap on the bench. Shape the dough into a log of 4cm in diameter. Wrap the cling wrap around the log and refrigerate or freeze for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 160˚C. Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1 cm thick. (The rounds are likely to crack and break as you’re cutting them- don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds onto baking paper lined trays, leaving about 3cm between them. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

recipe from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Gifts (of the non-Christmas variety)

I am 2 months late with the quilt for my baby cousin Lily...better late than never hey?

I used a honey bun of "Swanky" fabric (which I got for $13 on sale!) and a pattern from Moda bakeshop. Can you spot the pea?

I'm pretty happy with my quilting on this one (although this photo is pretty shitty). When I compare it to my first attempt at free motion quilting - it is a lot better. Just got to do some practice.

I also finished off another pointy kitty - this one is for my cousin Belle for her 1st birthday.

Tomorrow night I am off to the craft room... with a stack of fabric, a rotary cutter, some tea and Christmas pudding!

Dance!

This year I took part in a program called SISTER2sister - a mentoring program for teenage girls. The girls finished up their year long commitment to the program on Saturday with a graduation ceremony in the city which was lots of fun. So I made my little sister a present to commemerate the year and to give her something to remember it all by.

Her bedroom is decorated in hot pink and green - so it was easy to find fabrics in my stash to match. The butterfly was the symbol of the program, so it was an easy choice for the applique.

She seemed pretty happy with her cushion and even asked me where I had gotten it made. I think she was a bit excited when I told her that I had made it!

I also gave her a copy of the book "Girl Stuff" by Kaz Cooke. After a bit of a read, I would really reccommend it for young, teenage girls - it covers everything from puberty, friends, family and relationships to drugs, alcohol, mental illness and many others. And it does it in a really accessible way for young people. There are lots of cheeky cartoons and funny sayings in it. I wanted to read the whole thing myself!

Tonight my husband and I, along with his twin brother and his wife are off to Tetsuya's for dinner! It is constantly voted in Australia's top 5 best restaraunts and has even made the top 10 world list for a number of years - I can't wait! We made our booking 6 months ago, so it has been a long time coming!

And tomorrow I'd better finish off the last of my present for Chookblue's SSCS - only a few days to go now!

To do list...

find some backing material for this one:


and this one...
and finish quilting this one...


It looks to be a fun weekend!