1301

Yes, there are 1301 pieces in Rosettes, and I'm finally finished! Talk about a marathon effort.

It's a gorgeous day outside today, perhaps a little too sunny for a photo shoot. I'm not usually a fan of orange, but I thought it worked for the border given the dominance of blues and greens in the quilt.

Just a reminder that the Mulgrave Maker's Market is on this Sunday (8am-1pm), so if you're in the area I'd love to see you there. I'll have handmade goods as well as a selection of fabrics.

One Step at a Time

I've found that the easiest way to tackle Rosettes is to break it down into small chunks; you feel like you're making progress and it's more managable. I cut all the 2" squares one day, drew the diagonal lines the next, then stitched them all to the rectangles the following day. Another day was for trimming and ironing. Within each of those tasks, I break down the fabric into groups, and take a break between each. It's the only way to maintain my sanity!

Today I've finally got around to piecing the blocks, working two at a time. I've done eight of the 16 so far and I think they're looking pretty spiffy. I'm finally getting the hang of those points, too.

Whenever I leave the ironing board "alone" for too long, Miss Bella steps in to keep it company, and promptly falls asleep.

I also thought todays sunshine might be a good opportunity for a photoshoot with Millie, but she was far more intent on rolling around on the grass, or eating it, to pose for me.

The Fandango Tango Goes On

After a bit of a break, I'm back taking another stab at Rosettes. Today's mission is to cut out the 320 2" squares required to put the second "ring" around the blocks. It's like a never-ending quilt, this one.

Central Park by Kate Spain came in yesterday and it is yummy! I bought myself a FQB using some Christmas money, so if anyone has any pattern suggestions for that one, I'm all ears.

It's now six months till my trip to the US and I took the big step of booking my flights over the weekend thanks to a well-timed Qantas sale. I just need to survive a semester of uni then I can really start getting excited.

Rosettes Round 1

I've finally finished putting the first "ring" on the Rosettes blocks. Only one more round to go! These blocks are already made up of around 40 pieces.

They are fiddly! Getting those points to match up is a pain in the you-know-what. It's safe to say there are as many imperfect points as there are perfect, but that's ok.

Just a reminder about the Flood Raffle; the closing date has been extended to next Wednesday (Australia day), and I have't yet had any entries which is a bit disappointing. A single $5 donation could get you a Schnibbles kit worth around $60, so pop on over to have a look.

Fandango Stars

I've made a good start on Rosettes, having pieced together the stars that are the centre of each block. I'm really pleased that I went with a cream background, rather than a white, which might have been a bit too stark.

I'm now working on the ribbons for the blocks; if only I didn't need to cut out some 700 2" squares! While I'm doing that, Miss Bella is just "chilling" on my bed...nice for some!

Have you seen the sneak peek of the FQS mystery BOM for 2011? I'm thinking I might sign up for this one, given how much I enjoyed 2009. Which I must quilt one of these days...

Last up, I've put Hunky Dory and Whimsy on sale in my shop, and re-jigged the shipping costs to make them a little friendlier for smaller orders. The link is over to your right.

A Little Fandango

With Central Park shipping soon, it seemed like a good time to finally make something from Fandango; all I needed was a little time, mojo and inspiration. I think I found it!

I rifled through my stash of patterns (or more truthfully, my store's stash of patterns), and decided on Rosettes, by Fig Tree Quilts.

I've cut out most bits, and started piecing. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it all comes together, especially as I've chosen to use a single cream background fabric (Bella Solids Fig Tree Cream) rather than the four the pattern calls for.

Little Zip-Up Purse

I got the urge to sew today, but with only one more day until Christmas, it's not really the time to be starting any new big projects. For a while, I've been thinking about trying out a little zip-up purse, and did a bit of tutorial hunting online. I found a few, and this is what I ended up with.

It's a reasonable size, about 16cm wide and 12cm deep, and made from Fandango scraps. Handy for putting things in your handbag, such as a camera or iPod without it getting damaged.



The only problem I found it that my lining has ended up a bit bulky (too big), despite cutting everything the same size. Any suggestions from anyone whose made something like this? I might need to trim it down a little and re-sew it to make it a better fit.

I Did It!

With a couple of spare hours up my sleeve yesterday, I decided it was time to tackle that skirt pattern. And I'm really pleased with the outcome, using a lovely Fandango print.

(bad photo due to poor weather in Melbourne, as usual...)

Not only is it the first time I've ever made a piece of clothing, its the first time I've put a zip into anything. The only thing I'm not to happy with is that the waist is a tiny bit higher on one side of the zip compared with the other, but that's just a learning curve.

I see a Bliss version in my future....

Star-Struck

After a morning spent slaving over assignments, I rewarded myself this afternoon with some sewing time. I've started piecing the blocks for A La Mode, after getting the pinwheels done earlier in the week. There are a few pinwheel points that are a little off but I'm not too worried; overall the blocks are pretty cute.

And how yummy does this fabric look! Fandango arrived right on cue this morning; haven't had a chance to pull all the bolts out of the boxes yet, but what I've seen looks fantastic.

Fandango by Kate Spain for Moda

For my regular readers, I promise I won't do this too often, but this is worth sharing.

Fandango by Kate Spain for Moda is due to arrive any day now!

I have a couple of pre-cuts, as well as a selection of 20 fabrics from the range coming.

All are now available in my online store for pre-order.