EB Quilters Doll Quilt Swap #6.

I signed up a few months ago for the 6th EB Quilters Doll Quilt Swap. Signed up reluctantly I must admit and only signed up because AJ made me!! LOL I used to love swaps but now am a bit over it all. I procrastinated for weeks until I pulled out four left over blocks I had made back in June 2009 here. There was 8 blocks originally but the other four ended up in this quilt finished in March 2010. That quilt is now over in the UK and this one is over in NSW! What I am basically trying to say is hang onto to your left over blocks as they may come in handy one day!

The quilting was very simple. I wanted it to be soft and drap around a doll if needed.

And I recieved this quilt in return from Shirley, who coincidentally was the one that recieved my quilt! Thanks Shirley, the hand quilting is lovely. Grace has her teddy snuggled under it.

DQS#11 Finished!

While watching the finale of a certain reality TV cooking show last night, I finally got around to sewing on the label for mt dolls quilt for DQS#11.

It's all finished! It measures 17 inches square exactly. Lucky, as the rules were 18 inches and under. I used a polka dot binding from some material my sister sent up last month. I know my partner likes polka dots!

The quilting was quite simple in the end. With the smaller tulips just a square around them and then a square around the outer.

And the same with the larger flowers as well as around the largest petal. Thought I would do it in white rather than a red or yellow so it added some contrast. My partner indicated that they do not require a hanger as discussed here. So that solves that problem for me!

DQS#11 - Top Finished!

I have sewn all the blocks together for the DQS#11. I'm pleased with it. I am going to quilt it simply, around the outer of each block and inside the larger petal in the four bigger blocks. I think that will be enough.

I'm a bit stuck how to sew the hanger in the binding though. From the start I always imagined it would be displayed on point as in the photo at the start of the post. But now I am thinking, how can I sew a pocket in for it to hang that way? It would have to be pinned on the wall. So do I go no hanger or sew one on the side like normal so it hangs like the above photo, which doesn't look that bad I suppose. Any thoughts dear blog reader?

Tulip Progress.

I have made two more tulip blocks for the flickr DQS. With spots this time. This measures 4 inches.

And I have made 5 of these size blocks. The tulip here measure's 2 inches. So that makes a total of 9 blocks meaning I am 3 blocks in front of the swaps minimum of 6! Now too trim them all down and sew them together.

DSQ#11 - The Doubts!

It is a good idea to do test blocks first isn't it? So then you can see how crap your idea is. How crap you are at lining up points even though its paper pieced and everything is supposed to line up for you?

And if you do three test blocks then you might get better as you go? Maybe?? Maybe not! These are appalling! Being so tiny their faults scream at you, look at me! I'm way out!! So back to the idea board I go.....

DQS#11 - The Beginning!

It's that time again, Dolls Quilt Swap #11! Back to our roots for this round. We have taken the size back to between 9 x 9 to 18 x 18 inches, actual doll quilt size! No art quilts this round and it must have a minimum of at least 6 pieced blocks. So with those thoughts in mind I stumbled across the block crossed canoes. I drew this layout in Quark to get an idea of how I can play around with the colours.

I've pulled some fabric and its time to just get sewing now I think and see if this is going the direction I want it to!

DQS #10 Sent.

I posted my quilt for the DQS#10 today. I really like the the scrappy border. Think I might keep that in mind for my quilt for the Naked Bed Challenge.

I ended up stippling it. I had forgotten how much I enjoy stippling!

And what quilt would be complete without the label!

DQS10 - Take Two!

After much pondering over to send or not send this quilt off for the flickr DQS, I have decided not too. A girlfriend came over today, just popped in too drop off something and she saw it on the wall and I could see on her face how much she loved it. Really loved it. Appreciated the work in it. And it is her birthday in a few months so I am going to leave it hanging there until then. And then watch her face when she unwraps it. Of course when she was viewing it this morning I said nothing of that and told her about doll quilt swaps. She thought I was mad!

So with that decision finally made it was time to turn my attention to what I would now send.

I had made these stars during the week. Using scraps from my white tone on tone stash for some interest.

So with the four completed it was time today to think layout. I was originally thinking in an arch but it would have made it too long so I played it safe and just sewed them in a square pattern.

Nice and safe as you can see! Then the border...... after thinking wonky flying geese I thought nope, little squares in a row, inspired by this block here.

So I sewed a long strip about 7 inches long, then sliced it up into four strips.....

And sewed it to the stars. Frames it nicely, I like the colour against the white. So all ready to sandwich and quilt during the week.

There has been a few emails going behind the scenes and messages on flickr about swapping and not sending if your partner hasn't commented on what you have made. Just want to point out I don't expect gushing over my quilt, not at all. But I do expect appreciation for the hours gone into making something special. I have been in a lot of dolls quilt swaps, a lot. One of the last ones I sent, I got the feeling it wasn't appreciated and that was a bit hard to swallow as I know a lot of people would have loved that quilt. Maybe that is just the risk and joy of swapping? So rather than take that risk again, I'm keeping a quilt that was originally made for someone else and give it to someone I know will love it. That's all I really have to say about that. I have a quilt to sandwich. :)

DQS 10 Finished!

I finished sewing down the binding on my quilt for the flickr DQS 10. All finished except for the label! But still deciding if that label will say made by Helen for Helen. Or made by Helen for ? I'm really torn between sending away something that took ages to make to someone who hasn't expressed an interest in appreciating it. I do have another already to sandwich, but still....

One side of the rainbow....

Can't get enough of those pointy points!

I have it hanging on a rod next to Lynne's Rules quilt. It looks great. The husband suggested a queen sized bed in this pattern for our bed would look fantastic. Yes, it would........

Flick Doll Quilt Swap #9 Finished!

I have finished the binding on the second version of my dolls quilt for the Flickr DQS# 9. I'm really happy with how it has turned out. My partner has been a bit on the quiet side so I hope she is happy too.

I love the back! For the first version I did white thread on the back, but for this one I matched the bobbin thread with the top thread. i think the back looks as good as the front!

So which one shall I send? I have had them both hanging up in the dining room and been running a poll. Grace and Daz like the red and blue one, Milly and I like the pink one. Friends over last night voted 2 for the red and blue, two for the pink! So it is tied. Which one would YOU like?

WIP Wednesday - More DQS#9 Progress.

Thanks for all the lovely comments here and here on my quilting progress. I had a burst of activity this morning while still in my PJ's and got all the quilting finished. Just have to put on the binding now and then all done.

And then I can turn my attention to this version and hopefully my partner will come out of the woodwork and comment on which she prefers.

C's Dolls Quilt Finished.

I realized yesterday (thank you all for the birthday wishes!!!) as I was downloading the photos from the camera I hadn't posted photos of C's dolls quilt finished. I forgot to measure it before it was wrapped and handed to the birthday girl. It turned out a bit bigger than the size of a pillow case. C's Mum has told me that she uses it as a little quilt on her bed.


These blocks have had quite a journey to get into this quilt. At first they were going to be for this quilt! Half of them ended up in this quilt. Now I just have a few more to maybe make one more quilt out of. 4 quilts from one WIP, not bad!

WIP Wednesday - Free Motion Quilting Chickens.

I think my sewing machine may be cross at me. Sulking from being in a packing box too long. I can't get the auto threader thingy to work at all. But more importantly, my darning foot has just died. How can it?? I thought feet were supposed to last forever? It sort of pulls the foot foward which causes the needle to go straight down onto the foot and break. Not good. But funnily enough if I leave the feed dogs up, it will work, sort of. Gives a rough FMQ line. Which is perfect for this quilt for the Flickr DQS#8 as that is the look I was after to go around the chickens in.

I added the border and will bind this one in a black and white dot. I want to FMQ the yellow, I need smooth lines for that bit so I am currently waiting for a new darning foot via ebay.

I still can't shake the urge to make two of these quilts when I do a swap. This is the second one. One for my wall, one for my partners!

Day 7 of Blogtoberfest - Starting the EBDQS#3.

Well it is time I started on my dolls quilt for the 3rd annual EBDQS. I'll admit I have been putting off starting as I haven't been inspired. A little burnt out from the flickr DQS#7 maybe? My partner wants an actual dolls quilt too..... I'd prefer my dolls quilts on the wall to be admired as little fabric masterpieces. Don't you?

I have altered the colours in photoshop, not to give anything away. Although I kinda like the aqua and green combo.

Krommama's Quilt!

Remember back here when I blogged that I had finished two maverick star dolls quilts? One for me and one for Sarah, Krommama on flickr not to be confused with Sarah who I am doing the swap with that I mentioned in the last post.... If you click on the link it goes to a great shot of her table with all her placemats on it and some yummy pizza! Anyway, now it has safely arrived on her table, I can blog it.

I was pleased with the back. I had enough sides left over to make up a square block big enough to put the label on in the square. Didn't think to take a photo when I had finished though....

Some detail of the quilting. I am loving that Jump Rope Katie fabric at the moment, I seem to be including it in every quilt sewn.

And here it is with its "twin". Mine is hanging above the ironing board at the moment, really need to move it to the wall.

Flickr Dolls Quilt Progress....

Well thank goodness for Easter is all I can say, chocolate and sewing time!! We are having a lazy Easter at home, watching Mama Mia lots (one of Grace's favourite presents from her birthday stash and if you loved the movie too, you must click on that link!!) and eating chocolate. It's from the dairy food group isn't it?

I have brushed the dust of my dolls quilt for the flickr swap. I have echo stitched in white around the birds and the branches of the tree's. Something is still lacking though, the white is too white although I usually love white. I need some texture, I'm thinking of stippling really tight squiggles? Or maybe bubbles? Quilted white bubbles? I have to pin it up and ponder for a few more days till the lightbulb goes off.

But the deadline to post is fast approaching at the end of this month and this baby may be going overseas so I may have to post it earlier......

I have a question to ask that I have been meaning to ask for ages. Does my blog banner at the top there go out of the box on the right??? I am puzzled cause it does in Firefox but not in Explorer. Just a quirk on my monitor or is this happening worldwide??

WIP Wednesday - Week 12 - Flickr Birds and Daz's Big Day!

And so the work on the flickr dolls quilt swap goes. I haven't done much on it this week really..... I have appliqued down the birds, thank goodness my machine has a blanket stitch button!

There isn't enough contrast between the wing and the body. Another thing to change when I do the next version. I really like this red and white polka dot one!

Some of you know from other parts of my life on the www that my husband Daz has gone back to University this year. He is studying a one year full time course, a Bachelor in Primary Education which will make him a primary school teacher at the end of the year. It's only a years course as he already has a Degree in Media Studies and so it is just a one year course to be a teacher. A very intense full on year though! So far we have survived the first 6 weeks of the semester.... This morning there was excitement in the house as today was Daz's first day of "prac" teaching. He's been allocated a school in the next surburb and funnily enough the class he got is the same year as Gracie's class. I packed him a lunch and we all gave him good luck kisses and then waved him goodbye.

Wonder if I should have a beer open for him ready when he walks back in this afternoon....