Completed quilt block

I have finished my block for The Quilt Project. It was very rhytmic, mesmorising and almost addictive stitching backstitch along all the lines I had drawn. It was my procrastination, my relaxation, my enjoyment, I stitched in bed, on the couch, in the garden, when I should have been attending to my child, when I should have been attending to life in general...and now its done and gone to Melbourne to be part of the completed quilt. Now I will have to re-set myself to normality, maybe. You can see the progress of others over here.

Op-shopping

I live very close to a large Salvation Army store and am always popping in to peruse their offerings. Their fabric and pattern collections are really of no note, mostly just bad stuff from the 1980s, but I did have a good time looking through their tea-towels and old doilys, there was even a huge bag of embroidery thread in all colours of the rainbow. I didn't buy the bag of thread, but I did come away with these, $1 each.

I also bought some of those old souvenir teaspoons, you know, the daggy ones you would buy for grandma when you went on holiday. The Salvo shop has a huge basket of them, but really old ones, silver plated, none of this stainless steel stuff. Great conversation pieces for afternoon tea I think - and they look great with my old teacups.

A little clip experiment

Sometimes I just can't help myself. The boy is sleeping soundly through the middle of the day, I have caught up on a few odd jobs and then the mess that is my dining table calls me to do a little creating. I had been keen to try some felt hairclips. A lot of my friends seem to be producing little girls this year, so hairclips are going to be in strong demand I think. Only one friend has a daughter with hair long enough for a clip, and at one year old she likes wearing them (what a girl!). I decided to make her a few more for her collection (can you have too many?).

I loosely used some instructions from Zakkalife, here and produced these two little felt clips, inserted into a little cardboard tag with pretty paper for presentation. They were well received.

The Quilt Project

I am a little snowed under with a uni assignment right now (I am a sucker for punishment I think) so blogging is a little low on my agenda. However, I am making time to have a break and talk about my participation in The Quilt Project, as I promised to.

I stumbled on this project one evening in late July as I was perusing through various interesting websites. Kirsty of Kootoyoo was organising 50 participants to each sew a panel for a redwork quilt. After a moments deliberation about having time, being up to the challenge etc. etc. the community spirit of it all got the better of me and I threw caution and insecurity to the wind and decided that I wanted to take part. I then spend the best part of an hour trying to make my computer scan my completed application form to attach to email, so much for empowered and confident - but I made it.

I received my little package in the mail, beautifully presented, tied up with red string (brown paper parcels, tied up with string...). My friend was collecting my mail that week while I was on holidays, she must have wondered what I was getting such great looking mail.

So, I had the material and two skeins of the appropriate red embroidery floss. What now? The maximum design size is quite big, and all I can think of are these little flowery designs (ok, I like flowery designs), I tried enlarging a pattern of some pj pants of mine, but that just ended up looking like a bad doily, and boring. Then when I was walking down the hallway at home, the little fox above the spare bedroom door whispered in my ear - use me! Inspiration was found, a design was made and I began stitching.

I'll leave you with a few pictures, more later, I'm off to bed.

Something more I have finished

I finished my second doll the other day. My friend called her Miss Dotty after the dots on her dress. That fabric was old and a very thin cotton so I had to bolster it up a bit with some interfacing. That trick worked quite well.

I had a fiddly time fiddling with my original pattern to give her wider arms and legs, a more triangular body, more of a neck and better hair. I think I succeeded on a lot of levels and am very happy with the result. The only think I want to do better is her face. What did I do her eyes so wide apart for? I don't know, I guess because I did all the face details before the final construction that the result came out different than I expected after she was all done and stuffed. I do like her little felt collar though.

My sewing machine had a lot of trouble with sewing through the thickest parts, the tension cracked it (had that trouble before) and it had to go in for a service. I will be updating to a more serious sewing machine soon.

Something I have finished

I started this embroidery a while ago, and I actually finished it a while ago too. I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do with it. I sewed it on a piece of cotton sheet offcut and stitched it with this red thread that wasn't even actually embroidery thread, but it was a good colour and thickness so I just went for it. I really like the end result. Taught me a thing or two about tracing designs on windows and using fading markers. Let's just say that the fading marker was a bit too fadey too quickly...

It was actually a fortuitous practice piece for undertaking work on the Quilt Project, hosted by Kirsty of Kootoyoo.

But more about that later...

OMG - I just noticed that there are three french knots missing off the left hand side near the swirl. Damn that fading marker!!!!

Arrival!

Today my much anticipated bug arrived from my bug swap partner Jodie. Wow, wow, wow, its totally gorgeous and was immediately cuddled by the cuddle master, but don't worry, he's not going to get to keep it, I am! I sense cuddle competition coming on...

Thanks Jodie.

Off with her head!

I am trying a new version of my doll pattern, expanding her here, taking in a bit there...basically just making it up as I go along and having a jolly old time with it all. Here's me cutting out her head pattern piece today. Results to follow, of course.

Bug Swap with Blinking Flights

I recently took part in a "Bug Swap" organised by Rebecca at Blinking Flights. She makes the most lovable little toys, they look so well made and finished, with lovely details and superb fabric combinations. She recently published her Bug pattern for others to be able to make and enjoy.

I made this Bug for Jodie in NSW. I am returning home from holidays tomorrow and the one she made for me will be waiting in the mail. I will post a picture as soon as I am organised.