Monday, December 31, 2012

oops



laying out the blocks for this quilt is proving to be tricky
 
thankfully I noticed this mistake early on
 
it should look like this
 
 
only a couple of seams to unpick
 
 
 


Saturday, December 29, 2012

jumble

 
this mad jumble is the finished crackle blocks
 
huzzahs!
 
now they just have to be fashioned into a quilt top
 
better use the walking foot on those long bias seams
 
 

Friday, December 28, 2012

fabric

 
I have a lot of fabric - more than some, not as much as others but enough to keep me in projects for years to come.
 
The layer cakes and jelly rolls are hidden behind that stash of fat quarters. I got a bit carried away in 2011.
 
I have enough quilting magazines to make a stack to the ceiling.
 
So I won't be buying any this year (except backing fabric) and all my pennies will be spent at the long arm quilter who will transform my quilt tops into quilts.
 
In the meantime, I've picked up the pieces of the Crackle Quilt. Remember this?
 
 
I had forgotten how tricky those bias seams were to sew.
 
happy stitching
 
 

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

time . . .


 
there alway seems plenty of it
 
but then there is never enough
 
we can make it but always manage to run out
 
we can't buy it but we spend it
 
it's precious yet we waste it

we measure it, mark it, lose it and find it


I'd just like to use it more effectively in the year ahead

 
 

Monday, December 24, 2012

merry christmas...


 
wishing you a peaceful christmas and new year filled with the love of family and friends
 
be kind to each other
 
 

Sunday, July 29, 2012

things have been a bit slow around here


not a lot of sewing happening but
plenty of good intentions

okay, so it's not exactly snowing but
as soon as things warm up around here
we might see some activity


Sunday, July 1, 2012

mother knows best



found on pinterest.com



Thursday, June 21, 2012

countdown



days till I'm on holidays and the sewing begins




Sunday, March 4, 2012

blinked



blink around here and suddenly you've missed weeks of activity

please be patient while I catch up on all the happenings

have had my hands full juggling my regular job and a special assignment

sounds glamourous, huh?

if only that were the case







Wednesday, February 8, 2012

the haphazard gardener



i know this plant as arrowhead and it started life as an indoor plant.

at death's door, almost killed by kindness, it was relegated to a quiet spot at the feet of my sasanqua camellia hedge where it was promptly forgotten and utterly neglected.

it has now taken over a large area, is lush and healthy

perhaps it's an approach that should be applied to the rest of the garden!

this is my entry for


Sunday, February 5, 2012

more fab scrap quilt ideas



really like this one
reminds me of an apq project



a jacob's ladder?
this is a favourite too




sometimes the simplest designs are the most effective





Sunday, January 29, 2012

halfway


first set of blocks are finished

just so you know i'm not the only crazy person
making this quilt

there are others














Thursday, January 26, 2012

what was I thinking?



here's a block from my new project


five bias seams means
careful handling and gentle pressing

makes for slow progress

but so worth it


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

herb blossoms



such tiny flowers



the garden is struggling in all the humidity and rain

there's fungus on the rosemary and the hydrangeas have rotted

fickle business



this is my entry for



Sunday, January 22, 2012

swap quilt top



there is quite a sense of achievement when you can tick those tasks of your list

household chores - check


finish swap quilt top - check

clean sewing machine - check

install new blade in rotary cutter - check

 my thanks to katiemayquiltstoo for inspiring me to finish this quilt top

gotta confess that this quilt is incredibly special. thank you to all who contributed and to our cheer squad for their support and encouragement

usually deciding how to quilt a top is a long tortuous process for me but this time i have a pretty clear idea what designs i want.

finished top is 72 inches



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

cape daisy



while nandina is doing all the hard work in pam's garden over at sidewalk shoes

in mine, it's the cape daisy

grows anywhere in any soil
survives on rainwater
doesn't mind the heat
smothers the weeds

almost the perfect plant

this is my entry for


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

under the sea



first finish for 2012

a baby quilt



fabric is odyssea by momo

having some trouble leaving a comment on some posts
just getting a blank page

hopefully it won't last


Thursday, January 12, 2012

scrap busting



with all this talk of scraps and scrap projects it might be time to bust my scrap box
besides there's unpicking to do on the swap quilt

where's the fun in that?!


now it's rather a pathetic collection but that's because...



so 2.5in squares, 3in squares (there's a mistake on the label - remind me to complain to management), 5in squares, 2.5in strips and strings

you know even the ugliest fabric is tolerable as a 3in square

once there is a nice collection then these projects look pretty tempting






or even this one which isn't a scrap quilt but was made with 5in charm squares but it would look fabulous in scraps




got me some cutting to do

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

year of the scraps

never mind year of the dragon - 2012 is definitely the year of the scraps.

here are just a few of the scrap-a-longs out there










planning to use my scraps for either a version of this



or maybe this