Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Progress Report


Well I have been like a busy bee working on my retreat swap squares. WooHoo!

50 down, only another 82 to go! I dont think I'll make my self imposed deadline of THIS weekend, but I am going to keep on it! I have enough UFO's already, perhaps this quilt will be finished by the end of August!

I called into the quilt shop today, my "Lasagne Quilt" will be quilted by Friday, so I might get the binding on it this weekend. Of course while I was at the quilt store, I found some fabric I had been looking for and of course I had to bring it home with me. A friend has thrown out a challenge to make a vibrator quilt. Now, when I read that message I nearly had a coronary.... but please read on.. its a quilt for the vibrating pagers at the pub we go to once a month to have our stitch 'n' bitch.. not sure if I'll get it done or not, but I am always up for a challenge!

I had to do the EOM at work for the first time today, I was supervised doing this.. I have to learn how to do this cause the girlie at work is going on holidays and managed to go when the EOM is happening, so I get to do the next few supervised then I'll be on my own! ARGH!!!!! Hope FUF (F*&^ Up Fairy) doesn't visit when I am in the driving seat! My boss is pretty cool, he knows I'll ask a billion questions between now and then so I ensure I dont stuff up! I HATE STUFFING UP.. I mean, its only rolling the month over for our regions largest retail supplier of timber? no biggie eh??? LOL

I have been flat out getting ready to go out 'west'.. I have never been further than about 60kms inland from the coast here in Newcastle, I know, its disgraceful.. I'll actually be going about 400kms inland.. so it will be a bit of an adventure, Missy Moo is doing a dance competition, so wish me luck! Now dont to thinking I have never left the hamlet of Newcastle, I have travelled overseas, just never thought about going inland.. lazy??? Perhaps!! Downside of the adventure is that the temps out there have been 1C... with a top temperature of 12C.. hmm 1C??? I dont think my fridge gets that cold???? I dont own any warm clothes, so wish me luck!!!! I am just lucky I have my winter 'padding' to keep me warm!

catch you all next time!

Lissa

Friday, July 27, 2007

Wacha doin'?

Well I dragged out the Charm Squares from Bendigo retreat earlier this year.. What to do?? What to do?? I had a few ideas, then seen what others had done with theirs and thought my idea was a tad naff.. so thinking cap on, and I have done a nine patch variation. The theme was 'oriental' and the charms were 6.5" unfinished. I cut them into a 3.5" square, a 6.5x1.5" strip and an extra 1.5" square for the cobble stone block that I am alternating them with.. the block is 5" finished. They are all cut out and stacked VERY carefully and put somewhere safe from the pussy cat... I have put together about 31 pairs now so only another 100+ to go.. LOL I want to get the front of the quilt together by next weekend. Then there is a matter of the actual signatures for the back, that shouldn't pose too much of a problem! I wasn't sure about the background colour, but it is an unbleached/unseeded muslin.. perfect colour for hiding cat fur! LOL originally I wanted to use an idigo blue but thought although the cat isn't invited onto a quilts his fur seems to get EVERYWHERE! I dont have a design wall, so I had to improvise and use the carpet so the dark lines around the blocks are the mat on the carpet and the carpet! LOL
This week I was in a Christmas in July Secret Sister/Santa swap. My secret sender was Sarah from QLD and she picked out some lovely items for me... Thought I'd share a pic of what she sent me... I loved everything! I sent to Suzy in SA, I forgot to take a pic of the bag I sent her and the goodies but she did love what was sent! The chocolates disappeared within seconds.. I love lindt chocolates! The bag had a teeny weeny pair of scissors inside.. CUTE!
I am trying to get a few things done for August, I wont have much time at the sewing machine but a lot of time for hand piecing / embroidering so I am getting a few things together so there will be no excuss for not doing any sewing! I should get my quilt back from the quilters next week, so another hand sewing project there with the binding..
Missy Moo is starting a new dance for tap, a waltz, and of course... new dance = new costume and 1000+++ sequins.. so I gotta get organised, this costume is going to be mint gree ballroom dance style thing, so I am sure I'll be sewing on sequins until Christmas..
Lucky I dont mind sewing on sequins, except I haven't had a marathon session yet since we have had the cat! wish me luck, cause I am sure I am going to need it!
'til next time....
Lissa


Friday, July 20, 2007

A LITTLE RETAIL THERAPY

Well I have to admit, I didn't find A tape measure.. no problem says me! The best way to find the tape measures or anything else you have 'put somewhere safe' is to go out and buy a new one.. so that was the plan.. I went to a local store (Hi Alison) and they had a 25% off sale.. now I did restrain myself, and managed to get some fabrics to finish off a quilt top or two, the chenile top is now done and the backing is soaking as we speak.. left the store with my purchases and had a "DOH" moment.. forgot to buy a new tape measure... so no problemo..

I'll go the LONG way home and there is another quilt shop on the way (fancy that?? not as good as the first one, and staff not as friendly!!) found some crochet lace I needed and a few other things and made my way home.. and guess what? forgot to buy a new tape measure at that store! LOL.. I have been measuring using my cutting board, which is fine if its under 22".. but the top I dropped off at the quilters well I thought it was 76-80" well its not, alas, I cannot make a single quilt to save my life.. its 88" long by 67" wide.. This is for my friends birthday, I hope he likes it, as I am probably going to have to mortgage a kid or sell a kidney to get it quilted! Its a very simple quilt, made it in a day.. it will be commercially washed and dried as he is in hospital for a little while, so I didn't want to make an epic quilt.. had some drama's with the fabric I used for the backing, not bloomin' long enough.. it was EXACTLY the same size as the top, so I have had to add a few strips to the top and bottom of the backing, but hey, its a SCRAP quilt! :O) I seen this idea on another website awhile ago, and it was called a "Lasagne Quilt".. you use layers of fabric, I cut 2.5" strips width of fabric (some were FQ's) and off I went.. I used all stash fabrics, civil war repro's, except for the purple border, which I got from the first shop I went to today.. it was the first one I picked up and it looks great.. it has a teeny black pattern on it, so I am going to use black binding on it.. It should come home in about two weeks time, plenty of time for my friends birthday!

The other top I finished was the chenille quilt... I also managed to get some more from the first shopI went to today (Rags to Riches btw @ Cessnock, its a great shop, about 30mins from here).. How lucky was I?? Alison let me raid the secret stash for some more blue, it was a bit too girly pink for my liking.. but I am super happy with it.. chenille does have a little bit of stretch in it so a couple of blocks are a bit puffy.. This will be the first quilt I will bag, and then I'll tie it down with some of the 1000's of vintage buttons I have stashed around this house.. that is, if they are hiding out with my tape measures!


I just dragged out my Bendigo Retreat Signatures this morning, and I am not 100% sure on how to put them together, have seen a couple of WIP quilts from the same swap and my idea seems dumb.. the oriental fabrics are too cute too cut up too small (IMHO) and thought about using the tumbler template I bought awhile ago.. not tumbling block, but tumbler, looks like a thimble.. just had a go using a scrap, and I can get 1 1/2 tumblers out of each block, so this idea could be a go-er.. anyways, I better go and start my day.. its 11am and I am still in my flannelette lingirie..
Happy weekends to you :O)

Monday, July 16, 2007

Gotta Fess Up!

OK, last night, I was fiddling with my quilt after my post... and I realised.... the two new tape measure I bought not 3 week ago, well they have disappeared into the black hole of my house.. I swear, I must own a dozen tape measures.. mum bought me a cute cow one (I used to collect cows in a former life) and I thought I'll grab that.. of course it was in metric and I needed imperial.. so when I get time tonight, I am going to search out every blasted one of them and put them TOGETHER! Like in my SEWING DRAWERS.. argh @ me!!!

I actually managed to fit 6 hours of sewing in last night.. not too shabby when you consider I had put 6 hours of paid work in, some mother time and then the 6 hours sewing.. sometimes its pays to be an insomniac!

Well I am off to do something constructive... like my paid work!


Take care and I'll let you know how the expedition to find tape measures go.... I wont cheat either and go and buy a new one!



Lissa

HRH Cosmo Pussy Cat

Just thought I'd stick a new pic of the B@$tard cat. Now he has been behaving himself, but he has learnt to that if you cry, everyone pays you attention. He cries if I leave the room to cook tea/shower/work! He has also learnt if you cry real loud people come running, so you cry in front of the cupboard where the TREATS are kept and you might just get one! Maybe I should try that myself! although, I am not particularly fond of fish flavoured treats! :O)





Now he can't be comfortable in this pic, he often sleeps on the Taj Mahal of cat scratching posts like this and often has his tongue out.. very cute!












I have dragged the flower garden quilt I have been working on for more years than I care to mention (OK its more than 3 but I am sure its less than four!) thought I'd stick a pic of it on my blog so I can look back and see how much I have progressed. I have used 1930's fabrics (what a surprise eh?) and its slowly getting there! I am working on the border of it at the moment, have added some half hexagons and just deciding whether to add a float or not. the papers are getting a tad mangled so I thought it might be nice to start adding a border! I can seriously recommend anyone who is making or planning on making a hexagon quilt to buy a mercury template, they are the bestest thing since sliced bread. I cut out over 240 hexagons last night with it in less than 10mins.. neat eh?

I have also been busy working on a chenille quilt I started MONTHS ago.. I have most of it together, but realised it wasn't square (I have a thing about square quilts) so I found some chenille on ebay and a friend has some, so I should be able to finish it once the ebayer posts my parcel! The sun room looks like a snow storm hit it, chenille is horribly messy.. its EVERYWHERE.. cat keeps coming in with bits stuck to him!

Well thats enough from me.. hope you like the pics and until next time....
Lissa

Friday, July 06, 2007

I did behave myself!

g'day possums

I went to the Darling Harbour Quilt show last Friday.. I had a great time checking out the quilts (the winning one, MIND blowing 17000+ hours work in it).. but I came home with a lot of $$$'s. Dags (DH) gave me $$'s for my birthday and mothers day this year and I had that cash, and I ended up not buying a lot. Why? well I just didn't find anything that grabbed my attention! And, I have realised lately, there is only so much fabric you can fit into a house, and I have exceeded that amount about 3 years ago! LOL.. I put myself on a fabric diet earlier this year, only buying stuff I need to finish UFO's and I have been 'loosely' sticking to it. I did buy some Fat 10ths and Fat 1/4s at Darling Harbour, its very hard to get 30's fabrics here in Newcastle... I think I have some of every fabric that is available up here! LOL.. I must have over 500 different 30's fabrics now.. enough to make a quilt for the WHOLE town!




I did also buy a gorgeous book from Hatched & Patched. Now, I am not a christmas-a-holic, I do have two tree's (Dags had a cow when he seen the second one up last year, but he got over it pretty fast) but I dont go mental at christmas. But I just had to have this book, its got some cute projects inside and I might, just MIGHT make something out of it! Had a fun trip on the train on the way down to Sydney, the lady next to me was elderly and kept falling asleep and was snoring REALLY loud.. and she kept falling asleep on my SHOULDER! I bought TWO new tape measures cause I lose them constantly and I have managed to cut some with my rotary cutter, dont you hate that??? I would think there is about ten tape measures in this house! And I grabbed myself my favourite hand cream, I wanted a tube to leave at work.. and that was about it!

I have also been working on a Miniature RR this week, I put it in the post yesterday its on its way to America. I decided that my loathing of triangles was very apt after spending 4hours redoing 1" triangles.. thats one inch on the bottom.. and the quilt was just that widdle bit out, so I did the best I could (recipe said triangles for this round).. but all in all it looked good......from afar!!! I added the red triangles and red float..


Well thats it from me, have a great weekend, and I'll be sure to put some ramblings up real soon :O)


Lissa