I have moved

I am getting too frustrated with blogger, so have now set up at http://fayea2z.wordpress.com

Hopefully I will now be able to do just what I want and therefore will blog more. C U there.

Cheers,

Faye.

AQC

At the AQC in April I did a class with Gloria Loughlan called Colour Fusion. You could do abstract, but I went with a landscape view. I had a lot of fun doing this and am thrilled with the result.

But .... when I went to quilt it, I found a spot where raw edges were showing and it was going to be too hard to repair, so I put a piece of white fabric on it, hoping it would look like a cloud. Well, it didnt, so I cut out a piece of wadding and quilted that over the white piece, and I'm pleased with it now. I had some fun with it, not only the cloud bit, but also doing the trees. Cutting them out and then sewing around all the bits was tedious, but I enjoyed it. Then I decided there needed to be something else - the yellow just looked too "in your face", so I scribbled with the machine and made some bushes. All in all a most enjoyable project.
I put up a picture yesterday of the class I did with Jenny Bowker, Broken Star and loved that one too. The other class I did I got a bit confused with and at a later date, one of my friends is going to help me finish it (thanks Helen). At the moment I just cant face it.

I thoroughly enjoyed my 5 day stay in Melbourne. I flew back to Perth on the Monday night (8.30pm flight), so had all day to shop - and where did I go - GJ's of course. They had a 25% off everything in the shop Sale on, so I went mad and got no change out of $450.00 !!! Ouch. But, I had been saving for 12 months for just this situation VBG. And just so I wouldnt be overweight (I did buy a couple or 8 things at AQC as well) the ladies at GJ's posted my parcel for me. They are so good there. Just as well I only go to the AQC every other year!!!

Till next time.

Cheers,

Faye.

Sorry-it's-been-so-long & AQC

Oh dear, it's been over a month since I posted! In the meantime, I've been to the AQC in Melbourne, had a really bad bout of flu' that put me out of action for about 2 weeks, and, ... well, life just got in the way :-) So, I have a few photo's of some finishes and also what I got up to in Melbourne.

This quilt is from

a pattern put out by Bonnie Hunter (Quiltville.com) and is her Scrappy Bargello. But, I did a co-ordinated version and extended the zigzag a bit and called mine Streak of Lightning. I love the colours, although this shot doesnt really do it justice.

I dont kthink you can see the quilting. Fairly ordinary in the main part, but round the edge I did a sort of side-ways continuous figure 8. I love doing that design.

This next one I called Eye of the Tiger cos in the little posts in the sashing I tried to put an eye. I quilted basically around the skewiff log cabin blocks and then round the edge I did a vine pattern that I made up. That was fun too.

This is a top that I almost finished at the AQC so now it's a finished top, waiting to be sandwiched and quilted. I'm hoping it wont stay an UFO for too long, although so saying, I'm going away for about 3 months and wont have my machine, so maybe I'll aim for before Xmas! The class was with Jenny Bowker and the star is called Broken Star (or Carpenters Wheel). I added the little bits top and bottom, cos I dont like square quilts - and I love the finished top.

I'm having trouble with putting in my pictures. They always go to the top of the page, regardless of when I put them in, and then, sometimes when I'm moving them, either the one I'm moving, or one that gets in the way, disappears. So, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead here and I'll post again "soon" with more pictures of AQC and more "finishes"

Till next time,

Faye.

A few (almost) finishes.

This quilt is the 2011 Quiltville Mystery (Roll Roll Cotton Boll) - a small version. Bonnie's quilts are always too large for me, especially as they usually have such tiny pieces in them. I enjoyed making this one, but was agonizing about how I would quilt it. But, after my session with Pauline, I set my machine for free-motion quilting and away I went.

In the String blocks I have quilted 4 hearts - I hope you can see them. The half ones near the border have 2 hearts. I never would have attempted this before. It's not the best of quilting - I'm still learning and practising - but I'm pleased with how it is all progressing.

I'm having problems with placement of more pictures that I have, so that's all I'll put in this posting. I'll try and up load some more tomorrow. It's too late now and I'm getting tired and frustrated. I'm off to bed.

C U.

Faye.

Catch-up.

Oh dear, it's been a while. Where did the time go? I've been busy sewing and in a day or so I'll have some photo's to show. The one I'm quilting now is a blue and yellow Bargello and has been pinned and waiting for about 2 years !! And that's not the oldest one. But, I've made a pact with myself to try and quilt at least one quilt a week until we go away - probably the end of April. So, that should get another 4 or 5 finished, I hope. Trouble is, life gets in the way ... :-( ... and my plans get put on the back burner.

I've also been doing rounds on the 5 RR's I'm in, so cant show photo's of that as it's a secret :-) So, when they arrive I'll try and remember to take photo's and show you. This was the first one home - I think I'll make a cushion with it. I'm going to make my couch a showcase of all the mini quilts (made into cushions). That's the plan - we'll see what happens LOL.

I'm off to do some more on that quilt.

Till next time,

Faye.

At last I can do it!

Last week our club had a visit from The Gadget Queen - Pauline Rogers, and WOW. I already had my mojo going quite strongly, but now its almost bursting out of my head !!!

These two pictures are what I call Lightning Strike. The quilt is only quite small - I was testing out the scrappy Bargello pattern. It's been a finished top for about 18 months, waiting for quilting inspiration. After listening to Pauline, I decided "I can do that!" - and here it is all finished except to sew down the binding. I'm hoping the quilting pattern that I put in the red border shows up. I could quilt straight lines fine, - it was the squiggly bits that I thought I couldnt manage. After watching her, in this border I did a sort of open figure 8. Looks good, but dont scrutinise too closely LOL.

This one is what I call "Eye of the Tiger". I dont think you'll be able to see, but in the little 1" squares between each block (posts) I tried to put a tiger's eye in each one. I had actually quilted all the blocks and the first border and the narrow yellow border - all straight lines (I could do that). but it was sitting languishing, waiting for me to decide what to put in the 6" wide dark border. After my session with Pauline, I've now quilted a vine and leaf design all around it.

This is a close up of it. Hope you can see it.

And this is the back of this quilt. It was a scrappy front, so I decided to make the back scrappy too and am pleased with how it has all turned out.

Next project will be to tackle a larger top - I have plenty to choose from :-)

So, nothing wrong with my mojo at the moment. It's very much alive and itching to get sewing. What a pity I cant afford to have someone in to do all the cooking, cleaning and shopping so I could just sit and sew all day - or go shopping for quilting paraphernalia. It's nice to dream.

We are off out to lunch to celebrate DS2 (Dear Son No.2) birthday. Another interruption! But I love him, so my quilting will (must) wait.

Till next time.

Faye.

Catching up.

I thought I'd just put a few words on the blog - just to let you know I'm still here :-) Our WA branch of Scquilters had a get-together (GTG) on Saturday and I was putting my Quiltville Mystery together. I just want to add a border or 2 and then I'll take a photo and show everyone. Other than that, quiltwise I'm still working on 3 of my swaps. One is almost done, so cant wait to have it arrive home and see what everyone else has done to my centre square !!! I've also finished putting the braid border on my Scrappy Bargello, so will take a photo of that too.

Today I was on duty at the Quilt House and got quite a lot done on my blocks, even though there were lots of visitors. I had a lovely day, 9.30 till 3pm.

OK, I'm off to cut and sew on some borders.

C U

Cheers,

Faye.

Hot, hot, hot!!

We are going for the records here in WA around the Perth area. We are actually in Pinjarra, about 100km south of Perth, but get similar weather. I heard thismorning that we have had 29 days of over 30 deg., and 19 nights over 20. Cant remember how far off the record of over 30 we are - think it's about 35, but the record for nights over 20 is 21, so that will be smashed in a couple of nights. Forecast is for another week of days over 35 degrees. And also high humidity. I'm over it. The poor garden is suffering, even tho we water 3 times a week (our quota). It's been over 37 for the last 4 or 5 days (at least) and they are telling us there is still another week of it yet. The killer is that the nights dont cool enough, so the house doesnt cool down. Anyone got any rain and cool weather they can send my way :-)

I'm off to get an iced drink.

Cheers,

Faye.

Morning Vista

As I was sitting having my breakfast thismorning I thought what a beautiful outlook. No wonder I love living here and dont really want to move. Almost every morning we eat out here, on the back porch. It faces East but because of the big trees you can see in the first photo, we dont get sun until mid morning. Most times I just take it for granted, but occasionally, like today, I do take time to "smell the roses" so to speak. The 3 photo's could be "stitched" to get an all round vista, but I dont know how to do that, so here they are, separate.

Hubby does most of the gardening. When he retired we had different ideas about what to grow, and where, so I said to him - you do the gardening and I'll be the helper. It has worked well, although I wish he would put in a retic system so when we go away someone only has to turn on the tap, or even just keep an eye on it. The watering takes at least an hour if done properly.

I'm working on my Bargello quilt top (from a previous post) and will take another photo of that when I get the borders done. Have also been making lots of 9-patches as the starters-&-enders, so that's another quilt or 2 almost done. Think I'll make them into baby quilts.

Sunday doings.

I've had a lovely day. Hubby has been helping a mate fix his car, so I've had the day to myself - a rare event. I finished off the quilt top above - well the centre of it anyhow. I still want to add a narrow black border and then a Braid border. I'm loving it so far. It's one of Bonnie Hunter's designs - Scrappy Bargello, and very easy to do and uses up heaps of scraps.

And this is what I've just bought in from the garden. Well, actually the rockmelon we picked yesterday and had half of it for tea last night - so lovely and juicy, right to the skin. The vine grew from a seed. I buried scraps in the canoe for a while and I had a heap of rockmelon vines emerge. We have picked about 4 so far and there are still 5 or 6 to come. The silverbeet I'm going to cook tonight and we'll have ginger & soy glazed salmon on spinach, probably with some rice and maybe pumpkin. The grapes have just started to ripen, and the figs I'm fighting the birds for. The parrots and wood chucks are having a feast, so I'm not getting as many as I usually do. I think I'll save these and see if I can get a few more tomorrow night - enough to make a small batch of jam. I made some a few days ago and it's very nice - especially on fresh bread with lots of butter :-) Am I too fat ..... too bad!

Till next time.

Cheers,

Faye.

I've done it!

Yep. I'm in my new room. My machine is now in the centre of the room, so I'll be able to quilt large quilts easier. Before, I was up against a window. Hubby bought me a new shelving unit and I've managed to fill it, and there are no books in it! He has allowed me to keep my bookcases in the other room, which will now be a store room. I've been "told" that I have to keep the 2 spare rooms as "bedrooms" now - which is all well and good, but I still need a place to lay out stuff and a bed is the best place. And if no-one is staying, I can leave it on the bed, - cant I?

This is looking from my sewing machine to my stash cupboard. I'm considering getting a ceiling fan, but for the moment this one does OK. The drawers behind the fan hold my "Bonnie Hunter" style scraps (1.5",2" & 2.5" strips: 2", 2.5",3.5" & 4.5" squares; etc). I use the trestle table as a desk to design, write notes and "play".
This one is looking in from the door. The trestle table is about half an inch higher than the Horn cabinet, but I'll put a bit of plastic or something there eventually, so the quilts glide over. A Piecemakers calendar hangs from the curtain behind the ironing board. I'm still fiddling with the shelving unit. It looks a little messy at the moment.
And this shot shows my cutting table (which is a bit higher than a regular table) and my new shelving unit. My cutting table is an old door on a couple of leg stands that we got from Bunnings quite a few years ago. HE told me I could have a new table, but this one does me fine.

I'm still changing things, but I think it's about right now. I'm so glad He agreed that my books could stay in the other room. One day I might take a couple of shots of my book/magazine collection. I've culled it quite a lot lately, but there's still way too many. So many things I'd like to make - too little time left to make them. The trouble is, the older I get, the more I find that I'd like to make. It just never gets any less - know what I mean?

Anyhow, I'm loving my "sea-change" :-)

Till next time,

Cheers,

Faye.

Hot Weather

I dont mind hot weather when it's dry, but we are having a spell of humid horrid weather at the moment. I'm sick of sweating! There's a cyclone out there somewhere, due to come over the coast but as a depression( hmmm thats what it's giving me already LOL) sometime on Sunday afternoon I think. Hopefully that will be the last of the humidity then. I dont even feel like I can sew when it's like this - that's the depressing part. I have so much I have and want to do and I'm on a roll at the moment. Have even been trying to finish some of my PHD's (Projects Half Done). Dont feel like doing any of it in this humidity, dammit!

I'm almost moved into my new room. Just have to get to Bunnings now and get some new shelving. With the weather like this I dont feel like going anywhere! I'll take some photo's when its all done. I'm liking it already. Hubby says it's still too crowded, but I want everything in one room. He suggests leaving some where it is and I dont want that, although I might agree to leave some of my books on shelves there. I'd be able to put more of the things (stuff) from under the tables into the shelving unit then. That might work!! :-)

I'm off to sit in front of the fan again.

Cheers,

Faye.

Setting a block On Point

One of the groups I am in are doing a Round Robin and one round is - turn the block on point. I looked at all the info and really couldnt work out just where to start. I've been quilting for almost 30 years, so I thought if I'm having a problem, what about others that have not been doing it as long as I have. So, this is what I did. Not saying it is the right way, and there might be an easier way, but this is how I did it.

I decided I wanted 2" strips (cut 2-1/2) with posts in the corners, and a triangle along the middle of the original block side. Sort of like Log Cabin, but not quite.

First, I measured the length of the original block sides - it was 18-1/2 inches. I have a book that is called "Taking the Math out Making Patchwork Quilts" by Bonnie Leman & Judy Martin. There's all sorts of useful info in this little book, including diagonal measurements of squares, so this is what I used. I had to work backwards tho. And it wasnt exactly to size. Like ... for an 18-1/2" side, the closest was 18-3/8". Good enough for me. The size of square for that was 13", so that's what size I worked on.

I figured if it was a full square (and not a triangle) there would be a centre square and 2 rounds, so my centre square would be 5" and then 2 rounds of 2" (well, 2 each side remember), that would give me a 13" square finished.

So, I did a trial run and it seemed to work, so I bit the bullet. :-)

OK. Here we go .......

Cut 2 squares 5-7/8" and cut on one diagonal

(you will now have 4 triangles.)

From the same fabric, cut eight 2-1/2" squares.

You will need 2 colours for the strips. I used one light and one dark.

From the light fabric you will need 8 pieces 2-1/2" x about 8"

From the dark fabric, you will need 8 pieces 2-1/2" x about 12"

Construction:

Stitch one 8" light strip to a short side of the triangle. Your strip will be quite a bit longer, but thats OK. Press the seam towards the strip. Make sure it is all nice and flat. press both sides (right and wrong side), just to make sure it is good and flat.

Lay the unit right side up on your cutting mat. Now, look at your ruler. Somewhere on one end there will be lines that show you the degree of angle. You are looking for the 45 deg. line. You need to line up that line with the outer edge of the strip you just added, and the edge of the ruler should be lined up with the bottom of the triangle and across the excess of the strip. Make sure everything lines up, then trim off the excess.

Actually, on this picture I've lined the 45 deg line up with the other side of the triangle, but that works too.

Next, sew a small square onto a light strip and press towards the square.

Butt the seams and sew this strip onto the other side of the triangle. Press the seam towards the strip, then line up the 45 deg. line on the ruler and trim off.

We are half way there. It's not so bad, is it?

Now take a dark strip and sew that onto one side, as before. Press towards the strip and trim off. Add a small square to a 12" length and sew that on the other side, butting the seams so they fit nice and neat.

Hey presto, you have one side done. You need to make 3 more, just like that!

Now find the centre of the large triangle and the centre of the block. Pin this point, right sides together, of course.

You will find that the points of the new large triangle extend about half an inch longer than the block. That's right, they should. In this pic I have left a little of the block showing so you can see better. Pin generously and sew carefully.

Try not to handle the large triangle too much, as the long side is all bias and could stretch. We are almost there!

When you add an adjoining side, you need to leave a quarter inch dog-ear, as shown in this pic.

And finally, this is what the centre of your new block will look like. I havent trimmed off the dog-ears yet. I'll leave that for the next RR member.

Cant show you a pic of the whole block yet. Dont want the recipient to see too much.

Hope you can follow these instructions. I'd love some feed-back on this - good or bad. This is only my second tutorial, so I'm still learning.

Have fun with this, especially the girls in the RR.

Cheers,

Faye.

The Veggie patch

This is my wheeelbarrow now - I'm battling t0 keep up with it. Along with the silverbeet there are a few spring onions. This lot of s/b seedlings had only 4 plants, but even that is too much for just the 2 of us. I made a nice spinach and cheese slice for lunch the other day, but I'm battling to find recipes that I like using spinach.

The canoe is soooooo overgrown now too. The Rocket we had has seeded and is now shooting again (far left) so we might get some more rocket before the season ends. Next is a row of spring onions, then I had 2 rows of carrots& radish - the radish were great, - and in front of them a row of beetroot. The carrots and beetroot are still trying to compete - with the self seeded basil and rockmelon! Oh, and somewhere in there we had 3 cucumber plants that have been providing us with some lovely little cu-ees, and 3 strawberry plants that havent done much at all! Down the front are a couple more containers with pumpkin plants, which dont seem to be fruiting. Lots of flowers, so I'm not sure why no pumpkins. We have about 5 lovely rockmelon growing on the plants that grew out of some scraps I buried. Looking forward to them.

I'd like to plant more, but at the moment I havent decided where (or what) to plant them (in). It looks like we wont be going out prospecting till almost June, so I could plant some winter veggies, if I get on with it. Will just have to look out some more containers.

Cheers,

Faye.

Getting There ...

This is my current sewing room - a bedroom 3m x 3.7m with a built in robe - and I have it jammed packed full of my sewing paraphernalia. This shot is my cutting table, piled with "junk" at the moment cos I'm getting ready to move. Mind you, it's not much different to what it usually looks like. I usually have to clear a space to cut, as one does. I've seen the posts!

The next one is of the same room looking at the ironing board and my sewing machine (in a Horn cabinet - works for me) The bookcase extends into the room so I can get more furniture into the room. Behind the machine and Iron is a window, would you believe. Not out to the garden, but overlooking my computer room. As you can see, I've used the window to display all sorts of bits and pieces - blocks ready to assemble, exchange blocks ready to do or to post, notes to myself, a calendar - you get the idea.

I've been very happy in this little room and even though it's always a mess, I almost always know where everything is. BUT, I feel the need for a larger room and DH has said I can move into the "end room" which is 3m x 4m with no built in robe, so I can re-arrange things better. I've been designing and re-designing this new room for about 18 months now, but I'm pleased to say, it wont be long! I've cleaned out the new room and am about to paint it, then I can move.

Meanwhile, I've organised my Stash cupboard. It's not as full as it was cos I've been making quite a few scrap quilt tops from the stash and trying not to buy more. I had been really good until about a month ago :-)

My Stash cupboard only holds Lengths. From half metre thru to about 3.5m. I still have all the smaller cuts, fat quarters and widebacks to organise yet, although they are all in plastic containers - just need re-folding.

Dont hold your breath waiting for photo's of the move LOL. It's taken me 18 months to get round to clearing out the room ready for painting. Still got to paint ..... and then move all the stuff. OMG. There is sooooo much stuff! .... but it will be fun.

Might have to have a party when it's all done - just to show it off. I cant wait, so maybe it will happen faster than I anticipate. Still have to get DH to help though.

Till next time.

Cheers.

Faye.

Bonnie Hunter Mystery 2010-11

I decided I'd have a go at this, but bonnie's quilts are usually quite large, so I have only done a few of each unit - like about 50 of the first, and about 10 of each of the rest. I'll have a lot to do when I get going on it, but I have enough to at least put together a couple of blocks - just to see how it is looking, as I change the colours from what she suggests.

So....... today I actually put together a couple of the blocks.

Only trouble is, the Saw Tooth edge should have been with the dark on the outside, then it will look a little more like a sashing beside the string-pieced block. I'm glad I only made one block. I wont pull it out just yet. I'll make some more "the right way" LOL. So far I'm liking it, but I've made it with lots of scraps, so will have to put a few together to really get the idea.

I'll take some more shots when I've made a few more

Cheers,

Faye.