Scrapping away still

I'm not going to talk about the fact that it's already well into March. Much better to talk about fabric and projects and everything else except how fast time flies. That's what you get when you look in the mirror I told  myself.  Just don't look and you wont have to think about it.  LOL.
In my attempt to reduce my stash,  I may have been a little successful since I spoke with you last, because at least I haven't bought any new fabric!!  Progress has been made on a number of projects, and I even dug out some (very) old UFO's and did a little on them.  I had to pinch myself a little at this point.  Hahaha.

The photo to the right shows that I have now laid out the fourth section of Danielle's quilt ready to be sewn up.
Section three has two blocks up on the design wall and the other two have be stitch into rows and just need making into the 2 remaining blocks.
That will just leave the fifth and final section to be done.  Woohoo as they say, sounds like it's almost getting there.  Must not speak too soon just in case.  LOL.















I'm trying to do some each day, but it can be a bit of a struggle some days.  All in good time.  The next three photos are of some eye candy from the Tuesday Girls who have been very busy of late.

This is Lorrie's lovely Christmas Redwork wall hanging.  It is really pretty.

Lorraine is doing a Boston Commons using hexagons.  These are quite large hexagons for Lorraine.  Often she is working with little tiny things that can barely be held in one's hand.  Mad, I think, LOL.  It's certainly going to be a beautiful quilt.  The fabrics are all French General scraps that Lorraine was gifted.

Not sure if I have already mentioned this quilt before but this is Lynn's Pies and Tarts quilt that looks fabulous.  It was interesting choosing the correct binding colour and I found a delicious rusty red in my stash that was perfect.

I have gifted my pile of completed pies and tarts and the cut out pieces and fabric etc to a quilter who needed it a lot more than I did.  I had to take a look at how important this quilt was to me in relation to my health issues and decided I did not want to continue with it.  Feeling really happy with that decision, and it has allowed me to continue on with other projects that need to be finished.

This is the first two blocks in the mystery quilt I am doing with Quilters Lane in Masterton.  I chose the Dear Stella colour way as a change for me and just love it so far.  The bestest thing though is it comes already cut.  I just have to sit and stitch it up together.  But guess what... I still only just got them done before the next blocks arrived. What.... that's just sad,  hahaha. Mind you, I had to pull out a few rusty old drawers in the filing cabinet of my brain to remember how to get these stitched up properly.  (whispering - I had to unpick a LOT...lol)  To change the subject....

This little quilt appeared in post here a while back and a couple of friends had suggested I make it bigger.  I'm never too sure what to do with little quilts, and the fabrics were not suitable to donate it as a baby quilt.  So I have added on a small frame and another floral border so far.  Have another floral border but with different flowers cut from the same striped fabric so will put in another lighter frame and put that one on too I think.  Then I will have to decide what to do with it from there as it will probably end up neither one thing or the other.  Might have to ask if anyone would like it and send it off somewhere to live happily ever after!!









So that's about it here for now,  thanks a heap for popping in and reading about my crazy life.  My health has been great the past two to three weeks and New Zealand has been sitting under this ginormous high and the air pressure has been so good for me. Now it's back to reality as this dratted little low came by and moved it out the road.  Okay, I know we all needed the rain, but gosh it was fun while it lasted.  Ignoring the fact that winter is definitely coming with the cooler autumn nights and mornings we are now having and realising the other side of the world is very happy about that.  Oh well.  See you again soon.

Hugs and blessings
Clare

I have linked to Confessions of a Scrap Quilter here enjoy your visit.
Also linked to Oh! Scrap here for even more scrappy goodness.

Just when you think you're finished...

I was doing a happy dance on Saturday night as I stitched the very last piece on the very last block of my applique quilt.

At last, after approximately 10 years of on again, off again attempts, I had finished the blocks I had chosen to do.

So yesterday I trimmed them all up and put them up on my design wall (and forgot a photo), only for the Tuesday Girls to tell me I had one too many!!!! Horror of all horrors, how could I possible have put myself through the agony of stitching the very last block and then find I had one too many. 

Well, you just have to laugh your cotton socks off, don't you?  It really is quite funny and now of course, I shall have to do another four blocks.  With no interest in doing a cushion with the left over one, I shall carry on and do another 4!  And just between you, me and the gate post, I am actually quite pleased to have a few more blocks to do.  It felt quite strange to say I had finished it.






This is why I didn't leave my applique blocks up on my design wall...

The Tuesday girls got stuck in again and we have made enough blocks to make this second quilt, and believe it or not, we have about 26 of the 30 needed for quilt number three.

These quilts are being made for charity - and we are still discussing who we will donate them to.

The biggest problem is the scrap basket doesn't seem to have gone down very much at all.  Meg reckoned they were being very naughty at night time and multiplying.  We all think she is right.  LOL











Here's a shot of the industrious beavers at work - we had sewers, trimmers and pressers working away.

It was quite a job vacuuming up after this session, but we had a huge amount of fun.












We plan on doing this once a month, and at this rate we will get quite a few charity quilts made.  I'm ever the optimist that my stash will decrease. hahaha hahaha.






The other good news is I am up to date with my scrappy nine patches for the Square Dance Mystery Quilt Along over at From My Carolina Home.  Wow, this is exceptional for me to be so organised.  Maybe there is hope after all for me.  The next clue must be due by the end of this week I think so I have only just made it.

There are 40 of these lovely blocks and they are very scrappy.  Fabric is so expensive over here (now over $30 NZ) for a lot of it, that we tend to think of scraps as anything under a fat eighth.

And last but not least, I have been chugging along with the pies.  No tarts for a couple of weeks, as the ratio is 8 pies to 3 tarts.  LOL.  Love this quilting language.  This is my slow stitching project as my hands tend to object to too much of this intense stitching.  (Um mm, I'm a little bit OTT with my little stitches the girls tell me, but I cant help it, LOL)












That's it friends.  The autumn days are certainly drawing in and we finish daylight saving at the end of the month.  Winter will be here before we know it and for those of you on the other side of the world you will be rejoicing in the warmth of summer.  I guess we need to let you have your turn.  Enjoy your springtime.  It's so lovely seeing all the flowers pop up isn't it.

Thanks for popping in and talk to you again soon.  I'm  going to link up with Cynthia of Oh! Scrap 
here  Do pop in and have a look.

Hugs and blessings,
Clare

Lovely day out to Quilt Show (lots of photos)

Hello everyone,

On Saturday I leapt into the car and with my good friend Colleen we set sail (well car actually) for Carterton.  We stopped for a coffee halfway in Woodville and then tootled off again.  Picked up our friend Lorraine in Masterton and swooped down to Carterton, threw my sister into the car and off to the show which was run by the Master Guild whose membership comes from all over the Wairarapa.

We had a lovely day.  Lunched in the Cancer Society run cafe on the premises and had the freshest sandwich ever - made while we waited.  The Show was very good and only purchased 4 fat quarters for a quilt in mind and resisted the rest.

Enjoy the photos and see you again soon.

Hugs and blessings to you all,
Clare

Autumn Medallion Quilt

Here I am at last.  In all the moving around of the "stuff" I lost my cord for getting my photos onto the computer. Of course I found it when looking for something else!!  Isn't that always the way?

Been working hard trying to catch up on my customers quilts.  This beautiful medallion quilt of Maria's is a wedding gift and is going off to Australia.  Although it seemed like the never ending quilt for a while, I am so thrilled in the end with how it looks.  It was only a bit of a struggle because I am still in recovery mode.  The colours are superb.  My photos are not.  Sorry about that.

It was very hard to get a photo in a good light and these first couple were taken at Maria's place when I delivered the quilt.  They do show up the quilting well though.

Some of the border treatments.  The thread is Superior Magnifico 2063 - a lovely gold colour that really highlighted the gold edged leaves in the focus fabric.  In the cream backgrounds I used So Fine 405 which worked perfectly.

 I had to do the on point triangles using Plan C.  Plan A & B were too difficult with my smaller 18" throat.  I was actually really happy with this plan and it probably looked better that the first plan...lol.

Because the focus fabric featured beautiful leaves and berries, I used these images in the quilting.  The feather border uses the leaf style of feather and I was delighted with how it came up.  Only the second time I have tried this one.

Using continuous curves on these wee 3" 9 patches made them quilt up a lot faster.

Used the leaf feather in this square and another border of cc.

Thanks Maria, it was such a pleasure to quilt your lovely quilt.

One last pic...this is my most beautiful great granddaughter who lives in Perth, Australia.  I am praying hard that I will get to meet her at the end of the year.  She will be 3 in October and is called Tiana.  Dad Wiremu loves her so much and they spend lots of time together.

Take care and I wont make any rash promises about being back....just will do my best to chat with you again soon.

Hugs and blessings
Clare