Half a quilt......

So this is what half my Dutch Treat quilt blocks looks like (98 blocks) .....

It's taken the best part of a year to do these.....

The borders are equivalent to another 60 blocks..... 

... so another 2 years of making blocks I think......

hmmmmmmmm

I do like using old doilies in projects and recently I bought a bundle, some of which I didn't really want....

like these cool retro orange antimacassars crocheted in cotton......

A quick whiz half way through them with the overlocker and I have 10 new dishcloths!

I hope I haven't ruined a set of collectables?????  I don't colour coordinate my kitchen as you possibly can tell...... bright orange is fine there... it's a happy colour!

Whilst waiting for some backing to arrive I quilted my cushion cover...

I did the backs in an all over sort of floral....

and the front is custom, orange peels around the squares (it always works) and echo round the stitcheries and straight lines in the borders....  keeping it classic....

Righto, Gotto Go..... the day is disappearing too fast....

FNWF and FMQ challenge...

Thanks Cheryll for letting us use your place for FNWF whilst you are away sitting by the seaside!!!  Tough gig for you!  I see you still got lots of sewing done...

This is how I started the evening.... with a quilt on my lap (cos its a bit chilly here) and binding clips into the green binding... and little Miss T needs her Teacup stitched....

Now we go back a few days....

As you know I am doing the Free Motion Quilting Challenge hosted by Darlene at QuiltShopGal...

and THIS MONTH our guest tutor is Diane Gaudynski. (who's quilting adventures I have followed for some time)

I chose to do Option 3 which is from her book Quilt Savvy ... which I duly ordered and had to wait for it's arrival.

In the meantime I knew that I wanted to use one of my recently purchased Hungarian embroidered doilies so I made my quilt sandwich and sewed the doily on carefully around the edges of the embroidery

There are just amazing colours and work in this doily... my background is a pale sage green which just disappears in a picture with those colours in the embroidery

... once the book arrived I sewed the spines for my feathers leaving Diane's little earbud shape at the end... I did draw out a basic shape with the dissolvable blue pen for guidelines

.. this is the picture from the book which I was using as my inspiration... love the feathers and her Diane-shiko stitch at the base.

... after quite a few hours this is the stitching I had.... feathers, echo quilting, diane-shiko and mini-stippling in the centre

doing the feathers this way with a space inbetween and echo around the outside was new to me... they are not all symmetrical by any means but close enough

.. as you saw I did the binding last night and this morning I stuffed the cushion and ta-da....

(the colour is still not right)

... just a simple envelope back with a pale green polka dot ...

... looks good on the recliner...

I love upcycling old doilies ..

Thank you Diane for your tutorial and thank you to Darlene for these challenges... it's lucky you left June open for a bit longer as I really battled with time this month getting the book here... now onto July's challenge...

These challenges can be joined anytime and for people of any level so if anyone else wants to practice, practice, practice this is the way to do it.  I am getting a nice selection of cushions made... I may have Christmas sorted?????

It was still reasonably early in the night when I had finished the binding - so Miss T got her duck egg blue polca dot teacup sewn...

... and I still had time for a bit of red thread....

Righto, Gotto Go... I love weekends... and a cold frosty start means an amazing sunny day and I've got some blog visits to make..... 

“Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.” 
― Albert Schweitzer

Friday... it's Friday...... wooohoooo...

Over the last week Jane made up some cloths from old towels... she and I share an interest in recycling materials when we can..... You can read about hers HERE 

I have been trying to clear out and use fabrics and things I collected over the use for 'in case' I need it one day....

... one drawer had quite a bit of this rather shappy chenille... it's not a very fluffy one and you can see there is a fair bit of wear  in parts of it....

I did use the parts that were in the best condition in my recycled wool and chenille quilt 

(pattern my Toni and one of my favourite snuggly quilts)

Like Jane, I just curved the corners of squares and overlocked the sides... very quick and I have a very healthy pile of wash cloths now....

(I also had some white towelling 'scraps' so I used them up too)

(this is only part of my healthy pile!)

.. thanks Jane... another space cleared out ....

.. and tonight is.....

 

hosted by Wendy 

I'll be joining a group at The Quilters Angel... Kris will be there too... and I'm going to be working on this binding that I've had waiting for ages ....

... and today I have cut out fabric and will start tracing these pictures....

De started making this and now there are a few of use who have joined in... This is Natalie Bird's (from The Birdhouse)  In My Garden quilt and there are very sweet stitcheries....

I got this pattern book about 18 months ago so this is just the right nudge I needed to get it out and use it

Most of the pictures are being shared on a facebook page HERE if anyone is interested....

Not too late to sign up for FNSI and join us all... just go HERE

Something new and different .....

I have long been a wearer of the good old apron..... no women's lib in the kitchen for me I'm afraid.... I don't like grease spots on my shirts when cooking..

.. but they still get there..

.. I drop food onto that lovely dome the boobs make  (even if I eat with an apron that top part folds open just enough for food to drop through)..

.. for me it's a good day if I haven't got food on my boobs..

(DO NOT INSERT PICTURE HERE)

..  I'm sure none of you have that problem but there it is ... I have aired my dirty washing on the www.......

Anyway... back to aprons...  my friend Loopy Jane is doing a tutorial to make an apron.... from a shirt.... of course you can buy a new shirt to chop up but I'm going for recycled....

(I was planning to use one from Hubz cupboard but I did raid that not so long ago for the shirt quilt challenge ... and he does make good beer so I better be good for a while

.. and I found this one for the princely sum of $5 at a local op shop....  it's a good size so will cover the boobs and the buttocks I think..

 (not that I drop food on my buttocks... that's a bit wild even for me!)

Loopy Jane is starting a new series of Create with Loopy classes and her first apron from a shirt make is free.... so bonus for me I will get a new unique apron for $5

HERE is the information - I don't have pockets on my shirt but I'm sure there I will be able to include some decoration ....

These are some that she has made... I love that the collar stays on and goes round the neck...

... will be a much better fit so food doesn't drop down to boobs!...

You just need to sign up to her newsletter HERE.... but be quick... closing after the weekend...  for Facebookers this is the LINK.....  Jane does a great variety of crafts... a lot are upcycling recycling - a great blog...

Jane never asked me to do a blog post... but she is a long standing bloggy friend who lives in the UK... hope to meet her one day...

Righto, Gotto Go.... need to go and soak shirts!!!

Playing.....

... with my lovely upcycled and redecorated cutlery box....

Marilyn used one some time ago... which I just loved.....

... first I cut up some old music sheets ....

(I'm not musical but I found some old books in a charity shop)

... that modge podge stuff is lovely... glue and varnish at the same time....

... cut some wedges in the sides and did some clever engineering tricks....

... and here we have it all together....

... a new home for my threads ....

... as you can see plenty of room!!! haha ... perhaps I over exagerated how many I have! ....

you can see Marilyn's HERE... the same but different....  thanks for the idea and the encouragement

Another person who is encouraging me - this time to use up some of my scraps is Anorina in her 52 week scrap challenge

I had a couple of blocks in my UFO box from a QuiltALong I started and never kept up

... they were scrappy so perfect to use for these....

I found some extra yellow scraps for the sides ... a bit of playful quilting ...

... and a couple of mug rugz....

HERE is the link to Anorina's sunny mug rug

Hubz has discovered a hobby too... home brew beer....

I am chief taster... I must say I am sleeping extraordinarily well these days!!!!

Less money on beer means more money for fabric.....

Righto, Gotto Go... I wonder if it is too early to check on the latest brew?

Happy Flowers.....

..... last year we had a pincushion stitch-a-bit and I received this lovely top:

... and do you remember the lovely wallhanging Toni made for me?

Here it is hanging up in the bathroom .... I keep some nice scented soap in the pocket....

well... there is too many pretty things to look at on the felt top so I decided not to do a pincushion.....

but use Toni's idea for another flower

now I have one for the other little room where one has time to sit and look at details ... 

 I have added some scented soap too .....

(made with felted blanket and old denim jeans {which had shrunk!})