First finish for the year

I designed and made this a couple of years ago. Didn't quite look as woven as I would have liked. Then ran out of black so couldn't do the borders. It's a really unusual blacky/blue so it sat forever in "wonder what to do" pile till I decided that it just wouldn't have a border. So finally got it quilted and finished the binding last night.

I did intend to get another quilted this weekend but when I went to the sewing room I had the overwhelming desire just to sew........................so I'm off to start / sew/ cut or something in that line.

Stashbusting Week 52

Well finished the binding on the tiny 9 patch. Final figures for the year:

Fabric added this week: Nil
Fabric added this year: 197.90

Fabric used this week: 2.40
Fabric used this year: 205.40

STASH REDUCTION FOR THE YEAR .........7.50

Pretty ordinary really but at least I got some projects finished. I intend aiming higher for next year. Thanks Judy for this activity. See you all next year.

Another finish

Well, finally finished another quilt. When I got back from the Sydney Show I was very motivated and after unpacking I loaded a quilt and started quilting. Took me a while as life things just get in the way all the time. But finished binding it last night. A machine quilter had shown her quilt on a list I'm part of and I just loved the look of it - so had to make one (as you do). The quilting isn't going to win any awards but at least it's another quilt finished. It has been a very long time since I have done much quilting. Too many other things get in the way and I'm getting very frustrated about that. I bought Kim Brunner's book and DVD a while back and have been itching to have a go at these feathers.....not perfect so no close ups of the quilting. I love how it's turned out. I'm pretty rusty but will keep practicing.

Stashbusting Week 18

Not much finished in the last two weeks, so thought I had better get myself into gear. So quickly quilted this Colourwash Heart made about 9 years ago........only a little wallhanging so why did it take so long to finish it! So managed a whole 1.5 mt/yds this week in my Stashbusting, but hey it's better than the other way.

Fabric added this week: Nil
Fabric added this year: 146.3 yd/mt

Fabric used this week: 1.6 yd/mt

Fabric used this year: 122.00 yd/mt

Stashbusting Week 15

Well, once again I did good and bad in my Stashbusting efforts. . I needed some black for some quilts so got a bolt. But I did finish the QS for Vic Bushfires. So some out and some in. Now I need to concentrate on the OUT aspect of this challenge.

Fabric added this week: 15 yd/mt

Fabric added this year: 98.3 yd/mt

Fabric used this week: 15 yd/mt
Fabric used this year: 120.4 yd/mt

Almost done

Well, after my tantrum the other day I rebelled and went to the sewing room. I've made a decision that I will sew for at least half an hour a day. Not that it has worked out as some days it just isn't possible. But I did get the floral top together the other day and loaded it today and started quilting.

I'm going away for the Easter weekend and hope to take it with me to sew down the binding but having doubts it will be off the machine by then. I also plan on taking some fabrics and my BOM blocks and will cut out if I have the time. Like I don't have a million other things to sew.

Our new night quilting group starts next week and we have quite a few ladies interested, so getting excited about that. And I've booked our airline tickets for the Sydney Show in June!

An Oldie DONE

I got another finished this week. Two done for January. This quilt has been waiting for quilting for a very long time. It's not very big - around 49" x 53". I was going to custom quilt it but in the interest of actually finishing quilts this year I decided on a panto. I quilted in a mustard coloured thread and it looks great agains the black.

I lived in a remote town when I started quilting and we had a tutor visit and we did a mystery quilt (haven't quilted that yet either - but that's the one that got me hooked). After the class she did a trunk show and I loved this quilt (and another, but can't remember that one for the moment). Anyway, the tutor told me how to make it and I scribbled down some instructions. So off I zoomed and made this quilt. 1/4 inch seams - what are they - had no idea you had to do that. And as you can tell I had no idea how to do the sides either. Had never heard of set in triangles so pondering how to do the edges I figured just do a full block and I could just cut the edges straight later.

So it's now quilted and bound (no fabric left from way back then) with a brownish fabric from a few years ago and ties in with the quilting thread colour. The bias edges played up a little but not too much.

I made this either 1994 or 1995 so it's great to be finally done. Have a few others from the same era that are waiting patiently for their release also. Just wish life would stop getting in the way of my quilting.

First finish for the year

I'm so excited. I have my first finish for the year in the One Project A Month Challange. I had done some of the quilting on it and then it sat around for several days because I couldn't think how to quilt the rest. I had to do a customer quilt so that meant I had to get this off the machine. So thought I would do the border and then take it off. Then thought "Just get it DONE". Suddenly inspiration hit and it was quilted.


It's not the best quilting job in the world but it won't be going on display, or in any competition and ave I said it - IT'S FINISHED. But I must say I like the effect around the nine patches.

The thing about blogs

Having a tidy up in the sewing room I found a diary I got for last year. I'm not very good about keeping track of what I have done in quilting and so I had decided I would keep a diary so I could look back to see my progress. Well there wasn't too much in this diary so it went in the bin. The thing I like about blogs is that I now have a visual diary so will be able to look back and see how I have progressed and what I have made and when. Over the years I figure I have made close to 80 quilts.....but I can't remember when I did them. So now I have this record.

I decided that the only way to reduce the UFO pile was to actually FINISH off the quilts. I loaded one yesterday and had no idea how I would quilt it. So off it came today and I loaded Pretty Nines. At least I have made a start on it. Bit stumped as to what to do in the hourglass block but that will come.


The Two Colour Quilt is progressing. Just need to sew the rows together and figure out what borders to put on it. Pretty slow doing it as I pressed open all the seams except where they meet the plain blocks.