I have always wanted to make a quilt with 'Square in Square' pattern and a couple of basic colours. It's also a good chance to make something nice for Kim. I have got the fabrics for the quilt top from different patchwork shops, but they were from the same designer for Moda French General. It didn't take long, in term of sewing time, to finish the quilt top. The intervals between each sitting that I could actually do some sewing were a lot longer.! I quilted the quilt with the pattern named 'Popcorn' by Willow Leaf Studio. I took the finished quilt to Sydney SQQuilters 'Show and Tell' last Saturday before giving it away. It was well-received, the effort was all worth it, and I was pleased. :-)
The first time I have heard the term 'Disappearing Nine Patch' was in late 2008. Without knowing what it actually was, I thought the name was rather 'odd'. Eventually, I came across the pattern in one of those craft magazines that I regularly borrow from the local library to read on the train, mostly on the way home from work. I got the fabrics for the quilt top during last year sale at Craft Depot. The process was interrupted several times, for reasons, before I finally managed to finish it. My cupboard is FULL of fabrics but, funnily, I didn't have wide enough backing fabric.! So, I made it wider with the left over fabrics from the quilt top. I quilted the quilt on my wonderful Gammill Statler Stitcher using 'Berry Vine Park b2b' pattern by Anne Bright. It was going to be given away as a present, but my dear 'elder' friend, Marita, told me that I must keep it for myself. Reluctantly, I did listen to her [ :-D ] AND, consequently, I had to make another quilt as the present, instead. It was such a rush but I did finish the quilt and gave it away very soon after that.!
I was spending most of my time in France from the end of May. This week is the fourth week since I got back home (in Sydney, Australia). I, therefore, missed the entire Sydney Quilt Show when my quilt was on display. Trish, one of the ladies at my local sewing group, kindly took a couple of photos of the quilt and sent them to me, and here they are...
I did get the quilt finished.!! But it has taken me a while to find the time to take a few photos on a nice sunny day and upload them. I have entered it to the Sydney Quilt Show and am waiting to hear whether or not it will be accepted... I took a class with Michel Higgins at Sydney Sewing Centre, Hornsby NSW, in February last year (2010) to learn how to make a bargello quilt. Sunflower yellow is my favourite colour. So, I chose the fabric with little bright yellow flowers and green leaves print for the middle row first, then, other colours of fabrics to 'mix and match' for the rest of the quilt top and the backing. The strips sizes and cutting were Michel's measurement. I designed the border, the size and the finish (of the quilt). I quilted the quilt using my beloved Bernina 440QE. It wasn't that easy to try to manoeuvre the quilt through the small space but it did come out the other end and I got the whole quilt quilted nicely (to me, anyway).!! It certainly has been a very good learning process for me and, more importantly, keeping me grounded during this very busy time at work. I will see how it goes with the competition or if it ever will....AND....yes, the quilt has been accepted. The news has just arrived this afternoon (30/04/2011), just in time as my birthday present tomorrow....AND yes, I'm a 'May' flower.... :-)
Somehow, I have been invited to a 2nd birthday party on the same day as a 40th birthday party next Saturday 6th November. I have no problem with finding a present for the 40th birthday party. But coming up with a present for the 2nd birthday party, I need to be a little creative. ‘Dora and Diego’ is the theme. First of all, I needed to educate myself who Dora and Diego were. I’m not a girlie kind, so I resorted to EBay to find something suitable as a present. Making a rug from Dora and Diego pillow cases came to mind, and so the project got started. As I'm a bit more experienced, getting a project started and finished has become easier for me, with less time spending on thinking things through over and over again. With some colourful scraps, I have made this rug for the birthday girl, Isla, my friend’s daughter. Being a practical kind of person, I have made the rug to be used and dragged around the house, and not to be kept. I hope Isla will enjoy using her rug, made with my loving hands. :-)
At the end of August, I took a quilting lesson ' Quilt-As-You-Go' (QAYG) with Meg Orr at Craft Depot in Pennant Hills, Sydney. I was half asleep for most of the time during the class because the warm air was blowing directly on my face the whole time I was sitting there, trying to sew. The fact that I was very tired from the trip to Brisbane to learn more about DISMOD III and had just arrived back in Sydney late the night before didn't help either. Nevertheless, I did manage to grasp the idea of how QAYG was done. I chose the Arcadia Jelly Roll by Sanae for Moda for the quilt I was making. I like the combination of colours. Meg was a very good teacher and a kind person. In a nice way, she didn't expect any of her students to finish their quilts so soon, and so I quietly took that up as a challenge. At that stage, I knew I would see her again in mid-September for another quilting class. Wanting to show and impress that there was a student who could finish her quilt in a few weeks, I stayed up late a few nights to work on the quilt. I know it's a silly thing to do after working long hours during the day, but I was determined. I finished the binding about midnight on the day before my next quilting class with Meg. I was very pleased with myself and the quilt, and so was Meg with her student. She complemented me on the finish and quality of my sewing, the reward from being a very good 'un-picker', I gathered. !! I'm a slow learner...I'm making another QAYG.!!
I made this lap quilt for my dearest friend's birthday in December 2007. Marijke is a typical lovely Dutch lady. To make it feel special for the occasion, I chose the fabrics with the Australian national flower, Wattle, for the quilt. I picked up the idea for the quilt pattern from a cushion cover that I saw at one of the local craft fairs.
In February this year, I joined the local Bernina Club and have been to a few sewing lessons to learn from the experts. Last month (April), I have managed to make this quilt for a friend's baby boy who was born on the day the quilt was finished. With help from the BSR of my beloved Bernina Aurora 440 QE, I have managed to add some free motion quilting to the quilt. I'm still a long way from mastering the technique.!!
