2000 Visits on 29th February 2012

At the end of last month (February), by chance, I have caught the moment when the visit to my blog reached 2000. When I started writing the blog back in May 2010, with the encouragement from Linda Robertus, every so often, I would be wondering if there would be anybody who would take time to read about what I have written. So, having 2000 visits on the blog has proven to me that, yes, my communication and sharing of my craftwork do reach people in the community. I'm very happy with how it's going and have decided to incorporate my (part-time) machine quilting business into the blog. I have also set up my own domain for the blog; www.mountcolahquilt.com. Mount Colah is where I live. It's about 8 minutes drive north of Hornsby (from the shopping mall), along the Pacific Highway. I provide my machine quilting service to my friends who quilt and other local quilters in Hornsby, Asquith, Mount Colah and surrounding area, and it's slowly taking shape....so far so good. :-)

Blue and White Square Doily

I really like the purple and teal square doily pattern by Debbie Arnold and would like to make one for myself. It would have taken me a long time to accomplish the task if I didn't have a deadline to work against. So, the deadline for entries to the Castle Hill Show this year comes in handy. I picked blue and white colours for my version of the doily. After 10 hours into tatting the doily, using cotton size 50, I broke a couple of tatted stitches while sewing in the tails. Now, what did I want to do....give up or start again? I would have felt some kind of failure to give up, so have decided to have another go. This time, cotton size 20 was chosen so that I could actually see what I was doing and I could appreciate the stitches better. Rainy days and being sick with flu helped me to sit still longer at one time. A few long sessions of sitting down and a total of 50 more hours later, I have managed to finish the doily. It will be on its way to the Show this week. There was 'trying time' in the process, with having to unpick a few rings and chains when I wasn't fully alert and didn't read the pattern carefully. If some people think unpicking sewing stitches is hard, try unpicking tatted stitches. The former one would seem 'easy peasy lemon squeezy', as my Sunshine often says. :-) I'm, of course, pleased with the doily. I have also felt that I have had a good share of tatting split rings for quite some time, from now. So, I will just stick with tatting rings and chains for my next tatting project....But before embarking on another tatting project, my next immediate task is to find a place for this newly finished doily in my 'spacious' home.!!

Tatting time

From the end of December through to the beginning of February, it seems to be the period of my 'annual' intensive tatting. Quilting takes a back seat during this time....But before I started my tatting for the year, I thought to myself that I must finish the cushion cover first, and I did. Here it is....My sewing room is cluttered with fabrics, and so, it's hard to believe that I didn't have enough of the particular blue fabric for the binding. But it was true. So, the left-over red binding, the closet to my hand, came in handy....

And....I would never learn as I have done it so may times....cutting fabric while I'm half-asleep.... I didn't cut one of the back panels quite wide enough, hence, creative thinking was put to good use. With different colours of the wools to match the buttons and the zigzag stitch, I was able to hide the seam where I joined the two pieces of fabric.!!!

I also managed to fit in another quilt for my 'Sunshine' before he started his BIG school (kindergarten), in the first week of February. It's 'Thomas the Tank Engine' and is his current 'favourite' blanket. I quilted it on my Gammill Statler with Laurie Thomas's 'box maze' pattern. I used the flannel flat sheet, which had never been used, as the backing.

 

 

Soon after the cushion and the quilt were finished, my 'annual' intensive tatting has begun. I started off with tatting an edging piece for the 'Hanky Panky' Exchange with the Canadian tatters. With all my good intention to tat a complicated edge, it didn't work out, and in the end, I went with my own favourite scallop edge pattern that I could tat with one eye closed.!!! Sewing the piece on the handkerchief wasn't too straight forward, and so, took some time before I got it finished, washed and ironed. As soon as I have shown it to my fellow tatters at the Guild's February meeting in a couple of weeks, it will be on its way to Canada.

Next pieces that I have tatted are the bookmarks to be entered to this year Castle Hill Show. I have got free patterns from the experienced tatters who kindly share their patterns through the internet. I'm grateful for them all. I, as usual, modified the patterns slightly, to my liking....Up to this point in time, I have only kept the first bookmark that I ever tatted, and all the other bookmarks, including the prize-winning ones, were given away. I intend to keep two of the three to myself this time. The other one is most likely to be travelling to a friend in Russia.

 

 

 

....When I was learning to tat 4 years ago, 'split ring' was quite a daunting technique to accomplish. Being the person who I am, I took on the challenge (my own), and after a few crooked split rings, I'm quite comfortable with the technique. I'm now ready to start a doily with the pattern dominated by split rings. I really like the pattern, and again, it's free through the internet. I'm very much thankful for it. This doily will be my next and last substantial tatted piece for this year....I hope to finish it within this coming week, and with the cotton size 50, I'm sure to have my eyes crossed for a few days after that.!!!

It's called 'Mother's love'

I managed to do some easy piecing soon after my knee could withstand the pain and finished the two quilt tops. They were intended to be the first two quilt tops to be quilted on my Statler. I used the quilting patterns that are freely available from the Statler Sisters Yahoo Group that I'm a member of. As for the backings, I had to make do with what I have got because I wasn't able to drive to the shop and it was closed most days during the holiday, anyway. So, one was an old bed sheet and one was pieced from the left over fabrics of other projects. It took me a little longer to finish the binding as I have now resumed my duty at work. The quilts are Lightning McQueen Car and Spider Man. I promised them to my son (and only child) as his (late) Christmas present and they are definitely not to my taste. But it's what they say - 'Mother's love'....Becoming a mother, at an older age, is the best thing I have ever done in my life, so far, and I'm loving it.

My 'Sunshine' told me that the quilts were 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious', the longest word he has ever said to me. :-)

My dear husband thought it would be nice to have a picture of me working on my first quilt at the Statler. So, here I was with my Statler and my adopted cat, Sushi, in the foreground. She's a very gentle Burmese and is always near by but never too close....

....Before I loaded the first quilt top on the Statler, being practical as I normally am, I have decided to make use of the left over calico that was loaded on the machine for the training after the installation. I have found a few free quilting patterns that I thought would be nice for the cushion cover that I pieced from the free kit of Seattle umbrella given to me by Linda, the lovely owner of Undercover Quilts, and the Seattle fabric that I bought from the shop. I visited the shop during my my first trip to Seattle, WA (USA), in the morning before I flew back to Sydney (Australia) after a week long of work meeting. I have planned to finish the cover in a couple of days, in between report writing and taking my son bike riding.!! 

Back to Tatting....for a while....

With all the intention to keep up with tatting, my tatting 'purse' travelled with me to places. But, for reasons, at the end of the day, doing some tatting was the last thing on my mind, apart from the fact that I could hardly keep my eyes open by the time I went to bed.!! Having been to the Tatters' Guild of Australia, NSW Branch, monthly meeting and Christmas party last Saturday 17th December, and have become the Guild newsletter editor reminded me that I hadn't done any tatting since April....I have planned to 'play' with the long arm quilting machine during the end of the year break. Unfortunately, I injured my right knee at the start of the holiday. Not being able to move around much or (machine) sew up a quilt top for quilting, I have picked my tatting shuttles again and finished this tatted edge doily (and of course, it's in shades of blue). I made a similar doily once before, in different colours, for my dear friend, Marijke. The variegated cotton thread and hemmed cotton doily were from Handy Hands Tatting.... I live in a relatively big house but I can't seem to easily find a spot to place my handwork, where I can, now and then, look at and admire it. Putting one doily on top of the other gives a different perspective to the pieces. Until I can find 'good' places for both of them, they are staying together for now.!!

I did keep myself busy!!

I haven't been that very busy with my work but a few 'major events' have kept me occupied, enough to prevent me from spending time to update my blog.!! Nonetheless, I have managed to finish a few small projects. They keep me grounded and contented. Those events have now passed, and I hope to be able to regularly write more about my handwork to share with everyone who is interested. Here are some photos and brief descriptions of the finished projects.

 These are the latest items that I have made. They are needle cases for my dear friends. Those ones I previously sent to them got lost in the mail, sadly.

 This is a teapot stand I have made for my son's 'Aunties Carlette and Colly' after we visited them at their new home. The pieces sewn were from when I was trying out the cutting technique that I read in a quilting magazine.

St Patrick rose is my favourite. The colour is, of course, yellow. I have got the actual plant in a pot at the front of my house. Fourteen of the roses (from a local florist) greeted me at the front door last week. My dear husband did remember our anniversary. :-) I have got the embroidery pattern, designed by Jennifer Reynolds, from a Handmade magazine borrowed from Hornsby Shire Council library. I changed the colours to my favourite shades of yellow and modified how it's finished.

 I thought to myself that I have to make these Hawaiian leaf cushion covers, designed by Lisa Cox of A Spoonful of Sugar, when I saw the pattern in a Handmade magazine that I borrowed from the local library. It looks different and exotic to me (Mind you, my husband thought it was an alien hand !!). Again, I didn't follow all the instructions.!! I changed the colours to my favourite blue and modified the finish.

 Noelene, one of the lovely ladies in my local sewing group, has given the patterned fabric to me after I told her that I really like its purple flowers with the green leaves and blue background. I cut it up to make a double Irish chain quilt (not yet finished) and used the scraps to make this table runner while trying out the Wiggly wheels pattern (again).

 After talking to Heidi, another lovely lady in the local sewing group, about Dresden Plates, I thought, perhaps, I could sew up just a few plates and make a wall hanging, and how could I not make another Sunflower one. :-)

 My neighbour, Ruth, once remarked to me 'Em, you 'seem' to like Sunflower'. I asked her (with a smile) 'how could you guess?'.

 I'm fond of Tulips and all Dutch things for no particular reason, and my beloved friend is a lovely Dutch lady named 'Marijke'. I bought the fabric while visiting Amsterdam in July this year with Marijke but didn't buy enough for a quilt. Hence, another table runner was made, teamed with scraps in shades of blue, of course. :-)

 This is the back of the table runner. I have decided to keep the Dutch theme and used up all the Dutch Houses fabric, designed by my (another) Dutch friend, Linda Robertus, that I have got left and the Tulip fat quarter given to me by Marijke.

 

We have got only one coffee table in the house. But here is another table runner made from scraps I recently bought from Craft Depot. If I appear to be 'mad' about making table runners...I like to try out techniques that I have read in craft magazines and quilting books. Working on a small project like table runner to try out the techniques is achievable within a reasonable timeframe (together with everything else I do). Also, it does keep me happy with using my two hands to do something I love and enjoy (very much).

My Gammill Statler

...It has been about 3 months since the start and after a few 'major events', finally, the installation of my Gammill Statler was completed last week (1st December 2011). It is now working beautifully. Having been working in a world class Biomechanics Laboratory while studying at the University of Sydney, I'm enjoying the well-design mechanics of the Gammill Optimum. The computerised part of the machine, Statler Stitcher, is sensible and user-friendly. The possibility seems endless... I'm a relatively new member of Statler Sisters Yahoo Group. It is a wonderful group of Statler users/owners with a wealth of knowledge and experience. It's comforting for me to realise that help and support are within reach (via email) and that although isolated, I'm not alone. I'm now looking forward to spending time practicing and getting 'acquainted' with my Gammill Statler over the break during the festive seasons AND I can hardly wait.!!