Dolls

Oh dear, September disappeared without a posting.  And this will be the only one for October as I have heading back to my old home town for a wedding and a school reunion.

Several months ago I entered an Ugly Challenge where we had to construct something from ugly fabric.  Zombies or The Living Dead fabric, while a pretty colour, left me uninspired for many days. 

I 'researched' Zombies and The Living Dead as in all honesty I have never been interested in such a topic.  In the end I decided on a doll, and having fabric left over and thinking how dull the doll looked I added a little quilt.  I am not sure that The Living Dead need a quilt!

 

The daughter of an old neighbour and still a friend was diagnosed with cancer.  What could I do?  There is little other than offering empathy and hope in such circumstances, but a little niggle prompted me to make a guardian angel.  The colour purple is a favourite of this patient so the doll had to have purple hair, and wear shades of purple.  The doll has been received and named ... Violet.  May she keep her 'mother' in good humour as she undergoes treatment after the extensive surgery already undergone.

About time?!

This morning I received a concerned email from a fellow blogger and friend ... was I OK?  I hadn't posted for a while!!!  And she was right.  I decided to take some action.

 

I have been busy but very neglectful of posting. 

 

Cushions seem to be 'the thing' at the moment.  A while ago a neighbour took us into town as our vehicle was in dry dock and as a small thank you I made a cushion, and forgot to take a photo in my haste to deliver the gift. 

 

A few weeks later a request was made from same neighbour.  Her mother-in-law was soon to celebrate her 100th birthday, which in anyone's book is a magnificent achievement, and even more so when this particular lady lives in her own home with only a minimum of help.  The notice given was a tad short which meant I had to look through my stash for a suitable fabric to make a quick start.

 

I chose a fabric featuring red roses and after looking for a suitable stitchery design soon had the needle flicking in and out of the design.  [the blank part in the photo is where I embroidered the lady's name ... the internet is too large and wide to publish important details].

I am pleased to say the recipient was thrilled with it.

 

Another swap, using purple or blues, saw me constructing another cushion which winged its way to Canada.

When I last flew to New Zealand I purchased a length of fabric that sat in my stash while a promise to myself to make a bag lurked in the back of my thoughts.  A forthcoming trip back to my old home town galvanised me into action.  The result?

Do you have pieces of useful fabric left over from another project with no particular project in mind?  Last year I made youngest grandson an Advent Calendar incorporating a rather pretty piece of plaid in Christmas colours.  With another Christmas fast approaching and wishing to make a gift rather than purchase something I made a set of table mats.

And ... another length of fabric is more than half made for more table mats.  To me it makes sense to use up my stash [which seems to expand the moment I close the cupboard door] on little gifts that should be useful and which show the recipient they are thought of. 

 

 

A journey back in time

About 35 years ago I made a cushion for my daughter. Then  Holly Hobby was as popular as Sunbonnet Sue is today, and I feel they are twins, almost identical twins.

 

Twin friends of my daughter admired this cushion and when their birthdays came around a few months later I made them a cushion each; one featured red and time has erased the memory of the other.  About twelve years ago one of those twins, the recipient of the red Holly Hobby cushion, came back to her old home town and arrived at my work place to purchase essentials [food!].  She was thrilled to see me.  Her first comment after the initial greeting was 'I still have that cushion you made me!'  Yes, I was chuffed to think that a young girl had taken her cushion to a distant city after her marriage.

 

My daughter is moving house and yesterday she sent me a photo

of her cushion, along with an apology that it was grubby.  I noted the lace was past its best but this cushion has travelled from New Zealand to Australia, has spent time in many districts of Western Australia; but most of all she had kept it and Holly Hobby herself was intact, proudly holding her bunch of flowers.

 

These days as I make items for gifts and post them to various friends and relatives I wonder how many of them will have been kept as a small treasure that brings back memories of days long past.

Another beanie

Slowly but surely my balls of knitting wool are diminishing; another beanie completed making the odd balls of double-knit wool left only suitable for something with lots of stripes.  I feel that they may languish forever in their storage place!

 

I do like making stripy things; be they jumpers for small children or hats or crochet blankets, its the sewing together I am not so keen on ... matching the stripes can be extremely time consuming [and boring]. 

Beanies

I have been busy clicking knitting needles and have completed [and posted away] the two beanies 'ordered' on Sunday. 

 

Thankfully I was able to use wool here.  Knitting something as quick as these beanies give a real sense of satisfaction ... a job completed quickly.

A quilt and Other things

In spite of my absence from Blogger posting I have not been idle ... several small projects have kept me sewing, and just today No 2 son told me he had given his knitted hat to a friend who was so taken with it two more are ordered.  I hunted through my wool, of which I confess I do have a reasonable supply, and bought a pattern and have casted on.  Hopefully two beanies will be in the post by the end of the week.

 

Recently Jacquelynn Steves offered a free BOM, an offer I took up.  Her Sew Sweet Simplicity quilt is now complete.  What I especially liked about this BOM was it went for four weeks, the last two of which had two blocks on offer.  They were both lovely ... my quilt is a six block quilt!  My stash of fabric catered for this BOM ... but the stash barely seems to have diminished!

 

After a project that takes many hours I like to 'chill out' with something small and quick.  I had a more than reasonable amount of plaid fabrics and had long kept in the back of my mind a magazine pattern for a country Christmas table runner.  Another for the box!

 

After viewing a tutorial for a particular block of an easy pineapple I decided to put my new-found skills into another bag and was pleasantly surprised how quickly the pattern came together.  And how easy it was!

 

 

Now the knitting awaits!

A frog he would a-wooing go

 

A frog he would a-wooing go,
Heigh ho! says Rowley

Many of us learned this poem, or part thereof as it consists of several verses, and many of us have a special place in our heart for the green frog, whether he is Rowley or not.

 

Two senior frogs, Theodore and Raymonde discuss their younger days and assure each other that never, even in their wildest days of youth, did they 'carry on' like young Rowley of the poem.  In fact their discussion runs along similar lines to that of senior family members when discussing the youngsters.

 

Theodore and Raymonde spend their time sitting discussing; putting the world to rights and wishing for rain.  In the heights of summer rain seldom falls from the skies and when it does invariably it occurs in a downpour that doesn't fill ponds for Theodore and Raymonde to dive into.

Theodore in the striped trousers and is on his way, via Australia Post, to my little great grandson who has a second birthday next week, while Raymonde stays at home bringing a smile to our faces.

Pencil case with a difference

Little grandson, yes, the intended recipient of Mr Frog, begins morning Kindergarten this year and knowing how small children like coloured pencils I decided to make a pencil case for his birthday, and filled it with pencils.

 

 

Some time ago I made a pouch with a zipper, found the exercise simple, and after looking at the yacht pencil case thought I could whip it up quickly.  Aha ... wishful thinking ... the pouch had a binding which made the joining the outer and lining easy, this pencil case didn't.  Subsequently the pencil case took more than an hour!  Never-the-less I am pleased with the end result, and yesterday posted the parcel away.

Mr Frog and a cushion

Recently our vehicle had a flat battery, and living some distance out of town, and not having a spare vehicle to take to purchase a new tyre the call went out to the neighbour.  A quick trip into town, a battery purchased, and fitted, and yay ... a vehicle that started.  Not wishing to offer money for the kindness I decided to make a cushion.

 

Later in the month youngest grandson celebrates a birthday ... my other grandchildren were small when I had a busier life; this little one is the recipient of many more creative projects.  Mr Frog was fun to make ... except the stuffing of toes!  The pattern said 'use small pieces'.  It took several hours for those few words to sink in that small meant very small.

Mr Frog sits by himself!!

 

2015

Blogging definitely took second place towards the end of 2014.  I notice many beginning 2015 with interesting blogs ... and have decided [not resolved!] to perhaps add to the miscellany in Blogland.

 

Our new Forum is running a BOM, It takes Two, and as often the case at the beginning of the year I signed up.  My stubborn makeup will insist I complete a block each month, maybe even two as I plan on making a quilt that is 'held together' with one block; the Friendship Star Variation.  The blocks chosen for this endeavour all come from http://www.quilterscache.com/ 

 

January's blocks are Friendship Star Variation, and Snowflake. 

 

Here it is the 4th January and both are made!! 

Small projects

After a week away when I touched neither needle nor sewing machine I was ready to make something.  And as too often happens when enthusiasm runs away with me I am brought back to reality ... my sewing machine foot control began to race under its own violation.  This happened a few years ago and the remedy was to buy another foot control.  An email to a Janome dealer followed by debit card details ensured the control pedal was in my possession within three days ... that is wonderful as Australia Post isn't always as quick as that.

But two days sitting twiddling my thumbs wasn't on.  I began the second last block of Red Brolly's Le Jardin quilt that I will confess has taken a while to stitch; mainly because other projects captured my attention, and because I had to concentrate learning the new stitches involved.  Only one more block to go! 

The background fabric is actually cream ... in hindsight the photo session should have been earlier in the day.

 

The machine decided to go to its own race meeting as I was sewing a quilt for a doll's bed, in readiness for Christmas 2015.  The HGTV Board asks members to make these little quilts as part of a Christmas surprise for children who need extra loving.  Cradles are donated by a band of woodworkers and it is a privilege to be part of this giving.

 

Tonight 'my football team' plays a most important match.  I am not sure I can sit and listen to the game and stitch ... although I have several projects waiting on the sideline.





Stump work

Always in the back of my mind are projects I would like to try, new methods I would love to learn, but too often lack of time, or opportunity pushes those wishes to the end of the queue.  Recently our local news-sheet offered several courses over a weekend.  One immediately caught my eye and imagination ... stump work.  Somewhere, sometime I had gazed at photos of gorgeous stump work and marvelled, and wondered, how the effect was created.  I enrolled!

Last Sunday I paid my dues, found a chair at the stump work table and my lesson began.  Before that I had given thought to looking on-line for tips, but decided that it would be wiser to go with a completely blank mind; hopefully to soak up the lesson.

The tutor was wonderful.  She was organised; had samples of each step along with typed out instructions.  All that was left to the 'students' was to begin stitching.

She had decided we make a butterfly ... so we began.  Moments before the end of the course I completed a butterfly, not perfect, but still a butterfly.  Best of all I have the main method installed in my brain [I hope!]. 

 

Yesterday I found another stump work pattern, and once I have purchased the essentials [that I do not have, such as wire] I will find out just how much did stick in the brain!   

A busy few days

I love winter especially for the fact that with cooler weather it is much easier to sit and sew, something I find a tad difficult when perspiring profusely.

I haven't wasted these cooler days; the sewing machine has been whirring busily.

 

A little mug rug where I could practise my Paper Piecing.  I find mug rugs excellent to improve skills as they are not big enough to completely ruin, and are small enough to finish relatively quickly which adds to confidence.

 

The Mug rug was for a swap, and of course I added a small extra ... a little Christmas tree decoration.

 

 

Recently I had my attention drawn to instructions for a purse based on the cover of a book.  This captured my imagination, and while the 'readable' part of the book had to be cut out, I have kept it ... fortunately this book came with an extra cardboard cover. 

At first the instructions appeared difficult, but as so often happens if one starts at the beginning and follows the instructions to the end all is well.

 

 

Yes, there were moments when I wondered what to do next, but with the use of glue several times meant I had time to sit and think the instructions through while the glue dried.  Over all I am pleased with the result ... in fact I have eyed up another book to lose its middle!

 

 

The book is sitting on a small Snowball quilt that didn't take very long at all to construct.

 

 

Star in a Star

When one has a cupboard almost overflowing with fabrics what can one do?  Make a quilt of course!

 

A recent purchase of fabric had me searching for a suitable pattern, one that wouldn't take forever to assemble, and one that wouldn't cause too much stress.  Something simple and hopefully effective.

 

I found McCall's 'Star in a Star' block and went from there.  The finished effect was in my imagination ... and having a relatively over active imagination the complete quilt was easy to envisage.  In fact this quilt didn't take much time, no more than one month which to me is quick.  I named this quilt ... Twelve Star ... no great imagination in that title!  [sorry about the little extra light that sneaked into the top left corner ... it came uninvited.]

 

Once again I used the quilt as you go method dividing the quilt in half and quilting one half, then the other, before joining them up and quilting along the join.  I do not have a long arm quilting machine, just an everyday Janome and am happy to have almost mastered this QAYG method.  Today the final stitch was put into the binding, and a few tie knots [more for decoration that use] were added ... now what's next on the agenda?

 

 

Towels and other things

After admiring these little useful projects at last I have managed to make a kitchen hand towel or two, or three.  June sped away from me, and July is promising to do the same. 

The impetus to actually make some handtowels came once I entered a swap.  And ... after owing my Janome sewing machine for over six and a half years and at least three tries at using the buttonholer [to no avail] I finally solved my problem ... there is a little lever that I hadn't previously pulled down.  Once I found that oh how simple it is to make a buttonhole!!  It could [accurately] be said that I made more towels than needed at this moment [the extra are in the 'gift box'] just to practise the execution of button holes.

First attempt ...

 

Swap items that included a dish cloth and a recipe ...

 

 

Towel and plastic bag holder, and hat ... for a birthday gift ...



The hat was an after-thought but with this being winter and the fact that I have an over-abundance of wool; hence the multi-colours.  I don't think it would be a mistake to say there will be more of these towels made before the end of the year!

Another quilt

At the beginning of 2013 I began a BOM in Our Craft Forum using blocks from http://www.quilterscache.com/ but by the time I was half way through the blocks I decided I wasn't all that keen on my colour-way.  However I persevered ... one mustn't waste good fabric! 

 

With my daughter coming for a few days I decided now would be the perfect time to complete this quilt.  Dark two-toned gray fabric and a cream colour combined to make sashings that complement the blocks and add a certain elegance ... well that is my thought anyway!

Table topper and cushions

When one hears of giant alterations to a home what does one think?  I decided to make some cushions and a table topper to complement a new colour scheme.

 

Magazines were perused and quickly I made up my mind; the fabric was purchased and last week the gift was posted away.

 

The table topper with cushions in front

 

Cushion 1

 Cushion 2

 

Cushion 3

Hopefully the parcel will arrive sometime this week, and fingers crossed, the colours I chose do add to the overall effect to the newly renovated living area.

A bear that I named Brenda

Another challenge over at HGTV Board, and being one who thrives on a challenge, had to enter.

 

This time we forwarded payment for half a yard of 'ugly' fabric which featured where the wild things are.  Evidently this is a book, one of which I have no knowledge but by all accounts it is quite a favourite.

 

In due course the fabric arrived; already I had chosen a pattern, that of a bear that appeared in a recent magazine.  I had thought of making a quilt, but in all honesty just could not see who I could present a quilt that incorporated this fabric. 

 

Although the bear in the pattern had another name; to me she was Brenda.  I was in the 'also rans' and Brenda was the only entry that wasn't a quilt, all of which showed great imagination and talent. 

Don't you just love that face?

 

Sentimental Journey

At the beginning of 2012 I made a start on the Sentimental Journey BOM making excellent progress on the twelve main blocks.  I placed them carefully in a large zip top plastic bag intending to complete the quilt the following year.  Several times I pulled those blocks out, read the instructions, and after realising just how large this quilt would be and the difficulty I would have in quilting it on my Janome QC6260 popped them back into the bag for later.

 

One day while surfing the 'net I came across a U-tube on 'Quilt as you go'.  Aha!  Perhaps this was the answer!  In the meantime I made another quilt that I divided into three parts and did use this particular method to put the quilt together.  But ... that method used strips to join each section; not exactly what the Sentimental Journey quilt required.  So back into the bag it went.

 

Earlier this year another U-tube showed yet another method ... a light bulb moment.  Over the last several weeks I have joined blocks, quilted them row by row and joined them together.  The borders were completed and this morning I put the final stitches into the quilt!!  Yay!  A project completed and a satisfied person who now can almost claim the title of "a quilter".

 

Easter chook

Easter is on the horizon and while thoughts stray to chocolate and chocolate let us also remember the reason for Easter.

 

Youngest grandson tends to become hyped up when over-indulged in sugary treats, and this includes chocolate.  This year I have stitched Red Brolly's hen, and with the purchase of a couple of fluffy chickens and a small supply of eggs in the nest hopefully we will avoid too much hyper activity.

 

This chook, called La Verne in the tutorial is a wonderful addition to Easter decorations; she is easy on the eye, with the additional plus of not increasing the waist line. 

 

My chook, a plainer version, is a speckled hen has the bonus of being able to be stored from one year to the other.  Heather has tartan wings in keeping with her Scottish heritage.