Pinwheels and Feathers

Here’s what happens to unattended quilts at my house:

it is automatically assumed as premium cat sleeping space.

I finished this pinwheel top a little while ago, before I was distracted by quilts with cats and ponies.  This will be my entry to the RNA show this year, so I have been finishing the quilting.  I’ve been wanting to learn free form feathers, and I think I’ve got them under control now – at least in these small sashing spaces.  I get hung up on having each feather “identical”, but the reality is the feathers are – and need to be – different sizes to fit the space.  I’ve worked out how to get around bends and corners, so I can’t wait to try them in a bigger space.

I’ve managed to convert two friends to quilting.  We’ve had a couple of sewing days (and outings to fabric shops) together, and it’s been a great experience for all of us.  This is Shanon’s first quilt – she managed this without much help from me, because she couldn’t wait to get started and worked it out from a book.  Before I knew it, she had finished the top and it was ready for quilting.   A quick trip for backing and batting, and we pinned it all together and ready to start the best bit – quilting!  Nothing too complex, just diagonal lines across the squares with a walking foot on the machine.

I have no pictures of Monica’s quilt, but it is the same sort of arrangement as this, only with cat fabrics.  She had been buying cat fabric for a while with the intention of making a quilt, but had no idea how to do it.  A borrowed sewing machine, a bit of guidance and she is on her way to a finished quilt as well.  They are both planning to enter The RNA show as well, so there will be much sewing done to be finished by the deadline.

I kind of forget sometimes that not everyone knows how to use a sewing machine – it’s second nature to me and I just assume everyone knows how to sew.  So it’s been a learning experience for me too – having to explain threading and different feet and seam allowances.  And how important ironing is. 

(almost) done

It’s all the little finishing details that I hate the most – labels and hanging sleeves, storage bags etc – about getting a quilt ready for a show.  I hope it actually gets accepted as an entry after all this.   My trip to Melbourne in July depends on it.

 

I am so tired of this quilt – I liked making the blocks and putting things together, but it is a HUGE quilt (almost 3 metres square.  What was I thinking??) and the size alone makes everything a little bit harder and take a bit longer to finish.  Add to that a cat who assumes that every quilt in the house is for her personal  comfort (and I don’t want to be a meanie and move her when she looks so cozy) and I don’t get much done.  Much more fun to plan new quilts and flick through magazines instead.

Possible new projects

• applique blocks on a red background
• something with lots of little squares
• stripey fabric in something.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten – I’m leaning towards the red background thingy. 

monster

I have a deadline fast approaching for this quilt, to be entered in the Fabric of Society challenge – entries are due in by 1 May, and the rules specify a photo of the COMPLETED edges.  Bugger.  Sometimes I can get away with having a quilt mostly finished and in the process of being quilted for entry photos, but not this time.  So I have set finish date of mid April, to give myself time to photograph and post entries away.  So I have a bit more than 4 weeks to quilt and bind this – I think it’s possible.

The top is (finally) finished – it’s enormous.  About 280cm square, and I hope that the quilting will shrink it in a bit.  I have to work out how to get it basted together.  I hate crawling on the floor to pin, but it will probably need to be done.  I just remembered that I was going to buy a tin of spray baste at Spotlight this morning.  I forgot it.  I don’t want to go back tomorrow.  Looks like the pins will have to do then.

Complete with matching cat.

Can’t play favourites – here’s the other (non-matching, recently shaved) cat. 

Progressing

I went back to work on Tuesday, only to turn around and come home before lunch time because of the flood crisis that was starting to hit Brisbane.  I am not in an area affected by flooding, thank goodness, so I can do little but watch it all happen on TV.  It’s horrifying.  I kind of remember the 1974 floods – I was almost 6 then – and the long effect it had on Brisbane afterwards.  It influences my thinking a lot, when I see new housing estates on flat flood plains I always shudder and think how that area would fare in a flood situation.  I guess we’re finding out now.  When we were looking at houses to buy, real estate agents would try and make being near a creek attractive by selling it as park land, I would always be wondering how often the house would flood. 

Couldn’t go to work this morning either, as Police have advised people to avoid travel where possible, and my work is at Toowong where there are some flood affected streets near the office.  Tomorrow isn’t looking good either.

On the upside, I have had a lot of extra time to work on this quilt, which has a deadline looming (1 May, but it’ll have to be finished way before then).

Lots of foundation piecing, which is now mostly done. 

500 plus appliqued diamonds (monofiliment thread and zig zag stitch) finished.

I went for a walk to the creek at the end of the street, which is normally just a trickle and found this:

It won’t flood any houses, so I am relieved by that.  There is a fair amount of water going through, but nothing compared to other areas closer to the river.  I feel so helpless when I see the devastation on TV, I need to find something to do that will help someone.  I don’t know what that is yet. 

Cloud watching

 

Weird cloud.  Must be something to do with thunder storms.

Frantic quilt production line currently in process.  Deadline fast approaching…..

So much baking….

So little time.  Working full time is really putting a dent into my baking time. 

To Do:

• 3 pavlovas  for Christmas lunch at work on Thursday.

• Gingerbread trees and men.  Dough made, just need to roll out, bake and decorate.  Think I will bake them tonight, and decorate tomorrow night.
• Bake Cranberry & White Chocolate cookies.  I’ve made the dough for these, and might need to make another double batch, since I have the ingredients for them.

• Recipe (so I can find it easily next year) is:
• 500 grams of butter
• 1 and 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 packet craisins (dried cranberries)
• 200 grams chopped white chocolate
• 4 cups plain flour

Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla essence.  Mix in flour until dough is formed, then stir in craisins and white chocolate.  Roll into small (biggish teaspoon full) size balls, and bake for 12-15 mins at 170c.

This is a double batch recipe, which is easier to do as it uses the whole packet of craisins and the whole block of white chocolate.  I usually freeze the cookies after I have rolled them into balls, so you can just bake a couple at a time.  They also benefit from a rest in the fridge before baking, if you are going to cook them straight away, as there is a lot of butter in them.

Potato salad for Christmas day.  I do not eat potato salad, so this one is new for me.  Also, can’t use mayonnaise (I don’t like it anyway, so no problem for me).  I found a recipe with prosciutto, capers and spring onions, with olive oil and vinegar dressing, so I think I’ll give this one a go.  Except for the capers.  Maybe. Haven’t decided yet.

In other Christmas happenings, I am participating in the Toy Society Christmas drop for 2010.  I am “paying forward” a random act of kindness from this lovely blogger, and have set myself a target of one toy drop every day this week.  I did my first one this morning on my way to work.  I might arrange for a bit of help from friends at work, just to spread the love a bit further.

Christmas crazy

Christmas stresses me out every year, despite my best efforts to stay clear of it.  This year it’s worse than normal, with house and car dramas being thrown into the mix.  Hopefully things will be resolved soon, and I am sure I will be much happier when they are. 

 

I like to give tea towels and baked goods as gifts for co-workers, and friends at my sewing group.  This year I was lucky enough to find plain white tea towels as Spotlight, so I have just added a band of printed fabric to each one.  I have 21 finished and ready to go! 

 

I’ve also made a couple of these:

It’s a hexagon sewing caddy (can’t find the link to the pattern).  I’ve made 3 as presents, and this one for myself.  I love those cherries.

And this:

My first gingerbread house!  I’ve wanted to make one of these for a couple of years now, and finally did it.  I saw the kits at K-Mart for $15, which would have been a much cheaper alternative.  I decided to make mine from scratch (plus another one for my friend) so it was a bit of a business to get the house baked and constructed.  Plus, I have so many lollies left over (and they’re mostly yucky tasting sour stuff).  I had to buy a whole box of ice cream cones so I could use 2, so I’ll have to give those away because I won’t use them.  The marshmallows didn’t go to waste, because I really like those.  The snowman is my favourite, even though he wouldn’t stay standing up, so I’ve decided that the snow is melting (it is in Qld after all) and he is slowly subsiding.  I’ll take it to work tomorrow so they can enjoy it.