Oops...

I've really neglected this blog, and have just realised it's been a full month since I last made a post... not that anyone probably cares, as I doubt there are too many people reading it!!! (If any??)
Anyway, the three of us have been really busy the past few weeks. A road trip two weeks ago to see my in-laws and down to Sydney last weekend for a cousin's wedding. Only the trip to the airport took a lot longer than we'd planned after I crashed my car into a gum tree a few kms down the road from our house. Oops...




Luckily, neither of us were hurt. Baby R only had a small mark on his shoulder from the shoulder strap of his carseat! Thank goodness for car seats, as I can't imagine what would have happened to him without it. I was in shock for awhile, and had a few bruises on my face (and since, two black eyes!) from the airbag. Our wonderful neighbours came to the rescue, as A was down in Sydney waiting for us and couldn't get home to help us. THey took us to the hospital and looked after us all day until we got another flight to meet up with the family.

I'm now pretty much stuck at home during the week, so hopefully will find more time to add to this blog! I've got more fabrics to show and have started another quilt finally, so will have some new posts soon. x

New fabric!

I have been very naughty this month, and went a bit crazy online... I am feeling pretty guilty about spending so much on fabric I don't really need (and not telling my husband) but must admit I was still excited when my first parcel arrived today!

Here is what I received:
From top to bottom: Robert Kaufman "On a Whim" and Alexander Henry "Spotted Owls", "2D Zoo", "Starling" and "Yui Kokeshi"



I am obviously on an Alexander Henry streak at the moment! I bought some of the Yui Kokeshi last year on a trip to Melbourne, and just love this fabric. I was excited to find more online. My second favourite is the 'Starling' fabric - I LOVE these little birds!!! (However, I'm sure it is going to be one of those fabrics I'll be to scared to use...) I've seen a lot of the Zoo fabric in a few people's blogs and look forward to using it in a baby quilt myself.

Close-up of Starling:

More scrappy pinwheel blocks

Yesterday was a sewing day, and I managed to get a stack of blocks done for my scrappy pinwheel quilt. To be honest, I am so over pinwheels - having made more than 200 of these (I have lost track of how many are completed... must do a count soon.) I am really bored with making them. That said, I'm still trying to finish this queen size quilt as planned... (But doubt I will ever make another pinwheel after this quilt!!!)

Here is a stack of blocks, in a variety of stages of readiness - half blocks, quarter blocks and initial patterned and white blocks ready to sew and cut.




Chain piecing the squares.



I hate pinning anything, and try to avoid it whenever possible. However, I do pin the half blocks together to make sure I get my points right in the middle of the pinwheel. I just stick a pin straight through the points of both sides like this:




I've found it useful to remove the storage tray on my machine when sewing the half-blocks together. This allows me to sew right up to the vertical pin, keeping the pin nice and straight, and pull it out at the last minute.



Pile of corners cut from the halfsquare triangles - for some reason, I don't throw these away and I have been saving these in a jar...

And finally - yesterday's 32 blocks!


close-up:

Finished quilt

I managed to take some photos of my finished quilt yesterday, and have been trying to learn how to upload them through Flickr. Not as straightforward as I thought it would be!!! But I've finally managed to figure it out.

Here is the front of the quilt


A close-up of the front


The back


The binding - I love this turquoise with the red border



And finally, a picture of my baby R, 7 months old, posing on Krystal's quilt for me.

Killing time...

Wow - It is just toooo easy to waste time looking at blogs!! I am really enjoying reading so many of the crafty / quilty blogs out there, but today I came across one for the first time that has caused me to waste more time than usual! Check out this blog, full of great quilts and beautiful quilting. I am really impressed with her work! (Though I don't know 'her' name...?!?)
http://emptybobbins.wordpress.com

In other news, I've finished Krystal's quilt! I do still have to put the label on, but the binding is now completed. Hope to get a 'finished' photo on soon....

Almost finished...

I've been trying to finish Krystal's quilt this week, and I have actually surprised myself with my progress!!! As I've said before, I love to piece quilts, but hate to finish them. (Hmm.... kinda like the rest of the unfinished projects in my life! I think I see a trend...)

I was determined that I would finish this one off before I started a new one, as I am somewhat embarrassed that this was supposed to be a Christmas present and it is still not finished!! I finally started putting it together on Tuesday. I tried using quilt basting spray for the first time, instead of safety pins. I am now a convert! I found it sooo much easier to use and much less frustrating. I had no problems sticking it all together (though I have yet to give the wood floor a much-needed mop, as there is the messy issue of overspray...) and was able to get straight onto the machine to start the quilting. I used my walking foot, and quilted it in straight lines around the squares. I have yet to try stippling - I did just get a free-motion needle thing, and really want to give it a go, but this quilt was so symetric, I wanted to keep it that way. I used white thread on the top and red on the back, and I really like how it turned out.

Here are pics of the back and front:

I really couldn't believe my progress - by the end of the day I had finished all of the quilting! I had expected this part to drag on, as I normally don't have the patience / concentration to stick with it, but it just flew. I think I must be improving??

By the end of the night, I even had the binding sewn on! (Although I wasn't really thinking by that point, and cut the binding strips too thick - only realised it when I was 3/4 of the way through sewing it on, so I decided just to go with it... The binding is really wide on the back, but I don't actually mind it now!) I have finished one of the sides, three more to go and then another finished quilt!

Great giveaway!

As much as I wish I was the only one entering this giveaway, I'm sharing this link to get another chance to win it myself! (Selfish, I know....) I absolutely covet this Japanese charm pack that Kerri is giving away on her blog "Lovely little handmades". She has a lot of cute stuff on her blog - check it out!

http://lovelylittlehandmades.blogspot.com/