Phase I finished. Prepare for Phase II...

Last block of the wedding commission finished tonight. Phew.

Now all I have to do is sew the top together, layer and pin baste, quilt and bind.

So not much left to do then :)

Groundhog Quilting...

You know that feeling you get when you make something from lots of little bits, and it feels like you've been doing it a while, and you look up, and the clock hasn't moved one single solitary second?

That's what these quilts feel like. Don't get me wrong, I love them, and the finished results are going to be so worth it, but I sew and cut, cut and sew, iron, cut, sew, iron, and I'M STILL NOT FINISHED!

But I suppose it's getting closer to being done with every stitch. I will just have to grit my teeth and get on with the last few blocks and not, repeat NOT, think about all the cool quilts out there, and all the tempting new fabrics I have ordered, and the colour combinations I want to try out; none of that. I will get my head down and get on with the job in hand.

It may kill me.

Here's some evidence I am doing something: (old photos doesnt mean I aint workng, you know)

Have since added blue and purple hearts, and some more green.

Fankle Quilting at the Perth Scottish Knitting Show

   No, not a mistake, I do have some knitting things left from my olde shoppe, oh! those were the days...But I will have a few quilting efforts there to show people what I  have done, and can do.
   I'm currently sitting listening to the printer laboriously chugging its way through some descriptions and pictures of my quilts to put in a folder. Not very technologically advanced, I'm sure some sort of virtual album could be whizzinbg around pon the table at the show, but we fear change - unless it suits our prupose. Like web shopping for sewing supplies WOOHOO!
   Anyway, for those who want to check it out, come to the Perth Racecourse on Saturday 12 May from 10 - 4, and you'll see loads of lovely wool, notions, accessories, handspun and dyed and machine knitting cones, plus a wee stall upstairs with cheap knitting needles, patterns, books, and the promise of some lovely quilts.
   Cheers!

Raindrops on roses...

Well, no rain here at all, actually, which makes a change, but my favourite thing at the minute is the basted and almost finished huuuuuuuuuuge Union Jack bedspread, languishing on the sewing room floor upstairs. So close, I can imagine it gracing the bed it's bound for, putting all other room decorations to shame.

I really should get off here and finish it! Have restarted the heart and Irish chain blocks, and they've picked up again nicely. Good to have stuff on the go. Off to do some sewing - the housework has just been pushed even lower on the priority list....

Final Stages....

Have sewn the backing together.

The finished top looks like this:

And the backing will be reddish, and also the binding. I think it looks really cool.

heehee!

Chuffed face :D

See? I am doing something!

Here's a wee peek of the work-in-progress bedspread - which is really real, not just a blether :)

Its coming on well, and should hopefully be done by end April; although now that I have seen the date on my laptop, it may be later....

But the top is in it's final stages, and as there's no wadding, the basting should be fairly easy. Will be quilting along the line just to define the pattern.

Details to follow when I finish, I've been noting the process and will hopefully have enough to make another one, should it work out that way. Always easier to follow instructions.

More soon!

Hannibal chews the end off his cigar and winds another bobbin....

Sewing is going on. Honest. Have made half of the top of the bedspread, laid it out with some raw fabric to check the design, and it looks. Really. Good. Have photos, but camera too far away to show - plus, lighting and cameraman not the best by any standards ie. me.

Still glad it looks good in reality, and that what I imagined is coming out true. It'll be big too, calculations very much guesstimates, but in a good way.

I Love it when a plan comes together.

Where does the time go?

Have been mostly working at my real job, boohiss, although it is a bookshop so it could be a lot worse (!) and visiting the family in the islands, so not much crafting going on other than travelling socks, but I am working between two projects. The wedding quilt has paused temporarily to make way for a denim Union Jack bedspread due at the end of April.

I am planning it along these lines:

(Pic from Amazon)
Except with denim jean patchwork for the blue bits, and have some red and cream upholstery for the rest. Has to be dogproof, hence the heavier fabrics. So far so ...slowly. But definitely getting there.

Working on the chain (piecing) gang #2

Hallo blog! Am sitting on my arse downstairs wasting time on the computer when I should be upstairs cutting and sewing, but just wanted to say have finished the first of the quilt top targets - the Irish chain patches are done, 24 complete blocks all ready to be used.
Now I have to carry on with the heart ones, which is more fiddly (although not much more) and I've been putting them off in my laziness.

But no more! off we go, up the wooden stairs to creativity :)

Have some inspiration -

This is what I can do when I try!

Holidays

Not usually something we do really, as in, take a few days out in the sun to do nothing, but the last year has been a really difficult one for us, so we have just done exactly that. 4 nights all inclusive in Spain, flying from the airport right beside our house (well, almost) and with actual yellow hot shiny sun when we got there. Aaaaaaaah.......

So relaxing. Little'un left with granny so I could get a proper break, and a good time had by all. Flippin marvellous. Will be doing that again.

Since we came back, have got 7 more squares done and another 6 half cut. Shame they all look like this:

(imagine the background is actually white and please excuse the rubbish night-time photography)

so I have nothing more exciting to show, but it is moving forward, albeit slowly. But moving is moving!

PS with extra GRRRRRRRR!

There is no such word as ADDICTING. It's just wrong and fills me with unmentionable horror and nausea. SO wrong. The word you are looking for is ADDICTIVE. You know, as in, so good you can't stop?

And while we're on the subject, hoi! Blogland! If you want to sneak a wee look at something you take a PEEK, not a PEAK. That's a mountain top.

Morons.

Still here

And much less snottery too. Yay! I can almost hear properly again. Now I have no way of tuning out the Blighter, though, but nothing in life is perfect. Had my best pal staying with us this weekend, and she finally understands what we've been saying for the last 3 years - that it is totally exhausting listening to our daughter's wittering all the time. She had it from about 6.45 am to mid morning, and now really feels our pain. Glad it's not just our imagination, I can tell you.

Sewing done in the last few days? HeeHaw. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Nowt. Flip all.

But I did rearrange my sewing room and it looks pretty good. Bought another table, moved the fabric, found shelves in other rooms that worked, basically made it ergonomic and more user friendly. Now I just have to be the friendly user!
Taking a few days off, and will be back in sewing mode next week. Have got a few blocks cut so lots to be getting on with.

It's all getting good.

PS. Check this out - how cool is this??

Fed. Up.

I am so fed up. Still havent shifted this cold, and its has left me deaf in one ear, and a sore throat has appeared this afternoon, with great pain swallowing and all the fun that goes with it. Am so fed up of being ill! The Hubby has been ill with post viral fatigue for over a year now, and I'm the one who has been carrying the family for that time, which has had a knock-on effect on my own health, me being diabetic and all. So my immune system in knackered (medical term) and I'm suffering for it now. Bloody Hmph. And cough.

But.

I know in the grand scheme of things we are very very lucky. We have health care and our own house, and we can still work (most of the time) and are educated with our healthy child having friends and family all around us.
And I managed a few more blocks for my friend's wedding present quilt.

So it could all be worse.

And here's something which always makes me smile (check for some language):

Thanks, Chive, for cheering us up every day :)
CHIVE ON!

A bit of inspiration

Love to read quilting blogs.The inspiration, creativity and talent of people out there is thrilling to see. Love the colours, styles, effects, and really love that people want to share it with others.
Am particularly in love with this block at the minute:-

This is from Red Pepper Quilts, and isnt it gorgeous? She made a fantastic quilt out of it too, called Labyrinth, and I am going to get cutting on this as soon as I can. Have still got a lot to do before then, and get so easily distracted :( so will have to knuckle down and STAY AWAY from Words with Friends, dammit!

Pictures!

Am feeling so much better today that the sewing machine was in action. Finally. Head has slowed down the production of snotter, and the whole family seems to be on the up again after the latest assault on our immune systems, so there was some spare energy for cutting today YAY.

Started a friend's quilt today, commission for a wedding, and we're going with hearts and Irish chain, simple but v effective. Simple once I figured out the heart piecing. Maybe brain still not functioning 100%...

Here's the evidence anyway:

The background of the chain IS the same as the heart, just bad lighting and night time photos dont help. Cool though, eh? And am v chuffed with the accuracy of the squares - seems practice does make perfect. And paying attention and taking it slowly does no harm at all. 

not given up

Have been madly busy. 2 p/t jobs and the house/child/husband to look after, and am just about to lose it. Luckily the 2 jobs become one from Saturday and we've just booked a few days away. Can not wait. Havent touched a thread of my 2 commissions, but am optimistic (well, why not?).
Its all good from February. Honest.

:D

Happy New (almost) Year

I know, premature, but am so busy doing two p/t jobs at the moment I may not have time to wish one at the appropriate moment, so Happy New Year!
No sign of sewing at Casa Crabbit just now, as no time! but have made another R2D2 hat for C, made a pair of welly socks for J, am knitting mittens for The Blighter, and started again a blanket, because I like to have a blanket on the go. And it's specially lovely to knit in cold weather, having a toasty bit of half-knitted blanket on your knee :)

Here's to more knitting, sewing, time to do everything, and a colourful 2012!

Bleurgh.

Am still alive, just fighting off a horrible cold that makes me cough up chunks of yuckiness and speak as if I am gargling with gravel. Not nice.
And it's sapping all my energy so all I can do is plonk myself in front of the fire, rather than be busy upstairs in my sewing room which is about 10 deg cooler.
Hmph.

This too will pass.

I hope.

Tidying up

Sorting out the sewing room finally, after months of ignoring the mess piling up in all the corners. Would love it to look like this -

Oooh! Colours!
Or I wouldnt say no to this either -

Gorgeous. (Apologies for not knowing the source of these photos.)

*sigh*

Maybe one day, when I get my act together...

Commisions

Have got commisions! One wedding quilt and one bedspread Union Jack design. Looking forward to them both. Denim, corduroy and twill for flag style, and heart design for the wedding one. Like this sort of thing:

Picture from grittypretty.blogspot.com. With self coloured but multi-fabric patchwork hearts on white background, may or may not do chain in between heart blocks.

And the Union Jack idea is along these lines (above), with denim patchwork from old jeans and cord for the colours - this one is going to be an occasional dog bed so has to withstand those claws :)
Who knew the UJ was so complicated? All the reds rotate round with different thicknesses of white; the angle; sizing. Prob not hard for those with bags of experience, but nicely challenging enough for me, and I get to use all those denim trouser legs I've been saving. Just in case.