More cushions

Finally Aztec (big ted) got his belated Christmas present, a whopper floor cushion. The appliqued hearts had the word 'love' on them, courtesy of a quilting Aunt! The squares were a charm pack I brought on Trademe and the backing was from the Clearance Cluster at Cust last year. The Stash Rehash at the weekend was another chance to get some bargains from pre-loved sewing rooms throughout Christchurch.

Next up is a cushion inspired by the piggy card I brought. In the end I made three for a friend all with different coloured pigs. This one is in its last stages of TLC.

New beginnings and new ideas

Curvature - Australian Patchwork & Quilting, Vol16, No10

When I decided to do my first bargello I guess I should have chosen a smaller project, but I love challenges and this is certainly starting to be one. I firstly picked out all my 13 fabrics and thought I had them in the correct dark-light order, but upon looking at my first block I now realise I have two colours out of order. Since I have now sewn all my strips together and cut them, there is no going back, but onwards with a mission! Again I shall put this down to practise, but a costly one!

Here is my first block. To me the green in the centre sticks out like a sore thumb. At first I was peeved at myself for making such a silly mistake. Colour No.1 should be the darkest (the orange shade) and no.2 should have been a 'accent print'. I thought that meant a shade that looked right together, not that green shade...

Here is my second block which is now complete. I did this one with more ease than the first. I chose not to iron every single strip as I sewed them together. They lined up so much easier. There are 16 blocks in total... 

New ideas - landscapes

Because I get bored easy, here are my next two projects lined up - attempts at doing landscapes. I picked out two photos I took on my travels in South Africa. The first a sunset on top of Table Mountain looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. I have no idea how to sew them together! 

The next photo was taken on a short tour of South-West Africa, as it was know in the 1980's! This trip took me to Etosha Park and this landscape was nearby. Just breathtaking. When I sew a few fabrics together I shall add some more photos to show you progress. In the meantime I may have to attend a class to get the hang of what I'm doing.

Molly in the Garden - applique

Before Christmas I started this pattern that I brought on Trademe. I think it's called 'Molly in the Garden'. I have all the fabrics in place ready to applique and also have to do some flowers at the bottom, and draw in a face and a couple of handles. I generally like applique, but haven't touched it since December 2011.

My fabric hanging is in pinned on the hall wall. When I'm not using it the fabric is doubled over and pinned higher so as my kitten doesn't continually jump up at and try to pull it down. Life is one game when you are small and furry!

Nine Patch Practice

I chose this Elaine Rose cushion pattern to practice my nine patch blocks. I picked out the grey shades first, whereas I should have selected the main fabric. Luckily I had a contrasting red that made the greys spring to life.

Pinned and ready for quilting

Next I chose this exotic purple as a centre block.

I put them together to form this top, which is yet unfinished. I wasn't sure whether the colours went together, but if they don't I'll put it down to another learning curve.

Finally I chose a red and green theme, you can never have enough practice when it comes to patchwork!

My first lap quilt

This was the quilt I began in April and finished Christmas Eve 2010 for my mum. The corner blocks are maple leafs and the applique were supposed to be maple leafs as well, but the course finished and I didn't have access to the template. I found the cat shapes from a friend and dedicated them to the eight cats who formed our family over the years. I used silver thread for the whiskers and their names, what a challenge! Blackboy was my special "boy". It was machine quilted and hand appliqued.

My first cushion

I made this cushion for my sister who loves bears, who doesn't. I did the applique by hand which is very addictive. Because I enjoyed it so much I made a second one for her!

My first completed quilt

I made this wall hanging for one my best mates for her birthday. Her mum had a beloved Westie named "Jack" and when I saw the Kay McKenzie quilt, I knew it had to be made.

Let the wonder begin...

The thing I wonder about at the moment is whether this blog will work with dial-up.... and whether the tiny 10 week old kitten attempting to jump onto the keyboard will land on the delete key... Before I load any patchworking let me introduce you to the little bean!