QAL progress

The skill builder sampler quilt along block is posted on a Friday, US time. That means it appears sometime in the dead of night here on the east coast of Australia. Realistically this translates into Saturday morning before anything can be done! I so look forward to the weekly tutorial, choosing my fabrics and building my blocks. I have noticed that I am always in the first wave of photos posted to flickr for the weekly block.
It's true I am especially keen. It's not unusual for me to check the blog for that weeks block in the small hours - I am up with my little guy at some point anyway. After I take care of the Saturday morning essentials it's what I do first. I have even convinced my Mum to join in, I print out and send the instructions to her each week. We keep each other up to date with our progress via texts and photo messages.

This weeks block, or block #7 is Virginia Star made with flying geese points.

I had a small epiphany this morning. One could hear the cogs shifting into place. I have belly ached about the cutting process and how much I hate it. I think a part of the reason I was struggling with cutting was it takes ages and then you sew it all up and end up having to trim the hell out of everything anyway. The tutorial for this block was for the no-trim variety of flying geese. This makes VJ happy ;) Although it took a while to cut the fabric (plus my little boy is teething and is very, very needy) it was worth it as my points are...pointy! And that would be the point (I kill me!).
**I have a little sleep deprived delirium today**
I'm not saying I am over my cutting issues but I believe I am getting there.



1. HST practice block, 2. SBS #7 - Arizona Star, 3. SBS Block #6 - Bow Tie, 4. SBS Block #5 - Arizona, 5. SBS - Block #4 Pinwheel parade, 6. SBS - Challenge Block (Month 1), 7. SBS # 3 - Churn dash, 8. SBS Block #1 - Log Cabin, 9. SBS Block #2 - Value 9 Patch

The other thing I have managed to do this morning is make a mosaic of my blocks. Now this looks very tricksy and somewhat professional but is a cinch. But I am pleased to have taught myself to do another clever techinological (deliberate misspell) bit of business.
There is an extra block in the mosaic,top left, partly to make up the numbers and partly for me to practice my HSTs. I was pretty happy with it.
I hope to get some other quilty business taken care of but I'm not making any promises.

Have an awesome weekend. X X

HaPpY BiRtHdAy to my little J-bug

My little boy turned 1 on Tuesday. This is a big day in anyone's books but for us it's HUGE!!! We didn't know if he'd make it through his first day, and here he is a year later a lovely, inquisitive, calm little boy.

His perfect little foot.

The day he was born. My little man was born at 25 and a half weeks gestation. that's pretty much three and a half months early. He wasn't due until the end of November! J-bug needed a lot of respiratory support as his lungs were nowhere near developed enough for him to breathe air. He had no fingernails or toenails. No eyelashes.


This photo was taken towards the end of his stay in intensive care.



Asleep in our wheelbarrow on a very, very hot Australia Day (26 Jan). He still has the apnea monitor on to register his breathing. It did go off a few times but luckily they were false alarms!


And here is on his birthday in his souped-up #1 onesie looking happy and cute.
Obligatory birthday cake. Although our little man is one his adjusted age (from when he was meant to be born) is eight and a half months, so this is his developmental age. He liked the candle and the feeling of the icing but didn't really know that the cake was for eating. I am sure he'll more than make up for that in the years to come.

Here is the birthday bug with his favourite gift of all - a whole bunch of balloons.

We had a very quiet day with him as he is still susceptible to nasty infections. We did take him back to the NICU to visit his 'auntie' nurses and deliver the quilt which they have said they will use as a fundraiser prize. I also made some cupcakes and choccy slice for their afternoon tea.

After a busy week with my little boy I am looking forward to getting stuck into some sewing again. I am making slooooowwww progress with the ginormous secret, but it's progress.

Sunday blogging...on a Saturday

I like to blog on a Sunday afternoon. I can recap on the week that has been. My hubby bowls (that's lawn bowls) on a Sunday arvo but this week as rain is forecast they shifted it to today. This is very social bowling mind you. The kind where you drink beers and hang out with your mates mostly. Now that I write that down that is what guys do isn't it? So that's why I'm blogging on a Saturday.
I have a few WIPs to share and a new (I knew this would happen) project that I started up. Mostly I have been working on the 'ginormous secret project' and trying to get it to a point where I can see the end...

NEW PROJECT
Soooo...the plan is to make my long suffering husband his very own couch quilt. He loves to have a quilt on him. He'd rather a quilt than put on more warmer clothes! My vision was for grey and orange with some white or cream thrown in. I was foggy at best as to design until I saw this quilt
pattern by Angela from Fussy Cut. I have coveted the pattern since I first saw this beauty . Now there is a pattern!!! Despite being up to my eyeballs in ongoing and unfinished quilty business I knew I had to begin IMMEDIATELY! And so it began with some chopping of the collected oranges and greys to start getting a feel for it.



I have an attitude problem when it comes to cutting. I can get my head around all other parts of the quilting process, sewing, trimming, pressing, even basting, quilting. Cutting seems to take sooooooooooo long. What am I doing wrong? I am working on my attitude and trying to get my head around to thinking that cutting is just another step. An answer would be kits but I love the freedom of choosing fabrics and tweaking patterns and directions to suit my needs. So I'll just have to woman up and continue to cut. I have made 6 blocks so far and am very happy with them. They are pretty big guys - 14" x 16" and I only need thirty to make me a quilt. But looking at these super great blocks I am thinking I am going to bring in some colour - maybe some greens and aquas...


...like this. I think it works although I am not 100% sure. Will sleep on it I reckon. Clearly I do not have enough fabric to make the whole quilt. This is the way that I roll. Probably not very efficient but I cut the fabric for the blocks as I go. I will buy more fabric as I go. I'll probably end up with the whole quilt top in the shop with me to match up for backing fabric. This has happened before.
A sneekity peek at the ginormous secret project - pretty obvious what that is. It sure is a pretty scraptapular quilt.


This certainly isn't the greatest photo ever but this is my Skill Builder Sampler QAL. This week there was no set block but I really wanted to practice some HSTs so top row second from right is a pretty star I made this morning to go with all the other blocks. I love it. Like the bow ties block I think I'd love a whole quilt made of these stars. I look at all the colour and movement on this quilt and wonder how I am to quilt it. I am not a free motion quilter. Maybe I could become one. At this point I am thinking coloured perle cottons and echo quilting. I have plenty of time to consider this conundrum.

It's my little boys birthday this week and we have a bit on so I may not get to craft and blogging but I will have a special birthday blog with his birth story. Not for the fainthearted.

I now have a special page for my lists that I will update as time goes on. Lists in evolution is perhaps a better title for that page.

Busy bee me

I think nature thinks that Spring has sprung! The frog is back in the pond. Flowers are blooming. Oh, and there are some mozzies about too. I am sure there will be a cold snap before things warm up in earnest but it has been truly beautiful this last week.

On to some quilty business.
I finished the binding and label on the quilt I made to honour my little boys first birthday. It's not for him but for the Royal North Shore Hospital NICU where he spent the first 100 days of his life (that's a story for another time). I have called it the 'Happy Quilt' because it's so ridiculously and happily bright and cheerful. I hope it brightens someones day. The NICU can choose what best to do with it.


Down on the wharf this morning. What a day, eh?
I feel a bit shy about donating this little token. I have never done anything like this before but I hope it is well received by the staff and by the final recipient. I know I had many dark days in the NICU before we were able to bring our little guy home and the quilt he was given while there is very special to me now. I would just like to do that for someone else. I have a germ of an idea that I plan to run past the fundraising folks at the hospital and see if a full bed sized quilt could be used as a raffle type gift in the future.

The back and label.

I was desperate to make sure this was done and ready for his birthday next week and feel a huge sense of relief that it is even though it's such a little project.

I fear there might be a go-slow on quilty business as I really need to get the ginormous secret project done and dusted. Or perhaps I could just start a small project...just cut a bit of fabric...do some sums...maybe sew a few bits together...hmmm. We will see.

Wordless Wednesday

A splendid day..but no quilts

Not too many words required. A stunning winter's day here. Hubby, bubby and I headed down to the beach for a bit sun and fun.
I am having my maiden row in Princess Buttercup! We got her just after I found out we were expecting a baby, and it's been a hell of a year since so this is the first time I've been in the right frame of mind and physical condition. I also had some serious coaxing from my husband who thought it'd do me good. And it did. Fresh air. The beautiful river. Silence.



I have been beavering away on a few quilty things but will save that for another time.

A week already..

Cup of tea. Baby down for a sleep. Alrighty.

My week got off to a super slow start. I felt I was getting nothing done and it was driving me mad. We have also hosted both my sisters and their partners for separate visits this week which has been awesome but makes for a hectic time.

Looking at last weeks lists might be a good way to see if I have in fact achieved anything. Here goes.

This is a little quilt/play mat I made for a new baby in our community. It wasn't even on my WIP list last week, was on the wishlist so this feels super good. The top photo shows me using standard old pins to baste as all my saftey pins were employed in other basted quilts (yikes) and I don't live in a place where one just nips out for some more. Probably could have borrowed...anyway, I improvised. A brilliant idea I thought. Until I stabbed and stabbed and stabbed my hands wrangling this baby under the machine. Never again. As far as holding the quilt sandwich together it was perfect just a bit bitey.

This is my outdoor quilting arena for basting. So much easier than scooting around on the floor that's for sure. Of course this is only suitable for little quilts.

With matching ball.




I started this quilt on Friday, washed it last night and sewed the label on this morning. It felt really good to deliver this to the new family this afternoon. I hope it gets lots of use.

A smallish quilt I am trying to finish up in time for my little boys birthday. I love the brightness and retro feel of these fabrics. I picked up a Happy Campers jellyroll and Punctuation (both American Jane) layer cake at the craft and quilt fair and I can't believe how far they are stretching!
This is where some of my safety pins are being employed. I have backed it with a green gingham but need to get a suitable thread colour to quilt with. It's a bit tricky as there are so many colours, I am thinking a soft blue or green, perhaps variegated, who knows? Hopefully I will feel all inspired when faced with the thread selection tomorrow. I have been making a few of these blocks every couple of days and joined up a selection of them this week. It's really important to me that I get this quilt done and delivered close to the little guys birthday as I am donating it to the NICU where he stayed for a really long time.

More selections chopped and ready to be stitched....


....to make these guys. I have about 30 blocks here and enough for about 25 more blocks. There might be enough for 2 more small quilts or one larger one. I am keen to get all the blocks made up then perhaps they can sit and wait for a bit.




This weeks block for the QAL. Bow ties. I love this block. This block might get some friends and become a quilt all its own. I am up to date with the quilt along. That feels good.

In progress;

1. Queen sized hexagon scrappy madness ( alluded to in this post)begun in March 2011 for our bed - about a quarter pieced (by hand peeps!)
2. Skill builder sampler quilt along in June 2011 - up to date
3. A giant secret started in June, will be able to post soon - about a third half hand quilted - woot!
4. Square-in-a-square quilts for the NICU where my little boy spent the first 100 days of his life - hopefully they can use them as raffle prizes to raise some money for the newborn care centre that provided so much for us all - two thirds of the blocks pieced basted and ready for quilting, yippee
   

I also have a list ( I love a list!) of quilts I'd like to make;

1. Orange and grey one for my patient, kind and supportive husband (was going to be a surprise but I'm hopeless with surprises so he already knows)
2. I have some sherbet pips that I am itching to cut up but have promised myself not to begin anything new until at least the 'big secret' is finished
3. Beetle bugs fabric I bought at Sydney Quilt and Craft show from Saffron Craig herself - for my little boy, no rush on this as he won't be in a big boy bed for a little while
4. A play mat and ball for Dangar's newest bubby
5. My sister is expecting her first baby in November so obviously he or she will need one

All in all I think it has been an OK week on the quilting front.

We have had the most stunning couple of days. It's hard to remember it's the dead of winter, although I could just read last weeks post for a reminder I guess.