WOW: Pinterest Fail

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I found a recipe on Pinterest whilst I was admiring some other stuff on there. A lot of people are down on Pinterest but I like it because endlessly pinning things is easier and cheaper than buying them. I actually think I buy less since I started Pinterest boards. I wonder if that's true for anyone else? Anyway, my DH was complaining that I never bake. And this is true, I rarely do. But then I found a recipe that promised to be fail proof, so between my quilting and preparing dinner, it seemed effortless enough to whip up something for my long suffering DH and I trusted Pinterest instead of opening one of my hundreds of cook books.

And this is what happened. 

And it's still sitting in my kitchen, just like this. Because it isn't just dry or a bit bad. It's inedible. 

I told my DDs about it and they informed my that just anyone can post anything and that if I actually hung around on Pinterest long enough, I'd be curing people with coconut oil and losing 10kgs per week in home body wraps. So that's my baking fail sitting right there.

I'll definitely stick to quilting for the rest of the day...

Have you made anything from Pinterest? How did it go?

What's YOUR WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

Love Entwined 2: the Hand Sewn Top

After months of countless handwork, I wanted a post to document my completely hand sewn applique top before I quilted it. Hand sewing has definitely bonded me to this quilt in unexpected ways. We all know what a mysterious background it has and the constant wondering of the woman who designed it in the 1800's is always there, lurking n the background. And, true enough, each time I took up my top to sew a little more, there was always a brief thought of her, the unknown woman, as I set about completing her extraordinary motifs in the pattern. 

looking at it now, I can barely believe I did all this work!

I can tell just by looking at it, what time I did the work

The small neat stitches were made during the day, the larger looser stitches were made during the night, I have two stitch speeds, daytime and nighttime :)

now all that's left is to quilt it...

The original Love Entwined Coverlet was designed to revive interest in the lost original - a cause many quilters around the world took up - managing to finding the original and reigniting interest in it's origins by taking part in the pattern. Thanks to this effort, this design is no longer forgotten and by the looks of things, will be around for many more years. 

This second version LE2 is a focus on the original centre panel but as a wall hanging and is therefore much more achievable for many more quilters.

This pattern is currently not available, however I may make it available for publication in a magazine next year, depending on their interest to run it. My hopes are to have it published so that it may be professionally photographed - something I am unable to do myself.

I'll keep you posted..

Basting Love Entwined 2

Love Entwined 2 has been finished for weeks. The problem is, I haven't known what to do with it. As a coverlet, I don't want to quilt it. As a wall hanging, I know I'm going to have to.

Yesterday I basted it, all the while wondering what would enhance it's beauty without taking over from the design? LE2 is all about keeping in line with the original heirloom design and I've been thinking about how to quilt in line with that. I don't think I'm going to quilt my original Love Entwined Coverlet, but as this one will be hanging, I'm just going to have to move on from my indecision. Really, it should have been quilted and completed by now. And could have been. If only I wasn't so emotionally attached to this whole project.

All my Oma progress these last few weeks was me busying myself so I wouldn't have to make a decision on LE2! Ridiculous! 

So, how to quilt such a crowded applique coverlet without detracting from the hand sewn applique beauty?

Any ideas???

The Woe of Basting

Now that I'm finally making progress on my WIPs, there's another issue to face:

to baste or not to baste?

Frankly, of the whole process, basting is the only bit about quilting that I hate. It's the main reason my WIP pile is so big. I often leave quilts behind and move onto another project when I have to make a decision about whether or how to baste them.

I have basted several of my quilts using the 2 plank method and it does work - but it's tedious and I find it tiring. My planks are 5 inches wide and laminated wooden board - this makes them heavier than usual. I found them in my local hardware store, they're actually door frames. They work well to baste evenly, but are fatiguing -especially on lager quilts.

Lately I've found that most long arm quilters don't bother with a basting service as it's too much hassle for them. This is bad news for me as I really don't know how many extra quilts I have in me to baste by myself.

A few people have asked me how much I paid to baste Oma, I actually basted Oma's Blues myself. Normally, I pay from AU $80-$150 to baste a quilt. It depends on whether I buy my batting with them there or bring my own. I personally like Tucany Collection which can be silk or wool and comes rolled up in a package. I get the King size and it's imported from the USA. Most long arm quilters don't like me bringing my own batting because it's folded - which creates issues. They prefer their own batting as it's usually on larger rolls and comes off flatter and straighter - which means fewer issues. I completely understand where they are coming from, but I'm fussy and usually prefer my own selection to what's on offer.

Right now, with so many quilts to baste, I'm wondering how to get it all done. My preference is to have my tops basted with 1 inch horizontal lines. Most quilters prefer between 2 -4 inches apart. I like it closer as it means less movement. Obviously when I baste myself, I can't get it this precise.

This brings me back to considering not completing my quilts, but leaving many of them at the 'finished top' stage. If I was to baste all the quilts I could feasibly get ready for basting from my WIP pile right now, I'd be up for a thousand dollars in basting costs.

This means I'm going to have to prioritize which quilts I actually complete and which stay as tops alone. In an ideal world, there'd be a 'community long arm machine' somewhere out there I could rent by the day and that way I could just baste my heart out and get my WIPs done.

For now, I'll just pace myself and stick with finishing what I can.

How do you tackle basting?

Quilting Oma's Blues

I can hardly believe I'm up to this point of progress. Today I'm selecting which thread colour to quilt with and then it's just a matter of getting Oma quilted.

My favourite thread is Aurifil but my Bernina 820 doesn't like it, so I'm not yet sure which machine I'll actually quilt on or what thread I'll finally settle on. 

This is my quilting sampler below, it's just a quilt sandwich that I 'scribble' on, I always warm up my machine and try out ideas from my 'quilt map' before getting started on the actual quilt, free hand.

Here I go...

WOW: Magnolia in Bloom

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday

Down my way the magnolia's are in bloom. Whenever I see them, I am just so delighted with how wonderful they are to look at. It reminds me that I have an important WIP to finish - my quilt Forget Me Not. I still haven't got that quilt top together, which is such a shame as I can't enjoy all the floral blocks if they aren't hanging on my wall! Here's my almost finished magnolia block, sitting around waiting to be quilted. 

I suppose this is what WOW is all about - WIP reminders. Now this quilt is on my mind whenever I look out the window. It doesn't look like I'll have a chance to get it done before this year is out, but at least it's not completely forgotten. 

I'd love to know, what triggers your own WIP reminders?

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

Oma's Blues: Part 9 is Launched

This month we are assembling all the blocks so far 

and adding the two mitred borders 5 & 6

The year is just flying by and Oma's Blues is looking like a quilt about to be finished!

I've been making this quilt and following the pattern out of turn due to my busy schedule and this means I finally caught up in August for Part 8 which was great, and now I am ahead and already working on what will be released as Part 10 next month.

I mention this because I know some of you might be confused after having seen my Border Corner Plates as I shared the progress of my making it right here on my blog. I apolagise to anyone who might not want to see future blocks out of turn, but for everyone else, you are edging ever closer to the beautiful corner plates and near completion of your quilt!

This BOM is being released for free on a monthly basis. However, quilters are able to buy the complete pattern any time they want (from the first day of release) over in my shop. So there may be other 'advanced' Oma's Blues out there. If there are, I hope you'll be confident to share your work, whatever stage you are up to. There are no 'rules' that you can only show what the current BOM month releases. All quilt images from and at any stage of progress are most welcome!

I have sold some Oma's earlier in the BOM...and I do wonder where they are?!

Happy quilting everyone, I'm really delighted to be sharing this quilt with you and to be able to share in and enjoy your progress- whatever stage you're up to. Here's where I am up to below. My quilt is currently basted and ready for quilting, can't wait to show you more as I progress.

Oma's Blues is my current FREE BOM. 

You can still join this free BOM right now - all parts are available over in my Group.

Di Ford's New Beauties!

I was on the way home from the hairdresser with my DD on Saturday when I decided to pop into Somerset Patchwork & Quilting store. It was on our way home anyway, and although I hadn't been planning on any more fabric shopping this year, I was hoping that some of Di Ford's beautiful new range would be available. Strictly just so I could have a look for myself. Well, once I'd set eyes on it, it was mine.

I went for this minty colour, it just spoke to me. I thought I would swoon for the red (and it's just as beautiful) but I feel that I have too many red projects on at the moment, and none in mint, so I opted for a whole new scheme to freshen up my ideas.

I have no idea what to do with this selection. At the moment I have it spread across a table and just lovingly look at it each time I pass. I know I didn't need more fabric, but sometimes I feel that a range comes out that must be had. I feel that way about this range.

And another thing, is it just me or are 'second prints' just not the same? I know I've purchased ranges on the second print and I've never thought they were as good as the first. What is that about?! This time around, I wasn't taking any chances.

Some stash busting rules are made to be broken, that's all I can say.

WOW: Oma's Blues Quilting Ideas

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I'm drawing up a design plan for quilting my Oma's Blues quilt. I don't actually mark my quilts when I quilt them, I prefer freestyle quilting my own work. But with Oma, things feel more complicated. I need a plan mapped out on the styles I want to use.I wasn't sure I wanted to 'finish' Oma with quilting. I had an idea to make my quilts and leave them at the 'top' stage so I could easily cart them around to workshops and show and tells. But every time I need to set them aside, I feel I 'must' carry on and quilt them, so it looks like my quilting load will just keep increasing at this point.

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

I Forgot Father's Day

With one thing and another I've been in a bit of a spin. On Saturday, my DH and I took one of those long meandering drives in the country. I really needed some fresh air and country 'switch off' time. In our house I have been trying to aim towards 3 screen free days a week. It's going really well except for the emails that back up. And another thing - I keep losing track of what day it is. So on Saturday I was blissfully unaware that it was in fact Saturday. And that the following day was in fact Sunday and not just any Sunday, but Father's Day as well. Of course I was unprepared. And when my DDs showed up, I was still in my dressing gown and hadn't even ironed the table cloth yet.

at over 3 metres length, it's a real chore to have to get it done last minute

I mean really. You know you're getting old when your own children tutt tutt at you. Luckily my DDs had gone ahead and organised Father's Day all on their own. All we had to do was be there, fully dressed. But sometimes, even that feels like too much work. I should probably be embarrassed that all 'events' now involve photographs of me, not yet dressed, running around doing something I should have done days before. Perhaps the advantage of age is that I no longer care as much as I once did about this? Is it just me? What about you? I'd love to know that I'm not alone...

WOW: Basting Oma's Blues

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday

I told you I was serious! Here I am, getting Oma ready for basting, and I don't have much more to say than that, as I have plenty to be getting on with. Can't wait to update you all after WOW...

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

WOW: Oma's Blues WOW

 WOW=WIPs On Wednesdays

Oma's Blues is coming together, I'll have my entire top done this week. Talk about a WOW! I'm really keen to get this quilt finished as I knew that if I didn't get it done now... I wouldn't find any time later this year or in 2016. It's so satisfying to be going back and forth to my ironing board as I stitch down my borders...

I'm really looking forward to showing you my entire top and of course, to having another quilt DONE! Well, almost done. I'm still deciding whether I will quilt this quilt or keep it as a quilt top only (easier to transport and show at workshops). I had thought very seriously about making tops only, but I think that with Oma, it needs to go up on my walls and give my other quilts a rest. 

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

Oma's Blues: My Centre Plate

I suddenly realized as I photographed my centre, that I inversed my diamond plate edge. 

The white area should be dark and vice versa! How did I get that the wrong way around?!

I do think a dark plate edge would be more effective, but I've already decided that I'm not going to re-do it, so I will think about outlining it with a dark blue stitch - possibly. When I get the borders on, I'll look at it for a while and decide on the overall feel. Right now, I can't get over it, and my eyes are glued to the ring of white which should be blue. What a strange oversight. I just don't know what to say...

Even so, I am so in love with Oma's Blues that this error doesn't bother me as much as it possibly should! My Delft inspired quilt is really taking shape now and I can't wait to finish and show you my quilt top!

Oma's Blues is my current FREE BOM. 

You can still join this free BOM right now - all parts are available over in my Group.

Oma's Blues: Making the Decorative Flourishes

Although these plate flourishes were in Part 1 of the pattern, I took much longer to finally get mine done! Here is the finished flourish, I opted for fussy cutting and contrasting blues. Later I'll hand embroider the swirls that you can see peeking through the background fabric. 

 You can see my fusible method here, with my pieces ready and prepped 

often I use a light box to layer my applique shapes, but this pattern is simple so I just layered it visually by referring to the pattern sheet

 I use basting glue to keep my completed applique shape in position on the background fabric until I'm ready to sew it down

  I use 'just enough' glue to firmly keep my applique in position

even so, I sometimes find that 'lumps' can occur, so I have a trusty little quilting hammer which I use to bash unruly fabric soft again. My banging has sent my poor DH to answer to door quite a few times whilst hammering tough applique so I think I must get quite carried away at the end of a hard days applique-ing!

Oma's Blues is my current FREE BOM. 

You can still join this free BOM right now - all parts are available over in my Group.

Oma's Blues: My Corner Plates

I am in love with this block!

Here are 4 of the blocks, I've put them together here to show my fussy cutting pattern as a visual, however in the quilt they are not put together in this way. Even so, I'm very keen on this layout idea on its own - so much so that if I had enough left over fabric, I would make 4x extra blocks to create an Oma's Blues cushion. I think cushions are currently out of trend at the moment, but I always have space for them, especially when they match my quilts (which I hang up at home). I hadn't thought of that when I created Oma, but now I wish I had, it would go so well!

Here's what each block looks like

you will make 12 x in Part 10 (which is released October 15th)

And here I am, toiling away at my fussy cut corner block production line. It's funny to look back at my working images like this one and think that at some stage, all my quilts live in pieces, in envelopes! I am just so happy with the fusible method at the moment, it's really allowing me to work as quickly as possible and it's allowed me to really speed up my process. I don't think I could be without it now!

 Oma's Blues is my current FREE BOM. 

You can still join this free BOM right now - all parts are available over in my Group.

Oma's Blues: Fussy Cutting the Corner Plates

I've been savoring this moment: it's time for some serious fussy cutting!

I love these corner plates. When I first designed Oma's Blues, I wanted to introduce ornate plates somewhere but after the charm plates, nothing felt right until I drew up these corner pieces. Then it all just fell into place for me and I knew right then at the design stage that these plates were the ideal spot for some fussy cutting!

 I like to cut out 'audition templates' and just 'browse' my way through the fabric options...

charming

so much potential

I just knew this range of fabic was 'it' when I set my eyes on it, the 'Dutch Cottage' range couldn't have come at a better time for me, it's custom made for Oma's Blues!

 There's really so many options and stylistic elements to draw from

I'm spoilt for choice

I'm really excited to show you what I created from these fabrics, but first I'll show you what I left behind! Pop back to see my completed block tomorrow..

I'm working on the corner plates which join in to create Border 7, which according to the Free BOM Release schedule, is Part 10 (and will be released Oct 15th). As I started this quilt late, I'm making my own Oma's Blues out of 'schedule'. This BOM is still available for Free over in my Yahoo BOM Group, so if you've been thinking of joining in - do!

Oma's Blues is my current FREE BOM. 

You can still join this free BOM right now - all parts are available over in my Group.