No grand illusions!

No, I have no grand illusions about my machine 

quilting abilities...

So it was straight line all the way with my latest 

finish.

I made it a little bit special with simple hand quilting.

I'm calling this "Lions and Bears"!

In the winter sun

The recipient, a male colleague who retires from 

teaching this week,

played football for a team that had both these 

mascots.

I chose these colours because I felt they represented

 my friend's link to those teams and the sporting

 house he has been associated with for the last 

twenty-five years.

   
And somehow these colours say "Renato" !

I had fun finding new places around my 'home'

to take photos!

This chair was a great colour match,

as was the brickwork of this building!

I love how this quilt crinkled up after a wash and dry!

And hope my friend loves it too!

Happy days!

SUZ

I'm now blogging over at Wordpress:
you can find me here!

Bit-by-bit...

Anyone who has been following my blog for a few 

years would know that this time of year 

is slow on the sewing- 

my day job takes precedence!

But I have been eking out an hour or two

to get this little baby quilt pieced, 

bit by bit!

I hope to be back soon with a finish!

In the meantime, how do make time for your hobby?

SUZ

ps Blogger is being difficult and I am not receiving notification of your comments, but if you have a profile, I will get back to you!

Flimsy Finishes

I've had two flimsy finishes this week.....

Yes, two tops now ready to be quilted!

The first one is made

from these blocks....

into this...

I'm intending to machine quilt this one myself,

I did iron it!

and give it to a friend who is retiring from teaching 

soon.

And Helen's Dresden is together too!

This one is a big one, 

measuring 88" by 74",

so it's not only difficult to photograph but beyond 

my quilting skills.

So we will get it professionally quilted!

Time to get some backings prepared!

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Home Sweet Home

I recently had the pleasure of testing a pattern for 

Allison of Campbell Soup Diary!

There are four graphic designs to choose from in the 

"Stitches" set....

And I worked three of them into a new

sewing machine cover.

The needle is a little wonky because I made it from felt

I'm considering writing a tutorial, 

if anyone is interested....

I had this mauve fabric in my stash...

which was the perfect lining!

I figured my pretty "new" Singer 348 machine 

deserved a new cover.

Maybe it needs a new mat too? 

The pattern has just been released, so if you'd like to 

make your own, head HERE

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Short and Sweet!

I've had a finish this week....

I lightly quilted my Tiger Tales quilt over the course 

of the last week,

adding some hand quilting too!

I am happy to be donating this one to a refuge for 

domestic violence victims.

The backing came from my stash, the name long forgotten 

I hope brings comfort, 

just as this cute little dog does.

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Winter is for knitting!

I tend to focus my winter pastime on hand quilting 

and knitting.

I recently finished my Tangled Up jumper/sweater

in this wonderful purple colour called Imperial...

Back

I knitted most of this while I was recovering from 

foot surgery last September.

I struggled a little working out the some of the    

seaming, but with the help of a friend, I got there.

Today it was cold enough to wear it....

with a scarf, I made a number of years ago!

I've now started a cardigan....

in this silvery grey yarn.

More details are on my Ravelry page here

Now to baste a quilt, ready for hand quilting!

Happy days!

SUZ

Lost your Mojo?

It happens to us all...

We find ourselves with a sewing window, and don't 

know what we want to work on?

While I knew I should begin quilting one of the three 

flimsies I have waiting, 

"Stepping out with Alice"

"Shadows of Love"

"Tiger Tales"

I wasn't sure I had the enthusiasm to baste anything 

today....

I started thinking about how I might fill the day?

I've made a list of 

"Things to do in the sewing room when you are not 

sure what you want to do!"

1. Clean your sewing machine

2. Clean your cutting table

3. Change the blades in your rotary cutters

4. Join batting scraps to make a useable piece....

Don't forget to measure and label it!

I did this one first, then another too, for my "Tiger 

Tales", so it's ready to go!

5. Make (scrappy) binding

6. Make labels for all those 'quilts in waiting'

7. Make a pieced backing from stash fabric....

which I also did!

It is for a black and white quilt I'll eventually make 

with these...

when I find the perfect pattern, of course!

8. Cut scraps into useable shapes, example 

Dresden Plates or Hexies...

then sell them online!

I did that too!

What do you do when your sewing mojo disappears?

I'd love to know!

SUZ

Some progress...

if a little slow!

I love making these Dresden Plate blocks....

and the numbers are growing.

To vary things up, I have made some with just two 

different fabrics...

a little less scrappy, but fun nevertheless!

This is how the scrappy ones are looking...

on their patched backgrounds.

I'm looking forward to some more sewing time on 

the weekend.

Linking up with Sew, Stitch, Snap, Share

Happy sewing!

SUZ