Happy finishes!

 I have two finishes to share with you today!

Firstly, the Whittaker pinafore I made for my sister, 

Helen was gifted to her yesterday!

We had a lovely time together getting some photos!

The denim was heavier than I was expecting when I 

ordered it online and I was worried about how I would 

manage it!

However, my Juki powered through every multi-layer.

(I may need to make a pair of jeans now!)

The green topstitching is just perfect, isn't it?

Secondly is my "Halo" quilt, which I am calling

 "Double Donuts".

My Melbourne friends will know this refers to an 

impressive COVID figure.....

Today is the 16th day we Victorians have achieved zero 

new cases, zero deaths! 

And today, we have NO cases of COVID at all in our 

wonderful State!

 All that lockdown pain deserves a celebration quilt, 

don't you think?!

I hand quilted this over the course of about 6 weeks, 

powering through not one but more than two spools of 

thread- a Superior Threads reel of 12wt in Cerulean,

A WonderFil Eleganza reel of 8wt in a variegated aqua, 

and 

some of the other Superior Threads in Pansy.

We were lucky to find not one, but two bridges 

to throw it over. 

Neither of us was tall enough to hold it up without it 

trailing on the ground!

And a tree branch came in handy too!

The backing was bought before our first lockdown back 

in March, 

When Darn Cheap had all patchwork fabric for $5 a 

metre!

It really suits Helen's lounge room,

but, no, it came home with me!

Quilt #8 for 2020

Lifetime quilt #126

Finished size: 84" by 74"

My version of the "Halo" quilt

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Playing again!

 While I am hand quilting in the evening, 

in recent days I have been playing with these 

Anna Maria Horner voiles, 

which have been in my stash for way too long!

The floral on the left is for the backing

They deserve some attention, don't you think?

I thought you might like to see my process....

Initially, I thought I'd do a simple patchwork,

so started with four and a half-inch squares.

They sat on my cutting table for some time, while I 

pondered my decision.

Then I stumbled across Jenny Doan's quick method of 

making hourglass blocks!

They start with a four patch, then another....

placed right sides together,

stitched around the outside and cut diagonally into four.

Before I knew it I had 12,

then 36,

then a photo collage for the 90 I am aiming for.

I thought it was worth converting that into a black and 

white photo, 

to help with the placement of that rich turquoise!

Hopefully, by the end of the weekend, I will have the 

top together.

Then it will go into the TBHQ (To Be Hand Quilted) pile!

 Happy sewing!

SUZ

 

Two for one!

 I have two finishes to share today....

This one is pieced by my sister

And hand quilted, mainly by me.

I finished it with binding and a label!

The pattern is available from Treehouse Textiles.

Isn't it pretty?

And the Smorgasbord quilt is 'sort of finished'....

I had to delve deep into my meagre thread stash

to find enough of various colours.

No more pink or mauve!

Now that my sister has provided me with a reel of  

mauve,

I can finish it properly!

I had a bit of fun with this label too, finding this food 

fabric as a 'nod' to the quilt's name.

Happy sewing! 

SUZ

Short and Sweet!

Although I have quilts to quilt

1. Smorgasbord (- finishing it up!)

2. Quatro colour

3. Snowflake

4. Shine Your Halo (- hand quilting it!) 

I needed to make some quick finishes, so satisfying ...

I started with this Weebraw bag,

made mostly from furnishing fabric I'd purchased for 

$1.00!

And then, over a couple of days, 

I made a Devon Pouch,

from a long-hoarded linen fat quarter!

 I had to upscale it slightly to suit the zippers I had 

bought!

But I think it worked out beautifully

thanks to such a very well written pattern!

Do you have a favourite 'go-to' gift to make?

Happy sewing,

SUZ

A Countenance of Masks!

 I don't know if there is a term for a group of masks,

but I think there should be, 

All these were given away!

considering the numbers being made and worn around the world!

This is my grandson Eli proudly wearing his!

I've made over forty so far, 

most having been given to friends.

These (above) are made from a pattern I found here.

As I am going back to 'real-life' teaching soon,

I thought it was important I had enough to 

give me plenty of choices!

The latest two, and the ones above, are made following 

my favourite pattern (found here)!

It's the only one that effectively stops my glasses 

from fogging up

without having to insert a wire or pipe cleaner!

I used a much-loved, long-hoarded piece of Tula Pink 

fabric (below) for this one...

Perfect for sunnier and longer Spring days!

While they look at little large on my face here,

I know they will shrink a bit after washing.

Have you been making masks?

And what is your favourite pattern?

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Snow in September!

 Yes, it is supoosed to be Spring but various places in 

country Victoria have experienced snowfalls today!

Ballarat, Ballan and Daylesford- taken from Instagram

So it seems appropriate that I work on my 

Snowflake Quilt.

I don't think I shared any of my plans here....

I am making this as a commission for a friend.

I've had to modify the pattern somewhat,

as the recipient required the snowflake to have all

eight dentrites.

So I began collecting and buying more blue solids 

cutting the gazillion squares

and making and trimming half square triangles!

An new blade sure helped!

To help with the gradient of colour I started at the centre....

and worked my way out getting darker to the edges.

Now all that's left to do is join all the blocks together..

And with more cold and wet weather forecast, and 

lockdown continuing,

I guess I will stay home and sew!

Happy days!

SUZ

PS Blogger doesn't play nice anymore- fonts size, centre alignment, uploading one photo at a time- they all do their own thing! I used to be able to write and publish a blogpost in 30 minutes! Not any more!