2013 sewing list...

As 2012 comes to a close albeit too quickly for my liking it's time to turn thoughts to projects for next year and write my UFO list for this year to knock them over quick smart or do one old/one new to keep things interesting.

So left from 2012 I have

Blossom Creek complete block 2 (oh so close), then 3, 4 and do the log cabining
Make some fabric table runners to sell in the 'shop'
Placemats to go with the cushions I made  for Coral's b'day
Blouse for me
Over skirt for my sari skirt so I will wear the skirt and it won't sit in the wardrobe...
Fabric placemats for us for outside
Apron for Katie

And the things I know are on the list for 2013

Stitch in the ditch the jelly roll quilt
Make my Material Obsession Dotty for Dresden quilt
Do something with all fabric that I have got back from the rainbow swaps I was in in 2012!
A beach bag from a charm swap
A table runner from the Christmas swap
Christmas placemats
A replacement ironing board cover for Laura I think with the charm squares (I mean I have 4 of each swap to play with, there will be no shortage of rianbows in our house!)
Have come up with some other goodies to sell in the shop as well - keeping those under wraps fro the time being.
A couple of loose tops to wear in Raro in March
Winter nighties for Missy
Another full circle skirt/dress for Missy and one for her friend MMV

So far this seems managable!


The biggest thing on the list is a graduation quilt for Mrs C at the end of this year and no doubt the other class will want to make one as well. We have the same teacher for 3 years (kindy, year 1 na dyear 2) then the same teacher for the next 4 years (years 3-6). Some people may object to this system but we are quite embracing of it! Our much loved Mrs C knows these kids SO well and will know them even better than we do by the end of year 2. The primary years teacher is someone the kids have in their lives long after they have let school. Even at speech night this year there were so many past students it was refreshing, and a lot of them didn't have younger siblings at the school this year.

This quilt will have a 'cartoon' type character of each child she has taught (we have had 3 children leave since we started school). I am not sure how they will be placed but I will chat with my partner in crime and we will come up with something.



Clearly it looks like a quilting year!! Hmm Maybe I will have to look for a quilting class in my area or join Irene's class at Hobbysew...

And some other things will no doubt be more some clothes for Amelia. She surely will stop growing soon but while she is happy to wear home made I am happy to make them!

I also bought some new patterns for me this week. I will get a feel for them and then commit to what I will make from them :-)

Christmas Secret Santa

Ages ago, when I was involved with a stash, one of the organisers thought it would be fun to organise a Kris Kringle for those who wanted to be a part of it, with the ladies who were in the swap.

I received my gift a few weeks ago but knowing Christmas Day was going to be a bit of fizzer because Stef was working, it was the only gift under the tree for me so I deciced to wait and open it Christmas Day.

This is what was inside...

Gorgeous handmade card, teatowel with hand appliqued trees on it, a handmade tissue case, tea sachets, an erasable pen (which Miss 7 has her eye on - um no!) all in a gorgeous bag with bells on it. Thank you Carol, I hope your Christmas was happy!

I had Cass and this is what I sent her, she seemed very happy with it! All I had to go on was that she was a sewer, a quilter and a knitter and I knew she was pregnant and loves all things Christmas.

Cass orgainsed the original travelling stash and I had added the licence plate into it but sadly it wasn't put in on of the parcels carfully and it broke. I knew how devastated Cass was as she liked it so when I was given her, it seemed fitting I replace the broken product. I also added the reindeer (who is wearing a knitted jacket), a large quick unpick and an 'add a 1.4" ' ruler. I liked the idea of these so much I bought 3! I am not a fan of wrapping paper, I use it and I will make it look pretty but for a crafter, a fat quarter seemed fitting (and not a lot more expensive in the grand scheme of things!)

I do love swaps, I was burnt a little with the content of the one I was in but it would seem someone else also hasn't been happy with the replacements that have been added to one that is in circulation so hopefully the quality of the ones that follow will be higher.

Dotty for Dresden

I have a thing for Dresden Wheels, I am not sure why or how but I do, I love them. I have many a quilt in my head with ideas to try just frustrated by lack of time, something I intend on changing in the New Year!

Anyway, I bought this book ages ago just to have, no specific reason. Ideas, patterns, instructions all in one place. I have flicked through it countless times and keep coming back to the one quilt. While I am not keen on the fabrics used on the quilt in the book I love the wheels. Then I saw this collection in a newsletter from Hawthorne Threads and I fell in love. It is the exact palet of the colours in our bedroom... then a plan started hatching...

I spent hours on the Hawthorne website, I love that all the co-ordinating fabrics are listed under the individual fabric and I love that down the bottom of the listing you can click on a colour and there is a selection of toned fabrics in othe collections as well. So thoughtful (and so easy to spend a fortune!).

I spent hours with fabric swatches printed out moving them this way and that.

I spent hours working out how to increase the size to fit us and our bed, my specifications not just a 'queen' or 'king' quilt, I have a definate idea of how I want it to come together.

Then I bit the bullet, took the plunge and placed my order! An anxious 2 weeks later my parcel was delivered! Poor Karen our postie, she was quite shocked at my enthusiasm for the parcel she brought to the front door! I have to say, I am very happy with the service from Hawthorne, they were quick to respond to questions and the parcel was beautifully packaged!

I whipped the camera out and took a few pictures before I put the fabric in the machine to be ready to hang out in the sunshine when I got back from school drop off and a coffee with my fellow quilter in crime Cherry!

The pale turquoise at the back is the backing and sashing fabric, the purple 4 in is for the circles and the other 6 are for the wheels. I am sure I had a different configuration in my head when I ordered them but it's all good and will work out fine!

 Then we worked out how many wedges of each I would need to cut out, thank goodness Mr O is a maths' nerd! 112 of each of the 6 fabrics = 672 wedges! Croikey!

It really didn't take very long at all and the yellow fabric I wasn't so sure about isn't actually too bad!

Then I chain pieced them all! A bit of a mission but it took about 3 hours of solid sewing to do it all.

A big mass of eek!

 Little Miss was in charge of 'cutting at 16' which was a good help, she wanted to do something and this was the 'easiest' job she could do. She was folding the wedges for me but got horribly bored and out of order so a change was good.

Then to 'make it click to husband, who couldn't see how it was going to come together, I made a wheel... So pretty! I actually pushed my luck and made 4 because I knew I wouldn't get to do a whole lot more when I got home. I had planned to snip and turn out the wedges in the car but it was raining so hard and the road wasn't straight I felt a bit ill doing it so I now have a pile of fabric tormenting me but too much work to catch up with of an evening!

So this will be my project for summer. A LOT of hand sewing unfortunately but the satisfaction will be worth it. Stay tuned! I won't update every time I do something but will give progress reports along the way.