It’s been a busy week here – I never intentionally set out to catch the busy pre-Christmas sew up bug, but between the KIDS wall hanging (now finished – photos today, post tomorrow!), catch up on Wombat Stew blocks, Secret Santa presents for Wombat Stew, and my English playgroup, a long-awaited handmade gift, and trying to keep moving on personal sewing… And everyday life… I haven’t had much chance to blog, let alone take photos to blog. Because we all know how important photos are to a quilting blog!! So allow me to shamelessly steal a pic from Jess at The Elven Garden…
Why? Becase she’s pattern testing for me and has chosen these gorgeous Denyse Schmidt fabrics! I have had this particular idea floating around in my head for months, and sketched it out a few weeks ago. Sunday night I decided to write it out. And by the end of Monday I had a rough pattern ready to go. We had been emailing back and forward randomly, and I thought, hey, she’s a very clever quilter and likes a challenge, and well, this pattern isn’t beginner-friendly, maybe she’d be interested? And thankfully, she was!
Of course, keeping with the “Where am I?!” theme of being busy and losing track of things, I packaged up Kristy’s pincushion block before taking a proper picture other than this quick snap for Instagram last night. This was the second time I made it – after the first, I went back to Quilt Assistant and adjust it a bit and upped the size. I didn’t realise until I finished it that it had upped the width, but not the height. And I didn’t have enough fabric/time to remake it AGAIN (wanting to keep the Vintage Modern “wall”), so I had to improvise. I hope she approves!
I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of my sister-in-law and her husband Saturday night! Not only does it mean we get company and live-in babysitters for 4 weeks, but they’re also bringing some long-awaited mail, plus hopefully some Sewline glue refills I recently ordered from Want It, Need It, Quilt for them to bring, and hopefully some Gutermann thread and a 24″ ruler! They seem to quilt in centimetres here. Drives me nuts as I can’t buy any notions in inches! Plus I’m expecting 600 curved basting pins soon so that I can baste my Good Fortune quilt at last! I’ve finished the top and the back at last.
Since this photo at the beginning of the year, it’s just been languishing all folded up in the cupboard. I have recently added another row to the bottom to make it long enough to cover toes, and pieced the back. I had ordered 3 yards of backing and only got 2.5 yards! Which I didn’t discover until last week – over a year since I bought it. Oh well, I just made it! I also need to buy an iron so I can iron the heck out of the top after so long in the cupboard. Yes, that’s right, we haven’t bought an iron since moving here. We don’t iron. Although my husband would iron his shirts if he had the time, but it’s not like he wears many business shirts for work, so we’ve gotten by just fine.
And on that note, I need to go continue my busy day… Wish me luck, today is the first time I’ve given away something I’ve made to someone who isn’t within the handmade/quilting blogosphere! Gulp!
Jess says
Awww you’re so sweet! Steal away my lovely! how exciting having live in babysitters – and so many goodies arriving. Funny about the iron – ours is only used for sewing, we iron nothing else in this house ;o)
Deborah says
I have done no sewing this week so you’re doing better than me! I love your Good Fortune quilt. It is inspiring me to get out my Good Fortune charm packs I bought last year and start sewing!
Kristy @ Quiet Play says
Ooh getting exciting with only a few days til your visitors arrive!
Loving the pincushion block! It looks great! Perfect VM wall! 🙂
Bouts Choisis says
How interesting,I didn’t realise that the Japanese patchworkers used centimetres. So, of course, do French stitchers. That might explain why Japanese designs are so popular here as they wouldn’t have to be “translated” from inches? I do use both – but if a pattern is written in inches, I use inches and if in centimetres I use centimetres – I never try to change one to the other as I find conversions are never exact!
Like Jess I only ever use an iron when sewing – I’m rebelling against my mother as she ironed EVERYTHING and spent hours every week doing so! I’d rather be stitching…
Have a lovely time with your visitors!
Jenelle says
I know exactly that “where am I?” feeling right now. 🙂 Have fun with your sister-in-law!
Gina says
Your quilt is really pretty! Will be fun to see how you quilt it. Lucky you to,have built in babysitters for a bit; enjoy your visit with family :). Have fun getting your “to dos” checked off your list!
Shar says
Those fabrics are beautiful. The colors are amazing!