Plain and Fancy

This winter's uniform for home is Bonds tracksuit pants, baseball top and hoodie. But the tops are too plain.

No longer, thanks to designs from Sublime Stitching! This is the poodle one. I have another in progress - a grey marle shirt which will have Vespas on it.

Everything you wanted to know about hexagons but were too afraid to ask

I have had a lot of people email me and ask me about my twisted hexagon quilt, in particular the papers I use. The easiest and most cost effective use of your time is to get them already printed up, and all you have to do is cut on the line! I get mine from http://www.lizardofoz.com.au/ and I get both the 2 inch hexagons and the 2 inch long half hexagons.

I can't imagine tracing hundreds of half hexagons carefully onto card. I'd much rather be sewing!

Let's ditch that last idea, shall we?

That last idea for my 2005 quilt show quilt was just too grand, and just too large.

Meet the REAL 2005 exhibition entry.


It's a Block of the Month called "Pleasures of the Garden". Until last Monday, I had all the blocks embroidered except the large centre one. I finished off the embroidery, cut out the sashing, sewed together, added my own (bigger) border, and voila! We have a quilt!

I was going to hand quilt it ... but alas my neck has been giving me grief, so I shall machine quilt it in a couple of weeks time.

I must be in a manic phase

Until 9pm last night, I didn't have an entry for the Canberra Quilt show this year. I was at the Canberra Quilters meeting, and we were getting reminder after reminder about having our forms and photos in within 2 weeks. I had a couple of UFOs I could have finished, but neither were good enough in my opinion to be exhibited.

And then at 9pm I won a prize in the raffle. This is incredible enough - I've never won the CQ raffle before. Normally all those I bring as visitors do, though. So I selected a pack of 30 x 10 inch Jane Sassaman (mostly) squares, and sat back down in my seat. And started thinking.

I hate brainwaves. They always hurt.

By the time I drove home, I had a quilt drafted in my head, using these 10 inch squares. I designed it on paper, planned a Friday afternoon off and a bus trip to the local quilt shop, and then I was on my way to a fitful sleep dreaming of framed squares.


The fabrics on the left are the squares I won last night. The fabrics on the right are the ones I bought as potential frames for the squares on the left.


Of course I have to find time to make this quilt top in time for the photo and entry form to be entered - it should only take me a day or so, but the husband thinks I am spending the whole weekend with him in the garden. So I'm planning an allnighter tonight. If I'm asleep in bed all day tomorrow, I won't be able to garden, will I?!

Canberra Quilt Show entry - 2010

I am so pleased with myself - I have managed to get the width of the hexagon quilt established. It is slightly bigger than normal double bed sized, but this is so I can use it on a queen sized bed if I wish.

I think I have a third of the quilt done - maybe a little less. Either way, I am thrilled to have come this far in a little under three months!



In other news, I have a flex day today. It would be nice to get the top for the 2004 Mystery BOM finished. We'll see... I'm still in my pyjamas. Maybe I'll have another cup of tea first.

Mystery BOM - month 2

Here is block 2 of the mystery block of the month. This time I did the bias strips without the iron on tape, and even though it was a lot more awkward with using pins to secure the bias, I found the result a lot less stiff and overall a lot easier to sew without the thick iron on tape.

The third class is next week. I don't think I have ever had my homework done on time before!