Quilt Basting: Scrappy Tripalong

Basting a quilt is probably my least favourite part of the process; I hate crawling around on the floor because it makes my knees hurt, and I usually have to clear the lounge room to make enough room to spread the quilt out.

But I snagged a little down time this afternoon and it was over and done with pretty quickly, aside from a little canine help. Millie and Jack have always known that quilts are off-limits, but Lola thinks they are great for rolling around on. Normally Bella is busy trying to scoot underneath but not today.

When I baste, I always start at the bottom, and roll the quilt as I go. That way I can reach my arm underneath to guide the pin, to make sure it catches the batting but not the carpet. Then when I'm done, its already folded!

Lola spends a lot of time trying to lick Millie's face...not sure she's too impressed.

Oh, and my bestie welcomed baby number 3 today, a healthy little boy.

Bunnies, Bunnies and More Bunnies

Today I finally had lunch with an old school friend who has been living overseas with her husband for quite a few years; we only see each other every two years or so. We keep in touch via email, and at Christmas I got an email with a photo attached...surprise! She had a gorgeous baby girl. 

Of course all new babies need something handmade, and my friend requested a red and white bunny. So of course Ruby was the perfect fit, and "Lucky Bunny" was born. She was handed over today, and promptly had both her ears thoroughly chewed.

Such a gorgeous baby too, very chilled and content.

I was flipping through the local paper earlier and what should I find? My bunnies! The ad for this weekend's Maker's Market features a pic of my little bunnies.I'm quite chuffed, but a bit sad I wont be there this weekend; I'll be at Huckleberry in Mornington instead.

Craft and Quilt Fair Wrap-Up

The craft and quilt fair finally made it to Melbourne, and I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon browsing the many stalls looking for inspiration. I was quite suprised to find a greater range than at the AQC earlier in the year, and many stores I hadn't come across before. The only downside I found was that a lot of the charm packs, layer cakes and jelly rolls were not only more expensive than previously (layer cakes were up to $77!), many had been over-handled and were looking a bit tatty...

I set myself a budget for the day, and I think I did pretty well! I essentially avoided buying any precuts given I'll be in the US in a couple of months...

I picked up a Fig Tree Quilts pattern book with lovely quilts based on Patisserie Turnovers, as well as two Schnibbles patterns from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. I've already got plans for one of these! (sorry about the flash, its a cold winters evening)

Some Alexander Henry fat quarters; Starling in both pink and white:

A couple of Saffron Craig pieces:

A handfull of fat quarters from a new range I'd not heard of before:

And a Simple Abundance charm pack...can't wait to be able to get more fabric from this range!

I also spotted quite a few fabrics I'll be on the look out for when I hit the US later in the year, including Aster Manor and Mill House Inn! Still looking for suggestions on where to shop, particularly around LA and NY :-)

Oh, and some new baby news; my friend at work had a gorgeous baby boy, Jasper on Tuesday!

Pizza?

I was meant to go hot air ballooning this morning. but after getting up at 5am, it turned out to be too foggy... so back to bed for a few hours, then up and back into all those things I like to do on a Wednesday.

I finally took a photo of the pinwheel quilt, which I bound up last night. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, plus I enjoyed having all the lovely ladies at Amitie have a good look.

Cute stripey binding, the same as on the last cot quilt.

I made pizza for dinner; margarita, and potato and proscuitto.

And isn't little Noah getting big! I got to spend the day with him and his mum last week...he is at that stage where he is just starting to smile.

Pinwheels and Pussy Cats

I made the most of the long weekend here in Melbourne, and got the pinwheel quilt all quilted up today. The photos aren't the best, but its cold and wet outside.

The front:

The back; I used the cat fabric plus a few spare pinwheels:

I'm also making good progress on the Falling Star quilt, but I've got a lot more to go!

Pinwheel Quilt

I had an extra day off today; the benefits of having a cold that just won't got away. I assembled the Pinwheel quilt, and I'm very pleased with it.

Sorry about the sunlight behind the quilt; it's been a beautiful day here, and by the look of it one of the last before the cold/wet weather sets it.

Pinwheels and Scrap Bags

I've had a little idea buzzing around in my head for the last few weeks, and finally got time this week to put together a few pinwheel blocks. It will only be a small quilt, and I'm sure you all know what that means!

I apparently missed the parcel delivery man this morning, and had to go up to the local post office, but I came home with fabric. I'd been eyeing off the Patisserie range, and decided on the Jelly Girl quilt, and Hancocks of Paducah just happened to have a kit for a very appealing price. A couple of weeks of waiting impatiently, and it finally arrived! Not sure when I'll actually get around to it, but it's here and waiting for whenever I'm ready.

With the kit I also bought one of the new Moda Scrap Bags; these are bags containing co-ordinating off-cuts from when they make the layer cakes etc. It's a bit pot-luck as to what you get, and I got an odd assortment. Mostly a funky, bright cherry patterned range (Oh Cherry, I think), with some of what looks like the new Glace range. No idea what to do with it...but I'm sure it will be useful for something.

My new scarf is coming along well...

And Bella's hiding spot for today? Inside the dishwasher of all places. She is a funny girl.

Easter

I hope everyone had a great easter, no matter how you celebrated. For me, easter is a chance for my mum and I to get out of the city, and head back up to Beechworth for a few days. The only downside was coming down with a cropper of a headcold on Thursday, so I've snuffled and sneezed my way through the entire holiday. I'm sure I'll be back to full health just in time to go back to work...

It was interesting to see Beechworth for the first time since the February fires. While one of the fires was called the "Beechworth Fire", it didn't get into the actual town, but got within a couple of kilometers. The road into Beechworth was shocking to see; all the black trunks, and complete lack of any undergrowth. It was nice to see that many of the gum trees have already sprouted new growth, but the fire was so hot that many trees won't recover. I didn't stop to take photos (doesn't feel right), but there are a couple of blurry shots taken from the car. The lack of green makes it feel like you are driving through an old sepia coloured film...

A friend visiting from Canada joined us for a couple of days, so we make a visit to a couple of wineries...

And I did a bit of crafty shopping; there is a shop in Beechworth called The Ardent Alpaca, which has the most beautiful wool. I picked up some pure baby alpaca wool in a lovely lilac/mauve colour, which is destined for a scarf (the only thing I can actually knit).

But first I've got to finish the one I'm working on. Also alpaca, but with a bit of silk, and its a lovely two-toned wool.

Last, but certainly not least...I had my first visit with baby Noah last week, and he is a sweety! Such a relaxed bub.

Slow and Steady

It's been a week since my last post....but I have been busy, I promise! But first, thank you to everyone who left lovely comments regarding my graduation. It was a long process, and I'm glad it is finally official.

First, some good news. My lovely friend Christine had her baby on Friday, a little boy called Noah. I havent seen him yet, but I'm sure he is gorgeous. I'll be catching up with them once they are all settled at home, and delivering the sheep quilt.

I've been working away at 4OT; I've finished the 9 centre blocks, and have been doing most of the free-motion quilting on all the outer blocks. This is one of the completed centre blocks:

I've also been making a pile more bibs, and I had a go at a soft cube toy with a bell in the middle. I'm going to see baby Sophie in a little over a week, so this will make up a lovely parcel of goodies to take, along with the quilt I made a few months back.

And...I've been doing a bit of shopping! The weather is finally getting too cold/wet for sandals, so I've had to bite the bullet and buy myself some sneakers. I settled on a pair of converse...and also got myself a bit of a bargain. I found a shop selling Terence Conran bakeware at a fraction of the cost, and snagged a few pieces to tuck away for when I move out of home (hopefully at the end of the year).

Baby Bibs

Today's experiment was to make baby bibs; everyone else seems to be able to make them, so I figure I could too. And it was easy! I downloaded a pattern, bought some nappy flannel ($2.50 a meter at spotlight, $5 for printed flanned), some velcro, and got to work! An hour later, 4 lovely little bibs.

The cute animal flannel used on the back can be seen on the left.

New Arrival

The first of the new babies arrived yesterday; my boss Belinda had a baby girl in the early hours of morning, named Sophie Grace. She was a rather large bub, 9 pounds 4oz, and a week late. Now I can label up the quilt ready for when I get to go and see them.

Bought myself some wool this morning; I'm a wanna-be knitter. I've been working on a knitted wrap for the last two years (it takes a back seat to quilting...), but it shouldn't take too much longer. It's made with alpaca wool which varies between a deep pinkish colour, and a light pink, and is so soft.

The wool I bought today is a "prism" wool; it's pink, purple, red, and brown. Unfortunately the colours don't show up well in the photo, but its nice in person. It's 30% soybean which I find interesting too.

Not much else to report; quilting of 4OT is coming along well. I've almost finished 5 of the 25 blocks. Pics will come soon.

Baby Shower

Today was C's baby shower, four weeks out from when the bub is due to arrive. Her next-door neighbour was nice enough to organise the party, and some fun games as well. The invite stated "light lunch provided", but that was a bit of an understatement! We had all the usual chips and dips, followed by mini pies and other hot party foods, then some yummy desserts. It doesn't hurt that both C and her husband are both qualified pastry chefs.

There was a lovely cake as the centrepiece, all made by C, with gorgeous horses on every cake, and on the top. I'm told they are 100% sugar...so not sure if I'll be eating it...it looks too cute anyway!

C got lots of lovely pressies. I can finally show off the hamper I put together! I figure she would get a lot of little onesies, so I went for a range of practical and fun stuff; cotton wraps, socks, singlets, teething ring and gel, bath products and moisturiser, and a couple of cute toys including a little dog that makes funny noises whenever its nudged. I put it all in a basket that can be used to store baby stuff.

We also got to play some fun baby-related games, including dressing a baby, blindfolded! I actually did alright, despite not having much (any?) experience with babies...it was funny watching my mum trying to dress one, its been a while!

With all the activity this weekend, there hasn't been a heap of sewing...but just two more rows to go on the Falling Star quilt!

AQC

I haven't done any more sewing this week; my physio has been working me hard, and I've been too sore up till now. I'm hoping to get back into it a bit this afternoon, but will see how it goes. In the meantime, is anyone planning to go to the Australasian Quilt Convention (AQC) this week?

For those that don't know, it's being held from Thursday until Sunday, at the Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens, Melbourne. I'm excited that it's moving to a larger venue this year; I really enjoyed it last year but there just wasn't enough room! I'm looking forward to doing a bit of shopping; the Aussie dollar makes it a bit more reasonable to buy stuff here rather than over the net at the moment, and there are a few seminars I'm considering, particularly the one on using jelly rolls. I've got a pile of those building up that I should use!

I had planned to go on Sunday, but I've got C's baby shower, so I'll be there on Saturday instead. I did my baby shower shopping this morning; it's so much fun buying cute baby stuff! I've put together a bit of a hamper, but I'll wait till next week to show photos just in case C is lurking on here... I also treated myself to a book I've been wanting: 500 Cocktails.

Work-Free Wednesdays

I love Wednesdays; I get a whole, uninterrupted day to do just what I want. Normally that means heading to the gym, as it's usually quiet on a weekday morning. But not today; the physio said no exercise for a week, and I'm secretly quite pleased!

The verdict is that I've bruised the muscles around my shoulder blades, which is why I get sore the more I use my arms. So I got a bit of massage, some acupuncture, and now I'm taped up like you wouldn't believe. So much so that I can't look over my own shoulder!

Today's mission was to quilt the centre panels of the sheep quilt, and I made it, bit-by-bit. I've found that if I do little bits at a time, its not too bad. And to be honest, driving my car causes more pain than quilting... as does reading Homespun apparently. Anyway, I've free-motion quilted each of the four centre panels, and in amongst the fence posts. All that's left is to quilt in the ditch along the coloured blocks, then stipple the outer border.

Bella also assumed her normal position on my bed; though when I'm at the sewing machine, she spreads out along the back of the machine.

I also usually cook something a little different for dinner on my day off. Last week I was given a goody bag of Italian cheese products; Parmesan, Romano, and lots of tubs of ricotta. So tonight I made a risotto. I prefer a less traditional oven-baked risotto, I find the result much more satisfying. Plus I don't have to stand at the stove and stir for 40 minutes. I can use the same basic recipe, and add in whatever I want at the end. Tonight I stirred through roasted pumpkin cubes and spinach, and a pile of grated Romano cheese.

The cool after the heat?

Following our record-breaking heat wave, we've now settled into a more respectable 32C today, with the rest of the week hovering around the 30 degree mark. It's so nice to be able to sit in front of the TV without sliding out of your seat! And I've finally been able to do some sewing, and some baking.

I'm very pleased to say that my vegie patch made it through the week. We mulched, and rigged a piece of shade cloth over it on Monday, and the only thing that disappeared over the course of the week was the lettuce. The spinach, bok choy and silverbeet are all still leafy and green.

(looks like some of the ivy died off)

My potatoe plants had all died off, so I did a bit of digging....and came up with a whole heap of them!

This lot got a bit more water than the last lot, so they grew a bit more. I've got a third tub still growing.

I baked choc-chip cookies today...it was cool enough to turn the oven on for once.

And I finished the sheep quilt top. I've been procrastinating a bit on this one; it's not much fun working on something you've made before... I've still got a few weeks till C's bub arrives (about 5 I think), and this should only take a day or two to quilt. Sorry it looks a bit rumpled, its windy out, and I'm over the iron already...

My boss, B, has her last official day at work tomorrow; her bub is only a few weeks away too, but that quilt is finished and ready for a label with the yet-unknown name.

A few people asked how Bella coped with the heat last week....does this answer your question?