A La Mode

Quilted and bound, just in time for a gorgeous sunny day, perfect for spreading out on the lawn.

Pattern: A La Mode by Thimbleblossoms

Fabric: Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille for Moda

A Work in Progress

Finally a break in the weather allowed me to spread A La Mode out on the front lawn. I bought batting today so I'm hoping to get it basted up this arvo then get on to quilting it. I'm using the pink paisley print for the backing.

It might be cold and overcast, but you can tell spring is just around the corner. I came home to find four lovely pink gallahs grazing in front of my house. They weren't at all worried that I was there.

Finally Friday

I've survived the first four weeks of uni; the early starts, the late finishes, long classes and assignments. We are all meant to be spending the next four weeks in secondary schools, but unfortunately they haven't found a place for me yet...

In the midst of a very busy day, I finally got around to assembling the blocks of A La Mode. Bella provided a few unwanted distractions by scattering the blocks when I wasn't looking, but now the centre is safely stitched up.

I also finished up another pin cushion, using left over pinwheel squares from the quilt. I'm loving how these are turning out.

And...I booked another trip to the USA today! I've been thinking about it ever since I got home in December, so in August next year I'll be heading across for 4 1/2 weeks.

Lastly, just to show how much Bella is my own personal detructo-cat; this is what's left of our tea-bag chook that lived next to the kettle....

All Starred Out

After a couple of intense days at the sewing machine, all the stars for A La Mode are done, and not before time! Making the same block over and over for several days is a bit tiring after a while.

As a side distraction, I made up a couple of cute pincushions from the bits of left-over layer cake.

I also received the latest Thimble Blossoms patterns today; I'm in love with Marmalade, and it'll be first on my list once Bliss arrives. I'm also a bit sweet on the Bliss version of Wild Thing...

Star-Struck

After a morning spent slaving over assignments, I rewarded myself this afternoon with some sewing time. I've started piecing the blocks for A La Mode, after getting the pinwheels done earlier in the week. There are a few pinwheel points that are a little off but I'm not too worried; overall the blocks are pretty cute.

And how yummy does this fabric look! Fandango arrived right on cue this morning; haven't had a chance to pull all the bolts out of the boxes yet, but what I've seen looks fantastic.

Over-run by Geese

Fortunately not of the feathery kind. I don't think I've ever had to make quite so many flying geese units! Looking forward to putting A La Mode together, just have to plow through all the pinwheels next.

Another big week at uni this week; got my first few assignments, which are all due this coming week. Not sure how I ever coped with assignments from multiple subjects through high school and undergrad; I obviously didn't have a life back then. As a result, the flying geese are my only progress this week. Look at the size of the stack!


My mum and I are off to the movies tonight, to see Killers. I love Katherine Heigl, and it'll be good to get away from "homework" for a while.

Intense

This week I had the first week of my DipEd (teaching degree), and it was intense. I only have two days each week, but they are 11 hour days, which means I leave home just after 7 in the morning, and get home a little after 8 at night. At the moment it's all a bit overwhelming, as I'm mid-year entry which means I don't have all the background from first semester that the other students have, but at least there are about 20 of us who all feel the same.

Even more overwhelming, we do our first school placement in 3 weeks! It's definitely going to be a bit like being tossed in the deep end, but I think once I get in to it I'm going to really enjoy it.

Not too much crafty progress this week. I made one of my bunnies for my friend's baby, Jasper, who turned one this week. His mum loved it, so hopefully he will too.

I've also been working on a scarf I started about three years ago; I'd finished all the knitting, but the last step is to drop specific stitches so that it opens out into a wrap, and it's taking forever to unravel them all!

Last up, I'm cutting out all the bits for A La Mode. I'm mostly sticking to the prints/placement shown on the pattern, but with a few minor changes as I really love the paisleys.

The Blues

I think I've got a little lost over the last few weeks. I haven't felt like doing any quilt sewing, mostly because I've had no idea what to work on. My new rotary blade has a chip in it, making cutting impossible. The weather is crap. And to top it off I have an eye infection of some sort that requires putting thick cream in my eyes, making the world a little hazy.

Plus, I've been having parcel delivery problems; one ended up at a house in a different street, a quilt kit was tossed over my back fence yesterday even though I was home, and one hasn't even turned up yet, so it could be any where.

I'm trying to get my mojo back today; I did a yoga class last night, I've put my old blade back in the rotary cutter, and pulled out my bundle of fabric for A La Mode. I'm going to do some quilty sewing if its the last thing I do.

I also had the realisation earlier that all but one quilt I've made this year has a pink backing, completely by coincidence. And to add to it, the backing I bought for A La Mode all the way back last September is pink also. Weird!

At the top is Port-de-France, then Summer Wind, and at the bottom pint-sized Jelly Filled. Wild Thing also has a pink backing, but its on my bed...

Mini Wild Thing

All finished and bound up, despite a run of days over 30 degrees!


As usual I'm spending a week up in country Victoria; these are some of the views I get to enjoy from the veranda...

Bumper Harvest

Despite the crazy weather here (hot days, wet nights), the vegie garden seems to be doing well. After almost pulling the cauliflower out in disgust just over a week ago, they finally started to produce heads, and I picked the first one yesterday. Very pleased!

I also picked a huge batch of broadbeans this morning, though I don't have a pre-podding photo as it seems to have disappeared somewhere between the lens and the memory card....very odd indeed! The podded product will have to do, but trust me that they were lovely big green pods, and filled a huge colander.

I'm in the midst of another 5 day weekend (yay for Melbourne Cup Day), but I only just got into a bit of quilt stuff yesterday...cutting 320 2-1/2 inch squares which today I've cut in half (on the angle) to start piecing Mini Wild Thing. Thats 640 pieces!

It's been a slow start, but the first few blocks are coming along...just 72 to go!

Simply Abundant

I was excited to arrive home yesterday to find my order of Simple Abundance had finally arrived...

...my excitement was short-lived when I went to put my dogs outside and found that one or both had been very unwell. I realised earlier that I've never really introduced my dogs; Jack (left) and Millie (right), both Jack Russell x Mini Foxies, aged 11 and 9 respectively. Try keeping these two still for a photo!

Jack appeared to be the unwell individual and was taken to the vet for injections etc., and sent to bed minus dinner. We separated them overnight, and unfortunately woke to find Millie had been unwell during the night. Back to the vet!

So now we have special "upset tummy" food, pink goop for their tummies mixed in with the food, electrolyte solution, antibiotics for Jack (he appears unwell while Millie seems unfased), and some lotion for the rash on Milile's tummy (which she has had on and off since she was a puppy).

Not quite the relaxing start to the weekend I was looking for! Though the weather has really bought the flowers out.

What's The Plan?

It's got to that time of year where I've mostly finished all the quilts on my "to-do" list; all those quilts I had fabrics and patterns stashed away for but hadn't quite got around to. Right now I'm hand stitching the binding on to Sassafras (photos soon), and wondering what project I'm going to start next... my trip to the US is less than 7 weeks away, so I'm not sure whether to start anything new or not...

So I've started plotting out what I'll be working on next year! And already the list is growing. Yesterday, my layer cakes of Simple Abundance and Rouenneries arrived; these are destined for "A La Mode" and "Red Velvet" respectively. I've got a Simple Abundance charm pack which I'm going to use to make the "Pint Sized" version of "Wild Thing" (check out the FQS kit for this, it's cute!). I'm thinking that my Sweet honey bun might be nice to make the "Mini Jelly Filled". I know I want to do something with Aster Manor, but I'm not sure what yet. And I'm thinking about a double hourglass block made with some of the fat 1/4s I bought at the quilt shows this year...

Meanwhile, Bella is up to her usual tricks...she loves a good game of peek-a-boo. When you peer out from behind something (door, chair...) her right ear twitches, and her pupils dilate (we call them her "naughty eyes"). At the moment she is enjoying peering out from behind some flowers on the coffee table...maybe she thinks I can't see her?

BOM4 and Some Shopping

While today is my day off, it's been pretty slow in terms of any sewing progress... All I've managed to do is assemble block 4 from the FQS Mystery BOM.

I also spent up big on a large order of Moda's Simple Abundance, which has finally been released. For the last few months I've been very well-behaved, and abstained from purchasing fabric for any new projects (thanks Bec), and instead motivated myself to work through the stash of "to-do" projects that I already had tucked away.

However, the new patterns and fabrics out have been just too tempting (have you seen A La Mode?), so I've caved. Three new projects should keep me entertained for a while! Plus, its only 7ish weeks till I go on holidays...