Sew Creative.....

Well, it seems that I have been sewing like there is no tomorrow!

I can't believe that I am posting again.  Nobody hears from me for over a month and then 2 posts in 3 days....unbelievable!!!

Anyway, I have photos of some sewing that I have caught up on!  As mentioned previously, I am participating in the Twiddletails Quilt Along (see the graphic to the right).  Well, somehow I had managed to get behind by 5 whole weeks...must have had something to do with the killer last month!  Anyway, here they are:

It really didn't take that long once I made the time to sit down and cut out all of the pieces!  And now there are only 3 more blocks to go...before you know it I will have another quilt complete!

I have also sewn together all of the round the wrong way Whirly Gigs that I cut out in error for the Red & Aqua swap that I am participating in over at hARTylittlepeaces. 

I have decided to make them into a long, narrow table runner (only one block wide) with sashes of tea dyed homespun in between each Whirly Gig and maybe a thin red border framing them all.  

I'll keep you posted on that one....have to buy some more fabric before I can do any more of it....what a shame!

Thought I would just share a quick photo of my little photographers assistant...wanted food NOT Mummy taking photos!

Till next time...Keep stitching!

Cathy

Missing In Action....or so it may have seemed!

Wow!  It has been sooooo busy!!!!

Sorry to have seemingly neglected you!  We have had a very very busy month.  We have been way 3 times!  One of those was to the Gold Coast for my baby (and only) sisters engagement party!  What an experience!  Flying to Queensland with a 20 month old by myself.  Never mind.  I got a beautiful cake made for the engagement party and cooked up a storm.  There was definitely no body who could have gone hungry!!!

(I am madly trying to find a picture of the cake....hopefully I can add one soon!)

Craft wise I have also been very busy.  I made Z a dressing gown, 4 pairs pajama pants and 2 pajama tops for easter along with a gorgeous chicken.

I have managed....somehow....to find time to finally finish Z's quilt for his big boy bed!  I am EXTREMELY happy with it.  What do you think?

Have you been wondering what those beautiful pinks and blues, greens and whites shown in my last post have been used towards?  Well, i decided to participate in the Homespun Mystery Block of the month.  So far I have 4 blocks completed and I am only 3 blocks behind....hopefully I will catch up soon, but I seem to be taking on more than I can chew.  (More on that another time).  Anyway, here are the blocks that are somewhat finished...

 

 

They are nothing like my usual colours but I am growing to LOVE them!!!

I have also just completed my Whirly-Gigs for Swap #3.  A sample of my block is below:

These Whirly-Gig's had twice as much effort go into them!  For some reason I thought that I knew what I was doing and ended up cutting them out back-to-front and had to cut out another set.  Think I'll make a table runner out of the backwards WG's....once I sew them all together!

Well...that's about it for now.  I am going to the Australasian Quilt Convention on Friday so will possibly end up with more projects to work on!  Maybe I may see you in the crowd there somewhere!

Remember....Keep Stitching!

Cathy

A Little out of the box....

Well, most people who know me would know that I like subdued almost 'faded' colours for my patchwork and quilting, so it may come as a bit of surprise to find out that I recently purchased these fabrics:

What is it for you ask?  Well...I am going to keep you in suspense until I have a sneak peak finished to share...few bits and pieces in progress....but none finished....so you will just have to wait!!!  :-)

I have been feverishly sewing in the last week and dearly missed my sewing machine when I went away on the weekend to the Taste of Rutherglen visiting many a winery and sampling some very yummy wines (my favourite is St Leonards Muscadello).

What is this I hear you ask?  Well, one project that I have completed is the first batch of Whirly-Gigs that I have just to posted to Wendy of 'hARTylittlepeaces'.  Above is the scraps left over after much cutting of blocks to size.  These are the finished products:

I am so excited by the fabrics I have bought for this swap and look forward to making some more Whirly-Gigs!!!

Another project that I have started is the Pinwheel Quilt-Along over at 'Twiddletails'.  I was a little behind in that I had not completed block one when the instructions for block two were posted on her site, but I made up for it tonight.  I really enjoyed a sewing evening whilst DH was at SES.  I managed to get both blocks A1 and A2 completed!

I have also been working on the easter hunt bags for our niece and nephew.  I have completed the stitching for both bags and also designed a name plate for Z.

Just incase you would like to make a nameplate of your own, here are the designs that I have come up with:

I that you like the nameplate designs and can find a use for them!  Hopefully I will have the bags finished (well at least 2 of them) by the next post!

Until next time....Keep stitching!

Cathy

Quilts, Baby Showers and Easter Fast Approaching!

Another month is nearing an end, and for once I bave finally done a weekly post!  Hopefully it is a sign of things to come!

Well I have been a very busy beaver this week.  I have completed as much as I can of Zach's quilt (that is until I purchase border, binding and backing fabric!).  I love the way it has come together...they are such boyish colours!

This weekend I am going to a Baby Shower for my friend Tracey.  It is the first one that I have ever been to and I am very much looking forward to it!  However, I was not sure what to give as a gift.  They know that they are having another girl, so I surfed the internet and found a gorgeous bootie pattern on the Martha Stewart website...of course they had to be made in pink!

But there was still felt left, so I have also made a cute little kitten softie to go with them using a Burda pattern that I have had for years!  It's just what every little girl needs.

 

I am going to purchase something else to go with it, but felt that for a couple of dollars to have made all of this was quite an achievement! 

Whilst at spotlight, I purchased some fabrics to make some Easter Bags for my niece and nephew.  This is one of the fabrics for our nieces bags:

I have paired it with a plain lemon fabric which I thought needed a little something to bring it to life, so I have come up with this little stitchery based on the crown in the fabric:

I'll put together a computer file just incase anyone would like to make this stitchery for themselves!

Anyway...need to start cutting out the bag...can't wait to get the embroidery done so that I can start sewing!  I want to make one of these bags for myself!!!

Talk soon!

Cathy

What a month.....

Wow! What a month....it seems to have just slipped away!

I recently celebrated my 30th Birthday.

I was very lucky and received this little baby:

I have also spent two Saturdays up at the beautiful Ballarat Patchwork doing a class by Kelly Wulfsohn of ‘Don’t Look Now’.  It was a weird feeling to go out for the day and do something just for myself, but well worth it.  This is the first of two cushions I worked on during the class.  I’ll post pics of the other once it is finished!

I also finished collecting materials for the greater part of Zach’s quilt. Just the borders, binding and backing to go!  I have been working very hard on the stitcheries and now only have 3 left to go....Hopefully I will reach my goal of them all done by the end of the month....cross your fingers for me!

I am also joining in on a ‘Whirly Gig’ Red & Aqua Block swap that Wendy is running over at ‘hARTylittlepieces’. Can’t wait to get going and start purchasing some fabrics! It is awesome how the blogging community helps you make new friends that you may otherwise never come in contact with!

We also have a couple of friends having babies next month, so I am trying to think of something to make for them....will have to keep thinking....I’ll keep you posted! If you have any ideas, please leave a post!!!

I have also purchased this tooooo cute piece of fabric...have yet to decide to do with it...maybe a bag...we'll see!  Just had to share it though....I am really into owls at the moment!

I am also starting my first online Quilt Along - thought I might be able to use up some of my stash! It's the pinwheel party over at 'the twiddletails blog'. Hopefully I will be able to keep up!

Hopefully it will not be so long until my next post.  I am going to endeavour to start posting a little more frequently...we’ll see how that goes!!!

Until next time!

Cathy

Stained Glass Windows

The creative juices have been flowing over the weekend so I decided to create some templates for Stained Glass Windows.  I googled the idea and couldn’t find templates I was happy with for my little man, so I created some to share as well as the following instructions on how to make them!

Before you start, just a note to say 'bare with me' as this is my first tutorial.  I hope you enjoy it!  If you have any feedback or suggestions, please e-mail me at cahutton@tpg.com.au

Please also note that these instructions and templates are for private use only and cannot be reproduced or sold without my consent.

Materials:

Printout of template
Craft Knife
Black craft cardboard
White pencil or piece of chalk
Clear contact
Cellophane in a variety of colours

Instructions:
Print out a template provided on this page or create a unique one of your own.

Using a craft knife cut out all of the internal shapes first (these are the areas that the cellophane will be stuck and are coloured grey).  By cutting the internal lines first, it gives the shape strength and is much easier than doing this after the outside lines.

Once the internal shapes are removed, cut along the outside line to finish your pattern.

Place the pattern on top of the black craft card and trace around using the white pencil or chalk.  This gives you the frame for your Stained Glass Window.

Using the craft knife, cut along all of the internal lines revealing the ‘glass’ areas of your window.  Cut along the outside line to complete your Stained Glass Window frame.

Cut a piece of contact to fit around the Stained Glass window frame.

Trim the contact to fit.

 You are now ready to decorate with pieces of cut up cellophane!

 

Well, I hope that you have enjoyed this tutorial.  If you have any suggestions for other window frames that you would like to see please email me or leave a comment below!

Cheers!

Cathy

A Challenge for Me....

Well.  It has been quite a while since my last post, and I haven't a clue where all the time has gone!  Anyway, I have decided to set myself a challenge....

 

All Creatures Great and Small by Natalie Bird

About this time last year, I bought the "All Creatures Great and Small" pattern by Natalie Bird with the intention of creating a quilt for Z for when he advances to a big boy bed....well....I have completed half of the embroideries with only eight to go.  My challenge....to finish one a week for the next eight weeks!  At the very least, I wish to have the quilt finished to give him for his second birthday which is less than 6 months away.  Having a goal like this has gotten me very motivated and I almost finished a whole embroidery last night...hopefully I can keep this going!!!

Good luck if you have set yourself any challenges or resolutions for the new year!  I would love to hear about them!!!

Cathy