Showing posts with label WOW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WOW. Show all posts

21 March 2019

Temperature Quilt Update

My opening line for this post was to be
"My Temperature Quilt is Plodding along - slowly..."

But then I realised how daft that sounded for, by it's very nature, this is actually a Mystery Quilt that will take all year to complete!

And this project is to be a Quilt for the bed - my walls are warm enough!


I am faithfully recording the Top and Overnight Low temperatures each day and making up my blocks when I get a chance to - usually each week/fortnight....month...
OK well, I have done a month and a half!


The weather has been Beautiful - which means there is not a lot of variation in my blocks and I Have been praying for rain.  Not just for the Water Catchments, or the Bushfires, or even my own Garden..


I am also including an "Atmospheric" component as my background fabric and unless we get 92 days of rain (defined as "Did I get wet today?") I am going to run out of my "Dry Day" background fabric!



I do have a backup plan of "Dreich" a Scottish term for Dull and Miserable for those truly terrible days.
This fabric could add a Windswept element  to the quilt.

It is looking interesting so far - but I am debating with myself...

Should I sew them together in long strips of 22 patches - OR perhaps make up Blocks of 9 patches and sew these together in big chunks?

Decisions...decisions!






7 February 2019

Getting Back into Quilting - ALMOST. . .

The Garden Reno is as finished as it can be for the moment, and it was way too hot to be out there anyway - so I thought it would be an idea to get started on my New Quilting Adventure for 2019.

I have resisted Quilt Fads (Like Jelly Roll Quilts etc) but the Temperature Quilt has sparked my Interest and I thought I would give it a go.  So from January One I have been taking note of the High and Low Daily Temperatures -

I have collected a range of fabrics from my Stash which I think will be appropriate. And I have worked out a pattern - as none that I have seen online have been suitable.
So with all my things around me I settled down at my work table . . .

Oooooh! (Says newly retired DH) seeing you have your machine up - Would you take up my new trousers.  And while you are at it . . .

 ...could you do something with my Pockets?

How many Trousers are there?
One needing Hems and Three that need Pocket repairs.
(8 pockets in total)
You are Kidding? 
No?

How does this happen?


Well - patching was not an option - And my valuable Quilting time went 'out the window' when I picked up the seam-ripper.

As I handed them back to him I only had TWO things to say...



1. You owe me BIG time.
and - 
2. You are VERY lucky I did not use "Itty Bitty Kitty" Fabric in there!




1 August 2018

Good Morning Wednesday

"Morning has broken like the first morning, Blackbird has Spoken...." 

- well, it was actually a Magpie that Carolled in the Morning 
But it did wake me up and I did grab my camera.
Because I was not going to miss this for anything!

Sunrise over Curdies Inlet
Peterborough Victoria Australia



And - at the end of the day it was hard to drag them away from
"Just ONE more shot Mum"
when each wave is bigger and more majestic than the last.

Two days was not nearly enough!
* * * 

Check out

for more of our two day adventure on
The Great Ocean Road.





18 November 2015

WOW - That was AMAZING . . .

It was hot and a little uncomfortable, my outfit didn't fit and I had a buzzing sound in my ears but I would not have missed this for anything!

I got to visit "The Girls" up close and very personal!

* * * * *



In fact I was helping my DD inspect her Bee Hive.

A task that has to be done regularly to ensure the health of the hive and the Bees.


(Not totally sure about her choice of footwear - maybe they are "Special" socks!)



This time it was different as it was a Full inspection - right down into the bottom brood box



Checking the frames one by one
I got a lesson on what each part of the hive was..

I commented to her as I was taking these photographs that it was amazing what you can do when you trust your equipment






Fully encased in the SIL's Bee Suit,
I wasn't nervous at all.







Some of the racks were REALLY heavy ...

And full of beautiful golden HONEY.



They say there is nothing like the taste of your first honey harvest

Ohhhhh YUM -

How can I describe it?

Delicate, yet with a Strong Red Gum flavour and a massive kick of Lemon.

or just simply AMAZING!








15 April 2015

If it stays here too long . . . . .

... it may just be appropriated!

Like these trestle legs which were brought in so I could paint my sewing room doors.

Now - DH is probably waiting for me to take them back to the garage and I - well,
I am just waiting to see how long they will stand in the corner of the room before he realises that I have ... found a better use for them!



And I am quite sure that he has not noticed that he has stopped tripping over the draft stop.  Not because I have attached it to the bottom of the door - No ... It actually makes a REALLY good pincushion that also helps hold my cutting boards in place.

And these?
They are normally found in an Artist's studio but are equally at home in my sewing room.
The small drawer is fantastic for keeping all my small tools together, and when I need them - I can just slide the tray out go!

* * * * *

...Here's a little side story ...
A Chain is only as strong as its weakest link!

The other day while I was in the kitchen I heard a loud crash - the sort you go and investigate.
Nothing was out of place and I was very perplexed as it definitely came from inside the house.

Fast forward to today. I reached up to remove the artist box from the mantle to take a photo for this post. I found the large mirror that hangs over the fireplace was resting on it.
OK - so it has been knocked... no big deal.
What had actually happened was, one of the two heavy duty picture hangers had sheared off and the mirror swung a centimetre or so and came to rest on the top of the box.
As we were removing the mirror from the remaining hook DS discovered the hanging chain had been stressed so much it actually gave way in his hand....

It would not have been discovered if I hadn't decided to write this post. I shudder to think what could have happened if it had fallen while I was at my cutting bench.

I think, maybe I might replace it with a Quilt!





26 June 2014

Quilt Showcase 2014

April 6, 2011
.... if this is your first attempt at appliqué I’m looking forward to seeing your appliqué quilts in shows in a few years time....
Little did I realise when the above comment was left on my Yahoo photo album that I would be writing this post.  
"A few years time" - that's a long way down the track and a lot of learning, maybe one or two more applique quilts into the future. 
The power of encouragement is AWESOME! 
Without it I would not have finished the quilt and without it I would not have entered it into a quilt show.
But here it is ... 
Quilt Showcase 2014 
(Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre) 
Heart's Desire 
(My Heart is Blue)

Thank you to EVERYONE
PS: - That is a "Highly Commended" Ribbon attached to it !


A closer look at my ribbon (It is the first I have ever won for anything!)

Thank you to the Award Sponsor :- PK Fabrics NSW (Aust)
for the prize of two Moda Fabric packs.
Harvest Moon Kansas Troubles Quilters Layer Cake
and
Get a Clue with Nancy Drew 22 pce pack




23 August 2012

WOW.. it seems like I've had a busy week

A lot certainly has happened since my last WOW post.

- I put the borders on the I Spy yesterday.... as it is a gift, I'll post photos of the finished quilt after it has been given.
- I have made a new quilt top....

...... this one is Leesa Chandler's 'Southern Jewels' pattern. However, I have used some fantastic 'Stained Glass Dragonfly' fabric that I found at my LQS - Patchworks Unlimited in Pascoe Vale.
Hopefully the quilt will look like a stained glass window when it is finished,  I think it needs a border of rectangular colour 'chips' to set it into a window and then it will need a frame to finish it off.
Time to start thinking of an appropriate border.

- The Cat has continued to shred my sketch book....

And I spent 2 days making cupcakes that disappeared in 2 minutes (see Monday's post).
Spike, aka Quilters Cat in Training came from the RSPCA so it was worth it to support their work.

I wonder what next week will be like?







29 March 2012

Oh Look - It's my Anniversary.....

This time last year I sat at my laptop in fear and trepidation and wrote my first Blog Post.  And I worried about what would happen when I pressed that POST button on the bottom of the page.

12 months later and I have shared much more than a tip or two.  I have let you look through a small window into my life here in the place I call home - Melbourne, Australia.

So, Thanks for dropping in on my ramblings over the past year.  Some of you have become faithful 'followers' some have grown to be friends, some just lurk in the background and enjoy what ever it is that brings you back.  I certainly hope it is my quirky sense of humour or is it that you just don't quite know what I will come up with next!!!

'Til next time, keep smiling. Cheers Wendy

8 March 2012

A little pack of Inspiration just landed in my letterbox...

When you are sick (I've had a rather nasty dose of Laryngitis all week, with a cough that could mimic everything from a Performing Seal to yes, a 'Dying Duck in a Thunderstorm'!)
It is always very lovely to have the Postie bring something unexpected.
Today my Newsletter from Logan's arrived with it's pages full of lovely new fabrics with samples to finger.

Oh how timely seeing all I wanted to do today was to go to the LQS and see if there was anything new.
Maybe here will be just the thing to use for the new Mystery "Forget Me Not"?

And, I will eventually collect enough of these lovely 5 1/4" Charm Square samples to make a fairly decent sized "I Spy" Quilt!  Oooh I so love usable samples.

9 November 2011

WOW - What have I been up to.....

...Well, not a lot actually!  Today has been one of those days that Melbourne is 'famous' for - A 4 seasons in one day kind of day.
So as the weather became more unsettled - so did I.  Having to keep off your feet isn't as glamorous as it sounds.  I feel like a Pack-rat pulling things into my nest, as bits and pieces pile up, within reach around me.

Which brings me to my Work in Progress. I have got back into working on my Heart's Desire.


Today I have been auditioning fabrics for the petals of the 'posy' in the centre of the first border.
I don't have a lot of shades to play with so, first I made a straight blue on blue...


Then I found a nice piece that reminded me of the Northern Lights
And just for fun I thought I'd mix and match them. (This one isn't a serious contender).

What do you think?

6 July 2011

Shortcuts and Sentinals

I started this morning with the thought..."There HAS to be an easier way".....

Six sentinels each side x 4 sides - 3 leaves per sentinel equals A lot of leaves.

I am all for trying to find an easier - no - more efficient way of doing things and the following was my solution to this months block in.........
"My Heart's Desire - The borders".

First start with a tracing of the completed design

Mark an area where all points are covered
(The diamond in the centre).
That is where I placed a small square of vliesofix.


Placed my prepared shapes over the template








Lightly press.
Sentinels are now ready to sew.

15 June 2011

WOW - An awesome exhibit and a patch for my Quilt

Another cloth patch for my collection!
Saturday was my Mum's birthday.
She would not appreciate if I told you how old she was, sufficient to say it was a milestone birthday.

Not knowing what to get someone that doesn't want anything - I decided to take her to see the TUTANKHAMUN EXHIBITION that is on at the Melbourne Museum at the moment.

It was awesome - I grew up looking at photographs of the treasures in books. And to stand a few feet away from some of them - to see the detail.......
So see up close the amulets and jewellery, to notice the minute seed beads threaded onto a diadem, the engraving on a golden dagger, and then realise that these things were made by hand 3,300 years ago......
The quest for  Immortality and an Afterlife was certainly successful - but not as they could have ever imagined.

8 June 2011

WOW - Helping a Friend out with Y Seams

I opened my Emails this morning and was greeted with "......I'm new to quilting and I can't get the "Y seams set in ....any suggestions?"
So today I spent the morning making  the next block in my work in progress. My Women of the Bible Quilt, and I felt the easiest way to explain how to set in a "Y seam" is to show how!

I hadn't made this weeks block yet - so here goes.......

I decided to Foundation Piece this block, for 2 reasons -
Firstly my friend had foundation pieced her block and I wanted to do the same (for consistency).
Secondly - I found this "You 'Beaut" way of doing foundation piecing this week and had to try it out.
I did my square in a square foundation and sewed 2 x 1 1/4" strips together.


I then created my outside border pieces using the Freezer Paper Technique.  The beaut part about this method is that you fold the seam lines out of the way, sew along them and then press the fabric to the Freezer Paper and when you are done - it just peels off - BRILLIANT.
No itty bitty annoying pieces of paper to pick out from between your stitches.

Sew the 1st  border piece to the square in square block.

Make sure you DO NOT stitch into the seam allowance

Continue around the centre block until all border pieces are on - Yes it is a bit 'flappy' at this point.


Now comes the fun part.....

Fold the block DIAGONALLY forming a triangle.

You should now be able to see why it was important not to stitch into the seam allowance.




You can now sew the corner pieces together,
finishing the seam at the corner.

(Sorry the pics are a bit dark - my work light is elsewhere!)



Remove all the remaining papers - you have probably taken bits off as you have been sewing.

Tidy it all up
Give it a press.
And trim to size.




And there you have it.

1 x 6 1/2" Open Window Block representing Michal.

This quilt is part of a weekly on-line Bible Study each week we study one of the Women from the Bible and make a quilt block to represent that Woman.

The block "OPEN WINDOW" represents Michal.  (You can read about her in  I Samuel 18-19, 25, II Samuel 3, 6, and I Chronicles 15.)

1 June 2011

WOW:- Work in Progress On Wednesdays

Today's Google Banner 
Happy International Children's Day everyone!

My 'Spoilt Ones' have just had their favourite Chocolate Cake made for them for desert - ok so they are not technically children any more - but they can still have cake!

I have used this morning baking, catching up on emails and had a lovely half hour with Esther (via a repeat of Channel 31 Community program - "Susan is Craft" on line) while I finished stitching the binding on my quilt.

YES.  MY QUILT.  I have finally finished Margaret Kirkby's "Sunshine and Shadows" lap quilt & it is for me.


For My Mum's Birthday 2005
I realised one day that although I have been quilting for 6 years (not very long I admit) I do not actually have a quilt in the house. I thought this odd, so -What have I been  doing and where are they?

This one for my Mum, was the quilt that got me to look at quilting seriously.  I had previously made a cot quilt for a Factory Owner who wanted to showcase the fabric that they had.

Considering that I knew nothing about quilting I did a very good job of a Pink and White Log Cabin!
I must do another - one day.


Sunshine and Shadows
I concluded that of all the quilts that I have finished - not one has been kept.  So I think I will hang on to this one!



25 May 2011

WOW:- Work in Progress On Wednesdays

Here goes - I'm in (I hope).

Esther has invited us to join her maybe for a cuppa and a chat on Wednesdays where we can all drop in on each other - kinda like an "Open House" I suppose.  Just to catch up with each other and find out what is going on in our lives away from THAT project.......

What do we have on - what is our WIP for today?


I think my WOW post this week is to get this blog up and running. I have been flying under the radar while it has been under construction.  I can't seem to work out how to put up those neat buttons that link back to other blogs and Yahoo Groups onto my side-bar.  Everything I try I just get "Sorry this link is broken" which is very frustrating.  And I will be putting up my own photograph as a wallpaper later on.

I came back to tinker with it the other day and was surprised to find my very first "follower" (My son prefers to refer to them as "Official Stalkers").  I was surprised, as I had not told anyone that I was making a Blog.

So everyone - Welcome to my world!


PS:  Oh NO! I have just remembered that Tomorrow is Thursday....
I promised to make something for DH's office "BIGGEST MORNING TEA" for tomorrow - looks like no quilting will be done today!