Quilting Owl

I have finished stitching the blocks for my little village of houses, at least for the time being, and will now add some sashing  and then layer and quilt it.  This project is a lot of fun but also quite time consuming and I really need to get on to other designs. I have mentioned before that yellow is my favourite colour so it is not surprising that I just love yellow roses and these were a very romantic gesture from my wonderful husband for Valentines Day. Till next time Frances

I think I am becoming obsessed with these little houses and now can't look at any little piece of fabric without thinking if it will make a good window, door, walls or roof.  The basket of fabric pieces is now overflowing and I still keep my eye on the lookout for more - very distracting.  However it has been fun stitching the little blocks while watching the Aussie cricketers in winning form. A couple of recent finishes are these pin cushions to add the the collection.  The Mushroom House was a free pattern from here  and the other pincushion with flowers was a kit I purchased some time back and only just got around to finishing. There was also a birthday lunch at Pescis down on the Marina Boardwalk to enjoy this week. Take care Frances

Well the "silly season" has certainly started around here and I always enjoy digging into the cupboard and bringing out some of my favourite Christmas quilts.  This one is my all time favourite design which I hand pieced and appliqued but machine quilted. "In the Spirit of Christmas" by Frances Leate In the studio I have just been flitting from one thing to another with nothing yet ready to photograph - some days I just seem to take one step forward and two backwards but I am sure it will finish up alright in the end. I am getting ready to start on a another project involving lots of blocks so I decided to prepare some boards where I can lay out the pieces for each block as I cut them and in this way I can cut and sew several blocks at the same time.  I have used some stiff cardboard rescued from discarded packaging and covered it with an offcut of 100% cotton batting.  I fold the batting in two and cut it approximately an inch larger than the card and then sew ...

I was sorting through some photos tonight and came across a few that feature my favourite colour.  As a child I received a Christmas pressent which was a lovely doll that my mother had dressed in a beautiful yellow outfit and I think this is what started my love of all things "yellow".  This is another Christmas present I received some years ago from a dear old friend and customer who loved to crochet and I just adore this beautiful doily - and I would be lost without my little "buzzy bee" to get out and about in - My favourite rotary cutter and rulers and squares also happen to be yellow - and I always enjoy this tree with yellow flowers beside the local shopping centre carpark.  I might add that it is not all that long ago since this very spot was a canefield and often flooded in the wet season. Queensland would not be the "sunshine state" without its pineapples and bananas and I noticed the other day we have another pineapple maturing in the garden...

I put Block16 - "White House" - together earlier which means I am now up todate with this project.  It was a lot of fun playing with these blocks today and having a look at them up on the design wall.  I have used lots of different fabrics although so far I have kept to my original colour scheme of teal, red, brown and creams/beiges. CWQ Quilt - Blocks 1 - 16 Earlier in the week I made Block 15 "Fort Sumter" - a great block - "Fort Sumter" - Block 15 CWQ and today I worked on "White House".  I made a slight change in the method of construction as I decided to avoid the challenge of aligning the stripes which would happen if I cut a square and then a separate triangle as shown in Barbara Brackman's pattern.  Instead, I cut a rectangle from my border print fabric and then placed a light square on the end, sewed across the diagonal and then flipped back the corner to make a triangle.  This method was very easy and worked a treat. ...

I have spent a lot of time this week looking at the amazing red and white quilts that have been posted on numerous blogs and links on the net - what absolutely amazing inspiration!  There is no doubt that it would have been an incredible experience to be there in person to enjoy these quilts and I am sure that everyone who went would be in agreement - what a fantastic collection and you can see some of them here  and the creative way they were displayed. In between soaking up these amazing quilts I have been working on my own little fun red and white quilt - I think I will name it "Home Town" - and now just have to stitch the border on. I have also spent quite a bit of time this week on a large fusible applique project which in a rash moment I decided to hand blanket stitch and just for the heck of it I have been saving all the embroidery thread offcuts in a jar - it will be fun to watch them grow as I complete the blocks.  Just a bi...

All the usual suspects gathered yesterday at Cairns Craft Centre for a special "Sewing In" day to start the New Year.  There was lots of talking, sewing, eating, talking, laughing and did I mention talking!!!  Naturally there was show and tell for us all to enjoy. Kathy finished stitching the binding on this gorgeous cuddle quilt she has generously made for a person she has heard of who has lost everything in the recent horrific floods in Queensland.  Well done Kathy! Jenny brought along her finished quilt made from Bali fabrics for us all to ooh and aah over - we have watched the progress step by step and now it is finished and has been machine quilted by Sue Cann. In keeping with the spirit of the day Heather brought along a real UFO that she recently found buried in her cupboard - a hexagon table centre which she has now added some more hexies to it. Peter was responsible for the food side of things during the day and kept everyone well nourished with a won...

I know that selvedge quilts and pin cushions have been very popular of late but Peter has found another use for the selvedges I cut from my fabric - he uses them for garden ties. There hasn't been many spare moments lately but when I can find one I usually add some stitches to my Pies and Tarts EPP quilt which is slowly growing.  I really enjoy playing with the blocks on the design wall and every time I finish another block I get to play a bit more and rearrange them all. When I feel less than motivated I play with fabric - what fun! I just found this photo taken at the last Sunday Stitchers meeting showing the progress Jenny has made with her Bali fabric applique quilt.  It is looking wonderful and I believe there is still another border to be added. Till next time Frances

I enjoy The feeling of accomplishment when I complete a quilt that has been entirely stitched by me. Sitting in front of a favourite DVD and hand stitching. Seeing how other quilters interpret my designs. That “light bulb” moment that happens when just the right idea brings all the elements of a quilt together. The look of pleasure on a novice stitcher’s face when their quilt top is completed. When a new range of fabric is the spark for inspiration. Listening to an audio book while I machine quilt. Making quilts from a wide variety of fabric and finding just the right design to suit the particular fabric style. Hand piecing while travelling on a train, coach, boat or plane. Hand stitching the binding on a completed quilt and thinking about the next project.

The usual suspects in the Sunday Stitching Group gathered on Sunday morning to celebrate "Christmas in July".  Quilters will find any excuse to indulge in good food, stitch and have some fun. There was some wonderful home baking from Peter's kitchen for morning tea.  He excelled himself with a Christmas cake, White Christmas and a Passionfruit slice.  He thought the cake a a little less than perfect so he put two Amish cutouts on top and called it an Amish Christmas Cake.  Everyone wanted his recipe for the White Christmas and when I can tie him down for a moment I will get it and include it in a post. We started the morning with a trivia quiz, word jumble and naming quilt blocks.  The group are all looking very serious here trying to win a prize - There were kits for a special project for the morning - a pin cushion done with English Paper Piecing - and everyone is looking on here while I explained and demonstrated how this was to be done. ...

On my blog reading today I see that Sue at I Sew Quilts  has been on a recycling theme so I thought I would show you how I have used the empty coffee jars that somehow just appear in our cupboards.  I have been gradually sorting out my button collection into different colourways with another jar for novelty and decorative ones.  Great fun but very time consuming so it is probably no wonder that I only finish my projects when deadlines loom. Talking of buttons, a quote that amused me by American Journalist, Heywood Broun (1888-1939)  is: "Men build bridges and throw railroads across deserts, and yet they contend successfully that the job of sewing on a button is beyond them.  Accordingly, they don't have to sew buttons." Is that a cry of protest I hear from the office upstairs? Buttons do not just serve a functional purpose as they can add great charm to a project - If you are really keen you can follow the guidelines in the book shown be...