double, double, toil and trouble ...

Hi there and welcome to my day on the wonderfully wicked blog hop !  thanks to Madame Samm and Wicked Wendy for hosting and organising this hop.

after joining in The Ghastlies blog hop a couple of years ago I had some fabulous ghastlies fabric left over and I always wanted to make a quilt so when Wicked Wendy started talking about this wicked blog hop I jumped on board with the idea of making a quilt.

while wondering what kind of quilt to make I discovered that alexander henry had produced some new gorgeous ghastlie fabric and when I saw the web fabric it was love at first sight !

so that put a halt on my plans to make a quilt for this hop as I just have to include this fabric ... but I have made a mock-up of the quilt I plan to make soon - maybe in time for next year's hop !

Inspired by the web fabric I've decided to make a spiderweb quilt and here it is with the web fabric in natural as the background

and here it is using the mauve web as the background...

 

of course loving pink as I do I'm leaning toward the mauve background.

Then again, I might just end up using black for the background and use the web fabric for the quilt backing !! but enough of my dream ghastly quilt and onto some wicked things I made for this hop ...

earlier this year I made this halloween house quilt block for a flickr swap

I loved how it turned out so I've made a mini quilt for me - its 12"x14" - just the right size for a table topper quilt holder!  its based on a quilt by Stephanie Sims for Clothworks

I also made a hexy mug rug ...

and I just had to do spiderweb stitching on it ... it shows up a little better on the back - especially with the special effects !

while I was searching for another little project to make for the hop I came across a tutorial by Elizabeth Hartman for a barn bats mini quilt - it seemed perfect so I had to make one ! I made it in yellows and oranges with grey and black.

I had such fun making it and I fell in love with those little bats ...that I just had to make a another one - this time in orange, green, purple, and black

they are both echo quilted around the bats and have black and white polka dot backings and bindings.

what do you think - aren't they just the cutest !!  so would you like to win one ??

I'm actually going to make another one in the purple, orange, and green colours to give away as the one in the photo isn't actually square - one side is 1/2 inch shorter than the other ! obviously I didn't square up the bottom properly and I only just discovered it when I went to take the photo !

the remake will be very similar but of course not identical and I might change the colour layout so that there is a green row in the middle rather than two orange rows !

so if you'd like to win one of the barn bat quilts then just leave a comment letting me know which one you'd choose, either yellow and orange or purple, green, and orange :)

if you follow my blog or on instagram you get an additional entry! Just let me know that you do by leaving a separate comment.

I'll get the random generator to pick a name next Tuesday 5 November - Melbourne Cup Day in Australia - at 6pm (Australian EST) and I'll announce the winner here and contact them by email too.

oh and be sure to leave an email address if you're a no-reply or an anonymous commenter so I can contact you !

its the last day for this hop so make sure you visit the other wicked witches bloggers ... I'm certainly in wonderfully wicked company !

DreamWeaver's Quilts  

My Quilt Infatuation

Just Keep Swimming

Quilts From My Crayon Box

Thimblemouse and Spouse

Tomorrow's Treasures Today

Why-Knot-Kwilt

Just Let Me Quilt

Sew We Quilt

and just before I go I want to wish my mum a happy birthday for tomorrow - love you and kisses from pippi too ♥♥♥

fun mail !

I've been a bit remiss in posting about some amazing mail I've received recently !

I've received three blocks in the Star of Africa bee ... this is a bee with participants around the world and we're making country based blocks - for my month I asked for postcard blocks !

this one is from Fiona over at CelticThistle who made the most amazing postcard block of a bridge - seriously if it wasn't for the size and the fabric I'd think it was the actual postcard - I'm just blown away by this block - even the colour is an amazing match !  and when I saw it I was thinking it looked a bit like the Sydney Harbour bridge and as Fiona explained our Sydney Harbour bridge was based on this actual bridge - lost for words really !

Fiona also made an absolutely cutie needlecase with adorable ladybugs fabric - its just so darn cute !

my friend Nicky who blogs at Mrs Sew and Sow made me a gorgeous nessie block - Nicky had made this block for another bee member and I asked her to make one for me for my month too - isn't it just so sweet - love the tartan tam !  I was also in a swap with Nicky last year - Wonky Houses - and Nicky sent me a couple of extra tree blocks too - they are such fun :)  along with some english money tissues just to make me feel rich !!

Benta of SLIKStitches lives in Windsor and made an embroidered block with the Windsor Castle, a gorgeous swan, and even a bearskin guard (found out the correct name from Benta!) - wow what an amazing area to live in !  again, the block looks just like the postcard !  Benta also sent a super cute windsor bag and some fabric with double decker buses and black taxis - I've been totally spoilt :)

I've also recently received a fabulous coffee cozy and mug run from Jana who was my partner in the RATZ coffee cozy swap - I sent Jana this coffee cozy back in May this year...

and the cozy my secret partner sent me ended up lost in the mail somewhere in the world !  so Jana stepped in as an angel and made me a cozy as well as a mug rug !  I'd told my swap mama not to worry about a replacement so I was totally shocked when this little parcel turned up - I love the hexies and the stitching and those little mice are just adorable :)

I love being in these swaps with such a generous and talented bunch of quilters :)

the last quarter list

time to set goals for the last quarter of the 2013 finish-a-long and I'm pulling out the big guns !

well the old quilt tops anyway :)

I've got a few blocks of the month from last year that I was going to add to my list this quarter but I'm not sure that I've actually got all the backings etc organised - as I don't want to have a fabric order holding me up I thought I'd re-visit the pile of quilt tops I have in my cupboard.

first up is a quilt that I finished in September 2011 - one of the first "big" tops I did - when I pulled it out of the cupboard a few days ago I couldn't believe that I haven't finished it - I love it and now I've decided that I need to see it every day !

I think I was going to hand quilt it but I've now decided it will look good with straight line quilting so I should actually be able to get this done relatively quickly - you would think anyway !

next is my max and whiskers wonky quilt - again I finished this at the end of 2011 and I've decided to stitch in the ditch on the large blocks and then I'm going to hand quilt around the inset blocks - another top that I can't wait to have on display !

Also going on my list is the pink side of the mod mosaic using the blocks from my design camp 2 - I managed to finish the chartreuse side last quarter so fingers crossed I can get this side done.

I'm also adding the double wedding ring to this quarter's list - the NYC Mod Quilters challenge deadline is 1 December but if I get it finished by the end of the year I'll be more than happy !

And just to push the envelope I'm adding the bloggers' quilt-uber-fest quilt to the list - this was a quilt fest organised by Scott Hansen from Blue Nickel Studios over 16 days in October 2011 and I decided to join in even though my sewing machine was off getting a new motor - I did manage to finish the blocks in December 2011 so to have the quilt finally finished this year would also be wonderful !  I need to put sashing around all the blocks and sew the top together.

the fabrics I used were a diverse group from designers such as Marcia Derse, Basic Grey, Cloud 9, Anna Maria Horner, and Jay McCarroll.  The backing I have for this quilt is art gallery fabrics oval elements called prune brown - two years later and I still think its a terrible colour name!

so there you have it - a very hopeful list !  I also have the usual bee blocks, the extremely overdue Star of Africa blocks, a blog hop at the end of October, and a mini quilt swap due at the end of November so I might be in need of a holiday by the end of the year :)

double wedding ring

A year or two ago I was sorting through some old magazines and saw a double wedding ring quilt that was gorgeous - I decided I was going to make one so I had a look at my fabrics and discovered a fat quarter bundle of Lost and Found by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake.  I tied it up with a ribbon and labeled it double wedding ring.

then of course I misplaced that magazine - I have looked for it a few times and I know I put it somewhere for safe-keeping - don't you hate that !  but a few months ago I learnt about the double wedding ring challenge by the New York City Mod Quilters.

They had a blog hop to let people know it was on and were giving away template sets and I was lucky enough to win a set from Emily of Em's Scrapbag !

as the bundle has been patiently waiting and now I have the templates I thought it was the right time to make a start on my quilt ...

all the pieces are cut out and its quite quick to chain piece the arcs

I had to sew one arc to make sure I was on track

and yesterday I did a mock-up of one block - I was a little worried about using the grey for the corner squares but as its way lighter than the grey I'm using for the centres and melons I think it looks ok - I'm really looking forward to seeing this quilt put together now !

the challenge deadline is 1 December and I know I'm the worst with deadlines but its nice to have a dream !

Q3 finish along update

I posted earlier this week about Lucy's Quilt - my one finish in the third quarter finish-a-long however I'm still pretty happy that I've got some near finishes this quarter.

My 3rd quarter list wasn't that big but its the quilting that has let me down again !!

I was hoping to quilt my Mod Pop quilt but after trying to fight my way turning it around in the machine a couple of times using the walking foot I decided that the quilt design I had in my head would only work with free motion quilting!  I had decided to do echo quilting in the "U" shapes and do a spiral in the centre circles - but after having issues with the curves in the U shape I knew I wouldn't be able to do a nice spiral.

I've decided to put it on my list for next year's Year of Free Motion Quliting :)

I also didn't quilt my whirlygig top but it is basted and ready...

I did manage to get one side of my two sided mosaic top done - I'm putting this on my 4th quarter list and hoping for a finish !

from this...

to this...

and after thinking about this quilt for the last few days I'm now thinking I might just make two quilts rather than a double sided quilt !

I also sewed the hexagon quilt together - while I was sewing it together I decided to use a solid at the end of each row and so I got the rows sewn together while I was waiting for the fabric to arrive - I finished sewing the top just before the end of the third quarter - I was going to try to have it finished but it wasn't to be!

from this...

to this...

so with one total finish and two nearly finishes I'm more ahead in my UFO list this quarter than I was in July :)

Lucy’s hourglass quilt

First up let me say yes Mum - its finally finished !  well, actually I did finish this quilt in mid July but it was too cold and grey to take photos !

I promised my mum in early May that I wouldn’t mention this quilt again until it was finished – I think I’d told her I was about to work on it about 4 times before I actually started the quilting on it !

I finally just straightline quilted either side of the seams and I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.  I also did the binding by machine - I was looking at one of Maureen Cracknell's quilts and she seemed to get the binding done very quickly so I asked her what she does and she told me she binds them by machine using a method very similar to the tutorial by Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew.

I figured as Lucy was only young and there was so much white on the quilt it would probably get washed quite a few times so maybe machine binding was the way to go - I'd told her mother that it could just be put in the washing machine so I certainly didn't want the binding to come undone !

This is my first finished project for this year's Finish-Along and just in time for Lucy's birthday - she turned one last week so this is her birthday present :)

Stats:
name: Lucy's hourglass quilt
size: 40" x 50"
fabrics: A Walk In the Woods - Aneela Hoey
pattern: based on Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew's pink classic
quilting: straight line diagonal seam outline - Gutermann 50wt cotton
batting: warm and white cotton

linking up to the 3rd quarter finishes for the 2013 Finish-a-long over at She Can Quilt

sugar block club update

I'm doing the Sugar Block Club with Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock this year and I'm pleased to say its one thing that I'm up to date with.

Back in March I posted my January, February and March blocks so I thought it was about time I did an update.

I also signed my mum up to the BOM as part of her Christmas present last year - I thought it would be fun to do a BOM together - she sent me a photo of her January block which I posted in March but I've got a sneeky suspicion that she hasn't done any of the other blocks !

I'm using the fabric I received in the January Blogger's Choice fat quarter bundle from Fat Quarter Shop which includes some cute fabrics from Pam Kitty Morning and also Hill Farm by Brenda Riddle - they seem to suit the theme !

April - Sunny Days

May - signed sealed delivered

June - Home Sweet Home

July - Lime Sherbet

August - Camp Out

September - Come Fly with me

I made this block according to the instructions...(excuse the terrible photo !)

then thought it looked weird for a Granny block so I changed it

then I read the instructions again and discovered that it was a play on the granny block - oh well - its now a granny block !!

October - Lucky Star

There are two more months to go in this BOM so I'll have another cute top to get my quilting practice on next year !