doing good - again

At the beginning of the year, I had to resign as the Cherish do.Good Stitches mama due to lack of time - it's quite a feat putting quilts together from blocks made by different people and then quilting them - especially in the time frames.  So, reluctantly, I resigned.......but, I couldn't really stay away.

I stalked what the girls were up to and saw what beautiful quilts they made and gifted to people who otherwise might not have had such a wonderful gift.

So last month I rejoined - not as the mama, and not as a 'quilter' - I rejoined as a 'stitcher' which means all I have to do is make two blocks each month and post them off.  This fits in with the workload from my Diploma and I still feel great about contributing...win/win :)

I've made two months worth of blocks and the October request has just gone up (AMH feathers....hmmmm)

september - cream and green - any block

august - warm and cool - scrap vomit style

It feels good to be doing good again................

Quick make......all about procrastination.....

I've been doing lots of reports and project plans and stuff in readiness for two exhibitions myself and my fellow textile artist students are going to hold in January 2014 and May 2014.  Seems like miles away but it's about now that publications need information for magazines coming our around that time, not to mention I have at least 6 pieces to make......and......sometimes, you just have to stop, get up, plant some veggies (which I have done - love Spring - and the Fat Bastard purple asparagus I thought I'd killed has popped up everywhere - bliss!) and sew something simple.

I was with my sister the other day, in Ikea, and she mentioned she needed a make-up bag.  The one's at Ikea were quite cute and very cheap, but she didn't want hot pink (the only one in that size) so of course I said, "You're kidding, that's what I do...." (well, they're cute, but not cheap and I can make one that's not hot pink)

So, instead of writing a magazine article and updating my project plan (and 50,000,000 other things), I made a little pouch for my sister.  A little Echino, some Kona and a pretty zip.  Done...

Right, back to it then......

Custom made templates

Long time ago, when I was, Pinteresting, as you do, I saw a gorgeous cushion at Cut to Pieces - and thought I'd have a crack.  I made a template from an old piece of Xray film and have to say, it was not the most accurate one I've made - I did a few blocks but because my template was so crappy, they didn't turn out so well and I stuck them in the UFO pile......(it was a considered choice not to include photos of the crappy blocks)

but THEN, I heard about someone who custom makes templates, and she lives in Melbourne and she was so lovely to deal with and TODAY - look what arrived at my house...

the grey templates are my homemade ones and the shiny green ones are the new ones

Lisa, of Sunset Seams, accurately laser cuts the perspex and puts in the 1/4" seam allowance and connection dots/holes - if you want them all - and then sends them to you in the mail - all for a VERY reasonable sum...have a look at how inaccurate my template is - the grey template is way too big at the bottom - oh dear -  no wonder my blocks didn't sit well!!

So now I'm off to do some marking, cutting and sewing with my new, shiny, accurate templates.....

So - if you want perspex templates, send an email to Lisa (info on her blog) - you won't be sorry.

Thanks Lisa -I'm rapt :)