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 :)

A FINISH!!!

I think I started this quilt about May last year - I didn't start to blog about it until August last year when I had nine of the centre hexagons completed - they're all done by hand so they did take a little while. 

My attempt at an arty shot (pegs and all!) given we have sunshine in Melbourne today - but it's also quite windy so this was the best of the outside ones.

Once I had what I deemed 'enough' hexagons (and had, in the process, gathered enough French General fabrics to start my own Empire) I machine stitched them together with little isoceles triangles.

A border was next - a plain one in the same triangle fabric, then a dotty one before the hexagon border (have to say this border was a right pain - it moved and wobbled and in the end I had to take off about 1/2" from each long edge to have it resemble a straight - enough line!)

Next came a wide border - this one the glorious rich turkey red and a fleur-de-lis pattern from the latest French General range.

Quilting was next - the back is a very large piece of French General backing from Hancocks - no pieceing in sight!.

I loaded it onto my longarm and quilting feathers in the large border along with a meander filler, stitched in the ditch around the remaining borders and inbetween the hexagons with a loopy filler I made up as I went along (truth be told I stuffed up the spiral I wanted to use and instead of unpicking, just went with the stuffed up version - I quite like it and will use it again).  Thread used was red or cream, depending on which bit I was quilting.

Off the long arm and onto hand quilting - some shadow quilting of the feathers with red perle and some hand quilting in the hexagons with a creamy beige perle - big stitches because I like them and minimum stitching because I didn't want to overwhelm the patterns.

Finally, a little more machine quilting - this time using my domestic machine - and creating crosses through the border hexagons and it was time to do the binding.  Apart from a small piece of contrast (which you can vaguely see on the top left in the photo above), the binding was the same as the last border and I stitched this down by hand.

I've yet to put on a label and then it'll be posted off to a very special person in the UK - I think  know I'm a bit sad this is going.  I've enjoyed making it and I'm a bit sad I won't see the special persons' face when she opens it - hmm, maybe I should make her wait until we're skyping??

It finished at 73" x 84"(185cms x 213cms)

Aimless, but now with a plan

I find that unless I have a specific goal in mind, and I get onto to it almost straight away, then I usually achieve it, plus more....but if I have something I want to do and can't start it (for whatever reason), then I become sort of, like this.....

However, once in a while I take stock - and spurred on by the WIP wednesday hosted by Lee at Freshley Pieced, I've decided to join the ranks - and first things first, what am I looking at??

In progress:

1. Double Wedding Ring - hand pieced and quilted - now needs binding
2. Double Diamond - not sure what to do with this - it's only about 45" square and has been on the go since at least 2008
3. Blanket Box Hexagons - hand piecing, and just started (not related to Lynne's of Lily's Quilts Hexalong, but I can see we were both inspired by the same quilt - Broderie's Candied Hexagons)
4. Which Way To Go - batik medallion - all pieced, needs to be quilted
5. Dancing With The Stars - this was a bom through stitchin' heaven in Texas, USA, all pieced, needs to be quilted
6. Kimono Mini - needs binding
7. Cam's Ispy - needs to be quilted, but I do have this loaded and ready to go on the Gammill
8. Farmers Wife - stalled again - have 36 blocks made
9. Sashiko qayg - have about 12 blocks made but need at least 24 for a halfway decent size
10. do.good.stitches cherish circle quilt - currently have 6 blocks and waiting on remaining 14, then it'll need putting together and quilted by 10th september
11. red and white challenge blocks - I have 4 blocks but need a lot more
12. hand dyed convergence piece - not sure what to do with this - i just started playing with my hand-dyed fabric one evening
13. Whirleygig II - this was put together after finding I had quite a few patches leftover from the whirleygig quilt I completed last year - it's not all that big so probably needs a border or 2, before quilting and binding

To be made (cos I have the fabric and notions):

1. pouches - need to make many, all different sizes, for sale
2. soft baskets - same as pouches
3. other stuff for sale - yet to determine exactly what that means
4. baby quilt - for neice who is expecting a baby - want to do Drunkards Path but haven't got the templates yet - and it'll need to be completed by 10th September (arrrrrrgh)
5. quilt artistry quilt - from the genius of Yoshiko Jinzenji
6. new york beauty - using thai silk
7. layer cake quilt - I have 2 layer cakes, just sitting there, looking at me
8. shirt - I bought chambray last year for a long, casual shirt...
9. skirt, using fabulous pieces I bought from Kelani's at the Melbourne show
10. pants - although might have to hold off on these - the fabric I bought is a tartan and completely unsuitable for our upcoming summer
11. slippers for my ma-in-law's birthday by 18th September

Here's a mosaic of some of my Works in progress


1. sashiko qayg, 2. cam's I spy in full, 3. Dancing with the stars, 4. Playing, 5. Which way to go, 6. red and white challenge, 7. do.good.stitches cherish quilt, 8. double wedding ring, 9. blanket box hexies, 10. whirleygig II, 11. double diamonds, 12. cam's I spy

 So - unless something really urgent comes up, I'm going to complete the items on this list first - especially those with deadlines!

and I'll save what I've completed this year for another post

WIP - 13
Stuff to be made - 4,356,692

Melbourne Quilt and Craft Fair excursion

Yesterday, my bff and I met my SIL at the Melbourne Quilt and Craft Fair to indulge in our collective love of all things quilty and fabricky.

No photo's (as this would be 'evidence' according to our respective spouses!) and we had a fabulous time:

• we met the super talented and truly lovely Nicole Mallalieu and had a chat - my bff and SIL bought her book (You sew, girl) which Nicole kindly signed.  We also bought patterns, and bag bits, and interfacing - both Nicole and her sister were soooo helpful - it such a pleasure to spend time there
• we visited The Scissor Man for templates - looking forward to playing with these
• bought a curve master sewing foot from Punch with Judy - when I've had a play I'll blog about this (I'm going to make a Drunkards path block quilt for one of nieces who is expecting her first baby)
• bought fabric from here and here and here and here and .........best stop now.......
• stopped for a bit of lunch
• shopped a bit more
• ogled the quilts

Bit pooped by time we got home - my bff stayed for dinner and my gorgeous husband made us Sate beef with rice and bok choy which we ate in front of the telly - a fantastic day all round really. 

Inspired to try some new things we saw - and some old things we haven't tried before.

Next year my bff and I have decided we'll do some of the workshops, maybe get a 2 day pass and stay in the City - what an excursion THAT will be!