Another leap (or is that 'Once more into the breach...'?????)

Well, I've gorn and done it now - I've listed an item in Etsy - my very first quilt, for sale, on Etsy - not the first quilt I made, you understand - that's on our bed in the camper trailer - it's also very suss in terms of construction and block placement - but this first is 'the listed on Etsy' first.

artistically draped over the barby

So, following my bliss:

• give up work in the finance industry - check
• provide long-arm quilting service - check
• teaching patchwork and sewing - check
• enrol for Diploma in Textiles next year - check
• selling my hand made items on Etsy - check

Now all of the above just has to start providing some sort of income over and above what I spend on fabric and my world, not to mention my dear husband, will be a happier place!

I love it when a plan comes together...

Another opportunity....

I'm linking up with Amy's Bloggers Quilt Festival because the opportunity to again roll out 'Jewelled Promise' was just too hard to resist - I know I'm hammering this quilt but I still look at it and can't believe I made a quilt by hand.  Apologies to those who have heard this story before ;>

I was never all that fussed about the craft - I'd sewn for years, mostly clothes and curtains - and I used to think my SIL was daft as she sit and sewed by hand, "where's the fun in that?", "it's too slow"....I was all about finding a pattern, buy the fabric and get it made ready to wear that night....

But then, one Easter - about 5 or 6 years ago -  while we were away camping, I really liked how she could get out her sewing, pretty much anywhere.  So, in a nearby town, we paid a visit to the LQS and I bought my first quilting fabric.  Robyn said she'd sew a quilt top for me, by machine (patience isn't one of my virtues) using the fabrics I just bought (I still wasn't anywhere near ready to sew one myself - and certainly not by hand).  While the fabrics weren't exactly awe inspiring (think those dull country colours), she duly made the top and it sat in my UFO box for several years.  It's finished now (I bought a Gammill long-arm and it's one of the first quilts I loaded) and I love it because Robyn made it for me - and she lit the fire.

Every time Robyn and I got together, we visited quilting shops, or shows and my interest (and stash) grew - the fabric ranges got more diverse, more colourful (I fell in love with Kaffe Fassett), the patterns less fussy and twee - really started to see the possibilities.  Quite a few machine pieced quilt tops ensued.

Fast forward to May 2010.  Lloyd (my husband) and I planned a 4WD camping trip across the Nullabor from home to Western Australia - so I needed a project I could do by hand, as we weren't always guaranteed powered sites - notwithstanding my dear husband flatly refused to allow me to pack my sewing machine.  So I cut out all the pieces using a template - lots of Kaffe and other brights from my stash (like Fossil Fern), as well as a vanilla background, and packed them all in the trailer for the trip.

I think I made maybe 2 or 3 'melon' shapes while we were away and I thought it might lanquish in the
UFO box for a while.  However, within a month of our return I had the opportunity to transform my life - which gave me lots of time to get this beauty finished. 

The quilt is hand pieced, hand quilted and the binding (proper bias binding!) is both hand dyed and attached by hand.  The only parts sewn by machine was piecing the back (2 large pieces of fabric, straight down the middle) and sewing the binding together.  I love it - and smile every time I see it!

Thanks for stopping by.

WIP Wednesday #9

I'm linking up with Lee at Freshley Pieced - thanks agin Lee - great job - and I love reviewing what others have got up to - keeps us honest!!

I'm trying to remember what I did this week - it's all a bit of a blur really - I do remember cleaning out the chook shed, and doing some hand sewing - we also bought a new computer so there''s been a bit of faffing about - and I know there's more faffing to occur - it's just finding the time....

So, without further ado:

I finished one more hexie

rotten photo - *sigh*

I finished my Modern Christmas Tablerunner Swap plus a couple of ornaments - just needs to wrapped and posted on the due date..

I actually quilted a top that's been together for oooh, at least a couple of years - and in my UFO tub -  it was on my Winter Summer stitching list so apart from binding and a label, it's about done - and I've even cut out the binding....

*sigh* - another rotten photo - I'll take a more decent one when it's bound

I've got a couple of charity quilt tops to quilt, a commission I received this evening and another I'm discussing on Friday - so I'm going to be very busy!

Summary then, (cos I'm soooo tired - need to go to bed...)

Finished:

MCTS - woo hoo

Quilts in Progress:

Blanket Box Hexies - made another 1

Cut out patches for Block 53 of FWQA - not together as yet

 

Whirleygig II - quilted - now needs to be bound

No action at all:

Class Sampler quilt - all blocks completed

UFOUFN's:

Psychedelic tartan - who knows??
Double diamonds - still needs something......
Which way to go - needs quilting
Dancing with the stars - needs quilting
Kimono mini - needs binding
Sashiko qayg - needs finishing!
Red and white challenge - needs properly starting

Please click on Lee's "Freshley Pieced WIP wednesday" button on the right to see what others are up to .....

new 'puter

I've got a new computer - it's a HP and runs Windows 7 - it's soooooo much quicker than my last one - but I still have to transfer all the stuff from the old one to the new one........and I've discovered why having a good clean out of the study and tossing all those boxes and cd's and rego numbers is not such a good idea......I think my new pc will be running a few less programmes than before..........

Hexies

I've been hand sewing some hexies together using some fantastic templates I bought from The Blanket Box.  The fabric is mostly from a couple of lines of French General - it's really easy to sew and I'm able to usually get at least one done a week when I catch up with the ladies at my stitch and patch session - we don't take sewing machines so this project is ideal.  It's on my list of Summer sewing and I'm expecting to be able to make at least another 15 (I just finished one and my list mentions 16).  These are 8" finished so I'm thinking I'll need about that before I start joining them together with sashing - and with a couple of borders to finish they'll make a stylish quilt for someone very special.

So, while I can't cross anything off the list as yet, at least the 'doing' is progressing.......and speaking of progressing, here's the rose bush at my front entrance just a couple of days after this post.......

Typical Melbourne - glorious one minute, pouring the next - we have a saying - if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes!!

Focus, I say, focus....EDITED after reading a few other lists!

I've decided to link up with Sarah of FairyFace Designs in order to get some of my focus back, and join her Winter Stitching - there's so much going on and I've got so many things I want to do that I'm getting a bit of creative paralysis - you know when you walk into your sewing room, look around, pick up some fabric, put it down, walk into the study, turn on pc, lose 5-6 hours..........

...but of course, the only thing is that for us here in Oz, it's coming into Summer so I'm going to do Winter Summer Stitching instead.

So, on my list for the next few months - and bearing in mind there'll be all sorts of distractions, like lazing by the pool, throwing prawns and steak on the barby, sipping mango daiquiris (or, as I was just made aware, raspberry mojitos - yummmm), snoozing under the air-con - you get my drift.....

The official Winter Summer Stitching list:

1. Quilt at least 3 of my UFO's (Batik medallion, Dancing with the Stars and Whirleygig II)
2. Make grey and citrus 'garden path' quilt
3. Make Sanctuary Squares quilt
4. Stitch at least 16 more hexagons
5. Make a skirt for me using the fabric pack I bought from Kelani
6. Make 7 more pouches and put them all on Etsy
7. Make at least 1 layer cake quilt
8. Make at least 20 more Farmers Wife blocks
9. Make a swoon quilt
10. Make a Drunkards path quilt
11. Complete my Modern Christmas Tablerunner and post to my secret partner
12. Keep up with newly joined Oz Bee (and work out what I want when it's my turn)
13. Dye fabrics using sun dyes, disperse dyes and usual procion dyes - the USE THE FABRIC!

This list maybe just a little optimistic given the abovementioned distractions - but at least I can focus on getting these done and can feel like I've accomplished something.

Thanks Sarah - this is a great idea - I'm going to see if I can add this list to my side-bar so it reminds me everytime I log on - I can feel those juices stirring already!!

Cheers

many a slip..

In my head, I saw this.....

What transpired was this

Oh dear - this won't be accompanying the Modern Christmas tablerunner to it's secret destination - back to the drawing board.....