No Buy Fabric Challenge

I've made a commitment. Hmmm... a rather extreme commitment.

From Monday I will not buy any new fabric for a whole year. If the purpose of the purchase is to create a brand new quilt.

So - what can I buy?

• thread
• batting
• backing
• fabric for borders / sashing (as long as it will complete an existing project)
  

Now - here's my reasoning why I would do this:

• you only live so long
• the multitude of projects currently in progress, and waiting in the wings is rather excessive
  
• tastes change - in a few years time I might not like what I currently have
• stretch my creativity

Do you think you could make the same commitment? Want to join me?

Crafty goodness

I've been doing more work on the yo-yo quit. Well, to be truthful, just a small part of the quilt - the making of the yo-yo's. I've got around another 1,000 to make for the 9-patches, then I have a yo-yo sashing to make, and then an outside border - you guessed it - made out of yo-yo's.

I'm a bit worried that I might run out of fabric. I've been trying to use up all the "ugly" fabric - as they actually look pretty darn good as yo-yo's.

I plan to do this project over the next 2 years. Not because it will actually take that long, but because it is my "relief" project. What I mean is that I do this one in-between other projects to give me a breather.

Anyway, here's a progress photo.


Eventually each yo-yo will get colour matched, and converted into 9 patches. Like in this image.


As I was going through my fabric to find more ugly fabric, I pulled out an old project that I created back in 2007. This project is quite different for me. I don't usually do "big", and this quilt has BIG squares. My plan is to do free-form hand quilting, e.g. minimal marking on the top, and just going with the flow. Consider it an exercise in creativity.

In 2008 I bought the backing and batting. Here we are in 2009, and I finally basted it. I've already named it... Paws a Plenty.

Here it is, in the hoop.


Oh, forgot to mention, an exciting purchase I made. I bought a pre-loved spinning wheel recently for $30! It's an Ashford Traveller SD. They retail here at around $560! It's needs a little bit of work, but something I know I can do. Here it is sitting in the corner of the room, awaiting repair.

Table runner completed

The hand quilting has been completed, piping has been added to the outside edge. and binding attached. It is finished! Wahooo!

Here is a close-up of the hand quilting.


And here's the finished table runner.

Whacky weather

The weather has been so strangely lately. Last night is was cold. Cold enough that I couldn't do any handcrafts. Anyone that knows me, knows that this is VERY serious :) So, on went the heat pumps. Crisis averted. Today, it is really hot. Must stay inside, so that I don't get sunburnt, but I've also got to get some air flow through the house. Very strange.

I had a head cold last week, and was absolutely miserable. My head is still a little congested, but much better now.

This weekend, I've diverted my attention to a table runner. Currently hand quilting it, with my new thimble. Oh how I love the ThimbleLady thimble!!! If you have a chance to try one out, I would highly recommend it.

The table runner, will be a lovely addition to my dining room table, which is pre-loved, and comes scratched in the centre. The table runner should hide the table's problem areas :)

And here's the table runner...


Now I know that I've been jumping from project to project. To be honest, I'm feeling quite burnt out, and generally indecisive at the moment. Work is really demanding and taking a lot of energy. I hope to get my handcrafting mojo back soon, and stick with 1 or 2 projects - through to completion :) Could this be a bad Tui advertisement - followed by the words "Yeah Right" - I am a crafter after all.

Tea Cosies

I've been making tea cosies. They are such fun to make, and really do keep your tea warm. Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE tea.

So here are some cosies that I've finished, I made the patterns myself.

Fabric fridge magnets

I have been looking for ways to perk up my neutral coloured kitchen. Sometime ago I decided to do that with accents in orange. I've picked up a few bits and pieces over time, but there are still a few gaps.

My latest decision was to make fabric covered fridge magnets, to put a splash of colour onto the fridge. They are super easy to make. Here's what I did:

• take self covered buttons - I used Birch self cover buttons 17mm
• remove the backs - I did this with pliers
• cover the buttons per instructions supplied in your pack
• glue the magnet to the back - the magnet must be smaller than the button, you can also purchase these from the haberdashery section of your craft store - the glue I used was UHU glue
  

The end result...



Instructions are freely available on the web. I used these instructions from "All Things Lovely". You could also check this site out too "How about orange..."

Cushions

Almost 2 years ago I bought a whole pile of cushions on sale. They weren’t the prettiest (okay they were downright ugly), but it was cheaper to buy these cushions than purchase the inserts. I had good intentions to recover them, but you know the story; busy life, and competing projects.

Anyway, a friend has held me accountable and encouraged me to finish at least one by the end of September. So here is the start of my first cushion cover.



Yes the colours are bright. I watched a few of Ann Maurice’s “House Doctor” programs a few years ago, and was inspired on how she worked a colour theme through-out the house. My starting colour was green.

These 4 colours are the accents in the lounge. I’m using these colours in various combinations in other rooms of the house. For example; the bathroom has accents in turquoise, the bedroom has accents in purple, the kitchen has accents in orange, the dining room has accents in orange and green… etc. The back of the “3-in-1 Color Tool” by Joen Wolfrom explains colour theory – which for me is very helpful.

Birthday present

It's not my birthday yet (will be on Friday).

Anyway today in the mail I received a wonderful gift. It's a beautiful Thimblelady thimble. I tried a friends one, and was surprised at how easy to use it was, and how small I could get my stitches. Can't wait to use my own one "for real".

Photos to follow...

Psycho Puppy - Finished

With great excitement I finished the quilt on Sunday, 16 August 2009.

On the preceeding Saturday I went to a quilt show, and noticed how all their quilting lines did not show on their completed quilt. This is a problem I've had in the past, where I have been unable to remove all the quilting lines. I was very fortunate that they shared their tips with me. Particularly how to get stubborn marks. I was concerned that I might not be able to get my markings out (eek!).

So on Sunday night I soaked the quilt in cold water to remove the "temporary" quilting lines. Those quilting lines hadn't disappeared for over 2 years! Most disappointingly (but possibly not surprising) they did not come out. So on Monday I soaked the quilt in warm water and Napisan, for about 8 hours. Thankfully all the chalk was removed. Phew. As I used warm water, I knew that there would be some shrinkage of the quilt. Now the quilt has that crinkly antique look - which I LOVE.

Rather than bombard you with images, here is one that shows the front and the back. If you are interested you can see more photos on Webshots.



Currently arranging delivery with the new owner.

Some quick notes about the "design" elements.

• the recipient loves dogs, and has a celtic heritage - so this is what lead the theme
• the centre of the quilt was the original size, but the recipient wanted a larger quilt - the store no longer had the same fabrics, so my step-daughter selected the border fabrics
• black triangles were added to the border, to try and connected the outside with the centre
• black binding was selected to "tie" it all together
  
• hand quilting design was created by myself and is predominantly celtic knots, 2 corners contain intertwined celtic dogs - all designs follow the "celtic rules" of overs and unders
  
• the label on the back is the silhouette of my eldest dog
• the name of this quilt is also a nick name for my eldest dog, it also reflects the loud colours on the quilt front
• quilt started around January 2007 in Titirangi, Waitakere, NZ and completed in Hawkes Bay, NZ

Oh, and if I didn't mention it already - this quilt was hand quilted.

Psycho Puppy

I've been flitting between 2 quilting projects recently. The first being the double wedding ring quilt (see previous post), and the second being a project I started around January 2007.

The second project is a modified nine patch. Here is a photo taken of the quilt back in April 2009.



My goal is to have this quilt completed in September 2009. All that I have left to do is the binding, and a clean :) I am so pleased that all the hand quilting is complete. That was a LOT of work.

The quilt has been named "Psycho Puppy". When we received my first puppy (he was 10 months old), he use to run around like a lunatic. So when he'd have these "moments" we would call him Psycho Puppy. So this quilt honors him, and his old owner who loved him. The label on the back of the quilt is a silhouette of this dogs head. It looks quite sweet.

My little "Psycho Puppy" is now 5 years old, and is like a wise old man. The poor boy has been slowed down by arthritis, but he still has that special twinkle in his eyes.

Double wedding ring quilt (DWR)

... and so it begins.

I have drooled over this pattern for so long. Recently the local craft store had a sale on quilting fabrics, so I thought I would see if I could pull together the fabrics required for a DWR. Having been inspired by reproduction fabric versions, I went for a similar theme.

There is something special to me about this quilt. It evokes very fond memories of my grandmother, and spending time with her. It's like a kiss from the 50's (not that I was around then). Accessories in my bedroom are similar to the purple color at the arc intersection points. So that whole thing co-ordinates nicely.

In the meantime, here's a sneak preview. The finished version will be 7 circles across and down.

WIPs here we come

There are many crafters out there that know this dilemma all too well... it's those "works in progress" (WIPs for short). I've certainly got my share of them. Whether it's the current economic climate, or just plain sensible - I'm going back to those old gems and making my peace with them. Some I have re-purposed, others finished, and some have been given away. It's a wonderful sense of completion to get this area of my life under control.

So onto the goodies.

The baby quilt has gone around the various craft groups I belong to, so that all who have had some input could see the final product. It went to its new home today. Almost 4 weeks after the baby was born. The recipients love it! Whew! They did marvel (in a positive way) that it was completely done by hand.


My crochet ripple lap rug/blanket. A pleasant easy diversion. It meant I could mindlessly do something and feel productive while watching TV. It's finished, and in good time too as it is VERY cold here. Temperatures outside are below freezing most nights. Now I am toasty warm inside.



Another crochet rug/blanket in progress. This one is a twist on the traditional granny square. Makes it a bit more fun and contemporary. Loving this project - nice and easy.

I modified the instructions that I found on Sarah's blog. I found that extra chain stitches were required to make the block more flexible. A different pattern can be found on Attic24's blog, while I didn't use her pattern, I used her technique for joining the blocks.

Reflections on the Mock Cathedral Window Quilt

It's with great excitement that I can now show you the finished quilt.



I have always been captivated by the traditional cathedral window quilts. To be honest I have found a lot of the instructions quite difficult to understand (until I read HIP's instructions). There were 4 things that put me off doing the traditional version:

• all that hand work,
• the heavy weight of the finished product,
• the lack of batting, and
• the amount of fabric required.

If I'm going to put in so much effort on a "quilt" I want it to be cost effective and warm.

So I went looking for "mock" cathedral window quilt tutorials. There are a few out there - this is the version that I settled on (I have written about the method here). The finished result is quite pleasant, and does not involve an excessive amount of time. In fact, I would even suggest it to some as a good beginning quilt.

Now - there are some things that I would do differently. So I'll share those with you too.

If I was going to do this by hand again, and if I had the time - I would do quilting inside the neutral squares. Hand quilting the "wings" down is functional, and has to be done, but wouldn't it be nice to pretty it up with some decorative elements; maybe a simple flower or other motif. That would look gorgeous.

If I was going to do this by machine - which would be a LOT faster. I would sew the edges down with a decorative stitch. That would look very pretty. If I was being exceptionally bold, I might even do the stitching in a contrasting color. Just beautiful.

Anyway, hope the tips help.

Mock cathedral window quilt

Just over a week ago the ladies at my Tuesday night craft group helped me layout all the squares into a pleasant placement. I've been busily hand sewing the squares together. Just 3 more seams to go.

Once it's finished, I'll post an updated picture. Until then - happy quilting.

Mock cathedral window quilt (QAYG tutorial)

I am currently making a mock cathedral window quilt for a neighbour, who is about to have a baby girl. It turned out to be more cost effective than my traditional gift of a crocheted baby blanket. The beauty of this pattern is that it is also a "quilt as you go", as each square is finished there is no need for additional layering or quilting.

So here are the instructions, just in case you want to know how to make one of these.

From cardboard make templates - one circle 8 1/2 inches, and one square 6 inches. Oh - you might want to make a few more templates if the originals become worn. You will use these template when ironing, so make sure the cardboard is sturdy.

From fabric cut circles - they need to be 8 1/2 inches finished - so don't forget to add a good 1/4 in allowance. I didn't have a good tool to make these so I improvised and went into the kitchen to find a round object that was the closest to this size - and side plate did the trick :) I used the same plate to make the cardboard template too.

From fabric and batting - cut 5 3/4 inch squares (yes that is the right mesurement).

With the wrong side of the circle fabric upwards - lightly apply a small amount of spray starch to the edges of the fabric. Lay the circle template over the centre of the circle fabric, and press the edges of the fabric over the template. The spray starch helps "set" the turned edges. Remove the cardboard template.


Lay the square template over the centre of the circle fabric. I usually pin down the four corners first - they define the points nicely, and give me a good guide to make sure that my squares a "true" when joining up the blocks. Press the edges of the fabric over the template.


Remove the square template, then place your piece of batting in the middle, and then place your centre fabric (right side up).


Fold the edges (wings) over, and pin the edges down.



Quilt through all layers. You can do this either on machine or by hand. I did mine by hand and used a running stitch to give it a naive look.


When all your squares are finished, assemble them by using a ladder stitch or whip stitch.

I have finished this quilt; to see the finished product and view my reflections click here.

Count down to the 15th

For the first time ever, I have exceeded in my internet plan. The nasty consequence of that, is that I am now on dial-up speed until the 15th of April. I can't believe now incredibly S-L-O-W dial-up is.

The worst part is; I really can't think of what I did to exceed the plan. Does listening to music online use a lot of traffic?

Roll on the 15th!