Brrummm brummmm.... Tractor Baby Quilt

I had a lovely time delivering this quilt today 

to a friend for her new baby.

I had made her another quilt that was a bit more 'neutral', 

but when I heard she had had a little boy....

Well! It had to be a tractor quilt!!

I longarmquilted it freehand

on my Nolting pro-24 machine with stars and loops...

And then I took a few photos as he gave it a trial run...

He is the sweetest little thing,

and his mother is under strict instruction 

that she can use it however she pleases

as it is completely washable and squash-able 

and made for use.

Butterflies & Boys. Befores and Not Quite Afters...

For some time now I have been appliqueing these butterflies

over papers and making them into cushions.

(2 such cushions got donated to the Village auction

in aid of school funds.)

I'm a real English Paper Piecing kind of girl

and that's how I like to applique too...

As usual, a few grew into many 

so I'll probably put them together into a(nother) quilt.

I thought I'd make a few blocks for quilts

for boys.

So I have been playing around 

with a tractor design that works well over papers....

I think this one should work.

Now to make a few more....

In the meantime,

my wonderful DH has been working on my new studio..

 Whitewashed walls, new floor....

I'll share the space with the utilities...

But there's plenty of room for my Longarm quilting machine.

(All 12 foot of it!)

and storage for fabric.

And the view will be very pleasing!

When we lived on the farm,

I always joked that I wanted to escape FROM the country.

I do love the country, but being in the village is so convenient.

Looking forward to being able to post the 'After' pictures of my studio.

Owl be back!

I had hoped to do the odd monthly BQL challenge this year

as the idea is to make something useful each month.

January was a sewing machine cover

and as I could really do with a sewing machine cover,

I hoped to join in.

Sadly, I only got as far as making my owl for the cover,

but hopefully I'll put it together soon...

*****

I have made another rose-star

this makes seven in total now

with a few more basted...

*****

I dug out my Cathedral Stars...
And managed to get ALL the borders on!

I must confess, it had been so long

since I used by beloved Janome

that I had forgotten how to thread the bobbin! -

Shame on me!!!

Now just the backing to make.

*****

My DH has been hard at work

renovating our garage into a sewing studio!

He has put sky-lights in...

And is working on new doors...

The walls have also been insulated and plastered,

I am looking forward to the big move 'outside'.

Thank you DH!!

*****

Baby-Kalico is now 15 weeks old
and is still wonderful...

Here she is unpacked after her little nap

(which allowed me to get 3 of the 8 border strips on LOL):

And here she is with her little friend...

These 2 girls know how to have a good time ;)

Carolina Lily Crazy

I have always wanted to do Marti Mitchell's Carolina Lily quilt pattern. I bought the pattern last year, but have only gotten around to starting it now.


Of course, I couldn't do it as per the instructions. No, I had to make the templates a different size AND I had to do it as an English Paper piecing project. i.e. it will all be done by hand. (I have only managed 2 segments of the first block - each block is made of 4 segments and needs applique too!)


Well, I do have time on my hands and space on my lap...



Between two hospital stays for my leg in 2 years (and a bit done at home here and there), I have finished the applique on 80 die-cut hearts that my friend Donna sent me a few years back...


I have plans to make 3 quilts out of the 80 hearts. They now need machine work, but I am unable to use my sewing machine at present, hence the Carolina Lily's which will take me several years to complete.



I have aslo been sewing spare hexagons into a small panel to try a bag out. So I am keeping those fingers busy.

I'm on the lookout for red on red fabrics for the Lilies. If you have any you'd like to swap please let me know.

In the meantime, they should be taking my staples out this week. As someone who sews, I was highly offended that they stapled me instead of stitching me back together!!

Hospitals, Hexagons, Hearts...

Today I had a post-op consultation at the hospital. I waited for well over an hour for my five minutes with the doctor :-)

Just before I was called in, they tried to send me to see someone else. Someone who would know nothing about my operation or why I was there...
I sat in the waiting room sewing hexagons so to be honest didn't notice how long the wait was...

Following doctor's orders, I came home and took my own dressings off and snipped my own dissolving stitch thread ends. Then I felt sick. I am faint-hearted LOL

Speaking of hearts, I am working on another handwork project as well as my hexagons.



All this tidying up around the house has unearthed these die-cut hearts that my friend Donna sent me quite a few years ago. Donna included template plastic, freezer paper, glue, a demo heart and 85 (or so) fabric pre-cut hearts...


I decided to do them in bed and slightly differently to Donna's suggestion. So am doing the applique method where you draw an outline (using the template) on the right side of the fabric and then as you stitch you push the edges under with your needle. Needle-turn applique without the freezer paper. I would have done needle-turn applique with the freezer paper, but getting to an iron while resting was too much like hard work.


I have now done 8 and half and have 78 (or so) to go :-)





The other applique hearts that I did in an English paper-piecing sort of way while I was in hospital after my operation have found a new home. They'll be going to Clare for Quilts for Leukaemia:



Here's a little secret (don't tell DH)..., but while I've been lying in my bed I treated myself to 2 new books (sshh!).
This is one of them...



And this is my first attempt at an embroidery from the book.


I don't 'do' embroidery or 'stitchery', but I do love roses and I had an idea that I may embroider some of my hexagon pieces that are not rosy enough with a rose embroidery... just an idea...

I'm home

Well they certainly don't want you leaving a dent in those hospital beds!! This morning, I was woken early, vitals checked and after being escorted to the facilities, returned to find my bed was pretty much 'out of bounds'. I was seated in a chair, given breakfast, given a few practice steps with crutches around the ward and up and down the stairs (I'm an old hand at crutches!) and now I'm home.


I didn't get much of that TLC I was hoping for in the hospital, I think they've changed it to mean 'Tough Love Crew', but I'm not complaining. My ordeal is over for now and we'll see if this plate removal helps.

I managed a bit of handwork, although the anaesthetist scuppered that plan yesterday, with his pre-op medication. In fact I can't remember a single thing after taking a few tablets for my 'nerves' :-)



While I was waiting for physios, doctors, crutches etc I managed to applique these 8 hearts that I had basted over papers many years ago.



The original pattern called for them to be sliced in half and sewn together with different partners. I'm still thinking about this part...



In the meantime, I am under strict instruction to do no strenuous sports etc for the next 2-3 months (oh, so no change there then LOL). For now I am merely (a) S.O.R.E. (a Sewing Operative Resting Extensively!)