Bibs and Bobs…

Not a lot of stitching going on still in the Frou Palace… am still sorting out cupboards and boxes and bins purging stuff (see the For Sale pages)… look what I found, and forgot I had…

These were a set of Dresden Plates I bought on ebay a few years ago.  Not vintage made, but using vintage fabrics.   So have cut out muslin squares to applique them on to.

What little work I have been doing is primarily work on South Seas Lace – this was a SAL I was doing with Claire and Sandra – but both of them have finished theirs… so I’ve been attempting to get this done in what little time I have had free.

I did manage to get a Kris Kringle present stitched up last weekend, but forgot to take a photo!   I’ve talked before about The Parsonage gang – a group of women who are planning our 4th visit to The Parsonage in 2010, a weekend of laughter, mayhem and stitching.   On Thursday night, we had a get together – partly to do a block exchange – as we are making Dresden Plates for each other, as well as a chance to catch up with each other before the Christmas crazies kick in.   We organised a Kris Kringle exchange, something sewing related – and I made a couple of stitched pincushions.   And was very lucky to end up with Jayne’s gift … isn’t this gorgeous!

And the only other excitement is the purchase of this!

I’ve fallen for Moda Bella Solids – the white is lovely and crisp, gorgeous to work with, some give but also irons up well.   Have recently bought some of the Bella Snow a lovely pale cream after noticing that lots of designers are using it.    And being constantly frustrated by the difference in image quality and reality looking at fabric online, ordered the Colour Card… dreaming of working with solids!

Stitchers Angel 2009

Well Kate has finally received my parcel, so I can post a photo of my Stitchers Angel gifts.

This was harder then I thought, just because I couldn’t decide what I wanted to make… initially stitched several of the freebie projects to make a similar set above, but was hugely bothered by the fact the stitching was so different on each design… so instead used a stitchery design from Natalie Ross and winged it!

Check out Kate’s blog… how she manages to produce what she does, while looking after girlies and hubby and a menagerie of animals astounds me.   And if you’re a cat lover like me – the antics of Henry will crack you up!   She’s having a giveaway at present, so even more incentive to visit.

Not much else go on here, while I continue the great craft room purge, even more things being listed for sale in the next few days…

Though I have finished the first of the It’s a Redwork Christmas stitchery blocks as well as being shamed into working on my South Seas Lace after realising that Claire and Sandra have both finished theirs!   Will post photo’s later in the week.

Itching to get started making my blocks for the Holly Jolly Christmas Block Swap being organised by Aunt Pitty Pat – making Christmas blocks to swap in January 2010 – which gives us 11 months to put them together for Christmas 2010!!!   I think there are still a couple of places available if anyone wants to play?

And also itching to have a go at drafting blocks for Kellie of Don’t Look Now’s Joseph’s Coat Quilt Along check out the blocks made so far on the Flickr Group site – they’re all gorgeous.

So need to get this craft room purge done and dusted so I can get back to playing with needle and thread.

Flossie’s Friday Flaunt… Angels Everywhere

Once again, this is a flaunt of Flossie’s… Mum has stayed in touch with one very close friend from her work days (she retired on medical grounds in her early 50s), and they organise a catch up in the city once every couple of months and monthly phone calls.

Pat is the complete opposite of Mum, she’s a gym junky and very active lady, who while always very interested in Mum’s quilting, has missed out on the crafty gene completely.   So Mum, who loves to make quilts for kids, started the habit of making quilts for each of Pat’s Grandchildren.   Of course, having made quilts for each of the 1st children of Pat’s 3 kids, as they added to their family, Mum made extra quilts.

This quilt is the latest (fuzzy photo sorry!) , and quite possibly the last – as those first children are now in the 10-12 year age bracket!

Buttonhole appliqued by hand, machine quilted – all fabric came from stash, with most of the applique out of the scrap bin!

You might still be able to see the threads that need to be tied off from the quilting, and the binding needs to be sewn down but she’s quilted it this week, and plans to have it finished next, so she can hand it over at her next catch up.

Gratutious photo of Mum’s cat Scully – if there’s a quilt on the floor, on the chair, or anywhere else for that matter – she needs to sit on it!

And below another flaunt: – I was lucky enough to win the felted bag Julie gave away on her blog a couple of weeks ago.  It’s lovely Julie, except my cat thinks it belongs to her and keeps trying to climb into it!  Check out Julie’s blog – she makes gorgeous bags, and most recently an Irish Chain quilt that I’d like to take home!

I had grand plans for this weekend, my first weekend at home for awhile, so was going to get stuck in to some projects, but woke up yesterday with a sandpaper throat that today has turned into full on head cold and it’s now 1.00pm and I’m still in my pj’s, I don’t like my chances.   This could be an opportunity to curl up on the couch with some handwork and some video’s, but am tempted to head back to bed to be honest!   Will see how much I manage to achieve by tomorrow night.

Oh wise ones…

These bundles of gorgeousness arrived today!

And I’m in a dilemma… and wanting some advice.

I want to use some of that bundle of gorgeousness above (it’s Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille by the way) to make the bundle of gorgeousness below (Mountain Rose from The Encyclopedia of Classic Quilt Patterns).

When I ordered the fabric online I was imagining that I would use a similar colour scheme, the pink print for the main fabric, the red for centre and buds and the green for the well the green bits!   Except when I was checking out the fabric I kinda liked the look of the yellow, so got some of that too…

And it’s now having arrived, I’m really liking the yellow, and the pink not so much!   Well, that’s not true, it’s lovely but I’m not sure that it’s the look I’m going for, I think it’s a bit pale – the red pin dots on the yellow are enchanting…

BUT… do I want to do a quilt with that much yellow in it?

So, my questions:

• Do I stick with my original plan – pink flower, red centre/buds, green leaves?
• Do I change to yellow flower, red centre/buds, green leaves?
• Do I do red flowers, with yellow centres/buds, green leaves?
• OR some combination of both – i.e. yellow and pink flowers, or alternate red and yellow flowers.

For your info:

• Background is going to be plain white – Moda Bella (which I love)
• Blocks are 9 inches finished, and that flower is big – applique goes to edges of block though its set with plain blocks between
• I’ve bought enough of the red to also do binding – but am sticking with the plain border on the design…

So what do you think?   If I can’t decide I may make a test block up of each…

Friday Flaunt…variations on a theme…

And yes, more Dresden Plates!   These are the last of the ones I’ve made up for now… not quite finished.   5 plates made, 2 appliqued down, 3 to go… and then need to add circles.

Will have yellow centre when finished…

This will have white with pink…

Will use the purple spot…

Pink/raspberry spot…

The teal spotty fabric…

I had another one of these marked up, a lovely soft mauve with a purple/mauve spot, but realised both pieces of fabric where too narrow for me to pick one for a centre circle.   Will see if I can pick up some more fabric before making it up.

Enjoying these Dresdens so much I’ve bought myself a smaller Ardco template – for 6 inch curved Dresdens.   Wanting to start to applique the 14 inch curved 1930s Dresdens I’ve been slowly putting together for awhile, and then put the smaller Dresden over the seams.

Speaking of Dresden’s check out the Dresden Plates in Quilting Group on Flickr…I heart Flickr!

Have put all of these aside for now, as I need to finish up my Stitcher’s Angel gifts… planning to sit and stitch while watching the Grand Final tomorrow.

Dresdens in the Barn…

Well The Parsonage Dresden Plate Exchange is off and running… with 6 of the 9 girls meeting at the annual Quilts in the Barn on Saturday.

I showed you my sample blocks last post and you can see Jayne’s blocks here, so I’ve posted another couple of the girls blocks.

First off is Catherine’s yummy red, green, brown Dresden

And then Megan’s gorgeous red and white one… this is huge, blocks will be about 21 inches finished, and Megan is a newbie quilter, so this is her first Dresden. This is the first one I get to make… and I have the perfect red and whites in my stash… which is sort of disappointing, was looking forward to a shopping spree of red and whites.

I’ve been so enthused with the making of my Dresden’s I’ve prepped and made up another 5 plates… as I knew I’d be handing over my template until next May… will post photo’s for this week’s flaunt.

Quilts in the Barn this year featured the quilts of Margaret McDonald… I’ve got Margaret’s Exuberance: Princess Feather quilt pattern and starter pack ready to go (have had it for a couple of years… sigh… oh to have more time!).

There were lots of lovely quilts, but I particularly liked these…

Aren’t the colours in this Lone Star quilt stunning!

A gorgeous Lover’s Knot quilt

And a close-up of a stunning Irish Chain quilt

She is the Dresden Queen…

Once again, I’m making Dresden Plates … this time, for the first time, curved edges, only 2 colours, using clear, bright colours, spots, stripes, geometric patterns etc…

Every year for the last 3 years a group of friends have had a weekend away at The Parsonage in Maldon and every year we’ve organised an exchange.  The first year we made small 6 inch blocks in the style we requested, the 2nd we made bags for each other… you can see the bag Debbie made me here.

Last year we had a showbag, and we each bought something to the value of $5 for each other, and now for next year’s retreat in May, we’ve got a bit better organised and have arranged a Dresden Plate exchange.

All 9 of us will make a Dresden Plate, and provide each other with a background, some fabric and instructions.   Between now and May 2010 we’ll each make a Dresden Plate in the style requested by each participant and will reveal all blocks in May.  We’re handing over our kits today, so I’ve spent the week making up a couple of samples and getting fabric together.

Have provided all the girls with one fabric already precut into 8 petals, all they need do is add another fabric of their choice for the remaining petals and centre circle.   I want this scrappy, so have made up kits with pink, red, aqua, purple, yellow etc.    Will be interesting to see what comes back!

Like Jayne, I’m planning to make some extra blocks, have them already cut out ready to go, as I’m giving the girls my template.    At this stage, hoping to make a single bed quilt to go on the ‘guest room’ bed, but may change my mind and go for a larger quilt for me!

Those generous designers…

It always astounds me how generous designers are out there… and here are some more wonderful things available out there in the blogosphere:

Dorothy Baker’s Sweet Nostalgia – this 12 month stitchery project based on vintage children’s illustrations has just started, I’ve downloaded Month One – because we don’t yet have Cosmo threads in Australia, I’m wondering about stitching this as a redwork quilt (hmmm – might be a bit complicated!)

Among the Gum Trees – a collective of nine designers who have just launched a shared blog with plans for giveaways and freebie designs – go and check it out!

Fat Cat Designs – this designer is incredibly generous with her designs and currently has a couple of BOMs on offer free, with previous months blocks available to purchase.  I’m collecting Southern Gentleman – luscious applique quilt blocks

Gail Pan’s Christmas Wish has just finished… you can still get the block patterns and the finishing instructions

Bunny Hill’s A Tisket, A Tasket is up to block nine… these are gorgeous either stitched or appliqued

Stitchers Angel Swap – we’ve had 4 of the 7 free designs released for this years swap, each one absolutely gorgeous… makes it hard to decide which ones to make for my mortal – maybe all of them!

Mystery Marathon Update plus…

This past weekend has been full of festivities to celebrate Flossie’s 70th birthday, starting off with a day at the Glenharrow Spring Stitch-in on Friday, with a lovely day had by all, that miracle of miracle’s actually included me doing some stitching instead of gum flapping for a change.  Two lovely little kits from Rosalie Quinlan and Leanne Beasley, scrumptious food and stunning show and tell, including getting to fabric fondle Rosalie’s new fabric line and see some of the projects from the about to be released book!

Saturday we spent having Afternoon Tea at The Windsor Hotel… which was very elegant and decadent, but also explains why I had a massive headache Sunday… way too much sugar!

Today I spent at Mum’s putting together our blocks from Helen Stubbing’s Mystery Marathon… due to a later than anticipated start (that damn headache still!) we only got the centre blocks put together and still have to add the two outer borders.   I’m going to have a go at quilting this using perle cotton, as I don’t want this to be added to the Quilt Top stage where it will remain for ever more!   Mum’s is the darker version, mine ’30s fabrics, so in hindsight not a lot of contrast, but I still like it…

After dinner tonight, I sat and finished marking up the Dresden Plates for an exchange I’m doing with some girlfriends from now until May 2010, as we’re handing over kits on Sunday.   Will show photo’s of my finished plates for Friday’s Flaunt.

The following photo’s of two projects Mum has been working on for me on and off this year.   Both come from Cabbage Rose Quilts/Barbara Brandeburg books, both made from my tub of 1930’s scraps!

Mystery Marathon … work in progress

Well, we’re just stopping to have lunch and an update of our progress below.

We’re a bit behind, because we’re working on two quilts at once, but going ok so far!

Mum’s quilt.

Mine!