What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

We are nearly ready for the New Year. But there is still a little Christmas to catch up on first. In fact, we haven’t celebrated Christmas with our family yet. Our granddaughter was unwell on Christmas eve, so we had to put off our visit. We will instead catch up in a couple of days. The grandchildren are fine with that because they say it sounds like having two Christmases. That is a good attitude to have.

I made lots of cards at the start of December.

And I made lots of these tags for gifts.

I also admired ...

read more

I have had some family requests for Christmas quilts using particular fabrics. But I only had bits and pieces of each one left. So I had to play around a bit with a simple design so I could use what I had. The end result was two similar, but not the same, throw quilts.

There are three different fabrics in the range that I have used – framed snowmen, tossed snowmen and stripes of snowmen.

Once I had put them them together I had to find a suitable backing for each one.

I found fabric with ornaments.

And Christmas themed rows ...

read more

After the quilt marathon it has been good to get back to some smaller projects.

I have managed to complete another four of the houses from Homegrown.

Mine are not always true to the original design. I have added different colours and fabrics, sometimes different stitches and even a ribbon or two. But the essential design is still there.

I have also made some progress on my giraffe embroidery. Slow and steady with this one.

Obviously still a long way to go.

Spring is a delightful time in the garden when the sun is shining.

The dark coloured orchids bloomed ...

read more

Two identical quilts! Almost.

These quilts are single bed size and are part of a donation quilt marathon I am working on. I wanted to get a few quilts made so they can be given as Christmas gifts. I have been helped out by a few people with donations of wadding. I have plenty of fabrics to make tops and backing, but not a lot of wadding, so that was a bonus. I did, however, get given some panels, so started on those first. I only had to add the two blue and one white border to get to the ...

read more

September is strange. The trees are in blossom and the hail is falling. That’s Spring in Melbourne.

No such problems with the Sue Spargo houses. Sunshine all the way there. Here is the next installment of eight blocks.

I am pleased to be making progress on these as they have been waiting far too long.

Another finish made with lovely wools are these tag decorations.

Couldn’t resist when I saw this pattern at the recent craft show. I bought them through Winterwood Felt and Craft Supplies. I think a few more sets of these will be required.

I ...

read more

Our weather continues to cause a lot of problems. I think the only thing we have missed out on is snow, though we did have hail. But in the middle of it all, we had a gorgeous rainbow. And a gorgeous blue sky. We spotted this when out driving.

I have been finishing off a few little embroideries. I am never quite sure what to do them sometimes. I don’t necessarily want to make a quilt, so an easy solution is to turn them into hooped decorations. I have a spot above the sliding glass doors that is the ...

read more

As a crafter, have you ever gotten an idea and been unable to let go of it? No matter how hard you tried? Well, this needle felting adventure is one of those ideas. I don't know why, but I had the idea to make some wool dryer balls. Can I buy wool dryer balls? Absolutely (link at the bottom of the post). But where is the fun in that?
Because I wanted to make dryer balls, I grabbed a box of roving. I estimated I could make several with this box.
I wanted some colors so I added in ...

read more

It has been a hectic time, but I am determined to do at least one December post!

Lots of shopping has happened, including these gorgeous biscuit tins. Love the way the bauble has been incorporated into the tin. And, yes, it spins!

The colour and the design on the tin could have easily fitted into my quilt. This is another panel being used and completed.

I have kept it simple with just a few borders added. Each of the squares have delightful images.

I found a lovely piece in my stash to use on the back.

The binding was a ...

read more

It seems to be so far away, but I know from past experience that Christmas creeps up really quickly.

I am trying to get ahead, but I know it will still be a mad rush in the end.

I started with one of these decorations from a Bareroots pattern, Everything Nice Christmas Ornaments.

And then added a couple more.

They are a lovely collection. There are six in the set, so I have a few more to make.

The same design is on the front and back panel. The other two sides each have holly leaves.

Just to also explain ...

read more

A few little bits and pieces have been finished. And all have been worked in felt.

I made a box/cube using four Sue Spargo designs.

Each of the designs was stitched onto a felt square.

At first I was a bit stumped as to how to use the pieces. I think they were originally in a wall hanging. But the size made me think about a cube box.

Each piece was backed with more felt and had plastic inserted like a sleeve to stabilize the sides. Looks like it has worked okay.

The sides are about 10 inches square ...

read more

I have this collection of blue yarn perfect for felting. 
I used the LK150 and a video tutorial to make some more slippers
I finished them what seems like ages ago but I didn't wash them to felt them up until recently. Here is how they compare to my earlier experiments. Felting is not very precise and more of an experiment each time I do it. 
They came out great! I still have yarn that will felt so expect to see more of these. 

read more

I am still working on lots of little things and achieving some finishes.

My Party Penguin is complete and now in its hoop ready to hang. This is a design from Bustle And Sew.

Next in line were a few felt decorations from The Wooly Thread Co. I think I purchased one of the patterns a few years back. Good to finally get them done.

And finally a little peacock pin cushion. I know I bought this as a kit many years ago, but unfortunately I don’t have the designer details.

I have also been working on bigger projects ...

read more

After the last pair of felted slippers turned out too small I decided to give it another try. I modified my notes to make the slipper wider and longer. 
I knit up the pair on the LK150. 
And sewed them up. I so enjoy the color blocking on this design. It's something you can't do easily while knitting in the round. 
Here is what that unfelted (top) slipper looks like next to the felted slipper I made (bottom). 
Here is how it felted up. Sadly, it is still too small for me. I figure the size is around ...

read more

I decided to give felted slippers another chance. This was my second attempt. I make major changes to the design I was using and I'm much happier with this style. Yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. It felts up so nicely. 
These are knit flat on the LK150 knitting machine and then the sides are seamed by hand. The color changes are partially a style choice and partially to assist with lining up that hand seaming. 
This time the felting was just awesome! Unfortunately, I didn't knit them big enough so these are really a child ...

read more

We are having a gorgeous Easter long weekend with beautiful sunny days. Even the resident magpie family agree and have been out and about checking out the Autumn foliage.

Easter decorating has been happening and there are a couple of new additions.

A little crochet bunny.

And a new hoop embroidery.

This is a Kathy Schmitz design that I was lucky enough to receive from Marina. ( Thanks, again, Marina.)

I reduced the size so that it would fit a hoop.It is ready to hang on the wall.

I found this cute little paper tree that I was planning to ...

read more

Brrr and Good Morning from chilly North Carolina! The poor sea of daffodils are all weeping from this cold! Of course, for me, this means a day of sewing!

Two years ago I cam across a Twelve Days of Christmas ornament series made from felt. It was love at first site! Uncharacteristically, I ordered the full set of patterns (from Larissa Holland, mmmCrafts). At first the pattern set seemed pricey, but oh the detail, exquisite design and excellent instructions made it so worth it. I even ordered the set of felt to make them with. I printed the patterns out ...

read more

January is such a great time to be outdoors, but it does mean I forget to blog. Our weather has been mild so far with only a few really hot days, so the garden often calls. But, I have been caught up at times watching the cricket, and now the Australia Open, so some stitching has been happening.

Not a lot of work was needed so I was able to finish this one – a little Wendy Williams Travel Threads.

These are such sweet designs. I always enjoy making them.

I have also been crocheting some mandalas with 8 ply cotton ...

read more

The last day of the year crept up a lot quicker than I had expected. But here it is.

So before the New Year starts I managed to finish a couple of Christmas projects.

These are part of a series of wool stockings designed by Michelle L Palmer. Michelle kindly shares these designs freely each year just before Christmas. These are the two for 2021.

I have also shown the other two from previous years. These are the ones I have completed so far.

There are a couple of other designs in the set that I have yet to make ...

read more

One week until Christmas day. And another year nearly behind us. Wow!

Lots of Christmas sewing has been happening, but I have also managed to finish my quilt top for Over The Hill by Wendy Williams. This was the last block.

When it was joined to the others in the row, there were a few overlapping pieces to be added, then the rows were all joined to complete the top.

I am very pleased with the end result. Lots of work but very enjoyable. The original pattern has a border but I am not sure if I want one. It ...

read more

November has been a very busy time here. The weather has made sure we are very busy in the garden. The plants are enjoying the Spring rain and sunshine, and the weeds are flourishing!!! Lots of strawberries have been picked and turned into jam. And I think the grass grows behind us as soon as we mow.

The other part of being busy is that our state has opened up after lock down and we are able to catch up with family and friends. Masks are off outside and most venues are now open. So we started with family visits ...

read more